Thomas Gore

Thomas Sinclair Gore

1851- 1937

Thomas Sinclair Gore was born in 1851 in Ontario, at the village of Gore’s Landing, named after his navy-captain father, an immigrant from Antrim, Ireland.   The young Gore was schooled in Toronto, and, while qualifying as a land surveyor, worked on a preliminary survey for the future transcontinental railway.

Following a period as a Dominion surveyor, Gore moved west in 1882, and, as a highly regarded amateur photographer, he recorded a landmark picture of the arrival of the first CPR train to complete the transcontinental journey at Port Moody in July 1886.

Subsequently he settled in British Columbia to do survey work for the provincial government, following in similar steps to those of his elder brother, William Sinclair Gore, who had become Surveyor-General of British Columbia in 1878.  In 1890 Thomas set up a business partnership in Victoria, and acted as Land Commission for the E&N Railway. He continued to work for both the provincial and dominion governments until his retirement in 1910, after which he became Secretary and subsequently President of the Corporation of Land Surveyors in British Columbia.

Gore was able to develop his considerable talents as an artist as an early member of the Island Arts and Crafts Society, founded in Victoria in 1909. Residing at this time on Oak Bay Avenue, Gore painted many scenes in Oak Bay and other parts of the Saanich Peninsula, as well as in Europe.  

He exhibited both in watercolour and oils in virtually every Society annual show from 1912 to 1934, and served as Society President from 1926 to 1930.

House, Beach Drive, AGGV, c00609