While politics can be frightful at times, this B.C. Legislature Halloween event promises to be properly scary - Action News
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British Columbia

While politics can be frightful at times, this B.C. Legislature Halloween event promises to be properly scary

This Halloween season people can take a free, online video tour of the B.C. Parliament buildings and connect with the spirit of famed architect Francis Rattenbury in an hour-long exploration of the eeriest tales of the B.C. Parliament buildings.

Haunted stories of B.C Parliament buildings being told online for free until Oct. 30

Parliamentary Phantoms: A Ghostly Visitation with Francis Rattenbury, is a free, online video performance by Victoria actor Nicholas Guerreiro who plays the ghost of the scandal-riddled architect who built the B.C. Legislature. (Legislative Assembly of British Columbia)

Some would say a lot of scary things have happened atthe B.C. legislaturebut, this time, there areghosts involved.

To mark the Halloween holiday, legislature staff have set up a free, online video experience where guests can tune in and hear spooky tales about the place told by the ghost of the building's famed architectFrancis Rattenbury. Or, more specifically, by actorNicholas Guerreiro.

Guerreiro embodies the scandal-riddenspirit twice daily inParliamentary Phantoms: A Ghostly Visitation with Francis Rattenbury, which is offered to the publicat 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. until Oct. 30.

"When the bell rings, the spirit appears," said Guerreiro.

A ghostly tour of B.C.'s Parliament buildings from the man who designed them

4 years ago
Duration 2:33
Actor Nicholas Guerreiro, playing the part of long-deceased architect Francis Rattenbury, tells tales of the darker side of the B.C. legislature's history.

And, according to Guerreiro, it is rumoured this is not Rattenbury's first postmortem appearance.

He said the British-born architect, who built not only the parliament buildings, but the Empress Hotel as well, has been allegedly spotted wandering the legislature and hotel lawnsin his ghostly form before, likely lamenting the days when he was kind of a big deal.

Before, that is, his name became synonymous in some social circles with extra-marital affairs and murder.

Nicholas Guerreiro in character as Francis Rattenbury. (Legislative Assembly of British Columbia )

"He sort of became the toast of the town for a bit and then his personal life caught up with him," saidGuerreiro.

As the story goes, after being feted for his architectural accomplishments, Rattenbury started a relationship with a woman 30 years his junior.

It is safe to say the affair did not go over well with the prim and proper Victorian society set let alone Rattenbury's wife.

So, while still very much a living, breathing human, he ghosted Victoria. In other words, he split town.

Francis Rattenbury won an international competition to design the new legislature building for the young province of British Columbia. (BC Archives)

Rattenbury married his new love and left for the old world, returning to London to avoid gossip.

Spoiler alert his plan failed.

And, in a sense, so did his second marriage when his young bride became cozy with a chauffeur.

So cozy, in fact, that, according to Guerreiro, her jealous 17-year-old lover wouldeventually sneakup behind Rattenburywhile he was in his study and clubhim to death with a croquet mallet.

Now, legend has it, Rattenbury's ghost is nostalgic for happier timesand returns on occasion to Victoria, wandering around in a dapper suit, tapping a cane and pointing out interesting features ofthe buildings he built.

And until Friday, he will also be regaling thrill seekers with spooky stories about those same places and the haunted happenings that have gone on in and around them for more than a century.

Or is itGuerreiro?

All shows are one hour long and promise creepy historical tales, includingthat of a certain parliamentarian's alleged doppelgnger.

Tap here for more information and to sign up to participate.

Legend says the second man from the right on the stairs is an interloping doppleganger of Charles Good, first clerk of the British Columbia Legislative Assembly. Good claimed he was absent due to illness the day this photograph of B.C. parliamentarians was taken in the late 1800s and that there is no way it is him in the picture. (Vancouver Archives)

With files from On The Island