Britannia Shipyards National Historic Site is an 8-acre heritage park set on the scenic banks of the Fraser River. The site is the original location of early canning, fishing and boatbuilding operations. Arranged along a wooden boardwalk, the unique landscape and collection of heritage buildings tell the stories of the diverse community of people who lived and worked in Steveston over the past 150 years.

Site History

Britannia Shipyards is part of a 3km stretch of shoreline known collectively as Cannery Channel, extending from Garry Point in the west to London Farm in the east.

The main Britannia Shipyard building was constructed in 1889 as the Britannia Cannery. It was built in the distinctive L-shaped plan that characterized most early canneries, with fish processing typically done in the short wing of the building. The proximity to the water made it easy for the fish to be unloaded onto the wharf and into the cannery.

By 1900, Britannia Cannery was among fifteen canneries operating along Cannery Channel in addition to hundreds of other industrial structures associated with canning, fishing and boatbuilding. The Britannia Cannery and neighbouring Phoenix Cannery were owned by the Anglo-British Columbia Packing Company Ltd (ABC) founded by Henry O. Bell-Irving.