September 25, 2025
Seaspan is proud to partner with MONOVA: Museum and Archives of North Vancouver to sponsor Walks with History, a series of guided walking tours that bring the stories of the Shipyards District and Lower Lonsdale to life.
Overhauled with new content and interpretation this year, MONOVA is running two 60-minute walking tours: Shipyard Pal, which explores the rich maritime history of the Shipyards District, and Lower Lonsdale, which takes participants up the hill and back in time as they learn about some of the city’s most notable figures and landmarks.
Made possible with Seaspan’s continued support, these captivating walking tours offer locals and visitors the opportunity to learn more about the varied history in the area from knowledgeable museum staff members.
Burrard Drydock, 1945. North Vancouver Museum and Archives (NVMA) 27-2289
To experience it first-hand, our team joined David, an actor-interpreter with the museum who guides guests through the Shipyards as the character of a “shipyard pal.” The tour passes by the historic pipe shop buildings, including the copper fitting shop (now home to the Tap & Barrel restaurant) and continues onto the Burrard Drydock pier.
Other modern additions to the Shipyards District, like the family-friendly splash park and skating rink area, he explained, were once the machine shop.
Members of the Seaspan community relations team participated in a Shipyard Pal walking tour in August.
At each stop, David shared insights into wartime shipbuilding history, including riveting. While welding has since taken its place (including at Seaspan’s Vancouver Shipyards and Vancouver Drydock), riveting was a reliable technology at the time, which involved fastening steel plates together with metal pins called rivets. Each Canadian-built Victory ship required roughly 383,000 rivets to hold it together.
The tour also shines a light on the people behind the ships, sharing diverse stories of real shipyard workers who were employed at the Burrard Drydock during WW2. Many of these employees were women, who had stepped into vital roles while men were away at war.
Shop Stewards at Burrard Drydock, 1942. NVMA 8073.
“We are very grateful for continued support from Seaspan as we share stories of the impactful industries and people of North Vancouver”, Zoe Mackoff de Miranda, Director at MONOVA, said. “Shipbuilding has been an integral part of growing our community for over 100 years and Seaspan carries on that legacy today. I’d encourage anyone who is interested in learning more about this fascinating history to consider joining us on our Walks with History: Shipyard Pal tour.”
The walking tours, which began in May, will continue multiple times a week until Oct.19 – the perfect free and family-friendly fall activity to discover the rich history of the Shipyards District and Lower Lonsdale neighbourhood.
Learn more about MONOVA’s summer walking tours here: Walks with History
Riveters, 1943. NVMA 27-795.