02 The story
Where the sappers camped
Sapperton takes its name from the Royal Engineers, nicknamed sappers, who were sent from Britain to survey the new colony and lay out its capital. Their camp and housing stood here around 1860, and the neighbourhood later became part of the City of New Westminster. The historic Fraser Cemetery, on the hill above Columbia Street, holds graves from the city’s earliest years.
Sapperton’s defining landmark is Royal Columbian Hospital on East Columbia Street, one of the oldest hospitals in British Columbia and one of the busiest in the province. The hospital has drawn clinics and medical offices to the surrounding blocks, and the hospital campus has been expanding in recent years.
Shopping, the Brewery District and parks
The older commercial strip along East Columbia Street has a small-town feel, with cafés, thrift stores, a bike shop and local services. South of the hospital, the Brewery District has transformed the site of a former brewery into a mixed-use area with apartments, offices, a grocery store and restaurants. TransLink’s head office is located here, steps from Sapperton station.
For green space, Hume Park offers sports fields, playgrounds and forest trails leading down to the Brunette River. Queen’s Park is a short walk to the west.
Sapperton suits people who want an established neighbourhood with character and very good transit. Residential streets are a mix of early 1900s homes, postwar bungalows and newer townhouses. Expect hospital traffic around East Columbia Street, and use the SkyTrain when you can.
