Of all the locations, Riverview is my favourite. It is Fort Salem. I love that it is a public park and anyone can go and visit it for free. Address: Riverview Hospital, 2601 Lougheed Hwy. Coquitlam, BC V3C 4J2
I went there by bus from Braid station. Normally I go from Coquitlam, but this time I was at a different starting point. That meant that I got off the bus at a different stop – Fern Terrace, just down the hill from West Terrace building. As I was walking towards the main filming area, I came across a site map! It was just a bit of path that I had clearly missed before, but this was what I wanted. All of Riverview laid out and labelled. I wish I had found this 2 years ago because one of the things I had realised in planning this trip was that I had found a lot of places on the site, but didn’t always know where they were in relation to each other.
The most important buildings are numbers 5, 6 and 8. As you look at the picture below, the buildings at the top of the picture are at the top of the hill, going down to number 8 at the bottom of the hill.
Number 5 is the Centre Lawn Building, better known to Motherland fans as the Operations Building. Previous blog at Operations Building https://returntofortsalem.com/2023/09/23/vancouver-pilgrimage-fort-salem-operations/
Number 6 is the East Lawn Building, better known as General Alder’s Office. Previous blog at General Alder’s Office https://returntofortsalem.com/2023/09/23/vancouver-pilgrimage-fort-salem-gen-alder/
Number 8 is the Crease Unit, better known as Circe Barracks. Previous blog at Circe Barracks https://returntofortsalem.com/2023/09/24/vancouver-pilgrimage-circe-barracks/
The site map also allowed me to find the Industrial Services Building that was used to film the Mycelium room where the Mother Mycelium was. This was building number 3. I was finally able to go to that building. Clearly not somewhere I could get inside, but that was true of all the buildings.
I had found the ‘Hey Camarilla’ filming stie, but hadn’t noted where it was, now I was able to refind it at the back of General Alder’s Office (#6).
The covered walkway that we see the Unit pass is at the east end of Alder’s Office (East Lawn Building).
The fake wall around Fort Salem was easily breached by the Camarilla because it was only a metre or two wide on each side of the road. This is at the western approach to the Operations Building (Centre Lawn Building).
Even the noticeboard was changed for the occasion.
I also discovered an easier way to find the Raylla tree and the trees around there.
Blog from my previous visit is at Raylla tree https://returntofortsalem.com/2023/09/25/vancouver-pilgrimage-the-raylla-tree-and-other-living-stuff/
Previously, I had found it by going to the end of the Crease Building (Circe Barracks, where the Unit met Hearst and the Witch Plague).
Then walk down the path to the Samhain bonfires.
Cross over to the opposite of the (bonfire) clearing and enter the trees.
This time I found the easy way. Find the bus stop at Fern Terrace – just down the hill from West Lawn Building. Stop number 53454.
Cross the road. It is the tree on the left of this photo.
Then just walk under the tree canopy.
A very special tree indeed.
However it is true that Riverview is a place that needs money spending on it to maintain it. I know that the East and Centre Lawn Buildings are closed because of asbestos and unsafe flooring and it is proposed to sell them and the West Lawn Building may get demolished. The set designers for Motherland made sure that the buildings looked in perfect condition. Sadly, this is not always the case in the years since filming.
Even the grounds could do with some more attention.
Whatever happens to the buildings, this is always Fort Salem and the magic is there. If you get the chance to visit it, take it. So many memories, just walking around it. This will always be a Witches’ place.
ReturntoFortSalem 