Waddington alley was created by land owner Alfred Waddington in 1858 so he could fit more stores on his property and therefore charge more rent.  The first ‘cheap shops’ that were hastily built using wood, some of it coming from the California redwoods, included a bakery, fish market, black smith, restaurant, and the first bowling alley in BC.  The sidewalks were wooden,  the road was very muddy.  The locals complained about the potholes for years, Waddington tried covering them with iron plates which made for a very loud small space. Waddington died in 1872 and the alley became property of the city. In the 1880s the wooden shacks were replaced with brick buildings including Morley’s soda shop and Pitt’s general store. It wasn’t until 1908 that something was done about the potholes. The city of Victoria paved all the streets using douglas fir blocks. Waddingon alley was one of the few places the wood was coated in creosote to preserve the wood. The sidewalks were lined with steel to protect them from the carriage wheels and can still be found there. The blocks were replaced in 1992 with the help of the Duncan Hoo Hoo Society which donated the wood.