And back to St. John's

St. John's is the capital and largest city in Newfoundland and Labrador and is considered by some to be the oldest, English founded city in North America.  It’s name has been attributed to the feast day of John the Baptist; when John Cabot was believed to have sailed into the harbour in 1497;  and also to a Basque fishing town with the same name.  Of major Canadian cities, St. John’s is the foggiest (124 day/year), windiest (24.3 km/h average speed), and cloudiest (only 1,497 hours of sunshine per year).  St. John’s however, experiences milder temperatures during the winter season in comparison to other Canadian cities, and has the mildest winter of any Canadian city outside of British Columbia.  It is the most easterly city in North America, excluding Greenland, 475km closer to London, England than it is to Edmonton, Alberta.  St. John’s, and the province as a whole, was gravely affected in the 1990s by the collapse of the Northern cod fishery, which had been the driving force of the provincial economy for hundreds of years.  After a decade of high unemployment rates and depopulation, the city’s proximity to the Hibernia, Terra Nova and White Rose oil fields has led to an economic boom that has spurred population growth and commercial development.  As a result, the St. John’s area now accounts for about half of the province’s economic output. The architecture of St. John’s has a distinct style from that of the rest of Canada, and its major buildings are remnants of its history as one of the first British colonial capitals.  Buildings took a variety of styles according to the means available to build the structures.  Starting as a fishing outpost for European fishermen, St. John’s consisted mostly of the homes of fishermen, sheds, storage shacks, and wharves constructed out of wood.  Like many other cities of the time, as the Industrial Revolution took hold and new methods and materials for construction were introduced, the landscape changed as the city grew.  The Great Fire of 1892 destroyed most of the downtown core, and most residential and other wood-frame buildings now date from this period.  One of the things I did this morning was to take myself on a self-guided walk of the historic building in St. John’s east end.

The Colonial Building served as the seat of the Newfoundland legislature from its opening in 1850 until 1959.

Pall Mall House, now known as Arnni, was built between 1856 and 1879 as two attached houses and was later converted into one.  It is built of stone and clapboarded over the front.

Government House (which you can sort of see through the trees), completed in 1831, is the viceregal residence.  The building was designed by Governor Sir Thomas Cochrane, and laboureurs for the construction were imported from Scotland because the wages for Newfoundland workmen were considered too high.

The Rendell-Shea house was saved from destruction in the Great Fire of 1892 when a group of men hauled down the house next door which was already in flames.  It was the only house in this area to survive the fire.  Completed in 1879, the Rendell-Shea House was probably the first fashionable home in St. John’s to have its kitchen on the ground floor rather than in the basement.

St. Thomas’s Anglican Church is also known as the Garrison Church.  It was first opened in 1836 and is the oldest surviving church building in St. John’s.

Devon Place was built in 1844 and is a fine example of the Classical Revival style in St. John’s.  It was probably the finest house in St. John’s for forty years after its construction.

Sutherland Place was completed in 1844 as a double house and has since been converted into apartments.  Sutherland Place was the childhood home of two Lieutenant-Governors of Newfoundland.

The Commissariat was completed in 1821 as office and quarters for the Assistant Commissary General of Fort William (which was located in St. John’s).  After 1872, until 1969, the Commissariat was used as a rectory by St. Thomas’s Church, and for a few year (191801921) it served as a nursing home and children’s hospital.

Sir Robert Bond House was built around 1885 for Sir Robert Bond, later to be Prime Minister of Newfoundland.  Bond is remembered for saving Newfoundland from bankruptcy by procuring loans for the country on his personal credit.

The chimney of this residence (Bannerman House) contains a datestone dated 1849 although the house may have been built earlier.

Winterholme was completed in 1907 for Sir Marmaduke Winter.  Winterholme has over 60 rooms and the stone walls of the basement are two feet thick.  It is an extravagant example of the Queen Anne style of architecture, and was probably the most expensive home in the city when built. During the Second World War the house was used as officers’ quarters by the Canadian Forces.

The Roman Catholic Basilica of St. John the Baptist is a National Historic Site.  It was built as a cathedral and consecrated in 1855; in 1955 it was raised to the rank of minor Basilica.

The former Benevolent Irish Society building.

The former Congregational Church, built after the Great Fire of 1892, has now been converted into condominiums.

Park Place was built between 1878 and 1887 and is an example of Second Empire style.

Kelvin House was built in 1884 and both the interior and exterior walls are constructed of imported Scottish brick, an unusual building material for St. John's homes.

The Supreme Court building of Newfoundland and Labrador, built in 1904.

Not 'historic' in any way, this building is The Rooms, a cultural facility which houses the Art Gallery of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Provincial Archives of Newfoundland and Labrador and the Provincial Museum of Newfoundland and Labrador.  There is a lovely panoramic view of downtown St. John’s and its architecture, St. John’s Harbour, The Narrows and Signal Hill.

St. John's also has walking tours of the historic buildings in the downtown area and the west end.  I didn't have time to do those this trip - I guess that's another reason why I'll just have to come back.  In addition to the historic buildings you can see when you walk around, a couple of statues also stood out to me.  This first one is at the entrance to George Street and commemorates the arts in St. John's.  For those who don't know, George Street is a small street, only two blocks long, known for its many bars and pubs.  In fact, the two-block long street houses nothing but bars, pubs and restaurants.  George Street is only open to pedestrians in the evenings and during most of the business day; being open to traffic only in the mornings to allow bars to restock their goods.  The street has the most bars that are open later than most others throughout Canada.  The street does not usually become crowded with people until later at night, around midnight, and will remain busy until early in the morning, until around 6:00am usually, despite the absence of the sale of alcohol.

Another beautiful sculpture is down near the water at the harbour and is said to represent a gate, or portal.  The columns are reminiscent of the two land masses on both sides of the Atlantic, and are evocative of rugged, rocky coastlines.  Water is streaming up and down the columns and the top part of the structure, the water, symbolizes the raging ocean.  These two columns could represent North America and Europe.  Flanked by the two vertical forms is a negative space in the shape of a codfish.

Quidi Vidi Village is an historic fishing village located on what used to be the outskirts of St. John's.  It is a tiny sheltered inlet, known locally as the gut, with closely spaced houses, quaint buildings, and colourful fishing structures and wharves.  Settlement of Quidi Vidi Village cannot be definitively dated, but there are historic structures which date to the early 19th century.  Its strategic location made it an ideal site for the French occupation of St. John's in 1792, again by the British during the war of 1812 and later in 1941 when the United States constructed a military base on the banks of Quidi Vidi Lake.  Quidi Vidi Gut is a sheltered inlet from the ocean where today fishers still work.  Small fishing buildings, known as stages and stores, are perched at the edge of the cliff and balanced over the water.

The green building (on the right side) is Quidi Vidi Brewing Company.  Established in 1996 this microbrewery operates from a former seafood plant.  Today this local company processes nine brands of beer, including one (Iceberg Beer) made with pure iceberg water.  Had to take a tour!

Christ Church was opened in 1842 as a chapel of ease for St. Thomas's Anglican Church, and the tower and bell were added around 1890.  Today it is a private residence, designated as a National Historic Site.

It’s hard to be in St. John’s and not be drawn to the harbour, and so this is where I ended up again during my day of walking.

Often compared to San Francisco due to the hilly terrain and steep maze of residential streets, housing in St. John’s is typically painted in bright colours, referred to as “Jelly Bean Row Houses”,  You can’t possibly spend time in St. John’s and not make mention of these fabulous houses!

Before leaving I had time for one more quick trip out to Cape Spear - one last look at the ocean and one last chance to listen to the waves.  Despite being a nice day in St. John’s it was, of course, foggy at Cape Spear, but the good news about that was the fog hours was going!  A great last memory of a great trip!