Bannerman House
May as well get to know the neighbours. Bannerman House, number 54 Circular Rd. seems to have caught the heartcockles of the Heritage Foundation, for both its history and aesthetic beauty. No doubt the slick navy colour and an abundance of architectural details do Newfoundland "vernacular" (original, local) architecture proud. I think the half-roofline above the first level, with its rounded shape, is gorgeous. 
Bannerman House has environmental value because the house sits on land that once stretched a sizeable distance, taking in the full extent of Circular Road, where farming and cattle grazing took place. The house was once the original farmhouse, though many renovations have taken place since its pre-1843 construction. Its early vernacular style provides a striking contrast to the ornate Second Empire merchant houses which were built later in the neighbourhood, making Bannerman House a vital contribution to the architecture and streetscape of the surrounding area ...
The original owner was John Mitchell, an immigrant apprentice butcher from Dorset England. He became a well-established name in the city for his excellence in providing produce for various sea vessels. By 1836 his reputation for quality goods allowed him to lease land from the government for the grazing of his animals and to grow vegetables and flowers. ...
John and Ann Mitchell made considerable progress in their business, and the large tract of land was used for the grazing of animals, and growing vegetables and flowers. Ann established two small hothouses on the east side of the residence in which to start seeds, and the farm soon became very well-known for its production of vegetables and every variety of flowers, especially at Easter-time. ...
Mitchell was also responsible for shooting and injuring the son of then Governor, Sir Richard Goodwin Keats, when young Keats attempted to steal vegetables one night in 1843. Mitchell took aim and shot the unknown intruder. From this event the land was known as Mitchell’s Garden, and the account provides the earliest record of habitation in a Mitchell house on the site. ...
In the early 1990s, the owners of Bannerman House wished to demolish the house and replace it with a modern structure. After considerable lobbying by the Newfoundland Historic Trust, and the presentation to City Council of an earlier version of this essay, the owners were persuaded to sell the house ...
Bannerman House has cultural value because, as an early 19th century home in a neighbourhood built during the Victorian Period, it provides a fixed point from which Circular Road east emerged. It thus defines the neighbourhood’s history. Since architectural practices and examples mirror the society and values by which they are spawned, Bannerman House and the other homes in the neighbourhood provide a concrete example of Newfoundland social, cultural and political transition from an outpost colony to the status of a self-governing independent dominion in the British Empire.
It won the Southcott Award in 1995.
Labels: architecture, newfoundland
posted by Invisible Shield at 5:51 PM
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