Formal Recognition Type

Registered Heritage Structure

Heritage Value

Bay Roberts Railway Station was designated a Registered Heritage Structure by the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador in 2007 because it has aesthetic, historic and cultural value. Bay Roberts Railway Station has aesthetic value because it stands as an unusual architectural example of railway station construction for the region. The wooden, two-storey station, more appropriately called a combination depot, was built by the Reid Newfoundland Company sometime between 1899 and 1908. It was constructed with living quarters on the second floor and on the first floor were facilities for passengers, baggage freight, and the agent’s office. The architecture of the building is directly related to its function as a railway station. It has a protruding bay overlooking the tracks and an enclosed porch on the opposite facade that gave access to the ticket counter inside. The depot was staffed by an agent who lived with his family on the second floor. The building remains in its original condition with a steeply pitched roof, wooden clapboard and large gable-end windows. Bay Roberts Railway Station has historic value because of its age. Built between 1899 and 1908 this railway station was constructed when the Harbour Grace Line was changed to include this part of the coast. In 1898 a branch known as the Carbonear Line was constructed from Brigus Junction to Tilton via Brigus, Clarke’s Beach, Bay Roberts and Spaniard’s Bay. The age of the Bay Roberts Railway Station makes it one of the first stations built for the new line. Bay Roberts Railway Station also has historic value because of its associations with twentieth century development of the town. The construction of the station enabled Bay Roberts to become an important business and commercial centre of Conception Bay North. The town was first founded as a fishing community, and the seal fishery formed the mainstay of the economy in the 19th and 20th centuries. But, the railway opened the way for transport of freight and passengers province-wide, and the community grew based on this. Bay Roberts Railway Station has cultural value because it represents a time of exceptional growth in the community. The station is symbolic of trade and commerce for the region. It stands today as a rare surviving example of a railway building in a province where the railway no longer exists and related rail buildings have all but vanished from the landscape. Yet, the building holds meaning to the town as a fundamental element that helped shape the face of the coastal community. Source: Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador property file “Bay Roberts – Bay Roberts Railway Station – FPT 2942”

Character Defining Elements

All those original, vernacular features that reflect the architecture of the building, including: -wooden construction; -narrow wooden clapboard; -steeply pitched gable roof; -original wooden window material, sizes, openings and their locations; and -door openings, sizes and locations. All those original features that reflect the railway function of the building, including: -large, gable end windows; -protruding operator’s bay with large windows and shed roof; -enclosed porch with extended roof; and -two-storey construction.

Community

Bay Roberts

Municipality

Town of Bay Roberts

Civic Address

008 Station Road

Construction (circa)

19700101 - 19700101

Builder

Reid Newfoundland Company

Style

Rectangular Long Façade