Formal Recognition Type

Registered Heritage Structure

Heritage Value

Bleak House was designated a Registered Heritage Structure by the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador in 1985 for its historic, aesthetic and cultural value.

Built as early as 1826 for merchant John Slade Jr., Bleak House has been home to three of the most significant merchant families in Fogo. The Slade family ran a highly successful merchant business in both Fogo and Twillingate for many years–John Slade Jr. was the nephew of successful Poole merchant John Slade, who first established himself as a merchant in Notre Dame Bay in the 1750s. Slade Jr.’s family lived in Bleak House until the mid-nineteenth century, when the house was sold to Slade’s former bookkeeper, John Owens. Owens built a successful business for his family in Fogo. Upon Owen’s retirement to England in 1897, Bleak House was purchased by his business partner, Henry Earle. Earle and Company was the most successful merchant business in Fogo and Twillingate from 1902 until the 1967 collapse of the Labrador fishery and a downturn in local fish stocks. Bleak House lay abandoned for years until the Earle family donated the building to the Town of Fogo in 1983. It was restored and has operated as a community museum since 1988. Through its historical associations with the Slade, Owens and Earle families, Bleak House stands as a reminder of the influential role that West Country merchants played in the development of the fishery on Newfoundland’s northeast coast.

Bleak House an excellent example of a nineteenth century merchant house in rural Newfoundland. The structure is larger and more elaborately styled than the vernacular architecture seen in fishermen’s house elsewhere on Fogo Island (such as in the Tilting Registered Heritage District). Originally a two-storey saltbox house, Bleak House was expanded in the late 1800s. Its proximity to the harbour and to former commercial premises is typical of merchant houses in Newfoundland outports. Bleak House’s size and hilltop location overlooking Fogo also speak to the social and economic prominence of the merchant in outport communities.

Source: Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador property file “Fogo – Bleak House – FPT 1538”

Character Defining Elements

All original features which relate to the age, construction and style of the property including:
-mid-pitch roof transitioning to a low pitch roof, with linhay and hipped roof extension;
-narrow wooden clapboard;
-decorative use of wooden clapboard on the bias;
-style, size, trim and placement of wooden windows;
-gabled dormer on rear roof;
-2-storey centre bay on front façade;
-pediment at top of centre bay;
-wooden mouldings and cornerboards;
-style, size, trim and placement of exterior wooden doors;
-style and placement of chimneys;
-prominent hilltop location of house;
-visibility from the town and the harbour; and,
-proximity to waterfront and former commercial buildings.

Notes

Bleak House was likely originally a rectangular, two-and-a-half storey, centre-hall dwelling with a saltbox roof and five windows at the upper storey. Many of the features of the interior and exterior of the house were reflections of prevailing architectural designs of West County England. Records indicate that the builder may have been John King in 1826-27, and that the dwelling house was re-shingled in 1832. The façade once featured an ornate, single-storey, covered and open front porch topped with a small balustrade, in the style of carriage porches. The gallery (or balcony) which surrounded the front of the house had Chinese-style balustrade. This reflected a brief trend towards Chinese decoration in England during the Classical Revival period. The porch was removed during the time that the Earles occupied the residence, and at some point replaced with the current two-storey bay. The Chinese-style balustrade was restored at one point, but was replaced with plain rails and its stairs removed by June of 2005. The current two-storey bay in the centre of Bleak House’s front façade has decorative use of clapboard on the bias and a pediment at the top. This bay section serves as the main entrance on the first floor and has windows at both floors. During the late 1800s additions were made to the house, especially a variety at the rear. The house’s name is said to be a reference to the 1852 Charles Dickens novel of the same name.

Community

Fogo

Municipality

Town of Fogo Island

Civic Address

036 North Side Road

Construction (circa)

1826 - 1827

Style

Rectangular Long Façade