Description
Mallard Cottage is a one-and-a-half storey wood-frame house set on a small lot in Quidi Vidi, St. John’s, NL. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.
Statement of Significance
Formal Recognition Type
Registered Heritage Structure
Heritage Value
Mallard Cottage was designated a Registered Heritage Structure by the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador in 1986 due to its aesthetic and historic value.
Mallard Cottage has aesthetic value as an example of a type of vernacular housing built in the first half of the nineteenth century. Patterned on Irish thatched-roofed cottages, the dwelling is a one-and-a-half-storey building with a hip roof and central chimney. It is clad in wooden clapboard and has multi-paned, single hung wooden windows. Mallard Cottage has further aesthetic as a well-known landmark in Quidi Vidi village.
Mallard Cottage has historical value due to its age, although a definitive construction date cannot be positively ascertained. However, evidence from oral history, the architectural style, construction techniques and early maps point to it being built somewhere between 1820 and 1840. This makes it one of the older residential structures in the province. The Mallards, a family of Irish origin, lived in the house for over a hundred years.
Source: Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador property file “St. John’s – Mallard Cottage – FPT 1494”
Character Defining Elements
All those features reflective of its age and traditional vernacular design, including:
-hip roof;
-number of storeys;
-wooden roof shingles;
-narrow wooden clapboard;
-corner boards;
-window size, style, trim and placement;
-size, style and location of porch on front façade;
-size, style, trim and placement of exterior doors;
-chimney style and placement, and;
-dimension, location and orientation of building.
Location and History
Community
St. John's (Quidi Vidi)
Municipality
City of St. John's
Civic Address
8 Barrows Road, Quidi Vidi
Construction (circa)
1820 - 1840
Builder
Mallard Brothers
Style
Rectangular Long Façade
Location
Similar Heritage Properties