Tuesday, September 09, 2008

Do Fundy shipbuilders build houses?

Although the Age of Sail has long since passed there is one extraordinary legacy that remains in villages, towns and cities throughout the Bay of Fundy: sea captain's houses.

The same folks who designed and built ships to sail around the world in the 1800s also tried their hand, very successfully, at domestic design. During the Age of Sail it was de rigueur that any ship's captain worth his salt had an appropriately grand, worldwide-travel-inspired home with a commanding view of his harbour.

I've previously posted about my own sea captain's house with its three-story turret and bay windows, and here's another fine example of Fundy ship's captain architecture: the St Martins Country Inn in St Martins, New Brunswick.

This home was built by Captain Vaughan in 1857, modeled after a home his wife had seen in the French Riveria! Design-wise this house has some typical sea captain's house features: two story 3-bay windows, mixed gables (those builders sure liked a challenge!), harbour-view verandah, and detailed "gingerbread" trim.

1 comment:

Leanne said...

oh my, what a beautiful house =D