Description of Historic Place

Brock House is a one-and-a-half storey Craftsman Cottage style dwelling located on Maiden Lane in Rothesay. The house sits behind the Shadow Lawn Property (also known as the James Robertson Estate) and is a short distance from the Rothesay Common.

Heritage Value

Brock House is designated a Local Historic Place for its architectural merit and for its association with its former owners, the Brock family, and for its association with its builder, Joseph Henderson.

In the early part of the 20th century, the Brock family consulted a Cottage Craft Magazine entitled “Craftsman Houses: A Book for Home-Makers”. In this publication, the Brock’s came across a design which particularly impressed them. In 1915, the Brock’s purchased a block of land from the James Robertson Estate (Shadow Lawn) and engaged the community’s master builder James Henderson to oversee the building of the cottage. In 1928, Mr. Henderson’s services were again requested by the Brock’s to add a two storey back wing to the residence. The Brock’s remained in the house until 1976, at which time it was conveyed to Geoffrey C.L. (Bob) Oland. The original house design proposed the use of stucco or concrete materials for the exterior of the house. The Brock’s decided to construct with neither, opting instead for the use of wood shingles. The remaining features of the cottage are true to the Craft Magazine’s original design. As described in the Craftsman’s magazine “the sheltered porches, the pleasant window groups, the long sloping roof broken by the dormer with its protecting overhang, and the sunken balcony with its little parapet combine to give the exterior its air of quiet dignity and charm.”

Source: Rothesay Living Museum, Historic Places file “Brock House”

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements that describe the Craftsman cottage architecture of the Brock House include:
- rectangular one-and-a-half storey massing;
- long sloping lateral gable roof with a shed dormer that breaks the eave;
- shed dormer with protective overhang contained within the roof;
- wide eaves;
- original wood shingles;
- sheltered porches with square pillars;
- groups of multi-paned windows;
- sunken balcony with parapet.