Description of Historic Place

The Burgess Fishing Property is a wooden, steep gable roof fisheries building located on the beach in Whiteway, Trinity Bay, NL. This small building stands alone in an area that once held many fishing buildings, wharves and flakes and is a prominent landmark in the area. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

Heritage Value

Sheathed in wooden shingles the Burgess Fishing Property has been designated because it holds architectural values. Located in a large open cove, Whiteway Bay, this small fishing building was built by Richard Burgess and his brother Charles circa 1900 as a salting shed, and as one aspect of a larger group of fishing buildings. The building’s architectural style reflects this utilitarian function and features significant elements of a fisheries building. This small two storey building measures 4.79 m by 2.84 m with an upper storey loft door, a bay-side door and a larger, double barn door at ground level. At its heyday the building was used in the production of salt cod fish. The lower part of the building was filled with framed pounds used for bulk salting the split cod fish. There was a drying flake attached to the shed at the loft door level. The salted cod fish were dried on the flake and stored in the loft of the shed. This building was one of several fishing buildings in the area and was vital in the processing of cod fish: boats unloaded fish at the wharf; the fish were gutted and split in the stage head on the wharf and then bulk salted in this salting shed. Originally the only access to the lower part of the shed was through the smaller bay-side door. The larger door was added later by William Burgess (Richard’s son) to allow for storing his boat and fishing gear. The steeply pitched roof gave headroom to the loft inside while allowing snow and rain to slide off the roof with ease. During the off season the salting shed was used for the storage of fishing gear. Today, this building is the last of its kind in the area and stands alone on the beach where many similar buildings once stood.

Source: Designated at a regular council meeting of the Town of Whiteway May 29, 2006; Motion # 05290607

Character-Defining Elements

All those architectural elements that define the utilitarian nature of the fisheries shed,, including:
-wooden construction;
-steeply pitched gable roof;
-wooden shingle sheathing;
-upper storey loft door;
-double barn door;
-location on the beach and proximity to the water's edge, and
-unornamented and simple design.