Description of Historic Place

The Joseph and Selena Templeman Property is located at 002-004 Rolling Cove Road in Bonavista and is comprised of a house and several structures. The house is two-and-one-half stories and has a steeply pitched roof with a central tower and a single storey linhay. The municipal heritage designation includes the house as well as the cellar, store and wooden fencing on the property.

Heritage Value

The Joseph and Selena Templeman Property has aesthetic and cultural values.

The Joseph and Selena Templeman Property has aesthetic value as a good example of a type of late nineteenth century vernacular housing in the region. The original house, with its symmetrical three bay facade and steep gable roof, would have been a fairly common type in the area in the late 1800s. When Joseph and Selena’s daughter Alfreda took possession of the home, she and her husband Heber John Tremblett added a central front tower, a stylistic element marking the evolution of housing styles.

The aesthetic value of the Templman House is enhanced by its context. The building exists in a very traditional Newfoundland setting, with outbuildings in close proximity and fencing surrounding the property. The cellar and store were designed for practical use, employing rough materials, simple design elements and utilitarian construction techniques.

The Joseph and Selena Templeman Property has cultural value as a physical reminder of a certain time and place. It is an integral part of Bonavista’s cultural landscape, and its superior folk craftsmanship is reflective of a settlement which saw prosperity for merchants and fishermen alike. The outbuildings and fencing add to the property’s cultural value. Up until the mid 1900s most outport domestic properties had several outbuildings, used to store vegetables grown in private gardens and to house livestock. These buildings served a vital purpose in a subsistence economy which demanded that food be stored for both animal and human consumption. Most properties also had extensive fences as livestock were free to roam communities in the summertime. The fences were used to keep the animals out of the vegetable gardens, rather than keeping the animals enclosed.

Source: Town of Bonavista Town Council meeting minutes of 2006/08/14

Character-Defining Elements

Those exterior elements which reflect the vernacular style of architecture, including:

-number of storeys;
-steep gable roof;
-wooden roof shingles;
-slightly kicked eaves;
-boxed eaves returns;
-narrow clapboard;
-corner boards;
-window size, style, trim and placement;
-size, style, trim and placement of exterior doors;
-location, size and style of tower on front facade;
-size, style, trim and placement of windows and door in front tower;
-location, size and style of linhay on rear facade;
-chimney number, style and placement;
-and dimension, location and orientation of building.

Those exterior elements of the utilitarian style of architecture of the outbuildings, including:

-original form, scale and massing of outbuildings;
-original roof types;
-narrow clapboard;
-corner boards;
-window size, style, trim and placement;
-size, style, trim and placement of exterior doors;
-red ochre exterior colour;
-dimension, location and orientation of outbuildings;
-and original style and placement of fences.