Victoria Manor
(Harbour Grace)
Located in one of Harbour Grace's wealthier neighbourhoods, Victoria Manor was built by James Hutchings, who helped build many of the houses in the community in the early to mid-1800s.
Hutchings built Victoria Manor sometime around 1830. He is believed to have come to Newfoundland in the company of a group of stonemasons. A master woodworker, Hutchings combined his talents with the stonemasons to build many of the noteworthy stone buildings in Harbour Grace at that time. The masons built the exterior and Hutchings completed the interior.
Hutchings lived in the house until the late 1850s or early 1860s, at which time he moved to St. John's. For the next 30 years, the house went by the name Victoria Lodge, operating as lodgings for overnight guests. In the 1890s members of the Hutchings family returned to Harbour Grace and converted the house back to a private dwelling. They stayed until the 1920s, when the house was sold to the Power family. It remained with the Powers until it was purchased by Gordon and Mary French.
Victoria Manor is a two-and-a-half storey Tudor-style house. The wooden frame was infilled with brick and then covered with clapboard. This kind of design, called nogging, was a common style in England in the 1800s.
While it is still a private dwelling, the French family open the house to the public every day from June to September. The interior has been meticulously restored and contains antiques and memorabilia they have accumulated over the years. Victoria was recognised as a Registered Heritage Structure in September 1995.
Also view Victoria Manor Registered Heritage Structure on the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador web site. The Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage Web Site has on its site only a portion of the registered heritage structures in Newfoundland and Labrador. To view a complete list or search for a particular structure visit the Heritage Foundation's Property Search page.
