Place Description
22 Brighton Road is a wood framed, Queen Anne Revival influenced home that was built in 1891. The home is the first of a line of homes on Brighton Road, between Ambrose Street and Greenfield Avenue, which prominent architect, William Critchlow Harris designed or renovated. The designation encompasses the building's exterior and parcel; it does not include the building's interior.
Why is this place important?
The heritage value of 22 Brighton Road lies in its association with various prominent Charlottetown citizens; its Queen Anne Revival influenced architecture by W.C. Harris; and its role in supporting the Brighton Road streetscape.
Prominent architect, William Critchlow Harris designed the home at 22 Brighton Road for Mr. W.H. Stewart. Stewart was a partner with Harris' brother, Thomas J. Harris in the London House, a dry goods business located on the north west corner of Queen and Richmond Street. According to an 1859 ad in the local newspaper, the Examiner, the London House was established in 1820. The pair had worked for the previous owner of the London House, George Davies and Company. Stewart operated a boot and shoe outlet from the London House building for a time.
A later resident of the home was James A. McMillan, the Manager of the City of Charlottetown's Water and Sewerage Commission. According to local telephone and City directories, he remained in the home for many years.
22 Brighton Road was influenced by the Queen Anne Revival style, a style that was somewhat subdued in Charlottetown compared with other provinces. It was a popular style in Charlottetown from approximately 1880 until 1910. Richard N. Shaw (1831-1912), a British architect, created the style that incorporated some of the classical motifs popular during Queen Anne's reign (1702-1714). Features of the style include a variety of rooflines and complex details, such as eclectic wall surfaces. 22 Brighton Road is a well preserved example of this style in Charlottetown.
As an example of the work of Prince Edward Island's most famous architect, it is an asset to the Ambrose Street and Brighton Road streetscape.
Sources: Heritage Office, City of Charlottetown Planning Department, PO Box 98, Charlottetown, PE C1A 7K2
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Special Characteristics
The heritage value of 22 Brighton Road is illustrated through the following Queen Anne Revival inspired character-defining elements:
- The massing of the home
- The wooden construction
- The various sizes and placement of the windows, particularly the bay windows and the grouped windows of the second floor
- The size and off centre placement of the front door recessed under the decorative umbrage or porch
- The wooden shingle cladding, particularly the fish scale cladding, located on the second level facade
- The decorative details of the home including the bargeboard, the raised belt course and the pilasters in the front doorway umbrage decoration
- The various rooflines, including the cone shaped roofline over the protruding bay and the gable roofs
- The style and placement of the large chimneys
Other characteristics of 22 Brighton Road include:
- The location of the home on the corner of Brighton Road and Ambrose Street on a treed lot
