Cavendish Square
St. John's has
a lot of fantastic, nonsensical intersections where a half dozen or more streets come together and twist around each other in various, poorly-considered ways.
Some of them - such as Rawlin's Cross - have passed into legend in this, the
City of Legends. In reality, however, few of them are genuinely difficult to navigate. As a tourist, you'll probably end up going the wrong way in just about every one - but it's a small city, and there are lots of ways to correct any mistake quickly and easily.
However, one intersection stands up above all the others as being a particular nightmare. This is the famous, the infamous Cavendish Square - the blue dot in the centre of this photo.
Bing Bird's Eye View
What makes Cavendish Square so confusing isn't the fact that, in this one intersection, the following streets come together:
- King's Bridge Road
- Military Road
- Gower Street
- Ordnance Street
- Duckworth Street
- Plymouth Street
- Forest Road
- Hill o'Chips
No, what makes Cavendish Square so confusing is that, like all intersections in St. John's, it was designed for vehicles driving on the left side of the road. We only switched to the right in the 1940s as part of the process of joining Canada. In most cases, the transition was easy. But there was no easy solution for Cavendish Square.
Even locals driving on Duckworth Street get confused as to what they're supposed to do.
It's a pity, too, because with everyone focused so intently on whatever the hell the drivers around them are doing... they miss some of the most beautiful buildings in the city.
A little song to set the mood...
• Video Link
April 27, 2013
Commissariat House. A description from Heritage Canada: Built by British Military Engineers in 1818-1820, Commissariat House is the last original, intact structure that was part of an extensive British military complex in St. John's - a complex that originally included Fort Townshend (where The Rooms provincial art gallery, museum and archives is located today), Fort William (today a hotel), Signal Hill, Fort Amherst, and gun batteries up and down the coast. Commissariat House is still one of the finest examples of Georgian architecture in the province.
Government House. A description from Heritage Newfoundland: Soon after arriving at St. John's, Governor Cochrane surrounded himself with all the available trappings of his office. Such an unprecedented array of pageantry -- from public parades to private receptions -- created an initial wave of popularity. But this was not enough for Cochrane, who wanted to make his mark as a prominent colonial official. He commissioned building plans for a grand residence on Military Road. Completed in 1831, Government House cost £38,175, which was five times the original estimate and an enormous expense at the time. It had been paid out of unauthorized bills, and officials in London took a dim view of what they saw as unwarranted extravagance. The British government decided to punish Governor Cochrane by reducing his salary from £4,200 to £3,000. While the colony experienced economic hardships, Cochrane became increasingly unpopular as he found himself unable to contain political forces beyond his control. When Cochrane's tenure as governor ended in 1834, an angry crowd jeered him as he left St. John's.
A view from the Government House grounds toward St. Thomas Anglican Church and Military Road.
Many of the finest private residences in the old town area of the city are along King's Bridge Road at Cavendish Square.
The sidewalks in this part of the city are so small as to practically be curbs. Only servants were ever without a carriage in this neighbourhood, so they simply weren't needed.
Many centuries of lavish gardens have ensured that beautiful flowers grow wild throughout the neighbourhood, even between the cracks in the sidewalk bricks.
Very few of the grand old manors have been lost. And those that were have been replaced with buildings that aren't particularly offensive, such as this Supreme Court satellite office.
And this, one of the city's first-ever apartment buildings.
More modest residences can be found on the opposite side of Cavendish Square, along Ordnance and Gower Streets as well as Military Road.
Duckworth, being the lesser of our two primary downtown streets (though not this particular stretch of it) is lined with taller hotels, condos, and apartment blocks.
The taller buildings at Cavendish Square are best photographed from the opposite side of the harbour, so here is one photo from April 25, 2013:
The building on the left is the Sheraton Newfoundland Hotel, build near the site of the now-lost grand Newfoundland Hotel. Its left side, from this angle, occupies much of Cavendish Square.
And that's that. So, if you happen to visit St. John's and are driving - don't be surprised if you get stuck in traffic, honked at, or find yourself having to drive away from your intended destination after a spin around Cavendish Square.
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So jealous. Looks cool!
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