Description of Historic Place

The Pritchard House is located at 5559 Main St. in Manotick, in the former Rideau Township, now the City of Ottawa. This two-and-a-half storey clapboard house was built in circa 1880 with the front addition being constructed in 1902.

The Pritchard House is recognized for its heritage value by the Township of Rideau (now City of Ottawa), By-law 98/84.

Heritage Value

The original house was built on a stone foundation with straw and newspaper for insulation with only three rooms. The shiplap sided structure was erected in the 1880's and set at an oblique angle to the road, following the lot line. The front addition was added in 1902, by Jim Montgomery with the help of Jack Stamp, who later bought the house in 1908. Jack Stamp lived and worked in the Manotick area all his life. The front addition was built parallel to the road allowance, giving the whole structure an unusual dog-leg shape.

When Jack Stamp bought the house, he was working for Mr. William Leach in a bake shop across the street. The bake shop had one oven in which they baked bread and buns to sell from the store and deliver in the horse-drawn Manotick Bakery bread van. In 1909, Mr. Stamp and another bakery employee, Robert Flann, bought the store and rented space from Thomas Cummings to store flour and grain. In 1914, the shop was destroyed by fire and the partners decided not to rebuild. Mr. Stamp then turned to farming, and from 1923 until 1955 he operated the Watterson farm. When Highway 16 was being built in the 1920's, he worked with his horses hauling gravel wagons. The Stamp family occupied the house until 1983. Their involvement in business, farming and construction is typical of the era.

Mr. Montgomery built both this house and the house across the street at 5562 Main Street from the same basic plan; however the wooden trim and finishing details make each unique. The original portion of the Pritchard House features a bell-cast mansard roof, scalloped shingles, decorative bargeboard, and dentils moulding. There is a fine hand-turned quarter wagon wheel moulding under the north-west corner of the front gable. The main house has a full basement and is covered with its original ship-lap siding. The finely detailed Pritchard House embodies the early architectural character of Manotick.

The contextual value of the Pritchard House lies in its association with 5562 Main Street and its 1902 addition. Its development over time altered its oblique angle to the road by following the lot line to create the unusual dog-leg shape in 1902.

Sources: City of Ottawa file 3417; Rideau Township Archives LACAC files; The City of Ottawa (formerly Rideau Township) By-law 98/84.

Character-Defining Elements

Character defining elements that reflect the heritage value of The Pritchard House includes its:
- scalloped shingles in the gable end
- two storey bay window
- bell mansard roof of the original building
- decorative bargeboard
- hand-turned quarter wagon wheel moulding under the north-west corner of the front gable
- two-and-a-half storey wood frame construction with gable roof
- unusual dog-leg shape
- size and massing on its lot
- location on Main Street in proximity to a similar house plan across the street