Description of Historic Place

102 Brighton Road is a Gothic Revival style cottage located on a large tree lined lot. Several prominent Islanders owned the home throughout the years, but it is unclear who built it or exactly when the home was constructed. However, the home is believed to have been built at some point in the 1850s. The designation encompasses the building’s exterior and parcel; it does not include the building’s interior.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of 102 Brighton Road lies in its association with various prominent Islanders, its well-preserved Gothic Revival architecture and its role in supporting the Brighton Road streetscape.

Prominent shipbuilder, James Peake (1797-1860) bought the land on which 102 Brighton Road stands, from the sheriff in 1851 for 155 pounds. He later sold it to the Reverend Louis Charles Jenkins (1797-1884) for five pounds less at a cost of 150 pounds, suggesting that no building was on the property at this point. Nevertheless, Reverend Jenkins was the priest of the Anglican Church Peake attended and Peake was quite wealthy so he could have easily afforded to sell at a reduced rate if there was a home on the property. Clearly, a house was on the property in 1858 however, when Jenkins mortgaged the home and took out an insurance policy on it. Jenkins, who left behind his diaries, referred to the home as Woodmore. According to his entries, he rented Woodmore to a Mr. Hall and Stephen Swabey, before finally selling the home to Alexander Brown in 1863.

Mary M. Robin, who lived in Jersey in the Channel Islands, had owned the home for a time. The home received its name, the Nest, from Mr. P.V. Robin, Mary Robin’s brother, who resided there. The term “Nest” was probably in reference to his last name “Robin” and was used when the home was advertised for sale. The home is still referred to as the Nest.

One of the more prominent owners of the home was ship owner, merchant and soldier, Artemas Alder Lord (1835-1917). His second wife, Margaret Pennefeather Stukley Gray (1845-1941) was the daughter of Father of Confederation, Hon. John Hamilton Gray and attended the Quebec Confederation Conference with her father in 1864. Her diaries have survived to this day and provide a glimpse of a woman’s life in Charlottetown in the Victorian period.

The Nest has changed hands a number of times since the Lord Family owned it, but few changes have been made to the exterior. The home is in the Gothic Revival style, which was fashionable in Prince Edward Island from the 1840s until approximately 1870. Architects like A.J. Downing popularized the Gothic Revival movement through their pattern books. The Gothic Revival style is seen most often in rural areas but a few exist in Charlottetown. The Gothic Revival house is generally a wood framed, rectangular home with a large front centre gable. The homes are usually symmetrical with decorative bargeboard and projecting bays.

The Nest, or Woodmore at 102 Brighton Road is a well maintained home that is associated with prominent members of Victorian Charlottetown society. The beautiful historic home plays an important role in supporting the Brighton Road streetscape.

Sources: Heritage Office, City of Charlottetown Planning Department, PO Box 98, Charlottetown, PE C1A 7K2
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Character-Defining Elements

The heritage value of 102 Brighton Road is illustrated through the following Gothic Revival inspired character-defining elements:
- The massing of the home with its symmetrical facade
- The wooden cladding
- The style and symmetrical placement of the windows, particularly the centrally placed semi-circular eyebrow window of the centre gable, the centrally placed bay window of the second floor, the very tall windows of the first floor facade and the tall six over six windows of other sections of the home
- The style and placement of the doors, particularly the centrally placed front door with its sidelights
- The large gables of the roof, with their decorative cornice that accents the roofline
Other character-defining elements of 102 Brighton Road include:
- The verandah with its ornate treillage
- The style and placement of the chimney
- The large treed lot, on which the home sits
- The placement of the home set back from the street