Description of Historic Place

Markland Cottage Hospital is an early twentieth century, wooden, two-storey hipped roof building with shed dormers. It is located on a large area of green space just outside the boundaries of the town of Whitbourne on a road leading towards Markland. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

Heritage Value

Markland Cottage Hospital has been designated because of its historic, aesthetic, and environmental values.

Markland Cottage Hospital has historic values because of its origins and original function. Built by the Commission of Government in 1935 the hospital was in use as of January 1, 1936. It was constructed as part of the government’s experimental Land Settlement Scheme, whereby the community was developed for agricultural purposes as a backup economy, in case the fishery should fall. The hospital was built amongst other necessary settlement buildings such as schools and homes. Agriculture never really caught on in the area and the scheme was abandoned by the government by 1940, as the population continued to decrease and families stopped farming.

The hospital, while it was in operation, had a twelve bed capacity and offered services in internal medicine, minor surgery and pediatrics, as well as operating dietary, laboratory and X-ray facilities. It had a staff of forty and served an area of 20,000 people. It was phased out in the early 1980s and by 1985 it was closed when a new clinic was established at nearby Whitbourne.

Markland Cottage Hospital has aesthetic value because it is a rare, surviving example of an early twentieth century cottage hospital with such a complete level of preservation. Designed to resemble a home, the hospital was built to imbue patients with a pleasant and inviting feeling. The low, sprawling bungalow-style building has large wooden windows, shed-roofed dormers and a hipped roof with multiple angles. Sheathed in narrow wooden clapboard and having few ornamental details, this building speaks to its function as a small cottage hospital in a rural area.

Markland Cottage Hospital has further aesthetic value because of its environmental setting. The hospital was built in the woods of Markland and has two ponds amongst the native flora and fauna. Patients had access to the immediate grounds and this location helped to further the peaceful and healing atmosphere the hospital was meant to provide.

Source: Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador, meeting 59, April 27, 2007.

Character-Defining Elements

All those elements that define the early twentieth century bungalow style, including:
-narrow wooden clapboard;
-hipped roof with multiple angles;
-original multi-paned wooden windows and their sizes, locations and dimensions;
-shed-roofed dormers;
-remaining original doors and their sizes, locations and dimensions;
-two-storey construction; and
-general massing, dimensions and orientation.