Description of Historic Place

The former John Ings, Senior House in Pownal, Prince Edward Island is a one and one-half storey Georgian, single gable residence with sweeping views of farm fields and overlooks Pownal Bay.

Heritage Value

The John Ings Senior House dates from approximately 1830 and is one of the earliest buildings in the Queens County community of Pownal, Prince Edward Island. A one and one-half storey single gable house, it was built by naval draftsman and shipwright John Ings, Senior (1788-1887), who lived here with his wife, Sarah Wood (married 1812) and their large family.

John Ings Senior apprenticed as a shipwright and later was a naval draftsman in the Royal Navy Yard in Portsmouth, England. It appears Ings was in PEI prior to 1812 and returned to England for work before permanently settling in PEI. In addition to his work as a draftsman and shipwright, Ings also served as the keeper of the Point Prim Lighthouse, PEI's earliest lighthouse. Point Prim Lighthouse was built of brick in 1845 in a cylindrical shape and later covered in wood shingles, and was designed by Isaac Smith (1795-1871), who went on to design Province House in 1847 and had designed the Lieutenant Governor's residence in 1834. The light of Point Prim Lighthouse would be visible from this residence across Pownal Bay. From 1845-1852 John and Sarah Ings lived in the lightkeeper's cottage at Point Prim and returned to this house at the end of his tenure.

Ings's son John Ings, Jr (1815-1907) was the owner-publisher of The Islander newspaper and another son, William Ings (1816-1880) owned nearby Hazelbrook Homestead which John Sr. likely designed given his background and training, and where he lived with family in his later years.

The John Ings Sr House remained with descendants of the Ings family who continued to farm the property until the 1970s. The current owner values the home's heritage and its historical significance. Some original items belonging to the Ings family remain in the home including a wooden chest which once held Ings' shipbuilding tools. Although its exterior appearance has been updated with some modern materials -- siding and replacement windows, which could be easily reversed -- its history is well-documented and its early construction date is apparent. A new foundation in 1980 provided increased living space for its occupants. A circa 1880s summer kitchen addition was removed in 2000.

Because of its early age, its associations with and importance to the early settlement of Pownal and with the pioneering Ings family, the John Ings Sr House continues to be an important asset as a heritage place and cultural landmark in its community.

Source: Heritage Places files, Dept. of Economic Growth, Tourism & Culture, Charlottetown, PE.
File #: 4310-20/J6

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage value of the former John Ings Sr House is shown in the following character-defining elements:

- the scale and massing of the house
- the pitch and slope of the roofline
- the symmetrical front façade
- the placement of the central chimney
- the size and placement of the windows

Further heritage character-defining elements:

- the location of the house, set back from the main road, overlooking Pownal Bay
- the visible interior original construction features including hand hewn log construction, tree nails and exposed beams