Aug 15 - The Rooms

Right beside the basilica is The Rooms, a cultural facility. The facility opened in 2005 and houses the Art Gallery of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Provincial Archives of Newfoundland and Labrador and the Provincial Museum of Newfoundland and Labrador.

The building's name, as well as its architecture, is a reference to the simple gable-roofed sheds (called "fishing rooms") that were once so common at the waterline in Newfoundland fishing villages. We heard a tour guide say that The Rooms looks like the box that the Cathedral was delivered in!

There were many exhibits to choose from - we chose to visit the exhibit called “Beaumont-Hamel and the Trail of the Caribou”. The caribou is the symbol of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment. Beaumont-Hamel was the site of a disastrous battle for the RNR.

The First World War had a profound impact on Newfoundland and Labrador. It involved thousands of Newfoundlanders in world-changing events overseas and dramatically altered life at home. Our “Great War” happened in the trenches and on the ocean, in the legislature and in the shops, by firesides and bedsides. This exhibition shares the thoughts, hopes, fears, and sacrifices of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians who experienced those tumultuous years – through their treasured mementoes, their writings and their memories.

The losses sustained by the Newfoundland Regiment at Beaumont-Hamel on July 1, 1916, were staggering. Of the some 800 Newfoundlanders who went into battle that morning, only 68 were able to answer the roll call the next day, with more than 700 killed, wounded or missing. July 1st would only be the first day of more than four brutal months of fighting during the Battle of the Somme, a campaign in which Canada would also see significant action.

The Newfoundland Regiment would be practically wiped out, but the survivors would continue to see action in the fighting and reinforcements would come to help rebuild the regiment. The regiment would go on to earn the official designation "Royal" from the British Crown in recognition of its gallant actions in battles at Ypres and Cambrai later in the war—the only unit of the British Army to earn that distinction during the war years.

By the end of the war, more than 6,200 Newfoundlanders had served in its ranks, with more than 1,300 of them losing their lives and another 2,500 being wounded or taken prisoner. The loss of so many young lives, compounded by the number of wounded, disabled and sick who returned to Newfoundland after the war, would have a significant impact on the colony for many years afterward.

The tombstone of the Unknown Soldier who is now buried at the War Memorial now has a home at The Rooms.

We had lunch outside in the glorious sunshine, and then headed downtown to pick out a print showcasing the wonderful colourful houses of St. John’s – this print, along with the puffin print we got yesterday, will go on our “travel wall” where we display prints from our many adventures.

Along the way, we dropped into the Anglican Cathedral of St. John the Baptist which was constructed at the same time, almost in a race for converts, as the Basilica Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. The cathedral was extensively damaged in the Great Fire of 1892. The roof timbers ignited, which caused the roof to collapse, bringing the clerestory walls and piers in the nave down with it. The intense heat caused the lead to melt in the glass windows, resulting in the complete destruction of all but two; the sole surviving window can be seen in the Sacristy. Restoration of the Cathedral commenced in 1893, again under Kelly's direction. By 1895, the Chancel and Transepts had been rebuilt, while the Nave reached completion in 1905. The restored cathedral is renowned internationally as one of North America's best ecclesiastical Gothic Revival structures.

We went back to the AirBnB and did a load of laundry – having laundry on-site is a real bonus. We are actually going to dine out tonight at the Keg, using gift certificates from Pat, Shannon, Luke and James that we got for Mothers’ Day and Fathers’ Day.

Well, we tried. The Keg didn't have any 2-person tables available when we arrived at 6:30 p.m. and they were closing at 7:00 p.m. for a private function. Since it's the only Keg in Newfoundland, those gift cards are going to have to wait until we get home. We found a Boston Pizza nearby and had dinner there instead.Meer informatie