Salt Box House

This is a picture of a salt box style house taken in Bonavista, NL. The salt-box shape is said to resemble an 18th century salt box. It is one of the earlier house forms in rural Newfoundland and it is quickly vanishing.

Bonavista is Newfoundland's largest fishing community and was first settled in the late 1600's. While fishing was the principle occupation of the people of Bonavista for four centuries, fishermen also built houses, flakes, boats, and furniture. The fine buildings and unique architectural features of this town provide a great example of the skills and creativity of these craftsmen.

Bonavista is unique in that it has a large range of house styles and features, many of which are unique to the town. Finely detailed houses and notable institutional and commercial buildings all form a part of the town's landscape.

The folk architecture of Bonavista is rich in interesting details which is in contrast to most Newfoundland towns. The most common residential house type features a steeply peaked roof or seep gable as is seen in this house.