Tilting

[Manfred M]

The former outport town of Tilting, NL is located on eastern side of Fogo Island; which itself is off the north-east side of the Island of Newfoundland. The area was discovered by the French in 1535 and was used as a seasonal fishing location for centuries when it was settled by fishermen from Ireland in the 1730s. The architecture is quite unique and Tilting was declared a National Historic Site of Canada in 2003 in order to preserve its unique architecture.

It was all about the cod fishery, until the collapse of the code stocks in the 1990. The fishery now is mainly for lobster.

Fogo Island is not exactly an easy place to get to and unless you are exceptionally wealthy and can afford the $CAD 1250 per night (that's the bottom end room, low season. Regular rate is $CAD 1575, but that does include all meals) Fogo Island Inn, staying there in September is not an easy thing to do, so we made a day trip here.

The lighting was not ideal, but I'm reasonably happy with the shots I got here.


1. Tilting over the water




2. House in Tilting with carcass of a fishing dory




3. Same house more fishing dory carcasses

[Tronhard]

Hi Manfred:

I had never heard of the island and its history before and appreciate the context you provide to the really excellent photos.

What a shame that the accommodation is so targeted at the high end. Do they have ANY other choices for places to stay (camping, backpackers etc.) apart from the horrendously up-market Inn?

[Mike Buckley]

Very nice travel scenery.

[Manfred M]

What a shame that the accommodation is so targeted at the high end. Do they have ANY other choices for places to stay (camping, backpackers etc.) apart from the horrendously up-market Inn?

Like much of Newfoundland, the answer is yes, between Canada Day (July 1) and Labour Day (first Monday in September). Outside of that period, a lot of tourist places have shut down.

[Shadowman]

Very nice, I like the close-up shots of the structures for the dynamic color and contrast.

[Davejl]

Nice shots (even though not taken during "golden hour")
The buildings look curiously modern to me, because most modern houses in my neck of the woods don't have chimneys. How did the people of Tilting heat their houses?

Dave

[Manfred M]

Nice shots (even though not taken during "golden hour")
The buildings look curiously modern to me, because most modern houses in my neck of the woods don't have chimneys. How did the people of Tilting heat their houses?

Dave

I tried to get a different view of the house in question and neither my wife nor I have images with views of it all the way around, so there could be a chimney on the side we do not see. Traditionally, as an isolated community, wood stoves would likely have been the main source of heat in the winter. None of the traditional heating methods would meet modern fire code requirements, so the places do use modern heating methods.

When I looked at images of other houses in the town, chimneys were often visible. The ones that do not, have electrical power lines running to them.

The one in the image, I simply cannot tell. I don't see any electrical power lines running to it, nor do I see any signs of a chimney. It's quite possible that it is either not occupied or occupied only seasonally.

[Cantab]

Like much of Newfoundland, the answer is yes, between Canada Day (July 1) and Labour Day (first Monday in September). Outside of that period, a lot of tourist places have shut down.

Manfred, I had to reread your post as I thought I'd misread the overnight accommadation rates -- but I hadn't! Is the island far offshore or just a short ferry ride?

[Davejl]

Thanks Manfred. The other thing that always strike me about these houses over your side of the ocean is how flimsy they look. Do they have very stout internal timbers? They look like they'd blow away in a storm (the old crofter's cottage I stayed in on the coast in Scotland had two-feet-thick stone walls).

Dave

[Manfred M]

Manfred, I had to reread your post as I thought I'd misread the overnight accommadation rates -- but I hadn't! Is the island far offshore or just a short ferry ride?

It's an 1:15 ferry ride, but there is a stop at Change Island. I believe there is a direct ferry in the summer that takes 45 minutes. It's a decent sized car / passenger ferry.

If you are feeling rich, here;s the Fogo Island Inn website: http://fogoislandinn.ca/

[Manfred M]

Thanks Manfred. The other thing that always strike me about these houses over your side of the ocean is how flimsy they look. Do they have very stout internal timbers? They look like they'd blow away in a storm (the old crofter's cottage I stayed in on the coast in Scotland had two-feet-thick stone walls).

Dave

Because of the harsh winters, the buildings are a frame construction, with an insulating material stuffed between the inner and outer walls.

This type of construction is still quite prevalent in modern Canadian houses. Our walls are generally wooden studs (nominally 2" x 6" studs) with fibre glass insulation between them. There is an outer fibre board cladding, covered by a plastic wrap, which has some form of facing (brick, wood or other siding). On the inside there is a plastic vapour barrier that is covered by a gypsum sheet (about 1/2" thick).

[Davejl]

Thanks for the explanation, Manfred

[NorthernFocus]

Nice set, Manfred. I really like the compositions in first and third shots. Prices sound like some of our remote Alaska native villages. They try to make a year's income in just a few weeks. Any one who doesn't believe that competition benefits the consumer needs to visit these places.

[Manfred M]

They try to make a year's income in just a few weeks.

That is so true. One the other hand, if the tourist season only lasts 2 months and you have to feed your family for twelve months, the math sort of works out.

[madcrow]

Beautiful series, great story, explanation and execution.