Quidi Vidi

Quidi Vidi
Neighbourhood
Quidi Vidi as seen looking west from the top of Cuckhold's Cove Head
Country	Canada
Province	Newfoundland and Labrador
City	St. John's
Ward	2
Government
• Administrative body	St. John's City Council
• Councilor	Frank Galgay

Quidi Vidi (pronunciations vary, even amongst longtime residents, but "Kiddy Viddy" is the most common) is a neighbourhood in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. The neighbourhood is named for both Quidi Vidi Lake (where the Royal St. John's Regatta is held the first Wednesday in August, weather permitting) and Quidi Vidi Harbour - known locally as "The Gut". Located in Quidi Vidi is the Quidi Vidi Battery Provincial Historic Site, which had significance as a battery during the War of 1812. The village is also home to Newfoundland's largest microbrewery, the Quidi Vidi Brewing Company. It has many different types of plants and animals. There are numerous scenic places to visit.

History

Quidi Vidi was known for once being a historic fishing village. It was active after World War II for the construction of Pepperrell Air Force Base. Field work near Quidi Vidi Lake began on October 15, 1940. During April and May, 1941 the Newfoundland Base Contractors' personnel began arriving, and construction was taken over by their organization.

Quidi Vidi Brewing Company

Brewery

The Quidi Vidi Brewery is a main attraction to the neighbourhood. Since being founded in 1996 by David Fond and David Rees,^[1] the independent brewery has provided Newfoundland with exceptional world-class beer. Currently, 8 different beers are brewed, including one of the most well known, Iceberg Beer. Characteristic to this brand of beer is the use of iceberg water, which is harvested from pieces of icebergs off the coast of Newfoundland.^[2] The brewery sits just at the mouth of the harbour, surrounded by cliffs and looking out at the picturesque harbour scene many associate Quidi Vidi with.^[3] Beer tasting and brewery tours routinely occur throughout the week, creating a friendly, open door practice. Beer tastings are about 45 minutes and involve tasting of all beers as well as a first-hand experience of how Iceberg Beer is made.^[4]

Mallard Cottage

Mallard Cottage is an 18th Century, Irish-Newfoundland style cottage. Known as one of the oldest wooden buildings in North America, the cottage is also recognized as a National Historic Site of Canada.^[5] The cottage originally housed a fishing family by the name of Mallard from the 18th century until the 1980's. In 1985, the cottage was re-done into an antique shop.^[6] In 2011, the cottage was purchased by a team who set out to restore the cottage to its original state alongside guidelines set out by the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador. In 2013, the work put into restoring the cottage was recognized for excellence.^[7] The same year, the newly restored cottage was established as unique venue with means to celebrate local traditions and food.^[8] The venue offers daily meals and a public house on Sundays that features local and traditional music. There are also opportunities for events such as weddings and other celebrations to be hosted there.^[9]

Plantation

In the heart of the Quidi Vidi neighbourhood, is the Quidi Vidi Plantation.^[10] The Plantation consists of various artisan studios selling out unique handmade crafts and items.^[11]

1930 filming

In 1930, Varick Frissell filmed most of The Viking (named for a sealing ship) in Quidi Vidi. For realistic footage, Frissell then took his crew to the Grand Banks and Labrador to collect exciting action sequences. The film debuted at the Nickel Theatre at St. John's on March 5, 1931, where Frissell decided that his movie needed more real scenes from the Labrador ice floes. Within days, Frissell with his crew had joined the SS Viking for its annual seal hunt. The ship got trapped in ice near the Horse Islands. On March 15, Frissell and 26 others were killed when an explosion on the Viking set off a fire and the ship sank.^[12] Some of the survivors made the over-ice trek to the Horse Islands, while some were rescued by other vessels dispatched to the area.^[13]

Famous residents

Prominent Canadians from Quidi Vidi include theatre director Walter Learning.

Quidi Vidi fishstack

See also

• Neighbourhoods in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
• List of communities in Newfoundland and Labrador

References

• Newfoundland Provincial Historic Sites and Museums, Quidi Vidi Battery Provincial Historic Site brochure, undated (2001 ?).
• Newfoundland Historic Resources Division, Quidi Vidi Battery Provincial Historic Site brochure, undated.

Coordinates: 47°34′54″N 52°40′39″W / 47.58167°N 52.67750°W / 47.58167; -52.67750