Robert Tilley House Municipal Heritage Building

Robert Tilley House is designated for its historic, architectural and environmental values.

Robert Tilley House was built in 1858 and is one of the oldest standing structures in Elliston. It also has historic value given its association with three historically prominent merchant firms, and particularly the Tilleys, the first merchant planters in Bird Island Cove, the early name of Elliston. They arrived there in the 1850s and established a merchant shop in Tilley House. Robert Tilley operated a highly successful merchant business there until his death in 1872, and his son, Arthur, took over the family business until the 1890s. During this period, the Tilleys had much influence on the activities of Elliston, including politics, infrastructure, the fishery, social life and education. After the Tilleys' business closed, the shop was rented to two Bonavista firms, James Ryan Limited and Phillip Templeman Limited, which were setting up branches in Elliston.

Robert Tilley House is architecturally valuable because it is a good representation of nineteenth century vernacular architecture. A three-storey structure of mortise and tenon construction using heavy woods such as pine and hemlock, it has withstood more than 150 years of weathering and is a testament to quality materials and craftsmanship. It features a typical steeply pitched roof with returned eaves and wooden windows with small raincaps. It is also architecturally valuable for its association with Bonavista builder Allan Ryder. Ryder came from a well-known family of builders and erected a number of other buildings in the region including St. Mary's Anglican Church in Elliston, which was partially paid for by the Tilley family.

Environmentally, the Tilley House is an important landmark in Elliston. Located near the shore of Elliston Cove, the house is an important and highly visible element of Elliston's cultural landscape, and inshore fishermen traditionally used the building as a landmark for finding their fishing grounds.