Quidi Vidi, St. John’s, Newfoundland
Posted by: 
hykesj
N 47° 34.980 W 052° 40.779
22T E 373700 N 5271320
The small fishing village of Quidi Vidi, pictured on this 1923 stamp, is now part of St. John’s, the capital city of Newfoundland.
Waymark Code: WMX74J
Location: Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
Date Posted: 12/06/2017
Views: 6
How do you pronounce Quidi Vidi? For that matter, how do you spell it? Apparently, not even the local residents use a consistent pronunciation. And its resemblance to Latin may be purely coincidental. Here’s a sampling of how it has been spelled over the years:
Kitty-vitty
Quilliwiddi
Que de Vide
Quirividy
Quimiditi
Kitty Velle
Quiddibiddy.
Linguistics expert Dr. Edgar R. Seary has stated that no place name in Newfoundland has occurred “in so many variant forms [and] has generated so much speculation about its name as Quidi Vidi…” Professor Seary practically “wrote the book” on Newfoundland place names… no, check that, he did write a book called “Place Names of the Avalon Peninsula” so he ought to know what he’s talking about. But what’s in a name? To paraphrase William Shakespeare, Quidi Vidi, by any other name, would be as picturesque.
One of the buildings seen on the stamp, Christ Church, is still standing today (though it’s mostly obscured by a couple of trees in the photograph). It was built in the middle of the nineteenth century in a Gothic Revival style. Today, it is a Registered Heritage Structure and is privately owned.
Dominating the view today is the Quidi Vidi Brewing Company, Newfoundland’s first craft beer brewery. Among their offerings is “Iceberg Beer,” an American-style light lager made with iceberg water.
The image on the stamp was based on a photograph by Robert E. Holloway who published several volumes of Newfoundland scenes in the early part of the twentieth century. Several other stamps in this series were also based on Holloway’s photographs.
Stamp Issuing Country: Newfoundland
Date of Issue: 09-Jul-1923
Denomination: 8 cents
Color: dull violet
Stamp Type: Single Stamp
Relevant Web Site: Not listed
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