Description of Historic Place

Lynnwood/Campbell-Reid House National Historic Site of Canada is an elegant modestly-sized brick house executed in the Neoclassical style located on a slight rise overlooking the Lynn River in the town of Simcoe. The red brick, rectangular, two-storey house features regular openings, a hipped roof, a dentil course at the cornice, while the chief feature is the Ionic portico projecting the main entrance. Above the entrance paired arched windows with a pronounced mullion and chimneystacks at the roofline continue the central emphasis. Official recognition refers to the exterior and the interior of the house on its legal lot.

Heritage Value

Lynnwood/Campbell-Reid House was designated a national historic site of Canada in 1972 because:
- it is a Neoclassical house that achieves dignity through fine proportions and skillful use of classical motifs.

Lynnwood/Campbell-Reid House was built circa 1850 for Duncan Campbell, banker, land commissioner, and Simcoe’s first postmaster. After Campbell’s retirement from public office around the time of completion, the house and its surrounding grounds, which then consisted of four hectares (10 acres) of landscaped grounds, acquired a reputation for their elegance. The house is a refined example of a modestly sized residence in the Neoclassical style. The fine grounds surrounding the estate were broken up for development in 1911. Its restrained design displays a balanced, judicious use of elements including symmetrical window placement complemented by the classical portico, notable for its detail and craftsmanship, and the tall, decorated chimneystacks above. The sophisticated interior is what might be expected of an affluent client and member of society.

Source: Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, Minutes, October 1972.

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements contributing to the heritage value of this site include:
- its siting on a rise overlooking the Lynn River;
- its two-storey cubic massing under a truncated hipped roof with four twinned chimneys;
- its brick construction with rusticated stone foundation and trim;
- its three-bay main façade with evenly spaced multi-pane sash windows, central door with transom and sidelights, topped by double round-headed windows;
- its fine detailing including a dentilled cornice, carved stone portico with fluted Ionic columns and decorated architrave;
- its three-bay south elevation with French windows and long verandah;
- the rear 19th-century additions with arcaded brickwork and bargeboard trim;
- the centre-hall interior plan of the main block with its basement service areas;
- its classically inspired interior decor including its graceful, curving staircase, wood panelling, doors, and trim, original fireplace mantels, decorative plaster ceiling medallions and cornices, and the stained glass windows;
- its setting within a landscaped property.