Description of Historic Place

The William Winter House is a one-and-a-half storey Greek Revival style house built around 1849 for/ by William Winter, a farmer. It is located in Brenton, Yarmouth County, a small community north of the Town of Yarmouth. The heritage designation applies to the land and the building.

Heritage Value

The William Winter House is valued for its association with the Winter family, who have owned the property since it was built around 1849, and for its simple Greek Revival architecture.

This house was originally built around 1849 for, and probably by William Winter, a farmer, about one kilometre south of its this location, on land bought from his father-in-law. In 1893, nine years after William Winter’s death, his son, Edward, acquired ownership of the property and had the house moved to its present site. The house has been continuously owned and occupied by descendants of William Winter through its entire history. Few properties in Yarmouth County have remained within one family for as long a period of time.

The Greek Revival architecture of the William Winter House is relatively simple and unadorned. It is a one-and-a-half storey house with a front gabled roof and a lower one-and-a-half storey back ell. The carved brackets supporting the hood over the off-centre front entrance provide the only purely decorative element.

Source: Municipal Heritage Property files: the William Winter House; located at 400 Main Street, Yarmouth, NS.

Character-Defining Elements

The character defining elements of the William Winter House include:

- location close to the road
- rural setting;
- residential dwelling.

The character defining elements of the Greek Revival style of the William Winter House include:

- rubble stone foundation;
- one-and-a-half storeys;
- lower one-and-a-half storey back ell;
- one storey addition on south side of ell;
- wood frame construction;
- medium pitched gable roof with return eaves;
- central chimneys;
- asymmetrical two bay facade;
- off-centre front entrance;
- hood supported by decoratively carved brackets over front entrance;
- secondary entrance in back addition;
- double hung sash windows with one-over-one glazing;
- simple, straight window crowns;
- one storey cutaway bay window on south side;
- shingle cladding;
- corner-board, verge-board and frieze-board trim;
- moulded fascia boards;
- bed moulding in verges and cornice of main house.