Description of Historic Place

Stone House is located on the Gulf Shore Road in Lower Gulf Shore, Nova Scotia. The northern part of the property borders the Northumberland Strait, and the southern side fronts on Highway 6, along the Sunrise Trail. The three buildings and property are included in the provincial designation.

Heritage Value

The Stone House is valued because it is the last remaining stone house in Cumberland County, and because it has been so well restored as one of the finest examples of Scottish stonemason's craftsmanship in Nova Scotia.

Murdoch Nicholson was born in the Hebrides and was one of the early settlers along the Gulf Shore between Wallace and Pugwash. Nicholson was a prosperous schooner captain and in 1833 had a stone house built in Lower Gulf Shore. The house remained with Nicholson's descendants well into the twentieth century. This stone house was built in 1833 for Captain Murdoch Nicholson by stonemason John Lorrain.

Stone House was built by stonemason, John Lorrain. Lorrain originally came from Dumfrieshire, Scotland and was responsible for a number of stone buildings in Pictou.

A far as it is known, Stone House is the last remaining Scottish stone farm house of pure Scottish design in Cumberland County. There is a wooden addition to the house as well as two wooden outbuildings. The house had been restored to save it from being used as salvage stone.

Source: Provincial Heritage Program property files, no. 112, 1747 Summer Street, Halifax, NS.

Character-Defining Elements

Character-defining elements of Stone House, incorporating those typical of tradition Scottish craftsmanship, include:

- one and a half storey stone construction;
- stone foundation;
- steeply pitched gable roof;
- two large end chimneys;
- two dormers in the front and one dormer in the rear;
- two outbuildings of wood construction.

Character-defining elements of the wooden addition to Stone House include:

- one and a half storey wood construction;
- steeply pitched gable roof;
- one large end chimney;
- two dormers in the rear.