Uniacke House

Reason for registration

this property's association with the historic personage, Richard John Uniacke.

Character-defining elements

Character-Defining Elements of the Estate Include:

- section of the Old Post Road, the original Halifax-to-Windsor roadway;
- arrangement of buildings and their relationship to the Old Post Road;
- many exotic and foreign species of plants, shrubs and trees imported by Uniacke;
- geological and natural features including a drumlin, erratics and lakes;
- a “ha ha” wall - a concealed retaining wall on the front lawn used to contain sheep, goats and other farm animals;
- rubble stone foundation from hot house - now an archaeological site;
- original stone well (now capped);
- reproductions of original wood gateposts.

Character-Defining Elements of the Main House Include:

- 3.5 stories, 52 ft. x 38 ft., with neo-Classical symmetry, massing and proportions;
- raised rubble stone basement walls, three feet thick to counteract dampness;
- six-over-six, single hung windows throughout; shutters on first floor;
- half-round, operable window in pediment;
- hipped roof replaces original flat roof with widow’s walk at rear and perimeter railing;
- semi-circular motif and fan light over front door;
- formal front porch with split stairs and elaborate railing and column bases;
- two storey, four column Palladian portico with full pediment;
- clapboard siding with corner pilasters with capitals and bases;
- two, eight foot brick chimneys;
- rear servant’s entry porch to basement and first floor.

Character-Defining Elements of the Barn include:

- 3 storey, 80 ft. x 30 ft., heavy timber frame building;
- hipped roof, truncated to second storey on front and back;
- square cupola at roof crest, with hipped roof, louvres and cast iron weather vane;
- building on stone or concrete piers; stone foundation wall at one end;
- shingled facades an asymmetric array of loading doors, second storey mezzanine gates and fixed windows;
- interior elements inlcuding: structural frame of hand-hewn, heavy timbers with knee braces and mortise-and-tenon, pinned joints; second storey storage mezzanine; variety of fixed, multi-paned windows (one with 35 panes); stalls for cattle, horses and other livestock; wide pine plank flooring and wall sheathing.

Character-Defining Elements of the Carriage House include:

- two storey, shingled, 20 ft. x 18 ft. building with gabled roof;
- attached one storey wing with shed roof;
- symmetric front facade, with paired double garage doors and wood gutter and downspout;
- variety of multi-paned, fixed windows (one in shed with 48 panes, bull’s eye glass).