General Wolfe'S House, With Railings

This is a house, now offices, dating to circa 1720, with 20th-century additions. Thomas Greenway has been suggested as the architect. The building is constructed of limestone ashlar, with a roof that is not visible.

The house is two storeys and a basement, with a five-window front. The windows are nine/six-pane sashes set within architraves, with fielded panelled aprons below the first-floor windows and plain aprons to the ground floor. The basement, finished in painted stonework, has two 20th-century windows with splayed surrounds on either side of the centre. A six-panel door, leading to a staircase and five steps, is set within deep reveals, featuring a moulded architrave framed by fluted Ionic pilasters supporting an entablature and a segmental pediment. This pediment bears a martial relief depicting a pile of arms, which was added after 1759, when General Wolfe briefly resided in the house. A central window is similarly framed with fluted Corinthian pilasters, which are significantly worn, and a segmental pediment. Channelled pilasters extend to both floors at each end of the front, with a full-width moulded cornice at each level. The top floor also has a plain blocking course with a rebuilt parapet, constructed using less refined ashlar than the rest of the building. The pilasters appear to have been channelled in-situ, and the joints do not always coincide with the masonry beds.

The interior has not been inspected, but a reference suggests an unusual stone raised and fielded panelling, resembling joinery, in the entrance hall. The basement areas are enclosed by simple cast iron railings set on a stone curb, returning at the ends and to the doorway. An original stone-flagged pavement remains, although the sett-covered roadway has been removed, with a section preserved further east along the street.

This house exemplifies the most florid architecture in Trim Street, showcasing a provincial Baroque style and the progressive design trends of its time. It originally had a steep roof, which has since been lost. A bronze plaque marks General Wolfe’s brief stay. It is thought that the martial relief in the tympanum may be a later addition, reflecting a retrospective Baroque revival style. Trim Street was laid out in 1707 on land owned by George Trim, just outside the medieval city walls, representing a significant expansion of the city. The street retains its original flagged pavements and sett-covered roadway.