Governor'S House

The Governor's House is a detached house that was formerly the residence of the Governor of the Verne Citadel, built around 1870 by Colonel Cox of the Royal Engineers. Constructed of ashlar stone with a slate roof, the building is primarily a square block with lower sections to the east and north-west. The main entrance is located on the south side, with a secondary entrance for the office in the north-west wing. There is an enclosed service yard to the north.

The main block features two tall storeys, with a heavily rusticated ground floor that includes a plinth and plat bands at the first floor and as a cill band for the upper windows. The eaves are heavily bracketed, leading to hipped roofs. The front (south) facade has three windows with glazing-bar sashes, arched on the ground floor and set in projecting rusticated jambs and voussoirs. This design continues in the set-back lower wing to the right, which has two bays and upper windows with raised semi-circular gables and moulded coping. There is a panelled door with a fanlight in the third bay of the main block.

The right wing features a one-storey hexagonal bay with a hipped roof, while the left return has one and two-light casements at each level, followed by a panelled door with a fanlight set in rusticated jambs and voussoirs leading to a small projecting unit. The centre of the main block has a square chimney stack with heavy capping, along with a further tall stack on the north side. The service yard retains a coal bunker with a shaped slab capping. The interior is not accessible. This building is noted for its distinctive design and is situated in an exposed position near the south-east sally port of the fortress. It was unoccupied at the time of the survey in May 1991.