National Historic Site of Canada

Winterholme National Historic Site of Canada

St. Johns, Newfoundland and Labrador

Exterior photo

Exterior photo

Photo: Parks Canada / Parcs Canada 1984

Built
1905–1907
Recognized
1991
By
Government of Canada

The register’s text, word for word

Description

Winterholme National Historic Site is a large, Queen Anne Revival-style residence located on a landscaped urban lot at 79 Rennie’s Mill Road in the Rennie’s Mill Road Historic District of St. John’s.

Heritage value

Winterholme was designated a national historic site in 1991 because it is a fine example of the conservative approach to the Queen Anne Revival Style in Canadian domestic architecture.

Its heritage value resides in the physical attributes illustrating a conservative example of the eclectic, picturesque Queen Anne Revival style, typical of grand homes in late nineteenth-century Atlantic Canada.

Winterholme was built by the Horwood Lumber Company in 1905-1907 as a residence for Sir Marmaduke Winter (1857-1936).

SourceHSMBC Minute, November 1991

Character‑defining elements

Key elements that contribute to the heritage value of this site include:

  • the classically inspired, 3-bay facade organized around a central porch;
  • the slightly asymmetrical definition of each bay as a distinct identity with its own roof line, roof details, vertical forms and horizontal depths;
  • the steep, truncated, wood-shingled roof;
  • the wooden clapboard exterior finish;
  • the eclectic incorporation of historical motifs and features including:
  • the classical porch supported by colonnettes and crowned with a decorated pediment;
  • the curved, projecting end bay, one under a conical roof and one under a gable roof
  • the heavy classical cornice;
  • the use of varied window forms (bow, curved and flat-headed);
  • the decorative ironwork crenellation on a second floor bow window;
  • the whimsical repetition of features and motifs in pairs with each paired element in a slightly different form (two articulations of curved window forms, two articulations of gables of different sizes, two iterations of a floral motifs - one carved in the tympanum of the central pediment and on in stained glass over the entry door, two sets of double windows of slightly different sizes - one on the central gable the other on an end bay);
  • varied exterior textures (shingles, wooden clapboarding, projecting string courses, curved clear glass, stained glass);
  • stacked chimneys at each end of the roof;
  • the symmetrical ground floor plan with principal rooms organized along a central axis;
  • the varied interior footprint and fenestration of each room;
  • the central stair hall with its fireplace, and carved, staged, staircase;
  • the luxurious interior finishes (oak panelling, built-in furnishings, plasterwork , stained glass);
  • Winterholme’s prominent siting in the Rennie’s Mill Road Historic District where it contributes to the district’s character;

End of the register’s text

Location

79 Rennies Mill Road, St. Johns, Newfoundland and Labrador, A1C, Canada

47.57240° N, 52.71034° W

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From the Canadian Register of Historic Places, as last updated on December 12, 2025. The register’s text is shown word for word.