Cornwall Homes - A Fabulous Victorian

Not only is this house fabulous, it also has a TOWER! Not many Cornwall Homes have towers (I know of only 2 or 3 off the top of my head).

The details on this house are just jaw-dropping, especially to a woodworker like myself.

First off, the house is massive. It's pretty clear to anyone looking at the house, that the portion on the right is a later addition. It also has 3 address numbers on it: 121, 123, and 125. I don't actually know if it's divided-up on the inside.





The addition is not new, and it's been there for as long as I can remember. It may be 100 years old. Whoever built it did a very nice job of blending it into the older part of the house, and matching the 1880's aesthetic details. Note the bracketed cornice, the similar sized window (compare with the side of the house), and of course, the use of beautiful complimentary gingerbread trim. This newer section, and that one side of the house on the left are newer siding, but the rest of the house appears to be the original and recently repainted wood siding (except the tower, which hasn't been repainted yet).



The front porch, and the bay window boast some of the most ornate and beautifully executed porch elements I've seen from this period. You can sort of see part of the front doors as well.



It's unfortunate that the new windows are not correct. These should all be 1-over-1 windows (like the old 4 in the upper tower). I wonder whether or not this one originally had a curved top or not (they often did, but not always).



Just look at how gorgeous this is! Seriously! Why does no one bother to try to build anything as nice these days? Everyone seems so content with ugly plain boxy designs with no character or visual interest.



Look at the details on these columns. They have a beautiful 8-sectioned crown, and below are 8 "ribbed" (rounded) flutes. I'm not even sure if they were made from 8 sections glued together, or if they're cut/carved as a solid piece. The bottoms of the posts look like they might have rotted and been capped (plainly).

Also note the triangular slatted/ribbed/detailed top board. This is a detail that I see very rarely.

The fancy brackets, however, are not nearly as special (although they are gorgeous). They are simply made with 3 cut pieces glued together, and I see those on dozens of other Victorian porches.



Gingerbread trim. This is quite a lively design (more fun and flowing than others that resemble lace). Note the original turned rosettes and finial(s) on the tips.



I also adore the look of a nice stone foundation.