Description of Historic Place

The house at 10 Nelson Street in the Village of Victoria is a Late Victorian Plain style house with a summer kitchen attached to the back of the main dwelling. It is situated on treed grounds. The registration includes the building's exterior and parcel. It does not include the building's interior.

Heritage Value

10 Nelson Street is valued for its well preserved Victorian Plain architectural style; its association with early residents of Victoria; and for its contribution to the streetscape.

Meacham's 1880 Atlas of PEI indicates the property was owned by John Hall. It is believed the current house was moved to this location sometime before 1910. By 1914, Emily (Pertell) Doyle sold the property to Miner McNevin. A family legend says he purchased the house "for the price of 2 silver foxes". It is known that McNevin had shares in a fox farm which operated near the lighthouse in the Village. The home continues to be in the possession of descendants of the McNevin family.

The Plain Victorian style of the house was popular in the Maritimes from 1880-1915. It was characterized by a straightforward design with little ostentation. This example features attractive box bay windows and subdued moulding around the windows and doors. The steep pitch of the gable roof is another hallmark of the style.

10 Nelson Street remains a well preserved example of its type and contributes to the streetscape.

Source: Culture and Heritage Division, PEI Department of Tourism and Culture, Charlottetown, PE C1A 7N8
File #: 4310-20/V21

Character-Defining Elements

The following character-defining elements illustrate the Victorian Plain heritage value of 10 Nelson Street:

- The simplistic design of the house with its single gable roof and one-and-one-half storey wooden construction
- The fenestration of the windows and doors including the two over two windows, the box bay windows, and the small window in the peak of the gable
- The wooden bargeboard exterior
- The decorative lintels and hood mouldings over the windows and doors
- The summer kitchen extension on the back of the house

Other character-defining elements of 10 Nelson Street include:

- The building's prominent location on Nelson Street, making it an important aspect of the Victoria streetscape