Falmouth Field Guide

2 Trelawny

This two story, brick house stands features a two-story front porch; the lower porch was extensively renovated in the mid-twentieth century. Portland stucco, which likely dates to the early 1900s, masks yellow brick laid in Flemish bond of the front elevation; the yellow bricks are exposed on the other three sides of the house. A masonry belt course, also in Flemish-bond but covered in stucco, encircles the house. Three windows along the east elevation on the second story were once tripartite windows, with side louvers flanking the central windows, which have been replaced by conventional six-over-six sashes, suggesting that this was the best room in the house, a departure from the traditional position for the best room overlooking the street. The interior plan is unclear because much of the ceiling and partitions are covered with late 20th century finishes, plywood, or particle board. The front door opens into a central passage that directs people toward two glazed 20th century office-style doors on the east. The central passage continues to a longitudinal partition at the northwest corner room, a deep room with a modern partition creating another office in the space. A centered original doorway opens through the rear wall. An original open-string, L-shaped staircase with neoclassical features connects the upper and lower stories. The stairs are made of hardwood, either mahogany or walnut, the same materials used in the upper chambers, which creates a grand and fluent passage from the staircase to the two best rooms in the house, emphasizing the importance of these spaces in the house. The staircase leads to an open, L-shaped space on the second floor. The front right reception room spans two-thirds the depth of the house, and is another clue that this space was one of the best rooms in the house. The front left room remains almost entirely unaltered and is believed to have been the third best room in the upper section of the house. Perhaps a high-quality bed chamber, it includes finely detailed woodwork, such as a double architrave neoclassical doorway, in comparison to the other single architrave doorways elsewhere in the house. A northeast room on the second level may have been a withdrawing room providing more space if the large reception room was too crowded. A small, early space in the northwestern corner of the house on the upper story may have been a sleeping area for a domestic slave. It has a narrow louvered window that opens onto the back façade of the house to provide ventilation, suggesting its use as a living space.