The story of Ashlea House

Sheltered on the South Shore of Nova Scotia, Lunenburg is an authentic working waterfront town with docks, boats, and all manner of activity blending together into a picturesque postcard perfect town.

Whether you are here for boat building, the Bluenose II, whale watching or exploring the unique maritime history of this UNESCO world heritage site, Ashlea House is here to welcome you!

Since 1886

Although early records are not very clear, it is known that the Ashlea House was built 1886 - 1890 for George Geldert. George Geldert was a Dry Goods Merchant whose store was established at 126 Montague Street. George also represented the Luneburg County as a MLA from 1855 to 1859.

In any event it does not appear that George was able to enjoy the Ashlea House for very long. The first existing record shows that the house was sold by George Geldert to William N Zwicker in 1890 for the sum of $5,000 a very high value for the times. William N Zwicker was a prominent member of Zwicker and Company as well as a merchant of Fry and Fancy Goods. The property remained in the Zwicker family until 1965 when it was sold and converted into apartments. In the late 1980’s the house was returned to a private residence.

The house itself is still large and imposing and quite suggestive of its former grandeur. It has two and a half storeys and a “T” shaped roof configuration which presents gables on all four elevations. Each gable has fancy gingerbread along its verges and wide, bracketed returned eaves. The wide fascia board is decorated with mouldings in a rectangular pattern and beneath it there is a course of decorative shingles. The bay window on the main facade has a large pedimented, gable roof and is tied in with an open veranda which extends around the side of the house.

Old Town Lunenburg, UNESCO World Heritage Site

Lunenburg is considered to be the best surviving example of a planned British settlement in North America. Established in 1753, it has retained its original layout and overall appearance, based on a rectangular grid pattern drawn up in the home country. The inhabitants have managed to safeguard the city’s identity throughout the centuries by preserving the wooden architecture of the houses, some of which date from the 18th century.