Ayscough Shop and William Finnie House

Ayscough Shop and William Finnie House

Block 08. Building 05.

Ayscough Shop (Williamsburg, Va.)

William Finnie House (Williamsburg, Va.)

Historic buildings -- Virginia -- Williamsburg

View of Ayscough Shop and William Finnie House, looking south across Francis Street, 1935. The structure to the left is the Ayscough Shop, which housed the Forge and Wheel (a retail establishment) in 1935. The shop sold decorative ironwork, pottery, and other items. Christopher Ayscough, the namesake of the shop, tried operating a tavern on the site between 1768-1770. The structure survived from the eighteenth century, although it was hardly recognizable due to the enlargements and modifications made in the nineteenth century. Once restored to its eighteenth-century appearance, the building exhibited such features typical of a commercial establishment as a gable end entrance and large shop window.

The structure to the right (across Francis Street) is the William Finnie House, one of the eighty-eight original buildings at Colonial Williamsburg. A gowned female costumed interpreter (once referred to as a "hostess") is shown standing in front of the house. The Finnie House is named after William Finnie, who resided in the home from the 1770s to early 1780s and held the office of quartermaster general of the Southern Department during the American Revolution. The Finnie House holds the distinction of retaining an appearance most closely matching its eighteenth-century form throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Lincoln, F.S.

1935

1935

This material is protected by copyright law (Title 17, U.S. Code). For reproduction queries: Rights and reproductions

jpeg

Image

LC365P1

Special Collections, John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Library, The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation

Gelatin or collodian printing out paper with platinum toning, mounted on board

8x10 inches