The building in this engraving by John Elliott Woolford (1778-1866) symbolizes Wentworth's ambitious energy. Shortly after taking office he began to complain that the governor's official residence, then some forty years old, was "in Danger of falling into the Cellar." Wentworth maintained that Nova Scotia could afford better. His argument gained strength through the 1790s as wartime demand stimulated the provincial economy. Assembly objections that new quarters for the legislature should take priority were eventually overcome through the use of executive bribery and intimidation. Construction of Wentworth's new mansion house began in 1800 at a site on Hollis Street.
The residence quickly became a focus of controversy as work fell behind schedule and costs escalated alarmingly, eventually reaching ú30,000, three times the original estimates. Wentworth's insistence on such elegant touches as white marble mantelpieces and his system of entrusting supervision of the project to cronies provoked insistent demands for economy and reform. In 1805 the beleaguered governor moved into his new quarters even though another two years were required to complete construction. Less than a year after work came to an end, Wentworth was dismissed as governor. This project and others had made him too controversial to be continued in office by the imperial government. Wentworth ended his days in poverty but the house he built endured and today remains a vice-regal residence.
