Some distinctive characteristics of a Victorian property are:
- High pitched roofs.
- Ornate gable trim.
- Bay windows.
- Two over two panel sash windows (supported with a single astragal bar on each sash)
- Sash window horns.
- Decorative brickwork (often in red)
- Stained glass windows.
How can I tell if my house is Victorian or Edwardian?
Edwardian properties
So, unlike the smaller, darker Victorian homes, Edwardian houses were more squat, wider and roomy, with bigger hallways and more windows. It’s common for an Edwardian property to have a front garden and be set back from the pavement, as there was an ever-increasing desire for privacy at that time.
What years are considered Victorian houses?
Seemingly obviously, Victorian houses were built between 1837 and 1901, when Queen Victoria was on the throne. However some people, including the Victorian Society itself, take ‘Victorian Architecture’ to encompass Edwardian as well, which takes this time period up to 1910.
What does a typical Victorian house look like?
The main structures were fairly simple, rectangular-shaped houses with low sloping or sometimes flat roofs that protrude quite far out from the exterior walls. The windows are tall and skinny, often rounded at the top, and there is trim, trim, and more trim.
What were key features of a Victorian home?
Common features of Victorian homes included towers, turrets, dormers, and wide wrap-around porches. Decorative railings and turned posts were typical of these Victorian porches that usually wrapped around at least two sides of the house. Ornate trim work around the porches included gingerbread cutouts and spindle work.
How do I know what era my house is?
How to find out how old your house is
- Check the 1862 Act register, which contains 2,000 historic properties (the document on the right is an example of a record in the 1862 Act Register).
- Search records in your local library.
- Search local archives including county and parish records.
What Colour were Victorian houses?
What is the Victorian colour palette? Typically, houses decorated in the Victorian era used strong, deep colour schemes such as blues, greens, reds and yellows. The main issue with the Victorian colour scheme is the deep shades, sometimes making rooms look very dark.
What are 3 characteristics of Victorian design?
Characteristics of Victorian Architecture
- Steeply pitched roofs.
- Plain or colorfully painted brick.
- Ornate gables.
- Painted iron railings.
- Churchlike rooftop finials.
- Sliding sash and canted bay windows.
- Octagonal or round towers and turrets to draw the eye upward.
- Two to three stories.
What is the difference between Victorian houses and modern houses?
Victorian houses have chimneys because they often had a fireplace in most rooms. The fire was the only way to keep warm. Today, houses are built without chimneys because houses are kept warm via central heating. Most modern houses have radiators in each room instead of a fireplace.
Are Victorian houses listed?
This means that it is nearly impossible for what might be described as ordinary Victorian architecture, such as terraced housing (however attractive) to be listed. The only exceptions are where such housing was built for a major company and has national significance.
What are two characteristics of Victorian style?
A Brief History of Victorian Architecture
This style was characterized by symmetry, Renaissance revival style interiors, many small windows, and limited ornamentation.
What would a poor Victorian house look like?
A poor Victorian family would have lived in a very small house with only a couple of rooms on each floor. The very poorest families had to make do with even less – some houses were home to two, three or even four families. The houses would share toilets and water, which they could get from a pump or a well.
Are Victorian houses worth more?
Victorian houses often have bigger room sizes and gardens than new builds, which partly explains the higher prices.
What did Victorians put on their walls?
Walls were typically covered with the rich, dark paint colors of the era or covered by tapestries or wallpaper with bold floral, leaf, or vine motifs. Walls were sometimes painted to look like marble or wood-grained finishings.
What is Victorian style interior?
Victorian style at a glance incorporated: Gothic Revival architecture such as spires, buttresses, pointed arch door surrounds and windows and decorative ironwork; medieval influences including fleurs de lys, heraldic motifs and quatrefoils; rich dark colours such as ruby red, forest green, and dark blue; mass produced
What rooms would be in a Victorian house?
The top floor would typically house the servants quarters and the children’s rooms with a nursery. The second floor would include the master bedroom and the second bathroom. On the first floor you’d find the drawing room or parlour, which acted as a receiving room for guests and visitors.
When was my house actually built?
Go to the county recorder’s office or its website if you don’t have your chain of title documents. The recorder’s office has the deeds and records for your property on file as public record, which you can look up for free.
Is 1905 Victorian or Edwardian?
The Edwardian era or Edwardian period of British history spanned the reign of King Edward VII, 1901 to 1910 and is sometimes extended to the start of the First World War. The death of Queen Victoria in January 1901 marked the end of the Victorian era.
What is the difference between Victorian and Georgian houses?
The Victorians had their own distinctive decorative elements which can distinguish a Victorian house from a Georgian one. These include stained glass panes in the windows, ornamented ridge tiles on the roof, shapely wooden barge boards beside the roof and the odd finial.
What color were Victorian floors?
Patterned tiles were extremely popular and dominant colours were black, white, terracotta and a muted dark red. While Victorian colours and patterns may not be entirely to today’s tastes, there are ways of adapting the basics to create beautiful and practical floors for modern homes.
What would a Victorian kitchen look like?
They were a luxury that would replace most kitchen cabinets. They consisted of lower cabinets, a bar for prepping food, and an upper cabinet. The upper cabinet had a flour mill and spice rack. Similar cabinets were hutches, pie safes, and Welsh dressers.