The Victorian House

(1837 - 1901)

V
 The Victorian
period is the time
when
Queen Victoria
ruled Britain.
1845
1880's
 90 's
18
 Victorian Housing grew in reaction to the increase of
population which doubled between 1841 and 1901. The
middle classes who wanted to own fashionable villas
rejected the back to back terraced housing popular in the
industrial areas.

The poorer factory workers

stayed in the cramped
housing within the cities but
the aspiring middle classes
moved to the suburbs to
larger properties with
gardens.
There were three styles of Victorian housing that were
prominent:

Classical: Inspired from the earlier Georgian period.

Heavily influenced by ancient Rome and Greece with
symmetrical façade designs with columns, pediments and
stucco walls.
Gothic: A revival from medieval times, most recognisable
by the popular pointed arch used for windows and doors.
Theses houses were asymmetrical with the design being
based around the internal layout.
Olde English: Picturesque and quaint style. Built to a
smaller scale than other Victorian houses, often found in
villages rather than towns. Steep pitched tiled roofs or
thatched. Pointed gables with lots of carved bargeboards
and roof finials.
 Gable Ends
The Gable is the
triangular end section of
a pitched roof.
Throughout the different
housing periods builders
have chosen to decorate
this area with a wide
range of styles and
materials. From
roughcast to simple
timbering, popular in
1920's and 1930's, to
elaborate carved
woodwork from the
Victorian .
 Balconies and Verandas
Ironwork Ironwork was
continued to be also seen in
used in the outside rooms
Victorian called verandas
properties with which were
balconies on the often found in
first floor in front larger houses or
of the popular villas.
french windows.
 Canopies, Door Entrances &
Porches

Stone Porch Timber Porch Plastered enclosed porches

A canopy or porch can provide protection
and shelter from the weather as well as create
a decorative feature that draws the eye to the
main entrance of the house. The porch can be
inside the main front wall or protrude from
the building.
Tile Hung Walls
 Windows: Sash & Casement

Sash windows have been

the popular choice of window
from the Georgian period right
through to the late 1920's.

Italianate
Window
English Heritage carried out a
survey of Estate Agents which
revealed that 82% of agents
believed sash windows added
value to your house and 78%
believed sash windows helped to
Late Victorian sash arch sell you house more quickly.
 Stained & Leaded Glass in the Home
Evidence of stained glass
can be found back to the 10th
Century. In the mid 1800's the
interest in Gothic architecture
created a revival in the use of
stained glass. Small pieces of Victorian Geometric
coloured glass were held
together with lead. Scenes and
details were painted (stained)
onto the glass with black and
brown paint.

Victorian
 Front Doors
Victorian houses tended to
have narrow hallways and
entrances. The front door was
often made of softwood and
painted, stained or grained to
look like hardwood. The doors
would have been panelled,
divided into four or six
sections with some panels
filled with glass.
 With the rise in the middle classes, social mobility created
a new generation that wanted to show off their possessions.
The Victorians loved collecting and displaying their new
found wealth. Walls were covered in paintings; display
cabinets were full of vases, ornaments and other treasures.
Entertaining was important to the Victorian house owner.
Furniture was crammed into rooms in anticipation of guests.
A card table, drinks cabinet and a piano was on most
Victorian homes wish list.
The Victorians loved strong colours and
bold patterns. The walls would have had large
carved skirting and picture rails, heavy
patterned wallpaper and topped with large
ornate coving. Traditionally the Victorian house
style had a heavy, cluttered, dark interior that
was not afraid to mix patterns and colours.
Gothic features Italianate windows

Victorian Villa 1893

Steep pitch roofs
 Mouldings, skirting and architraves

The skirting board like the coving was a

decorative feature that covered up the joints. The
skirting was used to bridge the gap between the wall
and floor. It was more practical to make the skirting
out of wood due to the wear and tear it would
receive.
In Victorian times it was fashionable to leave the
chairs round the table so the dado rail disappeared
and the wooden picture rail remained to provide a
feature that pictures could be hung from. In later
Victorian period the picture rail tended to be found
level with the top horizontal part of the door frame.
 Skirting

Victorian Torus Ogee

Bullnose

Victorian
Architraves
Plaster cornicing and coving

In early Victorian times the

cornices were larger and ornate
buts towards the end of the
period the
moulding
became
simplier
which
gathered
less dust.
Designs became
available that
were pre made off site.
 Floor Tiles: Encaustic, Geometric & Quarry
Encaustic tiles
Encaustic tiles are a ceramic tile where the pattern is
inlaid into the body of the tile. The patterns were made up
of different colours of clay, heated into a liquid (slip) and
poured into a mould and fired. Encaustic tiles were first
developed and used in the medieval period. It was in the
Gothic Revival of the Victorian age that brought them
back into popular demand.
 Geometric tiles
Geometric tiles are small
plain tiles set in a repetitive
pattern of two or more colours,
using a very fine grout line
between.
 Quarry tiles

Traditionally
red or grey made
from hard
unglazed clay.
Found in kitchens
and other areas
that receive heavy
wear and tear.
 Candle, Paraffin and Gas Lighting

Candle and oil lamps continued to

be the homes main light source right
through the Georgian and Victorian
period.
 Fireplaces
The size of a Victorian fireplace depended on the
size of the room. Areas that received guests such as the
front parlour would have had the grandest fireplace and
mantel. Main bedrooms would have had a simpler
design and smaller bedrooms and servant quarters
would have had the most basic cast iron model. The
Victorians preferred coal instead of wood. The coals
were set into small tight baskets that angled the fire into
the room. The grate style constantly changed in design
to increase heat and reduce smoke. In the later part of
the Victorian period grates had a hinged register that
controlled the draw up the chimney and a hood to
reduce the smoke entering the room.
 Marble 1873 Oak Arts & Craft Oak 1890

Single piece cast iron Painted Victorian Single piece cast iron
 Wallcoverings: Wallpaper

Evidence of wall covering can be found right back in

200BC in China where paper was invented. Wall
coverings were not only used as a decorative medium but
as a way of insulating the walls. Wallpaper was a cheaper
substitute to panelling and tapestries and became popular
in the wealthy households of the 1500's.
The Victorians loved strong colours decorating
bold patterns of flowers or arabesque designs.
Artists look upon nature and Art Nouveau designs
were popular at this time.
 Peacock Willow Bough

Uppark Ogee Victorian Cornucopia Damas

 Wooden Flooring
Most Victorian houses used wooden floorboards. They
were laid onto joists and nailed down. The floor boards
created a suspended floor, where the air-gap helped to
prevent damp.
 Victorian Furniture
The Victorians desired elaborately decorated
furniture. Styles ranged from delicate inlay to ornate
carved pieces. The Victorians loved nature and
crammed every space with carved birds, animals,
flowers and leaf motifs. Popular furniture found in a
Victorian room such as the dining, drawing, morning
or parlour room were mahogany dining tables, open
bookcases and writing tables. Entertaining was
important to the Victorian house owner, a drinks
cabinet, a piano, games and card tables would of been
found. Collecting and displaying ornaments was a
popular hobby and sideboards with open shelves to
display the crockery and glass fronted corner cabinets
to display their treasures.
Mahogany Sideboard Walnut Sideboard

Half tester bed

Writing desk Walnut wardrobe
La acest proiect au participat:

Atanasoaei Andreea Siminiceanu Petronela

THE END