Period Homes - Styles & Original Features: An Easy Reference Guide

By Trevor Yorke

Are you ready to step inside the world of period homes? To unlock the secrets of the iconic buildings we see throughout the cities, towns and villages of Britain? Then this is the book for you.

Period homes are all around us. Not only are they charming homes for those lucky enough to live in them, but they also give the community in which they're set a distinguished character and a link with the past. Yet sometimes it's hard to know exactly which features to look at in order to date these buildings. Or what to look for if you need to replace an original fitting.

This book aims to help the reader recognise the common architectural styles and original features from each period, whether they just want to find out more about a particular property, or are trying to restore one. If you're in the middle of a renovation, for example, and you want to know which original window style you should be installing, you'll find it here.

All styles and periods are covered - from graceful Regency terraces with elegant iron balconies and muscular Victorian houses with colourful stained glass, to Edwardian homes with white patterned timber work, and stylish 1930s semis with curved suntrap windows.

From glasswork and doors to fireplaces and floors (plus everything in between) this is a treasure trove of information about the British period homes we love.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Countryside Books
• Release date: Oct 3, 2021
• ISBN: 9781846749209

Trevor Yorke

Trevor Yorke is a professional author and artist who has studied and written about various aspects of England's architectural and industrial heritage. He has produced many illustrated books that introduce the reader to these topics and writes articles and reviews for various magazines. He lives in the UK.

Book preview

Our much loved and treasured period homes are iconic features of British cities, towns and villages. Their rustic or elegant appearance is both reassuring in its permanence and inspiring in its historical associations. They are not just charming homes for those who value the quality and style of the building, but they give the community in which they are set a distinguished character and a link with the past.

In most cases though, these old terraces, semis and detached houses are brick or stone boxes, not dissimilar in form to many post-war houses. The builders and architects who developed our urban landscape in the 19th and early 20th centuries were keen to make the best return from their plots within local planning restrictions. This meant that most period homes began life as relatively plain rectangular structures. The style and character of these houses was established with the fixtures and fittings which the builder added. From graceful Regency terraces with elegant iron balconies and muscular Victorian houses with colourful stained glass, to Edwardian homes with white patterned timber work, and stylish 1930s semis with curved suntrap windows. It is these timber, glass, ceramic and metal elements which transform bricks and mortar into a period home, and they are the subject of this book.

Trying to date a house from these details, or finding appropriate fittings when renovating a property, can be tricky. This is partly because period styles were revived and imitated by later generations, so Tudor, Stuart, Georgian and Regency-type doors, windows, and interior timberwork can be found in later Victorian, Edwardian and 1930s properties. It can also be a problem selecting correct fittings for a property when some items are just labelled, for example, Victorian, a period of over 60 years during which styles changed numerous times. Despite this confusion there are some general changes to the form, style and materials used in fixtures and fittings that can help pinpoint their age more accurately. It is these basic details that this book concentrates on, so the reader can recognise the common types from each period whether just wanting to appreciate old houses or trying to restore a property to its original condition.

The book is divided into chapters covering the key fixtures and fittings. The first half looks at the outside with a brief chapter on the changing styles of houses, followed by sections on windows, doors and other exterior fixtures and fittings. The second half goes indoors and begins with a piece on interior styles, before sections looking at fireplaces, range cookers, baths and staircases. There is also a glossary and a list of useful websites and places to visit.

Trevor Yorke www.trevoryorke.co.uk

Britain’s rich heritage of period houses encompasses a wonderful array of designs, from rustic and rambling to grand and uniform, with some dating as far back as the Tudor period. Before the late 17th century these timber-framed, stone, and brick homes were constructed by local masons and carpenters in regional styles and from materials available close by. In the wake of the Great Fire of London of 1666, building regulations – which controlled the size, plan and materials permitted in house construction – began to be introduced to prevent a repeat of the tragedy; at first in the capital and then around the country during the following century. In the Georgian period, fashions in architectural and interior design spread more widely. This was mainly due to new publications which contained detailed drawings that allowed builders to understand the correct proportions of the facade and recreate the latest styles in decoration rather than follow local traditions.

During the early 1800s a rapid growth in population, the shift of workers from rural to urban areas and the growing influence of a new middle class created a huge demand for housing, with waves of new developments encompassing towns and cities. New production techniques and an improving transport system meant that although the rows of terraces, semis and detached homes were restricted in their design by regulations, they could be adorned with a vast range of mass-produced timber, metal, glass, ceramic and plaster fixtures and fittings, which could give houses the individuality and style demanded by tenants and owners. The vast majority rented their homes until the 20th century. The Victorians also created new services to improve home life with water, sewerage, gas, and electricity connected to new homes. As a result, much of the earlier housing stock, which could not be upgraded or had been jerry-built, was demolished in the 20th century. However, the days of building with spacious rooms, quality fixtures and elaborate decoration could not continue in the years after the Second World War. Economic constraints, supply issues and changing fashions forced a simplification in design, a reduction in size and the use of cheaper materials. Hence, the vast majority of period homes that still stand today are from this golden period, from the Regency through to the 1930s, and it is the fixtures and fittings that transformed these uniform brick boxes into a richly decorative home that we will be focusing upon.

Regency Styles

Before looking in detail at the individual parts applied to houses, it is worth stepping back a moment and looking at the general styles that were in fashion during Regency, Victorian, Edwardian and interwar periods. At the turn of the 19th century Classical styles dominated. These were a reinterpretation of the buildings from Ancient Rome and Greece, which used the mathematical proportions and architectural features found on ruined structures and applied them to houses, from grand country mansions to rows of terraces. These rules resulted in symmetrical facades, carefully positioned windows and doors, and openings of set proportions, which were generally devoid of unnecessary decoration and hence had a rather elegant air. This refinement was enhanced by the use of stucco, an exterior plaster, which was originally finished to resemble fashionable stone, but today is usually painted white or cream. The rather strict and plain Palladian style of the mid-18th century was based on the designs of the 16th-century Italian architect Andrea Palladio. It had been superseded by a Neoclassical style, which was less severe and permitted the use of decorative features and motifs that were now sourced from Ancient Greece rather than Rome. The facades of Regency houses can be found with subtle and delicate motifs raised on the plasterwork, reeded mouldings around doors, and elaborately designed ironwork balconies and porches. For those who preferred their Classical architecture of a purer form, the Greek Revival style was austere and bold, with its massive plain surfaces broken up by muscular columns with simple Doric and Ionic capitals. This surprisingly modern style was popular for public buildings, but was still embraced by