What Features Make A Property A Period Home?
What Features Make A Property A Period Home?
On the whole, the architecture of England is a mix of different styles, ranging from the stucco-fronted Georgian homes to the ultra modern developments and complexes present in every city. But what are the features that denote your home as being a period property? Victorian coving throughout your home could be a clue, so here’s a guide to other features
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The Georgian period spans from 1714 until 1830, with Late Georgian styles from 1830 to 1837. Properties built in this period were built to be spacious and comfortable, with grand proportions that emphasised a heightened sense of space and light.
It was typical during this era for the first two storeys to be occupied by the owner and their family, while the staff and servants lived on the upper two floors. This is why the rooms in the top storeys are usually smaller, having smaller windows and lower ceilings, in contrast to the elegance of the family home below.
Georgian properties typically had a noticeable feature, the appearance of a bricked up window, which was due to the window tax between 1696 and 1851. The window tax was the equivalent of income tax - the more windows a property had, the greater wealth of the owner.
The window was bricked up as a tax avoidance strategy, reducing the rate of tax that needed to be paid. After the end of the window tax, rather than reinstate the window, many owners decided to leave them as they were.
The style was very much based around symmetry, with the houses appearing rather plain, with simple facades. They were built with brick and stone, later with stucco, and sash windows were a constant feature.
The homes were typically three or four storeys, render painted cream or white on the ground floor during earlier period properties. They had a symmetrical flat appearance, with a balanced layout in the interior, and were often build around garden squares, as most did not have a garden of their own.
Cities such as Glasgow and Manchester have architecture with much stronger links to the Victorian period, to reflect the industrial boom during the reign of Queen Victoria. The gothic revival between 1837 and 1901 meant that homes built around then had a more asymmetric design, with pointed arches and elaborate patterns.
The majority of homes built before the Victorian period were owned by the gentry, or at least wealthy landowners, whereas wealth in the Victorian era was spread across society in the wake of the Industrial Revolution and houses became less grand and more accessible.
This meant that it was necessary to build more homes, which is why the Victorian period is characterised by rows of terraced housing on narrow streets.
Homes from both these eras were constructed for during quality and charm, and the enduring appeal of them is testament to this.
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