Buying a Victorian house means living in a property that was built at the very apex of the British Empire - a time when comfort and style were of paramount importance to the wealthy individual. The eclectic mix of Victorian building styles that emerged in this iconic era can make any such purchase today an exciting and tricky affair. It is a chance to buy a property with unique features, superior in many ways to today's modern housing. In this article we will take a look at Victorian architecture´s main influences, the differing styles that resulted, how to spot an authentic Victorian property and how to maintain or improve upon that unique Victorian look.

The Victorian Era in Britain

The Victorian era in Britain lasted some 64 years, covering the reign of Queen Victoria from 1837 to 1901. In terms of change and modernisation, it was perhaps the most radical period in British history to date. When Queen Victoria came to power, Britain was an agrarian, rural society. By the time she died, Britain was a highly industrialised world power connected internally by an extensive railway network and overseas by a seaborne empire.

Emerging Victorian philosophical concepts converged to produce a number of contradictory building styles which reflected any one or a combination of new values and aspirations. The vast amount of money flowing into Britain from the colonies abroad and that being generated by emergent industrialisation saw massive amounts of building work undertaken and much of this was excess to demand. Spare money was often poured into frivolous ornamentation - its is from here that the phrase a man´s home is his castle harks. The result for Victorian house styles? More religious influences and an array of architectural philosophies such as Mock Tudor, Gothic Revival, Queen Anne, Tudorbeathen and the all famous Arts and Crafts Movement.

If you want to learn more about the Victorian era check out:

• Wikipedia
• Victorian Links
• The Victorian Web

Differing Victorian House Styles

The Victorian era saw the emergence of a great of variety of building styles. Such diversity can lead to some confusion over what exactly is classed as a Victorian property. A Victorian property, officially speaking, is anything built during the reign of Queen Victoria, although often we use the term to refer to many houses built in the same style as a house dating from that period. Such historical details are of little use when home hunting, however, so lets take a look at the main types of Victorian architecture and how to visually identify them.

The Arts and Crafts Movement

The Arts and Crafts Movement came about late in the Victorian era as a reaction against the soulless industrialisation of the British workforce. It sought to replace the mundane and evil machine with an idealised past via the endorsement of specialised craftsmen, hand painted ornamentation and human personality in design, espousing quality over quantity. The resulting Victorian houses emphasised natural materials and recalled medieval cottages with sloping roofs, small windows and expansive gardens. Red House in Bexleyheath London is a perfect example.

The Gothic Revival

Victorian Gothic revival sought again to establish a link with the past, setting itself firmly against the emerging classical styles coming from post revolutionary France. Gothic means medieval - espousing large inclusive spaces with strong ecclesiastical influence. Thus, Victorian homes would be ornamented like churches with pointed arches housing stained glass windows, heraldic, biblical emblems and cusping - projections of gargoyles heads or elements of nature. Upon the successful commissioning of the new Houses of Parliament in the Gothic style, it became a national trend and Gothic style Victorian houses still abound in the UK today.

Jacobeathan

A very popular style of Victorian house characterised by flattened arches, intricate brickwork, steep sloping gables and lighter patterned brickwork around windows. Victorian houses were further ornamented with pillars, balustrades and fortifications reminiscent of a castle dwelling. Later on, the style was further corrupted into 'Tudorbeathan', which saw a distinct softening of the style with thatched rooves and mandatory half-timbering, reminiscent of a medieval cottage - a style is commonly known as Tudor today.