Victorian architecture
Victorian architecture is a series of architectural revival styles in the mid-to-late 19th century. Victorian refers to the reign of Queen Victoria (1837–1901), called the Victorian era, during which period the styles known as Victorian were used in construction. However, many elements of what is typically termed "Victorian" architecture did not become popular until later in Victoria's reign, roughly from 1850 and later. The styles often included interpretations and eclectic revivals of historic styles (see Historicism). The name represents the British and French custom of naming architectural styles for a reigning monarch. Within this naming and classification scheme, it followed Georgian architecture and later Regency architecture and was succeeded by Edwardian architecture.
Although Victoria did not reign over the United States, the term is often used for American styles and buildings from the same period, as well as those from the British Empire.
Victorian architecture in the United Kingdom
Gothic Revival
During the early 19th century, the romantic
By the middle of the 19th century, as a result of new technology, construction was able to incorporate metal materials as building components. Structures were erected with cast iron and wrought iron frames. However, due to being weak in tension, these materials were effectively phased out in place for more structurally sound steel.[2] One of the greatest exponents of iron frame construction was Joseph Paxton, architect of the Crystal Palace. Paxton also continued to build such houses as Mentmore Towers, in the still popular English Renaissance styles. New methods of construction were developed in this era of prosperity, but ironically the architectural styles, as developed by such architects as Augustus Pugin, were typically retrospective.
In Scotland, the architect Alexander Thomson who practised in Glasgow was a pioneer of the use of cast iron and steel for commercial buildings, blending neo-classical conventionality with Egyptian and Oriental themes to produce many truly original structures. Other notable Scottish architects of this period are Archibald Simpson and Alexander Marshall Mackenzie, whose stylistically varied work can be seen in the architecture of Aberdeen.
While Scottish architects pioneered this style it soon spread right across the United Kingdom and remained popular for another forty years. Its architectural value in preserving and reinventing the past is significant. Its influences were diverse but the Scottish architects who practiced it were inspired by unique ways to blend architecture, purpose, and everyday life in a meaningful way.
Other Revival styles
- British Queen Anne Revivalstyle)
- Renaissance Revival(1840–1890)
- Neo-Grec (1845–1865)
- Romanesque Revival
- Second Empire (1855–1880; originated in France)
- British Queen Anne Revival(1870–1910)
- Scots Baronial(predominantly Scotland)
- British Arts and Crafts movement (1880–1910)
Some styles, while not uniquely Victorian, are strongly associated with the 19th century owing to the large number of examples that were erected during that period:
-
Palace of Westminster, Neo-Gothic completed in 1870. Designed by Sir Charles Barry and Augustus Pugin
-
Royal Albert Hall, London
-
The "Red Brick"Gothic Revival style. Designed by Alfred Waterhouse
-
The Victorian Pavilion at The Oval cricket ground in London
-
Victorian School of Art and Science at Stroud, Gloucestershire
-
House on theHardwick House estate near Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk
-
TheJohn Rylands Libraryin Manchester
-
The Aston Webb building at the University of Birmingham, UK
-
Victoria Law Courts, Birmingham, UK
-
The Gilbert Scott Building of theGothic Revivalstyle
-
North of Scotland Bank in Aberdeen by Archibald Simpson 1839–42
-
Scots Baronial style
-
Walsall Victorian Arcade, UK
-
Barclays Bank building, Sutton, Greater London
-
Forth Rail Bridge, Firth of Forth, near Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
International spread of Victorian styles
During the 18th century, a few English architects emigrated to the colonies, but as the
Australia
The Victorian period flourished in Australia and is generally recognised as being from 1840 to 1890, which saw a
- Victorian Georgian
- Victorian Regency
- Egyptian
- Academic Classical
- Free Classical
- Filigree
- Mannerist
- Second Empire
- Italianate
- Romanesque
- Tudor
- Academic Gothic
- Free Gothic
- Rustic Gothic
- Carpenter Gothic
The Arts and Crafts style and Queen Anne style are considered to be part of the Federation Period, from 1890 to 1915.[4]
-
Melbourne's world heritage Royal Exhibition Building, built in 1880 (Free Classical)
-
General Post Office, Sydney, in the Free Classical style (1891)
-
Hotel Windsor, Melbourne, 1885
-
St Peter's Cathedral, Adelaide (Gothic Revival)
-
Sydney Town Hall, in Second Empire style
-
Queen Victoria Building in Romanesque style (1898)
-
South Melbourne Town Hall in Second Empire style
-
St Mary's Cathedral, Sydney, in Victorian Gothic architecture (1882)
-
Victorian Mannerist architecture lining a street in Sydney
-
Princess Theatre, Melbourne
-
State Library of Victoria of the Academic Classical style (1870)
-
Brookman Hall, UniSA City East Campus, Adelaide, South Australia
-
Adelaide, South Australia
-
Italianate home in Randwick
-
Surry Hillswith ornate iron-wrought detailing
-
Second Empire and Filigree residence in South Yarra
Hong Kong
Western influence in architecture was strong when Hong Kong was a British colony. Victorian architecture in Hong Kong:
-
St. John's Cathedral
-
1881 Heritage', which is a hotel and a shopping mall)
Ireland
-
A Victorian terrace in Cobh known as the "deck of cards"
-
Victorian shops and cafes, including the George's Street Arcade, Dublin D02
-
Victorian Upper Baggot Street, Dublin D02
-
Victorian terraced houses in Dublin D6W
-
Rathmines Clock Tower, Rathmines, Dublin D06
-
The Royal City of Dublin Hospital, Dublin D04
-
National Botanic Gardens glasshouse, Glasnevin, Dublin D09
-
The Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital, Adelaide Road, Dublin D02
Sri Lanka
During the British colonial period of British Ceylon: Sri Lanka Law College, Sri Lanka College of Technology, Galle Face Hotel and the
North America
In the United States, 'Victorian' architecture generally describes styles that were most popular between 1860 and 1900. A list of these styles most commonly includes
Notable Victorian-inspired cities during this era include
The extent to which any one is the "largest surviving example" is debated, with numerous qualifications. The
The photo album L'Architecture Americaine by
-
Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Philadelphia, by Frank Furness
-
Allegheny County Courthouse, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, by Henry Hobson Richardson
-
The California Southern Railroad's San Diego passenger terminal, built in 1887
-
Brooklyn Bridge, 1883, New York City
-
The Carson Mansion in Eureka, California, widely considered one of the highest executions of Queen Anne style, built 1884–86
-
John Steinbeck's childhood home in Salinas, California
-
The
-
1880s photo of 653 W Wrightwood (now 655 W Wrightwood) in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois
-
TheItalianate style Farnam Mansion in Oneida, New York. Built circa 1862
-
St. Paul, Minnesota, built in 1891
-
Series ofOver-The-Rhine, Cincinnati, Ohio
-
-
The Jacob C. Allen House (c. 1870) in Hackettstown, New Jersey
Canada
Canada's chief dominion architects designed numerous federal buildings over the course of the Victorian era. Thomas Fuller's completion of the Canadian Parliament Buildings in 1866, in particular, established a High Victorian Gothic influence over Canadian architectural design for several consecutive decades, producing many public buildings, churches, residences, industrial buildings, and hotels.[20]
-
British Columbia Parliament Buildings (main block)
-
Office of the Prime Minister and Privy Council (formerly Langevin Block)
-
Old Galt Post Office Building
-
Old Toronto City Hall
-
Parliament Buildings (Centre Block and Library)
-
Thomas Fuller Building (Brockville, Ontario)
-
University College, Toronto Main Building
-
Winnipeg City Hall (1887)
India
Because India was a colony of Britain, Victorian Architecture is prevalent in India, Especially in cities like
Preservation
Efforts to preserve landmarks of Victorian architecture are ongoing and are often led by the
See also
- Victorian decorative arts
- Victorian house
- Victorian restoration
- Folk Victorian
- Albert Levy (photographer)
- Georgian architecture
References and sources
Citations
- ^ "Fonthill Abbey | house, Wiltshire, England, United Kingdom | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2022-06-02.
- ISBN 0-419-17660-8
- ^ Apperly, Irving & Reynolds 1994, pp. 40–97.
- ^ Apperly, Irving & Reynolds 1994, pp. 132–143.
- ^ "South End Realty Community". Archived from the original on 16 July 2011.
- ^ "South End Historical Society".
- ^ "Louisville Facts & Firsts". LouisvilleKy.gov. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 14 December 2009.
- ^ "What is Old Louisville?". Old Louisville Guide. Archived from the original on 27 November 2009. Retrieved 14 December 2009.
- ^ "The Fan District – Great Public Spaces- Project for Public Spaces (PPS)". Archived from the original on 1 December 2008.
- ^ Stine, L. (2005) Historic Old West End Toledo, Ohio. Bookmasters.
- ^ Quinlivan (2001)
- ^ "Cincinnati.com". Cincinnati.com. Archived from the original on 20 January 2015. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
- ^ Lonely Planet (14 January 2016). "Top 10 US travel destinations for 2012". Lonely Planet. Archived from the original on 6 September 2015.
- ^ Over-the-Rhine Chamber of Commerce, Over-the-Rhine Historical Sites Archived 11 September 2009 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Cape May Historic District". National Park Service. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
- ^ Lewis 1975.
- ^ "Saitta House - Report Part 1 Archived 2008-12-16 at the Wayback Machine",DykerHeightsCivicAssociation.com
- ^ "Gingerbread Trim: Feast your eyes on these ornate Victorian-era embellishments". This Old House. 2 February 2007. Retrieved 12 January 2020.
- ^ "Eldridge Johnson House, 33 Perry Street (moved from 225 Congress Street), Cape May, Cape May County, NJ". Historic American Buildings Survey (Library of Congress). Retrieved 12 January 2020.
- ^ Christopher Thomas (2015) "Canadian Architecture: 1867-1914". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved 11 April 2022
- ^ "British India and Victorian-Era Architecture". victorianweb.org. Retrieved 2022-07-15.
- ^ Sean O'Hagan, Gasworks wonders… Archived 23 September 2016 at the Wayback Machine, The Guardian, 14 June 2015.
Sources
- Apperly, Richard; Irving, Robert; Reynolds, Peter L. (1994). A Pictorial Guide to Identifying Australian Architecture: Styles and Terms from 1788 to the Present. Angus & Robertson. ISBN 978-0-207-18562-5.
- Dixon, Roger; Muthesius, Stefan (1978). Victorian Architecture: With a Short Dictionary of Architects and 251 Illustrations. Thames and Hudson. ISBN 978-0-500-18163-8.
- Lewis, Arnold (1975). American Victorian architecture: a survey of the 70's and 80's in contemporary photographs. Dover Publications. ISBN 978-0-486-23177-8.
- Prentice, Helaine K. (1986). Rehab Right. Ten Speed Press. ISBN 978-0-89815-172-5., includes descriptions of different Victorian and early-20th-century architectural styles common in the San Francisco Bay Area, particularly Oakland, and detailed instructions for repair and restoration of details common to older house styles.
External links
- Decorative Hardware of the Victorian Era: An American. Perspective, Raheel Ahmad
- History and Style of Victorian Architecture and Hardware
- Manchester, a Victorian City
- Photographs of Victorian Homes in Hamilton, Ontario Canada
- Victorian era architecture in San Francisco, California
- Victorian era architecture and history in Buffalo, New York
- Architectural influences on Victorian style
- Victorian churches blog