Victorian Architecture: 3 Characteristics of Victorian Architecture

Victorian architecture is a blanket term used to describe the many ornate architectural styles that emerged during Queen Victoria’s reign over the United Kingdom from 1837 to 1901. The Victorian era of architecture encompasses several different styles, including Gothic Revival, Greek Revival, Shingle, Folk Victorian, Second Empire, Romanesque Revival, Italianate, and Queen Anne style.

Ornamentation and decorative details provide a throughline for these styles, which rejected the practical simplicity of previous architectural eras. Though Victorian architecture got its start in England, its influence stretched far and wide, reaching Australia, New Zealand, and North America.

The reign of Queen Victoria in Great Britain coincided with the Industrial Revolution, during which an increase in mass production brought an influx of wealth to the country and expanded the middle class. The Victorian style mirrored this newfound comfort through the designing of luxurious buildings that were adorned in extravagant ornamentation and bright colors.

Prior to the Victorian period, buildings were built in the Georgian style. This style was characterized by symmetry, Renaissance revival style interiors, many small windows, and limited ornamentation. Victorian architecture rejected the subtle styles of the past in favor of a style that reflected the prosperity of certain social classes.

Victorian-era architecture and interior design reflected the opulent sensibilities of the time.

1. 1. Ornamentation: Victorian buildings were designed to be ornamental. Interiors were decorated with extravagant, ornate furnishings, while decorative gables, eaves, and rooftop finials adorned the exteriors.
2. 2. Colorful exteriors: Victorian homes and buildings are commonly painted in a variety of pastels, jewel tones, and earthy colors. Some feature a monochromatic color scheme while others feature several contrasting colors. Stained glass windows also provided color to both the interior and exterior of Victorian homes.
3. 3. Complicated structures: In contrast with the simple structures of previous eras, Victorian buildings feature bay windows, steeply pitched rooflines (also known as Mansard roofs), and large, wraparound porches.

Victorian-style homes and buildings can be found all around the world.

1. 1. Palace of Westminster: Perhaps the most quintessential Victorian building, the Westminster Palace overlooks the River Thames in London, England. Built by Sir Charles Barry after the Great Fire of 1834, the building serves as a template for peak Victorian design. Its facade is heavily adorned with ornamentation and Gothic style flourishes, complete with church-like finial and the iconic Big Ben clock tower.
2. 2. Painted Ladies: More than 48,000 Edwardian and Victorian houses were built in San Francisco, California, between 1849 and 1915. Though many were lost in the historic 1906 earthquake, thousands remain standing all throughout the city. The Painted Ladies, a brightly colored block of Victorian homes in the Alamo Square neighborhood, are among the most famous. Re-painted in the 1960s to emphasize their architectural details, the Painted Ladies are a key part of San Francisco's rich architectural history and a popular photo-op for tourists from around the world.
3. 3. American Museum of Natural History: The first building belonging to the American Museum of Natural History was designed in the Victorian Gothic style in 1877. The New York City museum consists of a five-story building made of red brick and stone and adorned with classical ornamentation.
4. 4. Manchester Town Hall: Built by British architect Alfred Waterhouse in 1877, the Manchester Town Hall in Manchester, England, has an ornate Gothic-style facade and features a 280-foot-tall clock tower. In the nineteenth century, Manchester was a hub of the Industrial Revolution and thus suffered from poor air quality. Soot from factories had the tendency to settle on the exteriors of buildings, ruining their appeal. Waterhouse solved this problem by constructing the building with a uniform stone exterior. For the interior walls, he used terracotta instead of plaster.
5. 5. Carson Mansion: The Carson Mansion is a jumble of Victorian styles. Built for lumber baron William Carson in Eureka, California, in 1886, the home features a redwood exterior, roofs of different heights, finials, and a heavily ornamented wraparound porch.

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