EDWARDIAN ARCHITECTURE 1901-1910

After the Victorian era, building of many more of London’s houses in the terraced style sparked the beginning of the Edwardian Architecture. The Edwardian architecture is an architectural style that arose during the reign of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom from1901 to 1910.

As previously discussed, the Victorian period introduced mass housing, which aimed at expanding the middle-class people, who were at initial stages of gathering wealth. This period enabled many to live in properly constructed homes with appropriate sanitation. However, in the east of the city in areas like Whitechapel and Spitalfields, slums started to develop, as more people relocated to the city in search of work opportunities. Also, the population within the city was rapidly increasing due to the introduction of the new railways sparked the increasing relocation of people into the city causing an increase in the suburbs.

No doubt the Edwardian architecture was a blend of the Victorian architecture, with less ornate than the late Victorian architecture. This construction was mainly terraced, semi-detached and partly detached villas but these were smaller than those in the Victorian era. Externally, you can often identify an Edwardian home by the Dutch gables, sash windows and deep bay windows. Edwardian homes also are often half-clad in timber or sub-divide windows into smaller square panes in order to create an aesthetic appeal.

Edwardian properties till date, are often much shorter than the Victorian homes since they had a less need for servants.

Characteristics of Edwardian homes

• Less application of dark furnishings and exotic artefacts and ornaments were slipping away and in came the trend of plainer decorative designs across the home.
• Transition from oil and gas lamps to the use of light bulbs (electricity)
• Unlike the Victorian architecture, wallpapers were made lighter, floral patterns were la
• Use of steel or reinforced concrete frames clad in bricks or stone to free walls for non-structural uses

Various Edwardian homes in London.