If you go back to the roots of terms, the reign of Queen Victoria and King Edward VI, it’s a chronological periodization, with Victorian architecture running from 1837-1901 and Edwardian from 1901-1910. However, styles don’t really begin and end with the reign of monarchs. Victorian architecture is generally characterized by a fondness for gothic details. Edwardian architecture is less ornate, with greater interest in monumentality. There is, generally, a renewed interest in symmetry and monumentality in Edwardian architecture.

The Edwardian period from 1901 to 1910 was short and heavily influenced by The Arts and Crafts Movement. The movement promoted simple design and an appreciation for the handmade in retaliation to mass production in the Victorian age. Most architecture periods overlapped each other, so a house built in 1890 could be described as Victorian with the newer Edwardian influences. 

Following the boom in property construction during the Victorian era, Edwardian housebuilders were forced to build homes in the suburbs where there was more space, which created the ‘garden suburbs’.  

So, unlike the smaller, darker Victorian homes, Edwardian houses were more squat, wider and roomy, with bigger hallways and more windows. What are the main characteristics of and Edwardian property?

• Houses built in a strait line
• Red brickwork
• Porch with wooden frames
• Wide hallway
• Parquet wood floors
• Wider, brighter rooms
• Simple internal decorative features