Federation-House

The Edwardian Period

• The Edwardian era is defined by the reign of King Edward VII (1901-1910) following the death of Queen Victoria.

• As an architectural style, 'Edwardian' refers to the period 1900 to 1918, also the Federation Era in Australia.
   

The beginning of the Twentieth Century experienced tremendous technological and social change.

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• The wonders of the modern world, which had only sprang into being in the Victorian Empire of the 1880s and 1890's brought the first rewards of modern industrialization and mass-produced abundance.

• It was a time where Britain was at its imperial height and one in three of the world's population were her subjects ("Pink" on the world map).

• On the other side of the Atlantic, Americans were experiencing new-found wealth and indulging in cuisine, fashion, entertainment and travel as never before, the fruits of the "Gilded Age".

• Perhaps the Edwardian era was best captured in the English series 'Downton Abbey' and in the decoration of the passenger liner 'Titanic', the grand ocean liner which embodied human progress, opulence, and the excesses of the time.

The Edwardian era is viewed nostalgically and often called the "Gilded Age". In Britain, it was a time of peace: sandwiched between the Boer War (1899-1902) and the First World War which broke out in 1914.

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• In the words of Samuel Hynes, it was a 'leisurely time when women wore picture hats and did not vote, when the rich were not ashamed to live conspicuously, and the sun really never set on the British flag'.

• It was also a time of great inequality, in which the privileges of the rich were made possible by the labour of their servants,

• an age when the inequalities of wealth and poverty were starkly delineated and

• the conventions of class were still rigidly defined - there was a place for everyone and everyone knew their place.
   

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Edwardian Architecture

This popular English architectural period is known as ‘Federation’, as it coincides with the Federation of the Australian states and territories into the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901.

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Edwardian architecture drew upon elements of the Victorian style and Queen Anne revival period of 1865 to 1915.

Queen Anne ruled from 1701 to 1714, and both American and English architecture referenced the grandeur of this wealthy period, adding highly visible medieval or 'thatched' style roofing with decorated chimneys in the Picturesque fashion.

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Edwardian Characteristics

Some of the most recognisable Edwardian features include

• Red brick exteriors with embellished wood detail known as fretwork, or completely constructed in painted timber with fretwork embellishment about the verandah.

• Red terracotta tiles or galvanised iron are generally used for roofing, which is designed with a steep pitch, featuring tall stylish chimneys.

• The front-facing gable ends and roof eaves often feature ornate timber brackets, and timber detailing and fretwork are a common inclusion.

• The roof design in larger homes includes a gable over each outward room, and even a turret over an ornate bay window or verandah gazebo.

Leadlight ("Stained") glass windows including doors and bay windows at the front of the home became increasingly popular during this period and often incorporated native Australian fauna and flora motifs in Art Nouveau designs.

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• Internally, Victorian-era features are still desirable, including decorated but white-painted ceilings, plaster ceiling roses, ornate cornices, tall timber skirting and architraves.
   

• The Edwardian period valued marble, tile and decorative timber carpentry and joinery, leading to beautiful fretwork designs in halls and breezeways, and extravagant arches in timber, (no longer in plaster) as well as polished timber flooring, sometimes in parquetry.
   

• Edwardians embraced the latest industrial products, especially in the kitchen and bathroom, and were the first houses with hot water, electric lighting and indoor toilets, provided they looked simple and stylish.