Saturday, May 4, 2013

Edwardian style


The Edwardian House

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The Edwardian period is also known in Australia as Federation. Houses built at this time draw on both Victorian and Queen Anne features. They follow a similar plan to Victorian houses. Many Mid-Victorian ornaments are still used, but houses are less ostentatious than in previous decades.[1] The houses are similar to Queen Anne, however they have less ornamentation.[2]
  • The Edwardian era is classified by the reign of King Edward VII (1900-1910).
  • As an architectural style, 'Edwardian' refers to the period 1901 to 1918.
    As a period, it covers the years between 1901 and 1910.

Classic Edwardian home, except for the coffee table
Classic Edwardian home, except for the coffee table

The beginning of the Twentieth Century experienced tremendous technological and social change. The wonders of the modern world, which had only sprang into being in 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.
  • On the other side of the Atlantic, Americans were experiencing new-found wealth and indulging in cuisine, fashion, entertainment and travel as never before.
  • Perhaps the Edwardian era was best captured in the 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.
  • 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.[3]

Edwardian house in England
Edwardian house in England

Houses had wider frontages so there was often more room for a hall; in larger houses this was even used as a living room: for example, it would be furnished with a desk and perhaps even a fireplace.
  • The underlying themes of buildings and interior design of the Edwardian era were for expensive simplicity and sunshine and air.
  • Colours and detailing were lighter than in the late 19th century, looking back to the Georgian era of a century before. The desire for cleanliness continues.
  • As gas and then electric light became more widespread, walls could be lighter as they did not get so dirty, and so looked better in the brighter light. Decorative patterns were less complex, both wallpaper and curtain designs were plainer. There was less clutter than in the Victorian era.[4]
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Timber edwardian house
Timber edwardian house
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Corrugated iron edwardian house
Corrugated iron edwardian house
Edwardian facade
Edwardian facade
Weatherboard edwardian house
Weatherboard edwardian house

Key features:

  • Externally, it is common to see red bricks or painted weatherboards
  • The roof is made from slate, terracotta, or corrugated galvanised roofing and is usually gabled in form, often with finials (decorative ornaments that emphasize the apex of the roof).
  • Many Edwardian homes also feature roof shingles, which is a type of roof covering consisting of overlapping flat tiles.
  • The windows are often timber framed and feature decorative leadlight.
  • These houses also contain timber ornamentation to the external facade which is much simpler in design than Queen Anne homes.[5]

Corrugated iron edwardian house
Corrugated iron edwardian house
Outside:
  • Roofs steeply sloped, usually hipped roofs with wide eaves, sometimes prominent, front facing gable ends
  • Walls of red brickwork with flush joints, sometimes with cream painted render to base and gable ends or in bands on larger buildings
  • Timber houses generally have square-edged or bull-nosed weatherboards, sometimes with incised weatherboards simulating blocks of stonework, painted cream
  • Return L-shaped verandahs, roofed with corrugated bull-nosed metal and generally embellished with timber details including fretwork
  • Windows often grouped
  • Sunshades, supported by timber brackets, are common on the north and west
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Garden:
  • Fences commonly timber pickets, sometimes with a capping
  • Palms used and occasional native plantings
  • Lawns growing in popularity
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Inside:
  • Victorian period ornaments such as plaster cornices, ceiling roses, skirtings and architraves still popular
  • Stained glass in front windows, featuring geometric and curvilinear shapes and sometimes native plants or birds
  • After the heaviness, clutter and dark colours of Victorian interiors, people wanted something new and cheerful. Edwardian style was a breath of fresh air.
Edwardian style epitomised by Downton Abbey TV series
Edwardian style epitomised by Downton Abbey TV series

  • Style
    • fresh and light
    • informal, feminine
    • bamboo and wicker furniture
    • flowers and floral patterns
    • pastel colours
  • Influences

  • The names

    • Thomas Sheraton - furniture - Thomas Sheraton (1751 – 22 October 1806) was a furniture designer, one of the "big three" English furniture makers of the 18th century, along with Thomas Chippendale and George Hepplewhite.
    • RenĂ© Lalique - glassware
    • RenĂ© Jules Lalique (6 April 1860, Ay, Marne – 5 May 1945, Paris) was a French glass designer known for his creations of perfume bottles, vasesjewellerychandeliersclocks and automobile hood ornaments. He was born in the French village of Ay on 6 April 1860 and died 5 May 1945. He started a glassware firm, named after himself, which still remains successful.
    • Louis Comfort Tiffany - lighting[6] One of America's most acclaimed artists, Louis Comfort Tiffany's career spanned from the 1870s through the 1920s. He embraced virtually every artistic and decorative medium, designing and directing his studios to produce leaded-glass windows, mosaics, lighting, glass, pottery, metalwork, enamels, jewelry, and interiors. As the son of Charles Lewis Tiffany (1812–1902), founder of Tiffany & Company, the fancy goods store that became the renowned jewelry and silver firm, Tiffany chose to pursue his own artistic interests in lieu of joining the family business.
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Drawing room, 1910

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A drawing room in 1910 - photography Chris Ridley
This represents the drawing room of a semi-detached house in Golders’ Green, one of the new suburbs of North London. These cottage-style houses included Arts and Crafts features such as a ‘living-hall’, oak fireplaces, simple mouldings and low ceilings. The French windows, which allowed direct access to the garden, ensured the room was light. Electric power was also a new feature in these houses.
A modern interior design based on the Edwardian style
A modern interior design based on the Edwardian style

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Colour & Design:
  • Roofs usually terracotta tiles or corrugated metal often painted, sometimes slate
  • Gable ends ornamented with roughcast or pebbledash, left natural and battens painted a dark colour
  • Verandahs increasingly feature timber fretwork rather than cast iron lacework ornamentation


Edwardian wall design, Spelter figures, chair and ewer
Edwardian wall design, Spelter figures, chair and ewer

Get the look

  • Furniture- Edwardian furniture would have been reproduction furniture to them so you can choose from a range of styles including baroque, rococo and empire. The wing chair is a typical shape. Choose upholstery in chintz, and damasks in pale colours.
    • The eclecticism of Edwardian furnishings, mixing classic lines with curvilinear details, gave rise to a new approach in interior design, one less rigid and more global than previously seen. Edwardian furniture is less about a specific design and more about a time of great change and new attitudes. Unlike his more reserved and less social mother, King Edward loved to travel and even took an interest in those groups that heretofore had been without influence, such as minority groups and women. The mixing of styles, the borrowing from past and creating new, the brightening and lightening of materials and design, all point to a celebration of the mixing of cultures and of classes.[7]
  • Wicker - bamboo and wicker furniture were also introduced in these period. You can still buy good quality wicker furniture today in a range of colours. If you find some in a junk shop and it's worse for wear, give it a new lease of life by spraying the paint on with a spray gun or aerosol. Don't brush it on as you'll clog up the weave.
  • Floors - highly polished wood block floors, with oriental rugs, look fantastic in a living room. If you already have wooden floorboards, make sure they're not yellowy pine as this will jar. Stain them with an oak-coloured varnish instead. For areas with more wear and tear, go for bricks in a herringbone pattern or red quarry tiles.
  • Wallpaper - choose wallpapers with a fresh, cheerful feel such as florals of roses, lilac, wisteria, and sweet peas, with trellises, ribbons and bows. Stripes are also typical - go for something simple but rich for dining rooms such as a gold damask and white, and candy stripes for bedrooms. It was considered too much to have both a dado rail and a frieze: most people papered up to the dado rail and then papered or painted the wall above that with plain paper or distemper.
  • Lincrusta - put up some lincrusta - embossed wallpaper - introduced in 1877. It has an almost rubber-like texture and comes in beautiful art nouveau designs. It is still being made today. It can be painted any colour although cream is probably best.
  • Fireplaces - fireplaces are smaller than Victorian ones. They had splayed sides with projecting iron or copper hoods and decorative tiles. Smaller versions are usually found in the bedrooms.

Crystal glass services, vases, and table decorations, china dinner and dessert services, china tea and breakfast services, toilet services
Crystal glass services, vases, and table decorations, china dinner and dessert services, china tea and breakfast services, toilet services
Catalogue of linoleums
Catalogue of linoleums
Decorative suggestions
Decorative suggestions

China, glass & lamp department
China, glass & lamp department
Substantial and inexpensive furniture
Substantial and inexpensive furniture
Encaustic and tesselated tiles, plain and ornamental wall tiles ... art decorated tiles to order
Encaustic and tesselated tiles, plain and ornamental wall tiles ... art decorated tiles to order

Spring curtains illustrated 1909: Lace curtains direct from the Nottingham Mills at Mill prices
Spring curtains illustrated 1909: Lace curtains direct from the Nottingham Mills at Mill prices
 Illustrated catalogue of builders goods manufactured and sold by O'Brien, Thomas and Company, Jan. 1893
Illustrated catalogue of builders goods manufactured and sold by O'Brien, Thomas and Company, Jan. 1893
Art & utility in gas fittings: > No. 326
Art & utility in gas fittings: > No. 326

  • Colour schemes - choose pastel colour schemes in the colours of flowers - primrose yellows, leaf greens, the lilac of wisteria, and grey. Living rooms can take darker colours such as dark green for fabrics and cream walls.
  • Lighting - electric lighting was just beginning to be introduced to the grander homes. Buy fabric lampshades in soft colours with frills and tassels. Use them on wall lights, table lights and even standard lamps. For a central light, look for a pendant fitting in smoked glass. Ceiling roses disguised the wiring for light fittings. Tiffany lamps or reclining female bronze figures are also in keeping.
  • Windows - hang pieces of lace at the windows and then add plain or floral curtains to co-ordinate with the walls. Alternatively put up a simple striped roller blind.
  • Cushions - take up embroidery and needlepoint and make some cushions with floral motifs in an art nouveau style.
  • Pictures - hang pictures on hooks but place them halfway down the wall.
  • Accessories - add Edwardian-style accessories such as early gramophones (the ones with the conical shells), tiered silver cake stands, and pretty silver photograph frames.
  • Flowers - echo the wallpaper with your choice of flowers. Try loosely arranged bunches of sweet peas, roses, and lilac. House palms are also typically Edwardian.

What to invest in


Gillow & Company were an English furniture company, founded by Robert Gillow (1704-72) in Lancaster about 1727. During the nineteenth century, Gillows became the leading manufacturers of furniture for the rising middle and upper class market due to the quality of the materials used and craftsmanship in manufacture.
Waring & Gillow Ltd, a wardrobe, c.1930 amboyna, coromandel 187…
Waring & Gillow Ltd, a wardrobe, c.1930 amboyna, coromandel 187…
A Waring and Gillow stamped flame mahogany serving table with…
A Waring and Gillow stamped flame mahogany serving table with…
Waring and Gillow, armchair, retaining original moss green…
Waring and Gillow, armchair, retaining original moss green…
A pair of mahogany side tables by Waring and Gillow, circa 1900,…
A pair of mahogany side tables by Waring and Gillow, circa 1900,…
Superb 19th century Wm IV mahogany sarcophagus wine cooler with…
Superb 19th century Wm IV mahogany sarcophagus wine cooler with…


A superb burr walnut breakfront bookcase, by Waring and Gillows…
A superb burr walnut breakfront bookcase, by Waring and Gillows…

Where to see it


Further reading

  • The Edwardian House by Helen Long (Manchester University Press)
  • Edwardian House Style by Hilary Hockman (David & Charles)
  • Care & Repair of Period Houses by Albert Jackson & David Day (Collins)[8]

  1. ^ http://heritage.vic.gov.au/Heritage-places-objects/What-house-is-that/edwardian.html
  2. ^ http://advice.realestateview.com.au/buying-investing/australian-architecture-styles/
  3. ^ http://www.pbs.org/manorhouse/edwardianlife/introduction.html
  4. ^http://www.housepursuits.co.uk/architectural.html
  5. ^ http://advice.realestateview.com.au/buying-investing/australian-architecture-styles/
  6. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/homes/design/period_edwardian.shtml
  7. ^ http://www.ehow.com/about_4596675_edwardian-furniture.html
  8. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/homes/design/period_edwardian.shtml

Thursday, May 2, 2013

Camelot, Camden


'Camelot', location of TV drama, 'A Place To Call Home'


[Previous post: Walking Tour Coogee Heritage ... Next post: ]

Camelot, Kirkham Lane, Kirkham, Phone: 612 4658 1370

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"Camelot" stands on the site of explorer John Oxley's Kirkham Mill near Camden NSW.
"Camelot" stands on the site of explorer John Oxley's Kirkham Mill near Camden NSW.


  • The original grant was made in 1810 and extended in 1815. It is constructed from brick and has a romantic silhouette of turrets, chimney stacks, gables, arched verandas and projecting bays.
  • "Camelot" was reportedly built with the winnings from "Chester", a racehorse which won the Melbourne Cup in 1877, owned by James White. The house was owned later on by the Faithfull-Anderson family. Camelot also has a fine brick stable with arched wooden ribbing, a brick smokehouse and an octagonal aviary.
  • John Horbury Hunt designed Camelot for James White of Cranebrook in the late 1880's. It is constructed from brick and has a romantic silhouette of turrets, chimney stacks, gables, arched verandahs and projecting bays.
    • The house was owned later on by the Faithfull-Anderson family. Upon her husband's death in 1912 Mrs. Frances Faithfull-Anderson paid for the erection of a memorial drinking fountain in the middle of the intersection of Argyle and John St, Camden. The fountain was subsequently moved to Macarthur Park where it now rests. A smaller matching memorial was erected at Camelot at the same time.
    • Camelot also has a fine brick stable with arched wooden ribbing, a brick smokehouse and an octagonal aviary.
    • Today it is being lovingly cared for and will possibly be open to the public on a limited basis in the future.[1]
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From: Title Tattle, by Jonathan Chancellor, Sunday, 28 April 2013[2]

Camelot at Camden is captivating as A Place to Call Home

Camelot, the grandest house near Camden on Sydney's outskirts, was the location for filming of the latest Channel 7 drama series, A Place to Call Home.
  • Set among rolling green pastures with well-established cottage-style gardens, and a winding, tree-lined drive from gates originally from Yaralla, Concord, the historic Narellan mansion was built in 1888 for the White pastoralist family.
  • It comes with the romantic silhouette of turrets and chimney stacks and gables, the backdrop to many a wedding photo sessiongiven its captivating grounds.
  • Until the latest Bevan Lee creation - the writer and executive best known for creating the TV dramas Packed to the Rafters and Winner & Losers - Title Tattle hadn't seen Camelot since its late 1990s mortgagee marketing campaigns which came after dramatic 1996 eviction proceedings.
  • The 55-room fairytale-like, Camelot and its gardens have clearly been stunningly restored by the owners, Brendan and Rachel Powers. The property has actually only had four owners with it last selling in 1999 for $2.6 million.
  • It's a John Horbury Hunt-designed three-storey 1888 house, originally known as Kirkham when built for the Hon James White, which got its current name from Frances Faithful-Anderson, who, on seeing the property in 1900, was reminded of the opening verse of Tennyson's The Lady of Shalott, "many tower'd Camelot."
The NSW State Library has photos circa 1900.
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Camelot, (Horbury Hunt mansion of Mrs. White, owner of the racehorse Carbine), Camden
Creator Perier, A. J. (Albert James), 1870-1964
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  • James White built it, cashed up from his winnings from Chester, his racehorse which had 19 wins - including the 1877 Melbourne Cup and VRC Derby - from 29 starts.
  • White was the grand-uncle of author Patrick White. with the family's best known property association still to this day, being with Belltrees in the upper Hunter Valley. In 1848 James leased Belltrees, in partnership with brothers Francis and George, which they purchased in 1853.
  • In around 1860 James White bought Martindale, near Muswellbrook, where he was elected to the Legislative Assembly for the Upper Hunter with his main political interests being railway expansion, taxes on luxuries and an interest in free selection.
  • His first association with architect John Horbury Hunt was in about 1873 when Hunt carried out large scale extensions to newly purchased Cranbrook, Rose Bay. Hunt was invited in 1888 to build him a "rural seat" at the Kirkham holding, but died at Cranbrook in 1890, perhaps never having lived in Hunt's creation at Kirkham.
The 33-hectare grounds include classic examples of Horbury Hunt's clay-brick specialty including a beehive-shaped smoke house, an octagonal aviary and large ornate stable block, with hammer-arched roofing, which featured as Lady Ashley's stables in the Baz Luhrmann film, Australia.
  • Even the garden beds are quiet intricate as White, the mad-keen gambler, shaped then as heart, club, diamond and spade.
  • NSW Heritage says another usual feature of Camelot is the main staircase with its landing projecting beyond the external wall and forms the base of a semicircular tower, terminating in a candle-snuffer roof, complete with finial.
It's been a house that every so often comes to public attention as in 1981 the Supreme Court's Justice Rath determined the 1938 will of Mrs Faithful-Anderson took precedence over her daughter, Clarice who willed Camelot to the NSW National Trust.
  • As that 1938 bequest - with Camelot desired to become a convalescent home after Clarice's death - clashed with council zonings the property was sold in 1985 to John Neal, a retired coalminer and Wallacia pub owner, for $1.3 million.
  • But Neal evisaging a convention centre with restoration funds coming from a subdivision, did not actually proceed to settlement.
  • It was subsequently bought by Michael Howarth, the New Zealand-born cattle breeder, and Artes Studio founder, who paid more than $2 million in 1986.
  • In 1994 as a result of a costly 1980s cattle leasing tax minimisation scheme, the entrepreneur was briefly bankrupted owing $741,983 to his creditor, the State Bank of South Australia subsidiary, Mortgage Acceptance. But the court was told his debts totalled about $7 million with his major asset, Camelot through complicated trust arrangements. Quickly discharged from bankruptcy, Howarth was, however, unable to hold off the sale by receiver Anthony Sims.
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The six-bedroom mansion was once described by critic Leo Schofield as the best house John Horbury Hunt ever designed.
  • Even its bathrooms impressed Leo: "One has a tub the size of a gunboat, wonderful tiles and a shower like an upturned tin tiara," he wrote.
  • The interiors feature stained glass by Lyons, Wells, Cottier & Co.
  • Camelot stands on the site of explorer John Oxley's Kirkham Mill after an 1810 land grant.
  • Its availability for weddings is through completewedding.com.au.
  • Watched by 1.7 million, the series premiered Sunday April 28 in the timeslot previously held by Downton Abbey. IMDb says it is a 13 episode series which wikipedia says has been described as a ”compelling melodrama about love and loss set against the social change of the 1950s”.
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  1. ^ http://www.camdenhistory.org.au/chhistoricplaces.html
  2. ^

    http://www.propertyobserver.com.au/trophy-homes/camelot-at-camden-is-captivating-as-a-place-to-call-home-location-on-channel-7-s-new-1950s-drama-series/2013042860795