Period property: A rough guide to timelines
Tue 30 Aug 2022
Houses for sale - or to let - at the premium end of the market are often described by estate agents as ‘period properties’. Richard Cleaver, Head of Residential, Shouler & Son has prepared a quick, rough guide to the most common historical timelines that define particular architectural periods.
Medieval before 1500 (mostly 14th Century).Tudor 1500 to mid to late 1550s.
Elizabethan/Jacobean often overlapping the late 16th & early 17th Centuries between the years of 1560 to 1630. Influences from the strict Jacobean time period run through Carolean & Cromwellian timescales from the mid-1600s to the very early 18th Century. This timescale includes the reigns of a number of monarchs, as well as Cromwell, up to 1702 when Queen Anne ascended the throne.
Georgian/Regency 1714 to 1837.
Victorian 1837 to 1901, strictly speaking.
Edwardian 1901 to late 1910s and into the first decade post-World War I.
These timelines are indicative only, of course. Timelines blur at the edges either side of each defined historical period.
For instance, a property built in 1908 may resemble the property style of the height of the Victorian period in the previous century.
Remember the influences of fashion in architectural design too because ‘retro’ isn’t something invented in the 21st Century.
Victorian architecture often took its cue from medieval buildings in being described as having a ‘Gothic-influence’.
Building styles of Georgian and Regency properties may reference back to classical times when architecture and property experts talk about proportions and elevations.
Additionally, bear in mind the designation of Listed status is important too when thinking about buying a property.
A property’s Listed status is a key consideration if planning renovation, refurbishment or modifications to a property before or after its purchase.
Similarly, a relatively modern property may sit within a conservation area where additional permissions may be required from the relevant authorities before any proposed re-modelling of the house or additional built elements to the main structure.
To find out more about Shouler & Son’s full range of residential property services, see shoulers.co.uk/pages/residential-services.