The Victorian House Book

Preface Architecture is a vulnerable art; like the landscape, it is subject to meddling by succeeding generations. In this respect, music and literature are more fortunate, for however much abuse or neglect they may receive, the essential integrity of the original will probably survive. This is not at all the case with buildings, and very few houses over a hundred years old have survived unaltered. In many cases, the effects of weather and pollution -- together with the additions, alterations and repairs made by several generations of inhabitants -- have changed them to such an extent that their builders would have difficulty in recognizing them. The United States still affords little protection to historic buildings, even those landmarks that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Ownership normally confers the right to pull down anything considered obsolete or which stands in the way of future development. In contrast, Britain began serious preservation many decades ago. Starting with Scotland in 1933 and followed by England, Wales and Northern Ireland in 1947, buildings of architectural importance began to be surveyed and actively protected from unsympathetic changes or demolition. For this preservation attitude the British must thank William Morris, the instigator in 1877 of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings. True, Morris would probably not have cared much if all the houses of the 18th century had been pulled down, but at least he brought to public attention the state of many medieval buildings which were then suffering serious neglect or were threatened with demolition. Although we think of ourselves as more enlightened today, our aesthetic vandalism is more insidious. If a roof needed railing in the 19th century, the chances are that the replacements would have been made of the same clay -- or even in the same kiln -- as the originals. The brick and stone, and even the mortar used for pointing, may all have come from local clay beds, kilns and quarries; the building materials quite literally arose from the surrounding landscape, and blended naturally with those of neighboring buildings. Nowadays there are countless substitutes on the market, and nearly all of them are visually inferior to the originals. A glance down any Victorian street will illustrate this sad decline. The roofline will probably have suffered most, with slates replaced by asbestos shingles and cast-iron gutters by plastic ones. Nor will the faÇades have survived unscathed; good brickwork may have been painted over or repointed in coarse cement, and wood sashes may have given way to aluminum-framed or plastic-coated windows. Each age works within the cost limits and technology of its time. The industrial components of the suppliers -- concrete tiles, plastic rain-water goods, mass-produced bricks and blocks, metal windows, flush doors and building boards -- can be seen as the only architectural currency capable of satisfying present housing demands. Houses built of these new materials are truly houses of today, and for better or worse, homes throughout the country reflect their dubious standards. Unfortunately these same materials are quite unsuitable for repairing and restoring the older housing stock in which a large proportion of us still have to live, or choose to live. The building heritage of the United States may be divided into four periods: pre-1830; the loosely categorized Victorian period, extending from the 1830's to the outbreak of World War I (1914-18); "between-the-wars;" and the post-war period from 1945 to the present day. Pre-Victorian buildings represent a very small percentage of the private housing stock. A look at properties in Cambridge, Massachusetts or Alexandria, Virginia will confirm that in urban areas Georgian and Federal houses are highly sought-after andGuild, Robin is the author of 'The Victorian House Book', published 2008 under ISBN 9781554073719 and ISBN 1554073715.