What were poor Victorian houses like?

A poor Victorian family would have lived in a very small house with only a couple of rooms on each floor. The very poorest families had to make do with even less – some houses were home to two, three or even four families. The houses would share toilets and water, which they could get from a pump or a well.

What were rich Victorian houses like?

The houses had most of the new gadgets installed, such as flushing toilets, gas lighting, and inside bathrooms. Wealthy Victorians decorated their homes in the latest styles. There would be heavy curtains, flowery wallpaper, carpets and rugs, ornaments, well made furniture, paintings and plants.

What did Victorians use to build houses?

Victorian houses were generally built in terraces or as detached houses. Building materials were brick or local stone. Bricks were made in factories some distance away, to standard sizes, rather than the earlier practice of digging clay locally and making bricks on site.

How did Victorian houses look?

The main structures were fairly simple, rectangular-shaped houses with low sloping or sometimes flat roofs that protrude quite far out from the exterior walls. The windows are tall and skinny, often rounded at the top, and there is trim, trim, and more trim.

Why are Victorian houses creepy?

The world had become a corrupt, dirty place, and Victorian-style houses were a physical manifestation of this stain; they represented the persistence of corruption and thoughtlessness that was thought to have originated in the Gilded Age.

How were Victorian homes heated?

Central heating in a 1870’s house was accomplished by placing a coal- or oil-fired furnace in the basement. Natural convection would lift the hot air through floor vents located near the center of the house and take the cooler air back down through other floor vents arranged around the outside perimeter.

What are Victorian house walls made of?

Brick bonding
Brick bonding By the end of the 19th century most houses had walls of at least one-brick thickness. Houses over three storeys often had thicker walls, usually reducing in thickness at each upper-floor level. The brickwork itself (at least the brickwork on view) was generally laid to a very high standard.

Why are Victorian houses so well built?

It’s because of their design and the quality materials used that have made them a popular feature of many cities in the UK and the demand means that the resale value for a Victorian house is strong.

Why do Victorian houses have two staircases?

In old mansions, household servants—and pre-Civil War, possibly slaves—were often directed to stay out of sight. The solution was a separate staircase in the back just for the servants to use. This is why your kitchen or pantry might be accessible by two staircases.

What are Victorian homes called?

Two of the most common types of Victorian homes are Queen Anne and Italianate. “Queen Annes, with their asymmetrical feel, often showcase wrap-around porches, steeply pitched roofs, a turret, and two to three stories,” says Mize.

Why are Victorian ceilings so high?

The high ceilings of Victorian properties, like most design features, were another way to display wealth to visitors. Creating a spacious environment, high ceilings provided a stark contrast to the low-ceiling cottages and houses that were associated with the more modest abodes.

How did Victorians heat bath water?

These baths may have had a system of hot water running to them thus enabling the bather to enjoy the luxury of turning on the taps, but were, for the most part, filled by maids and servants heaving buckets of hot water up from the kitchen range where it had been boiled on the stove top.

Are Victorian houses cold?

So in conclusion Victorian houses are no colder than any other house if properly heated and insulated. It may mean higher heating bills but there’s no reason for it to be cold.

How did Victorians stay warm at night?

To warm the legs, Victorian women wore long stockings made of cotton or even silk, and sometimes multiple pairs. On top came wool pantalets, worn by tying at the waist, and on top of that a wool chemise (similar to what we would call a full slip today), plus a corset.