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For any house-proud owner of a Victorian property this book represents a unique and invaluable resource. It is packed with information about Victorian architectural ideas, building methods and materials, as well as practical advice on maintenance and conservation.

Part I provides a concise overview of the development of the Victorian house, the many different architectural styles that came in and out of fashion over the period, and the lifestyles of the original owners the properties were designed to accommodate. Throughout, the emphasis is on family houses of various sizes rather than the great houses of the wealthy, which are discussed only in relation to their influence on contemporary builders and architects.

Part II discusses structures and materials, with chapters on brickwork, stone, renders and stuccos, roofs, woodwork, windows and doors, ironwork and conservatories. In each case there is useful advice on symptoms of trouble, techniques for preservation and restoration, and the correct choice of materials.

Part III covers services — fireplaces and chimneys, lighting, kitchens and bathrooms — all topics where particular sensitivity is required in order to achieve a satisfactory compromise between preserving the spirit of the original building and meeting the requirements of a contemporary lifestyle.

Part IV covers all aspects of interior decoration, including plasterwork, decorative tiles, paint colours and finishes, wallcoverings, curtains and blinds, and floorcoverings.

The book is completed by lists of further reading, places to visit and useful addresses, which include sources of more detailed information and advice.

The author: Kit Wedd is a former education officer and deputy director of the The Victorian Society. She now works as a freelance historic buildings consultant.

Currently out of print.

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This new book is by Samantha F. Barnes with photographs by Mark Watson. Published by The Victorian Society with The Alan Baxter Foundation in memory of the late David Crellin(1965-2006).

168 pages paperback, with many colour illustrations.

ISBN 978-0-901657-38-1

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£10

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The story of Leeds and its architecture in the 120 years before the First World War was one of remarkable development: industrial growth on an heroic scale. As an adjunct to commercial, manufacturing and population change came a stunning array of new buildings, sufficiently grand to reflect the town’s achievements as well as its aspirations.

In this book a total of 36 architects who practised in Leeds are chronicled. Some, for instance Cuthbert Brodrick, R.D. Chantrell and George Corson, are reasonably well known but others such as C.W. Burleigh, William Hill and W.H. Thorp emerge from the shadows as exceptional designers. However, the book is more than a compendium of the lives of a series of gifted individuals.

Taking a single provincial centre as its focus, it is a ground-breaking examination of the birth, growth and maturity of the architectural profession in this seminal period of its development, and a fascinating story of the way architects responded to the challenges and opportunities that a great industrial town provided. It is also a celebration of the outstanding buildings that have given Leeds its unique character.

The post Building a Great Victorian city: Leeds architects and architecture 1790-1914 appeared first on The Victorian Society.

“This book covers the development of a small early Victorian town through the expansion that accompanied the development of a Civic Gospel, the modernity of terracotta to the fascinating explosion of artistic talent in Birmingham under the influence of the Arts and Crafts.”

Commissioned by the Birmingham and West Midlands Group of the The Victorian Society and funded by the Mary Heath Trust, its 26 essays are contributed by architectural, local and social historians, university lecturers, conservation officers and practising architects drawn mainly from the West Midland area.

8 years in the genesis, it was written in response to the paucity of published sources for Birmingham architecture and the perceived obscurity of the quality of its buildings and the local architects. Very few buildings were designed by the “big names from London” as “local pride” dictated “local buildings for local people by local people.” Some such as J H Chamberlain & W.H Bidlake are reasonably well known but the book demonstrates the high quality of the local architects and the recognition particularly in the case of late nineteenth and early twentieth century architecture of its national and international importance.

Published by Oblong Creative Ltd in Hardback ISBN 978095565727 with 629 pages and 330 illustrations, it consists of an introductory essay by the Editor Dr Phillada Ballard and followed by 26 illustrated essays on individual architects and firms. The book can no longer be purchased from the publisher and is now only available from the Birmingham and West Midlands Group of the The Victorian Society price £30 + P&P

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