8 steps to restore a Victorian house

By Katy Layton

Published: Wednesday, 12 January 2022 at 12:00 am

There’s a lot to love about Victorian properties. With their ornate architecture, elegant proportions and intricate detailing, they were built to be admired, and they’ve stood the test of time, too.

One third of the houses in Britain were built before the First World War, and most of these are Victorian. Under Queen Victoria’s rule, Britain saw a boom in new builds – in a period of less than 75 years, over 6m houses were built, and the majority still stand today.

Maintaining a home that’s around 150 years old requires considerable work, and tracking down the best suppliers and products is half the battle. Luckily, we’re here to help!

Identify your property

What type of Victorian property do you have?

Gothic Revival

The epitome of high Victorian taste, especially popular after Pugin designed the Houses of Parliament in Gothic style in the late 1830s. Look for pointed roofs and arches, stained glass windows, embellishments such as gargoyles and ecclesiastical touches such as turrets.

Jacobethan

In contrast to the architectural excesses of the mid-Victorian period, this style, also known as ‘Tudorbeathan’, revived the style of Tudor or Stuart England. Look for castle-like fortifications, steep roof gables, intricate brickwork, high chimneys and half timbering.

Arts & Crafts

The late 1860s movement that was a reaction to the Industrial Revolution, Arts & Crafts valued craftsmanship above all. Look for small cottage-style wooden casement windows, sloping roofs, and bare stone and brick work.

Art Noveau

The most distinctive design style of the turn of the century, some late Victorian homes would feature Art Noveau details such as curving, plant forms, usually in detailing such as stained glass, tiles and fire surrounds.

Terraced

The majority of Victorian builds were built as terraces, where the individual design of a house would be repeated over and over using identical features.

The best websites for tracing the history of your home

Inspired by BBC Two’s A House Through Time? Jonathan Scott shows you how to trace the history of your house…

"The

Look at the Plasterwork

Cornicing and plaster ceiling roses were the norm for Victorian houses, and the level of detail depended on the status of the room, so a reception room would feature much more intricate plasterwork than a bedroom for example.

After the introduction of mass-produced reinforced fibrous-plaster mouldings, plasterwork became ever more ornate, as prefabricated mouldings could be made and installed by general tradesmen.

How to repair plasterwork:

 Fix up the windows

"Victorian

Victorian houses would have originally been fitted with sash windows. If you are lucky enough to still have original sash windows in your Victorian house, here are a few ways you can repair, or if necessary, replace them:

Refresh the fireplaces

Every room in a Victorian house would have had a fireplace when built, but these have often been covered or removed by later occupants.

Work on the floors

Victorian houses generally combine pine floorboards throughout the house with tiles in hallways. Both carpets and linoleum were introduced around the 1850s, but floorboards are key for an authentic feel.
Stripping back to the original floorboards is an inexpensive way of recreating your home’s Victorian looks, although they would have been stained to resemble mahogany rather than today’s trend for lighter woods.
  • Manufacturers of all types of hardwood flooring, Heritage Woodcraft  has a large stock of strip flooring and planking, ideal if you are repairing sections of a wooden floor.
  • Criterion Tiles is an invaluable resource for wall and floor tiles from the Victorian period, including discontinued tiles.

You might also enjoy:

Kit out your kitchen

"A

Kitchens have come a long way from the hot, overcrowded powerhouses of the mid Victorian household, so a faithful recreation of a period kitchen would hardly suit the demands of modern living. It’s still possible to have a design that has all the mod cons, though, while complementing the rest of your Victorian home.

  • Smallbone of Devizes’ Mandarin collection, with its lightly recessed panels, takes inspiration from the Arts & Crafts tradition and would suit a 1860’s Victorian house.
  • Magnet‘s ‘Shaker’ kitchen combines freestanding pieces and a Belfast sink for a traditional look.
  • Crabtree Kitchens  make bespoke designs using traditional joinery techniques, and are happy to match a kitchen to your home’s architectural features.

Update your bathroom

"A

The combination of an improved water supply and advances in ceramics and iron led to a revolution in sanitary ware during the Victorian period, making the bathroom an increasingly important part of the house.

Today, period touches such as roll-top baths and copper ‘slipper’ baths are a must.

  • Fired Earth’s ‘Shaker’ range incorporates freestanding washstands for an authentic Victorian look.
  • The ‘Savoy’ bathroom suite from The Bath Store is influenced by Victorian design.
  •  Heritage Bathroom’s ‘ New Victoria’ suite combines a freestanding bath with claw feet and a pedestal wash basin.
  • The Water Monopoly has an extensive range of freestanding baths and showers, including rare antique pieces in copper and ceramics.
  • CP Hart’s freestanding baths are a modern take on the traditional roll top bath, ideal for a subtly contemporary feel.
  • Opt for a cast-iron bath – the ‘Spey’ bath from Drummonds.

Add the finishing touches

Victorian front doors

  • London Door Company offers period and contemporary doors made in solid hardwood.
  • If your doors are beyond repair, try a reclaimed door from The Original Choice in Birmingham.
  • For finishing touches, The Victorian Ironmonger  has original letterboxes, door knobs, eschutcheons and latches.

Skirting boards

Victorians used deep and shapely skirting boards throughout their homes. Most original designs can still be bought from stores, such as B&Q.

Dado rails

These were used to protect wallcoverings from chair backs. You can usually see where a dado rail would have been. Try House Martin to choose from a selection of rails, as well as adhesives and tools needed for the job.

Picture rails

These should be placed 1ft to 1ft 8in below the ceiling cornice to form a frieze. Wickes do a pine picture rail which best resembles the Victorian style, or try ukhomeinteriors.co.uk for more elaborate styles.

Taps

  • Samuel Heath’s ‘Fairfield’ taps and mixers are available in a variety of delightful finishes.
  • Twyford bathrooms was established in 1849. Try their ‘Persuasion’ range for a traditional look

Wall coverings

Wallpapers Hamilton Weston Wallpapers and Design  reproduce wallpapers from their extensive period archive. If you have an existing wallpaper you want to match, Alexander Beauchampreproduces period papers. Cole & Son also specialise in archive papers.

Paints Dulux Heritage is a collection of shades specific to the Victorian period. Farrow & Ball also stock a wide range of traditional shades.

Fabrics Zoffany are experts in 19th-century fabric designs. Colefax and Fowler  offer traditional English fabrics such as chintzes and velvets as well as coordinating trimmings.