8 Things Owners of Victorian Houses Know to be True
These handsome homes come with a whole host of unique perks and quirks
Laura Wheat
7 June 2019
Houzz UK Contributor. Freelance Journalist and interiors obsessive, newly ensconced in a handsome Edwardian semi on top of a hill.
Houzz UK Contributor. Freelance Journalist and interiors obsessive, newly ensconced... More
Victorian properties are imbued with a personality all of their own – whether it’s tiny, Borrower-style brass door knobs or huge sash windows that fill your living room with light. Over time, owners generally learn to love (or at least live with) the not-so-good qualities and to appreciate all of the positives that Victorian homes still have to offer.
You lose stuff between the floorboards
It’s necessary to maintain extra vigilance when removing jewellery or fishing around for credit cards in a pocket – one false move and your prized possession may have slipped straight through the cracks.
Recovering it will most likely involve a crowbar and the discovery of various items left behind by previous occupants (not all of them desirable)…
It’s necessary to maintain extra vigilance when removing jewellery or fishing around for credit cards in a pocket – one false move and your prized possession may have slipped straight through the cracks.
Recovering it will most likely involve a crowbar and the discovery of various items left behind by previous occupants (not all of them desirable)…
They come with strange accessories
If you’ve recently moved into a Victorian house, you may have inherited a small rubber wedge that’s used to prevent windows from rattling in blustery weather.
This vital piece of kit will immediately be lost, only to be replaced with far less effective equivalents, such as rolled up newspaper or an old sock.
Replacements can be ordered online, so you needn’t suffer in draughty silence.
Read expert advice on how to repair and maintain sash windows.
If you’ve recently moved into a Victorian house, you may have inherited a small rubber wedge that’s used to prevent windows from rattling in blustery weather.
This vital piece of kit will immediately be lost, only to be replaced with far less effective equivalents, such as rolled up newspaper or an old sock.
Replacements can be ordered online, so you needn’t suffer in draughty silence.
Read expert advice on how to repair and maintain sash windows.
Chimneys can be tricky
Finding clods of a black, sooty substance in the middle of the living room rug is nothing new for homeowners with open fireplaces.
In Victorian homes, the two reception rooms often share a chimney, so it’s possible to light a fire in one room and discover smoke billowing back down in the other.
If this happens, it may mean the ‘feathers’ have gone – these are the dividing walls between two flues in a chimney stack.
Finding clods of a black, sooty substance in the middle of the living room rug is nothing new for homeowners with open fireplaces.
In Victorian homes, the two reception rooms often share a chimney, so it’s possible to light a fire in one room and discover smoke billowing back down in the other.
If this happens, it may mean the ‘feathers’ have gone – these are the dividing walls between two flues in a chimney stack.
They stay cool in hot weather
You’ll enjoy a pleasant temperature (downstairs) on hot summer days thanks to thick brick walls and a linear layout that maintains good air circulation. There is a positive to all of those winter draughts.
However, the ‘wind tunnel’ effect created by having windows open on both sides of the house can cause excessive door slamming, so those with a sleeping baby, beware.
You’ll enjoy a pleasant temperature (downstairs) on hot summer days thanks to thick brick walls and a linear layout that maintains good air circulation. There is a positive to all of those winter draughts.
However, the ‘wind tunnel’ effect created by having windows open on both sides of the house can cause excessive door slamming, so those with a sleeping baby, beware.
Wide hallways induce jealousy
If your home is on the smaller side, you may be used to warning guests to “take care on the stairs”. Built during the industrial revolution, Victorian houses tend to be long and narrow, with skinny hallways and steep staircases (akin to a sheer rock face). They certainly weren’t party to any kind of planning consent that required steps wide enough for an actual foot.
Admire this elegant, banistered beauty and dream of having space for hallway storage (or at least to turn around without scraping your shopping on the walls).
Discover what to keep and what to change in a Victorian property.
If your home is on the smaller side, you may be used to warning guests to “take care on the stairs”. Built during the industrial revolution, Victorian houses tend to be long and narrow, with skinny hallways and steep staircases (akin to a sheer rock face). They certainly weren’t party to any kind of planning consent that required steps wide enough for an actual foot.
Admire this elegant, banistered beauty and dream of having space for hallway storage (or at least to turn around without scraping your shopping on the walls).
Discover what to keep and what to change in a Victorian property.
The washroom runs big
Visitors may gasp when they see the size of your upstairs bathroom. Many Victorian houses weren’t built with a dedicated washroom, meaning a bedroom may have been converted for the purpose in later years.
Large sash windows require a little privacy planning to maintain modesty while completing one’s ablutions – try a sheer roller blind or window film.
Visitors may gasp when they see the size of your upstairs bathroom. Many Victorian houses weren’t built with a dedicated washroom, meaning a bedroom may have been converted for the purpose in later years.
Large sash windows require a little privacy planning to maintain modesty while completing one’s ablutions – try a sheer roller blind or window film.
Fireplace alcoves require research
Having spaces into which you can slot furniture can be handy for taking the heft out of bulky pieces, such as chests of drawers.
However, if you live in a Victorian house, you’ll probably have played a game of ‘alcove roulette’ when searching for furniture that fits into fireside nooks – each one differently sized, even within the same room. Take a tape measure when shopping or, better still, hire a carpenter to create some bespoke storage.
Find a carpenter or joiner in your area.
Having spaces into which you can slot furniture can be handy for taking the heft out of bulky pieces, such as chests of drawers.
However, if you live in a Victorian house, you’ll probably have played a game of ‘alcove roulette’ when searching for furniture that fits into fireside nooks – each one differently sized, even within the same room. Take a tape measure when shopping or, better still, hire a carpenter to create some bespoke storage.
Find a carpenter or joiner in your area.
livingwithdaisy.com
You’ll be close to next door
The nature of Victorian terraced and semi-detached houses as a mirror image of each other means that either your back door or your kitchen window will probably be near to that of your neighbour.
This may lead to a good over-fence rapport and regular evening beers – or seething resentment as next door insists on clipping his toenails on the back step. The sense of community is a major plus point if you can foster friendships with those in your immediate vicinity.
Tell us…
Do you recognise any of these quirks of living in a Victorian property? Are there any I’ve forgotten? Share your thoughts in the Comments section.
The nature of Victorian terraced and semi-detached houses as a mirror image of each other means that either your back door or your kitchen window will probably be near to that of your neighbour.
This may lead to a good over-fence rapport and regular evening beers – or seething resentment as next door insists on clipping his toenails on the back step. The sense of community is a major plus point if you can foster friendships with those in your immediate vicinity.
Tell us…
Do you recognise any of these quirks of living in a Victorian property? Are there any I’ve forgotten? Share your thoughts in the Comments section.
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bery23, there's a time and a place for everything in our lives, I guess! The wrong side of 60 and have never lived in a modern house, but in the area of France for the last almost 25 years, those who buy old properties with a lot of land and needing to be brought up to modern plumbing and electricity norms etc are foreigners (in our village, largely northern European), for the most part far from wealthy but willing to go for the long haul. Local people opt if they can to have an architect-designed house or live on a modern estate with no amenities and so dependent on a car or two!
I love my high ceilings, fireplaces in both reception rooms and 2 of the bedrooms, coving, ceiling roses, floorboards, large windows, Harry Potter style under-stairs cupboard, thick walls, alcoves and even the narrow hallway. Wouldn’t swap my house for a new one.
I love the huge rooms. We have enough space for a separate dressing room and en-suite and don’t have wardrobes in the bedroom, which we love. We looked at many mid century properties but the rooms were too small and the ceilings just too low. Our period home is not Victorian (but Edwardian) beautifully constructed and fits our furniture and the kitchen gives us enough space for our refectory table.