As previously said, one of the distinguishing features of Georgian residences is their symmetry. The front entrance is square dab in the middle, and if one side has six windows, the other side has six windows. A smaller Georgian house may have a plain flat front, but even big manor homes maintain the symmetry. The back wall usually has two windows, one above the other.
The interior of a Georgian home is also very symmetrical- even down to the last detail. The floor plan is generally identical on both sides of the house, there are usually four equal rooms upstairs and three downstairs. There is always a drawing room with a fire place, a dining room next to it with a kitchen opening onto the dining room, a second dining room, and then a library or study. All the doors lead off the central hall which runs through the whole house.
Georgian houses were built in many different styles, but they all had one thing in common - a strict adherence to symmetry. This makes them easy to build and simple to keep clean. Also, since most people at that time were poor, they tended to be small. Manor houses ranged in size from 2 up to 6 acres or more. They were usually built near the town center by wealthy merchants or landowners. Townhouses were similar to manor houses but they were usually located in an area controlled by one company or person (such as a guild). They could therefore have different owners and sizes depending on who was renting them out.
Throughout the colonies, Georgian and Colonial mansions were constructed. They were symmetrical rectangle-shaped houses. They often featured windows that were positioned both vertically and horizontally across the front. The roofs were usually hipped or gabled.
The size of these houses varied but most were 2 stories tall with 12-20 rooms per floor. There might be a basement too. Each room had its own door leading out to the porch or balcony. Ceilings were very high in these houses - up to 14 feet - which allowed for lots of light and air.
People didn't just live here - they entertained lavishly and played host to large parties. The Georgians loved music so many churches were built with organs in them. These organs were used by local musicians who were paid by the house to play for their guests. Of course, no party would be complete without food - so many restaurants were opened by the colonies' residents. These restaurants served everything from simple breakfast items to huge meals consisting of several courses featuring meat, fish, vegetables, and sweets.
In time, people started building larger and larger homes. By the 18th century, some colonists were building homes that were 3 or 4 stories tall! The first federal government was established in 1789.
Pause, repeat after me: Even the larger Georgian houses had a basic and boxy design. Apart from the basic worker's terrace house, modest Victorian dwellings became increasingly elaborate with amenities such as porches and bay windows. Just before Victoria's reign, rolled plate glass developed, making sash window panes substantially bigger. This allowed more light into the home, improving ventilation while also providing a view of the street outside the house.
Georgian houses were built using standardized components that could be assembled in different ways to create houses for different types of people. The typical Georgian house has three floors with an attic space. The ground floor is usually about 20 feet (6 m) wide and 40 feet long (12 m long), although sizes vary considerably depending on location and price range. There may be one or two rooms on this floor, which is called the first-floor front room. The remaining space on the ground floor is often open, but sometimes has walls or partitions dividing it into more than one room. The first floor is similarly divided into a front room and any additional rooms needed for living purposes. The second floor is usually only accessible by a ladder or stairway because it contains sleeping quarters for servants or other staff. A kitchen might be located on this floor to save building space on the main floor. Attics were used for storage.
The largest house in Georgiandom is St George's Castle, created by King George III. It has 90 rooms!
The entrance door was usually in the middle, and it was frequently encircled by windows or columns. Georgian style residences became so popular in England that pattern books were made so that these architectural styles could be readily duplicated to fulfill demand. The most famous of these books is Robert Adam's "Plan of A House in Great George Street" which included plans for many different houses of various sizes and prices.
Georgian houses had large rooms with high ceilings. There were no walls between them except for the wall of the house itself. Windows were often large and open, allowing in light but also providing views of the surroundings. Access to the roof was via an attic space which was used as a bedroom or storage area.
The front door was always the main entrance into the house, and it was located at the center of the front (or sometimes back) façade. This way everyone entering or leaving the house would have to pass through the doorway, allowing you to see who it was and give them permission to enter. If someone came to the door without being invited, they would be told to go away.
In addition to the front door, there were usually other entrances from inside the house: a side door for servants or other staff; an interior door leading to a porch or gallery; and a rear door leading out to a garden.
If you are fortunate enough to dwell in a Georgian home and are looking for interior ideas, or if you simply love nosing about gorgeous homes, have a look at our collection of Georgian houses. Georgian houses are consistently voted the most architecturally desirable property in the United Kingdom. They are characterised by their symmetrical façades, high-pitched gables, large windows, and spacious rooms. The term "Georgian" is used to describe any building with similar characteristics created after 1720, but especially those built by the leading architects of their time: George Alexander (1730–70), John Vanbrugh (1696–1754), and Thomas Archer (1697–1768). These men all came from middle-class families and were given free rein by their clients to design extravagant houses far beyond what would have been possible as paid employees of an architect. They borrowed ideas from all over Europe and combined them with innovations of their own to produce some of the most beautiful buildings in England.
Georgian architecture was based on formal principles derived from classical antiquity that had been forgotten during Britain's medieval period. The revival of interest in ancient Rome and Greece after 1714 brought these traditions back into fashion and they are still influential in modern architecture. Roman bricks and tiles were widely used in Georgian housing developments because they were affordable and easily obtained. In fact, almost every type of brick and tile used in British buildings before 1800 was imported from abroad.
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