Originally Posted by
PhilipG
It depends on your definition of "Georgian".
Victoria was crowned in 1837, and the "Georgian Quarter" of Liverpool (inland from Rodney Street) was mostly built in her reign.
I would disagree with that. I worked for British Gas and had access to the pipeline drawings. The dates on the pipes laid were on the maps. Upper Parliament St was predominately early 1830s.
The usual claim is "More Georgian Buildings than Bath", but Bath's buildings are genuinely Georgian in age (and - it must be said - better looking).
Looks is subjective. French people I know love the red brick houses, because they don't have them in France - they are different. I preferred the French yellow stone.
Georgian is pre-Victoria and Liverpool is littered with buildings older than that. In the past 40-45 years easily half have gone. A whole city's worth.
There is also the Georgian Style which has been made for the past 300 years without a break. These are made today. Some Wimpey estates are full of them. The Georgian house was the first mass produced style of house. There was a set pattern of style - you followed the plans which were bought off-the-shelf anywhere.
Georgian houses look "balanced" as there was a set calculation to the size of windows and doors to the exterior house size, etc. The style was set mainly via the 3 x 4 ratio (the same for initial film and TV screens). This ratio is one that people naturally find attractive and when a persons facial features conform to this symmetry of the ratio of the eyes, nose, mouth an attractive person emerges to the human brain.
Many modern "Georgian" houses do not keep the symmetry of the style and hence look odd. A modern house built to the Georgian style and symmetry is every much a Georgian house as one built in 1800, a continuation of a style that has never been stopped.
They were a cheap and effective style for the time. The modern Georgian houses have only the exterior effect and deviate from the original set styles somewhat.
div>
The from the ceiling down sash windows were a brilliant design throwing light to the far walls of the rooms. In hot weather open the top and bottom sashes and heat leaves the room at ceiling level. Cooler air enters via the opened lower sash creating a cool air current in the room. Trickle ventilation where the sashes meet in the centre, when just opening one slightly. The problem with sashes,was that they leaked air a lot and caused draughts. Modern sashes are now sealed and air-tight.
Georgian houses were built all over the UK, Ireland and North America too. Wiliamsburg in the USA is full of them, along with other north east USA cities. Some were made in New Zealand and Australia too. The tall ceilings and windows up to the ceilings were brilliant for cooling. The design made its way all over the world.
Liverpool certainly has more "Georgian style" of houses than Bath that is for sure.
There are a few books all of the same title, "The Georgian House". These explain the types and how it came about. The date of build can be set, by if the windows were flush with the outside brickwork or inset.
The Georgian Group, who have an American branch. They campaign to save Georgian buildings and were highly critical of Liverpool council for allowing Georgian buildings to be demolished.
http://www.georgiangroup.org.uk/docs/cases/index.php
Bookmarks