Edwardian architecture is a Neo-Baroque architectural style that was popular in the British Empire during the Edwardian era (1901–1910). Architecture up to the year 1914 may also be included in this style.

Description

Edwardian architecture is generally less ornate than high or late Victorian architecture, apart from a subset – used for major buildings – known as Edwardian Baroque architecture. The Victorian Society campaigns to preserve architecture built between 1837 and 1914, and so includes Edwardian as well as Victorian architecture within its remit.

Characteristics

The characteristic features of the Edwardian Baroque style were drawn from two main sources: the architecture of France during the 18th century and that of Sir

Christopher Wren Sir Christopher Wren PRS FRS (; – ) was one of the most highly acclaimed English architects in history, as well as an anatomist, astronomer, geometer, and mathematician-physicist. He was accorded responsibility for rebuilding 52 churches ...

in England during the 17th—part of the English Baroque (for this reason Edwardian Baroque is sometimes referred to as "Wrenaissance"). Sir Edwin Lutyens was a major exponent, designing many commercial buildings in what he termed 'the Grand Style' during the later 1910s and 1920s. This period of British architectural history is considered a particularly retrospective one, since it is contemporary with

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Modern ...

. Typical details of Edwardian Baroque architecture include extensive rustication, usually more extreme at ground level, often running into and exaggerating the voussoirs of arched openings (derived from French models); domed corner rooftop pavilions and a central taller tower-like element creating a lively rooftop silhouette; revived

Italian Baroque Italian Baroque (or ''Barocco'') is a stylistic period in Italian history and art that spanned from the late 16th century to the early 18th century. History The early 17th century marked a time of change for those of the Roman Catholic religion ...

elements such as exaggerated

keystones A keystone (or capstone) is the wedge-shaped stone at the apex of a masonry arch or typically round-shaped one at the apex of a vault. In both cases it is the final piece placed during construction and locks all the stones into position, allo ...

, segmental arched pediments, columns with engaged blocks, attached block-like rustication to window surrounds; colonnades of (sometimes paired) columns in the

Ionic order The Ionic order is one of the three canonic orders of classical architecture, the other two being the Doric and the Corinthian. There are two lesser orders: the Tuscan (a plainer Doric), and the rich variant of Corinthian called the composite or ...

and domed towers modelled closely on Wren's for the

Royal Naval College Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a ci ...

in Greenwich. Some Edwardian Baroque buildings include details from other sources, such as the Dutch gables of Norman Shaw's

Piccadilly Hotel The Dilly Hotel is a historic 5-star hotel located at 21 Piccadilly in London, England. History The hotel opened in 1908 as The Piccadilly Hotel. It was bought by Le Méridien in 1986 and renamed Le Méridien Piccadilly. In 2010, Starman Ho ...

in London. Bridgefield Road Sutton Surrey Greater London

Other characteristics include: * Colour: lighter colours were used; the use of gas and later electric lights caused designers to be less concerned about the need to disguise soot buildup on walls compared to Victorian era architecture. * Patterns: "Decorative patterns were less complex; both wallpaper and curtain designs were more plain." * Clutter: "There was less clutter than in the Victorian era. Ornaments were perhaps grouped rather than everywhere."

Architectural influences

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literature ...

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

Arts and Crafts A handicraft, sometimes more precisely expressed as artisanal handicraft or handmade, is any of a wide variety of types of work where useful and decorative objects are made completely by one’s hand or by using only simple, non-automated re ...

* Federation

Notable examples

United Kingdom

* Admiralty Arch, London (1912) * Albert Hall, Manchester (1910) * Albert Hall, Nottingham (1910) * Arding & Hobbs, London (1910) *

Ashton Memorial The Ashton Memorial is a folly in Williamson Park, Lancaster, Lancashire, England built between 1907 and 1909 by the millionaire industrialist Lord Ashton in memory of his second wife, Jessy, at a cost of £87,000 (equivalent to £ in ). Desc ...

, Lancaster, by John Belcher (1909) * Asia House, Manchester (1909) * Australia House, London (1918) * Belfast City Hall, Belfast, by

Brumwell Thomas Sir Alfred Brumwell Thomas (24 February 1868 – 22 January 1948) was an English architect who trained at Westminster School of Art and became an exponent of the Baroque Revival, a style of architecture prevalent for public buildings in the early ...

(1906) * Blythe House, London, by Henry Tanner (1903) * Bridgewater House, Manchester (1912) *

Cardiff City Hall City Hall ( cy, Neuadd y ddinas) is a civic building in Cathays Park, Cardiff, Wales, UK. It serves as Cardiff's centre of local government. It was built as part of the Cathays Park civic centre development and opened in October 1906. Built of ...

, Cardiff, by Henry Vaughan Lanchester,

Edwin Alfred Rickards Edwin Alfred Rickards (1872–1920) was an English architect. Early life Rickards was born in 1872. Career Rickards worked alongside the architects Henry Vaughan Lanchester and James Stewart. He specialized in baroque architecture. He designed ...

& James A. Stewart, (1906) *

Cardiff Crown Court Cardiff Crown Court ( cy, Llys y Goron Caerdydd) is a historic building situated in Cathays Park, Cardiff, Wales. The building is a Grade I listed building. As a Crown Court venue it is part of the Wales Circuit of Her Majesty's Courts Servi ...

, Cardiff, by Henry Vaughan Lanchester,

& James A. Stewart, (1906) * Central Criminal Court (Old Bailey), London, by

Edward William Mountford Edward William Mountford (22 September 1855 – 7 February 1908) was an English architect, noted for his Edwardian Baroque style, who designed a number of town halls – Sheffield, Battersea and Lancaster – as well as the Old Bailey in Londo ...

(1902–07) * County Hall, London (1922) * Electric Cinema, London (1910) * Government Offices Great George Street, London, by John Brydon, (1908–17) *

Hanover Building Hanover Building is a Grade II office building in the NOMA district of Manchester, United Kingdom. Architecture Hanover was built between 1905 and was officially open in 1907. The building was listed as a Grade II building in 1988. Hanover is ...

, Manchester (1909) * Hove Library, Hove (1907–08) * India House, Manchester (1906) * Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle upon Tyne (1904) * Lancaster House, Manchester (1910) * London Road Fire and Police Station, Manchester (1906) * Lloyds Bank on King Street, Manchester by

Charles Heathcote Charles Henry Heathcote (2 April 1850–16 January 1938) was a British architect who practised in Manchester. He was articled to the church architects Charles Hansom, of Clifton, Bristol. He was awarded the RI Medal of Merit in 1868, and starte ...

(1915) * Manchester Victoria station, Manchester (1909) * Marylebone station, London. (1899) * Midland Bank head office building, London by

Edwin Lutyens Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens ( ; 29 March 1869 – 1 January 1944) was an English architect known for imaginatively adapting traditional architectural styles to the requirements of his era. He designed many English country houses, war memori ...

(1922) * Mitchell Library, Glasgow, William B Whitie (1906–11) * Municipal Technical Institute, a.k.a. Blackman Tech, Belfast (1906) * Nottingham railway station, Nottingham (1904) * 163 North Street, Brighton (1904) * Port of Liverpool Building, Liverpool, by Sir Arnold Thornely, F.B. Hobbs, Briggs and Wolstenholme (1903–07) *

Ralli Hall Ralli Hall (also known as Ralli Memorial Hall) is a community centre, events venue, theatre stage, business hub and impressive main hall in Hove, part of the English coastal city of Brighton and Hove. Built in 1913 as a memorial to Stephen Ralli ...

, Hove (1913) * St. James Buildings, Manchester (1912) *

South Shields South Shields () is a coastal town in South Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, England. It is on the south bank of the mouth of the River Tyne. Historically, it was known in Roman times as Arbeia, and as Caer Urfa by Early Middle Ages. According to the 20 ...

Town Hall, South Shields (1905–10) * Stockport Town Hall, Stockport, by

(1908) * War Office, London (1906) * Westminster Central Hall, by Henry Vaughan Lanchester,

& James A. Stewart, London (1911)

Argentina

Thompson Muebles Ltd Thompson may refer to: People * Thompson (surname) * Thompson M. Scoon (1888–1953), New York politician Places Australia * Thompson Beach, South Australia, a locality Bulgaria * Thompson, Bulgaria, a village in Sofia Province Canada ...

, Buenos Aires (1914) *

Harrods - Bs.As. Ltd Harrods Limited is a department store located on Brompton Road in Knightsbridge, London, England. It is currently owned by the state of Qatar via its sovereign wealth fund, the Qatar Investment Authority. The Harrods brand also applies to ...

, Buenos Aires (1914) * Retiro Mitre railway station, Buenos Aires (1915) (1) Department of Education

Federation style mansion in domain street south yarra

Australia

* Lands Administration Building, Brisbane (1905) * Queen Victoria Hospital, Melbourne (main pavilion, now Queen Victoria Women's Centre) (1910-1916) * Commonwealth Offices, Treasury Place, Melbourne *

Central Railway Station, Sydney Central is a heritage-listed railway station located in the centre of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The station is the largest and busiest railway station in Australia and serves as a major transport interchange for NSW TrainLink inte ...

(1906) * Department of Education building, Sydney (1912) *

General Post Office, Hobart General Post Office (abbreviation GPO, commonly known as the Hobart GPO) is a landmark building located on the corner of Elizabeth Street and Macquarie Street in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. It stands next to the former Mercury Building and has ...

(1905) * Flinders Street railway station, Melbourne (1909) *

Sydney Hospital Sydney Hospital is a major hospital in Australia, located on Macquarie Street in the Sydney central business district. It is the oldest hospital in Australia, dating back to 1788, and has been at its current location since 1811. It first rece ...

, Sydney (1894) * State Library of New South Wales, Sydney (1905-1910) *

Art Gallery of New South Wales The Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW), founded as the New South Wales Academy of Art in 1872 and known as the National Art Gallery of New South Wales between 1883 and 1958, is located in The Domain, Sydney, Australia. It is the most importa ...

(1897-1909) * Thomas Walker Convalescent Hospital Buildings, Sydney (1893) * Taronga Zoo, Sydney (1916) * Adelaide railway station, Adelaide (1926) *

Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts (PICA) is a contemporary visual and performance arts venue located in a heritage-listed building in Perth, Western Australia. History 1896–1959: Schools The building at 53 James Street, Northbridge, which ...

(1896) * His Majesty's Theatre, Perth (1904) * Former Bank of Australasia, Sydney (1904) * ASN Co building, Sydney (1885) * Prahran Market, Melbourne (1891) * Downing Centre (1908) * Santa Sabina College, Sydney (1894) * Railway Institute Building, Sydney (1898) *

City Baths, Melbourne The City Baths, located at 420 Swanston Street, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, opened in 1904 as public baths, with swimming pools and bathing facilities. Extensively renovated in the early 1980s, it is now considered one of Melbourne's most ar ...

(1904) * Old Museum Building, Brisbane (1891) * Registrar-General's building, Sydney (1913) * Exchange Hotel, Kalgoorlie, Western Australia (1900) *

People's Palace, Brisbane The People's Palace is a heritage-listed building and a former temperance hotel in the Brisbane CBD, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is located at 308 Edward Street on the southern corner with Ann Street, diagonally opposite to ...

(1901) * Observer Hotel, Sydney (1908) *

International House, Sydney International House is a heritage-listed commercial building at 14-16 York Street, in the Sydney central business district, in the City of Sydney local government area of New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by Robertson & Marks and buil ...

(1913) *

York Hotel, Kalgoorlie The York Hotel is a heritage hotel on Hannan Street, in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia. Location The hotel is located at 259 Hannan Street, between Wilson and Cassidy Streets.Susie Ashworth, Rebecca Turner, Simone Egger, ''Western Australia' ...

(1901)

Canada

Birkbeck Building The Birkbeck Building is a four-storey office building in downtown Toronto, Ontario. It is a National Historic Sites of Canada, National Historic Site of Canada and is protected under Part IV of the ''Ontario Heritage Act'' since 1976 with an On ...

, Toronto *

Château Laurier The Fairmont Château Laurier is a hotel with 429 guest rooms in the downtown core of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, located near the intersection of Rideau Street and Sussex Drive and designed in a French Gothic Revival Châteauesque style to comple ...

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

* Confederation Building, Winnipeg * Digby Pines,

Digby Digby may refer to: Places Australia * Digby, Victoria, a town Canada * Digby (electoral district), a former federal electoral district in Nova Scotia (1867–1914) * Digby (provincial electoral district), a provincial electoral district i ...

* Dominion Building, Vancouver *

Flavelle House The University of Toronto Faculty of Law (U of T Law, UToronto Law) is the law school of the University of Toronto. The Faculty's admissions process is the most selective of law schools in Canada and is one of the most selective in North America ...

, Toronto * Ford Motor Company of Canada warehouse,

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...

Fort Garry Hotel The Fort Garry Hotel—officially the Fort Garry Hotel, Spa and Conference Centre—is an early-20th-century hotel in downtown Winnipeg, Manitoba, that opened for the first time on December 11, 1913. Built by the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway, it i ...

, Winnipeg *

Hotel Macdonald The Fairmont Hotel Macdonald, formerly and commonly known as the Hotel Macdonald (colloquially known as The Mac), is a large historic luxury hotel in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Located along 100 Street NW, south of Jasper Avenue, the hotel is situa ...

, Edmonton *

King Edward Hotel The Omni King Edward Hotel is a historic luxury hotel in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The hotel is located at 37 King Street (Toronto), King Street East, and it occupies the entire block bounded by King Street on the north, Victoria Street ...

, Toronto * Palliser Hotel, Calgary * Post Office (now part of

Sinclair Centre Sinclair Centre is an upscale shopping mall in Downtown Vancouver, British Columbia. It is located at 757 West Hastings Street between Granville and Howe streets. The centre comprises four buildings that were restored and connected by a new atri ...

), Vancouver *

Sun Tower The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is a nearly perfect ball of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core. The Sun radiates this energy mainly as light, ultraviolet, and infrared radi ...

, Vancouver * The Empress, Victoria *

Thunder Bay Historical Museum The Thunder Bay Museum is located in Thunder Bay, Ontario. It is operated by the Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society, incorporated in 1972 as the successor to the Thunder Bay Historical Society. The Museum is affiliated with the Canadian Museum ...

, Thunder Bay

Hong Kong

* Main Building of The University of Hong Kong * Ohel Leah Synagogue *

Old Dairy Farm Depot The Old Dairy Farm Depot, or Old Dairy Farm Building, is a building in Central, Hong Kong, which currently houses the Hong Kong Fringe Club (South Block) and the Foreign Correspondents' Club (North Block). It is located at 2 Lower Albert ...

* Western Market * Old Supreme Court Building

India

* Ripon Building, Chennai * Chowringhee Mansions, Calcutta * Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi * Main Building, The Doon School, Dehradun

Ireland

* Government Buildings, Dublin * Farmleigh, Dublin *Iveagh Buildings,

Iveagh Trust The Iveagh Trust is a provider of affordable housing in and around Dublin, Ireland. It was initially a component of the Guinness Trust, founded in 1890 by Edward Cecil Guinness, 1st Earl of Iveagh, great-grandson of the founder of the Guinness Bre ...

, Dublin *

Liberties College Liberties College is an educational institution in Bull Alley Street, Dublin, Republic of Ireland. It offers further education courses, including Post Leaving Certificate courses. The college is housed in an Edwardian architecture, Edwardian buil ...

, Dublin

Malaysia

City Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...

, George Town,

Penang Penang ( ms, Pulau Pinang, is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, by the Malacca Strait. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay ...

(1903) * Second floor extension to

Town Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...

, George Town, Penang (1903) * Former Government Offices (now State Islamic Council building), George Town, Penang (1907) * Federated Malay States railway station/Malayan Railways building (''Wisma Kastam''), George Town, Penang by

Arthur Benison Hubback Arthur Benison Hubback (13 April 1871 – 8 May 1948) was an English architect and soldier who designed several important buildings in British Malaya, in both Indo-Saracenic architecture and European " Wrenaissance" styles. Major works credit ...

(1907) * George Town Dispensary/''Wisma Yeap Chor Ee'', George Town, Penang (1922) * Ipoh Town Hall and former General Post Office,

Ipoh , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Ipoh in Perak , pushpin_map = #Malaysia#Asia#Earth , pushpin_mapsize = 275px , pushpin_map_caption = Ipoh in Malaysia , coordinates ...

Perak Perak () is a state of Malaysia on the west coast of the Malay Peninsula. Perak has land borders with the Malaysian states of Kedah to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kelantan and Pahang to the east, and Selangor to the south. Thailand's ...

(1916) * Railway station in

Ipoh , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Ipoh in Perak , pushpin_map = #Malaysia#Asia#Earth , pushpin_mapsize = 275px , pushpin_map_caption = Ipoh in Malaysia , coordinates ...

by Arthur Benison Hubback (1917 to 1935) * Former State Secretariat (State Library), Seremban,

Negeri Sembilan Negeri Sembilan (, Negeri Sembilan Malay: ''Nogoghi Sombilan'', ''Nismilan'') is a state in Malaysia which lies on the western coast of Peninsular Malaysia. It borders Selangor on the north, Pahang in the east, and Malacca and Johor to the s ...

(1912)

New Zealand

* Auckland Town Hall, Auckland, New Zealand * General Post Office (former), Auckland, New Zealand * Auckland Ferry Terminal * Old Public Trust Building, Wellington (1909)

Singapore

* Victoria Memorial Hall (1905) * Central Fire Station (1908) *

Saint Joseph's Institution St. Joseph's Institution (SJI) is an independent Catholic educational institution in Singapore. Founded in 1852 by the De La Salle Brothers, it is the first Catholic school and the third oldest school in the country. SJI has been offering a dual- ...

(1900s, 1910s extensions)

Sri Lanka

Royal College, Colombo Royal College, Colombo is a selective entry boys' school located in Cinnamon Gardens, Colombo, Sri Lanka. Started as a private school by Rev Joseph Marsh in 1835, it was established as the Colombo Academy by Sir Robert Wilmot-Horton in Janua ...

References

External links

Edwardian Architecture (1901-14)Period Style: Edwardian (1901 to 1910)
{{Housing in the United Kingdom Colonnades Baroque Revival architecture architecture 20th-century architectural styles British architectural styles Architecture in England by period or style 1900s in the United Kingdom 1910s in the United Kingdom