Queen Anne Victorian Houses
Queen Anne Victorian Houses are characterized by several distinctive
physical features. They differ from regular Victorian homes because
they are more eye-catching and often feature decorative accents
and embellishments that stand out.
Frequently these houses are made with
thin wood-plank exteriors. They are often white, but also
can be pastel shades. They are generally two or more stories
tall. The roof is typically steep and angled, and can
even have multiple angles and sides. These are usually
referred to as gables. Large, bay windows are found on
each story. The homes are sometimes rectangular, but more
often have a complex geometric shape.
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Queen Anne Victorian House |
The embellishments of the Queen Anne Victorian style home are
one of its most recognizable characteristics. Spindles, the familiar
accenting found on bannisters, the edges of roofs, railings, and
porches, are also called Eastlake style accents. They have the
appearance of being hand-carved, and are sometimes characterized
as "gingerbread" decorations. Wood or iron brackets
appear around windows and doors, enhancing an almost fairytale
image.
Victorian homes often have porches, some of which are supported
with columns. Often these columns are very thick. It is not unusual
to find these columns decorated with ornate carvings, or in distinctive
shapes. Many Queen Anne style homes have wrap-around porches.
These porches are best decorated with furniture that is consistent
with the style of the home, particularly wooden furniture in light
shades or with ornate carvings. Some Queen Anne homes have wrap
around porches that have gazebo-like structures punctuating the
corners of the house. In all types of Queen Anne home, the porch
is covered.
Palladian windows are a popular Queen Anne feature. This style
of window, so-named because of the Renaissance-era architect Andrea
Palladio, has a rectangular bottom culminating in an arch. They
are reminiscent of the arches of the Colosseum in Rome. Even if
the windows are rectangular or triangular, Queen Anne homes usually
have many of them. The high degree of interior light is characteristic
of the style.
You may also see Queen Anne homes adored with turrets, fancy
castle-like points on top of the roof. Sometimes these are attached
directly to the house; occasionally they are raised above the
roof on beams or a protrusion.
Though these homes take their name from Queen Anne, who ruled
England during the 1700s, she had nothing to do with their design
-- unlike Charles Eastlake, whose name was adopted to refer to
the spindles that so resembled his creations. Rather, the name
came to these homes by way of mid-nineteenth century designer
Richard Norman Shaw.
He admired the period during which Queen Anne reigned, which
was known for a minor renaissance in art and architecture. He
began calling his own creations "Queen Anne style."
Years later, when American architects created homes based on his
designs, they adopted that name. However, the American versions
of Queen Anne homes do not look very similar to the British versions.
Queen Anne homes are rarely built anymore. For this reason, a
Queen Anne home, especially one that is in good condition, can
command a higher than average price on the real estate market.
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