Are You a House Detective? By Paula Richardson

Edwardian houses Although a short period in building terms (1901–1914), the Edwardian house is a feature of many UK cities. Many Edwardian buildings were constructed of better quality materials than used previously and the introduction of damp proof courses occurred during this period..Edwardians favoured simpler lines with bay windowed terraces with steep roof lines that enabled space for another room, plainer ridge tiles than Victorian times. They also liked their privacy, so many Edwardian homes have a front garden. Edwardian features include: more robustly-built terraced homes each with a privy and a small front garden semi-detached houses, often with ‘pebble dashed’ fronts, set back from the road a move to arts and crafts elements in detailing on wealthier homes.

Inter-war housing There was such a huge expansion of housing between 1919 and 1939, it must have been an amazing experience to watch the rapid building of detached, semi-detached and bungalow-type along roads on the edges of urban areas creating what we now call ‘suburbia’. A wide range of building materials was available – reinforced concrete, glass steel and pebbledash meant that houses could be individualised, if the builder could afford it. Inter-war features include: streets of lower-level buildings and bungalows small gardens both back and front mock Tudor black and white designs to house fronts individual designs using a range of materials often built in ‘garden cities’.

Modern housing Immediately after the Second World War many ‘prefabs’ (pre-fabricated factory-produced units that could be constructed on site) were built to house people who had lost their homes in the War. Between 1939 and 1949, a progression of modern houses, high-rise complexes and often utilititarian, rather uninspired, housing was constructed. In many towns and suburban areas enormous estates of council houses were constructed. Building space in inner-city locations was limited, so many types of high-rise blocks of flats were also constructed to house the growing population. Some construction in the 1960s in particular was of a poor quality and, subsequently, blighted by ‘concrete cancer’ – these were demolished 30 years later.

Modern housing In the second half of the twentieth century there was a trend towards more eco-style homes and solar panels, wall insulation, balconies, roof gardens and a host of other individual ‘environment friendly’ features became popular. Many Victorian hospitals and institutions were abandoned and redeveloped into flats and smaller houses (often in gated communities). The introduction of listed building status ensured that any interesting and/or historic houses were preserved. Twentieth-century housing features include: a much wider use of building styles and materials high rise flats and the redevelopment of older buildings a greater density of building in towns and cities plastic window frames, doors and guttering solar panels, combination boilers and double-glazing for increased energy efficiency.