Mock Tudor or 500 years old? Can you guess how old these houses really are? And the secret signs that give away a building’s age
There are a few simple pointers to look out for if you want to tell whether a home is a period pad or a modern imitation
WHEN it comes to period homes, Britain has it all going on, with a hodgepodge of Tudor, Victorian and Medieval homes dotted around the country.
Hidden among these buildings from those times are modern mock-ups, designed to reflect the style of the era but lacking any of the historical value - even if they look like they are straight from the history books. But how can you tell?
Early or late Victorian?
When it comes to terraced homes, there are some key details which can help you distinguish between the early Victorian homes on the left and the late Victorian homes on the right.
The terrace with the colourful doors was built at some point around the 1830s, while the home with the ornate porches would have been built between 1900 and 1910.
Window size: Victorian terraced homes normally have large, symmetrical windows to make them feel more airy and improve the ventilation - an important feature given Victorian homes were often crammed together.
Bay windows were the ultimate status symbol, but cheaper, terraced homes often had to imitate the airy effect with a large sash window.
Brickwork: Although Victorian houses were constructed with a variety of different materials like sandstone, limestone and granite, brickwork is the most common exterior of properties from this era.
All over the country, brickmakers produced many different colours of the stone - from yellow to purple, white and red.
Door spacing: On older Victorian terraces (1840s-1860s), the front doors also tend to be set wider apart, while newer Victorian terraces (late 1800s and turn of the century) were built with front doors arranged in pairs.
The old style was thought to create more of a desirable "village" feel, but this was dispensed with later on - in favour of the easier technique of building terraced houses in pairs.
Floor plan: On the inside, you can tell a Victorian home by the simple three-room-deep layout and the two good-sized bedrooms upstairs.
This was considered to be plenty of space for most Victorian families, who were used to living in more cramped conditions than we do today.
Gothic decoration: Although it's uncommon for architects or buyers to look for "mock-Victorian" styles, the Victorians themselves used a lot of Gothic additions such as corner turrets.
The Victorians also enjoyed decorative details on the roof and broad, high ceilings inside the house.
Railings: And as for outside the house, railings weren't black like they are today, but blue or green. Light green was also considered the height of sophistication, so often decorated the window frames of upmarket houses.
Stucco: Early-Victorian properties were often finished with stucco plaster outside, especially in coastal towns as this provided an extra protection against the wind and sea.
These types of houses featured many arches, cornerstones and string courses.
Slate roofs: Mid-Victorian properties had roofs made of slate - which became the most common roofing material used by builders at the time - and preferred exposed brickwork to the stucco that had come before.
Porches: Late-Victorian/Edwardian houses were often fitted with wooden porches.
Stained glass: Late-Victorian homes often had stained-glass windows embedded in the front door.
Stained-glass doors first came to prominence in the Victorian era, as shown by this example from the late 1800s
A timeline of British building styles
Medieval period: 5th century to 15th century
Gothic period: 12th century to 16th century
Tudor period: 1485 - 1603
Georgian era: 1714 - 1837
Early Victorian era: 1837 - 1860
Mid Victorian era 1861 - 1880
Late Victorian era: 1800 - 1901
Edwardian period: 1901 - 1910
Art Deco: 1925 - 1939
Post War era: 1945 onwards
17th-century longhouse or noughties copy?
While these cottages look similar, there's a big difference between the original 17th century home on the right and the new imitation from the 2000s, Cherry Tree Longhouse, on the left.
Doorways: Property expert Henry Pryor explains: "Many mock-period properties will have taller doors and entrances than original houses because we're four to six inches taller than the original occupants. People were much shorter 500 years ago."
Timbers: Another easy way to tell if a cottage is old or new is by looking at the internal timbers, which will obviously look older in original 17th century homes.
Modern features: Simon Backhouse, Director at estate agents Strutt & Parker, explains: "Cherry Tree Longhouse is a good copy, but there wouldn't be an integrated garage in an original longhouse."
Tudor or mock-Tudor?
It might look very historical, but Holly Lodge in Highgate, right, is an imitation Tudor home - built in the 2000s - whereas the half-timbered buildings on the left are real deals from the 16th century.
Materials: Before the industrial revolution, wood homes were the norm, with many shipwrights building their own homes using materials salvaged from ships.
Size: Tudor homes couldn't be built wider than a beam of wood without losing their structural integrity.
This also means that real Tudor homes wouldn't be strong enough to be built with more than two storeys, or with grand turrets, unlike Holly Lodge.
Jetty: Simon says: "The old Tudor houses also often had what was called a 'jetty' which meant the first floor jutted out a little: the cows would live downstairs and the humans would be upstairs."
Placement: Henry Pryor adds: "You can tell a mock-Tudor from an original because it'll usually be on its own, whereas older original Tudor houses were mass-produced and would be built side by side."
Georgian palace or 21st century creation?
Both of these homes may look Georgian, but it's Woolverstone Hall in Ipswich, right, which is actually from the era, built in 1776.
Meanwhile, Threshers House, left, was built in 2010.
Double doors: Classic palatial Georgian homes were built with double front doors, which let in more light and air as well as making the home look more grand.
Over-the-top details: You can tell a modern mock-up of a period home by the excessive ornate detail, which often ruins the proportions of the home and messes up the consistency of the style.
Simon says: "You can tell Threshers House in Essex is a copy because the pediment (the triangular bit) and portico (the entrance) aren't in proportion to the rest of the building.
"What the architect's done here is put together different styles from different periods: for example, the portico looks as though it belongs on a house from the Deep South, not in noughties Essex. It's a fruit salad of design."
Medieval castle or new-build?
The tower with the adjoining cottage may look as old as the hills, but it's actually from the 1990s, whereas Broadway Tower on the left is a Medieval job from 1798.
Positioning: Property expert Simon says: "Braylsham Castle is a convincing piece of mock architecture, but what gives it away is the fact that a timber, thatched house would never have been built next to a stone castle or folly.
"The house and castle would stand alone, not be pushed together as they are here."
Window shape: Older homes are unlikely to have square windows, since it would be hard to get a perfect square or a neat rectangle using old construction techniques.
On castles in particular, tall, rounded windows or slits are traditional, since these could be used to fire arrows out of while exposing as little of the archer's body as possible.
The simple questions which help to date a home
- How big is the house? Before the Industrial Revolution, wooden homes couldn't be wider than a beam of timber. They'd rarely be more than two storeys tall as well.
- Is it detached or terraced? Almost all Tudor homes and most of the smaller ones from the Victorian era will typically be crammed together.
- Are the windows big? If you're looking at a terraced home with huge windows, it's probably Victorian.
- Are the doorways small? The further back you go, the shorter people (and therefore doorways) were.
- What's the layout? If it's terraced and three-rooms deep with just two bedrooms upstairs, it's probably Victorian.
- How ornate is it? Mock-period homes often go overboard on the decoration. However, larger Victorian homes were known to flaunt their owners' status by having high ceilings and grand entrances.
- Is it listed? If yes, you can bet it's the real deal.
As a general rule, look out for OTT decoration on a mock-period home - as this is often a key indicator that you're not looking at a building from that time.
Simon says: "The original article is usually a thing of beauty.
"Mock-period properties are usually very stylised, with fake beams stuck on the front that would never have been present on the originals."
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And bear in mind that some eras don't lend themselves to recreations, so if a home looks Victorian, it probably is.
"People who decide to develop their own period property don't tend to look to the Victorian era, as the original will amount to much the same price," explains Henry.
And if you're really stuck, you can always cheat by checking to see if a home is listed, proving it's an original.