Despite the fact that Edwardian period lasted for just 9 years – between 1901 and 1910 – the era left a remarkable legacy in terms of home and hearth.
The Edwardians appreciated space and comfort and were fond of quirky Arts & Crafts-style cosy corners; panelled alcoves including bookshelves and cushioned benches beside the fireplace. These are houses of the Great British surburbia; squat semi-detached, two-storey houses featuring large, light-filled rooms, dado rails, plate rails, picture rails and any other rail that you can bring to mind. It shouldn’t surprise you that these original features can help to sell a property, particularly if they include stained glass in and around front doors, and elegant cast iron fireplaces with Art Nouveau or Arts & Crafts tiling.
Arts and Crafts Fireplace
It makes sense, then, if you are thinking of selling your Edwardian property in the current slow, if not stagnant, market, to ensure that the period features in your house are both present and well-maintained. And a fireplace of the correct era is probably the number one selling point, with a reproduction fireplace of the right era coming a close second.
So, exactly what features make a fireplace and hearth ‘Edwardian.’
At the start of the Edwardian era most fireplaces featured a cast iron frame incorporating tilesets. The Edwardian mantel would probably have been made from slate, pine or deal and it would have been painted. Mahogany and oak mantlepieces, however, were never sullied by a paintbrush! on sliders on either side.
The final days of the Victorian reign were dark as the Queen continued to mourn for her late husband. When her successor Edward VII acceded the throne, the populace were quick to throw off dark tiles and even darker woods.
Small cast iron frames known as canopies on legs with larger tiled panels became popular and, replacing the old tiled strips were replaced with completely tiled inserts. Unsurprisingly, pastel colours became incredibly popular. In terms of interior decor, Edward VII’s reign opened the windows and allowed fresh air into the stuffy Victorian parlour.
Coal was still burned in Edwardian grates, although the rising Arts and Crafts Movement were more attracted to the thought of wood, kept in free-standing dog baskets and burnt in inglenook fireplaces. However Arts and Crafts fireplaces, mostly handcrafted from copper, were more-or-less confined to larger, wealthier homes.
The major Edwardian style, was Art Nouveau, which was characterised by long curving and undulating lines based on plant forms. This is the style that held sway in most homes throughout the Edwardian era, eventually falling from favour in the run up to World War I.
The outbreak of World War I saw the cast iron fireplace industry die a sudden death as factories were taken over by the government for the war effort and a Great British tradition died with it – only to be resurrected in the hectic world of the 21st century. The fact is, an Edwardian fireplace in your home somehow helps to turn your home into a sanctuary.
