By Billy James

1. Victorian Architecture By Billy James

2. Introduction 1 Introduction 2 Railway Architecture Municipal Buildings Trade and Commerce Asylums Leisure and Pleasure Churches

3. Introduction Victorian Architecture is so called after Queen Victoria, who reigned during that period. It is common to call the style of architecture after the king or queen of that period, e.g. Georgian architecture and Edwardian architecture.

4. Introduction 2 During the Victorian period there were many inventions, the steam train probably being the most important. It let people travel to different places and they came back with new ideas, especially architectural ones. People also wanted to see different styles from history: Classical, Gothic, Byzantine, Romanesque, Elizabethan, Italian, and even Japanese.

5. Railway Architecture As the railways expanded, so did the number of stations. Here is an example: the Great Hall, Euston Station, which was designed by Philip Hardwick between 1833-1839. The architecture was based on Greek temples, but was demolished in 1962. This is now considered an act of vandalism.

6. Municipal Buildings During the Industrial Revolution many people moved from the countryside to the city and so the cities grew and wanted to show their importance and wealth. This is Manchester town hall. Alfred Waterhouse was the architect (1866-1877). He used the Neo-Gothic style, which makes it look like a cathedral.

7. Trade and Commerce The British Empire was very good at trading which then meant excellent profits so many commercial buildings were built, they were bigger than town halls! They were like temples of commerce. This is one of them: the County Arcade, Leeds. The Architect was called Frank Matcham; he was known for designing theatres.

8. Asylums There were many new hospitals built in Victorian times, also for the mentally ill. This is High Royds Mental Hospital, in Ilkley. The he architect was called Mr. Edwards. He designed the hospital between 1887-1889. The clock tower made sure that everyone was punctual. The style is simple, functional and practical, e.g. small windows in case of breakage.

9. Churches There was a great revival in religion during the Victorian period; many churches were built and many restored. The most famous Victorian church architect was called A.W.N. Pugin. He designed St. Giles, in Cheadle (1840-1846), a good example of the Gothic revival.

10. Leisure and Pleasure In the Victorian period there were more leisure opportunities than ever before: libraries, museums, art galleries, parks, theatres; trains took people to beach resorts like Southend and Blackpool. The Blackpool tower was a big attraction. It was 518 feet high and contained 2,500 tons of steel and over 5 million bricks. It was designed so that if it fell, it would fall into the sea. (click here for a picture)

12. Here are a few questions to see what you have learned… Which station was demolished in 1962? Who designed the town hall in Manchester? What did Britain achieve by trading? What was the clock tower used for in High Royds Asylum? How tall is Blackpool Tower?

13. Thank you for listening!