There are some broad stylistic periods, and some more definitive descriptions for periods within the broad periods.
Colonial, in the New Zealand context, sometimes called colonial Georgian, dates from approximately 1800 to 1840. These houses are usually symmetrical with simple hipped roofs.
The Regency style is a precursor to the Early Victorian style and is not that common in New Zealand. It dates from 1811.
Early Victorian dates from approximately 1840 to 1860. Many Early Victorian homes retain the symmetry of the earlier Georgian style, usually with more decorative features.
Mid Victorian dates from approximately 1860 to 1880. In the 1850’s to the 1870’s there was a style called Cottage Ornée or Gingerbread which was called Fancy Colonial here in New Zealand. Also in this period, there can be some influences from the Gothic Revival style, also called Carpenter Gothic.
Late Victorian dates from approximately 1880 to 1900. Most Late Victorian homes are asymmetrical and the homes usually have far more decorative features than the earlier styles. Outside, there can be Classical Revival features, even some Egyptian influences, while inside you may see Art Nouveau features in homes from the late 1880’s to 1914.
There are several other variations: Queen Anne, from the 1870’s to 1900. Queen Anne homes often have turrets, shingle gable panels and bay windows. Also in the 1870’s, in the USA, the Stick Style developed, predominantly on the West Coast and in the Mid-West.
The Stick Style became very popular here in New Zealand in the 1890’s and early 1900’s.
The Italianate style gained popularity in the 1870’s and again later, around 1900. Italianate influences can be seen on many public buildings of that era. Some Italianate homes had more classical detailing and symmetry. Italianate homes are sometimes called Palladian after the architect, Andrea Palladio.
The Eastlake Style is named after a style which became popular after a book on household architecture by an English writer, C. L. Eastlake. The book became especially popular in the USA during the 1870’s and many of the American timber details were subsequently copied here in New Zealand. Eastlake detailing includes many of the fretwork designs we see on buildings of the period, and also lathe-turned spindles, also called Spindle-style where the turned decorations replace conventional fretwork.
Spindle Style was popular in New Zealand from 1890 to 1910. The Edwardian period dates from 1900 to 1915.
Also from 1900, the Elizabethan or Tudor style, which on New Zealand was usually shown as an overlay over the weatherboards to imitate the framing timbers visible in the English Tudor style.
As readers may note, there’s some overlap of styles, so Art Nouveau features are often found in Late Victorian and in Edwardian homes, and Tudor detailing is seen on Edwardian Villas. Most traditional houses fall within the Late Victorian and Edwardian era. The Bay Villa describes a house shape which became popular in the USA in the 1850’s. The Bay Villa style became the predominant house style from the 1890’s. There are several variations and many of the styles described above can be seen in Bay Villas. So, you can have an Italianate or Stick Style or Victorian or Edwardian or Spindle Style or Queen Anne Bay Villa!
The English and Californian Bungalow made it’s appearance from 1915 and held it’s popularity until the early 1930’s. Because of the overlap between styles, it’s even possible to have a transitional villa which incorporates Edwardian and Bungalow features. A Style often confused with the Bungalow Style is the Arts and Crafts movement, which begun as an English style in 1860 but which only reached our shores after 1900. The Arts and Crafts movement represents a complete break from the earlier decorative styles.
The Art Deco Style was born in 1925 and by the 1930’s Art Deco had surpassed the Bungalow Style in popularity, even in New Zealand. The 1930’s is also the birth of the State House in New Zealand. It is a bit difficult for the untrained person to see some of the subtle differences between the different styles. If you’re unsure, feel free to send us some photographs of the house as a whole and of details such as original fretwork, gable details, door and windows and skirtings and architraves, and we’ll do our best to give you an indication of likely style and/or age.
