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Trantham, Maggie

Mrs. Janet Ivey

Interior Design II Honors

19 March 2018

Tudor House Style

All homes have a purpose. They are not only built to provide shelter but also to

for safety and to provide a home for a large amount of college students moving into the area or

provide for immigrants coming into America due to the damage of World War 2. Tudor homes

have brought unique takes on timber and plaster with the signature black and white stripes to its

design.

The first Tudor characteristics were found in the introduction of the renaissance period in

England in about 1485. These houses got its because it was made during the reign of the Tudor

dynasty. The Tudor dynasty was a time of “economic prosperity’ and “peaceful relations” with

all of Europe (The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica). Tudor houses followed the Late Gothic

and Elizabeth architecture.”The Tudor style in architecture coincides with the first part of the

reign of the Tudor monarchs, which commenced in 1485 with the accession of Henry VII to the

throne and ended with the death of

Elizabeth I in 1603” (The Editors of

Encyclopaedia Britannica). The House (or

dynasty) of Tudor concluded of Henry VII,

Henry VIII (Henry VII’s son), Edward VII,

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Mary I, and Elizabeth I. In the early 1500’s, a changed form of Tutor had been developed

through time. The designed changed due to the reaction from the English to the Renaissance

style that was sweeping the country at the time (English Heritage). Features such as plasterwork

or any cosmetic adjustment that came from royal buildings influencing distortion to the original

tudor style. Tudor architecture established the future for housing after the Reformation. After the

Reformation, many pre-existing churches were transformed into mansions, great country houses,

or medieval castles. Around this time, the Tudor home characteristic of low arches were a

defining feature of its architecture, as well as oriel windows. Another defining characteristic is

the black and white construction meaning half-timber houses with dark timbers. Unfortuniatly,

the Tudor architecture fell out of popularity in the mid-1500s, which made way for Tudor

Revival Architecture. Tudor architecture came to the United States in the late 19th century and

early to mid twentieth century. These houses “gained popularity in wealthier suburban

neighborhoods in places like Washington D.C.”(Przybyłek). These houses became tremendously

popular in the 1920s. They were also called “Stockbroker Tudor”, because the home had

“exposed timbers and masonry chimneys”(Przybyłek). This caused these houses to be very

expensive to purchase, and only the wealthy could afford them. These architectural designs are

continuing to be built today.

The Tudor is often connected to Medieval Revival architecture with its heavy chimneys

and steep gable roofs, heavily decorative doorways, brickwork and rectangular windows. The

casements included in Tudor homes is another characteristic of this style. The houses were

usually made of timber, wattle and clay. Wattle is the intertwining of sticks that are placed

between posts in the wall and then covered with clay. These characteristics lost it importance
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until the Tudor Revival architecture also referred to as the “mock Tudor” in the United Kingdom

began in the 19th Century. This was based on a revival of some of Tudor architecture or style

which would influence the start of domestic architecture. This style later became an influence in

other countries, like in the British colonies such as New Zealand. Norman Shaw and George

Devey were two of the first real architects to use Tudor style in what was known, at the time as a

neo-Tudor design which was the earlier versions of Tudor style.Attention was placed on the

simple, rustic and not so much on the impressive parts of the Tudor architecture. The intent was

to copy the medieval cottages or country houses. Even though the new style would follow more

modest or domestic features, the main characteristics such as the steeply pitched roof,

half-timbering, brickwork, rectangular windows,

heavy chimneys, and sometimes thatched roofs,

gave the Tudor revival it's more fierce effects,

but it was very expensive. The new Tudor style

made one of its first appearances in Britain in the

form of a hilltop mansion of eclectic architectural styles including many of the Tudor features.

The mansion was designed by Norman Shaw for an industrial magnate, and inventor the

hydraulic crane. Shaw also designed Leyswood Mansion near Sussex, included all the features of

a Tudor style, which included mock battements, towers, half-timbered upper facades and tall

chimneys; however, it was named “Queen Anne Style”, when it was really a Tudor. Later on, the

style began to include pre-Georgian features that were representative of “Queen Anne” in

Britain. The term “Queen Anne” for this style of architecture tends to be used more in the United

States. In the States it became known as either the Tudor or Queen Anne period style
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construction or architecture; however, in Britain the style remains closer to it the original Tudor

design.

For my house project, my Tudor home had the ideal characteristics of a Tudor home. It

reveals light mint green paint, with exposed wood timber on the top half of the home. On the

bottom it is covered in brickwork, with stonework low arch

doorway. I have dark rectangular orbital windows and steep

gable roofs. The following picture is a sample floor plan of

what the typical tudor house may look like from inside.

With that said, Tudor homes have really set a mark

on how homes were constructed and designed in both

England and the United States in two different time periods.

Its black and white stripes are easy to see and be recognized. The history of Tudor house styles

are a perfect example of how history repeats itself. Tudor houses first gained popularity in

England under the Tudor reign and found that the homes were meant for wealthier people. Just

over a century or two later, Tudor homes are found in wealthy American neighborhoods.In the

1920s, Tudor homes made up the largest portion of houses that were built in the United States.

Tudor home characteristics such as heavy chimneys, steep gable roofs, and stonework is

indicative of the home’s value. Consequently, Tudor homes eventually fell out of American

popularity due to change in modern times.

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Works Cited

Lewis, Evelyn L., and Carolyn S. Turner. ​Teacher’s Edition: Housing and Interior Design​.

Goodheart-Willcox Co., 2006.

Lewis, Evelyn L., and Carolyn S. Turner. ​Housing Decisions​. Goodheart-Willcox Co., 2004.

Study.com​, Study.com, study.com/academy/lesson/tudor-architecture-history-style.html.

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Tudor Style.” ​Encyclopædia Britannica​,

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 15 Apr. 2011, www.britannica.com/art/Tudor-style.

“English Heritage.” ​Tudors: Architecture | English Heritage​,

www.english-heritage.org.uk/learn/story-of-england/tudors/architecture/.

Express, Britain. “Tudor Houses in England.” ​Britain Express​,

www.britainexpress.com/architecture/tudor.htm.

“Tudor Revival.” ​Architectural Styles of America and Europe​, 21 Nov. 2011,

architecturestyles.org/tudor-revival/.

“Tudor Revival Architecture.” ​Wikipedia​, Wikimedia Foundation, 2 Mar. 2018,

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tudor_Revival_architecture.

“Tudor Style (1890-1940).” ​Tudor Style Houses Facts and History | Guide to Architectural

Styles | Home Remodeling & Architecture in Maryland (MD), Virginia (VA),

Washington, DC​, 17 July 2017, www.wentworthstudio.com/historic-styles/tudor/.

“Tudor Style (1890-1940).” ​Tudor Style Houses Facts and History | Guide to Architectural

Styles | Home Remodeling & Architecture in Maryland (MD), Virginia (VA),

Washington, DC​, 17 July 2017, www.wentworthstudio.com/historic-styles/tudor/.

“Tudor Architecture.” ​Wikipedia​, Wikimedia Foundation, 2 Mar. 2018,

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en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tudor_architecture.

Trattner, Douglas. “Tudor Revival Architecture.” ​HGTV​, HGTV, 27 Apr. 2015,

www.hgtv.com/design/home-styles/tudor-revival-architecture​.