lights for Victorian homes

LIGHTING FOR TRADITIONAL BATHROOMS

Posted onAuthorSue Matthews

We tend to think of bathrooms today as being a modern invention and in many ways they are. Bathing during Roman times was a communal affair but during the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries the use of public baths began to decline and private spaces were preferred which paved the way for the modern bathrooms we are familiar with today. Wealthy households in Victorian and Edwardian Britain had splendid bathrooms but the vast majority of the people did not have that luxury, and the ‘old tin bath’ in front of the fire was the order of the day (but not necessarily every day!).

PERIOD LIGHTING FOR VICTORIAN AND EDWARDIAN HOMES

Posted onAuthorSue Matthews

This is the second in our series of blogs focusing on our individual lighting collections. Here we are showcasing our Period Lighting Collection which features reproduction lighting based on designs from the late Victorian and Edwardian eras. Electric lighting was still in its infancy when Queen Victoria died in 1901and throughout the Victorian era electricity remained very expensive. Gas lighting was common in our towns and cities and was supplemented by candles and oil lamps, whilst in smaller towns and villages lighting was almost exclusively by candles and oil lamps. It was not until the Edwardian period that we began to see wider availability of electricity and a gradual replacement of the gasoliers (gas light fittings) with new electric lights.

Chandelier ornate Victorian style above a dining table.

How to Light a Victorian Home in an Authentic Style.

Posted onAuthorSue Matthews

At the start of Queen Victoria’s 63 year reign in 1837, houses were lit by candles and oil lamps and from the light provided by coal fires. Gas lighting was introduced in the mid to late Victorian period and at Victoria’s death in 1901 electric lighting was only in its infancy. Many of us still live in homes built during the Victorian period and although we tend to think of the typical Victorian terraced houses there were, in fact, many styles of houses built during this time, ranging from Gothic and Italianate to Queen Ann Revival and Arts and Crafts style homes. In this blog we will show you how to inject some Victorian style into your home.