Adapting Victorian Fixtures and Fittings
Adapting Victorian Fixtures and Fittings
There is a very good section in Robin Guild’s book titled The Victorian House Book that states:
“In both Britian and the United States particularly during the 1950s and 1960s many original fixtures and fittings were removed from Victorian houses and replaced by substitutes which now appear unsuitable, if not cheap and ugly. Detail gave way to flat, easily cleaned surfaces. Fireplaces were removed and thrown away. Balusters were hidden beneath hardboard paneling and the moldings on doors were hacked away or covered over with hardboard.
The many companies now specializing in reproduction or original fittings (see page 308) are an enormous help in reversing this trend.
The first step is to know what is missing. If in doubt about the nature of original fittings check for references in this book. Neighbors are a useful resource, since often another house of the same period on the same street will still have many of its original fixtures.
Reproduction fittings need to be scrutinized with care. Some are a weak pastiche of Victorian style, made in inferior materials and likely to look out of place. Others can be extremely effective. For homeowners with a scavenging instinct and a sharp eye for a bargain, it is still possible to buy original Victoriana at a price not very much higher than reproduction pieces.”
