I’m in the process of researching my honours thesis, which is a summation of Tudor influences in the Victorian era, and the attitudes the Victorians had to the Tudors. I’m focusing on the historiography of Victorian Tudor historians (such as James Anthony Froude, one of my favourite historians), the physical presence of the Tudor era in the Victorian age (such as architecture and archaeological discoveries), and the notion of empire (comparisons between Queen Elizabeth I and Queen Victoria, comparisons between the Elizabethan navy and explorers and the Victorian navy and colonizers, etc). I’ve done the majority of my research on the first part (the historiography), and am now moving on to the architecture and archaeological discoveries section. The problem is, while there certainly was a Tudor-style revival in the nineteenth century in England, no one seems to want to write about it.

My theory is that because there were more significant architectural varieties in the Victorian era, such as the Gothic and Classical revivals, the Tudor and Elizabethan styles get lost in the mix. A further complication is that one of the most prominent architectural fads of the nineteenth century, the Queen Anne Style, borrowed elements of Tudor design but didn’t wholeheartedly embrace the older style. What this adds up to is either complete denial of a Tudor-style revival in the Victorian era, or a passing mention of the Tudor-inspired wood detailing in the Queen Anne style. Only after a bit of digging is it possible to come across some useful information.

The Tudorbethan or Mock Tudor style was a favourite of the mid- to late-nineteenth century landed gentry in England, as the ’simple, sobre’ cottage-style houses reflected the homely respectable atmosphere that Queen Victoria’s reign instigated. Ascott House in Buckinghamshire is a beautiful example of one of the more prominent Tudorbethan architects work, that of George Devey. Another great example is Cragside in Northumberland by Norman Shaw, more famous for coming up with the design for the now Grade I listed New Scotland Yard. George Devey and Norman Shaw are acknowledged as being two of the more famous Tudorbethan architects, however both are more widely known for works that fell into the Queen Anne style of architecture.

It seems to me that when Tudorbethan designs were requested and built, they were idealized in a similar way to custom-made period pieces today - that is, they weren’t necessarily what was in vogue, but the patron or architect desired a Tudor-style work for personal or aesthetic reasons. From what I understand, this also happened in garden design in the nineteenth century - there was certainly a niche for Tudor or Elizabethan style gardens, the idea being that the patron was seeking a quaint, old-fashioned, almost kitschy centre-piece that would draw comment from his acquaintances.

So what does this say about the Victorians? That they plundered the past for the stylish bits and pieces least offensive to their sombre tastes, and every now and then sought slightly off-beat niche designs for their ‘humble’ abodes?

………I guess we’re not too different to the Victorians after all.