02 August 2010

Architecture in the W2






I absolutely love Victorian terraces. I got off at Westbourne Park one day and aimlessly walked around for an hour or two. Most of these stucco terraces were large homes for the ever growing middle an upper middle classes, but now have been mostly split into flats. The facade of the a terraced house gives clues of the program of each floor. The lower ground floor would be for the kitchen, coal room and storage. The ground floor was for the entrance hall and maybe a small office or study. Then the first floor had the highest ceiling, with the sitting room, dining room and morning room. This is where the quests could be entertained. Then the second floor was for the adults and the third floor was for the children and nursery. The fourth floor had the lowest ceilings and housed the servants. If a family was wealthy enough, they would have a detached garage in back for carriages and horses/automobiles, with the chauffeur and other servants living above.

1 comment:

  1. How nice. We lived in Porchester Square not long ago, so the area is quite familiar. The Terraces and terraced Squares are indeed one of the most attractive features of W2, unfortunately frequently spoiled by 1960s and 70s council estates of rather less picturesque style.

    dE

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