Colonial Windows

A First Fleet of British ships arrived at Botany Bay in January 1788 to establish a penal colony. Consequently the earliest Australian architectural style copied the Georgian style from Britain. Most buildings erected in the first 50 years of Australian settlement were simple and plain, windows were usually small, and multi-paned with cylinder glass.  Glass manufacturing was expensive and limited to smaller panes of glass, the narrow astragal glazing bars often termed ‘colonial bars’ allowed for larger window sashes. As the Australian economy developed and settlements became more established, more sophisticated buildings emerged in the Old Gothic and Regency style. 

Australian Victorian Sash Windows

During the reign of Queen Victoria British migration increased and settlers in the colonies were able to utilize the latest and most fashionable advancements in Victorian architecture.  Public buildings, across the colonies, were routinely designed in Britain by prominent architects of the time.

First appearing around 1830, the group of styles, collectively referred to as Victorian architecture is a series of architectural revival styles from the mid-to-late 19th century. With so many different styles arising during the reign of Queen Victoria, it may begin to seem as though these are all different architectural styles.  Sash windows, columns, bay windows, turrets, dormers, cornices, and gables are the common theme.

Victorian Gothic revival

The Gothic style became widespread in the 19th century, characterized by its ornate stone and brick structures.  Victorian Gothic architecture was lavished with ornamentation and decoration.  Victorian sash windows incorporated curved horns, arched heads, intricate mouldings, lead-lights and latticework to adorned the sashes.  Windows were often grouped into impressive bays, offset with ornate stone reveals.  Graduating the size of windows from the ground upwards not only improved the perspective but also increased the amount of  light to the lower rooms.

Late Victorian

The Industrial Revolution brought many technological advancements, including the manufacture of larger panes of glass.  Window styles from this period were simpler, typically featuring either single panes or two over two vertical split glazing pattern.  The bullnose veranda roof started to appear, timber fretwork became common and sidelights were added beside the front door. 

Filigree / Italianate

A prominent feature of Australian architecture is the wrought iron filigree balcony often termed ‘iron-lace’. Many homes constructed during the 1870s and the 1880s were two storey Victorian Filigree terraces.  Filigree also became a popular adornment for gates, verandahs and doorways.

Federation Windows

1890 – 1915  Australia adopted the term ‘Federation Architecture’ when referencing the Edwardian style of architecture in Australia.  It was not uncommon to have casement window frames and double hung windows located in the same house. Fanlights and coloured glass were common features in sidelights and above the doors.

The start of the Edwardian period began when Edward VII became king in 1901 and is generally recognized to have lasted until 1920 – 10 years after Edward’s death. Edwardian style borrowed freely from the eras that preceded it, combining the best features of the Georgian and Victorian styles.  Double hung Edwardian sash windows commonly incorporated a six over two glazing configuration. By the early 1900s, side hinged casement windows became increasingly popular.  A popular style for the casement window was to be grouped into a bow window featuring a decorative Art Nouveau or Neo-Georgian lead lights on the upper section.

Federation Queen Anne (Queen Anne revival)

style was a revived form of English Baroque architectural styles and is considered to span 1880–1900, although the popular style persisted for another decade. The style was named and popularized in England by the architect Richard Norman Shaw.

Lower window sashes usually had only a single pane of glass with the upper sash being multi-paned, typically in a six over one configuration. More elaborate windows featured sashes with stained or coloured glass in the upper portion.

Anglo-Dutch

Adopting much from the Queen Ann style, Anglo-Dutch is characterised by the plain red-brown brickwork of their façades and the stepped or scalloped dutch gables in their roofs.  Windows are typically of the Queen Ann style; double-hung and painted white.

Other Australian Architecture

Queenslander

Queenslander architecture is a modern term for the typical residential architecture of Queensland, Australia.  The characteristic trait of these timber homes, built on stumps, is a veranda that extends around the house to varying extents. Alignment of doors and windows to allow uninterrupted air flow helped to cool living areas.   The Queenslander has been constructed in all the popular styles of the time, including Colonial, Victorian, Federation, Art Nouveau, Interwar styles, and post-World War II styles.  Queenslanders are still constructed today using modern styles, as well as “reproductions” of previous styles.

Bungalows

First introduced to Sydney in 1906 the American California Bungalow style was usually a single-storey house with the roof covering a prominent verandah. Timber casement windows were most frequently used on the frontage.  The Federation Bungalow style was the Australian response to the American Bungalow styles. It can be regarded as a transition between Federation Queen Ann and the American Bungalow.  Tuck pointed brick work, ornamental verandahs and multi-paned timber casement windows with leadlights featuring Australian fauna and flora.