Edwardian Dress and Dating a Facade

[malcolm]

I've been given some early photos of my house and it looks like the facade was added on earlier than I thought. Is anyone on here into period dress who can see any clues from the style of dress in the photo? The new facade is visible across the road and a date for the photo after 1906 and maybe shortly after 1910 would suit other evidence, but I have no way of confirming if that other evidence is accurate.

The bicycle looks turn of the century, school girls look Edwardian, skirts for the other ladies are ankle length, and one lady seems to be wearing Edwardian mourning dress. 1910 ish?

The facade is Tudor revival with structural timbers at first floor level and unpainted roughcast render which appears to be concrete (or at least very hard and not crumbly). The best photo I have is from 1951 (in the photo some of the ladies are actually gentlemen).

Here it is now with the render and lovely stonework painted in magnolia. Super.

Can anyone put a before or after date on the dress style or the facade? The only other evidence I have is a note that the tenant between 1910 and 1933 paid a low rent because the place was being rebuilt while he was there, and a pre-facade photo dated circa 1906

 

[paulb33]

Edwardian mourning dress and men in drag? Sometime between Friday afternoon and Sunday morning round our way....

(Fascinating photos)

 

[Maisiedays]

You're so lucky to have these awesome photos.
I'm not an expert but I have dealt with historical clothing in the past. I would guess somewhere between 1905 and 1910. Mainly because of the styles of the hats and the woman wearing the blouse and skirt in the far back left. Again, just a guess.

 

[malcolm]

It's got to be that sort of range. Clothing styles seemed to become quite different after 1910. Though this is a village and might have been a little behind the fashion.

I might have found another clue. It turns out the church tower was restored between 1910 and 1912. The earlier clock face was rounded and the later one flat with clearer numerals. Although it could have been the person sent up to replace the clock face was the one who decided the tower needed to be restored so it doesn't help.

I have photos from circa 1906 and the one with the new facade. Render falling off the house across the road in the earlier photo has been removed in the later photo, and some shutters have been removed. The clock face appears to have been changed. The curtains in the pub in front of the church are in the same position.

I think the facade must have been built around 1910 and the photo taken around 1912, though it seems too late for the clothing.

1906 with my place to the left

New facade

 

[LadyArowana]

The thing with clothing is that people carry on wearing it, so it can give you an idea of a not before date, but not necessarily an end date. Obviously this doesn't apply to the likes of Mrs Beckham who tend to wear a preview of what will be out in 6 months time, but respectable Edwardian matrons were probably very frugal and would have worn their dress and hat for many seasons.

 

[paulb33]

The clock face appears to have been changed.

Are you sure its not just the focus?

(Someone really ought to have shut that window....)

 

[malcolm]

Not sure at all. The clock before 1910 looked more rounded but I only have a coloured postcard to go off. It might not have been changed at all. I notice an electricity or telephone pole has been installed at a funny angle between the two photos.

The left side of the road looks similar to the second photo but all the houses on the right apart from the Georgian one at the end were replaced in the '60s to '80s with new houses. It could make sense for the exterior to have been largely finished by 1910, but other works perhaps not fully completed, otherwise they wouldn't have got a new landlord in. The sign on top of the roof looks temporary and might read "we're open again" or similar.

 

[paulb33]

I notice an electricity or telephone pole has been installed at a funny angle between the two photos..

That looks like a telephone line. It should be possible from a local directory to establish when that street got telephones installed?

What a shame we lost those lovely cottages.

 

[Penners]

The children in this photo look very similarly dressed to those in your shot. This is a photo of the house we used to own in Oxfordshire (the one in the background on the left), which I'm pretty sure was dated 1907 (the photo, not the house!). I don't know if that's any help.

Unfortunately, by the time we bought the place in 1992, the rather fine gates were gone. The house on the right was the village post office. By the time we moved there it had disappeared and been replaced by a Methodist chapel, which in turn had been converted into a dwelling.

 

[paulb33]

Unfortunately, by the time we bought the place in 1992, the rather fine gates were gone.

Lovely gates. Typically Edwardian, with arts & crafts influence, if I'm not mistaken?

 

[LadyArowana]

They are dating these dresses to approx 1912, this site is an interesting resource for vintage fashion items.

http://www.kerrytaylorauctions.com/detail.php?id=364124112

 

[Penners]

Lovely gates. Typically Edwardian, with arts & crafts influence, if I'm not mistaken?

I defer to your knowledge on that, Paul, but yes, they look very fine. We had a simple five-bar gate.

 

[paulb33]

We had a simple five-bar gate.

Perhaps even closer to the arts and crafts principles of integrity and purity of design. Particularly, in a vernacular setting... (I manage to bore even myself sometimes).

 

[Lime]

Surely what type of gate you had depended on whereabouts you were in the country?

 

[paulb33]

Surely what type of gate you had depended on whereabouts you were in the country?

Perhaps. I confess that we've reached the limit of my gate knowledge...

 

[Lime]

Surely what type of gate you had depended on whereabouts you were in the country?

Perhaps. I confess that we've reached the limit of my gate knowledge...

The almost total lack of any online examples of historic farm field gate variation across the country is a demonstration of what a poor resource the internet is for anything other than present day interests.
Without spending a lot of time searching I have come up with a few Welsh examples from the past in this PDF:


http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=42&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CDQQFjABOCg&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hfbg.org.uk%2Fdownloads%2Fwooden_field_gates_of_wales_gareth_beech.pdf&ei=Ruc2U4fJIZSqhAfgoYG4Cg&usg=AFQjCNGlsNFXZW56UM67GaiVs5BvRpx3ig&bvm=bv.63808443,d.ZG4

 

[paulb33]

Without spending a lot of time searching I have come up with a few Welsh examples from the past in this PDF:


http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=42&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CDQQFjABOCg&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hfbg.org.uk%2Fdownloads%2Fwooden_field_gates_of_wales_gareth_beech.pdf&ei=Ruc2U4fJIZSqhAfgoYG4Cg&usg=AFQjCNGlsNFXZW56UM67GaiVs5BvRpx3ig&bvm=bv.63808443,d.ZG4

It never cease to amaze me what can be learned in this forum. Thanks Lime. Our house is part of the Windsor/Earl of Plymouth estate. Sad to see his gate is "distinctive in appearance but structurally weak".....

 

[Penners]

 

[paulb33]

are we boring you mr penners?

 

[malcolm]

They are dating these dresses to approx 1912, this site is an interesting resource for vintage fashion items.
http://www.kerrytaylorauctions.com/detail.php?id=364124112

Thanks for that - they look similar. It seems odd these days to be visibly in mourning for a long time. Maybe it was a respectable way of advertising new found availability.

How would you find out when the telephone system was installed in an village? Not that it's important as we've sorted a date range, just interesting.