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Nigel Watts
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This sounds like one of those questions we used to get in the physics paper for the Oxbridge entrance exam, along the lines of "when you drink a cup of tea, how many molecules are common to Socrates's last cup of Hemlock?" or "each time you inhale, how many molecules are common to Caesar's last breath?" (both genuine examples).
So here goes:
Population of Britain at start of Victoria's reign of 12 million grew to 30 million by the end. This means that housing stock had to be increased by enough to house 18m. Some older houses would have been demolished in this period, so call it 20m. Families were quite large in those days and slums pretty crowded, so lets say the average household contained between five and seven people, which gives a range of 3 to 4 million houses. Slum clearances, the Luftwaffe and other factors will have reduced this number in the 20th C. By 25%? Result: 2.5 to 3 million.
So here goes:
Population of Britain at start of Victoria's reign of 12 million grew to 30 million by the end. This means that housing stock had to be increased by enough to house 18m. Some older houses would have been demolished in this period, so call it 20m. Families were quite large in those days and slums pretty crowded, so lets say the average household contained between five and seven people, which gives a range of 3 to 4 million houses. Slum clearances, the Luftwaffe and other factors will have reduced this number in the 20th C. By 25%? Result: 2.5 to 3 million.
yamin
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Wow Nigel. Think that says it all! 
From the 2001 Census.
Nigel's calculation is better than this...but as a sanity check, it would seem reasonable that of the remaining houses in the UK, apx. 10% are Victorian. Given the likely rise in numbers from 2001 > today (obviously none of which are Victorian) as well as the demolition of some Victorian stock, I would suggest that the actual figure today is less than 2.5m.
FamilyWiggs
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2,623,739.
What do I win?
What do I win?
yamin
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Scooby snack and a Blankety Blank cheque book and pen!
Thank you very much for the sensible replies. I guess then we can say 10% as a proportion of UK residences is a fairly accurate estimate, thanks once again.
The reason for wanting this info is so I can judge what influence the idiosyncrasies of Victorian building materials (soft clay bricks, lime mortar etc) have, or have not, on current Building Regulations.
The reason for wanting this info is so I can judge what influence the idiosyncrasies of Victorian building materials (soft clay bricks, lime mortar etc) have, or have not, on current Building Regulations.
Found the chapter this time these numbers are specifically referenced but the article is referenced so I'm guessing the numbers are derived from SPAB or Oxley's book
http://www.greenbuildingpress.co.uk/products.php?category_id=121
Article references "The need for old buildings to breathe by P Hughes, information sheet 4, THe SOciety for the protection of ancient buildings Spring 1986. http://www.spab.org.uk
"The Survey and Repair of traditional buildings - a sustainable approach" by Richard Oxley, Donhead Publishing http://www.donhead.com
Page 108, Green Building Bible, 3rd edition, Vol 1 from the Green Building Press
http://www.greenbuildingpress.co.uk/products.php?category_id=121
Article references "The need for old buildings to breathe by P Hughes, information sheet 4, THe SOciety for the protection of ancient buildings Spring 1986. http://www.spab.org.uk
"The Survey and Repair of traditional buildings - a sustainable approach" by Richard Oxley, Donhead Publishing http://www.donhead.com
Schoolmarm
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:lol: