Arches and Lancets and Spires, Oh My!

     This is a lesson on Victorian architecture, specifically the Gothic Revival style (not to be confused with the goth style of today). Queen Victoria, whose birthday we celebrate every May in Canada with a statutory holiday, reigned in Great Britain from 1837 to 1901. During that time several architectural styles gained and waned in popularity - Italianate, Colonial Revival, Romanesque, Renaissance, Gothic Revival, Classical Revival, Second Empire, Beaux Arts, Arts and Crafts or Craftsman and Queen Anne Revivals.  You can google any of these to see a picture of each style. I recommend www.OntarioArchitecture.com for pictures and information on residential Victorian properties still in existence in Ontario today.
    Pretty much all these styles were big on architectural details.  Some might say showy but I call it elegant and stately. Two wonderful examples are in nearby Picton and Madoc. Thanks to Shannon Kyles, author of the site OntarioArchitecture, for permission to use her photos.

 Gothic Revival was in reaction to the Renaissance and its perceived move away from Christianity. A revival of the Christian faith took place in 1841 to 1880 in the U.K. and North America  So this style had a lot of the details found in Gothic (Medieval Christianity) architecture - things like arches and lancets and spires, brick work and stone.  (Have I lost you yet?)  There was spiritual symbolism in these particular features.  The sharp peak points to heaven. Lancet windows (called this because they looked like the point of the medieval lance use during the crusades), stained glass and arches all echo details found in Medieval cathedrals.
     The Victorian interpretation of  the Gothic style also included detailed vergeboard (gingerbread trim) and an asymmetrical design  as seen  in the front view of the two houses above and in our wonderful example - on the left is a bay window and on the right a box window. The centre, second storey window is a lancet while the left, first floor, front  and centre door have arched windows. The window on the right has a brick arch over it and may have been arched at an earlier date.

Considering our faith, I find the fact that this house with its Gothic Revival design should fall into our hands more than coincidence. 
     

Moving In, Moving Over, Moving Up

We moved in, boxes and belongings, to our new old house on July 10.  Daughter, Son-in-law and Dog lived on the more functional side of the house. They were due to move out at the end of July.  Because of the necessity of keeping the cats and dog apart, we and our two cats took the side with no working bathroom or kitchen.   Using a bathroom or accessing the kitchen meant John and I had to take the stairs down to the cellar on our side, cross over to the other side and take the stairs up to the main floor - kind of like a walk to the comfort station when camping except with stairs.

down

across

up

through

 

Using the shower meant another flight of stairs to the main bath on the second floor.

 On July 30 we moved over to the other side of the house. There was some muttering about being sick of moving furniture.  But it was good to begin making the house feel like home.  John got out his sawsall and went to work on creating an opening between the two sides so we wouldn't have to negotiate all the stairs. Notice his great safety gear!

When our children moved out they took their dining room table and chairs with them.  Our own 1980's set had been sold so we began the search for a new set.  We wanted something formal, beautiful, able to seat 12, in keeping with the age of the house and for a modest price. Some might call it luck but we believe in God's providence.  Last Wednesday morning I stopped at a local antique store in Carrying Place.  The owner, not normally open at that time, just happened to be there as he had delivered a dining set. This set was built in 1910 by Ridpath Furniture in Toronto - a company that had catered to the more well-to-do client. (The company, closed in 2011, had been in a building with a Tudor style front,) This set included a 6 foot table made out of walnut with two leaves that stretched the length to 10 feet enabling seating for 12, 8 chairs and a 6 ft sideboard for a fraction of the original value! Talk about moving up!  On Friday John checked out the furniture and agreed.  This was the perfect set for us.