A Victorian Housebuilder’s Guide : Woodward’s National Architect of 1869

The only thing that keeps me from ranking it at four stars is that it is somewhat "lumbered" (pun intended) with carpenters and masons specs explaining how the houses are to be built--something most historians and architecture mavens arent likely to find very useful. This means it includes only 20 designs, plus a rich assortment of architectural details in the back of the book. For the most part these are what we would call "middle-class" houses--not too big, not too small--plus an icehouse, a boathouse, a scholhouse, and a tidy family stable, and wouldnt seem out of place in any community, East or West, in the land. This is a book that would be useful to the researcher as well as the casual lover of Victorian architecture.

The designs themselves are fairly detailed; with cross sections, interior, and exterior details. One of the best features is the superimposed cross sections on fretwork details; showing how many of these complicated peices are constructed from simple boards.

If you are intrested in Victorian buildings, for whatever reason, I suggest buying this book. Although not exstensive the the number of designs covered, only twenty, it offers one a good source of information. This book is far more detailed than the later Woodwards also reissued by Dover, and most later pattern books. If you enjoy the books by Vaux or Downing you should find this a nice addition to your library.