Victorian Home Tour: Fridays At 5:00

Do you know what the characteristics of a Victorian Home are? After touring one this week I decided to find out! Come see what I learned!

I recently had the pleasure of touring the most beautiful old Victorian Home in Barnesville, Georgia this week. While I no longer live there, I did live in Barnesville for a few years during the mid 1980s and I have the absolute best childhood memories of this darling, Southern town. I love to get back there to visit when ever I can and when my father told me about an estate sale that was happening there (which was only a minutes walk from the old home we once lived in), I knew I had to go.

As soon as I laid eyes on this grand old home I was star struck. From the perfectly weathered iron fence surrounding the property to the beautiful, grand front porch – upon first glance each and every detail was just splendid. However, as I was soaking in her beauty during those first few moments, I couldn’t help but notice that the home was in a bit of a sad state. There was chipping paint and missing porch sections. There was a pile of wooden fragments on the side yard. There were piles of trash on the side porches. Before I even set foot inside, it was evident that this beautiful home needed some attention.

Luckily, when I did finally get inside the home, I could immediately see that the heart of the home was still full of so much of its original charm and beauty. Sure, there was still peeling paint in some rooms and dilapidated older furniture here and there, but there were so many amazing details still fully intact. From the beautiful grand staircase to the many, many beautiful old fire places, this home still had lots to offer!

After walking around a bit, I decided to ask a few of the locals if they knew anything about this place and I learned that this home was considered to be a Grand Victorian Home built in 1863. I, of course, had heard of the “Victorian Era” and knew roughly the years associated with that time (…), but I wanted to know more about what it meant to be a “Victorian Home.” I wanted to know, other than the year it was built, how one would define that …. so I did a little research. Below, I am sharing 5 defining features that help to identify this architectural style. (Source: Google)

5 Exterior Characteristics

• Steep, gabled roofs
• Round angles
• Towers, turrets and dormers
• Shapeley windows, especially bay windows
• Stained glass and decorative woodwork and bright colors

5 Interior Characteristics

• Two to three stories
• Floorplans featuring added nooks
• High ceilings
• Intricate wooden trim
• Ornate staircases

NOTE: It is important to point out that not all Victorian homes have all of these details. Shoot, in my readings I even learned that there are several subcategories of Victorian homes:

• Gothic Revival (1830-1860)
• Italiante (1840-1870)
• Second Empire (1852-1870)
• Stick-Eastlake (1860-1890)
• Folk Victorian (1870-1910)
• Queen Anne (1875-1905)

… but those lists above are a good jumping off point to help you identify Victorian Homes.

Wrap Up

The Victorian Home that I toured had so many of these characteristics that I listed above and my hope is that it will be restored to its original glory soon so that each and every characteristic is back to perfect condition. With over 4,000 square feet inside and 1,500 square feet of porch space, it will be a big task. I checked online today and saw that the house is pending. I learned that the current owners were in the process of restoring it, but are no longer able to continue. I know that there are hopes that it will be completely renovated (I know this because I wanted to buy some of the salvaged pieces from the old side porch and they wouldn’t sell them to me because the plan is to sell the home to someone who will indeed renovate it). Let’s just hope that the next owner is able to get the job done and that this house soon becomes the vibrant and thriving home that it once was long ago!

I loved visiting this house. I felt honored to be able to walk up the grand staircase and look out the huge windows from the second floor. I enjoyed soaking in the beauty of every unique characteristic that made it so special. And, as I walked the halls, I found myself wondering how things may have looked (and felt) inside this old Victorian Home back a hundred years ago. It is sad to me that this home, like so many others, has lost its heartbeat – but I have high hopes that it will be restored. And don’t worry, if and when I get an update on this house, I will be sure to let you all know!