Georgian Era

The Georgian Era started in the 18th Centure. These properties are probably the most elegant homes that were built in the UK. They were typically built for the wealthy gentry class of the era and are often seen in fine terraced rows or as detached 'mansions'.

The properties are often expensive for two reasons. Firstly they are usually in prime town centre locations and secondly there aren't any small Georgian homes! All have spacious rooms and often grand entrances and even galleried landings. You can find Georgian properties in the historic parts of a city close to the town centre, examples are South Kensington in London, Edinburgh and Bath.

What to think about when owning a Georgian Property
Georgian homes are built in brick (and normally have straight walls!) so there are less issues with redecoration than with older properties, especially if the property has already been replastered using modern materials.

Things to look for are damp and also checking the foundations as most properties built prior to the First World War have few foundations and were built either on the ground (ie dirt) or on a bed of slate or other material. The result of this is that if you are looking to extend a property or build upwards, the foundations will have to be brought up to today's building regulations.

Finally, many of the city centre Georgian properties are without car parking facilities or any garden to really talk about. So it is important to bear this in mind when thinking about buying a Georgian property.
More Information about Georgian Property
There are lots of resources for those that own or are interested in Georgian properties. One of the best resources is the Georgian Group. This is a group with its own website that covers all aspects of property from the Georgian era from parks to monuments to residential properties. It costs just £30 a year to join and for that you can have a magazine, journal with specialist services for Georgian Properties and help and advice for homeowners. They even run courses and lectures that anyone can attend and a tremendous range of publications priced from as little as £4 to £30.

The main book for Georgian property owners or enthusiasts is the Georgian House, published by the group itself which costs in the region of £25.

The website Period Property has an excellent series of 'Dos and Don'ts' on owning older properties, click here to see their article on the Dos and Don'ts of owning a Georgian Property.

Copyright of Designs on Property Ltd 2005