Have you ever found yourself wandering the streets of your neighbourhood, admiring the homes, both old and new, only to wonder what style of architecture a certain home might be? Well, we at the North Shore Heritage Society are here to help! In the next part of our architecture series, we will be looking at the Tudor Revival style.
Each revival style identifies an architecture of an earlier time and place especially those related to early American or European precedents. The Tudor Revival style is inspired by the English architecture of the late medieval period when the infamous Tudor monarchs reigned from 1485-1558. The Tudors came into power following the War of the Roses in the 15th century, but the height of their reign was between roughly 1500-1560. It is this era that the Tudor Revival style attempts to mimic.
Even though the Tudors were very powerful, English society was growing and Britain was transitioning out of its medieval period and into the early-modern era which explains why the style was inspired by both cottages and grand manor homes. For example, some Tudor Revival style buildings imitated the lavishness of Tudor castles, but most were based on houses of the emerging middle and lower-upper class. The cottage was a major source of inspiration for the Tudor Revival style and became very fashionable for private residences in the United States and Europe around the 1920’s.
The first appearance of a Tudor Revival building was in Britain in the late 1860’s at Cragside designed by architect, Norman Shaw. Unfortunately, the half-timbering that he designed was criticized and seen as a betrayal towards the traditional architecture of the North-East of England. Shaw persevered with his desire to create a picturesque form of architecture with a romantic effect and went on to design several well-known Tudor Revival style buildings in the UK.
Tudor Revival is one of the most identifiable styles of architecture of the latter half of the 19th century. Known as ‘mock Tudor’ in the UK, the style became widespread in British colonial countries such as New Zealand and Singapore and grew popular in Vancouver from 1920-1940. The style combines Renaissance and Gothic design elements to create a style best known for details like steeply pitched roofs, asymmetrical design, and half-timbering. The distinctive half-timbering on Tudor Revival buildings was originally the result of the Tudor building method where a timber frame was built first before filling it in with clay or plaster, leaving the long vertically placed wooden beams visible. The timber detailing on Tudor Revivals is merely ornamental, a design element meant to pay homage to the original. Original interiors had grand entry halls, sweeping wooden staircases, large fireplaces, wood-paneled walls, dark wood beams and door and wall frames, and wide plank oak flooring.
The innovative masonry techniques developed in the early 1900’s made brick and stone homes more affordable to build. However, the intricacies of Tudor style homes were still quite expensive for the average home builder, so the style fizzled out after World War II when builders started focusing on more affordable housing developments that could be built quickly.
There are several notable Tudor Revival homes on the North Shore many of which were designed by Blackadder & Mackay, a prominent architectural firm responsible for numerous Tudor Revival and Arts and Crafts style houses in North Vancouver. Fun fact: a number of Blackadder & Mackay designed houses in North Vancouver feature unusually narrow staircases, a design idiosyncrasy attributed to Blackadder’s belief that wide staircases were for those “too weighty in... body and head.”
In the District of North Vancouver, there are six Tudor Revival Homes as identified by the DNV’s heritage Register. All are located in Upper Lonsdale and four were designed by Blackadder. There is the infamous Thomas Nye Residence at 3545 Dowsley Court, a Designated Municipal Heritage Site built in 1912. Nye went broke building this imposing Tudor Revival style home giving it the name “Nye’s Folly.”
3545 Dowsley Court. Photo by Paul Isaacs
The Ames Residence at 190 E Carisbrooke Rd built in 1925 is a striking example of the Tudor Revival style as is the Cornish House, prominently located on the corner at 3190 St Georges Ave. The Cornish home was built as a show home by Benjamin John Cornish and had the first electric Christmas lights in the District in 1925!
Ames House. Photo by Grant Gardiner.
Cornish Residence. Photo by Ken Spong.
There are five Tudor Revival style homes in the City of North Vancouver as identified by the CNV’s Heritage Register with four of these homes located on Grand Boulevard. The Sheppard Residence at 518 E 18th St was built in 1922 and was also designed by Blackadder.
Sheppard Residence. Photo by Kim Thom.
The Harvie Residence, built in 1928, at 952 Grand Boulevard is an excellent example of a more modest cottage style home with Tudor Revival design elements.
Harvie Residence. Photo by Robbie-Layne Robertson.
The most well-known Tudor Revival style home in the CNV is the Doney Residence located at the entrance to Grand Boulevard on the corner of Keith Rd and Grand Boulevard. This local area landmark is one of the most prominent heritage homes on Grand Boulevard.
Doney Residence. Photo by Kyla Gardiner.
There are seven Tudor Revival style homes in the municipality of West Vancouver as per the Heritage Register. The Young House, built in 1914, at 2385 Haywood Ave is one of the earliest permanent buildings in the area and one of the first examples of Tudor Revival in West Vancouver. The former Gleneagles Clubhouse at 6155 Gleneagles Dr, built in 1928, was converted to a private home and serves as a successful example of the adaptive re-use of historic sites. The most notable Tudor Revival style building in West Vancouver is arguably the striking Capilano Golf and Country Club built in 1938. For many years, the Golf and Country Club was prominently featured in the promotional advertising for the British Properties and was thought to be the main attraction in the area.
With so many Tudor Revival homes on the North Shore, why not take a stroll one of these warm summer evenings and try to find a few in your neighbourhood?
I Spy with my Little Eye
Here are the common elements of the Tudor Revival style:
Steeply pitched multi-gabled roof
Asymmetrical
Decorative half-timbering, often on the entire upper portion of the home
Quoins - dressed stones at the corners of the building and around doorways
Tall, dominant chimneys on exterior walls
Tall, narrow multi-paned leaded glass windows, often in diamond patterns
Stone foundation
Use of arches on doorways and windows
Stone, brick or stucco exteriors
Similar to the Arts & Crafts styles, but more vertical and with more half-timbering