The Edwardian House Explained: A Brief History of British Architecture from 1900-1914 (Britain's Architectural History)

Great little book; clear, easy to understand and good illustrations

I have The 1930s House Explained, so I knew what to expect from this book. It's got line drawings and photos as well as clear text explaining the features of the house, and it's written clearly so even non-architects get a lot from it. My only negative is that this book seems to concentrate mainly on the grandest Edwardian houses, whereas I really wanted to know about small houses and what you can learn about the lives of "ordinary" people from them. I'd have thought more people are likely to live in an Edwardian terrace than a Lutyens Arts and Crafts house, but they didn't get much of a mention (The 1930s House Explained did explain the features of smaller homes, as well as elaborate and iconic mansions). If you have or know a grand Edwardian house, you'll learn a lot about it from this book, but otherwise it's not as detailed as I'd hoped.

The book is an excellent overview written by an enthusiast for this sort of property. It is partly history setting the subject in context and partly practical guide about the specifics of architectural styles and structures. The supporting illustrations are clear and complement the text. The text is mainly in plain English and there is a glossary to explain the subject specific terminology used. The technical terms are worth knowing if one needs to communicate clearly with surveyors, architects, builders or the various trades when contemplating a purchase, maintenance, restoration or conversion of Edwardian properties. An initial read through takes only a couple of hours but I will be making plenty of use of it as a reference in the future. There is plenty of attractive Edwardian housing stock still extant and this book makes the appeal of a period homes clear. Edwardian houses have been around for more than a century and are just coming into their prime. I greatly enjoyed this book and will keep it handy for years to come. It is a very useful addition to the available literature as indicated by the scarcity of the original printed copies. The Kindle edition is most welcome.

I cannot recommend this book series highly enough! Each volume contains a treasure trove of usefula and fascinating information about each type of architecture, and what's more, is fully illustated - not just a windbag of text. No, these books are fun! There are a wealth of diagrams, fully labelled, plus lots of photos to explain all those large and small features of a period house, much of which I hadn't noticed and very much wish I had. These books are an excellent first choice for any student of historical architecture, house renovators, and dolls house modellers, especially the latter.

I am sometimes anxious that the books that receive attention do so by chance, or because their authors are better-connected or better-advertised or some such than their competitors. It is thus greatly reassuring to me that Trevor Yorke's innocuous 'The ... House Explained' series has established such a substantial following. They have done so simply because they are so good. In a market dominated by vapid coffee-table ornaments, lightweight introductions and the occasional specialised treatise, Yorke's books distinguish themselves by being astonishingly rich in information while also being gentle, approachable and completely unpretentious. I often go away with the impression that one learns more in three or four densely-packed pages of Yorke than one does in entire books. Architectural description is seamlessly integrated with social history: we come to see what these houses meant to the Edwardians, and how they were originally used. Even those with a good amateur knowledge of Edwardian domestic architecture can learn a good deal from 'The Edwardian House Explained', but those with no prior background will also find it completely approachable. Highly recommended to anyone who would like to better understand and appreciate the buildings in which many of us still dwell, and among which all of us live.