Gothic Style and Queen Anne Federation style
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What is Gothic?
“Essentially, it is a literature of nightmare. Gothic writing is preoccupied with the hidden or monstrous side—particularly as it relates to human nature. And it uses a catalogue of recurring conventions, motifs, and themes to make its point: vampires, monsters, demonic monks—wander around dilapidated mansions, through dark dungeons or across windswept cliffs. “[1]
At the beginning of the Victorian era, Gothic forms of architecture were coming strongly into fashion again.
- British critic A. W. N. Pugin‘s fiery and controversial writings endowed the Gothic Revival with a strong purpose: to re-establish what were felt to be the true Christian piety and values of those far-off days.
- With all the zeal of a recent convert to Roman Catholicism, and driven by his own strong impulses, Pugin took on the entire architectural establishment of his time, proposing a wholesale return to the medieval approach to architecture.
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Government House NSW |
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Government House was the most sophisticated example of Gothic Revival architecture in the First Fleet colony.
St. Paul’s and St. Patrick’s Cathedrals in Melbourneare excellent examples of the Gothic Revival Period, often referred to as Victorian Gothic.
Gothic characteristics:
- steeply pitched roofs often made of slate,
- narrow doors and windows resolving in a Gothic pointed arch at their height (known as lancet windows),
- diamond pane glazing to windows imitating a stained glass affect,
- and intricate parapets, often of a religious nature, with a cross.
- In non-terrace houses, the drawing room was often pulled forward, adding a bay window to the front of the dwelling.[2]
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Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin
English architect, designer, artist and critic,
chiefly remembered for his pioneering role
in the Gothic Revival style |
St Patrick’s Cathedral, Melbourne |
St Paul’s Anglican Cathedral, Melbourne |
Gothic Influences:
- medieval ecclesiastical architecture – churches and cathedrals
- illustrated medieval manuscripts
- arts and crafts movement – return to medieval style and practices
- AWN Pugin – leader of Gothic revival, he designed interiors and the exterior detailing of the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben’s clock tower (the Houses themselves were designed by Sir Charles Barry)
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Homerton House – South Yarra by Dean-Melbourne |
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Illawarra – Toorak by Dean-Melbourne |
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This beautiful Edwardian era, Queen Anne styled mansion, originally known as Homerton House, is located in the elite Melbourne suburb of South Yarra.
Built in 1906, the red brick building features a prominent slate roofed tower with iron finial. |
Illawarra is a beautiful and detailed Queen Anne styled mansion situated in Melbourne’s most elite suburb of Toorak. Built in 1889, the building was presented to the National Trust in 1966 and currently still owns the property. |
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Classic Gothic Style |
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Façade of Reims Cathedral, France |

The interior of the western end of Reims Cathedral |
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Gothic Malbork Castle (formerly Mareinburg), Poland, begun before 1280 |
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American Victorian Gothic house |
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American Queen Anne with Gothic features |
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Gothic architecture is most familiar as the architecture of many of the great cathedrals, abbeys and churches of Europe. It is also the architecture of many castles, palaces, town halls, guild halls, universities and to a less prominent extent, private dwellings.
Tthe Gothic style was expressed most powerfully in the great churches, cathedrals and in a number of civic buildings, its characteristics lending themselves to appeals to the emotions, whether springing from faith or from civic pride.
- From Wikipedia on Gothic Revival Archictecture:
“The Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or Neo-Gothic) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. Its popularity grew rapidly in the early 19th century, when increasingly serious and learned admirers of neo-Gothic styles sought to revive medieval Gothic architecture, in contrast to the neoclassical styles prevalent at the time.”
- By the late 1800s, the fanciful details of Gothic Revival architecture had waned in popularity. Gothic Revival ideas did not die out, but they they were most frequently reserved for churches and large public buildings.
- Queen Anne became an architectural fashion in the 1880s and 1890s, when the industrial revolution was building up steam. Home builders were caught up in the excitement of new technologies which allowed cheap factory-made, pre-cut architectural parts, especially bricks and tiles. – Queen Anne Architecture in the U
Rheinstein Castle, Germany
showing fortress towers and castellation of the walls |
Basilica of the Assumption of Mary, Krakow, Poland
showing finials above towers |
The Palazzo Pubblico, Siena, Italy
showing castellation of roof line |
Gothic influences on Queen Anne decoration:
Gothic Towers
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Castle in Prague |
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Albert Park Architecture by Dean-Melbourne |
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TV Star: Architect John Horbury Hunt designed Camelot at Camden in the late 1880’s |
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Castellation of roofs
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Castellation- Battlements used for a decorative purpose. |
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Clovelly House, 1 Drummoyne Avenue, Drummoyne |
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Castle building: balcony and castellation |
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Ridge castellation at 25 Drummoyne Avenue, DRUMMOYNE NSW |
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Circular Windows
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Chartres Cathedral Rose Window (above) |


Symbolism- the north rose of Notre Dame, Paris
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‘Bullseye’ leadlight window at 23 Drummoyne Avenue, Drummoyne |
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Coloured Glass paned window sets
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Inside the Chartres Cathedral, France |
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Small coloured glass panels in the upper window transoms are typical Federation features |
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Leadlight glass |
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Haberfield leadlight door and windows |
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(Left)The windows of the choir of Cologne Cathedral, (early 14th century)
(Right) Crucifixion with Ss Catherine, George and Margaret, Leechkirche, Graz, Austria |
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Pair Of Backlit Gothic Stained Glass windows |
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Coloured glass sash windows |
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Coloured Patterned Glass Verandah window |
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Gargolyes and Roof Ornaments
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gargoyles atop The Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption in Covington, KY. Twenty-six gargoyles to be exact, all carved in Italy |
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Ramshorn finial |
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Gargoyle in form of a lion Cathedral Saint-Etienne de Meaux |
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Ramshorn finial over left gable and on hipped ridge |
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Verandah valences
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Charlton, near Byron Bay, showing verandah frieze and gable decoration |
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Ancient Gothic Church Parapet |
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A Queenslander style house in New Farm.. |
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Neo-Gothic buildings have many of these features:
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West front of Notre Dame Cathedral, Reims, France |
- Strong vertical lines and a sense of great height
- Pointed windows with decorative tracery
- Gargoyles and other carvings
- Pinnacles
In the industrial revolution of the 19th Century, Gothic ornamentation jumped from requiring expensive hand-made detailing to much cheaper mass-produced effects. Religious influence allowed homes to mirror larger Gothic churches, family homes becoming an ideal of the family Gothic castle.
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USA Romanesque Revival Architecture with arched doors and tower arcades |
Probable Gothic influences on the mass-produced Queen Anne style are:
- conical towers (replacing steeples)
- front-facing gables
- ridge ornaments replacing castellation
- finials on apex of roofs and towers
- Ridge apex ornament substitutes for gargoyle
- leadlight glass windows (replacing intricate stained glass) and
- the sets of small coloured panes of glass above feature windows (as coloured highlighting)
- bullseye window replacing the grand rose window
- ornate gable ornament (instead of ornamented galleries or frilly barge boards)
- gable ventilators (compare the top gable inserts in both US pictures at upper RHS)
- bulky buttresses (to support side chimneys)
- verandah valances and friezes as attractive pseudo-gothic ornamentation
- arched window brickwork or arched entrance corridor
Haberfield Gothic
In 1901, Haberfield developer Richard Stanton, advertised some available house designs as being of ‘domestic Gothic’ style, which historian Vincent Crow describes as having a ‘characteristic cone’, usually on a verandah roof. [3] These are also called ‘turrets’ and are usually round or pyramid-shaped towers. The tall narrow towers are amusingly known as ‘candle-snuffers’.[4]
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8 Rogers Avenue |
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12 Deakin Avenue |
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14 Kingston Street |
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19 Stanton Road |
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19 Stanton Road |
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20 Stanton Road |
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20 Dudley Street |
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42 Kingston Street |
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78 Kingston Road |
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37 Dudley Street |
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Examples listed by Vincent Crow therein are:
- 8 Rogers Avenue, Haberfield
- 11 Dickson Street, Haberfield
- 11 Forest Street, Haberfield
- 14 Kingston Street, Haberfield
- 118 Dalhousie Street, Haberfield
- 19 Stanton Road, Haberfield (classified by the National Trust)
- 20 Dudley Street, Haberfield
- 21 Turner Avenue, Haberfield
- 30 Kingston Street, Haberfield
- 37 Dudley Street, Haberfield (classified by the National Trust)
Burwood Gothic
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Belvedere at ‘Verona’ 2A Appian Way Burwood |
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‘Alba Longa’ 4 Appian Way |
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‘Vallambrosa’ 19 Appian Way |
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Capri, 23 Appian Way |
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‘Colonna’ Burwood Appian Way |
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306 Burwood Road |
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‘Olmora’ 308 Burwood Rd Burwood |
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Belvedere at 74 Liverpool Road Burwood |
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Examples from the Appian Estate Area are:
- ‘Verona’ 2A Appian Way
- ‘Alba Longa’ 4 Appian Way
- ‘Vallambrosa’ 19 Appian Way
- ‘Capri’ 23 Appian Way
- ‘Colonna’ 304 Burwood Road
- ‘Talopa’ 306 Burwood Rd
- ‘Olmora’ 308 Burwood Rd
- 74 Liverpool Road Burwood
Other Sydney Examples of Gothic Queen Anne:
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78 Liverpool Road Burwood Heights |
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‘Alister Brae’ – c1904 Pymble NSW |
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Carr Street Coogee |
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Leadlight and coloured ‘lights’
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42 Kingston Street, Haberfield, showing both leadlight glass windows and coloured glass fanlights above, finial on pyramidal tower roof |
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Ridge Ornaments and Finials at the apex
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8 Rogers Avenue Haberfield, showing ridge ornaments and finials |
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Dudley Street Coogee showing finial and ridge decorations, arcades under gablets and decorated turret |
- Door and Window Arches
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Arched windows and brick arched doorway at Verona, 2 Appian Way, Burwood |
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Alister Brae: Grand arched entrance hall showcasing spectacular stained glass |
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Interior window arch at 37 Dudley Street, Haberfield |
- ^ Turcotte, G. (2009). The kangaroo gargoyles: Footnotes to an Australian gothic script.
http://researchonline.nd.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1000&context=arts_chapters
- ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_residential_architectural_styles#Free_Gothic
- ^ ‘Haberfield – The Development of its Character, by Vincent Crow, 1978, page 8
- ^ ‘A Pictorial Guide to Identifying Australian Architecture’, Appperly et al, page 134
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