Victorian Architecture Trivia Quiz

Answer: All of these

The term Victorian architecture refers to the style of architecture popular during the reign of Queen Victoria from 1837-1901. This style was characterized by architectural revivals, such as Gothic, Italianate, Scottish baronial, and Queen Anne. The emerging styles were influenced by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert's interest and encouragement of arts and sciences, which continued after Albert's death.

This led to advancements in technology and industrialism, and expansion of the railways. These advancements provided architects and builders new widespread availability of ideas and materials, and advanced options in construction and design.

Inspirations for the new designs of the period were drawn from history, nature, geometry, art, and science.

Answer: Balmoral Castle

Victoria and Albert visited Scotland when they were 23 years old and had Balmoral built 10 years later in 1856. Balmoral was designed by architect William Smith and amended by Albert; and Victoria continued with his plans after his death.

Balmoral embodies the Scottish baronial revival. Balmoral was designed with a principal keep tower and large turreted country house attached. The original Scots baronial style was comprised of tall keep towers and turrets, but had thin walls. It became obsolete with the advent of gunpowder weapons, but was associated with chivalry and the nobility. Balmoral has continued to be the vacation residence of the Royal Family.

Answer: Royal Albert Hall

Royal Albert Hall was the world's first domed amphitheater. It was opened in 1871 by Queen Victoria in memory of her late husband, Albert. It was built in the Italianate style of architecture, and was made of wrought iron and glass. It was originally designed for an 8000 person capacity, but due to modern safety regulations, its capacity is now 5544.

At first, the acoustics were not good, as there was a reverberation of 11 seconds in some parts of the theater. Throughout the years, improvements were made, and finally, in 1969, large fiberglass acoustic diffusing discs were hung from the ceiling, which are still used today. Many improvements have been made in heating, ventilation, and sight lines.

The Hall now hosts 390 performances in the main event space, annually, across all music genres, including community events.

Answer: Osborne House

Osborne House is on the Isle of Wight and was a seaside residence bought in 1845. The original house was first leased and later purchased by Victoria and Albert, who then designed and constructed a new house to accommodate family and royal needs. It was built by Thomas Cubitt, a master builder, between 1845-1851.

He also built the facade of Buckingham Palace. Cubitt was not an architect, so the house was mainly designed by Prince Albert in the Italianate style because the beach and landscape reminded him of his visit to the Bay of Naples.

The Italianate style was inspired by Renaissance buildings and was popular in England and the US in the 1800s. The house was designed with formal rooms for official business and private rooms designed for family use and comfort.

The estate had a cottage for the children where they learned gardening. After Albert's death, Victoria spent more time at Osborne House, but there were fewer formal/official rooms than at her other residences. The Durbar Room was constructed in an elaborate Indian style for formal court and banquet occasions, and to house collections of gifts as Victoria was then Empress of India.

The ornate ceiling was designed by Lockwood Kipling, father of author Rudyard Kipling. The Queen used Osborne House for 50 years and died there. Her will intended it continue for private family use but her son, Edward VII, gave it to England.

Answer: Lord's Cricket Pavilion

Lord's Pavilion is a cricket pavilion designed in 1889-90 by Thomas Verity and Frank T Verity for the Marylebone Cricket Club at Lord's Cricket grounds. It is now a Grade II listed heritage designation. The Verity Bros were English theater architects of the Victorian era, who also assisted in the building of Royal Albert Hall.

The Pavilion is pink terracotta brick with a long, two story center section that has covered seating on top, placed between two end pavilions with pyramidal roofs with wrought and cast iron lanterns.

The historic Long Room on the first floor is open to MCC members, and lined with paintings of famous cricketers and administrators from the 18th century to the present. It is a rare honor to have a portrait placed here in modern times.

The Pavilion also holds the dressing rooms, each with its own balcony, from which players and personnel can watch the game. Players must walk from the dressing rooms through the Long Room on their way to the cricket field.

Answer: All Saints Margaret Street, London

All Saints Margaret Street is a church in London designed by architect William Butterfield. It was built between 1850 and 1859, and sponsored by the Ecclesiological Society. It is situated between a clergy house and a school.

All Saints Margaret Street is built of red brick with bands of black brick, and bands of stone on the spire. The interior is very ornate and colorful, with marble and tile marquetry.

All Saints Margaret Street, is considered to have initiated the High Victorian Gothic era. The High Victorian Gothic style characterized British architecture from around 1850 to 1870. It reinterpreted the original Gothic style, from around the fourteenth century into Victorian times.

At the time, All Saints' was thought of as Italian in character, though in fact it combines fourteenth century English details, with a German-style spire. The church is notable for the first use of polychrome in the city. Polychrome is a style of architectural brickwork using patterns of varying colors of bricks that highlight architectural features.

Answer: The Crystal Palace at the Great Exhibition in Hyde Park, London

The Great Exhibition of 1851, in Hyde Park, London, was housed in a building known as the Crystal Palace. The Crystal Palace was built and designed by Joseph Paxton, who drew on his experience designing greenhouses for the famous Chatsworth estate where he cared for the giant Amazonica lily. The ribbed floating leaves of the lily inspired the ridge and furrow system of its structure and drainage. The Crystal Palace was the largest glass structure ever created at that time, using the newest materials and technology. Paxton built it from scratch in less than a year, on schedule and on budget.

The Great Exhibition of 1851 was organized by Henry Cole and Prince Albert. It was the first in a series of World's Fairs--exhibitions of culture and industry, created to display technology from the industrial revolution.

Visitors to the exhibition were amazed at the glass walls and ceilings of the Crystal Palace that needed no interior lighting. Paxton expanded his design to enclose the large elm trees on the location site instead of removing them.
The Crystal Palace and the great exhibition are now considered symbols of the Victorian Age.

In 1854 the building was moved and re-erected in in an enlarged form at Sydenham Hill in South London, and the area was renamed Crystal Palace. It was destroyed by fire on November 30, 1936.

Answer: The Natural History Museum, London

The Natural History Museum in London, England, began as a collection in the British museum until its director, Sir Richard Owen, convinced the board that the collection needed its own space. Owen, an English biologist, comparative anatomist, and paleontologist, originated the name "dinosaur", and also had the vision that everyone should experience museums for free. Owen placed living and extinct species in separate wings of the museum, a decision that has been viewed as a disagreement with Darwin's theory of natural selection.

The original architect of the Natural History Museum, Francis Fowke, designer of Albert Hall, won a competition to design the new building in 1864, but died a year later. The project was taken over by Alfred Waterhouse, who changed the design to use terracotta tile inside and out to combat the sooty environment of London at the time. The building is in the style of Gothic Revival and Romanesque architecture. The main hall is cathedral-like, and the sculpted relief tiles on walls and ceilings depict flora and fauna, which is credited with sparking public interest in horticulture.

The building was begun in 1873 and was completed in 1880, though the move to the new museum was not completed until 1883.

Answer: Tower Bridge, London

Tower Bridge was begun in 1886 in order to provide a needed new crossing in the East End of London. It took eight years to complete. Queen Victoria wanted the new bridge to blend with the Tower of London, and it was built in the neo-Gothic style. Albert, Prince of Wales, laid the first stone.

There were challenges to combining the architectural style with the then modern Victorian technology. When original architect Sir Horace Jones died in 1887, he was replaced by George D. Stevenson. Stevenson changed the original brick facade with the more ornate Victorian Gothic style to coordinate the new bridge with the nearby Tower of London.

The bridge needed to accommodate river traffic so it was designed with two towers built on piers, and a bascule bridge with two leaves that opened, and an upper walkway between the two towers. The side spans are suspension bridges. It was built by 5 different contractors as it required engineering, hydraulics, and required foundation construction in the river.

Answer: Royal Courts of Justice London, England

The Royal Courts of Justice is considered the last great Gothic Revival building of the Victorian Age. The Royal Courts of Justice is located in London, and houses the High Court and The Court of Appeals of England and Wales, and only handles civil matters. Construction was begun 1874, and the building was opened by Queen Victoria in 1882.

In the early 19th century, as London grew and became industrialized, the courts attached to Westminster Hall became inadequate, causing courts to be held all over London. Reforms were made to the legal system and it was decided to construct a new and separate court building. An area of ancient and poor-quality housing was chosen as the location for the new court system located seven acres to the north of the Strand.

EM Barry and GE Street won the design contest, but could not agree on plans, and in 1868 Street became the sole architect. However, Barry's plan of a central hall with circulatory passages separating lawyers, witnesses, and the public was incorporated. Street died a year before project completion and The Law Courts were completed by his son, Arthur, and Sir Arthur Blomfield, a well-known architect of the day.

The Royal Courts of Justice has the appearance of a cathedral with arches, steeples and stained glass windows. The symmetrical main frontage of the building faces The Strand. The central section is stepped back and has an arched doorway leading to the Great Hall. There is a five-part window in a carved surround on the first floor, and a gable with a rose window above that. The design features many attractions inside, such as historical painting and sculpture, and includes a costume exhibit. Courts are arranged off the Great Hall which runs north-south and there is a courtyard to the east with offices for courtroom staff arranged around the courtyard.