Victorian Architecture: Luxury Homes Built in the Revival Style

Luxury Defined celebrates the eclectic Victorian Revival movement with a collection of homes inspired by the reign of Queen Victoria, sovereign of the United Kingdom (1837–1901) and Empress of India (1876–1901). 

The Victorian architect was caught up in the tensions of 19th-century British culture. The yearning for tradition, order, and the beloved past stood in sharp conflict with societal change, and the rising technology and new materials of the Industrial Age.

Thus, the Victorians cast about them, reworking classical antecedents with “contemporary” upgrades, and a multiplicity of new styles emerged: the moody medieval and Roman elements of Gothic Revival and Richardson Romanesque; the mansard roofs of Second Empire; the turrets and gables of Queen Anne; and the Craftsman precursors of Stick-Eastlake style. 

New engineering technology embraced structural steel as well as the creature comforts of indoor plumbing and gas lighting. The Victorians reveled in ornamentation, classical proportions, craftsmanship and materials, yet their designs anticipated modernism. 

Their 19th-century cottages, grand country estates, and elegant townhouses brought in a new age of light, air, warmth, and comfort for homes which are still vibrant, exciting living spaces for the 21st century. 

1. The Villa 120, Hamilton Hoppin House in Middletown, Rhode Island 

The Hamilton Hoppin House, (Villa 120 as it’s also known), in Middletown, Rhode Island, was built in 1856 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.  

British-born ecclesiastical architect Richard Upjohn designed the residence in a transitional Italianate Stick Style, the first of its kind in the United States. Famous above all for his Gothic Revival masterpiece, Trinity Church on Wall Street in Lower Manhattan, Upjohn’s major residential works include the magnificent neo-Gothic mansion Kingscote, which marked the beginning of the “cottage boom in Newport, Rhode Island.  

A beautiful setting for guests and small private functions, the Hamilton Hoppin House has operated as an inn since 1984, with eight suites, an innkeeper’s quarters, a staff apartment, and an acre of tree-lined gardens, just minutes from downtown Newport. 

After extensive upgrades and improvements, the residence retains all of its period grandeur, including the stately, three-bay white façade with its arcaded open porch and stained-glass panels. 

The property could be returned to a single-family compound (conceptual plans were prepared by Newport-based AIA architect John K. Grosvenor). An additional parcel is also available for purchase.  

Related: Explore Charming Cottages and Cabins

2. St. Ann’s, Killiney, Co. Dublin, Ireland 

Presiding over 1.35 acres of glorious gardens overlooking Dublin‘s Killiney Bay,  this grand, circa-1860 Victorian house was immortalized in the painting St Anne’s, with Barrington’s Tower by Irish watercolorist George Du Noyer (1817-1869).  

In his best-selling 2007 book, Between the Mountains to the Sea, Irish author and historian Peter Pearson described St Ann’s as “a large Victorian house with terrace gardens, with unusual features of rounded corners, and a small gable in the center of the façade.”  

Architectural details such as decorative cornicing and coving, and hand-carved marble fireplaces reveal the Victorians’ love of ornamentation.  

The five-bedroom, four-bathroom residence was brought into the 21st century by the present owners. Among the updates is a modern kitchen extension, a bespoke dressing room, media room, and games room. 

The house is further enhanced with a detached mews which incorporates an indoor pool and solarium, gym, guest accommodation, and two-bedroom staff quarters.

The large, paved sun terrace, with a built-in barbecue area, serves as an ideal entertainment space on a sunny summer’s day. 

Equally impressive are the grounds, graced with gravel paths, flower beds, and magnolia, cherry blossom, oak, and horse chestnut trees.  

3. Italianate Townhouse in Savannah, Georgia 

This grand, circa-1871 townhouse on West Liberty Street is one of the notable homes in Savannah‘s National Historic Landmark District. 

Completed in 1871, the four-story Italianate-style residence has been meticulously restored over the years. The Savannah gray brick exterior walls enclose spacious, light-filled interiors with sash windows, plaster moldings, hardwood floors, and hand-carved stone fireplaces.   

Today, the property operates as a historic inn, offering 10 luxurious, light-filled bedroom suites, all with hardwood floors, exposed brick walls, and wood-burning fireplaces. 

An elevator serves all floors, including the garden-level apartment. The separate carriage house includes a self-contained guest apartment above a three-car garage.

Forsyth Park, Bull Street, and Savannah’s galleries and restaurants are mere minutes away. 

Related: Discover Shingle Style Homes

4. The LaBruce-Lemon House in Pawleys Island, South Carolina 

The LaBruce-Lemon House is one of the most beautifully preserved waterfront estates in the Pawleys Island Historic District.  

Spanning a 2.5-acre waterfront parcel between the Atlantic Ocean and Pawleys Island Creek, this picturesque property is nestled among the dunes and surrounded by oak and myrtle trees, offering the utmost privacy, just steps from the water’s edge.  

Built in 1858, the white clapboard main house has been lovingly maintained over the generations. The original 19th-century details include wide-plank wood floors, fireplaces, and, in the grand Southern tradition, a wide, wraparound porch. 

There are a total of six bedrooms, two full bathrooms, and four half bathrooms between the residence and the separate guest house.  

A summer kitchen, an oceanfront deck, and a covered boat dock on Pawleys Island Creek are further delights. 

Step back in time to the grandeur of the Victorian era. Tour our collection of 19th-century homes.