Edwardian doors & Edwardian Front Doors

Further to our article “The Doors of the Monarchs “(link) what specific criteria define an Edwardian door.

As the Edwardian era marked the continuation of a period of prosperity there was a rise in the new middle classes and a demand for airy, larger homes that were easily commutable to the towns and cities, built on a larger plot than the Victorians and were likely to be wider to accommodate a larger hall and longer as the popularity of gardens front and back was very much in vogue. Rooms for servants were no longer needed so gone were the cellars and second floors External decoration of properties was flamboyant and elaborate with carved woodwork adorning balconies, veranda, and porches and Multi paned sashes and casements windows which sat within deep bay windows were extremely popular.

Different to its Victorian predecessor, the Edwardian front door was generally larger while still  has reflecting  the strong influence of the Queen Anne Revival or Art Nouveau styles, with a dressed stone or terracotta surround to the carved panelled doors which would generally be made of teak or untreated oak

Terraced or street houses of the Edwardian era are characterized by their wooden porches with turned spindles, brackets and fretwork with front doors t made of mass-produced softwood which would have been painted in a range of colours with the carved door panels and frames were often decorated in contrasting shades.

 

The front door or carved door to a suburban house frequently has a glazed top panel to allow light into the hallway, dependent upon the style of door this panel could have plain or bevelled rectangular panes of glass, or Art Nouveau coloured leaded lights, often arranged to form an abstract design.

 

The one item which was common to both Terraced and Suburban properties was the use of tiling to both entry paths and porch walls.

 

The major change during the Edwardian era was the introduction of the Electric doorbell although knockers continue to be fitted.

 

If you should choose to replace your front door with a new Edwardian style door there is now an alternative to the solid timber original and this comes in the shape of a composite door as supplied by Global Door.

The benefit of choosing a composite door over a timber door is that the solid thermally insulated polyurethane foam core slab and similarly the 2mm through coloured GRP cladding can be cut and moulded during the construction process to mimic the design of all of the classic pattern doors.

Edwardian doors purchased from Global door are manufactured to exacting factory standards and must comply with stringent quality control criteria. manufactured to a thickness of 44mm ensures a strength and durability the equivalent of any timber door and every door comes with appropriate “third party” accreditations to both “Secured by design” and PAS 23&24 – so they will look and perform as well as any original Edwardian door.