Houses designed in 1900-1914 were often called ‘Federation’
styled houses. The more affluent classes lived on the northern shore and in the
eastern suburbs and tended to have larger homes with often included having
gardens, proper sewerage pipes and more rooms. The working class more commonly
lived in inner-city terraces. The ‘Federation’ house is often referred to as
the Australian version of the ‘Edwardian’ house in England. The main characteristics of ‘Federation’
houses are:
- They were usually smaller to avoid having the coat of a maid
- They were suburban in the fact that each house was separate and could have a garden
- Fireplaces were usually placed in the corners of rooms to avoid clutter and to keep the whole room warm
- The houses were often named (especially for the upper and middle class)
- Most of the resources used were supplied locally
- They were usually smaller to avoid having the coat of a maid
- They were suburban in the fact that each house was separate and could have a garden
- Fireplaces were usually placed in the corners of rooms to avoid clutter and to keep the whole room warm
- The houses were often named (especially for the upper and middle class)
- Most of the resources used were supplied locally
This photo depicts a typical inner-city working class home.
These poorer income families would not have sufficient funds to be able to
afford proper sewerage and sanitation and their houses would be small and
cramped on the inside.
This is a classic 1908 ‘Federation’ style house. The size
and amount of garden this property has tells us that this was probably home to
a high income earning middle-class family or an average high-class family.
