Channeling Downton Abbey
Ever since the British period drama, “Downton Abbey,” made its debut in 2010, Anglophilia has reached an all-time high in the United States–and Dallas is no exception.
As a result, we decided to show you a sampling of some of the English-style houses that RDDA has designed.
The facade of this house captures numerous quintessential elements of English architecture.
In England, most manor houses were built over long periods of time—often centuries—and were added onto as the family grew or fortunes allowed. As a result, an English manor house has frequently been built in an eclectic variety of styles, using a wide variety of materials.
To achieve this same aged, “built-over-time” effect (without the intervening centuries!) RDDA composed the front elevation in several sections, using different design elements and different materials in each section.
The east façade includes wood and stucco half-timbering, juxtaposed with rough-cut limestone—all materials commonly found in England and typically used in the construction of English manor houses.
The southern English manor houses of Kent and East and West Sussex often have the same flat, clay tiles of the roof used as the exterior material of the walls of the second floor. RDDA used this technique to cover the walls of the forms of the house to the left of the main entry.
The north façade has a more refined, Gothic feel with the pointed archway over the door, the trefoil windows on the upper level, and the pointed arches of the glass-enclosed porch on the right. The stained-glass inserts in the leaded glass trefoil windows contribute to the authenticity of the Gothic design elements.
Houses from the Cotswolds region of Southern England are often easily identified by the mellow yellow limestone with which they are built. Here in Texas the light-colored stone creates an equally pleasing palette, especially in the heat of a Texas summer.
The timbered porch on the front of this house has its roots in the farmhouses on the coast of Normandy, France–just across the Channel from Southern England.
True to the architecture of the Cotswolds, the façade on this Dallas house is accentuated by high gables, formed by the sloping roof.
These next houses are distinctly Jacobean in character. Jacobean architecture held primacy in England during the 1600s and combined a mélange of Italian, French, and Flemish Renaissance influences.
The Dutch influence on Jacobean architecture is evident in the shaped parapet wall above the entry of this house.
The front elevation of this house is dominated by two high, parapet wall gables with the distinctive brick pattern, known as “diapering.” The bricks are laid in bonds or patterns as a way of exploiting their decorative qualities.
The rounded archway at the entrance is classical, as is the balcony above.
The elaborate stone carving of the coat of arms and the oak leaves around the doorway was inspired by authentic carved detailing found on English manor houses and various public buildings that Richard Davis has seen during his extensive travels throughout Great Britain.
As you can see, the RDDA team has created numerous regal manor houses here in Dallas–houses in which even Countess Violet, aka. Maggie Smith, would feel comfortable.
Alas–RDDA won’t provide the butler to open the front door!
To see more images of these houses, please visit our website.
Regards,
Richard Drummond Davis Architects