There are many Historic Houses of all manner of importance throughout the world. We are looking for those which are significant in history, being detached and standing on their own land. They must be lived in or originally built as a residence so not just built for worship such as a church or temple, nor as a hostelry; there are separate categories for these buildings.
Ancient architecture involved building space for both living and religious purposes. Before the days of science there was much reflection on the ancient powers and the houses built during this time often incorporated intricate decoration based on the beliefs of this period. Examples of Historic Houses from ancient architecture include Ancient Egyptian, Ancient Greek, Assyrian, Babylonian, Etruscan, Inca, Minoan, Maya, Mycenaean, Persian, Roman and Sumerian and they all have their own Wikipedia entries. These eras alone cover aspects from both North and South America, Africa and Europe.
Roman Architecture is seen everywhere with the use of arches and concrete structures as we have developed the once ancient forms into their modern counterparts seen today. There is an Ancient Roman Civilisation category for any non-Historic Houses architecture. Roman Historic Houses are part of the Classical period in time.
Medieval influences can be found throughout Western Europe throughout the Middle Ages. Gothic and Tudor designs can be found in this period of history. As we progress in time the Renaissance brings a wealth of richness and extravagance to architecture followed by the Baroque period with the Rococo and Georgian representations of the 17th century.
During the 18th century 'The Age of Enlightenment’ became the period for knowledge as more and more information was gained about humanity and the world. Historic Houses during this time include architecture from Regency, Neo-Classical, Greek Revival, Neo-Gothic, Second Empire, Neo-Byzantine, Neo-Romanesque, Jacobean and Tudorbethan styles.
In the UK there are many houses which stand on large estates surrounded by parkland, often with deer or farmland attached. Many houses have their grounds designed by notable landscapers of the period such as Capability Brown (1716 – 1783). There are many of these houses open to the public displaying the art of the period both inside and outside the home. Much of the land around these houses form the estate and was once the Lord of the Manor’s abode. Nowadays the homes have either passed through the ages remaining in the bloodline of the family; have been sold to wealthy citizens; or may be managed by a preservation society.
In the USA are Historic Houses from the first colonisation of America, including those in Salem. Other examples are Thomas Hancock House, Boston, 1737 and “Stratford”, Lee Mansion, plan, VA, 1738.
Australia has architecture from the Colonial Period where the Georgian style is notable.
A Historic House can be posted in this category so long as it has some part of it remaining built before 1837. So, if there have been alterations and improvements made you can still post the house providing some part of it is old and you can provide evidence of this.
Any houses which are Victorian (1837-1901) can be waymarked in the Victorian Houses category. Also, there are specific categories for National Trust and English Heritage properties in the UK but please feel free to cross-categorize here if they are built before 1837, this is also applicable to other country's existing categories. There is also a separate category for Bygone Toll Houses.
UPDATE March 2010: We will accept certain semi-detached, important, pre-Victorian, historic homes and this is up to the discretion of the officers. We will not accept common, terraced houses of no importance and with little detail.
