Stockbroker's Tudor

Stockbroker's Tudor is an architectural style built around mock Tudor detailing that flourished in Britain during the first half of the twentieth century, especially in the commuter suburbs of Metroland around London that expanded before and during that period; the name was coined by the architectural historian and cartoonist Osbert Lancaster in his 1938 book Pillar to Post. Houses in the style carry pastiche Tudor features on their facades, old oak beams, leaded window panes and small discs of bottle glass, elements genuine Tudor buildings had abandoned once their owners grew wealthier, and interiors often added period touches such as four poster beds and timber beamed ceilings. Access to the style was at first limited to affluent buyers such as stockbrokers because of its construction costs, but cheaper building methods soon brought it within reach of mass produced suburban housing estates, an irony Lancaster himself noted, pointing out that these accurate reproductions of historic cottages nonetheless came fitted with modern conveniences such as central heating and a garage. Examples of the style later appeared in Australia, Canada, Ireland and the United States as well.