Victorian/Edwardian door numbers

[plasticpigeon]

I'd like to put some numbers on my door or at least somewhere on my house. Does anyone have any idea of what was normal during the turn of the 20th century? I have searched ebay and googled but can't really find any info. I'd rather not put letters on the transom light, and there is no evidence of this treatment, and I think cast iron numbers on the door would match the letterbox, but I can't find a font I like. I also don't know if numbers on the door was what would have been on the house when built. Any ideas?

 

[JoceAndChris]

Oh, your house is lovely. Looks so fab now plastic! I think numbers would have been up. In a town, a terrace, surely. The Edwardians revived Georgian style - all the fabulous Sheraton Revival furniture! And so I think a traditional font with serif appropriate. I researched my "Vivat Crescat Floreat" motto font carefully and used Bodoni to make my stencils.

The Jim Lawrence numbers are very close to that!
https://www.jim-lawrence.co.uk/house-letters-and-numbers

And you could get matt black to match your letterbox.

 

[plasticpigeon]

Hi Joce, thankyou. Those Jim Lawrence numbers are very nice, the best I have seen, I totally missed them on my search. I shall go and buy some now!

 

[plasticpigeon]

As an aside, the letterbox is not really black, but cast iron with a brown lacquer. I found the exact letterbox in one of my old Victorian catalogues and the finish was I think Kahala bronze or aty least some kind of faux bronze, which on investigation was a brown lacquer, so that was the finish I applied! It looks like this. Black letters are probably the best to go with though.

 

[JoceAndChris]

Oh good. I'd mount them ( check the measurements as JL is often big) in the middle of the door under the first set of little panels. Failing that probably alongside the letter box. It seems wrong to put them in the middle of panels!


Oh the letter box is gorgeous! I might go for antique brass then, their antique brass is lovely and dark. I'd also go for a swan necked light above the transom! But appreciate that may be impossible.

 

[Hobden]

Oh good. I'd mount them ( check the measurements as JL is often big) in the middle of the door under the first set of little panels.

Without actually seeing them (how many digits needed?) I'd say that that would look "wrong". Unbalanced, to my eye at least, as that position would create diagonals. If that makes sense to anybody besides me ...

Failing that probably alongside the letter box. It seems wrong to put them in the middle of panels!

Definitely not in the middle of the panels! I think they'd look better on the wall.

 

[mims&pip]

I'm going to be the voice of dissent, PP and say I'd do something on the transom :roll:

Our two Victorian houses in Hants had a similar set-up and other nearby houses had their name/number embellished on the transom glazing panel. We found a manufacturer of die cut stickers that could be made to your own design. We ordered an antique gold name for one house and number for the other and were very pleased with the results. Not sure I've got a pic as one of these at least were pre-digital camera days.....

The Period House Shops (Ludlow and Shrewsbury) have black house numbers that can be made to any size although the ones in store are quite small. Not sure if they do online ordering.

Mims x

 

[plasticpigeon]

Thanks Mims, I'm sure it could look nice, but the thing is, no houses round here, not one has a number, or any remnants of a number on a transom light. The cut vinyl numbers I have seen in gold with black drop shadow are stuck on the outside rather than inside for some reason which I am not keen on. Our house which has a shared gate, has a very small number on the gate post on our side. I think this may have been the only way the houses were identified, but nowadays i think we need a number on the house too, as so many delivery drivers knock the door to ask which number we are! I think the iron letters may be a bit more in keeping with the general look of the house. I think I shall get the antique brass as I can always paint them black if they are too bright! My front door is 6 panel despite being very early Edwardian, perhaps I should place the numbers in a similar fashion to one of the most famous doors in the country!

 

[JoceAndChris]

I think all the ideas are nice!

 

[88v8]

perhaps I should place the numbers in a similar fashion to one of the most famous doors in the country!

Inclined to agree.
But I think they would be best in the same lacquer as the letterbox, to avoid a bitty look.

Your lovely house... those adjacent... hmmm.

Ivor

 

[plasticpigeon]

Thanks Ivor,

I don't think I have played this house buying game too well, and bought my first house too late in life. I now find myself wanting to leave the city. I went to see the Flying Scotsman and Tornado at the Severn Valley the other day, and it reminded me how much I like that area, especially Bridgnorth. However family ties makes it impossible to move from Brum, but I really hope that before long we can move somewhere with fewer neighbours and more space. Somewhere where the odd choices of those living around me can be forgotten when I walk up the drive.

 

[Feltwell]

Bridgnorth is lovely, it's an area I'd definitely consider for the future.

Is there not a good chance PP that your house didn't have a number? Mine was built in 1899 and appears to have been just "The Birches" until the 1950's, when it became No.61 as well - despite the road being long-established by then, it took them a long time to number it.

As to what I've got for a number - just a plain grey slate block with 61 engraved into it, fixed to one of gate pillars. Despite it being blindingly obvious and right next to the road we still regularly get delivery drivers who fail to see it!

As to what to go for - personally I'd just go for any fairly ordinary Times New Roman or similar for black letters on your door. Not very inspiring I know but I think it would look fine.

 

[CliffordPope]

The present number might not have been the original anyway. Sometimes they completely changed the system (odds, evens, different sides, different ends).
I know roads today where the numbers are random, allocated in the order the houses were built.

 

[MatthewC]

Personally, PP, I would agree with Feltwell and put it on the gate post, although I have a large door similar to yours and the number is painted on the white fake stucco pillar.

NB Lots of modern houses seem to like being anonymous, especially at night, and if you look at Google StreetView to find a house you need to visit, it can be very trying!

 

[a twig]

NB Lots of modern houses seem to like being anonymous, especially at night, and if you look at Google StreetView to find a house you need to visit, it can be very trying!

Given that Google Street View is supposed to blur house numbers so that they can't be seen...

 

[Flyfisher]

How about putting the house number on the glass above the door?
Something like this . . . (Loads of other example images online)

Edit: oops - I should have read the whole thread before posting as I now see Mims had already suggested this, but I'll leave this post here anyway just for the photo.

 

[plasticpigeon]

I went and ordered the Jim Lawrence numbers. They were a bit bright so I toned them down a bit but I like the size and font. They went in the only place possible on the door, on the space between the top 4 panels, which look fine to me, even though the 8 is a bit crooked!

 

[JoceAndChris]

Simple and well chosen :wink:
A very effective and useful addition!

 

[mims&pip]

Very nice

 

[TheRoost]

Looks great, I'd given up looking for suitable house numbers, and had completely forgot to look at Jim Lawrence, they make some beautiful window furniture and ceiling hooks too.