Meet the Georgians
Who were the Georgians? Innovators. Consumers. Slavers. Emancipators. In an era spanning over a century, with four kings, all called George.
From the first George in 1714 to the fourth in 1830, the Georgian period encompassed 116 years of fascinating culture, people and architecture.
On this page you can:
- Find out how to spot a Georgian townhouse
- Take a tour of Georgian Soho
- Read our Georgian-themed Heritage Calling blogs
- Discover the lives of some incredible Georgians
- Browse our books about Georgian England
- Get discounted Archive prints from our Georgian gallery
- Get involved and share photos of Georgian sites
How to spot a Georgian building
Walk Georgian history
Spotter's Guide: The Early Georgian Townhouse
Soho has some of the best examples of houses from the early Georgian period in the whole of London. By the end of this short walking tour you'll be able to point out key architectural features that make a house early Georgian as well as learn some architectural terms.
Incredible Georgians
Discover the lives of some incredible Georgians, from
- Diarist and 'first modern lesbian', Anne Lister
- Prolific landscape architects, Lancelot 'Capability' Brown and Humphry Repton
- Slavery abolitionists Hannah Moore, Granville Sharp and Olaudah Equiano
- Joseph Antonio Emidy, the first African composer in England
- Learn about black working lives in Georgian England
- Find out about the slave trade and the road to abolition
Books on Georgian heritage
Historic England has published a number of fascinating books about our Georgian heritage.
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Slavery and the British Country HousePublished 31 July 2013
British country houses, their owners and their links to the slave trade in all its forms.
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Neo-Georgian Architecture 1880-1970Published 15 May 2016
Provides thorough coverage of the subject using examples from Britain, America and New Zealand including papers written by some of the best-known architectural historians and leading academics of 20th century British architecture.
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Georgian and Regency ConservatoriesPublished 1 May 2019
The only book available to focus on conservatories of the Georgian period.
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Danson House: The anatomy of a Georgian villaPublished 15 April 2011
Tells the story of the house, the estate, its owners, and its restoration by English Heritage between 1995 and 2004 after a long period of neglect. Danson House is revealed as one of the glories of Georgian domestic architecture.
Georgian images
You can buy high quality prints and gifts featuring Georgian-themed images from Historic England Images.
The Historic England Archive has an extensive collection of images of Georgian places all over England. Can you find somewhere near you?
Get involved
- Make your mark on history
Want to share your knowledge and pictures of listed Georgian sites with the nation? The List has over 400,000 entries from palaces, parks and follies to forges, prisons and pubs. Share your knowledge. - Join the conversation on twitter: #IncredibleGeorgians
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