By the middle of the Victorian era it was evident that expansion, increased wealth and prosperity, advanced industrialisation, European global colonisation and advancements in scientific and educational parameters, fuelled the general British notion that all was well and would continue to be well. Britain became Great Britain and Britannia ruled the waves.

In a sense it was a time of celebration. There was the gold rush in Australia in the 1850’s. Britain assumed direct control of India in 1858. America was busy with the railway and industrialisation was becoming a global phenomenon. Now the Victorian era could legitimately let go of the confining and stuffy formalism that had heretofore defined it. Now it could be more flamboyant and celebratory.

One of the most representative examples of this in an Australian context is the Melbourne Parliament House building (1856).

This was what the building was supposed to look like – complete with imperial dome and spire. Many buildings of the time were adorned with domes – as if to state – this is where we are, there is a prominence to our existence and we are here. But, as it prevailed the building was erected minus the dome, but looks grand and imposing nevertheless.

This style kept the basics of classical architecture and then added some flair. Parapets concealed and adorned roofs. Often there were towers or domes atop public buildings and monuments. Stairways at the entrance of buildings were often enlarged or made grander than necessary to add to the overall elaborateness of a building. Columns, once plain and austere, were now adorned and embellished. Pilasters were common as were aedicule – surrounds of windows to make them look like small temples.

Symmetry was still the order of the day and examples can be found all over Australia. One of the main approaches to designing this type of building was to treat it as a 3 tiered project – the ground floor as the base, the mezzanine as the main storey or first floor (also known as the piano nobile) and the top storey as the attic.

This architectural style was a grand and often opulent statement and reflection of the optimism of the times.