Is there anything as satisfying as a Tudor-style home? And did you know that Tudor architecture has a long and twisty history? Tudor architecture is the final evolution of Medieval architecture in England, during the Tudor period from 1485 to 1603, which includes the reigns of Henry VII, Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. In the U.S., a medley of Tudor-era styles — everything from folk cottages to early Renaissance palaces — was combined in a building heyday that lasted from the 1890s to 1940s, especially in affluent suburbs. The materials used for Tudor-style homes were expensive — solid masonry, slate for roofs, brick and stucco for walls, decorative stone — which made the 1920s a high point: The style was sometimes called Stockbroker Tudor, because the homes’ financially successful owners had made their wealth in the booming ’20s stock market. Here, three terrific Tudors represented by Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty, and some keys to the Tudor style.

4209 Bordeaux Avenue in Highland Park, represented by Ralph Randall

4209 Bordeaux Avenue in Highland Park, represented by Ralph Randall

Brick and/or stucco walls, a façade dominated by one or more front-facing gables, a steeply pitched roof that is usually side-gabled and has eaves that may plunge almost to the ground, massive chimneys often topped with decorative chimney pots, tall and narrow multi-paned windows often in multiple groups and decorative half-timbering — a signature characteristic.

3650 University Boulevard in University Park, represented by Bill Churchill and Faisal Halum

3650 University Boulevard in University Park, represented by Bill Churchill and Faisal Halum

FAMOUS EXAMPLES IN THE U.S. In Grosse Point Shores, Michigan, the 60-room, 1920s manor of Edsel and Eleanor Ford. In Newport, Rhode Island, the late-1800s Fairholme, the oceanfront summer cottage — at 24,000 square feet — of civil engineer, educator and philanthropist Fairman Rogers.

5427 Mercedes Avenue in Dallas' M Streets, represented by Kyle Baugh

5427 Mercedes Avenue in Dallas' M Streets, represented by Kyle Baugh

WHERE TO FIND IT Today, Tudor-style homes can be found all over North Texas. Your Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty agent can find the perfect one for you.