THE 



JOURNAL OF RURAL ART AND RURAL TASTE. 



Vol. IV. 



MARCH, 1850. 



No. 9. 



How TO LAY OUT A COUNTRY PLACE ? That 



is a question about which we and our read- 

 ers might have many a long conversation, 

 if we could be brought on familiar terms, 

 colloquially speaking, with all parts of the 

 Union where rural improvements are going 

 on. As it is, we shall touch on a few lead- 

 ing points this month, which may be con- 

 sidered of universal application. 



These cardinal points within the bounds 

 of a country residence, are (taking health 

 and pleasant locality for granted,) conve- 

 nience, comfort — or social enjoyment — and 

 beauty ; and we shall touch on them in a 

 very rambling manner. 



Innumerable are the mistakes of those 

 novices in forming country places, who re- 

 verse the order of these three conditions, — 

 and placing beauty first, (as, intellectually 

 considered, it deserves to be,) leave the use- 

 ful, convenient, and comfortable, pretty 

 much to themselves; or, at least, consider 

 them entitled only to a second place in their 

 consideration. In the country places which 

 they create, the casual visitor may be struck 

 with many beautiful effects ; but, when a 

 trifling observation has shown him that 

 this beauty is not the result of a harmony 

 between the real and the ideal, — or, in 

 other words, between the surface of things 



Vol. iv. 28 



intended to be seen and the things them- 

 selves, as they minister to our daily wants, — 

 then all the pleasure vanishes, and the op- 

 posite feeling takes its place. 



To begin at the very root of things, the 

 most defective matter in laying out our 

 country places (as we know from experi- 

 ence,) is the want of forethought and plan, 

 regarding the location of what is called the 

 kitchen offices. By this we refer, of course, 

 to that wing or portion of a country house 

 containing the kitchen, with its store-room, 

 pantry, scullery, laundry, wood-house, and 

 whatever else, more or less, may be in- 

 cluded under this head. 



Our correspondent, Jeffreys, has, in his 

 usual bold manner, pointed out how defec- 

 tive, in all cases (where the thing is not 

 impossible,) is a country house with a 

 kitchen below stairs; and we have but 

 lamely apologised for the practice in some 

 houses by the greater economy of such an 

 arrangement. But, in truth, we quite agree 

 with him, that no country house is complete 

 unless the kitchen offices are on the same 

 level as the principal floor containing the 

 living apartments. 



At first thought, our inexperienced read- 

 ers may not see precisely what this has to 

 do with laying out the grounds of a country 



