Domestic Architecture. 93 



castle crowning the sudden rocky eminence, breaking upwards 

 out of the midst of quiet undulating valleys, only enhances 

 by its bold contrast the pastoral beauties of the lowlier 

 dwellings at its foot. It is only needful that it fills its appointed 

 place, and by its very antagonism harmonises with its surroundings. 

 But i,t is a hard question to answer, what style or general type 

 of building of this class is most suitable to our climatic environment. 

 Probably the best way to get at this is to assemble together some of 

 the main conditions under which we live, and to consider what, 

 following thereon, we are likely to want, and what to avoid. 



I shall, therefore, consider the conditions in Durban only as an 

 example. The geographical position is one on the seaboard, and 

 within the semitropical belt. The climate, we all know, is often 

 steamy and hot in the summer months, and particularly so during 

 the nights. During the winter months the temperature seldom falls 

 much below 60 deg. , and is often higher, but generally the climate for 

 these months is equable and delightful, cool by comparison to the 

 summer months, but hardly ever cold enough to make fires tolerable 

 in any of the rooms, and the annual rainfall is small. The summer 

 beats are sometimes tempered by comparatively cool sea breezes. 

 We are subject to heavy torrential rains and violent thunder- 

 storms, often accompanied by severe hurricanes of short duration, 

 but quite long enough to do severe damage. The soil is for the 

 most part sandy and porous, except in some of the lovv-lying districts, 

 but it is generally reproductive. There is a plentiful water supply 

 and a good drainage system in Durban, but neither outside the 

 Borough limits. European servants are employed as a rule only by 

 the well-to-do, and Kaffir and Indian servants are the rule. 



The suggestions which seem to me to be offered by these condi- 

 tions, are the saving of as much labour as possible, a condition 

 admirablv fulfilled by the bungalow style of residence ; that stairs 

 are objectionable, as increasing the labour of those who order the 

 house, and that, therefore, the one storey house is preferable for that 

 reason to two or three storey buildings, which in colder climates are 

 the rule. Provision is required for a plentiful supply of fresh air, 

 and particularly for the inlet of any cool breeze arising during the 

 warm nights. At the same time, it is undesirable to sleep with unsecured 

 open doors and windows, thus leaving the house available to prowlers 

 by night, a requirement which may be met by double sashes or case- 

 ments, lined with wire-gauze, to exclude mosquitoes and other 

 flying pests, or bv louvred casements. Even on these, wire-gauze 

 is an advantage and does not show when they are opened during the 

 dav. I have even seen a verandah so protected by wire-gauze 

 that it could be used as a sleeping apartment on wMrm nights when 

 desired, and there is no reason why in some houses special arrange- 

 ments should not be made to provide sleeping compartments of this 

 nature. 



Sustained periods of drought, causing much dust, entail a good 

 deal of labour in window cleaning, and this is enormously increased 



