318 WiltsJiire Books, PampJdets, and Articles. 



book on Wiltshire that has appeared for many years. Its. value consists 

 chiefly in the beautiful full-page illustrations from the author's pen-and- 

 ink sketches, of which there are twenty-six in the volume, in addition to 

 several smaller sketches and the cuts of armorial bearings. These sketches 

 are excellently reproduced ; indeed, the whole get-up of the book is very 

 good. The letterpress is short and— as the author states in the preface — 

 is for the most part taken from various published sources of topographical 

 information, and therefore does not contain very much that is original. 

 This could hardly have been otherwise under the circumstances, as in the 

 case of many of the houses illustrated here there is extremely little in the 

 way of history available in print. 



Mr. Elyard is at heart an artist rather than an architect. He prefers 

 always to draw his subject from the most picturesque point of view. He 

 studies the grouping of his picture more than the details of the work he 

 is drawing— and in the volume befoi-e us he has given us a series of really 

 charming views of our old Wiltshire houses, but he has not given us any 

 of those details which are very often to the real student of domestic archi- 

 tecture of equal if not greater interest than the general appearance of the 

 building. The fireplaces, the staircases, the ceilings, the wood-work of 

 many an old house are often the most interesting parts about it, and the 

 ground-plan in the more important and perfect houses at least is most 

 desirable for the understanding of the history of the building. But it is 

 scarcely fair to quarrel with Mr. Elyard when he has given us so much 

 that is excellent, because he has not given us more. We may hope that 

 in any further series of drawings— and it is greatly to be wished that the 

 author may not rest satisfied with his present achievement, but may in 

 due time give us another instalment of " Wiltshire Houses " — the interiors 

 and details will receive rather more attention. As an earnest of this we 

 are indebted to him for the two sketches of the interior of Stockton House 

 ■ which illustrate the report of the Warminster Meeting in this number of 

 the Magazine. 



The houses chosen for illustration — though a few of the well-known 

 buildings, such as the Duke's House at Bradford, the Porch House at 

 Potterne, South Wraxall and Great Chalfield appear— are for the most part 

 examples of beautiful and interesting old buildings which having sunk to 

 the condition of farm-houses, often in remote situations, are but little if 

 at all known out of their own immediate neighbourhood. Sheldons, 

 Tockenham, Restrop, Cadenham, Edington, Can Court, and the others of 

 this class are the more welcome because they are comparatively unknown. 

 Mr. Elyard has exercised a wise discretion in giving them to us, and those 

 who were sensible enough to subscribe to his work may congratulate them- 

 selves on having acquired so fine a volume at such a very moderate price. 



