1839.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECTS JOURNAL. 



259 



To iiiuoeed, however, to give some specimen'; of tlio work — for 

 hardly could we attemjit any analysis, except by coj)ying the list of 

 contents, which alone would occupy a great deal of room — we will 

 quote the following, if only on account of the ingenious and pleasing 

 suggestion at its commencement : — 



For houses that have a garret, a sort of green-house may ho established 

 there, hy forming glass windows in tlie roof. An enthusiast amatem' might, 

 indeed, have the roof of his house entirely of glass, and train vines or creepers 

 under it; wliicli might he planted in llic grouuil, and their stems broiight up 

 against tlie outside wall, and covered with a wooden case. In such roofs, 

 the panes of glass slioidd not he more than 2i in. or 3 in. wide, or plate glass 

 should be used, in order to ju'event breakage from hail. The most fitting 

 suburban residences for having gi-ecu-honses are such as arc either quite 

 detached, or in pau's ; which last-mentioned jiouscs, in the neighbourhood of 

 London, are called double detached houses. In cases of this kind, whether 

 the houses are of the fonrtli rate or the first rale, they may always have a 

 l)lant-house of some kind attached to them. One of the most ordinary modes 

 of coimecting a gi'een-hoiisc with a small house is by placing it against the 

 gable end; it being understood that this gable end fronts the south, the 

 south-east, or the south-west : though, even if it fronts the direct west or 

 direct cast, such a green-house will answer for many kinds of green-house 

 ])lants; and for all kinds whatever, with an exlra-allowance of fire heat 

 iluring muter. For doulile cottages or houses, where the gable ends front 

 the south-cast and north-west, a green-house may be placed against each ; 

 but where the one gable fronts the south and the other the north, then the 

 one green-house should be placed on the east side of the house, and the 

 other on the west side. In single houses, the green-house may be placed in 

 a great variety of ways, ami uiay be of many forms, as will be seen hereafter, 

 aceor:Ung to the arrangement of the ground plan, and the style of elevation, 

 of the house. In whatever manner a green-house, or plant-house of any 

 descrii)tion, is attached to a house, means ought always to be i)rovided for 

 warming, ventilating, and watering the plant-house, altogether independently 

 of the dvicUing-house ; for few things are more disagreeable and unwhole- 

 some to human beings, as well as injurious to fnrniture and the walls of the 

 room, than the close damp effluvia from the earth, water, ami plants of a 

 conservatory. For this reason, the plants grown in conservatories inmie- 

 diately attached to drav\iug-rooms should be such as are natives of very dry 

 climates, (for example, the Cape of Good IIoi>e, Australia, &c.) and, conse- 

 (luently, recpiire very little water ; and the gardener should contrive to give 

 his waterings either late in the evenings, or very early in the mornings, when 

 there is no chance of the conservatory being in use by the family. Previously 

 to the hour when it is expected the family will walk in the conser\atory, it 

 ought to be thoroughly ventilated, so as to carry otf the damp ; and the 

 surface of the ground ought never to be kept very moist, in order to produce 

 as little evaporation from it as possible. 



We do not exactly agree with the predilection expressed by Mr. 

 Loudon for the square or cube as the best form for a house. Allowing 

 it may deserve all tliat is said in its favour, it does not exactly follow 

 that it ought invariably to be adopted to the exclusion of every other, 

 particularly where other considerations ought to be attended to, besides 

 those of mere economy. Far more do we approve of what is said on 

 the subject of views : — 



Variety in the views obtained from the house, and from flie different walks 

 conducted through the grounds, is one of the grand desiderata in every place 

 laid out in the modern style, whether its extent may be large or small. With 

 respect to the \iews from the house, the first thing to be attended to is, the 

 disposition of the rooms, so that their windows may look in ihfferent direc- 

 tions. Unless this has been studied by the architect, it will be impossible, 

 even in the finest situation, to produce much variety in the views. Suppose 

 a house placed on a slope, commanthug an extensive prospect ; if all the 

 rooms looked towards that prospect, all of them woidd have good \iews, but 

 these \iews would not be varied ; whereas if, from one side of the house, the 

 windows of one room (say the drawing-room) lookeil out on a level flower- 

 garden ; and if, on another side, those of the dining-room looked up the 

 slope ; while, on a third side, those of the hbrary, or breakfast-room, com- 

 mamled the distant prosjiect ; there woidd be three distinct characters of 

 view. Now, in very small places (say of a quarter of an acre, or even le<s, 

 in extent), this varied disposition of the rooms, or, rather, of the manner of 

 lighting them, ought never to be lost sight of; because, altogether indepen- 

 dently of distance, or of any object beyond the boundary fence, the views 

 may be reiulered of (hffcrent characters by the dirt'erent kinds of trees and 

 shrubs planted, by their ditfereut disposition, by a lUfference of fonn in the 

 ground, and by a difference in the architectural ornaments, or by the absence 

 of architectural ornaments altogether. Even a difference in the form and size 

 of the window, or tlie absence or presence of a balcony or veranda, will 

 altogether alter the character of the scenery. Wherever, therefore, a house 

 stands isolated, and ha% a clear space of a few yards on each side of it, it 

 may always have at least four ilifferent characters of view, independently of 

 the effect jirodnced liy lialconies, verandas, or other changes in the windows 

 or foreground. Hence, also, in hniited plots of gromul, whatever is their 

 shape, gieater variety of view will be produced hy placing the house nearer 

 one end, or nearer one side, than in the centre. Jn the latter case, it is im- 

 possible to get depth of view from any side, and ihw a great source of beauty 



is lost. A deep view includes n grealcr number of objects, and, cojisequcnfly, 

 admits of a greater variety of cllcct of light and shade ; it increases our ideas 

 of extent, and, Ijy concealing more from the eye than can he done in a con- 

 fined view, it gives a greater exercise to the inmgination. Add to this, that, 

 in a small place, depth of view is not exjiected ; arid, consequently, when it 

 does occm-, its effect is the more striking, by the surprise it occasions, as well 

 as by its contrast with the other views, which must necessarily he very 

 limited. 



We could wish to continue this extract by quoting also the de- 

 scription and remarks introduced in illustration of it, but unless we 

 could likewise give the plan of the house and garden, the rest would 

 not be very well understood. We must, however, hasten to conclude 

 our article, which perhaps we cannot better do than by extracting the 

 following general observations : — 



It has often struck us with smprise, that the proprietors of the finest resi- 

 dences in England, imblemen and gentlemen of liigh education and refined 

 taste in other things, possessing collections of the finest jiictures, and whose 

 eyes must consequently be familiar with all that is noble and lieautiful in 

 landscape, should yet conunit the laying out of their grounds to their garden- 

 ers ; or, at all events, ])ernut them to make alterations and additions in w hat- 

 ever relates to flower-beds, flowering shrubs, aud rockwork ; forgetting that 

 the life of the gardener has been devoted to the study of the culture of plants, 

 and not to that of tlie composition of forms, and their effect in landscape 

 scenery. Hence it is that many of the most beautiful places in England are 

 at this moment fhstigured by flower-beds, either jdaced where there ought to 

 be none, or put down of such shapes, and in such a manner, as neither to 

 form a whole among themselves, nor with the other objects near them. How 

 rarely do we find pieces of rockwork, or rocky cascades, in England, which 

 a man who had profited by the study of pictures could take pleasure in 

 looking at? It is clear to us, that the possessors of pictures in general de- 

 rive very httle benefit from them, as regards the ini])rovement of their ta.ste 

 in landscape. How few landed proprietors can, like the late Sir Uvedale 

 Price, and the present William M'cUs, Esq., of Reilleaf, transfuse the spirit of 

 the finest landscajie into the artificial scenery which they create in their 

 grounds? Many oouulry gentlemen are in the habit of having artists at 

 their houses, to take portraits, views, &c. ; and these beuig, in many instances, 

 the guests of the family for weeks together, we often wonder how it happens 

 that they do not point out the gi-osser errors of want of connexion and unity 

 of expression, with which they must so frequently he shocked in passing 

 througli flower-beds and pleasure-grounds; but we suppose that gentlemen 

 do not think of asking the opinion of a liiii<lscape-paiiiter on any point con- 

 nected with gardening; forgetting that the composition of fiu-ms is flie 

 business of the landscape-painter, and that his eye has been educated by a 

 long coiu'se of study and observation, so that he can detect what is right or 

 wtong at a single glance. There are some proprietors who have studied the 

 suliject themselves, or who fortunately knowing their own ignorance of it, 

 have had the wisdom to consult such artists as Gilpin, Nesfield, &c. ; and we 

 only wish that those wlio do without such a'd could ses their places as they 

 are seen hy men of real taste. 



We are aware that what we have said ourselves, and what we have 

 quoted, goes a very little way indeed towards affording much idea of 

 a volume consisting of between 7uO and bUU closely printed pages, 

 and illustrated with from 3U0 to 4U0 w oodcuts ; but we can recommend 

 it in general terms as one exceedingly interesting and useful to those 

 who liave either suburban or country residences ; and also to those 

 who arc concerned either in architecture or in gardening. 



FOREIGN MONTHLY REVIEW. 



The second number of this new periodical contains an article en- 

 titled "Modern French Architectural Decoration," at the head of 

 which is placed Thiolletand Roux's " Nnimau Recueil de Mfiiiiiserie 

 (t Decorations Interieuns." Perhaps the best way of recommending this 

 paper to the attention of our readers will be to give some extracts 

 from it, by way of sample. 



Granting that it may, in some respects, be a suhorcUnate part of their prac- 

 tice, we must be allowed to assert that decoration is a very important one of 

 their art, and that the study of it, internal as well as external, ought to enter 

 into every arcliitect's education. Many may, perhaps, be of opinion, that it 

 is one of those tilings which may very jiroperly be deferred, until after the 

 usual elementary course of training has been gone through ; we, nevertheless, 

 are disposed to hold that it is the safer course to cultivate a refined taste as 

 early as possible, lest, in flic interim, a bad taste, never afterwards, perhaps, 

 to be era(hcated, should spring up of its own accord. For want of duly cul- 

 tivating ail acquaintance with interior decoration, in all its manifold .ind 

 complex ramifications, it seldom happens that, if accidentally called upon to 

 furnish ideas for any thing of the Idnd, our architects have any better re- 

 sources than what they find in some analogous exterior parts. L'ndoubtedly 

 it is not every one who, in the course of his professional employment, may 

 Jiave occasion to exercise his talent this way ; hut eveu then it would not be 

 a whit mori useless to liiin than many tilings to wMeh lie directs Ui aften- 



