152 



THE HOUSE AND ITS EQUIPMENT. 



with panelled woodwork round the walls, window seats, and often with a fireplace. At Heslington, not 

 far from York, is a two-storeyed building with an external flight of stone stairs leading to the first floor, 

 while below is an open arbour overlooking the bowling green. At Nun Moncton, on the opposite side of 

 York, there is a very good example of a square brick summer-house with ogee leaded roof surmounted 

 by an elaborately wrought vane. In some cases garden-houses were used as retreats and consisted of two 

 or more apartments There is a delightful example of such a retreat at Severn End, near Worcester, 

 erected in i(&amp;gt;6i bv fudge Letchmerc ; here he was wont to retire, perhaps for several days together, for 



169. AT CHARLTON HOUSE, KENT. 



quiet contemplation among his books. From his study a little kind of leper s squint enabled him from 

 time to time to cast a glance into his orchard, whose deeply-laden branches were doubtless not unknown 

 to the idle youth of the village. The well-known garden-house, built by William III., overlooking the 

 river at Hampton Court, is also an interesting example of such a garden retreat. 



Another favourite position for garden-houses was at the two angles of a court, like the superb 

 examples at Montacute in Somersetshire (Fig. 165), the finest of their kind to be found in England. They 

 are two storeys in height and are square in plan with small circular-shaped bay windows on either side ; 

 the lower room appears to have been always intended for the storage of fruit and tools, and the upper room 



