45 2 



MECHANICAL. 



is usually termed a natural looking finish, 

 will certainly prove unsatisfactory. 

 GATES AND CARRIAGE TURNS.— 



First impressions are strongly influencing, 

 and oftentimes prove to be the founda- 

 tion of lasting prejudices. A neatly de- 

 signed and tastefully arranged gateway 

 at the entrance of a property creates the 

 favorable expectation of finding these 

 characteristics pervading other improve- 

 ments. An imposing entrance way, 

 therefore, becomes an important feature ; 

 but it should always bear a close relation 

 to the general style and scale of the situa- 

 tion ; and, if it is architectural in design, 

 should harmonize with the style of the 

 mansion to which it is an adjunct; at the 

 same time it may be more highly orna- 

 mented, keeping strictly in mind that no 

 amount of mere decoration will compen- 

 sate for any appearance of insufficient 

 strength or utility. 



Iron gates appear to greatest advantage 

 when they are hung to stone posts or at- 

 tached to pillars of masonry. A single 

 block of granite, fashioned into a post, 

 forms a very satisfactory support for an 

 ordinary iron gate. Large, heavy, and 

 elaborately constructed iron gates demand 

 heavier and more massive supporting 

 pillars, ornamented to correspond with 

 the style and finish of the gate. The 

 main or principal entrance gate to any 

 place, even of the most humble descrip- 

 tion, should be placed on a line receding 

 more or less from the line of the outside 

 or public road, being connected with the 

 latter by a curved line of fence. The 

 extent of this recess will vary with the 

 extent of the place, facilities of position, 

 and size and style of the gate; but ten to 

 thirty feet may be given as a range. 

 Even in places of quite limited extent, 

 the former distance will be sufficient to 

 give a decided effect, without encroach- 

 ing too severely on the grounds, and will 

 establish a largeness of expression to the 

 whole surroundings. In placing posts 

 for gates the mistake is frequently made 

 of setting them parallel to the public road 

 instead of having them at a right angle 

 to the road to which they properly be- 

 long. When the private road leaves the 

 public one at right angles, and continues 

 in a straight line for some distance, the 

 gate will, of course, be properly placed in 

 a line parallel to the public road : but 



where the front lawn is small in extent 

 and it becomes a necessity to branch the 

 road suddenly to right or left, the import- 

 ance of adhering strictly to the rule of 

 placing the gate at a right angle to the 

 carriage road will appear very conspicu- 

 ous ; for if the posts are set parallel with 

 the public road, it will be found to be a 

 matter of much nicety to drive a carriage 

 through the gateway without either com- 

 ing in contact with the post or allowing 

 the horses to walk on the grass or road 

 edging. Examples of this may be seen 

 in most suburban districts. 



The greater the inequality of the re- 

 spective distances between the posts and 

 the line of the outside or public road the 

 more difference will there be in the length, 

 of the curved lines connecting them with 

 the fence. One will be much shorter 

 and have a different radius from the 

 other; but this will not destroy the 

 symmetry of composition which a gate- 

 way should possess, since the apparent 

 utility of the arrangement will convey a 

 strong reason for its adoption, which can 

 be further increased by the judicious 

 planting of trees; besides, it should be 

 remembered that an expression of symme- 

 try can be obtained without having a. 

 strict adherence to uniformity in details. 



A space sufficiently large for allowing 

 a carriage to turn is a necessary conveni- 

 ence to a house, and as near to the main 

 entrance as practicable. In the front of 

 very large buildings, a gravel space wide 

 enough for this purpose is sometimes 

 provided ; but when the house is one of 

 ordinary dimensions, and the grounds of 

 only moderate extent, a large gravel space" 

 will very materially abridge the breadth 

 of the front. The reflection of heat from- 

 gravel is not pleasant, neither is it so- 

 agreeable to the eye as the grassy lawn. 

 Some of the objections to an bpert gravel 

 space are removed by forming a circular 

 carriage-way, directly in front of the 

 house, inclosing a bed for shrubbery or a 

 grass plot. The amount of roadway is, 

 by this mode, somewhat reduced, but the 

 evil of breaking up the front still exists; 

 nor does it provide all the requirements, 

 of a carriage turn, as there is no alterna- 

 tive but to perambulate the circle when 

 retiring; and the annoyance of having 

 vehicles and animals obstructing the 

 views from the principal windows of the 



