HOUSES AND GARDENS 



us assume the case of a hillside sloping to the south. Here in the old days 

 it is probable that the house would have been built in the valley at the bottom 

 of the hill, because the builders valued shelter and cared little about outlook. 

 But in modern times the tendancy would be to place the house, if not on the 

 hilltop, at least as near to it as possible, in order to get the most extensive 

 outlook. In most cases it seems the wiser course to secure as far as possible 

 both view and shelter by placing the house in such a case about half-way up 

 the hill, so that the higher ground to the north shelters the house from cold 

 winds and forms a fine background to the building, which rises above terraces 

 formed in the hillside to the south. If the approach to the house is from a 

 road which runs parallel to the hillside on the north side, the conditions 

 will be favourable for the best possible arrangement of the grounds. It 

 must not be supposed that the approach to a house from a higher level is 

 necessarily undesirable. One catches then at first a glimpse of the building 

 lying low amid its encircling gardens, giving an impression of sheltered 

 homeliness which is perhaps preferable in some respects to the view from the 

 valley, where the house is seen towering above its terraces. In discussing the 

 question of steps and levels in the interior of the house itself this matter has 

 already been mentioned, and here the same principles may be applied. It will 

 be found that while the approach from a higher level suggests snugness and 

 homely comfort in the house, in the approach from below these qualities are 

 exchanged for dignity and impressiveness of effect. The distance of the 

 house from the road is a question which demands careful consideration. In 

 cases where the site is on the north side of the road, and the house must be 

 approached from the south, the drive should be kept to either the east or 

 western side of the site, and should be screened from the gardens opposite the 

 south front. In such a case the conditions suggest that the house should be 

 placed well back from the road, and the entrance to the house should be placed 

 at the end rather than in the centre of the south front. But where the opposite 

 conditions obtain, and the house is approached from a road on its north 

 boundary, the house would then naturally be placed nearer the road to allow 

 ample space for the garden opposite its south front. This arrangement is 

 the best one for a country house, though the town-bred mind is apt to 

 rejoice in making the approach to the house from the south, with the 

 drawing-room bay window at the side of the front door. In cases where 

 the road is to the east or west of the house the front entrance may well be 

 placed facing the road, but the house should be kept to the north side of 

 the site, so that the greatest possible space may be available to the south. 



In thus fixing the position for the house on the site the question of 

 aspect is here the main factor, but where the site is restricted it may be 

 necessary to give up the idea of the south front overlooking the garden, 

 and to be content instead with a garden outlook which faces west or east, 

 bnt in such cases, wherever possible, windows to the south should be 

 introduced to admit the sunlight. Special local conditions may often modify 

 the principles advanced, but in most cases the question of aspect will be the 

 dominant factor in determining the situation of the house. 

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