J44 LANDSCAPE GARDENING. 



character of the surrounding objects. To place such a 

 building in this country on a smooth surface in the midst 

 of fertile plains, would immediately be felt to be bad taste 

 by every one, as from the style not having been before our 

 eyes from childhood, as it is in Europe, we immediately 

 refer to its original purposes, those of security and 

 defence. 



A mansion in the Tudor Style affords the best example 

 of the excellence of Gothic architecture for domestic 

 purposes. The roof often rises boldly here, instead of 

 being concealed by the parapet wall, and the gables are 

 either plain or ornamented with crockets. The windows 

 are divided by mullions, and are generally enriched with 

 tracery in a style less florid than that employed in churches, 

 but still sufficiently elegant to give an appearance of 

 decoration to these parts of the building. Sometimes the 

 low, or Tudor arch, is displayed in the window-heads, but 

 most commonly the square-headed window with the Gothic 

 label is employed. Great latitude is allowed in this 

 particular, as well as in the size of the window, provided 

 the general details of style are attended to. Indeed, in the 

 domestic architecture of this era, the windows and doors 

 are often sources of great architectural beauty, instead of 

 being left mere bare openings filled with glass, as in the 

 Classic styles. Not only is each individual window 

 divided by mullions into compartments whose tops are 

 encircled by tracery ; but in particular apartments, as the 

 dining-hall, library, etc., these are filled with richly stained 

 glass, which gives a mellow, pleasing light to the apartment. 

 Added to this, the windows, in the best Tudor mansions, 

 affect a great variety of forms and sizes. Among these 

 stand conspicuous the bay and oriel windows. The bay 



