262 



DISCOVERY 



well-arranged accommodation in reasonable surround- 

 ings, and a further consideration is tjiat it is not desir- 

 able to condemn the old people, whose children have 

 grovNTi up and married, to the old conditions. 



On the other hand, a fair proportion of the largest 

 class of dwelling usually built in housing schemes is 

 required for the larger families. The large living-room 

 was a useful innovation of pre-war days. The family 

 usually spends most of its time — when indoors and 

 not in bed — in the room which has a fire, and it is better 

 that this should be a comparatively large and airy 

 room rather than a cramped and stuffy kitchen. In 

 the case of the larger families a very good case can, 

 however, be made for a parlour in addition to a living- 

 room. To give one reason only, without this room in 

 which the children can do their homework and in which 

 the father can read and prepare his essays, the " open 

 door " to higher education is almost closed, and the 

 Workers' Educational Association is sadly handicapped. 



While talking about " open doors " it should be 

 mentioned that if there are two doors in the Hving-room, 

 they should be so placed that only a small part of the 

 room is crossed in passing from door to door. 



For many years the provision of a bath was a vexed 

 question. It is now generally agreed that it is a 

 necessity, and that it is best arranged in a separate 

 apartment. Some argue that it should be on the 

 ground floor, because many workers come home dirty 

 'and ought not to go upstairs in that condition. The 

 right line of development appears to be that of provid- 

 ing proper cleansing facihties at the works, and putting 

 the bath on the upper floor of the house, a position 

 which most readers of Discovery have in all probability 

 found very convenient. 



The average pre-war small house was narrow-fronted 

 and had a series of back projections which kept light 

 and air from the back room ; the newer type of house 

 has a wider frontage, and projections are either entirely 

 omitted or reduced to a minimum. This method of 

 planning gives a maximum of light and air to each 

 room. 



In view of the cost of upkeep, the construction should 

 be as sound and as simple as possible. Our faith should 

 not be pinned to any one material, whether it is one 

 which has received the sanction of tradition or one 

 boomed as an innovation by one or other of the daily 

 papers ; but we should experiment fully with every 

 available material and any method of construction 

 which seems at all likely to be satisfactory, while old 

 methods should not be " scrapped " merely because 

 they are old. 



Everything possible should be done to reduce the 

 labour involved in running a house. Wliile it is wise 

 to provide a picture-rail in the principal rooms, mould- 

 ings which collect dust should be chminated as far as 



possible, while metal work which requires polishing 

 should be reduced to a minimum. Much can be done 

 by careful planning of the house, and by the provision 

 of skilfully devised fittings and an efficient hot-water 

 supply to the scullery-sink and bath. It is amazing 

 that such a large proportion of our pre-war small houses 

 had no hot-water apparatus. 



Electricity will probably be used for lighting in most 

 of the schemes. For cooking, a coal-range in the living- 

 room and a small gas-cooker in the scullery wll pro- 

 bably be, on the whole, the best arrangement available 

 for some years. A coal fire will also in most cases be 

 provided in the parlour and in two of the bedrooms. 

 Coal fires have great advantages, but must ultimately 

 be superseded by methods of heating and cooking 

 which do not pollute the air with smoke. One important 

 point is that the ranges and grates should be really 

 efficient. It is not sound economy to save, say, twenty 

 shillings on these fittings if that saving involves the 

 tenant in additional expenditure on an extra ton of coal 

 each year. This comment applies to many other items 

 in house construction. It is obvious that we must keep 

 down first cost as much as possible, but it must be done 

 with an eye on future expenditure. To use a cheap 

 lock, for instance, which ceases to function after a year 

 or so, is extravagance, not economy. 



Attention to the above points will lead to the pro- 

 \ision of houses which are far more healthy and useful 

 than the average pre-war house, and the emploj-ment 

 of skilled architects will also result in houses which are 

 far more pleasing in appearance with little or no 

 additional cost. 



While the individual house will thus approximate 

 more nearly in its efficiency to the bicycle, motor-car, 

 and aeroplane, the question of the disposition of the 

 houses on the site must also receive careful attention. 

 The great majority of pre-war houses were 

 all built more or less to the same plan regardless 

 of aspect, with the result that in a large pro- 

 portion of houses the sun either entered none of 

 the rooms or the wTong ones. This seems a simple, 

 obvious matter, but it is true to say that for the first 

 time large numbers of small houses are being built 

 specially designed so that the sun shall lighten the 

 living-room and be kept out of the larder. 



Again, instead of the dreary, monotonous rows of 

 houses w^hich complied rigidly with pre-war by-laws, 

 the new houses are being arranged in short blocks, each 

 usually consisting of four houses, a method which 

 gives a more pleasant and a healthier result. 



Owing largely to lack of forethought in the days 

 before the war, unimportant roads and footpaths were 

 often made unnecessarily wide and expensive. Now 

 that schemes dealing with considerable areas are being 

 w^orked out carefully, much money can be saved and 



