126 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



[April, 



new ones, experience lias taught the importance of a judicious 

 selection of tlie locality, which should not lie too far removed from 

 the daily occu]>ation of the expected tenants, nor should they he in 

 close contact with the residences of a much hif^her class in society. 

 In reference to new buildings for the labouring classes, the most 

 rigid economy of arrangement, consistent with accommodation 

 sufficiently spacious to be convenient and healthy, and the utmost 

 attention to cheapness of construction, consistent with durability 

 and comfort, are essential elements of a really good and suital)le 

 plan. The architect should bear in mind that the rents which the 

 working classes usually pay, though exorbitantly high for the 

 wretched accommodation afforded them, will only j"st yield a fair 

 return for the outlay on buildings constructed for their express use, 

 and fitted up with all the conveniences which it is desiral>le they 

 should possess. Any expenditure on unnecessary accommodation, 

 which involves an increase of rent beyond that usually paid by the 

 occupants of such a class of dwellings, appears to be at least 

 hazardous, and may jeopardise the whole or a portion of the interest 

 to be fairly expected from the investment. 



The remaining branch of my subject, on which I have now to 

 speak more particularly, is that of labourers' dwellings in agri- 

 cultural or country districts. 



The attention of landed proprietors has often been directed to 

 the necessity for the improvement of labourers' cottages, and in 

 not a tew instances the entire aspect of a village and neighbour- 

 hood has in this respect been completely changed by tlie well- 

 directed efforts of a single landlord. Illustrations might be drawn 

 from the example set by many noble and wealthy proprietors: in 

 the first instance I will cite a case which shows how, with compa- 

 ratively limited means, much good may in this way be effected. In 

 the recently published memoir of John Howard, it is recorded that 

 when he first went to reside at Cardington. in Bedfordshire, about 

 1756, he found it one of the most miserable villages which could 

 have been pointed out on the map of England. Its peasant in- 

 habitants were wretchedly poor, ignorant, vicious, turbulent, 

 dirty. With his characteristic energy and earnestness, Howard 

 set himself, within the sphere of his own competence and influence, 

 to ameliorate their condition both in a worldly and spiritual sense. 

 Beginning with his own estate, he saw that the huts in which his 

 tenantry, like all others of their class, were huddled together, were 

 dirty, ill-built, ill-drained, imperfectly lighted and watered, and 

 altogether so badly conditioned and unhealthy, as to be totally 

 unfit for the residence of human beings. He resolved to begin his 

 work at the true starting point, by first aiming to improve their 

 physical condition — to supply them with the means of comfort; 

 attaching them thus to their own fireside, the great centre of all 

 )iure feelings and sound morals — to foster and develope in them a 

 relish for simple domestic enjoyments. 



The first step which he took in furtherance of these objects was 

 obviously a wise one, that of rendering the homex of the poor 

 dwellings fit for self-respecting men. This must indeed be the 

 starting point of every true social and industrial reformation. 



Your attention must now be directed to the very important com- 

 munication on the dwellings for agricultural labourers made by 

 his grace the Duke of Bedford through the Royal Agricultural 

 Society, in a letter addressed to the Earl of Chichester, President 

 <tf that Society, for the past year; and I feel assured that it will 

 not be deemed unsuitable for me to quote such high authority on 

 the obligations of landed proprietors. 



I have lately had the pleasure of examining a considerable 

 number of the new cottages recently built, with judgment and great 

 care, on the Duke's Bedfordshire property, which already exceed 

 ]0(); and it is the intention of his grace gradually to continue the 

 re-building of decayed tenements in the same county, until 300 

 more are erected. The building establishment at Wo'burn Abbey 

 is on a princely scale, comprising extensive machinery, worked by 

 a steam-engine of twenty-five horse power, and provides employ- 

 ment for 200 workmen. 



In Devonshire the duke is carrying out the same spirit of 

 improvement, to the extent of sixty-tour cottages. 



The example thus nobly set by the Duke of Bedford has been 

 speedily followed by his grace tha Duke of Northumberland, and 

 other landed proprietors have also undertaken the same good work. 



Plans of cottages built by the Marquis of Breadalbane, are pub- 

 lished in the V(dunies for 1813 and 1815, of the Transactiims of the 

 Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland; and jdaiis of the 

 Duke of Bedford's cottages are published in the last July number 

 of the Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society. 



To facilitate the adoption of plans vvhich combine in their 

 arrangement every point essentia] to the health, comfort, and 



moral habits of the labourer and his family, with that due regard to 

 stability and economy of construction which is essential to their 

 general usefulness, the Society for Improving the Condition of the 

 Labouring Classes published, and circulated extensively, a series 

 of designs for cottages, prepared with these special objects in view. 



Each dwelling consists of a living-room, the general superficial 

 dimension of which is about 150 feet clear of the chimney pro- 

 jection. A scullery containing not less than about GO feet or 

 70 feet superficial, which is of sufficient size for ordinary domestic 

 purposes, without offering the temptation to its use as a living-room 

 for the family; besides a co])per, and in some cases a brick oven, 

 provision is made for a fire-place in all the sculleries, by which 

 arrangement the necessity for a fire in the living-room through the 

 summer is avoided. A pantry for food, a closet in the living-room, 

 and a fuel store out of the scullery, are provided in all the cottages. 



The sleeping apartments vary somewhat in dimensions; that for 

 the parents in no instance contains less than about 100 feet super- 

 ficial, whilst the smaller rooms for the children average from 

 70 feet to 80 feet superficial. The height from the ground floor to 

 the first floor is 8 ft. 9 in. giving nearly 8 feet clear height for the 

 living-room. The bed-rooms are 7 ft. 9 in. where ceiled to the 

 collar pieces, and 4 feet to the top of the wall-plate, which, for the 

 security of the roof, is in no case severed by the dormer windows. 



In reference to situation, where it is practicable the front should 

 have somewhat of a southern aspect; the embosoming in trees 

 should be avoided, and particular attention ought to be paid to 

 secure a dry foundation; where this is not otherwise obtainable, 

 artificial means should be adopted by forming a substratum of 

 concrete, about twelve inches thick, or by bedding slate in cement, 

 or laying asphalte through the whole thickness of the wall under 

 the floor level. The vicinity of good water and proper drainage 

 are points of obvious importance. A gravelly soil is always pre- 

 ferable to clay, and a low situation is seldom healthy. 



It is desirable that every cottage should stand in its own inclosed 

 garden of not less than about ^-th of an acre, and have a separate 

 entrance from the public road. One well may generally be made 

 to answer for two or more cottages, and it is of great importance 

 that it be so placed as not to be liable to contamination either from 

 the drains, cesspools, or liquid manure tank; the latter should, how- 

 ever, invariably be made water-tight, the cost of which will soon 

 be repaid to the tenant by its fertilising products. 



As respects the material used in the external walls of cottages, 

 much must depend on local circumstances, and the facility with 

 which the various kinds of natural or artificial substances adapted 

 to the purpose are obtainable. 



The various designs published by the Society have, for the 

 reasons previously stated, been wholly arranged for brick, but by 

 increasing the thickness of the external walls they will be equally 

 well adapted for cottages built with other materials. The external 

 walls are described as 9 inches thick, and when built of this sub- 

 stance, in order to secure their dryness, unless the bricks are 

 unusually impervious to moisture, it is strongly recommended that 

 the walls should be hollow; this may be effected by three methods, 

 two of which require that the bricks be made on purpose. The 

 plan No. 1 has been used to some extent; and unless where the 

 bricks are so porous as to cause a transmission of moisture through 

 the heading courses, this plan will be found to answer, rendering 

 the walls dryer and cheaper than w hen built in the ordinary way. 

 Three courses, with the joints, rise 1 foot, the bricks being 3g 

 square; they are of the ordinary length — viz., 9 inches. 



The other plan is that of hollow bricks made w edge-shaped, and 

 bonded longitudinally over each other, so that two cavities run 

 parallel through every course of bricks, giving a double security 

 against moisture, as there are no holders to pass through the wall; 

 the rise of these bricks is also three courses to the foot, and they 

 are 12 inches long, which diminishes the number of joints, and gives 

 greater boldness to the work, more resembling stone in effect, 

 'fhese bricks are patented; they may be easily made with any tile 

 machine at a small cost per thousand above that of sound common 

 stocks; whilst from their increased size, which adds but little to 

 their weight, and nothing to the duty, it is found that nine of them 

 will do the same number of cube feet of walling as sixteen ordinary 

 stocks. The saving in mortar is full 25 per cent., and the labour, 

 to accustomed workmen, considerably less than to ordinary brick- 

 work; whilst great facility is afforded by the cavities both for 

 ventilation and warming. It should be added that the bricks for 

 the quoins and jambs may be either solid or perforated perpen- 

 dicularly.' 



* la addition to tbe patent bonded liollow-bricks, the application of which to the con- 



