SUBURBAN RESIDENCES. 137 



occurs on the very threshold of a residence, gives but a poor example of the 

 taste which may be expected within. Wooden lintels to the entrance gates 

 of the front gardens of suburban houses are offensive on the same princijile, 

 whether the gates are of wood or iron. An ciror of a different kind, very 

 frequently committed in street gates and railings, is that of having them too 

 much ornamented for the style of the house. The gates of these two houses, 

 and the railing on the low wall between them, are composed simply of 

 straight iron rods, pointed at top ; and, instead of being painted of a pea- 

 green, as is very frequently done, they were coated over with boiling gas tar-, 

 when first put up, and nothing has been done to them since. This preserves 

 a proper gi-adation from the front railing to the railing between the pillars of 

 the veranda, which is of a more ornamental description, and is painted of a 

 stone colour. The trees in those parts of the garden which adjoin the house 

 are so arranged as to make each side present quite a different aspect. 



207. The ground-floor of each house consists of a jjorch and veranda, 

 terminating at one end in a water-closet {flg. 03. /"), and at the other in a 

 small circular conservatory with a domical roof (^), a view of the plants in 

 which is enjoyed equally from both verandas, as well as from both front 

 rooms : h is the dining-room, with a recess for the sideboard ; i is the library, 

 with two large, and three small, recesses for bookcases ; Ic is a grating over the 

 sunk area into which the back-kitchen door opens, and which communicates, 

 under an arch opening at/, with the ascending steps (m). The apartment (re), 

 which might have been divided so as to form a light closet to each house, is 

 appropriated to the house on the south side. The sunk floor consists of a 

 front and back kitchen; wine, beer, and coal cellars; pantry, store-closet, and 

 two other closets ; and two servants' bed-rooms. So many apartments are 

 obtained by making use of the space under the veranda; in which sj^ace, also 

 the main water-cistern is placed, with a sink under it, and also a fixed safe. 

 The dust-hole, water-cistern for the garden, lumber-closet, and servants' 

 watei-closet, for each house, are imder the apartment n. 



208. Out-door arrangemetits. — The front gardens are divided by a light 

 wire fence, in the centre of which is the pedestal o, surmounted by a handsome 

 sculptured vase of Coade's artificial stone. The back gardens are separated 

 by a flued wall, which, though only 10 in. thick, yet, being built with bricks 

 set on edge, and not having the ends of the bricks quite flush with the wall 

 on the north side, has a flue left in it 4 in. wide. The wall on the north side 

 is chiefly covered with ivy ; and, consequently, the surface of its brickwork is 

 entirely concealed. At the lower end of the back gardens is a double shed {p) ; 

 and on the south side of the party wall was a hot-house (q), and a green- 

 house, or glass case (r), for green-house plants, which were trained to upright 

 wires, against the flued wall ; one species to each wire. Over each rafter of 

 the hot-house was an iron rod, placed so as to be about 4 in. from the glass, 

 and connected with light horizontal rods for the purpose of supporting a 

 canvas covering dui-ing the winter nights, or in very hot weather in summer, 

 when shading is reqnired. This covering, when not in use, was rolled up by 

 means of a pulley, on a rod which extended the whole length of the house, so 

 as to be completely concealed from the sight, and secure from the weather. 

 There were similar canvas coverings for the glass case (r) : s is a double 

 wire ti'ellis for training fruit shrubs, such as gooseberries, on both sides ; and 

 in the south garden there was an additional trellis (<), placed on a dwarf wall, 



