234 THE VILLA GARDENER. 



poultry-court (n), brewhouse, &c. (o), of all of which the view is supposed to 

 be hidden from the house by the shrubs which form the boundary of the oval 

 area at the east front. The north end of the building (p) is supposed to be 

 the drawing-room, from whicb a covered way (q) leads to a conservatory (r), 

 in front of which is a flower garden, which may be entered either from the 

 covered way, or from the conservatory. From the covered way, on the right, 

 a walk (.9) leads out to an aviary (<), and to a compartment for fancy fowls, 

 ducks, &c. (u), in which there is a building (v) to be appropriated according 

 to the wishes of the proprietor. On leaving the flower-garden, and turning 

 to the right, the walk leads through a covered way (w), wherein is a seat, and 

 opposite to it a piece of water. Proceeding onward, a summer-house (x) is 

 approached, situated so as to have a view of the whole length of the narrow 

 lawn at its front." 



333. The conservatory. — The ingenious manner in which the conservatory 

 is made to front the south, and is, at the same time, connected with the house 

 by the covered way, is worthy of notice. This covered way might be greatly 

 increased in interest, if the roof were glazed, and moveable sashes were 

 adopted to the spaces between the supports in front. These sashes might be 

 taken out, and those of the roof taken ofl", in the summer time, and used for 

 covering beds of cucumbers and melons. A part of the floor of this covered 

 way, next the back wall, should then be formed into a bed for plants, and 

 might contain a very fine assemblage of such of the Australian and Chinese 

 or Japan shrubs as bloom during winter or in early spring, or Cape heaths. 

 The pathway need not, in such a narrow building, be above 3 ft. broad ; and 

 it should be carried along the front of the structure, in order that the eye 

 may look on the best side of the plants, which is always the side next the 

 light. Against each support, in front, a creeper may be planted, and trained 

 up it and across the rafter to the back wall. A long, narrow, and not very 

 high, conservatory of this kind is, doubtless, less grand and imposing than 

 one of larger dimensions, a view down the middle of which is seen from one 

 of the living-rooms; but it is calculated to afford much more enjoyment to 

 the lover of plants, as well as much more varietj- to the general observer ; 

 because each plant is, as it were, passed before him in succession. The dif- 

 ference in the enjoyment produced by a long, narrow, and comjjaratively 

 low, winding green-house or conservatory, like the covered way shown in the 

 isometrical view [Jig. 133.), and that produced by a rectangular one of large 

 dimensions, such as those commonly appended to first-rate mansions, does 

 not appear to us to be at all understood ; oi', at least, not to be sufficiently 

 impressed on the minds of proprietors of villa residences. The object 

 with such persons, when they propose to construct a green-house or conser- 

 vatory, is to have one which shall be considered large ; and, hence, the fear 

 of the expense often deters them from enjoying this innocent luxury. Now, 

 a large conservatory, if it is architectural, forms a very handsome appendage 

 to a house ; but, if it is not architectural, it injures the effect of the house, 

 by its resemblance to the common shed-like forcing-houses of the kitchen- 

 garden or of a nursery. This last kind of conservatory or green-house 

 attached to a house is, therefore, a deformity rather than a beauty ; while 

 the other, though it is a grand architectural appendage, is only adapted to 

 first-rate mansions. On the other hand, a long narrow conservatory, such as 

 we have described, is equally adapted to the cottage and to the mansion ; and 



