372 THE VILLA OARDENEE. 



ivy against the outside walls, and suirounding the whole with a few trees, 

 will be equally efficient in keeping out the heat. If trees cannot be planted, 

 on account of the soil, or of shutting out any view, a slight roof elevated on 

 props of any sort will have the same effect. One of the most effective ice- 

 houses that we have ever seen, was sheltered in this manner by a wire trellis, 

 covered with Ayrshire roses, honeysuckles, clematis, and Virginian creeper. 

 Ice-houses may be built square just as well as round; and are at less expense, 

 as effective above the surface as under it. A square ice-house above ground, 

 or sunk 3 ft. into it, may have treble hollow floors formed of bricks on edge, 

 covered with foot-tiles or flagstones ; and its side walls may be treble also, 

 and built of bricks on edge. To form the roof, a 9-inch semicircular arch 

 may be first thrown on these walls, and over this arch three vacuities built of 

 bricks on edge and tiles : there may be five doors, as in fig. 220. ; and the 

 whole may be covered with a cone of earth or thatch 4 ft. thick, and clothed 

 with giant ivy. In fact, by the use of framework, or a stratum of loose 

 stones to keep the ice from the ground and to allow the water produced by 

 its thawing to drain away from it, and abundance of thatch, ice may be kept 

 above ground just as easily as potatoes. Ice-houses are, however, in the pre- 

 sent day, of comparatively little importance, from the number of freezing 

 machines, refrigerators, and other machines for making and keeping ice, 

 which have been lately invented. 



SECTION III. 



THE SCENERY OF A COUNTRY MANSION RESIDENCE. 



458. General observations. — Every place may be considered as producing 

 three leading impressions on the mind of a stranger : that called forth by the 

 entrance lodge, gates, and the portion of the approach which is seen through 

 the latter ; that which is produced by the fii'st good view of the house, 

 obtained from the approach road; and that which is obtained frqm the draw- 

 ing-room windows, after entering the house. There are many houses in 

 romantic or other extraordinary situations, to which these remarks may not 

 be strictly applicable ; but that they are so to all country houses in compara- 

 tively flat or tame countries, we think iQ'w persons of observation will doubt. 

 In this section, therefore, we shall submit a few supplementary observations 

 on each of these points, commencing with the entrance lodge and gates. 



459. Tfte entrance lodge and gates. — Good sense dictates that the architec- 

 ture of the entrance lodge and gates should be in harmony with that of the 

 house ; and hence, if the dwelling-house and oflSces have anj^^ marked cha- 

 racter of the Roman, Italian, Gothic, or other styles, the same ought also to 

 be obvious in the lodge. On the other hand, if the architecture of the house 

 and offices be mixed, or anomalous, so may be that of the lodge ; or the lodge 

 may be wholly in any one of the styles which is mixed up with the others in 

 the mansion. That in every case the lodge ought to be in a humbler style 

 of design than the more important buildings of the place, is suflSciently 

 obvious from its more humble use. Independently altogether of style, care 

 should be taken that the magnitude and seeming importance of the lodge be 



