GARDEN SEATS 



201 



smelling cushion. Then came a third and lower level, 

 with a narrow strip of pavement or brickwork to keep the 

 feet from damp. Often the brickwork which formed these 

 seats was built round three sides only of a small garden 

 or court, so that access to the grass-plot or bright flower- 

 bed in the centre was gained upon the fourth side. 

 We can picture 



how bright and 

 gay such little 

 gardens were 

 from the pictures 

 we see of ladies 

 plying their 

 tapestry - craft, 

 whilst gaily 

 dressed pages 

 played the lute 

 or harpsichord to 

 while away the 

 time. 



FIG. 117. 



It is to Holland that we go for treillage seats and 

 arbours, many of which are nice to copy for English 

 gardens. As they are only made of wood, any ingenious 

 handy man can erect them if given an idea as to the 

 proportions required in the particular site that is chosen. 



A very charming one is Fig. 117, which is evidently 

 built against a wall. Four wooden columns support it, 

 and a dome-shaped wooden roof rises from these. The 

 intervals between the main supports are filled with wooden 

 battens, either placed straight or extended fan-shaped 

 from a centre. The little decorative knob and flag on 

 the roof give a pleasing lightness to this design. The 

 woodwork can be painted any colour or creosoted. 



In all work it is often necessary to modify greatly the 

 designs, whether they are suggested by ancient craftsmen 



