HOLIDAY, SPORT,, TRAVEL. 



OUR SEA-FRONTS. 



Beautiful and Otherwise. 



A TIMELY article on the " Architectural Treatment 

 of Sea-Fronts " is that by Mr. Brook Kitchin, in the 

 July number of the Architectural Revieiv. 



The Sea- Front at Ventnor. 



By courtesy of the Architeciural Revkw for 

 VENTNOR AND COWES. 



One of the most depressing sensations to a person 

 afflicted with a sense of beauty, he says, is the degrada- 

 tion of our beautiful seashores. We seem to have 

 touched the lowest depths of architectural baseness in 



catering for the holiday- _. _ _ 



making public. Happily, 

 however, there are excep- 

 tions, and it is also satis- 

 factory to be able to record 

 a great advance in recent 

 years. In such towns as 

 Cowes, Ryde, Ventnor, or 

 Bournemouth, where some 

 natural shelter exists, or 

 where climatic influences 

 are favouralile, the presence 

 of trees near the sea-front 

 produces admirable results. 

 N'entnor presents, perhaps, 

 the maximum opportunity 

 for a sea and south aspect 

 in its buildings, and though 

 advantage has been taken 

 of it, it is not with the 

 architectural effect whii h 

 the opportunity offered, 

 'ihe actual effect produced 



by the absence of any considered arrangement is con- 

 fused and spasmodic. Brighton, with its fine sea-line, 

 depends for effect on its single tier of high buildings 

 and the lay-out of the area between these and the sea, 

 Ventnor, with its natural advantages, depends on the 

 groups of buildings scattered somewhat aimlessly on 

 its steep contour lines. 



Southport, Eastbourne, 

 West Covves,and many other 

 towns have developed the 

 garden lay-out greatly to the 

 attraction of the fronts, 

 though the character of the 

 garden frequently loaves the 

 impression of the engineer 

 rather than of the artist gar- 

 dener. The Green at Cowes 

 is cited as an example of the 

 effect of grass, trees, and 

 sculpture on the sea-front. 



THE TOWN PLANNING ACT. 



The powers granted under 

 the Town Planning Act will 

 now enable councils to de- 

 termine in advance the 

 street-lines and the line of 

 sea-frontage of newer sea- 

 side places, and no council 

 having at heart the pros- 

 Ju'y- perity of its town can afford 



to neglect the opportunity it possesses of laying out 

 the sea-frontage to the best advantage. The careful 

 preservation of natural features, and a sincere effort 

 to secure a sense of harmony between buildings 

 and the natural features, should always be aimed at. 



The Green at Cowes. 



cou.-tisy iif ihc . \tihitcctut.\l Ktvif.'i for July. 



