340 Notes on CounUy Seats and Gardens. 



bethan, Swiss, Italian, &c., as sufficiently obvious. In every 

 cottage and its accompaniments, the appearance of one system of 

 construction should prevail, as v^^ell as one prevailing direction 

 in the lines of the masses. For example, in a Swiss cottage, 

 with its far projecting eaves and its surrounding balcony, hori- 

 zontal masses, lines, and shadows are decidedly prevalent ; and, 

 beyond a certain point required for contrast, it is not desirable 

 to introduce any vertical masses, lines, or shadows. The win- 

 dows, therefore, in such a house, should be broad rather than 

 high ; and, as those of the ground floor are protected from the 

 weather by the balcony, and those of the upper floor by the 

 projecting eaves, the very simplest form of dressings to the 

 doors and windows is all that is requii'ed. To surround them 

 M^ith rich dressings, or protect them by cornices or pediments, 

 such as indicate the purpose of throwing off the rain, or casting 

 a shade on the glass, would be in bad taste, because it would be 

 superfluous, or working for an end that could not be attained ; 

 it would, in fact, be counteracting nature, and setting at nought 

 the principles of art ; not to speak of weakening the associations 

 connected with style independently of the use of parts. 



4. Not altogether to omit objects purely ornamental, where they 

 can he introduced with propriety. There is no reason why a 

 cottage garden should not have its sculptural ornaments as well 

 as the garden of a palace; and it is quite reasonable that in both 

 cases the occupant should endeavour to get the best ornaments 

 he can affbrd. Formerly, the doctrine used to be, that the 

 dwelling of the cottager ought to be low, in order to be expressive 

 of humility; and void of exterior ornament except creepers 

 and flowers, to express the condition of life, or, in other words, 

 the poverty of the inhabitant. But the cottager is now becom- 

 ing a reading and thinking being ; and having a taste for health, 

 comfort, and ornament, in common with other classes of society, 

 he requires higher and better lighted and ventilated rooms ; and 

 these, as well as his garden, he will ornament as far as his cir- 

 cumstances will permit. The time has gone by for one class of 

 society to endeavour to mark another with any badge whatever, 

 and therefore we would wish all architects, when designing cot- 

 tages, to abandon their long-received ideas. " In the construc- 

 tion of cottages, as well as of all other kinds of buildings, great 

 care should be taken that every part should be in its pi'oper charac- 

 ter ; for nothing can appear more absurd or out of place, than 

 to see mouldings or ornaments, which belong to the regular styles 

 of architecture, introduced in a cottage." This was published 

 in 1805, in a work on labourers' cottages, by an architect of 

 eminence; but in 1840, in the recently improved cottages through- 

 out the country, we see the " mouldings and ornaments which 

 belonop to the regular styles of architecture " as carefully applied 



