Britl07ih Illustrations of Toddington. S6o 



which it will appear that the artists, amateurs, and gentlemen of our own time 

 have studied the subject more carefully and critically, and have, consequently, 

 better understood both the letter and spirit of this class of architecture than 

 any of their [)redecessors since the breaking up of the monastic institutions of 

 the country. This improvement in professional education may be ascribed to 

 the prevalence and popularity of public criticism and discussion on works of 

 art ; to the number and beauty of the publications which have appeared since 

 the commencement of the present century on the architectural and cathedral 

 antiquities of our country ; and to the demand for new churches, and other 

 buildings, which have been required, in this style, within the same period. It 

 would extend this Essay to an unreasonable length were I to enumerate and 

 remark on a moiety of these ; but it will be useful to mention and comment 

 on some of the houses which may be considered to have contributed, in no 

 small degree, to set the fashion, and to induce the proprietors of country 

 estates to employ a species of architecture which is so eminently suited to 

 harmonise with and adorn the park and landscape scenery of England. 



" Mr. Willson, than whom I cannot refer to better authority on these sub- 

 jects, says — 'By a judicious attention to appropriate models, a modern re- 

 sidence, of whatever size, may be constructed in the Gothic style without 

 departing from sound principles of taste. Some modification of ancient 

 precedents must be allowed, for an absolute fidelity will frequently prove 

 incompatible with convenience ; but as few deviations as possible should be 

 gone into ; and, above all, nothing should be attempted which is inconsistent 

 with the character and situation of the place, or which cannot be executed on 

 a proper scale of dimensions.' (Ibid., xix.) 



" ' The difficulties attending a successful imitation of the Gothic style ap- 

 pear to have been much less regarded than they deserve : it is asserted, with 

 confidence, that more attention must be paid to such difficulties, both by 

 architects and their patrons, than has generally been done, before any thing 

 truly excellent and worthy to be associated with ancient examples can be 

 produced.' (^Pugin's Specimens, ii. xxii.) 



" Not only England, but Scotland, Ireland, and Wales, contain many and 

 varied examples of modern Gothic mansions, villas, and even town-houses ; 

 some of which are at once creditable to their respective architects and owners, 

 and ornamental to their peculiar localities. There are others, however — and 

 the class is numerous — which are devoid of all congruity and beauty of style, 

 and may be pronounced more petty and pretty, than skilful in design or good 

 in detail. The architects, or rather the builders of them — true descendants 

 of the Batty Langley school — have vainly fancied that windows with pointed 

 arches, embattled parapets, octagonal buttresses, crowned with embrasured 

 turrets, pinnacles, or things which they call pinnacles, constitute a Gothic 

 building ; and these frequently contained a motley mixture of castellated and 

 monastic forms and parts. Such was the absurd and tasteless palace at Kew, 

 built from the designs of James Wyatt, as well as Belvoir Castle, and others of 

 his early works. Mr. Wilkins, Senior, in Donnington Park, Leicestershire ; 

 Mr. Holland and Mr. Carter at Oatlands ; Mr. Nash at Childwall Hall, Lan- 

 cashire ; Sir John Soane in the Houses of Parliament, at Westminster ; and 

 General Durant in Tong Castle, Shropshire ; have left in those works evi- 

 dences of bad taste and ignorance of the arcliitecture which they burlesqued. 

 Many other architects of recent times have the credit, or rather discredit, of 

 designing and directing buildings which have scarcely one feature of the true 

 monastic style. 



" Ashridge, the seat of the late Earl of Bridgewater, at whose expense it 

 was built between 1808 and 1820, is among the first, if not the most mag- 

 nificent, of modern English mansions. The greater part of it was designed 

 and erected by the late James Wyatt, after whose death, in 1813, the late Sir 

 Jeffiy Wyatville was employed to alter and finish the whole. His additions 

 and improvements were many and important ; and as he had studied the 

 subject well, and was influenced by zeal, industry, and knowledge, it is rea- 



