in Somersetshire, Devonshire, and Part of Cornwall. 493 



over the tops of the trees. As an example of one in which 

 grandeur is produced by the height and simplicity of the general 

 mass, and which also contains some of the finest apartments in 

 England, we quote Wooton, by Inigo Jones, near Ashbourne, 

 noticed in our Volume for 1841. 



The windows of a house intended to be expressive of grandeur 

 ought not to be numerous or too near together ; they ought to 

 be large, with wide intervals between, to suggest the idea of spa- 

 cious apartments within ; and there ought to be broad spaces in 

 the lower parts of towers and at angles, without any windows or 

 with only very small ones, to suggest the idea of great strength 

 and abundance of room. This kind of treatment is also exem- 

 plified at Wooton. 



With respect to the interior of the house at Mamhead it is 

 admirable, and we can only speak of the arrangement and the 

 execution of the work in terms of the highest praise. There is, 

 however, one point here which we cannot pass over without 

 notice, because we think that it is calculated to propagate a false 

 taste. In the panels of the ceiling, and in other parts of the 

 finishing of several of the rooms, there are sculptured represent- 

 ations of plants, correct imitations of nature, but without any 

 architectural or artistical connexion with the framework of the 

 panels ; in fact, they appear as if they had been gathered and 

 thrown down at random. These plants are beautifully executed, 

 and they are botanically so accurate, that it is easy to tell their 

 names, and in one or two instances they are introduced in the 

 spandrils of arches, and in the windows, so as to fill their spaces 

 up artistically. Wherever this is not the case, we have no 

 hesitation in saying that their introduction is decidedly in bad 

 taste. Every whole should consist of parts, every one of which 

 should be so connected with those adjoining it, and with the 

 rest, as not to admit of being separated without destroying the 

 effect of the whole; but the flowers we speak of have no con- 

 nexion whatever with any of the ornaments or parts around 

 them. Supposing a person to have seen these ceilings before 

 the flowers were introduced, he could never have felt the neces- 

 sity of their introduction to complete the design ; and, supposing 

 them now to be removed, no one would feel that the design had 

 been injured. The flowers are, indeed, beautiful in themselves, 

 and would have retained that beauty any where ; but this is quite 

 a different question from that of their forming or not forming 

 component parts of a composition. As an example of flowers 

 and fruits artistically introduced, we may refer to the chimney- 

 pieces and windows of the dining-room and drawingroom at 

 Mamhead. These, more especially those in the chimney-pieces, 

 are perfect in their kind, because their forms are artistically 

 wrought in with the architecture; and though they are coloured 



