of the Toicn of Southampton. 595 



north side too hot during summer, and the houses on the south 

 side do not enjoy the direct rays of the sun for a number of 

 weeks during winter. The same observations will apply to a 

 house which stands east and west ; but, as we have already said 

 so much on this subject in our Cottage Architecture, as well as 

 in this Magazine, we drop it abruptly. 



Architecture of Street Buildings. — We have seldom seen a, 

 town where so many buildings have been recently erected, and 

 so very little taste exhibited in them. With the exception of the 

 buildings at the railway station, and the villa of Mr. Hoare at 

 Shirley, we really cannot refer to one as a specimen of good taste. 

 It is true our walks have been very limited, and we have not 

 seen the Infirmary, but we have ridden through the continuation 

 of the High Street. There are two Banks and two warehouses 

 that are negatively good, because they do not offend by mis- 

 placed ornament, that is, ornament placed out of the regular 

 order in which it ought to be introduced. To show what we 

 mean by bad architecture and bad taste, we shall take a street of 

 six-roomed houses, viz. Bernard Street, lately built by an indi- 

 vidual Avho could be under no control as to his elevations but 

 that of his own wishes. The street is of a very sufficient 

 width, being of one third more than the height of the houses. 

 The line of frontage is ornamented with pilasters supporting a 

 small entablature ; and in each of these pilasters there is a 

 sunk panel which is surrounded with mouldings like those of a 

 room door, or inside window-shutter. To sink panels in pi- 

 lasters, and ornament these panels with mouldings, is to destroy 

 altogether the simplicity and dignity of the pilaster, and to 

 reduce it to the rank of a mere piece of joiner's work. Before 

 any pilasters were added to such an elevation, there ought to 

 have been facings to the doors and windows. There is a cer- 

 tain gradation of architectural ornament in which alone it can 

 be introduced with propriety. In every building, the first addi- 

 tions to what is merely necessary are architraves, that is, facings 

 or finishings of some sort to the doors and windows ; the second 

 is the cornice or other termination to the walls which support the 

 roof; and the third consists of the chimney tops. After this, the 

 expression of construction may be given to the walls by pilasters, 

 piers, buttresses, or whatever is required for the architectural fic- 

 tion that is to be adopted ; for pilasters being originally square 

 pillars of stone or wood of the full thickness of the wall, the 

 spaces between them being filled in with materials that took no 

 part in supporting the roof, the raising of the appearance of jjilas- 

 ters on the face of a stone or brick wall, in plaster or stone, is a 

 mere fiction adopted to carry out the style. There is not, how- 

 ever, one architect in a score that knows his art scientifically! or 

 can give a scientific reason for what he does. 



Q a 4 



