Design for Five Suburban Dwellings. 607 



large berries well coloured. In a word, from the mushroom to the pine- 

 apple, it far exceeds all that I have ever seen. 



Peak House Gardens, Sidmoutli, Devon, October 7. 1 843. 



Art. IX. Desifftifor Five Suburban Dtoellings, forming a continuous 

 Range, loitli their Gardens. By 11. Varden, Esq., Architect and 

 Landscape-Gardener. 



[We request the attention of the architects and builders of Southampton 



to this article.] 



This range of buildings, of which _/§. 120. is a general plan, with the dwell- 

 ing-houses fronting the main road, and the stable offices placed along the back 

 road, with the gardens between, may be increased to any number of houses, by 

 repeating the end houses, without materially affecting the composition. It is 

 of little consequence whether the fronts be of light-coloured brick with cement 

 or stone dressings ; wholly covered with cement ; or cased with wrought free- 

 stone ; except that the last mode makes the weaker walk The centre house 

 is considerably the largest. It is entered from a portico of six Doric columns 

 {fig. 122. ff), the access to which is through the three centre intercolumni- 

 ations, and is approached by three steps. Each of the end intercolumniations 

 has the podium extended the full width of the area that gives light to the base- 

 ment storjf, in order to receive the ends of the steps, and to support a metal 

 railing to fence the portico from the area. In the flanks of the portico, the 

 railing is straight, but in front semi-elliptical ; and it is not to be let into the 

 columns, but to be supported by strong standards placed tolerably close to 

 them, so as to obviate the ill effect of attaching any thing, however small, to 

 the shafts of the columns. The portico is surmounted at the ends with two 

 enriched masses, that will be seen to great advantage against the plain wall 

 of the house; they are connected by gradients or little steps. 



The windows of the principal chambers are connected by architectural 

 dressings, for the purpose of overcoming what would otherwise be an ob- 

 jectionable arrangement, viz., that of having the piers between the windows 

 narrower than the openings ; and it likewise has the effect of forming a 

 central object more enriched than the rest of the design, the result of which 

 is generally good. 



This centre house has a pediment over it, to mark it as the principal 

 feature in the composition ; and the pediment is crowned with an ornamented 

 acroterion. The windows of the principal floor, on each side of the portico, 

 are in deep recesses between antse that correspond with those of the smaller 

 porticoes, which connect what may be considered as the wings. The windows 

 above these are small, with semicircular heads, over which the wall is solid ; 

 a plain surface here being requisite to give breadth and repose to the compo- 

 sition. The two side attics must, therefore, be lighted by flat windows in the 

 roof. 



The entrance from the portico is into a passage having a groined roof 

 supported on antae. A door on the right hand conducts to a small morning 

 room or study (6), 14 ft. by 10 ft. 6 in., fitted up in an unpretending manner. 

 At the end of the passage is another passage somewhat wider, crossing it at 

 right angles, likewise having a groined roof supported on antae. At the point 

 where the two passages intersect each other, the groining is circular, and this 

 is an appropriate place for suspending a lamp. At the end of the passage, 

 opposite to the entrance from the portico, is the door into the drawingroom 

 (c), an apartment 27 ft. long and 14 ft. bioad, lighted by three windows, and 

 having at each end a fireplace between two arches, so as to allow of the 

 cornice being carried all round the ceiling without breaks. The transverse 



R R 2 



