A HISTORY OF SURREY 



were erected by the numerous retired servants of the Court who acquired 

 so many small estates in Surrey, while half a century later came the 

 houses of ex-lord mayors and enriched citizens. On the south side 

 of the sandhills, in the belt of the Weald, are numerous small manor 

 houses and farms that are good types of the timber dwellings of an 

 agricultural country. 



It is with these two latter classes of buildings that an account of the 

 architecture will be chiefly concerned, as others do not present local 

 characteristics. 



It will be as well to begin this architectural survey of the county by 

 a few words on the building materials which have been from time to 

 time available. On the east of the county there were very important 

 quarries at Merstham that belonged to the Crown. These supplied most 

 of the rough stone for the royal buildings in London and for Windsor 

 Castle ; the stone obtained is very similar to what is known as Kentish 

 rag. A fine variety was quarried in the neighbourhood and was used in 

 Sussex and the east of the county for mantelpieces and fireplaces. It is 

 known as firestone from its resistance to fire, and is still used as a bed for 

 casting plate glass. It is of a strong greenish grey colour, of the finest 

 texture, and can be delicately carved. It has been used again of late 

 years, and is sometimes called Godstone stone. 



There was plenty of chalk, which was universally employed for 

 wrought work both externally and internally. The best kind was pro- 

 bably quarried from such deep workings as the caverns at Guildford, 

 whence it could be obtained in large blocks without flints. This 

 material is also capable of the finest detail, and is very durable where 

 reasonable care is taken of it. The carved mantelpiece in the museum 

 of the Surrey Archaeological Society at the Castle Arch at Guildford is 

 a good example of the very delicate finish of which it is capable. This 

 mantelpiece was thickly coated with paint until a few years ago, but had 

 not been otherwise protected. The elaborate mantel in the drawing- 

 room at Loseley is also of chalk. 



From the hills to the south of Guildford a rough and very hard stone 

 called Bargate is dug, but this has never, until lately, been used more than 

 locally. In some places this stone is found of a texture that admits of 

 Its being dressed, and it is used in churches for quoins and even, as at 

 Dunsfold, for the tracery of windows. As a general rule it was used for 

 the base of the walls of timber houses and for chimney blocks. As this 

 stone was of rough shape, it had to be laid with thick joints, and the plan 

 was adopted in the seventeenth century of sticking little black ironstone 

 pebbles into the joints at intervals ; this is known as galleting. 



In the sand districts the black ironstone is often found in pieces of 

 size suflicient for use as building stone, and it is used alone or mixed with 

 Bargate. This is the stone that was used so largely by the Romans in 

 Britam for the black cubes in their mosaic floors ; it is found in pieces of 

 the proper thickness and with smooth surface and only required squaring 

 and rubbmg down ; it has been lately used again for outdoor pavements. 



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