THE SELECTION OF A SITE 27 
encroachments of the jerry-builder. So much depends 
upon the character of the extended views obtainable from 
the garden, that it would be extremely unwise to surround 
oneself with land which, in all probability, will be dotted 
with ill-designed villas within the course of a few years. 
It is worth many little inconveniences to ensure that what 
we have we may hold, and that the view which affords 
us so much pleasure to-day will be ours for so long as 
we care to enjoy it. Factories, ugly churches (of which 
there are many ),‘and cottage property of every description, 
are features capable of creating a blot on our vista of 
landscape, and the ideal site is one on which such objects 
not only do not now intrude themselves, but have no 
possibility of doing so in the future. 
The outlines of the property must also be regarded 
as relevant to the question of site, more especially 
having regard to the impossibility which exists of 
making a satisfactory design for gardens of certain 
shapes. All who have attempted to achieve artistic 
results with the orthodox villa strip, know the extreme 
unsuitability of the narrow parallelogram. It is no easy 
matter, again, to secure a well balanced plan, in which 
the separate features are not unduly scattered, within 
boundaries which are square or nearly so, though this 
form is infinitely preferable to the foregoing. Perhaps 
the best, certainly the easiest, results are attained when 
the outline is triangular, though it is highly important 
that the positions of base and apex be considered. 
No one desires to curtail the impression of size in their 
grounds, and it is generally acknowledged that the 
more open and less contracted are the distant views, 
the better will be the effect. For this reason the apex 
of the triangle should concur with the least interesting 
prospect, the base with that to which it is desired to 
give prominence. ‘Taking the case of the house and 
gardens on the southern slope, the residence should be 
