GARDEN HOUSES 



179 



such as the ordinary clever carpenter can erect, if only he 

 be shown a picture, and directed as regards proper 

 proportion. For these we have to go to books or to our 

 memories of little old German provincial towns. In 

 England but few early ones have survived the devastating 

 influence of the followers of Capability Brown. 



In a quaint Dutch picture is a curious-looking circular 

 shadow-house upon the far side of a moat. A narrow and 

 rather picturesque wooden 

 bridge leads across the 

 water, and an ornamental 

 trellis fence joins the 

 bridge to the shadow- 

 house. The latter con- 

 sists apparently of a stout 

 wooden framework, 

 against which are 

 planted several yew-trees, 

 which join together to 

 give the appearance of a 

 green circular house. A 

 good many oval-shaped 

 windows are in it, and we see complacent Dutch " House 

 Vrouws " looking through these at the rest of the garden. 



In Holland they went in largely for this woodwork 

 decoration and many shadow-houses like Fig. loi are to be 

 found in their picture-books. The former is simple 

 enough for any village carpenter to construct, and with 

 coloured balls upon the roof, and some pretty creepers 

 climbing up, it will be a delightful feature in a small 

 garden. 



Windows and pyramidal woodwork were much used in 

 the seventeenth and eighteenth century shadow- houses, 

 made entirely of battens, excepting that where the 

 windows come separate frames of oak were fixed. The 



Fig. ioi. 



