42 
House & Garden 
OLD ENGLISH INTERIORS in AMERICAN HOMES 
British History is Written in the Development of Its Rooms—Their 
Adaptation to Houses of Distinction in America 
C. J. CHARLES 
W HETHER it is in the climate or whether 
it is in the soil, something has made 
English oak unapproachable as a material for 
decoration. 
The wood of the lordly oak used in the house 
imparts real dignity and proportion. In any 
scheme of interior decoration the question of 
color is of vital importance, and in this re¬ 
spect oak will always hold its own. In no 
other wood can we find such subtle color, or 
one that blends so well with its surroundings, 
as oak which has acquired the patina of age. 
Oak for a Background 
Nothing equals its effectiveness as a back¬ 
ground. Armor, tapestries, rich embroideries, 
mezzotint engravings, delicate water color 
drawings, or the grandiose and immortal paint¬ 
ings of Velasquez or Titian are all assisted 
by the quiet tones of old oak. It is like the 
subdued radiance of old gold or the mellow 
qualities of old wine. 
Then, to the American, there is the senti¬ 
mental side of old English oak, the historical 
interest that attaches to this material which 
is taken bodily out of those old manor houses 
and mansions and brought to the new world. 
It bespeaks the innermost life of an age 
that produced a Shakespeare. It reveals the 
spirit of England’s most heroic epoch. The 
culture and ability of her statesmen, and the 
courage and endurance of the men who fought 
the nation’s foe, found an echo in the stone 
and oak which remain to this day a monument 
and example of a comfortable English home. 
In order to understand the development of 
old English interiors, it is necessary to have 
in mind the evolution of the English house, 
which sheltered this ornamentation in its vari¬ 
ous stages. 
The earliest form of an English house built 
in permanent fashion was the keep. These 
were located in the midst of earthworks, which 
the Conqueror and his followers found scat¬ 
tered over the land. The works were strength¬ 
ened by stone walls for the purpose of a more 
effective defense, with projecting towers, so 
far as these might prove an advantage. The 
keep, thus protected from enemies, was the 
first form of the “Englishman’s home,” which 
he has staunchly defended in all ages. Built 
of stone, it was for the domestic use of the 
owner, his family and immediate attendants, 
whilst, for the accommodation of the vassals 
and retainers who overflowed from the towers 
and keep, temporary wooden structures were 
regarded as forming an adequate shelter. 
The keep was a massive rectangular struc¬ 
ture, usually several stories in height, varying 
in size from 30' to 80' square. The walls 
were of great strength and seldom less than 8'. 
and often as much as 16' to 20' in thickness. 
There was but one room on each floor, but the 
enormous walls were honeycombed with small 
mural chambers and contained many recesses 
which were used as sleeping and retiring places 
by the family and principal guests, whilst in 
most instances a circular stair built into the 
stone connected one floor with another. 
Inside the Keep 
The interior was sombre of necessity, be¬ 
cause the exigencies of defense made lighting 
only permissible by means of narrow slits in 
the walls. The fireplace was a mere recess in 
the wall, with no ornamental feature and no 
flue as we know it, merely a funnel being pro¬ 
vided which led to a small vertical opening in 
the face of the wall through which a part of 
the smoke—and only a part of it—-could find 
its way out. However, this might not have 
been so objectionable as one may imagine, for 
there are more unpleasant odors than those of 
the smoke of a pine or oak log. 
This primitive form of home, of course, had 
but primitive adornment. The only attempt 
(Continued on page 50) 
The hall, the principal room in the old English house, was of large size and lofty. A screen was usually placed to form a corridor between the 
hall and the kitchen. This screen was developed into one of the principal decorative features of the hall in the Elizabethan and Jacobean periods 
