32 
House & Garden 
Because the district is ex¬ 
posed to the brunt of At¬ 
lantic storms, the roof of a 
cottage in the borders of 
Dartmoor has to be built in 
the nature of a sou’wester hat 
I N England a traveler who is versed 
in architecture can name the coun¬ 
try through which he is passing by 
observing the churches. Each county 
possesses its own type of ecclesiastical 
architecture. The churches in the 
adjoining counties of Somersetshire 
and Devonshire, for instance, show a 
difference in architectural character, 
as striking as that between the Wool- 
worth Building and the Bankers’ 
Trust in New York. The character 
of the domestic architecture also varies 
very considerably under the influence 
of local conditions. Under the use, 
to the best advantage as regards climatic condi¬ 
tions, of the material nearest to hand, be it 
stone, clay for making bricks, small flints or 
timber, an architecture will develop which is 
so local in feeling that it would be out of place 
in any other district. 
The Dartmoor Environment 
The accompanying illustration shows a cot¬ 
tage erected on the borders of Dartmoor in 
Devonshire, a district which is exposed to the 
brunt of Atlantic storms. I have known rain 
to penetrate through a granite wall jointed in 
cement. I have also seen water squirting like 
a miniature fountain through a hole in a win¬ 
dow frame which would just take a pin. 
Furious winds drive the rain across the country 
almost horizontally, and a sou’wester hat, such 
as sailors wear, is necessary to prevent the wa- 
Buttresses are used both to 
steady the building and to 
afford a sheltered place in 
which to sit. Much roof and 
little wall area also harmon¬ 
izes with the setting 
house in this locality with as much 
roof and as little wall area as possible. 
And, moreover, a building of this 
type harmonizes well with its sur¬ 
roundings. The oak, which flourishes 
in Devonshire, is a deep rooted tree, 
and has the appearance of being as 
immovable as the ancient rocks which 
protrude above the surface of the 
Devon moorlands. 
Low Walls and Buttresses 
SMALL HOUSES 
of the 
ENGLISH COUNTRYSIDE 
A Dartmoor Cottage and a House 
on the Sussex Downs 
T. H. LYON, Architect 
ter from trickling down the back of one’s neck. 
The roof of a Dartmoor house should be in 
the nature of a sou’wester hat; in other words', 
it should project beyond the walls as far as 
possible, and thus help to keep them dry. Rain, 
which will penetrate a stone wall, will beat in 
vain against a steep roof of strong slates care¬ 
fully laid. It is wise, therefore, to build a 
1 Low walls and a large roof area, by 
bringing a building down to the earth, 
give it an appearance of great stabil¬ 
ity. Buttresses placed at the corners aid in 
this effect, for they support the eaves at the 
angles and tie the roof to the ground. It is 
obvious, also, that they must actually steady a 
building during a terrific gale. Moreover, these 
buttresses serve another purpose, in that no 
matter from what quarter the wind may blow, a 
sheltered place in which to sit is always pro¬ 
curable. 
On Dartmoor the chimney “pots” often con¬ 
sist of two slates put together as a miniature 
roof, or of four bricks set on and with a slate 
laid flat over these, and a big stone on the top 
to keep it down. This arrangement prevents 
a down draught, often a “down hurricane,” 
when the house lies under a hill. In the cot¬ 
tage illustrated, this principle is elaborated; 
the chimneys are covered with granite slabs, 
and smaller outlets for the smoke are provided 
