“High Walls” at Gullane 
“HIGH WALLS,” AT GULLANE, 
HADDINGTONSHIRE, SCOTLAND 
Designed by Edwin L. Lutyens, Architect. 
1' would be stating a truism to say that one 
of the highest forms of artistic merit lies in 
the production of good work with the least 
effort and of materials not necessarily super¬ 
lative in themselves; yet, familiar as this 
maxim may seem, it is one that is perhaps 
most constantly neglected. The traditional 
application of the forms of one material to 
those of another, crowding upon us, as they 
do, like the cumbersome heirlooms of past 
styles, has been the chief factor in delaying 
that elimination of those redundancies, which 
have spoilt so many earnest attempts upon 
new lines of artistic thought. 
In architectural design, this gospel of sim¬ 
plicity has found no more insistent exponent 
than Mr. Edwin L. Lutyens; and a review of 
his executed works, especially those of recent 
years, is strongly convincing of its merits. 
The house and garden, which form the 
subject of this paper, is his latest completed 
work. The site, from a gardener’s point ot 
view, could hardly be described as a favor¬ 
able one, being upon extremely sandy soil ; 
but Miss Jekyll’s advice has been taken, as 
regards the planting, so that no risks are being 
run. Otherwise the situation is fine, bounded 
on the northern side by the famous Muirfield 
Golf Links, which 
slopedown to the Firth 
of Forth, and with an 
uninterrupted view 
southward over most 
of Haddingtonshire. 
The general layout 
has, of course, been cir¬ 
cumscribed in a great 
measure by the necessi¬ 
ties of the piece ot land 
dealt with, the whole ot 
which has been devoted 
to the formal manner, 
as it should be when ot 
so limited a size. The 
architect has not over¬ 
looked the values of 
centralization and 
vista, although the 
irregularity ot the 
house plan on the northern side somewhat 
upsets the symmetrical arrangement of the 
sunken garden,—nor was he unmindful of 
the human weakness for short cuts across the 
circular plotted forecourt. 
The belt of trees about the entrance gate 
is to be composed of Scotch fir, birch and 
hazel with an undergrowth of common gorse, 
bramble, sea buckthorn and guelder-rose. 
The boundary on the east side is to be planted 
with willows. The double row of ilex, 
though rather an experimental planting, will, 
if successful, make a fine evergreen avenue 
compensating amply for the winter loss of 
green in the deciduous hornbeam hedges. 
In the planning of the house, the curved 
facade to the drive was the outcome of the 
architect’s desire to avoid approaching a 
re-entering angle,—never a very pleasing 
arrangement. In this way a striking effect is 
obtained and it will be still further enforced 
when the parallel lines of hedges and ilex are 
more fully supplied. 
1 nternally,the corridorwith its circular com¬ 
partment contrasts well with the senseof lateral 
broadness felt on entering the drawing-room; 
and the difficulties incident upon the curving 
outside wall have been well handled in porch 
andvestibule,aswell as askilfullycompleteiso- 
lation of the serving departments of the house. 
The external absence of ornamental detail 
other than that of a constructional nature em- 
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