Page:A history of architecture on the comparative method for the student, craftsman, and amateur.djvu/643

 ENGLISH RENAISSANCE. 585 lecture then existing is responsible him. Sir John Soane's Museum, for his inability to effect these with in Lincoln's Inn Fields, formerly success. Puginhasstarredhim with his private house, contains interest- the affix " the destroyer.'' ing drawings and models., 4. COMPARATIVE. Anglo-Classic, Queen Anne and Georgian Styles. A. Plans. — These are marked by regularity and symmetry, sometimes showing signs of being dictated by a preconceived elevation. The Italian use of a piano nohik above a storage basement, affected the planning of many country houses (No. 258). Excessive cellarage, or kitchen offices, occupy the ground floor, and the best rooms are reached by a great external staircase and portico (No. 258 d), or by a mean approach from a side door through the basement. Octagonal, circular, and elliptical-shaped apartments, often cubical in proportion, are usual (No. 258 c), and suites of such saloons are arranged in various combinations. Staircases receive much attention, in- genious domical, or other top lights, being introduced. Corridors gradually supersede the hall and en suite or thoroughfare systems of planning (Nos. 131 G, H, j, k, 238 f, 252 e and 258 c, f). B. Walls. — These are usually thick, and filled in solid between the varied shapes of the rooms, on plan. Brick was used most commonly for walling, and often for the facing, but in later work it was usually stuccoed. Stone was used as an ashlar facing and for dressings. Unbroken surfaces contrasted with the porticos, pilasters, or window dressings of the composition (No. 258), and blank walls, to mask undesirable necessities, are not uncommon. Chimneys are often concealed. Pediments are the only form of gable, and are used with and without balustrades. c. Openings. — Windows were reduced in number as much as possible, but infrequency of openings was compensated for by large and unobstructed window areas (No. 260 b), sometimes of a special Venetian Character (No. 261 c). Porticos, arcades, and doorways (No. 261), were regulated by the proportions of the Classic orders, and the minimum condition of having to pass through them (No. 260 a, c, e) ; the maximum scale was a question of material and expense. Gate piers are frequently in excellent proportion (No. 260 g). Vertical grouping of windows was effec- tively developed, as in houses in Hanover Square, and the large compositions of windows to more than one room or story were not affected by party- wall or floor divisions, as in the houses of the Brothers Adam in Fitzroy Square, and elsewhere. D. Roofs. — *' No roof but a spherical one being sufficiently dignified " for this style, balustrades or attics conceal the small