Page:An Encyclopædia of Cottage, Farm, and Villa Architecture and Furniture.djvu/673

 DWELLINGS FOR FARM SERVANTS. 649 ''^ opinion, that flat tiles made with grooves in their edges, such as are shown in the section fig. 1242, for the purpose of admitting a tongue or seam of putty, would completely 1242 3 3^ keep out the rain ; while they would, by rendering the bridge or semicyHndrical tile which covers the joint unnecessary, form a lighter roof, and require less strong timbers. It must be confessed, however, that such a roof would not be so beautiful as the other, because it would not recall to the imagination Italian, IMoorish, or classical forms. While recommending classical tiles, and other ornamental objects for labourers' cottages, it will never, we trust, for a moment be supposed that we consider such appen- dages as at all essential to them, or mean to put them, in the slightest degree, in compe- tition with arrangementsfor insuring commo(iiousness,warmth, convenience, orcleanliness. Nevertheless, we are not without an object in introducing exterior ornaments, and even in being profuse in their introduction. That object is, to tempt the higher classes to erect comfortable cottages, for the sake of their ornamental effect. Now, though, in our opinion, a plain cottage, with every comfort belonging to such a dwelling, is perfectly beautiful in itself, without the aid of exterior ornament ; yet this is by 'lo means the case with those who judge only by the outward appearance, who, probably, never entered a cottage in their lives, who have little sympathy with its occupants; and who, therefore, are unfit to appreciate the beauty of fitness. Classical and picturesque ornaments are within the range of what is allowed to be beautiful by such persons, and they like to display such evidences of their taste for beauty on their estates, without caring for, or without having at all taken into consideration, the interiors of the buildings they thus decorate. What has led to the small degree of improvement diat has been made in the lodges, gardener's and bailiff's houses, and the houses of other servants, on gentlemen's estates ? The comfort of the occupants? By no means: it is simply the desire of producing objects that will be ornamental in the landscape ; and the convenience of the interior is seldom, if ever, thought of, even by the Architect. To be convinced of this, it is only necessary to enter the houses alluded to, or to examine the works on the subject, publishtd by professed Architects. We admit that there are honourable exceptions, but they are very few. The Highland Society of Scotland lately offered a premium for the best design for a labourer's cottage ; and, though there were a number of competitors, we are informed by a corre- spondent, that the designs were so indifferent, that none of them were considered worthy of the premium : " none contained any thing beyond the usual routine ; not one showed a floor above the level of the soil they stood on ; most of them had their chimneys in the external walls ; and scarcely any attention had been paid in any of them to certain appendages, on which the comfort and cleanliness of every family must, in a great measure, depend." " How can we find faidt," our correspondent asks, " with the Scottish peasantry for not being neat and cleanly in their habits, if those who build their dwellings do not encourage their amendment bv furnishing facilities for it?" 4 D