Page:An Encyclopædia of Cottage, Farm, and Villa Architecture and Furniture.djvu/798

 77'i COTTAGE, FARM, AND VILLA ARCHITECTUllE. believe, frequently adopted, merely as evidence which the love of it is supposed to afford of scliolarship and taste. Let us next take a view of a newly built villa, either in any of the varieties of the Gothic style which have long existed in Britain, or in any nf the mixed styles which have prevailed, or which still prevail, on the Continent. How various the associations which rise up in our minds, when viewing a successful imitation of a baronial castle, or of an old English manor-house ! Even an Italian villa has its interesting associations ; and though these associations can never be so generally agreeable to a native of Britain, as those raised up by the forms of Gothic Architecture, yet still they are recognised in such a manner as to excite emotion, from their frequent recurrence in the landscapes of the great artists of Italy. We thus arrive at the conclusion, that the styles of Architecture that have been most familiar to those who are to inhabit the edifices to be erected, are the best calculated for general use. It follows, also, from this, that any style which has been long in use will raise emotions ; and thus, that, after a long period of time, the associations connected with the Grecian style will call up feelings in the mind of a Briton, as interesting as those now excited in him by the Gothic. Our approbation of the Italian style, which is of a mixed character, and has long been applied to domestic purposes, has, no doubt, its origin in this cause. 1 654. The Fitness of a Style for Accommodation, Comfort, and Convenience may natu- rally be supposed to influence our judgments in respect to its external effect ; but, in this point of view, our belief is that the Grecian, Gothic, and Italian styles are altogether equal. It is true, that if we consider it necessary that the Grecian style, when adopted in the country, should be as essentially symmetrical as it is, when applied to temples there will be an end, at once, of all its pretensions to fitness for a villa residence : but this exact symmetry, though it seems essential for a temple, or any large public building, the principal use of which is to assemble great masses of men in one room, is not absolutely necessary where the occupants of a building are to be lodged in different rooms ; and, when this is the case, the Grecian style is as applicable to a villa as the Gothic. It will not, we think, be denied, that all the details of the Gothic style are as much taken from a cathedral, as the details of the Grecian style are taken from a tem- ple J and yet, in a private building in the Gothic style, it is never considered necessary that we should be guided by the general form and symmetry of the cathedral. The difference between the styles unquestionably lies much more in men's minds, and in the historical associations connected with them, than in the abstract forms belonging to them. We assert this with the more confidence in regard to forms, because those essential to use and occupation are precisely the same in both; viz., the square and the parallelo- gram for the ground plan ; or the cube and long cube for the plan and elevation. 1655. The Difference between a House in the Town and a House in the Country lies much deeper than in mere style, important though we allow that to be. The great object of a house in town is concentration ; the great object of a house in the country, the enjoyment of free air and of the external scenery. In the town, there is nothing to admire but what has been created by man and all that is beautiful to the eye is archi- tectural. In the country, on the contrary, there are not only architectural beauties to enjoy, but the extensive and varied beauties of verdant scenery. It would appear, there- fore, that much greater attention ought to be paid to Architecture in towns than in the country ; and this, taking a general view of towns ancient and modern, will invariably be found to be the case. Country houses, or villas, on the other hand, will invariably be found to be less architectural ; and, especially, less symmetrical, than dwellings in towns. This difference is clearly founded on the sound principles of utility and enjoy- ment. In the country, there are two leading principles which direct the disposition of the different apartments : the one is, shelter from the particular winds and storms which prevail in the particular situation ; and the other is, the enjoyment of the particular views which are to be obtained of the surrounding country. The influence of these two principles we shall find pervading the villa residences of every age and country ; and hence it is that, as town houses have in all ages and countries been concentrated and symmetrical, so country residences have, in all ages and countries, been comparatively scattered and irregular. The conclusion which we draw from these observations, as apjilied to our present subject is, that a villa residence ought to be characterised by extent and irregularity ; and this conclusion agrees with that arrived at by Mr. Hope and other writers. 1656. The Irregularity of the Style of Villas has been illustrated and contended for by Price, Knight, Hope, Meason, and a number of other authors ; while the concentrated and symmetrical style has never, so far as we are aware of, been advocated by any one writer as the most suitable for the country. We shall not here repeat the invaluable observations of Sir Uvedale Price, who, in his Essays on the Picturesque, was the first in the order of time, as he still h in the order of excellence, to draw attention to the beauty of irregularity in all country buildings, where the object aimed at is any thing