Page:An Encyclopædia of Cottage, Farm, and Villa Architecture and Furniture.djvu/814

 790 COTTAGE, FARM, AND VILLA ARCHITECTURE. 1674. To enable an Architect already in practice to acquire a kiiowledge of Landscajw- Gardening, we recommend him to procure access to some botanic garden containing a rich arboretum, of which there are only two in the neighbourhood of London; viz., that of the Messrs. Loddiges at Hackney, and that of the Horticultural Society, at Chiswick. Having done this, let him take portraits of all the trees and shrubs of which the arbo- retum consists, in the same manner as we have before recommended for the pupil to do ; and let him, at the same time, endeavour to acquire all the knowledge of gardening generally that he can. The mornings, from six to nine, during the three months of summer, may suffice for the garden visits, provided the Architect be an expert draughts- man. (For a work which we contemplate on Landscape- Gardening, we have had sketches taken of most of the species and varieties of trees and shrubs in Messrs. Loddiges' arboretum ; and we find fliat one month, at the rate of nine hours a day, would be sufficient to take portraits of the whole.) After this we would recommend the Architect to visit all the villas that he can, and to take memorandum ground plans of the general distribution of the house, offices, gardens, roads, and walks belonging to each ; and also to make views of the different houses, in connection with the scenery around them. While going through this course of study, let the Architect, at his leisure, make himself master of the gardening vporks of Shenstone, Gilpin, Whately, G. Mason, Mason the poet, Allison, Price, Knight, Repton, Dugald Stewart, Hope, G. L. Meason, Gerardin, De- lille, Morel, Watelet, Hirschfeld, and Quatremere de Quincy. We may add to tliese the perusal of a number of papers on the subjects of Landscape- Gardening and of Garden Architecture, in the Gardener's Magazine. Many persons think that all that is required to constitute a landscape-gardener is, to have studied and sketched natural scenery, and to be able to imitate that scenery in artificial grounds ; but unless this imitation be made in the spirit of art, which it can only be, in the native or modern style, by the use of exotic trees, it becomes, instead of an imitation, a mere mimicry of nature ; and to this mimicry on the one hand, and a tame monotony on the other, may be referred half the villa landscape or park scenery of Britain. Chap. II. Tlie Beau Idial of an English Villa. 1675. In order to give our readers a Picture of a modern English Villa as it ought to be, we here present them with the description of an imaginary one, which has been drawn up, and illustrated with plans and elevations, by a highly esteemed contributor and amateur Architect. Our readers, we think, will allow that this gentleman is singularly well fitted for the task which we have prevailed upon him to undertake. So complete a knowledge of the subject, so much power of conveying his ideas both by verbal descrip- tion and graphic illustration, and so much taste and discriminating judgment in ViUa Architecture, are seldom, indeed, to be found united in the same person. For our own part, we know nothing of the kind that can be compared with the following description, unless it be that which Pliny has given us of his own villas ; but the value of our modern Pliny's description is greatly enhanced by its being accompanied by graphic illustrations. We have applied to this picture the term b-eau ideal, not that there is any thing in it that may not be found in hundreds of villas in England ; but because there may be few at the present time in which the whole are united. Indeed, the time for such villas is rapidly passing away in this and in every other country ; and we must confess, that, did we look forward to the continuance of such a state of society as that here depicted, in which one portion of mankind is placed so immeasurably above another, it would have given us pain to present this picture. Our consolation, however, is, that it will soon become matter of history, and only be referred to by Architects to aflbrd hints for smaller villas, and for inns of recreation. We shall first lay before our readers the verbal de- scription, and afterwards give the delineations, with their references. Sect. I. TJie Beau Ideal of an English Villa described. 1676. The Situation. The word villa was originally used by the Romans to denote a farm house, with the offices requisite for the accommodation of a husbandman. After- wards, when luxury increased, the terra villa was applied to the country residence of an opulent Roman citizen ; and it is in the same sense that we now use it to signify a gentleman's residence in the country. As a villa is to be a place of agreeable retirement,