Page:An Encyclopædia of Cottage, Farm, and Villa Architecture and Furniture.djvu/903

 VILLAS IN VARIOUS STYLES. 879 and f(^r the o?cu]^ation of a family of not more than two or three persons, with two ser- vants, but without children. The author of this Design, and also of the Italian parsonage Design IX., is William Bardwell Esq., a London Architect, who has distinguished himself by erecting cottages for the poor, on his own estate at Blackheath, and letting them at moderate rents ; by a magnificent plan for the improvement of Westminster ; and by various other benevolent and patriotic schemes. Design XIV. — A ViUa in the Old Scotch Style, erected, in 1831, at Springfield, near Glasgow. 1814. The Situation of this house is three miles north of Glasgow, on a hilly and somewhat irregular surface. The offices at Springfield are at a short distance from the house, owing to some local peculiarities ; but in this Design they are placed near to it ; as being more convenient, supposing the whole to be executed in a locality where nothing prevented the adoption of this arrangement. The general appearance, on approaching the entrance front, is as shown in fig. 1546, and a nearer view of the same front is given in fig. 1547. The principal views are towards Ben Lomond, the Vale of Clyde, and the Campsie Fells. Every one who has seen the house of a Scotch laird. erected during the seventeenth century, will allow that this is a very gooQ imitation of the old Scotch manner, which, like the laird himself, was dignified but severe, and foibiddino- rather than inviting. There is something too commonplace and town-like in the iron rails and sunk area ; and, though porches were imknown to the old Scotch villa, yet the Architect would have been perfectly justified in adding one to this Design , provided, in doing so, he adhered to the generalstyle, and manner of the building. It must always be recollected, that, in imitating any style we are not limited to copying par- ticular forms ; but are required to enter into the spirit of the subject or style to which they belong, and to form a new composition in that spirit, adapted to whatever use it may be required for. When we hear, therefore, of Architects statine that there is no precedent