hand-made roofing tiles, hips and ridges covered with half-round
ridge-tiles, 6 in. half-round spouts with ornamental stays,
projecting hood of timber, covered with lead and supported by
two wrought-iron stays, red tall-boy chimney pots, doors painted
Suffield green, window sashes and frames ivory white, and eaves,
gutters and down-spouts lead colour.
PLATES XLV., XLVI., AND XLVII.
PAIR OF THREE-STOREY COTTAGES.
[Illustration:
BEDROOM PLAN
GROUND PLAN
PLATE XLV. PAIR OF COTTAGES. SEE PAGE 47.]
[Illustration:
FRONT ELEVATION
ATTIC PLAN
PLATE XLVI. PAIR OF COTTAGES. SEE PAGE 47.]
Plates XLV. and XLVI. give plans, and Plate XLVII. the view of a
pair of three-storey cottages of about the same accommodation,
the left-hand having the following:—
GROUND FLOOR.
Dining Room, 11 ft. 6 ins. × 18 ft., with French window.
Drawing Room, 12 ft. 6 ins. × 15 ft., with deep bay. Small
Sitting Room, 7 ft. × 11 ft. 2 ins. Working Kitchen, 11 ft. 2
in. × 12 ft. 6 ins. Larder and China Pantry, Porch and Hall.
W.C., Coals, Tools, and Enclosed Yard.
BEDROOM FLOOR.
First Bedroom, 12 ft. 6 ins. × 15 ft., and deep bay. Second
Bedroom, 11 ft. 6 ins. × 16 ft. Third Bedroom, 10 ft. 6 ins. ×
11 ft. 2 ins., with oriel. Bathroom, with Lavatory, W.C. Two
Attics and Large Box Room.
[Illustration: PLATE XLVII. PAIR OF COTTAGES. SEE PAGE 47.]
The accommodation in the two houses differs owing to the aspect.
If the two plans were identical, a considerable portion of the
right-hand garden would be shut off from the south, and the
larder would not face the north. Stress has already been laid on
the necessity of considering aspect.
The left-hand is a corner house, and the projecting out-houses
answer the double purpose of screening the garden from the road
and protecting the house from the north wind.
In the adjoining house there is no small sitting room, but an
extra attic. The outbuildings are attached to the main building,
and do not project into the garden; the principal room is thus
left open to the south.
MATERIALS.—The houses are built of common bricks whitewashed,
with a tarred plinth. There are half-timber porches, and the
spaces between the bays and under the dormers are covered with
rough-cast and decorated with parquetry. The rainwater head
in front is picked out in vermillion, the introduction of a
very little bright colour giving a pleasant jewel-like effect.
Peake’s hand-made tiles, of dark colour, are used for the roofs,
with half-round ridging, and ornamental iron stays support the
gutters, which are of 6 in. half-round iron.
A pair of houses erected to a similar plan to that of the
right-hand house in 1904 cost £610 each. The cost of the examples
given work out more owing to the fall in the land, which
necessitates very deep footings, and also to the plans differing
in order to suit aspect and site.
PLATE XLVIII.
PAIR OF THREE-STOREY COTTAGES.
[Illustration: PLATE XLVIII. PAIR OF COTTAGES. SEE PAGE 48.]
Plate XLVIII. gives the view of a pair of houses similar to the
last, but somewhat reduced in size, and the treatment varied.
Brindled bricks are used for the ground floor, and rough-cast for
the upper storeys.
PLATES XLIX., L., LI., LII., LIII., LIV., AND LV.
TWO PAIRS OF COTTAGES.
These plates illustrate two pairs of cottages of two storeys
each, almost identical in plan, but differently treated.
[Illustration:
FRONT ELEVATION
GROUND PLAN BEDROOM PLAN
PLATE XLIX. PAIR OF COTTAGES. SEE PAGE 49.]
[Illustration: PLATE L. PAIR OF COTTAGES. SEE PAGE 49.]
The accommodation of the pair shown in Plates XLIX. and L. is:—
GROUND FLOOR.
Dining Room, 13 ft. 6 in. × 16 ft. and bay. Drawing Room, 13
ft. 6 ins. × 16 ft. 3 ins., including ingle and bay window.
Kitchen, 10 ft. 6 ins. × 12 ft. Hall, with storm doors, 12 ft.
6 ins. × 10 ft. Scullery, Larder, W.C., Coals, and Tool House.
Frontage, 15 yds.
BEDROOM FLOOR.
First Bedroom, 12 ft. × 16 ft. 3 ins., and bay. Second Bedroom,
12 ft. 4 ins. × 13 ft. 6 in. Third Bedroom, 10 ft. × 10 ft. 2
ins. Fourth Bedroom, 9 ft. × 13 ft. 6 ins. Boxroom, 8 ft. × 10
ft. Bathroom, with Lavatory, and W.C.
The dining room is lighted by a small east window and a west bay
window, the latter being covered by the roof of the verandah,
which terminates in the bay window of the drawing room. Although
the kitchen is a small one, it has the advantage of not being a
passage room, the door from the hall to the kitchen and that from
the kitchen to the scullery being arranged beside one another in
the same wall. In these houses the windows have wooden frames and
wrought-iron casements.
The principal rooms occupy the full width of the back, and the
hall is therefore extended to admit of the doors of the two rooms
being conveniently placed.
INGLE NOOK.—The ingle which results from this arrangement has a
beam with a shelf above continuing the line of the architrave,
and the ceiling of the ingle is only 6 ft. 6 in. high. There is a
small light on one side.
[Illustration: PLATE LI. COTTAGE INGLE. SEE PAGE 49.]
[Illustration: PLATE LII. DETAIL VIEW. SEE PAGE 49.]
The ingle nook is shown on Plate LI., and a view of the oriel on
Plate LII.
[Illustration: PLATE LIII. PAIR OF COTTAGES. SEE PAGE 50.]
[Illustration: PLATE LIV. PAIR OF COTTAGES—BACK. SEE PAGE 50.]
The pair of cottages shown in Plates LIII. and LIV. have outer
porches, whereby the size of the hall is reduced. A separate view
of one of them is given on Plate LV.
[Illustration: PLATE LV. PORCH. SEE PAGE 50.]
In this example, as in the former also, the outlook at the
back of the house is to be preferred to that in the front, and
as should always be done when the aspect is favourable, the
principal rooms are placed at the back. There is in this instance
a west prospect, with a delightful view of undulating woodland
and distant hills. The forecourt affords a pleasant outlook from
within the house. The lowness of the eaves has the effect of
giving the pair a very homely and cottage-like appearance. The
height of the bedrooms in the former example is 8 ft. 3 in.
PLATES LVI. AND LVII.
SINGLE COTTAGE.
[Illustration: PLATE LVI. SINGLE COTTAGE. SEE PAGE 50.]
Plate LVI. gives a single cottage of a plan similar to the last,
with enlarged accommodation and somewhat different treatment,
namely:—
Rough-cast from ground, with tarred plinth; oriel window to first
floor, with the introduction of a little colour in parquetry,
which is also applied round the small window over the entrance,
and a half-timber porch glazed with leaded lights, having
coloured centres of rich glass. The cloak space is here converted
into a china pantry.
A separate view of the porch is shown on Plate LVII.
[Illustration: PLATE LVII. PORCH OF SINGLE COTTAGE. SEE PAGE 50.]
GENERAL NOTES.
[Illustration: THE PATENT ADJUSTABLE CABINET BATH.]
THE BATH.—The bath, without which no house is nowadays regarded
as complete, should be supplied in all cottages, however small.
At Bournville, wherever there is no bathroom, the bath is placed
in the kitchen, this room being considered the most suitable: hot
water is here at hand, and, as there is usually a fire in winter,
it is both more convenient and comfortable than in one of the
bedrooms, where the space can be ill-spared, especially where
there are children. Even in the kitchens of these small cottages
there is necessarily none too much space, and various devices
have been employed to prevent the bath being an inconvenience
when not in use. One way of disposing of it is to sink it into
the floor near the hearth, the boarded covering serving as a
standing or draining board when the bath is in use. Another way,
where there is a little more room to spare, is to fix it on the
usual floor level, and make its cover serve as a settle or table.
The introduction of the Patent Adjustable Cabinet Bath, however,
is better than either of these methods. In this arrangement the
bath is hinged at the bottom of one end in order that it may be
easily lowered from and raised back into the cabinet, where in
its vertical position it is no inconvenience when not in use. In
the hinge a waste pipe is introduced. With this bath not only is
there a gain of space, but the bath may be used with a saving
of time and labour, and without fear of deluging the floor.
Above the cupboard in which the bath is kept are convenient
shelves. The cost of the bath and cabinet is about £3 5_s._ The
illustration on the last page shows a bath of this kind fitted in
one of the Bournville cottages.
[Illustration: CORNES’ PATENT BATH.]
Another patent bath used at Bournville in cottages of larger size
but not sufficiently large to admit of a bathroom is Cornes’
Combined Scullery-Bath-Range and Boiler. The patent utilises to
the fullest extent the heat of the kitchen, so that, in addition
to the economy of space, there is a further economy of fuel to
the householder. The heating and cooking range forms a great part
of the division between the kitchen and scullery-bathroom, the
flue being coursed over the head of the bath. In the centre of
the range is the grate, with an oven on one side and on the other
a twelve-gallon boiler, in which water is kept hot for domestic
purposes. Boiling water can be obtained by raking down live fuel
into a small secondary grate under the boiler through a small
hole made for the purpose. If desired, clothes can be boiled in
the boiler and access to it from the scullery may be gained by
opening a curved door. Owing to its open construction there is
no risk of explosion. Further developments have been made in the
way of providing a folding door in front of the range, which
will shut off the boiler from the kitchen when necessary. The
scullery-bathroom, which contains about 36 superficial feet,
is fitted with a full-sized iron enamelled bath, supplied with
hot water through a pipe from the range boiler and with cold
water from the cistern, or through a shower-bath sprinkler fixed
overhead, so that this latter luxury can be enjoyed by simply
turning the tap. The introduction of White’s Patent Steam Exhaust
effectually prevents the steam from permeating the other rooms of
the house. An illustration is here given showing Cornes’ patent
fitted up.
THE INGLE NOOK.—Like many old-time features which have been
revived during the last few years, the ingle nook has perhaps
been a little overdone. The ingle is intended to serve as a cosy
retreat in a spacious room, and it should not be introduced in a
room the size of which is insufficient to warrant its existence.
On this account it is usually undesirable to provide ingle nooks
in cottages, except in those with the large living-rooms.
Comfort should always be the object in view in the construction
of the ingle, but in many modern examples this is sacrificed to
over elaboration and that straining for effect which shows that
it was designed for ornament and not for use. No doubt an effect
is sometimes gained, but the usefulness of the ingle is so far
sacrificed that not infrequently one of most inviting appearance
will be found to possess inadequate seating accommodation even
for a single person.
[Illustration:
ELEVATION PLAN
SMALL COTTAGE INGLE.]
The ingle, to be comfortable and useful, should not be less
than 10 ft. 6 ins. in width by 4 ft. 6 ins. in depth. If it is
smaller lengthways the heat from the fire will be too great,
while if less deep there will be insufficient accommodation at
the sides for two persons without projecting the seats into the
room, which can only be satisfactorily done, perhaps, when the
side of the ingle is in line with that of the room. A reasonable
height is 6 ft. 6 ins. A pleasing way of treating a cottage
ingle is to introduce a step up of about 3 ins., with an oak
curb, and to tile or quarry the whole recess, as illustrated by
the accompanying drawing. This ingle, which is provided in the
pair of cottages with the large living-rooms dealt with earlier
(Plate XX.), is constructed as follows:-¾ in. match-boarding is
nailed to studding, which has stout angle-posts to support the
beam above; along the side of the latter a 7-in. by 1-in. shelf
is carried by small wooden brackets; and the wood seats are of
1¼ ins. in thickness by 1 ft. 4 ins. from back to front, at a
height of 1 ft. 3 ins. or less from the floor. The introduction
of the ingle here is advantageous because some privacy is thus
afforded in a room which is entered directly from the road. The
match-boarding in this case is continued, and forms a framework
for the tile-surround of the grate, giving an appearance of unity
to the nook, while the simplicity of the material is pleasing and
restful. The insertion of a mantelpiece different in character
should be avoided. Some interest may be given to the centre of
the fireplace by inlaying a little ebony in simple forms.
For drawing-rooms of larger houses the back of the nook might be
panelled, the seat upholstered, and the panels filled in with
tapestry. White wood looks well, and the fireplace might be
built up with glazed brickettes. The ways of treating the more
expensive ingles are so numerous, however, that it would be of
little use making definite suggestions.
The ingle nook of one of the larger cottages is illustrated on
Plate LI.
CHIMNEYS.—The economy of grouping chimneys, and the desirability
of carrying them to the highest point of the roof to avoid
down-draughts, has already been mentioned. Generally speaking,
for cottages, the simpler the chimneys are the better, and they
should all be of hard burnt bricks, and the top courses built in
cement. Diagonal chimneys are pleasing, but expensive, and on
an estate should only be used occasionally. The Dutch chimneys,
built up with corners of brick and covered with stone slabs or
12-in. drain pipes, as frequently seen in Holland and Belgium,
are picturesque (see Plate XXII.), but care has to be exercised
in their construction. Though they are often regarded as being
liable to smoke, it may be pointed out that in many cases their
employment is the only remedy for a smoky flue. Outside chimneys,
it will be borne in mind, are always expensive. Chimney pots do
not improve the appearance, but sometimes they are a necessity.
In these cases the simple or plain tall-boys are recommended, and
the colour—whether of soft red or buff—should be chosen to suit
the design and colouring of the cottage. As a variation of these
there are the beehive pots, the main idea of which is to keep
down the height.
WINDOWS.—The casement window is cheaper than the sash window,
and if beauty of effect is also to be considered its adoption is
further desirable. Its simplicity and homeliness of appearance
render it extremely fitting for the cottage. The old difficulty
of cleaning may now be obviated by a very simple device
introduced at Bournville, that of causing the window to open
upon a pivot in the centre, inwardly as well as outwardly, which
admits of the outside of the fixed pane being easily reached by
the hand.
The sash window, while objectionable in the form frequently used,
may yet be made suitable for cottages; but it should be divided,
and the proportions very carefully studied, say 9-in. by 11-in.
panes, and the bars not less than 1 in. in thickness. It should
be brought forward, showing the full width of the boxing. The
sash window, however, necessitates an additional height to rooms.
BRICKS.—As regards bricks, it is well as far as possible to avoid
those which are mechanically made (the pressed stock-brick)
and to use the hand-made bricks from local yards. The brindled
Staffordshire bricks are largely used at Bournville; they are
very suitable for cottage building where the position is not too
exposed. A pleasing variety of colour is introduced at a low
cost, the tint being a bright cherry red blended with blue and
purple, the blue being quite different from the dead blue-black
of the vitreous brick. For inside work the common red wire-cuts
are suitable.
It is a mistake to suppose that a good effect cannot be obtained
by the use of the cheaper makes of bricks, a remark which also
applies in the case of the London stock-bricks, so long as they
are not uniformly selected; a good effect may be gained, for
instance, by using a few of the darker ones indiscriminately with
the cream-coloured ones. The splash of dark colour caused by the
black ones coming together is by no means undesirable. A good
example of an effective use of these bricks is to be seen at
Brewer’s Estate, London.
ROOF COVERING.—The materials to be employed in roofing depend
upon the style of cottage, and also upon the locality. The
Bangor slates are cheap, and may be an excellent covering as
regards durability; but unfortunately, in the class of cottages
here dealt with, it is rarely possible to get so good an effect
with them as with other kinds. They may be used, however, in
the whitewashed cottage, so long as the smaller sizes are
selected. Hand-made roofing tiles, and thick Welsh green and
rustic Precelly slates may be recommended, as also the Peake’s &
Hartshill hand-made tiles.
Pantiles are cheap, but should only be employed on unbroken
roofs having few valleys, where it is less difficult to keep out
the wet. The roof should be steep, the angle in no case being
less than 45 degrees. Before covering, care should be taken to
ascertain whether they are of good manufacture, and whether they
are porous or not. There are sometimes pantiles of an indifferent
quality on the market; and, if this precaution is not taken,
a roof may have to be stripped and re-tiled. Where they have
been used and have afterwards been found to be bad they may be
tarred, as are wood coverings in Norway and Sweden. It is always
essential that the services of a practised layer of pantiles
should be secured.
Gables should have damp courses under the coping to shield them
from frost and wet.
Roof ridging should have careful attention, and it is wiser to
suppress rather than to sharpen, the better to obtain that rustic
appearance suitable to a cottage. Many fantastic ridges, with
vulgar finials, are employed in the building of small suburban
villas, of a more or less sharp-pointed character, and of a
depth out of proportion to the roof, which gives an unpleasant
harshness to the general appearance. With the principle in view
that the sky-line should be softened as much as possible, the
brindled hand-made half-rounds should be used. With green slates,
ridges of blue are the most suitable, as the colours harmonise.
Experience will probably show that the red and buff ridges will
not stand the weather so well as other kinds.
WALL SPACES: ROUGH-CAST—WHITEWASH—HALF-TIMBER.—However strong
may be the temptation to introduce a variety of colour upon
exteriors, it is advisable with cottages of the class dealt with
to refrain from so doing. It is best to get the colour in masses,
treated broadly—say, each house, as far as wall surfaces and
roof are concerned, of one colour; for where the cottages stand
close together, or even where they are semi-detached, sufficient
contrast or relief is afforded by contiguous cottages treated
differently, and in the case of a village a much better general
effect is thus gained. On the other hand a good effect may be
gained by giving a block of houses one tone throughout, matching
the colour of the roof. The result is quiet and unobtrusive, and
one which is very desirable in the cottage, where the features
are necessarily brought close together. The tarred plinth,
however, should always be used with rough-cast.
Half-timber should be used sparingly. While the bye-laws insist
on a 9-in. wall being at the back, an unwarranted present and
future expense is incurred by its use; and an effect equally
as good, moreover, may be obtained with rough-cast, weather
boarding, or whitewash. Half-timber one lives to regret, for the
weather tells sadly upon it, and it demands constant repair.
A small cottage with an equal distribution of equal-sized windows
is far from desirable. In a pair of cottages where there are four
equal rooms facing the road, four equal windows would at first
sight seem unavoidable, although such an arrangement would be
fatal to the elevation. It is better to put a secondary light
to the rooms at the extremities, getting additional light from
the side, and thus by contrast giving greater importance to
the larger windows in the centre, or even to omit the smaller
windows, if adequate light can be obtained without them. The
blank space might then be used for the training up of climbing
plants. A certain number of windows is indispensable in a
cottage, but, without stinting light, the aim should rather be to
repress any superfluity. By the means suggested the view from the
interior is sometimes agreeably varied.
Other features are dealt with in the descriptions of the various
cottages to which they have particular reference.
THE LAYING OUT OF A MODEL VILLAGE.
Let it be supposed that land has been bought to be laid out
as a model village. Whether this has been done by a company,
a municipal body, or by an individual, is not material to the
present purpose. Assuming that the selection of the site has
had careful consideration, and that it is suitable for the
development of a village, what is the first step? Before turning
a sod the clearest conception of the finished scheme must have
been formed. A dozen cottages or so erected before considering
the future of the whole project may involve endless trouble at a
later stage. The initial proceeding, therefore, is to make the
general plan as complete and final as possible before commencing
actual operations. Up to the present it has been the difficulty
of co-operation among landlords, perhaps unavoidable, either
by the piecemeal acquisition of land or the fitful demand for
building, which has been the cause of many of our towns and
suburbs being the reverse of pleasing. A century or so ago,
when domestic architecture was a traditionally living art, and
building was conducted less hurriedly, a certain charm of effect
was no doubt obtained by this accidental or fitful extension,
though convenience was certainly not always considered; but in
the present day we should avail ourselves of the opportunity
which a large or co-operative scheme offers for a convenient and
agreeable disposition of buildings.
REGARD OF PHYSICAL FEATURES.—As the following suggestions do not
refer to any specific example of land which is to be laid out as
a model village, they can only be regarded as having general
applicability. The treatment of particular land depends upon its
peculiar physical features. Land in a gently undulating district,
for instance, must be dealt with in quite a different manner from
that in flat country. The natural features themselves must be the
basis of any satisfactory treatment, and they are to be made the
most of, not only with regard to their intrinsic beauty, but also
any material advantages they may offer.