Studio: international art (71.1917)

Recent Designs in Domestic Architecture

RECENT DESIGNS IN DOMESTIC whole of the tiling and brickwork was carried
ARCHITECTURE ou* old material chiefly collected from

the buildings demolished.

THE water-colour drawing by Margaret The announcement was made in the House of
Felkin which we reproduce opposite Commons a few weeks ago by Mr. Hayes Fisher,
illustrates an interesting example of the new President of the Local Government
brickwork applied to garden archi- Board, that the Government had resolved to
tecture. The arch is a quite modern structure, afford financial assistance from public funds to
but already after standing only five or six years local authorities for the construction of houses
the new work is indistinguishable from the old for the working classes, of which there is now
brickwork of the walls, which are about two throughout the country an alarming deficiency,
hundred years old. variously estimated at from half a million to a

Our illustrations of " Hutchings' Barn " at million dweUings. It has also been announced
Beaconsfield in Buckinghamshire show the that the same Minister has appointed a corn-
results of the conversion of an old homestead mittee to consider the question generally and
and barn into a commodious and comfortable to report on the best methods for securing
dwelling fulfilling the re-
quirements of modern life. •;
The bouse itself, when

handed over to the archi- ■jjfEBSLk
tect, Mr. Melville Seth- r ";

Ward, of London, for re-
construction, was in a
very decrepit state, and
it was found that very
little indeed could be pre-
served. The structure was
in fact practically held to-
gether by a delightful
wistaria creeper, reputed
to be some centuries old,
and the plans of the addi-
tions were so arranged
that this creeper was
saved, and when the new
walls were ready to receive
it, was again attached
thereto. The old barn
was carefully shored up
and made the central fea-
ture of the new building,
and all timbers were re-
tained that were in such
a state of repair as made
this possible, and all the
old and new oak was left ,
in its " silvered " state and
no stain was used. The
bay of the large hall
shown both internally and
externally in our illustra-
tions, OCCUpieS the position „ hutchmgs< barn<» beaconsfield. melville seth-ward, f.r.i.b.a.,

of the old barn doors. The architect for the reconstruction

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