DOI Heft:
No. 31 (October, 1896)
DOI Artikel:Townsend, Horace: An artistic treatment of cottages
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.17295#0043
An Artistic Treatment of Cottages
fashion of setting each individual peg into a ready- for very contrast's sake it seems well to be simple
made hole on the social board, whether square or and modest to the verge of plainness in the nature,
round it matters not, we are wont to class as appointments, and administration of the country
belonging to "the upper middle class." By this house. Thus it comes about that our typical upper-
double life I do not mean any sort of Jekyl and middle-classer, if he be sensible, and he very
usually is so, having first
looked well about him,
chooses for reasons idiosyn-
cratic or otherwise the parti-
cular spot, whether heath,
wood, or country village,
wherein he is to dwell.
Then he further searches
until Providence, in the guise
of some friendly inhabitant or
some minor village potentate,
reveals to him some small
and unpretentious cottage
whereof the yearly rent, if
not to be reckoned in shil-
fig. i.—cottage treatment, simple form. by c. harrison townsend, f.r.i.b.a. llngS> yet WOUld make HO
great inroad on the most
Hyde existence as regards morals, but simply the slender of purses, and whereof the possibilities
combination in one individual of the habitudes of when gazed at with the eye of faith are obvious
both town and country mouse. His workaday and limitless.
world lies in London ; the more pleasurable and Of this cottage, if he be a wise man, he purchases
the more restful of his days are spent in some quiet the freehold, taking base advantage of agricultural
Surrey, Sussex, or Kent village. As to the causes depression and the consequently pessimistic views
which have given rise to this tendency one need of latter-day landlords. Then, if he has not
not here inquire too closely, having once and for all already exhausted his stock of wisdom, he calls in
established securely the fact. Possibly it is due to not only the village builder, but some judicious,
the increasing size and expense of London, coin- competent, and well-disposed architect,
cident with the burden of necessity placed upon The problem which now lies before the two (or
so many men of living in town for professional or the three, for usually Mrs. Upper-middle-classer
social reasons ; possibly the increasing
popularity of " flat life," with its in-
herent temptation to turn a single key
upon one's household gods and feel £
thereby that one's responsibilities are
temporarily at least at an end.
Be this as it may, the fact remains
that growing hundreds of the class to
which I refer feel the necessity of hav-
ing some country pied-a-terre to which
they can run down for weeks or
months, as the case may be, and feel
themselves free from society or busi-
ness cares. Nor yet in addition are
they able for reasons pecuniary to
support two establishments with the
same degree of artistic ostentation or
luxurious comfort displayed in each.
These qualities therefore they decide
to confine to their town house, while fig. 2.—plan of cottage
3°
3-TE
TTrn
w *......
fashion of setting each individual peg into a ready- for very contrast's sake it seems well to be simple
made hole on the social board, whether square or and modest to the verge of plainness in the nature,
round it matters not, we are wont to class as appointments, and administration of the country
belonging to "the upper middle class." By this house. Thus it comes about that our typical upper-
double life I do not mean any sort of Jekyl and middle-classer, if he be sensible, and he very
usually is so, having first
looked well about him,
chooses for reasons idiosyn-
cratic or otherwise the parti-
cular spot, whether heath,
wood, or country village,
wherein he is to dwell.
Then he further searches
until Providence, in the guise
of some friendly inhabitant or
some minor village potentate,
reveals to him some small
and unpretentious cottage
whereof the yearly rent, if
not to be reckoned in shil-
fig. i.—cottage treatment, simple form. by c. harrison townsend, f.r.i.b.a. llngS> yet WOUld make HO
great inroad on the most
Hyde existence as regards morals, but simply the slender of purses, and whereof the possibilities
combination in one individual of the habitudes of when gazed at with the eye of faith are obvious
both town and country mouse. His workaday and limitless.
world lies in London ; the more pleasurable and Of this cottage, if he be a wise man, he purchases
the more restful of his days are spent in some quiet the freehold, taking base advantage of agricultural
Surrey, Sussex, or Kent village. As to the causes depression and the consequently pessimistic views
which have given rise to this tendency one need of latter-day landlords. Then, if he has not
not here inquire too closely, having once and for all already exhausted his stock of wisdom, he calls in
established securely the fact. Possibly it is due to not only the village builder, but some judicious,
the increasing size and expense of London, coin- competent, and well-disposed architect,
cident with the burden of necessity placed upon The problem which now lies before the two (or
so many men of living in town for professional or the three, for usually Mrs. Upper-middle-classer
social reasons ; possibly the increasing
popularity of " flat life," with its in-
herent temptation to turn a single key
upon one's household gods and feel £
thereby that one's responsibilities are
temporarily at least at an end.
Be this as it may, the fact remains
that growing hundreds of the class to
which I refer feel the necessity of hav-
ing some country pied-a-terre to which
they can run down for weeks or
months, as the case may be, and feel
themselves free from society or busi-
ness cares. Nor yet in addition are
they able for reasons pecuniary to
support two establishments with the
same degree of artistic ostentation or
luxurious comfort displayed in each.
These qualities therefore they decide
to confine to their town house, while fig. 2.—plan of cottage
3°
3-TE
TTrn
w *......