Studio: international art (40.1907)

Recent Designs in Domestic A rchitecture

from the south of Spain. The justification (on
aesthetic grounds) of this use of colour is more
to be seen from the garden front of the house,
where the wide green lawns play up to and repeat
the greens of the house, the effect that so many
houses that have any space about them try to
produce by growing vines and creepers over their
walls. The small pavilion shown on the right of
the illustration is an extension of the dining-room.
It faces south and is used as an open-air breakfast
and tea room. The tile panels with which this
room and the covered way is decorated are beau-
tiful examples of M. de Morgan’s work. Many
other fine specimens of his craft decorate the
building both externally and internally.

The house at Witley, Surrey, of which we give two
views and a plan, has been designed for Mr. Arnold
E. Williams, by Messrs. Forbes & Tate, architects.
It is in a clearing made in the Pine Woods on the
“ Hog’s Back,” on the highest point of the ridge,
with a formal garden laid out by Miss Jekyll.
Owing to the exposed position of the house,
it has been planned with an internal courtyard.
The roofs project over the courtyard sufficiently
to form a covered way all round leading to the
entrance of the house; these overhanging roofs
round the courtyard are supported by heavy old oak
posts and lintels taken from barns and old buildings.
The brickwork used in the construction comes
from local brickfields, and is of a very dark red
brown, varying to purple, with flare ends occasion-
ally showing in the headers; the whole is pointed

in a dark brown mortar with joints set back about
half an inch. The tiling to roof and tile hanging
is also local, and old tiles being unobtainable, they
have been toned down with solution ; all valleys
have been curved to correspond with old work in
the neighbourhood ; solid oak lintels have been
frequently used. To form the projection to eaves
of gables, 12 in. by 12 in. sand-faced tiles have
been used. The south terrace is paved with 12 in.
by 12 in. quarry tiles, with old millstones let in to
form a pattern. The soffits of all eaves are in
plaster and finished against tile corbels. Steel
casements in wooden mullions have been used
throughout. The house is entered through a vesti-
bule into a sitting hall, with a semicircular oriel
with French windows leading into the terrace. The
dining and drawing rooms open off the hall on
either side. The kitchen and offices are in the
east wing of the house, from which access to the
front door is gained through the pantry, thus
enabling the servants to answer the front door with-
out going through the sitting hall. The west wing
is occupied by a study, billiard room and men’s
lavatory. The principal staircase is in oak and
leads from the hall to the first floor, in which there
are three large bedrooms, opening on to a verandah,
a dressing room, two bathrooms, a wardrobe room,
a small bedroom, blanket stores, etc. There are two
large servants’ bedrooms over the kitchen premises,
reached by means of a separate service stairs. On
the second floor there are three bedrooms, a box
room, and a stair to the look-out.