Studio: international art (45.1909)

A rchitectural

From each walk of the cloisters similar views
have been contrived. On the north side, looking
towards the house from the herb garden, the view
will be similar to that from the entrance ; but in the
reverse view, that is from the garth itself, a hint of
the kitchen garden gates through the stepped and
stone-paved path of the intervening garden, will be
seen.

The same idea has been carried out in the house
plan, as, for example, from the central corridor on
the north side of the hall the centre of the cloister
garth, with its stone-edged pool, occurs, and from
each of the small square stone-built halls, to the
east and west of the corridor, a sight of the east
and west walks of the cloister is obtained, at the
ends of which are small wall fountains with low
basins for water flowers under. An illustration of
the east hall, with a suggestion of the cloister
through the open doorway, is shown on page 3T.

Another consideration on this site which re-
ceived some careful thought was the view to be
seen to the south-east of the famous Beeston
Castle, with its fine rugged outline across the
valley some five miles away. On entering the
west hall (the entrance door) this picture is seen
through the house and framed on the far side
by the stone columns and lintel of the garden
entrance. The doors themselves have been speci-
ally designed with glass to the floor line, so that
the view shall be interrupted as little as possible.

The plan also shows the method by which the
centre of the cloisters and the house is linked up
with the gardens on the east side through the
kitchen garden to the pergola next the northern
tennis court. The pergola, starting at the top of the
steps, continues to the kitchen garden, where the
walk changes to a pleached alley of fruit trees, bor-
dered on each side with flower-beds. This takes
the semicircular line of the garden and is extended
through the centre to the herb garden up to the
north side of the cloister walls.

Another illustration of Tirley on page 32, the one
just referred to, is taken from about midway in the
walk between the two tennis courts shown in the
plan. At the top of the steps, and at the south end
of the pergola, a loggia is planned, so constructed as
to form a shaded place for outside meals in summer
weather. This view also serves to show the manner
in which pictures of the house from the garden, and of
the garden from the house, can be obtained. Here
the focal point from the garden is the narrow bay
window of the dining-room, which is placed central
with the walk. From the house the bay window
looks down through the loggia, on the flight of

G a rdening. —II.

steps leading to the rose walk, between high yew
hedges, to the octagonal garden beyond.

The drawing, on page 34 shows the south front
of a house designed (with the late 17th-century
style as a motif) for a proposed Thames-side resi-
dence. An endeavour here has been made to
take full advantage of the river, and of the back-
water which surrounds the site of the house, in
order to make them contribute towards the effect
of the garden scheme. There are enclosed rose-
gardens on either side of the lily pond, shown in the
sketch—enclosed, that is, by yew hedges on three
sides, and on the fourth by the wings of the house
itself, with a broad, paved and flowered terrace inter-
vening. This terrace runs along the entire length of
that front. The whole site of the house and garden
is proposed to be raised above flood level, and
opportunity is thus provided for an effective ap-
proach by a broad-stepped walk from the river
side, facing the south front and lily pond.

A stairway in stone connecting a sunk garden
from a low level to the terraced walk above is
shown on page 35. Here there is a considerable
fall in the ground which gave an opportunity of
forming the garden at very little trouble and
expense. If sufficient care and thought are exercised
in the treatment of the levels of what at first sight
may appear to be extremely difficult and awkward
sites, quite surprising and delightful results can be
had at the cost of little labour. The real labour
required is that involved in the planning of the
garden on the site. The centre line of the rose
garden shown in the sketch runs through the centre
of the stairway and continues across the terrace to
the pergola, on each side of which are two wild
gardens. At the far end of the pergola is a broad
grass walk between the orchard on the distant side
and the two gardens.

The design shown in the sketch on page 36 is
an idea for the treatment of the south side of a
house in relation to a circular pool and fountain.
On the left side of the grass w'alk leading to the
terrace is a tennis lawn and on the other a bowl-
ing green. These separate from the house two
rectangular rose gardens which occupy an equal
amount of space on the opposite side of the central
pool and fountain.

The problem presented by the requirements for
the alterations and additions illustrated by the plan
on the opposite page for Joyce Grove, Nettlebed, is
of an entirely different nature to those already des-
cribed. The existing portion of the present house
binds and limits both the added newportions and the
garden scheme. The old. portion is shown by the

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