The Studio yearbook of decorative art (1919)

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BRICK DETAILS (PAGE 48)

ON THE DESIGNING OF COTTAGES AND SMALL HOUSES
After planning comes the
equally important ques-
tion of elevations, which
will now be considered in
detail. The subject of ma-
terials is the first to be
dealt with. Building ma-
terials are to the designer
of houses what colour and
canvas are to the painter,
or iron and steel to the en-
gineer. They form the
medium in which he
works, and they influence,
more than anything else,
the character and appear-
ance of the buildings. If
materials are to be used
rightly and well, it is ne-
cessary to thoroughly understand their possibilities and limitations, and
to know exactly how and where to employ them. This knowledge may
only be gained by experience, by contact with craftsmen, and by the study
of the work and methods of the old builders. Architecture is, above all,
an art of tradition. It is as old as the history of man, and has been practised
since the earliest times. It is, therefore, impossible to dissociate present-
day building from that of the past, for most of the methods and customs
in use to-day originated hundreds of years ago. All the native architec-
tural styles were governed by the yields of the earth. The natural pro-
ducts, such as timber, stone, and clay, furnished the means for the develop-
ment of the building craft. In order to comprehend the lines along which
the domestic architecture in England grew and matured, it is first necessary
to realize the geological structure of the country. The principal geologi-
cal divisions are shown by the map opposite, and the natural products, so
far as they relate to building, are indicated on it. The craftsmen of old
took these products given by nature, which were handy and right for
their purpose, and erected churches and houses and cottages with them.
Stone was quarried, clay was used for bricks, trees were felled, and chalk
was burned and made into plaster. Roads were few in number, and trans-
port was difficult and costly ; so building operations in each locality were,
as a rule, carried out with the materials found there.
In consequence of these limitations, and after generations of work, the
early builders of England improved their knowledge and gained under-
28