The Studio yearbook of decorative art (22.1922)

NOTES ON SOME RECENT DOMESTIC ARCHITECTURE
foreman, Mr. Bowes, with Mr. J. C. Pocock entered very heartily into the
idea of carrying out the work in the old way, not with any deliberate attempt
at irregularity, but merely what may be called natural building as opposed
to mechanical exactitude. There are some people who profess to see affec-
tation in work of this kind, and no doubt it may easily become so. Unless
it is done in the right and natural way it may easily become as ridiculous as
a rustic summer-house. But when deviations from regularity are subtle and
restrained it becomes an art in itself—the art of building, in short, in which
the hand of the workman becomes no less vital than in the painting of a
picture ; and it is surprising how the human factor responds and appreciates
work which is something more than a dull mechanical reproduction of an
architect’s drawings, for in spite of all the mechanical drilling which con-
stitutes the modern workman's training, the dormant artist and craftsman
still persists and rejoices to be set free to find expression in work.
The old farm-house of Ockhams, near Edenbridge in Kent (p. 64), is a
typical farm-house now in process of alteration and reconstruction to suit
modern requirements without destroying the character and charm of the
old building. The illustrations shew the north front and an interior view of
the hall formed by combining two smaller rooms in the existing house.
The two houses, by Messrs. Sydney R. Jones and J. Crowe, which are the
subjects of the drawings on page 66, have been built on an open country site
at Hutton Mount, in Essex. Each house covers but a small area, and for
this reason the plan in both cases provides for one living-room only, of
ample size and L shaped, and suitable for the double purpose of living
and dining. A view of the living-room, as seen from the dining-recess, is
shewn by one of the illustrations. The walls of the houses are built in brick-
work of good texture and colour, and the roofs, with swept valleys, have
been carried out in hand-made tiles. The fireplaces, both on the ground
and upper floors, shew in exposed bricks and tiles, and are decorative
features of all the rooms. The way in which the internal walls, ceilings,
and floors have been treated is a special point about these houses. The
floors are covered with ash three-ply wood, and all the walls, instead of
being plastered, have been faced with compoboard or ash three-ply wood,
while the ceilings have been finished with Carey Ceil Board. These special
materials are fixed to wooden framing by narrow wood strips. The compo-
board and Ceil Board may be treated with distemper in the ordinary way,
while the ash panels give a very pleasing effect when slightly polished.
On page 69 is shewn the new living-room at Coldmoor Cottage, Henley-
on-Thames, which has been reconstructed by Mr. C. B. Willcocks (of
Messrs. Willcocks & Greenaway) out of two cottage living-rooms, the wall
between being removed and the rooms above supported by the new beam,
with post and bracket, seen in the photograph. The smaller beam is old.
60