DISSERTATION XXII.

ON CLASSIFYING THE ORDERS OF ARCHITECTURE TO BUILDINGS SUITABLE TO DIFFERENT

SITUATIONS.

"All nature is but art, unknown to thee,

All chance direction, which thou canst not see."-POPE.

As nature requires a similitude wherever art is made use of to add lustre to her beauty, so art never more agreeably pleases us than when she has a resemblance of nature; therefore, by a kind of sympathy and attraction, when both are blended or mingled together, so as to be preserved without starting into extremes, they must necessarily give that pleasure to the senses which alone can follow from the nice hand and skill of the designer; hence we see the necessity of observing a harmony of the orders to be classed in a building, according to the locality, spot, and surrounding objects where that edifice is to be erected. I shall therefore here describe the character of the three different situations suitable to the Grecian orders of architecture, each being in accordance with the decoration of the order, which should at all times be previously considered before the architect commits his design to paper, (that is, wherever the Grecian style is to be adopted,) that each may assimilate with one another. We are here referring to rural situations in the country suitable for villas and mansions. First there is the level or unadorned scenery; secondly, the undulating site; and thirdly, the florid, where nature wantons in luxuriancy. Here art and taste should be displayed, but blended together so agreeably as to give a charm and pleasure to the eye of every beholder.

An open, level, champaign country, like the plains of Pæstum in Italy, on account of its solitary and desolate aspect, requires a massy and somewhat plain building, adorned with the Doric order. But if the edifice has a long extended view, it would be best to range the offices in a

evidently formed for a picture. An inclined plane is not the natural seat of a colonnade. Mnesicles when obliged to build the Propylæum at Athens on an inclined plane, avoided this fault. Instead of sloping, he levelled the stylobate, and led to them by separate flights of stairs. Yet how superior even as a picture is the lower aspect of the Athenian ruin to this studied perspective of Bernini's at the Vatican! but what could be natural that was borrowed from Barromini! Turning round an enfilade, the lofty vestibule, vaulted with gilt stuccoes, and floor paved with various marbles, lengthens on the eye by a grand succession of doors, and niches, and statues, and fountains, till it ends in the perspective statue of Charlemagne. This is one architectural picture which no engraver can flatter.-(Forsyth.)

* At Pæstum there are three temples, each of this order. The origin of the city may safely be referred to remote antiquity, but those are probably in the right who would fix the period at which the existing temples were erected as contemporary with or a little posterior to the building of the Parthenon at Athens; even this calculation leaves them the venerable age of twenty-two centuries. These sublime relics of antiquity stand on the edge of a vast and desolate plain that extends from the neighbourhood of the city of Salerno to the mountains of the Cilento, or nearly to the confines of Calabria. The approach to them across this wilderness is exceedingly impressive. For miles scarcely a human habitation is seen or any living creature save some herds of savage-looking buffaloes that range the lords of the waste. But there the three ancient Doric edifices rise before you in the most imposing and sublime manner: they can hardly be called ruins, they have still such a character of firmness and entireness. Their columns seem to be rooted in the earth, or to have grown from it. The first impression produced on the traveller when he arrives at the spot has often been described. Even the critical and sceptical Forsyth exclaims, " On entering the walls of Pæstum I felt all the religion of the place: I stood as on sacred ground: I stood amazed at the long obscurity of its mighty ruins. The material of which they are built is the same throughout each of the temples and common to them all. It is an exceedingly hard but porous and brittle stone, of a sober brownish grey colour. The stone of these edifices," says he, "was probably formed at Pæstum itself by the brackish water acting on the vegetable earth, roots, and plants; for you can distinguish their petrified tubes in every

column."

The brackish water of the river Salso that runs by the wall of the town, and in different branches across the plain, has so strong a petrifying virtue, that you can almost follow the operation with the eye; the waters of the neighbouring Sele (the ancient Silarus) have in all ages been remarkable for the same quality: in many places where the soil had been removed we perceived strata of stone similar to the stones which compose the temples; and I could almost venture to say,

parallel line with the main building, but to recede back a little; then at a distance the edifice will fill the eye with a majestic splendour, arising from the greatness of its magnitude and its solitary grandeur.* For

"While some delight in long extended views,

A noble prospect to some champaign plain,
A rising summit or declining vale,

Half scattered o'er with flocks of fleecy sheep;
Others, perhaps, a rude and barren heath;
The gloom of woods, and solemn lofty groves,
The calm recesses of a mind serene

May be the happy choice of one whose thoughts
No empty glares of pageantry possess,

Or false varieties allure."

The undulating banks within the locality of a noble river, like that of the Ilissus at Athens, or the scenery in Arcadia, require a classic building thus situated to have more decoration: and if the mounds be much varied, and the view be that of nature with an ornamental dress, then the Ionic order will here be the most in accordance, its scroll-work harmonizing with such a site. If the glebe be an agreeable ascent, facing towards the south-east or west, with a lawn or grassy plain in front, and distant hills or woods encircle the rear like a crescent, then a few ornaments on the front of the house may be judiciously scattered in proper parts to give it an enlivening variety; but care must be observed not to use superfluity, for "overdoing is undoing." If the villa-residence be on an agreeable eminence and environed with woods, the principal vista or opening glade should be spacious, to obtain a good view of the house; and here a lofty portico, crowned with a triangular pediment, wili add to the mansion, and give it a noble appearance when seen at the end of such an avenue, or when a glimpse of the building is caught between the branches of some noble or aged tree; and the greater grandeur will the part of the house present if not contracted by the avenue, nor brought too near, so as to take off that occasional glow of sunshine which should strike across and separate the verdant lawn from the umbrageous wood. Again

"Another spot, a verdant gradual rise

To orchards laden with delicious fruits,
At once to gratify the eye and taste.
Another scene to groups of lofty pines
The entrance to some pleasing solemn grove
Where demi-deities are feigned to dwell;
Such as the bards who sung Achilles' fame
Described; or Maro of Anchises' race;
Or sweet-tongued Ovid in a softer strain:
Such groves where lofty tops aspiring rise,
And shade in solemn form the winding paths;
Those still retreats that soothe the pensive mind,
Retired scarcely in an evening shade,

Or when the rays of light refresh the morn.'

The silent meandering silver streams, the verdant flower-enamelled lawn; the trees majestic, spreading in all the gay profusion of verdure and foliage.

"Insuperable height of loftiest cedar,

And pine, and fir, and branching palm; a sylvan scene,
And as the ranks ascend shade above shade,

A woody theatre of stateliest view."

that the substratum of all the plain rom the Sele to Acropoli is of the like substance: curious petrifactions of leaves, pieces of wood, insects, and other vegetable matters are observed in the materials of the columns and walls.--(Mac Farlane.)

* The late King of Naples, in the palace which he built at Caserta, about seventeen miles from the city, sought grandeur from every dimension. This edifice is situated on an immense plain, and is a quadrangle, the front of which is upwards of seven hundred feet long.-(Forsyth's Italy.)

So Milton sang, and such is the scenery at Vallombrosa ;* such also is the scenery at Delphi, in the midst of which stood the celebrated and gorgeous temple of Apollo, and where the Castalian fount with its wonderful virtues flowed. Scenery like this, where nature blends in lovely landscapes, bespangled with flowers of richest hue, and where the various-coloured tinting of the shrubs in the opening lawn is garnished in all the pride of dress, demands the rich Corinthian order. Here the architect, like the poet, must have recourse to fancy and a playful imagination; he must mingle his carved floral-work with nature; his ornaments of foliage, flowers, and fruits must deck the fabric, but in everything he must be natural without lavishness.

The same idea of similitude should run through the whole design of a Corinthian building, arising from one degree of dress to another, still preserving the consistency of the parts with the whole, and keeping that just medium in ornament which the nature of the design requires. For such a building there should be in the front a large and noble river, having one or two waterfalls about half a mile distant; then, on the easy ascent of a gently rising ground, should be situated the mansion, with a terrace or large parterre extending the whole opening of the front, with a declivity to the margin of the water.

"From a building thus situate,

Noble cascades and fountains might be formed,

Raised from the silver surface of the stream,

In wanton eddies flowing, circling round,

The verdant softness of its rising side.

Here on its surface the pleasure-yacht may glide,
Or mark in the stream the harmless finny tribe,
Sportive and fearless of the alluring bait,
With silent motion cut the yielding flood,
And fearless glide along the shallow shore,
Untaught by guile to fear the barbed hook,
Securely happy in their element.

The front thus opening to the fruitful vale,
The ends by woods and gardens circumscribed,
Through which the vistas, or more private walks,
Formed by the skilful artist in design,

And well-disposed more distant views to take,

Or winding labyrinths, or secret paths,
Where scattered temples stand, obscurely placed
Within the limits of some solemn grove,
Or seats to terminate a shady walk.

Here the soft music of the feathered brood,
Whose warbling sonnets echo through the wood
In strains melodious, chant from spray to spray;
Some nicely binding up the tender roots
In circling forms, to hold their feeble young;
Others sit silent with uncommon care,

To hatch the shapeless embryo in the shell."

This short sketch of appropriating, the various orders to architectural designs, so as to be consistent with certain situations, will, I am persuaded, give a just idea of what sort of buildings are required for various scenes or prospects: but the architect must not expect to obtain a spot suitable for every ideal design; he must survey, study, and compose for the spot itself; otherwise his careless inappropriation will make a rural country residence look either like an alien, or stand forth as a consummate folly, to the disgrace of the architectural designer, and the bad taste of the proprietor.

Tivoli may vie with Vallombrosa, where stands, on the brow of a precipice hanging over a foaming cascade, the beautiful circular peripteral temple of Vesta, rich in all the exuberance and ornate luxury of flowers and fruits, intermixed with masks of buffalo-heads, pateras, and festoons hanging in catenarian curves. Now here we see soft "Corinth weaves her Dædal coronet of leaves."

Y Y

DISSERTATION XXIII.

PRELIMINARY CONSIDERATIONS ON DESIGNING AND DRAWING THE GROUND-PLAN FOR A COUNTRY MANSION.

"When we mean to build,

We first survey the plot, then draw the model;

And when we see the figure of the house,

Then must we rate the cost of the erection,
Which if we find outweighs ability,

What do we then but draw anew the model."

SHAKSPEARE, Henry IV. Part ii. Act 1, Scene 3.

When a situation has been determined on by the proprietor for his house, the plan and elevation of every part should be laid down by an architect who is well acquainted with the theory and practice of building he should be left to his own judgment and taste in making out such a plan for the intended edifice as he thinks most fitting and appropriate. No dictation as to the form or shape of the house should be given him, but his imaginative genius left entirely free. A skilful architect will not only make the structure handsome and convenient, but will save the great expenses often incurred in rectifying the blunders of hasty and injudicious management. And here the architect is to remember that he ought, when surveying the ground, to bear in mind that the mansion must be adapted to locality and climate, and also that the external features of the edifice should harmonize with the surrounding scenery. He is therefore to consider well what class of building or style of architecture is most appropriate for the spot.* Nor should he ever undertake to lay down a plan without having first seen the site, or till he has been furnished with a map of the grounds, and a sketch of the local views of the surrounding scenery, pointing out where the scenery is open, and where it is shut out by trees, mounds, or hills. Now let the architect after this commit his ideas of the necessary forms and divisions to paper, in a general outline drawn with a pen and ink in a sketchy manner; this he is afterwards to revise, reconsider, alter, and improve upon where he may consider necessary. By thus adopting or retrenching his first thoughts he will probably improve his design, and introduce better arrangements and nobler masses into the building; for an architect must take good care "not to stumble at the threshold of his undertaking." When the general outline and the internal divisions of the ground-plan are thus matured and laid down on paper, the dimensions of the separate rooms are next to be figured. Then the corresponding outline of the elevations, with a perspective sketch, is to be made from the most general point of view, showing how the house will appear when built. This being done, the architect is now prepared to submit his design to his employer, which is to be accompanied with profes

* That the different styles of domestic arcnitecture may be clearly understood by the employer, the architect should lay before him either prints or drawings of all the various kinds, and explain the character and scenery most appropriate to each. By this the employer will be better able to judge as to fitness, and to decide upon which he most admires : for that purpose this work will at once answer the desired end, as it shows the difference between each style, whether Greek, Roman, Italian, castellated, or Tudor mansions, these being the most general styles adopted in England. The houses we here allude to are supposed to be for the country, where the architect may employ his playful but judicious fancy: not so in London; here all the houses are restrained or confined perhaps to one or two elevations, that of the front and back. However the plan in principle is the same in both places, for it is only accommodating it to the spot in town where it so happens to be incompatible with that limited or regular scheme of building: but whether for the town or country, the architect must at the first outset always inquire of his employer what family the house is intended to contain, and what sum of money he is disposed to expend.-(A.)

sional observations, and reasons for every part that he has adopted. If any alterations should be proposed which the architect conceives would affect the design, he is to state his reasons freely, and those which are admissible must be blended so as to harmonize with the other parts of his design.*

With respect to the best figure of a house, which we shall treat of separately, a great deal has been said, although perhaps with too little thought, as we must always be guided by local circumstances of site and scenery; however, more variety may be introduced than at the present period, but not so much as some have imagined. A house may be too much divided and subdivided externally, so as to be internally cut up by little rooms and closets. On the other extreme, it may certainly be too monotonous or plain on the outside, for at all times a house should have a sufficiency of breaks, to produce an equal balance of light and shade, otherwise the glare of sunshine on a flat surface will be hurtful to the eye. Every part of a good house, like notes in music, should accord with each other, and harmonize in one entire whole. In picturesque houses unbounded variety of forms may be introduced; but with all this licence, the imaginations of some architects are so vapid, that the model of one house which they have built afterwards answers for another; and others again are limited to one everlasting block figure, that of an oblong square; whereas in many houses all the varieties may be adopted between that of the regular circle and ellipsis, and that again of the hexagon and octagon, which forms we shall treat of in their proper place.‡

It is certain that a house of a beautiful figure may be erected upon any of the latter plans, particularly cottage-villas in the Anglo-Italian style, and where the picturesque is required; but a house must at all times be commodious and convenient inside, as well as picturesque without, and that sometimes confines the supposed arrangements within a much narrower and compact space than was intended. While we propose variety on the outside, we are also to keep in view chasteness; we must therefore caution the architectural student not to be carried away into errors and absurdities, either by the wildness of his own, or other people's imagination. It is true that in their present general form, houses are too much like each other; and it is also true, that although the oblong is a very commodious figure, it is not the most beautiful, neither is it the only one for convenience, for that must extend to others. This oblong figure appears peculiar among the country builders, but we are speaking of the designs of the professional architect, not the heterogeneous erections of those builders who style themselves architects: what says a certain poet in his Essay on Taste?

* In laying out a plan from a figured sketch of dimensions, it is best at the outset to have a line drawn each way at right angles through the centre of the sheet of paper on which the drawing is to be made, and to work on each side of these lines, that is in setting off the measures, which should be placed along the bottom and up the sides or edges of the paper, and from that drawing them through the plan. But it is to be remembered that several sheets of paper should be put on boards at the same time, at least two or three for the ground and other plans; and the elevations and sections must be all worked on alternately, for it will be impossible to finish each plan and elevation separately without having to alter them afterwards.—(B.)

+ The advantages of a situation with regard to prospect are of a problematical nature, as they are so differently valued by different persons. A man of taste will, however, undoubtedly prefer a spot the prospect from which is most agreeably diversified in the distribution of its land, wood, and water; and those who have little or no relish for the charms of nature, will, perhaps, consult their own comfort more than they may be aware of by making the same choice. There are very few so obstinately morose, as to be uninfluenced by the opinions of others; and to observe those about them, particularly visitors, warm in their admiration of the surrounding scenery, may create a beneficial complacency which they would otherwise want.-(A.)

The plans of modern English buildings are in general extremely inferior: the taste for the geometrical beauties of architecture one would imagine to be lost. This is a very grievous misfortune, for an union of circumstance, beauty, taste, and constructive elegance cannot be present in architecture without a due use of geometrical skill. In general, except in very small buildings, regularity and elegance cost nothing whatever, nor needs a true master of design to sacrifice the slightest portion of convenience without beauty, or beauty without convenience, unless he be thwarted.—(A. B.)