About The English Countryside

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 81, 5 April 1941, Page 1 (Supplement)

About The English Countryside

PORTUNATE are those who L have had the opportunity of seeing the countryside of England, with its old cottages, farm houses, inns and churches

"as they were." The effects of German bombing on harmless villages have evidently been severe far more so than we out here realise, most likely— and many links with the past will now be no more. "There will always be an England,"

however, whatever happens, and when this war is over, which must be some day, people will return to their old habits and wander over the Old Country again as they used to do. The architecture of the larger houses and mansions in En pi aml has been written about and described so much that most people who are interested in the subject know quite a lot about these places. They owe a great deal to foreign influence and execution, and so lie somewhat in a category by themselves. It is therefore amongst the smaller and more homely buildings. standing modestly by tile wayside, that we must look In find work conceived and carried out by Knirlish hands. One of the national traits of Knglishmen is a love of neat lies-; and order. and to a frreal extent thw trait i< borne out in the manner in which the etillivated portions of the country arc treated. The field* are set out and bordered by hedges, the roads well kept up and cared for. and every man. whether a large landowner or village laltourer. is concerned either with his many acres or his iimple cottajje garden. Ami if this is so noticeable in the country itself, in the houses and cottages it is even more so. Here each seems built for comfort and convenience, and suit.- its position exactly, showing more than anything "1.-e. that what is best adapted for it:- purpose, i* always the most

By B. Hooper, A.RJ.B.A. The old country cottages and yeomen's houses still remaining arc well worthy of pave and regard, it only for ilie simple lessons they teach us of the ix-auty of fitne<s of purpose. Tiiev never pretend to lie anything hut what they are. and there seems to be no effort in either their construction or ornamentation, but merely a simple handing on from generation to generation of -.veil worn and tried tradition. There is. as a rule, nothing fantastic in their outline, or frivolous in detail — qualities which invariably spoil the character of any building by detracting from its simple dignity. One of the main features of building general in the olden time was suitability to situation, and the use that was invariably made of the local materials at hand. Where we use the materials that Nature provides in any given part, of the country there without doubt do we see the most beautiful architecture, localise it is. the most appropriate. Consequently there still remain, even amongst the fast vanishing and ever-changing relics of the past, examples of homely and unpretentious building, as full of vitality and interest as many of the larger and more noticeable edifices

Traditional But Distinct

The old builders certainly used wellknown and traditional forms and details, but in such a way and with <uch a freshness and individuality of ireatnipnt that pacli house seems to -land out distinct from it- neighbour. And still, for all this, every detail is -iomehow familiar, and with no special originality about it. Most, likely it i< this similarity of idea that give* ihe architecture of those old houses i lie broad and dignified feeling that -eems to permeate Them all. Probably thp average pprson i'liiefly interested in the more pietur-i'-<iue type of country cottage, of which there are (or were) numerous examples ill over England. Mo-i peopl,. haw lieard of the "half hii-Imt" form of .■oi'.-tnic'ion. which v. ■ - u.-ed so much in the sixteenth i-i'imiry. i-\cil though they may not exactly understand what the t«m means. Shortly, it was a

method whereby a proportion—approximately a half —of the building was Imilt of timlier. and the remainer of various materials, such as brick, stone it even plastered clay. The timlier? consisted of stout oak beams and post*, forming a framework, which was hracod and made perfectly rigid. ]n liotweon these timbers ilio brick or other materials were fitted, finishing flush on the exterior face, and making a strong and weatherproof wall. A= this method developed, the possibilities of great beauty and picmre?<)ucness were appreciated, and the limber? came to l>e arranged in all manner of way?, and so as to form, sometime?, designs of most intricate [■at tern. The walls in mo?t of these "lialftiinber"' houses were plastered and whitewashed, living the tinilier in • tlieir natural state. Being mostly of oak. there wa? no need of paint for preservative purposes, and in the lapse "f time tlie timlier weathered to a beau- ' ifill dark shade, forming a wonderful rontrast to tlic wliite plaster between. As a further variety of design, whfn liricks were employed for the filling, iliey were often built in different pattern?, the "herringbone" being a great favourite. This, combined with the mlours of t!io brick?, which weathered to most gorgeous hxie?. pave an effect that wa? extraordinarily beautiful. On Similar Principle

An interesting fact aWut this lialf--1 iinber form of building construction i< that for our larger brick buildings we in modern times have returned to iho iiirao form of construction, though we now ii=o reinforced concrete in place <f timber. The principle is, however, practically identical. cry miicli on the same lines a? the old cottage and farm houses of Kngland arc the inns, built in thp sixteenth and ?<■■. fiitt'pntli ivnturie.-. Practically ill the -mall provincial t'iwn« contain '■.vamp]e= of great interest, and >nme arp real arcliitpctnral prm*. Charles Dickens must have had a discerning eye and a sympathetic heart for i he>e place? of good ehe»-r. m- iifwrly all hi? novels have -mn. n-f ■■•)■•■ •" <>!if or more. The "I'iikuiik J '.»j ■<.-. ' are full oi them.