GEORGIAN ARCHITECTURE

Evening Star, Issue 17379, 15 June 1920, Page 6

GEORGIAN ARCHITECTURE

| The subjoined paper was read before the Otago branch of the N.Z.I.A. on Thursday last :—■ In many ways Georgian design is specially suitable for New Zealand, the climate being very much like that of Britain, and its use by trained and sympathetic designers in this country is therefore greatly to be desired. A certain amount has already been done in this way in Christchurch and Wellington at least. There is no doubt'that a great deal of the charm of the original Georgian work is caused by the beautiful tints to which time has weathered the bricks and stone. Our local bricks do not possess the delightful texture and color that many of the old buildings were built of, and unfortunately they seem to bo steadily getting poorer and poorer in quality, soT that one 3s tempted to cover them up as far as possible. For all that, however, with care even our local materials can be made to givo quite a good general effect, and creepers, etc., will soon make up for some of their deficiencies. The style, at first impression, appears one cf the simplest to design in; but that is tiie greatest mistako that one can make with regard to it, as my paper will point out later en. It really takes vastly more time and trouble and skill to turn out ono satisfactory Georgian elevation than half a dozen of tho so-called picturesque and haphazard type so much in favor in this country to-day. To some people the stylo may appear at first impression dull arid lifeless, but it is wonderful how in a little while the simplicity and refinement of it attract one. As Mr Ramsey says in his recent book en ' Small Houses of the Late Georgian Period,' " The distinguishing trait of most of these late Georgian houses is a sense of order and proportion; nothing has been left to chance; all has 'been considered, even to the minutest detail; but, together with /all this carefully-concealed study, there is a spontaneity about them and a freshness of conception." There is also a beautiful propriety which, with their air of distinction, reveals theni to bo tho residences of a well-bred and cultured people. They have a shy beauty, and atmosphere, as it were, of sunny charm in the refinement of their details "and in the balance of their parts they are indicative of a well-ordered and cheerful community which has found the happiest inspiration in the building of its hemes. They are a product of a different age from that in j which we live—of an age that had some j regard _ for the forms and amenities of social intercourse—a time of leisure and of manners, but a period not without its limitations. _ It is perfectly trao that 120 years ago all sections of the public had "a keener appreciation of building than the majority to-day. Every builder and carpenter was an architect in embryo, all had recourse to some small book, "and contentedly followed the precepts of Batty Langlev or those set out by William Pain. "Carpenters were capable fellows in those days. They were competent to add to existing houses on the initiative cf a client, and they possessed the knack of devising porches, staircases, and cupboards with the nicely of cabinetmakers. | Builders were particular for their own regarding materials, details were | standardised, and the Carron Company stocked excellent fire grates, the design of ■which they _varied to accord with each victory obtained over Napoleon. People travelled by coach or post-chaise, and were brought into touch with country houses near the trunk roads. It was the overweening ambition of every shopkeeper in London to possess a country residence three,or four miles from Cheaoside, and everybody had a taste for mahogany and gorandolos. Steam and machinery shaped a different population. The eighteenth century spirit continued to the time of William the Fourth, but after 1837 the old order was completely eclipsed. With this preliminary I will now give a more detailed. arcoint of the style an;! its different features. The title of Georgian architecture is usually given to the type that crime into use after the Gothic and Elizabethan, and commenced about the middle of the seventeenth century, continuing till towards the close of j the eighteenth. The earlier examples show several of the features of the prejedirg Gothic and Elizabethan style;, se'eh as mullioned casement windows, gables, etc., but gradually these details were dropped, and the steep-pitched roof alone remained to mark the difference between the more essentially classic or Italian buildinsrs that were being erected at the samg time. One of the characteristic features of this Georgian architecture was the cornice very often finished with medillions. dentils, etc., combined with the pitched roof. Very often a parapet was adopted also, but not in the majority of cases. The very large mansions that- were erected contemporaneously were, as before mentioned, Italian or_ Pailndian in their style, and with them the existence of a root was disguised as much as possibK ''' e Georgian roofs were mostly hipped back at the angles, and if a variation was sought it was obtained by the use of a pediment, usually in some central or important position. The circumstances of climate and material made it incumbent on builders to adhere to roofs of a steep ' pitch, such as had always been used in j England, and certainly they must have ! recognised the aesthetic value of the I hipped-back rnjif, in conjunction with the | greater insistence on horizontal lines due j to .the classic motives in design. Formerly the whole- side or end of a room might be | a window, merely parcelled out by the ne- ; cessary mullious into so many lights", but ; thi3 was now changed, and the window, I if divided v.n by a. njullion, has two or ' at tho must three lights only, with solid ; wall spaee 'net ween it and the next window : in the facade. These ■ smaller openings : made the building less "busy."', so to I speak, and therefore conformed to the re- I quirements of dignity and repose so essen- ! t-ial to Renaissance work. j Another fmature which must not be for- I gotten is the dormer, for as much atten- • tion was devoted to this as to anv other part of the building. Whenever rooms in : the roof required light and ventilation it. . had been a simple matter to run up a ! gable end, in which the required opening j could be placed ; but now, if the cornice ! should properly perform its dual functions, ' as the finish of the wall surfaces, and the : base of the root, clearly it would not ; do to break this horizontal line with wall ; surfaces rising up out of the cornice, j Thus tho use of dormers was a necessity, | and became universal whenever the roof | contained rooms ; they began therefore to ! receive an architectural treatment which | had been absent heretofore. When svmrtrically arranged on the roof area, and invested with correct and dignified mould- j ings, these dormers add greatly to the I charm of the buildings to which" they be- '• long. Thev are usually placed centrally j over the windows in the facade below, ' except at tho ends, where they woulu j come too near the hips. The "chimney j stacks, which before hnd been placed ir- j regularly in relation to tho whole archi- ' t-ectural scheme, now became invariably regular, often placed centrally on the roof area, and disposed with special attention to the symetrical setting out of the whole design, planning beinir considerably influenced and even modified to attain this end. The mouldings are true classic '.Renaissance in their Drofile, and are applied with simplicity and directness of purposeOne of the most pleasing and distinguishing features of this stvle is the treatment of the front door. This is very often sheltered by a hood of some sort, with richly-moulded and carved bracket?. >.v there may be pilasters and entablature surrounding the entrance. In larcer buildings a portico with columns is often found, tho capitals usually being more or less original in design. This is usual!v the onlv ornamented portion cf the house front, the plain wall-surface of the rest of tho building enabling the full effect of. this feature to be appreciated. The windows are almost invari-Mv sash, v-ith well-proportioned panes and moulded liars, the frame being kept almost flush with (he external face of the wall. The plan is laid out and the different openings are spaced perfectly symmetrically, and this is one of the great charms of the style, giving a feeling of order and repose, but entail- j ing a perfect sense of proportion in the designer. No haphazard dimensions and positions will suffice, but every detail must be carefully considered, so as t produce a harmonious and weil-balanced whole. This means that the design of the

| building, to be successful, depends upon the good massing and well-proportioned and suitably placed windows, door, and cornice details. Stone, brick, or a combination of both materials are used, but some of the most charming of the original examples are entirely- of brick, wea-< thered to the most beautiful tints imaginable. ' A great deal of the best modern American domestic work is designed in the Georgian manner, combined with a certain amount of their own "colonial style," which is. simply a modification of the English Georgian, and originated with the early settlers who emigrated from England in the • seventeenth and eighteenth cen-~ tunes. The creepers on the walls also add considerably to the general effect, as undoubtedly they do with the original houses. In fact, the large amount of plain wall space seems to invito creepers, which, if kept within hounds and of suitable types, can do no harm in any way. One of the quaint features seen on some of these old houses consists of trellis porches. These are designed in all manner of ways, and when in conjunction with a small house or cottage, seem most suitable. In fact, the infinite variety of ways in which the setting of the front entrance is arranged is marvellous. Another Interesting feature to be seen in most of the small English towns is the quaint old bowed shop fronts, the windows being divided up by wood astragals into wellproportioned panes. Unfortunately, those charming old relics of former days are rapidly passing away, the modern craze for large uninterrupted sheets of plate I glass showing no mercy when rebuilding becomes necessary. In connection with the doors, a study of the delicate designs in the fanlights is interesting. It is very easy to see from them the derivation of the word, such a number having some form of fan-shaped pattern worked in. Although at first glance they may appear identically the same there is always some variation, which marks the originality and imagination of the designers. Where the wall surface is red brick or dark blue stone C v C "' u he woodwor k seems to appear to the best advantage if painted w.hite. though the doors are often, for the sake of wear, finished in some dark shade. The shutters, which form such a characteristic feature of some Georgian facades, both ancient and ' modern, are also usually painted darker, a bright green being very effective. On the other hand, with a light wall surface, the woodwork would naturally be dark, to form a- contrast, Although sash windows are almost invariably used m Georgian work, yet casements are sometimes employed, with very good effect. Their disposition, however, must be quite as formal and regular as if they had 'been sash windows, and they should be rather on the high side, and not exceeding two lights. The quoins, usually m brick but sometimes in stone, lend that touch ol classic to the design which is very suitable, and, indeed, necessary, lhev are regular, and uniform in height and \vidth._ thus differing from the random sizes used in Gothic and Elizabethan work. Very olten they are built in rubbed brickworK, to correspond with the rubbed brickwork of the window arches jambs, arid aprons, the contrast in color»and texture being most pleasing. The last features I will touch upon are the rain-water heads and square down pipes, placed symmetrically on the lacade, and completing the general appearance in a most natural and effective manner. Time will not permit me to dwell upon the details of this charming stylo any longer. I have had to omit any reference to the interiors; but enough has been said, I trust, to awaken an interest in at, which will in time bear