Findon

This house was designed for a client who had no delusions about picturesque roof-lines and quaint arrangements of gables, but who recognised the merits of simplicity both from an artistic as well as an economic point of view. The house is a simple rectangle, roofed in one span with a plain hipped roof, thus avoiding the expense of lead gutters, and the unbroken eaves-line runs round the whole building.

Half-timber work was adopted for the wall framing because it seemed peculiarly adapted to the district where its cost was no greater than a nine-inch brick wall. It is framed of solid timbers which in some cases show inside the house, and the same framing is carried out in internal partitions. The site, which is practically level, is laid out as shown in the garden plan illustrated. The house is placed in the centre of the groimd, and the space is divided into definite compartments of lawn, forecourt, rose garden, orchard, &c., as shown, which are connected with straight paths giving some good vista effects.

From the inner door at the side of the wide and low porch one enters a recessed portion of the dining-hall under the overhanging gallery above. This recess may be divided by a curtain from the dining-hall itself, and thus the drawing-room, study and kitchen premises can be reached without passing through the dining-hall itself—the whole of the traffic of the house being confined to this recess. The principal room of the house, which constitutes the focus of the plan, is the dining-hall, which is about fourteen feet high, and is boarded round with wide planks to the height of its doors, above which are broad spaces of whitewashed plaster, and a ceiling of rough woodwork also whitewashed. As the house was designed for a lady, the drawing-room is rather large in proportion to the other rooms. It is low and homely, and from it to the south are casement doors which open on to the terrace.

On the south-west corner is a small study, in which the walls are chiefly lined with bookcases. A fixed seat is placed near the fireplace, with a little window above it. The writing-desk is placed in a corner of the room where it enjoys a left light. This disposition of the furniture shows how a small room may be arranged to make the most of a limited floor-space. In the other sitting-rooms the principal pieces of furniture are shown on the plan—the grand piano in the drawing-room, with its special window, and the couch at the side of the fireplace. In the dining-hall the central circular gate-table, which can easily be moved to’ one side when required, stands in the centre of the room. The sideboard is placed under the overhanging gallery, and a long and wide seat occupies the bay-window, from which one looks on to the terrace and the central vista of the rose garden beyond.

A feature in connection with the dining-hall which must be noted is the serving-cupboard which has already been described. The fire is placed on a wide hearth of stone under a brick arch. The kitchen premises are completely isolated, but conveniently placed for service, and are all floored with red tiles. In the kitchen itself the window to the east, which overlooks the rose garden, is glazed with obscured glass, and the outlook for the servants is into the orchard on the north.

On the upper floor are tour bedrooms, bathroom, w.c, and linen-cupboard. The positions for the beds are shown on the plan.

On the attic floor is a large central attic bedroom—the servants’ bedrooms, and boxroom and cistern-room.

It will thus be seen that though in some ways a specialised house, it yet provides ample accommodation for the average family requirements. It requires but little furniture, and that of the simplest kind. Whitewash is its principal decoration. It demands little outlay to furnish, less to decorate, and can be maintained with the minimum of labour.

On the whole it may be taken as a fairly typical example of the average house built as a practical realisation of the principles which I have advocated.