OF THE UNION OF THE CONSTITVEN SCENES IN ING RESIDENCES OF PARTICULAR CHARACTERS.
IN the preceding chapter we have given a general idea of the parts or scenes, and their connection, which enter into a palace or a complete residence of the first order. We have now to notice their arrangements in different gradations of style, and these we must previously ac knowledge are so intimately blended, that we hardly 'know how to separate them, and give a distinctive character to each ; every country gentleman, from the occupier of the mansion to the cottage, adopting such luxuriant scenes as suit his particular taste, without reference to any thing but his own desires ; and this happy circumstance con tributes, perhaps as much as the nifference of situations, to:the variety in the beauty and style of country lesidences. Mansions, villas, ornamented cottages, temporary resi dences, and public gardens, may be said to include the leading distinctions.
I. Mansions. As a specimen of this style, we shall give the arrangement at Michel Grove in Sussex, the resi dence of R. Walker, Esq. from the works of Mr. Repton.
" In determining the situation for a large house in the country, there are other circumstances to be considered besides the fences and appendages immediately conti guous. These have so often occurred, that I have es tablished in imagination certain positions for each, which I have never found so capable of being realized as at Michel Grove.
" I would place the house, with the principal front, towards the south-east.
" I would place the offices behind the house ; but as they occupy much more space, they will of course spread wider than the front. I would place the stables near the offices. I would place the kitchen-garden near the stables.
I would put the home farm buildings at rather a greater distance from the house ; but these several objects should be so connnected by back roads as to be easily accessible.
46 I would bring the park to the very front of the house.
" I would keep the farm or land in tillage, whether for use or for experiment, behind the house ; 1 would make the dressed pleasure-grounds to the right and left of the house, in places which would screen the unsightly appendages, and form a natural division between the park and the farm, with walks communicating to the garden and the farm."
2..9 Villa, being originally a farm house, we think that the Roman arrangement, in which the farm offices were joined to, or at least so near, as to form with it and the domestic offices one group of buildings, might he adopted as a characteristic distinction of this class of residences. The farm buildings should, in this case, be dignified with more architectural design than when placed at a distance ; but still in due subordination to the mansion. Instead of deer, sheep may graze the park on the garden front, se parated front the house by an architectural barrier, or in some situ titans, with a platform of gravel, and walks and knots of flowers. A glacis of turf, with a light fence below the slope, will be sufficient protection from sheep or cat tle, and not impede the view of the lawn from the windows. The entrance-front may be approached through grass fields, not separated with common, but with picturesque fences in the modern, and double hedges and slips of planting in the geometric style.
If a corn field is seen from the approach, it will heighten the expression of a villa or gentleman's farm.
All or any part of the other constituent parts of a mansion, such as hot-houses, gardens, orchards, pleasure-grounds, Ste. may or may not be added, according to its extent, and the particular taste of the proprietor.
But the great number of villas adjoining large towns cannot have this characteristic distinction of a villa ; they may therefore be designated citizens' villas, as a variety of the species.
3. ornamented Cottage, we think, might be charac terized by the garden front opening into a picturesque orchard ; or a lawn, vat ied by groups of fruit trees, instead of a lawn or park planted with forest trees. It may con tain any part of the scenes of the villa, at the will of the owner.