Part 13

The walls of the riding-house were two bricks thick, laid English bond. As the foundation rested on the stone no concrete was used, but the rock, which was on a steep incline, was levelled in step-like fashion, to receive the walls. Buttresses were placed where the circular ribs of the roof were situate; two lines of iron-hoop bond, 1 in. by 1/16 in., tarred and sanded were laid in all the walls, piers, and buttresses; there were 13 courses 2 lines in side walls, 16 courses 2 lines in gable walls, and 7 courses 2 lines in buttresses. The walls were covered with brick copings formed of two courses of moulded bricks cut to lengths and mitred, and set and jointed in cement to gable ends: the flaunches of the angle buttress were formed with stocks, the upper courses set and pointed in cement, and the angles of parapets cut and mitred to the same.

Ragstone moulded corbels were placed over the piers inside the building, from these the circular ribs sprung and into which they were stubbed. The roof was thus described in the specification:--The roof will be formed of circular ribs placed two and two, each 7½ inches apart, screwed and bolted together, each single rib to be in three thicknesses, the inner one of oak and to consist of twenty-six pieces of 1¼ inch deal and ten of 1¼ oak, each separate piece 1 foot in width, and to be as long as the scantling of the timber will allow, the ribs to be wrought and glued together, and at each joint to have two hard nails or ¾ inch screws having a good thread; the top and bottom edges of rib cut fair for linings, the side finished for paint. Cross pieces, 7½ by 2½ inches, twelve to each pair of ribs, the whole to be bolted together. To prevent the ribs from being at an unequal distance, the two outer ribs to be sunk half-an-inch at the places where the purlins notch in them.

The purlins, eight in number, to run the whole length of roof, notching in the rib arches. The purlins to be placed in pairs and to have small cross struts either notched into them or securely nailed to prevent them from buckling or twisting.

All the horizontal timbers of roof, such as the purlins, poll plate, sill, and heads of skylight, to run 9 inches in end walls, and to be cogged on template. Each purlin, if not in one piece, to be properly scarfed. An oak wall-plate, 9 in. by 6 in., was laid the whole length and width of the building, running 6 in. in the wall at angles, where it was pinned and lapped. The plate in the arch over the entrance formed the upper part of the railing in the gallery.

This plate served as the abutment for twenty-four oak braces or struts, each 7 in. by 4 in., placed in the lower portions of the roof on each side, each strut to be sub-tenoned either into purlin or cross piece between rib, and the whole to be securely fixed.

The framing to support curb or sill of skylights to be in one piece, to run over the wood arches, and to be securely fixed to purlin.

Each pair of circular ribs moneyed out 22_l._ 4_s._ 6_d._ The more modern French style of forming this kind of roof would have been by bent ribs composed of three ten-inch planks, 12 inches by 3, cut true at the saw-mill, jointed with glue, planed all round, chamfered to edges, with 20 half-inch bolts. These would have cost only 13_l._ 16_s._ 8_d._ each, but they would have caused considerable lateral pressure against the side walls.

The roof of the riding-house is correctly shown in the small view, p. 389, which serves also to show the section. Fig. 1 of the accompanying cut shows one

of the circular ribs, fig. 2 the section of the pair joined together, and fig. 3 the section of the more modern French method of bent ribs. A roof in this latter construction was put up by Mr. Charles Fowler, architect, at the sale-room, St. Paul’s Churchyard. The circular ribs of the roof were formed in three thicknesses of 1¼ deal, footed into iron sockets or corbels let into stone templates. As a precaution until the perfect set and settlement of the work, three of the roof-frames had iron tie-rods, which were removed when all fear of lateral thrust was over. A print of the room was given in the _Builder_.

The first construction described could be much improved, strengthened, and lightened by introducing an iron bar in lieu of the oak rib; and this has been done in several instances, resulting in the roofs standing well.

The chief portion of the bricks used in the construction of the riding-house were provided from the estate, and were carted on the ground for the use of the builder. His account came to 920_l._

The elevation of the stable shows the entrance to the coachhouse in the centre, between coupled columns. These were in iron, of slightly Elizabethan character as to style. Two gabled windows are on each side, one forming the entrance to the riding-house, the whole flanked by two towers; that on the left contained the staircase leading to the gallery of the riding-house seen in the view, the other is the prospect tower, overlooking the park. These buildings were commenced and finished in 1848. The builder had to take down the old coachhouse and stabling which stood upon the site, and was permitted to use the old materials as far as they would go; one roof was re-used. The cost of the new building was 1107_l._ The whole length was 95 ft. One of its principal features was the prospect tower, a view of which and

a representation of the back front is on p. 398; this was 60 ft. in height above the foundations.

An iron staircase led up to the small tower, which had a staircase leading to the roof or lead flat, upon which was a seat and flagstaff. The battlements of

this small tower and its doorway were constructed of ragstone. This turret was corbelled out from the building as seen in the view; its plan and that of the corbelling is given on p. 399. The corbels were two bricks in height, each course; the arch is covered with

a stone landing upon which the small turret stands. It has a lightning conductor. This, the three iron staircases, and the columns, cost 200_l._, which, however,

was included in the previously stated amount of 1107_l._

It was proposed to give the terrace-walk an ornamental stone. The balustrading and one of the bays of this balustrading are illustrated below.

_DESIGN No. 35._

A BACHELOR’S HOUSE.

This building was intended to have been erected on an estate in the neighbourhood of London, for the solicitor acting for the lessee, a builder who was erecting numerous first-class houses upon the property, and who required his solicitor to be often with him. The gentleman was a bachelor, and this was, for a time, to have been his private town dwelling. It was only to consist of a basement and ground floor, but the walls were to be made sufficiently thick to enable the structure to be carried upwards when the estate was fully covered, and the house would be required for a family.

The plan was arranged after the legal gentleman’s own directions: _a_ is the small entrance hall, leading to the inner hall, from which the living room _b_, and the picture gallery _f_, are gained; the gallery contained a choice collection of cabinet pictures, hunting subjects by a celebrated painter; _c_ is a small bedroom, which could be enclosed or shut off from the living room by a lifting-screen, worked somewhat similar to a lifting shutter. The screen was to be covered on the side next the living room with paintings; _d_ is the bath

room, _e_ the closet, _h_ is the dining-room with its lift, _i_, from the pantry in the basement; _j_ was a small iron staircase leading down to the stable, where some valuable hunters were to be kept. Under the dining-room was the coachhouse; no rooms were over the stabling. The servants’ entrance was in the area. The exterior of the building had a plain Gothic Tudor front.

* * * * *

The vignette shows a corbel in the French cut-wood style.

THE FIREPLACE.

FLUE CONSTRUCTION AND SMOKE PREVENTION.

An especial love for home comfort has always been an English characteristic. It has formed a species of national taste and pride even among our working classes. The constant changes of our climate are injurious to every class; the chief point of attraction in the English dwellings, during winter’s wet, cold, and fog, is centred in the fireplace. This has long been deemed the favoured spot where

“Social mirth Exults and glows before the blazing hearth.”

The fireplace suits our climate; it is cheerful and attractive, but it gives its heat only by radiation. We are warmed on one side and chilled on the other, but neither the warmth nor the chill is too great to bear, and the occupant of the room can move into any temperature that suits him. In more northern climates the use of the fireplace would not be tolerated; there the cold is so excessive that an equal warmth must be diffused throughout the apartments, and flues in hollow walls, and closed stoves either in iron or brick are in the ascendant, as already mentioned in an earlier part of this work. But such means, by which the air is heated, and not merely warmed--and there is a great difference between warmed air and heated--would not be tolerated here. A puff of air from a closed stove caused by a back draught is not pleasant, and is very different from the honest puff of smoke from an English fireplace, that gives as a natural product of combustion, carbonic acid gas. But not one of these stoves, nor those that are called “smoke-consuming stoves,” make a good companionable fire--and this is not liked.

The common open fireplace has held its own, and will continue to hold its own, against the best-contrived stove that can be introduced in lieu of it. But it still remains to find such a construction as will remedy its serious defects. These are chiefly such as pertain to the flue; it is not to the stove that these belong, for that, thanks to our excellent makers, is quite perfect.

In our sluggish winter atmosphere the smoke leaves the open flue with tolerable certainty unless the flue is foul with soot; but when high winds prevail and the atmosphere is anything but sluggish, it teaches us the faults of the open flue, and volumes of smoke descend into our apartments. There are few occurrences in domestic life more vexatious and annoying than this; the numerous unsightly appendages in the form of cowls, turncaps, and windguards which appear alike on our houses, churches, and palaces, whilst they exhibit the ingenuity of our builders and workmen in remedying the trouble of smoky chimneys, demonstrate also the frequency of the misfortune.

When flues are carefully constructed, with the best modern improvements, and a due supply of air is admitted into the stove, a smoky chimney is an exception; still the flue forms only a simple open funnel for the passage of the smoke, and failures will inevitably often happen. A construction on a good principle should render these defects as trifling as possible. In our best houses--those constructed within the last twenty or thirty years--two kinds of the common brick flue are mostly in use. One is of the old-fashioned kind, having a section of 14 by 9 in., which was made originally of that size for the accommodation of the poor sweeping-boys. This is now retained only for the kitchen fire, which makes a large quantity of smoke, and for the rest of the fireplaces the flue known as “Cubitt’s” flue is employed, which has a diameter each way of 9 in. The author prefers the small flue, and always uses it in the buildings he has constructed. There are many persons who still maintain that the old-fashioned flue is the correct one, and it is still very generally used. There is an old saying about the proof of the pudding. In Belgrave Square, all the houses first designed and erected have the old-fashioned flue, and there are scarcely a dozen of the old chimney-pots left; all have been changed for tall-boys and other similar contrivances; one house has about 24 in one stack. No. 49, built by Cubitt about 35 years ago, and having the descending or sweeping flue, has the stacks exactly as at first constructed, with the exception only of a little doctoring to the kitchen flue. In the house opposite, No. 48, one of the first, the external stack alone, next the street, has no less than 17 tall-boys, two of which appear to be broken off. On the opposite side of the Square, in Chesham Place, is No. 38, built by Cubitt about 30 years; it has all the original stacks untouched.

The Cubitt flue can be recognised by the small peculiar cap on the chimney-pot, and several of these stacks remain in their original state. In Eaton Place and Eccleston Square, where this flue is used, the roofs tell the same story. In the first buildings erected by the author he used the large flue, and he now finds several specimens of chimney-doctoring on the roofs. In some large houses he lately erected at Queen’s Gate, in which the sweeping flue is used, there are several houses together without any disfigurement at all on the roof. He considers that the appearance of a tall-boy on one of them would be rather a proof that there was something wrong about the servants’ management of the fires, than an error in the construction of his flues.

A representation of this flue, and the manner of introducing it into a building, is here given. Fig. 1

represents a portion of the chimney-flue construction of a first-rate house; the lower chimney opening is in the basement, and above it are two others, one on the ground floor, and one on the first floor. It will be seen that there are three flues descending or taken down to the basement. The third flue belongs to the room on the second floor. The wall is two bricks thick, the flue 9 in. in diameter, and contained within the wall with no chimney-breast projecting. Fig. 2 is a plan of the flues on the ground floor, and fig. 3 of those on the first floor. Fig. 4 is a section of the fireplace opening; this is 3 ft. in height from the floor-line, the brickwork at top is splayed, and supported by an iron bar; these openings are always filled up with 4½ straight joint work, to be taken out when the mantelpiece is fixed. Fig. 5 is the chimney-pot and its cap, the latter opening at top 7 in. by 9 in. only; fig. 6 shows one of the sweeping doors, in which there are two to each descending flue. The latter three figures are twice the scale of the former. A plan and section of the chimney complete, with its marble mantel and stove, is given in figs. 7 and 8. The flue passes completely down at the back of the stove, the front is closed by an iron plate to a height of 2 ft. On this is fixed the moveable door or register, shut fully or partly over the flue when the stove is in use, and closed over the stove when the flue has to be swept. The arrows show the mode of admission of air to the front of the fire; it is brought through the

floor and two openings in the back hearth from the outside of the house. This is generally kept concealed,

and in order to ensure a supply of air to the stove the room should be kept completely closed.

To cause as full and perfect a combustion of the fuel as possible, a draught or current of the external air should be always admitted to the stove, and it could easily be placed under open management, so as to admit either a large or small supply of air, as required. Numerous patent processes to effect this are in use, but the most effective way of doing it is that shown in figs. 7 and 8: it is too simple for a patent.

Fig. 9 shows a method of admitting air above the architrave of the entrance door of the room. The opening is made about 2 ft. in length; this, after a little time, becomes marked by the blacklets coming in from the passage. The sweeping flue when the fire is lighted becomes very hot; the smoke ascends speedily and soon leaves it. The flue requires the stove to be formed expressly for it. Mr. Cubitt made the stoves only for his own houses, and the author had some difficulty at Queen’s Gate, in procuring stoves of the right pattern, for manufacturers prefer their own shop patterns, and some of these would have covered up half the descending flue. Those he used were supplied by Messrs. Feetham of Clifford Street, who are well acquainted with the use of the flue and stove. The flue is considered an excellent one; it is a builder’s flue, constructed solely of brick, and is certainly the best of the brick flues. The same attention was paid to it as was given to every part of Mr. Cubitt’s buildings. It may be asked, “Are there no other kinds of flues constructed of superior materials?” Yes, certainly there are; particular attention has often been paid to the flue. There is Hiort’s circular flue, formed in each course of four wedge-formed bricks. Mr. Hiort held a very important position; he was Treasurer of the office of Works at Whitehall, and his flue was extensively used in some of the Government buildings and the houses in Carlton Gardens. It did not bond well with the brickwork, so we have Mr. Moon’s improvement upon it. This was considered not sufficient, and another patent was taken out in 1844 by Messrs. Clark and Reed for its further improvement. The flue was an excellent one, but on Mr. Hiort’s retirement from the Government Board, it went out of use.

There is Seth Smith’s metallic chimney lining, which makes an excellent flue; the lining is a pipe of from 5 to 10 in. in diameter, built in the brickwork. About 150 of these flues are at the Pantechnicon. Mr. Smith announced his determination of never building any house above the value of 30_l._ per annum, without using them. They could be introduced, to form perfect linings to chimneys in buildings already erected, and allow the stack to be reduced in height, without having the unsightly appearance of contractions made above them. The drawback to the use of these tubes by builders was the price. Without any royalty, the 9 in. tube cost 3_s._ 4_d._ per ft. run, the curved tubes 4_s._ 3_d._, the starting tube 3_s._ 8_d._ The tubes were of the exact form of drain pipes, and they were cheaper, and as effectual.

If Mr. Smith’s metal tubes had been introduced into a large brick flue, they would have rendered the latter an efficient shaft for ventilating every room in its upward course, openings being made for the purpose at the upper part of the rooms. This mode of ventilation was applied to hospitals on a large scale by the late Mr. Jacob Perkins several years ago, with perfect success.

Denley’s flue, introduced in 1843, is believed to have been the precursor of that used by the late Mr. Thos. Cubitt at Belgravia and Pimlico, and there is a great resemblance between the two; but Mr. Denley’s flue has nothing like the simplicity nor ease of construction of Mr. Cubitt’s. The downward flues were merged into one at the basement, and all the soot and cinders were collected or thrown down into a fire-proof box, which must have stood out in the lower rooms, from which they had to be removed. The flues were swept from the roof, the register doors of the stoves being closed, and there was no provision for sweeping the flues between the basement and the stoves. Joined to his system for sweeping, was one of air flues which brought a current of air direct from the exterior of the house to each fireplace.

We have several flue systems which have ventilating flues in connexion with them. Boyd’s flue forms the wythes, or half-brick spaces between the flues, of iron plates, and the open spaces thus gained make ventilating passages. Mr. Doulton’s combined smoke and air flues are manufactured in terra-cotta, in three sizes; the air flues follow the line of the smoke flue, the passages being quite distinct, as in Mr. Boyd’s. The heat from the smoke flue causes a current in the air-flue which carries off the vitiated air admitted by openings near the ceiling. The common drain pipes and the glazed fire-clay pipes make good flues; the use of these pipe-flues has greatly increased during the last few years; they improve the draught, and clean easily. Flues for ventilation from rooms should, like Arnott’s ventilator, enter into the smoke or a hot ventilating flue. Arnott’s ventilator requires careful adjustment, to be balanced in such a way that it should stand closed on a calm day.

The superior patented flues, as they are of considerable cost, and take extra time in construction, are only used in the better class of buildings, or in those erected under the express direction of the owner. In speculative buildings they are never used. The time required for their construction beyond that of the common brick flue, being regarded by the builder as so much money lost.

The great desideratum in a flue is to make it pass off its smoke quickly, and this the small size flue effects more certainly than the larger one, as it warms sooner and keeps its heat longer.

An enthusiastic admirer of the descending or sweeping flue once told the author that with a good fire in the grate, if a kettle of water could be placed on the top of the chimney-cap the water would soon boil, even if the flue were fifty feet high. The flues constructed of metallic or earthenware casings retain also the heat longer, and keep hotter. It may be imagined that with these flues, and the large quantity of gas lamps in the streets, why the temperature of London should be always some degrees higher than that of the country. In winter snow may be seen in the suburban fields, but none is found in town.

Architects have often been blamed for not inventing a good system of flue-construction, not only for the prevention of smoke in our dwellings, but for the hindrance of its presence in the atmosphere. Several, and most excellent attempts, have been made for the former, but very few for the latter, which is one of far greater difficulty. Yet this is one that admits of a cure, great as the evil is. The chimney flue might be so improved as to effect a more certain and larger ventilation of our houses, without any addition of ventilation flues. The introduction of the French Mansard roof with us, one from a country where coal fires are not in use, renders it almost imperative for the chimneys belonging to such buildings to have a different construction, for chimneys when placed against a building or roof that overtops them, are sure, as they are at present made, to become smoky: the wind returning owing to the high construction, and descending in the flues. The following few designs are offered to cure these various evils.

Accepting as a fact that tall-boys, and the other iron and zinc constructions, are useful appendages, there can be no reason why they should be so used as to disfigure our buildings. Some of the finest specimens of architecture in the Metropolis serve only as pedestals to an ugly collection of cowls.

The author proposes to form the upper part of the flues in a building, for a length of about 15 to 20 feet, entirely of iron or other tubing, in square, round, or oblong sections, of a less diameter than the brick flues to which they are attached. This tubing is gathered up in groups, and carried out at an angle of 45° towards a centre stack: the tubes in direct contact with each other, having no brick wyths, except one or two to strengthen the stack.