Part 5

Concrete cottages have been built at Setting, in Kent, under Mr. Adkins, architect, that cost only 105_l._ per pair; the ground floor contained two rooms; with the usual larder and closets, and the upper floor three rooms and a cupboard; these cottages had gabled fronts and were picturesque in character. It would be an extra expense over the common method to construct floors and roofing of concrete; the advantage to be gained would be their fire-proof character.

In superior buildings the high tenacious power of good cement is repeatedly, it may be said commonly taken advantage of in the construction of roofs. These are formed by cementing plain tiles, and they have considerable strength. Roofs of 12 feet span, constructed in segmental form, rising three feet, and only of three plain tiles in thickness, successfully resist great pressure, and are durable in a very superior degree; but they require to be well tied in, and formed between iron girders connected together with iron tie rods, otherwise they sink and force out the walls. Roofs of cemented tiles have been constructed from 30 to 40 feet span, and have been found to answer well; hoop-iron bond, laid at intervals between the tiles, is a great advantage. The tenacious power of good cement was proved in a very high degree a few years ago by Mr. Brunel, in the construction of two semi-arches built of brick, springing from a pier or abutment 14 feet in height. One extended 50 feet in length, the other 38; the rise of the arches was 10 feet, the width only 4 feet 6 inches; a weight of about 40 tons was suspended to the extremity of the shorter arch without breaking it.

The result of this test proved that arches of 200 feet or 300 feet span, and probably more, might be constructed in the same manner at very moderate expense, without centering. Iron-hoop bond is said to nearly double the strength or holding power of the cement. Flat experimental beams have been constructed of brick and cement, with hoop-iron bond laid horizontally between the joints or courses of the brickwork, which have given equally extraordinary results.

Concrete for walling was extensively used in England at the beginning of the present century; it got into bad repute through failure of a river wall at Woolwich, where it was either badly done, some mistake was made, or it was unsuited to the position. The wall was constructed of blocks of concrete cast in moulds, and submitted to pressure while setting; a coating of fine stuff being applied for the sake of appearance, ample time having been allowed for the blocks to set and harden before use. The blocks were 1 foot 6 inches high, the binders and stretchers in the course being each 2 feet 6 inches long, the bed of the former being 2 feet, and of the latter 1 foot; the wall was built upon piles, its height above the piles being 24 feet; the thickness at bottom was 9 feet, at top 5 feet with a batir in front of 3 feet in 22.

The face of the wall was composed of blocks, as described, and rough concrete thrown in to complete its thickness, and that of the counterforts. After a frost it was found that this wall was seriously damaged, hardly a single block having escaped, and in many cases their whole face had peeled off to the depth of half an inch. The discharge of a drain from a height of 6 or 8 feet had worn away the lower courses to the depth of some inches. On a like wall at Chatham, similar but much more severe effects were produced.

The failure of this wall costing about 80,000_l._, was a serious matter, and for several years after architects looked upon concrete as being so much uneatable hasty pudding, considering that it was only beneficial when confined in a trench for foundations. Sir Robert Smirke used it in the foundations of the Penitentiary, Millbank, and Sir John Soane in 1830 used it in the foundations of the New State Paper Office (now pulled down) in St. James’s Park. Here the ground had to be excavated to a depth of 22 feet before arriving at a gravelly stratum; at each high tide the Thames filled the trenches with water, which remained in considerable quantity; as this was pumped out, the adjoining party walls of the buildings in Duke-street cracked so completely that they had to be taken down. The trenches were first filled to the height of two feet with broken stones and bricks from the old buildings, and then dry lime and clean river sand, with a large quantity of small broken granite stones, were thrown in from the height above. A body of concrete 8 feet in width by a thickness of 3 feet was thus formed; the water ceased to enter the trenches and the building was commenced.

Mr. G. Godwin, the editor of the “Builder,” in an essay on concrete which gained the first prize given by the Royal Institution of British Architects, appears to have been the first to suggest its use in walls above ground; and for these Portland cement concrete, when properly prepared, is without question an admirable material.

_DESIGN No. 7._

In France it is used to a very great extent, in numerous bridges, and several miles of large sewers. A church (that at Vésinet, near Paris, of mediæval architecture), constructed entirely with iron and this concrete, is completely fireproof. In England a considerable length of sewer has been constructed of concrete at Sidmouth, under the direction of Mr. Phillips; and near London, between the Kensington and Gloucester Road stations of the Metropolitan Railway, a very large handsome bridge, rusticated, and in design similar to, and in every respect in appearance a stone bridge. From some alteration required in the railway, it has been removed.

This mode of construction is now being practically tested in the north of England, at Church Bank, Alnmouth, in its complete form, in a cottage built entirely of concrete, having three rooms, scullery, and other conveniences. The material used in the building, as we are told by the “Builder,” is Portland cement and gravel from the sea-shore. The foundation is in sand 6 inches thick and 18 inches wide; in this there is a base course, and above, the walls are 9 inches in thickness. Part of the erection is two stories in height. The roofs are all flat, and are constructed entirely of concrete and old wire rope. The ceilings are divided into panels by ribs at right angles, and require no plastering. A wall on the upper floor is supported by a concrete beam with a 13-feet span; and a large cistern is formed under the roof of the pantry for rain water. The sides of the cistern forming the walls of the bedroom will test severely the impermeability of the material. No wood is used except for doors, and no iron except five shillings’ worth of old wire rope. This is said to be an experiment made by the Duke of Northumberland.

Another experimental cottage has been constructed under Mr. Edwin Chadwick’s superintendence at East Sheen near Mortlake. In this the walls are formed of light iron framework filled with compressed straw, bitumen, and concrete. The thickness of each wall complete is only about three and a half inches. The floors are of bitumen and concrete, covered with ordinary deal boards; the roof has the same construction as the walls. These, inside, may be either left rough or finely smoothed, without additional cost. In the former case it is said they resemble the ordinary “dashes” of stuccoed cottages; in the latter they appear as if coated with Roman cement, after the fashion of villas and town houses.

If a construction of this kind can be made durable it possesses superior advantages to every other. In England both stone and brick are great absorbents of moisture, causing the occupants of the houses to be afflicted by rheumatism and other undesirable ailments. Any building material that is non-absorbent of moisture is a great desideratum yet unsatisfied.

An elevation of a design for a garden gate and balustrade to be formed of concrete blocks is given in Design No. 7. It was originally intended for the entrance to an old house in Berkshire.

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The vignette beneath is a Swiss pattern of open woodwork used by the author as balustrading. The construction is too simple to require explanation.

_DESIGN No. 8._

A PARK LODGE.

The entrance lodge to a country park may be considered as a superior kind of cottage; it is

often occupied by some favourite domestic or other attaché of the family. It is usually placed in a prominent position, dressed with surrounding trees, and with the accompanying gates, posts, and rails. Considerable attention is always paid to the lodge.

An ugly one is an exception, and is very seldom seen. In most cases the lodge is similar in character to the mansion to which it permits approach: a Gothic house, hence has a Gothic lodge, and an Elizabethan

house a lodge of the same character; frequently it is in the Rustic style that would suit either. Of this the present design and the following are examples.

This design was made for one story only, and it is placed so as to command, or have a view of two roads by which it can be approached; the plan shows a living room, 13 ft. by 13 ft., a scullery, _g_, 12 ft. by 9 ft, a larder, _h_, and two sleeping rooms. It has a porch, formed with trunks of trees, enclosing a seat or bench. The back front is made of a pleasing character, having a covered way to the closet and coal cellar, _l_.

The section shows the height of the rooms, 11 × 6 from floor to collar beam. The construction was to have been in the common fashion in brick, with red brick facing, and compo dressings round the windows and top of chimney stack, the latter in cut red brick. An erection of this kind could not be completed under a cost of about 370_l._

_DESIGN No. 9._

A PARK LODGE.

This design was a second study for the same small building illustrated in the previous design. It was intended for a different site, and so placed as to command only one road of approach. It could have been seen for nearly two miles previous to reaching it, and was placed about twenty feet behind the entrance gates; the front had a rustic porch intended to contain rustic seats. The plan shows a living room 18 feet by 14, a small scullery, _g_, larder, _h_, and two sleeping rooms each 13 feet by 10 feet. The section is taken through the centre of the building, showing the front and back porch. It could be constructed for about 375_l._

Either of these lodges could be constructed in concrete, the walls twice the thickness, the chimney stock in brick and cement, and their cost would be reduced.

_DESIGN No. 10._

AN ENTRANCE LODGE TO A PARK

This lodge stands within an ancient park in Kent. It occupies a triangular piece of ground and commands three roads of approach. The building is

strictly in accordance with the style of the old family mansion within the park itself, which is a celebrated structure of the times of Elizabeth and James I. The

perspective view represents the lodge as seen from the avenue of trees within the park, the road coming

between. In the ground plan, p. 105, _a_ is the porch, _b_ the living room, _c_ the scullery, and _d_ the larder; _g_ are the steps leading to a vault under the stairs, used for coals, and _f_ is the stone cover over the dry well. Considerable care and attention were

bestowed in working out the details of this building, which was wholly erected by the workmen of the estate, with bricks and stone also from the estate. The lower part or plinth of the structure is of ashlar ragstone in random courses, the top course header faced, the joints worked fair, and a sunk splay in the top tooled fair, the course rising nine inches on the

face, with an average depth in the bed of eleven inches. The string over the lower windows is in moulded brick,

faced with compo,--the gables and the chimneys are constructed and finished with cut red bricks. The

finials, of which there are three, are copied from those of the old mansion, and cost each 3_l._ The front and side elevations are here given, together with the details of the entrance porch. The columns were formed of trunks of trees, with an entablature and pediment of brick tiles and compo, with iron ties securing the whole.

The brick walls were splashed externally in four colours, black, white, red, and yellow, which gave a very pleasing tone of colour to the whole. The plan

of the upper floor shows the rooms like the lower, each of the average length of 21 and a width of 10 feet. The staircase leads conveniently to the two upper rooms; _a_ is a trap-door to permit furniture and large baggage to be lifted up from below. The sections show the construction of the roof, the timbers of which were firmly secured by iron straps, _b b_. The chimney forms a prominent feature in the centre of the building, the construction of which is shown in the annexed cut; _c_ are corbel bricks, _b_ the iron strap.

The last two illustrations are sections through the coal-cellar and the dry well. The photographic view shows the small circular gable over the staircase. There are only six of these gables, as a seventh could not be obtained, or it might have been called the “house with the seven gables.” The structure cost 526_l._, the cottage design No. 2, on the same estate, 311_l._, both in full.

_DESIGN No. 11._

AN ENTRANCE LODGE AND GATEWAY TO A PARK.

The first erection of an entrance lodge and gateway to a country park, is often considered of sufficient importance to meet with very full and careful

consideration. If the park is an ancient one, the old castellated style for the entrance lodge will mark its character, and it is generally chosen, although the

building or mansion within the park itself may be of more recent style. The family architect, in such cases, will have to make various sketches before one is selected that gives general satisfaction. The castellated Tudor design shown in the perspective view, was the first one made under such circumstances, and several designs were submitted before it was put aside, and one selected similar in style and character to the mansion within the park, and which was soon carried out.

The ground plan, p. 113, shows the lodge to have very little accommodation, one small room 15 feet by 11 feet, with a scullery attached; indeed, one of the principal reasons for giving up the design was that the steep character of the ground did not admit a larger erection. The staircase of the lodge led to one upper room over the gateway; this was 13 feet by 13 feet. The elevation of the lodge is shown at p. 114.

The details are plain and bold; a shield of arms with quatrefoils is placed over the side entrance; these and the ornaments on the bay-window are the chief enrichments.

The lodge was to have been erected with ragstone ashlar for the quoins and red-brick facing for walls,--the bay-window and all the strings and battlements were to be in Caen stone. The iron gates were to be of wrought iron in the olden style. An elevation of one of the gates is given, showing a thin ornamental pattern within a strong iron frame.

The parts, ¼ full size, are shown; _a_ is the top rail, _b_ the circular bar, _c_ a section and elevation of the hanging rail, and _d_ the meeting bar.

The accommodation required by the gate-keeper who was to occupy the lodge was greater than could be well provided on the site the building was to stand on. What he did ask for was given in a second

design, which, as it shows a different treatment of the elevation, is here illustrated. In this the rooms are

larger, as may be seen by the ground plan; _c_, the back room, is intended to be used as a boy’s sleeping room; _h_ is the larder under the stairs, and _l_ is a place for coals. The upper plan shows the room over the gateway; a second room was to be added by taking up the walls of the lodge.

The elevation of this design was considered more quaint and characteristic of the olden style than the first; its window is copied from one at the old gatehouse to the abbey at Montacute in Somersetshire, both as to dimensions and detail. It is rather late in style, and not a very good example, but it is here given with a few sections and details to a larger scale.

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The vignette affords a plan of an old English garden with its labyrinth, fountains, fishponds, and flower beds.

_DESIGN No. 12._

A STOVE FOR AN ENTRANCE HALL

This stove is intended to fill a recess in the hall of a Baronial Mansion, placed on a marble pavement with groups of ancient armour, pikes and

helmets, and the other like warlike implements of ancient times, surrounding it. The plan shows its interior to be filled with fire-clay. It is only a

common iron stove, but with a more artistic outline or figure than is generally seen; the section shows the construction. A moveable box is placed within the pedestal to receive the ashes; the smoke flue leaves at the back; the helmet opens to receive a cup of water; the section shows the construction. When the shield is open the fire is seen; this could be made partly open, so as to allow the fire to be wholly closed in.

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The vignette is a portion of a French design for an iron balconet. In France these balconets are regarded as necessary protections at the window openings. In England they are used chiefly for holding flowers.

_DESIGN No. 13._

QUEEN’S GATE LODGE, HYDE PARK.

The formation of that new and important suburb of London, known as Queen’s Gate, South Kensington, resulted, as is well known, from the exertions of His Royal Highness the Prince Consort. It

promises soon to become the most fashionable and attractive portion of the Metropolis, as the land is engaged for the purpose of applying it to national objects connected with the Arts and Sciences, by the

Government. Consequently, with the beauty of the situation, this has led to the erection of a large number of first-class mansions of the value of from 20,000_l._ each to 3000_l._ (leaseholds.) The author of this work, at the time of the purchase by the Government, was surveyor to the principal estate in that locality--that of the late Charles, Earl of Harrington;

and an opening to Hyde Park, for the chief new road, being granted by Government, he had to submit designs for the new entrance lodge and gates to the Commissioner of Public Works. The first design he had made had previously been submitted to the Prince. It was on a large scale, an archway being placed in the centre, with gates and lodges on each side. But as the new entrance had to be made at the expense of the builders of the Harrington Estate, designs of a more modest character were chosen.

Lord Llanover, then Sir Benjamin Hall, was the Chief Commissioner of Public Works, and took great interest in the designs, repeatedly visiting the spot, and having various studies made; indeed the works were carried out under his supervision and direction.

The opening into Hyde Park was 140 feet in length; this was filled up by the gates and railings, a lodge being placed within the park.

The view shows the lodge as it was erected by Mr. Aldin, one of the building lessees of the Harrington estate; it cost him about 800_l._ The iron gates and railing were put up by Mr. W. Jackson, the chief building lessee on the same estate, at a cost which amounted to upwards of 2000_l._

The lodge contains two rooms on the ground floor the front room being 17 feet by 12 feet, the back room 13 feet by 11 feet. The basement has two rooms of the same size; with a small yard, a place for coals, and a dry area surrounding the whole. The plans are shown under the perspective view; the front and side elevations on page 128; the small portico has the centre columns without rusticated blocks, so that no square edges or projecting parts obstruct the entrance of persons into the lodge.

The section through the length of the building shows the two upper and the two lower rooms, with the sunk yard; it does not show clearly the section of the ground outside the building; the level of this is 18 inches below the floor of the upper rooms. The basement is completely buried, but as the small structure stood upon a mound and was protected by a dry area, this was of little consequence. The cross section next given shows the level of the outside ground correctly, with the two dry areas. Over this cross section are given two small details of the construction of the roof.

The building was of stone and brick, the ashlar front of the walls Bath stone, and the cornice of Portland--this was made so as to form the gutter.

The lodge has lately been taken down, and reconstructed on the opposite side of the entrance gate. So completely was this done that only one small block of stone was required to complete it, and this was only a replacement of one broken. The structure itself has been reproduced by the Government as a lodge opposite to the Exhibition Road. In the cut at page 127, is given a section through the portico and a section through the end wall.