Title:  The Brochure Series of Architectural Illustration, Vol 1, No. 11, November, 1895 The Country Houses of Normandy

Author:  Various

Release Date:  February 12, 2005 [EBook #15020]

Language:  English

Character set encoding:  ASCII

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[Illustration:  LXXXI.  Ferme la Vallauine, Normandy.]

THE BROCHURE SERIES

Of architectural illustration.

Vol.  I. November, 1895.  No. 11.

THE COUNTRY HOUSES OF NORMANDY.

The houses chosen for illustration in this number are of different types, of different dates, built for men of different stations in life, and are constructed of different materials.  They are, however, all in the province of Normandy, in northern France, and they are all situated outside the towns; further than this it may not be well to go in attempting to classify them under one head.  Like the subjects chosen for our last issue, they contain many suggestive ideas for treatment of similar problems in our own country, and for this reason they deserve special attention.

The tendency among the French has always been strong to build their houses in compact groups, and detached buildings with free space on all sides are the exception even in the country.  Mr. Louis H. Gibson, whose book “Beautiful Houses” we have noticed in another column, says of the French domestic architecture:—­

“Excepting the chateaux, the structures of which we have the completest record are almost entirely buildings fronting directly on the street or road.  In France it is rare indeed that one sees an isolated building with a free passage around it, as is common in our American towns and cities.  It is not at all uncommon for a farm building to be constructed within a wall; again, the farmer’s house may be almost flush with the road.  Little farm communities, with the buildings abutting on one another, are very common, because of the companionship which such association brings.  This was not alone true in the early history of France, but obtains in the construction of to-day.  The small towns, as well as the cities, are almost universally built very compactly.  Thus we may expect to see very few examples of isolated structures in France.”

In this respect it will be seen the taste of the French house builder differs from ours where open space about a dwelling-house is considered one of its important attractions.  Consequently the examples here shown should not be considered as typical of French domestic architecture.  The town house is, if anything, the type.