, 1885-03-13
ENGLISH HOMES.
AeLANcE AT THE INTERIOR OF THE
ENoLIsHMANs CASTLE.
where tho EngIishmAn Builds His Castle
Dali and Unoheery Decorations
Furniture and Arrangement of
the Rooms Generally.


lRohert Laird Collier in Chicago News.
In the midst OF this landscape world the
Engiishman builds his house. And his house
Is his castle. II Is the center OF his life and
Of his interests. His house Is usually OF
red brick and OF two stories, with a high
wall all around IT, An Englishman likes to
be shut In. Tho soa shuts him in. and no Is
therefore born 10 it. The best part OF his
house Is at the back. His drawing room
and dining room front back. In all the
house5 where l nave boon, except, perhaps,
two very modern ones, tho front Of the
house Is taken up with tho kitchen or offices
Of the house, such as buffers pantry and Law
atory. Most suburban and country houses
arc square, with a central hall and rooms
arranged around IT. The doors are small,
and, indeed, the windows and all openings
are small. Tho rooms are larGer-larger
than in this country or in Franc, or Ger
many. In tho middle-class houses there
would be drawing room, dining-room, sitting.
room, and perhaps billiard-room ON the 1st
floor. besides a large space given to kitchen
and p%antries. The outside OF the house Is
almost uniformly without architectural
decorations The dizziness Of the climate is
seen In the somberness Of the furniture and
the decorations of the house.
l cannot say Iadmire tho inside Of most
English houses, for they are dull and un-
CHEEKY. 1t is perfectly true. as the French
say, that nothing screams" and 1t Is also
perfectly true that that nothing sings
There is no joy, no slight and sweetness
in the color, form, and expression OF the
house. Matters are mending, and the
more modern, or rather the quite re-
cent fashions In house decoration, are of
llgher and more brilliant tones Up TO
within five years tho woodwork was all
dark, usually grained in walnu or
very dark oak, and tho furniture was ma
hogany, OF very heavy and ungainly con-
struction. This. however, must be said,
that the chairs were for use, and were very
comfortable. There is a spirit OF comfort
about an English home that Is very marked
that Is, IL one can only dissociate the idea
Of art from TINT of comfort. Tho sofa Is
easy and big, and Just the thing to lie down
upon. There Is n sofa cushion and a sofa
rug or wrap; the cushion Is soft and the
wrap is warm, and the whole arrangement
is snug and inviting to rest and case. But
the cushion and the wraps are almost sure
10 DO offensive to the eye Of art. The colors
are almost sure 10 be ntrocious. Nine times
in ten there will be a dash OF lavender and
Of purple in both. The common people Of
color. The wcalthier' classes ave more
taste, but tho nation has moro pronounced
merits than esthetic ones.
All English houses that remember 10
have seen are papored. Tn walls are never
painted, as in this country and on the CON
tinent The papers used are very dark and
Of very large patterns. The colors used in
upholstering are dark, and the effect, there
fore, OF the room is heavy and, In fact,
gloomy. Tho heavy skies and dull atmos-
pheres should suggest, one would fancy, light
colors and cherry decorations, but instead OF
being masters Of tho climate they are slaves
to it. Tho massivencss OF tho furniture is
its prime and moAt noticeable character
istic. This is peculiarly so OF the
furniture Of the dining-room. The sideboard
is always a most enormous and unwieldly al
fair, and upon It is set the affections and
tho ambitions of its family. It is quite usu-
ally the most expensive piece OF furniture in
the house, and it Is not only very big. very
high, very wide, and very long, but it Is
carved and ornamental with brass trim
mings IL is in some sense, the symbol of
hospitality. The biscuit box Is always
standing upon II, and the d~ecanters of
spirits and wines are always at hand. The
papering of the dining room Is always dark,
and on its walls are TO be found most Of the
oil painting belonging to the family. The
tables and the chairs arc Of u kind with the
% "a ~ aAAa WY LDaN1s
The awning room is almost always at the
back OF the house and looks out upon the
garden, for it must be now that, however
large the grounds. the house Is built quito
near the road and there is little or no front
garden, and there is almost sure 10 DO quite
a high wall ct tho front, so as TO shut off the
house and grounds from the gaze and eyes
Of the common hord. Many houses, indeed
all through the provinces, ave gates
in these high walls with bells, and
the servant comes from the house
70 the outside gate to answer the bell.
Of somewhat lighter color than that of the
other rooms. The furniture Is also less mas
sive, and has just n tendency TO decoration
and art Tho line Is strictly drawn at water
color painting upon the walls. In no we'll
ordered English family does one over SEQ an
oil painting ON the walls OF the drawing
room. / have never been able 10 fully take
in the reason for this custom / conjecture,
however, that the walls of the d~rawing-room
being lighter and Of more expensive paper
ing that 1t is deemed bad taste to cover them
up with great pictures and frames. Water
cJlors, moreover, are more In keeping with
the lighter tone OF the ROOM So # Is; you
never, under any circumstances. see oil
paintings in the salon OF IN English house.
The bedroom furnishings are OF a like
heavy sort with the rest Of the house. The
brass bedstend has taken the place Of the old
-four poster but tho canopy Is retained.
Inc curtains arc drawn Tor the night when
the bed is opened Day coverings and "pil-
low shhms' for the bed are things unknown
In England. IL is always deisciously
clean, and with It's cretonne or muslin hang
ings looks neat and tidy. In many houses
the feather-bed is still tho thing, and is al
ways used upon all bedsteads In einter.
IL may be truthfully said that In all mid
dle-class families Of England the dining
room is the living room Of the house. The
family-or such Of them as remain at home
sit in the dining-room tho forenoon and
until after the noon meal, whether that be
luncheon or dinner. The dining-room Is
commonly a very large room and is furnished
for comfort, having generally the most
pleasant exposure TO garden, sun, and air.
The kitchen Is eldomn near the dining room.
and the pantries are connected with the
kitchen; so thai tho dining-room Is free OF all
the odor OF cooking and from all the
necessary noise Of the kitchen and p~antries.
As all meats and hot dishes are bought to
the dining-room closely covered. there Is
seldom any smell from the kitchen floating
about or lurking about tho house.
We're the color Of the house less somber
and the furniture less cumbrous; were the
rooms moro open and less separated each
from the other, the English house would be
the center Of the most perfect external com
fort known to the domestic life OF this
world. AS It is, the English house is tha
home Of sweet love, OF thoughtful civility,
and Of unforgetting and undying loyalty.
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