|
ARTS & CRAFTS DETAILS |
FIG 4.1: Much of the interest in the exterior of Arts & Crafts houses lies in the details: from timber-frame designs and cut bricks down to delicate patterned glass, as in this example.
By their very nature the exteriors of many Arts & Crafts houses were relatively simple and plain, relying upon their form and a variety in the texture of materials for their beauty, with the shape and type of porch, windows and doors enhancing the character of the building. It was in the detail that the craftsman could express himself: from rustic planked doors with intricate strap hinges down to rainwater traps under the guttering with floral patterns embossed upon their face. As well as the exclusive housing designed by leading Arts & Crafts architects there were the speculative-built semis, terraces and detached houses, onto which mass-produced fittings were added to create the fashionable appearance the builder felt would best appeal to his clients. The following examples illustrate the range of details that were applied to both of these types of houses in the late Victorian and Edwardian periods, both today referred to as ‘Arts & Crafts’.
FIG 4.2: PORCHES: It was a distinctive feature of many Arts & Crafts houses to have the door recessed within a porch, which could either feature receding arches in the style of Norman Shaw and early Lutyens (top right) or a large, plain opening (top left, note the sloping buttresses). There were numerous other forms used, inspired by old buildings, ranging from simple gabled entrances (bottom left) to stone or metal hoods (bottom right).
FIG 4.3: DORMER WINDOWS: As Arts & Crafts houses often had a single-storey façade below a low-slung roof, dormer windows were frequently required to cast light into upper floor rooms and attics. Some replicated 17th-century types with small gabled roofs and casement windows with leaded lights (right) while others were built as low horizontal openings with flat tops (above).
FIG 4.4: MULLION WINDOWS: A distinctive feature of most Arts & Crafts houses was the use of low, horizontal windows divided up by short vertical posts (mullions). Unlike original 15th- and 16th-century types, the carving of the frame was usually simple, either chamfered (top right), completely plain (bottom left) or with just a simple moulding at best (bottom right).
FIG 4.5: WINDOWS: There was a wide variety of other types of windows used on houses, based upon historic or vernacular styles. Some had cut brick chamfered openings (top left), delicate leaded lights set in timber frames (top centre) or Ipswich-style windows with an arched central section (top and bottom right). Casement windows (ones that open with hinges up the side) were reintroduced, usually with a small section above featuring stained glass, or glazing bars on speculative housing. With a relaxation in fire regulations these could now project from the façade.
FIG 4.6: Smaller windows in a variety of geometric shapes (left and right) or intersecting corners (centre) were also distinctive of Arts & Crafts houses.
FIG 4.7: DOORS: Plain, wooden doors with vertical planks were very popular, often with the gap between them covered by protruding fillets. Some doors had glazed upper sections featuring coloured glass patterns.
FIG 4.8: CHIMNEYS: Many Arts & Crafts chimneys were covered with roughcast or plain render; some were cylindrical, based upon vernacular types from the Lake District. Alternatives included tall and prominent stacks with cut brick patterns based upon 16th-century types.
FIG 4.9: ROOFS: Local stone tiles, where available, were often used, with the roofer sorting the sizes out before laying them, with the largest above the eaves and smallest at the ridge (the heavier pieces would be directly above the wall). Thatch (right) was also popular on some of the finer houses while clay tiles (left) popularised by Arts & Crafts architects began replacing slate as the most common form of covering in the early 20th century (centre).
FIG 4.10: Timber work was very popular on Edwardian Arts & Crafts and speculative-built houses, especially timber-framed patterns in the gables, white painted fretwork and carved decoration.
FIG 4.11: STAINED GLASS: Stained or coloured glass formed into patterns was very popular, especially in the upper sections of casement windows on speculative-built houses. This was one of the places where the Continental Art Nouveau style with its flowing stylised flowers could be found. In the finest Arts & Crafts buildings elaborate stained glass windows were a speciality of many of the movement’s designers.
FIG 4.12: The reintroduction of terracotta from the mid-19th century gave architects the opportunity to add decorative pieces including ridge tiles, finials and plaques. On many Arts & Crafts and speculative-built houses elaborate plaques were inset with the sunflower (right) a popular symbol.
FIG 4.13: Patterns and horizontal string courses could also be formed from bricks (left), moulded, cut or rubbed into shapes and mass-produced for speculative builders to fit on site.
FIG 4.14: Examples of terracotta tiles and plaques, which could be supplied – principally from the Staffordshire Potteries – in a variety of finishes, although unglazed orange/red was usual on Arts & Crafts style houses.
FIG 4.15: DOOR FURNITURE: Handles, knobs and hinges were an area where the Arts & Crafts designers could exhibit their skill, especially as the doors themselves were generally plain. Cast iron handles and knobs painted black were distinctive of the style although brass, which had been popular from the mid-9th century, and other metals were also used. Long strap hinges were fitted to planked doors, usually with a rough-hammered, hand crafted appearance with simple shapes or patterns, as in these examples (top right has Voysey’s signature heart shape).
FIG 4.16: RAINWATER TRAPS: Another of the few areas on the exterior where the skill of the metalworker could be displayed was on the trap at the top of the vertical gutter down pipe through which the rainwater off the roof was fed. On the finest houses they were hand crafted with highly decorative patterns, usually including the date at which they were fitted and the initials of the owner or designer. Be wary of the dates as Arts & Crafts architects were often involved in extending and remodelling older houses and the year stated might be that of a make-over rather than that of the whole house.
FIG 4.17: The gables of Arts & Crafts houses were often plain, with decoration limited to horizontal bands or simple patterns formed out of brick or tiles slightly extending out from the vertical face. Other finishes included timber-framing, often in black and white (sometimes referred to as magpie work) and hanging tiles, these options popular on speculative mass housing.
FIG 4.18: Bargeboards were sometimes fitted around the edge of the gable. These were generally plain or featured simple geometric patterns. More elaborate carvings had been popular on earlier Gothic revival houses but can occasionally be found on the timber-framed gables of some late Victorian houses.
FIG 4.19: Some gables on Arts & Crafts style buildings featured patterns raised or embossed in render, imitating traditional pargeting. This distinctive feature of East Anglian houses was revived by designers and where it is found today on old buildings it tends to date from this period rather than the original date of the house.
