Context 164 - May 2020

4 C O N T E X T 1 6 4 : M A Y 2 0 2 0 From ‘The Housing of the Poor’ byWilliam Morris, Justice, 19 July 1884 It might be advisable, granting the existence of huge towns for the present, that the houses for workers should be built as tall blocks, in what might be called vertical streets; but that need not prevent ample room in each lodging, so as to include such comforts of space, air; and privacy as every moderately living middle class family considers itself entitled to; also it must not prevent the lodgings having their due share of pure air and sunlight, necessaries of life…This gathering of many small houses into a big tall one would give opportunity for what is also necessary to decent life, that is garden space round each block. This space once obtained, it would be a small matter to make the gardens far more beautiful, as they would be certainly far more cheerful, than the square gardens of the aristocratic quarters of the town now are; it would be natural to have cloisters or covered walking or playing places in them, besides such cheap ornaments as fountains and conduits. Inside the houses, besides such obvious conveniences as common laundries and kitchens, a very little arrangement would give the dwellers in them ample and airy public rooms in addition to their private ones; the top story of each block might well be utilised for such purposes, the great hall for dining in, and for social gathering, being the chief feature of it. Of course it is understood that such public rooms would not interfere with the ordinary private life of each family or individual; they would be there for use, if any one wished to use them, as they quite certainly would, for the avoidance of waste and the fostering of reasonable pleasure. I cannot be expected to forego the hint that these houses will be in no degree bare or prison like: many cottages of the 10s. per week agricultural labourer that I have seen avoid that fault at any rate, and I can’t see how it is possible that the city craftsman, with his habit of work and almost instinctive general capacity, should err on that side, if he had any starting point of hope given him, and proper leisure from mere bread winning toil. I am quite sure that due co-operation among the men of diverse crafts who would inhabit these houses would make them not merely comfortable and pretty, but beautiful even. The possession of space and pure air, with the determination not to live in the midst of ugliness, which relief from anxiety and overwork would give our mechanics, who are ingenious and ready witted still in spite of their slavery, would supply the stimulus for such town-houses being made proper dwellings for human beings. backfilling. Local traditions have frequently been supplemented by the importation of superior products from elsewhere in the British Isles or further afield, such as Caithness slabs or Channel Islands granite; these are now as much the touchstone of local distinctiveness as their more literal locally sourced materials. It would be necessary to have introductory information on the recognition of stone types and the terminology of paving. This database would form the basis of the atlas updated and revised, in wiki form, by both the contributor community and the author group. The author group would be compiling the atlas, which would have as its core a series of regional maps, richly supplemented by illustrations and diagrams. While the atlas would be an online resource, it could also be an attractively designed physical volume that would adorn the collections of both professionals and the wider readership of those with an insatiable interest in the character of the British Isles. The opinions of the readers of Context to this proposal would be gratefully received. We are also keen to hear from funding bodies and educational institutions, either through letters to the editor or directly to me at rguise@context4d.com . Richard Guise, architect and town planner with Context4D, was co-author of Streets for All (SE and SW England volumes) for English Heritage and is co-author with JamesWebb of Characterising Neighbourhoods. Building in Somerset Russell Lillford, a retired conservation officer and member of the IHBC, has compiled Somerset Architects and Surveyors: a biographical dictionary of building professionals, artists and craftsmen, 1720–1939 . It is accessible on the Somerset Building Preservation Trust website at www.sbpt.info/research.