A PISE DE TERRE BUNGALOW- IN THE -NEW FOREST. fTo
TEES EIGTOII OF THE SPECIATOE."1 SIR,—It is not customary to look for enterprise in a country village, but. I discovered it in the- beautiful little village of Beaulieu in Hampshire, over. which Lord Montagu holds patri- archal sway. There I found the local builder, Mi. C. T.-Webb, ready to listen to my description of piss de terre construction. He had -never- before handled- such. a -material, but lie became enthusiastic and got• to •work- at- ones -by-buying from Lord' Montagu a oonsiderable. area- of ground looking over the New Forest, where. the soil is perfectly adaptedsf oil use in piss de. terre work. The illustration I enclose . depicts the first bungalow erected on ,his estate. It is built with 18in. walls, the. material for same:.beingdug immediately in front of the house, where, owing to the configuration of the ground, it was possible to form a sunk garden leading down to the road. The top soil was, of course, carefully removed and replaced after excavation.
The walls are' built'on -a concrete foundation with a proper bitumen damp. course,- with another damp course on the top of the wall in case of accidents to the thatch. The-thatch itself in this:e.ase is-of wheat straw; although-it is-proposed on-future occasions. to make use of the -large beds-of reeds-which grow along the Beaulieu River near by.. The.windowsframes; doors, and door-frames are :of loeal.eak.. The walls are finished eater- nally with cement put-on with a hand float to produce a beauti- ful texture, and internally they are plastered. As there is such a large_ amount of - oak grown in the neighbourhood, all the fireplaces are constructed to burn this wood on the hearth, the living-room fireplaces being lined with 2in. bricks, with an oak iseamsand--shelf 'over. The actual work on the walls was- earried. out last eutunin,-the weather being favourable. On the few -oceasions when it' rained, the -walls were. covered although Mrs :Webb- .has-nowspurchased a large, rick -cover, - capable of :being ;hoisted on:poles,: to. erect if 'necessary over arty housesliesis: building; The only drawback -I know of to. Pisk de terre work .is. the fact that it must- be done in dry weather, and is, therefore,. really a spring and summer job. This bungalow cost Mr. Webb about 21,550, including all drain- age, water supply; &c. Hehas obtained the full Government grant, and has many °Reis. to purchase at a price which will give this a handsome profit, so much so that he is abOut to start' other-cottages of -a similar type on -his estate. He has-laid out-the back part of his ptoperty as an intensive market garden, and has:already planted an extensive orchard, his proposal being, to supply the houses on his estate with fresh vegetables, eggs, and fruit, supply labour to clean boots, knives, and pump water, &e., to provide a central -garage where -resi- dents can leave their cars to be washed, and generally to- make his little -estate as self-supporting as possible so as to assist those who would use these cottages largely as week-end resi- dences by minimizing the need for domestics labour. Such an enterprise I think merits every possible success. The water supply is from wells where ample and excellent water was found, and Mr. Webb is erecting _a amen central electric light plant to supply his houses with electric light.--I am, Sir, &c., LEONARD MARTIN, F.R.I.B.A.
[We are delighted with the photograph of the house designed by Mr. Martin for Mr.. Webb. The planning is as efficient as the elevation-is attraative. Mr. Webb is evidently an imagina- tive as well as a practical man—the combination is invincible— and in such surroundings as those of Beaulieu his self-support- ing settlement ought to be a veritable haven of refuge for the victims of the doniestio problem.—En. Spectator.]
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