University of Virginia Library

Cottage Plans.

An evidence of the careful economic spirit which has guided
the whole enterprise may be found in the plans of the buildings at
Port Sunlight. There are here no freaks or features created
simply for picturesque effect, nor any serious attempt to give the

31. WOOD STREET COTTAGES.

occupants something
they do not want.
It will probably be a
long time before any
great reform in cottage
planning can be
maintained in face of
the varying views of
the tenants. Thus
the rooms must be
big enough, but they
must not be so large
as to cause needless
work. The better
class cottages must
have parlours, and
only those who cannot
afford them will
go without. Plaster
walls seem to be
almost always preferred
to those lined
with boarding, whitewashed
bricks, or any
other healthy or
artistic departure
from the modern
British type. Thus we find that the compact and economic plans
in the village are what give the most universal satisfaction. But
in the scheme of the planning the juxtaposition of the cottages
has been dealt with in a free and varied manner, so that we find
rows of houses, or L-shaped blocks, or semi-quads, or curved
frontages, or semi-splayed quads. A census of opinion would
probably be all in favour of straight rows, and have been dead
against the judicious variety which gives so much interest to
the place. Theoretically, one would perhaps like those who
live in cottages to give up the fetish of the parlour and have
one really ample living-room instead. But the inherent yearning
for privacy is an English characteristic which closes the door
of domestic affairs from the casual visitor. Moreover, the sin
of affectation creeps into all our buildings, and thus the cottage
apes the little villa, the little villa apes the large one, the large one
apes the mansion, and the mansion apes the palace.

The cottage reformer would of course say that the cottage
tenant would be far happier and healthier as a rule without a
parlour, for then he
would have a fine
living - room which
might be free of all
incumbrances and
free of draughts.
But it has to be
taken for granted
that most who can
afford parlours
prefer to have
them; therefore the
plans are of two
types, the kitchen
cottage and the
parlour cottage.
Our illustrations
show how these are
planned, and it is
not of little interest
to see how varied
may be the exterior
treatment as developed
from these
plans.

32. A GARDEN CORNER.

33. KITCHEN COTTAGES.

Some of the plans which have been found successful we give
illustrations of. These (Nos. 33—35) are carefully schemed. There
is a bath in each and three bedrooms, each with a fireplace. The
W.C.'s are entered from outside. The parlour cottage plan is
also given. It shows what a fine living-room might be obtained in
a scheme which eliminated the parlour. It is obvious that the
question of cost is more or less elusive. The original cost of the
smaller cottages was £200, and of the parlour cottages £330 to
£350, but this has risen now to £330 for cottages and £550 for
parlour houses. At the present time the gross rentals of the
kitchen cottages average now 6s. 3d. each, whilst for the parlour
cottages the rent would be 7s. 6d., excluding rates and taxes.[1]

In any estimate of the value of Port Sunlight as a housing
scheme it must always be remembered, as Mr. W. L. George has
pointed out, that it is an experiment rather in ideal than in cheap

housing. This question of ideal was the first point referred to in
this record. That it has been largely realised and entirely justified
is something for which its founder must feel profoundly glad.
All sorts of economies and precautions might have been adopted
which have been boldly and generously set aside. The ideal was
always kept in view, and if it ever disappears it will be only after the
disappearance of the original founder himself! It is a pleasant
task to gather together in this little book the evidence of belief
that a more real partnership between capitalist and workpeople
would work a lasting good. That good is not to be measured in a
notation of gold, nor even amongst those who live and thrive
under the immediate benefits of Port Sunlight. Its influence goes

34. PARLOUR COTTAGES.

round the world
like the beneficent
rays which are symbolised
in its own
expressive title.

Many of those
who scan these
pages will never see
Port Sunlight itself,
and so will not
realise how much
better is the reality
than the printed
page. In judging
the results it must
never be forgotten
that the saving
grace of common
sense has been a
constant guide in
its ultimate development
and expression.
No

35. KITCHEN COTTAGES.

36. THE BRIDGE INN.

GRAYSON AND OULD,

Architects.

could pretend that
these thousand cottages
form the finest
possible aggregate of
architectural skill in
individual design or
co-ordinated effect.
Here and there one
finds perhaps an
exaggeration of simplicity
on the one
hand or of richness
on the other; in
some cases the
restraint may be a little obvious or the picturesqueness a little
overstrained, but the balance of effect is that of a well-ordered
and varied interest. To realise the value of Port Sunlight as an
industrial village one has only to compare it with other enterprises.
The architect can read clearly enough from it many lessons in
design, a few of what to avoid perhaps, but many that he may
emulate. The social reformer sees an object lesson in the value
of a pleasant and well-planned community of houses in which
individuality is left ample freedom of expression. The projector
of industrial enterprise realises the mutual benefits of good and
attractive housing. Little, if anything, in this country can be compared
to it in its general measure of success. This success should
act as a stimulus to an ever-widening effort to make the improved
conditions of daily life one of the definite aims of industrial
enterprise generally.