. Vanishing England . se inanother The manor-houses themselves declare 1 Old-time Parson, by P. H. Ditchfield, 1908. OLD MANSIONS 177 the historians strictures to be unfounded. Is it possiblethat men so ignorant and crude could have built forthemselves residences bearing evidence of such goodtaste, so full of grace and charm, and surrounded by suchrare blendings of art and nature as are displayed so oftenin park and garden? And it is not, as a rule, in thegreatest mansions, the vast piles erected by the greatnobles of the Court, that we find such artistic qualities,but most often in th
. Vanishing England . se inanother The manor-houses themselves declare 1 Old-time Parson, by P. H. Ditchfield, 1908. OLD MANSIONS 177 the historians strictures to be unfounded. Is it possiblethat men so ignorant and crude could have built forthemselves residences bearing evidence of such goodtaste, so full of grace and charm, and surrounded by suchrare blendings of art and nature as are displayed so oftenin park and garden? And it is not, as a rule, in thegreatest mansions, the vast piles erected by the greatnobles of the Court, that we find such artistic qualities,but most often in the smallermanor-houses of knights andsquires. Certainly many higher-cultured people of Macaulays timeand our own could learn a greatdeal from them of the art ofmaking beautiful homes. Holinshed, the Chronicler,writing during the third quarterof the sixteenth century, makessome illuminating observations onthe increasing preference shownin his time for stone and brickbuildings in place of timber andplaster. He wrote :—. Gothic Chimney, NortonSt. Philip, Somerset Theancientmanersand housesof our gentlemen are yet for themost part of strong timber. Howbeit such as be lately buylded are commonly either of brickeor harde stone, their rowmes large and stately, and housesof office farder distant fro their lodgings. Those of thenobilitie are likewise wrought with bricke and harde stone,as provision may best be made ; but so magnificent andstately, as the basest house of a barren doth often matchwith some honours of princes in olde tyme : so that ifever curious buylding did flourishe in Englande it is inthese our dayes, wherein our worckemen excel and are inmaner comparable in skill with old Vitruvius and Serle. He also adds the curious information that there areolde men yet dwelling in the village where I remayn,which have noted three things to be marveylously altered 178 VANISHING ENGLAND in Englande within their sound remembrance. One is,the multitude of chimnies lately erected, wher
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