Design No. 28 — A Sculptor’s Villa
During the year 1850 the author, in conjunction with the late Mr. John Britton, F.S.A., was engaged in making some topographical sketches in one of the western counties of England. He became for a short time the guest of one of its principal residents—a gentleman who had succeeded to the possession of more than a million of money, the result of a relative’s gains as a merchant in the City. He had filled the small house he was then inhabiting with a very fine collection of antique bronzes: also with ancient and modern statuary. The house was occupied in every corner with these valuable and beautiful works of art. He was then having another house of larger dimensions erected to receive them. Considerable discussion took place at his table between himself and his visitors, among whom were two or three distinguished men of taste, as to the best method of introducing sculpture into a dwelling of moderate capacity. It was the general opinion that to properly exhibit classic sculpture, a villa the size of those of the ancients, such as are described by Pliny in the account of his villas at Laurentinum and Tusculum, would be required, and that no other would suffice. On his return home, the author, as a matter of amusement, without any thought that his ideas would ever be carried out, made the present design; it was a subject that pleased him, as he had only a few years previously superintended the construction of a small sculpture gallery for the late Sir Francis Chantrey at Pimlico.
The ground plan of this design shows a gallery of sculpture in the centre of the building, a small
“Museo Chiaramonti.” The principal group at the end, representing the capture of the Queen of the Amazons, is so placed that the staircase winding round it forms its base; the group can be seen from the staircase, and from the galleries at the side, in every point of view. This being a large building, the scale upon which the plans, elevation, and sections are drawn is smaller than the scale previously used in this volume. The gallery, including that portion which forms the ante-room to the conservatory, is 80 ft. in length by 20 ft. in width, which is a poor imitation of the gallery at the Vatican—the Museo Chiaramonti. This is 280 ft. in length, with a breadth of 20 ft.
But the possession of only a million of money gives a moderate income compared with that of the sovereign popes at the time the Vatican was erected. The sculpture is arranged on each side of the gallery, the bas-reliefs inserted in the walls, the bronzes on small pedestals, a reclining group is placed in a niche in front of the staircase. A marble group is placed in the fountain in the ante-room to the conservatory, and another in the conservatory itself. A gallery of this description permits the admission of a large quantity of sculpture, allowing it to be seen with advantage. The entrance of the building, partly taken from the front of one of the Italian palaces,C permits a large quantity of sculpture to be placed in advantageous positions. The plan, page 340, shows an entrance loggia a, the hall b, 17 ft. by 16 ft., with the waiting-room c, to the right, the breakfast parlour d, and the butler’s pantry g, to the left; f is the library, 28 ft. by 16 ft., entered either from the gallery or the waiting-room. It has a large window looking into the ante-room to the conservatory, and permits a good view of the group of sculpture and the fountain in the centre; e is the gallery, with the principal staircase, i is the dining-room opening into the picture gallery and drawing-room h, k.
The section, page 343, shows the general arrangement, and an idea can be formed of its grand scenic effect in summer, when the doors were opened. The walk round the conservatory and through the whole of the gallery would have a length of 170 ft., and round the galleries 150 ft. more, giving ample space to place a very large collection of sculpture. Underneath the gallery were supposed to be large cellars for wine. These had a private entrance through the pedestal of the Amazonian group, as shown in the plan and section to a larger scale at page 342; the collection below was supposed to be as valuable as the one above, and calculated to yield as much enjoyment, and one certainly that would be more highly appreciated by a greater number of persons. The villa, however, is on a small scale compared with some of the noble residences in the county, and the accommodation throughout very scanty. The servants’ offices are shown annexed to the plan; l is the kitchen, 24 ft. by 22 ft., m the scullery, n the housekeeper’s room, o a small servants’ hall, p is a serving room, and q the external entrance to the cellarage.
By the side of the principal staircase is a descent into the cellars and basement, for the servants, b, plan page 342. The conservatory has a diameter of 40 ft. and a height of 44 ft.; it is of light construction, in decorated ironwork.
The one-pair plan shows the sleeping department, the principal bed-rooms, b b, each with a dressing-room, d d. These are entered direct from the gallery; in the front of the building are five smaller sleeping rooms. At the conservatory end the gallery opens on to the roof of the ante-room beneath, and from this there is an entrance to a circular gallery inside the conservatory. On the servants’ side are seen two large sleeping rooms, and a housemaid’s closet; as this portion of the building is kept lower than the other, it could have two or three rooms constructed over the kitchen, or it could be carried up another story. The plan of the principal bedchambers is taken up another floor; the small staircase for this purpose is seen at the end of the gallery.
The cross section (page 347) shows the height of the building, and its general construction. The whole of the principal living rooms in the three floors are of the same height, 16 ft. 6 in. each; 37 steps were required in the principal staircase to ascend to the first floor on one side, and 31 on the other; the roof of the saloon was to be constructed similar to the roof of the Riding-house shown in plate, page 389. Large roofs can be constructed on this principle at a very cheap rate, and it is a very strong and efficient one; the roof of the Pantheon in Oxford-street, constructed by Mr. Sydney Smirke, is of a similar kind; the roofs of the annexes to the Exhibition building of 1862 by Captain Fowkes were on the same principle, but as these were only intended to stand for a year, were very slight. The cross section shows the ventilating flue, proposed and illustrated in a following chapter; the small stack in the low building shows the incline necessary to meet the back eddy of wind from the high building. It would have been better, could it have been effected, to have placed the stack in a position parallel to the high building, and not at right angles to it. The stack on the latter shows two ventilating flues, each with an upward shaft; the whole of the smoke from the fireplaces would be delivered from these two shafts.
It only remains to illustrate the system of warming proposed to have been introduced. This was by a combination of two entirely different systems of warm water circulation through iron pipes.
The various apparatus of warming buildings by the circulation of hot water, may be roughly stated to be of two kinds, each acting on the opposite principle to the other. The first, or more modern one, is the closed system. This has always been preferred by the author, it being more conveniently introduced into a building, less expensive, and giving less trouble than any other, and more certain in its action. In it the water circulates with great rapidity, completely under pressure, the pipes being closed, and the whole of the air expelled from them. The older system is that in which the tubes are not closed, but are connected with a cistern, into which the water is allowed to flow and re-flow; the two may very properly be called the high and low temperature systems, and by these terms they are here designated. With the first, the tubes can be made to reach a higher degree of heat if necessary, by placing a larger proportion of them than is usual in the furnace; but with the second, a temperature of 180 degrees can alone be reached. With the latter, its greater or less efficiency depends upon the position of its open cistern, which regulates the amount of pressure in the tubes, according as its situation is high or low. It was introduced into this country about 1818; the open cistern was placed in the upper part of the house, the boiler being below in the kitchen, thus allowing a considerable pressure in the tubes, and securing a quick circulation of the water. The high temperature system was introduced by A. M. Perkins, Esq., about the year 1832; in its simplest form it consisted of a continuous or endless tube of wrought iron of one inch external diameter, filled with water, and closed in all parts; a portion of the tubing was formed into a coil and placed in a furnace of wrought iron, the fire being enclosed in fire-brick. When it was first introduced a larger amount of tubing was placed in the furnace than is now usually done; with the proper amount, one-tenth or one-eleventh only of the full quantity is necessary, and then it must be obvious that no overheating of the tubes can take place. In practice it is more usual to find objections made to the apparatus not giving sufficient heat, than to its giving too much. The quantity of feet in pipes necessary to raise rooms of a certain size to a given temperature, must be proportioned to their cubical contents, and this depends equally on the situation and aspect of the building, the number of doors, and windows or skylights; no rule can consequently be given which would be applicable to all places with any degree of certainty.
The pipes being only five-eighths of an inch internal diameter, a very small quantity of water is required to fill the apparatus. A tube called the expansion tube is placed above the highest level of the circulating pipes, and is generally of larger diameter. The object of this tube is to allow for the expansion of the water as it becomes heated; a tube is also placed at the highest level, in order to fill the apparatus, so as to leave the expansion tube empty.
The tubes are provided with screw plugs, so as to be conveniently opened when it is required to fill the pipes with water, and closed again after being filled. This can be done with facility by a servant. The circulation of the water is produced by the application of heat to the coil in the furnace; and as the small size of the pipes admits of presenting the largest possible amount of surface to the action of the fire, it is clear that a greater economy of fuel is effected by it than by the ordinary system of boilers. As the water becomes heated it rises immediately to the highest level of the circulating pipes, and thus forms a column of heated water, specifically lighter than the colder water, which descends to the lower part of the coil. Thus a circulation is effected throughout the whole course of the pipes,D which eventually become heated, and the whole may be regulated exactly to that degree of temperature which is most conducive to a beneficial effect.
To regulate the degree of heat to be given to the tubes, without requiring the necessity of an attendant, advantage has been taken of the expansive property of the iron pipe when heated. There are three multiplying levers fixed in a box, and so placed that the short arm of one of the levers rests upon a regulating screw attached to the flow pipe. On the other end of the series of levers a rod so rests that upon the slightest movement of the levers, the damper in the flue, which is attached to the rod, is opened or closed, as the case may be. The box of levers is suspended from the hot pipe, so as to leave about two feet in length between the point of suspension and the point of contact with the short arm of the lever.
The operation of this arrangement is obvious, for the instant the pipe becomes heated, it expands and presses the short arm of the lever; and as the fulcrum within the box cannot move, by reason of the rod which suspends it being cold, it follows that the lever must be depressed, by which action a sufficient motion is given to the damper, to close it at any given temperature at which it may be originally fixed.
The great advantage in the use of this apparatus is the saving of time in obtaining the requisite degree of heat. It often happens that the time occupied in heating the water of an ordinary hot-water apparatus completely defeats the object of getting warmth in any reasonable time, particularly in greenhouses, where it is frequently desirable to get up the heat quickly, to prevent the effect of frost. It has been said that this property of generating the heat rapidly has the disadvantage of not being able to retain it: this, however, is not the case, for, on the contrary, an equal temperature may be maintained for any length of time that may be desired. It is only necessary to make the fireplace sufficiently large to contain fuel enough to last the time the heat is required to be continued, and the damper will regulate the combustion of the fuel and the heat of the pipes, so that there will be no variation for twelve hours together.
There being no boiler to the apparatus, it is free from the ordinary danger of explosion; if a pipe by possibility should burst, no harm ensues, for the water escapes from so small an aperture that it becomes absolutely cool by its expansion and mixture with atmospheric air.
So little fear of fire exists with the apparatus, that the directors of the principal fire offices readily accept, at the lowest rate of premium, all proposals for the insurance of buildings in which the system is adopted, not requiring even the customary inspection.
The author made drawings of one of these apparatus put up in an ornamental greenhouse in Kew Gardens in 1844; and fourteen years after, the director of the garden, Sir W. J. Hooker, publicly allowed it to be stated in print that no hot-water apparatus in any of their houses had given so much satisfaction; that the heat was given out after lighting the fires more rapidly than in any other of their houses, and steadily maintained at any degree of temperature required. The two systems of the high and low temperature can readily be combined, and the temperature of both large and small tubes nearly equalized. This may be done by using one furnace. A diagram given by Dr. Arnott in a lecture delivered by him at the Royal Institution in March, 1836, with his explanation, will show the principle upon which the combination is effected. Suppose A, fig. 1, is a cistern full of cold water, and B a cistern full of hot water: if the two cocks c c are unturned, it is a fact that the water at d will be one degree of warmth only above the water at
A, and the water at e will be of one degree less temperature than the water in B. If, therefore, on this principle, some of the pipes of the high-temperature system are passed through the large tubing of the low temperature one, the desired effect is obtained: the large pipes or tablets of one apparatus remain at their full heat, while an additional quantity of inch pipe of sufficiently warm temperature is obtained, that can be carried into rooms and placed in situations into which the warming surfaces of the low-temperature system could not be made to approach.
As regards the low temperature apparatus, if the large pipes belonging to it are laid in sufficient quantity, they doubtless have the effect of producing a moderate degree of heat.
The best way of introducing them into a dwelling-house is to sink them in channels in the floor, with perforated ironwork over them: they are more usually introduced into hothouses, factories, and workshops, where their appearance is not objectionable. A feeling exists in favour of their use in conservatories; in order to show how they can be retained for that purpose, the combined systems are introduced in the plan of the villa here described.
The ground plan shows the entrance hall, the gallery or sculpture saloon in the centre, the principal staircase, the picture room and the servants’ staircase, all warmed by the inch pipes; the larger pipes are introduced into the conservatory. In the picture room—that between the drawing-room and the dining-room—and in the hall, the pipes are sunk in trenches in the floor. They are close to the walls, and lined with brick with an inside covering of zinc. These trenches have over them perforated ornamental ironwork; a´ a´ are pedestals containing coils of pipe; b´ b´ are pipes behind the skirting, likewise perforated. Where these pipes pass the doorways they are sunk in the floor. In the conservatory d´ d´ are the large pipes; f is an open cistern, through which the circulation of water in the pipes flows; at g are placed the expansion and filling tubes.
Fig. 2 is an isometrical view of the pipes, furnace, and cisterns complete to a small scale; e is the furnace placed in the basement; f is a cistern of cold water through which the flow and return pipes from the furnace pass: the water becoming heated in the cistern flows out, and returns in the direction shown by the arrows. The flow pipe, leaving this cistern, passes up to the expansion tube g, whence the tubes run through the building in the manner shown, returning to the furnace. The pipes d, are two other flow and return pipes, furnished with a stop-cock, by means of which the circulation can be confined either to the house or to the conservatory. The furnace should in reality contain two coils of pipe, having two flows and two returns, the whole of which should go through the cistern f, but the small scale of the plate allows one circulation only to be shown.
Dr. Arnott’s principle of nearly equalizing temperatures was applied by him for room ventilation. Its mode of application is explained in the following extract from his report on “Warming and Ventilating Infirmaries, Workhouses, Factories, and Domestic Apartments,” given in the appendix to the Second Annual Report of the Poor Law Commissioners:—“In rooms where the mechanical mode of ventilation already described (by means of fanners) and now common in factories, has been adopted, an addition might be made to the apparatus for extracting the impure air, which would drive fresh air in, and which, by causing the two currents to pass each other in contact for a certain distance in very thin metallic tubes, would cause the fresh air entering to absorb nearly the whole heat from the impure air going out, and would thus render it at once both pure and warm, and would consequently save, after the room was once warmed, any further expense of fuel for the day, and would avoid, how rapid soever the ventilation, all the danger from draught and unequal heating.”
The above idea is extremely ingenious, but as to its practical efficiency, some doubt might be expressed. The temperature of a warm room, even if it was 65°, would be much too low to produce the action described.
A very ingenious application of the small-tube system of warming has been introduced into his dwelling by Mr. Babbage. He placed the furnace in the basement, and divided the whole length of piping by means of a multiple cock into four circulations, any one of which he could turn off or on at pleasure; one circulation warmed the bath, which, when the cistern that supplied it was once up to 160 degrees (and this it took an hour to obtain), remained sufficiently warm for a bath during 24 hours. The whole quantity of pipe in the building was 891 feet, and the quantity in the furnace 135. The thermometer in the smoke-flue was seldom higher than 212 degrees, when that in the flow-pipe was 240 degrees. Any two or three, or all four of the circulations could be worked together, by simply turning an index provided for the purpose.
The tool-room was always kept at a temperature of from 50° to 54°. In winter the hat-room received a portion of piping, so that coats and gloves, even in the dampest weather, were always kept dry. One circulation was sent through the dining-room a short time before it was used; it was after a certain time turned off and sent through the bedrooms and dressing-rooms. The various rooms in the winter were kept at different temperatures, the dressing-rooms were a few degrees warmer than were the bed-rooms: an inducement for early rising. The linen was aired, and warm water provided in the dressing-rooms and for the use of the servants. The apparatus saved labour in cleaning and lighting of fires, and it was economical, the consumption of fuel during the six winter months being about a bushel of coke in 24 hours. The supply of air, and the consequent combustion and quantity of fuel, was regulated by the fire itself. This was never suffered to go out after it had been once lighted, except when necessary to remove the clinkers, and this occurred about once a fortnight. In the morning, about seven o’clock, the fire was well shaken by means of a lever attached to the bars of the grate. Coal or coke was supplied, and the air valve opened. The stop-cock was then turned on to supply the coils for the library and stairs. At about eight o’clock in the evening the stop-cock was turned to heat the coil of the bath, and at eleven o’clock, fuel having been supplied, the air valve was completely closed, and the damper also if necessary. By these means the fire burned very slowly during the whole of the night, and the bath cistern received the warmth thus generated.
These conveniences and luxuries might be more generally applied than they are at present in the dwellings of this country.