The Obscure Architectural Term of the Day!
Today’s entry is:
COTTAGE ORNÉ. An artfully rustic building, usually of asymmetrical plan, often with a thatched roof, much use of fancy WEATHERBOARDING, and very rough-hewn wooden columns. It was a product of the picturesque cult of the late C18 and early C19 in England: an entire village of such cottages was built by NASH at Blaise Hamlet (1811). It might serve merely as an ornament to a park or as a lodge or farm labourer’s house, but several, intended for the gentry, were built on a fairly large scale. PAPWORTH’s Designs for Rural Residences (1818) include numerous designs.
From the Penguin Dictionary of Architecture, Third Edition.
First up, weatherboarding is just your normal horizontal lap or clapboard siding.
Next, the Nash referred to was John Nash (1752-1835) an English fellow you can read all about here. He was famous.
Papworth? Well, that would be John Buonarroti Papworth (1775-1847), and with a name like that (i.e., Michaelangelo’s surname) you figure mum and dad had high hopes for him. My Penguin says in the intro, “Son of John, architect (1750-99), brother of Thomas, architect (1773-1814) and of George, architect, resident in Ireland (1781-1855); father of John Woody, architect (1820-70) and Wyatt Angelicus van Sandau, architect (1822-94).” Not a lot out there about him, other than his really pretty picture book, which has a picture of one of those elusive ornery cottages.
Now then, as for the whole village of these critters it talks about, here’s you a link to the National Trust site for Blaise Hamlet, and some black and white photos, and a bit more detailed description from the Pevsner website.
So, there you go.
Posted by Terry Oglesby at October 13, 2005 03:47 PM