Old Cottages & Farm-Houses in Surrey

OLD COTTAGES AND FARMHOUSES IN SURREY

Photographed by W. Galsworthy Davie

Preface I AM asked by Mr. Davie and by Mr. Batsford to preface my introduction with an expression of their thanks to the owners or occupiers of cottages or houses who have helped in the making of this book. Every photographer will appreciate the difficulties which have had to be contended with; a good photograph would often have been impossible without the kind offices of those living in the houses. In my own less arduous task the kindnesses I experienced never failed to impress the charm of the buildings more strongly on my mind. A preface gives me the opportunity of recording my respectful admiration for the patience and tenacity with which Mr. Davie - now no longer an active member of the architectural profession - has carried through his undertaking. The present collection of illustrations is one of a series, the previous volumes of which have treated of similar work in other counties. The series originated in Mr. Davie's beautiful photographs, and it is to these that the publication of this volume is due. The subject of "The old cottage and domestic architecture of South-west Surrey" is the title of a work by Mr. Ralph Nevill, a work well known among architects and those interested in domestic architecture. Mr. Nevill collected and preserved records, the value of which is generally recognized. His book was a mine of information to me before this volume was ever contemplated, and it is in no emulative spirit that I have undertaken a further contribution on the subject. The lapse of seventeen years since the last edition of Mr. Neville's book, and the scope of the subject itself, would be justification, were one needed, for the publication of the collotype plates from these photographs. Mr. Davie's experience in the other volumes of this series no doubt made my part lighter than it would otherwise have been. He found several of the buildings illustrated, and drew my attention to some of their details. Amongst others, my thanks are due to the Rev. Gerald S. Davies, of Godalming, and to Mr. Penfold, of Haslemere, for pointing out interesting examples. Mr. Penfold also kindly lent some of his photographic views, shown in the text, of cottages since disfigured by the hand of the restorer. Mr. George Jack and Mr. A. B. Hayward have supplied me with valuable matter regarding Great Tangley and the Guest House at Lingfield respectively. My brother, Mr. A. Romney Green, of Haslemere, has helped me throughout with criticism and counsel. My notes make no claim to originality of thought or research; the authority for statements of facts are the recognized text-books upon English domestic architecture, and are, as far as I am aware, duly acknowledged... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Windham Press is committed to bringing the lost cultural heritage of ages past into the 21st century through high-quality reproductions of original, classic printed works at affordable prices. This book has been carefully crafted to utilize the original images of antique books rather than error-prone OCR text. This also preserves the work of the original typesetters of these classics, unknown craftsmen who laid out the text, often by hand, of each and every page you will read. Their subtle art involving judgment and interaction with the text is in many ways superior and more human than the mechanical methods utilized today, and gave each book a unique, hand-crafted feel in its text that connected the reader organically to the art of bindery and book-making. We think these benefits are worth the occasional imperfection resulting from the age of these books at the time of scanning, and their vintage feel provides a connection to the past that goes beyond the mere words of the text