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9 [1911
are not suitable for this country, and, owing to their door-like method of opening,
do not afford efficient ventilation to the rooms,
1 heir panes of glass, divided by many bars admit the minimum of light,
while they require the maximum of labour to clean; and the fanlights, many
of which do not open, are for the most part glazed with coloured glass, so
that near the ceilings efficient ventilation and light are not afforded where they
are most requisite, Builders will find out by and by that people will discover,
as already many have, that large windows with sliding sashes, are the
only efficient means for providing those two great necessities of life, good light
and ventilation, without draughts, to keep the air of the house sweet and pure;
and that the sliding sashes also afford far better means for regulating the
supply of air than is furnished by the windows of these picturesque houses
which are better adapted for warm climates, where the people live with open
windows nearly all the year round, In England, however, except in some very
sheltered spots, they are not suitable, Light and ventilation are the two great
requirements of men, women and children, if they are to enjoy healthy lives;
and it is just in the supply of these two requisites such houses are most deficient,
High gabled roofs, and artistic dormers and French windows, and walls
covered with beautiful creepers, cannot compensate for these necessities,
These views are not those of the writer alone: they are held by many people
who have studied the question, Indeed, only recently a well-known surveyor
expressed himself in much stronger terms than have gained expression in the
above paragraphs,
If to these drawbacks of living out of London are added the incessant
railway travelling to and from home, day by day, all the year round, it is clear
that the fagged business man cannot obtain that quiet and rest from his
labours which he requires to enable him to perform his daily task with all
that vigour and thoroughness which his business demands,
London as a whole is healthy—even marvellously healthy—for such a great
community, Indeed, it contains many special spots which are as salubrious
as need be desired; and even Islington, once the pleasure garden and the resort
for health of the citizens of London, as we have seen, still includes districts
which are as healthy as many of the much advertised health resorts either by
the sea or in the country, Its undulating and gradually rising contour, with its
gently sloped dales, now imperceptible because they have long since been