BUNGALOPIIOBIA
[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] SIR,—If Mr. Stanley Casson had been able to show us a photograph of his ideal bungalow we should have been able to determine his right to advise us on this subject. There is no such thing as "the ideal bungalow at the ideal price." The ideal bungalow at the honest price is all that any architect can guarantee, and it should be remembered that the architect does not fix the price, and is, indeed, in no way responsible for the present high rates of building. No bungalow could ever be ideal built in sections and of synthetic materials. Age would give no quality to such buildings, and the art and craft of honest building would die out if such ever became the general rule.
Mr. Clough Williams-Ellis has done great work for the preservation of the beauty of our countryside, and it is therefore surprising that he should recommend the use of grey asbestos tiles. Why Mr. Williams-Ellis should blame the architects is difficult to see when he states that the archi- tects' chances have been only one in a thousand.
"G. A. C." in his letter suggests that the architect should become a builder, and condemns the present system of educa- ting the architect. It may not be ideal, but it has produced some notable men. Is it essential that the architect should be continually on the job ? Travelling is cheap arid rapid to-day, and an architect can get about the country easily. How did men like Wren, Vanburgh, the brothers Adam and other men of those times supervise their work ? Travelling in those days was slow and expensive, and it is obvious that they never even saw much of the work they designed.
Whatever is the real cause of the present situation it is certainly due to none of the conditions stated by the three former writers. If people insist on getting more than their moneys worth, as they mostly do at present, they are bound to get shoddy work. Certainly, scrapping the architect and using synthetic materials is no solution of the problem. A new class has arisen who want a house of their own and who are in most cases financially unable to build a house worth building, hence the tragic sight of ruined landscapes. There are hundreds of highly trained architects able to pro- duce the goods at a reasonable price. Neither 1500 nor £800 is a fair price for the accommodation stated.—I am, Sir, &c., 2 Coates Crescent, Edinburgh. WILLLiat DAVIDSON'.
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