Port Eliot Red Book: Thoughts on the Boat House

BOAT-HOUSE

The plan and elevation will best explain my ideas respecting the uses and proportion of these buildings. But, if further conveniences be required within the inclosure, they may be added without altering the general effect, and I wish the lodge not to be any larger, lest it should be too nearly of the same size with the boat-house, which would greatly injure the picturesque effect. In Gothic architecture, we are to observe a general agreement of the parts, but not that exact similarity which is expected in the Grecian.

Thus the two towers of the Abbey are vastly more picturesque by being of different forms, yet two towers are essentially necessary. On this principle, I do not wish to see a correspondent round tower added to the north west of the Mansion, tho' I think some planting would hide the frittered part of the building.

In the preceding sketch No. VII. is shewn the improvement of Port Eliot from the water-approach, but in raising the ground near this proposed building it would be a great advantage if such a depth of soil could be procured near the wall as to allow a plantation of evergreen shrubs to combine and group with the building. This may easily be effected if the straight line of flat terrace at P. were varied by removing some of the earth in form of a bay, as shewn upon the map.

The effect of this boat-house has already been shewn in two points of view; and the following sketch may give some idea of its magic appearance when seen from the mouth of a cave in the opposite quarry, dimly illumined by the ruddy beams of a summer evening's sun.

For ease of reading, punctuation and capitalization have been modernized.