Comments on: John Thomas Smith’s Rural Cottages

By: Saba

Saba — Mon, 20 Nov 2023 14:40:17 +0000

Yum. These drawings, especially the one from Surrey, set me dreaming and taking photos for my inspiration board. Are some of these daub and wattle? Some are just boards and whatever else piled together. In reality, plenty of bugs and critters must have inhabited them as room mates to the humans. Animals and ten people may have lived in a tiny space. But, I do dream and would build a modern-day version — heat! water! — if I were able. Near the ocean? Near a river?

By: Lynne Perrella

Lynne Perrella — Sun, 19 Nov 2023 14:53:56 +0000

Oh my — a festival of Divine Imperfection. I brewed another pot of coffee, brought a fresh cup to the computer and studiously looked at all the details. The engraver’s gift, surely? Only a skilled engraver would be able to convey the crustiness of these ramshackle bits of “found architecture”.
It almost seems like these cottages sprang up from the ground. Details abound for the careful viewer. Bee skeps, dovecotes, cobbled fences and roofs, log benches, wonderfully wobbly ladders, overhanging boughs that eventually became part of the structure. Basketry and barrels. Stacks of rustic branches, in waiting for some task.

These engravings lured me, and welcomed me inside.
Thank you, GA.

By: Bill

Bill — Sun, 19 Nov 2023 13:07:59 +0000

A lovely way to while away some happy minutes on a Sunday morning. Thank you.

Now I must get up and get going to face a less charming world. Weep for me.

By: Christine Swan

Christine Swan — Sun, 19 Nov 2023 12:41:17 +0000

I can confirm that Edmonton does not look like this now. However, not far out, one does reach green fields. I live surrounded by the Worcestershire countryside. Some rural properties get hugely enlarged into work from home mansions or commuter des res. Some little cottages, particularly those far off of the beaten track, fall into sad disrepair. Many are very old and it seems that even if they are listed, if they fall down, that’s too bad. Personally, I love living in an older home and have no interest in new builds.
I’d rescue these little cottages and make them cosy homes again. Thank you for sharing these idyllic country cottages from the middle of the City!

By: achim

achim — Sun, 19 Nov 2023 09:54:48 +0000

This is exactly how the authentic English country life has always been imagined — in essence, it represents the eternally desired Arcadia.

Love & Peace
ACHIM

By: Peter Harrison

Peter Harrison — Sun, 19 Nov 2023 09:43:55 +0000

Smith’s Rural Scenery really is a remarkable piece of work. I’ve never come across it before, and it’s clear Smith was a very talented engraver. Thank you for bringing it to your audience!

By: Milo

Milo — Sun, 19 Nov 2023 08:55:42 +0000

By eck, some of those would be worth a few bob these days…

By: Kate Amis

Kate Amis — Sun, 19 Nov 2023 08:08:28 +0000

Amazing to see think there were rural scenes like this so close to the centre of London a little over 200 years ago. Sad to say that so many people in our city live in hovels still without any of the romantic allure of these ..