dates back to a movement of "rustic" stylised cottages of the late 18th and early 19th centuries during the

Romantic movement Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century. The purpose of the movement was to advocate for the importance of subjec ...

, when some sought to discover a more natural way of living as opposed to the formality of the preceding

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

and Neoclassical architectural styles.

English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, a battlefield, medieval castles, Roman forts, historic industrial sites, Lis ...

defines the term as "A rustic building of picturesque design." Cottages ornés often feature well-shaped thatch roofs with ornate timberwork.

England

In England cottage orné were often built by the landed wealthy either as rustic retreats for themselves or as embellishments for their estates. They were not necessarily

cottage A cottage, during Feudalism in England, England's feudal period, was the holding by a cottager (known as a cotter or ''bordar'') of a small house with enough garden to feed a family and in return for the cottage, the cottager had to provide ...

s in the usual sense of a small dwelling for the rural poor: examples range from the cluster of retirement cottages built by a Bristol banker for his retired staff at Blaise Hamlet to the expansive

Royal Lodge Royal Lodge is a Grade II listed house in Windsor Great Park in Berkshire, England, half a mile north of Cumberland Lodge and south of Windsor Castle. The site of homes since the 17th century, the present structure dates from the 19th centur ...

, built by king

George IV George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 29 January 1820 until his death in 1830. At the time of his accession to the throne, h ...

for his own use. Houghton Lodge, Hampshire, is a fine example with beautiful gardens. Kew Gardens Queen Charlottes Cottage

The cottage orné is the archetypal " chocolate box" cottage, but many chocolate box cottages are attractive cottages of conventional purpose, in no way associated with the Romantic era cottage orné. An early cottage orné is Queen Charlotte's Cottage in

Kew Gardens Kew Gardens is a botanical garden, botanic garden in southwest London that houses the "largest and most diverse botany, botanical and mycology, mycological collections in the world". Founded in 1759, from the exotic garden at Kew Park, its li ...

, built to an idea by

Queen Charlotte Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (Sophia Charlotte; 19 May 1744 – 17 November 1818) was Queen of Great Britain and Ireland as the wife of King George III from their marriage on 8 September 1761 until her death in 1818. The Acts of Un ...

in 1772, and possibly executed by Sir William Chambers. Originally a single storey, the cottage was extended in 1805 with a half-timbered second storey and a thatched roof.

United States

In the United States the cottage orné was characterized by the use of rustic motifs with a picturesque use of lattice/trellis, fancy scrollsaw work, and lightweight porch supports.

Notes and references

External links

The Conservation Glossary definitionDefinition on The Garden and Landscape Guide
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cottage Orne House styles House types in the United Kingdom

England

United States

See also

Notes and references

Further reading

External links