Plans by the Dozen.

The “Plan Book” has now found a corner for itself in every bookshop. The increasing number and variety of these dreadful publications makes one realise the extent to which prospective house builders are groping in the dark for house plans and designs. In addition many periodicals now feature sections on house plans which are proving most popular. The Plan Book is aimed to provide plans for direct copying. Any draughting office or builder will make working drawings out of them. The legitimate architectural magazines, of course, have a different purpose—to stimulate the understanding of good design and to provide the means by which the architect can illustrate his work—but not for copying. In fact, the leading American magazines were known to redraw plans for publication, so that they were either unworkable or did not correspond with the photographs of the finished house. I have often checked plans and photographs and found discrepancies. After all, no architect wants his work lifted out of a magazine, though he likes the free publicity he gets. But the point is, of course, as we all should know, that every house is a different problem and requires its own special solution—it requires the careful planning of a skilled architect. To pick a plan from a plan book will never give a satisfactory house—even if it's a plan book of architects' work.

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New Galleries.

Having suffered a year or two with almost nowhere to hang an exhibition of paintings, Wellington has suddenly sprouted two new galleries, as I believe they are called. Both are private, and both undertake picture framing, which seems to be a profitable sideline. Mr. Hammerton on the Quay was the first to open, but Graeme Dowling was only a week or two later, but with coffee at 10.30 and tea at 3.15. Well, it's a nice idea to drop in for a cup, even if there isn't anywhere to sit. I wish both galleries success, and trust neither end up selling knicknackery.

Bottoms Up.

Have you ever looked underneath your telephone? I did the other day, not out of curiosity or because it fell on the floor, but because it happened for a moment to come to view, and I was struck by its good looks. I don't think much of the rest of it—it is one of the new desk models with angles and an ungainly body. It has been consciously moulded by an engineer without any feeling for form and who must have tried deliberately to make it into a piece of design. Well he failed—he was an Australian I suppose, for I saw the letters Aus Pat on it somewhere. Anyway the bottom has also been designed by an engineer, but this time without any pretensions to conscious design and the result is certainly excellent.

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Backsides In.

Architects are all the same—at least the face-applying variety that seem to be almost solely responsible for our city facades. Often the only good-looking elevation an office building has is the one to the light well, or facing away from the street. Not that I would like to see these relevations on the street frontage, but they would be preferable by far to the mess of tile, coloured plaster and bronze that is applied to the fronts in the name of architecture. At least their backs are usually unpretentious and worked out in some relation to what goes on inside. Not always, of course. There are many exceptions, too many, including the plumber's elevation, the plain wall covered with advertisements and the nondescript. But when you consider that we see as much of the sides and back of a building as we do of its front, and that the sides and backs make up the vast bulk of our total city picture, then one wonders why architects seldom consider a building in its entirety, instead of in terms of plan, section and front elevation.

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A Place to Remember.

It is worthwhile, if you have the time, to spend a few days in Russell. It is a beautiful little town which has been able to retain much of its original charm and historical interest. Many fine old houses and shops still stand, though some are in need of greater attention. Not only were the older buildings full of character, but some of the newer ones seem to have absorbed the spirit of the place and turned it to advantage. The town appears to have grown with the informal freedom of an English village, but at the same time expressing an organised community life. I will always remember the jetty with its grey structure and white railing contrasting so gaily with the holiday atmosphere of coloured boats and brightly dressed inhabitants.

How delightful it is, after miles of twisting roads, suddenly to come across such a place on a sunny summer afternoon. One could not help comparing Russell with the chaos of some of our other and newer beach resorts.