I do not mean to condemn the improvements in comfort and convenience enjoyed in modern society; nor to leave unprovided for every accommodation suited to the present habits of life, but to furnish the means of enjoying them at Stanage, without departing from its original character; and this I propose doing, by restoring, as far as possible, the same kind of mansion, on the same identical site, taking for my model the character of the grange, or old manor-farm; which, I trust, will not be deemed incongruous with the surrounding scenery. But before I shew the present state of the site and the effect, I shall describe the internal arrangements of the additions proposed. The three following principles, however they may be at variance with each other, have all been considered in the plan here suggested, viz., 1st, economy; 2nd, convenience; and 3rd, a certain degree of magnificence.* These are placed according to the respective weight each bears in my mind.
*[I mean a certain degree of magnificence, when compared with a common farm-house. I could, in this case, have used the word picturesqueness; but that bears no relation to its importance, because the meanest objects may sometimes be deemed picturesque; but the external magnificence of a building will often depend on parts intended rather for ornament than use, such as lofty towers in Gothic, and columns in Grecian architecture.]
