MORE SIGHTLY FACTORIES.

MORE SIGHTLY FACTORIES.

AT the present time efforts are being made to prevent our countryside being spoilt by the erection of unsightly advertisihg devices, but few people appear to have turned their attention to the improvement of our towns.

There is no denying that many factories are most hideously ugly and that the repellent nature of their appearance must necessarily have its effect upon the unfortunates who live in the vicinity. Sometimes this is inevitable ; sometimes it can be averted.

A case in point may be found in the vast Birmingham works of Singer & Co., Ltd. The buildings themselves are by no means unpleasant to the eye, for they are of modern construction and stand well back from the road. But the manufacturers have not left the matter at that, for they have laid out the front with delightfully fresh looking lawns and ornamental trees, up to the point where it meets the pavement. The result is that the factory itself is dominated by a park-like frontage, providing a pleasant relief from the drab appearance usually found in town areas.