Everything about Elizabethan Architecture totally explained
Elizabethan architecture is the term given to early
Renaissance architecture in
England, during the reign of
Queen Elizabeth I. Historically the period responds to the
Cinquecento in
Italy, the
Early Renaissance in
France, and the
Plateresque style in
Spain.
Stylistically it followed
Tudor architecture and was succeeded in the
17th century by
Palladian architecture introduced by
Inigo Jones.
Renaissance architecture arrived in England during the reign of
Elizabeth I, having first spread through the
Low countries where among other features it acquired versions of the
Dutch gable, and
Flemish strapwork in geometric designs adorning the walls. Both of these features can be seen on the towers of
Wollaton Hall and again at
Montacute House. It was also at this time that English houses adopted the Italian concept of a long gallery being the chief reception room. In England the Renaissance tended to manifest itself in large square tall houses such as
Longleat House. Often these buildings had symmetrical towers which hint at the evolution from medieval fortified architecture.
Hatfield House, built in its entirety by
Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury, between
1607 and
1611, is a perfect example of the transition period from the gabled turreted style of the previous era. One can clearly see the turreted
Tudor style wings at each end with their mullioned windows, however, the whole is achieving a symmetry and the two wings are linked by an
Italianate Renaissance facade. This central facade, originally an open
loggia, has been attributed to Inigo Jones himself, however, the central porch carries a heavier
Jacobean influence than Jones would have used, so the attribution is probably false. Inside the house the elaborately carved staircase demonstrates the Italian renaissance impression on English ornament.
During the reigns of
Henry VIII and
Edward VI many Italian artists came over, who carried out various decorative features at
Hampton Court,
Layer Marney Tower,
Essex (1522-1525),
Sutton Place,
Surrey (1529),
Nonsuch Palace, and elsewhere. Later in the century
Flemish craftsmen succeeded the Italians, and the
Royal Exchange in
London (1566-1570) is one of the first important buildings designed by
Henri de Paschen, an architect from
Antwerp.
Places showing the style introduced by Flemish workmen:
Further Information
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