The English country house in its landscaped setting was one of the most exciting and original cultural developments of the sixteenth century. Liberated from the need to build for defence by the establishment of domestic peace and financed by a buoyant economy, the Tudor and Jacobean aristocracy indulged themselves in a frenzy of competitive building which radically changed the face of the countryside, and which has given us an architectural legacy of unsurpassed beauty and mellow charm. Stimulated by the exceptional circumstances of the Elizabethan Court, architecture became a matter of passionate interest and social rivalry characterized by symbolism, allegory and fantasy in a manner that was without precedent anywhere else in Europe.Against this dynamic background, the book breaks new ground in exploring how country houses were designed and built in an age before the profession of architect had been established. It uses the evidence from contemporary documents to bring the building site to life in a particularly vivid and illuminating way, by examining the motives that influenced the patrons and the problems that were involved in organizing and financing their projects. It sets out the factors that governed the choice of site, the selection and transport of building materials, the detailed processes of design and the methods of construction. The patrons were of paramount importance in shaping the finished form of their houses but they could not have achieved their vision without the vital contribution of the craftsmen and labourers who actually built them.

Tudor & Jacobean Country House: A Building History

Airs, Malcolm

Arts & Photography

Sutton Pub Ltd

Traces the replacement of the private castle by the country house as the seat of power and center of hospitality for the English elite of the Tudor age, a social change which had irrevocably changed the landscape of the English countryside by the time of the Civil War. Although the architecture provides a background for this book, the principal concern is with the patrons, craftsmen, laborers, and administrators whose aspirations and needs created this change. Using the accounts of the builders of the houses, the author examines the motives of the patrons and surveyors; the selection of sites; the problems that were involved in organizing and financing the projects; and the working lives of the craftsmen and laborers, including wage rates and living conditions. Distributed by Books International. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

The Tudor & Jacobean Country House: A Building History

, viii, 208 pages, with black & white illustrations throughout

The making of the English country house, 1500-1640

History

Europe

Architectural Press

This research report examines the material evidence for the historical development, architectural characteristics and diverse uses of vernacular workshops. Up to the mid-19th century a large proportion of industrial output was not produced in the large, impressive buildings associated with the famous industrialistsùbut in small buildings built in local architectural styles that blended into the environment. The chapters of this volume look at the vernacular workshop as both a building type and as a workplace. They also analyze the significance of workshops for the industrial economy and process of the 18th and 19th centuries, and present the findings of recording programs carried out to document and evaluate the physical remains.

The Vernacular Workshop: From Craft to Industry, 1400-1900 (CBA Research Report)

Politics & Social Sciences

Palmer, Marilyn

Barnwell, P.S.

Archaeology

Council for British Archaeology

Leading architectural and garden historians trace the early history of the villa in Britain for the first time. The alluring ideal of villa life originated in classical antiquity, was revived in Renaissance Italy, and then spread throughout Europe, producing new and exciting architectural forms. This book contains both thematic chapters and case studies with famous buildings such as the Queen's House, Greenwich (Inigo Jones), and Winslow Hall, Buckinghamshire (attributed to Wren) being analysed and reinterpreted. Contributors include Nicholas Cooper, Andor Gomme, Gordon Higgott and Charles McKean. Copiously illustrated, with plentiful plans, the book is a major contribution to the history of domestic architecture and garden design in Britain, and will be essential reading for anyone interested in early modern society and the history of the built environment.

The Renaissance Villa in Britain 1500 - 1700

TYACK, Geoffrey

Spire Books

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