History of English Country Houses

Evolution of the British Country House

Elizabethan Houses

In the second half of the sixteenth century, many smaller houses began to be replaced with new ones, leading to a great rebuilding boom.
Country houses began to feature a number of tall, decorative chimneys and huge windows. Burghley House in Lincolnshire, built between 1556 and 1587, is a good example of this with its distinctive roof-line of chimneys.
Cheaper glass was becoming more readily available in Elizabethan times, and craftsmen exploited this by adding many more windows with larger designs to new buildings, as a proud statement of increasing wealth.

Other architectural features of the time include: square panelling, elaborate fireplace surrounds, ceilings decorated with interlacing patterns, symmetrical plans but with a classical style: columns, round-head arches above front doors and passageways. All testament to the varied hybrid style of Tudor architecture.

The Tudor Rose became a frequently-used decorative feature that is helpful in dating parts of a building. The Tudor badge was a double rose, created when Henry VII married the daughter of Edward IV, combining the Lancastrian red rose with the York white rose, and was much used in decorative architecture.

Stately Homes

Tudor architecture differed from medieval styles due to the greater wealth of the landed gentry and their desire to display this status through architectural design. This was also a time of greater security and led to much bolder and outward looking designs. In contrast, the medieval style had incorporated defence into architecture, with buildings facing inwards onto courtyards for greater security.

The Renaissance had generally been fairly slow to influence the architecture of Tudor England, due in part to Elizabeth's relations with Catholic Europe, and Britain's insularity from the European cultural mainstream. As a result, English country houses of the period reflect an eclectic mixture of styles with a blend of both Gothic architecture and classical influences.