History of English Country Houses

Evolution of the British Country House

Georgian Architecture (1714-1830)

Whereas Baroque architecture had been linked to the authoritarian rule of the Stuart reign, the new king George I, began a new era of the ruling class which looked to classical Rome and Palladian architecture. Indigo Jones had been an early convert of Palladio in the seventeenth century, but it was during the eighteenth century that his legacy was really felt.

The Hanoverian Kings drew upon architects who had studied the Classical monuments of Europe with their symmetry and design inspired by Roman temples. Chiswick House designed by Lord Burlington - a leader of the Palladian monument - in 1725, based it upon Palladio's Villa Capra. Two statues at the entrance stairs are of Palladio himself and Indigo Jones.
Holkham Hall in Norfolk, built in 1734, is a great example of a Palladian country house. It has a portico entrance and a grand entrance hall following strict Classical design, leading to a raised ground floor area.

However, by the mid decades of the eighteenth century, tastes began to change, and problems were seen in this style of architecture. The grand classical designs began to seem rather too austere for contemporary tastes.
In its place, a bewildering array of architectural designs and motifs began to appear, including Gothic Rococo interior designs, to contast with the heaviness of the Palladian style. Even oriental flavours were introduced, combined with some lighter Gothic architectural styles. Horace Walpole redesigned Strawberry Hill in Middlesex, into a mock-Gothic castle.
Other Georgian experiments included the Chinoiserie, which were western interpretations of oriental art in decorative architecture and interior design. Claydon House in Buckinghamshire had an elaborate Chinese Tea Alcove room created in 1760.
Other influences included the design of landscape gardens and the introduction of follies, again inspired by the Far East, such as a Chinese bridge, summer house or pagoda.
The famous Capability Brown began to redesign the landscapes around country estates with great plantings of trees and the creation of great lakes. The idea of the Picturesque, which stressed the naturalness and wildness of the landscape helped to inspire the Gothic revival, which grasped the relationship between decorative Gothic style and structure.

These shifts in style help to explain the developments that were to transform country house architecture as it moved into the Victorian era.
The philosophy of Classical architecture had been the attempt to recreate genuine Roman designs, to reflect the wealth and power of the landowners and nobility. In the later Georgian era, following the change in tastes and movement away from the grand austerity of these designs, a neo-Classical style developed. Closely linked to the designer Robert Adam, this was a new decorative style, which was lighter and less imposing than the architecture of earlier periods. Kedleston Hall in Derbyshire is a fine example of this style. The interior decorative styles of country homes were unified to create a consistent theme, including the walls, ceilings and furniture. Influences were not just from ancient Rome, but also included Italian Baroque and Byzantine influences.

Into the beginning of the nineteenth century, the dominance of the Classical style had really gone out of fashion, and its influences would be greatly reduced during the Regency period.
The Picturesque style of country houses from the Middle Ages to the previous century were being reproduced, such as with Belvoir Castle in Rutland.