History of English Country Houses

Evolution of the British Country House

Stuart Architecture - from Baroque to Palladian

Indigo Jones is a major figure in early seventeenth century English architecture. He gained classical influences first-hand from his travels in Italy including the sixteenth century villas of Renaissance architects like Palladion.

Jones designed the Queen's House in Greenwich, one of the most prominent Classical buildings in the UK, which would eventually revolutionise English architecture, creating a hybrid classical style influenced by Palladianism. These influences would really catch on in the Georgian period.

Palladio's Renaissance villas followed the classical rules of pure lines and solid, proportionate designs.
Some of the most handsome and elegant country houses in England were produced during this period after the Restoration.

During the Civil War, many English nobleman had fled abroad, where they encountered Italian, Dutch and French architecture. They brought these influences back with them to England following the Restoration, as the royalists rebuilt and reclaimed their estates.


The court style of Louis XIV with its vast, tall interiors and formal apartments is a famous example, with the Palace at Versailles. The symmetrical design featured the Lord in the Dining Chamber, with suites of rooms along the sides with long lines of connecting doors.

Baroque architecture became highly desirable with its lavish, intricate and decorative style that had its origins in earlier seventeenth century Rome. The dome of St Paul's Cathedral, designed by Sir Christopher Wren is the most famous example.

Wren's legacy was the inspiration for the English Baroque School which included Hawksmoor and Vanbrugh, who designed Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire for the Duke of Marlborough.

This generation were to produce some of our most memorable English country houses. Inside, they feature richly decorative, painted interiors, such as Burghley House in Lincolnshire.