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History of Arcitecture

Elizabethan architecture is the term given to early Renaissance architecture in England, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Historically, the period corresponds to the Cinquecento in Italy, the Early Renaissance in France, and the Plateresque style in Spain. 

 

Renaissance architecture had achieved some influence in England during the reign of, and mainly in the palaces of, Henry VIII, who imported a number of Italian artists. Unlike Henry, Elizabeth built no new palaces, instead encouraging her courtiers to build extravagantly and house her on her summer progresses. 

Houses & Mansions

Upper Class houses of the wealthy followed a similar renaissance style of Elizabethan architecture. Stone and expensive bricks were used for durability and appearance. But Lower class was as opposed to the upper class usch as the timber and wattle.  Classic Greek and Roman architecture was admired by the Elizabethans and sometimes great columns framed the entrances of many great Elizabethan houses. One of the most impressive houses built during the Elizabethan era which made use of such columns was was the magnificent Hardwick Hall. This great, palacial building was built by the Countess of Shrewsbury, known as Bess of Hardwick (1521 - 1607). 

 

Ex) Glass window, Thatched roofs Overhanging windows and galleries, The Black & White alf tiimbered style

Elizabethan Era

English history of Queen Elizabeth I’s reign (1558–1603). Historians often depict it as the golden age in English history and it’s been widely romanticized in books, movies, plays, and TV series. The Elizabethan age is considered to be a time of English renaissance that inspired national pride through classical ideals, international expansion, and naval triumph.

 

This English Renaissance saw the flowering of poetry, music and literature. The era is most famous for theatre, as William Shakespeare and many others composed plays that we still read and watch today. It was also an age of exploration and expansion abroad to establish colonies under English rule across the globe, including in The New World, to further England’s empire.

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