Smythson Circle: The Story of Six Great English Houses

"'The Smythson cirle' is the absorbing story stretching from 1541 to 1614, charting the creation of the first Renaissance buildings in England. David N. Durant, author of the acclaimed 'Bess of Hardwick', describes how Longleat, Chatsworth, Wollaton Hall, Old and New Hardwick Halls and Bolsover Castle came to be built in this pivotal period in English architectural history which marked the transition from the Gothic building style predominant until then. Bess of Hardwick, who, after Queen Elizabeth I was the most powerful woman in England at the time, is a central character as one of the foremost patrons of this astonishing burst of activity. But this is also the story of a host of unsung heroes - many until now largely lost to history - who worked on these stunning domestic houses, principally under Robert Smythson, the godfather of English Renaissance architecture during the Tudor and early Stuart eras. Far from being a dry architectural study, 'The Smythson circle' is a fascinating detective story and a quintessentially Elizabethan drama, full of grand schemes and sometimes dashed hopes, marital sagas, financial ruin, devastating fires and truly beautiful buildings." -- book cover.