860 Architectural Notes of the Warminster Meeting. 
at Lacock, “and which is only approachable from the leads. Others 
of the turrets are finished with cupolas, of a decidedly Italian char- 
acter, terminated with small figures of which one well-preserved 
example remains. ‘These are of the original work. There have 
been a series of gables, facing the court, and surmounted with the 
figures of animals, of which some perfect examples remain, but the 
majority have been altered and modernised. Every gable of Sher- 
ington’s work at Lacock is so treated, and the carved animals, [ 
think, rather more delicately executed than these examples at Long- 
leat. These gables, and their finials, I consider an English feature 
in the work. Some of the original chimnies remain, on the inner 
walls, next the courts; others have been altered, and others are 
apparently rough copies. These are decidedly Italian’ in character, 
and differ from Sherington’s which are fine examples of a late Gothie 
type. It may be supposed that, biassed by a liking for the local 
antiquities of my native place, I am imagining a resemblance in 
small points, where no resemblance of any importance exists, but 
the fact remains fhat, whilst I could see nothing in the external 
elevations of the house that I could suppose the work of one who 
had been an architect of the Renaissance in the time of Henry VIII., 
I see no difficulty at all in supposing that the features I have enu- 
merated, in the internal elevations, were his work. I recognise 
here the same kind of fusion of Italian and English elements as at 
Lacock, but more of the Italian and less of the English. In the 
external elevations, there are not, nor do I suppose that there ever 
were, gables, and the only English features remaining are the 
mullioned and transomed windows. I would submit then, as a 
question worthy of enquiry, whether it is not the case that we have 
the oldest part of Longleat in the walls which face the inner courts, 
and whether the work of John of Padua is not to be sought there 
if anywhere. 
The external design is fine, though rather monotonous, and the 
1 By this I do not mean to say that I am acquainted with similar chimnies in 
Italy, but that the detail is decidedly Renaissance while the general appearance 
is not Gothic. They seem certainly to be part of the original work, and have 
the “echinus” ornament carved on them. 
