The Architectural Rislorij of Longleat. 235 



Jones, who does not appear to have worked there before 1623. 



I have thus endeavoured to show that Walpole's opinion, that the 

 auter court of Somerset House was built in the time of the Protector, 

 for I think it amounts to that, and that the facades of Longleat are 

 in the same style, is not to be considered as necessarily conclusive. 



To return to Longleat; — taking the architectural evidence and 

 the documentary evidence togethei*, it appears almost certain that 

 Robert Smithson must have been the man who built, for Sir John 

 Thyune, those portions of Longleat of which the design has been 

 commonly but erroneously associated with the name of John of 

 Padua, and it also appears that Sir John Thynne not only had a 

 very long experience in building, but also took a strong and direct 

 personal interest in the work. What I believe to have happened is 

 this — that, when Smithson was called in, it was considered advisable 

 to re-build the front entirely, but it was considered practicable to 

 repair the back. I presume that, previous to the fire of 1567, the 

 house must have had gables to the front, as well as towards the 

 courts. This gabled arrangement has been retained, at the back, 

 but, as the gables were probably too much damaged by the fire to 

 stand, they appear to have been re-built. The opportunity must 

 have been taken of treating the front in a manner that was becoming 

 more fashionable, with a continuous hoi'izontal parapet, but I under- 

 stand that the same construction of roof is continued through, from 

 the gables, at the back, to the front walls, passing under the leads, 

 like gables, with the upper part removed. 



On the gables, at the back, only one solitary carved stone animal 

 now remains. Those inner parts of the house have, unfortunately, 

 suffered much from alterations, and appear to have been considered 

 as not of much account, but it is precisely, in that part, that 1 think 

 there are architectural problems to be solved. The front part is 

 more easily understood. 



In conclusion, I may be criticised, as having said but little about 

 Longleat, and more about other places, but I have done the best I 

 could, with the materials to which I have had access, and, after all, 

 my object has been mainly to stimulate enquiry, on the part of 

 other persons. 



