The Real Meaning and Use of Architectural Detail 
IV. THE ENGLISH TRANSITION PERIOD OF THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY, KNOWN POPULARLY UNDER THE 
NAMES “TUDOR ”AND“ ELIZABETHAN”—A MINE OF SUGGESTION FOR LIBRARY, DINING-ROOM OR HALL 
by Louis Boynton 
Illustrations from ‘‘In English Homes,” by Charles Latham 
[A series of articles by prominent architects appeared in this magazine last year, outlining the characteristics of the more common architectural 
styles used for country houses. Another matter of great importance to those who zvould build consistently is the detail. Mr. Boynton’s series of 
articles aims to explain the origin and use of motives, ornament and molding characteristics in connection with the better known styles of architec¬ 
ture. The articles that have appeared are: Colonial Detail, Ian., 1911; English Renaissance, Feb.; Italian Renaissance,'Mar. —Editor.] 
I N order to arrive at an intelligent understanding of the earlier 
English work — the work which preceded the period of the 
English Renaissance — it is necessary to know something of the 
conditions which governed 
the planning and building 
of the country house where 
most of the best examples 
of ornament are to be 
found. 
Until at least as late as 
the middle of the sixteenth 
century such houses were 
built for defense. While 
their purpose was not pri¬ 
marily military, it was 
nevertheless necessary to 
arrange them so that they 
might be easily protected 
from surprise or injury. 
In such an atmosphere of 
unrest it is easy to see how 
the furnishings would 
naturally partake of the 
character of camp equip¬ 
age, and in fact the bulk of 
the property, apart from 
the buildings and the abso¬ 
lutely indispensable furni¬ 
ture, consisted of things 
which were easily portable. 
It was only by slow degrees 
that the open court and the 
H plan was adopted and 
came at length to be the 
typical arrangement; and 
so the development of the 
English country house 
from the fortified feudal 
stronghold was a gradual 
process. The English peo¬ 
ple were very tenacious of 
their customs and habits 
and did not give way to 
new fashions readily, nor 
did they change their mode 
of living until new condi¬ 
tions arose which made 
the adoption of such change logical and in fact inevitable. 
The period of this development or transition from the late per¬ 
pendicular Gothic work to the first examples of the true Renais¬ 
sance was almost exactly comprised in the sixteenth century: in 
other words, from the accession of Henry VIII to the beginning 
of the reign of Charles I. It is commonly known under the names 
“Tudor” and “Elizabethan,” the Tudor being the early work, when 
the Gothic influence predominated, and the Elizabethan covering 
the later half of the century when Renaissance detail was more 
in evidence. 
As has been said, the Eng¬ 
lish hanor house of the 
late Gothic period was a 
fortified, or at least easily 
defended, group of build¬ 
ings. The great hall was 
the center of the life, both 
of the family and the re¬ 
tainers. This hall had a 
conventional arrangement 
which was seldom varied. 
It was lighted from both 
sides—with the entrance at 
one end through a screened 
off passage and with the 
dais at the opposite end. 
The house spread out from 
both ends of this hall, which 
divided it into two parts. 
As the hall extended to the 
roof there were necessarily 
stairways at each end to 
reach the upper stories. 
Even in the more elabo¬ 
rate houses up to the time 
of Elizabeth, there was lit¬ 
tle furniture and practically 
no fixed or built-in decora¬ 
tion except in the screens 
at the entrance end of the 
hall and, rarely, in the fire¬ 
places. 
There are complete inven¬ 
tories of the furnishings of 
some of these houses where 
there was an abundance of 
rich plate, with hangings 
and “fedderbeddes,” and 
wall hangings—but practi¬ 
cally no mention of carv¬ 
ings or furniture. In fact, 
most of their possessions, 
apart from what was built 
into the houses, seems to have been of the easily portable kind, and 
they relied on arras, or tapestry hangings, for covering the bare 
masonry walls. 
The earliest use of wainscot was in the ecclesiastical buildings 
and as it was designed to take the place of hangings, it was treated 
very simply and was commonly made up of a great many small 
The Banqueting Hall, Hever Castle. At the entrance end of these great 
halls were the screens, usually richly decorated; the musicians’ gallery 
is over the vestibule and passage space thus enclosed 
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