Includes bibliographical references and index.

From the accession of Elizabeth I in 1558 to James I's death in 1625, a delayed renaissance swept through England, pervading the domestic architecture and interiors of the day and signalling the emergence of a peculiarly English style that has had a romantic appeal ever since. This magnificently illustrated book, now made available as a paperback, makes good use of specially commissioned photography to reveal the exuberance and wild imagination that characterize the architecture, furniture and interior decoration of the period. Controversially, Timothy Mowl argues that the 'Jacobethan' style represents the last outpouring of a truly native genius that was stifled by the dead hand of classicism. The vivid narrative places this achievement against the backdrop of a rich social and cultural life, when the theatre flourished, masques and entertainments proliferated, chivalry was revived and gardens were created as extensions to the house.