8-2Architecture

WHAT WERE COMMON FORMS OF ARCHITECTURE AND INTERIOR DECORATION IN ELIZABETHAN ENGLAND?
Prepared By Fady. During the Elizabethan era, England had many castles already present. They were mainly used to train soldiers and store equipment. The castle was replaced by the palace. The style shifted from the Gothic style to the Renaissance. Symmetry was emphasized in the architecture and the gardens. They preferred horizontal lines to vertical.

According to Elizabethan Architecture by Valerie Kamhi, There were four different types of homes,. They are the royal works, great houses, smaller country homes, and farmhouses. The type of home was often associated with how much money a family was earning and his social class. The royal works was for families with royal blood. The next best homes were the great houses for doctors and businessmen. The farmhouses were mainly located in the fields away from town. The majority of the population lived in smaller country homes. Elizabethan houses were built to last. They were constructed with stone foundations and distinctive black and white timbered houses. Glass panes were added. Middle class homes had thatched roofs of straw or reeds. When it rained cats and dogs living in the straw would slip and fall through. Hence the saying, “It’s raining cats and dogs” Lower class homes had a distinct look with overhanging windows increasing the square footage on the top floor, rather than the first floor. The owner of the house did not have to pay more money for the overhanging parts of his house. Since London had very expensive land people wanted to buy less land so they wouldn’t have to pay rent. This made homes have windows that were so close that you could almost touch the house next to you. The streets became dimly lit because houses were hanging over. The skies above the streets were often crowded with buildings.

The theaters were made to look like a small football stadium with a capacity of about two thousand people. Many theaters were made to model roman counterparts. They had one main entrance and only two additional stairs on either side. The floor of the stage was made of wood with trapdoors to accommodate for special effects.

The churches in England were commonly referred to as the local parish. According to //Life in Elizabethan England The church// there is usually a church building and a cemetery. There were about 13,000 parishes consisting of fifty households per parish. In rural England there may have been more than one chapel in each parish because the chapels had to be within walking or riding distance from the church goers. Every parish had to provide men for the militia. The parish was like its own government as well as its own social unit helping each other out when it was needed. Works Cited. "Architecture of Elizabethan Castles." elizabethan-era.org. 14 Apr 2009 <__ http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/architecture-of-elizabethan- __ castles.htm>.

"Architecture of Elizabethan Houses." elizabethan-era.org. 14 Apr 2009 <__ http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/architecture-of-elizabethan- __ houses.htm>.

"Architecture of Elizabethan Theatres." elizabethan-era.org. 14 Apr 2009 <__ http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/architecture- __of-elizabethan-theatres.htm>.

Kamhi, Valerie. "Elizabethan Architecture." 14 Apr 2009 <__ http://www.springfield.k12.il.us/schools/springfield __/eliz/architecture.html>.

Hinds, Kathryn. //LIfe in Elizabethan England The church//. Tarrytown,  NY: Marshall Cavendish Benchmark, 2008. Print.