The Smythson Circle – The Story of Six Great English Houses

David N. Durant

The Smythson Circle is an absorbing narrative stretching from 1541 to 1614, charting the creation of the first Renaissance buildings in England. David N. Durant, author of Bess of Hardwick, describes how Chatsworth, Old and New Hardwick Halls, Wollaton, Bolsover and Longleat all came to be built in this vital not to say pivotal period in English architectural history, with a special focus on Robert Smythson – 'the godfather of English architecture'. Far from being a dry academic study, however, The Smythson Circle is a detective story and a quintessentially Elizabethan drama, full of grand schemes and sometimes dashed hopes, taking in marital sagas, financial ruin, sudden fires and a cast of extraordinary characters.

DAVID N. DURANT is a lecturer and broadcaster and has contributed to many journals, including History Today and Country Life. His Bess of Hardwick is now in its third edition.