LYMING, Robert

The house of Blickling seen today was built on the ruins of the old property by Sir Henry Hobart, Lord Chief Justice of the Common Pleas and 1st Baronet, who bought Blickling in 1616. The architect of Hatfield House, Robert Lyming, is credited with the design of the current structure in Jacobean style.

Jacobean architecture is most readily associated with the large brick-built prodigy houses of the English ruling class; they include Audley End (c. 1603-16), Essex, Hatfield House (1607-12), Hertfordshire, and Blickling Hall (designed 1616-17), Norfolk. Extravagantly massed and silhouetted, early 17th-century country houses were frequently enlivened with arcades or loggias and ogee-capped towers; such features as balustrades and porches were often carved with Mannerist decorative motifs by Flemish or Flemish-trained masons, or by English masons working from pattern books.

The photo shows the south-west fa�ade of Blickling Hall.

View the ground floor plan of Hatfield House.

Hatfield House is a country house set in a large park, the Great Park, on the eastern side of the town of Hatfield, Hertfordshire. The present Jacobean house, was built in 1607-12 by Robert Cecil (1563-1612), 1st Earl of Salisbury and Chief Minister to King James I. It is a leading example of the prodigy house, a term for large and showy English country houses built by courtiers and other wealthy families in the periods of Tudor, Elizabethan, and Jacobean architecture.

The U-shaped house is a distinguished example of a Jacobean nobleman’s house, with a central hall and two symmetrical wings. The large two-storey hall with its minstrels’ gallery and plastered ceiling is a development of the English medieval hall. The state apartments are on the first floor, in the Italian style. The oak staircase that leads to these apartments is one of the finest in England.

The U-shaped ground plan is an innovation after Longleat House (organized around courtyards), Audley End House (with two courtyards) and the compact designs of Wollaton Hall and Hardwick Hall. Robert Cecil, who had an affinity to architecture, certainly played a role in the design.

The photo shows the north side with the main entrance.

View the ground floor plan of Hatfield House.

Hatfield House is a country house set in a large park, the Great Park, on the eastern side of the town of Hatfield, Hertfordshire. The present Jacobean house, was built in 1607-12 by Robert Cecil (1563-1612), 1st Earl of Salisbury and Chief Minister to King James I. is a leading example of the prodigy house, a term for large and showy English country houses built by courtiers and other wealthy families in the periods of Tudor, Elizabethan, and Jacobean architecture.

The U-shaped house is a distinguished example of a Jacobean nobleman’s house, with a central hall and two symmetrical wings. The large two-storey hall with its minstrels’ gallery and plastered ceiling is a development of the English medieval hall. The state apartments are on the first floor, in the Italian style. The oak staircase that leads to these apartments is one of the finest in England.

The U-shaped ground plan is an innovation after Longleat House (organized around courtyards), Audley End House (with two courtyards) and the compact designs of Wollaton Hall and Hardwick Hall. Robert Cecil, who had an affinity to architecture, certainly played a role in the design.

The photo shows the fa�ade of the side of the building, a combination of brick and stone: brick built with stone mouldings around the windows and doors.

View the ground floor plan of Hatfield House.

Hatfield House is a country house set in a large park, the Great Park, on the eastern side of the town of Hatfield, Hertfordshire. The present Jacobean house, was built in 1607-12 by Robert Cecil (1563-1612), 1st Earl of Salisbury and Chief Minister to King James I. is a leading example of the prodigy house, a term for large and showy English country houses built by courtiers and other wealthy families in the periods of Tudor, Elizabethan, and Jacobean architecture.

The U-shaped house is a distinguished example of a Jacobean nobleman’s house, with a central hall and two symmetrical wings. The large two-storey hall with its minstrels’ gallery and plastered ceiling is a development of the English medieval hall. The state apartments are on the first floor, in the Italian style. The oak staircase that leads to these apartments is one of the finest in England.

The U-shaped ground plan is an innovation after Longleat House (organized around courtyards), Audley End House (with two courtyards) and the compact designs of Wollaton Hall and Hardwick Hall. Robert Cecil, who had an affinity to architecture, certainly played a role in the design.

The photo shows the fa�ade looking on the garden.

View the ground floor plan of Hatfield House.

The oak staircase that leads to the apartments on the first floor is one of the finest in England. The original wooden stair railing is an important decorative feature of the interior.

View the first floor plan of Hatfield House.

The oak staircase that leads to the apartments on the first floor is one of the finest in England. The original wooden stair railing is an important decorative feature of the interior.

View the first floor plan of Hatfield House.