The gabled manor houses of the early 17th century are, for many, the epitome of the English country house; indeed, Jacobean houses form the core of the National Trust collection. Richly illustrated with colour and duotone photographs from Country Life's unparalleled archive, this book tells the absorbing story of the evolution of the Jacobean country house. Though the Jacobean period itself spanned only 22 years (1603-25), it was to have a major impact on English domestic architecture. This was an exciting period of experiment and discovery, with an extraordinary range of architectural styles being brought into play. Plain Classical formality coexisted with French, Italian and Dutch examples adapted to English tastes, the result of an explosion in new ideas that also produced revolutions in other aspects of life - notably the English Civil War. Nicholas Cooper's authoritative essays on 22 key Jacobean houses are brought to life with beautifully reproduced photographs in the next in the Country Life series on houses by period.