Inigo Jones
Inigo Jones, who was born on July 15, 1573 and died June 21, 1652, was widely considered by many historians to be the first important English architect. His career was also notable for his many contributions to the art of stage design.
Relatively few details are known about Inigo Jones' early years compared to other architects of the time period. What is known is that he was born to a Welsh Catholic cloth-worker around the area of Smithfield in central London and baptized at the Church of St. Bartholomew the Less.
While there is little recorded information on Inigo Jones' early life, by the late 16th century he was known as the first Englishman to travel to Italy to study architecture. Within that time period, Jones made two visits to the country, which at the time was a centre of architectural accomplishment.
Inigo Jones' first visit to Italy was in 1598 and he stayed there until 1603. It was highly probable that the 5th Earl of Rutland Roger Manners financed this trip, as Jones' was closely associated with the Earl at this time.
Jones' second trip to Italy took place in 1613 and this time he stayed in the country for a year. The Earl of Arundel accompanied Inigo Jones on this trip.
Though it has not been confirmed, it is thought that Inigo Jones was also in Italy in 1606, and it was then that the Ambassador Henry Wotton probably influenced him. This theory was bolstered by the fact that Jones owned a copy of Andrea Palladio's works that contained various references to Wotton. In any case, Jones was certainly influenced by Andrea Palladio.
The ancient Roman writer Vitruvius also influenced Inigo Jones, although perhaps to a lesser degree. This was apparent in Jones' view that buildings should be designed in the manner that Vitruvius outlined in his early writings.
Inigo Jones had several architectural accomplishments, many of them famous buildings such as the Queen's House (located in Greenwich, London) and the Banqueting House at Whitehall. The Queen's House is particularly noteworthy having been started in 1616 and still standing today. It is in fact Inigo Jones' earliest architectural work that still survives to this day. The Banqueting House was actually part of a major modernization project undertaken by Jones on the Palace of Whitehall and was begun in 1619. The same palace also features a ceiling painted by Peter Paul Rubens.
Jones was accompanied on the Banqueting House, as well as many other architectural projects by his personal assistant John Webb, who was also Jones' nephew by marriage.
Another important project of Jones was the design of the Covent Garden for the Earl of Bedford. The Earl originally commissioned Jones' to work on a residential square that was to be used as a church. Because of his concerns about the cost of the building, the Earl directed Jones to simply design a sort of barn. Jones however set about to build what he called "the finest barn in Europe".
Aside from his considerable accomplishments in architecture, Jones was also responsible for introducing moveable scenery and the proscenium arch to English theatre and this contribution lives on to this day.
Original Authors: Doods Pangburn
Edit Update Authors: RPN
Updated On: 11/04/2007
