Smythson, Robert

Smythson, Robert, 1536?–1614, English architect of the Elizabethan era. From 1568, Smythson was freemason to John Thynne in finishing (1567–75) the country house Longleat, Wiltshire. Striking in its symmetry, its outward-looking plan, and its numerous and large windows, it revealed a new concept of domestic design, showing admirably refined use of classical detail. His chief work was Wollaton Hall, Nottinghamshire (1580–88). Although he followed the pattern of Sebastiano Serlio and other Renaissance continental architects, he was ingenious in his adaptations.