Date of Birth: Apr 25, 1694
Date of Death: Dec 4, 1753
Nationality: English
Notes: Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington, was entranced by the Grand Tour and brought back to England a collection of Palladio's drawings that he purchased from the Bishop of Verona and from the Manin family (who had inherited the Villa Barbaro, also known as the Villa di Maser). Another discovery Burlington made in Italy was the young Yorkshireman William Kent, for whom he had great plans - he wanted to make him England's great history painter. Though this did not come to pass, Kent did become a successful architect and garden designer and is considered by many historians to be the father of modern gardening. Another protégé was Isaac Ware, who put together Palladio's drawings of Roman imperial baths and published them in 1730. Lord Burlington, known as the "Apollo of the Arts," was made a Knight of the Garter and became an extremely powerful patron, supporting poetry, architecture, and music (he was the benefactor of an Italian opera company and Handel was his pensioner). Howard Colvin on Burlington: "For more than thirty years he was the acknowledged arbiter of English architectural taste." The discovery that Burlington designed buildings, and was not simply an arbiter of taste, was made in the early 20th century by Fiske Kimball, director of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Chiswick House is considered Lord Burlington's masterpiece.

Date of Birth: 1768
Date of Death: 1846
Nationality: British
Notes: Mote Park (The Mote) in Kent was Alexander's only country house.

Date of Birth: 1573
Date of Death: 1652
Nationality: English
Notes: One of the most important British architects of the last three centuries, Jones was the first significant British architect of the early modern period and the first to employ Vitruvian rules of proportion and symmetry in his buildings. Most famous for introducing the classical Palladian style of architecture into England during the reign of James I (Jones was entranced by Palladio and bought a large number of his drawings), Jones began his career in the theater, where was responsible for staging over 500 performances. He frequently collaborated with Ben Jonson and is credited with introducing movable scenery and the proscenium arch to English theater. He also achieved fame in his pre-architecture life a designer of lavish masques for the Court, for which he is still remembered today. Jones was born in London of Welsh parents (his father was a cloth worker) and trained as a carpenter. Undeniably a man of genius, he was probably the greatest British architect of the 17th century (he was described by a contemporary as "our Kingdome's most Artfull and Ingenious Architect"). Jones was Surveyor-General of the King's Works from 1615 until the beginning of the Civil War in 1642, during which he worked continuously on the royal residences. When the Civil War erupted Jones found himself in a compromising position; he was identified with the Court, most specifically with the Catholic Queen, Henrietta Maria, for whom he performed much work. In the new world dominated by Oliver Cromwell, this was seen as unpatriotic or treasonous; the Parliamentarians seized his property and fined him heavily. He never recovered from the Civil War and, in 1652, he died at Somerset House, a broken and poverty-stricken man.

Date of Birth: 1620
Date of Death: 1685
Nationality: English
Notes: Pratt, a gentleman architect, is considered one of the most important domestic architects of the 17th century. Melton Constable Hall is considered to be a significant example of the Classical country house stlye of Sir Roger Pratt and Hugh May. Pratt's masterpiece is generally considered Coleshill House, Berkshire (demolished). He was one of the commissioners in the rebuilding of London after the Great Fire.

Date of Birth: 1697
Date of Death: 1759
Nationality: English
Notes: Aristocrat who was a major force in the design of his own home, Holkham Hall, Norfolk, one of the greatest Palladian houses in Britain.