Exterior view

It is often stated that Queen's House constitutes the first essay in pure Renaissance design in England. It was designed by Inigo Jones soon after the last of his study tours to Italy in 1613-14 and offered an opportunity to give form to his dreams of architectural design. Although the Queen's House was intended to be a Renaissance building, and there are a number of Italian borrowings, Jones was too good an architect to rely on one source.

The details of plan and elevation derive from Jones's studies of Andrea Palladio and Vincenzo Scamozzi. The chief influence is thought to be Vincenzo Scamozzi, the most important of Palladio's Italian followers whom Jones met and from whom he acquired an extensive collection of architectural drawings.

The picture shows the south façade.

View the original ground plan of Queen's House, Greenwich.