Simon Basil (

fl. ''Floruit'' (; abbreviated fl. or occasionally flor.; from Latin for "they flourished") denotes a date or period during which a person was known to have been alive or active. In English, the unabbreviated word may also be used as a noun indicatin ...

1590 — 1615) was an English surveyor or

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

, who held the post of Surveyor of the King's Works, 1606-15.

Works

Simon Basil's first recorded appearance, in 1590, was drawing a plan of

Ostend Ostend ( nl, Oostende, ; french: link=no, Ostende ; german: link=no, Ostende ; vls, Ostende) is a coastal city and municipality, located in the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It comprises the boroughs of Mariakerk ...

, a military objective at the time, for the previous Surveyor, Robert Adams. Similarly in 1597 he is mentioned in respect of a "modell" of Flushing. In that year he was Comptroller of the Royal Works. His major patron was

Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury, (1 June 156324 May 1612), was an English statesman noted for his direction of the government during the Union of the Crowns, as Tudor England gave way to Stuart rule (1603). Lord Salisbury served as the ...

, in his London residence, 'Salisbury' or 'Cecil House' in the

Strand, London Strand (or the Strand) is a major thoroughfare in the City of Westminster, Central London. It runs just over from Trafalgar Square eastwards to Temple Bar, London, Temple Bar, where the road becomes Fleet Street in the City of London, and i ...

(1601), and at Cecil's main seat, Hatfield House, Hertfordshire (1607–12). It is unclear to what extent he was involved in design at Hatfield, where he served as

clerk of the works A clerk of works or clerk of the works (CoW) is employed by an architect or a client on a construction site. The role is primarily to represent the interests of the client in regard to ensuring that the quality of both materials and workmanship are ...

. Basil sent a letter regarding his progress on Cecil House to Cecil on 14 August 1601. He explained that it was too late in the building season to complete the court with symmetry, but he could remedy the defect by painting the new plaster in imitation of brickwork. The new front would be completed with brickwork and Oxford stone ornaments. He doubted the front could be finished before October. In another letter to Robert Cecil written in September 1601, Basil mentioned that he was using windows salvaged from 'clerestories' in Kent in one of his patron's houses, and installing a stove. Basil and the sergeant painter

John de Critz John de Critz or John Decritz (1551/2 – 14 March 1642 (buried)) was one of a number of painters of Flemish origin active at the English royal court during the reigns of James I of England and Charles I of England. He held the post of Serjean ...

were jointly given the ward of Philip Saltmarsh to boost their income. They sold their rights to a third party, Francis Needham. In July 1605 he built a house, "hovel" or "shed" for a lioness in the new court of the

Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is sep ...

, she had twin cubs on the same day he finished work. On 4 April 1606, the Scottish architect David Cunningham of Robertland resigned the Surveyorship to Basil. Basil was responsible for a new palace at

Royston Royston may refer to: Places Australia *Royston, Queensland, a rural locality Canada * Royston, British Columbia, a small hamlet England *Royston, Hertfordshire, a town and civil parish, formerly partly in Cambridgeshire * Royston, South Yorks ...

, its design having some similarites similar to Cecil's Hatfield. Basil worked on the New Exchange (1608–09), where Basil's design was preferred to one drawn up by

Inigo Jones Inigo Jones (; 15 July 1573 – 21 June 1652) was the first significant architect in England and Wales in the early modern period, and the first to employ Vitruvian rules of proportion and symmetry in his buildings. As the most notable archit ...

. In 1609 Basil and William Goodrowse made improvements in the garden at

Somerset House Somerset House is a large Neoclassical complex situated on the south side of the Strand in central London, overlooking the River Thames, just east of Waterloo Bridge. The Georgian era quadrangle was built on the site of a Tudor palace ("O ...

for

Anne of Denmark Anne of Denmark (; 12 December 1574 – 2 March 1619) was the wife of King James VI and I; as such, she was Queen of Scotland from their marriage on 20 August 1589 and Queen of England and Ireland from the union of the Scottish and Eng ...

. In June 1609 Basil went to Woking Palace to estimate costs for repairs to the manor, office houses, and two bridges. The keeper

Edward Zouch Sir Edward Zouch of Woking (died 1634) was a courtier to English kings James and Charles I, a masque actor, and Knight Marshal of the King's Household. He was the son of Sir Willam Zouch or Zouche. His mother's name is not known. Career Marriage ...

asked Basil to estimate for cleaning out the moat and building a new bridge over the river at the front of the house, which would increase the privacy of the king's garden. Basil's drawing of the lodge for

Sir Walter Raleigh Sir Walter Raleigh (; – 29 October 1618) was an English statesman, soldier, writer and explorer. One of the most notable figures of the Elizabethan era, he played a leading part in English colonisation of North America, suppressed rebelli ...

that has been expended as Sherborne Castle, Dorset, (c.1600-1609) shows by dashed lines that the unusual angle of the corner towers is centred in the opposite corner. After Basil's death,

was appointed Surveyor of the King's Works.

Family

Simon Basil's own background is obscure. He married Elizabeth Rainsford in 1605. Their son, also Simon, became a Clerk in the Royal Works and died in 1663. Simon Basil died in September 1615 and was buried at St Martins-in-the-Fields.Colvin, Howard, ed., ''History of the King's Works'', vol. 3 (HMSO: London, 1975), pp. 105-107.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Basil, Simon 17th-century English architects Year of death unknown Year of birth unknown English surveyors 1615 deaths Material culture of royal courts