Short answers, pulled from the story.
Elizabethan architecture refers to a local style of Renaissance building that developed during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I of England, from 1558 to 1603. It is largely confined to secular buildings, especially large country houses built for courtiers and merchants, since new religious building had effectively ended with the Dissolution of the Monasteries around 1536.
Northern Europe, especially the Low Countries, was the primary foreign influence on Elizabethan architecture, not Italy. Flemish strapwork in geometric designs and Dutch gables are two of the most recognizable features. Flemish craftsmen played a significant role, and Henri de Paschen, an architect from Antwerp, designed the original Royal Exchange in London between 1566 and 1570.
A prodigy house is a large, square, tall country house built by Elizabethan courtiers hoping to attract a visit from Queen Elizabeth I and thereby advance their careers. Longleat House is one of the defining examples. These houses used decoration drawn from Northern Mannerism while keeping elements like elaborate rooflines that echoed medieval castle architecture.
The Dissolution of the Monasteries around 1536 ended new religious construction in England and redistributed enormous amounts of ecclesiastical land to a newly-risen nobility. This redistribution directly caused a boom in domestic house building, as the wealthy built large country residences on former church estates. Elizabeth herself built no new royal palaces, relying instead on her courtiers' extravagant new houses during her summer progresses.
The designers of Elizabethan buildings worked under the title of surveyor rather than architect. Key figures include Robert Smythson (1535-1614), John Thorpe (c. 1565-1655, active 1570-1618), Robert Adams (1540-1595), William Arnold (active 1595-1637), Simon Basil (active c. 1590-1615), and Robert Lyminge (active 1607-1628). These surveyors were in great demand and their work spread widely around the country.
Notable surviving examples of Elizabethan architecture include Longleat House, Wollaton Hall, Montacute House, Burghley House, Hatfield House, Kenilworth Castle, Charterhouse in London, Condover Hall in Shropshire, Danny House, and Rainthorpe Hall. Wollaton Hall and Montacute House both display characteristic Dutch gables and Flemish strapwork on their towers.