Life in the English Country House

Life in the English Country House
Author: Mark Girouard
Publisher: Yale University Press
Total Pages: 358
Release: 1978-01-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780300058703

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Based on the author's Slade lectures given at Oxford University in 1975-76.

The English Country House

The English Country House
Author: Mary Miers
Publisher: Rizzoli International publication
Total Pages: 494
Release: 2009-10-06
Genre: Architecture
ISBN:

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Sixty-two stunning houses in a range of architectural styles spanning seven centuries are brought to life through glorious imagery from the photography library of Country Life magazine.

The Long Weekend

The Long Weekend
Author: Adrian Tinniswood
Publisher: Basic Books
Total Pages: 346
Release: 2016-05-03
Genre: History
ISBN: 0465098657

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From an acclaimed social and architectural historian, the tumultuous, scandalous, glitzy, and glamorous history of English country houses and high society during the interwar period As WWI drew to a close, change reverberated through the halls of England's country homes. As the sun set slowly on the British Empire, the shadows lengthened on the lawns of a thousand stately homes. In The Long Weekend, historian Adrian Tinniswood introduces us to the tumultuous, scandalous and glamorous history of English country houses during the years between World Wars. As estate taxes and other challenges forced many of these venerable houses onto the market, new sectors of British and American society were seduced by the dream of owning a home in the English countryside. Drawing on thousands of memoirs, letters, and diaries, as well as the eye-witness testimonies of belted earls and bibulous butlers, Tinniswood brings the stately homes of England to life as never before, opening the door to a world by turns opulent and ordinary, noble and vicious, and forever wrapped in myth. We are drawn into the intrigues of legendary families such as the Astors, the Churchills and the Devonshires as they hosted hunting parties and balls that attracted the likes of Charlie Chaplin, T.E. Lawrence, and royals such as Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson. We waltz through aristocratic soiré, and watch as the upper crust struggle to fend off rising taxes and underbred outsiders, property speculators and poultry farmers. We gain insight into the guilt and the gingerbread, and see how the image of the country house was carefully protected by its occupants above and below stairs. Through the glitz of estate parties, the social tensions between old money and new, the hunting parties, illicit trysts, and grand feasts, Tinniswood offers a glimpse behind the veil of these great estates -- and reveals a reality much more riveting than the dream.

Life in the French Country House

Life in the French Country House
Author: Mark Girouard
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
Total Pages: 360
Release: 2000
Genre: Architecture, Domestic
ISBN:

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With all the wit and authority that made his "Life in the English Country House" an enduring classic, Girouard uses letters, diaries, inventories, books of etiquette and scores of photos to conjure up the days and nights of the original inhabitants of French country houses. Illustrations.

English Country Houses

English Country Houses
Author:
Publisher:
Total Pages: 218
Release: 1901
Genre: Architecture, Domestic
ISBN:

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The Country Houses of Sir John Vanbrugh

The Country Houses of Sir John Vanbrugh
Author: Jeremy Musson
Publisher: White Lion Publishing
Total Pages: 184
Release: 2008
Genre: Architecture
ISBN:

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The country houses designed by Sir John Vanbrugh (1664-1726) are some of the most original and memorable works of architecture in Britain. He was rightly judged 'The Shakespeare of architects' by Sir John Soane, and was the designer of Castle Howard in Yorkshire, and Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, two of the great iconic houses of their age. He also designed or remodelled a string of amazing country houses, sometimes described as 'enchanted castles' such as Seaton Delaval Hall in Northumberland and Grimsthorpe Castle in Lincolnshire. Vanbrugh's life was even more remarkable than his houses. The son of a merchant of Dutch extraction, his grandfather left Haarlem to avoid religious persecution as a protestant; his mother was related to many of the great landed families of the day, including the Earl of Abingdon and the Duke of Devonshire. He began his career as a merchant, travelled to India in the service of the East India Company, served as an army officer, was arrested, as a civilian in France and imprisoned on suspicion of being a spy, worked as both playwright and theatrical impresario, writing and producing successful comedies such as The Relapse and then, in 1699 he turned his lively mind to architecture. This new book, brings together 200 of the finest photographs of his country houses, taken for Country Life magazine over the last 100 years, and is introduced by a short biography covering his remarkable life and character and his important relationship with his assistant, Nicholas Hawksmoor. The breathtaking colour and duotone images that illustrate the book are accompanied with well-researched and readable accounts of his great houses and their landscapes. Jeremy Musson is an architectural historian, writer and broadcaster who worked for Country Life for 12 years, first as architectural writer and then as architectural editor; he has also worked as a curator for the National Trust and presented a popular BBC 2 series The Curious House Guest and is author of The English Manor House and How to Read a Country House.

The British Country House in the Eighteenth Century

The British Country House in the Eighteenth Century
Author: Christopher Christie
Publisher: Manchester University Press
Total Pages: 374
Release: 2000
Genre: Architecture
ISBN: 9780719047251

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This work explores the British country house between 1700-1830 and looks at the lives of the noblemen and the servants who inhabited them. Reference is made to the whole of the British Isles and there is a discussion of their political significance.

The Story of the Country House

The Story of the Country House
Author: Clive Aslet
Publisher: Yale University Press
Total Pages: 256
Release: 2021-09-14
Genre: Architecture
ISBN: 0300263139

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The fascinating story of the evolution of the country house in Britain, from its Roman precursors to the present The Story of the Country House is an authoritative and vivid account of the British country house, exploring how they have evolved with the changing political and economic landscape. Clive Aslet reveals the captivating stories behind individual houses, their architects, and occupants, and paints a vivid picture of the wider context in which the country house in Britain flourished and subsequently fell into decline before enjoying a renaissance in the twenty-first century. The genesis, style, and purpose of architectural masterpieces such as Hardwick Hall, Hatfield House, and Chatsworth are explored, alongside the numerous country houses lost to war and economic decline. We also meet a cavalcade of characters, owners with all their dynastic obsessions and diverse sources of wealth, and architects such as Inigo Jones, Sir John Vanbrugh, Robert Adam, Sir John Soane and A.W.N. Pugin, who dazzled or in some cases outraged their contemporaries. The Story of the Country House takes a fresh look at this enduringly popular building type, exploring why it continues to hold such fascination for us today.

How to Read a Country House

How to Read a Country House
Author: Jeremy Musson
Publisher: Ebury Press
Total Pages: 280
Release: 2005
Genre: Architecture
ISBN:

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Why was heraldry so important to the families for whom houses were built? How does the layout of a house reveal the values of the people who lived in it? By reading the architectural features of a house - even simple items such as windows, doors, chimneys and staircases - we can learn so much about the past. Interiors, as well as exteriors, have a story to tell, with floor layouts and contents of rooms revealing much about the people who built and lived in them. We can also read the iconography of a house: its symbols and images, spanning subjects such as classical mythology, religion and British history. Heraldry too is an essential tool for understanding much of the details found in country houses, from coats of arms to crests, or fireplace decorations and ceiling bosses. Through all this, we gain a glimpse into the social world of the families who lived there - and discover that the stories of many country houses are inextricably linked by marriage, royalty or political or military service. Richly illustrated with stunning photographs from the unique archive of Country Life magazine, this book is a joy for all those who want to learn more about our heritage, art and architecture, and the essential characteristics of a classic country house.

The English Country House

The English Country House
Author: Olive Cook
Publisher:
Total Pages: 240
Release: 1980
Genre: Country homes
ISBN:

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