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

Forget glossy period dramas, here is the real story of Britain's super-rich from the First World War to the end of the 'roaring' twenties.

This magnificent book describes the great country houses built with American industrial fortunes from the end of the Civil War until 1940. The American Country House draws on the rich and often amusing writings of contemporaries to evoke the lives the buildings served as well as architectural shapes they took. 275 illustrations.

Cedar Grove, The Cliffs, Grumblethorpe, Mount Airy, Bartram's House and Garden: Accommodation of the Vernacular

A rollicking tour of the English country home after World War II, when swinging London collided with aristocratic values As the sun set slowly on the British Empire, its mansions fell and rose. Ancient families were reduced to demolishing the parts of their stately homes they could no longer afford, dukes and duchesses desperately clung to their ancestral seats, and a new class of homeowners bought their way into country life. A delicious romp, Noble Ambitions pulls us into these crumbling halls of power, leading us through the juiciest bits of postwar aristocratic history—from Mick Jagger dancing at deb balls to the scandals of Princess Margaret. Capturing the spirit of the age, historian Adrian Tinniswood proves that the country house is not only an iconic symbol, but a lens through which to understand the shifting fortunes of the British elite in an era of monumental social change.

A gazetteer of the many fine Shropshire country houses, which covers the architecture, the owners' family history, and the social and economic circumstances that affected them.

Brings together research on the introduction of domestic technologies into country houses and their estates.

During the golden age of English country house entertaining, from the death of Prince Albert in 1861 to the outbreak of World War I, invitations passed back and forth among members of the aristocracy. Barstow brings to life the personalities and lifestyles of a vanished age in this carefully researched and illustrated study. International royalty and the political figures of the day also feature, none more memorably than the Shah of Persia, who offered to buy the Marchioness of Londonderry and advised the Prince of Wales to execute the Duke of Sutherland when he became king. The text reveals the social and political importance of the house party and also describes the role of the country house in its local and national setting. The decline of country house living after World War I and the beginnings of the National Trust and other efforts to save for the nation these former playgrounds of the elite form the concluding chapters.

The country house was the focal point of Georgian architecture, landscape and society. This book explores the meaning of this distinct cultural form using a wide range of examples and approaches. Dana Arnold presents an analysis of the social and cultural significance of the country house, and her work is complemented by essays from experts in a variety of disciplines. Illustrations, showing exteriors, interiors and landscapes of houses ranging from Blenheim and Harewood to lesser known examples such as A la Ronde, provide a thorough historical and visual survey of the period. This title offers fresh interpretations and enables the reader to gain an insight into the pivotal role the country house played in 18th- and early 19th-century society.

The Edwardian Country House gives an insight into the romance and reality of Edwardian society and evokes the golden years before World War I. In this illustrated book, Juliet gardiner explores the key events in the social calendar of a wealthy Edwardian family - a fancy dress ball, a society dinner party, a village fete, a musical evening, a shooting party - from not only the points of view of the family, but also from that of the servants. Detailed descriptions of the day-to-day activities involved in running a country house are told through diary extracts, letters, advice manuals and recipes, while special craft features enable readers to create a range of authentic Edwardian delights for themselves.