During the great and prosperous reign of the Tudors, substantial country houses began to appear throughout the English countryside. The trend continued, and many more gracious residences were built in successive centuries until, shortly after the end of the Edwardian era, came the cataclysmic event of the First World War, after which nothing was ever quite the same again.
These beautiful houses, built over a period of almost 400 years, were to become England's great stately homes. Together with a host of magnificent public buildings, they provided an appropriate setting for the creations of generations of gifted painters and sculptors, as well as master craftsmen including carvers, furniture makers and decorators. Their work gave rise to a very distinctive English style, which today is enjoyed by the countless number of visitors who come to marvel as their prodigious talents.
This small book, gives the reader a glimpse into these magnificent residences and the types of things that filled them.
Contents:
The Grand Design
The Essence of English Style
Royal Command Performance
Tudor and Jacobean Style
Elegance and Arrogance
English Style, Late 17th and Early 18th Century
Et in Arcadia ego
English Style in the Georgian Era
'An Original Genius' - Robert Adam
Eclectic yet Excellent
English Style in the Regency Age
Land of Hope and Glory
Victorian English Style
The Complete Design Package - William Morris
An Indian Summer
Style from the Edwardian Era Until 1914
