The English Country House Hardcover – October 22, 2013

After "The Irish Country House" by Peill and Fennell, I thought I'd seen the gold standard for country house books. Then I saw this as an "order early at reduced price" and well....with Peill and Fennell, say no more.I would say this is a masterpiece. It's Fennell's pics that make it that way, and the style of layout. Often, as in "Irish," photos are combined into multiple sets per page and this really works well. I would only say I wish there were more photos of house family minutia as there was "Irish," though that is a minor point. This is still a stupendiously (if this is a word) delicious book. A true visual feast.I have an extensive collection of country house books of Britain. Many are nice, a few are great. But these last two by Peill and Fennell are hands down the best of them all. They didn't just go out and take photos and throw it all together. You can tell there was a lot of thought in the photos they selected and their placement. That gives this book atmosphere other authors lack. Atmosphere counts a lot, especially when so many of these types of books can be thrown together hastily like any other type of factory goods. No, Peill and Fennell really put out the effort for us. A country house is like fine wine to be savored, and this book tastes like a 100 year-old of the best wine out there.Another thing: if I have to see one more book on Chatsworth and Castle Howard (the "usual suspects" of country house books) I'm going to throw up. Not knocking these two houses, but they get so much coverage that my blinders go over my eyes by now. Not here. Peill and Fennell went out and found us some "unknown" houses that have their own charm and beauty without all the pomp and circumstance. I call them "boutique" country houses, and I like them a lot better. Honestly, the commercial ones like Chatsworth and Castle Howard and Blenheim are so massive they're really not homes. The ones Peill and Fennell selected in "Irish" are smaller and nicer, and the same goes here. Yes, there are a couple larger ones, but these are also on the road less travelled in the country house biz and I like them.I buy these books to look at the beauty and the art. I don't think there is anything more beautiful then the quintessential country house in Britain and Ireland. Peill and Fennell capture them better than any other. I only hope they can now do one on Wales. There are also other homes in Scotland and England (and maybe Ireland?) they can go back and add. I'm saying I'm hoping this twosome can produce more of these books in the future, because I will snap them up fast. Still lots of houses out there, guys, please don't stop.

Over 1000 English Country houses were demolished between the years 1945 and 1955 in England. Imagining that much history and beauty lost forever, it makes our reverence for, and appreciation of, these charming English country homes even more important. In this beautiful volume ten elegant English country homes are featured. Ranging from medieval times to the early 20th century, a cornucopia of styles are revealed: Medieval, Jacobean, Elizabethan, Tudor, Palladian, Baroque, Jacobethan, Picturesque, Gothic to Arts and Crafts styles. And sometimes you'll see a mix of these styles in one home as succeeding generations have added additions and updated the homes.Up until 1914 the gentry owned one-half of England, this book tells us. Now they own less than 1%. The homes detailed in this gorgeous book have remained in their families, some for over 1000 years. Here's an overview of the homes included:* KENTCHURCH COURT ~ in Heresford on border of England and Wales. About 1000 years old. A 1460 portrait has Kentchurch in background - an "earliest known depiction of an English country house." Originally a fortified manor.* PRIDEAUX PLACE ~ in Cornwall. Completed 1592. E-shaped Elizabethan manor house. Occupied by American Army during WWII. Only six of its 45 bedrooms are habitable. Used in Rosemary Pilcher films.* MILTON ~ in Cambridgeshre. Built 1391. William Fitzwilliam bought manor in 1502. William was treasurer to Cardinal Wolsey who was entertained here. Daphne De Maurier visited and based interiors in REBECCA on this home.* BADMINTON ~ in Gloustershire. Recorded in Domesday book in 1275. English version of badminton sport invented here. Badminton court is size of Great Hall of this home. Queen Mary came here during WWII with 55 servants.* EUSTON ~ in Norfolk. Queen Elizabeth I stayed on estate. New home built on site in late 1600's. Many fine paintings of royalty from 1700's hang on walls.* GOODWOOD HOUSE ~ in Sussex. Originally hunting lodge of Duke of Richmond in 1697. Has a Tapestry Room with French tapestries on walls. Celebrated as England's greatest sporting estate - cricket first played here.* HACKTHORN HALL ~ in Lincolnshire. Original Elizabethan home. Owners have Jane Austen and Tennyson in family tree. Originally H-shaped with Dutch style gables. Pulled down and new 2-story, square neoclassical villa built.* MADRESFIELD COURT ~ in Worcestershire. Probably wattle-and-daub manor house around 1086. Has a moat. Evelyn Waugh wrote BLACK MISCHIEF here, used owners as inspiration for BRIDESHEAD REVISITED. Rebuilt in 1860's for 25 years.* INWOOD ~ in Somerset. Rebuilt in 1879. No clear style. Owners loved collecting. Collection of hunting horns.* RODMARTON MANOR ~ in Gloustershire. Began construction in 1909 - one of best examples of Arts & Crafts style. Built in three stages - finished in 1929.You feel you are on an English Country House tour here of some of the lesser-known and smaller English Country houses. The photography is stunning and the quality of paper is thick. There is background on the history, owners, architectural work and art in the homes. Some photos take up double pages, or full pages. Some photos are three to four on a page. If you can't get enough of English Country homes and style, this lovely book should be a five-star read for you.

This is a beautiful book full of intelligent fluent text and amazing pictures. Ten houses are included, of various ages and locations within England, all sharing the distinction of having been in the same family since their inception. In the case of the oldest house, that's over 1,000 years! Each house has pictures of the exterior from at least two directions, showing something of the setting, and frequently a picture of a painting of the house prior to rebuildings or additions. These are followed by lots of interior shots in glowing color. The interiors include ceilings, windows, floors, doorways, pictures, furniture, chandeliers, and, especially, grand staircases. All were shot using natural light, and all are detailed and clear. The pictures are uniformly balanced and show enough that one can envision the whole room, and every picture, including those accompanying the introduction, is well described. I was hoping for a book that would clearly show the interiors of some grand English country houses, and this is that book. If I could give it six stars, I would. In fact, if it included a little map showing the location of the ten houses, I'd try to give it seven stars. As an Anglophile and interior decor buff, this is the book I've been looking for for years. You won't be disappointed.