I'll admit that I was first drawn to The Story of the Country House: A History of Places and People by it's gorgeous naïf-style cover (although I haven't as yet been able to discern the identity of the designer). I'm pleased to report that the contents live up to the promise of the packaging!
Clive Aslet explores the the concept of the"country house" as it has evolved over the past millennium (the prologue looks further back to Roman times), in the context of prevailing social, political and economic conditions in Britain and in the wider world. Not only does he detail the architectural history of various well-known example properties, but the extraordinarily fascinating interplay between the actual or intended use of the structure and its, often fluid, physical form over time. He also delves into the influence of international architectural fashions and historical architectural theory. He relates entertaining anecdotes concerning owners, residents and events that took place at particular country estates and the reader will discover many fascinating details. Ever wonder why some country seats use the descriptor Abbey (as I have since watching a certain popular television series)? The answer is contained within.
Properties Aslet describes include: Standsted Park, West Sussex; Penshurst Place, Kent; East Barsham Manor, Norfolk; Knole Park, Kent; Burghey House, Lincolnshire; Bolsover Castle, Derbyshire; Chatsworth House, Derbyshire; Kinross House, Kinross-shire, Scotland; Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire; Chiswick House, London; Hopetoun House, South Queensferry, Scotland; Strawberry Hill, Twickenham; Fonthill Abbey, Wiltshire; Balmoral Castle, Aberdeenshire, Scotland; Kelmscott Manor, Gloucestershire; Fort Belvedere in Windsor Great Park; and a modernist example in The New House, Wadhurst, Sussex. Aslet also describes several important gardens associated with country properties, such as that designed by Lancelot "Capability" Brown at Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire.
While not a photography-dominated "coffee table" volume, The Story of the Country House is liberally illustrated with photographs and other illustrations throughout. Nevertheless, so intrigued was I with Aslet's text that I frequently found myself using Google Earth and Wikipedia to find pictures and aerial images of the numerous featured properties.
In this time of lockdown, The Story of the Country House provided tantalising fodder for planning future overseas jaunts, as I've seen only a few of these buildings "in the flesh" and would love the opportunity to visit more in the future. I'd highly recommend the book to any reader interested in social and domestic history, British architecture generally, or the fascinating stories and personalities behind many of Britain's well-known landmarks.
My thanks to the author, Clive Aslet, publisher Yale University Press and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this fascinating and entertaining title.