Great Houses of England and Wales

In this chronological selection of 32 of the most notable houses of England and Wales, the authors present a panoramic history of the evolution of the 'great house'. The selection tours acknowledged architectural masterpieces, such as Tredegar - one of a number of house in this book that were closed to the public for many years. It is also a history of great families, seen as part of the houses they created, where their descendants, in many cases, still live today. Full of memorable characters and anecdotal insight, this book is a glorious tribute to what Evelyn Waugh called our chief national artistic achievement. The original photographs show the unexpected as well as the familiar - the private rooms and servants' quarters as well as the grand exteriors and staterooms, the gardens and noble landscapes. They include some of the most splendid examples of English art and architecture, from awe-inspiring medieval stone to the beauties of the English Renaissance, the classical grandeur of the 18th century and the highest excesses of High Victorian taste, illustrating the work of Inigo Jones, Sir John Vanbrugh, Nicholas Hawksmoor, Thomas Chippendale, William Kent, Robert Adam and Capability' Brown.

Hugh Montgomery-Massingberd has been writing about country houses and their owners since the 1960s. He was the instigator and editor of an acclaimed four volume Guide to Country Houses and wrote a weekly Heritage column for over 20 years, first for The Field and then for the Weekend section of The Daily Telegraph. His many other books on heritage subjects include Great Houses of England & Wales; Great Houses of Scotland and Great Houses of Ireland.

Christopher Simon Sykes specialises in the photography of architecture and interiors, and is also the author of numerous books including English Country, Scottish Country and Living with Books. His photographs appear regularly in periodicals, including The World of Interiors, House & Garden, Town & Country, Vogue, Vanity Fair and The Sunday Telegraph magazine.

Never will you see English countryside and architecture more amorously photographed, nor the eccentricities of their owners more forgivingly celebrated.  Ferdinand Mount