Once the center of agricultural prosperity in Alabama, the rich soil of the Black Belt still features beautiful homes that stand as a testimony to the region's proud heritage. Join author Jennifer Hale as she explores the history of seventeen of the finest plantation homes in Alabama's Black Belt. This book chronicles the original owners and slaves of the homes and traces their descendants, who have continued to call these plantations home throughout the past two centuries. Discover why the families of an Indian chief and a chief justice feuded for over a century about the land on which Belvoir stands. Follow Gaineswood's progress as it grew from a humble log cabin into an opulent mansion. Learn how the original builder and subsequent owners of the Kirkwood Mansion are linked by a legacy of exceptional and dedicated preservation. "Historic Plantations of Alabama's Black Belt" recounts the elegant past and hopeful future of a well-loved region of the South.

The illustrated biography of a Scottish country house, set beside the River Clyde, and of the people who made it their home over the past 850 years Written by four brothers, their sister and the eldest member of the next generation, Finlaystone offers an insidersa view of the house, its beautiful gardens and the surrounding estate. They tell about the lives of its former owners, many of whom played prominent roles in Scottish military, political, religious and cultural affairs. As Scotland moved forward from centuries of feuds between large feudal landowners to the reformation, the age of enlightenment and the industrial revolution, the building evolved from a fortress to a modest but attractive family home in 1746. Its present form as an imposing late Victorian mansion dates from when it was modernised and extended in 1900 by George Jardine Kidston, the great-grandfather of the older authors, who had grown wealthy from running one of the worlda s earliest steamship companies. In its hey-day, Finlaystone was managed for the comfort and leisure of its owners by a bevy of household servants living in a wing of the house, and by an army of workers, including gardeners, foresters, game-keepers, joiners and a laundry-maid. The prosperity that had made such a lavish life possible, however, soon started to decline, with George Kidstona s death in 1909, followed just 5 years later by war, the economic depression in the 1930s, and then World War II. Unlike many other large country houses, Finlaystone remains a family home, kept afloat largely by the hard work and adaptability of the members of the family who reflect in this book on the joys and travails that this implied.

"The Singapore House is not just a building; it is a cultural phenomenon. Culture means ordinary everyday values-attitudes, beliefs, ideas and heritage. These apply to the cultural landscape of which the house forms a part and is particularly applicable to a fast growing metropolis like Singapore that has changed immeasurably in recent years."Setting the scene for this newly presented edition of The Singapore House &Residential Life 1819-1939, Edwards addresses the house's unique naturein the context of its colonial past. Architecture, the house plan, landscape,societal norms, recreation and more are all presented in a book where thepast resonates on every page. Thirty years on, the book still provides aninvaluable introduction to the history of architecture in the city-state.

This is an inspirational reference book for anybody looking for ideas on how to plan a new home or remodel an existing one. Complete with 333 full colour illustrations of the house exteriors, it is designed for easy use with houses sorted by size and number of bedrooms. Fully indexed, it is easy to find any type of house plan - from bungalow to town house. All homes are UK specification and the book is produced in conjunction with the UK's biggest selling selfbuild magazine.

In a fast-paced world with mega upheaval, including climate crises and a global pandemic, the allure of growing your own food, being self-sufficient, and living green is immense. This yearning for not being wholly reliant on the supermarket, and the growing concerns over pesticides and food miles has led to the resurgence in seeking old-world skills. As showcased in Urban Homesteads, the benefits of a productive garden on your doorstep or within arm's reach, tending to chickens, harvesting your own honey, and using eco-friendly water-harvesting techniques are clear: fresh herbs, vegetables, and fruit on tap, fresh eggs, delicious honey; plus living at a slower pace, better value for money, and a more soothing and mindful existence. Of course, a healthy garden and environment also attracts beneficial insects and birds. Get inspired with this book's range of eco-friendly possibilities from around the globe. With beautiful full-colour photos, gathered here are stories of people who have set up their own productive and abundant back yard or patio, as well as examples of great vertical planters, indoor gardens, and those who have reached into the urban community allotment. Use this book to start your own journey with an urban homestead lifestyle, with lots of generous tips, modern green concepts as well as a twist of modern, technically savvy know-how. All the practical guidance you need on how to be the change you want to see.

Great buildings are those that ignite the imagination and elevate us beyond reality, and - by those standards - Coromandel House in South Africa is truly a masterpiece. This unique farmhouse, which sits in a spectacular valley in Lydenburg, 275kms north-east of Pretoria, was built in 1975 and has since developed a cult following for its unusual aesthetic - part building, part ruin, part wilderness - inspiring anyone with an interest in building within a natural context. It is something explored by Creating Coromandel: Marco Zanuso in South Africa. Coromandel House was designed by the Milanese architect Marco Zanuso (1916-2001), who was commissioned by the South African fashion retailer Sydney Arnold Press (1919-97) and Press's wife Victoria de Luria Press (1927-2015). They met in 1969, and their shared design passions sparked a decade-long partnership that yielded not only Coromandel House, a structure on the Press family's vast farm, but also Edgardale (1978), their business headquarters. Creating Coromandel explores the association between the clients, the architect and prominent personalities, including photographers David Goldblatt (1930-2018) and Margaret Courtney-Clarke (born 1949), German-born architect Steffen Ahrends (1907-1992), Brazilian landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx (1909-1994) and Italian landscape architect Pietro Porcinai (1910-1986). Through impressive photos, sketches and testimonials, this monograph narrates and records an unknown period in Zanuso's portfolio. He designed small-scale products (in the field of industrial design) as well as large-scale architecture (warehousing for IBM and Olivetti) but, with Coromandel House, Zanuso competently mediated both scales. Creating Coromandel documents Zanuso's extraordinary responses to landscape and his sensational interiors, but also offers a glimpse into the design process and amount of collaboration it involves. For fans of Coromandel it provides a single reference source; for architects, designers, historians, photographers and anyone interested in design and architecture it provides an inspirational story behind the process of building a legacy.

How to Read Houses is an insider's guide to recognising and appreciating the diversity of domestic architecture that reflects the location, the fashion, and the technological savoir-faire of the age - from Tudor timber-frames to the truly unconventional. Compact enough to travel with you yet comprehensive enough to provide real answers, with real examples, this handy reference guide: - Provides an understanding of the architectural vocabulary along with the visual clues that identify any house style and its historical context. - Enhances the appreciation of visits to landmark houses and lays the foundations for an architectural exploration of your own home or area. - Explores the main architectural styles, as well as the materials and components of a house, through beautifully rendered illustrations, photographs of classic examples and the words of a friendly expert.

This early work on Italian Villas and their Gardens is a beautifully illustrated look at the subject. Chapters include; Florentine Villas, Sienese Villas, Roman Villas, Villas near Rome, Genoese Villas, Lombard Villas and Villas of Venetia. This fascinating work is thoroughly recommended for inclusion on the bookshelf of all historians Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900's and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.