The world's most iconic chateau has welcomed tourists the world over, yet this handsome slipcased volume offers up the charm of a thousand and one hidden places in the chateau, its gardens, and pavilions. All were designed to surprise and delight the eye and all the senses at every turn, their exquisite decoration forming an integral part of the elite lifestyle of the eighteenth-century. This comprehensive volume captures the exquisite setting and inimitable ambiance of Versailles and its gardens, from its intimate private spaces usually closed to the general public to the charming Petit Trianon and dairy farm created for the pure pleasure of Marie-Antoinette. Concise, informative, and evocative texts describe the practical, social, and aesthetic considerations that informed the creation of the home to three kings, while newly commissioned photography features the chateau's architecture, gardens, paintings, drawings, and decorative arts that bring to life the beauty and the daily routines of this golden age of French culture. This jewel of a volume is a rich homage to Versailles and the perfect souvenir for visitors and armchair travelers alike who, while turning these pages, will embark on a private tour of the lavish chateau and grounds.

The story of the Stuart dynasty is a breathless soap opera played out in just a hundred years in an array of buildings that span Europe from Scotland, via Denmark, Holland and Spain to England. Life in the court of the House of Stuart has been shrouded in mystery: the first half of the century overshadowed by the fall and execution of Charles I, the second half in the complete collapse of the House itself. Lost to time is the extraordinary contribution the Stuarts made to the fabric of sovereignty. Every palace they built, painting they commissioned, or artwork they acquired was a direct reflection of the lives that they led and the way that they thought. Palaces of Revolution explores this rich history in graphic detail, giving a unique insight into the lives of this famous dynasty. It takes us from Royston and Newmarket, where James I appropriated most of the town centre as a sort of rough-and-ready royal housing estate, to the steamy Turkish baths at Whitehall where Charles II seduced his mistresses. We see the intimate private lives of the monarchs, presented through the buildings in which they lived and the objects they commissioned, creating an entirely new narrative of the Stuart century. Palaces of Revolution traces this extraordinary period across the places and palaces on which the action played out, giving us a thrilling new history of this remarkable dynasty.

Elizabeth of Bohemia, known to some as the Winter Queen and to others as the Queen of Hearts, was one of those rare figures whose personality still fascinates us across the centuries. The daughter of James I, she combined charm and humour with courage in the face of adversity and a steely determination to regain her patrimony after she and her husband were driven from the throne of Bohemia. Among the many men who championed Elizabeth's sorrowful fortunes, Lord Craven was the most faithful. Brave, wealthy and supremely generous, this latter-day knight errant threw everything he could into his efforts to recapture the Palatinate for his heroine, risking his life and spending enormous sums in financing a military campaign. After all schemes had come to naught he came to live at Elizabeth's threadbare court in the Hague, supporting her financially and befriending her talented but unruly family. His estates, confiscated by the Commonwealth, were returned at the Restoration, and he busied himself in planning fine houses for Elizabeth's use on her return to England in 1661.Sadly she died the same year but Ashdown House in Berkshire still remains as a poignant memorial to Craven's single-minded devotion.

Part of the prestigious academic book series Documenting the Image, this is a fascinating survey illustrated by extremely rare photographs of the burned architectural and landscape complex known as the Rape of the Summer Palace.
In 1860, Western armies brought ruin to the treasured seat of the Qing emperors near Beijing. One hundred and fifty images have been collected to date as a support for an extensive study of the building of the palaces and their subsequent destruction.
This book is a rigourous analysis of the work and experiences of the European photographers, both amateur and professional, working in Beijing during this period, and, as such, becomes an account of the development of photography itself. Offering a fascinating glimpse into 19th-Century China, the book gives an historical overview of the political situation.

This absorbing book tells the story of Empress Eugenie (1826-1920), the wife of Napoleon III and the last Empress-Consort of France. Today she is remembered for her physical beauty, for her influence as a taste maker and for her glittering contribution to the second imperial court - but she outlived the Second Empire by half a century and lived in exile in England. The Empress bought the Farnborough Hill estate in 1880, following a decade of personal tragedy: the collapse of the Second Empire (1852-70), the death of Napoleon III, and the loss of her only child. The death of the Prince Imperial in 1879, aged 23, ended all hope of a Bonapartist restoration. With the imperial succession removed to another branch of the family, Eugenie resolved to create a permanent monument to her husband and son. This was her primary reason for moving to Farnborough. This book describes the little-known assemblage of art and architecture that she created there in the 1880s. Geraghty analyses the principal buildings on the imperial estate: Farnborough Hill itself, which was extensively remodelled for the court-in-exile that Eugenie maintained there from 1880 to 1920; and St Michael's Abbey, the spectacular domed mausoleum that the Empress built on an adjacent hill in 1883-88. These projects were entrusted to a French architect, Hippolyte Destailleur (1822-93), whose erudite designs situated the history of the Second Empire within the longer history of French architecture and design. Geraghty also provides the fi rst detailed account of the lost interiors of Farnborough Hill. He traces the origins of the collection back to the Second Empire, and - drawing upon historic photos, inventories, and sale catalogues - he shows how the collection was displayed in the principal rooms of the house. Primarily dynastic in purpose, the display included a major sequence of Bonaparte family portraits, including works by David, Gerard, Winterhalter, and Carpeaux. Eugenie also had an important collection of decorative arts, including Gobelins tapestries, Sevres porcelain, and royal French furniture. Composed by the Empress herself, the display at Farnborough Hill was the last manifestation of the 'Louis XVI-Imperatrice' mode of interior decoration that she had popularised in the 1850s. It was also, in its juxtaposition of modern and historic pieces, the final expression of the nouvelle sociabilite of the second imperial court. Finally, the book describes the breakup of the estate in 1927, when the house was sold to a convent school and the collection was dispersed at auction. Today, only the Mausoleum functions as Eugenie originally envisaged. Geraghty, however, recovers the totality of Eugenie's vision for Farnborough. In so doing, he describes how the Napoleonic ideal, for one final time, was made visible through art, architecture, and collecting.

Beyond the Gatehouse is a lighthearted, witty but factual biographical account of the eccentric lifestyles of the builders and residents of some of England's best-known country houses. Extraordinary buildings require extraordinary people, and over the centuries our historic houses have produced more than their fair share of oddballs. Insulated from the outside world by vast wealth, rolling acres and the social status that a title implies, aristocrats have always been able to amuse themselves - and now us - by pursuing their idiosyncratic interests and manias to the point of eccentricity. David Long lifts the lid on all that's bizarre, implausible, unthinkable and delightfully wacky about our glorious heritage homes and their unusual occupants.

'Somerville knows more about wooden barn construction than almost anyone alive.'-The Telegraph 'A joyful reminder of why nature, being outside, being together and creating beauty is so good for the soul.'-Kate Humble, broadcaster and author of A Year of Living Simply 'For all our advances, it's hard to deny the modern world brings with it new ills of disconnection and disenfranchisement, but here in Barn Club they've found their cure.'-Barn the Spoon, master craftsman and author of Spon Nature meets traditional craft in this celebration of the elm tree, beautiful buildings and community spirit. Barn Club calls on us to discover our landscapes more intimately and to explore the joys of making beautiful things by hand, together. When renowned craftsman Robert Somerville moved to Hertfordshire, he discovered an unexpected landscape rich with wildlife and elm trees. Nestled within London's commuter belt, this wooded farmland inspired Somerville, a lifelong woodworker, to revive the ancient tradition of hand-raising barns. Barn Club follows the building of Carley Barn over the course of one year. Volunteers from all walks of life joined Barn Club, inspired to learn this ancient skill of building elm barns by hand, at its own quiet pace and in the company of others, while using timber from the local woods. The tale of the elm tree in its landscape is central to Barn Club. Its natural history, historic importance and remarkable survival make for a fascinating story. This is a tale of forgotten trees, a local landscape and an ancient craft. This book includes sixteen pages of colour photographs, and black and white line drawings of techniques and traditional timber frame barns feature throughout.

This fine Palladian house known as New Park was built between 1777 and 1783 and became part of the golden age of the Georgian country house. Its owner, James Sutton, was one of a new breed of landowners, benefitting from the proceeds of the boom in late eighteenth century trade and from local political influence. The house was a celebration of the dynamism and success of Georgian Devizes, built on its thriving wool trade. As neoclassicism became the defining style for the late eighteenth English country house, New Park, later re-named Roundway Park, perfectly represented the high ambition of the age, the product of the prestigious architect, James Wyatt, and landscape designer, Humphry Repton. Roundway continued to prosper in the Victorian and Edwardian eras under the ownership of the Colston family of Bristol fame. In 1938, on the death of Rosalind Colston, the first Lady Roundway, the house and estate were, on the surface, indistinguishable from their Victorian heyday. But just sixteen years later, the estate had been sold and the house largely demolished as the effects of family tragedy and the weight of social and economic change took their toll. The Forgotten Country House tells for the first time the story of Roundway's rise and fall, the people who built and owned it, lived and worked there, and the contribution they made to their local community. It paints a vivid picture of the lives of gentry families who far outnumbered their more aristocratic counterparts and who played a central role in the rural communities that characterised much of Britain up until the mid-twentieth century. Part family history, part love letter to the English country house, Simon Baynes draws on family papers and new research to pay a fitting, evocative tribute not just to his ancestors, but also to a lost world and the people who lived in it.

This book invites readers to discover an exceptional wine grown in the French region of Bordeaux. Chateau Cantemerle, which has been a vineyard since the Middle Ages, has a unique history full of mystery and intrigue. To tell its story, Valerie Labadie has created an original narrative, combining her own insights with the imagined memory of Baroness de Villeneuve, a 19th-century ancestor who signed the important Bordeaux Wine Official Classification documents in 1855. With 150 stunning, atmospheric photographs, Labadie takes readers on a journey around the vineyard, revealing a mansion that looks like Sleeping Beauty's castle, mysterious shadowy cellars, and a romantic 200-acre park in which wine-lovers can be lost for hours. Including a detailed history of Cantemerle's wines, this beautiful book will seduce wine lovers as they drift through its pages, ideally with a glass of Bordeaux in hand.

A delightful journey through the glamorous story of the English country house party by the bestselling historian. Croquet. Parlour games. Cocktails. Welcome to a glorious journey through the golden age of the country house party - and you are invited. Our host, celebrated historian Adrian Tinniswood, traces the evolution of this quintessentially British pastime from debauched royal tours to the flamboyant excess of the Bright Young Things. With cameos by the Jazz Age industrialist, the bibulous earl and the off-duty politician - whether in moated manor houses or ornate Palladian villas - Tinniswood gives a vivid insight into weekending etiquette and reveals the hidden lives of celebrity guests, from Nancy Astor to Winston Churchill, in all their drinking, feasting, gambling and fornicating. The result is a deliciously entertaining, star-studded, yet surprisingly moving portrait of a time when social conventions were being radically overhauled through the escapism of a generation haunted by war - and a uniquely fast-living period of English history. Praise for The Long Weekend: 'Delicious, occasionally fantastical, revealing in ways that Downton Abbey never was. It is as if Tinniswood is at the biggest, wildest, most luxuriantly decadent party ever thrown, and he knows everyone.' Observer 'A deliciously jaunty and wonderfully knowledgeable book. Tinniswood displays a terrific insider's grasp of gossip . A meticulous, irresistible story.' Spectator 'Elegant, encyclopedic and entertaining . A confident and skilled historian who understands the mores of his era and wears his learning lightly . Deserves to be on every costume drama producer's bookshelf.' Times

For millions of people in the English-speaking world, the now standard image of the British country house is Brideshead Castle in Wiltshire: the domed and doomed baroque country seat of the Marchmain family seen in the BBC adaptation of Evelyn Waugh's novel, Brideshead Revisited. In real life, the house used for the television series is Castle Howard, one of the largest and most opulent private homes in England, located on 10,000 acres of gardens, parkland, and woods in North Yorkshire, now visited by more than 200,000 tourists a year.
Between 3,500 and 4,000 country houses--large, often elegantly furnished and surrounded by extensive estates--remain more or less intact in England today, although frequently converted to non-residential uses. Whether in public or private hands, the best known of them have become a major magnet for British and foreign tourists, attracting about 20 million paying visitors each year. Country houses, with their furnishings and landscaped settings, have been called England's one important contribution to art history. They figure prominently in the ongoing debate over how much of any "National Heritage" is worth preserving.
In The Fate of the English Country House, David Littlejohn describes the past glories and troubled present condition of "the stately homes of England," both those that continue to serve as private houses, and those that have been turned into museums, tourist attractions, convention centers, hotels, country clubs, schools, apartments, hospitals, even prisons. By means of extensive conversations with their owners and managers (the book contains more than 50 photographs of the houses), the author takes us on a private tour of these remarkable places and evaluates the many proposals that have been put forward for their survival.
In the opening chapter we meet three near-neighbors in Oxfordshire, whose personal accounts introduce many of the themes of the book: the 11th Duke of Marlborough, whose family has been living at Blenheim Palace since 1710; the 21st Baron Saye and Sele, whose ancestors built romantic, moated Broughton Castle between the fourteenth and nineteenth centuries; and the Honorable Ann Harcourt, mistress of Stanton Harcourt Manor, which has belonged to her family since the twelfth century.
Most of the conversations revolve around the financial, legal, and strategic problems of owning and running an immense, archaic estate, designed for an age of unquestioned privilege, grandiose entertaining, and an almost unlimited pool of servants: a time before income, capital gains, or inheritance taxes had to be taken into account, before one had to open one's gates to the hordes of tourists out "Doing the Statelies" between Easter Sunday and the end of October. Littlejohn finds that as government support for privately owned historic houses dries up, more and more of them are being converted to other uses, or left empty to decay, their paintings and furnishings sent to the auction houses to help pay tax and repair bills.
As they grow more and more difficult to justify or maintain, English country houses have become increasingly "endangered species" in today's alien economic and political climate. What is at stake is a major piece of England's architectural and cultural heritage, no easier to defend than superannuated ocean liners or great Victorian hotels. The Fate of the English Country House addresses the immediate future of these homes and allows readers to contemplate the history of great houses that have, in some cases, been owned and occupied by the same families for 200, 400, 600, or even 900 years.

When she discovered that nearly half of France's 44,000 heritage sites were chateaux in various states of repair, Catherine Scotto embarked on a journey to find out who, exactly, lived in these medieval fortresses and, more importantly, what they were like on the inside. From Normandy to Provence and everywhere in between the owners of these chateaux-including decorators, antique dealers, artists, and collectors-represent the epitome of French culture and taste. Each chateau is presented in double-page full-color spreads that feature alluring interiors and information about the hosts and their design journeys. There's something for everyone here-whether it's homes where simplicity and minimalism reign, rooms as exuberantly busy as a 14th-century tapestry, or interiors transformed by surprising, era-bending feats. Morel's breathtaking, naturally lit photographs of generous kitchens, cozy drawing rooms, spacious bedrooms, ingeniously imagined bathrooms, and intriguing hallways and stairwells offer endless inspiration, while Scotto's engaging text gives readers a feel for the kinds of people who take on such a daunting yet satisfying challenge.

Chinese wallpaper has been an important element of western interior decoration for three hundred years. As trade between Europe and China flourished in the seventeenth century, Europeans developed a strong taste for Chinese art and design. The stunningly beautiful wall coverings now known as `Chinese wallpaper' were developed by Chinese painting workshops in response to western demand. In spite of their spectacular beauty, Chinese wallpapers have not been studied in any depth until relatively recently. This book provides an overview of some of the most significant Chinese wallpapers surviving in the British Isles. Sumptuously illustrated, it shows how these wallpapers became a staple ingredient of high-end interiors while always retaining a touch of the exotic.

Norfolk is a county sadly rich in "lost" country houses; this account and gazetteer offer a comprehensive account of them. Winner of the general non-fiction category in the East Anglian Book Awards 2016. The country houses lost from the landscape since the late nineteenth century exercise a peculiar grip on the English imagination, seeming to symbolise the passing of a world of taste and elegance, of stability and deference: a world destroyed by modernity. This important new book argues that most previous studies of the subject have been characterised by nostalgia and vagueness, and by a tendency to exaggerate the scale of the destruction and simplify its causes. It presents a balanced, systematic analysis of country house losses in Norfolk, discussing the scale and chronology of destruction. The authors argue that the loss of great houses was not an entirely new development of the twentieth century, they explain the varied reasons why houses were abandoned and destroyed, and they explore the archaeological traces which these places, their gardens and parks, have left in the modern landscape. Their arguments are illuminated by a full and lavishly-illustrated gazetteer. This book, the results of many years of fieldwork and documentary research, will be essential reading for all those interested in the history of the country house, in the development of the post-medieval landscape, and in the archaeology and history of the county of Norfolk. Tom Williamson is Professor of Landscape History at the University of East Anglia; Ivan Ringwood is an independent historical researcher; Sarah Spooner is Lecturer in Landscape History at the University of East Anglia.

This sumptuously illustrated history presents, in an updated new edition, an in-depth account of Britain's most important buildings, from castles, royal palaces and stately homes to fortified manors and the great country houses, and provides a wealth of stories and information on this glorious architectural past and heritage. Detailed coverage is given of the World Heritage Sites of Edward I's castles at Beaumaris, Harlech, Caenarvon and Conwy, plus other spectacular buildings such as Blenheim Palace, The Tower of London, Burghley House and Windsor Castle. Special features focus on important art and architectural movements and on the great architects including Wren, Adam, Wyatt and Lutyens.

The quintessential style, cooking, and home interior book from Soho House, the world's leading members club. Since the first Soho House opened its doors over 25 years ago, we've learnt a bit about what works. Contemporary, global yet with something quintessentially English and homely at its heart, this is Soho House style explained by its experts: - From planning a room to vintage finds: bringing the Soho House look home. - Our House curator's advice on how to buy, collect and hang art. - The art of a great night's sleep: how to design the perfect bedroom. - No-fuss recipes and chef's tips: here's how to make your favourite House dishes. - Inside Babington: our take on country-house living. Wellies optional. - Flip-flop glamour and poolside style from Soho House Miami Beach. - All the secrets of cocktail hour: House tonics and barman's tips. - Spa treatment at home, DIY facials and chocolate brownies. Eat Drink Nap, a 300-page highly illustrated book, with a foreword from founder Nick Jones, and photography from leading food and interiors photographers Mark Seelen and Jean Cazals, shares the Soho House blueprint for stylish, modern living, the Soho House way. ___________________________________________ Readers love EAT, DRINK, NAP: 'A fun and stylish guide to a better life' 'A perfect coffee table book!' 'I love it and people comment and do flick though it when they are at my home' 'Simple but elegant. . . and chocked full of beautiful pictures and wonderful information for making your house a home.'

With its pale pink sandstone, picturesque domes and dramatic setting, Drumlanrig is one of Scotland's most romantic castles, its history entwined with that of the country itself. The twists and turns of its story are here captured atmospherically in words and pictures. It took a decade for a medieval stronghold to emerge in 1689 as the palace that greets visitors today. The legacies of three ducal families have combined to create a collection of imposing portraits and rare French furniture. Stately interiors lead to delightful, intimate spaces and an unforgettable Rembrandt. Still home to the heirs of William, 1st Duke of Queensbury, the castle continues to evolve and impress to this day.

The Late Assyrian Empire (c. 900 - 612 BCE) was the first state to rule over the major centres of the Middle East, and the Late Assyrian court inhabited some of the most monumental palaces of its time. The Architecture of Late Assyrian Royal Palaces is the first volume to provide an in-depth analysis of Late Assyrian palatial architecture, offering a general introduction to all key royal palaces in the major centres of the empire: Assur, Kalhu, Dur-Sharruken, and Nineveh. Where previous research has often focused on the duality between public and private realms, this volume redefines the cultural principles governing these palaces and proposes a new historical framework, analysing the spatial organization of the palace community which placed the king front and centre. It brings together the architecture of such palaces as currently understood within the broader framework of textual and art-historical sources, and argues that architectural changes were guided by a need to accommodate ever larger groups as the empire grew in size.

A deft interweaving of architectural and social history For aristocrats and gentry in 18th-century Ireland, the townhouses and country estates they resided in were carefully constructed to accommodate their cultivated lifestyles. Based on new research from Irish national collections and correspondence culled from papers in private keeping, this publication provides a vivid and engaging look at the various ways in which families tailored their homes to their personal needs and preferences. Halls were designed in order to simultaneously support a variety of activities, including dining, music, and games, while closed porches allowed visitors to arrive fully protected from the country's harsh weather. These grand houses were arranged in accordance with their residents' daily procedures, demonstrating a distinction between public and private spaces, and even keeping in mind the roles and arrangements of the servants in their purposeful layouts. With careful consideration given to both the practicality of everyday routine and the occasional special event, this book illustrates how the lives and residential structures of these aristocrats were inextricably woven together. Published in association with the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art

'This is the house by Cromer town ...' Built in 1884 as the grand summer home for the well-connected Locker-Lampson family, the red -brick, turreted mansion Newhaven Court once sat high on a windswept hill above Cromer. Before its dramatic destruction in flames nearly eighty years later, the house played host to such eminent figures as Sir Winston Churchill, Alfred Lord Tennyson, Sir Ernest Shackleton, illustrator Kate Greenaway and French tennis superstar Suzanne Lenglen. It was a home where poets rubbed shoulders with politicians and aristocracy with artists and authors. There was dance, dining and song - but also family tragedy and hidden love. Follow the true story of Newhaven Court and its colourful inhabitants from the decadent years of the late nineteenth century and the elegant Edwardian era, through the tragedy of the First World War and terrible conflict of the Second to the roaring twenties and the uncertain post-war age.

Chambord occupies a special place among French Renaissance chateaux. Designed by Francis I as a hunting lodge for his friends and family and subsequently transformed into an immense residence, Chambord is an astonishingly bold architectural creation. To mark the 500th anniversary of this prestigious piece of French heritage, Jean-Michel Turpin invites us into the chateau, and especially into lesser-known and mysterious wings of Chambord, and throughout its beautiful grounds in the Loire Valley. The story spans five centuries and is illustrated by archival and contemporary photographs, many never before published.