This stunning book presents the intriguing stories and celebrated histories of some of the leading families of Great Britain and Ireland and the opulent residences that have defined their heritages. The history of England is inextricably linked with the stories of its leading aristocratic dynasties and the great seats they have occupied for centuries. As the current owners speak of the critical roles their ancestors have played in the nation, they bring history alive. All of these houses have survived great wars, economic upheavals, and, at times, scandal. Filled with stunning photography, this book is a remarkably intimate and lively look inside some of Britain’s stateliest houses, with the modern-day aristocrats who live in them and keep them going in high style. This book presents a tour of some of England’s finest residences, with many of the interiors shown here for the first time. It includes Blenheim Palace—seven acres under one roof, eclipsing the splendor of any of the British royal family’s residences—property of the Dukes of Marlborough; the exquisite Old Vicarage in Derbyshire, last residence of the late Dowager Duchess of Devonshire (née Deborah Mitford); Haddon Hall, a vast crenellated 900-year-old manor house belonging to the Dukes of Rutland that has been called the most romantic house in England; and the island paradises on Mustique and St. Lucia of the 3rd Baron Glenconner. This book is perfect for history buffs and lovers of traditional interior design and English country life.

Britain’s stately homes and grand housesare among its greatest treasures, andThe Most Amazing Stately Homes inBritain brings you the grandest, mostmagnificent, eccentric and unusual ofthem all. This wonderfully illustratedregional touring guide describes eachhouse and tells its story, following theebb and flow of fortune and fame.Every house has something that setsit apart from the rest: the magnificentfour-storey Tudor tower (set in worldfamous gardens) of Sissinghurst inKent; sumptuous painted cloth wallhangingsof romantic Owlpen Manorin Gloucestershire; superb topiary atLevens Hall in Cumbria; sinister mythsof Blickling Hall in Norfolk and theenchanting Great Garden of Edzell Castlein Scotland, created in 1604 to stimulatethe mind and the senses. Discoverancient deer parks; exquisite collectionsof furniture, national treasures andbreathtaking views, to enjoy season-byseasonand year-round.The cover features Chatsworth inDerbyshire, one of Britain’s most famoushistoric houses and the fastest-growingpaid-for visitor attraction in 2010* withmore than 716,000 visitors. In May 2012Chatsworth featured in a popular threepartBBC1 documentary covering a yearbehind the scenes of the house and estate.

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Most still privately owned, these manor houses are scattered all over England, & range from simple Norman halls to picturesque Tudor homes, many dating from the reign of the Stuarts.

This historical explorationnbsp;details some of the most notorious scandals to have engulfed the British royal family and aristocracy, capturing not only the events and their era but also the essence of some of the world's greatest and most beautiful private dwellings. From the Hampton Court of Henry VIII to the modern scandals that saw the present Lord Brocket jailed, center stage is given to the British stately homes that have played witness to centuries of aristocratic indiscretion. Whether examining the "Profumo Affair," the call-girl scandal at Cliveden, the affairs of the lesbian Vita Sackville-West and her bisexual husband at Sissinghurst Castle, or the goings-on at Fort Belvedere, the Surreynbsp;hideaway where the Prince of Wales conducted his affair with the American divorcee Wallis Simpson,nbsp;this accountnbsp;provides a fascinating insight into the lives, loves—and morals, dubious though they may be—of some notorious denizens of the aristocratic world.