"In explaining why Vanbrugh's buildings look the way they do, Hart allows his novel architectural forms to be understood for the first time as expressions of the visual and psychological theories of his friend and fellow Whig Joseph Addison."--BOOK JACKET.

The country houses designed by Sir John Vanbrugh (1664-1726) are some of the most original and memorable works of architecture in Britain. He was rightly judged 'The Shakespeare of architects' by Sir John Soane, and was the designer of Castle Howard in Yorkshire, and Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, two of the great iconic houses of their age. He also designed or remodelled a string of amazing country houses, sometimes described as 'enchanted castles' such as Seaton Delaval Hall in Northumberland and Grimsthorpe Castle in Lincolnshire. Vanbrugh's life was even more remarkable than his houses. The son of a merchant of Dutch extraction, his grandfather left Haarlem to avoid religious persecution as a protestant; his mother was related to many of the great landed families of the day, including the Earl of Abingdon and the Duke of Devonshire. He began his career as a merchant, travelled to India in the service of the East India Company, served as an army officer, was arrested, as a civilian in France and imprisoned on suspicion of being a spy, worked as both playwright and theatrical impresario, writing and producing successful comedies such as The Relapse and then, in 1699 he turned his lively mind to architecture. This new book, brings together 200 of the finest photographs of his country houses, taken for Country Life magazine over the last 100 years, and is introduced by a short biography covering his remarkable life and character and his important relationship with his assistant, Nicholas Hawksmoor. The breathtaking colour and duotone images that illustrate the book are accompanied with well-researched and readable accounts of his great houses and their landscapes. Jeremy Musson is an architectural historian, writer and broadcaster who worked for Country Life for 12 years, first as architectural writer and then as architectural editor; he has also worked as a curator for the National Trust and presented a popular BBC 2 series The Curious House Guest and is author of The English Manor House and How to Read a Country House.

This book is the first complete study of the circumstances which led to the building of Castle Howard, one of the greatest and best-known English country houses. It describes how and why Charles Howard, third earl of Carlisle, decided to build it; how the architect Sir John Vanbrugh received his first commission; how the building was paid for and where the money came from; what the original interiors looked like; how the gardens and park were laid out; and the decision taken to build the first classical mausoleum in England, designed by Nicholas Hawksmoor. It relates the physical appearance of the architecture to the hopes, desires and personalities of those involved in the building and makes it possible to look at the house in the way that it was intended to be seen by visitors in the eighteenth century. The Building of Castle Howard should appeal to anyone who is interested in eighteenth-century architecture, in the history of gardens, in country houses, and in a historical detective story of a house which Sir John Vanbrugh was determined should be 'the top seat and garden of England.'

The fascinating story of the evolution of the country house in Britain, from its Roman precursors to the present The Story of the Country House is an authoritative and vivid account of the British country house, exploring how they have evolved with the changing political and economic landscape. Clive Aslet reveals the captivating stories behind individual houses, their architects, and occupants, and paints a vivid picture of the wider context in which the country house in Britain flourished and subsequently fell into decline before enjoying a renaissance in the twenty-first century. The genesis, style, and purpose of architectural masterpieces such as Hardwick Hall, Hatfield House, and Chatsworth are explored, alongside the numerous country houses lost to war and economic decline. We also meet a cavalcade of characters, owners with all their dynastic obsessions and diverse sources of wealth, and architects such as Inigo Jones, Sir John Vanbrugh, Robert Adam, Sir John Soane and A.W.N. Pugin, who dazzled or in some cases outraged their contemporaries. The Story of the Country House takes a fresh look at this enduringly popular building type, exploring why it continues to hold such fascination for us today.

Records thirty-two of the most important estates in words and photographs.

The story of how the country house, historically a site of violent disruption, came to symbolize English stability during the eighteenth century. Country houses are quintessentially English, not only architecturally but also in that they embody national values of continuity and insularity. The English country house, however, has more often been the site of violent disruption than continuous peace. So how is it that the country how came to represent an uncomplicated, nostalgic vision of English history? This book explores the evolution of the country house, beginning with the Reformation and Civil War, and shows how the political events of the eighteenth century, which culminated in the reaction against the French Revolution, led to country houses being recast as symbols of England’s political stability.

This title assesses the economic and cultural links between country houses and the empire between the eighteenth and twentieth centuries.