The Country House Explained

Thousands of people visit country houses every years and spend a few pounds on a visitor's guide, but what if you want a more general guide to English houses as a whole. The Country House Explained is just such a book. With lots of photographs and sketches Trevor Yorke looks at the exteriors, interiors, gardens and parks of English country houses and at those who designed and built them. From Baroque-styled facades to elaborately decorated plasterwork ceilings, from Victorian reception rooms to the servants' quarters, this book explores some of the most significant and most visited country houses. Yorke explores and exploits our deep fascination with historic houses, `the ultimate expression of power and wealth' from the late medieval to Edwardian period.