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Life in the English Country House: A Social and Architectural History
This best-selling book is a beautifully illustrated history of the English country house from the Middle Ages to the twentieth century. In it, renowned architectural historian Mark Girouard presents a rare and revealing glimpse of the English upper classes—their public and personal lives, their servants, and their homes.
"A deeply important book, one of the most interesting contributions to architectural history."—J. H. Plumb, The New York Review of Books
"A survey of country houses through the past five centuries, from a broad range of materials: family archives, literature, plans and photographs.... The book itself is a physical artifact of surpassing beauty which could fit on the grandest table in the houses it describes."—David Hackett Fischer, The New Republic
"Informative, balanced, knowledgeable, and witty."—The New Yorker
"This enthralling and immensely informative book...tells with wit, scholarship, and lucidity how the country house evolved to meet the needs and reflect the social attitudes of the times."—Philip Ziegler, The Times
"One of those very useful and very enjoyable books that the learned can seldom write, and the entertaining seldom achieve—clear, detailed, and witty."—Angus Wilson, The Observer
Winner of the 1978 Duff Cooper Memorial Prize and the W. H. Smith & Son Annual Literary Award for 1979.
"A deeply important book, one of the most interesting contributions to architectural history."—J. H. Plumb, The New York Review of Books
"A survey of country houses through the past five centuries, from a broad range of materials: family archives, literature, plans and photographs.... The book itself is a physical artifact of surpassing beauty which could fit on the grandest table in the houses it describes."—David Hackett Fischer, The New Republic
"Informative, balanced, knowledgeable, and witty."—The New Yorker
"This enthralling and immensely informative book...tells with wit, scholarship, and lucidity how the country house evolved to meet the needs and reflect the social attitudes of the times."—Philip Ziegler, The Times
"One of those very useful and very enjoyable books that the learned can seldom write, and the entertaining seldom achieve—clear, detailed, and witty."—Angus Wilson, The Observer
Winner of the 1978 Duff Cooper Memorial Prize and the W. H. Smith & Son Annual Literary Award for 1979.
352 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1978
About the author
Mark Girouard
52 books12 followersMark Girouard FSA is a British architectural writer, an authority on the country house, an architectural historian, and biographer of James Stirling.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
February 7, 2017
I have just finished reading this book cover to cover (over the course of several weeks). I have an old beat-up copy and went at it pencil-in-hand. It was a fantastic overview of the social and architectural history of English country houses from medieval seats of power to country retreats for the new rich in the early 20th century. I now have a long list of artists and writers to look up from various time periods, if I decide to go down the rabbit hole of further research.
December 7, 2014
I suppose this is a seminal book which describes in almost loving detail the lives of the betters of English society. It is readable and fascinating about the utter contrast of life above and below stairs and the unthinking assumption of superiority of the well born.
January 9, 2018
This is, without a doubt, the best book about English country houses I have ever read, and I've read some very good ones. It would be relevant to everyone from those seriously researching any major time period of English history (medieval and beyond) to those who merely occasionally visit country houses.
What sets it apart is that Girouard establishes the lifestyles within these houses in each major time period, then shows how the changing world influenced the changing of house architecture. So it is as much about social change as it is about architectural change, but as Girouard clearly demonstrates, the two are intertwined.
It is extensively illustrated with example photos and floorplans so that it's always easy for the reader to visualize what he's talking about, which many books on architecture unfortunately do not do.
What sets it apart is that Girouard establishes the lifestyles within these houses in each major time period, then shows how the changing world influenced the changing of house architecture. So it is as much about social change as it is about architectural change, but as Girouard clearly demonstrates, the two are intertwined.
It is extensively illustrated with example photos and floorplans so that it's always easy for the reader to visualize what he's talking about, which many books on architecture unfortunately do not do.
December 7, 2020
One of a handful of textbooks I've read cover-to-cover! It has the great balance of being informative & enjoyable.
December 27, 2018
4.5 stars
February 14, 2012
Actually re-reading this one. A great social history.
January 29, 2019
Il mio è un rapporto tanto particolare quanto personale quello che ho con le "Country Houses" inglesi. Tutto nasce da lontano, al termine del corso degli studi universitari all'I.U.O.di Napoli nel secolo e nel millennio trascorsi. Un lavoro di traduzione, una "scoperta" che feci nella Biblioteca Nazionale di Napoli. Mi ricorda i migliori anni della mia vita da studente in quella straordinaria città.
Mio padre tipografo, mio zio editore, ed io medesimo, conoscemmo una persona straordinaria che lavorava in quel posto dedicato ai libri. Era la dottoressa Talò alla quale devo, tra tante altre cose, anche la fortuna di avere scovato per me, in quel paradiso dei libri che è quella biblioteca, i quattro volumi dei dell’economista inglese Arthur Young.
Quei libri facevano parte della collezione privata della biblioteca dei Borboni direttamente fatti arrivare da Londra, con speciale dedica. Su di essi ho avuto la possibilità di redigere la mia tesi di laurea ed effettuare poi le successive ricerche per la borsa di studio quadriennale ministeriale sulla Rivoluzione Agricola Inglese sotto la guida di quell’indimenticabile Maestro e Anglista che fu Fernando Ferrara.
Quei volumi profumavano d’Inghilterra e della sua storia, ma anche di un odore napoletano e borbonico. Ecco dove mi ha condotto la lettura di questo libro a distanza di oltre mezzo secolo. Arthur Young nella stesura dei suoi resoconti sulla Rivoluzione Agricola non mancò di occuparsi delle tante Country Houses che facevano parte di quella realtà agricola terriera che stava attraversando la più grande rivoluzione della storia di quel Paese.
Una rivoluzione tanto importante quanto necessaria da conoscere. Precedette e condusse a quella altrettanto rivoluzionaria, che va sotto il nome di Rivoluzione Industriale. Il caso, ma non solo questo, ha voluto che la prossima estate mi si è data la possibilità di seguire un ennesimo corso di studio su questo argomento durante una Summer School al Marlborough College, in Inghilterra.
Le etichette che ho assegnato a questo libro identificano la qualità del libro. Un caso personale di bibliomania, ma anche di identità della storia di un popolo vista in un determinato periodo che va dal Medio Evo e che continua ancora oggi anche se in maniera diversa. Microstoria che diventa storia, in un passato che per la penna di chi scrive diventa un piacevole viaggio nel tempo toccando temi che sono trasversali ed anche universali.
Mio padre tipografo, mio zio editore, ed io medesimo, conoscemmo una persona straordinaria che lavorava in quel posto dedicato ai libri. Era la dottoressa Talò alla quale devo, tra tante altre cose, anche la fortuna di avere scovato per me, in quel paradiso dei libri che è quella biblioteca, i quattro volumi dei dell’economista inglese Arthur Young.
Quei libri facevano parte della collezione privata della biblioteca dei Borboni direttamente fatti arrivare da Londra, con speciale dedica. Su di essi ho avuto la possibilità di redigere la mia tesi di laurea ed effettuare poi le successive ricerche per la borsa di studio quadriennale ministeriale sulla Rivoluzione Agricola Inglese sotto la guida di quell’indimenticabile Maestro e Anglista che fu Fernando Ferrara.
Quei volumi profumavano d’Inghilterra e della sua storia, ma anche di un odore napoletano e borbonico. Ecco dove mi ha condotto la lettura di questo libro a distanza di oltre mezzo secolo. Arthur Young nella stesura dei suoi resoconti sulla Rivoluzione Agricola non mancò di occuparsi delle tante Country Houses che facevano parte di quella realtà agricola terriera che stava attraversando la più grande rivoluzione della storia di quel Paese.
Una rivoluzione tanto importante quanto necessaria da conoscere. Precedette e condusse a quella altrettanto rivoluzionaria, che va sotto il nome di Rivoluzione Industriale. Il caso, ma non solo questo, ha voluto che la prossima estate mi si è data la possibilità di seguire un ennesimo corso di studio su questo argomento durante una Summer School al Marlborough College, in Inghilterra.
Le etichette che ho assegnato a questo libro identificano la qualità del libro. Un caso personale di bibliomania, ma anche di identità della storia di un popolo vista in un determinato periodo che va dal Medio Evo e che continua ancora oggi anche se in maniera diversa. Microstoria che diventa storia, in un passato che per la penna di chi scrive diventa un piacevole viaggio nel tempo toccando temi che sono trasversali ed anche universali.
August 14, 2021
As advertised, Girouard explains the social and architectural history of large English country houses. Beginning with medieval times, he describes the different periods, the transitions from one period to another, and what drove the changes. Through this two-pronged history, Girouard gives a full view of British aristocratic families and their customs. He also describes the people that worked within these homes (housekeepers, butlers, maids, footmen, gentlemen servants, yeoman servants, etc., etc.) at each different period and the social arrangements through time. It's a fascinating history.
My interest in reading this book was more for the social history than the architectural history, but the two go together. As Victor Hugo said: "architecture has been until the fifteenth century the principle register of humanity," and "human beings [prior to the printing press] thought of nothing of importance that they did not write on stone." Hugo's observation was true for the English estates. How they built houses reflected how they lived.
My interest in reading this book was more for the social history than the architectural history, but the two go together. As Victor Hugo said: "architecture has been until the fifteenth century the principle register of humanity," and "human beings [prior to the printing press] thought of nothing of importance that they did not write on stone." Hugo's observation was true for the English estates. How they built houses reflected how they lived.
July 8, 2021
This books details the changes in country house architecture and lifestyles from the medieval period to the first part of 20th century. The author explains the social structure, the meal settings, the number and positions of servants as well as the lives of their masters, including chapters on technology and displays of books and other collectibles. He connects very well how changes in lifestyle fashions affect the architecture. The writing is both enjoyable and informative (without being too academic) and is accompanied by many pictures to illustrate the architectural styles portrayed. I only wish the author would complete the narrative to the end of the 20th/beginning of 21st century.
May 2, 2020
This is a detailed and lavishly illustrated overview of the history of English country houses, and while the prose can be a bit dry at times, it's also easy to get swept up in the grand scope of all that ambition and elegance. The curious life of English aristocrats in their splendid country retreats still stands as something of a high-water mark of gracious living, and this volume provides a worthwhile entrée to that peculiar world.
March 16, 2023
If all you know about English country houses is that people seem to get murdered in them a lot -- at least according to Agatha Christie -- then this will be a revelation. This book is about how English country houses were laid out, how they functioned, the different roles that servants held, and how all of this changed over time.
July 19, 2019
A really interesting and engaging book about country house design and the way people lived in them. As this was published 40 years ago, I'd love to read an updated version.
October 18, 2020
Perfect if you are interested in architecture, and why peerage country homes were built the way they were. Not so much about how life was lived in the country houses.
July 20, 2023
3 for the content 1 for the pretty edition
April 30, 2014
I read this in combination with Life in the French Country House and am discussing them together. . . .
Both books start out with the medieval houses and households of lords and kings and lesser gentlemen and trace the history up to modern times. Which means, naturally, that they also trace the fortunes and practices of the nobility who lived in them. Not the same information for both. For instance, he talks about how one was supposed to become a French marquis or duke, or baron, or count: You had your land declared a marquisate, a dukedom, a barony, a county. In theory, you sold the land, you lost the title. In practice, you could give yourself the title and no one cared because it had no legal significance. He doesn't talk about how English nobles got their titles.
Better to read English Country House first. The other contrasts French practice with English more often so it helps to know the English first.
The households of the medieval English were enormous -- and virtually all male. A warband having undergone some modifications. And many members of it were high ranking; a servant could have three servants of his own. And the whole intricate framework of ceremony worked about it. These declined out of medieval times for all sorts of reasons: decline in violence, high-ranking men went into other fields which opened up, and royal disapproval of large groups. Also, the expense.
The grand medieval hall where everyone ate retreated into all kinds of rooms for private eating. Again and again. Because as soon as, say, the lord ate in the great chamber instead of the hall, he would start eating in the privy chamber when he wanted some privacy.
And the introduction of female servants, and the addition of libraries, and how the rise of the merchant class changed their ethos -- it was a major factor in their coming to regard some things as proper for the country and some for the city, because they represented the country and the agriculture while the merchants represented the city, and they embodied this architecturally.
The slow progress of modern conveniences into the home. Some only because you couldn't get servants to put up with doing without them.
Now, in a French house, there was a lot less ceremony. Partly because in France, you did not work from the immensely graduated degrees of status. You had nobles -- and everyone of noble descent was noble -- and then the rest of them. They would never eat together, not even with the carefully ranked tables that the English had.
But you had the same sort of retreat into more and more rooms. Not exactly the same -- access was easier in France -- but the rooms did proliferate.
For the French, of course, the houses didn't have the political necessity that the English ones did. You didn't have to persuade your freeholders to vote as you wanted them to. But there was hunting, and then it was also cheaper. It's hard to figure out whether they spent much time in their chateaus because writers in the same era would write "People used to go to their chateaus a lot when I was a child but not any more" and "People go to their chateaus a lot more than they used to when I was a child." Courtiers dancing attendance on the king didn't have much chance, but other apparently did.
After the revolution, of course, you got a lot more. The English nobles lived in their country houses; the English didn't have a revolution, therefore the French nobles should have, and should now, live in their country houses. QED
And a large number still have their chateaus, although it can still be interesting keeping them going.
Useful books for writers. Especially since they offer different possibilities.
Both books start out with the medieval houses and households of lords and kings and lesser gentlemen and trace the history up to modern times. Which means, naturally, that they also trace the fortunes and practices of the nobility who lived in them. Not the same information for both. For instance, he talks about how one was supposed to become a French marquis or duke, or baron, or count: You had your land declared a marquisate, a dukedom, a barony, a county. In theory, you sold the land, you lost the title. In practice, you could give yourself the title and no one cared because it had no legal significance. He doesn't talk about how English nobles got their titles.
Better to read English Country House first. The other contrasts French practice with English more often so it helps to know the English first.
The households of the medieval English were enormous -- and virtually all male. A warband having undergone some modifications. And many members of it were high ranking; a servant could have three servants of his own. And the whole intricate framework of ceremony worked about it. These declined out of medieval times for all sorts of reasons: decline in violence, high-ranking men went into other fields which opened up, and royal disapproval of large groups. Also, the expense.
The grand medieval hall where everyone ate retreated into all kinds of rooms for private eating. Again and again. Because as soon as, say, the lord ate in the great chamber instead of the hall, he would start eating in the privy chamber when he wanted some privacy.
And the introduction of female servants, and the addition of libraries, and how the rise of the merchant class changed their ethos -- it was a major factor in their coming to regard some things as proper for the country and some for the city, because they represented the country and the agriculture while the merchants represented the city, and they embodied this architecturally.
The slow progress of modern conveniences into the home. Some only because you couldn't get servants to put up with doing without them.
Now, in a French house, there was a lot less ceremony. Partly because in France, you did not work from the immensely graduated degrees of status. You had nobles -- and everyone of noble descent was noble -- and then the rest of them. They would never eat together, not even with the carefully ranked tables that the English had.
But you had the same sort of retreat into more and more rooms. Not exactly the same -- access was easier in France -- but the rooms did proliferate.
For the French, of course, the houses didn't have the political necessity that the English ones did. You didn't have to persuade your freeholders to vote as you wanted them to. But there was hunting, and then it was also cheaper. It's hard to figure out whether they spent much time in their chateaus because writers in the same era would write "People used to go to their chateaus a lot when I was a child but not any more" and "People go to their chateaus a lot more than they used to when I was a child." Courtiers dancing attendance on the king didn't have much chance, but other apparently did.
After the revolution, of course, you got a lot more. The English nobles lived in their country houses; the English didn't have a revolution, therefore the French nobles should have, and should now, live in their country houses. QED
And a large number still have their chateaus, although it can still be interesting keeping them going.
Useful books for writers. Especially since they offer different possibilities.
November 14, 2014
Anyone who has read Jane Austen or Thackeray, or followed the adventures of Hercule Poirot, or has watched Gosford Park, has had some exposure to the cliché of the English country house and its denizens. There were large estates in medieval times, of course, but the country estate to which the wealthy (which usually meant the titled) could escape from the city, is largely an outgrowth of Henry VIII stripping the Church of its rural properties and turning them over to those families who had supported him and to whom he owed a favor. The large houses, whether converted monasteries or purpose-built, grew in number during the Georgian era and especially in the 19th century, but the heavy taxation of the 20th century reduced their number greatly. The notion of the country house, with jowly gentlemen in dinner jackets playing billiards and bored ladies doing needlepoint on the veranda, now seems almost quaint, but there’s a great deal of social history there -- much of it preserved by the large and intricate administrative systems required to run such an establishment. Girouard was both an architectural historian and a noted figure on the BBC and he does an excellent job of leading the reader through the evolution of the buildings themselves, as well as describing the lives of the family upstairs and the much larger number of staff downstairs and in the gardens and stables. The volume is heavily illustrated (mostly in black-and-white, unfortunately) with paintings, portraits, architectural plans, and photographs, and the narrative never becomes too specialized or technical. An excellent piece of work. And since having first read this one years ago, I have made a point of acquiring each of Girouard’s later books as they appeared.
April 19, 2011
A widely admired and often cited overview of the history of the English country house, those great houses of the landowning political, cultural, and economic elites, from the Middle Ages to the twentieth century. As culture and social structures change, the patterns of households and daily life change with them, so the spaces in which those lives are lived can provide a physical counterpart to other things. As a survey, the book necessarily skims over a lot of complex and important detail, but its readability and wide scope make it well worth reading.
February 25, 2015
Dense, but still approachable. I'll admit, I skimmed most of the chapters on the medieval house, its just not an area that I'm interested in. When you have a 500 page history, sometimes you have to pick and choose. Girouard is best known for this work for a reason, its unbelievably comprehensive, and well researched from a diverse range of sources. The term "definitive work" gets thrown around a lot, but in this case this might just be it.
February 12, 2012
I borrowed this book to do research for my first Regency romance. As a reader of history, I enjoyed the book very much. The book delves deeply into a wide variety of grand houses in England throughout history with pictures and floor plans to accompany excellent text.
However, as for gathering info for my research, I was disappointed. No much info was offered for that period of time.
However, as for gathering info for my research, I was disappointed. No much info was offered for that period of time.
January 23, 2012
I remember reading this for a history class in college and really enjoying it. I wrote a paper about it and received a D, the first in my life. The prof couldn't say what exactly was wrong with my paper but summed it up by saying it was the paper of an English major, not a history major.
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December 27, 2012READ
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January 9, 2010Amazon preorder
June 27, 2013
I think this is a great piece of work. There is so much information the author has looked at -- architectural and documentary -- and he presents a narrative that is fascinating to read.
September 29, 2015
I particularly liked the chapter on the development of indoor plumbing. Always an interesting (and often taboo) topic.
Want to read
March 15, 2016Library sale find. Flipped through it, looked interesting, so grabbed it. Who knows when I'll actually read it read it, but neat to have.
Read
August 15, 2020Read for a class, super interesting in terms of the country-life history and it was not as dry as some of the other books on this topic I've had to read.
April 10, 2015
Excellent book which helped me in my undergraduate assignments.
May 10, 2016
Interesting and not too dry. Plus it is obvious the author deeply loves the subject.
February 21, 2019
Really great historical overview of the classic English country house and the nature of the aristocratic society that lived in and around them. Just the right depth and really well illustrated.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews