A highly detailed look at the English country house interior, offering
unprecedented access to England’s finest rooms. In this splendid book,
renowned historian Jeremy Musson explores the interiors and decoration
of the great country houses of England, offering a brilliantly detailed
presentation of the epitome of style in each period of the country
house, including the great Jacobean manor house, the Georgian mansion,
and the Gothic Revival castle. For the first time, houses known
worldwide for their exquisite architecture and decoration--including
Wilton, Chatsworth, and Castle Howard--are seen in unprecedented detail.
With intimate views of fabric, gilding, carving, and furnishings, the
book will be a source of inspiration to interior designers, architects,
and home owners, and a must-have for anglophiles and historic house
enthusiasts.
The fifteen houses included represent the key periods in
the history of English country house decoration and cover the major
interior fashions and styles. Stunning new color photographs by Paul
Barker-who was given unparalleled access to the houses-offer readers new
insights into the enduring English country house style. Supplementing
these are unique black-and-white images from the archive of the esteemed
Country Life magazine...
Among the aspects of these that the book covers are: paneling, textile hangings (silks to cut velvet), mural painting, plasterwork, stone carving, gilding, curtains, pelmets, heraldic decoration, classical imagery, early upholstered furniture, furniture designed by Thomas Chippendale, carved chimney-pieces, lass, use of sculpture, tapestry, carpets, picture hanging, collecting of art and antiques, impact of Grand Tour taste, silver, use of marble, different woods, the importance of mirror glass, boulle work, English Baroque style, Palladian style, neo-Classical style, rooms designed by Robert Adam, Regency, Gothic Revival taste, Baronial style, French 18th century style, and room types such as staircases, libraries, dining rooms, parlors, bedrooms, picture galleries, entrance halls and sculpture gallerie.