Fully revised and updated edition of the classic, stunningly illustrated guide to the country houses in the care of the National Trust, encompassing both interior and exterior design.



This captivating book, fully revised and updated and featuring more NT houses than ever before, is a guide to some of the greatest architectural treasures of Britain, encompassing both interior and exterior design.



This new edition is fully revised and updated, and includes entries for eight new properties including: Dyffryn, Eyam Hall, Goddards, Leith Hill Place, Stoneywell, Allan Bank, Belmont Tower and Dapdune Wharf. An entirely updated entry for Clandon is also included and covers the recent restoration work.


The houses covered include spectacular mansions such as Petworth House and Waddesdon Manor, and more lowly dwellings such as the Birmingham Back to Backs and estate villages like Blaise Hamlet, near Bristol. In addition to houses, the book also covers fascinating buildings as diverse as churches, windmills, dovecotes, castles, follies, barns and even pubs.


The book also acts as an overview of the country's architectural history, with every period covered, from the medieval stronghold of Bodiam Castle to the clean-lined Modernism of The Homewood.


The book teems with stories of the people who lived and worked in these buildings: wealthy collectors (Charles Wade at Snowshill), captains of industry (William Armstrong at Cragside), prime ministers (Winston Churchill at Chartwell) and pop stars (John Lennon at Mendips).


Written in evocative, imaginative prose and illustrated with glorious images from the National Trust's photographic library, this book is an essential guide to the built heritage of England, Wales and Northern Ireland.