The Story of the Country House: A History of Places and People
by Clive Aslet
Publication Date 28 Sept 2021
The Story of the Country House is the story of Britain told through the history of its stately homes. These heritage buildings preserve brilliant architecture and prized art collections and have hosted guests ranging from royalty to recuperating soldiers. Architectural historian and journalist Clive Aslet takes you on an extraordinary tour of these famous locations starting at the beginning – all the way at the beginning, back to the Romans. The reader is then guided from medieval times to present day, although readers will likely be most familiar with the Georgian, Regency and Victorian eras from film and television productions.
This book serves as an excellent introductory course on British history as each chapter provides an overview of royalty, government, the expansion of empire, war, economic shifts and cultural changes that shaped the history of these family seats. Despite the cheerful cover, this book does not shy away from discussing some of the more difficult aspects of colonialism, race and how these grand homes and their families were funded through the vast “tentacles” of slavery. Aslet observes that “modern writers cannot turn their eyes from the distasteful economy of the Age of Taste: most Georgian country-house owners managed to ignore the human misery that was being suffered in distant countries – as successfully, it might be said, as western consumers fail to remember the sweated conditions and oppressive regimes under which cheap garments and mobile technology can be produced today.”
Often popular history books are really ‘English’ histories, but Aslet includes information about the country homes and the people of Scotland, Wales and Ireland. It is impossible to separate the histories of these homes from the local economy and the people who worked there, so much is said about forced migration, displacement and uprisings. I was unaware that during Ireland’s struggle to secede more than “275 Irish country houses were burnt down or blown up.”
Technology changes ranging from the steam engine to advances in household tools shaped the life of the owners and their numerous servants. Bicycles and cars meant people could pop in and out of their country homes and could have a social circle beyond their immediate neighbours of similar class. It’s interesting to read about how progress either brought an end to the country house lifestyle or reinvigorated their owner’s finances.
On the lighter side of things, I greatly enjoyed reading about the development of taste, where ‘taste’ was a ‘gentlemanly attribute, it spoke of shared values and common assumptions…’ You’ll learn a fair bit about Greek and Roman architecture from this book, as those wealthy young men and their influencers brought ideas back for their homes and gardens from their grand tours. It helpfully includes a number of colour illustrations and photos throughout the text to illustrate the key homes of interest or to showcase homes which sadly no longer exist. I especially enjoyed the later sections on the resurgence of the country home. It was amusing to read how different families sought to recreate aspects of the past after the trauma of WWI. Some wanted to ‘retreat to the cosiness of the Tudor past before aerial warfare and the artillery barrage.’ Others turned away from the old world and looked to the United States for new developments in luxurious comforts, gadgets and modern designs.
This book would be a wonderful gift for fans of British history, classic literature or period dramas. For example, the stories of destitute aristocrats marrying Americans to save their stately home was a main plot point in Downton Abbey. Descriptions of the country social scene, new money and military service will be familiar to fans of Jane Austen and William Makepeace Thackeray. It’s an ideal book for those wishing to travel by armchair in a time where “social relations more akin to the age of Jane Austen than the twenty-first century: family members had to rely on each other for company, since they were not allowed out.” This well researched book showcasing the treasure homes of Britain is indeed a treasure.
This book was provided by Yale University Press for review.