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Text of the page (random words):
rtments typically in enfilade reserved for the most eminent guests the entertainment of whom was of paramount importance in establishing and maintaining the power of the owner the common denominator of this category of english country houses is that they were designed to be lived in with a certain degree of ceremony and pomp it was not unusual for the family to have a small suite of rooms for withdrawing in privacy away from the multitude that lived in the household these houses were always an alternative residence to a london house during the 18th and 19th centuries for the highest echelons of english society the country house served as a place for relaxing hunting and running the country with one s equals at the end of the week with some houses having their own theatre where performances were staged 12 blenheim palace in oxfordshire one of england s largest houses it was built between 1705 and 1722 the country house however was not just an oasis of pleasure for its owners it was also a major centre of employment for local communities estate staff often had greater security and accommodation than many agricultural labourers but their conditions were demanding with long hours strict hierarchies and modest pay 13 14 as a result of the aristocratic habit of only marrying within the aristocracy and whenever possible to a sole heiress many owners of country houses owned several country mansions 15 and would visit each according to the season grouse shooting in scotland pheasant shooting and fox hunting in england the earl of rosebery for instance had dalmeny house in scotland mentmore towers in buckinghamshire and another house near epsom just for the racing season 16 for many this way of life which began a steady decline in 1914 continued well into the 20th century and for a few continues to this day minor country houses edit in the second category of england s country houses are those that belonged to the squirearchy or landed gentry these tend either to have evolved from medieval hall houses with rooms added as required or were purpose built by relatively unknown local architects smaller and far greater in number than the power houses these were still the epicentre of their own estate but were often the only residence of their owner however whether the owner of a power house or a small manor the inhabitants of the english country house have become collectively referred to as the ruling class because this is exactly what they did in varying degrees whether by having high political influence and power in national government or in the day to day running of their own localities or county in such offices as lord deputy lieutenant magistrates or occasionally even clergy 17 the country house mystery was a popular genre of english detective fiction in the 1920s and 1930s set in the residence of the gentry and often involving a murder in a country house temporarily isolated by a snowstorm or similar with the suspects all at a weekend house party victorian houses edit waddesdon manor in buckinghamshire during the victorian era vast country houses were built in a variety of styles by wealthy industrialists and bankers following the industrial revolution of the 18th century a third category of country houses was built as newly rich industrialists and bankers were eager to display their wealth and taste by the 1850s with the english economy booming new mansions were built in one of the many revivalist architectural styles popular throughout the 19th century 18 the builders of these new houses were able to take advantage of the political unrest in europe that gave rise to a large trade in architectural salvage 18 this new wave of country house building is exemplified by the rothschild properties in the home counties and bletchley park rebuilt in several styles and famous for its code breaking role in world war ii decline edit see also destruction of country houses in 20th century britain trentham in staffordshire between 1900 and 1955 around 1 200 english country houses were demolished often with their stone and fixtures sold 19 during this era many fine architectural features were transported to the us the slow decline of the english country house coincided with the rise not just of taxation but also of modern industry along with the agricultural depression of the 1870s by 1880 this had led some owners into financial shortfalls as they tried to balance maintenance of their estates with the income they provided some relied on funds from secondary sources such as banking and trade while others like the severely impoverished duke of marlborough sought to marry american heiresses to save their country houses and lifestyles 20 the ultimate demise began immediately following world war i the members of the huge staff required to maintain large houses had either left to fight and never returned departed to work in the munitions factories or filled the void left by the fighting men in other workplaces of those who returned after the war many left the countryside for better paid jobs in towns the final blow for many country houses came following world war ii having been requisitioned during the war they were returned to the owners in poor repair many estate owners having lost their heirs if not in the immediately preceding war then in world war i were now paying far higher rates of tax and agricultural incomes had dropped thus the solution for many was to hold contents auctions and then demolish the house and sell its stone fireplaces and panelling this is what happened to many of britain s finest houses despite this slow decline so necessary was the country house for entertaining and prestige that in 1917 viscount lee of fareham donated his country house chequers to the nation for the use of a prime minister who might not possess one of his or her own chequers still fulfills that need today as do both chevening house and dorneywood donated for sole use of high ranking ministers of the crown today edit today many country houses have become hotels 21 schools hospitals and museums while others have survived as conserved ruins but from the early 20th century until the early 1970s hundreds of country houses were demolished houses that survived destruction are now mostly grade i or ii listed as buildings of historic interest with restrictions on restoration and re creation work however such work is usually very expensive several houses have been restored some over many years for example at copped hall where the restoration started in 1995 continues to this day although the ownership or management of some houses has been transferred to a private trust most notably at chatsworth other houses have transferred art works and furnishings under the acceptance in lieu scheme to ownership by various national or local museums but retained for display in the building this enables the former owners to offset tax the payment of which would otherwise have necessitated the private sale of the art works for example tapestries and furniture at houghton hall are now owned by the victoria and albert museum in addition increasing numbers of country houses hold licences for weddings and civil ceremonies another source of income is to use the house as a venue for parties 22 a film location or a corporate entertainment venue while many country houses are open to the public and derive income through that means they remain homes in some cases inhabited by the descendants of their original owners the lifestyles of those living and working in a country house in the early 20th century were recreated in a bbc television programme the edwardian country house filmed at manderston house in scotland another television programme which features life in country houses is the itv series downton abbey 23 see also edit england portal housing portal banqueting house british country house contents auctions country house poem country house theatre english country houses with changed use estate houses in scotland estate land great house historic house homestead building english landscape garden licence to crenellate list of castles in england list of country houses in the united kingdom list of english heritage properties list of historic buildings of the united kingdom country house architectural periods and styles list of national trust properties in england manor house mansion prodigy house roman villa servants quarters treasure houses of england media edit country life downton abbey the edwardian country house a channel 4 series country house song references edit as documented in the purefoy letters 1735 53 by l g mitchell highclere castle list entry historic england retrieved 19 october 2025 castle encyclopædia britannica retrieved 19 october 2025 the lions and loins of longleat archived 29 june 2011 at the wayback machine the sunday times retrieved 18 february 2011 new scientist 2 dec 1982 archived 21 may 2016 at the wayback machine retrieved 18 february 2011 the stately homes of england by noël coward 1938 was featured in his musical operette which premiered in the same year girouard p harling p 1 16 gunther john 1940 inside europe new york harper brothers p 287 girouard p2 12 girouard p 2 12 rise and fall of the english stately home historic uk retrieved 20 october 2022 girouard mark 1978 life in the english country house a social and architectural history yale university press isbn 9780300022735 lewis lesley 1997 the private life of a country house sutton publishing isbn 9780752460512 worsley p 10 mckinstrey p181 girouard p2 describes a squire as like a little king in his village 1 2 hall p25 worsley giles 2002 england s lost houses aurum press isbn 1 85410 820 4 stuart p 135 staying at an english manor house aglaia magazine 6 november 2018 archived from the original on 19 january 2019 retrieved 19 january 2019 large houses to rent for parties mansions large houses for rent for parties weddings uk 9 june 2012 archived from the original on 8 february 2021 retrieved 22 march 2017 downton abbey on masterpiece on pbs pbs archived from the original on 26 october 2019 retrieved 29 october 2019 sources and further reading edit airs malcolm 1975 the making of the english country house 1500 1640 london architectural press isbn 0 85139 378 0 barczewski stephanie 2023 how the country house became english london reaktion books isbn 9781789147605 coutu joan et al eds politics and the english country house 1688 1800 mcgill queen s university press 2023 online book review girouard mark 1978 life in the english country house a social and architectural history new haven yale university press isbn 0 300 02273 5 details the impact of social change on design hall michael 2009 the victorian country house london aurum press ltd isbn 978 1 84513 457 0 harris john 1998 no voice from the hall early memories of a country house snooper london john murray isbn 0 7195 5567 1 kroll alexander ed 1969 historic houses conversations in stately homes discussions with robert harling london condé nast isbn 0 900303 05 0 lewis lesley 1997 the private life of a country house stroud sutton isbn 0 7509 1678 8 gives much detail of how a smaller country house operated in the early 20th century lycett green candida 1991 the perfect english country house london pavilion books ltd isbn 1 85145 551 5 mckinstry leo 2005 rosebery a statesman in turmoil london john murray isbn 0 7195 6586 3 murdoch tessa 2006 noble households eighteenth century inventories of great english houses a tribute to john cornforth cambridge john adamson isbn 978 0 9524322 5 8 robinson john martin the english country estate century hutchinson national trust 1988 isbn 0 71 262275 6 sayer michael hugh massingberd ed the disintegration of a heritage country houses and their collections 1979 1992 michael russell 1993 isbn 978 0 859 55197 7 stuart amanda mackenzie 2005 consuelo and alva vanderbilt the story of a daughter and mother in the gilded age new york harper perennial isbn 978 0 06 093825 3 worsley giles 2002 england s lost houses london aurum press isbn 1 85410 820 4 external links edit wikimedia commons has media related to castles palaces and houses in england the national trust england wales northern ireland the national trust for scotland english heritage historic houses association archived 24 february 2018 at the wayback machine hudson s historic houses and gardens hudson s list of 2 000 properties open to the public the dicamillo companion to british irish country houses archived 9 may 2008 at the wayback machine lost heritage a memorial to the lost country houses of england v t e architecture of england styles anglo saxon saxo norman norman english gothic early english gothic decorated gothic perpendicular gothic vernacular tudor elizabethan jacobean carolean english baroque queen anne georgian adam strawberry hill gothic victorian jacobethan edwardian bristol byzantine brutalist buildings and structures castles abbeys and priories medieval cathedrals former cathedrals round tower churches roman villas historic houses hall houses renaissance theatres listed buildings museums church monuments national trust properties windmills hindu temples stadiums lighthouses by location aylesbury bath birmingham brighton and hove bristol leeds liverpool london manchester other hammerbeam roof fan vault almshouse bastle house country house oast house cowl wealden hall house dartmoor longhouse somerset towers anglo saxon turriform churches bath stone portland stone flushwork english landscape garden cruck framing category v t e housing in the united kingdom housing in scotland housing in wales architectures victorian edwardian cities and towns glasgow liverpool general affordability energy efficiency homelessness act 2002 england gatekeeping reduction bill 2016 17 scotland homes england housing corporation minister of state for housing public housing right to buy slum clearance squatting variants back to back birmingham back to backs boot english country list estate hall oast prefabricated airey atholl steel reema construction wimpey no fines terraced byelaw pre regulation two up two down tower blocks townhouse weavers cottage wealden hall parliamentary acts housing 1874 1924 1930 1933 1935 1936 1944 1949 1957 1961 1969 1980 1985 1988 1996 grants construction and regeneration 2004 2008 2023 housing and town planning 1909 1919 1986 2016 working classes 1885 1890 1900 category authority control databases national united states israel other yale lux retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title english_country_house oldid 1357359469 categories country houses in england architecture in england house types in the united kingdom house styles hidden categories articles with short description short description is different from wikidata use british english from november 2013 all wikipedia articles written in british english use dmy dates from april 2025 webarchive template wayback links articles containing french language text commons link from wiki...