England's Thousand Best Houses - Simon Jenkins

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About Simon Jenkins

England's Thousand Best Houses

» Simon Jenkins

Allen Lane
Hardback : 30 Oct 2003

£30.00

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From the bestselling author of England's Thousand Best Churches.

Synopsis

‘By our houses we define ourselves and by them we are known. The Englishman’s home is more than his castle. It is his face, his refuge and his family hearth.’

‘The houses of England,’ says Simon Jenkins, ‘are a treasure trove, a glory of humanity, a wonder of the world.’ What is more, to our great good fortune, ‘England retains far more great houses with contents intact and on display than any other country in the world.’ These extraordinary records of our history are the subject of Jenkins’s wonderful new book, the successor to his bestselling England’s Thousand Best Churches.

Jenkins has travelled throughout England, from Cornwall to Cumbria, to choose its most impressive, interesting and unusual houses. Not only does he include a full, rich selection of its great and famous houses and estates, but also presents an eclectic mix from the many thousands of towers, castles, halls, abbeys, cottages, private homes – even schools and prisons – of the country. From Blenheim Palace to Milton’s Cottage, from Chatsworth to John Lennon’s childhood home, from Spencer House to a tiny hop-pickers’ shack in Kent, every architectural style and period is included, and setting for almost every kind of English life. Jenkins’ only criteria are interest, distinction, and that the property should be open to the public.

Even more lavishly illustrated than its predecessor, and full of stories about the past occupants of the houses, which bring them vividly to life, England’s Thousand Best Houses is an essential companion for anyone wishing to explore England or its history. It is full of surprises, and opens doors to hundreds of delights of which most of us have never heard.