What is a Country House?
Oxford English Dictionary defines the country house as "a house or mansion in the country; esp. the residence of a country gentleman; a country-seat".
What is a Manor House?
Oxford English Dictionary defines the manor house as "a mansion or country residence; the principal house of an estate, spec. (in Law) that occupied by the owner of the estate".
Images of British Country Houses from the YCBA Collections
Blogs
Consumption and the Country House
A social networking forum for people interested in the country house and the study of consumption across a broad chronological period, from academics to private researchers, conservationists and the broader public.
This blog is run by an eighteenth-century historian, who delights in all things related to the country house; building and architecture, material culture, servants, household and estate management.
The aim of this blog is to focus on sharing news and comments on UK country houses and stately homes and provide a broader perspective on their place in architecture.
Primary Sources on British Country Houses
Books listed can be found in the YCBA Rare Bks and Mss Collection unless otherwise noted.
- Account of travels throughout Britain, including descriptions of several major country houses, 1742-1750 byCall Number: Osborn c480 (BEINECKE)Publication Date: 1742-1750Anonymous MS. Divided into 3 parts: 1) copy (reduction) of Horace Walpole's Aedes Walpolianae (1747) concerning Houghton Hall, in Norfolk; 2) a description, primarily a listing of paintings and artists, of Penshurst-Place in Kent; 3) and miscellaneous notes on country houses, including Knowsley, Chatsworth, Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal, Hemesley, Stowe, Blenhiem, Burleigh, Belvoir Castle, Thoresby, Castle Howard, and many others; includes an index.
- Notes on visits to various country houses and towns in Great Britain, 1789-1826 byCall Number: DA11 .K47 1789Publication Date: 1789-1826A manuscript miscellany, in a single hand, chiefly consisting of notes on visits to various country houses and towns in Great Britain. Each entry is dated, with the dates ranging from 1789 to 1826. They include two accounts of visits to Oxford, one from 1789, the other from 1812, and an account of a visit to Cambridge in 1811, all including details of some of the treasures in the university and college libraries there. In Stratford-upon-Avon, the writer describes Shakespeare's birthplace as "built of wood and of very mean appearance, part is a publick house, and part a butchers shop, almost joining the White Lyon Inn", and mentions that the effigy of Shakespeare in Holy Trinity Church had been painted entirely white in 1793. The description of Coventry includes several buildings destroyed during the Second World War, such as the old Coventry Cathedral. The accounts of country houses tend to be more concerned with the furniture, paintings and books contained in them than with the architecture. In addition to these descriptions, there are three extracts from other works, one with caption title "Savarys Letters on Egypt. 1786", the second with caption title "In what arts have the moderns excelled the ancients" and note "William Benwell A:B: Trinity College this essay obtaind the prize in the University of Oxford in 1787", and the third with caption title "Dr. Towers' Life of Fred: 3d King of Prussia".
Books on British Country Houses
Books listed can be found in the YCBA Reference Library unless otherwise noted.
Search Orbis for additional titles and try using subject headings such as "Country homes--England"
- Selections from views of the residences and county seats of the nobility and gentry : which illustrate the most important national work entitled The mansions of England and Wales byCall Number: NA7328 .B37 1851+ Oversize (Rare Bks & Mss)Publication Date: 1851
- Burke's & Savills Guide to Country Houses byCall Number: NA7620 B86 (LC)+ OversizePublication Date: 1978-1981
- Researching the country house : a guide for local historians byCall Number: DA566.4 E57 1992 (LC)Publication Date: 1992Contains a select list of country houses and associated gardens open to the public together with the name of the family most closely identified with them and the main location of their estate archive
- The Country Life Book of Castles and Houses in Britain byCall Number: NA7745 C68 (LC)+ OversizeISBN: 0600358674Publication Date: 1986
- The Victorian Country House byCall Number: NA7562 .G57 (LC)+ OversizeISBN: 0198171838Publication Date: 1971
Scottish Houses and Gardens from the Archives of Country Life by Call Number: DA875 G68 1997 (LC)+ OversizeISBN: 1854104888Publication Date: 1997
Houses of the National Trust by Call Number: DA660 .G747 2008 (LC)ISBN: 1905400667Publication Date: 2008- The Artist and the Country House from the Fifteenth Century to the Present Day: an exhibition to benefit The Prince of Wales's Institute of Architecture byCall Number: N6764 H362 1995 (LC)+ OversizePublication Date: 1995
- The Design of the English Country House, 1620-1920 byCall Number: NA7580 G7 H27 (LC)+ OversizeISBN: 0862940672Publication Date: 1985
- The Country House Described: An Index to the Country Houses of Great Britain and Ireland, byCall Number: Z2021 H49 H65 (LC)ISBN: 0906795397Publication Date: 1986
- English Country Houses Open to the Public byCall Number: NA7620 .H83 1964 (LC)+ OversizePublication Date: 1964
Great Houses of England and Wales by Call Number: NA7620 M66 1994 (LC)+ OversizeISBN: 1856690539Publication Date: 1994
How to Read a Country House by Call Number: NA7620 .M872 2005 (LC)ISBN: 009190076XPublication Date: 2005- The Mansions of England and Wales : illustrated in a series of views of the principal seats with historical and topographical descriptions byCall Number: DA660 T89 1847+ Oversize (Rare Bks & Mss)Publication Date: 1847-1850
Creating paradise : the building of the English country house, 1660-1880 by Call Number: NA7620 W55 2000 (LC)ISBN: 1852852526Publication Date: 2000
Websites on British Country Houses
This tourist site for discovering Britain can be searched by type of attraction such as castles, abbeys, historic houses, gardens, etc. Attractions can be searched alphabetically in England, Scotland and Wales.
British Castles, Stately Homes and Houses
This website features an alphabetical listing of Castles and Stately Homes in Britain with weblinks and photographs.
The DiCamillo Companion to British & Irish Country Houses
A database of all the country houses ever built in Britain and Ireland, updated daily, with information coming from professional journals, print resources and from contributors around the world. The Database currently contains records for more than 7,000 houses and listings of over 570 houses where movie and TV filming has taken place. There is also a guide for property pronouncing the names of British houses.
This independent historical website was created to encourage the exploration of British heritage. Showcasing a diverse range of historical sites and monuments, The Heritage Trail provides an excellent starting point for researching projects, holidays or tours.
HHA represents 1,500 privately-owned historic houses, castles and gardens throughout the UK. Their portfolio of 300 HHA houses open to the public can be searched.
List of lost English country houses sorted alphabetically with former location, reason for loss and sometimes images and further information.
The Trust preserves and makse public, historic houses, gardens, archaeological remains, nature reserves, villages, etc. The site can be searched for properties and the latest news on preservation.
The guide will help you plan your visit to one of Britain's stately homes, gardens, castles and other historic properties and houses. Includes all major properties represented by the Historic Houses Association, National Trust, English Heritage, Historic Scotland, Cadw (Welsh Heritage), and The National Trust for Scotland and other properties open to the public.