History: How we used to Live – Country Houses

Country houses have been a source of aspiration, ambition and power for over 500 years in Britain, especially in England. Using a range of sources, from house plans and photographs to diaries and social commentaries, we will see how these buildings adapted and altered over time to meet changing social and political needs. We will look at a number of eminent country house architects, such as William Burn, Richard Adams and Edwin Lutyens, as well as the Arts and Crafts movement.

Examining how country houses changed from fortified centres of power to the epitome of elegant living that ‘new money’ aspired to, we will consider how these homes have impacted how we live today. We will also consider country houses as workplaces and the roles and lives of the servants who enabled them to function and support those who owned them, before looking at the impact of the two world wars in the 20th century. How have country houses survived and why do they still attract thousands of visitors every year? And what will country houses of the future be like – if they continue to be built at all?