Building and rebuilding their houses was one of the main concerns of the English nobility and gentry, some might say their greatest achievement. This is the first book to look at the building of country houses as a whole in the two centuries after 1660. "Creating Paradise" shows why owners embarked on building schemes, often following the Grand Tour or excursions around other houses in England; where they looked for architectural inspiration and assistance; and how the building work was actually done and what it cost. It deals not only with the grandest houses, including Holkham and Castle Howard, but also the diversity of middling ones, such as Felbrigg and Dyrham, and those of the lesser country gentry. "Creating Paradise" is an important and original contribution to its subject and a highly readable account of the attitude of the English ruling class to its most important possession.
- ISBN10 1852855568
- ISBN13 9781852855567
- Publish Date 15 October 2006
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 30 July 2014
- Publish Country GB
- Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
- Imprint Hambledon Continuum
- Edition New edition
- Format Paperback
- Pages 428
- Language English