Overview

A gazetteer of the many fine Shropshire country houses, which covers the architecture, the owners' family history, and the social and economic circumstances that affected them. Shropshire is the largest English inland county, and has a wide variety of important landed country houses, with owners from diverse social groups, with links to trade in Liverpool, Manchester and London as well as the local gentry. This book is not simply about the houses they built, but also about the people who lived in them and the context in which the houses are set. The architecture is of course fully covered. What is distinctive about the author's approach is that he treats the histories of the families, their artistic tastes and their estates, as an integral part of the character of each house. Country houses can serve as a barometer of national tastes and of the social and economic times in which they were built. The work includes reference to the important sporting associations, fine and decorative art collections, and to important guests and social networks. Unlike most architectural guides, this aims at a wider readership, and will be an important resource for social historians, genealogists and local historians. The Country Houses of Shropshire considers the history of 347 identified houses of varying importance; those with a significant or influential history are given a main entry of up to 6000 words whilst lesser houses are treated with an entry of less than 1000 words. All houses have footnoted entries, enabling the reader to refer directly to source and to undertake further research themselves.

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9781783275397

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Reviews

A masterpiece, a magnum opus, a heavyweight book with the calibre of an artillery shell... -- Toby Neal * Shropshire Star *

A masterpiece, a magnum opus, a heavyweight book with the calibre of an artillery shell... -- Toby Neal * Shropshire Star * Mr Williams offers an informed and authoritative outline of the history of each building and its owners to the present day. [...] Quite as remarkable as the text, however, is the accompanying body of illustrations, including prints, paintings and photographs both old and contemporary. * Country Life * Extraordinary. * Shropshire Parks and Gardens Trust * Gareth Williams's massive volume on those houses is long-awaited and does not disappoint in any respect. * The Georgian Group * Three hundred and forty seven houses are documented in total. Williams proceeds in alphabetical order. Each entry is illustrated. The author packs so much into each entry - reaching right back to the origins of houses and their families, and working up the present. While packing in lots of historical and architectural detail, the writing does not become dense or stodgy. It retains a lightness as we trip through a property's timeline. In order to write at depth in such an engaging manner, you have to know your subject inside out - and Williams' scholarship is evident. Each entry is a joy to read. * The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings *

Author Information

Gareth Williams is a curator at the British Museum with responsibility for early medieval coins and Viking antiquities. His research focuses on the Anglo-Saxon and Viking periods, and spans archaeology, history, and numismatics.

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