Overview

In this sumptuous portrait of the house known as ‘the English Versailles’, the Duke of Buccleuch sets the scene with a history of his ancestors, the Montagus of Boughton, who acquired the manor in Northamptonshire in the reign of Henry VIII. Ralph, 1st Duke of Montagu (1638–1709), Charles II’s envoy to Louis XIV, transformed Boughton into a palatial homage to French culture. His son John, the 2nd Duke, was noted for planting long avenues, a love of heraldry, a fondness for practical jokes and the ancient lion he nursed in one of the courtyards. The book showcases Boughton’s magnificent painted ceilings, tapestries and Sèvres porcelain. The celebrated art collection also includes striking portraits of Elizabeth I, Charles II and his son the Duke of Monmouth, another Buccleuch ancestor. Van Dyck’s friends and contemporaries cluster in the Drawing Room in dozen of grisailles. Most eye-catching of all is the portrait of Shakespeare’s muses, the Early and Countess of Southampton. A grand tour takes in the French-inspired façade, the formal State Rooms and the Tudor Great Hall, with their painted ceilings, flamboyant French furniture and the oldest dated carpet in Europe – before moving to the park, with its avenues of soaring limes, network of lakes, and dramatic new sunken pool.

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9780995756663

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Reviews

"""Boughton is not as well known as other British great houses. Typically described as having an illustrious history stretching back to the Tudors, Boughton's heavily French character--mansard roofs and dormer windows--has more in common, perhaps, with Versailles than a stately English pile. Buccleuch (Richard, Duke of Buccleuch) is Boughton's owner, and he has produced similar volumes on his other properties, Drumlanrig and Bowhill, both in Scotland. The present book is sumptuous, including beautiful color illustrations of the house and grounds and the building's numerous artistic treasures. But the text supplementing the visuals is brief. The first section surveys the duke's family, distinguished certainly, but not as historically significant as, say, the Cecil or Churchill clans. Following this is a visual tour of the state rooms, the great hall, the kitchen, armory, stables, and even the attics--all of which show off this lovely house to great advantage. But the supplementary material--information on Boughton's historic documents collection, an index of artists associated with the estate, and a general index--is minimal and does not include a bibliography. This attractive book will be of most interest to English country house enthusiasts and specialists of British architecture and art. Summing Up: Optional. Researchers, faculty, general readers.""--W. S. Rodner, emeritus, Tidewater Community College ""CHOICE, May 2023 Vol. 60 No. 9"""

Author Information

Richard, 10th Duke of Buccleuch and 12th Duke of Queensberry, is responsible for his family’s historic art collections and houses, including Drumlanrig Castle and Bowhill in Scotland and Boughton House in Northamptonshire. Author of books about each of them, he works widely in the heritage field and was for ten years President of the National Trust for Scotland. He is currently a trustee of the Royal Collection Trust and President of the Georgian Group.

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