The Daily Telegraph guide to Britain's historic houses - Damien Noonan

This guide is for anyone, native or visitor, who enjoys visiting the enormous range of houses of all types and periods which are open to the public in Britain. It offers a key to literally hundreds of days out in all parts of the United Kingdom. There are almost 300 main entries, all of which are illustrated with colour photographs, and more than 250 "see also" entries which cover buildings of lesser importance.;The guide includes houses owned by the National Trust, English Heritage, the National Trust for Scotland and local authorities, as well as those which remain in private ownership. The houses are grouped by county or group of counties, with a map for each area showing their position in relation to principal towns and main roads. In each case, the entry gives information on access and opening hours, and indication of the entry charge, if any, and directions for getting there.;There is a full description of the building, its history and contents, written in a lively and opinionated style which encourages the reader to share the author's enthusiasm the for the splendours and oddities of our vast and varied architectural heritage. There are also feature spreads throughout the book covering themes such as development of the country house, the most important architects of each period and the great families who commissioned them.