England's Lost Houses by Giles Worsley

Now that season 4 of Downton Abbey is FINALLY underway here in the States, the release of the new book "England's Lost Houses" by Giles Worsley (Aurum Press, 2013) is timely indeed. As dovotees of the PBS show know, the underlying story of the show is how the big English country estates managed (or didn't) the transition from the large pre-war agricultural economy, supported by a large servant class to the post war industrial economy. Though there are certainly big political issues related to such an economic situation, the fact is is that some big, beautiful homes were lost to history due to financial woes and also to fire.

Noted architectural historian Giles Worsley puts the ruination into its historical perspective, examining the 20th century political and economic change that hastened the death of the grand estates.  The houses showcased are taken from the archives of Country Life, a long standing British magazine.

Featured properties that no longer exist include:

Trentham Hall in Staffordshire, owned by the Duke of Sutherland. It was demolished in 1911/12. Photo via Country Life.

Photo via Wikipedia.

Photo of demolition via Daily Mail.

Gilling Castle, Yorkshire. the grand interiors, including this Gallery above, were sold in 1929 when the house became a school. Photo Country Life.

Park Hall, Shropshire. Lost to a fire in 1918. This was an excellent example of the half-timber Tudor architecture.

Stoke Edith, Herefordshire. Lost to fire in 1927.

Clumber Park, Nottinghamshire. Demolished in 1938. According to newspaper report "The decision completely to demolish the mansion has been taken with great reluctance by the present owner... but it was necessitated by heavy taxation".

Anyone with an interested in English history - architectural, decorative, economic - will find this book a fascinating read and an excellent reference book.  England's Lost Houses: From the Archives of Country Life available here.