Great Houses of London
by James Stourton
(Author), Fritz von der Schulenburg (Photographer)
The great houses of London represent one of the marvels of
English architecture and yet they are almost entirely unknown. They are for the
most part disguised behind sober facades but their riches within are
astonishing.
There are many architectural wonders, among them Robert
Adam’s 20 St James’s Square and William Burges’s Tower House. Several –
including Bridgewater House with its Raphaels and Titians – have held great art
collections.
These are houses that hold extraordinary stories: half the
Cabinet resigned after breakfast at Stratford House; and on 4 August 1914, at 9
Carlton House Terrace, then the German Embassy, young duty clerk Harold
Nicholson deftly substituted one declaration of war for another.
Great Houses of London opens the door to some of the
greatest and grandest houses in the world to tell the stories of their owners
and occupants, artists and architects, their restoration, adaptation and
change.
M@ BY M@
We get sent all kinds of tomes about the capital, from
tourist guides to scholarly dissertations. What we've never received before is
a 2.5 kg wrist-snapper of a book, with a colossal naked Napoleon on the front
cover.
The lewd emperor is the centrepiece of Apsley House, former
home of the Duke of Wellington at Hyde Park Corner. It is but one of 41
superior dwellings set out by James Stourton in this most weighty of books. 330
larger-than-A4 pages take the reader on a chronological and sumptuously
illustrated journey, from the medieval Lambeth Palace up to Modernist houses
and the home of Richard and Ruth Rogers. Some are world famous (10 Downing
Street), but many will be unknown, even to those living a few roads away.
The author provides just the right amount of detail for each
house: a little about the colourful poshsters who dwelt within; a few
paragraphs concerning the architecture and furnishing; and the sometimes
unusual changes of purpose each property has undergone. Stourton, Chairman of
Sotheby's and an old hand at discussing the playthings of the rich,
occasionally wanders into his own descriptions, giving personal insights into a
great house. This first-person tone is unusual in such a book, and sets it
apart from, say, an English Heritage guide. The photography, by Fritz von der
Schulenburg, also deserves commendation for bringing out the detail in some
diverse and unusual spaces.
The book is also full of splendid historical nuggets (and,
here, we're not talking about Napoleon's nethers). Did you know that the beige
colour on all the buildings surrounding Regent's Park is a relatively recent
introduction? Or that Nazi soldiers once marched down the Mall carrying a Swastika-draped
coffin, that of the late German ambassador whose former residence retains an
Albert Speer staircase? If Led Zep guitarist Jimmy Page ever invites you round
to his mad, medieval medley of a house, you say YES!.
As coffe table books go, this is a surprisingly entertaining
read. You just might need to invest in a sturdier coffee table.
Great Houses of Scotland
by Hugh Montgomery-Massingberd (Author), Christopher Simon Sykes (Photographer)
'The Great Houses' featured in this book reveal Scots
architecture in its grandest forms. The specially commissioned photographs by
Christopher Simon Sykes include stunning close-ups of architectural details and
objects, and capture the spirit and style of the houses while Hugh
Montgomery-Massingberd's refreshingly personal and informal text is as much
about the families, who in many cases still live in these fascinating places,
as about the architecture and decoration. This work carries a personal
selection of twenty-six houses that reflect the development of style in
Scotland, from old tower houses such as Cawdor through Baroque masterpieces
like Drumlanrig and the pioneering Classicism of Kinross right up to the
Edwardian opulence of Manderston and Ardkinglas.
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