Great Houses of England & Wales

by Hugh Montgomery-Massingberd

In this chronological selection of 32 of the most notable houses of England and Wales, the authors present a panoramic history of the great house. The original photographs include examples of English art and architecture, from medieval stone to the excesses of High Victorian taste.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Art, History, Architecture

Paperback

First published October 15, 1994

About the author

Hugh Montgomery-Massingberd, also known as Hugh Massingberd, was an English obituarist, journalist, and genealogist.

Reviews

[Hon Lady Selene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Top-notch selection of Great Houses with exceptional photographic material, including small details in woodwork, many of my personal favourites make the cut, including dearest Penshurst Place in Kent and Burghley House in Cambridgeshire.

I must visit Blickling Hall in Norfolk, the Library contains one of the most historically significant collections of manuscripts and books in England, an estimated 14,000 volumes. It was also in the possession of the Boleyn Family and apparently it is haunted by a headless ghost of Anne Boleyn. Her headless ghost is said to arrive at night in a coach driven by a headless horseman. She is then seen carrying her severed and dripping head.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a clonking big book, unsuitable for economy air travel, like the subject. It covers thirty stately homes, tending to those which are still in family hands and have particular historical rooms. I have visited lots of stately homes but I learnt new things here. It is a book for browsing, not reading end to end, and ideal for lockdown. The pictures are great and relevant, and it encourages a healthy curiosity.

[William Cross · Rating 1 out of 5]

The travel writer Robin Bryans mentions in his memoir “ Let the Petals Fall” that the late Hugh Montgomery Massingberd, went to Tredegar Park in the 1990s during the time he was researching to compile this epic and glossy text book “Great Houses of England and Wales”

The House, the seat of the Morgan family, the Lords Tredegar is situated near Newport, South Wales. The male line of the Morgans died out in 1962 with the death of John Morgan, the 6th Baron. The most colourful member of the Morgan clan was the 4th Baron. Evan Frederic Morgan ( 1893-1949), who was also the 2nd Viscount Tredegar. A poet, homosexual and eccentric he held court there hosting many lavish house parties and country weekend stay overs for his London friends and his latest conquests. The House was a Catholic girls school for many years and in 1973 it was taken over by the local authority who opened it up to the public.

Robin Bryans notes that when Massingberd visited the House he over heard a woman guide tell a group of visitors:

'One of his Lordship's party tricks was to let a parrot crawl up his trouser-leggings and then peep out from his fly buttons.'

His Lordship was of course Evan. However with no regard to whether the story was accurate or not Massinberd swept the overheard story into his book and gave it credence. Thus a tall tale entered the public domain and since has been regularly repeated and believed .

Bryans, a loyal Evan aficionado comments on Evan's parrot trick:

“Not [a] very nice [ story] , was it? Alas, not very accurate either!

The parrot who is given credit for the extraordinary trouser leg feat is ‘Blue Boy’ a large blue Hyacinth Macaw, who was Evan Morgan’s familiar.

Since the story appears to have began its life in Massinbred , and is not mentioned elsewhere in the recollections of Evan’s friends it must be dismissed as dodgy and far fetched. But this story being cited by Massinbred and gaining compulsory mention ' Blue Boy''s trouser leg trick has achieved greater fame for it than any references to the best members of the Morgans, including Godfrey and Freddie the Morgans who fought bravely in the Crimea. So many of the Morgan men among Godfrey and Freddie’s brothers were disabled or unachievers, but to be eclipsed by a parrot and by a made up story is a humiliating indictment on what information guides should or should not give out.

It is a endless game of suspicions spotting what is true and what has been conjured up by the old guard at Tredegar House on a dull, wet day when they had nothing better to do? So much so that the point has been reached now where there is no integrity on many stories and information given out to visitors.

First and foremost there is no mention of Blue Boy’s trouser leg trick before this 1990s reference by Montgomery Massingberd. Earlier testimony on 'Blue Boy' by Daphne Fielding refers to “ Evan's familiar was a vicious macaw that took women's jewels and dropped them in the huge log fires at Tredegar Park.” Alan Pryce Jones refers to Evan allowing “ himself to be teased by a formidable macaw named Blue Boy, which liked to bestow hammer blows at great speed between his toes, bare in the bathroom.”

The National Trust, the present custodians of Tredegar House are concerned about the myths and stories that have no authenticated source or origin. Pity Mr Massingberd gave the trouser leg story it’s artificial source and back up. It is one story that should be blitzed by the current myth busting project at Tredegar House.

[Shane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This (small, in the edition I read) picture book covers a couple dozen English (and one or two Welsch) country houses in less than ten pages each. I suspect that the more academically minded fans of Downton Abbey or BBC period dramas (that often use these houses as their sets) will find a lot to like about this book.

A side note, Highclere Castle, filming location for the aforementioned Downtown does not appear in this book.

Which begs the question--how were these homes chosen from among the hundreds of options? I'm not sure. They are presented chronologically (I didn't go back and check, but more or less) and each presents some refinement, relationship with a previous or future entry, new architect or landscaper, or some other detail that cumulatively present an overall history of the country house in southern Britain. Perhaps homes with particular details worth emphasizing were chosen. Perhaps agreeing to be included played a role in selection, I'm not sure.

While this is a picture book it's not a lush picture book. This book is for reading and studying, not flipping through as house porn. There are bigger, more expensive books for that. The most beautiful houses aren't always chosen, or if they are the heavy editing needed to get each into a very short chapter doesn't allow for luscious spreads for any given house. Also, the photography, while nice, isn't as big and beautiful, as slick and spectacular as some (many; very, very many) others on this topic. This one is more instructive than beautiful. Also, this book is about twenty years old, so with the wonders of modern photography and the drop in publishing prices the same book would likely be more vibrant if produced today, not to mention that some of the houses themselves have changed since this book came out.

I think this is a good read for anyone looking for a fast journey through the history of the architecture of the English country house. Unless you are already deeply versed in the topic I think you'll learn a lot. Also, the modest size and production means you can read it without taking your back out, and buy it without slamming your pocketbook overmuch.

Recommended for the right audience.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

1st-2nd Jan 2019
20 plus years out of date in terms of the recent history but a great book of the grandest stately homes detailing the history of the houses and the families who have lived and do live there.