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A Short History of British Architecture
Simon Jenkins (Viking, £26.99)
There can never be too many introductions to the subject of architecture, the art form that none of us can escape. A readable and concise perspective.
Interwar: British Architecture 1919-39
Gavin Stamp (Profile Books, £40 hardback, £25 paperback)
A trailblazing study, posthumously published, that reveals the quality and stylistic variety of architecture in Britain between the world wars. A study that defines its subject.
John Goodall is Country Life's Architectural Editor.
Sir Edwin Lutyens: Britain’s Greatest Architect?
Clive Aslet (Triglyph Books, £20)
A concise and engagingly written account of the life of this outstanding architect. The author — a former Editor — and architect both have close connections with Country Life.
British Architectural Sculpture 1851–1951
John Stewart (Lund Humphries, £45)
It’s remarkably easy to overlook architectural sculpture, but as soon as you have it pointed out, you realise how fascinating it is and that you can see it everywhere.
The Buildings of England: Staffordshire
Christopher Wakeling and Nikolaus Pevsner (Yale University Press, £45)
The last volume in the revised ‘Buildings of England’ series. With the foundational survey of architecture in Scotland and Wales also complete, we only await Ireland.
The British Country House Revival
Ben Cowell (The Boydell Press, £80)
Written by the director general of Historic Houses, this book describes the changing fortunes of the country house since the dark days of the 1970s and looks to their future.
The Language of Architectural Classicism
Edward McParland (Lund Humphreys, £35)
A book that encourages us to consider how the language of classicism has evolved and been applied over time. It’s refreshingly wide ranging, fun to read and thoughtfully illustrated.
Jewish Country Houses
Edited by Juliet Carey and Abigail Green (Profile Books, £45)
An account of the Jewish ownership of country houses across Europe. It is illustrated with photography by Hélène Binet.
A British Country House Alphabet: A Historical and Pictorial Journey Volume 1
Curt DiCamillo (New England Historic Genealogical Society, £20)
This is the first in a three-part survey — here covering the letters A–H — that looks at country houses through anecdote. It’s an unexpected and enjoyable read.
Streetscapes
Ptolemy Dean (Lund Humphreys, £45)
Illustrated with the author’s own distinctive water colours, this book looks at the street scapes of our historic towns and their evolution.
George Edmund Street
Geoff Brandwood (Liverpool University Press, £40)
The year 2024 marked the 200th anniversary of the birth of this prolific Victorian architect, whose work includes countless churches, but also the Royal Courts of Justice on London’s Strand.
The Irish Aesthete: Buildings of Ireland, Lost and Found
Robert O’Byrne (Lilliput Press, £22.99)
A collection of atmospheric photographs of Irish ruins and abandoned houses. The images are accompanied by short histories and anecdotes.
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Five classic country houses for sale, from an equestrian home to a manor with a wisteria-draped pool, as seen in Country LifeOur pick of some of the best houses to come to the market via Country Life this week includes a house with a beautiful outdoor pool,
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1775: The year Britain produced a dazzling generation who changed the worldFrom Jane Austen to J. M. W Turner, 1775 was a stellar year for Britain's creative industries.
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How M.R. James wove country house architecture into his ghost storiesIn his ghost stories, M. R. James had a perceptive eye for architectural detail, as Jeremy Musson explains and Matthew Rice evokes in specially commissioned drawings.
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The 100 greatest cathedrals in Europe, as picked by Simon JenkinsSimon Jenkins gives himself a daunting task with his latest book, Europe's 100 Best Cathedrals (Viking, £30), which does no less than attempt to both explain and judge the masterpieces of western civilisation. Clive Aslet took a look and found a tome that will set readers 'afire to go on architectural pilgrimage'.
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The photographs (and photographers) who shaped the English country house style from the 1900s up to todayTo coincide with the publication of his new book illustrated from the archives of Country Life, 'English House Style', John Goodall considers the long tradition of the magazine’s peerless interior photography.
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The vast and audacious architecture of London's greatest theatresRoger Bowdler takes a look at 'London’s Great Theatres', a new book by Simon Callow with photography from Derry Moore.
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The latest update to Pevsner brings the 21st century update 'tantalisingly close to completion'The work of updating Nikolas Pevsner and Ian Nairn's magnum opus on the buildings of England continues with a volume focusing on West Sussex. John Goodall takes a look.
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The Country House Library: Why these rooms and their collections need to be taken much more seriouslyA new account of the country-house library will compel us all to reassess these rooms and their collections, says John Goodall.
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Britain's 100 best Railway Stations: Simon Jenkins on the gateways to our railwaysThe latest book by Simon Jenkins looks at the 100 best railway stations in Britain. Gavin Stamp looks over the tome with his critical eye.
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Highland Retreats review: Proof that shooting lodges that aren’t all freezing monstrositiesA new book by Mary Miers, Country Life's fine arts and books editor, had Adam Nicolson gripped.
