Destruction of country houses in 20th-century Britain
The destruction of country houses in 20th-century Britain was the result of a change in social conditions: many country houses of varying architectural merit were demolished by their owners. Collectively termed by several authors "the lost houses", the destruction of these now often-forgotten houses has been described as a cultural tragedy.
Trentham Hall in Staffordshire was so lavish that in 1873 the visiting Shah of Persia remarked to the future King Edward VII of their host, "too grand for a subject; you'll have to have his head off when you come to the throne."
Advertisement for the roofing balustrade and urns from the demolished Trentham Hall
During the 20th century, the dispersal of a country house's contents became a frequent event. The sale of Mentmore Towers' contents highlighted the issue.
Small country house: Dawley Court, Uxbridge (c. 1894), was sold with 20 acres in 1929 for £10,000, and demolished soon after.
An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a town house. This allowed them to spend time in the country and in the city—hence, for these people, the term distinguished between town and country. However, the term also encompasses houses that were, and often still are, the full-time residence for the landed gentry who dominated rural Britain until the Reform Act 1832. Frequently, the formal business of the counties was transacted in these country houses, having functional antecedents in manor houses.
Belton House is an English country house in Lincolnshire
In the 20th century Longleat House was the first country house to open to the paying public, and also claims the first safari park outside Africa.
Blenheim Palace
Forde Abbey in Dorset. Many country houses have evolved and been extended over several centuries. Here, the architecture runs from Medieval ecclesiastical to Palladian and on to Strawberry Hill Gothic, while at sometime an attempt at unity has been made by the use of crenelation.