Clive Aslet

The atmosphere of a historic country house cannot be bought

Paintings, books and treasures collected by the same family over centuries give a historical depth that no modern plutocrat can recreate

Painting of a bedroom at Knole, Kent, by James Holland. [Getty Images] 
issue 29 June 2024

The Historic Houses Association can congratulate itself. This pressure group for country houses, founded in 1973, has proved to be one of the most effective lobbying organisations of our time. When it came into being, the future, according to the architectural historian John Cornforth, was ‘full of gloom’ for the country house.

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