England's country houses have for centuries been where the rich and
grand families have displayed their wealth and status. Today, England is
still well endowed with these houses although many of them are now
popular visitor attractions instead of private homes but there also many
houses which have disappeared over the years. Some have been demolished
as they could no longer be sustained due to the changes in social
habits, surrounding development or because of the cost of repairs or
death duties; others have been lost through fire, requisitioning, decay
and rot. In this book Maxwell Craven examines the lost country houses of
Derbyshire. Some of these houses are now covered by new housing, others
may stand as ruins or have a few scanty remains in the landscape, but in
this book the once vibrant life of these houses and their significance
in this part of the country is evoked once again. This fascinating
picture of an important but often forgotten part of the history of
Derbyshire over the centuries will be of interest to all those who live
in the county or know it well.
