A gazetteer of the many fine Shropshire country houses, which covers the
architecture, the owners' family history, and the social and economic
circumstances that affected them.
Shropshire is the largest English inland county, and has a wide variety
of important landed country houses, with owners from diverse social
groups, with links to trade in Liverpool, Manchester and London as well
as the local gentry. This book is not simply about the houses they
built, but also about the people who lived in them and the context in
which the houses are set. The architecture is of course fully covered.
What is distinctive about the author's approach is that he treats the
histories of the families, their artistic tastes and their estates, as
an integral part of the character of each house. Country houses can
serve as a barometer of national tastes and of the social and economic
times in which they were built. The work includes reference to the
important sporting associations, fine and decorative art collections,
and to important guests and social networks. Unlike most architectural
guides, this aims at a wider readership, and will be an important
resource for social historians, genealogists and local historians. The
Country Houses of Shropshire considers the history of 347 identified
houses of varying importance; those with a significant or influential
history are given a main entry of up to 6000 words whilst lesser houses
are treated with an entry of less than 1000 words. All houses have
footnoted entries, enabling the reader to refer directly to source and
to undertake further research themselves.
