Customer Reviews

England's Thousand Best Houses

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This is the second volume in what I hope is a long series of "England's Thousand Best..." and it does not disapoint. It is basically a listing of the thousand houses, all open to the public (though some more accessible than others), that Mr. Jenkins believes to be "the best" in England.

With each listing is a brief description, including an explanation of why Mr. Jenkins put the house on his list. These alone are worth reading, even if you cannot travel to each house, as some of the reasons might surprise you: they range from famous personages associated with the houses to interesting architectural details to important historical events.

If you are looking for a book that offers historical analysis about country houses or the wealthy, this is not it. It is, however, a very interesting travelogue that is essential to anyone who wishes to tour around England and would like to scratch deeper than the usual "Blenheim, Chatsworth, Knole" trifecta. It is also fun for anyone interested in trivia on the subject of architecture or English history, as it is full of anecdotes and facts that one does not usually hear.

More writing than photos - so not very good for armchair travellers. But very good if you are actually there touring around the country.

I loved this book. It's a chance to catch glimpses of the big houses, a few small houses, and a sprinkling of those in-between.
The author's word pictures are wonderful, and he has quite a sense of humor, so it's fun to read.
The only drawback would be the dearth of pictures - that's a little disappointing, particularly when he's talking about architectural features. There's a glossary for some of these, but pictures would be better for those of us who are not as informed about these things as we should be.