The Great Houses of London [Paperback]

David Pearce (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2001

The Great Houses of London is an account of extraordinary buildings, most of which no longer exist, of such great designers as Robert Adam, and if the enormously rich English aristocrats grandees who commissioned these houses. When Queen Victoria remarked to her neighbor, the Duchess of Sutherland, "I have come from my house to your palace," she was by no means exaggerating. The palaces of the nobility were second only to churches in architectural and aesthetic significance, and defied comparison with the châteaux of France or the palazzi of Venice. Filled with astonishing French and English furniture, generally equipped with a large private picture gallery to display priceless paintings bought on the Grand Tour, staffed by between 50 and 60 servants, these houses expressed the taste and aspirations of a single person, and usually one rich and powerful enough to have his own way. A distinguished designer, large rooms for entertaining formally, an imposing façade to impress passers by and visitors were the background for the endless balls and costume and garden parties, and formal dinners that made the dazzling London "Season" one of the high points for European royalty and society from June through August. This book, the only publications on a fascinating subject, covers some 40 major home and 100 lesser ones, starting in the 13th century in the walled city of London and moving on to the then suburbs of Bloomsbury, Holborn, Soho, Piccadilly and St. James, finishing in Park Lane from which the aristocrats were driven by the noises of motor traffic. This is a book that will fascinate architects, decorators, Anglophiles and social historians.

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About the Author

From 1978 to 1983 David Pearce was secretary of the world's oldest conservation body, the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings. After five years as editor of the planning journal Built Environment, he became in 1975 a founder of "SAVE Britains Heritage" and was its Vice-Chairman for five years. Qualified as an architect in 1963 David Pearce turned to writing in the 1970's. He has co-edited a history of railway architecture, written numerous articles and a series of guides to historic buildings, furniture, and fire-places. In 1989 he was deputy director of the "Conservation Today" exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts. His more recent work involves writing fiction, and he is shortly to have a novel published.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Vendome Press (November 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 086565154X
• ISBN-13: 978-0865651548
• Product Dimensions: 11.7 x 8.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #194,154 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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