Customer Reviews

Touring Royal Castles & Stately Homes of England [VHS]

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This video explores eight of England's better recognized country estates and, based on this, it seems like a must-have for anglophiles, architecture buffs, and English history lovers, but it's not. Its brevity and real lack of depth into the history, owners, and architectural details of these estates defintely limits its performance. Touring Royal Castles & Stately Homes of England does, I must admit, show some decent coverage of the interiors of the featured estates, however, that coverage is minimal and not enough to fully satisfy. To stress the video's short interior coverage, there was one home, Woburn Abbey I believe, in which there were a few shots of the interior with a little background history at the beginning of the segment and then the rest was devoted to the large collection of cars amassed by the family and the motor museum they established. I think this video is a good OUTLINE for some of England's stately homes but it's surely not for those looking for an in-depth tour accompanied by a lot of history. There is just no way you can feature eight estates in England, not to mention eight of the most famous estates in England, in 60 minutes.

Unlike the previous reviewer, I found this video quite satisfying. It's about an hour long and gives enough information to let the viewer decide which homes/castles to visit. My favorite was Chatsworth with its beauiful gardens. Blenheim Palace was a treat since I didn't recall Winston Churchill having such a notable background. Anyone requiring more detailed information would do well to read some in depth history books. But for a visitor to England, this is a feast for the eyes. Enjoy!