Published online by Cambridge University Press: 11 April 2016
More than thirty books containing designs for country houses were published in England between 1780 and 1815. Their character and content give an indication of the changes in the conception and creation of country houses in a period which saw the rise of a very large number of superficially diverse and idiosyncratic domestic buildings. Country house building activity as a whole in this period has not before been systematically studied. An investigation of the design publications of the period is a good starting point for such a study.
The range of these publications is wide, encompassing expensive folio editions of large and lavish houses for rich patrons as well as modest designs for farmers and country gentlemen. They contain the greatest amount of written theory by contemporary architects relating to the design of country houses.
1 Only first editions are included. Subsequent editions tended to differ little from the original. The place of publication is generally London.
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5 Malton, James, A Collection of Designs for Rural Retreats, as Villas (1802).Google Scholar
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