The story of 45 once-elegant and impressive houses are seen in this book through the eyes of an artist who celebrates the play of light on their ruined interiors and crumbling facades. Some of the houses are totally derelict, others merely uninhabited; some are romantic and beautiful, others spooky and depressing. Once they were grand and cheerful homes and many will be again, but for the moment they languish, abandoned and forgotten. The watercolour paintings and drawings tell the main story, but the text gives a brief history of each building and the families who lived there. It also explains how the house came to be in its present state.