The National Trust cares for a wealth of houses and historic buildings of all types, ranging from the grand to the quirky to the humble. A companion volume to the bestselling 'Gardens of the National Trust', this captivating book is a guide to some of the greatest architectural treasures in the country, encompassing both interior and exterior design.

Houses covered include spectacular mansions such as Cliveden and Waddesdon Manor, and more lowly dwellings such as the Birmingham Back to Backs and estate villages like Blaise Hamlet in Bristol. In addition to houses, the book also covers fascinating buildings as diverse as churches, windmills, dovecotes, castles, follies, barns and even pubs.

The book also acts as an overview of the country's architectural history, with every period covered: the medieval stronghold of Bodiam Castle, Tudor eccentricity in Hardwick Hall, 18th-century grandeur at Kedleston Hall, Victorian splendour at Tyntesfield, and the clean-lined Modernism of The Homewood.

The book teems with stories of the people who lived and worked in these buildings: wealthy collectors (Charles Wade at Snowshill), captains of industry (William Armstrong at Cragside), prime ministers (Winston Churchill at Chartwell) and pop stars (John Lennon at Mendips).

Written in evocative, imaginative prose and illustrated with glorious images from the National Trust's photographic library, this book is an essential guide to the built heritage of England, Wales and Northern Ireland.