Great Houses of Europe by Marcus Binney

Great Houses of Europe by Marcus Binney

For over 100 years, "Country Life" magazine has been recording the country houses of the British Isles and Europe. From the start, its weekly articles on the subject were illustrated with specially commissioned photographs by some of the century's pre-eminent architectural photographers. Photography remains the lifeblood of the magazine, and it has built up an unrivalled archive of architectural photographs of some of the finest houses in Western Europe. "Great Houses of Europe" brings together a collection of over 200 colour and black-and-white photographs by the master of natural-light photography, "Country Life" photographer Alex Starkey. And the distinguished architectural writer and historian Marcus Binney contributes an illuminating text, providing an essential historical background to some of Europe's most remarkable houses and their magnificent interiors. The book covers a wide range both geographically - there are houses in France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Austria, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden - and in terms of architectural style - from Dutch Classical architecture (Het Loo) to spectacular Gothic revival (Kastel de Harr). There are astonishing interiors: the stunning stucco ceilings of the Venetian Palazzo Abruzzi, and the beautiful mirror rooms done by the ladies of the Court for the enchanting "lust schloss". Schloss Favourite near Baden; the magnificent Baroque interiors of Schloss Bruhl, built for the Elector of Cologne, and the early 18th-century Baroque Castello Guarane in Piedmont with its fine frescoes; the early 20th-century Quinta da Regaleira in Sintra, built for a diamond tycoon with its fantasy gardens, half underground; the palatial Chateau de Roquetaillade near Bordeaux, gothicised in the 19th century by Villet-le-Duc, and the quintessential medieval extravaganza, the Chateau de Meillant in Burgundy; and, finally, the dramatic Swedish post-Renaissance Castle Stokloster, arguably the finest house in Europe.

Photographs of houses from Country Life magazineBut these are special houses and Country Life is a rather special magazine, having accumulated over 100 years an unrivalled archive of architectural and interior design photographs. The houses are situated all over western Europe, from Britain and Belgium to Portugal and Sweden, and date from the Renaissance to the 20th century. These are houses that are works of art, as are the photographs, which undoubtedly deserve preservation between hardcovers. This is not quite Changing Rooms territory, but readers working to more modest DIY and decorating budgets will find plenty of inspiration here. Or just plenty to dream about, for these are for most of us without doubt fantasy homes built and maintained with fantasy sums of money.

Binney, Marcus: -

Marcus Binney is an accomplished historian and writer who is the author of Our Vanishing Heritage, Townhouses, and Airports. Binney attended Cambridge, and has lectured extensively to historical societies in New York, Boston, Rhode Island, and Virginia on architectural preservation and history. He has also fronted a thirty-nine-part series -- Mansions: The Great Houses of Europe -- broadcast in the U.S. between 1993 and 1997.

Binney's interest in the lives of the agents of the SOE is a personal one. His father, Lt. Col. Francis Simms, MC, walked seven hundred miles through the Apennines after twice escaping from POW camps. His mother, Sonia, did secret work with code breakers during the war and in 1955 remarried Sir George Binney, DSO, also a war hero, who had carried out one of the most successful blockade-running operations of World War II in 1941 -- bringing back five unarmed merchant ships from Sweden through the minefields.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781854108494
ISBN 10	1854108492
Title	Great Houses of Europe
Author	Marcus Binney
Series	Country Life Ser
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Quarto Publishing PLC
Year published	2003-06-26
Number of pages	192
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.