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The English Country House Party
During the golden age of English country house entertaining, from the death of Prince Albert in 1861 to the outbreak of World War I, invitations passed back and forth among members of the aristocracy. Barstow brings to life the personalities and lifestyles of a vanished age in this carefully researched and illustrated study. International royalty and the political figures of the day also feature, none more memorably than the Shah of Persia, who offered to buy the Marchioness of Londonderry and advised the Prince of Wales to execute the Duke of Sutherland when he became king. The text reveals the social and political importance of the house party and also describes the role of the country house in its local and national setting. The decline of country house living after World War I and the beginnings of the National Trust and other efforts to save for the nation these former playgrounds of the elite form the concluding chapters.
224 pages, Paperback
First published October 12, 1989
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
November 9, 2014
For the past three or four centuries, but especially in the Victorian and Edwardian eras, the English upper class (titled or not), spent as much time as possible in their often semi-palatial homes in the country. This tradition was very different from the situation in France, Germany, and especially Russia, where an urban-oriented aristocrat only repaired to his country estate when his sovereign ordered him to go there, as punishment. The rural world on the Continent was likely to be dangerous, undeveloped, unpleasant, and full of brigands and muttering peasants, none of which was a problem in Great Britain. Distance was a problem, however, and a visitor before the 1830s had to go to some lengths to travel to his host’s home several counties away -- and he expected to stay for six weeks or more before making the trek back home. Then the railway came in and, quite suddenly, one could travel a considerable distance in comfort merely for a three-or four-day visit. The weekend country-house party was born.
The best book I know on the phenomenon of the English country house is Mark Girouard’s Life in the English Country House, but I’m always on the look-out for the comments and thoughts of other authors. Barstow is a product of the country-house party culture herself, though of a much later date, of course, when the old ways of doing things were long gone. She has resurrected that earlier world in an interesting manner, however, quoting frequently from the diaries and memoirs of those who took part, and covering the inbred character of that very small world, the essential role of riding, shooting, and other vigorous outdoor sports, the role of country-house parties in arranging marriages and forging political alliances (because everyone knew each other), and giving special attention to the differences of weekending in Scotland. At the same time, she seems not to have much control over her subject. She spends far too much time on the disastrous upbringing of the Prince of Wales, the construction of Balmoral, cheating and money-lending at the races, the techniques of stag-hunting in the mountains, and a number of other subjects which, while interesting in themselves, have nothing whatever to do with the title of the book. Barstow is a good writer, though, so I recommend you read and enjoy the book and not worry about editorial dereliction.
The best book I know on the phenomenon of the English country house is Mark Girouard’s Life in the English Country House, but I’m always on the look-out for the comments and thoughts of other authors. Barstow is a product of the country-house party culture herself, though of a much later date, of course, when the old ways of doing things were long gone. She has resurrected that earlier world in an interesting manner, however, quoting frequently from the diaries and memoirs of those who took part, and covering the inbred character of that very small world, the essential role of riding, shooting, and other vigorous outdoor sports, the role of country-house parties in arranging marriages and forging political alliances (because everyone knew each other), and giving special attention to the differences of weekending in Scotland. At the same time, she seems not to have much control over her subject. She spends far too much time on the disastrous upbringing of the Prince of Wales, the construction of Balmoral, cheating and money-lending at the races, the techniques of stag-hunting in the mountains, and a number of other subjects which, while interesting in themselves, have nothing whatever to do with the title of the book. Barstow is a good writer, though, so I recommend you read and enjoy the book and not worry about editorial dereliction.
March 18, 2021
2.5 stars rounded up.
There’s some good stuff here, but there’s also a lot of stuff that just seems superfluous. For instance, there’s one chapter on the sporting nature of the English House party. All well and good. You’d expect this chapter to go in depth about the sports that were played during these get togethers.
But then you get to a chapter titled “The Marriage Mart.” A promising start discussing how young women were expected to marry and how these parties came into play, etc. Only, once the chapter gets under way, it then delves back into talking about cricket and sportsmanship.
The best bits are those that discuss the below stairs antics and how society revolved around these parties. Unfortunately, the author depends mostly on quoted journals and novels of the era, which is fine, but it takes up the bulk of the book. And sometimes, the quoted sections bear little connection to the subject matter.
Overall, the book was a bit of a letdown. Luckily, there are other reviews here that give suggestions on books that better tackle the subject matter. I’ll be checking out a few of those soon.
There’s some good stuff here, but there’s also a lot of stuff that just seems superfluous. For instance, there’s one chapter on the sporting nature of the English House party. All well and good. You’d expect this chapter to go in depth about the sports that were played during these get togethers.
But then you get to a chapter titled “The Marriage Mart.” A promising start discussing how young women were expected to marry and how these parties came into play, etc. Only, once the chapter gets under way, it then delves back into talking about cricket and sportsmanship.
The best bits are those that discuss the below stairs antics and how society revolved around these parties. Unfortunately, the author depends mostly on quoted journals and novels of the era, which is fine, but it takes up the bulk of the book. And sometimes, the quoted sections bear little connection to the subject matter.
Overall, the book was a bit of a letdown. Luckily, there are other reviews here that give suggestions on books that better tackle the subject matter. I’ll be checking out a few of those soon.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews