The Polite Tourist: Four Centuries of Country House Visiting

by Adrian Tinniswood

Country house visiting is one of Britain's favorite leisure activities. For more than five centuries, historic buildings have opened their doors, inviting the tourist to step inside. Elizabethans strolled around palaces, royal and private, like Hampton Court and Hardwick Hall, while Georgians appreciated the classical refinement of properties like Kedleston Hall and Osterley Park, admiring the treasures brought back from the Grand Tour.With the help of sumptuous illustrations, Adrian Tinniswood takes the reader on a grand tour around the historic houses of England, and discovers how, throughout the centuries, the idea of national heritage has developed.

Genres: History, Travel, Architecture, Nonfiction, British Literature

Hardcover

First published October 1, 1989

About the author

Adrian John Tinniswood OBE FSA (born 11 October 1954) is an English writer and historian. He is currently Professor of English Social History at the University of Buckingham.

Tinniswood studied English and Philosophy at Southampton University and was awarded an MPhil at Leicester University.

Tinniswood has often acted as a consultant to the National Trust, and has lectured at several universities including the University of Oxford and the University of California, Berkeley.

He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE).

Reviews

[Michael Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tourism in Britain started with pilgrims seeking out the tomb of Thomas à Becket at Canterbury, expanded with a renaissance of topographers and antiquarians poking into odd corners of the country, and broadened again with the arrival of foreign visitors in London on the Continental Grand Tour. But the heart of this lovely book is the practice in the 18th and 19th centuries by owners of stately homes of allowing visitors to inspect the premises when they (the owners) were not in residence. (Think Elizabeth Bennett’s first encounter with Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice.) The Victorians also loved mysterious and romantic locations like Stonehenge and the Roman baths at Bath, and they loved to listen to (and frequently accept uncritically) the bizarre legends associated with them. (No, Julius Caesar did not build the White Tower!) Like all books I’ve read that were published by the National Trust (without which most of these tax-heavy properties would probably have been torn down decades ago), half the enjoyment is in the hundred-plus illustrations and the seventy color plates. A beautifully produced addition to English social history.

[Kate · Rating 1 out of 5]

""When Elizabeth Bennett, the heroine of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, set off with her uncle and aunt for a tour of Derbyshire, she planned to see both the beauties of the country and its fine mansions. In the event she overcame her prejudices concerning the proud Mr Darcy, becoming his wife and mistress of his country seat, Pemberley.

"Not every tourist finds country house visiting provides such a dramatic outcome, but it has long been a source of enjoyment. In Elizabethan England curious tourists strolled around palaces, royal and private, like Hampton Court in Surrey and Hardwick Hall, Derbyshire. In Victorian Britain, sightseers descended in remarkably large numbers on prehistoric monuments like Stonehenge and great houses like Knole, Kent, and Chatsworth in Derbyshire, spurred on by the development of the railway and the introduction of the bank holiday. Today tourists visit in their millions, many to the houses, gardens and countryside in the care of the National Trust.

"With the help of sumptuous illustrations, Adrian Tinniswood takes the reader on a grand tour, describing not only the places that have fascinated visitors, but also tracing how concepts of history and taste has been shaped over the centuries."
~~front flap

The book is all that is promised: sumptuous illustrations and tours of many of the lovely old homes of England. But I realized that I didn't visit one while I was there, nor would I have any intention of visiting any should I ever get back again. And so I'm releasing this book to a reader who will really enjoy it, which I did not.

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somewhat dry, but often interesting, survey of the growth of the tourist industry for visiting country estates in England. It's been a very soothing pandemic read, certainly. FYI, despite the mention of Du Maurier and Austen in the description, their work gets short shrift in favor of frankly less interesting contemporaries, which struck me as a missed opportunity. If you're interested in the concept this is probably worth tracking down. If you're primarily interested in the art and architecture of English country houses or in a specific deeply memorable estate, this is not likely to be the best option out there.

[Steve Barrera · Rating 4 out of 5]

An illustrated history of country house visiting in England, published by the National Trust. A well known literary example of this custom occurs in Pride and Prejudice, when Elizabeth Bennet takes a tour of the Pemberley estate and unexpectedly runs into Darcy. Yes, it really was a custom to visit the homes of the wealthy as though they were tourist destinations. This book covers the history of this custom, tracing the origins of tourism to the Medieval pilgrimage. It then looks at country house visiting era be era, from the Tudor Renaissance to modern times, in the context of changing social mores and priorities. A good bit of English history is buried in this context. All in all, a highly informative book, which includes many beautiful color photographs, drawings and paintings.