Beyond the Gatehouse: The Eccentric Lives of the English Aristocracy

This is a lighthearted, witty but factual biographical account of the eccentric lifestyles of the builders and residents of one hundred of England’s best-known country houses.

Extraordinary buildings require extraordinary people, and over the centuries England's historic houses have produced more than their fair share of oddballs. Insulated from the outside world by vast wealth, rolling acres and the social status that a title implies, aristocrats have always been able to amuse themselves ...