The magnificent country houses built in Britain between 1890 & 1939 were the last monuments to a vanishing age. Many of these great mammoths of domestic architecture were unsuited to the changes in economic & social priorities that followed the two world wars & rapidly became extinct. Those that survive however provide tangible evidence of the life & death of an extraordinarily prosperous age. Originally published in 1980 long out of print & now thoroughly revised & reillustrated this book recounts the architectural & social history of the era describing the clients the architects the styles & accoutrements of the country houses. The people who could afford them
- the Carnegies the Astors the Leverhulmes
- had grown rich by exploiting the new economic opportunities of the age & the houses they built in the years before the First World War reflect the desire for two contrasting ways of life. The social country house was the setting for the opulent world associated with Edward VII. The romantic country house was simpler more genuinely rural for those who wanted to be in closer contact with the countryside & the vanishing rural crafts or who wanted an idyll of the past that did not suggest the world of the motor car. These traditions lost coherence after the war & the period ended with a number of spectacular & often eccentric houses. Some of the most remarkable were those that not only replicated the look of old buildings but used genuinely old materials & even incorporated whole Tudor buildings moved from other places. Clive Aslet writes of the immense changes in the way country houses of this period were lived in & used. The shortage of servants aggravated by the First World War spurred numerous developments in the technology of the country house
- vacuum cleaners washing machines telephones & central heating were called upon to replace the army of servants who never returned from the trenches or the factories. Interior decorators becoming increasingly in vogue developed the style Louis Seize into the last word in Edwardian chic. Gardens came to be seen as integral to the concept of the country house & reconciled formal planning with informal planting. This fascinating world so popularly depicted in Downton Abbey can now be viewed from a new perspective. The Edwardian Country House will enlighten & entertain all those interested in glimpsing the lost life style of another age.


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Dinner during the Edwardian era was very different to modern society. For the middle & higher classes of Britain the food was magnificent & simple. You could be eating bubble & squeak soup as a starter caramalized baked Gammon with a selection of vegetables as a main & steamed suet pudding with custard as a dessert. All of which is fit for a King. This dining experience will allow you to get a taste of what it was like & also experience some of the rich & unique decor of the period such as gilt mirrors & wood burning fireplaces. This is one dinner you wont forget. You will enjoy a delicious six course meal in truly opulent & extravagent Edwardian themed surroundings. What You Will Receive On purchasing this experience you will receive a Silver A5 Presentation Pack. Your Silver A5 Presentation Pack is embossed with a ribbon design great if you are buying this experience as a gift. Included within your presentation pack: Your Gift Experience Voucher
- Keep this safe! You will need this to book your experience & may be required to take this with you on the day of your experience. An Information Booklet
- Detailing all you need to know about your experience including personal injury cover cancellation cover & full terms & conditions of the experience. How to Book Guide
- A personal guide based on your chosen experience detailing all the available locations & contact numbers you need to ensure you experience runs smoothly. "


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* Follow-up to the hit BBC series Victorian Farm * Victorian Farm sold over 40 000 copies (Nielsen Bookscan figures) *
Includes:
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Intended for anyone who wants to restore original features in an Edwardian house or simply to create the light gentility of that period in a modern home this book looks at each room in turn as well as the exterior & garden in terms of how it was then & how antique & modern furniture funishings & fittings can be used to recreate the setting. The book contains source material from contemporary catalogues together with photographs of houses & finished rooms in Britain Europe North America & Australia. Major trends of the Edwardian period
- including the Arts & Crafts Movement Art Nouveau & the Queen Anne Revival
- are all featured with the work of architects such as Lutyens & Rennie Mackintosh gardeners such as Gertrude Jekyll & design houses such as Liberty & Heals.

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This is an invaluable pocket source book bursting with images of original & well restored Edwardian features. This is the ideal handy reference for the home owner either to take to the architectural salvage yard or DIY store to identify authentic styles & colours or simply to enjoy the best of Edwardian design. It contains a room-by-room tour of Edwardian homes covering everything from grand opulence to modest dwellings. It is beautifully illustrated throughout with design details such as close-ups of fabrics & door knobs. ...

Edwardo is an ordinary boy so sometimes he can be a bit grubby or clumsy a bit cruel or noisy or rude. The more that he is criticised the worse he becomes until one day they call him 'the horriblest boy in the whole wide world'. Just then Edwardo's luck begins to change & a series of chance events reveal that really he is a lovely boy & has been all along. ...

Everyone knows Edwina. Shes the dinosaur who plays with the children & helps little old ladies across the road. Shes the dinosaur who bakes chocolate-chip cookies! Everyone loves her...except the class know-it-all Reginald Von Hoobie-Doobie. Reginald knows dinosaurs are extinct & he is ready to prove it. But will anyone listen? & if they do what will happen to Edwina? ...

Love her or hate her Edwina Currie falls comfortably into that category of celebrity you simply cannot ignore. The first edition of her diaries explosively revealed her affair with former Prime Minister John Major. This second volume which begins in 1992 with her refusal to serve in Majors Cabinet is no less revelatory about her colleagues encounters with others in the public eye & of course her extraordinary love life. It covers her life in Parliament up to the election of Blairs Labour government but more importantly sees its subjects emergence as a mainstay in the public imagination first as a bestselling author then as a commentator broadcaster presenter & performer
- most recently on the BBCs flagship entertainment show Strictly Come Dancing. Shot through with her trademark effervescence & sense of fun Edwina Currie Diaries: Volume II documents one of the biggest characters in British public life at her saucy scathing best. Frank & funny you cant put her down Time Out Few women can lay claim to the word magnificent" but Currie is now surely one of them Daily Telegraph"
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Although it might seem the most mundane of fish when pulled from the mud of creeks ponds rivers or the sea the eel's life cycle is one of the most remarkable on the planet. Freshwater eels are born according to current scientific theory in remote ocean depths & journey thousands of miles to fresh water where they spend their lives before returning to the ocean to mate & die. A favourite food for humans since antiquity feeding London's poor during the Middle Ages & saving the Mayflower pilgrims from starvation on North America's shore these days the Japanese alone account for an eel consumption worth over a billion pounds a year. Richard Schweid chronicles these creatures in all their aspects: their natural history to their market value; their occurence in art & literature; & their present threatened status. The eel is considered by many to be currently on the road to extinction & despite repeated attempts to farm them & the expenditure of huge amounts of time & money eels have steadfastly refused to reproduce successfully in captivity apparently requiring the vastness of the open ocean to begin their long drift toward maturity. Containing many little-known facts about this rather surprising fish this book will appeal to anyone who enjoys well-written natural history or who wants to learn more about an animal that deserves much more attention than it has received to date. ...

Eerie English covers essential topics from the National Curriculum & is based around the popular theme of magic. Wizard Whimstaff s blend of fun with curriculum-based activities enchants & educates young learners. Children work towards attaining a Wizard s Trophy of Excellence at the end of the book. * Motivating activities based on the KS2 National Curriculum * Step-by-step learning introduced by fun characters *
Includes: gold stickers to reward achievement
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