The Long Weekend: Life in the English Country House Between the Wars
The title of this volume reflects a certain nostalgic appeal, as being the final time that large English (mostly) rural residences for the privileged classes thrived before the arrival of World War Two changed matters irrevocably. But the country house life had already been threatened by death duties and other financial crises after the end of The Great War.
The tendency with books of this kind is that because there is an enormous body of material available, the narrative can appear essentially anecdotal, in which the author selects a series of historical items of interest for the reader, very often culled from contemporary newspaper reporting. In this case the author utilises reporting and photographs from The Country Life. We also occasionally wander off message, and the author covers subjects such as the abdication of Edward VIII and methods of contemporary transport that seem to be only slightly relevant to the volume. But the chapters that deals with life for the servants in these houses makes particularly fascinating reading. This is a highly informed (the author has written previously about English country house design and life) engaging, and well-written account, that is lavishly illustrated with contemporary photographs, printed on high-quality paper.
