In Romantic English Homes Robert O'Byrne has gathered together a collection of some of
England's most glorious abodes from venerable country houses to a thatched farmhouse to an
enchanting Gothick folly. Ever since the English aristocracy embarked upon the Grand Tour
in the 17th century a passion for collecting has become a national trait. This is reflected
not only in England's aristocratic palaces and ancient manors but in more modest residences
too. Romantic English Homes features 14 such homes. Large or small old or new they all
exude typical English style: massed objects intentionally mingling a variety of styles and
tastes with the classical placed next to the gothic and tartan checks alongside floral
prints. Criss-crossing the country from Dorset Devon and Cornwall to East Anglia and Suffolk
from London to Staffordshire and Northumberland it is both the romantic timelessness of these
properties and their comfortable many-layered appearance that makes them so alluring and
romantic to modern eyes. First published in 2011 this is a new edition.
