For more than five centuries, English country houses have opened their doors to curious guests. The practice gained particular momentum in the late 16th century as a new social class was emerging—house owners who had stronger links with business than the landed gentry. Aristocrats would visit other building projects with their architects—such as the Dowager Countess of Shrewsbury who visited sites during the early building of Hardwick Hall. As centuries progressed, more country houses were fashioned to advertise their owner’s wealth and status. This desire to impress presupposes an audience who will visit a historic house for curiosity value rather than to conduct business. From the Elizabethans who strolled around palaces; to the Georgians who appreciated the classical proportions of Kedleston Hall while admiring treasures brought back from the Grand Tour; visiting country houses has always been popular. Historian and author Adrian Tinniswood OBE will take us on an illustrated tour around some of England’s historic houses. We will hear tales of the polite tourists who came to call, as well as the impolite visitors who may have snuck onto the estate. Finally, he will explain how country house “snooping” helped support the development of English national preservation.

Adrian Tinniswood OBE studied English and Philosophy at Southampton University and was awarded an MPhil at Leicester University. He has acted as a consultant to the National Trust and the Heritage Lottery Fund. He is currently Senior Research Fellow in History at the University of Buckingham and Visiting Fellow in Heritage and History at Bath Spa University. He is the author of 16 books on architectural and social history including The Long Weekend: Life in the English Country House Between the Wars; Behind the Throne: A Domestic History of the Royal Household and Noble Ambition: The Rise and Fall of the English Country House—his most recent publication is The Houses of Guinness (2025). Tinniswood was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2013 Birthday Honours.

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