Raynham Hall: An English Country House Revealed

A lovely book, with excellent illustrations. The text is rather thin

A detailed account of one of Britain's finest private houses that has not been submitted to the nonsense imposed on so many by the National Trust. Long may it remain the gem it currently is.

This is a most peculiar book. My three stars apparently rate it as 'ok', but it should be better than that. It's a handsome production, the copious photographs are fine, atmospheric and well printed but, sadly, the text is really awful. This is such a squandered opportunity as Raynham is an intriguing, indeed 'important', house whose privacy isn't disturbed by it being publicly open, so it remains somewhat unknown and secretive. Written accounts of it are few so I had hoped this would be its definitive history. However the writing is a collage of near random sentences stuffed with cliche, by turn obsequious, prissy, pompous, slangy, archaic and sometimes, frankly, plain garbled. I mean, what are 'double height ceilings'? Surely it's the room that's double height? Tables 'rest elegantly along the walls of the red salon'. Rest elegantly? A statue of a stag in the garden is described as 'cast in stone'. We're told Kent bricked-up windows to the south of the State Dining Room but they appear to be on the north.I could go on, but I already sound petty enough. Honestly, buy this book for the photos (try not to read the often pointless or gushing captions, 'A modern renovation of the King's Bedroom was gracefully executed by the current Lord and Lady Townsend, who now occupy this elegant room.') and if you really want to know more about this house then look up other entries for Raynham in more serious architectural histories and monographs.

Strongly recommend this delightful book. Full of beautiful photos and a text that is informative and easy to read. Really good as a coffee table book and super as a gift. Mine was a present to me!Delivered promptly and well packaged. Delighted. Thank you

It’s sealed and it’s for a present but ideal for anyone who have visited or would like to visit.

Measured against the recent books on St Giles House and Houghton, this falls short. The author sometimes seems unsure whether he is writing a gushing article for a colour supplement or an architectural history, and the often excellent photography is padded-out with too many similar shots or vacuous close-ups. But I don't suppose we'll see another book on Raynham, a beautiful and interesting house, for at least another generation, and this one is good enough to earn a place on the shelf.

Very well written about a fascinating & beautiful house. I do hope Amazon will keep it in stock!Geoffrey Probert

A super book - well written with beautiful photographs