The Big House in Ireland

by Valerie Pakenham

Book Overview

For nearly 400 years, the big country house has dominated the Irish landscape and imagination. Two best-selling authors follow the splendor and the decline of these estates, with sumptuous artwork and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1841881597
• ISBN13: 9781841881591
• Release Date: October 2002
• Publisher: George Weidenfeld & Nicholson
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 2.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 9.3" x 11.4"

Customer Reviews

****DON'T CALL THEM CASTLES****

Having been to Ireland many times and stayed in a few of the "Big Houses", I wanted to know why they weren't referred to as castles. I asked an owner of a house we stayed at and here's his answer in a nut shell, "Big Houses" are Irish, whereas "Castles and Manors" are English. This book not only has lovely photographs of many houses, but gives insight into the daily mechanics of operating a large estate. Servants and owners were at times close, more so than the English "Upstairs, Downstairs" version. A wonderful book for anyone interested in the architecture and history of my favorite island, Ireland.