Historical Country Houses

A move to the house on the North York Moors that has been in her husband’s family since 1899 has provided textile designer Natasha James with inspiration and the ideal showcase for her colourful block-printed linens

The late Victoria de Rothschild had a passion for beautiful things, evidenced in a new exhibition of contemporary handcrafted pieces from her collection at her former home, Ascott House in Buckinghamshire, which still bears the hallmarks of her refined taste

Faced with the daunting task of reviving this 17th-century cottage in the Cotswolds, Ben Adler and Pat Llewellyn enlisted the help of historic building consultant Hilton Marlton. Together, they restored its original features without losing sight of the need to make it a comfortable weekend base

In a story from our May 2013 issue, we visit Williamstrip in the Cotswolds, which has been restored, extended and modernised by the current owners with the help of architect Craig Hamilton and decorator Mark Gillette

King Charles's first Welsh home, adapted from a former model farm in Carmarthenshire, bears witness to his philosophy of sustainable building, with a structure traditionally made from existing and locally sourced materials, an ecologically sound heating system, and elegant interiors that harmonise perfectly with the architecture

 Keith Johnson and Glen Senk’s search for a retreat from Florida’s heat took them to a Grade II-listed house in south west England, which, after restoration and redecoration, is a refreshing amalgamation of creative American spirit and English country ideals

After living in Milan for five years, British fashion designer Ashley Fletcher fell for a 16th-century villa in Piedmont. This has become a creative playground, where he has allowed his imagination to run wild with remarkable results

Farrow & Ball’s colour curator Joa Studholme applied her talents to her own 19th-century schoolhouse in rural Somerset, using carefully chosen hues to emphasise its lofty ceilings and complement her existing furniture

In an extract from ‘Romantics & Classics: Style in the English Country House’, step inside the wonderful Beckside House, an eighteenth-century house in Lancashire

Serial renovators of historic houses on a grand scale, the dynamic design duo Peter Sheppard and Keith Day took on their greatest challenge yet with exquisite 18th-century Wolterton Hall in north Norfolk, which had lain uninhabited for almost 30 years

Having inherited the house from her parents, fourth-generation antiques dealer Dana Jennings Rohn has made it a space that pays homage to her family traditions while reflecting her own convivial spirit

Interior designer Philip Hooper’s masterful blend of the classic and contemporary has given this late-Regency house in Hampshire a greater sense of harmony and dignity

Leaving his lovingly restored Georgian house in Whitechapel behind, Tim Whittaker has turned his hand to a 17th-century farmhouse originally built by his ancestors, filling the beautifully preserved interiors with a remarkable collection of antiques

Decorator Victoria von Westenholz, working with her longtime friend Xenia Buckhurst, has infused the interiors of the cottage where Xenia lives with warmth and a welcoming atmosphere

Though over 300 years old, this Northamptonshire house had lost much of its character until its owners enlisted the help of trusted decorator Robert Young, who restored a sense of its past with a mix of antiques, folk art and rich distemper walls

In an extract from her new book At Home in the Cotswolds, author and Cotswold house hunter Katy Campbell takes us on a tour of a beautiful Arts & Crafts house in the hamlet of Snowshill

The current custodians of Thirsk Hall, Daisy Bell and Bill Gerrish, have opened a Sculpture Garden in its parkland, an initiative that they hope will help to protect the future of the house and also benefit the local community

House & Garden award winner Edward Bulmer is a man of many talents: interior designer, architectural historian, and founder of a paint company, Edward Bulmer Natural Paint. Here, in his first book, The Colourful Past: Edward Bulmer and the English Country House, Bulmer takes readers on a tour of a house with elements of 17th-century architecture, Edwardian interiors, and pieces brought back from Asia by its new owners

The former owner of Farrow & Ball (and co-founder of Fermoie) Tom Helme's colourful and comfortable Scottish retreat with spectacular views of the islands of Sanda and Rathlin on the furthest point of the Mull of Kintyre.