Noble Ambitions
The Fall and Rise of the English Country House After World War II

Quotes

“Erudite and delightfully gossipy.”—Wall Street Journal

“Tinniswood [is] an erudite historian of country-house life in all its anecdote-worthy vagaries.”—Financial Times

“If you’re still mourning the end of ‘Downton Abbey,’ this book, charting the rise and fall of the English country house, is most definitely the book for you. A lively history of post-World War II England as told through its grandest estates and ancestral seats.” —New York Post

“Adrian Tinniswood’s rollicking study perfectly captures the combination of decadence, pathos and brazen cheek that kept the English country house alive when it faced disaster.”—John Walsh, Sunday Times

“[A] preposterously entertaining history of the postwar country house... Unnervingly and deliciously vivid.”—Rachel Cooke, The Observer

“Brilliant new history of the country house since 1945...Tinniswood tells that story superbly…”—Marcus Binney, Daily Telegraph (5/5 stars)

“The English country house epitomizes so much in British social and political history… Devoted fans of Downton Abbey will appreciate that Tinniswood’s history takes the fate of these country houses past the series’ conclusion in the 1920s.”—Booklist

“Vividly evoking the glamour and ruin of post-imperial England, this winning survey is well-stocked with intriguing historical tidbits.”—Publishers Weekly

“A highly enjoyable, gossipy read with a gasp on every page; a must for the bedside tables of every guest bedroom, and every stately home gift shop.” —Mary S. Lovell, author of The Sisters

“By turns warm, sympathetic, sly, and analytical, Adrian Tinniswood examines the complex history of the postwar country house with skill, grace, clarity—and charity. A triumph.” 
 —Judith Flanders, author of A Place for Everything