Holkham

Abstract

"Built between 1734 and 1765, Holkham Hall--the Earl of Leicester's 25,000-acre estate in Norfolk--is a tribute to a time gone by. This great house full of exquisite works of art, one of England's primary tourist destinations, continues to be a thriving, self-sufficient community, providing visitors with a unique perspective on rural life as it was lived during the estate's conception. This colourful publication of the house and park explores for the first time the landscape and the architectural history of Holkham Hall, introducing the client for whom the mansion was conceived and built, detailing its construction process and describing the magnificent historic interiors."--Jacket.

Contents

Introduction : "...a few small clumps of trees, which give you warning of an approach..." -- Thomas Coke, Earl of Leicester--the builder of Holkham : "...the fat, laughing, joking peer... whose taste for building is so elegant that it is far beyond conception or description..." -- The Holkham landscape : "...on an open, barren estate..." -- Inventing Holkham : "... the trophied arch, the porphyry-pillar'd hall..." -- Building Holkham : "...an accuracy in the execution, that distinguishes the various edifices of Holkham..." -- The interiors : "... the love of Roman Arts and Magnificence..." -- Living at Holkham : "...inimitably well contrived, both for state and conveniency..." -- The next generations : "...such is the rage for innovation..." -- Visitors at Holkham : "...we could not see it for an hour as there was a party going round..."