The Power and the Glory: Life in the English Country House Before the Great War (Adrian Tinniswood)

In the late 19th and early 20th Centuries, an influx of wealth infused much of the West. In America, we refer to it as the Gilded Age. In Britain, new money found its way into the life of genteel country nobility, who built and renovated homes and estates in the rural countryside. The Power and the Glory: Life in the English Country House Before the Great War is Adiran Tinniswood’s account of life in the English “country house” during the peak of the British Empire’s influence and control.

The period of time that Tinniswood focuses on ranges roughly from 1860 to 1920, showcasing the changing norms of high society due in large part to the influx of wealth that worked its way out of the noble class and into unexpected sources (such as burlesque entertainers, guano dealers, and foreign resources). Change happened fast for the era, whether it be modern technology such as indoor plumbing and electricity, or social norms such as divorce and remarriage outside of the blessing of the Church of England. The Power and the Glory showcases how much British life changed and how those in the 1% of the era adapted.

Tinniswood’s book reads as part gossip column for the era and part history of English affluence and exuberance during the British Empire’s peak. The Power and the Glory was an entertaining and informative read, well worth your time if you’re a fan of Downton Abbey or similar shows.

MY RATING: 4.5

The Long Weekend (Adrian Tinniswood)

Adrian Tinniswood’s The Long Weekend is a brilliantly paced read on the golden era of the English country house between the two world wars.  Tinniswood’s historical work touches on all facets of life in the 1920’s and 1930’s for Britain’s political class, nobility, and socialites -- from the architectural look of the country house to the lifestyle of those who resided in it. Details about the lives of the Astors, Windsors, and Churchills and their estates are given proper coverage…and of course, Edward VIII’s many, many ladies.

The era and lifestyle of many of those who resided in these homes would closely resemble that of the popular British show Downton Abbey, and Tinniswood’s well-researched work closely overlaps the time of the show, extending beyond its ending to cover the golden era’s decline and the fate that many of these homes faced in later years.  Unlike the Granthams of Downton fame, however, many of the residents of these country homes were not there full time, living primarily in London or in some cases even the United States, utilizing these properties for weekend or holiday use.

The author crafts together a fast-paced but intellectual read (290 pages can be trotted through with ease), full of detail of both sophistication of the elite and the sophistry of affairs, double lives, and of lifestyles that were frowned upon in an earlier time.  It’s arguably one of the finer books on the subject of English 20^th Century life and certainly well worth your time to read over a long weekend…or a short vacation!

MY RATING - 5