Secrets of an English Country House

About this book

"A beautiful book to have on your coffee table, especially if you love English country houses, gardens, and history." - Luna Schot, @englishcountrysides Step inside a real English country house with Julie Montagu--Chicago-born countess and star of Bravo's Ladies of London--as she reveals what it truly takes to run a historic estate today. What's it really like to live in and be responsible for one of England's great country houses? In Secrets of an English Country House, Julie Montagu opens the doors of Mapperton, the 1,900-acre estate she and her husband Luke Montagu, Earl of Sandwich, took over in 2016. Far from the fantasy of aristocratic ease, Julie shares the hands-on reality of modern estate life: restoring historic rooms, conserving priceless objects, opening the house to the public, launching a rewilding project, and balancing tradition with the demands of the twenty-first century. Organised around the changing seasons, you will discover: An American perspective on adapting to one of Britain's most tradition-bound worlds. The day-to-day realities of running a working estate. The hidden histories of Mapperton and the Montagu family, revealed through letters, paintings, clothing, and archives. What it takes to restore and maintain a centuries-old house while welcoming visitors. Along the way, Julie brings the past vividly to life, uncovering extraordinary stories hidden in the house's archives and discovering a kindred spirit in Alberta Montagu, 9th Countess of Sandwich, the Gilded Age American heiress who has redefined the Dollar Princess narrative. Part memoir, part social history, and part country-house chronicle, this is an essential read for those fascinated by British history, grand houses, and the people working to preserve them for the future.