Book review – The Country Houses of Shropshire

By Gareth Williams

Published by The Boydell Press, £95.

To describe this as a book doesn't do it justice. It is a bible, a heavyweight publication in more ways than one.

And while that is reflected in the price tag, consider this – what books you now own will still be turned to as a definitive work by folk in 100 years time?

Running to 750 pages, this is the fruit of an immense amount of research by Williams over many years and is an extraordinary record of the grand mansions of Shropshire, both those that survive, and those that have been lost, of which there have been many.

Even finding pictures of them all is a major task in itself. This work is not just about buildings, but a social history as well, because their roles have reflected changing times and the changing circumstances of the upper classes.

It's a truly magnificent book.

Review by Toby Neal