English country house: Difference between revisions

{{EngvarB|date=November 2013}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2013}}

An '''English country house''' is a large house or [[mansion]] in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a [[Townhouse (Great Britain)|town house]]. This allowed them to spend time in the country and in the city—hence, for these people, the term distinguished between town and country. However, the term also encompasses houses that were, and often still are, the full-time residence for the [[landed gentry]] that ruled rural Britain until the [[Reform Act 1832]].<ref>As documented in ''The Purefoy Letters, 1735–53'' by L. G Mitchell.</ref> Frequently, the formal business of the [[Historic counties of England|counties]] was transacted in these country houses.