A fascinating new account of the history of the English house, from the country's preeminent architectural historian
'Cruickshank’s enthusiasm for England’s vernacular architecture shines through every infectious sentence of this glorious book... A triumph.' - The Times

'A mine of information presented in an effortlessly accessible style. Unlike many books that merely convey stories attached to buildings, this is social and architectural history delivered with forensic insight' - Country Life
This is the story of the superbly elegant early eighteenth-century Pallant House in Chichester. It's the story of 19 Princelet Street in Spitafields, built for a Huguenot silk-weaver, ultimately a synagogue. It’s also the story of – among others – a row of two-up, two-downs in Toxteth, a block of flats in London’s East End, and what Ideal Home’s magazine described in 1926 as Britain’s ‘first modern house’ – in Northampton.

Together these buildings reveal the ways in which English homes have developed and changed over the past few centuries. At the same time, as Dan Cruickshank shows, they have much to tell us about the lives of their first occupants: their aspirations, their struggles, their place within society and relationship with their local community. The English House brilliantly weaves these two strands together, blending architectural and social history to create a series of brilliantly observed portraits of fascinating buildings.


Praise for Dan Cruickshank

'Genial, erudite and companionable . . . this heroic and heartfelt book caps a career devoted to [Spitalfields'] heritage.' ? Spectator

'With beguiling erudition, TV historian and local resident Cruickshank tells the story of Spitalfields from Roman times to today . . . This is people’s history at its tastiest.' ? Sunday Express

'A passionate, scholarly energy and involvement with every era of the district's long history come off Spitalfields' pages . . . Absorbing detail.' ? Times Literary Supplement

'Cruickshank writes perceptively and honestly . . . As well as being a fascinating account of a unique area of London, Spitalfields is a timely warning that helps us to appreciate what the city and country risk losing.' ? Country Life

'A delight to read . . . Teaches one how to use one's eyes more intelligently.' -- Jean Seaton, Chair of Judges, PEN Hessell-Tiltman History Prize

"The eight houses that Dan Cruickshank chooses to tell the story of English domestic architecture run the gamut from the generously humane to the brutally rational. But dig down to the foundations and the same issues emerge time after time: tricky owners, dodgy developers and builders who down tools halfway through. The overall effect is not unlike Grand Designs but with fewer happy endings… Cruickshank’s enthusiasm for England’s vernacular architecture shines through every infectious sentence of this glorious book. His great skill is to dig down into details so that no building’s hidden corner, crooked window or clever keystone goes unremarked. At the same time, he situates these idiosyncratic details in a wider reading of the social and economic conditions which gave rise to every brick, strut and gurning gargoyle. A triumph" - The Times

"A mine of information presented in an effortlessly accessible style. Unlike many books that merely convey stories attached to buildings, this is social and architectural history delivered with forensic insight" - Country Life