Episode #78: The Edwardian Country House: Elegance and Eccentricity
Join Carl and returning listener favorite British country house historian Curt DiCamillo for a look into the world of the Edwardian country house. Audiences became fascinated by this world through the blockbuster Julian Fellowes series “Downton Abbey” and his earlier film “Gosford Park” with its colliding worlds of upstairs and downstairs and the interlocking social dramas. Curt unveils more of this fascinating period in British history and how the country house in Edwardian times brought society closer to a modern age.
Guest Curt DiCamillo takes into the enclave of the Edwaardian country house by explaining how country houses as estates for the British aristocracy evolved over centuries and they reached their height in the reign of King Edward VII, who took the throne following his mother, Queen Victoria’s death. The country house greatly expanded ruing this time and some interiors reflected influences from Britain’s growing empire. Grand dinners, shooting parties, elegant tea parties over country house weekends were all backdrops to great social intrigue and sometimes scandal.
In this show, Curt shares with us several examples of great Edwardian country houses (including one currently a royal estate), what they looked like, how they operated and some of which we can visit ourselves today. The Edwardian period was a glittering one, much like America’s Gilded Age, but a short one, and one that vanished from view as Britain and Western Europe entered a world-changing war.
Carl is joined by special guest:
— Curt DiCamillo, an authority on the British country House. he leads scholarly luxury tours and lectures on architectural and artistic heritage.
LISTEN NOW: The Edwardian Country House: Elegance and Eccentricity
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