Lucy Porten

This beautifully illustrated book showcases a selection of 60 remarkable interiors selected from the thousands cared for by the National Trust – from the opulence of Osterley’s Neo-classical state rooms to the simple relatability of a Liverpool council-house parlour. Rooms are the human imagination made real and they resonate with histories that are both personal and universal. Birth, death and all the chapters of life in between are framed within rooms. We impress our taste and personality on them, fill them with meaningful and beautiful objects, and, in turn, they bear witness to the events both great and small that shape our lives. Among the interiors featured in this book are the earthen dovecote fashioned within the derelict Tattershall Castle, the delicate Shell Gallery of A la Ronde and the carved room at Petworth. The book concludes with a useful illustrated glossary of technical terms and architectural features.

A suburban palace caught between town and country, Osterley is one of the last surviving country estates in London. Only a short distance from the big city, you can explore the 18th-century house designed by the architect Robert Adam for entertaining. Osterley's historic interiors have recently been enriched by Lord Jersey's generous loan of family portraits and other former contents. The elegant pleasure grounds and extensive parkland are a perfect place to relax.