In this sumptuous portrait of the house known as 'the English Versailles', the present Duke sets the scene with a history of his ancestors, the Montagus of Boughton, who acquired the manor in Northamptonshire in the reign of Henry VIII. Ralph, 1st Duke of Montagu (1638-1709), Charles II's envoy to Louis XIV, transformed Boughton into a palatial homage to French culture. His son John, the 2nd Duke, is remembered for the miles of avenues he planted, a love of heraldry, a fondness for practical jokes and the ancient lion he nursed in one of the courtyards. The book showcases Boughton's celebrated art collection, with its magnificent tapestries and S vres porcelain. There are striking portraits of Elizabeth I, Charles II and his son the Duke of Monmouth, another Buccleuch ancestor. Van Dyck's friends and contemporaries cluster in the Drawing Room. Most eye-catching of all is the portrait of Shakespeare's muse, the Countess of Southampton. A grand tour takes in the French-inspired fa ade, the formal State Rooms and the Tudor Great Hall, with their painted ceilings, flamboyant French furniture and the oldest dated carpet in Europe - before moving to the park, with its avenues of soaring limes and network of lakes, and its dramatic, newly created sunken pool.
Buccleuch, Richard: - Richard, 10th Duke of Buccleuch and 12th Duke of Queensberry, is responsible for his family's historic art collections and houses, including Drumlanrig Castle and Bowhill in Scotland and Boughton House in Northamptonshire. Author of books about each of them, he works widely in the heritage field and was for ten years President of the National Trust for Scotland. He is currently a trustee of the Royal Collection Trust and President of the Georgian Group.
Scott, John: - John Scott is the co-founder, alongside his wife Berrin Torolsan, of Cornucopia, the Magazine for Connoisseurs of Turkey. He has been the editor of all three books on the Buccleuch houses and their collections, Boughton, Drumlanrig and Bowhill.
Von Der Schulenburg, Fritz: - During a photographic career spanning more than thirty-five years, Fritz von der Schulenburg has achieved international acclaim, capturing on camera some of the most beautiful and inspirational locations in the world. His photographs have been published in numerous magazines, such as The World of Interiors, Architectural Digest, House & Gardenand Veranda. As well as contributing to many books, he has published several of his own. These include The English Garden Room (Weidenfeld & Nicolson), Living in Scotland (Thames & Hudson), Neoclassicism in the North (Thames & Hudson), Romantic Scotland (Weidenfeld & Nicolson), Living by Design (Weidenfeld & Nicolson), Luxury Minimal (Thames & Hudson). In recent years, Schulenburg has spent most of his time photographing houses, estates, boats and planes to provide a personal record for owners and designers in the form of bespoke books and albums.
