The Romance of Classicism: Designing the English Country House for Today

One of the foremost classical architects of today presents a striking collection of his country houses in England designed over the past twenty years.

Each project demonstrates Saumarez Smith’s ability to unite the best of traditional architecture with the needs of twenty-first-century living, creating residences that feel both timeless and thoroughly contemporary. Part explanatory treatise and part visual journey, the book explores the evolution of the country house of today as a valued architectural form—one capable of adapting gracefully over time. Seeking to create buildings of lasting worth, Saumarez Smith designs houses that are versatile in plan, that weather gently, and that rely on natural materials, classical proportions, and a traditional architectural language. The result is a body of work that appeals equally to dedicated classicists and to design-forward homeowners.

The houses presented here speak directly to the concerns of our age: the preference for long-lasting construction over the temporary, the natural over the synthetic, and craft over industrial uniformity. This patient design philosophy embraces endurance rather than trend. While the English country house tradition often calls to mind vast historic estates, the dwellings featured in this book are more modest in scale—farmhouses, villas, and rural retreats—and represent a new chapter in the genre. These compact, classically inspired residences reflect the rhythms of modern life and stand as exemplary models of classicism for today’s world.

George Saumarez Smith is a director of ADAM Architecture (Winchester and London). Since 2004, he has worked on a wide range of projects including new country houses, alterations to historic buildings, commercial housing, and urban design.