A vibrant era for our country houses

Rather than perceiving the mid 20th century as a troubled period in the history of the country house, John Martin Robinson argues that it was perhaps one of the most interesting, unexpected and enterprising

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AS the striking title suggests, 'The Destruction of the Country House' exhibition at the V&A Museum, which opened in the winter of 1974/75, aimed to draw attention to the scale of demolitions of historic houses in Britain over the previous 50 years. Its polemic struck home. The shocking display captured the popular imagination and had a significant impact on wider public perceptions and policy. In the process, a much more positive framework for the preservation of historic houses in Britain was established.

The timing of the exhibition was excellent. 1975 had been designated European Architectural Heritage Year, emphasising the importance of the 'built heritage'. There was also a new Labour Government that—despite talk of 'wealth taxes'—introduced the Finance Act of 1976. This made it possible to set up charitable trusts specifically to preserve historic buildings and establish maintenance funds for country houses. Margaret Thatcher's government, which followed in 1979, established the National Heritage Memorial Fund to give substantial grants and Michael Heseltine widened and strengthened the preservation net by instigating a comprehensive updating of the lists of historic buildings. Once again, it is now due for further revision.