The definitive survey of one of the great treasures of the English country landscape and a jewel in the crown of British architectural heritage. Built in the 1720s for the first prime minister, Sir Robert Walpole, Houghton Hall remains one of England's finest Palladian houses. A collaboration between the two defining British architects of the age-Colen Campbell and James Gibbs-and with lavish interiors by William Kent, Houghton was built with an eye to reflecting the wealth, taste, and power of its owner. During the eighteenth century, Walpole also amassed the greatest collection of art in Britain, and Houghton would be a museum to the collection. <br><br>Guided by the present owner, the seventh Marquess of Cholmondeley, the book explores every aspect of the house and its grounds, with stunning photographs by Derry Moore-many taken specially for the book-capturing the evolution and preservation of the remarkable interiors. Supplemented with images from the Marquess's archives, the book reveals the range of Walpole's collection and the mastery of the craftsmen who shaped the museum around it-including paintings sold to Catherine the Great, which were returned temporarily from the Hermitage in 2013 to their original positions in the state rooms for the first time since 1797. <br>The book is timed to coincide with a traveling exhibition of magnificent masterpieces from Houghton's permanent collection, which opens in June 2014 at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and will travel to several venues across the United States.