The English House by Dan Cruickshank - ISBN: 9781804941546
Paperback
Uncover Britain’s hidden house histories, from grand estates to humble dwellings.

The English House

A History in Eight Buildings

$34.32

  • Paperback

    512 pages

  • Release Date

    30 May 2026

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Summary

Beyond the front door… Britain’s leading house detective reveals the stories of eight extraordinary buildings.

This is the story of the superbly elegant early eighteenth-century Pallant House in Chichester. It’s the story of 19 Princelet Street in Spitalfields, built for a Huguenot silk-weaver, ultimately a synagogue. It’s also the story of - among others - a row of two-up, two-downs in Toxteth, a block of flats in London’s East End, and what Ideal Home’s magazine described i…

Book Details

ISBN-13:9781804941546
ISBN-10:1804941549
Author:Dan Cruickshank
Publisher:Cornerstone
Imprint:Penguin
Format:Paperback
Number of Pages:512
Release Date:30 May 2026
Weight:432g
Dimensions:196mm x 127mm x 31mm
What They're Saying

Critics Review

Cruickshank’s enthusiasm for England’s vernacular architecture shines through every infectious sentence of this glorious book. His great skill is to dig down into details so that no building’s hidden corner, crooked window or clever keystone goes unremarked. At the same time, he situates these idiosyncratic details in a wider reading of the social and economic conditions which gave rise to every brick, strut and gurning gargoyle. A triumph * The Times *
A mine of information presented in an effortlessly accessible style. Unlike many books that merely convey stories attached to buildings, this is social and architectural history delivered with forensic insight * Country Life *
The English House condenses the intriguing story of how English homes have developed. * The Independent, Books of the Month *
The most delightfully reassuring of books. In The English House, Cruickshank lovingly and methodically dives into the history of eight different buildings. Fascinating. Cruickshank guides the reader through 19 Princelet St […] with great charm and a keen sense of the resonance of the building, which – like all the buildings in the book – he brings beautifully to life. * Jewish Chronicle *
Diverting and illuminating * Observer *

About The Author

Dan Cruickshank

Dan Cruickshank is an architectural historian and television presenter. He is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects, and has sat on the Executive Committee of the Georgian Group, and the Architectural Panel of the National Trust.

His previous work includes the BBC television programmes Civilisation Under Attack (2015) and At Home with the British (2016), and the books A History of Architecture in 100 Buildings (2015) and Spitalfields (2016).

He lives in London.

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