'Saving Country Houses', Ben Cowell

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This talk marks the 50th anniversary of Historic Houses, the association established in November 1973 to save the British country house. Back then, houses faced all sorts of threats, most particularly from proposed new levels of taxation. An exhibition at London’s V&A museum documented over a thousand country houses that had been lost in the preceding century, many of them pulled down in the face of rising costs of maintenance and repair. But early policy successes by the Historic Houses Association paved the way for a significant revival in the fortunes of country houses in the last half century. Houses have found new ways to generate income: tourism, hospitality, events, weddings and many other business activities now take place in country house settings. This economic revival has helped to keep Britain’s special heritage of country houses and gardens safe and secure for future generations.

Ben Cowell is the Director General of Historic Houses, the representative body for nearly 1,500 country house, gardens and castles across the UK.  Ben has worked previously for the National Trust, for English Heritage, and as a civil servant in London. He has written numerous books on themes connected to history and heritage, and his latest book, The British Country House Revival, is being published in 2024.