Country houses built in this period were carefully planned. It was the age of the gentleman architect, who had formed his own visions of how domestic life should be lived.

Domestic quarters were greatly detached from the ‘superior’ parts of the house, as servants were no longer regarded as members of the family. They now lived in attics or basements, segregated according to their gender. Some houses even had specially constructed tunnels and secret doors to hide their progress.

Garden design still followed royal fashions. The new desire was to escape from the perceived beauty imposed by the enclosure of common land for farming, and appear like ‘nature itself’ by using elements like water, grassy glades and winding paths.