A new book takes a look at some of the most lavish and romantic of English homes

Period dramas have us drooling over English historic houses of a grand and, often, ostentatious type, some lived in by generations of the same family, others conserved by venerable institutions like English Heritage and the National Trust.

All bring certain romantic tones with them by virtue of history, with layer upon layer of architectural and styling laid down by different generations, often initiated by the titled and entitled young scions of aristocratic families who were sent abroad for a couple of years to do the precursor of the gap year, the Grand Tour, before marrying a suitable young lady.

Port Eliot in Cornwall was once an Augustinian priory bought by a merchant in 1564 in the afternath of the English Reformation. The Round Room, designed by Sir John Soane, has mural covered walls by Robert Lenkiewicz; a crystal chandelier and Aubusson carpet.