A Man and his Home

Ralph Dutton, 8th Baron Sherborne, was one of the leading taste-makers of his generation. Together with figures such as Christopher Hussey and James Lees-Milne, he helped create the perception that the apogee of English architecture and design was the 18th century; and in his own house and garden at Hinton Ampner, beloved of hundreds of thousands of National Trust visitors a year, he showed how to make that taste supremely effective in our own time. This biography, the first, explores how his achievements took shape, and how they were rooted in his circle of friends and fellow enthusiasts and scholars, all of whom played a part in creating heritage as we understand it today. John Holden, a leading cultural historian, charts Dutton's life with warmth and critical acumen. AUTHOR: Professor John Holden is a Cultural Fellow within King's College London. A writer, speaker, and cultural commentator, John is currently a Visiting Professor at the University of Leeds, an Honorary Professor of Hong Kong University and an Associate at the think-tank Demos. He is the author of many works, and is a regular keynote speaker in the UK, the rest of Europe, North America, Asia, and Australasia, and also acts as an advisor to large cultural organisations, agencies and governments. He is a Trustee of the Clore Leadership Programme and of The Hepworth Wakefield, and has served on various committees including at the Royal Opera House, the Design Museum and the AHRC. SELLING POINTS: . First biography of a man who created one of the National Trust's favourite houses and gardens, and who left a deep imprint on English taste and understanding of history 1 colour, 16 b/w illustrations