Postgraduate degrees in Country House Studies
When I’m not writing books, I run the University of Buckingham’s postgraduate programme in Country House Studies with Ben Cowell, director-general of Historic Houses. We offer PhDs, MPhils and MAs by Research in a wide range of country house-related topics, from explorations of individual houses and architects to thematic studies. Past topics have included the Baroque mural, the use of music in the country houses of the 1650s and the professionalisation of the sale of country estates in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. If you have an idea for a PhD, we’re always happy to chat. Drop me a line at
adrian.tinniswood@buckingham.ac.uk
and we can arrange a phone call or a Zoom meeting.
The same goes if you are interested in our Masters by Research in Country House Studies, ‘From Hampton Court to Downton Abbey’. The course, which starts in October 2024, is an interdisciplinary research programme that enables you to examine, by way of a dissertation, a particular aspect of the history of the mansions and manor houses of Britain. You might want to look at a particular building, the country house in popular culture, a dynasty of craftsmen, or the creation of an estate. The choice is up to you.
The MA is awarded solely on the basis of your dissertation – there are no examinations – and the relationship between you and your supervisor (usually me or Ben) is at the heart of the course. However, whether you are pursuing a PhD or an MA, your studies will be complemented by a London-based seminar programme that offers an opportunity to hear and meet with some of the world’s most distinguished scholars. Most of these seminars take place at the Reform Club on Pall Mall.
The 2024-2025 seminar programme is ready and waiting, and it promises great things:
- 1 October 2024 Adrian Tinniswood An Introduction to the Course (online via Zoom)
- 15 October 2024 Nicholas Kingsley ‘Researching the Country House’
- 29 October 2024 Terence Dooley ‘The Decline of the Big House in Ireland’
- 4 November 2024 Faculty Induction Day at the Society of Antiquaries, Piccadilly (10am-5pm)
- 12 November 2024 Simon Thurley ‘Palaces of Power’
- 26 November 2024 John Goodall ‘The Country Houses of the Long Middle Ages: 1480-1640’
- 14 January 2025 Clive Aslet ‘The Country Houses of Sir Edwin Lutyens’
- 28 January 2025 The Duchess of Argyll ‘Inveraray Castle: The Jewell in Scotland’s Crown’
- 11 February 2025 Adriano Aymonino ‘Syon House and Enlightened Eclecticism’
- 25 February 2025 Christopher Ridgway ‘The Economics of the Country House’
- 11 March 2025 Adrian Tinniswood The Country House Before the Great War’
- 25 March 2025 Lucy Worsley ‘Artisan Mannerism and the Great Household’
Unless otherwise indicated, each seminar begins at 18:30 and is followed by drinks and a dinner with the guest speaker. The cost of all post-seminar dinners is included in the tuition fees.
There is also an associate option, which allows you to attend the seminars without signing up for the MA.
If you would like to know more, contact me direct at
adrian.tinniswood@buckingham.ac.uk
Or for an online application form, click here.
Adrian Tinniswood 