From Hampton Court to Downton Abbey

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 2026, 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. There are also several field trips and additional opportunities for study.

The 2026-2027 seminar programme is ready and waiting, and it promises great things:

  • 6 October 2026 Professor Adrian Tinniswood, ‘An Introduction to Country House Studies’ (online via Zoom)
  • 20 October 2026 Professor Adrian Tinniswood, ‘The Houses of Guinness: The Lives, Homes and Fortunes of the Great Brewing Dynasty’
  • 2 November 2026, 10am – 5pm Faculty Induction Day at the Society of Antiquaries, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0BE
  • 3 November 2026 Dr Shaun Evans, ‘Country Houses and Estates in Wales’
  • 17 November 2026 Professor Clive Aslet, ‘The Country Houses of Sir Edwin Lutyens’
  • 1 December 2026 Professor Terence Dooley, ‘The Decline of the Big House in Ireland’
  • 12 January 2027 Dr John Goodall, ‘The Evolving Life of Country House Display’
  • 26 January 2027 Jeremy Musson, ‘Robert Adam and the Country House’
  • 9 February 2027 Professor Simon Thurley, ‘Palaces of Power’
  • 23 February 2027 The Countess of Sandwich, ‘Mapperton: The Perils and Pitfalls of Running a Country House’ 4 March 2027, 10pm – 6pm
  • Field Trip to Stowe House and Gardens, followed by a Research Day on the Buckingham campus
  • 9 March 2027 Dr Michael Bentley, ‘The Baroque Country House Mural’
  • 23 March 2027 Dr Mark Purcell, ‘The Country House Library’
  • 24 June 2027 Field trip to Leeds Castle, Kent (tbc)

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.