Jewish Country Houses

Book review by Anne Sarzin

A feast for the eyes, heart and mind

Jewish Country Houses is a comprehensively researched, superbly written and magnificently produced book, a veritable treasure trove that affords the discerning reader endless literary, historical and visual pleasure.

Published by Brandeis University in association with the National Trust in England, this book is co-edited by the Senior Curator at Waddesdon Manor (National Trust/Rothschild Foundation) Juliet Carey, and Oxford historian and author Abigail Green, with photography by Helène Binet. Together, this formidably gifted team has produced a scholarly volume that, undoubtedly, will be a worthwhile and significant addition to any home or library. This is much more than a conventional coffee-table book. It will yield untold joy to those who get lost in its beautifully designed pages that prove both enlightening and informative.

The country houses are diverse in style, contents and history, ranging from the Chateau de Ferrières in France and Waddesdon Manor in England to Max Liebermann’s villa at Lake Wannsee and Villa ‘La Montesca’ in Italy. Each tells a story of the life and times of the owners, their ambitions, hopes and dreams, while also tracing the fate of the houses themselves buffeted not only by economic and political pressures but also, inevitably, by the antisemitic winds of war. I was totally spellbound by the depth of research and quality of the writing by skilled and knowledgeable contributors, and by the brilliance of Binet’s architectural photography, who, with great originality, captures small details that speak eloquently of both traditional and innovative interior design, and the adjoining mesmerising landscapes.

Every reader will gravitate to chapters that resonate with them, perhaps because they’ve visited some of these homes, or perhaps they’re interested in the biographies of specific celebrated residents, or merely the pleasure of immersing oneself in these particular stories and images will prove entertaining and rewarding, possibly reviving earlier memories. For me, I first turned to the chapter on Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli’s home, Hughenden, in Buckinghamshire, a chapter expertly written by Robert Bandy, and I was well rewarded. As a young Master of Arts student, I wrote my thesis on Disraeli’s political novels. While I was in the United Kingdom, the then head of the National Trust, Sir Evelyn de Rothschild, kindly gave me permission to access and work in the Hughenden archives. I remember my immense sense of awe as I read Disraeli’s private correspondence while seated in his own home that he cherished and loved. It was an inspirational experience and rare opportunity and privilege for me at that time. Reading this excellent chapter, I re-captured my excitement of yesteryear and the many precious memories I associated with Hughenden.

There are so many touching narratives in this book, such as the story of East Cliff Lodge, the country house overlooking the English Channel that was, as the authors note, ‘for over fifty years one of the undisputed centres of the Jewish world’. This was the home on the outskirts of Ramsgate of Sir Moses Montefiore and his wife Judith. Sir Moses commissioned his cousin, the architect David Mocatta, to design a synagogue, which was inaugurated in 1833 and which still exists today. After Judith died in 1862, Sir Moses added a domed mausoleum to the synagogue, modelled on the tomb of Rachel near Bethlehem. Binet’s photograph of the interior of the Montefiore tomb, with its gilded Hebrew prayers on boards—one featuring ashet chayeil in Hebrew—is moving in its simplicity.

The authors note that war and the Holocaust brought an end to the era of the Jewish country house, ‘although a few families lingered on’. This book bears testimony to an incomparable era of prosperity, culture, integration, quasi-acceptance and well-being. There are scholarly notes on every chapter and a useful index. My only quibble, a minor one given the overall exceptional quality of this book, is the font. In my opinion, it could have been darker for easier readability. However, this does not detract from the fulfilling experience this book offers the reader.  I recommend it unreservedly.

Jewish Country Houses

Published by Brandeis University Press in association with the National Trust

November 2024