The farmhouse is an essential and attractive part of the English landscape and thousands of examples still grace the countryside. In this superbly illustrated book, R. J. Brown examines the changing role of these traditional buildings. He shows the farmhouse at the centre of the economic, social and farming life of the community, and the many buildings which have lost their lands and have since been modified for other uses. This leads him to describe in words and detailed drawings the diversity of house types including the mediaeval open-hall and the so-called 'double-piled' house, the first house type designed not for the needs of the farm but for the comfort of the family. The significance of geological variations for the pattern of agriculture and the consequences for the type of farmhouse is also explained. In addition, the book discusses the various materials employed and the resulting distinctive regional variations. Profusely illustrated with the author's fine pen-and-ink drawings, this volume is an authoritative guide to one of the most characteristic and well-loved aspects of the English countryside.