Henbury: An Extraordinary House

Henbury Hall in Cheshire was described by the diarist James Lees-Milne in 1990 as “stupendous…the whole house is a triumph”. This elegant house, built in the 1980s, rises from the rolling contours of it ancient parkland as a Palladian masterpiece of symmetry, elegance and simplicity. Full of intriguing historic references, its form both venerable and familiar, it is unique in the story of late-twentieth-century British architecture.

Henbury: An Extraordinary House tells the story of how the house came to be created by Sebastian de Ferranti (1927-2015), drawing on the Palladian tradition and the “ministry of all the talents” he brought together—including painter Felix Kelly, architect Julian Bicknell, interior decorator David Mlinaric and a host of talented and skilled artists and craftsmen.

This book, written by celebrated architectural historian Jeremy Musson and including more than 250 superb photographs, is the complementary vision of Sebastian de Ferranti’s widow Gilly de Ferranti, her tribute to her husband’s creation, and as beautiful and inspiring a book as Henbury Hall is a house.