You could be forgiven for thinking that this book was more for the visitor to the Cotswolds rather than those of us who live here, but this isn’t the case. Only four of the houses are open to the public on a regular basis. There are ‘romantic castles surrounded by medieval moats, manor houses inhabited by the same families for generations’ and even a new house completed in 2016.

There is a mixture of architectural history and conversation with the present owners, beautifully put together by architectural historian, Jeremy Musson, with exquisite photographs taken by the accomplished photographer, Hugo Rittson Thomas. He has already had a great success with his book Secret Gardens of the Cotswolds where he joined forces with Victoria Summerley. Together these books make a great contribution to understanding the character of the Cotswolds.

The houses all have interesting stories to tell and it is wonderful to see how many of them have been lovingly restored by the owners, updating them for living in the 21st century whilst keeping their original identity. Philip Mould, presenter of BBC’s Fake or Fortune programme, found that ‘his experience of restoring works of art influenced his approach to the restoration of the house’.

He and his wife spent time researching the previous owners of ‘Duck End’ going back to the seventeenth century. The houses are located in both Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire representing the whole spectrum of houses in this region. It is a perfect book for a present at a very reasonable price but why not treat yourself? You couldn’t possibly be disappointed.