Referred to by some as the county of 'spires and squires', Northamptonshire has been well-endowed with country houses, whether created on a monumental or a more domestic scale. Financial difficulties arose for their owners when the late-Victorian agricultural depression reduced the rental income of landed estates that supported them, followed by a shortage of the lowly-paid and deferential staff who traditionally kept such properties going.
The books and articles listed below discuss a broad spectrum of buildings, including some such as Brixworth Hall which no longer survive. However, many of the edifices do still flourish, often performing fresh functions.
- Glimpses of some Northamptonshire Houses in the Reigns of Queen Anne and George I [1951] (page 43) Comments made in 1710-1717 by Justinian Isham about nine buildings and their estates.
- Useless Anachronisms? A Case Study of the Country Houses and Landed Estates of Northamptonshire Since 1880 by Neil Lyon [2018] This detailed book challenges the view that the decline and fall of such properties has been inevitable.
Particular places
- Althorp Cricket at Althorp, 1867 by Stephen Green [1970] (page 321)
- Althorp Price of groceries supplied to Althorp, 1604-5
- Althorp Althorp Video presentations about Althorp House, Park & Estate and the history of the Spencer family.
- Astwell Manor History in Stone: The Story of Astwell Manor House [1959] (page 324)
- Boughton A House in Decline? Boughton House, c. 1709–1827 by Emma Purcell [2017] (page 43)
- Brixworth Hall Brixworth Hall [1965] (page 273 and front cover) Picture painted about 1830 and a short history of the building.
- Brixworth Hall Brixworth Hall during World War 2 by Frank Slater
- Brixworth Hall Sales particulars [1800] For Brixworth Hall, one fifth part of the Manor of Brixworth and other property there.
- Burghley House A history of … Burghley House by John Horn [1797]
- Burleigh House Fact and Conjecture: The Building of Burghley House 1555-1587: The Roman Staircase as an early Feature by Eric Till [1999] (page 15)
- Burghley House The Marble Hall, Burghley House by Eric Till & Jon Culverhouse [2017] (page 16)
- Burghley House The Ninth Earl of Exeter as an Antiquarian by Eric Till [2002] (page 18) Details of an exensive programme of architectural alterations and garden development at Burghley House in 1756-1779.
- Burton Latimer Hall Burton Latimer Hall by Douglas Ashby [1999] (page 81)
- Castle Ashby George London at Castle Ashby by Peter McKay [2008] (page 56)
- Courteenhall A visit to Courteenhall in 1653 [1969] (page 245)
- Courteenhall The Ladies Cricket Match at Courteenhall, 23 July 1883 [1969] (page 214)
- Delapre Abbey Architectural history of Delapre Abbey by W A Pantin [1958] (page 232)
- Delapre Abbey Delapre Abbey by Joan Wake [1958] (page 225) History of the development, use and ownership of the property from the Middle Ages to date.
- Delapre Abbey Solving the architectural puzzle: Delapré Abbey decoded by Margaret Hawkins [2016] (page 18)
- Drayton House Drayton House 1880-1926: Recollections of a Grandson by F A L [1961] (page 63)
- Drayton House Henry Mordaunt, 2nd Earl of Peterborough and Drayton House: A story of family intrigue and building activity in the late 17th century by Bruce A Bailey [2004] (page 21)
- Fawsley Hall Fawsley History of the parish and Hall.
- Grafton House The taking of Grafton House, 1643
- Greatworth Manor Three Lost Northamptonshire Houses and Their Owners by J S W Gibson [1976] (page 311)
- Harlestone House Harlestone House and Park: A History by Martin Izzard [2017] (page 61)
- Haselbech Hall Patronage and the Architectural Profession: The Country House in Nineteeth-Century Northamptonshire by Megan Leyland [2016]
- Holdenby House A Carved Stone Head at Blisworth: Part of Holdenby House? by Bruce Bailey [2013] (page 48)
- Holdenby House Holdenby Description and valuation of the house and land, apparently compiled in the period when the mansion was demolished.
- Horton House Horton House as it was
- Kelmarsh Gates and Stone Piers by Gyles Isham [1966] (page 15)
- Kirby Hall Kirby Hall Receipts [1949] (page 34) A selection of early 17th-century recipes found in the Finch-Hatton muniments.
- Kirby Hall The Gradual Decay of Kirby Hall
- Lamport Hall Hidden Patronage: Mary and Emily Isham and the Remodelling of Lamport Hall by Rosie Garwood [2012] (page 31)
- Lamport Hall Patronage and the Architectural Profession: The Country House in Nineteeth-Century Northamptonshire by Megan Leyland [2016]
- Laxton Hall Patronage and the Architectural Profession: The Country House in Nineteeth-Century Northamptonshire by Megan Leyland [2016]
- Marston Trussell Gates and Stone Piers by Gyles Isham [1966] (page 15)
- Overstone Park Patronage and the Architectural Profession: The Country House in Nineteeth-Century Northamptonshire by Megan Leyland [2016]
- Overstone Park Sales Catalogue of the Overstone Park Estate [1921] Illustrated auction particulars with maps. The property offered included Sywell Hall, Hackleton House Farm and other lots in the parishes of Overstone, Moulton and Sywell.
- Pytchley Manor House Pytchley Manor House
- Rockingham Rockingham Castle and the Watsons by Charles Wise [1891]
- Rockingham Rockingham Castle in 1250 by Eric Klingelhofer [1983] (page 11)
- Rushton Hall Rushton Hall and Its Parklands: A Multi-Layered Landscape by Jenny Burt [2008] (page 64)
- Steane Three Lost Northamptonshire Houses and Their Owners by J S W Gibson [1976] (page 311)
- Sulby Hall Sulby Hall and its Owners 1700-1950 by Heather Bird [2010) (page 58)
- Sulby Hall Sulby Hall: Further Information by Heather Bird [2013] (page 50)
- Sywell Hall Sales Catalogue of the Overstone Park Estate [1921] Illustrated auction particulars with maps. The property offered included Sywell Hall, Hackleton House Farm and other lots in the parishes of Overstone, Moulton and Sywell.
- Thornby Hall Hidden Tudor Buildings by Mandy de Belin [2023] (page 23)
- Thornby Hall Thornby Hall by Mandy de Belin [2024] (page 46) History of a building which is 'both much younger and much older than is often supposed'.
- Warkworth Castle Three Lost Northamptonshire Houses and Their Owners by J S W Gibson [1976] (page 311)
- Watford Court Watford Court: Past and Present [2017] (page 101) Displays the view shown in a postcard of Watford Court around 1900 and a photograph by Dan White of the same location in 2017.
- Wootton Hall Wootton Hall and the Harris family by Dorothy Rice [1992] (page 287)