Catholics and Their Houses

Henry VIII's break from Rome in 1534 signalled the beginning of three centuries of turmoil for Catholics in England. Struggling to balance their loyalty to the Crown with their fidelity to the Pope, they suffered intense persecution tempered only by brief periods of respite. It was not until the Catholic Emancipation Act in 1829 that tolerance was officially restored. Nowhere is Catholic history brought more vividly to life than in the homes of the landed Catholic gentry. These houses tell tales of the conspiracy, rebellion and martyrdom of families whose descendants, in many cases, inhabit them to this day. The buildings themselves are some of the most beautiful and architecturally inspiring in England.