Palaces · Castles · Country Places · Gardens

Historic Houses
& Their Gardens

Palaces, Castles, Country Places and Gardens of the Old and New Worlds Described by Several Writers, Illustrated with Plans and Photographs
Edited by Charles Francis Osborne · MCMVIII

This site is the complete 1908 book Historic Houses and Their Gardens, page by page as originally printed — period spelling, remedies and opinions included. About this edition →

◆ A Cabinet of Curiosities ◆

The Long Gallery

Curses, ghosts, scandals and secrets from thirty of the world’s great houses — one hundred and five of the strangest true stories, each one linking back to the house it belongs to.

Walk the Long Gallery →
… or open a door at random — Surprise Me
The Achilleion

The AchilleionI

Island of Corfu, Greece
By Frank W. Jackson
Blenheim Palace

Blenheim PalaceII

Oxfordshire, England
By P. H. Ditchfield, M.A., F.S.A.
The Gardens at Aranjuez

The Gardens at AranjuezIII

Aranjuez, Spain
By Clinton Gardner Harris
Gardens of the Villa Lante

Gardens of the Villa LanteIV

Near Viterbo, Italy
By George Walter Dawson
Gardens of Castle Miramar

Gardens of Castle MiramarV

Near Trieste, Austria
By H. Lowe
The Iris Garden at Horikiri

The Iris Garden at HorikiriVI

Near Tokyo, Japan
By Anne H. Dyer
Gardens of the Taj Mahal

Gardens of the Taj MahalVII

Agra, India
By E. B. Havell
The Chateau de Brissac

The Chateau de BrissacVIII

France
By V. Hussey Walsh
Stowe House

Stowe HouseIX

Buckinghamshire, England
By P. H. Ditchfield, M.A., F.S.A.
Royal Gardens of La Granja

Royal Gardens of La GranjaX

San Ildefonso, Spain
By Clinton Gardner Harris
The Home of the Verneys

The Home of the VerneysXI

Buckinghamshire, England
By A. R. Goddard
The Floating Gardens of Mexico

The Floating Gardens of MexicoXII

Mexico
By Beatrice Erskine
Warwick Castle

Warwick CastleXIII

Warwickshire, England
By P. H. Ditchfield, M.A., F.S.A.
Persian Gardens

Persian GardensXIV

Persia
By John Kimberly Mumford
Broughton Castle

Broughton CastleXV

Oxfordshire, England
By P. H. Ditchfield, M.A., F.S.A.
The Villa Danti

The Villa DantiXVI

Near Florence, Italy
By B. C. Jennings-Bramly
Colonial Homes of Natchez

Colonial Homes of NatchezXVII

Natchez, Mississippi
By E. E. Ronim
Moor Park

Moor ParkXVIII

Hertfordshire, England
By P. H. Ditchfield, M.A., F.S.A.
Ancient Roman Country Houses

Ancient Roman Country HousesXIX

Italy (ancient Rome)
By A. D. F. Hamlin
The Borda Garden

The Borda GardenXX

Cuernavaca, Mexico
By Sylvester Baxter
Indian Gardens

Indian GardensXXI

India
By E. B. Havell
Beaulieu Abbey

Beaulieu AbbeyXXII

Hampshire, England
By The Dowager Countess De La Warr
The Abbey of Battle

The Abbey of BattleXXIII

Sussex, England
By P. H. Ditchfield, M.A., F.S.A.
The Villa Palmieri

The Villa PalmieriXXIV

Near Florence, Italy
By B. C. Jennings-Bramly
An English Castle and its Village

An English Castle and its VillageXXV

Northumberland, England
By The Honourable Miss Sackville-West
The Villa D'Este

The Villa D'EsteXXVI

Tivoli, Italy
By George Walter Dawson
The Gardens of the Alcazar

The Gardens of the AlcazarXXVII

Seville, Spain
By Katherine Lee Bates
Dunster Castle

Dunster CastleXXVIII

Somersetshire, England
By F. Acland Hood
Levens Hall — An Old World Garden

Levens Hall — An Old World GardenXXIX

Westmoreland, England
By Edward Thomas
The Gardens and Grounds of Mount Vernon

The Gardens and Grounds of Mount VernonXXX

Virginia, United States
By Albert Burnley Bibb
Rights & ReuseThe complete text of Historic Houses and Their Gardens (1908) is in the public domain in the United States — like all works published before 1928 — and is free to read, download, quote, teach from, and reuse. This digital edition (its transcription, restored plates, and site design) is © 2026 PhotoOpAI, and any editorial commentary we add is clearly marked as ours; the underlying public-domain text carries no such restriction.