A People's History of Gibside

Gibside, once one of the finest landscapes of the Georgian era, is a lasting testament to hard graft: the miners who gouged the coal out of the ground, the workmen who moved huge weights of earth, the carpenters, stonemasons, gardeners, servants, the men and women, the skilled and unskilled, the craftsmen and the labourers. And their families, generations of whom lived and worked on the estate. The story of Gibside is a very human one, full of highs and lows, from parties and pageants to death and devastation. There are poachers and princes; pheasants and pot-shots; foresters and farmers; radicals, ruin and regeneration; disputes over earldoms and rights of way; a White Lady and a black-hearted villain.The book begins with George Bowes, who inherited the estate in 1722, and takes us through the 300 years that finally brought Gibside into the safe hands of the National Trust.240 pages, including over 150 black and white photographs