Adrian John Tinniswood FSA (born 11 October 1954) is an English

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles, genres and techniques to communicate ideas, to inspire feelings and emotions, or to entertain. Writers may develop different forms of writing such as novels, short sto ...

and

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human species; as well as the ...

. He is currently Professor of English Social History at the University of Buckingham. Tinniswood studied English and

Philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

at Southampton University and was awarded an MPhil at Leicester University. He was a regional chair of the Heritage Lottery Fund (2004–10) and a member of the National Trust's Council and its Regional Committee for the South-West, and has served as a trustee on a number of boards, including the Bishop's Palace Wells, Bath Preservation Trust and the Holburne Museum. He is currently a trustee of the Leeds Castle Foundation and a member of the Cathedral Council and of the Fabric Advisory Committee, both at Wells Cathedral. Tinniswood has often acted as a

consultant A consultant (from "to deliberate") is a professional (also known as ''expert'', ''specialist'', see variations of meaning below) who provides advice or services in an area of specialization (generally to medium or large-size corporations). Cons ...

to the

National Trust The National Trust () is a heritage and nature conservation charity and membership organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Trust was founded in 1895 by Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter and Hardwicke Rawnsley to "promote the ...

, and has lectured at several universities in both the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

and

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, including the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

and the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

. He is a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Buckingham's Humanities Research Institute and Director of Buckingham's Country House Studies programme. He was appointed

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(OBE) in the 2013 Birthday Honours for services to heritage.

Selected works

* ''Historic Houses of the National Trust'' (1992) * '' Belton House, Lincolnshire'' (1992) * ''Country Houses from the Air'' (1994) * ''Life in the English Country Cottage'' (1996) * ''Travels with Pevsner 1 &2'' (1997, 1998) * ''Visions of Power: Architecture and Ambition from Ancient Rome to Modern Paris'' (1998) * ''A History of Country House Visiting'' (1989); later published by the

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

as ''The Polite Tourist: A History of Country House Visiting'' (1998) * ''His Invention So Fertile: A Life of

Christopher Wren Sir Christopher Wren FRS (; – ) was an English architect, astronomer, mathematician and physicist who was one of the most highly acclaimed architects in the history of England. Known for his work in the English Baroque style, he was ac ...

'' (2001) * ''By Permission of Heaven: The True Story of the

Great Fire of London The Great Fire of London was a major conflagration that swept through central London from Sunday 2 September to Wednesday 5 September 1666, gutting the medieval City of London inside the old London Wall, Roman city wall, while also extendi ...

'' (2003) * '' The Verneys: A True Story of Love, War, and Madness in Seventeenth-Century England'' (2007) * '' Pirates of Barbary: Corsairs, Conquests and Captivity in the Seventeenth-Century Mediterranean'' (2010) * '' The Rainborowes: Pirates, Puritans and a Family's Quest for the Promised Land'' (2013) * ''The Long Weekend: Life in the

English Country House image:Blenheim - Blenheim Palace - 20210417125239.jpg, 300px, Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a Townhou ...

Between the Wars'' (2016) * ''

Mount Stewart Mount Stewart is a 19th-century house and garden in County Down, Northern Ireland, owned by the National Trust. Situated on the east shore of Strangford Lough, a few miles outside the town of Newtownards and near Greyabbey, it was the Iris ...

, County Down: A Souvenir Guide''. Swindon:

(2018) *''Behind the Throne: A Domestic History of the British Royal Household'' (2018) *''The House Party: A Short History of Leisure, Pleasure and the Country House Weekend'' (2019) * ''

The Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, r ...

and the Invention of Modern Science'' (2019) *'' Hinton Ampner'' (2020) *''Noble Ambitions: The Fall and Rise of the Post-War Country House'' (2021) *''The Power and the Glory: The Country House Before the Great War'' (2024)

References

External links

Official website
1954 births Living people English architecture writers Officers of the Order of the British Empire English historians Fellows_of_the_Society_of_Antiquaries_of_London {{England-historian-stub