Colourful characters abound in this volume, which is a thoughtful and in-depth account of the women behind some of Georgian Britains most enduring architectural treasures. -- Rose Washbourn * House & Garden * Boyington has made it impossible ever again to dismiss or overlook the contribution of women to Georgian architecture. It has long been suspected that wives must have played a significant role in helping their husbands make key decisions about the style, layout and decoration of their houses. All that was needed was a willingness to challenge the conventional view and unearth the archival evidence. Boyington has proved more than up to the task. -- Stephanie Barczewski * Literary Review * This excellent book is a rich and meticulous study on why and how British elite women of the later-Stuart and Georgian eras engaged in architecture-related schemes A joy to read, as well as an education. -- Jacqueline Riding * Country Life * This ground-breaking book shares new research and unseen archival material to explore the true role of women in 18th-century architecture. From tales of powerhouse duchesses to pioneering businesswomen and savvy courtesans, this journey through grand country houses, villas, estates and townhouses even garden design offers a fresh angle on gender roles of the time. Photos and illustrations add additional richness and depth, providing vivid examples of each building or project, as well as the redoubtable women involved in their creation. -- Jenny Oldaker * Homes & Antiques * A must-read for both architecture and grand house enthusiasts and novices alike. * This England * A sumptuous visual feast combined with deep archival research. With authority and flair, Amy Boyington shows that women have been hiding in plain sight all along in the story of how glamorous Georgian architecture got made. * Lucy Worsley, Chief Curator at Historic Royal Palaces, and author of Agatha Christie: An Elusive Woman and Courtiers: The Secret History of the Georgian Court * A must read for anyone interested in womens place in the past. * Janina Ramirez , University of Oxford, and author of Femina: A New History of the Middle Ages, Through the Women Written Out of It * Hidden Patrons is a complete revelation . . . a scholarly, yet engagingly-written study which celebrates the considerable contribution of aristocratic women to the architecture of country houses, villas, town houses and garden buildings in the eighteenth century. Everyone with an interest in Georgian architectures and interiors should read this book. * Jeremy Musson, University of Cambridge, and author of English Country House Interiors * Boyingtons eminently readable book will hold a valued place on the very small shelf of books on historic female architects. -- Eleanor Jolliffe * Building Design *
