I’ve always been obsessed with the lives of the British aristocracy (Oh, how I miss Downton Abbey!) and their great homes that have been passed down from generation to generation for centuries. If those walls could talk. Many of those stately and storied houses have survived great wars, economic upheavals, and their fair share of scandal. That’s why I was excited to get the exclusive first interview with James Reginato, writer at large for Vanity Fair and a contributing editor of Sotheby’s Magazine, whose new book, Great Houses, Modern Aristocrats (Rizzoli) comes out next week. The book chronicles the fascinating lineage and examines the amazing architecture of the houses belonging to some of the leading families of Great Britain, in a lush and very weighty tome. (If I had to guess I’d say the book weighs about four pounds.) If you’re starting your holiday shopping early, it’s the perfect gift for the PBS-obsessed and lovers of traditional interior design and English country life.
Diane Clehane and James Reginato
I asked James, who was born in Chicago, why he’d chosen to take on such a quintessentially British subject for his first book. “There’s so much interest in this world and there’s an amazing amount of interest right now,” he told me. “Anglophilia has always been of great interest in America. I guess it’s because we don’t have our own royals.”
I told James he was sitting in the very seat Charles Spencer occupied when he ‘Lunched’ with me a while back, while in the states promoting his latest book. It turned out we had the Earl Spencer’s acquaintance in common. “I’ve been to his cricket games,” said James. “You know about those, don’t you?” Well of course, old bean.
Over the years James has written about the lives of Britain’s titled set and has made some helpful friends along the way. “Getting into that world is a tough nut to crack, let alone getting into their homes or castles.” But charming James found that, just like with commoners, all you need is one well-connected pal, and you’re in. “You can’t cold-call these people,” he said chuckling, “One person led me to the next and so on.”
With James’ unrivaled access into this rarefied world, the book takes readers on an exhaustive armchair house tour of 16 opulent residences (“They’re such a mix of grandeur and charm”) with many of the interiors shown here for the first time. “These houses are full of stories. I wouldn’t have been interested in doing this if there weren’t great stories. These houses shaped the lives of generations.” Among the luxe look-ins: Blenheim Palace which, with its seven acres matches the splendor of any of the British royal family’s residences—and is the property of the Dukes of Marlborough; the exquisite Old Vicarage in Derbyshire, last residence of the late Dowager Duchess of Devonshire (née Deborah Mitford); Haddon Hall, a 900-year-old manor house christened the most romantic house in England, which belongs to the Duke of Rutland. “They have such great titles, don’t they?” enthused James.
Not surprisingly, the book’s pedigree is as upper crust as its subjects. Besides being a longtime contract writer for Vanity Fair (more on that later), James had a memorable stint as features director for W Magazine. The book’s principal photography is by Jonathan Becker, whose work regularly appears in Vogue, The New Yorker and Vanity Fair. Viscount Linley wrote the book’s foreword. “I first met David (Linley) when he married Serena (Linley) and was a newlywed,” said James. “We’ve been friends ever since. He’d been to every one of these houses, so I was honored that he agreed to write the foreword.”
Speaking of the royal family, I was most intrigued by the inclusion of Dumfries House, an 18th century Palladian villa in Ayrshire, Scotland with an unparalleled collection of British rococo furniture, including many pieces by Thomas Chippendale. I recognized Jonathan’s photograph of a kilt-wearing Prince Charles standing in a doorway in the house as an image that appeared on the cover of Architectural Digest. James told me he’d originally written a piece on the house for the magazine and gone back and updated it for the book.
In the book, His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales (also known as Prince George’s grandfather) describes Dumfries House as “British craftsmanship at its best.” With the exception of the brief period of time from the late ’50s to early ’90s when it served as the dower house (the residence of a dowager aka a widow — think Downton’s Lady Violet) for the fifth Marquess’ widow, the stately manor had not been occupied for almost 150 years.
After a deal with the National Trust for Scotland fell through, Christie’s was hired to sell off its treasures at auction. That’s when Prince Charles stepped in. With a $40 million loan from one of his foundations and $50 million raised elsewhere, Dumfried was acquired by a specially created trust and restored to all its glory (The tea room is lined with a pink tartan by Vivienne Westwood.)
The Prince of Wales, who has a private apartment at the estate, has cleverly decided to open Dumfries House to the public. His Royal Highness has been known to stop and chat with visitors and ask about their dogs when he runs into tour groups on the grounds. No word on whether Camilla is chatty with the masses. “He’s proud of the efforts made to restore the house,” said James. “He’s smart to promote it.”
James told me he spent the last year and a half working on the book — and said his editor Philip Reeser at Rizzoli was “magnificent” and “meticulous” in his attention to detail. “That was extremely important for a book like this.” It took several trips to London and many hours spent in conversation with current owners of the houses, talking about the critical roles their ancestors have played in the nation to give the book a modern perspective. “Every generation finds a way to keep the house going and keep them relevant.”
For the next few months, James’ dance card will be full promoting the book. On Oct. 13, Jonathan and James’ editor at Vanity Fair, Aimee Bell (“a real pro”), will host a reception at the Carlton Hobbs (See you there!) The Royal Oak Foundation is sponsoring a lecture series in New York, Philadelphia and California. James will also be speaking at the San Francisco Fall Art & Antiques Show and the Palm Beach Preservation Society. A simultaneous launch in London will kick off with a reception at Sotheby’s in the U.K.
When lunch arrived (roast chicken for him, Dover sole for me), I took the opportunity to ask James about his work for Vanity Fair, one of the last magazines who, with editor in chief Graydon Carter at the helm, lets writers write — and actually pays them well to do it. “[Vanity Fair] is one of the few magazines that gives the writer all the tools he or she needs whether it’s time, travel or research,” said James, who is under contract to write a specific number of pieces per year. “I’ve batted out some pieces in three days, others take three years. But if Graydon wants something in the October issue, you can write in three days. He’s very hands on in detailing his questions about your piece.”
I asked James if the EIC’s legendary disdain for a certain short-fingered vulgarian would result in a well-timed, scathing expose. If he knows, he isn’t telling, but we’re keeping our (normal sized) fingers crossed.
Here’s the rundown on today’s crowd:
1. HollywoodLife.com’s Bonnie Fuller and Penske Media’s Gerry Byrne, presiding over their monthly schmooze fest. They somehow managed to cram TiVo’s Tom Rogers, Shannon Treusch, Joana Vicente, executive director of Made in NY Media Center by IFP, Collegefashionista.com founder Amy Levin, Shoptiques’ CEO Olga Vidisheva, PR consultant Kathie Berlin, Instagram’s Lila King, WWD’s digital director Sophia Chabbott , Schure Media Group’s Yvette Noel-Schure and Frank PR’s Lina Plath all at one table.
2 The always dapper Robert Zimmerman, whose kept very busy these days helming his marketing/public relations firm on Long Island and calming the nerves of Hillary Clinton supporters in his role as Democratic National Committeeman from New York.
3. British Heritage Travel’s Jack Kliger
4. Michael Wolff
5. Dr. Gerald Imber, Jerry Della Femina and Andy Bergman
6. Mickey Ateyeh hosting a fancy, fun lunch (place cards and ‘designer’ chocolates at every place setting – -swanky!) for Tita Cahn with Clive Davis and designer Greg Schriefer, producer Fran Wiesler, Rikki Klieman, The New York Post’s theater critic Michael Riedel, Mark Simone and Rachel Leifer.
8. New York Social Diary’s David Patrick Columbia and Barbara Tober
9. Pamela Fiori
11. Jack Myers
12. Producer Francine LeFrak with her sister and several pals.
14. Simon & Schuster’s Alice Mayhew
15. LAK PR CEO Lisa Linden and Cushman & Wakefield’s Harry Blair
16. Joan Kron, who was celebrating the completion of her new film, Take My Nose… Please! Which is about women, comedy and plastic Surgery. You may recall Joan gave me the scoop about the film over ‘Lunch’. Joan knows what she’s talking about. She was one of Allure’s original writers hired, by founding editor Linda Wells and also one of the casualties when Linda and virtually all the contract writers were shown the door. Great to see Joan has taken her unrivaled expertise in chronicling the world of plastic surgery and found a new avenue for it. Bravo Joan!
17. Judy Price
18. Jimmy Finkelstein
20. Joan Gelman and Sandy Pearl
23. Peter Price
24. Martin Puris
25. Tom Goodman and Ed Adler
26. Jean Dietz
27. James Reginato and yours truly
29. Noble Smith
Diane Clehane is a FishbowlNY contributor. Follow her on Twitter @DianeClehane. Send comments and corrections on this column to LUNCH at MEDIABISTRO dot COM.