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The country house at war

The country house at war

From the conscription of upper-class women to stories of great loss, Judith S Lewis charts the roles that country houses and their occupants really played in the WW2 war effort

Lauren Good

Published: October 14, 2026 at 11:53 AM

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It might be assumed that the owners of Britain's country houses weren't hugely affected by the Second World War, and that they continued to live in luxury in their vast estates. However, as Judith S Lewis explains to Lauren Good, that wasn't the case. From the conscription of upper-class women to stories of great loss, she charts the roles that country houses and their occupants really played in the war effort.

Authors

Lauren GoodSenior content producer

Lauren Good is a senior content producer at HistoryExtra

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