During four long years, the Great War touched every home in Great Britain, requiring sacrifices of even the most aristocratic families. Telling a story of collective action and intense private experience, this history—illustrated throughout with rare vintage photos and period art—looks at the war through the houses and estates maintained by the National Trust. Chronicling what happened to the people who lived and worked in many great houses, both upstairs and downstairs, Simon Greaves portrays how they were affected by the war and what happened to those estates in its aftermath. Among the poignant stories, here are accounts of lawns that had once hosted tea parties and croquet, given over to machine gun training and convalescent exercises.