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There is no better distillation of the rich history of this sceptred isle than the English country house Foxgrove Hall is one such example In 1732, Edgar Lakeland constructed the estate with a fortune accrued from business dealings in the West Indies Upon his marriage to the daughter of a prominent landowner in Barbados, he returned to England to manage the investments from his newly-acquired landholdings The house itself sits on a 300 hectare estate of pristine parkland on the southern border of Gloucestershire Approaching from the north drive, one cannot help but admire the building’s imposing facade, constructed entirely from locally-quarried stone Large Corinthian pilasters support an elaborately stuccoed portico emblazoned with the family’s coat of arms: typical flourishes of Yorkshire-born architect John Carr The main hall, painstakingly preserved by Lakeland’s descendants, remains one of the finest examples of the architecture of the period Visitors to Foxgrove can expect to enjoy an unparalleled collection of Baroque art, and must be sure to drop by for a spot of tea at the café in the Kitchen Gardens   Extract from The Treasure Houses of England by Jonathan S Bailey, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1963)   I am delighted to inform you that your application for the position of Writer in Residence at Foxgrove Hall has been accepted Your proposed exploration of historic connections between the Caribbean and the English countryside was met with much interest by the judging panel We look forward to welcoming you to Foxgrove in the summer   Extract from letter to Ms Cecilia Braithwaite, from the Office of the Director of Public Engagement, English Heritage archives   *   9 June   Everything about this place feels unreal The house, the people, even my view From the window by  my desk, I can see the sweeping slope of lawn that falls onto the southern terrace The grass is the acid green of those sweets I used to love What were they called? They were all sour and made your mouth pucker up – Toxic Waste And the weather is glorious A real Indian summer, Mr