Mansion

The Breakers, in Newport, Rhode Island, is one of the most famous 19th century mansions in the United States.

A mansion is a large dwelling house. The word itself derives (through Old French) from the Latin word mansus (the perfect passive participle of manere "to remain" or "to stay".) In the Roman Empire, a mansio was an official stopping place on a Roman road, or via, where cities sprang up, and where the villas of provincial officials came to be placed. The Scots word "manse" originally defined a property large enough for the Minister of the parish to maintain himself, but a mansion is no longer self-sustaining in this way (compare a Roman or medieval villa). 'Manor' comes from the same root — territorial holdings granted to a lord who would remain there — hence it can be seen how the word 'Mansion' came to have its meaning.

History

Montacute House, near Yeovil, Somerset. Built 1591

The "country house," as it is known in English speaking places, is a distinct species of mansion.

In the past, it was fashionable for the elite society of Europe
to pursue the social circuit from country home to country home, with
intervals at town homes, so unfortified country houses supplanted
castles and the modern mansion began to evolve.

It was in the 16th century that mansions really began to be built in a completely unfortified and gracious style, with gardens, parks, and drives. This was the era of Renaissance architecture. Hatfield House is a superb example of a house built during the transition period in England. In Italy, classic villas such as Villa Farnese and Villa Giulia were typical, albeit individually diverse forms, of the new style of mansion.

The uses of these edifices paralleled that of the Roman mansions. It
was vital for powerful people and families to keep in social contact
with each other as they were the primary moulders of society. The
rounds of visits and entertainments were an essential part of the
societal process, as painted in the novels of Jane Austen. State business was often discussed and determined in informal settings. Times of revolution reversed this value. During its revolution,
France lost a large part of its country homes to incendiary committees,
who destroyed the estates as a reaction to/rejection of the ancien
régime.

Until World War II it was not unusual for a moderately sized mansion in England such as Cliveden to have an indoor staff of 20 and an outside staff of the same size, and in ducal mansions such as Chatsworth House
the numbers could be far higher. In the great houses of Italy, the
number of retainers was often even greater than in England; whole
families plus extended relations would often inhabit warrens of rooms in basements and attics. It is doubtful that a 19th century Marchesa would even know the exact number of individuals who served her. Most European mansions also were the hub of vast estates. A true estate (the mediaeval villa, French ville) always contains at least one complete village and its church. Large estates such as that of Woburn Abbey have several villages attached.

Nineteenth century development

A Mansion near Almelo, The Netherlands

The 19th century saw particularly in the United Kingdom a new type of mansion being built, often smaller than the older European mansions, but in their own way just as beautiful, The Breakers in Rhode Island is a fine example, as is the nearby, but completely different, Watts Sherman House.

Fifth Avenue in New York at this time was lined with numerous mansions, designed by the leading architects of the day, many in European gothic
styles, built by the many families who were making their fortunes, and
thus achieving their social aspirations, in the mid 19th century.
However, nearly all of these have now been demolished, thus depriving
New York of a boulevard to rival, in the architectural sense, any in Paris, London or Rome—where the many large mansions and palazzos
built or remodeled during this era still survive. Mansions built in the
countryside were not spared either. One of the most spectacular estates
of the U.S., Whitemarsh Hall, was demolished in 1980, along with its extensive gardens, to make way for suburban developments.

Even in Europe some 19th-century mansions were often built as replicas of older houses, the Château de Ferrières in France was inspired by Mentmore Towers which in turn is a copy of Wollaton Hall. Other mansions were built in the new and innovative styles of the new era such as the arts and crafts style: The Breakers is a pastiche of an Italian Renaissance Palazzo; Waddesdon Manor in Buckinghamshire is a faithful mixture of various French châteaux. One of the most enduring and most frequently copied styles for a mansion is the palladian - particularly so in the 18th century. However, the gothic style was probably the most popular choice of design in the 19th century. The most bizarre example of this was probably Fonthill Abbey which actually set out to imitate the mansions which had truly evolved from mediaeval gothic abbeys following the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 16th century.

Mansions built during and after the 19th century seldom were
supported by the large estates of their predecessors. These new
mansions were often built as the week-end retreats of businessmen who commuted to their offices by the new railways, which enabled them to leave the city more easily. Before this era most owners of mansions were the old aristocracy.

Latin America

Estancia in Uruguay around 1880

In Latin America, with its feudal colonial and post-colonial past, the grand rural estate, the Hacienda, Estancia, in Portuguese speaking Brazil Fazenda or Estância, with the mansion as its stately center, is a characteristic feature.

Naturally mansions followed European architectural styles. Whereas until the second half of the 19th century Portugal and Spain
as the colonial (or former colonial) powers were the eminent models for
architecture and upperclass lifestyle, towards the end of the 19th
century they were sometimes replaced by then more dominant powers like France or England.

In comparably developed, densely populated countries like Mexico,
feudal estates and their mansions were as grand and stately as in the Mediterranean old world, whereas where estates were founded in the sparsely populated remote areas like the Pampa of Argentina or Uruguay,
where iron pillars, doors, windows, furniture had to be brought from
Europe by ship and afterwards oxcart, buildings were smaller, but
normally still aspiring to evoke a stately impression, often featuring
the Mirador (the lookout or tower, see also Belvedere) In Venezuela, the traditional Spanish Mansion with the garden in the center of the property are usually referred as "Quinta".

The "modern" mansion

Larnach Castle, Dunedin, New Zealand

Mansions built during the last and present centuries usually have
specially designed rooms meant to accommodate leisure activities of a
particular kind. Many will have a conservatory or greenhouse, while others will have an infinity pool or a home theatre.
Some have all of these features. The relative importance of these
specially designed rooms changes with the times: At the beginning of
the 20th century no true mansion would have been built without a room
to house a private library or office, while at the beginning of the 21st century the presence of a room designed for a home theatre or cinema is a must. Most recently, mansions have been built with integrated domotics.

A McMansion (a term that originated in North America in the 1980s) is often a speculatively-built, suburban
house that incorporates numerous design features on a floor plan of
2,000 to 3,500 square feet. They are typically built from standard
plans with some cosmetic detailing and design changes available to the
buyer. In contrast, a "real" mansion is normally designed by an architect to the exact needs of the clients,
is significantly larger (typically, a minimum of 6,000 square feet),
and contains many more features and creature comforts; however, the
house does not need to be this size to be considered a mansion. It may just simply contain many of the features that come with a mansion.

The costly time spent by an experienced architect is a better
indicator of the lasting status of a mansion than the number of its
rooms, its total size, or its special amenities. The homes and mansions designed by the late Richard Neutra and Quinlan Terry are good examples of modern designs which have been nearly perfectly tailored to fit a particular customer.

A modern mansion today may not necessarily be limited to a single
house standing alone. Compounds, or a grouping of larger houses have
become more popular. The Kennedy Compound is an example of one family building surrounded by large houses on a single plot.

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