Britain is famous as a country whose history can still be experienced and enjoyed by visiting the great castles, cathedrals, country houses and gardens of the past and by looking at the many historic works of art that are displayed in museums and galleries.

But while much survives, much too has been lost. What would we not give today to step inside Henry VIII's fantastical Nonsuch Palace, to stroll around the Pembrochian garden at Wilton House, to see the Armada tapestries that once hung in the Palace of Westminster? Through the iconoclasm of the Reformation in the sixteenth century and subsequent losses due to causes as various as fire, financial pressure and the changing face of fashion, Britain has lost countless treasures that would be highly prized if they survived today.

In 'Lost Treasures of Britain', Roy Strong provides a panorama of some of the most famous buildings, gardens, paintings, jewels and manuscripts as he describes their fate. The rich illustrations that complement his text make up a fascinating anthology of what has gone.