The Palladian splendour of PPG7; Housing the rich; The country-house boom.(There is a boom in grand country-house building, and a dreary uniformity of style in the mansions it has produced)(Britain)(Brief Article) From: The Economist (US) | Date: March 24, 2001 | COPYRIGHT 2001 Economist Newspaper Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan.  All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group.Copyright information

IF THERE really is a crisis in Britain's countryside, as many people claim, someone seems to have forgotten to tell the country's latest generation of millionaires. While farmers and small businesses are lobbying government to save them from everything from rural post-office closures to foot-and-mouth disease, Britain's rich have been quietly pouring millions into the rural economy in the shape of country houses. Not since the late 19th century has there been such a rush to build n...