Material cultures of warmth in England and Sweden during the long eighteenth century

Like many country houses in both England and Sweden, Lacko had medieval origins and was built and rebuilt in several phases, the substantial seventeenth-century renovations giving the building its character as a renaissance castle and a manifestation of aristocratic power. This efficiency was important to the householder, especially given the exigencies of the climate, but it was also critical to the national economy: the aim of the government was to save firewood that was needed in the iron industry, Sweden's most important export. The authors might seek explanations for the different solutions to heating a house in the relative intensity of cold faced by country house owners in England and Sweden. Architectural ideals presented by architects such as Jacques-Francois Blondel in France, Carl Harleman in Sweden and William Kent in England had a major impact on the distribution of rooms and organisation of space in domestic architecture: from large multi-purpose rooms to smaller rooms and spaces with specific functions.