In the eighteenth century most large country estates boasted a bathing house or plunge pool in their grounds. Built in all shapes and sizes, sometimes just for one person and occasionally for group bathing, they often reflected classical design. In addition to supposed health benefits, they provided somewhere away from the constraints and formality of life, and became a destination for walks, drives and al fresco entertainment.

From several hundred bathing houses and plunge pools that remain extant, often in remote corners of beautiful landscapes, this book presents examples that reflect the diversity of the ideas and fashions that inspired them.