Have you ever read a reference to “state rooms” in a historical romance, or perhaps toured them while visiting a manor?

In English country houses and grand estates, state rooms were not just for overnight royal guests (though that’s a big part of it). They were the grand, formal suite of rooms intended for high-ranking visitors—monarchs, aristocrats, or other important dignitaries—and they doubled as a way for the host to display wealth, taste, and status (who doesn’t want bragging rights?).

By the Georgian and Regency periods:

• Many great houses had a series of interconnected state apartments—often including a state bedroom that might never actually be slept in (purely ceremonial). These apartments were reserved for kings, queens, and the highest ranking guests, but given the rarity of such visits, the apartments went unused more often than not.

• These rooms could include a state drawing room, state dining room, state bedchamber, and even a state dressing room—all lavishly decorated, often with the best art and furnishings in the house. And yes, these were in addition to the house's traditionally used dining room, drawing room(s), and other guest rooms.

• If the king or queen did come calling, they’d stay in these rooms. But in many houses, the whole of this area (sometimes an entire wing of the house!) sat pristine for decades, used only on the grandest of occasions.

• The public could sometimes be shown through them by the housekeeper during certain hours as another way of flaunting status (not unlike Elizabeth Bennet touring Pemberley).

The trend for creating state rooms was modeled on European royal palaces (especially French court etiquette). English aristocrats began including state apartments in their great houses from the Tudor period onward, peaking in the 18th and early 19th centuries. They were a way to display rank and wealth while following courtly tradition. They could most commonly be found in the grandest country estates, ducal seats, and the city mansions in London’s elite neighborhoods (you know, where monarchs and aristocrats are most apt to visit).

When hosting guests who would be staying overnight, it was a matter of social standing as to where in the house they slept. The nearer the guest was to the state rooms, the higher their social standing. (How’s that for a tid bit to be used in a story!?)

Examples to tour:

• Chatsworth House (Derbyshire)–Lavish state apartments created for a royal visit that never happened; stunning state bed with 17th-century hangings.

  • → https://www.chatsworth.org

• Blenheim Palace (Oxfordshire)–Monumental state rooms filled with portraits, tapestries, and the famous Marlborough family bedchamber.

  • → https://www.blenheimpalace.com

• Harewood House (West Yorkshire)–Exquisite state bedroom with original furnishings; rich neoclassical style.

  • → https://harewood.org

• Holkham Hall (Norfolk)–Magnificent Palladian design with an entire state wing that reflects 18th-century grandeur.

  • → https://www.holkham.co.uk

If you’re up for a research challenge to dig deeper, see if you can find the answers to these questions:

• Which famous duchess kept her state rooms immaculate for 50 years without a single royal visit?

• Which Georgian estate still boasts a state bed with its original 18th-century hangings?