the looking and asking, varying according to their age, class and gender and, more specifically, their taste in art, interest in history (or lack of interest) and,of course, political outlook.11 The biggest question of all remains the validity of 'national heritage' as a concept and a cause. Here, the important point is that it is not a single, static entity; as David Cannadine has commented of the National Trust, 'Inevitably and rightly, litl has adjusted its preservationist priorities and redefined the national heritage" in every generation (Cannadine, "The first hundred years', p.22). For the Trust itself, the crucial issue is how far it can succeed in replacing the aristocratic outlook of the past with a truly democratic approach. So far attempts to do so have primarily consisted of re-emphasizing its commitment to the natural environment and of acquiring different types of buildings (most famously Paul MoCartney's childhood home in Liverpool). However, it can be argued, there is still much that could be done to make the country house visit not just a pleasurabl nostalgic experience but also aesthetically and historically meaningful.