The debate around country houses as 'heritage' was thrown into focus by a blockbuster show, The Treasure Houses of Britain: Five Hundred Years of Private Patronage and Art Collecting, staged at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, bCin 1985-6, which was curated by the late architectural adviser to the National Trust, Gervase Jackson-stops. The catalogue made the case for the cultural significance of the country house in even more highly coloured terms than usual, characterizing them as 'temples of the arts' and vessels of civilization' (Treasure Houses, p. 11). It served to encourage American tourism to Britain in general and country houses in particular, thus exemplifying Hewison's arguments about the contribution that heritage' is now expected to make to the nation's economy. Like any other blockbuster, Treasure Houses had a business sponsor cost a fortune to mount, and stimulated reams of media hype. With hundreds of works of art borrowed from mostly private owners and displayed in elaborate installations evocative of country house interiors, it presented a lavish spectacle (Plate 134). At the same time, a few commentators took issue with the nostalgic