For centuries artists have been inspired by places of historic interest or natural beauty that the National Trust now protects. Through the eyes of artists, from 17th-century topographers to modern painters, this book celebrates the huge range of the Trust's possessions - from coastline to cottages, windmills to cotton mills, Longhorn cattle to long galleries. Accompanying the illustrations are captions which draw on the words of the artists themselves and of their contemporaries to explain not only what they are recording, but also why it is important to them.