History BigFancyHouse / Literature

** Farthinggale Manor in the ''[[Literature/TheCasteelSeries Casteel]]'' series. Tony proudly proclaims that each generation of the Tatterton family makes an effort to improve it. However when it is revisited in ''Gates of Paradise'', it has fallen into ruin due to Tony's declining sanity.

* ''Literature/FamilyTreeSeries'': Luther--Abby's father--moves his family to one in the early 1930s after [[RagsToRiches making enough money]] even during TheGreatDepression to move them from Lewisport to Barnegat Point--it has two bathrooms, a parlor, and enough rooms that everyone including the new baby can have their own room. Abby doesn't feel comfortable there, especially after [[spoiler:her disabled brother Fred is sent away by Luther and her mother Nell dies.]] By the time Abby is an adult and has her own children, only Luther and his second wife Helen live there, with their servants. The house stands as a sign of Abby's estrangement from her father and his money--along with all her children's discomfort of him--until Georgie's book, when [[spoiler:after Helen's death (Luther died several years ago)]] it goes up for sale with most of the contents auctioned off. Abby does one last walkthrough, but at that point has been so separated from Luther and Helen there's nothing there she wants.

* In the ''Literature/{{Foundation}}'' novels, the Emperor of the Galaxy lives on a 100-acre palace on the capital world of Trantor. Noteworthy since the rest of the planet is completely covered in a series of metal domes.

** ''Literature/PrideAndPrejudice'':
*** Pemberley, Mr. Darcy's seat. Curious, however, in that while by modern standards it's quite flashy, by the standards of the time while obviously massive and luxurious it's nevertheless quite a restrained and tasteful property, which is one of the things that indicates to Elizabeth Bennet that Mr. Darcy's HiddenDepths reveal him to be a more modest, humble and decent man than first impressions indicate.
*** Rosings Park, the home of his aunt Lady Catherine de Bourgh; in keeping with his aunt's overall foolishness, snobbery, and lack of decorum, it's a lot more gaudy and show-offy.
** ''Literature/MansfieldPark'':
*** Sir Thomas and Lady Bertram's titular mansion. It's quite grand with extensive property. Mrs. Norris still contrives to make Fanny's rooms in the attic cold and uncomfortable, though, until Sir Thomas finds out about it.
*** Mr. Rushworth is fabulously wealthy and his opulent family seat is called Sotherton. It has a huge house and large gardens and parks.

* ''Literature/TheRomanMysteries'' has the Villa Limona, an opulent Roman seaside house.
* In the Foundation novels, we see the Emperor of the Galaxy lives on a 100-acre palace on the capital world of Trantor. Noteworthy since the rest of the planet is completely covered in a series of metal domes.
* Manderley, in Daphne du Maurier's ''Literature/{{Rebecca}}'', is the Cornish country estate of the wealthy Englishman Maximilian de Winter. It features heirlooms, a full staff, and is open to the public on certain days.
* The Grosvenor Square mansion of the outrageously wealthy financier Augustus Melmotte in ''Literature/TheWayWeLiveNow''.

** In another one of his book series ''BlandingsCastle'', the titular house is, as the title hints at, very large and home to a wide selection of characters.
* Agatha Christie:
** Literature/HerculePoirot frequently provides his services as a detective to upper-class residents of big, fancy houses. The ''Series/{{Poirot}}'' TV adaptation even has Poirot and his friends reside in a flat at Whitehaven Mansions.
** ''The Secret of Chimneys'' is largely set in the big house that gives the novel its title.
* Thornfield Hall, the Gothic estate of the wealthy Edward Rochester in ''Literature/JaneEyre''.
* The wealthy Mr. Toad, of ''Literature/TheWindInTheWillows'', lives in his family seat called Toad Hall.
* The villain in ''Literature/TheGunSeller'' lives in a huge mansion with attached grounds within easy commuting distance of London - the protagonist mentally notes the vast wealth this implies.
* Jay Gatsby's mansion in ''Literature/TheGreatGatsby'', which is supposed to impress Daisy.
* Hell Hall, the ancestral home of the de Vil family in ''Literature/TheHundredAndOneDalmatians''.
* Misselthwaite Manor in ''Literature/TheSecretGarden''.
* The MouseWorld equivalent: in ''Literature/TheRescuers'' books, Miss Bianca is a pampered pet whose cage is a porcelain pagoda.
* Darlington Hall, in ''Literature/TheRemainsOfTheDay''.

* When an Ugly becomes a Pretty in ''Literature/{{Uglies}}'', they get moved from a dorm to a Big Fancy House.
* Homeward in J.P Martin's ''Uncle'' series. It's so big that the owner hasn't met a tenth of the people who also live there. It has a railway station that he didn't know about until the second book, and the most pimped out library possible, among countless other things.
* Fowl Manor in the outskirts of Dublin, Ireland from ''Literature/ArtemisFowl''. It's '''200''' freaking ''acres''.
* Baskerville Hall is probably the most well-known example in the Literature/SherlockHolmes canon, but there are several instances of him visiting the sprawling country homes of the rich and powerful (and, occasionally, criminal).
* In Creator/RobertEHoward's Franchise/ConanTheBarbarian story "Literature/RoguesInTheHouse", Nabonidus lives in one -- which makes his lack of servants all the stranger.
* In ''Literature/{{Buddenbrooks}}'', Thomas builds one, but later feels exhausted and regrets building such an expensive home. Even the house the family moves in later (after their downfall has become obvious) would probably qualify.

* In ''Literature/TheGoodEarth'', the rich family on the outskirts of the protagonist's home town and the rich family in the city both have this. The one in the city is so big that an entire tent city is spring up leaning on the wall around the estate.
* Notably in the ''Literature/AuntDimity'' series, Penford Hall, seat of the Duke of Penford in ''Aunt Dimity and the Duke''; Hailesham Park, the seat of the Earl of Elstyn and the setting for ''Aunt Dimity Takes a Holiday''; and Dundrillin Castle, Sir Percy's Scottish island retreat in ''Aunt Dimity and the Deep Blue Sea''.
* In ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'', the group breaks into the mansion of Joe Bob Fenestre, a near- CaptainErsatz of Bill Gates, who has a ton of security measures in it. It gets burned down in the end.
* In ''Literature/HonorHarrington'', the eponymous heroine has acquired several through the course of the series. Harrington House on Grayson (which doubles as headquarters for the local government), her house on Manticore, her duchy on Gryphon, and her family's not-inconsiderable home on Sphinx.
* Brandham Hall in ''Literature/TheGoBetween''.
* Hoffmann's house in ''Literature/TheFearIndex'' is truly massive and costs around sixty million dollars. As Hoffmann is a recluse it's completely unnecessary but he bought it because that's what you do when you're rich.
* Foxworth Hall in ''Literature/FlowersInTheAttic'' is so big that when the grandmother arranges to have the children locked away, she can lock up a whole wing just to make sure no one hears them.

* Belle Rive in ''Literature/TheSookieStackhouseMysteries'' is ''the'' most desirable address in Bon Temps. It's mentioned that there are many women in the town who would marry Andy Bellefleur just to be able to live there. His eventual wife Halleigh wants much more modest accommodations, though.
* The Bosses' mansions in ''Literature/ClocksThatDontTick'', which are made even more impressive by the fact they're built inside mountains. The one shown was said to include everything from the mercenary's quarters to swimming pools to indoor gold courses. The main level where the Bosses reside is made to resemble a luxury hotel with a courtyard. Said courtyard includes multiple hot tubs and golden fountains portraying Hope, her dress embedded with dozens of jewels. Above it all is a ceiling perfectly made to look like a starry sky. The mansion is also the only place shown that features futuristic technology appropriate for the novel's setting of five hundred years in the future. For example, there are holographic control panels that can be summoned by the Bosses making a certain gesture.
* There are a fair few in the ''Literature/VillageTales'' series, although they're all in the best of taste and rather restrained, really, dontcherknow. The Duke of Taunton, naturally, has several: Wolfdown House outside Wolfdown Abbas being his primary seat. His father wisely bought in the rectories and vicarages, to preserve them, during the Great C of E Fire Sale, so the Rector is as comfortably housed as is Sir Thomas Douty at Davill Court or the Salmons at Charltons or Teddy and Edmond at Chalkhills. The Mirzas and the patriarch of that family, HH the Nawab, have, like the Duke and all his titled relations, several all over the UK. And the Duke manages to claw back old Lord Mallerstang's ancestral hall for him – ''from the National Trust'' – when it becomes clear the Duke's nephew will be inheriting that title as well as the dukedom and Mallerstang wishes to leave the lad something.
* Dennis Howl's house in Literature/WhaleMusic, although it's gone to seed and Dennis has become a hermit. TheFilmOfTheBook is set in a gorgeous area of BC, so lots of SceneryPorn in addition to the Big Fancy House.
* The Wylers in the opening scene of ''Literature/TheScream.'' [[spoiler: Everyone at a WildTeenParty is slaughtered and the owners' daughter taken hostage.]]
* The books ''Goneaway Lake'' and ''Return to Goneaway Lake'' are about a couple of kids finding an abandoned summer colony full of these.

* Common in Creator/VCAndrews books, though they have more than their fair share of dark secrets.
** Foxworth Hall in ''Literature/FlowersInTheAttic'' and the majority of its sequels.
** ''Literature/MySweetAudrina'': Whitefern used to be this back when the family of the same name still had power, but by the time the story takes place it has been falling apart for years. Damian begins to have it repaired later in the book [[spoiler:after getting more money from less-than-legal stockbroking practices]].
** Farthinggale Manor in the ''[[Literature/TheCasteelSeries Casteel]]'' series. Tony proudly proclaims that each generation of the Tatterton family makes an effort to improve it. However when it is revisited in ''Gates of Paradise'', it has fallen into ruin due to Tony's declining sanity.
* In the ''Literature/HarryPotter'' titles, the Malfoys live in an extravagant mansion and estate known as "Malfoy Manor." In the final book, ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows'', it becomes home base for many of the Death Eaters.
* In ''Literature/DavidCopperfield'', the Steerforths live in one. Once James leaves, abandoning his mother, it becomes an OldDarkHouse.

* Creator/IsaacAsimov's "Literature/TheBicentennialMan": The Martin family has a ''large'' residence due to Sir being a rich man working for the Regional Legislature. Even more impressive in [[Film/BicentennialMan the movie]] where you can see it (Dr Asimov's BeigeProse gets in the way of {{Spectacle}} like this).

*** Rosings Park, the home of his aunt Lady Catherine de Bourgh; in keeping with his aunt's overall foolishness, snobbery and lack of decorum, it's a lot more gaudy and show-offy.

*** Donwell Abbey is Mr. Knightley's family estate. It's very old, traditional, with gardens and orchards, a lime avenue, farms and tenants renting the land. The house itself is huge and some of the rooms are furnished exquisitely.

*** Combe Magna, Willoughby's seat in Somersetshire. Characters never appears in the house so we don't know first hand, but it's supposed to be large and Willoughby is rather extravagant and lavish (and deep in debt), so it's safe to assume much money went into the house.

* In the Foundation novels, we see the Emperor of the Galaxy lives on a 100 acre palace on the capital world of Trantor. Noteworthy since the rest of the planet is completely covered in a series of metal domes.

* Subverted in ''Literature/{{Malevil}}''. The titular Malevil is a large English castle from UsefulNotes/TheHundredYearsWar, sitting on a cliff with accompanying grounds. Emmanuel is not a wealthy man, upper-middle class at best, and nor was his uncle who left the inheritance he buys Malevil with. The property was sold "cheap" being considered a bad investment; the castle officially condemned and the grounds too unkempt to be worth the expense and hassle of restoration or clearing.

* The increasingly decrepit Hundreds Hall in Sarah Waters' ''The Little Stranger.''

** ''Literature/SenseAndSensibility'' opens at the Dashwood estate, Norland Park, which is a beautiful mansion in Devonshire; the late Mr. Dashwood's widow and daughters all love it and are sorry to leave it, especially since their stepson/half-brother's wife Fanny will impose her tastes upon it and do things like pull down the old trees to make room for a greenhouse.

*** Elinor and Marianne later accompany Mrs. Jennings to her unnamed house in London, which is also lavish and spacious. Later still, they visit the Palmers at their estate, Cleveland, which is yet another sprawling property with a Grecian temple on the grounds.

*** Pemberley, Mr. Darcy's seat. Curious, however, in that while by modern standards it's quite flashy, by the standards of the time while obviously massive and opulent it's nevertheless quite a restrained and tasteful property, which is one of the things that indicates to Elizabeth Bennet that Mr. Darcy's HiddenDepths reveal him to be a more modest, humble and decent man than first impressions indicate.

*** Pemberley, Mr. Darcy's seat. Curious, however, in that while by modern standards it's quite flashy, by the standards of the time it's quite a restrained and tasteful property, which is one of the things that indicates to Elizabeth Bennet that Mr. Darcy's HiddenDepths reveal him to be a more modest, humble and decent man than first impressions indicate.

* ''Literature/StarWarsScoundrels'': Avrak Villachor's house started life as a sector governor's mansion, an enormous K-shaped[[labelnote:*]]or ''aurek''-shaped in the ''Star Wars'' Aurebesh alphabet[[/labelnote]] building with multiple wings, suites, garages, and ballrooms. One of the ballrooms has been converted into Villachor's vault. The mansion sits on an estate so large Han mistakes it for a municipal park from the air; during the Festival of Four Honorings, the grounds play host to thousands of Wukkar's citizens on each of the four days. The goal of TheCaper is to burgle the safe in the vault.

* Manderley, in Daphne du Maurier's ''{{Rebecca}}'', is the Cornish country estate of the wealthy Englishman Maximilian de Winter. It features heirlooms, a full staff, and is open to the public on certain days.