Fonthill Abbey was an extravagant neo-gothic country home built on William Beckford's Fonthill Gifford estate in Wiltshire between 1796 and 1813. In 1771, the 10 year old Beckford inherited a vast sum of money from his father and once he reached his majority, began to pursue a lavish lifestyle. Following a scandal involving William Courtenay in 1784, Beckford fled into exile in Europe. Upon his return to Britain, Beckford hired the renowned architect James Wyatt, uncle of Jeffry Wyatville to design his new home. The house was arranged in a cruciform pattern with a large octagonal space in the centre which supported an enormous cathedral-like tower. Following numerous delays and tower collapses, in 1813, Beckford declared the house complete.

 In paying for the venture, Beckford squandered vast sums of money and the haste with which the construction was finally completed meant that the building was incredibly unstable. In 1822, the house and estate was sold to the Scottish arms dealer James Farquhar and Beckford settled in Bath where he died in 1844. The central tower collapsed for a third time in 1825 and badly damaged part of the building. Following this, the house was abandoned and eventually demolished.

This book, printed shortly after Farquhar's purchase of the estate describes the house as it was before the collapse. It is apparent from the text that the building was an impressive structure and contained several valuable works of art.