An Englishman’s Home Summary

In the rural English village of Much Malcock, Mr. Metcalfe goes about his morning routine. As he putters around his house and garden, he reflects on his love of the countryside and his eagerness to appear a “true countryman.” Having made his fortune as a businessman in the Alexandrian cotton trade, he has only recently moved to Much Malcock with his wife and is keen to fit in with his neighbors. In his upper-class social sphere, he is by far the newest addition—everyone else has lived in the area for 20 years or more. There’s Colonel Hodge, a blunt man who has little money but good social standing, especially with local organizations like the Boy Scouts; the Hornbeams, a pretentious couple who make a point of leading a rustic lifestyle and practicing spiritual techniques; and Lady Peabury, a self-indulgent but judgmental widow who owns much more land than any of the others.

While in his garden, Mr. Metcalfe sees two unfamiliar, urban-looking men in his farming neighbor’s cow pasture. Consulting his gardener Boggett, he learns that they have bought his neighbor’s land and must be planning to build on it. Horrified, he hurries to Lady Peabury’s house to share the news and consult with her. To his chagrin, she expresses the belief that the land in question had always “gone with” his house and that, since Metcalfe himself ought to have bought the land when he initially purchased his house, he’s at fault for the situation. Mr. Metcalfe, who was hoping to propose a plan for all of the wealthy neighbors to pitch in to buy the land back, calls a meeting of all four households a few days later. When he introduces his idea, their response is lukewarm at best, and he finds that they agree with Lady Peabury that the onus is on him to shoulder the full price of the field. He tries to persuade them otherwise, but when Lady Peabury makes a passive-aggressive comment, he loses his patience and shuts down completely.

Colonel Hodge seeks out the man who bought the field and finds him in the local inn. Reporting back to Mr. Metcalfe, he tells him that the man—Mr. Hargood-Hood— intends to build something worse than a house or even a settlement: an industrial laboratory complete with two chimneys that will pump out poisonous fumes. Mr. Hargood-Hood seems willing to sell, and the price to do so would be £500. In an angry letter, Mr. Metcalfe informs Lady Peabury that he now intends to leave the village and sell his own garden for a housing development unless she splits the cost of the land with him. Lady Peabury’s response is haughty and stubborn, causing Mr. Metcalfe to double down. She also resolves to move away, although they both privately feel sadness and regret about the idea of leaving their homes. Their mood reaches the rest of the village, and Mr. Hargood-Hood has a conversation with Mr. Hodge, who proposes a compromise to his neighbors.

In the end, all of the neighbors contribute some money in order to buy the land and build a new lodge for the Boy Scouts upon it, and Mr. Metcalfe and Lady Peabury both stay in Much Malcock. For his part, Mr. Hargood-Hood breathes a sigh of relief, goes home to his own vast country estate, and plans his next target. He and his brother bought and sold the field for a profit in order to maintain their own land; they never actually had any intention of building the laboratory in the first place.