Prince George starts school, bargain of the year and horse v Maserati: Country Life’s top Facebook posts of 2017

Throughout this week we're taking a look back at the most popular stories of the year – today, it's the turn of our Facebook page, where a mixture of royal news, beautiful houses, quirky features and stunning photography were all big hits.

Prince George’s first day at school

We can all relate to this, whether thinking back on our own memories of school or – no wonder it resonated with you.

These two dormice

Both utterly adorable and completely irresistible.

This dark and mysterious wood

Spooky, ethereal, beautiful.

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The Pride and Prejudice house

Elizabeth Bennet’s house from the classic 1995 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice  came up for sale earlier this year

The Royal engagement

Everybody loves Prince Harry, and we were all delighted at the news of his engagement.

This breathtaking country house

Mawley Hall is the sort of place that you normally visit via the National Trust, rather than one which you see on the open market.

Bargain of the year?

A castle going for a song, just up the road from Britain’s ultimate golfing hotspot.

The Teddy Bears’ Chelsea Flower Show picnic

Topiary meets teddy.

Man (+Maserati) v Horse

A twist on the old ‘man v horse’ race pitted one of Britain’s finest jockeys against his brother.

The day the sun turned red

An explanation of this most bizarre of phenomena proved a big hit.