Jason Goodwin: 'My carpentry depends largely on heavy leaning and a few nails and it works'
Our Spectator columnist tells tale of his carpentry skills and why one's children should conceal their superior skills until long after one is gone.
Our Spectator columnist tells tale of his carpentry skills and why one's children should conceal their superior skills until long after one is gone.
To mark 180 years since the first running of the Grand National, Kate Green charts the decade-by-decade history of the much-loved race by focusing on the years ending in '9', beginning with the inaugural staging in 1839.
Village cricket is going through something of a crisis – so now is the time to get out there and get stuck in. Annunciata Elwes reports.
Female farmers are far from being a rare breed. Not only are they getting their hands dirty but plenty of them are running the show as Anna Tyzack finds out.
Our correspondent goes through the necessary rituals to pursue ‘the little white foxfish’ in the West Indies.
The Sugar Loaf in Wales’s Black Mountains is a satisfying little peak to conquer, as Fiona Reynolds explains.
Ahead of the Guinness Six Nations, Owain Jones predicts that Ireland will retain their crown – but they'll be pushed hard by England, Wales and possibly even Italy, based on recent results.
Pushing the Boundaries: Cricket in the Eighties contains the reminiscences of Derek Pringle reflecting on his years in the world of cricket and the delightful characters he met, both on and off the pitch. Richard Hopton reviews.
In the wake of Strictly Come Dancing, Alexandra Fraser convinced her partner to join her on a seven-week ballroom dancing course in London to discover how hard it really is to pick up what is fast becoming a dying art.
A brisk winter walk is the perfect way to shake off the blues of the cold, dark months – here are five superb spots to inspire you to get out there.
Each year, Country Life's editor Mark Hedges sets a fiendish quiz – see how you get on, and don't forget to share your results with friends and family to establish who gets bragging rights this year.
Our hugely popular series tells fascinating tales about extraordinary people keeping traditional skills alive across Britain, illustrated by the wonderful portrait photographs taken by Richard Cannon for Country Life. Our picture editor Lucy Ford makes her selection of her favourites of 2018.
The near-forgotten sport of Fen skating was once a huge draw, with thousands of spectators and making celebrities of the fastest men on the ice.
Statesman, lawyer, fearless leader – and part-time inventor. Martin Fone looks at one of Abraham Lincoln's lesser-known talents.
After one barren trip too many, our editor Mark Hedges had fallen out of love with fishing. Could a trip to tackle the River Tweed in the company of his regular companion – 'The Judge' – rekindle his joy?
If you're new to skiing – or you're about to go skiing someone who's a novice – Rosie Paterson and Kate Green provide a guide that will save much pain for the newbies and provoke chuckles of recognition from the veterans.
The folk tale of the First World War's 'Christmas truce' football match is so familiar that it has become accepted among the factual events of the war, but what actually happened when British and German soldiers went over the top on 25th December, 1914?
Roderick Easdale nominates his pick of the best golf courses in Britain and Ireland, with some help from the great and the good of the game.
For many racegoers, the changing of the clocks signals the start of the National Hunt season proper. Marcus Armytage reveals his top horses, trainers and jockeys.
Not far from the madding crowds of the Algarve’s splendid, but busy, central coast are tranquil enclaves and unspoilt villages, finds Nicola Venning.