Architecture

Inside Haworth: The humble parsonage where the Brontë sisters changed literature

Some of our most enduring stories were conceived at Haworth – Jeremy Musson enjoys a literary pilgrimage.

Mount Stewart, Co Down: How an ambitious restoration transformed one of Northern Ireland's most important country houses

Undertaken by the National Trust with the aid of the donor family, the restoration of Mount Stewart has restored it to its rightful place as a gem in Northern Ireland's countryside.

St Agnes Lodge: The Yorkshire house built, rebuilt, remodelled and restyled, revealing endless layers of history

A recently restored town house in the shadow of Ripon Minster offered its owner a voice in Parliamentary elections. James Legard unravels the development of St Agnes Lodge in Ripon, North Yorkshire, he home of Robert Brodie and Annette Petchey. Photographs by Paul Highnam.

A look at Chatsworth, the 'toy box' of delights where 'your head becomes dizzy with the richness of it all'

We take a look at some of the magnificent images of Chatsworth which have graced the pages of Country Life over the years.

Leweston Manor: The uniquely charming house where Georgian architecture meets Art Deco interiors

Leweston Manor is a rare example of an Art Deco interior surviving within a Georgian building — and it's in daily use as a school. Roger White explains more; photographs by Paul Highnam.

Country Life's top 10 architecture stories of 2019, from Old London Bridge to the Brighton Pavilion

Though we may of course be biased, but Country Life's team of architecture writers do justice to the greatest buildings in Britain in a way that nobody else does.

Winchester Cathedral: The tale of a remarkable church and its astonishing contents

There is perhaps no building in Britain that connects the modern visitor more immediately with the foundational figures of English history. John Goodall explains more; photographs by Paul Highnam.

Sherborne Abbey's stained glass: The spectacular Victorian addition to a building with 1300 years of history

The spectacular stained glass at Sherborne Abbey is only part of what makes this building one of the grandest in England, as John Goodall explains.

Agatha Christie: The great country houses which inspired the tales of Britain's greatest-ever crime writer

Agatha Christie set many of her murder mysteries in country houses. With the help of specially commissioned drawings by Matthew Rice, Jeremy Musson looks at the architecture of the buildings she knew — and those which she imagined.

The Bishop's Palace in Peterborough: An ancient survival that's patchwork of periods, materials and textures

From its medieval foundations to its recent renewal, the Bishop's Palace has been a canvas upon which the successive bishops of Peterborough have left their distinctive marks. Jeremy Musson visited for Country Life back in 2001, with Paul Barker taking the photographs.

Llwyn Celyn: One of the most important medieval homes in Britain — yet one where, wonderfully, you can book family holiday

Llwyn Celyn, one of the most important medieval houses in Wales, has been recently restored and dated for the first time, and is even accepting paying guests. Edward Impey addresses the intriguing questions of its purpose and its builder’s identity. Photographs by Paul Highnam for Country Life.

Pitzhanger Manor: The Ealing villa that's the great John Soane's 'architectural self-portrait'

Following a boldly conceived restoration, the interest and quality of Sir John Soane’s Pitzhanger Manor in Ealing villa shines out again. John Goodall reports, with photographs by Will Pryce.

Inside the Shropshire house where the Royal Family planned to shelter if Britain was invaded during the Second World War

A house prepared as a safe retreat for the Royal Family in the Second World War has recently returned to family ownership and is thriving once again. Marcus Binney reports.

Ten stately homes which became hospitals during the First World War

To mark 100 years since the end of the First World War, The Royal British Legion draws our attention back to those grand family homes which opened their doors to wounded soldiers from all over the world, as well as their own boys at the front.

The oldest house in Britain — and how we were able to tell it apart from the other contenders

There are many nominations for the oldest home in Britain — in this piece from the Country Life archive, John Goodall gives as close to a definitive answer as we may ever get.

The remarkable restoration and revival of Haile Hall, home to one of the great dynasties of Imperial Britain

John Martin Robinson discovers the story of Haile Hall, from when it was first touched by the Ponsonby family in the 13th century to its recent restoration and salvation. Photographs by Paul Highnam.

Ashby St Legers: A spectacular house where the Gunpowder Plot was hatched

New College, Oxford: The 650-year story of the college that dreamt it was a palace

John Goodall looks at New College, Oxford, the most widely copied university college in England, a building inspired by a great 14th-century palace.

The photographs (and photographers) who shaped the English country house style from the 1900s up to today

To coincide with the publication of his new book illustrated from the archives of Country Life, 'English House Style', John Goodall considers the long tradition of the magazine’s peerless interior photography.

Voewood, the 'supreme example' of a butterfly-plan house in Norfolk's beloved Poppyland

Country Life's Mary Miers praised the eccentricities of the Arts-and-Crafts style in a piece from our archives published in 2009, and picked out Voewood as an exemplification of the style and the finest domestic work of Edward Schroeder Prior.