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This ruinous stately home inspired one of Britain's greatest satirical paintingsMelanie Bryan delves into the Country Life Archive to uncover the story of Sutton Scarsdale Hall.
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'A platform that dignifies the views outwards into the world': Doddington Place's elegant prospect towerA new prospect tower and family memorial forms a stylish addition to the fine Edwardian garden at Doddington Place, Kent, the home of Richard Oldfield and Amicia de Moubray. John Goodall reports.
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The ghost stations of the London UndergroundWeaving alongside the ‘living’ London Underground is a ghostly parallel network of abandoned stations, former wartime hideouts and astonishing subterranean architecture. Emma Hughes steps back in time.
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'She is part of its atmosphere, its memory, and its soul': The bucolic final resting place of Henry VIII's last brideJohn Goodall talks to Elizabeth Ashcombe about the beautiful tomb of Katherine Parr at Sudeley Castle in Gloucestershire.
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Beheadings, a duplicitous solicitor and a Rembrandt for the price of an Oasis ticket: The sorry story of Sprotborough HallThe definition of 'investment' takes on a new meaning for this South Yorkshire home modelled on the Palace of Versailles.
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Keep dreaming: The spectacular reimagining of Norwich CastleA bold attempt to reconstruct the early-12th-century interiors of the Keep at Norwich Castle has paid off. Edward Impey visits this hugely ambitious Norman palace to find out more; photography by Paul Highnam for Country Life.
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'It's both old and new — yet you can’t see the join': Nicholas Howard on one of the greatest treasures at Castle HowardNicholas Howard talks to John Goodall about one of the highlights of Castle Howard.
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How a sweet malted milk gave rise to the finest garden in Edwardian EnglandThe story behind the pleasure gardens of Cowley Manor is a fascinating one, albeit with an all too predictable ending.
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The original golden gates, created by an unparalleled genius of 17th-century metalworkForget the bridge in San Francisco: the most beautiful golden gates we've ever seen are at Burghley House in Lincolnshire.
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Country Life's 'unusually hurried and ill-composed photographs' of a curious home eviscerated by The BlitzRadnor House was unfashionable... until it wasn't.
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A decades-long project to save a house from 500 years of 'ungainly, hotch-potch extensions' and reveal its original beautyRescued from dereliction in the early 1990s and never previously described by Country Life, Balgone House in East Lothian has evolved from tower house to remarkable Classical seat, as Mary Miers explains. Photography by Will Pryce.
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A glimmer of hope for Mentmore Towers, the 'treasure-house that would evoke all the richness of 16th-century Venice'The home, once belonging to the Rothschild family, is in desperate need of repair. Something must be done.
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Projecting power: How the Normans used architecture to conquer EnglandWithin a century of William the Conqueror's victory at Hastings in 1066, the Normans had transformed the architectural face of England with churches and castles. John Goodall examines their legacy.
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The rise and ruin of an Elizabethan Hall that tried in vain to prepare a war poet for the trenchesWilfred Owen was one of a myriad First World War troops who learned the art of trench warfare at Park Hall.
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The 'King's favourite architect' bows out after 60 years of excellence and keeping the flame of Classicism alive in the dark decades of ModernismAs the celebrated Classical architect Quinlan Terry retires after a career spanning more than six decades, Clive Aslet looks back at his life and work.
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Charles Berkeley on the arch at the castle that's been in his family since the 1100sJohn Goodall meets Charles Berkeley, whose family have owned Berkeley Castle in Gloucestershire for nine centuries, to find out about one of its most striking original features.
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Thomas Becket, a lion and the author of 'Out of Africa' all lived in this medieval monastery photographed for Country LifeMelanie Bryan recounts the fascinating history of Haverholme Priory.
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'Works of craftsmanship that bring these rooms to life': Thirlestane Castle's spectacular 17th century plasterworkEdward Maitland-Carew's family have been at Thirlestane since the 13th century. He spoke to John Goodall about the extraordinary ceilings that were created roughly half-way through that tenure.
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Even a visit from Queen Mary couldn't save this 15th-century Yorkshire mansion from Britain's coal industryMethley Hall surpassed everyone's expectations and managed to stay standing long beyond its time.
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Curraghmore: The great Irish house transformed by the most 'brilliant, exasperating, expensive and chaotic' architect of the 18th centuryIn the second of two articles, John Goodall looks at the later development of Curraghmore, Co Waterford — home of the Marquess and Marchioness of Waterford — and a new discovery relating to its outstanding interiors by James Wyatt. Photographs by Paul Highnam for Country Life.
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What to do with the remains of Glasgow's Mackintosh building?A recent update on the condition of the building, and what to do with it next, has raised some eyebrows from the architectural and conservation communities.
