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Warwick Castle is a masterpiece that's become a medieval theme park — but then again, it always has beenJohn Goodall looks at the development of Warwick Castle since the 16th century and the way in which its history has been enriched by legend. Photography by Will Pryce for Country Life.
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One of the great treasures of Highclere shows 'Nature set into marble, frozen and made eternal'A Florentine table created with pietra dura fuses art and Nature. John Goodall spoke to the Earl and Countess of Carnarvon about this unique treasure in the halls of Highclere.
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Felled by a pair of cursed shoes — the butterfly-shaped house that Lutyens builtMelanie Bryan investigates the spooky and eccentric history of Papillon Hall.
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Warwick Castle: The 700-year story of one of the world's great strongholdsJohn Goodall looks at Warwick Castle, Warwickshire, and how a combination of legend and the profits of war created one of the most celebrated and imposing of all English castles. Photographs by Will Pryce for Country Life.
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'A corner of the USA that is forever Putney': Charleston is a masterpiece of urban give and takeJohn Locke's ideas about individual liberty and public order emerged from this ideal new town in South Carolina.
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What do Rihanna and a 19th century vegetarian activist have in common? This sprawling Tudor house that American money couldn't saveMelanie Bryan traces the history of Cassiobury House — and its bohemian inhabitants.
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'A trailblazing illustration of how a historic estate can thrive': Doddington Hall's confident march into the 21st centuryJohn Goodall looks at the later history of Doddington Hall in Lincolnshire — home of Claire and James Birch — and the present initiatives that are allowing it to thrive. Photohgraphy by Paul Highnam for Country Life.
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The never-before-seen, 70-year-old photographs of Pugin's Bishop's House that Parliament destroyed to make room for a ring roadMelanie Bryan tells the tale of a Gothic Revival bishop's residence in Birmingham that lives on only in the Country Life Archive.
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Louvain-la-Neuve: What happens when you combine Cosmic Brutalism, high Modernism and the Catholic churchWhen the Catholic and French-speaking population of Leuven were forced to find a new university, they built their own in a unique, almost operatic architectural style.
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The pen is mightier than dynamite: A truly unique 20th-century building destroyed by the wrong paperworkWhat happens when you accidentally knock down the wrong Fonthill House.
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The forgotten titan of Victorian creativity who once stood alongside Pugin, Ruskin and William Morris, and the country church that hints at his legacyThe restoration of St Bartholomew’s Church in Sutton Waldron, Dorset, throws an unexpected light on Owen Jones's work on the Great Exhibition’s Crystal Palace — and the colour theories behind it. Kathryn Ferry reports; photographs by Paul Highnam for Country Life.
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'NIMBYs are heroes of our time': Simon Jenkins launches devastating attack on the state of housing in BritainThe Cotswolds are being ruined, house building targets are only helping the 'middling rich', and why NIMBYs should be celebrated, not vilified: Simon Jenkins lit up the Future Countryside conference with a scathing speech about house building and planning policy. Julie Harding was there to witness the fireworks.
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House of the Dragon: The Elizabethan mansion protected by a fire-breathing beast — until it wasn'tMelanie Bryan recounts the fascinating story of Drakelow Hall.
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'The ideal of what an English country house should be': Ven House's journey from Georgian corruption to modern gloryThis magnificent Ven House in Somerset — home of Mike Fisher and Lord Allen of Kensington — was the unexpected product of the fractious and corrupt politics of early 18th-century England. John Goodall explains more; photography by Will Pryce for Country Life.
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The financier, racing driver and prolific party animal who saved — and then lost — one of the 20th century's most notable country housesArdenrun Place was a short-lived yet architecturally notable English country house. Melanie Bryan tells its tale.
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A tale of two Deaneries: The unique medieval and 17th century homes attached to Gloucester CathedralThe Deans of Gloucester have consecutively occupied two houses in the cathedral close — namely, The Old and the New Deanery. Both have a fascinating history, as John Goodall discovers.
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'It's rather like a foghorn reverberating through the halls and corridors': The young custodians of a castle used to shelter Jacobite rebels and its wonderful Victorian organIn our latest Country-House Treasures instalment, John Goodall meets the young custodians of Cluny Castle and its loud Victorian organ.
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Monarchs, Rothschilds and ruin: The extraordinary tale of one of Britain’s most beautiful moated homesRushbrooke Hall was arguably one of Britain's most beautiful and romantic-looking homes. But, like most of the houses in this series, it's demise was brutal.
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Chavenage: The true story of the 'Rivals' house — and it's every bit as dramatic as the plots that Jilly Cooper dreamt upTogether with tales of spectral apparitions, many mysteries surround the building of Chavenage. What is certain is that the house has an extraordinary charm typical of the Cotswolds.
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Housing in Britain has been broken for seven decades — here's how to fix it: Jonathan Glancey on the Country Life PodcastThe architecture writer Jonathan Glancey joins James Fisher on the Country Life Podcast.
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Why one of Cornwall's oldest and most definitely haunted houses burned to the ground — 30 years after it was photographed for Country LifeMelanie Bryan traces the history of Treworgey Manor, built during the reign of Henry VIII.
