Apethorpe Palace, ‘the stuff of dreams’
Jeremy Musson took a look at the spectacular renewal of one of England’s great Jacobean houses — there was also an accompanying piece in which John Goodall looked more closely at the links between the house and James I of England. https://www.countrylife.co.uk/architecture/james-is-love-affair-with-apethorpe-the-great-country-house-that-surpasses-all-belief-276453
Knowsley Hall: How Liverpool’s grandest country house — and one of the largest homes in England — was brought back to life
'One of the most ambitious restorations of an English country house' began a quarter of a century ago, and we took a look back at how it's been going.
Curious Questions: Why was the original Euston Station destroyed in one of the greatest acts of cultural vandalism Britain has ever seen?
One of the great masterpieces of 19th century, the original Euston Station, was built in the years after Queen Victoria came to the throne. Less than 125 years later it was razed to the ground; Martin Fone took a look at the reasons why.
Inside Windsor Castle
Our piece on perhaps the greatest castle of them all, printed by kind permission of the Sovereign, was actually published in 2023, but has remained enormously popular.
‘Wrecking balls swung from the ceiling, pillars were shown toppling, cornices crumbled… it was sensational’
Simon Jenkins reminisced about the 1974 exhibition at the V&A which helped save the country house.
The best country house architects in Britain
Our definitive list of the best in the business, updated and expanded for 2024.
St James’s Palace: An exclusive look inside
Published originally right at the end of 2023, this was a fascinating look at the British monarchy’s oldest, quirkiest and most mysterious palace.
‘One of the great landmarks of the Sussex coast’, finally finished some 156 years after work was started
John Goodall looeds at the recent completion of the chapel of Lancing College.
900 years old, one careful owner
How Madresfield Court has come down the centuries in the hands of one family.
The Palladian masterpiece you can rent by the weekend
Wolterton Hall's unmatched Georgian splendour.
Photography: Getty / Alamy / Paul Highnam / Will Pryce / Country Life
Wembley isn't just a stadium — it was a vision abd a pioneering adventure in the history of architecture
The 1924 Wembley Empire Exhibition was conceived on a vast scale, with a bewildering variety of displays that united such
The architecture of Henry James: How real-life country houses found their way into the work of one of our greatest writers
The stories of Henry James are full of descriptions of country houses. Jeremy Musson explores the messages these houses convey,
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'The ugliness and craziness is a part of its charm': The Country Life guide to BangkokWhere to stay, where to eat and what to do in the Thai capital.
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There are a billion microbes in a teaspoon of soil. Leaving the leaves to Nature feeds and nourishes themLeaf blowers aren't just futile and polluting — they're actively bad for the health of your garden, not to mention your mental wellbeing. Time to reach for the rake, says Isabel Bannerman.
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Sweet civilisation: What do you get when you ask architects to compete in a gingerbread competition?The Gingerbread City is back in London’s Kings Cross. Lotte Brundle pays it a visit.
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This Grade I Essex home was renovated by a Guinness and a notorious American diarist and photographed by Country Life — now it's a firm favourite with the fashion setKelvedon Hall was saved from demolition by Lady Honor Guinness and Henry 'Chips' Channon. Now it is the star of a Church's Christmas campaign.
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Northwold Manor: 'A place of delight once more after half a century of chaos and neglect'A heroic restoration project has transformed Northwold Manor in Norfolk — home of Professor Warwick Rodwell and Ms Diane Gibbs — after more than 50 years of being left neglected. It has also illuminated its remarkable history, as John Goodall explains; photography by Paul Highnam for Country Life.
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53 years ago, a Wren masterpiece was replaced with a glorified roundabout. We must not make the same mistake againThe plans to rid Christ Church Newgate Street of traffic should be cause for celebration — but a mistake as bad as the one made in the 1970s is about to happen, says Ptolemy Dean.
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Ten of the most exquisite French châteaux, photographed for Country Life in 1906 and still standing todayIn the early 20th century, Country Life commissioned Frederick H. Evans to photograph some of France's châteaux. Here are some of his efforts.
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War, ruin and renaissance: Dorfold Hall's 400-year journey through the agesJohn Goodall describes the antiquarian rediscovery of Dorfold Hall, Cheshire — home of Charles and Dr Candice Roundell — and the recent spectacular renewal of this important Jacobean house. Photographs by Paul Highnam for the Country Life Photo Library.
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All fired up: 12 of our favourite chimneys, from grand architectural statements to modest brick stacks, as seen in Country LifeNothing says winter like a roaring fire, and plenty of the houses that we've photographed for the magazine's architectural places have fireplaces and chimneys worth boasting about.
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Dorfold Hall: The 'most neat and beautiful house of brick' that owes its existence to a desperate effort to secure successionDorfold Hall in Cheshire is an outstanding Jacobean house, but was an unexpected product of dynastic disappointment. John Goodall examines the remarkable circumstances of its construction; photographs by Paul Highnam for Country Life.
