St Bartholomew-the-Great: A living fossil in the City of London
In 2023, two connected institutions in the heart of London — the church of St Bartholomew-the-Great and St Bartholomew's Hospital in Smithfield, London — celebrated their 900th anniversary. John Goodall took a look in a two-part article, with superb photographs by Will Pryce.
West Horsley Place, Surrey: The real-life country house where the BBC’s Ghosts is filmed
The BBC comedy Ghosts started out under the radar, but grew to become one of the best-loved television sitcoms to come out of the UK in years. In April we paid a visit to the house where it is filmed: West Horsley Place in Surrey.
Inside Windsor Castle, by kind permission of the Sovereign
Illustrated with photographs taken in the last few days of the reign of the late Queen Elizabeth II, this quite extraordinary look inside one of the world's greatest castles is simply unmissable.
The Reform Club: Inside ‘the most magnificent club in London’, almost unchanged since the days of Phileas Fogg
Few buildings are more famous for their fictional roles than their real-life ones, but the Reform Club is one such example. We took a look inside and discovered its history.
Lincoln Cathedral: The 950-year story of one of Europe’s very greatest cathedrals
On the 950th anniversary of the royal transfer of The Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin, Lincoln, John Goodall looked at the medieval development of what is without doubt one of Europe’s most brilliantly conceived cathedrals.
The best country house architects in Britain
The definitive list of the architects who you can trust with the creation, restoration or re-imagination of a country house.
Somerton: The ruined medieval castle transformed into a magical family home
On the edge of the Fens within distant sight of Lincoln Cathedral, Somerton Castle appears to be a handsome 17th-century house with a tower most surprisingly stuck on the end. It is that, yet it's also a comfortable, modern family home.
How a ‘scarred and degraded’ landscape became a 21st century Reptonian marvel with a dream country house at its heart
A landscape previously used for intensive farming proved to be an inspiring example of a house rooted in the history and character of its surroundings.
Fawley Hill: Inside the wacky and wonderful home of the late Sir William McAlpine
A dining room with a tented ceiling, a swimming pool entered via a psychedelic door and a train set running around the breakfast table? Marcus Binney looked at a home filled with remarkable collections and striking interiors that reflect its creator’s enthusiasms and interests.
Munstead Wood: The house that Edwin Lutyens built for Gertrude Jekyll
This year, Munstead Wood in Surrey was saved by the National Trust. Clive Aslet explained how it came from a happy friendship between a great gardener and architect, both closely connected to Country Life.
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Sold, singed and sunk: The sorry tale of Normanton HallFew English country houses suffered more than Normanton Hall.
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A Clarkson's Farm of one's own: Five properties with just enough farmland for you and your family, from under £1 millionMoving to the country is one thing; moving to the country and being able to grow and rear all your own food is another level entirely, and all these properties offer exactly that.
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Sold, singed and sunk: The sorry tale of Normanton Hall
Few English country houses suffered more than Normanton Hall.
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Fit for a queen: The story of Queen Victoria's state bed at Arundel CastleA state bed commissioned to receive Queen Victoria at Arundel Castle has just undergone a transformative restoration, as Annabel Westman explains. Photographs by Paul Highnam for Country Life.
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The six best new buildings in the UK right now, in the words of the architects who helped build themThe shortlist for this year's Royal Institute of British Architects’s Stirling Prize has been revealed. Lotte Brundle takes a closer look at the projects vying for the nation's top architecture award, and the people behind them.
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'It is so full of turrets and lofty buildings, spires and towers, it looks not like a town but a city': The glamour of Glamis Castle, from Macbeth to the Queen MotherJohn Goodall looks at the eventful later history of Glamis Castle, one of the most celebrated of Scottish castles, and its association with Elizabeth, the late Queen Mother.
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Country-house treasures: Echoes of a childhood, scratched in glass at Stedcombe HouseGraffiti scrawled by a 12-year-old boy in 1788 starts a new series on the lesser-known treasures of our great country homes.
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Affordable, sustainable, rural: How a group of volunteers embarrassed the government and built some of the best new homes in the countryHazelmead has won almost every RIBA award going. The development on the outskirts of Bridport might be a springboard for a rural housing revolution, much like the Arts-and-Crafts movement more than a century ago.
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Inside the remarkable restoration of King George III's observatoryCommissioned by George III, the observatory has a long and fascinating history as a seat of scientific endeavour. It has now been restored as a home, as William Aslet reports.
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‘Its loss became a cautionary tale, and a rallying cry for architectural conservation’: The rise and fall and renewed interest in Ireland’s remarkable country housesLesley Bond traces a brief history of Ireland’s country houses and questions whether you can ever separate the house from the history it represents.
