Ashby St Legers: A spectacular house where the Gunpowder Plot was hatched
A house associated with the Gunpowder Plot was splendidly enlarged by Lutyens and is now enjoying a new lease of life as a modern family home.
The most haunted houses that you can visit in England and Wales
County houses, castles and palaces almost always have stories of ghosts who have appeared over the years. We picked out 10 of the spookiest that you can visit.
Cobthorne: A home that stands out for its grace, even in the beautiful town of Oundle
This striking town house in Oundle serves as home to the head of the town's famous school – and is testimony to the zealous ambition and colourful career of its builder, an opportunist soldier and Parliamentarian in Cromwellian times.
Château de Lassay: The castle of Bluebeard’s widow
This magnificent French castle has a remarkably colourful history. Its present owners have made heroic strides in restoring its fabric and are determined to preserve it for the future.
Kedleston Hall: A National Trust gem restored to its extraordinary former glory
It's 30 years since the National Trust raised the money to buy Kedleston Hall in Derbyshire. The work done since then is nothing short of staggering
Torosay Castle: The Hebridean shooting lodge that stayed in one family for 150 years
Mary Miers tells the story of a Victorian shooting lodge owned by the same family for 147 years – with photographs by Simon Jauncey taken by Country Life shortly before the house and its contents were sold.
Upton House: A beautiful 1750 creation by Halfpenny, updated in a manner he’d have loved
Upton House, just outside Tetbury, is a beautiful Georgian house that has been brilliantly extended in a manner which is so sympathetic as to be scarcely noticeable.
Chitcombe House, Dorset: A modern Classical creation
An award-winning country house was completed in 2014 by Dorset-based architect Stuart Martin. We explored the themes of this clever and compact design in the Classical tradition.
Powderham: The Devonshire castle that’s been in the same family for 600 years
An ancestral West Country home that has passed through the hands of one family for the past 600 years has, since the 18th century, developed a dazzling succession of interiors.
Great Chalfield Manor: The magic of the Middle Ages
The serene beauty of this magnificent 15th-century manor house belies a complex and eventful history.
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Merlins: Britain's smallest bird of prey is a 'swerving, zigzagging, 240mph weighted missile' that's gutsy enough to chase off a golden eagleSize doesn’t matter when it comes to the fighting spirit of the tiny merlin, a fierce parent and favoured hunting accessory of Mary, Queen of Scots.
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The greatest moment in the life of Jessie Owens: Country Life Quiz of the Day, June 13, 2025Breathtaking athleticism and Shakespeare's birthday are among the questions in the final quiz of the week.
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Winchester: The ancient city of kings and saints that's one of 21st century Britain's happiest places to liveKings, cobbles, secrets, superstition and literary fire power–Winchester has had it all in spades for centuries and is as desirable now as it ever was, says Jason Goodwin.
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The Old House, Dorset: There's beauty up aboveA series of new plasterwork ceilings, collaboratively designed with the creating artist, has transformed the interiors of The Old House, Dorset, the home of Charles and Jane Montanaro. Jeremy Musson explains more; photographs by Paul Highnam.
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From the Country Life archive: The Maori meeting house in leafy SurreyEvery Monday, Melanie Bryan, delves into the hidden depths of Country Life's extraordinary archive to bring you a long-forgotten story, photograph or advert.
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Stowe Hall and the renaissance of the country houseIn 1975, the end seemed nigh for the great country houses of Britain, but, 50 years on, our built heritage has exceeded expectation and undergone a remarkable revival, John Goodall writes.
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Glyndebourne House: The 'entrancing' home with an organ so enormous that 'it brought plaster crashing down from the ceiling when it was first played'Easily overlooked beside the opera that has made its name world famous, Glyndebourne House in East Sussex — home of Gus Christie and Danielle de Niese — bears the architectural stamp of a remarkable 1930s revival, as Clive Aslet explains. Photographs by Paul Highnam for Country Life.
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Bowood: A tale of demolition, rebirth and the visionary owner who threw open the gates of one of Britain's greatest estatesIt is 70 years since Bowood assumed its modern form. John Goodall looks at the evolution of the house, the remarkable figures associated with it, and its recent development.
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No roads, no cars, no problem: Norman Foster and Porsche collaborate on transportation hub in VeniceThere are famously no roads in the Italian city of Venice, but that hasn't stopped Porsche from co-designing a transportation hub in time for the Architecture Biennale.
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Chillingham Castle: The place 'of imagination and beauty' where 'every room is filled with eye-catching objects'John Goodall celebrates the salvation of Chillingham Castle, Northumberland. Photography by Paul Highnam for Country Life.
