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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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Duelling, revolution and a picture-perfect cottage in IrelandDuring the 1790s, a widow, Mary Bushe, created a Romantic cottage and garden for herself: Dangan Cottage, Co Kilkenny. John Goodall explains the background to its creation and reports on the remarkable recent restoration of the property, now the home of Christopher Moore.
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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.
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Bird poo fuelled the First World War and also financed this manor house with a plant collection that rivals KewMelanie Bryan recounts the green-tinged history of Aldenham House.
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One family, six centuries and an Irish house of unsurpassed beauty: The fascinating tale of CurraghmoreCurraghmore in Co Waterford, Ireland — the home of the Marquess and Marchioness of Waterford — has been developed over the course of six centuries by a single family. In the first of two articles, John Goodall explores its early history and first Georgian transformation. Photographs by Paul Highnam.
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The great Tudor hall that housed the guillotine probably used on Marie AntoinetteMarie Antoinette was executed by guillotine on October 16, 1793. Rumour has is that the exact same machine found its way to Weald Hall in Essex where it was photographed by Country Life.
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Scarborough: How the 'queen of spas' created the modern seaside townA woman’s discovery of an iron-rich spring four centuries ago launched the development of Scarborough as the original seaside resort. Kathryn Ferry tells the remarkable story of the architectural development of the North Yorkshire spa.
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This remarkable timbered home was preserved for 300 years — and then flattened by a earlLynmore Hall was inextricably linked to the fall and rise of the British monarchy, but it only took a humble earl to finish it off.
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The architectural evolution of Selwyn College, CambridgeFounded as a hostel for trainee Anglican clergy, Selwyn College became a fully fledged college within Cambridge University with a set of landmark buildings, as Jeremy Musson explains. Photographs by Will Pryce.
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The unpublished photographs of a gargantuan Victorian mansion whose bulldozed remains were dumped in its own ornamental lakeWarter Priory was once a prime example of peak Victoriana architecture and interior design — but it met a watery end.
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From Arabia to Dorset: T. E. Lawrence's 'pathetic little shoddy' sanctuary that became a remote home for a true one-offTo escape his celebrity and write, T. E. Lawrence created a sequestered home for himself: Clouds Hill, Dorset. Michael Hall finds an unlikely hideaway of tins and silver walls.
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'It contained a hippopotamus, which lived in the Billiards Room': The strange country house that gave way to a crematoriumMelanie Bryan traces the history of Muntham Court and its eccentric residents.
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'My house will rise again': The promise and its fulfilment of iconic architect Clough Williams-Ellis, and the home he and his wife loved and (almost) lostA disastrous fire in 1951 gave the architect Clough Williams-Ellis the opportunity to re-think Plas Brondanw, Gwynedd, the house that he and his wife, Amabel, loved. Kathryn Ferry admires the result. Photography by Paul Highnam.
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Nowa Huta: An elegant expression of Soviet socialist mightBuilt around a steelworks, Nowa Huta is one of Krakow's hidden delights and an intriguing architectural gem, argues Tim Abrahams.
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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.
