
Annunciata Elwes
Annunciata grew up in the wilds of Lancashire and now lives in Hampshire with a husband, two daughters and an awful pug called Parsley. She’s been floating round the Country Life office for more than a decade, her work winning the Property Magazine of the Year Award in 2022 (Property Press Awards). Before that, she had a two-year stint writing ‘all kinds of fiction’ for The Sunday Times Travel Magazine, worked in internal comms for Country Life’s publisher (which has had many names in recent years but was then called IPC Media), and spent another year researching for a historical biographer, whose then primary focus was Graham Greene and John Henry Newman and whose filing system was a collection of wardrobes and chests of drawers filled with torn scraps of paper. During this time, she regularly gave tours of 17th-century Milton Manor, Oxfordshire, which may or may not have been designed by Inigo Jones, and co-founded a literary, art and music festival, at which Johnny Flynn headlined. When not writing and editing for Country Life, Annunciata is also a director of TIN MAN ART, a contemporary art gallery founded in 2021 by her husband, James Elwes.
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From smashed glass to smashing teas: The restoration of a 300-year-old glass-roofed teahouse full of historic camellias
The Georgian teahouse at Wentworth Woodhouse has undergone a multi-million pound restoration which has saved the centuries-old camellias which grow within.
By Annunciata Elwes Published
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The inaugural topiary awards are open now
Britain's best topiary artists, both professional and amateur, are being sought out in a new topiary award.
By Annunciata Elwes Published
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The RNLI's 200-year journey from being set up in a pub to saving tens of thousands of lives
The brave men and women of the RNLI have been working for two centuries to save the lives of those whose vessels have run in to trouble in the seas around Britain. In 2024 this national institution is celebrating its 200th anniversary in style.
By Annunciata Elwes Published
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St Patrick’s Chapel ruins, Heysham: The mythical Lancashire ruins with a heavenly view
Annunciata Elwes takes a look at St Patrick’s Chapel ruins, a Morecambe Bay landmark.
By Annunciata Elwes Published
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The art and life of Pattie Boyd, the woman in the centre of the love triangle between Eric Clapton and a Beatle, has come up for auction
Pattie Boyd was the girlfriend of two of the great figures in rock music in the 1960s and 1970s — and Christie's are holding a sale of her memorabilia.
By Annunciata Elwes Published
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The buzz is back, says British Beekeepers Association, which celebrates its 150th anniversary
The number of beekeepers and hives has increased since the lows of the early 2000s, but there is still more to be done to protect our pollinators.
By Annunciata Elwes Published
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Trafalgar Square celebrates 25 years of Fourth Plinth art — but is it time for a permanent piece?
Seven shortlisted ideas for the next stint on the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square are currently on display — but some say it is now time for a more permanent fixture.
By Annunciata Elwes Published
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Handbags, Ferraris and priceless paintings — these are a few of our favourite things (to invest in)
Knight Frank's Luxury Investment Index for 2023 reveals what the rich and famous have been buying and selling, and whether their investments are going up or down.
By Annunciata Elwes Published
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The heart-stopping work of removing a 150-year-old stained glass masterpiece from one of Britain's greatest cathedrals
One of Salisbury Cathedral's most famous stained glass windows is being restored — and that means it must be removed in a painstaking process.
By Annunciata Elwes Published
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North Yorkshire village is the latest to turn down the lights and become 'dark-skies friendly'
Hawnby is the first 'dark sky friendly' village in the North York Moors and residents are already starting to see positive results from dimming the lights
By Annunciata Elwes Published
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'Stonehenge of the North' saved for the nation
The future of the Neolithic site at Thornborough Henges — which has been dubbed 'The Stonehenge of the North' — has been secured, and the site saved for the nation. Annunciata Elwes reports.
By Annunciata Elwes Published
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Power to the people — community-owned businesses a proving to be a nationwide success
Pubs, cafés and shops that are run for the community, by the community, are becoming increasingly popular.
By Annunciata Elwes Published
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Scottish farmers and stakeholders sceptical over new plans for National Parks
A recent summit hosted by NFU Scotland is questioning the evidence on the benefits of national parks, with worries that they may negatively impact local farmers and communities.
By Annunciata Elwes Published
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'Disconnected from our heritage' — conservation charity warns that more must be done to tackle light pollution
According to CPRE, The Countryside Charity, most of us can't see the stars correctly, and is calling on government to help fight back.
By Annunciata Elwes Published
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Meet the dry-stone wallers who restored a 300-year-old sheep pen in Cumbria
Craftsmen Steven Allen and Trevor Stamper hope restored this historic sheepfold as part of a wider campaign to help support and promote common-land grazing
By Annunciata Elwes Published
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Fit for a (very small) queen — a dolls' house with running water, electricity and working lifts
Queen Mary's Dolls' House celebrates its 100th anniversary with a brand new exhibition and a reimagined display at Windsor Castle.
By Annunciata Elwes Published
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Plan to save historic church buildings is 'urgently needed', warns National Churches Trust
In the past 10 years, some 3,500 churches have closed their doors, prompting a call to action to rescue those under threat.
By Annunciata Elwes Published
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Is your pony 'nice and fluffy' — or carrying too much weight? How warm winters are making for heavy horses
The arrival of an overweight pony on The Archers highlights a growing problem with heavy horses, says equine charity World Horse Welfare
By Annunciata Elwes Published
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Blazing summers, short winters and 15 years of erosion in a day
The changing weather is having an impact on everything from hibernating dormice to caterpillars and calves.
By Annunciata Elwes Published
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The new rules of dining etiquette, from elbows and mobile phones to sex at the dinner table
Formal dining is no longer the minefield it once was. Annunciata Elwes identifies points of etiquette that have been dispatched, retained, revised and added.
By Annunciata Elwes Published
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Jurassic bark: The 200 million-year-old trees rescued from extinction and now thriving across Britain
The Wollemi tree thrived hundreds of millions of years ago, and was thought to have disappeared some 90 million years ago — but a chance discovery brought it back, and it's now thriving in Britain as Annunciata Elwes reports.
By Annunciata Elwes Published
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Chewton Glen review: 'I genuinely wanted to stay forever'
Annunciata Elwes visits Chewton Glen, the New Forest gem that's one of Britain's best-loved country house hotels.
By Annunciata Elwes Published
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The Grosvenor Hotel, Stockbridge review: A boutique, historic hotel for a boutique, historic town
The Cotswolds without the crowds? Annunciata Elwes visits Stockbridge’s Grosvenor Hotel.
By Annunciata Elwes Published
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A sophisticated penthouse apartment for sale in a striking converted former tweed mill in Oxfordshire
Contemporary style fuses with historic substance at Bliss Mill's three-bed penthouse apartment, resulting in a timeless property that is suited to any taste.
By Annunciata Elwes Published