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Everingham Park: The revival of a lost vision of Georgian glory
Built between 1758 and 1764, Everingham Park, in the East Riding of Yorkshire, was brilliantly reinvented in the 1960s. It also possesses an opulent chapel, a triumphalist product of Catholic Emancipation. John Goodall reports on this Georgian house, home of Philip and Helen Guest. Photography by Paul Highnam for the Country Life Picture Library.
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One of 'the most magnificent and perfectly preserved of Britain’s great Edwardian country houses', built for the heir to Thomas Cook's vast fortune
John Goodall looks at the creation of Sennowe Park in Norfolk — home of Charles and Virginia Temple-Richards — and charts its transformation at the hands of a local architect from a Georgian lodge to a luxurious Edwardian home.
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A 'masterpiece of structural elegance' set in a secluded woodland grove is up for auction at £18,000
The iconic Bernat Klein Studio — described as 'one of Scotland’s most important twentieth-century buildings' — is going under the hammer. A tempting prospect — but buyer beware, says Toby Keel.
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'Step through the front door and your expectations evaporate in amazement and delight': The humble end-of-terrace house that's a wonder of neo-Classical grandeur
An unassuming house in Swansea reveals a marvellous and unexpected secret. John Goodall enjoys a rich collection of neo-Classical decorative plasterwork lovingly created by Royston Jones and Fiona Gray.
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Ironmongers' Hall: The medieval marvel destroyed by a First World War bomb, and it's inspiring 21st century renaissance
Ironmongers’ Hall in London EC2 — home of the Worshipful Company of Ironmongers — is one of the Great Twelve City Livery Companies. This year it is celebrating the centenary of its Tudor-style Hall; John Goodall takes a look, and tells the remarkable story of the building. Photographs by Will Pryce for the Country Life Picture Library
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Stowe Hall and the renaissance of the country house
In 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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Bowood: A tale of demolition, rebirth and the visionary owner who threw open the gates of one of Britain's greatest estates
It 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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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.
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Radbourne Hall, Derbyshire: The Palladian masterpiece reborn as a 21st century family home
John Goodall takes a look at the incredible resurrection of Radbourne Hall.
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The prestigious Saut Hermès was a tantalising taste of what to expect when Paris's Grand Palais reopens to the public in June
The Grand Palais in Paris, France, has been closed to the public for extensive renovation works since 2021.
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Restoration House: The house in the heart of historic Rochester that housed Charles II and inspired Charles Dickens
John Goodall looks at Restoration House in Rochester, Kent — home of Robert Tucker and Jonathan Wilmot — and tells the tale of its remarkable salvation.
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'A glimpse of the sublime': Inside the drawing room of the 'grandest Palladian house in Ireland'
The redecoration of the drawing room at Russborough House in Co Wicklow, Ireland, offers a fascinating insight into the aesthetic preoccupations of Grand Tourism in the mid 18th century. John Goodall explains; photography by Paul Highnam for Country Life.
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The ideal of the Scottish castle: Aldourie's joyful fantasy of turrets, invention and recreation
The process of stitching together the architectural fabric of the Aldourie estate in Inverness-shire has created an outstanding group of new and restored buildings. John Goodall explains more; photography by Paul Highnam for Country Life.
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The fire that destroyed Bramham Park — and the astonishing revival that it sparked
In the second of three articles on Bramham Park, West Yorkshire — the home of Nick and Rachel Lane Fox — John Goodall tells the story of the destruction of this house by fire in 1828 and its astonishing revival that continues into the 21st century.
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Saints alive: How St Albans Cathedral has entered the 21st century in vibrant style, thanks to sculptors, artisans and dazzling colour projections
The Cathedral and Abbey Church of St Albans is one of the oldest churches in Britain — and quite possibly the very oldest — but no building survives through hundreds of generations without change. John Goodall examines some of the recent changes made to highlight the saints associated with this ancient church. Photographs by Paul Highnam and John Goodall for Country Life.
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The 12 architecture books you should read in 2025, by our architectural editor John Goodall
John Goodall assembles a shortlist of his favourite architecture books published recently.
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The tale of St Alban: An abbey, a Cathedral, and a martyr so holy that 'his executioner’s eyes popped out of his head'
A church built for Britain’s first known Christian martyr developed into The Cathedral and Abbey Church of St Albans, Hertfordshire. John Goodall tells the tale of the saint and the building he inspired; photographs by Paul Highnam for Country Life.
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Into the Woods: The cabins set amid the treetops above the city of Cork
The Montenotte Hotel, on a hillside above the Irish city of Cork, has unveiled a group of nine luxury, woodland cabins. Country Life's John Goodall checks in.
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James I's love affair with Apethorpe, the great country house that 'surpasses all belief'
Apethorpe Palace in Northamptonshire — a seat of Baron and Baroness von Pfetten — was enlarged in the 1560s and 1620s specifically to receive first Elizabeth I, and then James I. John Goodall tells the story.
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Wooden walls restored: The astonishing restoration of the church at Urși
The painted church of the Annunciation and the Archangel Michael, Urși, Vâlcea County, Romania, has been the object of an heroic 10-year restoration programme,
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Ashby St Legers: The 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, as John Goodall explains. With photography by Paul Highnam.
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Holyrood: Inside The King's official residence in Scotland, from throne room to the bed chamber of Mary, Queen of Scots
Holyrood — or, to give it its full title, The Palace of Holyroodhouse — is the official residence in Scotland of His Majesty King Charles III. To coincide with the publication of a new history of the palace, John Goodall offers an overview of the creation, abandonment and rebirth of this working royal residence over the past 900 years. Photographs by Paul Highnam for Country Life.
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All the winners from the 2024 Georgian Group Architectural Awards
This year’s Georgian Group’s Architectural Awards, sponsored by Savills, attracted another outstanding crop of entries. Here are all the winners, as chosen by a panel of judges chaired by Country Life's Architectural Editor, John Goodall.
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Civic splendour: St Mary's Guildhall, Coventry
The guildhall built as a symbol of Coventry's 14th-century prosperity and self-government has recently undergone restoration.
