
Lotte Brundle
Lotte is Country Life's Digital Writer. Before joining in 2025, she was checking commas and writing news headlines for The Times and The Sunday Times as a sub-editor. She got her start in journalism at The Fence where she was best known for her Paul Mescal coverage. She reluctantly lives in noisy south London, a far cry from her wholesome Kentish upbringing.
-
One of Scotland's last untouched private islands, with a 'cave house' of your own and dolphins for neighbours
Insh Island, off Scotland’s west coast, has no buildings except a ‘cave house’, zero light pollution and even fewer inhabitants. It is on the market with Savills.
By Lotte Brundle Published
-
The cure for endless scrolling is a weekend away in this solitary 16th century castle on a Scottish beach
Saddell Castle in Kintyre has no mobile phone signal in places and, as such, is a brilliant place for a digital detox after its recent renovations.
By Lotte Brundle Published
-
A cosy cottage in Durham where Oliver Cromwell drank mead and dreamt of glorious uprising is for sale
Blagraves in Barnard Castle, Co Durham, is a dreamy home by the River Tees which is the second oldest building in the town.
By Lotte Brundle Published
-
‘Everyone had dodgy magazines hidden under their beds and I had interior design magazines’: James Thurstan Waterworth's consuming passions
Interior designer James Thurstan Waterworth was the European design director at Soho House before he went on to open his own studio, Thurstan. He discusses his love of Tudor history, Andrew Scott and how a portrait of a chicken changed his life.
By Lotte Brundle Published
-
101 gold rats, a 'self portrait as a horse' and a tribute to motherhood take home top prizes at this year's Royal Academy Summer Exhibition
The Royal Academy has announced its 2025 prize winners, spanning talented sculptors, painters and print-makers, with works on display in London until August 19.
By Lotte Brundle Published
-
Five British gardens have a starring role on the New York Times's list of 25 must-see gardens — here are the ones they forgot
Multiple British gardens have topped a New York Times list.
By Lotte Brundle Published
-
Downtown Abbey is about to finish forever, and you're about to get a chance to see — and to buy — the costumes from the show
Downton Abbey's exquisite costumes and props are going on show at a free exhibition ahead of a sale being held by Bonhams later this summer.
By Lotte Brundle Published
-
‘What a shame when a dinosaur disappears into the mansion of an oligarch rather than being displayed for all to enjoy’: The ethics of the dinosaur auction
Fancy a stegosaurus in your living room? You can buy one at auction. But the latest luxury good is a paleontologist's worst nightmare.
By Lotte Brundle Published
-
A Hampshire Manor for sale that dates back to the days of Alfred the Great, with the most beautiful staircase we've seen in years
The ten bedroom property features an indoor swimming pool, jacuzzi, spa complex and stables, and it was restored by the same architect who worked on Downing Street.
By Lotte Brundle Published
-
'Champagne is not simply a place, it’s a symbol of excellence': How a quiet rural region shrugged off war, famine and pestilence to become the home of the ultimate luxury tipple
Ten years ago today the French region was recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but what did it take for Champagne to be listed and what’s changed for the area since then?
By Lotte Brundle Published
-
The last miracle of St Boswell? How a Scottish potato field became the world's least-likely producer of sparkling wine
The country has produced its first ‘champagne’ after its producers, Lorna and Trevor Jackson, planted 1,000 vines nine years ago on their farm in St Boswells.
By Lotte Brundle Published
-
40 miles of racket strings, 55,000 balls and 2.5 million strawberries: Wimbledon by the numbers
How many strawberries are consumed, how many petunias purchased and just how much racket string is required at the world’s oldest tennis championships? Lotte Brundle serves up the numbers.
By Lotte Brundle Published
-
Chatsworth's winning £4 million Lottery ticket means it can restore beloved water feature
The Chatsworth House Trust will use the money from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to restore their Cascade — beloved by Alan Titchmarsh.
By Lotte Brundle Published
-
From turtles to pink sea fans: Why Mediterranean marine life is drifting into British waters
Both leatherback sea turtles and the soft corrals’ presence near our shores coincides with our warming seas, Lotte Brundle writes.
By Lotte Brundle Published
-
What do an order of Catholic priests and actor Hugh Bonneville have in common? They helped this West Sussex sparkling wine triumph over multiple French Champagne houses
After being approached by a group of Catholic priests in 2006 to plant a vineyard, the power of the divine, and climate change, was on the winemaker Dermot Sugrue’s side.
By Lotte Brundle Last updated
-
‘The perfect hostess, he called her’: A five minute guide to Virgina Woolf’s ‘Mrs Dalloway’
To mark its centenary, Lotte Brundle delves into the lauded writer’s strange and poignant classic, set across a single summer’s day in 1920’s London.
By Lotte Brundle Published
-
For every new stone mason, seven retire: St Paul's plan to save heritage crafts — and itself in the process
As St Paul’s Cathedral launches the Wren Centre of Excellence to train young people to repair Britain’s historic buildings, Lotte Brundle talks to restoration workers about why their industry is on a cliffs edge.
By Lotte Brundle Published
-
'I take a box of watercolours and a sketchpad with me everywhere': Tess Newall's consuming passions
Decorative artist Tess Newall, best known for her bespoke murals and furniture, talks to Country Life about her prized collection of painted plates, her love of Thin Lizzy and her eclectic podcast taste.
By Lotte Brundle Published
-
These are the 10 best places to live in the world — and nowhere in the UK or US made the cut
London, Edinburgh, New York? Move over. Copenhagen is the place to be.
By Lotte Brundle Published
-
At His Majesty’s pleasure: A woodland retreat for rent at Sandringham
With room for six guests, and with 20,000 acres on the doorstep, it would be folly to not get booking.
By Lotte Brundle Published
-
Society sparkle: Nancy Astor and Ann Fleming’s diamond jewellery makes a splash at auction
Astor’s Cartier tiara was sold by Bonhams, while the accessories of the wife of the James Bond author went up for auction with Dreweatts.
By Lotte Brundle Last updated
-
Game, set, match: Jack Draper, Lorenzo Musetti and Holger Rune to light up London's Giorgio Armani Tennis Classic
The British number one leads the list of three top-10 players that will take to the courts at the 150-year-old Hurlingham Club in London from June 24–28.
By Lotte Brundle Last updated
-
‘It's a bit like a pub, but without the requirement of being drunk’: Why we’re all hot for a countryside sauna
The sauna is the latest wellness trend — especially one immersed in Nature. Lotte Brundle dips into why the pastime has been heating up.
By Lotte Brundle Last updated
-
The world’s most iconic handbag could be on your arm
40 years after its conception, the original Hermès ‘Birkin’ bag, owned by the OG It Girl Jane Birkin, is going up for auction with Sotheby’s on July 10.
By Lotte Brundle Published