
Toby Keel
Toby Keel is Country Life's Digital Director, and has been running the website and social media channels since 2016. A former sports journalist, he writes about property, cars, lifestyle, travel, nature and more.
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Stefan Pitman: Making great country houses cost less to heat than a suburban semi
The trailblazing architect Stefan Pitman — founder of SPASE — joins the Country Life Podcast.
By Toby Keel Published
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What £1 million buys you across Britain, from a Cornish cottage to a miniature castle in the Highlands
Sprawling country houses, a mini-estate in Scotland and homes where the sea almost laps up at your feet are among the property options open to those with a seven-figure budget. Here's our pick of the best £1 million houses for sale across the land.
By Toby Keel Published
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Five superb country homes, from under £1 million to £20 million, as seen in Country Life
Our look at some the best homes to come up for sale via Country Life in the past week includes a Wiltshire dream home and a vast Kent mansion that's an easy commute to the City.
By Toby Keel Published
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Rock stars and the country house: Liam Gallagher's life in the Cotswolds is in the finest tradition of music A-listers, from The Beatles to Beyoncé
What is it about the British countryside that draws A-listers from every walk of life? With Liam Gallagher's Cotswold former home on the market, Toby Keel takes a look.
By Toby Keel Published
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A bum deal on a bog-standard property? The former public conveniences being sold off for a song
London has several affordable properties with enviable postcodes and great lighting... so long as you're happy spending more than a penny on a Victorian loo.
By Toby Keel Published
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A castle for sale just down the road from Gleneagles, where everyone from George VI to a farmer and his pigs once roamed the grand halls
Orchil Castle has seen it all in a tumultuous century and a half — but it's getting back to its best, and now needs a brave new owner to take it on the next step of its journey.
By Toby Keel Published
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The lives, wild parties and country houses of the Guinness family: Adrian Tinniswood on the Country Life Podcast
The writer and historian Adrian Tinniswood joins James Fisher on the Country Life Podcast.
By Toby Keel Published
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Six homes with fantastic features, from pools and paddocks to waterside settings, as seen in Country Life
Our look at the best homes to come to the market via Country Life this week includes a Chipping Norton farm and a Cornish dream home
By Toby Keel Published
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The elegant 19th century townhouse where JFK and Jackie Kennedy dreamed of the presidency, and made their wish came true
This beautiful five-bedroom house in Washington DC's Georgetown was once home to perhaps the most celebrated couple of the 20th century: John F. Kennedy and his wife, Jackie Kennedy.
By Toby Keel Published
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The abolition of Stamp Duty: Will it happen? Could it happen? What would replace it? And what would be the impact?
The Conservative Party promises to abolish Stamp Duty on primary residences if it wins the next election. We canvassed property experts from across the housing industry to see what the impact would be.
By Toby Keel Last updated
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A home for sale in one of the most celebrated artists' enclaves in London, where David Hockney sketched and Isadora Duncan danced
This apartment in Pembroke Studios doesn't prompt the lament 'if these walls could talk' so much as 'if these walls could dance, sing and paint.'
By Toby Keel Published
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Amanda Owen: The Yorkshire Shepherdess on farming, life, and having tea with her sheep
Life can be beautiful for farmers, and often is — but it can also be hard and bleak. James Robinson joined the Country Life Podcast to talk about the extraordinary ups and downs of the job he loves, and how Nature helps out when things get tough.
By Toby Keel Published
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20 country homes for sale, from Somerset to Scotland, as seen in Country Life
A charming cottage in a village in Surrey at under £600,000 and a seven bedroom mansion north of the border for not much more than that make our round-up of the best homes to come up for sale via Country Life this week.
By Toby Keel Published
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This country estate is peaceful, spacious and elegant... just please don't ask us how to pronounce it
In the heart of Wales's beautiful Irfon Valley, The Cefnllysgwynne Estate is seeking a new owner.
By Penny Churchill Published
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A Dartmoor home with one rather unusual catch: King Charles III has the right to come along and fish in your stream
The Brimpstead Estate is a home in one of the most beautiful parts of Devon that has everything — including a very famous former owner. Toby Keel explains more.
By Toby Keel Published
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James Robinson: A fifth-generation farmer on the ups and downs of 'the most glorious job in the world'
Life can be beautiful for farmers, and often is — but it can also be hard and bleak. James Robinson joined the Country Life Podcast to talk about the extraordinary ups and downs of the job he loves, and how Nature helps out when things get tough.
By Toby Keel Published
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A Georgian country house that's immaculate, unlisted and surrounded by 21 unspoilt acres of Somerset
Finding a grand, 220-year-old home that's unlisted in a wonderful location is cause for celebration. Penny Churchill looks at Werescote, on the Devon-Somerset border.
By Penny Churchill Published
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A country house escape where 'legend has it that Shakespeare came to stay' while writing The Tempest
Standen House on the Isle of Wight isn't just a grand country home — it's a grand country home that has a claim to have hosted the most famous playwright in history. Could it really be true?
By Toby Keel Published
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Six superb country houses for sale, from an Italian-style palazzo in the Cotswolds to a dramatic home on a Cornish headland
We take a look at the finest houses to come to the market via Country Life this week.
By Toby Keel Published
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A vicarage designed by one of Queen Victoria's favourite architects, exquisitely refurbished to keep every ounce of original character — and even a few cracks and crumbles
Just down the road from Soho Farmhouse, and under 20 miles from central Oxford, this home designed by George Gilbert Scott is a joy.
By Toby Keel Published
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A spectacular green oasis that offers a slice of country life in the very heart of one of the busiest places in London
Among the roads, rail and conference centres of Earls Court, there's a charming terrace where you can find homes that offer wonderful surprises — and they don't get much more wonderful than this one.
By Toby Keel Published
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Six gorgeous thatched cottages for sale across Britain, from under £500,000
Our pick of the best thatched cottages and houses for sale today across England.
By Toby Keel Last updated
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Flying helicopters, rampaging elephants and painting Ronnie Wood: Hannah Shergold on the Country Life Podcast
The artist — and former Army helicopter pilot — Hannah Shergold joins James Fisher on the Country Life Podcast.
By Toby Keel Published
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Five charming Cotswolds houses for sale, from a 92-acre mini-estate to an ancient townhouse in one of the most sought-after spots
We take a look at some of the best homes to come to the market via Country Life this week.
By Toby Keel Published