From travel and motoring to dog training and pithy comment, these proved out most popular feature articles of the last 12 months.
The ‘most beautiful car ever made’ makes its debut on Country Life Frontispiece page alongside photographer Amy Shore
Was the star of this Frontispiece the subject, photographer Amy Shore? Or was it the classic 1963 E-Type Jaguar?
‘Rewilding is half backwards-looking fantasy, half dystopian vision’
Those who make the case for rewilding ought to be careful — MUCH more careful — what they wish for, argued award-winning nature writer John Lewis-Stempel.
How to stop your dogs waking up too early, by top trainer Ben Randall
Our hugely popular canine advice columnist Ben Randall helped those whose pooches are leaving them sleep-deprived.
Rolls-Royce Spectre review: The magic carpet goes electric
It’s a great engineering accomplishment. But the big question is, will it make you spill your Champagne?
The stories behind the strangest phrases in English from being ‘gone for a burton’ to ‘caught red-handed’
Learning a language is one thing, understanding phrases such as a pig in a poke is another altogether. Octavia Pollock got to grips with some of our best idioms.
10 of Scotland’s most magical white sand beaches
Scotland’s stunning locations include far more than just mountains, lakes and rivers – we picked out 10 of the country’s finest white sand beaches.
Ten reasons we love the Cotswolds
The Cotswolds, arguably England’s most popular Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, has long been a favourite of ours at Country Life. In September we offered 10 reasons why we can’t get enough of the place.
Britain’s Victorian seaside towns: A tale of sun, sand, affection, neglect, decay and regeneration
Country Life’s cultural commentator Athena looked at the sad plight of Britain’s seaside towns, with hopes that things may be heading in the right direction.
Manor from heaven in the Cotswolds
Temple Guiting Manor is one of the country’s most handsome Tudor manor houses. Paula Lester took a trip.
The Azores: A land lost to time and Nature and Europe’s answer to Hawaii
A new, direct flight route to The Azores is opening traveller’s eyes to this extraordinary archipelago, said Rosalyn Wikeley, who discovered where to stay, the best restaurants and what to do.
The English country house as seen in the art of Turner, Constable and their modern-day successors
John Constable’s Wivenhoe Park. Credit: Alamy
Ever since a craze for house portraits reached Britain in the 17th century, great artists such as J. M. W. Turner have been producing sweeping vistas of stately Edens. Art historian Michael Prodger took a look at the phenomenon.
Why do churches have gargoyles?
Inevitably hideous-looking and often mischievous, why do gargoyles and grotesques adorn some of our most solemn churches? Ben Lerwill asked the question.
