Country Life 12 February 2025
Country Life 12 February 2025 looks at fine art, garden rooms and how animals fall in love.


Here's a look at some of what you'll find inside:
A man among men
Michael Prodger consults great painters and great paintings as he seeks a response to one of art’s unanswered questions: what is it that makes a master?
Let the art rule the head
The UK’s status as a world leader in creative industries will be in peril if we fail to nurture art-and-design skills in our schools, argues Tristram Hunt
Let’s fall in love
Laura Parker investigates the boxing, croaking, crooning, dad dancing and even murder that passes for courtship ritual in the animal kingdom
Exquisite houses, the beauty of Nature, and how to get the most from your life, straight to your inbox.
Beauty and the blimp
Could a new airship designed in Britain deliver eco-friendly aviation, asks Charles Harris
Interiors
Amelia Thorpe picks out glass acts in world of garden rooms, greenhouses and orangeries
Soup-er charged
Tom Parker Bowles reveals how to beef up a boozy, hot-as-Hades French onion soup
A leap in the dark
The play of light and shade has long defined Western art. Michael Hall examines what Constable called ‘the chiaroscuro of nature’
The Duke of Richmond’s favourite painting
The owner of Goodwood picks a work that reflects the sporting history of the West Sussex estate
Three wishes for food and farming
Minette Batters calls for the UK to set a self-sufficiency target for producing its own food
Nature and nurture
In the final article of a three-part series, Tim Richardson ponders the innovation and imagination behind the wonderful grounds at Bramham Park, West Yorkshire
The legacy
Amie Elizabeth White applauds altruistic John Ritchie Findlay, who paved the way for Scotland’s National Portrait Gallery
The good stuff
Hetty Lintell backs a winner with a range of horseshoe jewellery
Light work
Tiffany Daneff is dazzled by the transformation of a dark London garden into a light-filled oasis
Foraging
Winter mushrooms are a rarity, but the striking velvet shank earns John Wright’s approval as a welcome addition to game pie
Arts & antiques
Carla Passino marvels at the masterpieces amassed by Swiss collector Oskar Reinhart as the works go on show in London
Wick me up before you go-go
The wick trimmer’s work was never done in candlelit times, discovers Matthew Dennison
And much more
Country Life is unlike any other magazine: the only glossy weekly on the newsstand and the only magazine that has been guest-edited by His Majesty The King not once, but twice. It is a celebration of modern rural life and all its diverse joys and pleasures — that was first published in Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee year. Our eclectic mixture of witty and informative content — from the most up-to-date property news and commentary and a coveted glimpse inside some of the UK's best houses and gardens, to gardening, the arts and interior design, written by experts in their field — still cannot be found in print or online, anywhere else.
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Rust-free romance: hire a classic, not the headaches
Want to drive a classic car, but don't fancy the headaches of ownership? Why not borrow one for a day and explore the most beautiful parts of England while you're at it.
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Mastiffs: Gentle giants revered by Shakespeare, feared by thieves, adored by families
The mastiff is England’s gentle giant.
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Acronyms, underwater animals, pyramids, fast cars and masts. Learn something new with the Country Life Quiz of the Day
Our life is acronyms. Find out what they mean. Impress no-one.
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Give the Country Life Quiz of the Day, September 11, 2025 some lovin'
Test your general knowledge in Thursday's Quiz of the Day.
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Who is older — Brad or Tom? Country Life Quiz of the Day picture special, September 10, 2025
Your face will be a picture after doing Wednesday's quiz.
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How many strings does a viola have? The Country Life Quiz of the Day, September 9, 2025
A viola is larger than a violin and has a deeper sound, but how many strings does it have?
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A Pink Panther actor, a little ditty and some very long fingernails appear in this Country Life Quiz of the Day
Peter Sellers, a Cuckoo and a Guinness World Record holder walk into a bar... It's quiz night in the bar.
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Mama, oooh... it's the Country Life Quiz of the Day
Friday's quiz has a little bit of Queen, a little bit of Hitchcock and a whole lot of personality.
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What sort of fruit is a McIntosh? The Country Life Quiz of the Day, September 4, 2025
Test your general knowledge in Thursday's Quiz of the Day.
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The hottest summer, the fastest car, and (gulp) the start of spider season: Country Life Quiz of the Day, September 3, 2025
A 15-bedroom house, the royal residences you've never heard of, and much more besides in the Country Life Quiz of the Day.