Country Life 26 February 2025
What's in the Country Life 26 February 2025 issue of Country Life.


An officer and a gentleman
Smooth fox terriers are ‘mischief on four legs’ and boast character in abundance, as Flora Watkins discovers from devoted owners of these smart and charming dogs
Knock on wood
Woodpeckers have been busy hammering out the beat of our broad-leaved woodland for millennia. Vicky Liddell takes a closer look at these striking birds
What goes up, must come down
John Lewis-Stempel laments the ups and downs of Lake District fell walking in February as he goes from scampering mountain goat to plodding dobbin
There’s gold in them thar schools
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Churchill’s art, Shackleton’s boat and Turing’s reports — Madeleine Silver unearths the treasures belonging to Britain’s schools
Survival of the exceptional
How can independent schools prevent VAT on fees being the ‘straw that breaks the camel’s back’, asks Lucy Higginson
Sir Stephen Hough’s favourite painting
The classical pianist and composer chooses a virtuoso work from the mid 15th century
A glimpse of the sublime
John Goodall gains an insight into the era of Grand Tourism in the restored drawing room at Russborough in Co Wicklow
The legacy
Octavia Pollock applauds Ralph Allen, Bath’s ‘benevolent man’
You belong with me
Revd Colin Heber-Percy reflects on getting lost — and found — in Wiltshire’s Savernake For-est
Luxury
Hetty Lintell has all the ingredients for a wonderful wedding day, plus India Knight’s favourite things
Interiors
Author Ros Byam Shaw tells Arabella Youens how small and beautiful can go hand in hand
A brush with snowdrops
John Morley is calling it a day after growing and drawing Galanthus for 40 years, reports Tilly Ware
Foraging
Harness the raw power of bitter-cress to pep up the humble salad, suggests John Wright
Arts & antiques
Stuart Lochhead is revealed as a man behind the masks — Carla Passino talks to the art dealer about his passion for disguise
As good as gold
Glittering 14th-century works by Sienese artists influenced art far beyond the bounds of the Italian city, reveals Mary Miers
Book your place
The Country Life guide to open days at 50 schools across Britain
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 HRH 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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You've almost certainly been making cups of tea wrong for years
We drink tea every day, but are we doing it correctly? Who decided on the rules and do they really matter? Jonathon Jones reveals all.
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Myddleton House: The place that 'will help you learn what true gardening is' is open to everyone, and just 30 minutes from central London
E. A. Bowles created a horticultural playground in the gardens of Myddleton House that was years ahead of its time, and continues to influence even today. Isabel Bannerman takes a look.
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The greatest moment in the life of Jessie Owens: Country Life Quiz of the Day, June 13, 2025
Breathtaking athleticism and Shakespeare's birthday are among the questions in the final quiz of the week.
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The deaths of Romeo and Juliet: Country Life Quiz of the Day, June 12, 2025
A Rolling Stone and a familiar-sounding place find their way into Wednesday's Quiz of the Day.
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England's answer to New York: Country Life Quiz of the Day, June 11, 2025
A Rolling Stone and a familiar-sounding place find their way into Wednesday's Quiz of the Day.
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David Beckham to guest edit Country Life
'I am looking forward to celebrating what the countryside means to me and my family,' says David Beckham as he gets ready to edit Country Life's issue of October 22, 2025.
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Tulip-mania, Travolta v Hanks and the worst-named castle in Britain: Country Life Quiz of the Day, June 10, 2025
Tuesday's Quiz of the Day tests your spelling, and ponders kings without facial hair.
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Country Life 11 June 2025
Country Life 11 June 2025 is our Best of Britain special issue, celebrating the places, people, plants and craftsmen that make this country great.
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Castles, candles and cards: Country Life Quiz of the Day, June 9, 2025
Poker hands, pithy quotes and unusual pets feature in Monday's Quiz of the Day.
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Country Life 4 June 2025
Country Life 4 June 2025 is a celebration of the best of Hampshire, from Jane Austen's cottage to the winding streets of Winchester.