Country Life's top 10 Instagram posts of 2025, from a historic yew hedge to rocking around The Ritz Christmas tree

1. Staircases – from the Country Life Image archive

Drawn from our archive, these are some of Britain and Ireland’s most beautiful staircases — and apparently only the beginning of a much longer list many of you were keen to supply.

2. Mast years

A mast year is Nature being clever, strategic and several steps ahead, and judging by the comments, many of you were already noticing the signs locally. We're still waiting on an acorn emoji, though.

3. The Ritz Christmas tree

Ten hours on site, eight hours of editing and a lot of coffee, all for one minute of festive joy. Many of you loved seeing how it came together — which made a very long (but magical) night at The Ritz feel well worth it.

4. Seamus the Irish wolfhound and Drummer Joseph Aldridge

One of my best days at the office. Seamus the Irish wolfhound is just as charming in real life as he is on screen, and the comments made it very clear that he now has a devoted fan club well beyond Wellington Barracks.

5. Designer dogs

Just the beginning of Country Life illustrated — this time by the brilliant Tug Rice. Pairing dog breeds with fashion houses unleashed a torrent of opinions, corrections and demands for the breeds we’d missed. Part two has been… strongly suggested.

6. Is Scandinavia the new Mediterranean?

As southern Europe heats up, the idea of heading north clearly divides opinion, and the comments became a very lively debate on where (and how) we want to travel now.

7. The Christmas Double issue but... cake

A last-minute idea born from staring at a cover and thinking it looked good enough to eat. Your reactions ranged from delight to accusations of AI (it’s not) — which felt like exactly the right kind of response.

8. The David Beckham guest edit

A huge part of our year — and apparently of yours too. The now-infamous buzzing bee caused more distraction than I could have planned, and reading how many of you spent far too long attempting to swat it was endlessly entertaining.

9. Highclere Castle

With Downton Abbey coming to an end, visiting the real Downton felt like the only way to mark the moment. Many of you shared memories, favourite scenes and heartfelt farewells in the comments — which made this one feel particularly special.

10. The great yew hedge

The day I was harnessed in and lifted 40 feet into the air on a cherry picker, all in the name of social media content. The world’s largest yew hedge gets its annual trim — and you were just as fascinated as I was by how on earth that actually happens.

Bonus posts: Collaborations

Country Life x Angelica Hicks

Watching Angelica transform herself into Queen Elizabeth I for our frontispiece was unlike anything I’d ever seen before — and it seemed not many of you realised the image she was copying was, in fact, herself.

Country Life x William Hanson

We teamed up with the ultimate etiquette expert for the annual Gentleman’s Life issue, which sparked plenty of discussion about manners, modern life and what still matters — with no shortage of strong opinions.

Country Life x The Royal Family at Sandringham

A rare look at the restoration of Sandringham’s gardens under His Majesty The King prompted thoughtful, knowledgeable and surprisingly emotional responses from many of you.

Don’t miss the exciting things to come in 2026. Follow along here.