Here's a look at some of what you'll find inside.

The legacy: Edmund Halley

Kate Green celebrates the astronomical achievements of Edmond Halley, who calculated the orbits of some 24 comets

Weeding out the wildflowers

John Lewis-Stempel explores Ralph Waldo Emerson’s view of a weed as ‘a plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered’

The great escape

When wandering Ouessant ram Max goes walkabout, it makes for a testing shearing day for John Lewis-Stempel

On red alert

History suggests that Bordeaux is best in years ending in a five — and 2025 is promising to maintain the sequence, says Harry Eyres

Country Life International

Jack Watkins treads in the foot-steps of Lord Byron in Ravenna, Corinne Julius is seduced by ceramics in Puglia, Holly Kirkwood seeks out the best properties for sale, Anna Tyzack finds artistic inspiration in Mallorca and Russell Higham charts the story of the Scarlatti dynasty in Naples

Portraits of a lady

Obsessively painting her own image helped Frida Kahlo confront the pain that blighted her life, reveals Jessica Lack

Peter Layton’s favourite painting

The artist has his head in the clouds of a van Gogh classic

Country-house treasure

John Goodall takes a shine to an exceptional example of Italian craftsmanship at Highclere Castle in Hampshire

Wedded to the landscape

Kathryn Ferry commends the labour of love that Clough and Amabel Williams-Ellis created at Plas Brondanw in Gwynedd

Shepherd’s delight

Skies streaked with crimson hues are a spectacular sight for Deborah Nicholls-Lee

Winging it

Mark Cocker profiles the white-tailed eagle, the apex predator of the Unloved Birds’ Club

Luxury

Amie Elizabeth White eyes Egyptian jewels and Sir Quentin Blake clothing, plus a few of Corin Mellor’s favourite things

Interiors

Arabella Youens admires a restful bedroom transformation and Giles Kime celebrates the graceful ageing of verdigris

Seasons to be cheerful

Caroline Donald applauds the invention and imagination at play in the glorious gardens of Broadwoodside, East Lothian

Travel

Jo Rodgers unearths sheltered combes and steep coastlines as she heads far from the madding crowds in south Devon

Arts & antiques

Carla Passino meets Scotland’s first warriors as a new exhibition explores the long, bloody history of conflict north of the Border

And much more.

The Prince of Wales is to join an eminent line-up of royal Guest Editors when he takes charge of the November 11 issue of Country Life to celebrate his love of the countryside, as well as his desire to protect and enhance the environment.

In taking the reins of this special souvenir edition, Prince William is following in the footsteps of his father, The King, who has twice guest edited the magazine, on the occasion of his 65th birthday in November 2013 and his 70th in 2018. In 2020, his aunt, The Princess Royal, masterminded the July 29 issue. The Queen — when The Duchess of Cornwall — was the next to take her turn in the editorial chair when overseeing the July 13, 2022 issue, which became the biggest-selling edition of all time.

Last year, Sir David Beckham oversaw the popular October 22 issue.

The Prince of Wales’s edition will reflect His Royal Highness’s advocacy for improving access to mental-health services in the countryside, together with his most cherished view, his favourite recipe, his favourite painting and his selection of notable rural champions.

‘I’m thrilled that The Prince of Wales has agreed to edit a very special issue of Country Life,’ says Editor-in-Chief Mark Hedges. ‘Having met with him last week to discuss his plans for his edition, I was struck by what a passionate countryman he is and how much he cares about the welfare of those who manage it.'

'I believe that his views, concerns and hopes for its future will resonate deeply with our readers and I am excited to see how his energy and commitment to changing lives will be reflected in his specially curated issue.’

Here's a look at some of what you'll find inside.

Everything, everywhere, all at once

Irises have inspired great artists from Vincent van Gogh to Sir Cedric Morris. Michael Prodger examines the flower’s allure

Green with envy

Why not take a leaf out of Tom Parker Bowles’s book and sample the very best salad flavours from around the world?

Pier into the future

Our seaside piers are the great survivors of the Victorian age and many are thriving in the 21st century, reveals Jonathan Lee

Arts & antiques

It is 500 years since artist Hans Holbein arrived on these shores, yet we remain captivated by his portraits, finds Carla Passino

Louise Farina’s favourite painting

The perfumer senses the zest of an Italian spring morning in a still life celebrating citrus fruit

Country-house treasure

John Goodall sees High Church spirit in a handwritten Bible at Treberfydd House in Brecon

History and fantasy

In the second of two articles, John Goodall delves into the fable-meets-fact history of Warwick Castle, Warwickshire

The legacy

Octavia Pollock adds a dash of colour to the illustrious history of Winsor & Newton, supplier to the stars of the art world

The importance of being Ernst

Ernst Vegelin van Claerbergen, head of the Courtauld Gallery, is optimistic about the future of the Arts, as he tells Carla Passino

Winging it

A beauty or a beast? Mark Cocker investigates how the exotic pheasant splits opinion

Luxury

Jonathan Self explores the royal enthusiasm for amethyst and Amie Elizabeth White weaves in some summer essentials

Interiors

An open-plan makeover wows Arabella Youens, plus perfect pitchers with Amelia Thorpe

Simply perfect

A 20-year revival of the Arts-and-Crafts garden at Fonthill House in Wiltshire catches the eye of Christopher Stocks

Travel

Sophia Money-Coutts savours all the fun of Florida on a trip to the party town of Palm Beach

A new sense of purpose

Robin Hereford is calling for a revival in the fortunes of brown furniture — pieces with style and sustainability on their side

A wrinkle in time

A new generation of American collectors is being charmed by exquisite English antique furniture, discovers Patrick Monahan

Cooking up a storm

Michael Billington is blown away by the RSC’s Tempest starring Sir Kenneth Branagh, but High Society delights without dazzling

And much more

Here's a look at some of what you'll find inside.

For England, and St George!

The Revd Dr Colin Heber-Percy delves into the ‘England’ of the Selborne sage Gilbert White  

What being English means to me

England is a land of tolerance, decency, honour and eccentricity, and home to the apology and the witty put down, as six friends of Country Life tell Paula Minchin   

Write of way

Kate Green tours our classic literary settings, from the Brontës’ brooding moors to du Maurier’s secret Cornish creeks and coves 

Made in England

Bramleys, brogues, Barbours and Brompton folding bicycles are all the epitome of English excellence. Emma Hughes hails 35 of the country’s finest makers 

Andrew Comben’s favourite painting

The cultural charity CEO picks  an evocative piece of embroidery 

Country-house treasure

John Goodall is captivated by an orange-tree automaton at East Yorkshire’s Burton Constable Hall  

A castle of legend

In the first of two articles, John Goodall examines the legend and lore in the story of imposing Warwick Castle, Warwickshire

The legacy

James Fisher lauds Thomas Lord for giving us the home of cricket   

A fair exchange

Carla Passino takes a sideways glance at the history of great English exports and imports

‘The land of patriots, martyrs and bards’

Ralph Waldo Emerson’s English Traits observations have stood the test of time, finds Emma Hughes

Oh, to be in England

Matthew Dennison examines the allure of our shores for famous adopted sons and daughters 

Luxury

If you only buy one T-shirt, make it a Sunspel Classic, advises Amie Elizabeth White 

Interiors

The alchemy of first-class interior design is in evidence at this year’s WOW!house, finds Giles Kime 

Overflowing with charm

George Plumptre is wowed by the wonderful walled garden at Lasborough Park, Gloucestershire

Meat your match

Succulent smoked pork ribs are the ultimate barbecue bench-mark for Tom Parker Bowles  

Left of the field

WIll Hosie raises a glass to off-beat British cocktail ingredients 

Winging it

Mark Cocker is dazzled by the dusk displays of the starling

Unforgettable, that’s what you are

The forget-me-not is a memorable symbol for Deborah Nicholls-Lee

Time to grow up?

Is kitchen-based agriculture the future of farming, asks Will Hosie

Travel

Rosie Paterson follows in the footsteps of Homer’s Odysseus 

Arts & antiques

Walpole’s treasured possessions may return home to Strawberry Hill House, reveals Carla Passino

This sketched isle

Charlotte Mullins profiles the artists at the forefront of the new school of English painting  

And much more

Here's a look at some of what you'll find inside.

Taking the scenic route

History, hauntings and high-jinx  figured in Britain’s first motoring guides, finds Jack Watkins  

What a Derby day

Epsom hosts one of racing’s most thrilling spectacles. Jack Watkins picks 10 of the best winners 

Monaco

Adam Hay-Nicholls explores the changing face of Monaco, Steven King treads the Prince Rainier III sculpture trail, Arabella Youens seeks out the best properties for sale in the Principality and Mark Hedges cruises serenely into town

His green and pleasant land

John Constable painted places he knew and loved the best. Susan Owens examines how insight influenced his landscapes 

Outstanding in their fields

From ‘shoy hoys’ to Worzel Gummidge, Aeneas Dennison traces the story of scarecrows 

Andy Wilman’s favourite painting

The television producer chooses a work that reveals a human response to the brutality of war 

Country-house treasure

A godfatherly gift ensures that Sir Edwin Lutyens and Shilstone House in Devon are happy bed-fellows, discovers John Goodall 

Building on the past

In the second of two articles, John Goodall reveals how Elizabethan Doddington Hall is thriving into the 21st century

The legacy

Octavia Pollock profiles Percy Shaw, the inventor of cat’s eyes, the 20th century’s top design  

Winging it

The feral pigeon’s modern-day scavenging masks a more valiant history, suggests Mark Cocker

Drawn to the land

Katharine Freeland meets artists who are mapping estates in an echo of traditional landowners

London Life

Jack Watkins strolls the streets that became an artist’s muse, our writers have all you need to know this month, Will Hosie shares seven of the best homes on the market and Rupert Clague charts the rise of the capital’s coffee houses 

Death, taxes and Tests with New Zealand

What next for England’s Bazball approach, asks James Fisher

Luxury

Amie Elizabeth White is on red alert — and gives pearl a whirl 

Interiors

Arabella Youens admires an extended Cotswolds cottage and Giles Kime ponders going it alone 

Dreaming of roses

Charles Quest-Ritson shares 1,000 reasons to fall in love with the restored walled garden at Dummer House, Hampshire 

Arts & antiques

Rebecca Salter, president of the Royal Academy, outlines her ambitions to Carla Passino

Travel

A mountain-top encounter rings a bell with Pamela Goodman

And much more

Here's a look at some of what you'll find inside.

Taking the sylvan path

Gardens with a woodland slant caught the eye of judges at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, reports Kathryn Bradley-Hole

A lawyer’s fortune

In the first of two articles, John Goodall traces the history of Doddington Hall, Lincolnshire, an eminent Elizabethan creation

Swing low, sweet chukkas

Rupert Uloth meets patrons, players and ponies as he examines the widespread attraction of low-goal polo

Running notes

Never mind walking on water, the delightful dipper can amble underwater, as John Lewis-Stempel will happily testify

A lot of bottle

Gabriel Stone toasts the rise and rise of independent wine merchants serving rural areas

Maurice Gran’s favourite painting

The playwright and author picks a fruit-laden still life that looks good enough to eat

Country-house treasure

John Goodall marvels at a gang of grotesques holding up the roof of Baron’s Hall at Penshurst, Kent

The legacy

Will Hosie lauds Princess Sophia Duleep Singh and her fight for women’s financial independence

Playing with time

Anyone for knurr and spell? Harry Pearson laments the loss of traditional pub games from our rural sporting landscape

Interiors

Giles Kime reveals how George Saumarez Smith’s Country Life garden lover’s library blossomed at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show

Out and about

Country Life hosts a celebration of its award-winning stand at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show

Winging it

Hitchcock’s The Birds gave the black-backed gull a bad name. Mark Cocker profiles the unloved, but efficient predator of our coast

Luxury

Amie Elizabeth White seeks out the very best in hotels, holdalls and more, plus a few of designer Simon Holloway’s favourite things

Three is a magic number

Tilly Ware applauds the revival of the walled garden at Holme Hale Hall in Norfolk, where Arne Maynard has worked his magic

Travel

With the Kent coastline under-going an Arts-led revival, Ben Olsen visits Margate, the home town of Dame Tracey Emin

All the world’s a canvas

Theatrical luminaries from David Garrick to Nell Gwyn and Ellen Terry took centre stage in the art of their day, finds Michael Prodger

Arts & antiques

Art dealer James Mitchell is at his happiest behind the wheel of his treasured Austin Healey 3000, as he tells Carla Passino

And much more

Here's a look at some of what you'll find inside.

The best of the West

Madeleine Silver meets the movers, shakers and makers behind the rise to prominence of their beloved Somerset

Get to the point!

Why can’t the English say what they mean? Deborah Nicholls-Lee tells it to you straight… ish

The legacy

Kate Green sheds light on the achievements of Sir Humphry Davy, inventor of the Davy lamp

The saint’s way

The country of Cornwall is a hot-bed of Celtic Christian tradition. Ian Morton profiles the leading saintly figures of the South-West

Carving her own path

Charlotte Mullins explores the colourful career curve that coincided with sculptor Barbara Hepworth’s move to Cornwall

Hannah Durkin’s favourite painting

The historian and author chooses a tender work by a pioneering African-American painter

Country-house treasure

The Victorian house organ at Cluny Castle in Aberdeenshire is music to John Goodall’s ears

A question of colour

Kathryn Ferry finds shades of the 1851 Great Exhibition singing out in St Bartholomew’s Church at Sutton Waldron in Dorset

They seek him here, they seek him there…

How did a shy, retiring flower blossom into the heroic Scarlet Pimpernel of French Revolution fame, asks Deborah Nicholls-Lee

Winging it

The unloved Canada goose has plummeted from exotic fancy to parkland pest, says Mark Cocker

Luxury

Jonathan Self feels the unearthly power of the amulet and Amie Elizabeth White dons happy hues

‘All I wanna do is have some fun’

Colin Macleod is a sought-after gillie and musician following his own beat, finds David Profumo

Interiors

Amelia Thorpe salutes the pool of British interior-design talent on show at WOW!house 2026

All in its place

Charles Quest-Ritson is struck by the perfect balance of the gardens at Conock Manor in Wiltshire

Quiche me quick

Tom Parker Bowles cooks up a classic quiche Lorraine, the custard-tart creation that is the grand maman of savoury dishes

Travel

Don’t forget to stop and smell the roses in the Swiss town of Rapperswil, advises Steven King

Arts & antiques

The diminutive James McNeill Whistler was a fiesty artist who punched well above his weight, as Carla Passino discovers

The Price is right

A septuagenarian’s performance of vaudevillian verve in a superb Arthur Miller revival catches the critical eye of Michael Billington

And much more

Here's a look at some of what you'll find inside.

Home and away

Our homegrown traditions will take centre stage at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show, as Kathryn Bradley-Hole discovers

A coming of age

Tiffany Daneff marvels at the miraculous transformation of a derelict estate into a glorious garden at Ferne Park, Wiltshire

Countryside sees red over ‘green’ schemes

Solar farms are enjoying their moment in the sun, but at what cost to our rural communities? Charlotte Cooper investigates

Hoops and glory

Croquet may be a game of mani-cured lawns and clipped hedges, but it does have its darker side, warns Deborah Nicholls-Lee

Kitchen garden cook

Melanie Johnson shares the perfect fish recipe with peas

Travel

Rosie Paterson advocates flying in fine fashion and Richard MacKichan goes wild about the Highlands

His Excellency Antonio Patriota’s favourite painting

The Brazilian ambassador picks a fresco of extraordinary genius

Country-house treasure

A coronation watch is a sign of the times at Ballyscullion Park, Co Londonderry, finds John Goodall

Architectural ambitions

John Goodall delves into the 18th-century political machinations that gave rise to imposing Ven House in Somerset

The legacy

The pioneering work of influential landscape architect Brenda Colvin is applauded by Tiffany Daneff

Flow states

Amelia Thorpe is the fount of all knowledge on water features

The best-bred buddlejas

Charles Quest-Ritson meets Peter Moore, a leading plant-breeder for more than 40 years

Winging it

Continuing his series on unloved birds, Mark Cocker profiles the much misunderstood cormorant

Mirror, mirror on the wall

Melanie Cable-Alexander reflects on the mirror’s place in the history of our country houses

Luxury

Favourbrook is the home of the waistcoat for Amie Elizabeth White

Interiors

Arabella Youens admires a fresh London sitting room and Giles Kime is wowed by WOW!house

Round and round we go

Rob Crossan tucks into a fluffy Tunnock’s Tea Cake as the tasty Scottish treat turns 70

Arts & antiques

Elizabeth I and the power of the portrait fascinates Philip Mould, as he explains to Carla Passino

It’s all Greek to me

Matthew Dennison explores the Georgian-era taste for furniture with a touch of classical whimsy

Behind the curtain

New stage drapes will be unveiled at the Royal Opera House this month. Claire Jackson reports

And much more

Here's a look at some of what you'll find inside.

The legacy

Kate Green salutes ‘Rutshire Chronicles’ author Dame Jilly Cooper, whose much-loved books have sold 11 million copies

‘We must farm with Nature, not against it’

Forward-thinking Cotswolds farmers explain to Mary Skipwith how they are using sustainable methods to balance food pro-duction with wildlife recovery

They broke the mould

Records are there to be broken, suggests Kate Green, as she profiles would-be history makers at the Badminton Horse Trials

Winging it

In a new series on unloved birds, Mark Cocker profiles the carrion crow, that most canny of corvids

Creating a buzz

Melanie Cable-Alexander meets the honey sommeliers who are busy as bees trying to elevate our appreciation of this liquid gold

Right up your alley

The game of boules was banned in England for centuries, but pétanque is peaking once again

Karl Openshaw’s favourite painting

The designer chooses a vibrant abstract work of clashing colours

Country-house treasure

John Goodall is struck by the Duke of Wellington’s hearing stick at Apsley House, London

A galaxy of details in stone

John Goodall investigates the fascinating history of the Old and New Deanery in Gloucester

‘Splendour in the grass, of glory in the flower’

John Wright peeks into the golden grasslands of Britain and finds a hidden world teeming with life and vitality

Luxury

Dressing for the Chelsea Flower Show, plus the darling buds of May, with Amie Elizabeth White

Interiors

Go to sleep in style with Amelia Thorpe’s selection of the best in beds and bedside accessories

London Life

Grace McCloud looks at Lee Alexander McQueen’s legacy, Will Hosie presents seven of the best properties for sale, Kathryn Ferry revives the spirit of the Festival of Britain and Battersea Pleasure Gardens, plus our writers have all you need to know this month

From cattle byre to elegant bower

George Plumptre pays tribute to the four generations that have created spectacular gardens at Hodges Barn in Gloucestershire

Dark magic

Gentleman’s Relish is the pride of Britain for Tom Parker Bowles

Travel

Pamela Goodman falls in love with Manrique’s Lanzarote

Arts & antiques

A visit to the porcelain capital of China changed Felicity Aylieff’s career, as she tells Carla Passino

Breaking the code

Michael Hall ponders the meaning of still life and the often fruitless search for symbolism in art

Drawn to the natural world

Jack Watkins relives the magical animal stories of Alison Uttley

And much more.

Here's a look at some of what you'll find inside.

The Season

• Rupert Uloth and Emma Hughes share a who’s who of the Season’s characters
  Melanie Cable-Alexander discovers the drama of headdresses 
• Tom Parker Bowles is packing for a dream picnic, whatever the weather
• Will Hosie rounds up 10 clubs that are the talk of town and country 

A hole new level of chaos

With the parlous, potholed state of Britain’s roads eliciting anger and amusement, Julie Harding asks if relief is around the corner

Simon Harrison’s favourite painting

The Ceramic Art London fair director chooses an astonishing still life that brims with vitality

Country-house treasure

John Goodall visits a new library that encapsulates the history of Pitchford Hall in Shropshire

Rising to the challenge

In the second of two articles, Jeremy Musson examines how Glin Castle in Co Limerick has been kept in the FitzGerald family

‘Gold bubbles rising into the sky’

The ‘wobbling water call’ of the curlew lifted the hearts of our leading writers, finds Jack Watkins

Scale model

David Profumo profiles the bleak, a striking member of the carp clan

The legacy

Amie Elizabeth White tips her top hat to Beau Brummell, architect of the Royal Ascot dress code

Luxury

Flat caps and frogs catch Amie Elizabeth White’s eye, plus Sarah Corbett-Winder’s favourite things

A garden lover’s library

George Saumarez Smith of Adam Architecture reveals his inspiration for the Country Life stand at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show

Interiors

Amelia Thorpe picks out the best in garden furniture and accessories for life outdoors

Making up lost ground

Charles Quest-Ritson discovers how evidence of the past fuelled a bright future for the gardens of Wootton Hall in Staffordshire

Have you had your Weetabix?

Rob Crossan has, as he marks the centenary of the breakfast cereal that started life as Granose in New South Wales, Australia

Childhood lost and found

A box of old Nature books lurking in the attic transports John Lewis-Stempel back to 1970s rural Herefordshire

Arts & antiques

Print-fair director Helen Rosslyn will never part with her ‘special’ German Expressionist woodcut, as she reveals to Carla Passino

A leap in the dark

Mary Miers explores the use of light and shade in the highly charged spiritual paintings of Francisco de Zurbarán

Travel

Luke Abrahams enjoys the laid-back lifestyle at Positano in Italy

Wild arts run free

Small-scale opera is big news, says Ysenda Maxtone-Graham

And much more.

Here's a look at some of what you'll find inside.

Be my (royal) guest

A visit from a reigning monarch can be at once onerous and an honour. Bronwen Riley delves into the history of royal retinues

Tails of the unexpected

The much-loved red squirrel has long been in decline, but Vicky Liddell reports on a welcome resurgence for Sciurus vulgaris

Manners maketh the fisherman

Leave a lasting impression with David Profumo’s tongue-in-cheek tips for the upcoming season

Blast to the past

If you could turn back the clock, would you see Stonehenge being built or chat to Hieronymus Bosch? Carla Passino talks time travel

Madeleine Bessborough’s favourite painting

The art-centre founder chooses a seaside scene that is the best of British landscape painting

Country-house treasure

John Goodall is warmed by the roaring blaze of Bloomsbury artist Duncan Grant’s flaming firescreen at Knole in Kent

The Knight and his castle

John Goodall chronicles the colourful history of the Knights of Glin and the construction of Glin Castle in Co Limerick

The legacy

Kate Green salutes Sir Patrick Abercrombie, the driving force in the founding of the CPRE

Come fly with me

A pilot’s licence is a ticket to freedom and adventure most can only imagine. Freda Lewis-Stempel takes to the skies

Luxury

Be a good sport with essential, but stylish workout accessories selected by Amie Elizabeth White

Interiors

Amelia Thorpe seeks out the latest choices in paints and wall coverings and Giles Kime explores the complexity of creating a simple, pared-back look

To give dew praise

Deborah Nicholls-Lee drinks in delicate early-morning droplets that have long drawn the attention of poets and scientists alike

The unlikely conservationist

A bluebell wood deep in Kew’s botanic gardens — saved for the nation by a royal bequest — is now teeming with new life, as Kendra Wilson discovers

Not so intelligent after all

Caroline Donald hankers for human expertise after asking chatbots to design a flowerbed

Travel

Beautiful Burford offers the ideal base to explore the Oxfordshire Cotswolds, as Richard MacKichan discovers

Art & antiques

Thomas Gainsborough’s love of landscapes paved the way for both Turner and Constable, as Carla Passino reveals

And much more

Here's a look at some of what you'll find inside.

‘Oh, mow on then’

How did the lawnmower leap from the light tread of camel power to cutting-edge technology? Harry Pearson investigates

Braking with tradition

Military precision was needed to manoeuvre a fleet of precious vehicles on RY Britannia. Jeremy Taylor looks into the logistics

Luxury

Jonathan Self cracks the mystery of Fabergé’s Winter Egg and Amie Elizabeth White picks pieces inspired by the insect kingdom

Fit for a Queen

Elizabeth II was renowned for her distinctive country-clothing style. Amy de la Haye delves into the wardrobe of the late monarch

Catherine Ostler’s favourite painting

The author and historian picks a portrait that captures a moment of innocence in two young lives

Country-house treasure

John Goodall gets to the heart of the matter in the central Staircase Hall at Madresfield Court in Worcestershire

A yeoman’s home

The history of striking, florally decorated Calico House in Kent is traced back to its Middle Ages origins by John Goodall

The legacy

Emma Hughes salutes Campion creator Margery Allingham, one of the queens of crime fiction

A window on the wild

From the adoration of a fox cub to boxing hares, we showcase the best in wildlife photography

Rooting for you

There is more to valerian than the beauty of its blushing-pink, trumpet-shaped flowers, as Deborah Nicholls-Lee reveals

Meet the brass band

The quartet of craftsmen at instrument-repair firm McQueens may be the best in the business, but they don’t blow their own trumpets, finds Lotte Brundle

Interiors

The smart design of a double-height hallway in a house on the Berkshire border catches the eye of Arabella Youens and Amelia Thorpe sizes up circular tables

Where dinosaurs dare to tread

Charles Quest-Ritson celebrates the stroke of fortune behind the rejuvenation of a long-forgotten Victorian fernery at picturesque Canonteign Falls in Devon

Travel

Chris Cotonou goes in search of the elusive, nocturnal kiwi, the national mascot of New Zealand

Art & antiques

A new display at Waddesdon Manor in Buckinghamshire charts the remarkable rise of the Rothschilds. Carla Passino reports

The best things come in threes

Michael Billington is buoyed by a trio of tip-top productions from the National Theatre and lauds the arrival of new stage star

And much more

Here's a look at some of what you'll find inside.

Chalking it up

Vicky Liddell explores the myth, mystery and folklore behind the ancient hill figures adorning our countryside.

Seen and herd

Eleanor Doughty meets farmers keen to make the imposing bison a more familiar sight in Britain

Labours of love

Arabella Youens explores the folk-art-inspired interiors of much-loved historic gypsy wagons.

A warm welcome

Ashington Manor in Somerset offers a blueprint for 21st-century restoration, suggests Giles Kime.

So near, yet so far

A revived cricket pavilion in Devon is now a perfect family retreat, finds Arabella Youens

Bright and beautiful

Amelia Thorpe selects the best new looks for the new season.

Brushing up on history

Choosing colours that chime with the history of a house is key, as paint experts tell Arabella Youens.

Words don't come easy

Plain-speaking Giles Kime cuts through the confusing language used in modern interior design.

As sure as eggs is eggs

Restaurants may come and go, but good eggs Benedict will always endure in the eyes of Tom Parker Bowles.

Travel

Rosie Paterson eyes adventures in Africa and Indonesia and Christopher Wallace surveys the dramatic Namibia landscape from above on an unforgettable Cessna-safari trip.

From coast to coast

Forager Mark Williams feasts on the natural larder offered up by the profusion of greenery growing around our coastline.

His bow of burning gold

Michael Prodger tries to enter the often impenetrable world of 'oddball' artist William Blake.

Rachel Portman's favourite painting

The composer picks a treasured 'natural, friendly' animal portrait.

Thinking big

Charles Quest-Ritson is left in awe of the scale of the gardens and planting at Mount Congreve in Co Waterford, Ireland.

A triumph of local talent

Jeremy Musson admires the restoration of Transylvanian gem Apafi Manor in Romania.

And much more

Twelve little Easter eggs have been cunningly hidden among the pages of this week’s Country Life (April 1 issue).

The exercise follows in the footsteps of the ladybird that we have hidden on the front cover, every week, for more than five years. Last year, we took it a bit too far and made if far too tricky, resulting in multiple calls from readers asking about it whereabouts.

To avoid a repeat performance and stress over what should be a restful weekend, the relevant page numbers are below.

• Page 33 Barometer
• Page 37 The taste of Britain
• Page 38 Stuff or Nonsense
• Page 59 Easter Bonnets
• Page 60 Subs Ad
• Pages 63 Chickens (clue: it's in the boxout)
• Page 69 Stout (clue: it's on the poster)
• Page 77 Dolls' House (clue: it's on the table)
• Page 92 London Life
• Page 102 London Life Garden Squares
• Page 111 Kitchen Garden Cook
• Page 124 Art Market

Click here for more information on how to subscribe to Country Life magazine.

Here's a look at some of what you'll find inside.

It is a time for love and laughter

What the nation needs most is a good laugh, suggests the Revd Fergus Butler-Gallie, as he examines some of our wackiest Easter traditions

Hat’s the spirit!

Deborah Nicholls-Lee dons an Easter bonnet as she explores the history of this colourful and often outlandish headgear

Making small talk

The marvellous miniature world of the dolls’ house is becoming big business, finds Gavin Plumley

Major-General Sarah Johansen’s favourite painting

The deputy chief of defence intelligence picks a work reflecting women’s wartime bravery

Never a frown with Burford Browns

Arthur Parkinson investigates the allure of a breed favoured across the land, from Chatsworth House to Cluckingham Palace

The Editor’s Easter quiz

Can you crack the eggs-acting seasonal questions posed by Agnes Stamp and Kate Green?

Stout hearted

Now that one in every nine pints poured in the UK is a Guinness, David Ellis wonders what made drinkers go back to black

Country-house treasure

John Goodall wagers that you’ve never seen a coat quite like the speedily created concoction at Coughton Court, Warwickshire

Creative Gothic

John Goodall explores the church at Ampleforth Abbey in North Yorkshire, one of Sir Giles Gilbert Scott’s lesser-known creations

The legacy

Tiffany Daneff salutes the Revd George Engleheart, creator of more than 700 types of daffodil

Luxury

Amie Elizabeth White reveals how Elsa Schiaparelli fused fashion and art. Plus how to stay in the pink

Interiors

Amelia Thorpe admires a very English château kitchen and shares illuminating new lighting

London Life

Rupert Clague floats into the world of John C. Lilly, Will Hosie showcases seven of the best on the property market and Jack Watkins finds the lungs of the city in good shape, plus our writers have all you need to know this month

Pretty little things

Charles Quest-Ritson is capti-vated by the cottage-garden charm of the double primrose

Travel

Do you know your sirocco from your meltemi? The answer is blowing in the wind, as globe-trotter Pamela Goodman learns

Arts & antiques

All is not what it seems on this April Fool’s Day, warns Carla Passino, as she reveals the tricks and smokescreens employed by artists of old

House of the rising sun

Sunsets and sunrises inspired many an artist, but the latter gave rise to an entire art movement. Michael Prodger investigates

And much more

Here's a look at some of what you'll find inside.

A leading subject

John Martin Robinson recalls a renovation fit for a Queen as Burghley House in Lincolnshire prepared to host the Royal Party

The legacy

Emma Hughes hails George MacDonald Fraser, the man who created the incorrigible Flashman

Whisker business

From unsinkable ships’ cats to the Chief Mousers of Downing Street, James Fisher reveals the top cats of the workplace

Scale model

David Profumo tries to get a grip on the slippery European eel

Lizzie Ball’s favourite painting

The musician chooses a vibrant work bursting with colour, chaos and ‘uncontrollable madness’

They may be giants

John Lewis-Stempel surveys the understorey of Britain’s ancient woodland and finds a world of unrivalled wonder

Country-house treasure

Dorset’s Minterne House is home to battered relics of the Battle of Trafalgar, finds John Goodall

Spats the way to do it

Deborah Nicholls-Lee reveals how spatterdashes emerged as an elegant aristocratic accessory par excellence

Easter parade

How do you eat yours? Country Life guzzles the most glamorous Easter eggs, from a melting mallard to pistachio pleasures

Holding back the years

Roquette’s best egg-laying days may be behind her, but she receives a stay of execution from a merciful John Lewis-Stempel

Luxury

Amie Elizabeth White on daisy chains, cheese and Thyme, plus Jason Fox’s favourite things

Interiors

Amelia Thorpe takes the plunge with designs for the bathroom

Country Life International

Harry Pearson finds French hounds lead the pack, Russell Higham visits music’s Hamburg homeland, Claire Jackson is blown away by Murano glass and Harry Pearson guffaws at an absurd dictionary

In perfect equilibrium

Balance is bringing eye-catching results for Josh Sparkes as his pioneering growing methods pay off at Birch Farm in Devon

Going for gold

Could olive oil emulate wine and be England’s next homegrown success, asks Giulia Crouch

Travel

The gripping history, fresh food and beguiling walks of golden Stow-on-the-Wold in Gloucestershire tempt Issy von Simson

Art & antiques

Art dealer Jenna Burlingham tells Carla Passino why she’ll never part with a view of the River Avon and Clifton Suspension Bridge

For whom the bell tolls

A collection of bells from the UK’s last specialist foundry is going under the hammer. Ben Lerwill offers a ringing endorsement

And much more.

Here's a look at some of what you'll find inside.

The legacy

Tiffany Daneff applauds the enduring influence of Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown, the father of English landscape design

Spring-loaded

Clipped hornbeam trees and multicoloured tulips catch the eye of Kathryn Bradley-Hole at Cogshall Grange in Cheshire

Show stoppers

With the local flower show season looming, Christopher Stocks examines the origins of this centuries-old tradition

How to win at your local show

What are the judges looking for as they weigh up the flowers, fruit and vegetables displayed in the village hall, asks Steven Desmond

Oh, to be in England…

Hope springs eternal for the poets of the British Isles: Jacqui Ritchie reflects on some of our most inspiring seasonal verse

Talk to me, goose

A gaggle of geese is guaranteed to bring character and chaos to any rural backyard, as Mary Skipwith discovers

Taco Dibbit’s favourite painting

The general director of the Rijksmuseum chooses a painting blessed with a touch of genius

Country-house treasure

John Goodall turns the pages of a 1464 portfolio of deeds at Great Chalfield Manor, Wiltshire

In fine form

From Dionysus to dancers, Amelia Thorpe seeks out the ultimate in garden sculpture

Sweet and sour source

Is there a flavour more English than rhubarb, asks Charles Quest-Ritson, who shares his favourite stalks for growing

Historical resonance

Steven Brindle charts the intriguing history behind the building and collections at Breamore House in Hampshire

Luxury

Amie Elizabeth White marvels at magnificent millinery and picks classic stripes that create the perfect playful look for spring

Interiors

Amelia Thorpe admires natural textures and tones in a South Downs retreat and consoles her-self with sleek and slender tables

Travel

Rupert Clague experiences the allure of the French Riviera, the destination of choice for the likes of F. Scott Fitzgerald and Matisse

Arts & antiques

Carla Passino explores how plants changed our world with a fascinating new exhibition at Oxford’s Ashmolean Museum

Show and sell

Country-house sales are no longer the sole preserve of the big British auction houses, as Huon Mallalieu reveals

Eyes wide shut

A host of thought-provoking plays at London theatres prompt Michael Billington to view world affairs through fresh eyes

And much more.

Here's a look at some of what you'll find inside.

A 21st-century renaissance

John Goodall applauds an award-winning restoration of Castle Howard, Vanbrugh’s Baroque masterpiece in North Yorkshire

Now you see them…

Bufo bufo plays an intriguing role in the folklore and traditions of Britain. Sarah Langford studies the toad, warts and all

Among the Wicklow hills

Lucinda Gosling falls for the irresistible Glen Sit as she extols the virtues of the seldom seen Glen of Imaal terrier

The COUNTRY LIFE Top 100

Our guide to the best of British craftspeople, architects and designers, who are experts at breathing new life into country houses and their settings

Stem subjects

Matthew Rice’s annual Tulip in a Bottle competition is bringing fresh vigour to a 165-year-old institution, finds Tiffany Daneff

Heaven in a wild flower

David Hockney’s 295ft iPad epic A Year in Normandie celebrates the infinite variety of Nature, says Martin Gayford

Francesca Beauman’s favourite painting

The author and publisher picks a 1944 portrait that represents a meeting of artistic minds

Country-house treasure

John Goodall spies a life-saving telescope at Bamburgh Castle in Northumberland

The legacy

Thomas Telford is the epitome of civil-engineering excellence, says Kate Green, as his Menai Suspension Bridge turns 200

What a way to make a living

What happened to all the badgy fiddlers, powder monkeys and doffers? Stephen Roberts laments lost occupations of yesteryear

Luxury

Jonathan Self delves into the Affair of the Diamond Necklace and Amie Elizabeth White hails the Belstaff Trialmaster jacket

Where there’s a willow, there’s a way

There’s no end to the wonders of willow — Deborah Nicholls-Lee weaves the tale from aspirin to wickerwork and cricket bats

Run, rarebit, run

Tom Parker Bowles passes on pudding in favour of Welsh rarebit, a dish that turns cheese on toast into a savoury sensation

A new beginning for Benton End

Kendra Wilson traces the story of the plant collector Sir Cedric Morris ahead of the reopening of his Suffolk garden in June

Travel

Emma Love explores the Amazon in pursuit of the elusive pink river dolphin and Rosie Paterson unpacks the latest cruise news

There’s a star man…

David Ellis marks a milestone moment for the Michelin star, that assurance of fine dining first bestowed 100 years ago

Arts & antiques

The Divine intervention of Sarah Bernhardt set Alphonse Mucha on the road to a stellar career, as Carla Passino discovers

Here's a look at some of what you'll find inside.

The legacy

Emma Hughes salutes Michael Bond, the author who brought us Paddington from darkest Peru

Sing when you’re winning

Mark Cocker celebrates the soaraway success stories of British birds, from great spotted woodpeckers to glossy ibis and little egrets to pinkfoot geese

A wedding who’s who

Giles Kime assesses the stereo-typical cast list in attendance at truly 21st-century nuptials

Will English eyes be smiling?

Jack Watkins counts down to the Cheltenham Festival as British trainers are tipped to fight back against Irish dominance

His blessed plot

Horse painter extraordinaire George Stubbs was also the pioneer of English landscapes. Bendor Grosvenor investigates

Art market

Huon Mallalieu picks out some of the treasures taking centre stage at this month’s TEFAF Maastricht in the Netherlands

Does the bell toll?

Alexander Armstrong calls for a concerted campaign to safe-guard Britain’s cathedral schools

Carmen Alvarez’s favourite painting

The Blenheim Palace collections and conservation manager picks a vast Marlborough family portrait

Country-house treasure

John Goodall views a haunting self-portrait by a tragic inhabitant at Capheaton in Northumberland

Studios of real purpose

Jeremy Musson is heartened to see the return of artists to the purpose-built Victorian terraces of St Paul’s Studios in London

Staff meeting

There is no more reliable country-side companion than a stout stick, discovers Gabriel Stone

A map, a map, my kingdom on a map

Ben Lerwill marvels at the remarkable skill and accuracy of 16th-century farmer-turned-cartographer Christopher Saxton

Wedding belles

Queen Victoria blazed a trail for the white-wedding tradition, as Matthew Dennison reveals

The time of our lives

Friends of Country Life share fond and funny memories of their honeymoon destinations

Weddings Notebook

Amie Elizabeth White explores couture and catering for the big day, as Favourbrook’s Oliver Spencer talks morning dress

Interiors

It’s cupboard love for Amelia Thorpe as she picks out the best examples of kitchen design

London Life

James Fisher goes up in the world, our writers have all you need to know, plus Will Hosie surveys the property scene and meets the trio transforming drinking and dining

Charm offensive

Charles Quest-Ritson meets the hepatica National Collection holder at her Lancashire home

Travel

Pamela Goodman wanders around a Wonder of the World

Arts & antiques

Carla Passino profiles John Piper, a highly versatile artist who refused to be pigeonholed

And much more

Editor-in-Chief: Mark Hedges

Mark grew up in the Cotswolds and began his career as a gold prospector. He became Editor of Country Life in 2006, having previously been Editor-in-Chief of more than 50 magazines, including Horse & Hound.

He attributes his success to David Bowie and fly-fishing.

Editor’s PA/Editorial Assistant: Bella Fulford

Bella Fulford is Country Life’s Editorial Assistant. She began her career in London’s property industry before moving to Australia, where she worked at a travel agency and magazine publisher.

A History of Art graduate from the University of Leeds, she has an enduring love of art, architecture, travel and dogs — making Country Life a natural home.

Rarely seen without a cup of tea in hand, she maintains that a sweet treat before 10am is entirely justified.

Deputy Editor: Kate Green

Kate is the author of 12 books and has worked as an equestrian reporter at four Olympic Games. She has returned to live in her native rural west Somerset, with her terrier, and her favourite place in the UK is Exmoor.

Managing & Features Editor: Paula Minchin

With a degree in journalism from the London College of Printing and bylines in The Daily Telegraph and Harpers & Queen, Paula is also the Co-ordinating Editor of our bestselling royal guest-edit issues.

She lives in Dorset, where she enjoys working her two labradors, Nimrod and Rocky, in the shooting field.

Architectural Editor: John Goodall

John spent his childhood in Kenya, Germany, India and Yorkshire. Known for his irrepressible love of castles and a laugh that lights up the lives of those around him, John also moonlights as a walking encyclopaedia and is the author of three books.

Gardens Editor: Tiffany Daneff

Previously the editor of GardenLife, Tiffany has written and ghostwritten several books and launched the Telegraph’s gardening section.

She gardens in a wind-swept frost pocket in Northamptonshire and is learning not to mind — too much—about sharing her plot with the resident rabbits and moles.

Executive & Interiors Editor: Giles Kime

Giles is a former editor of Decanter magazine and the author of six books.

He oversees Country Life's annual Top 100 list of Britain’s best architects, interior and garden designers and is currently restoring a 17th-century house in the Itchen Valley.

Art & Antiques Editor: Carla Passino

Carla must be the only Italian who finds the English weather more congenial than her native country’s sunshine. An antique herself, she became Country Life's Arts & Antiques editor in 2023.

Her musical taste has never evolved past Puccini and she spends most of her time immersed in any century before the 20th.

News & Property Editor: Julie Harding

Julie Harding is Country Life's News and Property Editor. She has a master’s degree in English and grew up on a working Somerset dairy farm and in a Grade II*-listed farmhouse, both of which imbued her with a love of farming, the countryside and historic buildings.

She returned to her Somerset roots 18 years ago and now keeps a raft of animals, which her long-suffering husband, Andrew, and four children, help to look after to varying degrees.

Acting Deputy Features Editor: Agnes Stamp

Agnes has worked for Country Life in various guises — across print, digital and specialist editorial projects — before finally finding her spiritual home on the Features Desk.

A graduate of Central St. Martins College of Art & Design she has worked on luxury titles including GQ and Wallpaper* and has written for Condé Nast Contract Publishing, Horse & Hound, Esquire and The Independent on Sunday.

She is also the author of a book about dogs, published by Rizzoli New York in September 2025.

Acting Assistant Features Editor: Emma Hughes

Emma lives in London and has spent the past 15 years writing for publications including the Guardian, The Telegraph, The Standard, Waitrose Food, British Vogue and Condé Nast Traveller.

Currently Country Life's Acting Assistant Features Editor and its London Life restaurant columnist, if she isn't tapping away at a keyboard she's probably taking something out of the oven (or eating it).

Lifestyle Editor: Will Hosie

Will Hosie is Country Life's Lifestyle Editor and a contributor to A Rabbit's Foot and Semaine. He also edits the Substack @gauchemagazine.

He not so secretly thinks Stanely Tucci should've won an Oscar for his role in The Devil Wears Prada.

Luxury Editor: Hetty Lintell

Hetty masterminded the launch of the magazine’s Luxury pages back in 2012 and has overseen them ever since.

The best-dressed member of the team, she can normally be found darting between Bond Street and a photographic studio in East London.

Acting Luxury Editor: Amie Elizabeth White

Amie Elizabeth is Country Life's Acting Luxury Editor. She studied history at the University of Edinburgh and previously worked in fashion styling.

She regularly writes for Country Life's London Life supplement and has written for Luxury London, covering everything from Chanel suits and skincare, to the best pies in the city.

She has a big heart, but would sell her soul for a good pair of shoes.

Head of Design: Dean Usher

Senior Art Editor: Emma Earnshaw

Deputy Art Editor: Heather Clark

Senior Designer: Ben Harris

Picture Editor: Lucy Ford

Deputy Picture Editor Emily Anderson

Chief Sub-Editor: Octavia Pollock

Octavia, Country Life's Chief Sub Editor, began her career aged six when she corrected the grammar on a fish-and-chip sign at a country fair.

With a degree in History of Art and English from St Andrews University, she ventured to London with trepidation, but swiftly found her spiritual home at Country Life.

She ran away to San Francisco in California in 2013, but returned in 2018 and has settled in West Sussex with her miniature poodle Tiffin.

Octavia also writes for The Field and Horse & Hound and is never happier than on a horse behind hounds.

Senior Sub-Editor: Stuart Martel

Sub-Editor: Clifford Hope

Digital Content Director and Travel Editor: Rosie Paterson

Rosie is Country Life's Digital Content Director & Travel Editor. She joined the team in July 2014 — following a brief stint in the art world. In 2022, she edited the magazine’s special Queen’s Platinum Jubilee issue and coordinated the magazine's own 125 birthday celebrations.

She has also been invited to judge a travel media award and chaired live discussions on the London property market, sustainability and luxury travel trends.

Digital Director: Toby Keel

Toby Keel is Country Life's Digital Director. A former sports journalist, he writes about property, cars, lifestyle, travel, nature and more.

Digital Commissioning Editor: James Fisher

James Fisher is the Digital Commissioning Editor of Country Life. He also specialises in motoring content for the website and in print.

Born in the USA, he moved to a barn in Suffolk when he was 10 years old, which is when he first saw a cow and fell in love with the countryside.

After studying economics at Newcastle University, he decided to travel the world. After the success of his blog, he then foolishly decided to make a living out of writing.

He has worked full-time at Country Life since 2016 and has written extensively on the countryside, travel, motoring and property.

He lives in Bermondsey, London, with his partner Annabel and a large-white cat called Ted. He also hosts the Country Life Podcast, which you should absolutely listen to.

Digital Writer: Lotte Brundle

Lotte is Country Life's Digital Writer. Before joining in 2025, she was checking commas and writing news headlines for The Times and The Sunday Times as a sub-editor.

She has written for The Times, New Statesman, The Fence and Dispatch magazine. She pens Country Life Online's arts and culture interview series, Consuming passions.

Social Media Editor: Florence Allen

Florence is Country Life’s Social Media Editor. Before joining the team in 2025, she led campaigns and created content across a number of industries, working with everyone from musicians and makers to commercial property firms.

She studied History of Art at the University of Leeds and is a dachshund devotee and die-hard Dolly Parton fan — bring her up at your own risk unless you’ve got 15 minutes to spare.

At Country Life Online, the thing we are interested in publishing above all else are ‘Intelligent stories for the curious mind’.

So, what does that mean? We want to tell stories that inform and amuse. And we want to write them in an intelligent and sophisticated — underlined by a strong sense of British wit.

We want to hear from you. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a world-famous journalist or a new and emerging voice, if the story is right for us, we’ll help you publish it.

We’re after coverage of the best cultural events, the countryside and the people in it, cars, travel, fashion, jewellery and watches, property, interiors and gardens. We want news pieces, we want long-form reads — and we want an emphasis on people, personalities, places and opinions.

We want to curate an experience for our readers that shows them the better things in life. They are well-read, ambitious, well-travelled, but eternally curious to see new places, hear new opinions and discover stories that haven’t yet been told.

What do we want in a pitch

One of two lines of topline information. What do you want to say and how do you plan to say it? If you want to interview someone, do you already have access to them?

Why we should cover it and why you are the writer and/or photographer for the job

If it’s travel or event-specific, please confirm whether or not you’ve travelled yet

If we haven’t worked with you yet, please include examples of your work

Who to send your pitch to

Please contact Rosie Paterson (rosie.paterson@futurenet.com) or James Fisher (james.fisher@futurenet.com) via email.

If you would like to contact someone on the print team, please visit the Meet the team page for more information.

Here's a look at some of what you'll find inside.

Do you own Britain’s naughtiest dog?

Calling all cheeky canines — COUNTRY LIFE is on a mission to find the most mischievous mutts in the land

I’ve got you, babe

John Lewis-Stempel marvels atNature’s symbiotic relationships, from barnacles hitching a ride on whales to birds debugging deer

The pubs that made history

Ashleigh Arnott raises a glass to DNA discovery, D-Day planning and Stilton’s exalted status on a pub crawl to end all pub crawls

Interiors

Tiffany Daneff admires an Oxfordshire garden’s bespoke green-house and Amelia Thorpe picks out glorious garden buildings

Baroness Jan Royall’s favourite painting

The former Somerville principal chooses a striking work by an alumna of the Oxford college

Country-house treasure

John Goodall unearths a 2,500-year-old Assyrian carving at Eastnor Castle, Herefordshire

Legacy of the aesthete bachelor

Contrary to popular belief, the National Trust’s portfolio is largely founded on the wealth of single male donors, reveals Michael Hall

The legacy

With Crufts on the horizon, Agnes Stamp hails Florence Nagle’s campaign for Kennel Club reform

Scale model

David Profumo profiles the lake-dwelling charr, a dandyish fish as ‘beautiful as a butterfly’

It’s alive!

Tom Howells meets the British producers rediscovering the flavour of fermented foods such as kefir, kombucha and kraut

A lapwing and a prayer

John Lewis-Stempel is lifted by the heart-warming sight of Vanellus vanellus picking over the Big Field in February

Luxury

Amie Elizabeth White shares the latest in jackets, jewellery and fragrances, as Rankin reveals his favourite things

Dear Daphne

Winter-flowering daphnes are a must for every garden, says Charles Quest-Ritson, who shares his favourite varieties

Brown study

Harry Pearson traces the story of Britain’s love of brown sauce from Hoe’s and HP to Daddies

Travel

In a new series exploring the best places to visit in the UK, Mark Hedges enjoys the delights of Cornwall’s rugged coastline

Arts & antiques

Ruth Fainlight treasures her Sibyls poems as a link to lost friends Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes, she tells Carla Passino

Reaching for the stars

George III set a trend for the Royal Family to be cheerleaders for scientific advancement, as Matthew Dennison discovers

And much more

Here's a look at some of what you'll find inside.

A hub for living

Clive Aslet admires innovative Housestead, a modern home evoking the traditional buildings of its setting in rural Suffolk.

The feather forecast

Charles Harris marvels at the miracle of plumage, a colourful accoutrement that provides protection and facilitates flight.

Let's get ready to rumble

A 175-year-old Scottish firm is one of the unsung heroes of the Winter Olympics. Harry Pearson meets the curling-stone makers.

The whole darn truth

Forget fast fashion — the art of 'make do and mend' is enjoying a comeback. Debora Robertson digs out her darning wool.

Nadja Swarovski's favourite painting

The Really Wild owners chooses a work with an emotional link.

Country-house treasure

John Goodall is shown a 17th-century Pythagoras portrait that found its way to West Wycombe Park in Buckinghamshire.

The legacy

The pioneering approach of Eric Hosking transformed wildlife photography, finds Kate Green.

Hats off

Deborah Nicholls-Lee lifts the lid on elegant hatboxes, often as worthy of our admiration as the millinery found within.

Luxury

Amie Elizabeth White surveys the Wuthering Heights of fashion and celebrates February's birthstone.

Interiors

Amelia Thorpe starts the countdown to London Design Week.

Asymmetric thinking

Tiffany Daneff visits a new-build property in the Chilterns where the house and garden come together in perfect harmony.

Travel

Kate Eshelby ponders the future of conservation as she comes face to face with the exotic inhabitants of Brazil's Pantanal.

Arts & antiques

A new exhibition is marking 550 years since William Caxton brought the printing press to Britain. Carla Passino reports.

The golden touch

A renewed appreciation of craftsmanship is kicking back against a world of mass production, as Corinne Julius discovers.

Paradise revisited

Michael Billington welcomes the revival and reworking of plays by Stoppard, Strindberg and Coward.

A rum deal

Henry Jeffreys proposes a toast to the Royal Navy's tot of rum.

Here's a look at some of what you'll find inside.

Cast in the same mould

Sir Antony Gormley examines the parallels between his own Reflect and the Adriaen de Vries bronze of Antiope and Theseus

Don’t believe in modern love?

With Valentine’s Day looming and singlehood rising, Will Hosie seeks dating tips from the finest minds among the Ancients

Ford momentum

Harry Pearson enjoys the thrill of splashing through the countless fords criss-crossing the rivers and streams of the British Isles

Luxury

Jonathan Self is bewitched by the poetry of poesy rings and Amie Elizabeth White says ‘if you only buy one Derby boot…’

Life in the fast lane

Norfolk farmer Gavin Lane tells Julie Harding of the sleepless nights he has endured since taking the reins at the CLA

Sir Thomas Drew and Hélène Duchêne’s favourite paintings

His Majesty’s Ambassador to France and the French Ambassador to the Court of St James share their artworks of choice

Country-house treasure

John Goodall glimpses early-20th-century life at Mapperton House in Dorset in the form of a black-and-gold satin dress

A house of collections

In the second of two articles, Jeremy Musson explores the exceptional modern collection in the historic setting of Ampthill Park House in Bedfordshire

The legacy

Carla Passino hails the artworks amassed by Sir William Burrell

Where the wild things are

Exotic animals from around the world were unveiled to European eyes by artists such as Dürer and Stubbs, finds Michael Prodger

Winging it

Mark Cocker profiles the elusive and elegant long-eared owl

Interiors

Arabella Youens lauds a London drawing room and Amelia Thorpe keeps the home fires burning

Floral geometry

Banish the gloom with glorious winter-flowering Camellia japonica, suggests Charles Quest-Ritson

Slow and steady wins the race

Tom Parker Bowles savours the boozy boeuf à la Bourguignonne

Travel

Ben Lerwill delves into the story of space travel when he touches down at NASA HQ in Houston

Arts & antiques

Georges Seurat’s sublime French seascapes are taking centre stage at the Courtauld Gallery in London, reveals Carla Passino

Write side up

Art has long drawn inspiration from literature — from Ovid and Virgil to Shakespeare and Lewis Carroll, discovers Carla Passino

And much more.

Here's a look at some of what you'll find inside.

The legacy

Emma Hughes celebrates the genius of Ian Fleming, the brains behind James Bond, the world’s most famous secret agent

Zinging in the rain

Telltale aromas of the seasons are Nature’s signposts for our senses. It won’t be long before spring is in the air, hopes Laura Parker

Winging it

A barn owl’s soundless flight at dusk must rank as one of the British countryside’s signature sights, suggests Mark Cocker

Offaly good

Tom Parker Bowles makes the case for nose-to-tail eating as he savours the fantastic flavours of dishes from faggots to marrow bones and everything in between

Interiors

Amelia Thorpe picks out those little luxuries that can transform a bathroom into a relaxing haven

A budding genius

Business is blooming for Trevor White, who grows 600 varieties of roses at his Norfolk nursery. Charles Quest-Ritson reports

Beverly Joubert’s favourite painting

The conservationist and film-maker chooses an influential study of brawling big cats

Country-house treasure

John Goodall unearths a chilling reminder of England’s Civil War at Doddington Hall in Lincolnshire

A world of dreams

Aoife Caitríona Lau visits Schloss Charlottenhof at Brandenburg, a neo-Classical masterpiece built for the Kings of Prussia

Five, six, pick up sticks

John Lewis-Stempel adopts the mindset of Stone Age man as he wanders the woods gathering fuel for the winter fire

Scale model

David Profumo profiles the parasite-ridden ocean sunfish, a jellyfish-eating oddity partial to a spot of surface bathing

A study in scarlet

It is 100 years since London got its first all-red telephone box. Deborah Nicholls-Lee dials up a British design classic

Luxury

Charming jewellery and revitalising treatments with Amie Elizabeth White, plus a few of food writer Diana Henry’s favourite things

Arts & antiques

The legend and lore of Japan’s samurai warriors is charted by a major new British Museum exhibition, reveals Carla Passino

Humble, grumble, toil and scumble

An artist’s labour is never done, concludes Michael Hall when he investigates the depictions of people at work down the ages

The tragedy then the triumph

Henrietta Bredin reveals how Verdi overcame crippling grief to write his most acclaimed operas

Woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown

Michael Billington welcomes the revival of plays penned by Alan Ayckbourn and Tom Stoppard

And much more.

Here's a look at some of what you'll find inside.

Feat of clay

Tiffany Daneff visits Whichford in Warwickshire and finds the future is bright for the traditional craft of hand-thrown pottery

Passing on the golden torch

Nurseryman David Carver is nurturing precious miniature daffodils for the next generation, as John Hoyland discovers

Through the garden gates

From Tremenheere in Cornwall to Bodnant in Conwy and Cambo in Fife, Country Life contributors reveal which glorious gardens are calling to them this year

For I’ll be a wild drover

Patrick Laurie embarks on an evocative, historic journey of discovery when he drives cattle across the Scottish Highlands

Where the Wildings are

Ian Morton delves into the eccentric life of motorcar-mad Eileen Soper, illustrator of Enid Blyton’s ‘Famous Five’ series

Rooted in Nature

The remarkable role of plants in the modern, manmade world is laid bare in a new book. Harry Pearson investigates

Philippa Gregory’s favourite painting

The historian and author picks a work offering a glimpse into the rarefied sphere of monarchy

Country-house treasure

John Goodall admires the huge Cheshire Cat grin of a quirky 17th-century shell lion at Parham House in West Sussex

The legacy

Tiffany Daneff salutes the great wild-garden pioneer William Robinson, who was a Victorian horticulturist ahead of his time

Throw another log on the fire

Amelia Thorpe keeps the cold of winter at bay with a selection of stoves and firepits to keep you toasty out in the garden

‘Plucked down in one day’

David Robinson revisits the Anglo-Saxons and Kings of Mercia as he charts the history of Repton Priory in Derbyshire

The good stuff

Amie Elizabeth White embraces the January blues with a host of cheering, warming luxuries

Interiors

Bring a splash of colour to the kitchen with Amelia Thorpe’s choice of cookers and lighting

Winging it

Mark Cocker relishes the solemn and mysterious call of Britain’s best-loved owl — the tawny

Ode to the swede

Never mind the haggis, a humble root vegetable is the shining star of a traditional Burns Night supper, says Douglas Chalmers

Arts & antiques

There’s something decidedly fishy about Matthew Haley’s most prized piece of Victoriana, as he explains to Carla Passino

A study in sculpture

As a new four-volume catalogue explores the spectacular sculpture in the Royal Collection, its author Sir Jonathan Marsden reflects on 10 of his favourite pieces

And much more.

It's 2006. Tony Blair is the Prime Minister, George W. Bush the US President, the existence of global warming is still up for debate, and a couple of new websites come out of early test versions to open their doors to the world: YouTube and Facebook. Amid all this, in an office on London's South Bank, Mark Hedges takes a new job: Editor of Country Life magazine.

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Two decades later, Mark has passed an astonishing milestone: he has edited 1,000 issues of the weekly magazine, the only perfect-bound, weekly glossy magazine in Britain. That's 20 years of magnificent architecture, beautiful houses, exquisite gardens, breathtaking nature, pithy columnists, and lots and lots of dogs — to name but a small selection.

It seemed only fitting, then, that for our own milestone — our 100th podcast — we invite the boss back again. Mark speaks to James Fisher about his unusual route in to the world of magazines, the unflinching veteran war reporter who taught him the hard way how to polish a headline, the incomparable experience of working alongside HM King Charles, Queen Camilla, The Princess Royal and Sir David Beckham on guest-edited issues of Country Life, and how magazines — and journalism in general — will still have a part to play in an AI-driven future.

Mark also talks about his memories of his very first issue, picks out some of his favourite moments from the 1,000 issues, and even opens up about some of the misfires which still have him kicking himself today.

Above all, though, it's a fascinating episode (even if we say so ourselves) which lifts the lid on what it's like to spend decades on a magazine that's become a national institution. We hope you enjoy it.

Episode credits

Host: James Fisher

Guests: Mark Hedges

Producer and editor: Toby Keel

Music: JuliusH via Pixabay

Here's a look at some of what you'll find inside.

Artificial sweeteners

Do the benefits of generative artificial intelligence outweigh the social and environmental costs, asks Emma Hughes

Going, going… gone?

Extinction elevated it to near-mythical status, but there are hopes it will if not fly again, than at least walk. Emma Hughes delves into the past, and the possible future, of the dodo

A genius of the first class

Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire has long split opinion. Charles Saumarez Smith reassesses Sir John Vanbrugh’s grand creation

The legacy

H. M. Bateman was an inventive cartoonist who cocked a snook at convention, finds Kate Green

Winging it

The little owl is aptly named, standing barely 9in tall, but this miniature marvel can be a feisty character, reveals Mark Cocker

Easel come, easel go

Have brush, will travel. Maev Kennedy goes globe-trotting to assemble a collection of 10 remarkable artworks reflecting all the corners of the world

Henrietta Billings’s favourite painting

The director of SAVE Britain’s Heritage chooses a fresco and mosaic emitting a golden glow

Country-house treasure

John Goodall studies the peaceful Victorian ancestral portrait watching over Norton Conyers in North Yorkshire

Step change

Sweeping staircases are central to the ups and downs of life in our country houses, reveals Melanie Cable-Alexander

The generation game

The spirit of noblesse oblige lives on with the aristocracy’s contribution to rural communities, as Eleanor Doughty discovers

Interiors

Arabella Youens admires a make-over with a Moroccan flavour and Giles Kime brings a touch of glass to broken-plan design

The good stuff

Gold and silver make the perfect match for Amie Elizabeth White

Flowers of the desert

Kirsty Fergusson hails the glorious gardens of Riad Nouria as a new chapter in the long horticultural history of Marrakech, Morocco

Peak performance

Tom Parker Bowles savours tartiflette, an après-ski avalanche of cheese, pancetta and potato

We’ve got beef

Rob Crossan imbibes a cup of Bovril, the famously bovine brew hailed in the war years as ‘British to the backbone’

Arts & antiques

Carla Passino explores the story of our long-standing links with the island of Hawaii, a close relationship that is the subject of a British Museum exhibition

Here's a look at some of what you'll find inside.

A peculiar genius

Kathryn Ferry salutes the fore-sight of Clough Williams-Ellis a century on from the opening of his Picturesque confection at Portmeirion in Gwynedd

Pour show

The winter ritual of wassailing is an ancient plea for abundant apple harvests that is indulged in to this day, finds Laura Parker

Shoot for the stars

Relive the most memorable moments of the past 100 years with 22 incredible images chosen by Lucy Ford, Emily Anderson and Carla Passino

London Life

Will Hosie considers how water defines and divides Londoners and ponders the possible renewal of a rivalry between the National Gallery and Tate Modern, plus our writers have all you need to know this month

In the garden

Grow ground nuts, says Mark Diacono, and enjoy tubers with a taste of nutty new potatoes

Helen Allen’s favourite painting

The executive director of the US Winter Show picks an intriguing portrait sporting a quizzical look

Country-house treasure

John Goodall is captivated by the fighting cats in a 17th-century mosaic above the Long Library fireplace at Holkham Hall, Norfolk

The legacy: Agatha Christie

Kate Green acclaims murder-mystery-writing maestro Agatha Christie, whose 66 detective novels have sold more than two billion copies worldwide

Playing your cards right

Matthew Dennison is holding all the aces as he traces the history of playing cards right back to 9th-century China

The good stuff

Glide seamlessly into 2026 with Amie Elizabeth White’s stylish selections for the ski slopes

Interiors

Giles Kime welcomes the world of possibilities offered by free-standing kitchens and Arabella Youens admires the boot room of a house in Gloucestershire

Shining a light on the past

Carl Linnaeus’s glorious 18th-century herbarium is showcased in a new collection of exquisite photographs by Lena Granefel, discovers Christopher Stocks

Travel

Pamela Goodman takes in peerless Himalayan panoramas from a remote luxury lodge in India and, in her monthly column, wonders what the Normans did for us

Arts & antiques

Actor and poet Leigh Lawson tells Carla Passino why he will never part with memorabilia dedicated to music-hall queen Marie Lloyd, his great-aunt

Scale model

Abundant mackerel was once greeted with garlands thrown into the sea. David Profumo profiles Scomber scombrus

And much more.

Where does all the time go?

It’s been (almost) exactly a year since the Country Life website was relaunched, which both feels like yesterday and also a decade ago. For a brand that celebrates the long-standing institutions of both the country and its countryside, it can feel like not much ever changes, but this year at least, much has changed for the magazine and its online offering.

We’ve produced a lot of good features, from selling dinosaurs at auction, polemics on the Millennial fascination with Pride and Prejudice, and the best way to make bespoke ice sculptures, to looking at the trials and tribulations of life on the North Coast 500, why living outside of London as a young person is great, and what kind of fashion house would best dress your dog (and one cat). We’ve interviewed Mark Gatiss, Jennifer Garner, Fred Sirieix, Elizabeth Day and Matt the cartoonist. We’ve spent days on the Calf of Man chasing Manx Shearwaters. We’ve written about travel, luxury, the Arts, motoring and, of course, nothing beats the property.

In short, it’s been a busy year, and it’s been a pleasure to share all these stories with you on our brand new website. The good news is that we are going to do it all again next year, both in print and online, and while there is much that we can’t tell you, below is a brief snapshot of what you can expect from us next year.

For starters, much more of the things that you love: first-person stories reported by our brilliant team of writers and contributors, focusing on the countryside, nature, the Arts, history, homes and gardens. We’re upping our work in the world of travel, finding the best places to visit, and telling the stories of people around the world to make you feel like a local wherever you are. We’ll be writing more about luxury, bringing the lives of the world’s best craftspeople to a screen near you and showcasing the best makers of the finest objects, because it's nice to think about nice things.

There will be plenty more special issues, focusing on the best interiors, naughty dogs, England, Monaco, fine art, Gentleman’s Life, antiques and the restoration of the country house. We’ll be celebrating our American cousins for their 250th birthday, and the architecture team has an exclusive look at one of the most famous royal buildings in the world.

So, 2026 will be more of the same, which is the very best of the UK and the rest of the world, and the people, places, plants and animals that make the countryside so special. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

And lastly, a very happy new year from everyone here at Country Life, and we look forward to seeing you in 2026.

Here's a look at some of what you'll find inside.

Dangerous libations

How do you cope with a Kung-Fu Panda? What do you do when the Temple of Doom strikes? Olly Smith reveals how to deal with hurricane-force hangovers

Interiors

Is design destined to be more Moorish or will Egyptomania rule? Country Life predicts the shape of things to come in 2026 and Giles Kime says painted furniture is key to a laidback look

Jacu Strauss’s favourite painting

The creative director of the Lore Group chooses an intriguing unfinished 1830s painting that is still confounding art experts almost 200 years on

Learn it by art

The story of the British Isles is peppered with ancient artefacts and much-loved monuments. Charlotte Mullins surveys the centuries through 50 treasures, from the Ice Age caves of Derbyshire’s Creswell Crags to Nelson’s Ship in a Bottle at Greenwich in London

Are you ready to order?

Artfully designed menus have long been a tasty proposition for collectors, aided by designs from leading artistic lights such as Ravilious, Bawden and David Hockney, finds John F. Müller

Country-house treasures

John Goodall treads the silver-grey elm floorboards of the remarkably well-preserved 1630s hall dais at Restoration House in Rochester, Kent

Culture and commerce

John Martin Robinson marvels at the rejuvenation of Salts Mill, a vast Victorian factory building at Saltaire in West Yorkshire, founded on the prosperity of the British wool trade

The good stuff

Enter the new year fresh-faced and on tip-top form with the help of Amie Elizabeth White’s selection of skincare stars

Glistens like coral

The proliferation of new types of Japanese flowering quince prompted a four-year RHS trial. Charles Quest-Ritson cheers the rise of Chaenomeles and reveals his favourite varieties

Arts & antiques

The exquisitely rendered Cornish luggers sailing serenely across Henry Scott Tuke’s 1908 new year card to a friend make it a prized possession for Michael Grist, as he tells Carla Passino

From gardens and choristers to spies and Brussels sprouts, here's a look at some of what you'll find inside.

Full steam ahead

Jonathan Self recalls the ‘railway mania’ that gripped the nation after the inaugural 26-mile run of Stephenson’s Locomotion No.1 from Shildon to Stockton

Mind the (hungry) gap!

Starched tablecloths and wood panelling have Emma Hughes dreaming of a return to the golden age of railway dining

Nature on track

The 20,000 miles of railway lines criss-crossing the country are welcome ‘green corridors’ for wildlife, finds Vicky Liddell

Small, but mighty

Octavia Pollock marvels at the magic of miniature railways tracing small-gauge tracks across the British countryside

Rhythm of the night

There is a wonderful sense of romance and adventure in over-night rail travel. Mary Miers revels in the sleeper-train experience

All signals green

From Suffolk to Scotland, via the Settle-Carlisle line, blooming station gardens are a sight to behold for Andrew Martin

Picking up steam

All aboard! Octavia Pollock hails the heroes of heritage railways who ensure our fascination with the age of steam rolls on and on

Drawing tracks

Carla Passino explores art’s love affair with the railway, seen in the bustle of Earl’s platforms and the serenity of a Ravilious carriage

Why don’t we ask the next train to take our love to Daddy?

The much-loved locomotives of literature reveal the softening of our attitudes to steam travel, suggests Deborah Nicholls-Lee

Rail travel

Emma Love lets the train take the strain as she rounds up the latest in luxury journeys, calling at stations from Rome to Rajasthan

The missing lynx in the food chain?

Roger Morgan-Grenville weighs up the pros and cons of calls to reintroduce an apex predator — the lynx — to the British Isles

Properties of the week

Julie Harding gets the party started with a quintet of homes boasting entertaining spaces

Sacred grounds

Tim Richardson applauds Paulo Pejrone’s revival of the 16th-century monastic gardens of Il Redentore in Venice, Italy

From gardens and choristers to spies and Brussels sprouts, here's a look at some of what you'll find inside.

When Bethlehem is everywhere and anywhere

In a messy world, we can still find love and hope in our local church, believes the Revd Fergus Butler-Gallie

And so this is Christmas

Friends of Country Life tell Carla Passino about the paintings that symbolise the season

The Bishop of London’s favourite painting

Dame Sarah Mullally, future Archbishop of Canterbury, chooses unity in clay

The legacy

Kate Green marvels at Betjeman’s ‘most tremendous tale of all’

The heavenly city

In the first of two articles, John Goodall reveals the origins of Exeter Cathedral, Devon

Rubies for Christmas

Harry Pearson delves into jewelled pomegranate tales

Give me all your turtle-dovin’

Mark Cocker on the bird of the second day

We make Christmas happen

Jane Wheatley meets the people beavering away behind the festivities, from cake-bakers to cracker-makers

Merry Christmas, Peter Rabbit!

Beatrix Potter eschewed the abstemiousness of her childhood to embrace the festivities, finds Matthew Dennison

The spy who came in from the page

Emma Hughes ventures into John le Carré’s world in search of the real George Smiley

The Editor’s Christmas quiz

Buckle in and do your best

Relative values

Confused about your cousins? We can help

It’ll be all right on the night

Alpacas, angels and a trigger-happy Herod line up for the Nativity in Kate Green’s village yarn

Muff and nonsense

Deborah Nicholls-Lee warms her hands and hides her pistol in a furry fashion classic

Toy story

Old favourites, from soldiers to slinkies, can still enchant, says Tom Howells

Ice, ice baby

The frozen Thames allowed weeks of frivolity, reveals Deborah Nicholls-Lee

Very fetching

What designer would your dog wear? Agnes Stamp dresses the chicest canines

Green and pleasant band

Rarest and fairest of all, emeralds have beguiled Jonathan Self for decades

Luxury

Amie Elizabeth White picks festive finery and Manolo Blahnik reveals his favourite things

Celebrate the winter solstice

Tilly Ware falls for the frosty magic of the gardens of Helmingham Hall in Suffolk

Life in the slow lane

John Lewis-Stempel wanders rural byways

Deck the halls!

Spiky sanctuary or medieval motif, holly warms many hearts, says Deborah Nicholls-Lee

How to find your interior-design DNA

What kind of designer are you? Giles Kime’s quiz sorts the curators from the dramatists

Now you’ve borscht it

Beetroot is best for Tom Parker Bowles

Kitchen garden cook

Melanie Johnson on Brussels sprouts

Wholly smoke

Forget fish farms, the Secret Smokehouse is the place for salmon, urges Tom Howells

The lion’s share

Matthew Dennnison goes through the wardrobe to the dawn of the land of Narnia

Country-house treasure

John Goodall admires a copper dish at Hutton-in-the-Forest

Arts & antiques

Andy Warhol, Dickens and an ancient pine catch Carla Passino’s eye

Sing, choirs of angels

Andrew Green praises the Victorian collectors to whom we owe our familiar and uplifting Christmas carols

The good, the bad and the overblown

Michael Billington awards his Billies to the best and the worst of 2025 on the stage

The best books of the year

Country Life reviewers select their top reads, from Holbein to holy places and hedgerows

Here's a look at some of what you'll find inside.

A fate worse than demolition?

A century on from Sir Herbert Baker’s enlargement of the Bank of England in London, Clive Aslet reappraises the controversial work

Still caring for the fields and the beasts

Kate Green charts the 180-year history of the Royal Agricultural University and Mary Skipwith talks to students past and present

Let sleeping dogs lie

Do you cuddle up to your canine companions or are they banned from the bedroom? Bethany Stone investigates

Season’s tweetings

Matthew Dennison explores the fowl and game forever linked with the festive period

London Life

Rosie Paterson reveals why London always reigns in the rain, Will Hosie shares his tips on beating the capital’s Christmas crowds and our writers round up all you need to know this month

Let there be light

Carla Passino reflects on Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer’s intriguing works focusing on the illumination of female subjects

A matter of faith

Andrew Graham-Dixon tells Carla Passino his theory on the identity of Vermeer’s enigmatic Girl with a Pearl Earring

Giorgio Locatelli’s favourite painting

The chef and restaurateur picks a work of incredible imagination

Country-house treasures

John Goodall unfurls John Bell’s huge pro-education banner at Thirsk Hall in North Yorkshire

The legacy

Emma Hughes celebrates George Orwell’s dystopian classic Nineteen Eighty-Four

The Editor’s choice

Country Life Editor-in-Chief Mark Hedges reveals the gifts that have given him most joy in 2025

Interiors

Amelia Thorpe seeks out feel-good accessories and Giles Kime sinks into soft furnishings

Flowers in the frame

Photographer Kate Friend’s latest still-life project captures transient wildflowers at the height of their beauty, discovers Tiffany Daneff

Travel

Emma Love reveals the latest from the Caribbean, Rosie Paterson unravels the mysteries of Mustique and Pamela Goodman acts on a gut feeling

That’s my boy-bishop

Matthew Dennison investigates the centuries-old tradition of young choristers standing in for senior clerics at Christmas time

Arts & antiques

Sherree Valentine-Daines tells Carla Passino how forays into the sporting sphere helped to transform her artistic career

Here's a look at some of what you'll find inside.

It’s crunch time

What’s the perfect cocktail to pair with pickled-onion Monster Munch? Susan Low quizzes Neil Ridley, the crisp sommelier

Tipple tattle

Dust off the Dubonnet and break open that Bénédictine — Will Hosie spies some gems at the back of the drinks cabinet

Christmas gifts

Presents for pets, luxuries for ladies and gifts for gardeners — Amie Elizabeth White shares 10 pages of exceptional ideas

Sarah Lamb’s favourite painting

The Royal Ballet dancer chooses a scene surging with movement

The legacy

Kate Green hails Carl Giles, who created the Express’s much-loved Giles cartoon for 48 years

Country-house treasures

John Goodall is intrigued by the surviving stringing rack for bows at Haddon Hall in Derbyshire

To Manderley again

Jeremy Musson investigates Daphne du Maurier’s love of the country house, with the help of illustrations by Matthew Rice

Sticking with it

Emma Hughes learns how our love of Christmas stamps has burgeoned since the 1960s

Where there’s a will, there’s a whey

It’s time to forget French fromage and focus on home terrior, argues Tom Parker Bowles, as he takes a tour of great British cheeses

Spread from Country Life November 26, 2025

Thoroughly cream crackered

Tom Howells pays tribute to one of Ireland’s greatest exports…the Jacob’s Cream Cracker

The royal treatment

The life of the Bohemian ‘good’ King Wenceslas ended in an act of treachery, reveals Ian Morton

Game on

Mary Miers meets the Highland woodworker crafting beautiful and bespoke board games

A lot of bottle

A renaissance in British perfume is being fuelled by a focus on Nature, finds Amie Elizabeth White

Luxury

Amie Elizabeth White’s luxuries large and small, plus a few of Manolo Blahnik’s favourite things

Interiors

Arabella Youens celebrates the revival of the guest bedroom as a relaxing escape for visitors

A brush with genius

Tiffany Daneff admires the 17th-century botanical drawings of the unsung Alexander Marshal

A window in time

November tea-break musings see John Lewis-Stempel hurtle through 150 million years of life on Earth in the blink of an eye

Scale model

The voracious pike is the stuff of piscatorial legend. David Profumo profiles the ‘pirate of the lake’

Arts & antiques

Carla Passino selects five festive offerings from the art world depicting everything from wide-eyed wonder to Yuletide knees-up

The silver touch

The sheen of elegant silverware can elevate mere eating into the more refined sphere of fine dining, says Matthew Dennison

And much more

Here's a look at some of what you'll find inside.

Budget blues?

Julie Harding hears the hopes and fears of countryside and heritage leaders ahead of next week’s crunch Autumn Budget

Howards’ end

Christopher Ridgway reveals the ongoing quest to safeguard the two-century-old family tomb at Castle Howard in North Yorkshire

Past masters

Mary Keen visits a Wiltshire firm where vintage garden tools go to be reborn and restored ready for a glorious new future

In the garden

Size is everything, declares Alan Titchmarsh, who would never plant a tree taller than himself

A glass act

Matthew Dennison is dazzled by the shimmering creations of Art Nouveau glass masters Louis Comfort Tiffany, Émile Gallé and Christopher Dresser

Charlotte Lloyd-Webber’s favourite painting

The event designer picks a work revealing the ‘dust of daily life’

Country-house treasures

John Goodall marvels at historic Stucley family paintings brought to light at Hartland Abbey, Devon

A labour of love

John Goodall celebrates the glorious restoration of historic Northwold Manor in Norfolk

The legacy

Kate Green investigates how Sir Joseph Bazalgette solved the problem of London’s Great Stink

Compounding errors

We must end the mistreatment of Sir Christopher Wren’s London in churches, argues Ptolemy Dean

Slippery customers

Why are we not more in awe of the incredible, yet enigmatic eel, wonders Laura Parker

Waxing lyrical

Laura Parker is moved by the aura and atmosphere created by the flickering of candlelight

The good stuff

Amie Elizabeth White chooses blooming jewel-toned florals

Interiors

A Georgian sitting room wows Arabella Youens and Giles Kime celebrates born-again classics

Out and about

Guests let their hair down at our annual Gentleman’s Life party

The last dance

Hope springs eternal for James Fisher as he assesses England’s chances of an Ashes triumph

Don’t be an amber gambler

Rob Crossan is green for go as he charts the history of traffic lights

Making a material difference

Catriona Gray is on a mission to save tattered and torn old rugs from the skip, citing specialist repairers able to perform miracles

Arts & antiques

Scarf designer Rory Hutton is obeying Oscar Wilde and using his exquisite Sèvres porcelain pieces, as he tells Carla Passino

The odd one out

David Harewood’s Othello stands out for Michael Billington as he delights in plays where the narrative takes centre stage

Here's a look at some of what you'll find inside.

The legacy

Emma Hughes toasts Hugh Hudson and his 1981 Oscar-winning classic Chariots of Fire

A royal success

Charles Quest-Ritson marvels at the miraculous resurrection of the gardens at Sandringham House in Norfolk, overseen by the expert eye of The King

An unfenced existence

Richard Barnett digs beneath the gloom to uncover a deep appreciation for the natural world in the poetry of Philip Larkin

Come fly with me

Mary Skipwith savours the spell-binding bond between falconer and falcon, as Octavia Pollock meets her wingman, Papillon

A brush with Heaven

Stanley Spencer was Cookham to the core and a deep love of his native Berkshire illuminates his work, finds Matthew Dennison

Bessie Carter’s favourite painting

The actress selects a Lincolnshire scene with a personal meaning

Country-house treasures

A 16th-century family tree tells the story of Hedingham Castle in Essex, discovers John Goodall

Ruin and renaissance

In the second of two articles, John Goodall celebrates the rediscovery and remarkable renewal of Dorfold Hall, Cheshire

Baby, it’s cold outside

John Lewis-Stempel explores the heart-warming story of how Nature survives and thrives in the bitter chill of deepest winter

Leave farmers to produce food

Douglas Chalmers calls for Government action to halt the alarming loss of agricultural land and an exodus of farming people

Back to the future

Prawn cocktail and Arctic roll are back on the menu as nostalgia grips the London restaurant scene. David Ellis investigates

The good stuff

Juicy purples are ripe for the picking — and that plum job falls to Amie Elizabeth White

Interiors

Arabella Youens hails the new kitchen created at Raynham Hall, Norfolk, and Amelia Thorpe sinks into sumptuous slipper chairs

Fit for a king

Adam Hay-Nicholls admires the regal touches in evidence at two holiday-let properties on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk

Everybody’s got a Hungary heart

Tom Parker Bowles summons the spirit of 9th-century Magyar cattle ranchers as he rustles up a punchy, paprika-packed goulash

Strike it lucky

Rob Crossan shares an illuminating history of how matches first flared into life two centuries ago

Arts & antiques

Turner and Constable are going head to head at Tate Britain in a renewal of their 19th-century rivalry, reveals Carla Passino

Here's a look at some of what you'll find inside.

The legacy

Kate Green salutes Thomas Bewick, who revolutionised the art of wood engraving and gave his name to a breed of swan

Dangerous beasts (and where to find them)

From false widow spiders to fearsome felines, John Lewis-Stempel steps out in search of the most menacing creatures lurking in the British Isles

GENTLEMAN’S LIFE

William Hanson lists 39 steps to chivalry

Will Hosie ushers in the new age of jazz

Jeremy Langmead outlines why bespoke is best

Tom Chamberlin talks tourbillon watches

James Fisher asks what women want from their wheels

Simon Mills welcomes the return of the slipper

Mark Hedges sees the light with custom-made specs

Amie Elizabeth White shares the latest in luxuries

Barking up the right tree

Look no further than the birch — the Lady of the Woods — when planting a new light woodland, advises Charles Quest-Ritson

The art of war

The responsibility for depicting the horrors of war fell to artists in the days before photography. Michael Hall assesses how our painters rose to the challenge

Dominic Jones’s favourite painting

The chief executive of the Mary Rose Trust chooses a Tudor gem

London Life

Emma Hughes investigates the rise in restaurant counter culture; our writers reveal all you need to know in the capital this month; and Will Hosie applauds the evolution of the early house.

A Georgian triumph

John Goodall reveals the winners of the Georgian Group awards

Country-house treasures

Bullet holes in the glass are a reminder of the long road back from the brink at Gwrych Castle in Conwy, finds John Goodall

Get me to the church in time

Britain’s beleaguered churches are desperately searching for a saviour, says Fiona Reynolds

A dynastic seat

In the first of two articles, John Goodall charts the construction of Dorfold Hall, an outstanding Jacobean house in Cheshire

Splinter group

Laura Parker on the thorny issue of Nature’s barbs and prickles

Interiors

Amelia Thorpe showcases shining examples of top lighting design

Travel

Emma Love scours the world for new luxury villas

Rosie Paterson savours Italy’s timeless Tuscan coast

Pamela Goodman picks the world’s best beach

Arts & antiques

The search for Horace Walpole’s missing dagger is a mysterious tale of royalty and untold riches, as Carla Passino discovers

And much more.

Mark Hedges is photographed in his study at home with a handful of the 1,000 issues of Country Life that he has edited since he first became editor-in-chief of the magazine in March 2006. According to our own maths, this feat is unmatched in the glossy magazine world. This week — to mark this landmark — it seems appropriate to celebrate the treasure that ought to be found in every home.

As the only glossy weekly in British publishing today, producing 51 issues every year, the statistics that underlie the editor’s achievement over the past two decades are remarkable. More than four million hard copies of the magazine have been sold in that time and these have been collectively read about 30 million times. Over the course of Mark's editorship, Country Life has enjoyed 13 consecutive years of readership increases, a trend all the more remarkable because it is in contrast to the experience of nearly all other magazines.

Country Life has also been guest edited by The King and Queen, as well as The Princess Royal — and, of course, Sir David Beckham — whose respective issues have been among the best selling in the magazine’s nearly 130-year history.

Meanwhile, the much younger Country Life Online is growing rapidly and now receives more than one million visits every month. Most importantly of all, the magazine continues to cover, week by week, all that is best, most notable and beautiful about Britain, its countryside and its people.

You can hear from Hedges in his own words on the Country Life Podcast.

This feature originally appeared in the October 22, 2025 issue of Country Life. Click here for more information on how to subscribe.

Here's a look at some of what you'll find inside:

There's no place like home

John Goodall charts the rebirth of the House of Commons, which reopened 75 years ago in the wake of its devastating bombing during the Blitz.

Join the stag party

The antlers of deer are one of the majestic sights of the British countryside. Charles Harris tells their remarkable story from growth through to shedding.

Smooth operators

Octavia Pollock ferrets out the real story about the curious and characterful mustelids with a long sporting heritage.

Go on, then...

Jane Emily Phillips tucks into elevenses with Paddington Bear and Winnie-the-Pooh.

I've got that Friday feelin

Fear of the final day of the working week is one of our oldest superstitions, finds Ian Morton.

Antony Penrose's favourite painting

The Lee Miller Archive and Penrose Collection co-director chooses a fought-over Picasso.

Luxury

Pearls, pens and pottery, with Amie Elizabeth White, and James Middleton's favourite things.

Nice day for a black pudding

Blood sausage is a breakfast staple from Bronze Age days, but it still divides opinion, as Patrick Galbraith discovers.

Here's a look at some of what you'll find inside:

‘The countryside has brought me peace’

Sir David Beckham tells Paula Minchin the story of his love for rural life, from the Scouts to helping youngsters get started in horticulture.

My favourite view

A quiet corner of Oxfordshire beguiles the guest editor and his daughter, Harper.

‘My darling project’

Thousands of children were saved by Thomas Coram’s Foundling Hospital in London. John Goodall recounts the tale of an invaluable charity.

The real universe is here

For our guest editor, a trip to the wilds, catching fish and cooking with Rvival, was life-affirming. Patrick Galbraith follows him to the Highlands.

My favourite painting

Monet’s misty 'Houses of Parliament' moves the London-born guest editor.

Firmly planted in the Cotswolds

From ruined barns beauty has grown: Alan Titchmarsh visits the Beckhams’ Oxfordshire garden, a peaceful haven for all the family.

Champions league

Julie Harding meets the countryside champions chosen by our guest editor.

A kiss from a daughter’s rose

For her father’s 50th birthday, Harper Beckham called upon David Austin Roses. Charles Quest-Ritson describes the work of creating a new rose.

Striking it Ritchie

Paula Minchin meets Guy Ritchie, the film director finally fulfilling his childhood dreams of rural life.

‘My football made me, my countryside saved me’

Gamekeeper’s son Vinnie Jones has found peace and purpose on the land.

Liver little

Tom Parker Bowles gets chopping to whip up the guest editor’s favourite meal.

Take a bough

Planting a mature tree is an epic undertaking, but is always transformative, says Steven Desmond.

‘There are cars and then there are Defenders’

They may be rattly and draughty, but nothing beats a proper Land Rover Defender, especially one that’s been imaginatively restored and modified.

Here's a look at some of what you'll find inside:

Autumn ablaze

Four pages of autumnal pictures celebrate the explosion of reds, oranges and golds that are the tell-tale tones of the season

In the garden

There’s no sitting on the fence for Alan Titchmarsh, who says planting a native hedge is the best way to mark a boundary

Gently does it

Country Life readers have been tittering at Tottering-by-Gently for more than 30 years. Annie Tempest reveals to Ben Lerwill how the cartoon comes together

Elizabeth Shanks’s favourite painting

The LAPADA CEO is drawn in by the splendid isolation of a watery woodland scene

Country-house treasures

The Edwardian verandah is the crowning glory at Benington Lordship in Hertfordshire, as the owners tell John Goodall

The legacy

Octavia Pollock salutes the glass act that was Joseph Paxton’s glittering Crystal Palace creation

A world without care

Aoife Caitríona Lau charts the history of Frederick the Great’s bucolic Schloss Sanssouci retreat outside Berlin, Germany

The good stuff

Earthy hues and florals can keep you grounded this autumn, advises Amie Elizabeth White

Spill the beans

Tom Parker Bowles has got his finger firmly on the pulse as he champions luscious legumes

Interiors

Antique dealer Will Green tells Arabella Youens how he created a ‘below-stairs’ look and Amelia Thorpe selects kitchen classics

Sow the seeds of summer now

Ursula Cholmeley suggests an autumn sowing to ensure your sweet peas are ready to tackle whatever 2026 has in store

Texts in the city

Emma Hughes browses the bookstacks of the much-loved London Library as it celebrates 180 years in St James’s Square

Holm is where the heart is

Aeneas Dennison investigates how Grand Tours helped the holm oak to conquer England

The X factor

Uncanny portraits by Sargent and Beaton prompt Patrick Monahan to ask Leslie Caron: ‘May I call you Madame X?’

Arts & antiques

Tudor women were well versed in harnessing art to convey their message, as Philippa Gregory outlines to Carla Passino

The king of the waltz

A dance dubbed the ‘vertical expression of horizontal desire’ held sway thanks to Johann Strauss II, says Henrietta Bredin

Packing a redemptive Punch

Michael Billington is deeply moved by James Graham’s new play exploring restorative justice

Here's a look at some of what you'll find inside:

The legacy

As the Vincent Wildlife Trust turns 50, Kate Green salutes its founder, the Hon Vincent Weir

Grow getters

Seeds are miracles in all shapes and sizes, from the miniscule foxglove to the massive coco-de-mer, discovers John Lewis-Stempel

A perfect storm

It’s time to embrace a revival of eclecticism, as leading interior designers Chester Jones and Kit Kemp tell Arabella Youens

The goddess of small things

Giles Kime salutes the stellar transatlantic career of Rita Konig, a designer whose work is a celebration of stuff

The beauty of the brush

The warmth of a watercolour will always trump technology when it comes to imagining a design scheme, finds Arabella Youens

Bringing craft to life

Giles Kime learns that traditional arts and crafts are alive and well at the Snowdon Summer School in Gloucestershire

New moods for a new season

Amelia Thorpe presents her pick of the latest in lighting, furniture and accessories

Shelf indulgence

Arabella Youens and Giles Kime cast their eyes over new books in the world of craft and design

Claws for thought

Oliver Berry investigates efforts to revive the fortunes of the lobster when he visits the National Hatchery in Cornwall

Sandrine Zhang Ferron’s favourite painting

The Vinterior CEO reflects on the mystery of a Surrealist work

Country-house treasures

One remarkable document tells the story of 32 generations at Broughton Hall in North Yorkshire, finds John Goodall

Roman holiday

In the second of two articles, John Goodall examines the inspiration for West Wycombe Park in Buckinghamshire

Vested interest

Is there any item of clothing more quintessentially English than the waistcoat, asks Simon Mills

The garden for all seasons

Charles Quest-Ritson unearths year-round delight in the private Worcestershire garden of the plant breeder John Massey

When in Rome

A good carbonara is all about timing for Tom Parker Bowles

The good stuff

Amie Elizabeth White is going wild for luxurious animal prints

Arts & antiques

Carla Passino talks to Tim Knox of the Royal Collection about regal taste in the 20th-century

Sphinx outside the box

Michael Hall examines how ancient Egypt influenced our culture, from architecture and art to crockery and clocks

And much more

Here's a look at some of what you'll find inside:

Not so hellish

In the first of two articles, Tim Richardson surveys the late-18th-century landscape of the celebrated West Wycombe Park in Buckinghamshire

The legacy

Agnes Stamp salutes Sir William Hillary, whose quest to save lives at sea created the RNLI more than 200 years ago

Art and soul

‘Buy what you love’ is the key starting point for any aspiring collector, says independent advisor Patrick Monahan as he shares his tips from the top

Forever hold your piece

The collections of great houses from Chatsworth to Powderham are the result of a passion passed down over many generations, as Eleanor Doughty discovers

Raise your steaks

Which native breed produces the best beef? Will Hosie sets out to provide the answer by serving up eight different côtes de boeuf for a panel of experts

The Singh Twins’s favourite painting

The artists choose a Tudor work of exceptional craftsmanship

Country-house treasures

John Goodall unearths the architectural drawings of Viscountess Dungannon, who remodelled Brynkinalt in Wales in 1808

All in the mind

Psychedelic mushrooms have been bending brains for centuries. Deborah Nicholls-Lee delves into the world of these funky fungi

The good stuff

Amie Elizabeth White picks out cashmere and wool creations

Interiors

Amelia Thorpe shares a wall-to-wall array of paint and papers

London Life

Will Hosie puts you in the frame about Frieze and attempts to keep up with the Americans taking over London, plus all you need to know this month

Upwardly mobile

The incredible variety of trees and shrubs at Bluebell Nursery and Arboretum in Derbyshire catches the eye of Charles Quest-Ritson

Travel

Emma Love picks out the top private escapes, Owen Holmes profiles five of the best New York members’ clubs, Richard MacKichan reveals how pets can join the jet set and Pamela Goodman learns that a head for heights doesn’t always run in the family

Arts & antiques

Carla Passino meets Leah Wood, an artist drawing inspiration from the natural world and highlighting the threats facing many species

Eat play love

Mary Miers tells the remarkable life story of photo-journalist Lee Miller, who brought fashion to the Blitz-hit streets of London and took a bath in Hitler’s tub

Here's a look at some of what you'll find inside:

When not in Rome

The appeal of the Cotswolds was not lost on the Romans, who made Cirencester their second city. Charles Harris investigates

Interiors

Create that dream culinary haven as Amelia Thorpe shares the latest kitchens and accessories

Property market

Georgian rectories for sale in the Cotswolds are rare as hens’ teeth, but a precious few are now on the market, finds Penny Churchill

Properties of the week

Arabella Youens seeks out charming cottages and picture-perfect farmhouses looking for new owners in the Cotswolds

Brooching the subject

The brooch is back, declares Mary Miers, as she examines the glittering history of a jewel championed by the late Queen

Franny Moyle’s favourite painting

The author chooses a striking self-portrait showing a brilliant command of light and shade

Country house treasures

John Goodall tells the tragic, long-forgotten tale of Emily Bulwer Lytton that has been uncovered at Knebworth in Hertfordshire

A school transformed

John Martin Robinson charts the intriguing story of Capel House in Gloucestershire, from village school to stylish home

The legacy

Tiffany Daneff hails trailblazing botanical painter Marianne North

Stile and substance

Harry Pearson surveys the array of kissing gates, clapper stiles, steps and ladders that aid our passage across the countryside

Smooth moves

Beckford Silk has been spinning a yarn in the Cotswolds for the past 50 years, finds Ben Lerwill

The good stuff

Accessories of an autumnal hue selected by Amie Elizabeth White

Pick and mix

Mary Keen visits a burgeoning cut-flower business in rural Oxfordshire that is branching out with a pick-your-own area

Of ancient repute

Ian Morton celebrates the great utility and beauty of verbascum

Arts & antiques

Carla Passino profiles Conrad Martens, the talented artist lucky enough to join Darwin’s ‘jolly cruize’ aboard the Beagle

The theatre that released a queen

Henrietta Bredin explores the influential role played by Marie Antoinette in the 18th-century renaissance of French opera

Escape to the country

Michael Billington hails a new play dealing with the pitfalls and politics affecting rural life

Here's a look at some of what you'll find inside:

Jewelled meadows

More than 150 years after William Robinson advocated the use of bulbs to enliven long grass, Non Morris investigates the techniques used to create today’s most dazzling displays

All in a day’s work

Daylilies are definitely enjoying their moment in the sun. Annie Gatti meets the nursery owners at the forefront of an explosion in new Hemerocallis varieties

Four wheels and the best of both worlds

James Fisher borrows a 1962 Austin Healey for a day as he hits the glorious open roads of Leicestershire’s Welland valley

Give it some welly

The 200-year history of Arthur Wellesley’s favourite Wellington boot is a tale of muck and bullets… and much more, as Deborah Nicholls-Lee reveals

Property market

Gardening great and national treasure Alan Titchmarsh is sell-ing up and heading for pastures new, reports Penny Churchill

Alice Loxton’s favourite painting

The historian chooses a portrait of a young, vulnerable Elizabeth I

New series: Country-house treasures

The Glyndebourne organ is so powerful it brought the house down, reveals John Goodall

The legacy

Kate Green salutes the peer-less ‘Pomp and Circumstance’ of composer Edward Elgar

Rare species

Charles Quest-Ritson believes the future of our gardens is in safe hands as he profiles a trio of leading young horticulturists

Grand scale

Amelia Thorpe picks out large planters for trees and shrubs

A most pleasing appearance

Jeremy Musson admires the extensive restoration of house and grounds at magnificent Marble Hill in Richmond, London

The good stuff

Having fun with fungi: Hetty Lintell picks some mushroom marvels

Eventing’s party at the Palace

Kate Green is hoping for home joy when Europe’s top eventers visit Blenheim in Oxfordshire

A first time for everything

David Profumo is in Helmsdale heaven as he enjoys a week of piscatorial pleasure in Scotland

Interiors

Inspiration aplenty beckons at a series of London design shows, discovers Amelia Thorpe

Loafing around

There is nothing stale about the Tuscan treat panzanella, argues Tom Parker Bowles

Arts & antiques

An early-20th-century interest in van Gogh can be attributed to one woman—Helene Kröller-Müller, reveals Carla Passino

The power of three

Michael Prodger examines how the Graces became embroiled in the creative power struggle between painting and sculpture

Here's a look at some of what you'll find inside:

New series: Country-house treasures

What’s in a name? John Goodall investigates the intriguing 1788 signatures scratched into the window panes of 17th-century Stedcombe House in Devon

All the King’s horses

Matthew Dennison charts the remarkable history of the Royal Mews, the ‘small village’ in central London that first opened its stable doors 200 years ago

In the garden

The baton-like fruits of fuchsias are blessed with a long, deep flavour, reveals Mark Diacono, as he harvests a handful to make a delicious late-summer sorbet

Accept no imitations

Penny-bun mushrooms are far more popular on the Continent than in the UK, but John Wright is a fan of the flavoursome fungi

The queen of arts

Marie Antoinette’s style and flair filled the palaces of France with beautiful and charming objects, as Matthew Dennison reveals

Niccy Hallifax’s favourite painting

The festival director picks a work celebrating the age of steam

Fit for a queen

Annabel Westman admires the restoration of a state bed created to welcome Queen Victoria to Arundel Castle in West Sussex

The legacy

Kate Green applauds the equestrian vision of Lord Burghley

You’d bletter believe it

It’s time to put medlar back on the menu, argues Jane Steward

From rugs to riches

Matthew Dennison delves into the intricate designs of rag rugs

The good stuff

Beautiful bows of all shapes and sizes catch Hetty Lintell’s eye

Interiors

Amelia Thorpe searches out the best in elegant bathroom design

London Life

• Raising a brood in Bermondsey with Russell Higham
• All you need to know this month
• The COUNTRY LIFE guide to the capital’s leading museum restaurants

Memories are made of this

Tiffany Daneff hails the amazing transformation of the gardens at Salthrop Manor in Wiltshire

Travel

• Emma Love seeks winter sun
• Mark Hedges enjoys a Pacific paradise
• Rosie Paterson gets her skis on, and samples a Secret resort in the Maldives
• Camilla Hewitt is wowed by an Italian reopening
• Pamela Goodman is haunted by a French château

Arts & antiques

Carla Passino examines the influence of leading portrait painter Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun

And much more

Here's a look at some of what you'll find inside:

Me, myself and I

Bearing in mind Wordsworth’s ‘bliss of solitude’, Laura Parker explores the pros and cons of going it alone in both the animal and human kingdoms

The gall of it!

Deborah Nicholls-Lee gets to grips with galls, those intriguing appendages of Nature whose looks range from the gloriously beautiful… to the grotesque

Keep your eye on the ball

Queen Charlotte’s Ball remains a highlight of the Society calendar after more than 200 years, as Eleanor Doughty discovers

To the manner born

Rather than being a leftover from a bygone age, etiquette should evolve to reflect modern life, argues William Hanson

Border terrors

Charles Quest-Ritson looks at what we can learn from the best borders in the business, from Great Dixter to RHS Wisley

Baron von Pfetten’s favourite painting

The MFH and diplomat on a 16th-century East vs West tapestry

A city of spires and towers

In the second of two articles, John Goodall charts the recent history of Glamis Castle in Angus, much loved by the late Queen Mother

The legacy

The high seas are a safer place thanks to Sir Francis Beaufort’s wind scale, reveals Agnes Stamp

Scale model

David Profumo profiles the sturgeon, fêted by Edward II as one of our ‘Fishes Royal’

What lies beneath

John Lewis-Stempel’s eventful walk in a wheat field alive with activity gives lie to BB’s assertion that August is a barren month

Interiors

Arabella Youens admires a spacious kitchen and Amelia Thorpe has the pick of chic tableware

Luxury

Hetty Lintell spies sparkling new jewels and Richard Hammond shares his favourite things

Arts & antiques

How did a forgotten English four-poster bed end up at The Met in New York, asks Carla Passino

Feat of clay

Corinne Julius celebrates the rise to prominence of ceramics, once a craft of form and function, but now in favour as a fine art

Class act

The Country Life guide to school open days

And much more

Here's a look at some of what you'll find inside.

A castle reborn

In the first of two articles, John Goodall charts the emergence of Glamis Castle in Angus as one of the landmark buildings in Scottish architecture.

Wild at heart

Jack Watkins pays tribute to The Thirty-Nine Steps author John Buchan, still acclaimed as the master of suspense 150 years after his birth.

Property Market

Penny Churchill finds plenty to interest north-of-the-Border buyers, from a Baronial estate to a peaceful private island.

Properties of the Week

Holly Kirkwood shares unusual homes for sale in Scotland, including a former lifeboat station.

Telling it how it was

The radical Glasgow Boys took the 19th-century art world by storm as they brought a freshness and verve to simple scenes.

Come shell or high water

The wild and rugged Scottish coastline is home to top-quality shellfish. Nick Hammond takes us on a tour of the hotspots.

Oh, honey honey

Sarah Todd savours the flavour of honeyberries, the Scottish superfood oozing vitamin C.

Northern exposure

Self-sufficiency is helping to keep 19th-century Inverewe gardens in Wester Ross at the peak of their powers, reveals Caroline Donald.

Arts & antiques

Bonhams art specialist Leo Webster tells Carla Passino why his most prized possession is a well-travelled Macdonald kilt.

And much more

Here's a look at some of what you'll find inside.

A seat of science

William Aslet charts the intriguing history of The King’s Observatory at Kew in London from scientific past to residential present

For the love of Eleanor
Alice Loxton follows the trail of the 12 stone crosses built by Edward I as a monument to his beloved Queen Consort

‘Flashes of rage, terror, elation, relief and amazement’

On the 80th anniversary of victory in Japan, Charles Harris recalls the remarkable characters who led the campaign in the Far East

Tim Robinson’s favourite painting

The author chooses a work that explores the tyranny of power

The legacy

Kate Green lauds Leicestershire farmer Robert Bakewell’s lasting influence on livestock breeding

It’s good to stork

The great white bird — a symbol of rebirth — is experiencing something of a renaissance in Britain, as Jack Watkins reveals

Country Life International

· Russell Higham reveals how Guernsey inspired Victor Hugo and Renoir

· Adam Hay-Nicholls joins in 80th-anniversary Liberation Day celebrations

· Holly Kirkwood shares the top properties for sale

· Emma Hughes gets the scoop on the Channel Island’s delicious ice cream

Interiors

Arabella Youens hails the transformation of a coastal Sussex kitchen and Giles Kime shares bright ideas on subtle lighting

The good stuff

Hetty Lintell highlights the juicy pink picks creating a raspberry ripple in the accessories world

Back from the brink

Jane Powers applauds the remarkable rescue and restoration of the historic 35-acre gardens at Ballynure House in Co Wicklow

Winging it

Mark Cocker hones his senses to take in the magnificent sight and sound of a buzzard in flight

Bring me sunshine

Le Grand Aïoli is Provence on a plate for Tom Parker Bowles, who tucks into a spread rated one of the ‘grandest dishes ever’

Time to join the fan club

The scorching summer weather has ushered in a fresh wave of interest in fashionable fans, as Jack Watkins discovers

Arts & antiques

Clive Hicks-Jenkins tells Carla Passino how he embraced the epic, daunting challenge of illustrating the works of Homer

Heart Deco

A century has passed since the glitz and glamour of the 1920s that was labelled Art Deco. Gavin Plumley investigates its influence

And much more