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Penns in the Rocks: The East Sussex garden created by Vita Sackville-West, with a little help from the huge boulders that stood here when dinosaurs walked the earth
It’s not only the pre-historic rocks that set apart the garden of Penns in the Rocks, near Tunbridge Wells, says George Plumptre. It's the fact that the layout was created by two horticultural legends: Vita Sackville-West and Lanning Roper. Photography by Jason Ingram.
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How do you add historic character back into a soulless room?
Cornices, skirting and a striking colour palette are all key, says Emma Burns, managing director at Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler.
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The British Museum's successful attempt to save a Tudor-era pendant with links to Henry VIII is proof that the institution is on the up
After years of neglect and controversy, Britain's premier cultural institution seems to be finding its feet again.
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'I was utterly bewitched': The heartwarming success story of one of Britain's greatest rose-growers
Charles Quest-Ritson talks to Trevor White, whose Norfolk rose nursery is sought out by enthusiasts for the quality and variety of its stock. Photographs by Richard Bloom.
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William Robinson, the visionary gardener 150 years ahead of his time
A century and a half before the word 'rewilding' entered the gardening lexicon, a pioneering gardener named William Robinson was advocating for a more natural approach to our green spaces. Tiffany Daneff examines his legacy, and his home at Gravetye Manor.
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Is £1.5 billion enough to save our culture?
An announcement of capital spending to 'restore national pride' is welcome, but requires further scrutiny.
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Alan Titchmarsh: I'm always asked about 'creating a sensory garden', and my answer is always the same
From the chirruping of the birds to the sweeping of a broom, Alan Titchmarsh shares the sounds that all our gardens have in common.
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This clever interiors trick is the secret to creating multifunctional spaces — and it was integral to the design of many English country houses of the past
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RHS to run two new touring shows at Badminton and at the royal estate at Sandringham
The King will collaborate with a designer on the RHS Royal Legacy Garden at the Sandringham flower show.
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A study in sculpture: 10 of the finest pieces from the Royal Collection
A new catalogue in four volumes explores the extraordinary riches of the sculpture in the Royal Collection. Its author, Sir Jonathan Marsden, selects 10 of his favourite works that reflect the diversity of this astonishing collection.
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Hello Kitty, the FBI and the exclusive island of Nantucket: Weird and wonderful tartans, and where to find them
This Burns Night, Lotte Brundle offers you a brief history of the internationally celebrated chequered fabric.
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How do you add a dash of theatricality to a 1930s house? By taking inspiration from the legendary architect and set designer Oliver Messel
The design of Alice Palmer’s kitchen was influenced by her foreign travels.
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Beautiful, rewarding, unpronounceable: Chaenomeles, the spectacular shrub that grows happily in gardens where azaleas will never bloom
So many new types of Japanese flowering quince are now available that they have been the subject of a four-year trial by the RHS. Charles Quest-Ritson picks his favourites; just don't ask him to say their names out loud.
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Eileen Soper: The 'schoolgirl among the masters' with paintings in millions of homes, even yours
Renowned for illustrating the ‘Famous Five’ series, the mercurial, motorcar-obsessed Eileen Soper lived a bucolic and eccentric life.
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A mesmerising portrait in the eerie country house that inspired Charlotte Brontë to write 'Jane Eyre'
A dark episode in the family history of Norton Conyers inspired a young Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre — but the hidden attic is just one of many treasures in this grand Yorkshire house.
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Wealthy Boomers collected blue-chip paintings. Gen Z is opting for collectibles. Who will come up trumps?
Handbags, jewellery and luxury vehicles are the aesthetic investments of choice for today’s high-net-worth youth, says a report by Art Basel.
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Are you a curator, a sympathiser or a conscientious objector? Take our Interiors Editor's quiz to discover your design DNA
Complete our quiz to uncover the essence of your personal style, urges Giles Kime.
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Three plants to grow in 2026 that are as delicious as they are pretty, from Siberian chives to 'Turkish warty cabbage'
Our grow-your-own expert Mark Diacono has sound advice for those feeling adventurous in the garden in 2026.
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‘The pair drove to Belgium in their Mini and returned with the chair wrapped in duvets’: The mother-and-daughter duo that brought a converted Cotswolds barn back to life
Arabella Youens speaks to Laura Berkeley-Hawkes and her daughter Gracy about working together and breathing life back into a converted Cotswolds barn.
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The 'micro mosaic' at Holkham Hall that uses a fascinating, unusual technique pioneered by the Vatican
John Goodall speaks to the Earl of Leicester about one of the most unusual and beautiful objects at Holkham Hall in Norfolk.
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Tate-à-tête: The National Gallery’s promise to grow its modern-art collection risks reopening old wounds
The National Gallery's announcement of a new wing and more modern art promises to reignite a historic rivalry with Tate.
