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Athena: In the eyes of Government, will the Arts always be last?
After a year of Labour rule, life doesn't seem to be getting any better for Britain's cultural institutions.
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Inverewe: The making of 'The Oasis of the North' in a wind-battered corner of north-west Scotland
Innovative 21st-century composting and mulching techniques combined with a 19th-century shelterbelt ensure that the famous gardens of Inverewe in Wester Ross continue to thrive. Caroline Donald explains more; photographs by Andrea Jones.
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Giles Kime: 'Why contemporary art should become a feature of everyday life'
The belief that contemporary art looks best when displayed against a white, minimalist backdrop is dangerous — it can also make it look irrelevant, our Interiors Editor writes.
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The designer's room: This kitchen in a Queen Anne-style home is proof that pretty and practical can go hand in hand
Hiding the conveniences of modern-day living lends a timeless feel to the kitchen of this 18th-century house.
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A five minute guide to the Loch Ness monster
The legend of the Loch Ness monster has endured for more than a thousand years, inspiring countless works of art along the way.
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Ballynure House: The magical estate that transformed its bramble-covered historic garden into a pollinator paradise
Where brambles once engulfed the historic gardens at Ballynure House in Co Wicklow, Ireland — home of Clare Reid Scott — colourful flower borders now hum with pollinators. Photographs by Jonathan Hession.
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Giles Kime: 'Darkness in an interior is equally as beguiling as large amounts of natural light'
Why subtle lighting is about more than a dimmer switch.
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Defanging the Gardens Trust will hurt our most precious landscapes
The Government has proposed to remove the Garden Trust's position as a statutory consultee in planning permissions for up to 1,700 historic landscapes and gardens in order to speed up building.
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'Tones of natural wood and warm olive': Isabella Worsley transforms a coastal Sussex kitchen
For this kitchen on the Sussex coast, Isabella Worsley dispensed with a classic seaside palette and turned to rich colours and natural textures
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‘I was rather excited, not remotely daunted... With hindsight, I should have been': The 25-year creation of the gardens of Glenarm Castle
Pay a visit to the gardens at Glenarm Castle in Co Antrim — home of Randal and Aurora McDonnell — is hard to credit that nearly all of the present garden was made this century, marvels Kathryn Bradley-Hole. Photographs by Clive Nichols.
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The pinnacle of the English style of gardening, as fine today as it was a century ago
Charles Quest-Ritson has just returned to Great Dixter for the first time in years — and it's 'the high point of all my garden visiting for a long time. I cannot recommend it too highly'.
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The designer's room: The large country home with relaxed and easy to maintain interiors
Arabella Youens talks to Nicola Harding about her decision to juxtapose an imposing piece of furniture with utilitarian fabric.
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The piece I'd never part with: A portrait of blues singer Lead Belly by the 'tricky old rogue' who accidentally kicked one of the Royal corgis
A vigorous portrait of blues singer Lead Belly rekindles art dealer Sara Stewart’s memories of the infuriating genius Howard Morgan.
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Art saved for the nation? Not enough, it would seem
The recent publication of a report on export control of art from the UK makes depressing reading.
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Good things come in small packages: The art of an excellent miniature
With so many medals to fit on the tiniest miniature she had ever worked on, limner Elizabeth Meek literally had to hold her breath when painting the portrait of Charles III, but the result is a resounding success.
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'Knoll offers a masterclass in the adaptability of grass': The Dorset garden that went from tourist attraction to specialist nursery
Tilly Ware visits Knoll Gardens in Dorset, which offers a masterclass in grasses and how to make your garden stay beautiful for longer.
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The perks of being wallpaper: A collection of never-before-seen William Morris designs are to go on sale
The first new Morris & Co. designs in a century were developed using archive materials discovered inside a Californian library.
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'The greatest collection of Surrealism to emerge in recent history’: The contents of iconic art collector Pauline Karpidas’s London home are heading to auction
Works by Andy Warhol and Pablo Picasso are included in the sale of the items in the collector's apartment which overlooks Hyde Park.
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The grass isn’t always greener on the other side: Five alternatives to lawn, from fleshy sedums to aromatic thyme
No Mow May and similar initiatives want to inspire gardeners to replace their lawns with pollinator-friendly alternatives — but knowing where to start and what to do is an off-putting minefield.
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The rose that flowers 'from October to summer', and the man who used it to light up a beautiful corner of London
George Plumptre pays tribute to the late Roger Phillips, whose seminal book on trees has been updated almost 50 years after its initial publication.
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Kitchen island or table? The little distinction that makes a big difference
Arabella Youens considers the renaissance of the cook’s table — a vortex of culinary activity, used for everything from rolling out pastry to boning a chicken.
