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What’s better than a date with Ali MacGraw? Tending to your wax jacket, according to Steve McQueen
This is the story of the world’s most useful jacket.
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At the Bonneville Salt Flats, the only currency is speed
Charlie Thomas reports from Speed Week, and talks to those with a bad case of 'Salt Fever'.
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The curious case of Cecil Beaton and Madame X
When he noticed an uncanny resemblance between John Singer Sargent’s painting of Virginie Gautreau and a Cecil Beaton portrait of Leslie Caron, Patrick Monahan called on the Hollywood Golden Age actress to investigate.
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This watch was worn by the first woman to swim the English Channel, changing the horological world forever. Now it's going under the hammer
The early Rolex Oyster was worn by pioneering cross-Channel swimmer Mercedes Gleitze in 1927.
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Eccentric, awe-inspiring and a home-from-home for literary giants: Why the London Library is an institution like no other
The London Library is celebrating 180 years in St James’s Square.
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A five minute guide to Wayne Thiebaud — the artist who 'reinvented still life as a genre and found fame in the process'
The Courtauld Institute is staging the first-ever exhibition of Wayne Thiebaud's work.
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What is everyone talking about this week: Does Britain need its own Met Gala?
Will Hosie questions what form the British Museum's upcoming fundraising gala should take.
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Five émigré artists who greatly enriched Britain's intellectual and creative scenes
Frieze Masters kicks off this week and several contributing galleries are using it to shine a spotlight on the artistic contribution of émigrés past and present.
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Nine of Britain's most beautiful and awe-inspiring painted ceilings from the Country Life archive
Our round-up of some of the Britain's prettiest painted ceilings is a good reminder to always look up.
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The Glovebox: The fastest coffee shop on four wheels
Bentley joins forces with Joe & The Juice, Rolls-Royce makes a Spectre for a dog, an Austin Mini with royal connections comes up for auctions, and Norman Foster clambers into a Bulldog.
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‘One remembers not to give the Queen a thump of joyful friendliness’: Remembering Norman Parkinson — revolutionary fashion photographer and Cecil Beaton’s only homegrown rival
Cecil Beaton might be the toast of London right now, with a new exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery, but contemporary Norman Parkinson was always hot on his heels.
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Tim Knox, director of the Royal Collection, charts a century of regal taste
Edward VII swept away the cobwebs of mid-Victorian style, Queen Mary had passion for all things small and the Queen Mother bought rather avant-garde art.
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‘One of the most amazing spaces in London’: Two Hogarth murals, inside an 18th century London hospital, are to go on public display for the first time
St Bartholomew's Hospital’s north wing is to open as a visitor attraction and events space — while the rest of the hospital will continue to operate as normal.
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Sophia Money-Coutts: A snob's guide to wellies
Wellington boots are a signifier, says Sophia Money-Coutts, of whether you are 'proper country' or not.
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Fall the right way: Country Life's shopping guide to the very best this autumn
From tweed to tartan, scented candles to sandwiches, here's how to spend your money this autumn.
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What to expect when you start collecting
Starting a new collection can be daunting. Art advisor Patrick Monahan shares his top tips on what and how to buy and what to avoid.
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If the electric-vehicle revolution is anything like the Lotus Emeya, we needn't be so worried
The new 'hyper GT' from Lotus is as good an effort at an exciting EV that can currently be found on British roads.
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If I could turn back time: Is your vintage timepiece the real deal? Yes — if you buy it directly from this watch brand
IWC's new Curated collection takes the hassle out of vintage watch buying.
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These boots were made for walking (up Mount Everest, 101 years ago): How identical twin brothers plan to test George Mallory's shoes against modern-day mountaineering kit
Shoemaker Crockett & Jones has crafted a replica pair of George Mallory's boots for one half of The Turner Twins to wear in the high-altitude Himalayas.
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Diversity in style and diversity in location: London's best art is all around us
London's hotels, pubs and restaurants show the great depth of the capital's artistic tastes.
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Wedgwood's craftspeople produce objects that dignify our lives daily in countless ways — here's hoping that better times lie ahead
Country Life's cultural commentator Athena analyses the concerning developments at Wedgwood.
