The stained-glass maker: ‘It’s powerful, volatile… too overwhelming for domestic settings’
Thomas Denny makes windows that are not only pictures hidden in colourful patterns, but complex interweavings of naturalistic and biblical imagery, radiant and spiritual.
The neon sign maker: ‘Piccadilly Circus was our answer to Vegas – now it’s all pixellated screens’
‘Every time I come here, it blows my mind,’ admits Marcus Bracey as he approaches Gods Own Junkyard, his neon emporium in Walthamstow.
The putcher fisherman: Flying the flag for a dying way of life
Chris Cadogan, the only remaining fisherman to practice this medieval method on the Severn.
The sculptor: ‘Every day, I go into the studio in the morning and set about things. I don’t know any other way to live’
James Butler (MBE, RA, RWA, FRBS) is in his late 80s and still sculpting every day.
The glass-eye maker: ‘I make sure that the eye fits, but psychology comes into my work as well’
Jost Haas, the only remaining maker of glass eyes working in Britain today.
The ship’s figurehead carver: ‘It used to be a profession and every port would have had one, but now it’s a dying art’
In the expert hands of Andy Peters, pine is sculpted into a glorious array of decorative items, but the show-stopping figureheads that stand up to 15ft high are his bread-and-butter.
The glassblower: ‘When something goes wrong you can’t fix it – you just sling in into the bosh bucket and start again’
Ian Shearman's team of glassblowers are still making glass using a technique that's 2,000 years old.
The swill basket maker: ‘Even after 30 years, it’s still a challenge; every tree is different and each batch of baskets has its own journey’
You could travel many miles to find someone who relishes his working day as much as Owen Jones enjoys creating oak swill baskets.
The poppy maker: ‘I was very weak, very emotional and in a bad place when I started, but I’m back to my old self again now’
Wish Lloyd battled a traumatic childhood, the army, an athletics injury and homelessness to find his place at the Poppy Factory, making the poppies we wear every November.
The luthier: 'You don’t know if you’ve been successful until you put the strings on. That’s the moment when it comes alive.'
Tom Sands talks about his life making guitars – and pays tribute to his mentor, a 'cross between Gandalf, Yoda and Mr Miyagi from The Karate Kid.'
Credit: ©Richard Cannon/Country Life Picture Library
The Pigeon Fancier: 'I set up a deckchair in the garden and wait for them to come back. That’s the most exciting part.'
This week’s Living National Treasure is Colin Hill, a pigeon fancier whose birds regularly race from the tip of Scotland
The Florist: 'What I do is like good cooking – if you have beautiful ingredients, you can’t go wrong'
This week's Living National Treasure is royal florist Shane Connolly – and while he might be based in Britain, he's
The dry stone wall builder: 'Every metre of wall contains a ton of stone. You really feel it after a hard week.'
This week's Living National Treasure is Anthony Gorman, a man who has spent his life building beautiful walls by hand
The gold stamper: ‘The younger generation is very appreciative of artisan work – they’re the ones driving the trend’
This week's Living National Treasure is John Timms, the man who leads the team that stamps gold lettering into thousands
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Jnane Rumi, Marrakech, hotel review: 'The most talked about opening this year — and for good reason'The Moroccan capital of Marrakech is the world capital of hotels, says Christopher Wallace — and Jnane Rumi is the latest string to its hospitality bow.
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Breathtaking views and gardens that run down to the water's edge at this delightful home in CornwallThe Garden House in Polruan sums up the appeal of waterside living. Penny Churchill steps inside.
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‘They remain, really, the property of all of those who love them, know them, and tell them. They are our stories, the inheritance of the people of Scotland’: The Anthology of Scottish Folk Tales -
Canine muses: Lucian Freud's etchings of Pluto the whippet are among his most popular and expensive workIn the third edition of our limited series, we meet the dogs who've inspired some of our greatest artists.
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Maybach SL680: A modern motoring marvel from the marque that once catered for Maharajas and movie starsThe Maybach name has been attached to many of Germany's most luxurious cars over the last century — so does the latest iteration live up to the reputation? Simon de Burton got behind the wheel of the Mercedes-Maybach SL 680 — but only after a quick pronunciation lesson.
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‘What a shame when a dinosaur disappears into the mansion of an oligarch rather than being displayed for all to enjoy’: The ethics of the dinosaur auctionFancy a stegosaurus in your living room? You can buy one at auction. But the latest luxury good is a paleontologist's worst nightmare.
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‘There is probably no sport in the world which is so misunderstood’: 75 years of Formula 1 according to the Country Life archiveOn the 75th anniversary of the first ever Formula 1 World Championship Grand Prix, held at Silverstone Circuit, Rosie Paterson delves into the Country Life archives to look at how the magazine once spoke about motorsport.
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‘Reactions to the French in the 1870s varied from outrage to curious interest’: Impressionism's painstaking ten year journey to be taken seriously by the BritsClaude Monet and Camille Pissarro spent time in London, but it took James McNeill Whistler to act as artistic bridge with Britain and the ‘sweetened’ Impressionism of Jules Bastien-Lepage to inspire most homegrown painters.
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What do 19th century rowers, Queen Victoria and Giorgio Armani all have in common? They helped to popularise the world's most versatile jacket — the blazerEveryone from royalty to rappers seems to have one in their wardrobe. Harry Pearson lists the merits of the blazer, a true sartorial team player.
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'"This things is a beast," he said. "When I say brake, brake." He didn't need to tell me twice': What happened when we sent a Country Life writer to tear round Goodwood in a 200mph FerrariJames Fisher Goodwood’s ProDriver Experience is a chance for you to pull on a race suit and live out your childhood fantasies — no matter how tall you are.
