Country Life March 4, 2026
What kind of wedding guest are you? Plus the birds doing brilliantly and how Stubbs changed art, all in Country Life March 4, 2026.
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
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
