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From the Country Life archive: The 19th century answer to Swingball
Every Monday, Melanie Bryan, delves into the hidden depths of Country Life's extraordinary archive to bring you a long-forgotten story, photograph or advert.
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Curious questions: Why do golf balls have dimples? And why are tennis balls furry?
As the weather picks up and tennis takes over the silver screen, millions of us are starting to thinking about dusting off our golf clubs and tennis rackets. Which begs the question, why aren't the balls we use for tennis and golf perfectly smooth?
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Clare Balding and Andrew Balding's day-by-day guide to Royal Ascot 2025
Country Life caught up with Clare Balding and Andrew Balding to get their expert view as Royal Ascot 2025 gets under way.
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'We started thinking: if we were going to design a bike for Aston Martin, what would it look like? And then we simply couldn’t stop': Aston's new bike has everything you could ever dream of — except a price tag
The new Aston Martin .1R bicycle, a collaboration with manufacturer J.Laverack, leaves Paul Henderson stirred rather than shaken.
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'We don’t expect to catch monsters in British seas': The return of the bluefin tuna
It’s no longer necessary to venture to tropical waters in order to catch a monster tuna, says Jonathan Young, as he attempts to land a big-game fish in Falmouth Bay.
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From 'Gerroff my land' to 'Get on my land': Farmers are keen to set the record straight with Open Farm Sunday 2025
The event — which sees farmers throw open their gates to visitors — returns for its 19th year on Sunday, June 8 with hundreds of farms across Britain will be taking part.
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New balls please: Eddie Redmayne, Anna Wintour and Laura Bailey on the sensory pleasures of playing tennis
Little beats the popping sound and rubbery smell of a new tube of tennis balls — even if you're a leading Hollywood actor.
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How Country Life launched the career of Alistair Mackenzie, the architect who created Augusta National's iconic golf course
Alister Mackenzie winning golf hole design.
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'Dozens died, and during the 1683 Thames Frost Fair a party of skaters was caught by the wind and blown out to sea': The risky business of skating on thin ice
Now that we've successfully negotiated the ice skating season, spare a thought for those in the past who literally put their lives on the line to enjoy winter's most elegant pastime.
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Skate at Somerset House is the friendliest thing you'll ever do in London
Relying on the kindness of strangers is alive, well, and found in Skate at Somerset House on the Strand.
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The seven greatest winners in the history of the Badminton Horse Trials
The Badminton Horse Trials, the oldest competition of its kind in the world, celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2024. Kate Green chooses seven heroic winners in its history.
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The Ship Inn Cricket Club: The tale of the world's only cricket club to play its matches on the beach
A game of beach cricket with captains and kings leaves Steve King with hazy memories, but the all-encompassing glow of a perfect game (despite losing by three wickets).
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How a British team of mountaineers conquered Everest, the 'goddess of the sky'
Seventy years ago, on the eve of the Queen’s coronation, Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay reached the summit of Everest. Octavia Pollock considers the legacy of their achievement and what it meant for British mountaineering.
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The A to Z of the Cheltenham Festival, from Arkle to Zarkander
Here is all you need to know about the 2023 Cheltenham National Hunt Festival, one of the greatest sporting occasions on the calendar.
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The Royal Company of Archers: The tale of the The Queen’s Body Guard for Scotland
Sir Walter Scott’s legacy lives on as The Queen’s Body Guard for Scotland, The Royal Company of Archers, celebrates its bicentenary on a joyful royal occasion. Jamie Blackett brushes off his uniform.
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Country house eventing: Where houses meet horses
Some of Britain’s greatest country houses become equine sporting amphitheatres once a year. Kate Green reports on how cultures collide with spectacular results. Photographs by Mark Williamson and Christopher Doyle.
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Curious Questions: Was Captain Webb the first to swim the channel?
Captain Matthew Webb was famously the first man to successfully swim the English Channel — or was he? Martin Fone investigates.
