The Oxford of Inspector Morse: Dreaming spires, dead bodies... and lots and lots of pubs
The Oxford of Inspector Morse: Dreaming spires, dead bodies... and lots and lots of pubs.
Theatre, film & music
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Credit: Getty In Focus: The hand-drawn maps from which JRR Tolkien launched Middle-earth
'I wisely started with a map and made the story fit,' JRR Tolkien once wrote. A new exhibition in Oxford – the writer's home for so many years – shows just how true that is, and offers a treasure trove for fans. Michael Murray-Fennell reports.
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The parsonage at Haworth ©Just Paget / Country Life Picture Library Credit: Just Paget / Country Life Picture Library Inside Haworth: The humble parsonage where the Brontë sisters changed literature
Some of our most enduring stories were conceived at Haworth – Jeremy Musson enjoys a literary pilgrimage.
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Scyther Nigel Adams in the churchyard at Pyrton Church, Oxfordshire. Pictures © Richard Cannon/Country Life Picture Library Credit: Scyther Nigel Adams in the churchyard at Pyrton Church, Oxfordshire. Pictures © Richard Cannon/Country Life Picture Library The Scyther: ‘We were up in arms about Poldark – his swing was all wrong’
Scything was almost forgotten until Aidan Turner’s turn in Poldark, but Nigel Adams says there’s still a place for it. He spoke to Tessa Waugh; portraits by Richard Cannon.
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Credit: ©Tristram Kenton Kiss me, Kate at the London Coliseum: Not 'better' than Shakespeare – but certainly more enjoyable to watch
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Credit: alamy Life after Downton Abbey: How Highclere Castle is moving on
Highclere Castle was made famous across the world as Downton Abbey – and the money that it generated saved this beautiful country home for future generations. But they're still moving onwards in a post-Downton world, as Octavia Pollock explains.
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Curious Questions: Why do actors say ‘break a leg’?
The best-known phrase for wishing an actor luck is also the most baffling. Martin Fone, author of 'Fifty Curious Questions', investigates.
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DCH985 Cast iron bell in the belfry of All Saints Church, Curry Mallet made by hand during the mid 18th century. Learning the ropes: The new breed of church bell ringers
Far from being the preserve of older devotees, church bell-ringing is increasingly popular with youngsters. Vicky Liddell meets the teenagers for whom the bell tolls.
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Credit: Alamy Nursery rhymes: How murder, theft and fake news found their way into the tales we tell our children
Murder, animal cruelty and dishonesty aren’t generally considered child-friendly topics, yet they’re the basis of many much-loved nursery rhymes. Flora Watkins explains.
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Jason Goodwin: The upside of life in a harem, and modern-day slavery on the King's Road
Our columnist Jason Goodwin considers the realities of everyday existence for the women kept in 18th century Ottoman harems.
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15 fascinating things about animal actors, from dogs and cockroaches to the penguin who was fired out of a cannon
Animal ‘actors’ are often remembered long after their human co-stars. Flora Watkins meets people who’ve worked with ravens, stags, dogs, horses–and cockroaches.
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Credit: Johan Persson The Billies: Country Life's 2017 theatre awards, from best play to Ayckbourn's 'crushing disappointment'
After watching new productions at a rate of about four a week, our theatre critic Michael Billington presents the brilliantly good, the excruciatingly bad and the movingly sad of this year.
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The tale of a ‘real-life’ Billy Elliot: How cricketer Alexander Campbell swapped batting for ballet
Today, Alexander Campbell is a principal at the Royal Ballet. But for a long time it seemed that his destiny lay along a very different path. He spoke to Jeremy Taylor.
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Why we still love pantomime ('Oh no we don't'...'Oh yes we do'...)
Corny, hammed-up, ritualistic – and yet Pantomime is still a hugely lovely theatrical format. Perennial pantomime villain Kit Hesketh-Harvey explains why.
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The life of a modern magician: Razor blades, ballet shoes and bumping into the Obamas
What does it take to be a modern-day magician? Emma Hughes finds out. Main photograph by Richard Cannon.
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Credit: Alamy Six audiobooks for Christmas, from Dickens to the latest Booker Prize winner
For book lovers who never get the time to read, audiobooks can make a great present. We've picked out five fine options.
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Handel's Messiah: Nine of the greatest places to enjoy a wonderful Christmas tradition
Handel's Messiah is more than just a wonderful piece of music: it's a Christmas tradition in Britain. Ysenda Maxtone-Graham takes a look at the story behind it and picks some of her favourite places to hear it being sung.
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Nigel Havers on meeting Mick Jagger, turning down Chariots of Fire and a poodle puppy
Nigel Havers boasts an acting career that spans six decades. He spoke to Jeremy Taylor about mastering the art of the dashingly handsome charmer – and the occasional cad.
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Credit: Grange Park Opera Grange Park Opera's latest plans, plus a reader offer for the 2018 season
Grange Park Opera is now seeking support for phase two of the development at its new location – and you can help.
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What it feels like to play a violin that cost millions with a bow that cost more than a house
What it feels like to play a violin that cost millions – with a bow that cost more than a house.
