Country Life 18 September 2024
Country Life 18 September 2024 looks at the best-kept secrets in the Cotswolds, the exotic animals who've made Britain their home and the man who made steel stainless.

Here's a look at some of what you'll find inside.
The legacy
Amie Elizabeth White hails king of cutlery Harry Brearley, whose stainless-steel invention was — like himself — ‘made in Sheffield’
Country Life’s little-known gems of the Cotswolds
Jane Wheatley swerves the honeypots to share some of the region’s lesser-known places to eat, shop, stay or unwind
Dem bones, dem bones
The world’s first named dinosaur was found in the beautiful Oxfordshire village of Stonesfield. Ben Lerwill meets the Megalosaurus
A taste of the exotic
From coatimundis in Cumbria to scorpions in Kent, Victoria Marston introduces some of Britain’s most exotic residents
One bray at a time
The stoic and devoted donkey is often misunderstood, but it is capable of melting the hardest of hearts, as Katy Birchall learns
Marking time in the Cotswolds
Penny Churchill showcases the best country houses for sale in this sought-after region
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Out of the ordinary
Annunciata Elwes scours the Cotswolds property market for something a little different
Geraldine Collinge’s favourite painting
The art-gallery director chooses a spectacular, nightmarish work
Revealing the Roman Cotswolds
Clive Aslet investigates the role of antiquarian Samuel Lysons in recording the excavation of Roman villas in the Cotswolds
Love in an elevator
Country house lifts have been going up in the world ever since Queen Victoria’s day, as Melanie Cable-Alexander discovers
Interiors
Ideas and inspiration for your kitchen, with Amelia Thorpe
Where the north wind doth blow
Tiffany Daneff is blown away by panoramic views and weatherproof planting in the garden at Coates Barn in Warwickshire
Kitchen garden cook
Melanie Johnson pairs pears with both sweet and savoury
Foraging
Oyster mushrooms are a woodland delicacy, but vegans might be put off by their carnivorous tendencies, reveals John Wright
The good stuff
Hetty Lintell is on the prowl for luxurious leopard-print pieces
Travel
Steven King heads to Hungary to discover how autumn mists make Tokaji wine irresistible
We band of brothers
Octavia Pollock marvels at the medals of yesteryear, finding that many of their mottos and motifs are works of art in their own right
Right as rain
Michael Prodger dodges the showers to examine drizzle, downpour and deluge in art
The spy who came onto the stage
The first stage adaptation of a Le Carré novel is compelling viewing, says Michael Billington
Country Life is unlike any other magazine: the only glossy weekly on the newsstand and the only magazine that has been guest-edited by HRH The King not once, but twice. It is a celebration of modern rural life and all its diverse joys and pleasures — that was first published in Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee year. Our eclectic mixture of witty and informative content — from the most up-to-date property news and commentary and a coveted glimpse inside some of the UK's best houses and gardens, to gardening, the arts and interior design, written by experts in their field — still cannot be found in print or online, anywhere else.
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Robin Hood's seaside getaway, and who appears on the £20 note?
Our daily quiz features one of the most beautiful spots in Britain... but where is it?
By Toby Keel Published
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A glorious 17th century home in one of the most exclusive waterside villages in Britain
Orchard House was lucky not to have been sunk beneath the surface of Rutland Water when it was created in the 1970s — but it did, and today this wonderful spot is looking better than ever.
By Toby Keel Last updated