Country Life 19 April 2023

Country Life 19 April 2023 looks at painting horses, Georgian fashion and Nature's greatest impersonators.

Alive and wool

Jane Wheatley spins a yarn in anticipation of Wonderwool, a creative showcase for sheep

 ‘Painting horses is, to me, the breath of life’

Octavia Pollock celebrates the genius of Lucy Kemp-Welch, an artist who portrayed animals with an admirable empathy

That sounds just like you

From talking budgies to dawn-chorus impersonators, Stephen Moss meets the birdsong mimics

Dressed to impress

Amid the towering headdresses and voluminous skirts, Matthew Dennison discovers that fashion was fun in the Georgian era

Raynor Winn’s favourite painting

The author and walker chooses a striking Snowdonia landscape

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Totally foxed

Wildlife will suffer as a result of unworkable new Scottish hunting legislation, argues Jamie Blackett

Is the ‘tourist tax’ realistic?

Charging visitors to our national parks could so easily backfire, suggests Douglas Chalmers

A future in the Arts

John Goodall investigates the colourful history of remarkable West Horsley Place in Surrey

Native breeds

Kate Green admires the noble Bluefaced Leicester, one of the UK’s most elegant sheep breeds

Return of the Mac

The magnificent Mackintosh is 200 years old and still keeping us dry, as Julie Harding discovers

The good stuff

Hetty Lintell earns her stripes with an attention-grabbing array of multicoloured marvels

Interiors

Giles Kime is dazzled by David Hicks in full colour and Amelia Thorpe brushes up on paints

Fronds in high places

Tiffany Daneff visits The Palm Centre in Surrey, home to some of the world’s most exotic plants

Kitchen garden cook

Melanie Johnson celebrates the sheer joy of the springtime forager’s friend: wild garlic

Simply the best

Michael Billington immerses himself in Sir Nicholas Hytner’s spectacular Guys and Dolls

And much more