Country Life 2 March 2022

published 2 March 2022

CIVIL WAR: The face of England changed forever amid the ravages of the Civil War, reveals Anna Keay.

DESERT ISLAND DISCS: Jack Watkins on why we’re still listening to Desert Island Discs.

JAMES MCNEILL WHISTLER: The artist may have earnt the wrath of Ruskin, but his lyrical paintings are worth seeing, says Caroline Bugler.

TOWN V COUNTRY: Divide by Anna Jones offers hope for healing the town/country breach, says Clive Aslet.

LONDON LIFE: Royal Parks, tiny gardens, leafy Ham and Petersham, spring in town and a trail-blazing rector.

125 YEARS OF COUNTRY LIFE: Melanie Bryan looks at the 1920s in the pages of Country Life.

MY FAVOURITE PAINTING: Tug Rice, artist, chooses a seminal illustration of a chivalric legend.

THE SEARCH FOR ENDURANCE: Carla Carlisle is captivated by the search for Shackleton’s lost ship.

ARCHITECTURE: The Carpenters’ Company Hall, London EC2, rose from the ashes of the Blitz in astonishing style, discovers John Goodall.

POTATOES: The humble spud should be eaten and worshipped in all its butter-soaked, crispy, creamy glory, avers Tom Parker Bowles.

SIGNET RINGS: A signet ring is a joy to wear and gives a letter that extra something, says Jonathan Self.

LUXURY: Hetty Lintell falls for the shiny delights of silver animals.

INTERIORS: London Design Week.

SPRINGTIME: A Victorian favourite, the sweet little native violet, is returning to our gardens in new varieties. John Hoyland is delighted.

RECIPE: Kitchen garden cook Melanie Johnson conjures pink treats with succulent rhubarb.

LOOK AWAY NOW: James Fisher is unimpressed by England’s cricketing failures.

Country Life is unlike any other magazine: the only glossy weekly on the newsstand and the only magazine that has been guest-edited by His Majesty 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.