Country Life 5 December 2018


Country Life 5 December 2018 features Britain's best wildlife photography, our top choices for Christmas wines and why house plants are making a return.
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SPELLBINDING: Paula Lester is captivated by images from the British Wildlife Photography Awards.
THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS: Grahame's best-loved characters, born from a great love of nature.
CHRISTMAS WINES: From fizz to Port, Harry Eyres pick the best wines for the festive season.
HOUSE PLANTS: Steven Desmond explains this most recent Victorian revival.
SEAT OF CIVILISATION: The second of two articles on Seawood Castle and its life as the home of Kenneth Clark.
Exquisite houses, the beauty of Nature, and how to get the most from your life, straight to your inbox.
FAVOURITE PAINTING: Bamber Gascoigne chooses a poignant portrait.
PIGGERY TO PALACE: How neglected outbuildings become family homes and luxury hideaways.
LIVING NATIONAL TREASURE: The ice sculptor.
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BY THE BOOK: Octavia Pollock on why the Encyclopaedia Britannica still has a place in the age of Google.
INTERIORS: Entrancing entrance halls.
CRANBERRIES: Tasty bakes, curtesy of Melanie Johnson.
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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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The life that thrives among the dead: How wildlife finds a home in the graveyards and churchyards of Britain
Home to a veritable ‘Noah’s Ark of species’, thanks to never being ploughed, sprayed or fertilised, our churchyards offer a sacred haven for flora and fauna, says Laura Parker.
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‘What a shame when a dinosaur disappears into the mansion of an oligarch rather than being displayed for all to enjoy’: The ethics of the dinosaur auction
Fancy a stegosaurus in your living room? You can buy one at auction. But the latest luxury good is a paleontologist's worst nightmare.