Country Life Archive
Articles and photographs from Country Life's 130-year-old archive.
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Immortalised in 'Poldark' and ravaged by fire: Cornwall's first modern manor houseParts of Tehidy House, a historic Grade II-listed mansion, still stand near Camborne in Cornwall, but it's just not quite the same, says Melanie Bryan.
By Melanie Bryan Published
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This ruinous stately home inspired one of Britain's greatest satirical paintingsMelanie Bryan delves into the Country Life Archive to uncover the story of Sutton Scarsdale Hall.
By Melanie Bryan Published
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Your parents could have bought Ardross Castle — home of The Traitors — for just £70,000Melanie Bryan delves into the Country Life archives and uncloaks the history of the turreted Highland castle made famous by the global TV franchise, 'The Traitors'.
By Melanie Bryan Published
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How a sweet malted milk gave rise to the finest garden in Edwardian EnglandThe story behind the pleasure gardens of Cowley Manor is a fascinating one, albeit with an all too predictable ending.
By Melanie Bryan Published
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What happened to the most important collection of watches ever achieved by a private collector?In an August 1958 issue, Cecil Clutton lamented the almost certain auction and dispersal of the most important collection of watches ever achieved by a private collector. Republished for the first time in nearly 70 years, we also reveal what happened to the precious assortment of timepieces.
By Country Life Published
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Country Life's 'unusually hurried and ill-composed photographs' of a curious home eviscerated by The BlitzRadnor House was unfashionable... until it wasn't.
By Melanie Bryan Published
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The rise and ruin of an Elizabethan Hall that tried in vain to prepare a war poet for the trenchesWilfred Owen was one of a myriad First World War troops who learned the art of trench warfare at Park Hall.
By Melanie Bryan Published
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The Nazi-defying bird brooch and other gems from the Country Life ArchiveRosie Paterson selects her favourite jewellery adverts from the Country Life Archive.
By Rosie Paterson Published
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Even a visit from Queen Mary couldn't save this 15th-century Yorkshire mansion from Britain's coal industryMethley Hall surpassed everyone's expectations and managed to stay standing long beyond its time.
By Melanie Bryan Published
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Bird poo fuelled the First World War and also financed this manor house with a plant collection that rivals KewMelanie Bryan recounts the green-tinged history of Aldenham House.
By Melanie Bryan Published
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The great Tudor hall that housed the guillotine probably used on Marie AntoinetteMarie Antoinette was executed by guillotine on October 16, 1793. Rumour has is that the exact same machine found its way to Weald Hall in Essex where it was photographed by Country Life.
By Melanie Bryan Published
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This remarkable timbered home was preserved for 300 years — and then flattened by a earlLynmore Hall was inextricably linked to the fall and rise of the British monarchy, but it only took a humble earl to finish it off.
By Melanie Bryan Published
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Time well spent: The watch adverts from the Country Life Archive that chart 130 years of styleRosie Paterson uncovers 11 outstanding watch adverts from the Country Life Archive.
By Rosie Paterson Published
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The unpublished photographs of a gargantuan Victorian mansion whose bulldozed remains were dumped in its own ornamental lakeWarter Priory was once a prime example of peak Victoriana architecture and interior design — but it met a watery end.
By Melanie Bryan Published
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'It contained a hippopotamus, which lived in the Billiards Room': The strange country house that gave way to a crematoriumMelanie Bryan traces the history of Muntham Court and its eccentric residents.
By Melanie Bryan Published
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Felled by a pair of cursed shoes — the butterfly-shaped house that Lutyens builtMelanie Bryan investigates the spooky and eccentric history of Papillon Hall.
By Melanie Bryan Published
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What do Rihanna and a 19th century vegetarian activist have in common? This sprawling Tudor house that American money couldn't saveMelanie Bryan traces the history of Cassiobury House — and its bohemian inhabitants.
By Melanie Bryan Published
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The pen is mightier than dynamite: A truly unique 20th-century building destroyed by the wrong paperworkWhat happens when you accidentally knock down the wrong Fonthill House.
By Melanie Bryan Published
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House of the Dragon: The Elizabethan mansion protected by a fire-breathing beast — until it wasn'tMelanie Bryan recounts the fascinating story of Drakelow Hall.
By Melanie Bryan Published
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The financier, racing driver and prolific party animal who saved — and then lost — one of the 20th century's most notable country housesArdenrun Place was a short-lived yet architecturally notable English country house. Melanie Bryan tells its tale.
By Melanie Bryan Published
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Back when we were a proper country: Putting a V12 in a Jaguar E-TypeIn our latest dip into the Country Life motoring archive, John Taylor takes us back to 1971, when the E-Type was rewarded with a V12 engine for being a very handsome car indeed.
By Country Life Published


