Country Life February 11, 2026
Country Life February 11, 2026, is our fine art issue, featuring Seurat, art in literature and Sir Antony Gormley, plus Ampthill Park House and the long-eared eagle owl.
Exquisite houses, the beauty of Nature, and how to get the most from your life, straight to your inbox.
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Here's a look at some of what you'll find inside.
Cast in the same mould
Sir Antony Gormley examines the parallels between his own Reflect and the Adriaen de Vries bronze of Antiope and Theseus
Don’t believe in modern love?
With Valentine’s Day looming and singlehood rising, Will Hosie seeks dating tips from the finest minds among the Ancients
Ford momentum
Harry Pearson enjoys the thrill of splashing through the countless fords criss-crossing the rivers and streams of the British Isles
Exquisite houses, the beauty of Nature, and how to get the most from your life, straight to your inbox.
Luxury
Jonathan Self is bewitched by the poetry of poesy rings and Amie Elizabeth White says ‘if you only buy one Derby boot…’
Life in the fast lane
Norfolk farmer Gavin Lane tells Julie Harding of the sleepless nights he has endured since taking the reins at the CLA
Sir Thomas Drew and Hélène Duchêne’s favourite paintings
His Majesty’s Ambassador to France and the French Ambassador to the Court of St James share their artworks of choice
Country-house treasure
John Goodall glimpses early-20th-century life at Mapperton House in Dorset in the form of a black-and-gold satin dress
A house of collections
In the second of two articles, Jeremy Musson explores the exceptional modern collection in the historic setting of Ampthill Park House in Bedfordshire
The legacy
Carla Passino hails the artworks amassed by Sir William Burrell
Where the wild things are
Exotic animals from around the world were unveiled to European eyes by artists such as Dürer and Stubbs, finds Michael Prodger
Winging it
Mark Cocker profiles the elusive and elegant long-eared owl
Interiors
Arabella Youens lauds a London drawing room and Amelia Thorpe keeps the home fires burning
Floral geometry
Banish the gloom with glorious winter-flowering Camellia japonica, suggests Charles Quest-Ritson
Slow and steady wins the race
Tom Parker Bowles savours the boozy boeuf à la Bourguignonne
Travel
Ben Lerwill delves into the story of space travel when he touches down at NASA HQ in Houston
Arts & antiques
Georges Seurat’s sublime French seascapes are taking centre stage at the Courtauld Gallery in London, reveals Carla Passino
Write side up
Art has long drawn inspiration from literature — from Ovid and Virgil to Shakespeare and Lewis Carroll, discovers Carla Passino
And much more.
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.
