CATEGORIES

A right royal home

Royal connections shaped the history of two country houses that are now on the market

A hunting hall - Auckland Castle, Co Durham A property of The Auckland Project

After a major restoration programme and largescale archaeological investigation, this former palace of the Bishops of Durham has been re-opened to the public. John Goodall reports

The girl with the golden touch

Shunning the discrimination between canvas and textiles, painter and fabric designer Althea McNish was a onewoman colour explosion who made the impossible possible, finds Ian Collins

‘I have finally moved into song'

Best known as the creative force behind Dicky and Daffy, it was her son’s death that prompted Annie Tempest to learn ‘the grammar of the sculptor’s language’, discovers Ian Collins

Under the Italian sun

Mary Miers considers how the country that fascinated J. M. W. Turner from youth shaped his artistic vision

The sound of spring

Carla Passino follows chirruping birds, croaking frogs and rushing waterfalls to enjoy the new season across Europe

The protector of cherry trees

Val Bourne tells the extraordinary story of the creation by a Japanese schoolteacher of a new race of flowering cherries, which is now available in this country

Rhododendron heaven

The garden at Ramster, near Chiddingfold, Surrey The home of Mr and Mrs Paul Gunn and Mr and Mrs Malcolm Glaister In its centenary year, Ramster’s reputation continues to grow–together with its magnificent woodland garden, reveals Charles Quest-Ritson

For he's a jolly good Fell

A royal favourite, the hardy and hairy little Fell pony can pull a sledge, emerge alive after weeks in a snowdrift and win hearts with a glance. Julie Harding celebrates the breed society’s 100th anniversary

The sound of spring

March’s spring equinox is invariably optimistic, as winter likes to cling on, says John Lewis-Stempel, but the toads and the rooks are busy making breeding plans

The narcissi you cannot do without

DAFFODILS glaring from verges and parks are not among my favourite flowers. The brashest of the large gold trumpets bears the name of King Alfred, yet he was, by all accounts, a modest and thoughtful man.

English Home part III Early Tudor 1485–1560

Each month of this 125th anniversary year, COUNTRY LIFE illustrates a period in the development of the English great house, from the Middle Ages to the present day. In the third of this 12-part series, John Goodall looks at the architecture of the Tudor home

My Family and Other Animals

Britain’s greatest masterpieces

Dedicated follower of fashion

Be it fur-lined robes, tailored suits, woollen flat caps or clean-shaven jaws, men’s clothes and bodies have been subjected to the dictates of shifting tastes throughout history, reflects Matthew Dennison

Let it fly

At the start of the new fly-fishing season, our correspondent confesses to being a ‘possibilitarian’, who fishes as often as he can wherever fish are to be found

Bath time

The launch of two striking period houses bring further appeal to the Regency city

Take a deep breath

IF' apple pie without the cheese is like a kiss without a squeeze then a garden replete with form and colour, but devoid of fragrance, is only half the garden it should be.

Agricultural improvement

Georgian farmhouses are an easily overlooked architectural marvel of Britain's agricultural revolution in the 18th century. John Martin Robinson reveals the interest and importance of these buildings

Rooms with a view

You only need to explore Britain's historic houses to appreciate the benefits of a beautiful setting. Jeremy Spencer of Janine Stone shares the secret to making the most of an often overlooked asset with COUNTRY LIFE'S Executive Editor, Giles Kime

Castles on the hill

Not always found on hills and not necessarily forts, our thousands of ancient hill forts contain sacrificial burial grounds, buried treasures and a certain strange magic

Calf love and birthing pains

The calm of the calving shed belies the turbulence of the world outside

South

SIR ERNEST SHACKLETON called his Endurance expedition of 1914, which aimed to cross the entire Antarctic continent, 'the last great polar journey that can be made.

The time of my life

Sociable souls tell Eleanor Doughty the secret of a memorable party

The new black tie

Standard-issue black tie might still fit the bill for awards dinners and rugby-club shindigs, but, elsewhere, a new generation of men is becoming more creative when it comes to dressing up

Turn up the heat

Furniture, cabinetry and accessories to spice up your kitchen, selected

To boldly go where no man has gone before

Whether attempting to conquer Everest wearing pullovers or de-icing the engines of a moving plane with a knife, we've long tested human endurance to the limit

LONDON'S PLEASANT PASTURES

From evidence of prehistoric life in Greenwich Park to Shire horses in Richmond Park, there’s more to London’s Royal Parks than meets the eye, says natural-history film maker Peter Collins

The circus rolls on

After an appalling winter in Australia, England set themselves up to fail against an ordinary West Indies, says James Fishe

Go west, young man

Three county houses in and around Dartmoor are ideal for the influx of buyers, now able to avoid a daily commute, seeking a dose of the wild West Country

The scent of spring

New varieties of our little native violet are helping to bring this Victorian favourite back into the garden, says John Hoyland