Country Life UK - September 04, 2024

In this issue

Building blocks - A sensible framework on land use must be in place before we embark on a ‘build, build, build’ crusade, argues Fiona Reynolds.

Neither fish nor flesh - Laura Parker charts the lore and legends attached to Lutra lutra, that bewhiskered, brighteyed beacon of conservation...

Building blocks

We can expect fireworks: Labour’s draft plans for a new planning policy contain subtle, but devastating amendments that bear closer inspection

3 mins

Building nationhood

A recently restored villa set in a carefully planted woodland blends traditions in pursuit of a distinctly Romanian idiom of architecture, as Jeremy Musson explains

8 mins

By the light of the harvest moon

As autumn's whisper reminds farmers to reap their crops, inspect your produce for a suggestion of the winter to come, says Lia Leendertz

1 min

'Neither fish nor flesh'

A creature of bewitching contrasts, the otter is 'an animal that might have been specifically designed to please a child' and has captured our imaginations since first we encountered its bright-eyed gaze, says Laura Parker

6 mins

The best seat in the house

Patience, knowledge and practised skill are all required to create handmade furniture. Nick Hammond discovers how one gifted woodworker found the best possible mentor, thanks to a copy of COUNTRY LIFE

4 mins

Friends in low places

As special as orchids, as beautiful as bluebells and as important as oaks, our ground-hugging mosses are worth a look down, says Mark Cocker

6 mins

Escape to 'God's own country"

Yorkshire folk are rightly proud of their county's magnificent landscapes and rich architectural heritage, but incomers looking to settle there face strong competition from local contenders for picture-perfect country houses

4 mins

Fêted and plated

Behind every powerful man is a woman and behind every successful restaurant is a wise and passionate restaurateur. Tom Parker Bowles meets some of the best

7 mins

Peanuts and pencils

The thrill of a new pencil case doesn't fade with age, finds Jo Rodgers, on a visit to Anya Hindmarch's new stationery pop-up shop

3 mins

It started with a blank canvas

The garden of Patthana, Co Wicklow, Ireland The home of T. J. Maher and Simon Kirby An exquisite small garden is rich in colour and texture and has been imaginatively extended, as you would expect of a painter's domain, reports Jane Powers

5 mins

Delicious drupes

THERE is a peculiar magic in growing almonds. However often you see their soul-lifting, frost-risking flush of white blossom and however often you collect a basket of homegrown almonds, it's hard to lose the sense of glorious impossibility, that somehow you've cheated geography and climate.

3 mins

At anchor down under

A thoughtfully designed ship, with infinity pool and book-lined nooks, is a great base from which to explore Indonesia and the north coast of Australia, finds Jane Wheatley

5 mins

Slopes of hazard

Skiing, ironically, is the safest thing you can do in St Moritz, says Rosie Paterson, who traces the Swiss resort's love affair with adrenaline-pumping winter sports back to a Victorian bet

5 mins

Just keep walking

ALMOST 30 years ago, a chap called Ian Bleasdale wrote a guide detailing all the walks on the Greek Island of Paxos. He and his wife, Elizabeth, had fallen for the island's rugged charms and, after many visits tramping its networks of old paths, decided to share their knowledge with like-minded souls.

2 mins

Talk of the ton

During the golden age of gossip, the fashion choices of the Regency elite were frequently the scintillating subject of the scandal sheets, finds Susan Jenkins

4 mins

All dolled up

Automata made in 19th-century France provided inspiration for the work of American artist Thomas Kuntz and a vintage dolls' house, furnished with period-appropriate pieces, stars in a charity auction

4 mins

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Country Life UK Magazine Description:

Country Life; architecture, gardens, countryside, property, the very best of British life Published by IPC Media. Country Life, the quintessential English magazine, is undoubtedly one of the biggest and instantly recognisable brands in the UK today. It has a unique core mix of contemporary country-related editorial and top end property advertising. Editorially, the magazine comments in-depth on a wide variety of subjects, such as architecture, the arts, gardens and gardening, travel, the countryside, field-sports and wildlife. With renowned columnists and superb photography Country Life delivers the very best of British life every week.