CATEGORIES

In The Library With The Lipstick

Agatha Christie set many of her murder mysteries in country houses. With the help of specially commissioned drawings by Matthew Rice, Jeremy Musson looks at the architecture of the buildings she knew and imagined

Holy Smoke!

Are much-derided kippers the new avocado on toast? Emma Hughes finds out

Halls Of Festive Cheer

Royal florist Shane Connolly tells Jacky Hobbs how garden evergreens and hedgerow clippings can make beautiful Christmas decorations

Going Round The Bend

From Stonehenge to modern apartment blocks, Nicola Venning explores the undying appeal of architectural curves

Doing It By The Book

Sir Quentin Blake reveals the inspiration behind his new exhibition, ‘Anthology of Readers’, in which he affectionately caricatures the bookish among us

A Blaze Of Northern Lights

The Scottish Colourists are enjoying a rare outing in the north and south of England. Mary Miers visits a pair of shows that dispel the winter gloom

Restoration Of The Decade

COUNTRY LIFE has asked a group of leading commentators and professionals to name their favourite restoration project– undertaken by somebody else–over the past decade. They reveal a rich, impressive and varied field of recent work

The Prince And The Park

A rare opportunity for London buyers can be found in the startling reinvention of John Nash’s Regent’s Crescent, finds Holly Kirkwood

The Beauty Of British Stone

Stone that’s home grown (and hewn) is best, says Artorius Faber’s creative director Nikki Chee

Glorifying Gardens

Celebrating the publication of her new book English Gardens, illustrated from the archives of COUNTRY LIFE, Kathryn Bradley-Hole charts the magazine’s extraordinary influence on our gardens

Lighting Conductor

Nick Trend enjoys an experimental new exhibition that explores the Dutch master’s use of light for dramatic effect

Pages Through The Ages

She has access to ancient texts, cares for private libraries around the world and has read the footnotes of Harold Nicolson and Vita Sackville-West. Matthew Dennison meets library conservator Caroline Bendix

Down The Dell The Brooklet Softly Flows

Three hidden treasures– a house amid Hampshire water meadows, a Victorian schoolhouse in Cheshire and a Thames-side Georgian cottage–come to the market

A Penny-Farthing For Your Thoughts

The dinosaur of the bicycle world is back in the spotlight with the help of the Penny Farthing Club and its intrepid members, finds Madeleine Silver

An Architectural Self-Portrait

Following a boldly conceived restoration, the interest and quality of Sir John Soane’s Ealing villa shines out again.

A Bat And Ball Game

A life-long cricket fanatic who finds the game a cruel mistress, James Fisher heads to the MCC Academy at Lord’s to brush up on his skills

‘We Urgently Need A Fresh, Positive And Practical Vision For The Countryside'

In his birthday message, The Prince of Wales applauds efforts to combat climate change and acknowledges the urgent need to explain the value of the food our farmers produce

Slim Pickings

All hail the queen! The new El Rey del Mundo La Reina, which harks back to the days of long, slender cigars, could mark a turning point

Show Me The Way To Go Home

Gas lamps might sound like relics belonging to the past or the land of Narnia, but look closely and they are still illuminating our streets with their warm glow, reveals Harry Wallop

Make Britain Green Again

COUNTRYSIDE bodies have been jumping in early with their manifestos in a bid to put eco-friendly agriculture and better environmental protections at the heart of the preelection political discourse.

How To Make A Good Impression

It’s time to break for the (Scottish) Borders: three fine houses there have come on the market, including the home of Rory Bremne

All's Well That Ends Well

Eschewing a cheap flight in favour of a good old-fashioned driving holiday, Nigel Havers embarks on a wine trip to France, accompanied by his wife George and their poodle, Charley

Oxford Sees Red

Brilliant in colour and bold in form, William Butterfield’s buildings for Keble College, designed in 1867, exemplify the avant-garde principles of the Pre-Raphaelite Movement, as Michael Hall explains

Rebuilding The Mother Of Parliaments- Palace Of Westminster, London SW1

John Goodall examines the fascinating story of the surviving Victorian interiors of one of Britain’s most familiar buildings and the seat of Parliament

Italy On The Isle

The search for privacy and peace encouraged Queen Victoria and Prince Albert to create an Italianate seaside villa. It offers an unparalleled insight into their domestic life and private interests, as John Goodall explains

An Englishman's Home Is His Castle

This great house has been made familiar by Downton Abbey. John Goodall looks at the real personalities and history behind a remarkable building

An American Evolution

Over the past half century, the care of an American university has returned one of the landmark buildings of early Victorian England to life and splendour. John Goodall reports

Who Let The Dogs Out?

Once, all working dogs were consigned to life in a draughty kennel, but now, attitudes and training methods have softened. Katy Birchall considers whether cherished pets can be great gundogs, too.

Seeing The Green Light

Once considered worthy and hippyish, embracing environmentally friendly ways of heating and lighting is catching on in town and country, finds Anna Tyzack

Sisters in the spotlight

Caroline Bugler admires a new exhibition that reveals the creative role of women in the Pre-Raphaelite circle