CATEGORIES
Life in Lilliput
In a room in West Sussex, magic is being created from pieces of cardboard, plastic bottles, pen lids, crayons and glue. Mark Palmer meets William Davies, film animator turned miniature-home maker
That'll do, pug
Game and gutsy, you dismiss the jovial little pug as a lapdog at your peril, finds Flora Watkins, although do beware the snoring
The urban village
Once a swathe of bucolic landscape desired by London’s elite, Hackney is now one of the city’s most cosmopolitan and diverse boroughs, finds Carla Passino
THE CAPITAL ACCORDING TO...Jackson Boxer
Rob Crossan talks to the dynamic chef behind Brunswick House Café and Orasay about custard tarts and feeding London’s masses
History and modernity
A house that might have vanished beneath London’s spreading suburbs has been lovingly returned from institutional use and forms the heart of an estate within the capital. John Goodall reports
Dancing in the moonlight
Long thought to influence our behaviour, as well as that of the sea and all flora and fauna, the mystical power of the moon continues to exert a hold on us, observes Jeremy Hobson
Nanny knows best
Norland nannies have cared for the children of the great and good for almost 130 years, but behind the white gloves and starched uniforms lies a most progressive institution, finds Flora Watkins
DIG DEEP
The team behind Europe’s largest construction project is building new tunnels beneath London’s roads every week, but another group is working with them, too. Harry Wallop talks to the Crossrail archaeologists about woolly mammoths and Roman roads
Say Yes To The Old Dress
Our forebears did it out of necessity, but we are returning to their ways out of a desire to preserve the planet for future generations. Claire Jackson investigates the return of our make-do-and-mend mentality
Fortified planting
Noel Kingsbury meets the maker of a remarkable coastal garden that combines the use of native species with more familiar garden plants to great effect
Wee three kings
We are all familiar with the diminutive wren, yet its tiny fellow kinglets the goldcrest and firecrest are, perhaps understandably, often overlooked. Ian Morton studies our smallest birds
The winners are…
For the second year, Historic Houses and COUNTRY LIFE joined forces with Neptune to find great examples of new kitchens in old spaces. Last week, John Sims-Hilditch, co-founder of Neptune, announced the joint winners and a runner-up, all of whom have found highly inventive solutions to the challenge of creating a 21st-century kitchen in a listed building
Beautiful Britain
Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty
At your convenience
It might be the smallest room in the house and the butt of many a joke, but it is surely one of the most revealing. Bronwen Riley investigates the smartest loos in the land
Seeing is believing
Exquisitely crafted from hand-dyed silks and velvets, Anne Tomlin’s uncannily realistic flower pieces possess a beauty that will never fade, discovers Natasha Goodfellow
Finding new purpose
The re-use of architectural materials and elements has a long and surprising history that’s all too easy to overlook, as John Goodall explains
Baroque delights
A major restoration project, winner of a Georgian Group award in 2019, has revived a magnificent house inspired by the architecture of Baroque Rome. John Martin Robinson reports
A work of history
Two homes with substantial stories to tell prepare to hit the market in North Yorkshire and Devon
The Acer Up Our Sleeves
Condemned as a weed tree, the sycamore is blamed for leaves on the line and sticky windscreens, but are we overlooking a pollution-tolerant specimen that plants itself for free, asks Jack Watkins
They Kept The Show On The Road
Frustratingly, the curtain has fallen on stages everywhere, but there have been some valiant efforts to bring entertainment–and a superb new biography of a great playwright
To Italy For The Roses
Gardeners like plants that do well for them and, for the Italians, there is no flower more adored than the rose. They have become connoisseurs, says the rosarian Charles Quest-Ritson, creating some of the finest rose gardens in the world
Deck The Halls With Homegrown Holly
Even on the darkest days, there is always fresh foliage to pick, but plant with winter in mind and you can adorn your house with scented flowers, gleaming leaves and bright berries, says Val Bourne
The long way home
Struck down by Covid-19 earlier this year, Robin Hanbury-Tenison spent five weeks in a coma and was close to death. Now, he is valiantly fundraising for more of the healing hospital gardens he believes helped save him
The Glorious Dead
This year is the centenary of the unveiling of the Whitehall Cenotaph on Armistice Day in 1920. John Goodall explains how this famous monument came into existence and became a fixture in the nation’s consciousness
Treasure island
JW Marriott Maldives
Making a point
The first obelisk to be erected in Europe was a trophy of war. Loyd Grossman considers how these ancient monuments came to be understood and became the mark of every great city
March of the ants
Insects are seldom loved and are often loathed, feared or disregarded, but they are an integral part of our ecosystem. In an extract from his new book, Framing Nature, Laurence Rose joins the effort to save the narrow-headed ant
Changing views
Environmental art is all the rage, but, for landscape painters, it was never out of fashion. Laura Gascoigne finds out why
Away with the fairies
One hundred years ago, two girls convinced the world they had photographed fairies at the bottom of their garden. However did they get away with it, asks Richard Sugg
Let's Drink To The Château D'yquem Of Apples
A Visit to a well-organised apple store in November is always a wonderful experience. The early eaters that, although lovely, will not keep, are a distant memory. We now see before us those sterling kinds that ripen on the tree in October, but whose flavour and texture will improve with proper storage—cool, dark, frost-free— and will keep in good order until at least the following March.