CATEGORIES

Where the wych elm grows

Fifty years after his death, Jenny Bardwell reflects on the life of Howards End author and King’s College Honorary Fellow E. M. Forster

The chicken and the eggs

Lockdown has made the idea of keeping hens–and harvesting their eggs–even more appealing, but the populations of a surprising number of delightful native breeds are dwindling. Kate Green canvasses expert opinion on rewarding poultry to consider

Rhythms of the Baroque

Le Jardin du Bâtiment, La Vendée, France John Hoyland visits a garden conjured from the imagination of the celebrated conductor and keen gardener William Christie

The designer's room

Interior designer Guy Goodfellow has created an elegant apartment above his Chelsea premises

The Ripple effect

The arrival on the market of three much-loved family houses in the Home Counties bodes well

Hitting the hay

Early one June morning, when the dew has condensed on the grass, John Lewis-Stempel sets off to mow a mini-meadow with the aid of his trusty ‘grim-reaper’ scythe

I compare you to a kiss from a rose

Now that the dog rose is in full bloom, Ian Morton celebrates the climbing briar–embodied by Madame Eglantine in The Canterbury Tales–whose delicate flowers and cherry-red hips have charmed and cured us for centuries

Hot under the collar

In a laundry in Bournemouth, an aged piece of machinery has spun back into action thanks to Downton Abbey and the Edwardian stiff collar’s phoenix-like resurgence. Matthew Dennison discovers the secrets of starching

An escape from politics

Arundells, 59, The Close, Salisbury, Wiltshire Property of the Sir Edward Heath Charitable Foundation An ancient house in the magical setting of Salisbury Cathedral became the home of a former Prime Minister. John Goodall looks at its remarkable story

Music In A Time Of Covid

Music in a time of Covid It’s a case of innovate or go under. From drive-in opera to face-masked players, musical bodies must find a way to keep going during the pandemic, says Claire Jackson

What price perfection?

Cecil Beaton’s cherished Chalke Valley country home and an award-winning Dutch-style house near the West Sussex coast come to the market

The great survivor

Burghley House, Lincolnshire, part II The home of Miranda and Orlando Rock In the second of two articles celebrating the 500th anniversary of the birth of William Cecil, Lord Burghley, Jeremy Musson looks at the 20th- and 21st-century story of the seat he created

Objects of lustre

Mary Miers considers the contribution made to English art by William Nicholson (1872–1949), master of the ‘unassuming sublime’

Farewell to France

I HAVE spent the past 14 years living, for as much as the tax laws allow, in an unfashionable corner of Normandy. Why?

Reach for the stars

In the 200 years since its foundation, the Royal Astronomical Society has borne witness to the discoveries of Albert Einstein, Edwin Hubble and Stephen Hawking, as well as an enduring fascination with our less-immediate surroundings, reports Jack Watkins

Orchidmania justified

Mark Griffiths celebrates the 52 species of native British orchids whose extraordinary history and unconventional beauty have beguiled and intrigued both scientists and amateurs

Going, going, gone...

Interior designers tell Amelia Thorpe about the thrills of furnishing a house at salerooms–and pick lots in recent auctions that have caught their eyes

Back from the brink

Ormiston House, Belfast, Northern Ireland After the police moved out in 1995, Ormiston was abandoned, its grounds reduced to a mess of razor wire and overgrown sycamores. Christopher Stocks applauds a remarkable renaissance

Make Cothay While The Sun Shines

Country Life can exclusively reveal that one of the jewels of the West Country is on the market

Standing in solitary splendour

The garden at Parcevall Hall, Skyreholme, North Yorkshire Steven Desmond visits the early-20th-century garden created by Sir William Milner and now triumphantly restored

When small is beautiful

Many large firms are clamouring for financial bailout, but it’s Britain’s smaller, rural ‘Cinderella’ businesses that may yet save the day

The battle for the skies

It’s one very lucky feral dove that emerges from a spectacular avian dogfight

Ripe for the picking

For Tom Parker Bowles, there’s no fruit as luscious or versatile as a juicy red tomato

Turn up the colour

TOO many gardeners are afraid of colour; indeed, I confess to feeling guilty on occasion at my profligate use of it in the garden.

The spies who loved us

Their exploits would have made Bond proud and, now, these two fearless female undercover agents are joining the ranks of notable figures to be honoured with one of London’s blue plaques, recounts Catriona Gray

The animals behind Animal Farm

George Orwell may have intended his seminal novel, published 75 years ago, to be an allegory on the Russian Revolution, but his extensive farming knowledge informed his animal portraits, making them powerful and, in part, believable, finds Julie Harding

New walls on old foundations

Burghley House, Lincolnshire, part I The home of Miranda and Orlando Rock This year marks the 500th anniversary of the birth of William Cecil, a statesman of defining importance in the nation’s history. John Goodall considers the Tudor development of the great baronial seat he created for himself

Around Britain in 40 monarchs

From William the Conqueror to Elizabeth II: John Goodall presents a tour of Britain, through the murder and mayhem of the Middle Ages, the madness of George III and the stability of Victoria, highlighting places and objects associated with each of them over the past millennium

Relishing a challenge

Holcombe Court, Devon, part II The home of Nigel Wiggins In the second of two articles, John Goodall looks at the restoration of an outstanding Tudor house completed with great flair over the course of nearly two decades

They've stood the test of time

Charles Dickens died 150 years ago, since when Mr Micawber has become a byword for optimism, Scrooge for meanness and Uriah Heep for obsequiousness, and we still quote Mr Bumble’s ‘the law is an ass’. Rupert Godsal explains why these characters are so exuberantly unforgettable