CATEGORIES
Free for the nation
The National Gallery, London WC2 To mark the re-opening of museums, John Goodall looks at the architecture of the National Gallery, its interior photographed by COUNTRY LIFE during lockdown
Back to the future
The restoration in tandem of late-17thcentury Urchfont Manor, Wiltshire, and its gardens has resulted in an exceptional creation that unites the formal with the informal in a modern garden that nods to the past, finds George Plumptre
Me old china
The charm and simplicity of English decorative china, loved by collectors, makes it a rich source of inspiration for contemporary artists, finds Arabella Youens
A WALK ON THE WILD SIDE
ZSL London Zoo is open to the public once again. Eleanor Doughty was first in through the gates to greet some of the residents and go behind the scenes of the charity’s conservation programs
Over the Blackdown Hills and far away
In the early 1900s, a group of London artists became enraptured by a little-known corner of rolling farmland on the Devon and Somerset borders. Peyton Skipwith explains why they kept returning to paint its patchwork of small fields and hedgerows
Made on Exmoor
Preserving this rare and charming native pony, an emblem of its original West Country home, has been a labour of local love for two centuries, says Kate Green
Return of the inglorious bustards
Once hunted to extinction due to its size and taste, the distinctly aristocratic-looking great bustard is back on Salisbury Plain, as Vicky Liddell reports
Let your love light shine
Occupying a peculiar place in our imaginations, the indefatigable lighthouses dotted around our shores have long been beacons of hope and safety, says Eleanor Doughty
The lure of history - Athelhampton, Dorset The property of Giles Keating
The 1890s restoration of this idyllic Tudor manor house helped kindle an enthusiasm for England’s ancient houses and a new style of formal garden, as John Goodall explains
In pursuit of fishological paradise
Our correspondent David Profumo reflects on fishing with his father, the Proustian quest that is angling and the imminent release of his new book
How now, brown cows?
Organic and compostably packaged ‘cow-to-cup’ milk, sold direct from a family farm in south Devon, is changing the way we buy our daily pint, finds Julie Harding
Following the setting sun
They say the West Country is the best country and, looking at these homes, it’s hard to argue
Aiming high
The ambitious restoration of a Tudor long barn in Suffolk demonstrates the possibilities of artistry, craft and collaboration, finds Giles Kime
A horticultural masterwork
Ingenious, inventive and inspired: Non Morris visits the garden of Conock Old Manor, Wiltshire, made by the distinguished picture expert Derek Johns
Farming For Our Futures
Over the past year, we have documented the Sandringham estate’s move to a fully organic enterprise. Here, The Prince of Wales tells Paula Lester why farming naturally and sustainably is so vital for the soil, wildlife and our own health
A Marriage Made In Heaven
Lush grounds are the perfect foil for these four properties
Making A Lifelong Commitment To Nature
Sandringham follows in the footsteps of myriad sustainable estates across the country. Jack Watkins goes behind the scenes at some of the most successful
A rum do
Seaweed from the Galloway coast is the secret ingredient in a new tipple
Back to Nature's basics
Jo Rodgers talks to small business owners in her adopted home county of East Sussex and beyond, about how the land around them has inspired their work
An old master restored
Some gardens are like paintings, says George Plumptre of Lossenham Manor in Kent. It takes a sensitive renovation to peel back the layers of history and so reveal their original treasures
A cordial way to spend the day
The elderflower harvest in the Vale of Belvoir sees the community come together to meet growing demand for this delicious taste of summer
Gold is the new green
One of the most sought-after metals in the world is at an all-time high, but there’s a murkier side to all that mining. Sarah Royce-Greensill investigates and profiles the designers helping consumers to become more accountable for their purchases
Variations on perfection
The ideal form of the Villa Capra,‘La Rotonda’, in Italy has fascinated British patrons and architects since the 18th century. William Aslet considers how they have experimented and developed its ideas
Murky waters
The musician and fisherman on what’s wrong with rivers and the laws that protect them
Waiting for the real magic
The ability to watch theatre online has been a saving grace of lockdown, but nothing beats the moment when the lights go down and the curtain goes up
Keep your eyes on the toad
Despite their semi-webbed feet, warty skin and bulging eyes, toads are more endearing than Shakespeare’s witches would have us believe, says Simon Lester
Interiors: The designer's room
Jessica Alken worked with Neptune to create this kitchen in a new Cornish house
Twice as nice
It appears as if it had been planned from the start, but, as Michael Heseltine recounts, the making of the double borders at his home at Thenford in Northamptonshire was far more random
Flights of fantasy
On the centenary of Michael Ayrton’s birth, Laura Gascoigne explores the artist’s fascination with myth, mirrors and mazes
Touches of beauty
Wilton House, Wiltshire The seat of the Earl of Pembroke In the early 18th century, Wilton underwent improvement at the hands of the 9th Earl of Pembroke, an enthusiastic amateur architect. For a new book on this great house, John Martin Robinson assesses his remarkable legacy