Harmonic progression

Originally laid out in the 1630s, this latest iteration of the garden, says Charles Quest-Ritson, has found a perfect balance between planting and design

Those magnificent birds we never notice

That scrap of brown flying by may be a house sparrow, a dunnock or a skylark, birds so nondescript that they are lumped together in a single category. However, there's more to 'little brown jobs' than meets the eye

Feudal splendours

In the second of two articles on this outstanding castle, John Martin Robinson describes the transformative representation of the Victorian interiors over the past three decades

Concrete results

John Betjeman admired Sir Denys Lasdun's work, but The King disliked it, and opinion remains divided to this day. Either way, the man who viewed buildings as landscape' has left an indelible mark on London

Cinders, you shall go to the (wrecking) ball

The threat of fire is never far from our heritage buildings. Lucy Denton weighs up what we can do to protect them and whether it's worth rebuilding them at all...

The coast is clear

The buoyant Cornwall market offers a bit of everything for the country-house buyer, from spy novels to spectacular sea views

Not your average Fiesta

As more than 150,000 fans of a bygone age of cars and fashion descend on Goodwood for its annual Revival, Octavia Pollock talks to the Duke of Richmond about 75 years of motorsport on his West Sussex estate

Labour's vision for rural Britain

We invited Sir Keir Starmer, Leader of the Opposition, to set out his ideas for the countryside

Generations game

INSPIRED by the television series Old People’s Home for 4 Year Olds, the community-interest social club Young At Heart (YAH) is helping elderly residents to combat loneliness in the East Sussex village of Heathfield.

Hen harrier's helping hand

TWENTY-FOUR hen-harrier chicks have been reared and released as part of a ‘pioneering’ project to help rebuild the population of the endangered bird, it has been announced.

Any fule kno that

It's been 70 years since Nigel Molesworth was launched on an unsuspecting world. Jonathan Self reflects on a dysfunctional prep-school life

Animal encounters

Budding veterinary surgeon or not, letting children take on the responsibility of animal husbandry is vital to their education and should be encouraged, says Tessa Waugh

Intelligent by design

It's no secret that we are living in a time of fast-paced change, but what is increasingly clear is that our current idea of technology's capabilities is only the tip of the iceberg, says Holly Kirkwood

Atale of three Peters

A work by the artist eventually known as Peter Candid sold handsomely in Munich and, if you're feeling altruistic, there are some worthy appeals to preserve art for the nation

Attention seekers

WANDERING around the garden this week and seeing the tatty, browning and slug-ravaged foliage of the bearded irises, it is difficult to remember how thrilling they were only a few short months ago.

Sleeping beauty awakes

James Alexander-Sinclair admires the enthusiastic revival of a family garden near the Solway Firth

Compare and contrast

Two grand country houses-one a Georgian gem, the other built to look like one-highlight our enduring love of 18th-century architecture

Feel-good spaces

Interior designers Bunny Turner and Emma Pocock believe that well-designed rooms should feel as good as they look. Now, they've set up a charity to create relaxing, good-looking spaces in hospitals, homeless shelters and community centres

The designer's room

Traditional cabinetry was a key ingredient in the sympathetic restoration of a Grade I-listed Tudor house in Shropshire

Right before my berry eyes

Musing over the dog days of summer, John LewisStempel delights in the scarlet haw- and fulsome sloe-laden hedgerows, as he stops to pluck glistening blackberries from brambles and indulges in the sweet burst of the abundant fruit

Take cover

With soil health under threat, it's time to ditch fertilisers for a gentler system. Cover crops and green manure can help restore Nature, feed insects and birds and add a splash of colour to the countryside, advocates Simon Lester

A stitch in wildflower time

Delicate cuckooflower, bluebells and cow parsley are brought to colourful life through Sarah Becvar's carefully embroidered creations, discovers Octavia Pollock, as she tries her hand at the textile artist's intricate work

We're all winners

Triumph and disappointment are always better shared, as are expenses, and multiple ownership is on the rise in racing. Marcus Armytage examines the pleasures and pitfalls of syndicate-owned racehorses

Of houses and horses

The Defender Burghley Horse Trials is the sporting event of the weekend. Kate Green provides a guide

Conditions of carriage

Horse-drawn carriages might often be portrayed as the most genteel and romantic form of transport, but, in their heyday, they frequently left passengers feeling nauseous and uneasy, says Charles Harris

A princely seat

In the first of two articles, John Goodall looks at the early development of this celebrated castle, the seat of the powerful and wealthy medieval Earls of Arundel

There is a middle way

Land use doesn't have to be all or nothing; we need to be more pragmatic and less proscriptive

My favourite painting Claire German

Thomas Cromwell by Hans Holbein the Younger

Love in a time of depression

A revival of Lucy Prebble’s The Effect raises big questions and, if the rain holds off, a rousing outdoor musical should raise the spirits

The yolk's on them

The jury is out as to whether the humble Scotch egg is a snack or a ‘substantial meal’. Either way, this headline-stealing, hand-held hero is outrageously delicious