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