The sky's not the limit: Horseshoe Bend Garden, London NW10

Juliet Roberts visits a garden that pushes the boundaries of space, light and colour to dazzling effect

We're Growing Underground

Those pounding the pavements above might not realise it, but acres of micro herbs are being grown deep beneath the streets of south London, finds Julia Platt Leonard

The Best Of A Good Brunch

Put down your wellies–the countryside weekend has been abandoned in favour of urban brunch plans. Debora Robertson investigates what the meal has done to our weekend and how to host your own in style

Not-So-Tim'rous Beasties

Be they plague rats, dray horses, elephants, pigs or poultry, we’ve always ‘eaten, beaten, worked and played with the beasts of London’. Claire Jackson discovers how animals have long made the city roar

Living On The Thames

Important new discoveries illuminate the form and history of the houses that lined one of London’s most celebrated lost landmarks. Dorian Gerhold explores the remarkable story of their construction and development

Greek Drama

The striking Peloponnese region is at the forefront of a new generation of high-end developments in Greece, discovers Holly Kirkwood.

Pointing The Finger Of Scorn

Two centuries ago, as now, Britain was locked in political crisis. As we surely approach an election that could redefine British politics, Jacqueline Riding looks at the corruption and chaos that prompted the reform of the Georgian Parliament.

Guns And Roses

Two sporting estates are the flowers of their counties–one in the family of a Gunpowder Plotter, the other at the heart of malt-whisky land.

Building For Peace

Hillsborough Castle, Co Down The home of the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland After five years of repair and renovation, a house at the centre of political life in Northern Ireland has opened to the public. John Goodall reports.

Bavarian Rhapsody

Munich is a king of cities, finds Eleanor Doughty, with property prices rising up to 6% per year.

All Fired Up

Since teetering on the brink of collapse a decade ago, Burleigh has undergone a remarkable revival of fortunes. Amelia Thorpe visits its Staffordshire premises to learn why its distinctive patterns are again a tea-time favourite.

Steep Learning Curves

Banks Fee, Longborough, Gloucestershire The home of Mr and Mrs Hugh Sloane Spectacular views set off varied formal elements, from pleached hornbeams to a large kitchen-garden, in this serene Cotswold garden, finds Non Morris.

All Being Well

With the internet now invading that most sacred of offline spaces–the in-flight cabin–the drive to escape and switch off is ever more vital. Arabella Youens examines the rising trend for wellness properties

The Loveliest Music You've Never Heard

The London Philharmonic Orchestra’s Isle of Noises season aims to redress the unfair marginalisation of many 20th-century British composers and their melodic music.

The Allium List

Alliums are statuesque, reliable and immensely useful, but which varieties should you choose? Val Bourne asks three experts to recommend their favourites

Questions Of Creation

Craft becomes art, as reality fails to live up to an artistic vision and Abstraction is rejected at Frieze Masters

Stop And Smell The Pages

Romantic, thoughtful and practical, this part-diary, part-handbook on fragrant planting is one of the best gardening books John Hoyland has read for years

Men In Tights

Whether your loyalties lay with Superman, Captain America, Dennis the Menace or Desperate Dan, comics were an integral part of childhood. As Batman turns 80, Katy Birchall salutes these iconic characters

Fit For A Royal Feast

A banqueting house built to welcome George I miraculously escaped destruction in the early 20th century and has been splendidly restored. William Aslet reports Photographs by Will Pryce

Dressing The Virgin Queen

The only known surviving fragment of Elizabeth I’s wardrobe has been hiding in plain sight for 400 years, discovers Catriona Gray

Beyond The Ha-ha

Juliet Roberts talks to five designers about how to make your garden merge with the landscape

Animal Magic - Derek Gow And Water Voles

As a small boy in Scotland, Derek Gow would fish for minnows with his brother.

A River Runs Through It

Matthew Rice is inspired by the work of a Norfolk artist who is keeping the English tradition of good landscape painting alive

A Rite Of Passage - The Garden Of Radcot House, Oxfordshire

Twenty years ago, the Stainers knew nothing about gardening, but that did not put them off trying to bring order to the wilderness they inherited. George Plumptre applauds the results

A New Lease Of Life

Longer life expectancies mean we have decades left to enjoy after the children have flown the nest. Perhaps it’s time for a change, suggests Holly Kirkwood

Where The ‘Sunlight Of Centuries' Glimmers

J. B. Priestley’s immortal words best describe this ‘most English’ of areas–the eternally beautiful Cotswolds, with its enviable houses and traditional villages

The Designer's Room

Pippa Paton has artfully transformed the interiors of a Cotswold barn

The Lighter Way To Enjoy Malta

ON Sunday, I was woken when it was still dark by my friend Charlie, who models his morning routine on that of the poor poet (I speak of his finances, not his art) Walt Whitman.

Searching For Salvias

Without people such as Robin Middleton, our gardens would look quite different. Val Bourne hails the unlikely hero of the late-summer garden

Romancing The Stone

The thoughtful work being done at this Cotswold garden is bringing in more visitors without sacrificing its idyllic atmosphere.