Seat Of Civilisation

Saltwood Castle, Kent, part II The home of Jane Clark In the second of two articles, Clive Aslet looks at the revival of this great medieval castle as a country seat in the 1880s and its most recent history as the home of the Clark family

The Wilderness, My World

The Edwardian author Kenneth Grahame’s adoration of Nature and landscape was a personal creed that made him passionate about conservation, says his biographer Matthew Dennison

Cinderella Of The Streams

The underrated, enigmatic grayling embodies the spirit of winter and is at its peak during Advent, says David Profumo.

Falling In Love All Over Again

A spell at Ladykirk on the Tweed reawakens The Editor and the Judge’s enthusiasm for fishing

Living National Treasure: Barometer-Maker

We’ve been making thermometers for 160 years’, notes Edward Allen of Russell Scientific Instruments.

Interiors: The Designer's Room

Sophie Paterson has combined Eastern-inspired furniture and leather upholstery to create a soothing sanctuary in the heart of Chelsea

Heeding The Hounds Of Heaven

An east wind cuts through John Lewis-Stempel on a rakingly chill November morning, as he deals with a dead sheep and observes greylag geese streaking across the sky

Seed Capital

Resist the temptation to snip and tidy every last wayward stem, says plantsman John Hoyland. Many plants come into their own when the winter sun is low in the sky and frost rimes their almost alien seedheads

Weedkiller Will Fight Another Day

FARMERS and gardeners have been assured that glyphosate—the key ingredient in several popular weedkillers—is safe and will continue to be available.

Hare Today, Gone Tomorrow?

NUMBERS of Lepus timidus scoticus, the striking mountain hare that turns white to match the snow-clad Scottish uplands in winter, are believed to have fallen to less than 1% of the level they were at in the 1950s.

Following His Nose

The whisky expert on evaluating a good malt and avoiding curry.

Wherefore Art Thou, Romeo?

The Alfa Romeo Giulia Super soaks up our awful British roads like a Bentley, but steers and handles like a Lotus.

Born In The USA

American plays lent opportunity for great acting roles and dramatic realism, but we’ve recently overlooked their capacity for comedy and farce

The Last Hurrah

DESPITE its soubriquet ‘the century plant’, the Agave americana only lives for up to 30 years, spending 20 or so of those storing up reserves of food in its leaves so that its flowers can finally burst forth before it dies.

Beekeeper

ALTHOUGH beekeeping is traditionally associated with the countryside, Amy Newsome’s bees actually live on an allotment in south-west London.

Still Knocking Them For Six

The former England cricket captain gives some batting advice

Of Last Scraps And Lit Tinder

JOE KENNEDY once said when the shoe-shine boys start giving you stock tips, it’s time to get out of the market.

Here Be Dragons

Michael Murray-Fennell goes in search of elves and wizards in the home city of the creator of Middle-earth

The Real Good Life

For some, their garden is a place of peace and tranquillity. For others, it’s a haven of productivity and profit. Anna Tyzack meets the lucky few for whom it’s both

I'm A Fool For You

Soft summer fruits need nothing but fresh cream and sugar added to make a perfect treat for a golden afternoon in the garden, says Flora Watkins

Worth Fussing Over

WHEN I first became interested in gardening, Jane Grigson’s Vegetable Book and Fruit Book were my kitchen inspirations.

It's opera, but not as we know it

Grunting, shrieking, climate-change fear and murder mystery: they all feature in the latest operas, but will we hum their tunes in a few decades time? Claire Jackson asks if we should be more open-minded.

The New Normal

A SHIFT is afoot among farmers and estate owners, with conservation becoming increasingly important. Funding is the key driverespecially now that the new Agriculture Bill and a similar proposal by the Welsh Government set out to reward farmers for environmental benefits (Does it fit the Bill?, Town & Country, September 19).

A Green Giant Awakes

WORK has started on the 154-acre site at RHS Garden Bridgewater, just outside Manchester, which will be the first new RHS garden in 17 years.

Wool-Spinner

KNOCKANDO WOOLMILL owes its longevity to its remote location above the River Spey, near Aberlour in Aberdeenshire. mainland Britain’s only surviving district woollen mill has been producing textiles for more than 230 years and Toby Tottle, who came here as a craft fellow in 2016, has learnt skills that have been passed down through several generations.

Landscape In The Orkneys

John McEwen comments on Landscape in the Orkneys.

In My Lady's Chamber

Sebastian Pryke has recently identified a rare form of distinctively Scottish furniture. He tells the story of this little-known group and its likely association with a remarkable early-18thcentury craftswoman.

High And Dry

IT was the driest early summer for 57 years and, even before breakfast, the glare was so great on my house loch that the trout wouldn’t venture from their weed cover to gobble any catapulted pellets.

Walk The Line

Scotland’s first formal gardens have been reinvigorated with geometric precision by their current custodian.

Building A New Church Of Flowers

Helena Attlee rejoices in the story of a late-Victorian polymath whose studies of flora, fauna and archaeology in the Alpes Maritimes are still of great value today.