I GREW up in London and it wasn't until I reached 40 that I bought a house in the country; in the meantime, COUNTRY LIFE fed my dreams. I bought my first full set in 2004, having been the under-bidder for a set at Christopher Gibbs's house sale at the Manor House, Clifton Hampden, Oxfordshire, in 2000. However, it was incomplete, so I bought a second set and combined them, using eBay to locate the last missing issues. I had them bound by Atkinson Bookbinders in Salisbury, Wiltshire. Every year, I would do another decade and, eventually, they took over the whole library. A few years later, out of the blue, I was contacted by someone wanting to buy a whole set, so I sold them and put back the books. But I missed the magazines enormously, so, in 2015, I bought my third set. These days, the first things I turn to are the bridge column and the houses and gardens.
Mark Cecil, businessman, and collector
I look forward to reading COUNTRY LIFE each week and have done for years. It has lots of informative articles about such interesting people. I really enjoyed the recent articles on people in trade and their specialist skills, such as a wheelwright, a hedge cutter and a drystone-waller. I collect the "riddle me this' on Notebook each week and love sharing it with my grandchildren to see who is the first to solve it. I keep the Annie Tempest cartoon until the end, as it always makes me chuckle.
The Duchess of Devonshire
Denne historien er fra May 11, 2022-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra May 11, 2022-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery
