CATEGORIES

The 1,000-year soap opera

From Richard III to The Crown, monarchs make for perfect drama

Final journey

Cheltenham author and volunteer on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway (GWSR), Nicolas Wheatley, recounts the fascinating story of funeral trains

The magic of Christmas

Ideas for days out, gifts and where to find local produce in Derbyshire this festive season

On top of the world

Lewis Pugh, the first person to swim across the North Pole, admires a new Arctic exhibition at the British Museum

Brutality behind the wire

A box of notes left by her mother led Merilyn Brason to the story of the appalling experiences her mum had endured in a Japanese prison camp during the Second World War

PENNY for the Guy

We take a look at Derbyshire’s bonfire tradtions through history

The bad taste of COVID-19

As coronavirus sufferers are discovering, a sense of smell is essential to enjoying the great pleasures of eating

From hardship came happiness

Pat Ashworth speaks with Chesterfield based retired Colonel John Doody about his inspiring life, from a diffiult childhood to overcoming diversity and finding happiness

Whodunnit? Dick Francis or his wife?

William Cook solves the ultimate mystery of the jockey, born 100 years ago. Did he write his bestsellers himself?

The Wigeon

At Elmley Nature Reserve on the Isle of Sheppey, last March, numerous premigrating wigeon (Anas penelope) were resting.

A place to call home

Lady Edward explains to Derbyshire Life why Haddon Hall is so much more than 900 years of history

Orchards are buzzing with birds and bees

JAMES LE FANU

Barbados revisited

Forty years ago, a teenage James Pembroke killed lizards in the blistering Caribbean heat. Now he rejoices in early colonial buildings

My Pilgrim father

In 1957, a bold British journalist built a replica of the Mayflower and sailed it across the Atlantic.

THE INTERVIEW Steph McGovern

Live from Leeds - Steph McGovern returns to the studio after a scary lockdown lesson in live TV

Love, Vicki

Victoria Wood’s letters reveal a shy, perfectionist, affectionate genius, shadowed by a lonely childhood, says her biographer, Jasper Rees

THE SCENE SETTERS

Hidden away in a North Yorkshire village, you’ll find a business making huge stage sets for global audiences, from TV’s The Voice, to the Olympics and Trafalgar Square’s plinths

On solid ground

Dry stone walls are the thread that bind Yorkshire’s landscape. Fancy giving it a go? Pete Maynard quit his job to do just that

The French furniture hunters

A day in the life of Stephen and Kath Hazell who run The French House in York, one of the largest French antiques businesses in the UK

Face value

We caught up with Sarah Thomas, co-founder of the York-based beauty brand that’s changing the game with waterless, vegan, natural and organic products

Wildlife in crisis

From the bottom of the sea to the top of the tallest tree, there are tales of wildlife woes all over Yorkshire. The good news is that it’s not too late to save what little remains

Decorative art

Not simply functional, treat your walls like an extension of your personality

Gloucestershire After The War

Discovering the county’s Arts and Crafts memorials of the First World War

Boxing clever

The Hare at Scawton was named Yorkshire Life Restaurant of the Year in 2019 and owners Paul and Liz Jackson had big plans for their gourmet hotspot. When lockdown happened, they put down the kitchen knives and opened the tool box. The results are spectacular

All the dales

This route from Thixendale to Hanging Grimston is often missed by local hikers, but it covers a number of glorious dales. Warning: there’s a one in six climb, but the views make it all worthwhile

An Wilson – The Man Who Knows So Much

At 70, he’s written over 40 books but insists he isn’t clever. He tells Frances Wilson about Charles Dickens, sex and Meghan Markle

Can Plants Hear?

In the latest in his series on the intelligence of plants, Martyn Baguley analyses whether they have the ability to hear

Charity Starts At Home

How do we teach our children the importance of giving back?

REMEDY FOR SUCCESS

Surrey’s Tracy Borman discusses the return of her heroine healer in the final book of her best-selling fictional trilogy

Love Celia

Actress Celia Imrie has travelled the world for work and leisure but wherever she goes there is a part of her which is forever Surrey