CATEGORIES

The fine art of pottering

WHAT are you doing?’ asks the lady of the house through the open back door. ‘

Furnishings of distinction

David Jones explains the significance of the furniture at Blair Castle in Perthshire and reveals his recent discoveries relating to this outstanding 18th-century ensemble

The generation game

The allure of the West Country has kept these two houses in the hands of their owners for more than 30 years

Down the rabbit hole

Michael Murray-Fennell delves into the subconscious, the uncanny, war and desire and discovers the contribution made by British artists to the Surrealist movement

The audience is the thing

The actor on Bond, Boris and not being disappointed

COUNTRY LIFE Guide to weddings

Welcome to our take on the latest news on all things nuptial

A Rococo palace in the wilds

Blair Castle, Perthshire The seat of the Dukes of Atholl Reinvented several times, this ducal seat reveals to Mary Miers a stirring history of feudal power, sophisticated patronage, rebellion and romance

Older and wiser

The dos and don’ts of second (and subsequent) weddings, according to Arabella Youens

The Country Life Top 100

Britain is blessed with some of the world’s greatest architects, interior designers, garden designers and specialist craftspeople. For the fourth year running, COUNTRY LIFE selects those with a demonstrable track record in creating the perfect country home

Listen To The Language Of Belonging

The sounds made by the birds around us are intricate, responsive and humorous. Yet, somehow, we have forgotten how to hear them, says David George Haskell, as he urges us to go outside and pay attention

Designs For Health And Beauty

The coming of mass tourism to the seaside produced an era of iconic Modern architecture and design, as Clive Aslet discovers

Where the wild things are

With a primeval bellow that echoes around the medieval castle walls, the rare wild cattle of Chillingham are a scientific wonder, discovers Vicky Liddell

Stoppard returns to his roots

The octogenerian’s last play is more starkly emotional than usual and the ethics of spying are debated in a topical new work

Shiver my timbers

Part art and part history, these timber-frame houses are some of England’s finest

Set fair for 2020

The year’s trade had an excellent start, with high prices achieved for a cheese-toasting dish, a stone Apollo, an Art Deco rug and slabs of the Berlin Wall

Make mine a labradoodle

In the past 30 years, this well-mannered crossbreed has stolen our hearts, yet the man responsible has likened it to Frankenstein’s monster. Kate MacDougall finds out more

A growing success

The Plant Specialist, Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire A good garden starts with great plants. Juliet Roberts visits one of the finest suppliers

A flash in the pan

One of Britain’s outstanding Baroque houses vanished in 1747, having been sold within three years of its patron’s death. William Aslet looks at the tantalising fragments that survive and what they tell us about this prodigy building

Punching Above Their Weight

Small independent schools can still give larger rivals a run for their money in terms of academic results, facilities and individuality. Madeleine Silver finds out how they manage to hold their own

Time to reflect

Find some perspective next to the peaceful waters of these three properties

Purple reign

Purple-sprouting broccoli, the surprisingly robust dandy of the vegetable patch, is best enjoyed with an anchovy sauce and a dusting of feta, says Tom Parker Bowles

Pride rocks

At last, Joseph Paxton’s monument is being given the restoration it deserves, reveals Tiffany Daneff

Scalloped splashes of gold

Lauded by Wordsworth for their ‘glittering countenance’, the appearance of the first celandines and the swallow’s return to our shores are c favourite, and much anticipated, harbingers of spring

Albion the brave

Two works illustrate the ambivalence–loyalty and pride mixed with disgust and anger–that playwrights, from Shakespeare to Alan Bennett, often display towards England

Fantastic Mr Fox

On a dreary February day, John Lewis-Stempel comes face-to-face with a brace of Vulpes vulpes crucigera among the emerging snowdrops in the dingle below his Herefordshire farmhouse

Pomp and propaganda

Jeremy Musson explores the glorious detail unveiled in a new exhibition devoted to the late Stuart Age

A palace worthy of a bishop

Encircled by water in the shadow of its cathedral, the Bishop’s Palace at Wells is a captivating survival. John Goodall looks at the history of this outstanding building 800 years after its construction

A leap of faith

Ladies, gather your red petticoats and Poundland rings–the day on which you’re ‘allowed’ to propose marriage is on the horizon, says Victoria Marston

The Future Of The Kitchen Garden

Steven Desmond applauds a ground-breaking restoration that balances productivity with beauty

Gardens For All Seasons

Winter Gardens have had a difficult late 20th century. What lies ahead for these extraordinary architectural creations, asks Marcus Binney, and might they be about to enjoy a revival?