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London Life

Your indispensable guide to the capital

For king and county

A land of open skies, high-piping oystercatchers and ancient churches, Norfolk has long been associated with Britain’s monarchs. Nick Trend discovers what gives it crown appeal

A brush with plants

This month, the botanical artist Emma Tennant celebrates her 80th birthday–and 75 years of gardening and painting. Steven Desmond eagerly anticipates her forthcoming exhibition

Our very own super savannah

‘WHEN I pay for a view, I expect something more interesting than that,’ says Mrs Richards. ‘Well may I ask what you expected to see out of a Torquay hotel bedroom window?’ replies Basil Fawlty.

Fury at ban

A BAN on the use of snares in Wales is likely to become law after a vote in the Senedd backed criminalising their use. The wire devices, which are principally used by gamekeepers and farmers, are designed to control predator numbers in an effort to protect lambs, gamebirds and other vulnerable wildlife. Those in favour of the ban say that the traps are cruel and indiscriminate, while those against say the ban will lead to a rise in fox numbers, which would have significant adverse effects on threatened species such as curlew.

A home at last

JOY BAKER and her late husband, John, spent 25 years amassing a collection of work by the Soper family of artists, which now amounts to more than 700 prints, watercolours, porcelain figures and memorabilia.

Follow the coastal code

ENGLAND’S first-ever national Marine and Coastal Wildlife Code was launched last week, offering advice and guidance to help people visit the coast ‘responsibly’.

Prepare to be WOW!ed

FOLLOWING the success of the inaugural project last year, WOW! house will return to Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour, from June 5.

Curlew on the move

SOME 120 curlew eggs were transported to the South of England last week, the largest translocation of the threatened species ever undertaken.

Art is all around us

Wherever you are in Britain, youre never far from an interesting gallery. Here we present an eclectic round-up of 45 places to see art outside the big cities

Friends and allies

EVERY month or two, another new scientific paper shares the next increment in our understanding of how plants communicate. I love that. Every day, quiet interactions occur, most beyond our gaze; some harmonious, others less so. The tip of this iceberg of interaction is companion planting, where we take advantage of one plant's qualities to benefit others. This can take many forms.

A shimmering return to form

Spring has been slow in coming this year, but when the gates opened, the nurserymen, gardeners and designers once again achieved the seemingly impossible task of creating horticultural magic in SW3, says Tiffany Daneff

Natural flair

Town Place, East Sussex The garden of Mr & Mrs Anthony McGrath Charles Quest-Ritson visits a garden shaped by intellect and clothed in beauty

When the shoe no longer fits

Sometimes our homes can get too big for us, meaning it’s time to downsize. Here, we speak to those involved with the process

Hidden Herefordshire

The launch onto the market of three landmark country houses reveals why the county is increasingly seen as a quiet alternative to the Cotswolds

Interiors: The designer's room

This Chelsea bedroom by Paolo Moschino is an essay in timeless elegance

Taking good care

The best way to ensure that a much-loved collection of rugs maintains its appearance is restoration and regular cleaning

A right royal Derby day

Seventy years after Elizabeth II so nearly had a coronation Derby winner, Jack Watkins looks at royal connections with the great race

Heaven only knows

Our ancestors may have been God-fearing, but they weren't above misbehaving in church. Carla Passino delves into records of parish life and discovers a host of miscreants, from naked Quakers to veil-less women and squealing clerks

A little bird told me

After years of decline, the Dartford warbler has returned to the area of old Kent where it was discovered 250 years ago, reviving a feud over its name, finds Russell Higham

As we walk in fields of gold

In a scene straight out of a Constable painting, John Lewis-Stempel luxuriates in a wheat field embroidered with wildflowers, as noughts and crosses of swallows and starlings traverse the mellow May skies

Let's stick together

The countryside is for everyone and the problems facing it—and farming and the environment—will not be solved if the different factions continue to squabble, points out Julian Glover

Native breeds Hereford

THE docile Hereford cow, with its kind white face and striking mahogany coat, is probably the native breed that has spread most expansively across the globe-the first exports to the US were in 1817 and importers have included the King of Norway and the Sultan of Oman.

A rare place to rest

A modest farm steading has been stylishly transformed into the heart of a magical landscape and garden. John Goodall admires the sympathy and humour of the project

The money's on the wall

Charlotte Mullins imagines how best to spend a spare £10,000 on art and takes a look at five artists worth investing in right now

My favourite painting Beatrice Grant

The Annunciation, detail from the Polyptych of St Anthony by Piero della Francesca

A case of mistaken identity

A painting has been misattributed not once, but twice, and British dealers head for New York

The end must be good

ABATTOIR closures are causing chaos to farming and food businesses across the country, a survey has revealed

Farming to the fore

A LANDMARK food summit intended to tackle issues such as foodprice inflation, supply-chain issues, domestic investment and self sufficiency in food production has received mixed reviews

Where the wild orchids sing

The enchantingly beautiful native orchid is, tragically, one of Britain’s most endangered wildflowers, but it’s still possible to see them if you look in the right places