CATEGORIES

There'll Always Be An England, Won't There?

What would we save if England caught fire? Clive Aslet set himself the near-impossible task of choosing 100 ‘crown jewels’. Here, he explains the rationale for some difficult choices

A little slow on the uptake

More likely to give you a knowing blink than a death stare, the gentle slow worm is actually a lizard that has long been misunderstood and terrorised for its snake-like appearance, says Simon Lester

The show must go on

Beef, beer and books–Catherine Austen talks to five people who have worked to bring local cheer, comfort and fun to the Cotswolds during testing times

The fruits of royal service

In the first of two articles, John Goodall explains how a soldier–probably with the help of his mother–won the trust of a child king and created a great castle in the Cotswolds with the rewards

The return of the juniper

Once prolific across the British Isles, the prickly juniper bush may have been in decline for decades, but it’s making a comeback on Surrey’s North Downs, finds Vicky Liddell

The cigar revolution

When Edward Sahakian opened his London Davidoff store 40 years ago, he transformed the industry–what better tribute than an anniversary cigar?

Handed on a silver platter

Tucked away in an old Cotswolds silk mill, expert craftsmen harness a century of expertise to raise, planish and finish fine gold and silverware. Jeremy Flint visits Hart’s of Chipping Campden

Ripe for the picking

On a hazy September morning in Herefordshire, John Lewis-Stempel plucks haversacks full of Worcester Pearmains from the orchard and reverts to childhood by climbing up to sit in the top of an ancient tree

Culinary capers

The latest looks in kitchens, chosen by Amelia Thorpe

Those Magnificent Flying Machines

Outnumbered yet never outfought, The Few buckled on their Spitfires and rode into the Battle of Britain like knights on their chargers. Eighty years on, their true memorial is the freedom in the air we breathe, eulogises John Lewis-Stempel

To boldly go...

Confident colour blocking of single species creates a garden that is a joy to explore, says Tiffany Daneff

The frontier man

The writer and broadcaster on dogs with film presence and the lockdown recording process

Shine bright like a diamond

If Nerine sarniensis is the diamond or jewel lily, then Nicholas de Rothschild’s purpose-built glasshouse is the best place to see it in all its shimmering glory

Shoo fly, don't bother me

Houseflies carry cholera and anthrax, have been used as military weapons and are generally irritating, laments Ian Morton–but do they hold the secret to eternal youth?

Packing a punch

Suffolk was once the wealthiest county in the nation and its landowners cut no corners when it came to their homes

Letters from Hillside

In the final part of our quarterly series, Dan Pearson describes making the wildflower meadow at his Somerset home

Horticultural ecstasies

In the garden

Everything and the kitchen sink

Sodden potatoes and paperwork are forgotten in a glorious return to the river

As clear as mud

From Neolithic pottery to a child’s tiny Tudor shoe, the foreshore of the Thames offers all sorts of fascinating finds for intrepid mudlarkers

A decorative autobiography

The restoration of an estate building by Vanbrugh has created a delightful cottage, where ingeniously conceived modern decoration records the lives and interests of the couple who undertook the work.

Our Guide To The Best Bulbs To Plant For Spring 2021

With tens of thousands of bulbs to choose from, what should you order? Val Bourne selects the finest, chosen for looks, performance and reliability

Poet of the beach

In this 80th anniversary year of the retreat from Dunkirk, Peyton Skipwith considers the work of Richard Eurich (1903–92), War Artist, draughtsman and visionary painter of people, landscape and the sea

The doors open at last

Marquees in Petworth Park will be thronged with eager visitors, where swivel guns and cufflinks, a bachelor chest and a noble Cheviot ram will draw their eyes

And a partridge (not in a pear tree)

Some lust after sky-high pheasants or fast grouse, but, for Tom Parker Bowles, a French (or, even better, English) partridge bagged on a mild September day is top of the pops

The best of both worlds

Two Oxfordshire properties that espouse the benefits of town and country living hit the market

Of corn blobs and goggle-eyed plovers

From the ‘ethereal minstrel’ skylark to the yellowhammer with its ‘little-bit of-bread-and-no-cheese’ call, these birds are inextricably linked to our farming heritage, says Jack Watkins

Life in the slow lane

With a taste for radio and raspberries and a habit of clambering over anything in their path, tortoises are never going to be the cuddliest of pets, but they are nonetheless treasured by successive generations, finds Madeleine Silver

A shore thing

With 48 miles of coastline, you could spend an entire weekend exploring different Jersey beaches and still not see them all. Antonia Windsor has the pick of the ones you really shouldn’t miss

A magical touch

COUNTRY LIFE played a formative role in the development of Edwardian architectural taste, championing eclecticism and engaging with history, as Timothy Brittain-Catlin reveals

Learning In A Time Of Covid

Teepees, no uniform and housework–as pupils and staff return to a semblance of normality, how will school life have changed? Lucy Higginson finds out