CATEGORIES

A complete education

As one might expect from the founder of the English Gardening School, Rosemary Alexander’s garden is packed with the lessons learned from a lifetime in horticulture

Black magic

An enthralling new exhibition charts the astonishing range and versatility of the fin-de-siècle illustrator, says Matthew Sturgis

A timeless beauty

Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc, Antibes, France

A force of Nature

One family’s steadfast commitment to Nature means the privately run Elmley National Nature Reserve in Kent teems with wildlife, including the country’s largest lowland collection of breeding waders, finds Clive Aslet

A collector's home

An idyllic 17th-century house set between two branches of the River Itchen has been revived. John Goodall explores its remarkable history and the personalities who have shaped its character

The top 10

From beautiful buffet breakfasts to Italian bed linen, it’s the small things that count. Rosie Paterson selects her top hotels for honeymooners and explains why they stand out

The woodlanders

Hugh Nunn fell in love with trilliums and erythroniums in his twenties. Val Bourne looks back on a life devoted to breeding the finest forms of these extraordinary plants

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