Country Life UK - March 15, 2023

Spring into action

IT’S easy to see why the term ‘spring fever’ came into being. Those fine, clear days in the first half of February when the sun shone and warmed our backs, reminding us of the inexorable change in the seasons.

Marvels of the moor

Set in a steep valley just below Dartmoor, these romantic woodland gardens are filled with exotic trees and flowering shrubs, many of historic importance, writes Caroline Donald

The real thing

These delightful countryside properties offer the best of pastoral England, all for less than £1 million

Not so quiet on the western front

A trio of houses in Wiltshire, Somerset and Devon set the market going this spring in the West Country

Starting from scratch

Building a house requires everything from planning to patience, says Arabella Youens

A charter for second homes

The demand for second homes has intensified in recent years and, in some areas, has provoked intense resentment, as well as punitive taxation. Simon Jenkins considers the positive contribution second homers can make and proposes a charter to clarify their responsibilities

The real drive of his life

Never one to idle time away, Sir Henry Royce-co-founder of Rolls-Roycespent his spare moments working on a farm bought through the pages of COUNTRY LIFE, reveals Russell Higham

Raising the flag

From the good old Union Jack to a personal banner depicting your own design, there are countless ways of setting your flag pole aflutter, but be sure to avoid flag cushions at all costs, cautions John F. Mueller

The healing power of honey

Bees are vital for life on earth and, for the past 30 years, a British charity has been helping some of the world's poorest people to become self-sufficient through beekeeping, finds Agnes Stamp

Native breeds Buff Orpington

THE Buff Orpington is one of the matrons of the poultry world, irresistibly rounded and solid looking—the breed standard describes its build as ‘cobby’—and a distinctive, warm honey colour.