In this issue

The money’s on the wall
Are you thinking of investing in art, but don’t know where to start? Charlotte Mullins selects five artists to watch and guides would-be buyers through the first steps in building a collection.

Art is all around us
Britain is blessed with a host of intriguing regional galleries—here COUNTRY LIFE invites you along for a whistlestop tour of 45 of our writers’ favourites.

A right royal Derby day
Jack Watkins investigates the Royal Family’s love affair with Epsom’s classic showpiece..

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.

1 min

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.

2 mins

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’.

1 min

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.

1 min

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.

3 mins

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.

2 mins

My favourite painting Beatrice Grant

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

2 mins

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

7 mins

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

7 mins

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.

1 min

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

4 mins

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

4 mins

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

4 mins

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

5 mins

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

4 mins

Taking good care

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

2 mins

Interiors: The designer's room

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

1 min

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

5 mins

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

5 mins

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

5 mins

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

2 mins

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.

3 mins

Read all stories from Country Life UK

Country Life UK Magazine Description:

Country Life; architecture, gardens, countryside, property, the very best of British life Published by IPC Media. Country Life, the quintessential English magazine, is undoubtedly one of the biggest and instantly recognisable brands in the UK today. It has a unique core mix of contemporary country-related editorial and top end property advertising. Editorially, the magazine comments in-depth on a wide variety of subjects, such as architecture, the arts, gardens and gardening, travel, the countryside, field-sports and wildlife. With renowned columnists and superb photography Country Life delivers the very best of British life every week.