In this issue

Why we must settle for knowing only in part
The Revd Dr Colin Heber-Percy encourages us to ask questions —even silly ones—as he muses on the story of the Resurrection.

Bold and beautiful
Charles Quest-Ritson is wowed by the woodland garden created during the past two decades at Broughton Grange, Oxfordshire..

Why we must settle for knowing only in part

On the eve of Easter, the Revd Dr Colin Heber-Percy considers how asking ourselves a question to which we already know the answer, but which we may have forgotten, echoes the message of the Resurrection

5 mins

A silent witness

In the first of two articles, John Goodall looks at the recent completion of the chapel of Lancing College, one of the great landmarks of the Sussex coast

8 mins

A real nest egg

Despite their apparent delicacy, some eggs –when placed on end–can withstand the weight of a human, says John Lewis-Stempel, as he marvels at one of Nature’s smallest, yet mightiest miracles

2 mins

Room with a pew

Bought, sold and inherited, parish seating not only confirmed social status, but came with its own temptations, discovers Andrew Green

4 mins

Once more into the abyss

Having volunteered to look after his neighbour's herd of Limousin cattle, John Lewis-Stempel is dismayed to find himself having to haul an elm-flowerloving heifer out of a ditch on a dramatic March afternoon Illustration by Michael Frith

4 mins

A prickly subject

Resembling a jumbo jacket potato on surprisingly long, scurrying legs, the hedgehog is Britain’s favourite mammal. Marianne Taylor takes a closer look beneath its spines

5 mins

Nature's rarest gems

G. Collins & Sons specialises in the sourcing and setting of the finest natural fancy coloured diamonds the world has to offer

2 mins

The benefit of foresight

The ability to anticipate the future is the secret of a successful building project

1 min

Deep in Hardy country

Hardy's beguilingly pretty Wessex is the setting for three houses with links to people and places that fuelled the writer's imagination

5 mins

An old way of life in rural France

Arcadian tranquillity, a wealth of cultural richness and a slow pace of life enchant John Lewis-Stempel as he reflects on his existence in France profonde

5 mins

Land of liquid gold

Greek cuisine-from delicious mezes to shellfish-might be 'tightly bound to the sparse soil and the blue sea', but it is sorely underrated, laments Tom Parker Bowles

4 mins

Love and logic

Two lovers who endured adversity and separation in life would become united in Paris after death, discovers Eileen Reid

3 mins

Bold and beautiful

The gardens at Broughton Grange, Oxfordshire The home of Sir Stephen and Lady Hester An arboretum, woodland garden, stumpery and heather garden all planted for artistic effect are among the many features that mark out this exciting garden, says Charles Quest-Ritson

6 mins

Don't mock them

Plant a philadelphus, or mock orange, now for improbably lovely scent and cascades of sparkling blossom this summer, says John Hoyland

3 mins

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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.