Country Life UK Magazine - February 26, 2025

In this issue

"Smooth operators - The foxy gentlemen of the terrier world
Schools: unexpected treasures and the VAT attack - Woodpeckers and walking in the wild fells"

My favourite painting Sir Stephen Hough

Portrait of a Carthusian by Petrus Christus

1 min

A glimpse of the sublime Russborough House, Co Wicklow, Ireland A property of the Alfred Beit Foundation

The redecoration of a drawing room offers a fascinating insight into the aesthetic preoccupations of Grand Tourism in the mid 18th century, as John Goodall explains

8 mins

The legacy Ralph Allen and Bath

THREE men are said to have created the City of Bath: Beau Nash made it fashionable, John Wood made it beautiful and Ralph Allen made it possible.

1 min

An officer and a gentleman

Once so popular they were labelled the 'English terrier', numbers of smooth fox terriers have dwindled to worrying levels. Yet these smart and charming little dogs could rival the labrador if better known, devotees tell Flora Watkins

6 mins

You belong with me

Drawing on his experiences as a troubled schoolboy, a burnt-out BBC screenwriter and an ‘awkward' parish priest, the Revd Colin Heber-Percy reflects on the value of being lost-and found in the forest of life

4 mins

Knock on wood

Our beloved, bark-drumming woodpeckers are guardians of ancient broad-leaved woodlands, busy ecosystem engineers and keen consumers of ant porridge, discovers Vicky Liddell

5 mins

What goes up, must come down

The welcome sight of a Cumbrian dry-stone wall on a murky February day offers John Lewis-Stempel solace, as he navigates the spooling, rocky path down from one of the Lake District’s cloud-capped peaks Illustration by Michael Frith

4 mins

There's gold in them thar schools

Some of the most significant treasures and curiosities in British history, from Henry VII's golden cope to Alan Turing's reports, lie not in museums or galleries, but, unexpectedly, within independent schools, reveals Madeleine Silver

7 mins

Timeless bridal jewellery

Bespoke wedding jewellery crafted by G. Collins & Sons will bring extra sparkle to the happy couple's special day and beyond

2 mins

Little gems

A small space can be just as appealing as a large one. All that's required is some decorating derring-do, discovers Arabella Youens

3 mins

A pocket of Middle England

Idyllic Midlands counties appear to have been left alone by the hordes-all the better for those who live there

6 mins

Lights, camera, action!

Renting your house out for filming can be fun, occasionally alarming, a good revenue stream and might even increase its value, finds Annabel Dixon

3 mins

A brush with snowdrops

Tilly Ware meets the artist and galanthophile John Morley in his Suffolk garden, home to the oldest snowdrop nursery in the country

5 mins

The electric limeade acid test

IN early March, in the way of a stop-motion picture jump, the bleached deathliness of winter lanes are punctuated as if from nowhere with electric limeade alexanders plants.

3 mins

Bay and vanilla crème brûlée custard tart with poached pears

In a large bowl, use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs and then stir through the icing sugar.

2 mins

Bitter together

Peppery, rocket-like and best eaten raw, this warming winter weed adds a decorative flourish to any humble salad, finds John Wright

3 mins

As good as gold

The glittering, jewel-like works by early-14th-century Sienese painters reflected the splendour of the city’s heyday and went on to influence courtly art as far afield as Britain and Bohemia, as Mary Miers discovers

5 mins

Clear in the attic

Intriguing chairs, tables and bookstands peppered the Holkham sale at Sworders, but, for me, a lacquered-brass stick barometer in a mahogany case stole the show

4 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.