Country Life UK Magazine - May 07, 2025

In this issue

Martina Droth’s favourite painting The Yale Center for British Art director chooses a work tinged with a melancholy sadness An estate made public John Goodall investigates the gradual architectural evolution of Bowood in Wiltshire, a house that boasts a remarkable history. The legacy Kate Green pays tribute to Alan Turing, the code cracker who curtailed the Second World War.

Oceans away

PREPARE to read an anecdote about octopuses that will blow your mind, courtesy of Colin Butfield, co-founder and director of Open Planet Studios, who has just written a book with Sir David Attenborough.

2 mins

Over-egging the pudding

THE vegans never disappoint when it comes to overplaying their hand. We've had meatless meat, pigless bacon and milkless cheese.

2 mins

An estate made public

Bowood, Wiltshire The seat of the Marquis of Lansdowne It is 70 years since Bowood assumed its modern form. John Goodall looks at the evolution of the house, the remarkable figures associated with it and its recent development

8 mins

The legacy Alan Turing and computer science

As an unconventional schoolboy at Sherborne in Dorset, Alan Turing was ticked off for having 'grandiose ideas'.

1 min

For her eyes only

On the 80th anniversary of VE Day, Allan Mallinson salutes five remarkable women in the shadowy world of espionage who contributed to the Allied victory

8 mins

Sell your valuables with ease

The Antique Buying Collective treats gold and silver as heirlooms, not scrap. From Victorian brooches to Georgian silverware, each piece is appraised for its history, craftsmanship and charm, then thoughtfully rehomed through a trusted network. It’s a respectful approach, giving fine antiques the second life they so richly deserve

3 mins

The Badminton A-Z

All you need to know about this weekend's MARS Badminton Horse Trials

4 mins

'I am the marquis of Marmite'

Better known for redecorating country houses, Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen has now turned his hand to capturing them on canvas—and he’s doing it in his own inimitable style, says James Fisher

6 mins

Nothing lasts forever

A withering rosebud, the brevity of blossom and the one-day wonder of the mayfly: Nature's ephemeral beauty reminds us of our own finite existence, but melancholy transience also offers moments of magic, discovers Laura Parker

5 mins

She swoops, she scores

In the first of a weekly series exploring our birds of prey, Mark Cocker examines the hobby, a falcon of elegance and rapacity that can snatch swallows in flight and catch bats after dusk

3 mins

The Cotswolds never disappoints

Glorious country houses in two ‘golden triangles', a village of woodpeckers, T. S. Eliot and a secret garden

7 mins

Simply the best

Prime Purchase's experienced buying agents offer their clients a great deal more than access to off-market properties

2 mins

Pretty as a picture

For those searching for a place to call home in the Cotswolds, Arabella Youens picks a selection of dream cottages for sale

2 mins

London Life

Your indispensable guide to the capital

1 min

Begin your next chapter in the heart of Chelsea

Offering state-of-the-art facilities in elegant surroundings, Auriens has built a community of like-minded over-65s enjoying the finer things in life

2 mins

'As dreams are made on'

In a rare glimpse behind the curtain, Selina Cadell shares the backstage secrets of appearing in The Tempest at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane earlier this year

5 mins

A soft touch

The garden at Hampnett House, Gloucestershire The home of Mr Sanjeev Shah and Ms Mansi Amin What to do if you inherit a garden that isn't your style? Tiffany Daneff visits one that has undergone a major transformation, from high-concept minimalism to flower-filled paradise

5 mins

Sour notes

IT is the season of the sour, when gooseberries, rhubarb and sorrel come into their own.

3 mins

All set for the Chelsea chop?

Plantsman John Hoyland explains why you might want to take the secateurs to give your late-flowering herbaceous perennials a prune this month

4 mins

Go wild or go home

A tented safari will surprise even the most seasoned traveller, says Mark Hedges, and nowhere more so than in Botswana, where the rhythms of life seem supercharged

4 mins

Hot on the trail

An extraordinary new walking trail is the best way to experience Sri Lanka's dramatic tea country, reveals Rosie Paterson. Just watch out for the leopards

5 mins

'The hand of a maestro at work'

Red walled, sun soaked, art filled: the Tuscan haven that is Casa Newton, Pienza, Italy, is set in divine gardens by Luciano Giubbilei

2 mins

Ride the money train

A carpenter that disappeared mid job from the childhood home of rare-book dealer Simon Finch turned out to be an infamous robber. Years later, a memento of the man’s colourful life landed in Mr Finch’s hands, as he reveals to Carla Passino

6 mins

One king to rule them all

James VI and I fended off turmoil and assassination attempts to live an extravagant life, ruling over a country where the Arts flourished. On the 400th anniversary of his death, Mary Miers considers the man who united Britain's thrones

6 mins

Judge it by the cover

Rare or antiquarian tomes have long lit a passion in figures as diverse as Alan Titchmarsh and the late Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts. Now, the Firsts London book fair promises to feed collecting appetites

4 mins

Their finest hour

Kate Green

6 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.