In this issue

Fantastic Mr Fox
The chap with all the cunning plans

Churchill’s dog and other canine influencers
Why a prep school is still the best start in life
Chatsworth’s Rockery, leap years and Spring’s herald

A leap of faith

Ladies, gather your red petticoats and Poundland rings–the day on which you’re ‘allowed’ to propose marriage is on the horizon, says Victoria Marston

3 mins

Scalloped splashes of gold

Lauded by Wordsworth for their ‘glittering countenance’, the appearance of the first celandines and the swallow’s return to our shores are c favourite, and much anticipated, harbingers of spring

6 mins

A palace worthy of a bishop

Encircled by water in the shadow of its cathedral, the Bishop’s Palace at Wells is a captivating survival. John Goodall looks at the history of this outstanding building 800 years after its construction

8 mins

Fantastic Mr Fox

On a dreary February day, John Lewis-Stempel comes face-to-face with a brace of Vulpes vulpes crucigera among the emerging snowdrops in the dingle below his Herefordshire farmhouse

4 mins

Purple reign

Purple-sprouting broccoli, the surprisingly robust dandy of the vegetable patch, is best enjoyed with an anchovy sauce and a dusting of feta, says Tom Parker Bowles

4 mins

Time to reflect

Find some perspective next to the peaceful waters of these three properties

5 mins

Pride rocks

At last, Joseph Paxton’s monument is being given the restoration it deserves, reveals Tiffany Daneff

6 mins

Pomp and propaganda

Jeremy Musson explores the glorious detail unveiled in a new exhibition devoted to the late Stuart Age

3 mins

Albion the brave

Two works illustrate the ambivalence–loyalty and pride mixed with disgust and anger–that playwrights, from Shakespeare to Alan Bennett, often display towards England

4 mins

Punching Above Their Weight

Small independent schools can still give larger rivals a run for their money in terms of academic results, facilities and individuality. Madeleine Silver finds out how they manage to hold their own

10+ 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.