In this issue

How to fall in love with your home again

The best ever April Fools
Comfort reads: the books we turn to
The man who solved the cuckoo mystery
Rory Stewart: my vision for London

TURNING OVER A NEW LEAF

There are 8.3 million trees in London, almost one for every member of the capital’s population, but they need our protection now more than ever, finds Jack Watkins

5 mins

A mile of shopping

To coincide with the publication of a definitive new study of Britain’s most famous retail destination, Andrew Saint looks at the history of London’s Oxford Street

9 mins

The feathered home-wrecker

It took one man years of observation to convince the world about the sinister behaviour of cuckoos. More than a century later, as the bird’s population plummets, his work is still revered, says Jack Watkins

6 mins

I wake up every morning thinking of gin

With a 200-year family history of distilling, Natalie Wallis can concoct a gin to suit any list of demands–even one that reflects the seaside, Japanese tourists and The Rolling Stones in one, says Rupert Ponsonby

4 mins

A life in design

Sixty years after Jacqueline Duncan founded the Inchbald School of Interior Design, she continues to champion the profession she helped to create

4 mins

The Power Of Patience

The architect George Saumarez Smith describes how he created a home by slow evolution, rather than revolution

5 mins

With Their Own Fair Hands

Interior designers can dream up the best furniture, says Arabella Youens

4 mins

Splendid isolation

The resilience of these three superb Sussex houses, one owned by the Shelley family, reminds one that there will be good times ahead

5 mins

Bewitching, bucolic and brilliant Upton Wold, Gloucestershire

This magical Cotswolds garden has been thoughtfully created over almost half a century–with one eye always on the mesmerising view, says Tilly Ware

5 mins

When the curtain comes down

Theatre has been forced offstage before now, whether for disease or war, but it has always managed to survive and reinvent itself

5 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.