In this issue

Chequers
The Prime Minister’s country home

Why we should save our shaggy sheep
Joy unconfi ned: VE Day remembered
Pastures new: replanting wildfl ower meadows

A BRIDGE WORTH CROSSING

Jack Watkins takes a trip down the River Thames and a look back at London’s illustrious bridge-building heritage

4 mins

What the doctor ordered

The virus has put an end to any big adventures, but a local round along a Cotswold canal is proving restorative

3 mins

Playing at chequers

In the first of two articles on the country seat of Britain’s Prime Ministers, John Goodall uses a diary to explain the circumstances of its magnificent Edwardian transformation

8 mins

For the love of a longwool

The ancient, golden-fleeced sheep that once drove the British economy are now in need of conservation help. Kate Green reports

4 mins

Born to be wild

Bird’s-foot trefoil, yellow rattle, rock-rose, scabious and selfheal: the limestone grassland of the Cotswolds could soon be flooded with wildflowers once again, thanks to a new planting scheme. Nicola Chapman finds out more

4 mins

Interiors The designer's room

Having rescued this Tuscan villa from near ruin, its British owners commissioned Artichoke to design a hard-working kitchen

1 min

Star spangled meadows

Camassias are tall, elegant and simple to grow– it’s easy to see why people fall in love with these American beauties, says Val Bourne

5 mins

Peas in a pod

I’M not much of a competitive gardener—I’ll marvel at an oversized pumpkin as much as the next person, without any intention of growing one—but I do gamble on an early sowing of peas.

3 mins

A Londoner who immortalised Georgian life

Francis Wheatley RA (1747–1801) is best known today for his ‘Cries of London’, but, as Matthew Dennison explains, he was also a painter of delightful and accomplished portraits and landscapes

3 mins

Vying for virtual space

Dealers and fairs alike are responding to lockdown challenges in sterling fashion, with online viewing rooms, essays and videos galore

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.