Entertainment
Country Life UK
When Christmas was cancelled
No feasting. No drinking. No celebrations. Ian Morton explores what the festive period was like when Oliver Cromwell's Christmas clampdown gripped the nation
3 min |
December 13 - 20, 2023 (Double Issue)
Country Life UK
Prodigy or eccentric?
A monastic church converted to a cathedral at the Reformation is a building of European importance, yet it has twice narrowly escaped destruction, as John Goodall explains
10 min |
December 13 - 20, 2023 (Double Issue)
Country Life UK
On the night watch
As the diurnal delights of the animal kingdom slip into a deep slumber, John Lewis-Stempel explores the velvety black shadows where the wild things are
5 min |
December 13 - 20, 2023 (Double Issue)
Country Life UK
Away in a manger
From Rembrandt's shepherds, startled by an angel's appearance, to Gauguin's mother, exhausted after giving birth to her green-haloed child, the Nativity has inspired some of our greatest artists, finds
6 min |
December 13 - 20, 2023 (Double Issue)
Country Life UK
Reaching for the stars
In a busy week of New York sales, Femme à la Montre, part of the collection that the late Emily Fisher Landau formed with an insurance payout, becomes the second most expensive Picasso ever sold at auction
3 min |
December 06, 2023
Country Life UK
Supersonic flight
'Even at 98, he recalls the thrill of breaking the sound barrier'
2 min |
December 06, 2023
Country Life UK
The real thing
Barbados boasts a rich artistic and design heritage, masked in recent years by big, faceless hotels, but now being brought triumphantly to the fore, says Rosie Paterson
4 min |
December 06, 2023
Country Life UK
Bay watch
'It reminds me of soft, sugary cola-bottle sweets'
3 min |
December 06, 2023
Country Life UK
Studying the classics
Why do some London restaurants stand the test of time when so many others fail? Emma Hughes goes in search of the secret ingredient
4 min |
December 06, 2023
Country Life UK
In a new light
For Sir John Soane, the tools of the trade included skylights, tinted glasses and mirrors, as much as classical motifs, bricks and mortar. Carla Passino retraces the life of the man who chased the poetry of architecture and left an extraordinary gift to the nation
5 min |
December 06, 2023
Country Life UK
Too big to rail
The failed northern leg of HS2 has left landowners in the lurch. Lucy Denton reports on what happens next
4 min |
December 06, 2023
Country Life UK
Last orders
As 2023 comes to a close, three splendid properties with business potential have come to the market, one of which was the Cornish venture of supermodel Jean Shrimpton
5 min |
December 06, 2023
Country Life UK
Animal magic
Melanie Johnson employs a menagerie of parrots, leopards, reindeer, serpents and feathered friends to create inspired ideas for festive dining
1 min |
December 06, 2023
Country Life UK
Not so jolly old Saint Nicholas
Father Christmas may be the rosy-cheeked, jolly character who personifies the fun of the festive season, but he's had to overcome a few setbacks, notes Ian Morton
4 min |
December 06, 2023
Country Life UK
Neptune's wooden angels
Carved figureheads, always adorned with eyes, often female and sometimes in a compromising pose, were cherished by their crews as protection from the perils faced at sea, finds Harry Pearson
6 min |
December 06, 2023
Country Life UK
Never knowingly undersold
From telephone-equipped hotel rooms to cars 'for lady drivers', the advertisements featured in COUNTRY LIFE in 1923 captured Britain's evolution, as well as the odd quack remedy, finds Melanie Bryan
3 min |
December 06, 2023
Country Life UK
Taking account of the past
A late-Victorian masterpiece in the heart of the City has been expanded and augmented with unusual discernment. Steven Brindle visits after its most recent refurbishment
8 min |
December 06, 2023
Country Life UK
Lady of the island
No one knows more about the party island of Mustique than Lady Glenconner, who talks to Pamela Goodman about her memories of and favourite spots on the Caribbean islands
4 min |
December 06, 2023
Country Life UK
All things must pass
When George Harrison first saw the famous Topiary Garden at Friar Park, it was a tangled jungle of overgrown yews. The work he began has been continued by his wife, Olivia, and, now, the display is back to its full glory, finds Charles Quest-Ritson
6 min |
December 06, 2023
Country Life UK
And that's an unwrap
A diamond-encrusted tortoise, a humble pencil case and a cursed jewel: Felicity Day unwraps some of the best and worst presents given in literature
4 min |
December 06, 2023
Country Life UK
A guide to modern table manners
Formal dining is no longer the minefield it once was. Annunciata Elwes identifies points of etiquette that have been dispatched, retained, revised and added
3 min |
November 29, 2023
Country Life UK
Not for the faint-arted
The forthcoming London Art Week is so packed with exceptional works, from a melancholic Landseer landscape to a bold painting of children by Joaquín Sorolla, that collectors will need exceptional stamina to see it all
3 min |
November 29, 2023
Country Life UK
Doing a sterling job
The contents of your silver drawer deserve closer inspection, believes Christopher Wilson, as he explores the precious metal's desirability through the ages
5 min |
November 29, 2023
Country Life UK
Cuba's greatest hits
Por Larrañaga dates back to 1834, making it one of the oldest Cuban cigar brands, but it's not a name you hear requested much in cigar-smoking circles. That is now changing, with a new edition arriving in time for the festive season
3 min |
November 29, 2023
Country Life UK
I'm berry fond of you
Holly-a symbol of eternal life-thrives throughout even the harshest of winters, says Lia Leendertz, as she explains how to make the most of its scarlet-red berries when decorating your home for Christmas
2 min |
November 29, 2023
Country Life UK
The stuff of salvation
Forever wed to onion for a tasty stuffing, the versatile sage leaf was also once used to wash 'the secret parts of man or woman'
6 min |
November 29, 2023
Country Life UK
The scents that came in from the cold
Fragranced plants may be harder to come across in winter months, says Lia Leendertz, but a little effort will reap deliciously sweet-smelling rewards both inside and outside the home
5 min |
November 29, 2023
Country Life UK
Present danger
AS most of the garden settles into a state of restful melancholy, there are a few plants that are stirring themselves towards an unseasonal flamboyance.
3 min |
November 29, 2023
Country Life UK
Going full tilt
Warped, twisted and wonderfully wonky, who can fail to be intrigued by the quirky glory of Britain's medieval buildings? Rob Crossan explores the asymmetrical charm of the crooked house
5 min |
November 29, 2023
Country Life UK
Better to have loved and listed
It seems odd to pay an insurance premium for listed buildings.
5 min |