Entertainment
Country Life UK
The designer's room
Sims Hilditch has created a cosseting space for a family to relax after a day on the sea
1 min |
November 13, 2024
Country Life UK
It's only natural
Striking the perfect balance between beautiful and useful, Arcana's heirloom textiles are designed to deepen our connection with Nature, finds Julie Harding
4 min |
November 13, 2024
Country Life UK
All toggled up
The thermoregulating duffle coat—both a seafarers’ favourite and a sartorial symbol of bohemian intellectualism—is perhaps most famously sported by a certain Peruvian bear with a penchant for marmalade, finds Russell Higham
5 min |
November 13, 2024
Country Life UK
Another door opens
Whether they contain traditional Christmas scenes, child-pleasing chocolates or deeply decadent beauty treats, Advent calendars ensure the first flutters of anticipation for the festivities, says Flora Watkins
4 min |
November 13, 2024
Country Life UK
Hybrids of hope
Once the hallmark of a rural idyll, our English elms were almost eradicated by a devastating fungal disease, but a new cultivation aims to secure their survival, finds Andrew Martin
4 min |
November 13, 2024
Country Life UK
A feast fit for a king
Be it turtle soup or epic, six-course lunches, the Royal Family has long enjoyed superb food. Yet, as Tom Parker Bowles explores in his latest book, the current King and Queen's tastes are far more down to earth
6 min |
November 13, 2024
Country Life UK
By royal appointment
Forget social-media followers, being appointed a Royal Warrant holder is still the highest form of accolade and influence, says Katy Birchall, as she meets those whose wares have recently been afforded The King and Queen's seal of approval
8 min |
November 13, 2024
Country Life UK
Princely re-creation - Apethorpe Palace, Northamptonshire, part I A seat of Baron and Baroness von Pfetten
In the first of two articles, Jeremy Musson celebrates the spectacular renewal of one of England's great Jacobean houses
7 min |
November 13, 2024
Country Life UK
Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
2 min |
October 23, 2024
Country Life UK
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
5 min |
October 23, 2024
Country Life UK
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
6 min |
October 23, 2024
Country Life UK
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
3 min |
October 23, 2024
Country Life UK
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
3 min |
October 23, 2024
Country Life UK
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
7 min |
October 23, 2024
Country Life UK
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
6 min |
October 23, 2024
Country Life UK
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
5 min |
October 23, 2024
Country Life UK
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
8 min |
October 23, 2024
Country Life UK
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery
5 min |
October 23, 2024
Country Life UK
Sympathy for the Devil
Provocative and insightful, philosopher Niccolò Machiavelli was as complex and paradoxical as his beloved city, discovers Eileen Reid
3 min |
October 23, 2024
Country Life UK
Power of four
An enigmatic blend of savoury and sweet, laced with heat to tease and tickle, the food of Morocco is both mysterious and misunderstood, finds Tom Parker Bowles
5 min |
October 23, 2024
Country Life UK
Shifting sands
Saudi Arabia has undergone accelerated social change and is set to become a global art powerhouse, with contemporary artists playing a crucial role, discovers Jessica Lack
5 min |
October 23, 2024
Country Life UK
Promise of adventure
From sailing to fishing, golf and exceptional watersports, the Caribbean offers activities aplenty for those who are game, discovers Holly Kirkwood
6 min |
October 23, 2024
Country Life UK
Winging it
Precision engineering, electrifying competition and ballooning budgets define the America's Cup, the most coveted trophy in international sport, says Paul Henderson
5 min |
October 23, 2024
Country Life UK
Upon St Crispin's Day
Etched into modern memory by Shakespeare, this inspirational martyr became the subject of a rousing battle speech by chance, discovers Ian Morton
3 min |
October 23, 2024
Country Life UK
Give the dog a throne
Devoted dog owners, past and present, have created a veritable barkitectural digest. Flora Watkins pays tribute to some of the most palatial pet houses in the land
5 min |
October 23, 2024
Country Life UK
A Nose for Nature -With an uncanny ability to detect elusive species in the wild, dogs are poised to play a vital role in conservation and biosecurity.
Ꮓiba seems to be the perfect colleague: hard-working, efficient and fun to be around. However, Ziba isn't a person; she's a conservation detection dog, especially trained to sniff out the presence of rare bats and birds. The sixyear-old German shorthaired pointer is one of an increasing number of dogs helping to conserve wildlife. Similar to sniffer dogs employed to detect drugs or explosives, these detection dogs are using their extraordinary sense of smell to identify anything from great crested newts to pine martens.
5 min |
October 16, 2024
Country Life UK
Duck and Cover - With a comical and heart-warming call, the eider or 'cuddy duck' is a convivial bird that was highly favoured and protected by Northumberland's patron saint, says
Anyone who has spent time on the rugged, castle-fringed coast of Northumberland will be familiar with the call of the eider duck. The male emits a fluty 'ahoooh' that sounds amazed and a little censorious. The female responds with a throaty cackle-Dame Barbara Windsor to the drake's Kenneth Williams, if you like. There's something good humoured, fond and comforting in the eiders' calling. It evokes feelings of nostalgia even in those hearing it for the first time.
4 min |
October 16, 2024
Country Life UK
Not to be sneezed at
The ritual and performance of snuff, the 'titillating dust' that has fuelled creativity and enhanced social situations since the 16th century, is still popular today, discovers
6 min |
October 16, 2024
Country Life UK
Where her tears fell, asters grew
Small-flowered asters, with their quiet beauty and clouds of starry blooms, are the final shout of autumn, advises
3 min |
October 16, 2024
Country Life UK
You had me at Merlot
The British wine industry is growing at a rate of Nebuchadnezzars, altering the palate of the countryside market, finds
3 min |