Any fule kno that

It's been 70 years since Nigel Molesworth was launched on an unsuspecting world. Jonathan Self reflects on a dysfunctional prep-school life

Animal encounters

Budding veterinary surgeon or not, letting children take on the responsibility of animal husbandry is vital to their education and should be encouraged, says Tessa Waugh

Intelligent by design

It's no secret that we are living in a time of fast-paced change, but what is increasingly clear is that our current idea of technology's capabilities is only the tip of the iceberg, says Holly Kirkwood

Atale of three Peters

A work by the artist eventually known as Peter Candid sold handsomely in Munich and, if you're feeling altruistic, there are some worthy appeals to preserve art for the nation

Attention seekers

WANDERING around the garden this week and seeing the tatty, browning and slug-ravaged foliage of the bearded irises, it is difficult to remember how thrilling they were only a few short months ago.

Sleeping beauty awakes

James Alexander-Sinclair admires the enthusiastic revival of a family garden near the Solway Firth

Compare and contrast

Two grand country houses-one a Georgian gem, the other built to look like one-highlight our enduring love of 18th-century architecture

Feel-good spaces

Interior designers Bunny Turner and Emma Pocock believe that well-designed rooms should feel as good as they look. Now, they've set up a charity to create relaxing, good-looking spaces in hospitals, homeless shelters and community centres

The designer's room

Traditional cabinetry was a key ingredient in the sympathetic restoration of a Grade I-listed Tudor house in Shropshire

Right before my berry eyes

Musing over the dog days of summer, John LewisStempel delights in the scarlet haw- and fulsome sloe-laden hedgerows, as he stops to pluck glistening blackberries from brambles and indulges in the sweet burst of the abundant fruit

Take cover

With soil health under threat, it's time to ditch fertilisers for a gentler system. Cover crops and green manure can help restore Nature, feed insects and birds and add a splash of colour to the countryside, advocates Simon Lester

A stitch in wildflower time

Delicate cuckooflower, bluebells and cow parsley are brought to colourful life through Sarah Becvar's carefully embroidered creations, discovers Octavia Pollock, as she tries her hand at the textile artist's intricate work

We're all winners

Triumph and disappointment are always better shared, as are expenses, and multiple ownership is on the rise in racing. Marcus Armytage examines the pleasures and pitfalls of syndicate-owned racehorses

Of houses and horses

The Defender Burghley Horse Trials is the sporting event of the weekend. Kate Green provides a guide

Conditions of carriage

Horse-drawn carriages might often be portrayed as the most genteel and romantic form of transport, but, in their heyday, they frequently left passengers feeling nauseous and uneasy, says Charles Harris

A princely seat

In the first of two articles, John Goodall looks at the early development of this celebrated castle, the seat of the powerful and wealthy medieval Earls of Arundel

There is a middle way

Land use doesn't have to be all or nothing; we need to be more pragmatic and less proscriptive

My favourite painting Claire German

Thomas Cromwell by Hans Holbein the Younger

Love in a time of depression

A revival of Lucy Prebble’s The Effect raises big questions and, if the rain holds off, a rousing outdoor musical should raise the spirits

The yolk's on them

The jury is out as to whether the humble Scotch egg is a snack or a ‘substantial meal’. Either way, this headline-stealing, hand-held hero is outrageously delicious

In the swim

Christopher Woodward dives into the history of the swimming pool and relishes some lengths in the best private pools in the country

The right tools for the job

ANYONE venturing into my office might presume that my desk is a disorganised mess. However, like most people with a cluttered desk, I know exactly where to find every last magazine, letter, invoice and newspaper cutting. It is the same with the garden tool shed: I know where every tool is, even the hand trowel that has, in fact, been left in the garden. I can put my hand immediately on a hose connector, ball of string or wire stretcher that lives in a crate, jumbled with dozens of other odds and sods that will be needed at some point during the season. To call the place a tool shed is a misnomer: it is the broken chair, old bicycle, log basket and bric-a-brac shed, with a bit of space for garden tools.

It's all in the genes

As well as honouring her family’s history of plant breeding, the artist and garden designer Caroline Thomson has created a remarkable garden

Scotland's A-listers take the stage

Some of Scotland’s most spectacular scenery provides a glorious backdrop to four historic country houses and estates that have recently come to the market

Divide and rule

A new Plain English design in Northumberland demonstrates the benefits of carving up a kitchen

Hoop, stock and barrel

Crafting wooden casks is an ancient art form that requires traditional makers to jump through hoops to construct vessels strong enough for the task of maturing precious Scotch whisky

Have your oatcake and eat it

Delicious with sweet or savoury toppings–or, for the purist, plain–oatcakes have long been a kitchen staple and not only for Scots

Heart of stone

Shrouded in myth and mystery, the unremarkable-looking Stone of Scone– the ancient symbol of Scottish sovereigns–still plays a significant role in the coronations of British monarchs

The ultimate walk of shame

Tired, hungry and demoralised, the Highlanders marched from Culloden to Nairn on the eve of the final and fateful confrontation of the Jacobite Rising. Some 300 years later, Joe Gibbs retraces their footsteps and considers what went wrong

Holding fast

Dunvegan Castle, Isle of Skye The seat of Clan MacLeod One of Scotland’s most celebrated and anciently occupied castles has undergone a decade of restoration and renovation.