Just save us all

We can combat climate change and achieve international peace, if only we could stop and listen to the very real progress being made

Feasts for the eyes

Although the art market is on its summer holidays, there are plenty of excellent exhibitions to visit, including one in France

Floral madeleines

COMFORT food’ is a term familiar to anyone who enjoys a good meal

Here we go round the mulberry tree

Familiar from the famous nursery rhyme, the mulberry tree is so prized for the silkworms that feed on its luscious fruit that, long ago, the Chinese would execute anyone exporting a specimen

Try something new

Foreign introductions are always tempting to grow–and so often disappoint– but, writes John Hoyland, the Australian baptisia is proving hardy and happy in a range of conditions here and becoming a new garden stalwart

Kings, cricket and villainy

It should come as no surprise that the homes of the ‘Garden of England’ hold such rich histories

Giving it large

Why bold pattern is a magic ingredient in a scheme

The designer's room

Nels Crosthwaite Eyre employed a dramatic wallpaper to inject pattern, scale and colour into a converted building in north London

A real fly by night

Once reviled as a creature of doom, the nightjar is an avian miracle that sits silently motionless by day and flies noiselessly at night. No wonder it is so hard to spot

A dramatic revival

The decaying shell of a medieval peel tower has undergone a near miraculous restoration and revival as a family home. Jeremy Musson reports

'Tis the silly season

More chirping and less tweeting would be bliss in August

And all that jazz

So much more than flappers and frivolity, the 1920s saw Britain blossom with an extraordinary creative confidence that transformed art, fashion, music and literature, as Claire Jackson discovers

Cream of the crop

From historic island residences to homes with commanding views, Holly Kirkwood has the pick of the best Guernsey properties for sale

Island of plenty

From crustaceans, scallops and shellfish to its legendary milk and cream, Guernsey has long been famous for the quality–and abundance– of its produce, reveals Oliver Berry

I say a little prayer for you

Designed as a miniature replica of the basilica at Lourdes, the seashell- and mosaic-decorated Little Chapel on Guernsey was at risk of collapse until a group of locals stepped in, as Arabella Youens discovers

The original poster boy

From the mauve sky of Waterloo Sunset to the pastoral Arcadia of rolling fields in God’s Own Country, Stephen Millership’s evocative travel scenes capture Great Britain’s soul. Andrew Liddle meets the man behind the art

No fin compares to you

From elusive angelsharks to chunky, sprinting shortfin makos and glow-in-the-dark velvet belly lanterns, Helen Scales gets up close and personal with the sharks that swim in British waters

Keeping it in the family

When it comes to artistic talent, the family of Norman Thelwell-known for his cartoons of rotund ponies and rural life-have it in spades, as Octavia Pollock discovers in the centenary year of the artist's birth

Of beards and men

Covered with frothy, creamy flowers in summer, wild clematis-or old man's beard-makes for good strong baskets, as well as providing a feast for pollinators and caterpillars

Bad wives' tales

I AM always amazed by the codswallop that garden experts write—ponderous statements of fact that I know from my own experience to be complete bunkum.

Cool, calm and connected

The winners of the Best in Show at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show this year have applied the same rigorous attention to detail in this garden in the Chilterns

The gorgeous Georgians (and a vibrant Victorian)

These heritage homes from the 18th and 19th centuries still have all the looks

A rub of the green

Three astonishing estates in the Emerald Isle, one of which is on an island and one of which includes an island, have come to the market

Grace and favour rooms

It's now possible to dine or even stay overnight in some of our best-loved country houses or in splendour on their estates. Rosie Paterson meets the new lords and ladies of holiday let

Bringing dreams to life

Helen Needham of bespoke oak-frame building specialist Oakwrights, describes how she worked with clients to create their ideal home amid the breathtaking landscape of the Forest of Bowland AONB

Decoration with a capital D

Members of the current generation of US interior decorators are enthusiastic cheerleaders for classic decoration

May I have a word in your shell-like?

Combing the seashore for shells is one of life's greatest pleasures, says Natasha Goodfellow, as she winkles out her favourites and meets an artist for whom molluscs offer endless inspiration

Always reaching for the stars

Dicing with death at dizzying heights, the work of the steeplejack is not for the faint-hearted. Ben Lerwill meets the men at the top of their spires

The master builders of the British countryside

From forest skyscrapers to labyrinthine tunnels and daring underwater bubble rooms, many native creatures engage in precision architecture.

A collector's palace

An outstanding celebration of the Tudor and Stuart worlds has passed another important milestone in its history.