'There's something regal about them'

Once the scourge of gamekeepers, lurchers have since leapt to dizzying heights of desirability and w make endearing family pets

Eel meat again

Once a sought-after delicacy, a miraculous remedy and even a way rural Britain paid the rent–is there anything the eel couldn’t do

Are we too eager for beavers?

Valuable eco-engineers or destructive pests? The busy beaver is a friend to biodiversity, but can pose a threat to farmland. The key to reaping the benefits and avoiding the drawbacks lies in sensible management plans

Native breeds Dartmoor pony

THE handsome Dartmoor resembles a mini hunter and is one of the best children’s riding ponies: sturdy and muscled, yet not too wide in frame, and with an arguably less combative temperament than some other breeds

Rooted in tradition

A landscape previously used for intensive farming has been turned into the setting of an idyllic new country house in a classical idiom

Sex, drags and pottery roll

When a bid to map his own identity morphed into a quest to trace the essence of Englishness, Sir Grayson Perry set out on a white-van journey across the country. He tells Charlotte Mullins what he found and why he's showing it in Scotland

Another bite of the cherry

A triumph of scarlet temptation, cherries seduce both eye and palate with their lush curves and glorious juices. Even better, after years in the doldrums, British growers are back in the game with old native varieties

Painting the landscape

This rare example of an 18th-century Anglo-French Baroque garden has not only been sensitively restored, but wonderful new plantings have greatly added to its wilder parts

Jurisdiction of the saints

Holly Kirkwood explores divine properties for sale on the island, by the coast and inland

Joyous Jersey from A to Z

Antonia Windsor has combed the beaches and surfed the shores in search of Jersey's finest elements, from beautiful ballet to secret bays

Seas the day

On Jersey, you're never more than 10 minutes from the sea. Adam Hay-Nicholls explores the beauty of her coastline

I've (not) got a little list

Take the pain out of planning with these unlisted delights

Charm of the uncluttered east

An estate home as rare as hen's teeth and the stables of a legendary horse breeder are some of the highlights of the market this week

The designer's room

When Nicole Salvesen and Mary Graham were asked to redecorate a country house in Berkshire, the first task was to turn a dark space into a colourful sitting room

Preserving the past

Antique rugs uphold both the decorative and artisanal traditions of the past. When restored, they also make and provide a much-loved legacy for the future

Jewels of the downs

Every summer, England's chalk downlands are embroidered with a patchwork of wildflowers-from the horseshoe vetch's yellow plumes to sainfoin's pink spikes-all serenaded by an army of butterflies

Tales from the echoing green

For the writers of the interwar years, the English village became the perfect stage for tales of community, where the homes were snug, their inhabitants friendly and even the murders were cosy

Shining a light on moths

Often overshadowed by their more glamorous cousin, the butterfly, most moths might only be seen at night, but we should better appreciate their intricate markings, muted shades and pollinating prowess

Renewal and Wrenaissance

In the second of two articles, Roger Bowdler looks at the evolution of the Royal Hospital as a working institution to the present day and, in particular, at the contribution of Sir John Soane

In fair weather and foul

You'll never find a farmer who is overjoyed with the weather, but it's surprising how it balances out in the end

A world within a world

Revealing the history of this breathtaking 18th-century landscape, with its views out to sea, informed the garden’s latest reincarnation, says George Plumptre

Centre stage

The majority of us only pass through the heart of London, more commonly known as Zone 1, for work or play, but, for some people, it’s home. Emma Love meets the residents with Trafalgar Square on the doorstep

Pillar of society

Bravery, bold plans and a good head for numbers helped Thomas Cubitt shape much of London, but he also aided schools, churches and charities, finds Carla Passino

A shore thing

Open skies, shifting clouds and the golden expanse of the beach have inspired artists from John Constable to Antony Gormley, but the sun-bathing throngs have proved a rather less popular subject, as Michael Prodger discovers

Head over heels

When Coco Chanel and architect Eileen Gray built Modernist houses on the French Riviera in 1929, they sparked a fascination with Romantic Modernism that beguiled the likes of Cocteau, Sir Winston Churchill and more. Justine Picardie pays a visit

Show me the light

Illuminating a kitchen island is a dark art, finds Arabella Youens

What an old fossil

From a kamikaze ichthyosaur to a gigantic shell with sinister tentacles, Britain teems with fascinating fossils. Simon de Bruxelles meets the collectors following in Mary Anning’s footsteps

Meet the parrots of the sea

It might look adorable, but the stumpy and dangerously endangered puffin is a ruthlessly efficient fish killer that’s so hellbent on finding its family a home, it will chase rabbits out of their own burrows, observes Ian Morton

Preserving one's modesty

When the British fell in love with the seaside, they invented a mobile building to convey them to the water. Kathryn Ferry tells the remarkable tale of the bathing machine

The true heir to the Old Masters

It wasn't merely brilliant brushwork or sparkling colour that made Sir Joshua Reynolds one of England's greatest portraitists. His talent for friendship nurtured his extraordinary career, says Susan Jenkins