Country Life

Published by Time Inc. (UK) Ltd Country Life, the quintessential English magazine, is undoubtedly one of the biggest and instantly recognisable brands in the UK today. It has a unique core mix of contemporary country-related editorial and top end property advertising. Editorially, the magazine comments in-depth on a wide variety of subjects, such as architecture, the arts, gardens and gardening, travel, the countryside, field-sports and wildlife. With renowned columnists and superb photography Country Life delivers the very best of British life every week.

’Tis the season • Future Publishing Ltd, 121–141 Westbourne Terrace, Paddington, London W2 6JR 0330 390 6591; www.countrylife.co.uk

Country Life

Town & Country

First flush of youth

The bells, the bells

Town & Country Notebook

Letters to the Editor

Of summers past

Facing the challenge of the coronation

The way we were • Photographs from the COUNTRY LIFE archive

My favourite painting The Duchess of Rutland

Back to the 1970s • The arrival of the Rent Officer will send estates back in time- and not in a good way

Gimcrack with John Pratt up on Newmarket Heath

With a spring in his step • A dual-purpose spaniel with a rich red-and-white coat, the Welsh springer has a nose and a brain to be envied and will stick to you like glue, says Katy Birchall

Dreams are made of these • Partridges on golden stubble, beagling on the bleak Fens, hawking in the Highlands, hunting in the Cotswolds on Christmas Eve or spear-fishing off the Welsh coast–10 field sportsmen reveal their perfect days to Octavia Pollock

The man behind the little grey men • For many who read his stories as children, the countryside comes alive through the words of ‘BB’–or Denys Watkins-Pitchford–a traditional countryman who re-lived his childhood through his many books, says Jack Watkins

Blades of class • Practising ancient techniques to craft modern heirlooms, bladesmith Owen Bush handmakes both decorative and practical knives or weaponry, each with their own personalities, says Claire Jackson–with some of his swords celebrities in their own right

Spey way to Heaven • Having caught a salmon on Scotland’s fabled river, fishing correspondent David Profumo is filled with a piscatorial joy that not even thunder or pesky canoes can mar

What a belter • Whether over a dress, or through the loops of your jeans, a beautiful leather belt will always upgrade an outfit, says Hetty Lintell

The English Home • Each month of this 125th-anniversary year, COUNTRY LIFE illustrates a period in the development of the English great house. In the 10th of this 12-part series, John Goodall looks at the Victorian age

The designer’s room • Fresh hues, patterned fabrics and colourful art set the tone for the sitting room of this Wiltshire cottage, decorated by Katharine Paravicini

A slip of a thing • Centuries ago, slip covers served a utilitarian purpose. Now, they’re adding a relaxed look to upholstery, finds Arabella Youens

Enjoy a sporting life • As well as being a sound investment, land ownership is also about fun, as these three fine sporting estates demonstrate

Let’s go outside • The shorter days of autumn are no excuse to remain indoors. Arabella Youens selects properties on the market with sporting opportunities close by

When the heat is on • John Hoyland talks to gardeners and garden designers about the plants that coped best with this summer’s drought

Tip-top tulips

Horticultural aide-mémoire

For the birds • Designs dedicated to our feathered friends, selected by Amelia Thorpe

Kitchen garden cook Chestnuts

The man who shocked France • Manet relished goading the French...