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.

Miss Eliza Maud Dubois

’Tis the season

Country Life

Town & Country

Town & Country Notebook

Letters to the Editor

Another fine mess

Sorry, Scotland is shut right now

The way we were Photographs from the COUNTRY LIFE archive

My favourite painting Christopher Jackson

Gather your wits • There is a Shakespeare quote for every occasion, from a clever put down to the vagaries of modern politics and even wellness mantras, finds Agnes Stamp

The original Nature boy • Shakespeare wasn’t only the greatest playwright of our history, he was an avid ornithophile, a green man and a master of transposing the true power of Nature onto the page, says John Lewis-Stempel

Making a modern castle • Castle Drogo, Devon, part II A property of the National Trust In the second of two articles, Clive Aslet looks at the challenges of building a 20th-century castle and the recent work of the National Trust to restore it

Native breeds Exmoor Horn

Let’s pull together • We all love to see a heritage train chugging through the landscape, but without the extraordinary volunteer dedication, many would be rusting in the sidings. Melanie Bryan selects some nostalgic journeys and Kate Green finds her local Somerset line thriving

Earning their stripes • In a collection of barns on a Somerset farm, Paula Lester finds that one family’s dedication to Cornishware–known for its blue and white stripes the world over–is ensuring the pottery celebrates its 100th birthday in style

Move over Mrs Beeton • Credited as ‘the mother of the modern wedding cake’, the 18th-century housekeeper, caterer and confectioner Elizabeth Raffald should be better remembered for her great contribution to British cuisine, contends Neil Buttery

Armless fun • The slipper chair might have its roots in the 18th century, but it owes its compact, convivial appeal to Billy Baldwin, a giant of 20th-century American interior design

Small but perfect • Slipper chairs for every setting, selected by Amelia Thorpe

The kraken wakes • After what seems like the longest winter ever, the West Country market has suddenly gone into overdrive

Give it a west • Devon, Cornwall and Somerset are as desirable as ever

Shared economy • The ideal of owning a home overseas can be quashed by mundane realities. From fractional opportunities to resort homes with shared facilities, Agnes Stamp finds alternatives

Pastoral care • The garden of Little Benville House, Dorset The home of Mr and Mrs BaconThe transformation from dark Victorian shrubberies to open views is brilliantly handled, says George Plumptre

Stop the clock

Kitchen garden cook Carrots

Where the wild orchids sing • The enchantingly beautiful native orchid is, tragically, one of Britain’s most endangered wildflowers, but it’s still possible to see them if you look in the right places, says Ben Jacob

Time, please • A splendid assemblage of clocks is a tribute to its collector’s zeal and a new book revives an admirable tradition

The king of Westminster

Up the river • Hetty Lintell is ready for riverside days with her choice of accessories for Henley Royal Regatta (June...