COUNTRY LIFE MAGAZINE: The latest issue features ‘Restoration Miracle’ – How a garden was transformed…

When the Englishman’s house was no longer his castle

Deborah Nicholls-Lee explores how the requisition of country houses played a crucial role in winning the Second World War

Look, listen, learn

Nature writer Mark Cocker delves into his new book to explain how we can open our eyes to the world around us

The last milkman standing?

Are doorstep dairy deliveries a thing of the past, asks Patrick Galbraith, as he joins one of the capital’s few remaining rounds

The restoration of ‘England’s green and pleasant land’

Timothy Mowl admires the revival of one of the finest and earliest Pulhamite gardens at Highnam Court in Gloucestershire

The Versailles of the north

The Duchess of Northumberland tells Charles Quest-Ritson of her plans for the Alnwick Garden as it celebrates its 25th anniversary

Tony Iommi’s favourite painting

The Black Sabbath founder chooses a work depicting beauty, strength and grace

Country-house treasure

John Goodall raises a glass to the late-Victorian ‘Braxted Bar’ that dominates the entrance hall at Braxted Park in Essex

The genius of place

Classical and Gothic detailing are employed to dramatic effect at Home Farm in North Yorkshire, finds John Martin Robinson

On the brink of extinction

In a last call for the telephone exchange, Ptolemy Dean ponders the future of the obsolete edifices

The legacy

Octavia Pollock hails the vision of John Bateman, whose dams and reservoirs still serve us today

There goes summer

John Lewis-Stempel prepares to get hands-on with his flock as thoughts turn to tupping time with the transition to autumn

The return of the native

The large tortoiseshell butterfly is back. Harry Pearson hails British species risen from the dead

Luxury

Amie Elizabeth White showcases floral jewels and country classics, plus Rita Konig’s favourite things

Interiors

Amelia Thorpe picks companies that add a touch of craftsmanship to country-house renovations

Arts & antiques

Ahead of a new Pierre-Auguste Renoir exhibition at the National Gallery, Michael Prodger looks at how the French Impressionist is still dividing critical opinion

Countryside mystery

Straying livestock could prove costly in the days of the village pound, as John Wright reveals

Travel

Rosie Paterson visits the Algarve in Portugal and finds a natural haven that is truly worth its salt

Ripe for the picking

From apples to pears and pomegranates, painters down the ages have used all manner of fruit as artistic symbols, as Michael Prodger discovers

COUNTRY LIFE MAGAZINE: The latest issue features ‘Where To Live In The West Country’….

Hide and squeak

Miniature Mouse Town has been captivating audiences for half a century, but the rodent realm has reached the end of the road, as Harry Pearson reports

Flour power

Ancient and heritage grains are enjoying a revival. Makers and growers tell Tom Howells why they are going back to the future

Property market

Penny Churchill surveys a West Country scene sparking into life with the launch onto the market of a spectacular coastal estate

Properties of the week

West is best, says Julie Harding, as she showcases characterful and comfortable cottages for sale

To boldly go on

James Alexander-Sinclair finds out what the future holds for the innovative Eden Project as the Cornwall garden turns 25

Chorus of approval

Henrietta Bredin hails opera’s unsung chorus lines in a look at life beyond the solo spotlight

Iain MacGregor’s favourite painting

The historian picks a work that reveals beauty in ordinary things

Country-house treasure

A tribute to ‘justice, honour and humanity’ catches John Goodall’s eye at Grey Abbey in Co Down

Ruling the waves

Admiralty House and the Ripley Building in London represent 400 years of our naval history, as Billy Hurley Reading discovers

The legacy

Kate Green celebrates the ever-popular 19th-century Savoy operas of that peerless creative double act Gilbert & Sullivan

Get ready for rush hour

Rush is not only a haven for all manner of wildlife, but also a precious resource for artisan makers, declares Laura Parker

Deep thinking

Next stop, Aldwych… Emma Hughes goes underground to tour the forgotten platforms of London’s lost Tube stations

Luxury

Amie Elizabeth White chooses classic check prints making an impression this autumn

Interiors

Arabella Youens warms to a fossil-stone fireplace in an Exmoor retreat and Amelia Thorpe shares some bright ideas on wall lights

Countryside mystery

The wonder of choke fungus takes John Wright’s breath away

Travel

Sophia Money-Coutts stays on the secluded Flete Estate, a favourite south Devon destination

Arts & antiques

Carla Passino visits a new British Museum exhibition exploring how Korea mastered foreign art forms and made them its own

On the hoof

Satyrs, centaurs and fauns have been strident symbols in art from Ancient Greece to the present day. Charles Harris investigates

COUNTRY LIFE MAGAZINE: The latest issue features…

Country-house treasure

John Goodall finds a moving monument to Katherine Parr, the last wife of Henry VIII, at Sudeley Castle, Gloucestershire

Are you local?

How many generations does it take for a dynasty to be bona fide rather than blow-in? Mary Skipwith visits five Cotswolds estates in search of the answer

Property market

Renovated Cotswold manor houses with light-filled interiors and contemporary layouts catch the eye of Penny Churchill

Properties of the week

Julie Harding scours all corners of the Cotswolds as she show-cases a selection of the latest honey-hued homes for sale

Paint your garden

Tiffany Daneff is charmed by the colourful, considered palette of an artist’s garden at Ham Court in Gloucestershire

Jeremy Finnis’s favourite painting

The GWCT chairman chooses a purple-tinged landscape that evokes the spirit of the Highlands

A golden fleece

An array of parish churches are an enduring legacy of the wealth generated by Cotswolds sheep farming, reveals John Goodall

The legacy

Julie Harding travels back in time with the poetic prose of Laurie Lee’s classic Cider with Rosie

The artist’s way

The redstart’s striking looks and talent for mimicry make it a favourite for Mark Cocker

Don’t follow the lights

John Lewis-Stempel tries to avoid that sinking feeling as he ponders the precarious future of Britain’s precious peat bogs

Luxury

Justine Picardie celebrates the enduring appeal of the Burberry trench and Amie Elizabeth White rests easy with sleep essentials

Interiors

Amelia Thorpe reveals how to cook up an elegant kitchen look

Countryside mystery

John Wright debunks the myth surrounding the water-retention miracle of manmade dew ponds

Travel

A revived Ottoman masterpiece is the perfect retreat on Teresa Levonian Cole’s Greek odyssey

In a league of their own

Claire Jackson peers into curious British collections dedicated to everything from dog collars to canals and cuddly toys to clocks

Strike a posy

The Victorians were the original experts at saying it with flowers. Ashleigh Arnott reads the signs

It’s a stitch up!

Julie Harding traces the tale of the needle, a darn good creation made with pin-point precision

Arts & antiques

Feats of clay will always catch the eye of Will Gompertz, as he explains to Carla Passino

The play’s the thing

Turgenev and Sir Alan Ayckbourn supply the on-stage standouts for Michael Billington this month

COUNTRY LIFE MAGAZINE: The latest issue features…

Choices, choices

With a seemingly endless array to select from, Country Life contributors reveal the tulips they will be planting for spring.

Catch a falling leaf

Charles Quest-Ritson is hoping for warm days and cool nights to fuel a spectacular display of countryside autumn colour

Who let the dogs out?

Music and Man’s best friend go hand in hand. Harry Pearson collars canines calling the tune

Well, hello Salar!

David Profumo heads for the West Country in the wake of his fishing hero Ted Hughes

Luxury

Jonathan Self is dazzled by Coco Chanel jewellery and Tiffany Daneff is talking trugs

George Saumarez Smith’s favourite painting

The architect chooses a bold graphic linocut of the feline form

Country-house treasure

John Goodall admires the revival of the Tapestry Drawing Room at Castle Howard, North Yorkshire

The legacy

Tiffany Daneff pays tribute to the family who cooked up the secret recipe for Pulhamite rock

Grandstand views

An inspirational outlook makes for a magnificent garden at Mount St John, North Yorkshire. Kendra Wilson surveys the scene

Hot pots

Amelia Thorpe picks standout planters to showcase top tulips

Forever flowers

Blooms of Hydrangea paniculata are a must for every garden, suggests Charles Quest-Ritson

Why build a new country house

George Saumarez Smith weighs up the allure of a new country house in place of an historic pile

A point of prospect

John Goodall finds a striking new memorial tower worth the climb at Doddington Place, Kent

Picture this

Independent rural cinemas will always offer the best big-screen experience for Madeleine Silver

Interiors

A feast of design ideas awaits visitors to key events such as Focus/26, reveals Amelia Thorpe

Back to the future

Harry Pearson meets the art conservators giving historic paintings a new lease of life

Shell we?

The secret to dressed-crab perfection is keeping it simple, as Tom Parker Bowles reveals

Lord of the flies

Fruit flies are more than a mere pest — Ian Morton reveals their critical role in medical research

New series: Countryside mysteries

Otherworldly cramp balls — or King Alfred’s cakes — fire the imagination of John Wright

Travel

Gabriella Le Breton unpacks the winter latest, from new Swiss ski lifts to the high life in Courchevel

Arts & antiques

Benvenuto Cellini’s golden Saliera is a 16th-century cellar worth its salt, as Carla Passino discovers

COUNTRY LIFE MAGAZINE: The latest issue features…

Majesty reborn

Edward Impey admires the ambitious attempt to revive early-12th-century interiors at Norwich Castle keep in Norfolk

What did the Normans ever do for us?

Jason Goodwin examines how the 1066 invasion by William the Conqueror changed the character of England forever

Walk on the wild side

Nicholas Crane re-creates the 1,000-mile, 12th-century journey undertaken by Gerald of Wales, Britain’s first great travel writer

Architecture as power

The monumental castles and churches the Normans left behind still express their strength in stone, reveals John Goodall

That sinking feeling

Quicksand is the stuff of many a nightmare. Harry Pearson tries not to get sucked in

Arts & antiques

Artists have long been inspired by the Battle of Hastings, as Carla Passino discovers

Michael Whitehall’s favourite painting

The podcast co-host chooses an arresting work expressing movement and fleeting beauty

Save our seeds

Seed Detective Adam Alexander issues an appeal to gardeners to revive the Victorian tradition of gathering life-giving pips

The legacy

The fossil-hunter Mary Anning helped put palaeontology front and centre, finds Kate Green

Country-house treasure

The golden Jean Tijou gates at Burghley House in Lincolnshire catch the eye of John Goodall

New series: Countryside mysteries

In the first of a series on rural riddles, John Wright cracks the old conundrum of strip lynchets

Yell for leather

Corinne Julius meets the animal-hide experts conserving historic objects from their Leicester HQ

You little cracker

The neglected Kentish cobnut is making an overdue come-back, suggests Susan Low

Luxury

The runway returns and Amie Elizabeth White’s earthy tones

Interiors

Amelia Thorpe picks out elegant fittings to elevate the bathroom

London Life

Will Hosie asks what makes a pub a pub and eyes properties with a pop of colour, plus our writers have all you need to know this month and Gio Fio marvels at the reinvention of the north bank of the Thames

Out on the prairie

American plants may be the answer to our warming climate, reports Charles Quest-Ritson

Travel

Pamela Goodman roots around in the Nadder Valley in Wiltshire