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May 2020 Archive

100 articles

31 May
The secrets of the wisteria pergolas in the Private Gardens at Petworth House
How to re-wild your garden, from ponds and trees to attracting butterflies and hedgehogs
The tale of the couple who gave Chequers to the nation and caught the mood of war-ravaged Britain
30 May
The magnificent gardens at Benington Lordship, a blueprint for spectacular gardening without blowing the budget
29 May
Beautiful, bold blue and white accessories for your home
An archetypal country manor house for sale in 'one of North Devon's few remaining unspoilt coastal locations'
In Focus: Francis Wheatley, the Londoner who immortalised everyday Georgian life across the strata of society
28 May
The Utterly Inessential Shopping List: Dressing for dinner, lockdown-style
Breathtaking views and a colonnaded balcony come together in a quirky and striking Georgian country house in Somerset
How to make rack of lamb with harissa, asparagus and garlic-and-almond sourdough crumbs
27 May
Huge swathes of Britain will be replanted with trees. But where will they be? Who will do it? Who pays? And, critically, which trees should we be planting?
A 'quintessential English cottage' in Devon with endless charm, spectacular outdoor space, and walking distance from the beach
10 sustainability myths busted, and six things you can do to make a real difference
Country Life 27 May 2020
26 May
Stirling Castle: Renaissance of a Royal Palace
A picture-perfect farmhouse with an exquisite parterre garden has come to the market
Jason Goodwin: 'I found myself shaking my fist at an aeroplane, as outraged by the interruption as any uncontacted tribesman in the rainforest'
25 May
Where I work: Annie Tempest, Tottering-by-Gently cartoonist
The exceptional houses being built in idyllic countryside spots, thanks to the foresight of Paragraph 79
My Favourite Painting: Jenni Murray
24 May
Mary Keen: The secrets of windowsill gardening
Inside the incredible Private Gardens at Petworth House, a space with 'a sense of privacy and intimacy' at one of Britain's great houses
Chequers: The salvation and restoration of a house which became the Prime Minister's official country retreat
23 May
Curious Questions: When did we first start playing cards?
The Wye Valley AONB: 'If you have never navigated the Wye, you have seen nothing'
22 May
A Tuscan kitchen reborn: 'When we first took it on a tree was growing through the kitchen and the basement was full of snakes'
A church converted into flats where Gothic windows and stained glass meet LED lighting and bespoke fittings
In Focus: The village and cottage featured in Constable's The Hay Wain, the the ultimate image of English country life
21 May
The Utterly Inessential Shopping List: Glorious garden furniture, from perfect parasols to a love seat for a ménage a trois
What's the best colour front door for selling a house?
How to make perfect asparagus risotto, with the vegetable that's 'one of the true joys of English spring and summer'
20 May
The 18th century canal tunnel that was a miracle of engineering, now reclaimed by Nature
A irresistibly romantic thatched roundhouse with glorious gardens in an idyllic Dorset village
Country Life 20 May 2020
19 May
The medieval engineering strokes of genius that led to the building of Old London Bridge
A 17th century home full of history, complete with medieval tower and outdoor pool
Prince Charles backs 'Pick for Britain': ‘The great Second World War movement — The Land Army — is being rediscovered’
Rosie and Jim: 'Please, just put the Le Creuset down Doris'
18 May
Where I work: George Saumarez-Smith, architect
Three beautiful farms for sale, as buyers look for a 'defensive, tangible asset' in a time of uncertainty
My Favourite Painting: George Plumptre
17 May
Four beautiful country houses for sale, including one built in the 11th century and another in the 21st, as seen in Country Life
How to grow peas: What to plant, when to plant it, and how quickly you'll be dishing it up
The common garden plants that are deadly to dogs and cats – and what to do if they eat one
16 May
Five magnificent country houses on semi-detached suburbia budgets
Curious Questions: How does soap work?
Everything you need to know about growing camassias
The grand plan to re-seed the Cotswolds with endless carpets of wildflowers
The best and worst of London's bridges, from the sheer elegance of Albert Bridge to the utilitarian solidity of Wandsworth
15 May
The bold wallpaper that's not for the faint-hearted, full of glorious colours and larger-than-life motifs
A handsome home in Kent with a wealth of character, comfort and an easy commute
In Focus: Piranesi, the architect, artist and engraver whose fantasy buildings won him 300 years of fame
14 May
The Utterly Inessential Shopping List: The finest lounging-around-the house clothes money can buy
A stunning modern conversion of a gorgeous old Hertfordshire barn, with gardens by a Chelsea gold medallist
How to make a triple-layer Victorian cake with peaches, cream and maple syrup
13 May
Lalage Beaumont: 'Clothes should be like old friends — you enjoy wearing them, rather than being worn once and put in the back of the cupboard'
Property market in England re-opens for business, but what will happen next to house prices?
When will National Trust properties re-open to visitors?
Country Life 13 May 2020
12 May
Top 10 earrings to bring a little dressing-for-dinner glamour to your life right now
How Chequers has changed — and stayed the same — in a century, as pictured in Country Life
Alan Titchmarsh: 'I suppose I should be going stir-crazy in self-isolation. The reality has been rather different'
Five of the finest Belgravia homes for sale today, from £5m to £20m
Rosie and Jim: 'You’re stuck/safe in one of the UK’s most beautiful swathes of countryside, so give thanks and get outside'
11 May
Where I work: Michael Bryden, Rolls-Royce bespoke designer
A fine country house near Canterbury with history, charm and a 'donkey wheel house' that's now a nuttily eccentric gazebo
My Favourite Painting: Frances Morris
10 May
Five grand homes on the market in London's smartest postcodes, as seen in Country Life
How Anna Sewell wrote Black Beauty, the 'hymn to a horse' whose influence on animals is still felt today
Columbine Hall: A medieval, moated manor house that's been transformed into a perfect country home
9 May
A home in Britain's oldest chartered town with gorgeous library, indoor pool and romantic views over St Michael's Mount
Curious Questions: Why don't spiders get caught in their own webs?
Galloway: 'There are no wobbling lips or tears of pride around these parts; we’ll leave that sort of carry-on to the Highlanders'
The head of the CPRE: 'Just looking at open fields and woodland and hills makes you feel great... The countryside has a soul, and people can feel that'
8 May
The ingenious techniques that can let you have brand-new kitchen which looks like it's been cherished for decades
The 'only habitable hobbit hole in the world' is up for sale — and it comes with a country house and £150k-a-year lifestyle business
VE Day in pictures: 14 powerful and evocative images that capture the joy of May 8, 1945
7 May
The Utterly Inessential Shopping List: Cheese by the wheel-load, ducklings by post and sticky ginger pudding
The real story of Belgravia: Angry mobs, the 'Bloody Bridge', and London's most beautiful garden squares
Six authentic wartime recipes to celebrate VE Day, from Lord Woolton's pie to 'Surprise Potato Balls'
6 May
Peat takes millennia to generate, and bogs store 10 times more carbon than forests — using it in gardening is madness
Five irresistible properties for sale in East Anglia, with space, stables and stories to tell
Country Life 6 May 2020
5 May
How Oxford University's buildings evolved, and how its 'chiefest wonder' came into being
A gorgeously secluded home set on its own private beach that's a perfect enclave, away from the world
Rosie and Jim: On binge-watching Normal People, and discovering that 'running is pain'
4 May
A calming bedroom with light and height — and a bathtub with a view
A beautiful country house for sale in the 'English Atlantis', with woodland, walled garden and sweeping sea views
My Favourite Painting: The Countess of Cranbrook
3 May
Seven of the best waterside houses for sale in Britain today
Arthur Parkinson: The 'intensely creative' gardener with 'spectacular flamboyance' rising to the top of the gardening world
10 things you didn’t know about French bulldogs – including how they’re actually British
London has never been this quiet in 2,000 years — here's what it looks like, and what we can learn
2 May
Curious Questions: Who first used corks in wine — and how did they get them out again before the invention of the corkscrew?
The gardens at the Old Rectory in Litton Cheney, where formal and informal come together in harmony
The photographer walking 7,000 miles around the coast of Britain: 'After 450 days of walking I've not been bored once'
1 May
A drink for all seasons: Jaffa Cake Gin (yes, really) and what might be the world's first 'crunchy' wine
Perfectly imperfect: Why the unfussy charm of block-printed textiles is winning us over
Seven golden rules for selling a country house
In Focus: A sculptor creating 21st century art from the detritus of 20th century life