New discoveries in the archives at Belvoir are fleshing out the history of this outstanding castle. John Goodall delves into the fresh evidence for the development of Belvoir from the Norman Conquest to the eve of its wholesale reconstruction from 1800.
The search for privacy and peace encouraged Queen Victoria and Prince Albert to create an Italianate seaside villa. It offers an unparalleled insight into their domestic life and private interests, as John Goodall explains.
Avington Park, Hampshire — the home of Sarah and Charlie Bullen — is a home with rather astonishing history that’s superbly set in the valley of the River Itchen. John Goodall finds out more; photographs by Will Pryce.
The devastating fire at Notre Dame in Paris has illustrated the huge affection in which this cathedral is held in Paris and across the world. It is an exceptional building that deserves its high reputation – John Goodall explains why.
This year is the 150th anniversary of the birth of Edwin Lutyens, one of Britain’s most celebrated architects. John Goodall revisits his life, personality and work.
The restoration of this once-forgotten 19th-century mausoleum in Surrey is 'heroic', says John Goodall. Photography by Justin Paget for the Country Life Picture Library.
A visit to Scotland in the first months of her widowhood encouraged The Queen Mother to buy and restore a castle. John Goodall describes the history of the building and the achievements of the trust that has managed it for the past 22 years.
Office Christmas parties have been going on as long as there have been offices, but most of us have little idea about what once went on when our great-grandparents let their hair down. Recent discoveries, however, have unearthed some details of Country Life's Christmas parties of the past – John Goodall takes a look.
The architect who created the red telephone kiosk and the London power station today occupied by Tate Modern also designed Britain’s largest cathedral. John Goodall looks at the story of this masterpiece.
It takes a huge amount of skill and technical expertise to restore historic objects and interiors. John Goodall speaks to six specialists about their work and its challenges.
A newly opened luxury resort is the product of extraordinary conservation project. It offers visitors an intriguing insight into Chinese culture, as John Goodall explains.
A new hotel opens on the grounds of the Châteax de Chambord, allowing visitors to bask in the glory of the French Renaissance castle. John Goodall reports.
The architectural choices behind the recent additions to Westminster Abbey mark them out as a radical departure. John Goodall admires the success of the project, with photographs by Paul Highnam.
Over the past half century, the care of an American university has returned one of the landmark buildings of early Victorian England to life and splendour. John Goodall reports.
One of the most important late-medieval merchant’s houses in the country offers a vivid insight into Tudor living on the grand scale, as John Goodall discovers.
This Tudor house was the unlikely venue for the first meeting of the founding group of The Arts Society. John Goodall tells its remarkable story.
John Goodall paid a visit to Belfast's recently-opened Titanic Hotel, a place full of clever themed touches to celebrate the ill-fated ocean liner.
Recent restoration work has helped re-create a celebrated landscape garden crafted in the late 18th century around a dramatic gritstone outcrop, as John Goodall explains.
One of Oxford’s most admired interiors has been revived, as John Goodall reports.
