When it comes to treating yourself to a new party dress or a pair of cufflinks, or if you want to buy a brilliant present for a loved one, look no further than our High Life section. From the most inspiring travel trips to the latest news in luxury watches, and beautiful jewellery, let Country Life guide you to the very best in beautiful things.
Plus, read articles from our brilliant Gentleman’s Life magazine, including the 39 steps to being a gentleman.
It's the weekend we've all been waiting for since Christmas. In three short days, everyone in the UK (except the parents of young children, God bless you) will wake up at 7am, glance at their phone clocks and peacefully drift back into their downy pillows with large smiles on their faces. It's here, it's really here – the August bank holiday.
We take a look at three of Britain's most successful sculpture parks.
The singer, songwriter and composer chooses Frank Bowling's haunting portrait of his son.
The 'finest work' by Rowland Emett, the man who designed the machines for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, goes on display at Bonhams until early September.
Jason Goodwin takes a lovely trip to the seaside and witnesses a view so spectacularly vivid that it reminds him of paintings by the Armenian-Russian painter Ivan Aivazovsky.
An altar cloth that turned out to be part of a gown belonging to Elizabeth I is going on display at hampton Court after undergoing an extensive conservation treatment.
For the first time in a decade, John McEwen takes a look at a Favourite Painting of which neither he nor its owner knows the history.
Helen Schjerfbeck is a national icon in Finland but hasn't had a solo exhibition in Britain since the 19th century. The Royal Academy have now corrected that oversight; Lilias Wigan went along.
Bored of being in the office? Well, this weekend is your chance to drop everything and jump on a train down to our gleaming coastline. Alexandra Fraser rounds up a few of the utterly inessential things that you should probably, potentially, but definitely not absolutely, bring with you.
'You feel a strange affection for him as you stare at each other. I never could understand how this painting was allowed to leave the UK.'
A small exhibition at the Foundling Museum focuses on one painting — an image that inspires Huon Mallalieu to reflect on Hogarth’s enthusiastic orchestration of sound.
In this week's round up of utterly inessential items to amaze and beguile, Alexandra Fraser takes a look at a solid chocolate ice cream cone, the world's most expensive (probably) ice bucket and the ultimate solution to losing your passport in the airport.
'I was struck by the bold, vibrant colours and swirling shapes. It conveyed a sense of purpose and positivity to me at a time when I was feeling a little lost.'
You might think a flat cap is just something to keep your head warm and dry. And in some circumstances you'd be right – but there's a minefield of meaning out there, according to Rob Crossan.
Simon Poë is blown away by ‘Ruskin, Turner & the Storm Cloud’ at the Abbott Hall Art Gallery in Kendal, an exhibition about climate change and mental health, plus the pleasures and pains that come with seeing clearly.
Looking ahead to this Saturday, Alexandra Fraser rounds up all of the Utterly Inessential items you may desire to attend the polo this Saturday in style, from comfy (yet stylish) shoes to the ever-present fedora.
Billy Childish's art is both outstanding yet often misunderstood — something that an exhibition in Margate's Carl Freedman Gallery looks to rectify. Lilias Wigan paid a visit.
Forget about the big things. You can keep the necessities. Don't tell us about the must-haves. Alexandra Fraser takes a look at a few little luxuries which, in a world too full of strife and woe, will help ease your way through life with a smile on your face.
As Barbour celebrates its 125th anniversary, its distinctive and much-loved jackets are still being worn by everyone from farmers to fashion royalty. Flora Watkins salutes a great British brand.
