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December 2019 Archive

107 articles

31 December
Country Life's quirkiest features of 2019: The dog who summoned the armed police, the bus that jumped Tower Bridge and the likelihood of death by coconut
Jason Goodwin: 'The envoys were plainly wrong, otherwise no one could have built the shopping centre at Elephant and Castle'
30 December
Country Life's best travel stories of 2019: Skiing in Gstaad, a steam train in Dartmouth and 72 hours in New York
My Favourite painting: John Humphrys
29 December
Country Life's 10 most incredible properties of 2019, from cottages and mansions to the 20-bedroom castle that went up for sale at £500,000
28 December
Country Life's best dog stories of 2019: Adorably loyal terriers, political pooches and the dog who ate Christmas
The biggest property sales of 2019 in the south of England — and how they defied the gloom and the naysayers
27 December
Country Life's best Instagram posts of 2019: Gorgeous interiors, stately homes and the lamb that broke the internet
Seven astonishing books to read which will change your understanding of the history of the world
26 December
Country Life's top 10 architecture stories of 2019, from Old London Bridge to the Brighton Pavilion
The 2019 Country Life Editor's Christmas Quiz: The Answers
25 December
The 2019 Country Life Christmas Quiz: Spot the dog breed, finish the Christmas carol, name that cheese and much more
Country Life's Christmas message, from The Bishop of Leeds: 'I wish everyone – the faithful and the faithless – a happy and earthy Christmas'
24 December
Country Life's top 10 nature stories of 2019, from mesmerising photographs to the bird that can screech as loud as a fighter jet
24 Christmas disasters to make you feel better about burning the turkey, from poisoned guests to 7,000 acres of fire damage
23 December
Country Life's top 10 recipes of 2019, from salted caramel millionaire's shortbread and tarte au citron to a classic kedgeree
The perennial fascination with snow at Christmas, and how it's all down to Charles Dickens and the Little Ice Age
22 December
The plucky amateur gardener who created 'blue holly', and spawned a trend which stretches the world
The nativity camels: Unbelievably clever, a tad greedy and undeniably festive
Winchester Cathedral: The tale of a remarkable church and its astonishing contents
21 December
A stunning Scottish castle for sale at less than the cost of a luxury car
Curious Questions: Why do we have poinsettias at Christmas — and why did it get the name 'excrement flower'?
The ultimate guide to choosing, preparing and cooking a perfect Christmas turkey
What guests will and wont notice in your house this Christmas
20 December
Bubbly tips for the festive season: Drink British, ignore the silver spoon and abandon the coupe
Can a good pub sell a country house?
In Focus: How a taped banana questioned the meaning of art
19 December
An investment in the future: The portfolios that you build for the next generation
The Utterly Inessential Shopping List: 10 things which under no circumstance should you ever, ever purchase
Best Grade II listed country houses for sale
18 December
Why the Penny Farthing is once more a frequent sight on the streets of London
Golden Eagles: The aristocrats of the air — magnificent, haughty and deadly
Four glorious gatehouses for sale, from under £325,000
London's iconic red bus at risk and 6,000 year old chewing gum gives clues into our DNA history
17 December
Sherborne Abbey's stained glass: The spectacular Victorian addition to a building with 1300 years of history
Tremendous Tudor properties for sale, from a place once owned by Elizabeth I to a historic home under £500k
90-million-year-old 'swimming dinosaur' skeleton found by dogs out walking in Somerset, and the nonchalant moths who don't bother fleeing enemies
Jason Goodwin: Naughty mandarins, the GIs who changed Chinese cooking and an app which almost beats reading
16 December
The key to a beautiful guest room: Bold colours and distinctive patterns
Battle to ban 4x4s from the idyllic Lake District spot bequeathed by Beatrix Potter, eagle fights octopus and the 'snail's pace' climate talks
My Favourite Painting: James O'Donnell
15 December
18 beautiful country homes for sale, as seen in Country Life
How to choose and appreciate your apples with the same care you'd use for a decent bottle of wine
The Shetland pony who goes to the races
Agatha Christie: The great country houses which inspired the tales of Britain's greatest-ever crime writer
14 December
A castle in the 'new Cotswolds' for sale with stone spiral staircases, 30 acres and a castellated roof terrace
Curious Questions: Which bird's song is loudest?
A fishing weekend in the New Forest: 'Visiting feels as if you have arrived in a foreign country, but it's little more than an hour from London'
How Country Life has influenced Britain's best gardens, from the late 19th century to today
13 December
The 'perfect whisky collection' is to go under the hammer — and it's expected to fetch £8 million
What does the 2019 election mean for the property market? 'Sellers will be rubbing their hands with glee', say agents, but fresh problems lie ahead
County Life Today: What do the election results mean for the British countryside?
Quentin Blake: 'Even in the age of the iPad and the smart phone, books offer things that they cannot'
12 December
Dogs at polling stations: The 2019 'Christmas Election' special
Country Life Today: How Greta Thunberg shifted the dial on climate change — and the backlash shows just how much
Venison burgers with red-cabbage slaw and chilli mayo
11 December
Jon Snow on London's treescape: ‘The environment should be the backdrop to everything we do’
Bird flu outbreak hits chicken farm in Suffolk
Newsletter widget test
Country Life Today: Great news for those who love our great country pubs — the years of decline are over
Country Life 11 December 2019
10 December
Nigel Havers: Driving through France in a car like a panther, picking up delicious wine — and taking the dog, too
The Bishop's Palace in Peterborough: An ancient survival that's patchwork of periods, materials and textures
'One of the finest period houses in Hampstead village' comes up for sale, beside the heath that inspired Keats and Constable
10 decorations you'll love to line your table with this festive season
Jason Goodwin: ‘Sow is one of the mildest sweetest pigs ever. Boar is bigger, a gentleman and a scholar.'
'A jumper is for life — not just for Christmas' urge campaigners against Yuletide 'fast fashion'
Country Life Today: Spain accused of being 'a deplorable choice' for UN climate conference
9 December
Country Life Today: 'This is perhaps the ultimate wake-up call from the uncontrolled experiment humanity is unleashing on the world’s oceans'
My Favourite Painting: Robert Dalrymple
8 December
Six stunning properties at home and away, as seen in Country Life
Horticultural marmite: The natural phenomenon which divides gardeners all over Britain
A countryside dweller's guide to the 2019 General Election: Who will do what, and where, and when?
Llwyn Celyn: One of the most important medieval homes in Britain — yet one where, wonderfully, you can book family holiday
7 December
A medievalist’s 15th-century manor house in the Severn valley with five bedrooms, 10 acres, and a lovely history
Curious Questions: Have you been taking books off shelves the wrong way for your entire life?
Coworth Park at Christmas: The ultimate festive, helicopter-accesible staycation, under ten minutes from central London
Six absolutely spectacular images from the Historic Photographer of the Year competition
6 December
How a derelict cattle shed became a traditional farmhouse kitchen
Christmas gifts for teenagers
Seven stunning Caribbean properties for sale to scare away the chill of winter
Gift ideas for those who love experiences
Country Life Today: Why plastic is killing hermit crabs
In Focus: Photography's first-ever selfie, as taken by one of Yorkshire's greatest ever inventors
5 December
A Grade II*-listed Queen Anne home that was once the pub where Sir Alfred Munnings propped up the bar
Country Life Today: British farmers want to lead the fight on climate change
How to make a show-stoppingly festive Bailey's chocolate cake
4 December
Clovelly Court: The Devon country estate pulling off the vital trick needed by a modern country estate
The CLA president on why private landowners are part of the climate-change solution
Jason Goodwin: 'We have dropped the UFOs and the phantom social workers, just as we once dropped the fairies'
Country Life Today: The most popular dogs' names of 2019 have been revealed
Country Life 4 December 2019
3 December
L'Oscar hotel review: A former church in London's Theatreland that's become a saucily decadent place to stay
Country Life Today: Government 'release fracking report with 37 of 48 pages entirely blacked out by censor's pen'
2 December
Country Life's very own White Van Man: 'It’s my fifth and, thus, I’ve called it Van Cinq'
Nine books about cooking that make perfect Christmas gifts for foodies, from Nigel Slater's latest to a book that 'deserves a Michelin star'
The secrets of good lighting, from plug placement down to dimmer switches
Four homes which show the persistent allure of the curved building
Country Life Today: The $10 million apple that stays ripe and fresh for an entire year
Elizabeth I's terrible handwriting helps scholar identify a manuscript written by Good Queen Bess herself
My Favourite Painting: Courtney Love
1 December
18 beautiful country houses from just £280,000, as seen in Country Life
Inchyra
Alan Titchmarsh: The 'Hollywood A-listers' of the plant world are fussy, flouncy — and totally irresistible
The chickens of Wyken Hall: Mischievous, adorable and the best listeners a person could ask for
Pitzhanger Manor: The Ealing villa that's the great John Soane's 'architectural self-portrait'
Sitting Spiritually of Lyme Regis