Pevensey Castle, East Sussex: The Roman castle that was still being used in World War II
When William the Conqueror landed at Pevensey, he moved in to the nearby castle — one which had already stood for the best part of a thousand years.
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Colchester, Essex: The purpose-built capital city of Roman Britain
Clive Aslet considers the town that was one of Roman Britain's greatest cities — and even, for a while, its capital: Colchester.
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Munstead Wood: The house that Edwin Lutyens built for Gertrude Jekyll
The creation of Munstead Wood in Surrey came from a happy friendship between a great gardener and architect, both closely connected to Country Life. Clive Aslet explains.
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Maiden Castle, Dorset: An ancient hill fort the size of 50 football pitches
The mysterious and ancient Maiden Castle occupies a vast site in Dorset. Clive Aslet takes a look.
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Stonehenge, Wilthsire: 'One of the wonders not only of this country, but of the world'
Our Grand Tour of Britain alights at what is arguably the world's most famous prehistoric site: Stonehenge, in Wiltshire.
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The Uffington White Horse, Oxfordshire
Thousands of years ago, ancient Britons created a vast and spectacular stylised portrayal of a horse in the hills of the North Wessex Downs. Surely they could scarcely have dreamed that The Uffington White Horse would still be intriguing visitors to this day.
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Skara Brae: The prehistoric village on Orkney that's older than Great Pyramid of Giza
The best-preserved Neolithic settlement in Europe isn't in a French cave or an Italian hillside; it's Skara Brae on Orkney, far beyond the north of Scotland.
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The Fortingall Yew, the Scottish tree which was already 3,000 years old when Christ was born
Yews are well known for their longevity, but few — if any — can top the 5,000-year-old Fortingall Yew.
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The Giant's Causeway
The Giant's Causeway is a geological marvel, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and an unmissable stop for anyone heading to Northern Ireland.
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The Woodland Trust at 50: How a car nut with a yellow Ferrari helped save the trees of Britain
The Woodland Trust was set up as a Nature-conservation charity specifically concerned with trees. Clive Aslet visits its south Devon birthplace of 50 years ago and remembers its far-sighted and altruistic founder, Ken Wood.
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Gustavus III: The designs of the king who dreamed he was an architect
Many monarchs of the Enlightenment showed an active interest in architecture. Inspired by a new facsimile of royal drawings from Sweden, Clive Aslet looks at the designs of Gustavus III.
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Almshouses: What they are, how they were created and why they're still relevant in the 21st century
Built for the clergy, the military, retired estate workers and, most commonly, for the poor, almshouses are as important today as they ever were, finds Clive Aslet.
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Edward Hudson: The tale of the man who founded Country Life, 125 years ago this month
A publisher, innovator and shrewd businessman with strong connections to the Liberal political establishment, Edward Hudson was the visionary founder of Country Life 125 years ago. Clive Aslet revisits his remarkable life.
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The 100 greatest cathedrals in Europe, as picked by Simon Jenkins
Simon Jenkins gives himself a daunting task with his latest book, Europe's 100 Best Cathedrals (Viking, £30), which does no less than attempt to both explain and judge the masterpieces of western civilisation. Clive Aslet took a look and found a tome that will set readers 'afire to go on architectural pilgrimage'.
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In Focus: The art that has broken out of London's galleries and made it onto the street
Art is breaking free from the traditional gallery and its emergence on our streets and in our parks is changing the way we live, says Clive Aslet.
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Why is most new-build housing in Britain is awful — and why it doesn't have to be this way
Housing development is conditioned by concerns that have nothing to do with creating attractive or sustainable places to live. Clive Aslet gives his take on the situation, and suggests what we might be able to do about it.
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Feargal Sharkey: From Top of the Pops to crusading for Britain's rivers
Feargal Sharkey, one of the most recognisable pop voices of the 1970s and 1980s, talks to Country Life about his life, his passion for fishing, and how campaigning for clean rivers has become an obsession.
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The secret life of bumblebees: Fighting queens, pollinating tomatoes, and the males who 'stay out all night, get drunk on nectar and look for sex'
Did you know there’s only one insect capable of pollinating tomato plants — and that the insect in question is the bumblebee? Clive Aslet finds out more.
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The story of the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior, the brainchild of a Liverpool curate that touched the world
A century on from its inauguration, the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior still has the power to move us — and the tale it tells is one of anguish, not triumphalism. Clive Aslet looks at how this monument came about.
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In Focus: How ‘Life in the freezer’ has been recorded in art
The British Museum's ‘Arctic: Culture and Climate’ exhibition prompts Clive Aslet to discover how the indigenous life and culture of the northern polar region have been shaped by Earth’s most extreme and dramatically changing climate.
