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The architecture of Victorian Houses, and how it was perfectly captured by the letters of a 23-year-old American girl
In our 125th anniversary year, Country Life has been taking a look at the development of the English home. This week, John Goodall looks at the architecture of Victorian Houses from 1837–1890.
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350 years in the architectural evolution of Lincoln's Inn, from 1672 to 2022: 'Self-consciously Gothic, constitutional and English'
In the second of two articles, John Goodall examines the architectural development of Lincoln’s Inn from the late 17th century to the present day.
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Lincoln's Inn: 'Everything about the origins of the Inns of Court is mysterious'
This year, Lincoln’s Inn celebrates a remarkable 600th anniversary. In the first of two articles, John Goodall examines the origins of this celebrated society of lawyers. Photographs by Will Pryce for Country Life.
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The English country house in the Regency period: Fashionable novelty and an unprecedented stylistic eclecticism
John Goodall looks at developments in the English house during the Regency period.
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The Royal Yacht Britannia: How The Queen created a floating home and theatre of state
The Queen was the best-travelled monarch in British history. John Goodall looks at the story of the Royal Yacht Britannia, now permanently moored in Leith, Edinburgh. Photographs by Paul Highnam.
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Who wrote 'God Save The King'? The extraordinary tale of the British national anthem
What are the origins of our national anthem? John Goodall investigates the extraordinary story behind both the tune and the words, as well as their influence on other nations.
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The creation of Holkham Hall
In the second of two articles, John Goodall revisits Holkham Hall — the seat of the Earl of Leicester — to tell the story of its creation in the mid 18th century by the Earl of Leicester and his widow.
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National Trust chairman René Olivieri: 'I am grateful that people have a view and feel strongly about these things. I want to hear criticisms'
The new National Trust chairman René Olivieri on an unexpected past and hopes for the future.
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Holkham Hall: 'there are few places a modern visitor can get so close to the realities of life on the grand scale in 18th-century Britain'
John Goodall revisits the splendours of Holkham Hall in Norfolk, a celebrated house — and the seat of the Earl of Leicester — created in the mid 18th century by Thomas Coke, Earl of Leicester.
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Farringford: The story of the Isle of Wight bolthole of Alfred, Lord Tennyson
After nearly 60 years as a hotel, this former home of the poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson has been triumphantly restored as a house museum. John Goodall reports; photography by Paul Highnam.
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Hall Place, Hampshire: The fabulous house where the Duchess of Cornwall spent her idyllic childhood summers
Hall Place in West Meon, Hampshire, is currently the home of Michael and Claudia Langdon. Yet for many years it was owned by the grandparents of HRH The Duchess of Cornwall. The house, so well known to The Duchess in her childhood, was specially chosen by her for coverage in her guest-edited issue of Country Life. It is revealed in a new light by fresh documentary research, as John Goodall reports. Photographs by Paul Highnam for Country Life.
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How the Glorious Revolution changed the nature of the English country house
John Goodall looks at the English home in the aftermath of the ‘Glorious Revolution’, in the latest in his series about the development of the great house on these shores.
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Blenheim Palace: The story of the English answer to Versailles
Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire — the seat of the Duke of Marlborough — is one of the outstanding palaces of Baroque Europe, and was planned as both a residence and national monument. John Goodall revisits this extraordinary building; photographs by Will Pryce for Country Life.
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We asked six top architects to reimagine Buckingham Palace — here's what they came up with
The façade of Buckingham Palace is so familiar that it’s easy to forget it is younger than Country Life. It also strikes John Goodall as dull. To mark the Jubilee, he asks six architects to suggest, in playful spirit, how it might be changed for the better.
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English houses in the age of Shakespeare: How late-Tudor and Jacobean architecture shaped the way we live
John Goodall looks at the architecture of late-Tudor and Jacobean homes in the period 1560-1630, taking a look at Engoish homes through the eyes of Shakespeare.
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Auckland Castle: 800 years as a bishop's palace, and now open to the people for the first time
Auckland Castle, Co Durham, has served as the palace of the Bishops of Durham for 800 years. Now, after a huge restoration programme and large-scale archaeological investigation, it has been opened to the public. John Goodall reports, with photography by Paul Highnam for Country Life.
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Tudor house architecture: How England's great homes evolved in the 16th century
Country Life's architecture editor John Goodall looks at the architecture of the Tudor home.
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The exquisite architecture of Harrow School, and its evolution over the last 450 years
As Harrow School celebrates its 450th anniversary, John Goodall looks at its early history and principal buildings; photographs by Will Pryce for Country Life.
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The 15th-century country house
John Goodall looks how great homes developed in England in Lancastrian and Yorkist times.
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The 550-year evolution of Queens' College, Cambridge
John Goodall looks at the architectural evolution of Queens’ College, Cambridge, into the late 19th century and its outstanding hall by William Morris and G. F. Bodley. Photographs by Will Pryce for Country Life.
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Queens' College, Cambridge: The seat of learning that helped set the mould for Cambridge's most beautiful colleges
John Goodall looks at the early history of Queens’ College, Cambridge, the college that helped define the tradition of academic architecture in the city. Photographs by Will Pryce for the Country Life Picture Library.
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Living in a fortified medieval stronghold: Inside The Broad Gate, Ludlow, a 13th armoured gatehouse that became a family home
The Broad Gate in Ludlow, Shropshire — the home of Sir Keith and Lady Thomas — is a 13th-century fortification that defined medieval Ludlow has been transformed into a Georgian townhouse. John Goodall examines its remarkable story and restoration, with photographs by Paul Highnam for Country Life.
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Westminster Abbey: History, power, tourism, and its status as 'the single greatest and most eclectic museum of sculpture in the world'
Westminster Abbey has been at the heart of national life since the Middle Ages. In the second of two articles, John Goodall completes this short survey of the Abbey’s remarkable history; photographs by Will Pryce for the Country Life Picture Library.
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Digitising Country Life's 125 years of history
A hugely ambitious initiative to digitise the contents of the Country Life photographic archive during the magazine's 125th anniversary year promises to make its riches properly accessible to everyone for the first time. John Goodall explains more.
