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Cesky Krumlov Castle's exquisite theatre: The scene of princely diversion
The object of a heroic recent restoration, the 1760s theatre at Cesky Krumlov carries the modern visitor back into the Baroque world. In the second of two articles on the castle, John Goodall examines its astonishing survival.
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Cesky Krumlov: Inside one of Europe’s greatest castles
Cesky Krumlov Castle was extravagantly remodelled in the 18th-century. In the first of two articles, John Goodall considers its development and spectacular interiors.
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Thrumpton Hall, Nottinghamshire: A treasure on the Trent
A surviving collection of personal letters sheds a fascinating light on 18th-century life in this fine Jacobean house. John Goodall examines the development of the building.
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'I didn't even know what a cooper was': Hanging with master cooper
Alastair Simms is one of Britain’s few remaining traditional coopers. John Goodall caught up with him to talk about barrels, birthdays, and beer that tastes of plastic.
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The Country House Library: Why these rooms and their collections need to be taken much more seriously
A new account of the country-house library will compel us all to reassess these rooms and their collections, says John Goodall.
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Stanford Hall, Leicestershire: A vibrant estate playing an active role in the world around it
An ambitious round of restoration work is reviving an estate and country house after a challenging 20th century. John Goodall explores the history of this remarkable building.
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Mount Grace Priory, North Yorkshire: Cloistered from the world
This magnificently preserved charterhouse offers a compelling insight into late-medieval English monasticism.
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Great Chalfield Manor: The magic of the Middle Ages
The serene beauty of this magnificent 15th-century manor house belies a complex and eventful history.
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Powderham: The Devonshire castle that's been in the same family for 600 years
An ancestral West Country home that has passed through the hands of one family for the past 600 years has, since the 18th century, developed a dazzling succession of interiors.
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Clandon Park after the fire: The National Trust’s largest ever reconstruction project
Untangling the Gordian Knot.
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How to create a new build country house
Here are nine examples of recently completed new builds to delight and inspire.
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Britain's most beautiful rooms, captured by Country Life for 120 years
John Goodall explains how Country Life’s earliest photographers pioneered the art of capturing England’s most beautiful rooms.
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Thirlestane: A majestic 16th century castle being saved by heroic by 21st century efforts
John Goodall looks at the ongoing saga of sustaining Thirlestane Castle in Berwickshire through the centuries.
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Lyddington Palace: A perfectly-preserved grand interior of late-medieval England
A residence of the Bishop of Lincoln converted into an almshouse offers a unique insight into the realities of grand domestic life in England in 1500, as John Goodall explains.
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Who REALLY designed Disney's castle?
We can’t resist turning a historian’s eye on Disney’s fantastical castle.
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Reimagining your home: extending historic buildings
John Goodall looks at different approaches to the successful extension of historic buildings.
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Book of the week: Apethorpe: the story of an English country house
Our country houses are so much richer than we imagine. John Goodall is impressed by this exemplary new study.
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Book of the week: Life in the Country House in Georgian Ireland
A new study offers a fascinating insight into the planning, furnishing and life of country houses in Georgian Ireland, John Goodall explains.
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Cornbury Park, venue for the Field & Country Fair
Cornbury Park, Oxfordshire, the seat of Lord and Lady Rotherwick, is celebrated for its 17th-century architecture
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Smaller country houses to visit in Yorkshire
Country-house perfection.
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The story of Agincourt
It's over 600 years since the Battle of Agincourt. Country Life's John Goodall looks back at this strategic victory, and considers its significance
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Gothic for the Steam Age: An illustrated biography of George Gilbert Scott by Gavin Stamp
John Goodall is impressed by this concise and beautifully illustrated account of Scott's achievements.
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Lincolnshire's Great Exhibition
A fascinating show spread over four venues sheds new light on Lincoln and its county.
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8 beautiful staircase designs
Staircases are among the most varied and visually dynamic of all domestic architectural spaces.
