John Goodall

Saints alive: How St Albans Cathedral has entered the 21st century in vibrant style, thanks to sculptors, artisans and dazzling colour projections

The Cathedral and Abbey Church of St Albans is one of the oldest churches in Britain — and quite possibly the very oldest — but no building survives through hundreds of generations without change. John Goodall examines some of the recent changes made to highlight the saints associated with this ancient church. Photographs by Paul Highnam and John Goodall for Country Life.

The 12 architecture books you should read in 2025, by our architectural editor John Goodall

John Goodall assembles a shortlist of his favourite architecture books published recently.

The tale of St Alban: An abbey, a Cathedral, and a martyr so holy that 'his executioner’s eyes popped out of his head'

A church built for Britain’s first known Christian martyr developed into The Cathedral and Abbey Church of St Albans, Hertfordshire. John Goodall tells the tale of the saint and the building he inspired; photographs by Paul Highnam for Country Life.

Into the Woods: The cabins set amid the treetops above the city of Cork

The Montenotte Hotel, on a hillside above the Irish city of Cork, has unveiled a group of nine luxury, woodland cabins. Country Life's John Goodall checks in.

James I's love affair with Apethorpe, the great country house that 'surpasses all belief'

Apethorpe Palace in Northamptonshire — a seat of Baron and Baroness von Pfetten — was enlarged in the 1560s and 1620s specifically to receive first Elizabeth I, and then James I. John Goodall tells the story.

Wooden walls restored: The astonishing restoration of the church at Urși

The painted church of the Annunciation and the Archangel Michael, Urși, Vâlcea County, Romania, has been the object of an heroic 10-year restoration programme,

Ashby St Legers: The spectacular house where the Gunpowder Plot was hatched

Holyrood: Inside The King's official residence in Scotland, from throne room to the bed chamber of Mary, Queen of Scots

Holyrood — or, to give it its full title, The Palace of Holyroodhouse — is the official residence in Scotland of His Majesty King Charles III. To coincide with the publication of a new history of the palace, John Goodall offers an overview of the creation, abandonment and rebirth of this working royal residence over the past 900 years. Photographs by Paul Highnam for Country Life.

All the winners from the 2024 Georgian Group Architectural Awards

This year’s Georgian Group’s Architectural Awards, sponsored by Savills, attracted another outstanding crop of entries. Here are all the winners, as chosen by a panel of judges chaired by Country Life's Architectural Editor, John Goodall.

Civic splendour: St Mary's Guildhall, Coventry

The guildhall built as a symbol of Coventry's 14th-century prosperity and self-government has recently undergone restoration.

The destruction and recreation of Scone Palace

In the second of two articles on Scone Palace, Perthshire, John Goodall looks at the Jacobite history of Scone and the transformation of the Palace from 1802 into a Gothic Revival prodigy house. Photographs by Paul Highnam for Country Life.

The tale of Scone Palace, and the mystery of the Stone of Scone

John Goodall explains the importance of Scone Palace, Perthshire — seat of the Earl and Countess of Mansfield and Mansfield — and the great abbey that formerly stood here. Photographs by Paul Highnam for Country Life.

2,000 years of fountains, from Roman Britain to a 300ft modern masterpiece in Gloucestershire

The fountain has a long and fascinating history in England, from the Roman period to the present day, as John Goodall reveals.

The chapel of Lincoln College, Oxford: 'Most costly and church-wise'

John Goodall describes the 17th-century expansion of Lincoln College, Oxford, to include an outstanding chapel, amid a bitter personal clash between two strong-willed men, and the institution’s evolution to the present day. Photographs by Paul Highnam for Country Life.

The history of Lincoln College, Oxford: Salvaging the vine

John Goodall describes the initiative of a Bishop of Lincoln to establish Lincoln College, Oxford, and the long struggle to bring it to fruition. Photography by Paul Highnam for Country Life.

How the spectacular Wolterton Hall went from Georgian splendour to a Palladian masterpiece you can rent by the weekend

John Goodall looks at the way in which Wolterton Hall, Norfolk, was awakened from sleep as a modern home and place of entertainment. Photographs by Paul Highnam for Country Life.

The origins of Wolterton Hall

John Goodall looks at Wolterton Hall, Norfolk — former home of Keith Day and Peter Sheppard — to analyse the creation of a new country house by Horace Walpole, a figure in the front rank of political and diplomatic life in the 18th century. Photographs by Paul Highnam for Country Life.

Elegant and congruous: How Hartland Abbey draws together eight centuries of architectural and family history

John Goodall looks at the history of Hartland Abbey in Devon after the Reformation, and its descent in the hands of one family to the present.

Stansted Park in the 20th century: The private made public

John Goodall traces the 20th-century evolution of Stansted Park, West Sussex, and its current revival in the care of an independent charitable trust, the Stansted Park Foundation. Photographs by Paul Highnam for Country Life.

Stansted Park, West Sussex: From royal favourite to stranger’s heir

John Goodall looks at the stages by which a medieval hunting lodge developed from the 17th century to become a great country house: Stansted Park, West Sussex, a property of the Stansted Park Foundation. Photographs by Paul Highnam for Country Life.