The fate of Ruperra Castle 'is a national scandal'
Country Life's architectural editor John Goodall is appalled at the lackadaisical approach of conservation authorities to Ruperra Castle, a Welsh gem in Caerphilly.
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Winchester College: A palace for education
John Goodall looks at the origins of Winchester College and the inspiration for its superb medieval buildings. Photographs by Paul Highnam for Country Life.
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The evolution of the English country house from 1939 to 2022
Over the past year our architecture editor John Goodall has illustrated a period in the development of the English great house. In this final article in this 12-part series, John looks at the Country House since the outbreak of the Second World War.
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Lincoln Cathedral: The 950-year story of one of Europe's very greatest cathedrals
On the 950th anniversary of the royal transfer of The Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin, Lincoln, John Goodall looks at the medieval development of what is without doubt one of Europe’s most brilliantly conceived cathedrals. Photographs by Paul Highnam for the Country Life Picture Library.
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Draper's Hall: Inside the exquisite and spectacular place that's one of the finest halls in London
A restoration project revives the spectacular interior of one of Draper's Hall, one of London’s finest Livery Halls. John Goodall looks at the origins and history of the body that created it. Photographs by Will Pryce.
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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
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We asked six top architects to reimagine Buckingham Palace — here's what they came up with
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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.
