John McCrae: The solider, surgeon and poet whose words inspired the Poppy Appeal
John McCrae's beautiful words written amid the horrifying bloodshed of the First World War linked the poppy and remembrance for ever more. Kate Green tells his story.
-
-
Opinion: The doom-laden terminology of conservation campaigners is dragging us down — it's time we embraced some optimism
We’re not perfect, says Kate Green, but nor are we bottom of the class — and it's time we embraced that.
-
The Legacy: Arthur Hobhouse and the creation of our national parks
Legendarily beautiful, Hobhouse chaired the committee that prepared the legislation to create national parks in 1949, with the first, the Peak District, established in 1951.
-
Burghley Horse Trials preview: From Paris, with love
British equestrian sport is riding high post-Olympics and next month’s Defender Burghley Horse Trials, which has attracted an illustrious entry, should show it in its best light.
-
Rarer than pandas: Meet the native breeds that have a crucial role to play in food security and conservation
Some treasured native farm animals have fallen dangerously low in numbers. Kate Green meets the breeders keeping the flame alive.
-
The Legacy: Godfred Baseley, the man who invented The Archers
We take a brief look at the life and inspiration of the man behind the world's longest running radio serial.
-
Reaching Olympian heights: 10 moments which define the original spirit of The Olympics
As the Olympic games begins this weekend, Country Life looks back to moments that were inspired by the ideals of Faster, Higher, Stronger and Together.
-
The world's most beautiful theatre, and the visionary who created it with manual labour 'plus a few sticks of dynamite'
Kate Green tells the story of the extraordinary Minack Theatre, carved by hand into a Cornish cliffside.
-
The key countryside issues in the 2024 general election — and what all the main parties say about them
Promises, promises... With a week to go to the General Election, we compare and contrast the party manifestos on some of the issues that affect rural life. Kate Green reports.
-
Sir Peter Scott: the Olympic sailor, national glider-flying champion and Second World War veteran who became the father of wildfowl conservation
As well as helping found the WWF and designing its panda logo, he also took part in a hunt to find the Loch Ness Monster.
-
The seven greatest winners in the history of the Badminton Horse Trials
The Badminton Horse Trials, the oldest competition of its kind in the world, celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2024. Kate Green chooses seven heroic winners in its history.
-
Everything you could ever want to know about Badminton, 'the most important and most typically English' eventing competition in the world
In the latest edition of The Legacy, we look at the 10th Duke of Beaufort who, so disgusted at Britain's eventing performance at the 1948 Olympics, decided to set up his own competition at his home at Badminton.
-
Rare-breed poultry and pigs on the decline according to latest Rare Breed Survival Trust Watchlist
Avian flu combined with higher input prices has had a damaging effect on Britain's native poultry populations, according to the RBST.
-
The Legacy: Philip Wayre, the man who saved the otter
The heartwarming tale of how this film-maker and naturalist restored the otter to English rivers.
-
The woodpecker's maracas and the duets of owls: Why Nature is the unbeatable soundtrack of Spring
The unmistakable sounds of the world coming awake after winter are enough to put a smile on our faces, even when the skies are still grey and the fields still damp.
-
Who was the original Jack Russell who gave his name to one of Britain's favourite dog breeds?
Kate Green takes a look at the the legacy of Revd John Russell, the man who gave his name to the Jack Russell and Parson Russell terriers.
-
The Legacy: Miriam Rothschild, the pioneer of organic and wildflower gardening
The celebrated entomologist and Bletchley Park codebreaker was also way ahead of the times when it came to gardening.
-
The 10 most romantic declarations of love in film and literature
-
What to expect in 2024, from the Shipping News in cockney rhyming slang to a secret wolf-reintroduction
Our annual tongue-in-cheek look at what 2024 might hold in store, from the Shipping News in cockney to the resurgence of the Monster Raving Loony Party.
-
Nine things you ought to know if you're having goose for Christmas
If you're looking for a change from turkey for Christmas dinner, goose is the obvious choice – but there are a few things to think about, as Kate Green explains.
