Country Life 12 February 2025
Country Life 12 February 2025 looks at fine art, garden rooms and how animals fall in love.
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Here's a look at some of what you'll find inside:
A man among men
Michael Prodger consults great painters and great paintings as he seeks a response to one of art’s unanswered questions: what is it that makes a master?
Let the art rule the head
The UK’s status as a world leader in creative industries will be in peril if we fail to nurture art-and-design skills in our schools, argues Tristram Hunt
Let’s fall in love
Laura Parker investigates the boxing, croaking, crooning, dad dancing and even murder that passes for courtship ritual in the animal kingdom
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Beauty and the blimp
Could a new airship designed in Britain deliver eco-friendly aviation, asks Charles Harris
Interiors
Amelia Thorpe picks out glass acts in world of garden rooms, greenhouses and orangeries
Soup-er charged
Tom Parker Bowles reveals how to beef up a boozy, hot-as-Hades French onion soup
A leap in the dark
The play of light and shade has long defined Western art. Michael Hall examines what Constable called ‘the chiaroscuro of nature’
The Duke of Richmond’s favourite painting
The owner of Goodwood picks a work that reflects the sporting history of the West Sussex estate
Three wishes for food and farming
Minette Batters calls for the UK to set a self-sufficiency target for producing its own food
Nature and nurture
In the final article of a three-part series, Tim Richardson ponders the innovation and imagination behind the wonderful grounds at Bramham Park, West Yorkshire
The legacy
Amie Elizabeth White applauds altruistic John Ritchie Findlay, who paved the way for Scotland’s National Portrait Gallery
The good stuff
Hetty Lintell backs a winner with a range of horseshoe jewellery
Light work
Tiffany Daneff is dazzled by the transformation of a dark London garden into a light-filled oasis
Foraging
Winter mushrooms are a rarity, but the striking velvet shank earns John Wright’s approval as a welcome addition to game pie
Arts & antiques
Carla Passino marvels at the masterpieces amassed by Swiss collector Oskar Reinhart as the works go on show in London
Wick me up before you go-go
The wick trimmer’s work was never done in candlelit times, discovers Matthew Dennison
And much more
Bringing the quintessential English rural idle to life via interiors, food and drink, property and more Country Life’s travel content offers a window into the stunning scenery, imposing stately homes and quaint villages which make the UK’s countryside some of the most visited in the world.
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Two halves make a sublime four-bedroom home in Kent's North Downs
A contemporary extension to a traditional clapboard house brings light and life to Lavington House.
By James Fisher Published
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Everything you need to know about Hampstead: The real star of 'Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy'
From Protestant Dissenters to Dame Judi Dench, Hampstead has long been synonymous with liberal values and prosperity — which is what makes it different from other parts of London. Now, it's stealing hearts the world over in the latest Bridget Jones film.
By Carla Passino Published
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Guess the country house price, David Stirling and the King without a moustache: Country Life Quiz of the Day 19 February 2025
Have a go at Wednesday's Quiz of the Day. Good luck!
By Toby Keel Published
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Name that dog, England's highest mountain and eight more questions: Country Life Quiz of the Day 18 February 2025
Test your skills, knowledge, and ability to take wild guesses based on scant evidence in Tuesday's Quiz of the Day.
By Toby Keel Published
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Churchill's birthplace, Monet's London home and more in the Country Life Quiz of the Day
Try your luck at Monday's quiz of the day.
By Toby Keel Published
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The assassin who shot the assassin, Japan's naked festival and all the money in the world: Country Life Quiz of the Day
By Toby Keel Published
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Life is a Cabaret, old chum — especially when you try the Country Life Quiz of the Day
Classic movies, compound interest and the Sacking of Rome take their places in Thursday's quiz.
By Toby Keel Published
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Name that mouse! And nine more to test you in our Quiz of the Day
Adorable rodents, a surprisingly affordable Surrey mansion and a classic Van Gogh find their place in Wednesday's quiz.
By Toby Keel Published
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Which of Henry VIII's wives was just 19 when she died? And nine more brainteasers in the Quiz of the Day
How much is that house? What's that crazy picture? And which of Henry VIII's wives was youngest when she died? It's all here in Tuesday's Country Life Quiz of the Day.
By Toby Keel Published
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Country Life's Quiz of the Day, 10 February 2025: How many people live in Shetland?
Guess the house price, remember the stuff you learned at school and take wild stabs in the dark. You'll love it.
By Toby Keel Published