Architecture
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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.
By John Goodall Published
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Netherby Hall, Cumbria: Roman foundations, a 16th century tower, a Georgian house... and a very 21st century future
Netherby Hall, Cumbria — the home of Gerald and Margo Smith — is a house built on the site of a Roman fort, and evokes two periods of the distant past. John Martin Robinson reports on the recent revival of the building, including the award-winning restoration of its stables.
By John Martin Robinson Published
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The strangest museum in London? Dennis Severs’ House is art installation, theatre set and 18th century throwback
Tactfully revived, Dennis Severs’ House defies categorisation, finds Jeremy Musson.
By Jeremy Musson Published
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Great British Architects: John Morow
John Morow was a formative figure in the history of Medieval Scottish architecture.
By Country Life Published
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Fawley Hill: Inside the wacky and wonderful home of the late Sir William McAlpine
In the second of two articles looking at Fawley Hill, Buckinghamshire — the home of Lady McAlpine and the late Sir William McAlpine — Marcus Binney looks at a home filled with remarkable collections and striking interiors that reflect its creator’s enthusiasms and interests.
By Marcus Binney Published
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The millionaire who created a real-life toy train set on a human scale
The astonishing assemblage of buildings, machinery and memorabilia at Fawley Hill, Buckinghamshire — the home of Lady McAlpine and the late Sir William McAlpine — is testimony to one man’s remarkable enthusiasm for the railways, as Marcus Binney discovers. Photographs by Paul Highnam for Country Life.
By Marcus Binney Published
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Leuchie: The house and garden where the 1960s meet the 1690s
A Modernist home created during the 1960s within the walled garden of a historic house stylishly blends the contemporary and the historical. Mary Miers reports; photographs by Paul Highnam for Country Life.
By Mary Miers Published
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Munstead Wood: The house that Edwin Lutyens built for Gertrude Jekyll
The creation of Munstead Wood in Surrey came from a happy friendship between a great gardener and architect, both closely connected to Country Life. Clive Aslet explains.
By Clive Aslet Published
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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.
By John Goodall Published
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Country Life's 10 best architecture stories of 2022
A 'heaven on earth in the Cotswolds' and the library of your dreams are among the best this year.
By Toby Keel Published
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The real-life places that inspired Jane Austen's most memorable fictional country houses
Country houses serve as an ever-charming backdrop to the novels of Jane Austen. With the help of specially commissioned drawings, Jeremy Musson considers her treatment of their architecture. Illustrations by Matthew Rice.
By Jeremy Musson Published
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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.
By John Goodall Published
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Buckingham Palace: 'There is not a historical capital in Europe which cannot show a more imposing Royal palace'
A trip through the archives unearths a real treasure in the form of a 1931 book about Buckingham Palace which offers a fascinatingly different perspective on one of the world's most famous buildings.
By Toby Keel Published
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How Beeleigh Abbey became the much-loved home of one of Britain's great bookshop owners
In the second of two articles, David Robinson looks at Beeleigh’s chequered history in the centuries after the Dissolution, culminating with ownership by the Foyle family of the eponymous bookshop.
By John Martin Robinson Published
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Beeleigh Abbey: An incredible medieval house that's barely altered since Henry VIII's Dissolution of the monasteries
David Robinson looks at Beeleigh Abbey — the Essex home of Catherine and the late Christopher Foyle — an exceptional and little-known survival of the Premonstratensian canons, one of the less-familiar monastic and religious orders of medieval Britain. Photographs by Paul Highnam for Country Life.
By David Robinson Published
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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.
By John Goodall Published
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London's lost masterpieces: The palaces and Georgian gems torn down in 30 years of 20th century madness
London would look very different had it not been for the widespread demolition of Georgian architecture in the 20th century. John Martin Robinson takes a look back at what was lost and what was fortunately saved.
By John Martin Robinson Published