The stained-glass maker: ‘It’s powerful, volatile… too overwhelming for domestic settings’
Thomas Denny makes windows that are not only pictures hidden in colourful patterns, but complex interweavings of naturalistic and biblical imagery, radiant and spiritual.
The neon sign maker: ‘Piccadilly Circus was our answer to Vegas – now it’s all pixellated screens’
‘Every time I come here, it blows my mind,’ admits Marcus Bracey as he approaches Gods Own Junkyard, his neon emporium in Walthamstow.
The putcher fisherman: Flying the flag for a dying way of life
Chris Cadogan, the only remaining fisherman to practice this medieval method on the Severn.
The sculptor: ‘Every day, I go into the studio in the morning and set about things. I don’t know any other way to live’
James Butler (MBE, RA, RWA, FRBS) is in his late 80s and still sculpting every day.
The glass-eye maker: ‘I make sure that the eye fits, but psychology comes into my work as well’
Jost Haas, the only remaining maker of glass eyes working in Britain today.
The ship’s figurehead carver: ‘It used to be a profession and every port would have had one, but now it’s a dying art’
In the expert hands of Andy Peters, pine is sculpted into a glorious array of decorative items, but the show-stopping figureheads that stand up to 15ft high are his bread-and-butter.
The glassblower: ‘When something goes wrong you can’t fix it – you just sling in into the bosh bucket and start again’
Ian Shearman's team of glassblowers are still making glass using a technique that's 2,000 years old.
The swill basket maker: ‘Even after 30 years, it’s still a challenge; every tree is different and each batch of baskets has its own journey’
You could travel many miles to find someone who relishes his working day as much as Owen Jones enjoys creating oak swill baskets.
The poppy maker: ‘I was very weak, very emotional and in a bad place when I started, but I’m back to my old self again now’
Wish Lloyd battled a traumatic childhood, the army, an athletics injury and homelessness to find his place at the Poppy Factory, making the poppies we wear every November.
The luthier: 'You don’t know if you’ve been successful until you put the strings on. That’s the moment when it comes alive.'
Tom Sands talks about his life making guitars – and pays tribute to his mentor, a 'cross between Gandalf, Yoda and Mr Miyagi from The Karate Kid.'
Credit: ©Richard Cannon/Country Life Picture Library
The Pigeon Fancier: 'I set up a deckchair in the garden and wait for them to come back. That’s the most exciting part.'
This week’s Living National Treasure is Colin Hill, a pigeon fancier whose birds regularly race from the tip of Scotland
The Florist: 'What I do is like good cooking – if you have beautiful ingredients, you can’t go wrong'
This week's Living National Treasure is royal florist Shane Connolly – and while he might be based in Britain, he's
The dry stone wall builder: 'Every metre of wall contains a ton of stone. You really feel it after a hard week.'
This week's Living National Treasure is Anthony Gorman, a man who has spent his life building beautiful walls by hand
The gold stamper: ‘The younger generation is very appreciative of artisan work – they’re the ones driving the trend’
This week's Living National Treasure is John Timms, the man who leads the team that stamps gold lettering into thousands
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A Grade II*-listed country manor with one of the most beautiful drawing rooms in EnglandIf Old Manor Farm in Somerset is good enough for Pevsner, it's good enough for you.
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School dinner puddings, Scrabble tiles and Antonio Banderas: Country Life Quiz of the Day, April 11, 2025Friday's quiz asks you to name one of Britain's most beautiful places, and ponders the distance of a marathon.
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The brilliant Bugattis: Sculpture, silverware, furniture and the fastest cars in the worldA new exhibition at this year's Treasure House Fair will shine a light on the many talents of the Bugatti dynasty.
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Big, bright and bold: Colourful luggage to inspire your next spring getawayIf RIMOWA's new 'Holiday' campaign is anything to go by, then conservative-coloured luggage is out and eye-catching is in.
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Jumping hours, guichets and visual theatre: The biggest trend from Watches and Wonders explainedMiniature window displays replaced traditional watch hands at this year's Watches and Wonders fair.
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On His Majesty's Not-So Secret Service: Aston Martin receives Royal Warrant from The KingOn His Majesty's not particularly secret service.
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Terrifying or tremendous? Spend a night at the National Gallery beneath some of the world’s most famous artworksBacchus, his girlfriend Ariadne, Fighting Temeraire and a few sunflowers seek roommate for one night only. No smokers or pets. Rent free.
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Defender OCTA: Land Rover's classic car, reimagined. And then reimagined again, with 626BHPWhy did Land Rover stick a 4.4 litre twin-turbo V8 in a Defender? Because why not.
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Five takeaways from Watches and Wonders Geneva 2025Country Life’s Luxury Editor, and our eyes and ears on the Geneva ground, reports back from the watch industry’s biggest event of the year.
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‘To grasp the momentousness of the reopening, one must understand the place The Frick holds in the hearts of New Yorkers’: Inside the splendour of Fifth Avenue’s beloved galleryThe beloved NYC art museum’s ‘renovation and enhancement project’ manages to both assure and astonish.
