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Five of the National Trust's most outstanding paintings, as chosen by the curators who care for the charity’s world-class collection
As The National Trust celebrates its 130th anniversary, we asked five of their curators to choose a key artwork from the charity's huge collection.
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Curious questions: Where did the Snakes and Ladders board game come from?
Games of Snakes and Ladder punctuated most of our childhoods, but how many of us know about its Ancient Indian origins and the fact that it was designed to teach us about liberation from the transmutations of karma?
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‘What we petrolheads wanted but feared we’d never get’: Behind the wheel of Audi’s new, all-electric A6 e-tron Avant
His Majesty is a known fan of an Audi estate, but what will he — and Country Life — make of the brand new EV version?
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Barbour’s heritage jackets get a floral makeover courtesy of Erdem
Utilitarian outwear has taken the fashion world by storm and now Britain's world-famous wax jackets are getting in on the act, inspired by some of our greatest countryside icons.
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The £40 car boot painting that might just be a long-lost Van Gogh worth more than £10 million
It's the things dreams are made of: you pick up an innocuous painting at a car boot sale only to discover that it might be a previously unknown piece by one of the most influential figures in art worth millions. This time round though the dream is a reality because experts believe they've just verified a long-lost Van Gogh masterpiece. So, how does the evidence stack up, asks Rosie Paterson?
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Dawn chorus: London’s ‘White House’ sells for £139 million, WNU pops up in Scotland and our quiz of the day
One of London’s biggest property sales, our favourite shirtmaker and Slow Horse’s Jack Lowden round out today’s Dawn Chorus.
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From fighting for stockings to flying on the Moon: How nylon changed the world
Almost 90 years after it was first discovered, Martin Fone looks at the history of this mass produced man-made fibre.
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Right on time: Our Luxury Editor’s favourites from LVMH Watch Week
Doesn’t time go by so fast? LVMH Watch Week is back for its sixth iteration and there are plenty of new and old faces to marvel at, says Hetty Lintell.
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Curious Questions: Why do woolly hats have bobbles?
Some can rock a bobble hat, others will always resemble Where’s Wally, but the big question is why the bobbles are there in the first place. Harry Pearson finds out as he celebrates a knitted that creation belongs on every hat rack.
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Style and substance: Why the handkerchief remains a small symbol of civilised behaviour
Once considered a luxury item and given as a love token — or even used as a makeshift toothbrush — the handkerchief still offers an elegance sorely lacking in a packet of paper tissues, says Matthew Dennison.
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Lexus LBX 2025: Where compact luxury meets affordability and economy
The Lexus LBX is a compact all-rounder for the city and the country that ticks almost all of the right boxes.
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Country Life's top 10 arts stories of 2024
From the artist killed on his first day in the war to a masterpiece once sold for £30, these were our most popular arts stories of 2024.
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Christmas gift ideas for children
From adorable booties and cardigans to toys that will keep tiny tots entertained for hours.
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Seven perfect Christmas gifts for people who just love beautiful, functional things
William Morris famously said to have nothing in your house that you don't know to be useful or believe to be beautiful. These things do their best to hit both targets.
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How 'the best picture in the world' was saved from destruction by a British army officer refused to follow his orders
Claudia Pritchard on the extraordinary tale of how Piero della Francesca’s 1460s fresco 'The Resurrection' was saved.
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Eyes wide shut: The art of sleeping
Sleep takes many shapes in art, whether sensual or drunken, deathly or full of nightmares, but it is rarely peaceful. Even slumbering babies can convey anxiety, discovers Claudia Pritchard.
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A few of my favourite things: Dame Mary Berry
The culinary writer and broadcaster, who turns 90 next year, tells Hetty Lintell about three objects she can't live without.
