News

Nine things that could add up to £9,000 to the value of your home — and one that could leave you £35k out of pocket

Want to make a splash? Here’s some of the home improvements that could pay off in the long run. Just don’t mention a swimming pool…

The Big Butterfly Count is here — time to get out into the garden and do your bit

Do your bit to save the butterflies of Britain.

'The world's most joyful museum': Young V&A in East London wins top prize

The museum scooped the prestigious Museum of the Year award, the largest in the world, pocketing £120,000 after a three-year renovation.

Plan properly, build well, and even the NIMBYs can't object to the solution to the housing crisis

Reforming planning and embarking on a large-scale house building plan is one of the great challenges for the new government — but a blueprint is already out there for exactly what they need to do, says Country Life columnist Athena.

Stability, confidence — and lots of new homes: Property experts on what Labour's General Election win mean for the housing market

Britain woke up on Friday to change of government. Plenty of change is expected across the board, but what will Labour's General Election victory mean for the housing market? Annabel Dixon takes a look, speaking to experts from across the world of property.

A pheasant at Charing Cross Hospital and a woodcock at St Pancras: London's rarest birds revealed

The latest London Bird Report has some interesting findings.

The Titian masterpiece found in a plastic bag at a London bus stop has sold for £17.6 million

The painting that secured Titian’s reputation as 'the greatest painter of the Venetian Renaissance' is going up for sale, 30 years after it was recovered in a carrier bag in the most unlikely of spots.

Oh, we do like to be beside the seaside: How coastal house prices have bucked the trend to keep on rising in 2024

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.

Just a third of ‘empty nesters’ downsize after children leave home

Hoping to buy a home with more space to raise your young family? If so, don’t count on it. The majority of empty nesters want to hold onto their home despite their children moving out, according to fresh research.

The M25 and A3 junction's 'wildlife bridge' shows the way forward for Man and Nature

We must ensure that the UK’s first ever heathland green bridge, straddling the A3 and a lifeline for diminishing wildlife, isn’t the last of its kind to open, says John Lewis-Stempel.

British Telecom’s 1980s phone box design caused uproar 40 years ago — now, campaigners are battling to save it

Something to stink about: Plant that smells 'like a garbage heap in high summer' blooms at Kew for only the third time

Two rare plants (Titan arum and Aristolochia goldieana) are both in bloom at the world famous gardens, but you'll have to be quick, as the flowers will only last for 48 hours.

A 400-year-old house that’s as romantic a country cottage as you could hope to find

How many kinds of sweet flowers grow in an English country garden? Well, head to these magical gardens in Kent to get an idea…

Golden times for golden eagles as Britain's most majestic bird of prey hits 300-year high

Conservation efforts to help golden eagles are paying off, reports Annunciata Elwes.

Is now a good time to buy a house? What do you need to ask before making an offer? And where are the best places to look? Annabel Dixon on the Country Life podcast

Property writer Annabel Dixon joins the Country Life Podcast to take a look at the state of play in the housing market.

How a bit of gardening could £23,000 to what your house is worth — and even tidying up could make you £13k

From sprucing up your front door, to tackling the weeds in your garden, here’s how you can prevent thousands being knocked off the value of your home.

'Living lawmowers': How hungry hairy Hungarian hogs will help save the UK's most endangered butterfly

Yes, you read that headline correctly. Pigs and cows will help Butterfly Conservation maintain one of the last remaining breeding spots for the High Brown Fritillary butterfly.

10 ways to save the planet, according to Country Life

There are many practical ways in which we–individuals, groups and Government–can make a difference to our planet, both locally and nationally. As the General Election looms, we present 10 areas where improvement is badly needed.

House buyers pay up to 122% more to live in one of Britain's most beautiful areas