News

'We are in the midst of a sewage scandal and the natural world is paying the cost'

Country Life's leader article takes aim at the mess in the water industry.

The 'holy grail' of JRR Tolkien's letters are up for sale, showing his anger at his editors and the 'priggery' of Sherlock Holmes

Bayliss Books are selling the biggest collection of Tolkien first editions and personal letters to come up for sale in twenty years. Annunciata Elwes takes a look.

A £150 million, 10-year programme to help save the countryside: 'Our job is to give money away to do good things'

Lottery funding is now being used to benefit Nature with a new 10-year programme. Annunciata Elwes reports.

A 'war on NIMBYs'? How the principle of 'how, not if' will underpin the new homes boom

The new government has pledged to 'turbocharge' the building of new homes and infrastructure. But you might only have a say in 'how, not if' they're built in your neighbourhood. Here's what it could mean for you.

The Uffington White Horse restoration has got it looking at its best, 3,000 years after it was first created

The Uffington White Horse, the oldest chalk figure in Britain, has just undergone a superb restoration.

Agromenes: The new government is already delivering with aplomb — and in the countryside, it's all to play for

Our countryside columnist takes a look at the early efforts and impressive ministerial appointments of the new Labour government in Britain.

Under siege from nature: the National Trust's £2 million plan to restore Corfe Castle

Specialists hanging from ropes will spend the next three years helping restore the walls of this famous 11th century caste in Dorset.

The shire horses still ploughing the fields of London deep into the 21st century

Photographer Natasha Durlacher's passion project shines a light on the wonderful shire horses who still have a place in modern London.

The cosmos, as you have never seen it before

This year's shortlist for the Astronomy Photographer of the Year has been released, and the images are truly out of this world.

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.