A chance to join a unique discussion on Shakespeare's love of flowers, plants and herbs
Country Life's Mary Miers is hosting a talk with Gerit Quealy, author of 'Botanical Shakespeare'.


Alongside fellow literature-lovers, explore the hidden botanical treasures mentioned throughout Shakespeare’s work on Thursday 27th July over champagne and afternoon canapés at London’s Sloane Club.
Listen to the author of Botanical Shakespeare, Gerit Quealy, in conversation with Country Life books editor, Mary Miers. The discussion will cover a range of topics and the author will discuss the many discoveries she has made whilst writing the book, including how reexamining Shakespeare’s work through plants has led her to solve some of his many mysteries.
Following an interactive Q&A session with the speakers, guests will have the opportunity to purchase Botanical Shakespeare, signed personally by Gerit.
An optional tour of the Sloane Club will take place for all those curious about the rich history behind the club, founded for serving and former lady officers of the Armed Forces in World War II.
Programme for Gerit Quealy in conversation on Thursday 27th July:
16.00 – Arrival at Sloane Club dining room
16.15 - 17.00 – Discussion and interactive Q&A with Gerit Quealy and Mary Miers
17.00 - 18.00 – Champagne and afternoon tea canapes and opportunity for book signing
Sign up for the Country Life Newsletter
Exquisite houses, the beauty of Nature, and how to get the most from your life, straight to your inbox.
Country Life is unlike any other magazine: the only glossy weekly on the newsstand and the only magazine that has been guest-edited by HRH The King not once, but twice. It is a celebration of modern rural life and all its diverse joys and pleasures — that was first published in Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee year. Our eclectic mixture of witty and informative content — from the most up-to-date property news and commentary and a coveted glimpse inside some of the UK's best houses and gardens, to gardening, the arts and interior design, written by experts in their field — still cannot be found in print or online, anywhere else.
-
From California to Cornwall: How surfing became a cornerstone of Cornish culture
A new exhibition at Cornwall's National Maritime Museum celebrates a century of surf culture and reveals how the country became a global leader in surf innovation and conservation.
By Emma Lavelle Published
-
Jaecoo 7 SHS: Can you really get a luxury SUV for £35,000?
The Chinese automaker Jaecoo lands on UK shores with the 7. We take it for a spin around Scotland and the north of England to see if the hype is real.
By Charlie Thomas Published
-
How to celebrate the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen
2025 marks the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen's birth. Here are exhibitions, events and more — happening across the UK — that mark the occasion.
By Annunciata Elwes Published
-
Unputdownable: 12 page turners to see you through the rest of the winter
From cookbooks to cricket, biographies to Sunday Times bestsellers, Country Life contributors name some of their favourite books from last year.
By Country Life Published
-
J.R.R. Tolkien: The life and times of the lord of the books
From a sentence born of an exhausting teaching job, J. R. R. Tolkien crafted a series of fantastical novels that, 50 years on from his death, still loom as large in our imagination as Sauron’s all-seeing eye, says Matthew Dennison.
By Matthew Dennison Published
-
Thomas Hardy's Wessex vs the real-life Dorset: Which bits are real, which dreams, and which are exact to the last stream and stile
Thomas Hardy’s depictions of a fictional Wessex and his own dear Dorset are more accurate than they may at first appear, says Susan Owens.
By Country Life Published
-
The English villages that are hotbeds of murder, intrigue and endless summer days — at least in the minds of novelists
Comforting yet complex, intriguing and alluring, the village setting is territory to which writers — and readers — will return again and again. Flora Watkins looks at how the customs, characters and communities of the English village have long sparked literary inspiration, from Jane Austen to Midsomer Murders.
By Flora Watkins Published
-
With love from Father Christmas: J.R.R. Tolkien's enchanting Christmas letters to his children
For nearly a quarter of a century, J. R. R. Tolkien sent his children elaborate letters and pictures from the North Pole. Ben Lerwill explores the penmanship, kindness and magic that went into Letters From Father Christmas.
By Country Life Published
-
The best characters created Charles Dickens, still utterly unforgettable even 150 years after his death
Charles Dickens died 150 years ago, on 9 June 1870. Since then, Mr Micawber has become a byword for optimism, Scrooge for meanness and Uriah Heep for obsequiousness, and we still quote Mr Bumble’s ‘the law is an ass’. Rupert Godsal explains why these characters are so exuberantly unforgettable.
By Country Life Published
-
Charles Dickens timeline: The best of times, the worst of times
Rupert Godsal paints the major events in the life and times of Charles Dickens, who died 150 years ago on 9 June, 1870.
By Country Life Published