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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.
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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.
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'Dozens died, and during the 1683 Thames Frost Fair a party of skaters was caught by the wind and blown out to sea': The risky business of skating on thin ice
Now that we've successfully negotiated the ice skating season, spare a thought for those in the past who literally put their lives on the line to enjoy winter's most elegant pastime.
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'Sometimes, it’s about the journey, rather than the destination': The fascinating history of the double-decker bus
The first covered double-decker buses made their debut on the streets of the capital 100 years ago. Rob Crossan steps on board and goes up top to trace the evolution of a true London icon.
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Curious questions: How a horse on a treadmill almost defeated a steam locomotive
The wonderful tale of Thomas Brandreth's Cycloped and the first steam-powered railway.
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Don't fancy Dry January? Try our list of London's best bars instead
With lots of people off the sauce, why not head to our list of London's best bars and enjoy them while they're quiet.
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Highlights, delights and lowlights: The best (and worst) shows of 2024
Plus, what the famed theatre critic recommends going to see in January.
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Driving Land Rovers blindfolded, cricket in the corridors and sword-fights in suits of armour: The unusual games of the country house
Big houses and grand spaces leave lots of potential for some strange games. Melanie Cable-Alexander investigates.
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'We're accidentally getting a puppy for Christmas — and we need help!' Ben Randall on helping a dog cope with Christmas
Most family homes are never more lively and raucous than they are at Christmas, but dogs don't give birth to a schedule. Ben Randall helps a reader worried about how their new puppy will cope.
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The Christmas Carol songbook that changed the sound of Christmas
Kate Green takes a look at the musical legacy of Sir David Willcocks through his book Carols for Choirs.
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What to do when your dog gets attacked by another dog out on a walk
Ben Randall deals with a reader's difficult situation as an ordinary walk took a turn for the worse.
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What happened when Country Life put The Queen's Jack Russells on the Girls with Pearls page
After the sad news that one of Her Majesty The Queen's beloved Jack Russells died at the weekend, today's special edition of the Dawn Chorus looks back at the day that Beth and Bluebell took over Country Life magazine's famous Frontispiece page to become the first ever canine Girls in Pearls.
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How to deal with an older dog starting to show some bad behaviour after many happy years
A-list dog trainer Ben Randall helps a reader whose ageing dog has started changing its behaviour — and not for the better.
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Skate at Somerset House is the friendliest thing you'll ever do in London
Relying on the kindness of strangers is alive, well, and found in Skate at Somerset House on the Strand.
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Ben Randall: Ask Country Life's canine agony uncle a question about your dog
Over the past two years our award-winning dog trainer Ben Randall has been sharing his advice with Country Life readers.
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The First World War, as seen through the unique Country Life Picture Archive
Country Life looks back at the First World War through the lens of the Country Life Archive. View images, read a selection of wartime articles, and also download war artist Muirhead Bone’s first catalogue of drawings, originally published in 1917.
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How to look after a dog who's gone deaf, by A-list trainer Ben Randall
Ben Randall handles a query from a reader whose dog has lost her hearing.
