A century of royal photography
The exhibition 'Royal Portraits: A Century of Photography' was one of the hits of the season last summer during its run at Buckingham Palace. Now the people of Scotland will have a chance to enjoy it as it opens at The King’s Gallery, Palace of Holyroodhouse this morning, 28 February, running until 7 September 2025.
Cecil Beaton, Proofs of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip on Coronation Day, 1953
The exhibition charts royal portrait photography from the 1920s to the present day, showing some of the most famous royal photographs of all time — including Hugo Burnand's coronation pictures of King Charles III, and Snowdon's gorgeous portrait of Princess Margaret in 1967.
Perhaps best of all, though, are the exhibits which tell the stories behind the creation of some of the most iconic images of the Royal Family. There are proofs of unseen Cecil Beaton images taken on the wedding day of the late Queen Elizabeth II to Prince Philip, for example — and a fascinating behind-the-scenes snapshot from the day that Julian Calder captured her late majesty wearing full regalia in the middle of the Highlands back in 2010.
A snapshot reproduced on an information panel within the exhibition gives a behind-the-scenes insight into the sitting.
Total wreck for sale. Several very careless owners. £695,000.
A three-bedroom farmhouse in Wales for... almost £700k? That's the headline that has been doing the rounds about this house for sale via agents John Francis Cardigan.
Posted by JohnFrancisEstateAgents on
The reality is that the house — which has lain derelict of a quarter of a century — is just a tiny part of a property that includes 132 green, rolling acres not far from the pretty North Wales coast at Cardigan.
If you're feeling brave don't mind a complete rebuild project, then it's a pretty delightful-looking slice of Planet Earth at the same money that you'd pay for a three-bedroom home in Woking.
Access nearly all areas
We've written and spoken a lot about access to the land of late — most recently in fascinating podcast with Patrick Galbraith earlier this week. So this post from the NFU about how farmers are engaging with the issue and doing their bit to make things better is great to see.
This is the age of the beautiful vintage train
If the Queen in the Highlands has whetted your appetite for a monarchy-themed trip north of the border, you're in luck. Captain's Choice have an exclusive charter trip aboard The Royal Scotsman at the end of April.
You'll kick off with dinner in Edinburgh Castle before spending a few days aboard the luxurious train, heading north from the capital, crossing the Highlands, and heading back. If you have more time on your hands, you can hop straight from the train journey on to a 14-day cruise around the British Isles on board Silver Endeavour. Find out more and see the full itinerary here.
The trip leaves on 28 April 2025. The rail leg costs £12,300 per person, based on two sharing, while rail plus cruise is £22,300.
Hundreds of millions of pounds' worth of vintage cars, and all anyone wants to look at are the cute dogs
Rosie Paterson went to The ICE event in St Moritz expecting to see cool cars (in every sense). She did, but the real stars turned out to have four legs rather than four wheels. Read about it here.
That's it for this week — Dawn Chorus is back on Monday
-
A mini estate in Kent that's so lovely it once featured in Simon Schama's 'History of Britain'The Paper Mill estate is a picture-postcard in the Garden of England.
-
Splash! A Century of Swimming and Style: A whistle-stop history, from the Roman Baths to Hampstead HeathEmma Hughes dives into swimming's hidden depths at the Design Museum's exhibit in London.
-
Arthur Parkinson: ‘I want my chicken coop to look like the one from “Far from the Maddening Crowd”’In his second instalment of all things chicken keeping, our columnist outlines the dos and don'ts of hen house maintenance.
-
RHS Chelsea Flower Show: Everything you need to know, plus our top tips and tricksCountry Life editors and contributor share their tips and tricks for making the most of Chelsea.
-
What the cluck? Waitrose announces ‘trailblazing’ pledge to help improve chicken welfare standardsWaitrose has signed up to the Better Chicken Commitment, but does the scheme leave Britain open to inferior imports?
-
Having a ruff day: Kennel Club exhibition highlights the plight of vulnerable spaniel breedsPhotographer Melody Fisher has been travelling the UK taking photographs of ‘vulnerable’ spaniel breeds.
-
'There is nothing like it on this side of Arcadia': Hampshire's Grange Festival is making radical changes ahead of the 2025 country-house opera season -
Arthur Parkinson: I am a cleaner, security guard and matron to my happy hens
In his first regular chicken-keeping column for ‘Country Life’, Arthur Parkinson introduces his brood and touches on the importance of good housekeeping.
-
Is anyone more superstitious than a sports star?When it comes to worrying about omens and portents, nobody gets quite so worked up as our sportsmen and women.
-
The humble hazel dormouse — 'the flagship species of the health of our countryside'The sleepy and very sweet hazel dormouse is one of Britain's rarest mammals.
