Country Life 2 November 2022
Country Life 2 November 2022 looks at what London would look like if the wrecking ball hadn't held sway in the 20th century, the pros and cons of an open fire versus a wood-burning stove, and follows in the footsteps of Phileas Fogg — plus, it includes our annual Gentleman's Life supplement.


Gentleman's Life
Our annual supplement with the very best of life for the man about town and in the country
Masterpiece
Jack Watkins on the true story behind Richard Adams’s rabbity tale Watership Down
Letting the ink dry
Childhood naturalist to adult artist: Angela Harding explains her work to Jane Wheatley
Burst into birdsong
For Beethoven, Messiaen and Vivaldi, the humblest of birds offers musical inspiration—and they still do, reveals Gayle Woods
Don’t take my breath away
Gather your decanters and put them to work, urges Harry Eyres
Interiors
Should you choose a wood-burning stove or an open fire? Amelia Thorpe offers options and Arabella Youens considers
London Life
Science fiction, Martha Freud, Christmas treats and taking on Phileas Fogg within the capital
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125th anniversary notebook
Melanie Bryan steps back to the 2000s through Country Life
Anthem of our crazy age
Carla Carlisle rues the all-too-prevalent insincere apology, so favoured by politicians
Charles Foster’s favourite painting
The polymath chooses a sea-scape of daunting power
A bookseller’s retreat
In the second of two articles, David Robinson returns to Beeleigh Abbey, Essex, home of the literary Foyle family
Travel
Fly away: Jonathan Self and Rosie Paterson consider the joys of the multi-generational holiday and Pamela Goodman gets lost in the sand dunes
Sicilian splendour
Charles Quest-Ritson explores San Giuliano, Sicily, where exotic planting and handmade tiles enhance an ancient site
Kitchen garden cook
Melanie Johnson on girolles
Breaking the mould
Once a wobbling wonder, later a childish cliché, jelly is on its way back, says Harry Pearson
And much more
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.
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How to disconnect from reality and feel like a new person in under 72 hours
Our round-up of the best British retreats that work wellness wonders in under 72 hours.
By Jennifer George Published
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Evenley Wood Garden: 'I didn't know a daffodil from a daisy! But being middle-aged, ignorant and obstinate, I persisted'
When Nicola Taylor took on her plantsman father’s flower-filled woodland, she knew more about horses than trees, but, as Tiffany Daneff discovers, that hasn’t stopped her from making a great success of the garden. Photographs by Clive Nichols.
By Tiffany Daneff Published