Here’s a look at some of what you’ll find inside.
The summer Season
- Ben Lerwill looks forward to high-speed sporting action
- Tom Chamberlin and Sophia Money-Coutts reveal how to keep your cool when the heat is on
- Hetty Lintell presents glorious ensembles for hot days
- Paul Henderson asks top chefs for their picnic picks
- Julie Harding meets the wicker weavers
- Harry Eyres and the Country Life tasting team find English fizz in sparkling form
Every picture tells a story
As the National Gallery counts down to its 200th anniversary, Carla Passino delves into the fascinating stories behind 10 paintings in the collection
John Booth’s favourite painting
The chairman of the National Gallery board of trustees picks an exquisite, skilful work that resonates with deeper meaning
The private made public
In the second of two articles, John Goodall investigates the 20th-century evolution of Stansted Park in West Sussex
Luxury
Hetty Lintell reveals the secret to staying fresh faced and fashion artist David Downton shares a few of his favourite things
The legacy
Octavia Pollock hails the talented Stevenson clan, who saved countless lives at sea thanks to their prolific lighthouse building
Interiors
Giles Kime on how decorative frames can give a room an extra edge and Arabella Youens on the creation of a family kitchen
Processions, proclamations and punishment
Time has not been kind to way-side crosses, once beacons of the British landscape. Lucien de Guise follows a trail of destruction
Supporting acts
Amelia Thorpe selects the best structures for growing climbers
Kitchen garden cook
Melanie Johnson gets creative with fresh, cooling spearmint
Dropping down to Derwentwater
Lakeland fells form a dramatic backdrop to the captivating Arts-and-Crafts garden at High Moss in Cumbria, finds Non Morris
Satan on six legs
Crushing one is said to absolve you of all your sins, but the Devil’s coach horse beetle is also the gardener’s friend, says Ian Morton
Flying between extremes
A booming bittern and a colossal crane make it a memorable return to the Norfolk Broads for John Lewis-Stempel
Blessed among plants
It may be named after the Virgin Mary, but, warns Ian Morton, there is a hint of the profane about lady’s mantle
Native herbs
John Wright reveals how the pretty, but unpalatable ground ivy found its true calling as an ingredient in the brewing of ale
And much more