Overflowing with delight
Cascading, pouring, trickling: water has enlivened gardens both public and private since Roman times in the form of fountains, finds John Goodall
The secret life of chalkstreams
Charles Rangeley-Wilson fishes for the history of our unique and treasured chalkstreams, from origins to beleagured present, and explains why they must be saved
Oil on stormy waters
From Turner lashing himself to a mast to Jason deCaires Taylor plunging beneath the waves to instal his sculptures, the ocean depths have long inspired our artists. Holly Black dives in
Blade runner
Carla Passino braves the workshop of airman-turned-sword-smith Robert Pooley, whose blades are borne by officers and royalty around the world
Emily Howes’s favourite painting
The author picks a powerfully penetrating Auerbach head
The legacy
Kate Green settles down to listen to Godfrey Baseley’s The Archers
It’s a pirate’s life for me
Jack Watkins raises a bottle of rum to the real-life pirates who cast their swashbuckling hold on the world’s imagination, bloody deeds notwithstanding
Honouring the past
The work of illustrious designers and former owners has been sensitively burnished by the Duchess of Beaufort at Badminton House, Gloucestershire, finds Kathryn Bradley-Hole
Irrigating the imagination
Once vital for sustenance, as stew ponds, or defence, in the form of moats, water is a shining thread in the history of gardens, culminating with today’s striking sculptural features. Christopher Stocks dons his wellies for a look
‘It’s an instrument that never fails to amaze’
From a workshop in Cremona, Italy, came instruments crafted by the genius Antonio Stradivari. Andrew Green listens to why the sound they produce still has the power to enchant
Live by the sword
Engraved or embellished, straight or curved, blades have sliced and swished from battlefield to parade ground. Matthew Dennison grasps the hilt
Water by numbers
How many lakes are there in Britain? How venerable is our oldest canal? Amie Elizabeth White does the maths
Luxury
Dressing for summer, smoked water, Dame Zandra Rhodes’s favourite things and watches to wear under the waves
Interiors
A light-flooded London kitchen and designs for dog lovers
Kitchen garden cook
Melanie Johnson uses up a glut of sweet, sun-warmed tomatoes
And much more
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Country Life's Quiz of the Day, 7 February 2025: 10 head-scratchers to take you into the weekendGuess the house price, remember the stuff you learned at school and take wild stabs in the dark. You'll love it.
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Seven of the UKs best Art Deco cinemas that help remind us of what we have (wrongly) long stopped expecting from public buildingsFrom the birthplace of modern cinema, to the home of the largest Wurlitzer theatre pipe organ in Europe, the UK’s remaining Art Deco cinemas are flourishing. Here are seven of the best.
