Preserving one’s modesty
A symbol of the British seaside, the beach hut had royal beginnings, explains Kathryn Ferry
A shore thing
Michael Prodger examines the seashore as artistic inspiration, from Constable’s wild skies to Gormley’s lonely figures
Oliver Spencer’s favourite painting
The founder of Favourbrook picks an evocative cricket scene
Meet the parrots of the sea
The colourful puffin inspires amused adoration in everyone, but the big-beaked birds have a tough side, finds Ian Morton
What an old fossil
Where Mary Anning led, hunters in search of ammonites and kamikaze ichthyosaurs follow, discovers Simon de Bruxelles
Tripping the light fintastic
Sinister sirens who lure sailors to their deaths or beautiful beings who drag men from watery graves? Carla Passino combs history for mention of mermaids
Native breeds
Kate Green praises the seaweed-eating North Ronaldsay sheep
The good stuff
Hetty Lintell greets Wimbledon with sparkling tennis bracelets
Interiors
Sociable spaces and the bright art of lighting kitchen islands
A world within a world
With views to the sea and 18th-century design set on ancient bones, the garden of Encombe House, Dorset, takes your breath away, says George Plumptre
London Life
A cabbies’ haven-turned-café, the man who built the capital, denizens of Zone 1, Fleet Street unwrapped and London’s arches
Bucket, spade and barbecue
Nothing tastes better than when it’s cooked over coals in the open air, believes Jack Adair Bevan
Travel
Rosie Paterson relaxes in Mexico and Justine Picardie follows Coco Chanel and Eileen Gray to the Riviera, as Pamela Goodman encounters the king of beasts
Speak, memory
Carla Carlisle reflects on Russia’s reach, on the page and in reality
Kitchen garden cook
Melanie Johnson tastes the sweet joy of cherry tomatoes
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Game, set, match: 12 of the world’s most beautiful tennis courtsFrom Italy to Indonesia, when it comes to hotel amenities, a picturesque tennis court will always trump a 24-hour gym. So, before you book your next holiday, take a look at our pick of the 12 best.
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Five frankly enormous mansions, including one with its own private swimming lake, as seen in Country LifeSometimes bigger really is better.
