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Curious Questions: How did garden gnomes take over the world — and even The Queen's private garden?
Vertically challenged, bearded and rosy-cheeked, cheerful gnomes might make for unlikely cover stars, but — says Ben Lerwill — they’ve long graced books, album covers and even The Queen’s private garden.
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Curious Questions: Why did the Victorians become so obsessed with travelling the world?
On the 150th anniversary of the death of British explorer David Livingstone, Ben Lerwill asks why intrepid British men and women have long been–and still are–fond of venturing to the farthest corners of the globe.
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How a British team of mountaineers conquered Everest, the 'goddess of the sky'
Seventy years ago, on the eve of the Queen’s coronation, Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay reached the summit of Everest. Octavia Pollock considers the legacy of their achievement and what it meant for British mountaineering.
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Alexandra Palace: How it's survived fires, bankruptcy and even gang warfare in 150 years as London's 'palace of the people'
Alexandra Palace has suffered every imaginable disaster, yet remains enduringly popular even a century and a half after its official grand opening. Martin Fone takes a look at the history of one of Britain's great public buildings.
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Curious Questions: Are rainbows actually circular?
Martin Fone delves into the science — and art — of the rainbow.
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Curious Questions: How do you tell the difference between a British bluebell and a Spanish bluebell?
Martin Fone delves into the beautiful bluebell, one of the great sights of Spring.
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What it's like to have a prime seat at a Royal Coronation by John Betjeman, who reported for Country Life in 1953
The late, great Poet Laureate John Betjeman was among the congregation when Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was crowned in 1953 — and he wrote about it for Country Life. We're very proud to reproduce that article now — The Queen's Coronation: In The Abbey by John Betjeman.
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Curious Questions: The mystery of the medlar, the British fruit once as common as the apple that's almost disappeared in the space of 50 years
Medlars were once a common sight across Britain, grown in huge numbers and popular in recipes.Today, there's every chance that you've never even heard of them. So what happened? Martin Fone investigates.
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Curious Questions: Why do churches have gargoyles?
Inevitably hideous-looking and often mischievous, why do gargoyles and grotesques adorn some of our most solemn churches, asks Ben Lerwill.
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Curious Questions: What's the difference between a labyrinth and a maze?
You may never have thought to ponder what distinguishes a labyrinth from a maze. But as Martin Fone explains, it's something of a minefield.
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Curious Questions: Where do the names of our weights and measures come from?
Arms, feet, local stones and even barleycorn have all played a part in our bid to quantify the world, discovers Ben Lerwill, as he weighs up the stories behind how units of measurement were standardised.
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Curious Questions: Can you hear the Northern Lights?
The Northern Lights — or Aurora Borealis — are among the planet's most extraordinary natural phenomena. Even stranger than their ethereal glow, however, is the fact that they can be heard as well as seen. Martin Fone explains more.
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Curious Questions: What was the first ever vinyl LP?
Music-lovers who replaced their records with CDs three decades ago can still barely believe vinyl's unlikely resurgence — but the fresh interest in this old medium is still going as the first ever vinyl LP turns 75. Martin Fone charts the history of vinyl long-play records.
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Curious Questions: Why do we call a waterproof rain coat a mackintosh?
Scotland has turned out endless inventors of great genius in the past few hundred years, and Charles Macintosh — the man who brought waterproof clothing to the world — was as successful as any of them. Martin Fone tells his story.
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Curious Questions: How does Witches' Broom form in trees?
Martin Fone looks into one of the most curious — and curiously named — natural phenomena visible on a country walk in Britain.
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Curious Questions: Who invented the fork?
Once viewed with suspicion, forks remained the preserve of royalty until nearly 200 years ago. Matthew Dennison takes a stab at the king of cutlery, which changed the way we eat.
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Curious Questions: Do Brussels sprouts come from Brussels in Belgium?
As healthy as they are divisive, Martin Fone takes a look at the humble Brussels sprout. Why do we eat them at Christmas? Does anybody eat them during the rest of the year? And do they really come from Brussels?
