Places to visit
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Things to do: Music in the gardens, the buildings of the Weald & Downland and a circus at the cathedral
Keep your diary up-to-date with our selection of unmissable events and things to do in the next few weeks.
By Country Life Published
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10 of the best beaches in Britain and Ireland, from sandy spaces for families to places of exquisite natural beauty
If you're planning a holiday in Britain or Ireland this summer, you're in for a treat: the spectacular coastlines of these countries get battered by weather in autumn and winter, but on a fine day in spring or summer they're the equal of anything in the world. Rosie Paterson picks out 10 of the very best, and suggests places to stay near each once tourism is back up and running.
By Rosie Paterson Published
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New tickets available for opening of Queen's private gardens at Buckingham Palace
Large areas of the gardens at Buckingham Palace are to be opened freely to visitors for the first time this summer, and due to 'exceptional demand' extra dates have been put on between now and September.
By Toby Keel Published
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Brodsworth Hall's 150-year-old follies — restored, reopened and remarkable
Brodsworth Hall's gardens and unusual follies have been restored during lockdown. Annunciata Elwes takes a look.
By Annunciata Elwes Published
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The best new gardens opening to the public in 2021 under the National Garden Scheme
The NGS was hit by Covid-19 last summer, but the signs suggest that the 2021 National Garden Scheme openings should go ahead as usual. Annunciata Elwes takes a look at some of the highlights.
By Annunciata Elwes Published
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Cerne Abbas: Was the giant naked man an artistic act of defiance aimed at monks?
New evidence suggests that the Cerne Abbas giant is much older than previously thought — and that its creation might have been 'a big two fingers' aimed at the Benedictine monks who had recently established an abbey.
By Annunciata Elwes Published
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Why Britain's finest attractions need visitors like never before — and those who go will be rewarded: 'You are likely to never see them so quiet again'
A huge drop in visits to the best museums, zoos and houses in Britain has prompted calls for an extra day's holiday at the end of summer to help us all enjoy them.
By Annunciata Elwes Published
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A month-by-month guide to the most beautiful gardens to visit in Britain
Some gardens are even better in winter. Read our list of the best gardens to visit all year round.
By Kathryn Bradley-Hole Published
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Carn Euny, Cornwall: The baffling ruin with a tunnel dating back to the Iron Age
Annie Elwes investigates the ruins of Carn Euny.
By Annunciata Elwes Published
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Wistman’s Wood, Devon: The remnant of a vast forest that once covered Dartmoor
Annie Elwes focuses on Wistman's Wood, a place that could make even the brave quiver at the knees.
By Annunciata Elwes Published
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Grey Mare’s Tail waterfall, Dumfriesshire: 'Mesmerising even to the peregrine falcons that nest in the crags around'
Annie Elwes recommends the waterfall and surrounding wild countryside of the Grey Mare's Tail Nature Reserve.
By Annunciata Elwes Published
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Gwennap Pit, Cornwall: 'The most magnificent spectacle this side of Heaven’
Annie Elwes kicks off our series on Britain's secret places with a look at Gwennap Pit.
By Annunciata Elwes Published
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Nine of the most astonishing objects you can see at National Trust properties, from priceless paintings to a wooden leg to a simple tunic with a heartbreaking tale to tell
We're taking a look at nine of the greatest objects on display in the National Trust's properties across Britain.
By Country Life Published
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The Ickworth Velazquez that's one of the very greatest treasures of the National Trust
In the final part of our series looking at the National Trust's finest treasures, we look at one of the very finest paintings in the Trust's ownership.
By Country Life Published
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A 15th-century altar cloth that survives in almost miraculous condition, one of the National Trust's greatest treaures
Our series looking at the National Trust's finest treasures looks at a pre-Reformation altar front from Cotehele which has survived to the present day.
By Country Life Published
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A Chippendale table that's 'the epitome of light-hearted Chinoiserie design', one of the National Trust's greatest treasures
Our series looking at the National Trust's finest treasures takes aim at the Thomas Chippendale dressing table of Anglesey Abbey in Cambridgeshire.
By Country Life Published
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A pair of tureens that are a Rococo tour de force in silver, and among the finest treasures of the National Trust
We're taking a look at nine of the greatest objects on display in the National Trust's properties across Britain — this time around we look at the incredibly intricate soup tureens of Ickworth.
By Country Life Published