''Country Life'' is a British weekly perfect-bound glossy

magazine A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combinatio ...

that is published by

Future plc Future plc is an international multimedia company established in the United Kingdom in 1985. The company has over 220 brands that span magazines, newsletters, websites, and events in fields such as video games, technology, films, music, photogr ...

. It was based in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

at 110

Southwark Street Southwark Street is a major street in Bankside in the London Borough of Southwark, in London England, just south of the River Thames. It runs between Blackfriars Road to the west and Borough High Street to the east. It also connects the access r ...

until March 2016, when it became based in Farnborough,

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

History

''Country Life'' was launched in 1897, incorporating ''Racing Illustrated''. At this time it was owned by Edward Hudson, the owner of

Lindisfarne Castle Lindisfarne Castle is a 16th-century castle located on Holy Island, near Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland, England, much altered by Sir Edwin Lutyens in 1901. The island is accessible from the mainland at low tide by means of a causeway. H ...

and various

Lutyens Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens ( ; 29 March 1869 – 1 January 1944) was an English architect known for imaginatively adapting traditional architectural styles to the requirements of his era. He designed many English country houses, war memoria ...

-designed houses including The Deanery in

Sonning Sonning is a village and civil parish in Berkshire, England, on the River Thames, east of Reading. The village was described by Jerome K. Jerome in his book '' Three Men in a Boat'' as "the most fairy-like little nook on the whole river". Geo ...

; in partnership with

George Newnes Ltd George Newnes Ltd is a British publisher. The company was founded in 1891 by George Newnes (1851–1910), considered a founding father of popular journalism. Newnes published such magazines and periodicals as '' Tit-Bits'', ''The Wide World Magaz ...

(in 1905 Hudson bought out Newnes). At that time

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...

and

racing In sport, racing is a competition of speed, in which competitors try to complete a given task in the shortest amount of time. Typically this involves traversing some distance, but it can be any other task involving speed to reach a specific goa ...

served as its main content, as well as the property coverage, initially of manorial estates, which is still such a large part of the magazine. Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, the late Queen Mother, used to appear frequently on its front cover. Now the magazine covers a range of subjects in depth, from gardens and gardening to country house architecture, fine art and books, and property to rural issues, luxury products and interiors. The frontispiece of each issue usually features a portrait photograph of a young woman of society, or, on occasion, a man of society. For example; Volume 9, 1 June 1901 had Lady Fermor-Hesketh (the wife of 7th Baronet of Rufford). In 2016, in its 119th year, Country Life was the subject of a three-part documentary series made by Spun Gold and which aired on BBC Two on consecutive Friday nights in March. The magazine has also celebrated its best-ever selling issue – the double issue from Christmas 2015 – and a 6th ABC increase in a row, which is an achievement no other weekly magazine publishing original content can claim. In 1997, the centenary of the magazine was celebrated by a special issue, the publishing of a book by Sir

Roy Strong Sir Roy Colin Strong, (born 23 August 1935) is an English art historian, museum curator, writer, broadcaster and landscape designer. He has served as director of both the National Portrait Gallery and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. ...

, the airing of a BBC2 TV programme on a year in the life of the magazine, and staging a Gold Medal-winning garden at the

Chelsea Flower Show The RHS Chelsea Flower Show, formally known as the ''Great Spring Show'',Phil Clayton, ''The Great Temple Show'' in ''The Garden'' 2008, p.452, The Royal Horticultural Society is a garden show held for five days in May by the Royal Horticultural ...

. In 1999, the magazine launched a new website. In 2007, the magazine celebrated its 110th anniversary with a special souvenir issue on 4 January. Starting on Wednesday 7 May 2008 the magazine is issued each Wednesday, having been on sale each Thursday for the past 111 years, with the earlier day being achieved using electronic publishing technology.

Topics

The first several dozen pages of each issue are devoted to colour

advertisements Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to put a product or service in the spotlight in hopes of drawing it attention from consumers. It is typically used to promote a ...

for upmarket residential property The magazine covers the pleasures and joys of

rural In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry typically are descri ...

life. It is primarily concerned with rural communities and their environments as well as the concerns of country dwellers and landowners and has a diverse readership which, although mainly UK based is also international. Much of its success has historically been built on its coverage of

country house An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a town house. This allowed them to spend time in the country and in the city—hence, for these peopl ...

architecture and gardening at a time when the architectural press largely ignored this building type. An extensive photographic archive has resulted, now of great importance to architectural historians. The other rural pursuits and interests covered include

hunting Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...

shooting Shooting is the act or process of discharging a projectile from a ranged weapon (such as a gun, bow, crossbow, slingshot, or blowpipe). Even the acts of launching flame, artillery, darts, harpoons, grenades, rockets, and guided missiles ...

farming Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled peopl ...

equestrian The word equestrian is a reference to equestrianism, or horseback riding, derived from Latin ' and ', "horse". Horseback riding (or Riding in British English) Examples of this are: * Equestrian sports *Equestrian order, one of the upper classes i ...

news and

gardening Gardening is the practice of growing and cultivating plants as part of horticulture. In gardens, ornamental plants are often grown for their flowers, foliage, or overall appearance; useful plants, such as root vegetables, leaf vegetables, fruits ...

and there are regular news and opinion pieces as well as a firm engagement with rural politics. There are reviews of

book A book is a medium for recording information in the form of writing or images, typically composed of many pages (made of papyrus, parchment, vellum, or paper) bound together and protected by a cover. The technical term for this physical arr ...

food Food is any substance consumed by an organism for nutritional support. Food is usually of plant, animal, or fungal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals. The substance is inge ...

and

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...

art Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas. There is no generally agreed definition of wha ...

and

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...

(also many offers) and antiques and

craft A craft or trade is a pastime or an occupation that requires particular skills and knowledge of skilled work. In a historical sense, particularly the Middle Ages and earlier, the term is usually applied to people occupied in small scale pro ...

s. Illustrative material includes the ''Tottering-by-Gently'' cartoon by

Annie Tempest Anne Valerie Tempest (born 22 August 1959), known as Annie Tempest, is a British artist, sculptor and cartoonist initially known for her cartoon strip ''The Yuppies'' which ran for seven years in the '' Daily Mail'', and now for her strip ''Totter ...

. The property section claims to have more prime agents than anywhere else. In addition. monthly luxury and interiors sections offer readers some informed ideas about the latest in jewellery, style and travel, and interiors. Recent feature articles have included

Charles, Prince of Wales Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to a ...

guest-editing an issue of ''Country Life'' in 2013, a historic revelation which revealed the true face of

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

for the first time in 2015, and in 2016 an exclusive on where the Great Fire of London really began in 1666. There was a special commemorative issue in June 2016 on the occasion of the Queen's 90th birthday, and a Best of Britain celebrating the very best of what the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

has to offer, from craftsmen to landscapes. Missing weeks. The magazine is reported by Tony Hutchinson as not being published between 19 June and 13 Aug 1959. Further work is needed on this.

BBC Documentary

In March 2016, ''Country Life'' was featured in a three-part documentary series produced by Spun Gold which aired on BBC2 called ''Land of Hope and Glory, British Country Life''. The films sought to show some elements of modern rural life which although feature often in ''Country Life'' magazine, are rarely seen in the mass media. Topics covered included the beauty of the countryside and the centuries and traditions of the people who live there as well as some of the challenges faced by those who live and work exclusively on the land, from property owners to farmers and those employed in country pursuits.

Editors

James Edmund Vincent James Edmund Vincent (17 November 1857 – 18 July 1909) was a Welsh barrister, known as a journalist and author. Life Born on 17 November 1857 at St. Anne's, Bethesda, he was eldest son of the cleric James Crawley Vincent, son of James Vincen ...

1897–1900 * Peter Anderson Graham 1900–1925 * W E Barber 1925–1933 * Christopher Hussey 1933–1940 (previously Architectural Editor) * F Whitaker 1940–1958 * John Adams 1958–1973 * Michael Wright 1973–1984 *

Marcus Binney Marcus Hugh Crofton Binney (born Simms; 21 September 1944) is a British architectural historian and author. He is best known for his conservation work regarding Britain's heritage. Early and family life Binney is the son of Lieutenant-Colonel F ...

1984–1986 (previously Architectural Editor) * Jenny Green 1986–1992 *

Clive Aslet Clive Aslet (born 15 February 1955) is a writer on British architecture and life, and a campaigner on countryside and other issues. He was for many years editor of '' Country Life'' magazine. He is Visiting Professor of Architecture at the Univers ...

1993–2006 (previously Deputy Editor, now Editor-at-Large) * Mark Hedges 2006–present Deputy editors: *

1989–1993 (previously architectural editor) * Michael Hall 1998–2004 (previously architectural editor, current editor of ''

Apollo Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label=Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label= ...

'') *

Jessica Fellowes Jessica Fellowes (born 1974) is an English author and freelance journalist. She is the niece of Julian Fellowes (Baron Fellowes of West Stafford). Career Fellowes was assistant editor of ''Marketing Business'' from October 2000 to July 2001; ...

2004–2008 * Rupert Uloth 2008–2016 * Kate Green 2016–present Architectural editors ates as architectural writer * provisionally Edward Hudson and James Edmund Vincent 1897–1900 / Peter Graham 1900–1907 *

Henry Avray Tipping Henry Avray Tipping (22 August 1855 – 16 November 1933) was a French-born British writer on country houses and gardens, a garden designer, and Architectural Editor of '' Country Life'' magazine for 17 years. Early life Tipping was born in the ...

1907–1910, 1916–1930 930–1933* Sir

Lawrence Weaver Sir Lawrence Walter William Weaver (1876–1930) was an English architectural writer and civil servant. Early years Lawrence Weaver was the son of Walter and Frances Weaver of Clifton, Bristol. He was educated at Clifton College and was trained ...

1910–1916 * Christopher Hussey 1930–1933, 1940–1964 921–1930* Arthur Oswald 1933–1940 928–1933, 1940–1969* Mark Girouard 1964–1967 .1958–1964*

John Cornforth Sir John Warcup Cornforth Jr., (7 September 1917 – 8 December 2013) was an AustralianBritish chemist who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1975 for his work on the stereochemistry of enzyme-catalysed reactions, becoming the only Nobel l ...

1967–1977 .1960–1967, 1977–c.1990*

1977–1984 968–1977*

1984–1989 977–1984*

Giles Worsley Giles Arthington Worsley (22 March 1961 – 17 January 2006) was an English architectural historian, author, editor, journalist and critic, specialising in British country houses. He was the second son of Sir Marcus Worsley of Hovingham Hall, a ...

1989–1994 985–1988* Michael Hall 1994–1998 989–1994* Jeremy Musson 1998–2007 995–1998* Dr John Goodall 2007–present Gardens editors: * E.T. Cook arly 20th century* Tony Venison * Tim Richardson 1995–1999 * Kathryn Bradley-Hole 2000–2018 * Tiffany Daneff 2018— (earlier versions cited Fred Whitsey as a gardens editor, but he was a distinguished contributor only, being in fact the Editor of sister publication Popular Gardening)

Notable contributors

Christopher Lloyd Christopher Allen Lloyd (born October 22, 1938) is an American actor. He has appeared in many theater productions, films, and on television since the 1960s. He is known for portraying Dr. Emmett "Doc" Brown in the ''Back to the Future'' tril ...

(gardening) * Bernard Darwin (grandson of

Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*k ...

) (golf 1907–1961) *

Alethea Hayter Alethea Catharine Hayter (7 November 1911 – 10 January 2006) was an English author and British Council Representative. Family and early life Hayter was the daughter of Sir William Goodenough Hayter, a legal adviser to the Egyptian government, ...

(fashion editor 1933–38) *

Claude Scudamore Jarvis Major Claude Scudamore Jarvis CMG OBE (20 July 1879 – 8 December 1953) was a British colonial governor. As an Arabist and naturalist, he became noted for his knowledge of the desert Bedouin and for his rapport with them. Life and career The ...

("A Countryman's Notes", 1939–53) * Gertrude Jekyll (gardening) *

Lucinda Lambton Lady Lucinda Lambton, also known as Lady Lucinda Worsthorne (born 10 May 1943) is an English writer, photographer, and broadcaster on architectural subjects. Life Lucinda Lambton was born in Newcastle upon Tyne, the eldest child of the Conservati ...

(architecture) *

John Martin Robinson John Martin Robinson FSA (born 1948) is a British architectural historian and officer of arms. He was born in Preston, Lancashire, and educated at Fort Augustus Abbey, a Benedictine school in Scotland, the University of St Andrews (graduating ...

(architecture) * Alistair John Rowan (architecture, before 1967) *

Tim Yeo Timothy Stephen Kenneth Yeo (born 20 March 1945) is a British politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he was the Member of Parliament (MP) for the constituency of South Suffolk between the 1983 United Kingdom general election and tha ...

(politics) *

Christina Broom Christina Broom (''née'' Livingston; 28 December 1862 – 5 June 1939) was a Scottish photographer, credited as "the UK's first female press photographer". History Broom's parents were Scottish though she was born at 8 King's Road, Chelsea, Lo ...

(photographer) * Alice Hughes (photographer, cover portraits, 1898-1909) * Emile Frechon (photographer, rural life, 1902-1915) Staff architectural photographers: * Charles Latham c1897–c1909 * Frederick Evans (1853–1945) pre1906-? * Alfred E. Henson (1885–1972) 1917–57 * Alex Starkey 1953–87 (last staff photographer''Country Life's last staff photographer'', by Alex Starkey, Country Life, 6 February 2007
/ref>)

Notes

References

* Country Life, 1897–1997: The English Arcadia, by Sir

, Boxtree Ltd, 1996, , (the history of the magazine). * Fifty Years of Country Life, by Bernard Darwin, Country Life, 1947 (94 pages, on the first 50 year's history of the magazine). * An Everyday Story of Country Life, BBC2, 1997, being a TV documentary filmed over a one-year period in 1996 at the magazine, to celebrate its centenary.

External links

''Country Life''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Country Life (magazine) 1897 establishments in the United Kingdom Lifestyle magazines published in the United Kingdom Weekly magazines published in the United Kingdom Magazines published in London Magazines established in 1897 Rural culture in Europe Rural society in the United Kingdom