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1 week ago | 
countrylife.co.uk | Penny Churchill |James Fisher
Who doesn't love a good old medieval country home? We certainly do. This is basically a magazine built off the back of solid medieval masonry and the Arts-and-Crafts Movement. We will not be stopping now. Especially when they have interiors like these.
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1 week ago | 
countrylife.co.uk | James Fisher
Technology comes for us all. The last few days have seen even the most luddite of internet users tune the great powers of artificial intelligence to make themselves into action figures, something that felt like science fiction merely a year ago. Not even the country house is safe. The listed wonders of our green and pleasant land are slowly being taken over by climate control and computers that manage everything down to the most minute detail.
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2 weeks ago | 
countrylife.co.uk | James Fisher
History is a funny thing, because I do not remember Henry III at all. He is not up there with one of the great Henrys. Henry V had Agincourt and Shakespeare. Henry IV had, well, Shakespeare again. And Henry VIII had a lot of wives. But Henry III? Not a clue what he was up to. Apparently, however, what he was up to was building bastides in the south of France, an example of which was Lalinde.
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2 weeks ago | 
countrylife.co.uk | James Fisher
I was exactly today years old when I realised that the Bugatti family made more than just cars. I imagine I am not the only one who didn't know this, which is likely why Edward Horswell has decided to curate the 'The Brilliant Bugattis', which will see ‘sculpture, decorative arts and cars by four generations’ of the Bugatti family go on display at this summer’s Treasure House Fair (June 26–July 1) at Royal Hospital Chelsea.
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2 weeks ago | 
countrylife.co.uk | James Fisher
As someone who lives in the area, there is much to be found in SE9. Not all of it necessarily pleasant. What I was not expecting, however, was this glorious Tudor home, named Court Yard, which was once part of the Royal Court at Eltham Palace and built in the 16th century. It’s quite rare to find something like this for sale, but for sale it is, for £2 million with Hamptons. It gets better.
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2 weeks ago | 
countrylife.co.uk | James Fisher
I’ve never known much of the Teifi Estuary or Cardigan (other than that my dad wears them) but, having now gazed upon the yellow walls of Brynymor House, I would like to know more. Such is the power of good photography and an even better subject. It’s odd to think that a building that is essentially a box with a hipped roof could be so beautiful. There is elegance in simplicity. And Brynymor is nothing if not extremely elegant. It is for sale with Country Living Group for £1.9 million.
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2 weeks ago | 
countrylife.co.uk | James Fisher
Last year, we wrote the following: ‘Being appointed a Royal Warrant holder is still the highest form of accolade and influence. United in their commitment to the highest quality of service, sustainability and responsible environmental practice — these remarkable organisations are known and trusted by The King.’Few organisations are as well known, or as trusted, by The King than Aston Martin (or, officially, Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings Plc).
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2 weeks ago | 
countrylife.co.uk | James Fisher
The proportion of international applicants looking to buy a home in the UK has fallen to its lowest level on record, according to new data from Hamptons. Internationally registered buyers now make up just 1% of the total, down from a peak of 3% in 2009. In Prime Central London, that figure is now 2.9%, down from a peak of 7.9% in 2009.
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2 weeks ago | 
countrylife.co.uk | James Fisher
It is easy, at the age of 32, to consider oneself a grownup. There are many grownup things I do. I open letters that are addressed to me often. These days, they are demands for money, rather than when I was a kid, when they contained money. I go to work, to make money, to help with the letters. Everything can be a bit serious, quite a lot of the time. What’s interesting, with all this grown-up behaviour, is how quickly I can be yanked back to more childish endeavours.
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2 weeks ago | 
countrylife.co.uk | James Fisher
George Orwell wrote in his seminal essay Politics and the English Language that a writer should ‘never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print’. In short, avoid a cliché. I spend a lot of time reading property listings, which are often full of clichés, which is fine because the work of the estate agent is to sell houses, not concoct prose that would pass through the fine eye of one of Britain’s best ever journalists.
