Town & Country UK Winter 2020

Others rhapsodise about sunshine and beaches, but I’ve always preferred this time of year. I love the drama of the weather: as I write, the wind is gusting outside my window, hurling dried leaves at the panes. And I cherish the succession of annual rituals that mark the passing of the months – from the cheerful anarchy of Halloween and Bonfire Night to the gastronomic indulgences of Christmas and New Year (not to mention my wedding anniversary, marked in our household, by long tradition, with a platter of oysters). But there are also quieter joys to appreciate: collecting conkers, breakfasts by candlelight, crumpets for tea, wrapping up in a soft new winter coat. And always, of course, the increasing excitement as the house begins to fill up with mysterious parcels, while…

LORD MORAY John Stuart, 21st Earl of Moray, lives on the Castle Stuart Estate, where his ancestors have resided since the 16th century. On page 122, he shares his vision for Tornagrain, a 5,000-house town near Inverness whose construction he is overseeing. A treasured Christmas memory ‘As a boy, I once volunteered to look after my school’s locust colony over Christmas. I spent three glorious weeks devoting myself to the insects’ comfort and wellbeing while failing to comprehend why the rest of the family weren’t so receptive to their charms.’ The ideal stocking filler ‘A bar of Niederegger marzipan enrobed in dark chocolate, which I eat slowly in my study with the door closed.’ LORD AND LADY LEICESTER Holkham Hall, an 18th-century Palladian manor in Norfolk, is home to the Earl and Countess…

COUNTRY STYLE RIDING HIGH It’s Princess Anne for the win in this season’s fashion stakes. Stride out in Hermès’ sleek breeches (velvet Chanel cap optional, but oh-so chic), plus a cashmere body with a silk square cleverly incorporated into the neckline. TOWN STYLE STEP UP THE SPARKLE Tweed in town? Absolutely. Especially when it’s Alessandra Rich’s perfect pastel two-piece, which has a dash of daring shimmer to keep things contemporary. Then simply add retro-inspired accessories – think court shoes, a top-handled tote and a perfectly placed hairband. COUNTRY STYLE IT’SAWRAP For the most effortless way to stay warm, channel Debo, Duchess of Devonshire and slip on a stylish cape – Purdey’s tailored tweed number will keep you cosy. Accessorise with Gucci’s compact yet still capacious bucket bag, plus Fairfax & Favor’s elegant riding boots. TOWN STYLE PLAID TIDINGS When it comes…

At an upright piano in the hall of a house set deep in the Wiltshire countryside, three enchanting, tousled-haired children go plinkety-plonk on the keys. In their velvet bloomers, Mary-Janes and tartan trousers, they could come straight out of a storybook: Mabel Lucie Attwell’s illustrations from Mother Goose, perhaps, or the Pevensie children evacuated to the country in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. The historic Fosbury Manor, which belongs to the Guinness family, is the sort of place where an imaginative child might have just such an adventure – so when seven-year-old Mabel Roper-Curzon wanders past in a smocked brown frock, it feels entirely appropriate to hear her mother describe it as the ‘Narnia’ dress. ‘I’ve been wanting to create this for years and years,’ says Victoria Roper-Curzon,…

BOOKS REGALREADS Newtomeschroniclingthe making of our monarch Lilibet actually likes washing up and does more of it than the rest of us put together!’ Such was the teenage aristocrat Alathea Fitzalan Howard’s assessment of the future Queen in 1941, according to one of the many diaries she kept while spending World War II in the company of Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret at Windsor. Within these volumes – now published for the first time – the author recounts both the high jinks and the moments of poignancy she shared with the sisters behind closed doors: feeding their pet chameleon; exchanging secrets after lights out; cooking soup and jam puffs together; and ice-skating on the castle’s frozen lake before a game of hockey with the Royal household’s policemen and chauffeurs. The diaries conclude as the…