Edward VII swept away the cobwebs of mid-Victorian style, Queen Mary had passion for all things small and the Queen Mother bought rather avant-garde art. In a forthcoming talk, Tim Knox, director of the Royal Collection, charts a century of regal taste

Whether it is adding contemporary paintings to a gallery of Old Masters or branching out into territories as diverse as Modernist chairs, Iranian tiles or Churchill memorabilia, the passion for collecting seems to run in some families, as Eleanor Doughty discovers

In the 17th century, the great maritime nations were vying to solve a puzzle that had confounded philosophers for many centuries: how to determine exact positions on the Earth’s surface. And in Britai

Over the centuries, the brooch, invented to fasten garments, has become a glittering gem, a coded communication–an art mastered by Elizabeth II– and a way to express personality. Mary Miers traces the history of a jewel that is back in style

Anne Boleyn dropped suggestive hints and Elizabeth I projected undying monarchy through her portraits: Tudor women knew how to use art to send a message, Philippa Gregory tells Carla Passino

deVOL’s venture into the world of bathrooms continues, and its latest design is the delectable Twin Victorian washstand (from £5,750), a perfect set-up for two. It takes its inspiration from elegant 1