In the hat of the moment

Graceful and practical in equal measure, the parasol has a long and colourful history when it comes to creating shade. Deborah Nicholls-Lee takes cover

As thoughts begin to turn gradually towards the hunting season, spare a thought for your kit. Is it still in the state it was left in back in March? Never fear, Octavia Pollock has plenty of advice on how to get it in tip-top shape

Terry towelling–whether it be clothing babies, adorning a poolside Bond or mopping tennis players’ brows–altered domestic life forever, discovers Matthew Dennison

FT has covered these a number of times, with one of the earliest and most disastrous examples taking place in Hammersmith in 1804 (see FT296:42-45, 310:30-35, 452:16-18). Then a semi-rural village on

● There is something quintessentially romantic about ...

I must extend my huge thanks to Jon Winder for his excellent article Swings and Roundabouts (July). I am currently scribbling notes which I hope to turn into a memoir of my childhood, and one chapter