Corn-dolly crafter Colette Hughes describes the bleak situations our ancestors faced. “Imagine,” she says. “It’s winter and your family is hungry and cold. It gets dark early, fresh food is in short s

Favoured by Byronic bluesmen, Eton pops and rotund royalty, the waistcoat and its later iterations are an integral part of the Englishman’s wardrobe, says Simon Mills

I have been fascinated by automata for as long as I can remember. Especially so since my first viewing of the 1972 film Sleuth (a perennial favourite), starring Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine. The

Musical instruments have power, simply as things. They speak. They generate emotion. They tell stories about life, death, happiness and sadness – and about the past, which they can resurrect with curi

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

Girder forks separate pre-war bikes from post-war. They may be fairly primitive, but they were effective. Here’s how to get the best from them