An idyll with an opera

Glamis Castle, Angus, part 2 The seat of the Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne

When COUNTRY LIFE’s Henry Avray Tipping spotted a 17th-century four poster languishing in a Herefordshire attic in 1911, he set off a chain of events that saw the bed leave its ancestral home and land at The Met in New York

Glamis Castle, Angus, part 1 The seat of the Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne

Many buyers overlook Sixties properties but, as one Liverpool couple discovered, their clean lines and generous proportions offer the perfect opportunity to add character and create a welcoming family home

Giselle De Hasse transformed an unloved cottage into a bright home with a garden cabin for work and entertaining

Experience and attention to detail really paid off when a couple of serial renovators bought a neglected period home in London, bringing it back to its best with luxe finishes, harmonious colour schemes – and one or two brilliant bargains