Ever since Upstairs Downstairs and The Forsyte Saga, we’ve had a soft spot for historical dramas. With their sumptuous sets and beautiful costumes, they depict the elegance of a more mannered bygone a

I don’t live at home with my three younger siblings anymore. I have my own flat which is shoe-box-sized, but mine, and I can read there whenever I like. I’ve always been a reader, ever since my mum sh

Silver, red or even black, marriage gowns of the past were seldom white, until Queen Victoria opted for the hue of purity in 1840, discovers Matthew Dennison

I have always wanted to live in a period property, and the quirkiness of this house is so appealing to me,’ says artist Mink Yip of her Worcestershire home. ‘It’s actually made up of three old propert

A new exhibition lifts the veil on Queen Elizabeth II’s lifelong campaign to project power and to protect the Royal Family through sartorial cyphers. Ahead of its opening, Justine Picardie decodes the military messaging of her wartime garb, and reveals the influence of the enigmatic spymaster who crafted some of her most meaningful attire

A serendipitous move from the country to a bustling high street marked a fresh chapter for Gail O’Reilly, whose 18th-century cottage blends warmth, colour and pattern