My love of stories came before my love of reading. I rarely slept as a baby, so my poor mum often soothed me at nights by reading to me. As a small child I listened to Storyteller tapes all night – au

Having just returned from filming the latest series of New Lives in the Wild for Channel 5, Ben Fogle welcomes us into his home office, a quirky outbuilding that is brimming with character and curiosities

What revealed the magic of books for me was The Wind in the Willows. When I was five, I contracted measles, which meant I had to spend my days in bed in a darkened room. My mother sat outside my bedro

An old man lives at the bottom of my garden. His name is Robert Barkus, or Bakehouse, or Bagust. Nobody is quite sure. But I often sense him around when I’m gardening, and I’ve found out a fair bit ab

Marian Boswall seeks design inspiration in classic and new gardening texts

Nicky Aldridge has given this Victorian townhouse a fresh new look that’s full of style and sparkle