Forget the anonymous valentine – how much more romantic is a message in a ring or a necklace, conveyed in the arrangement of gems it contains? Acrostic jewellery is so called because the first letter of each gem it features spells out a secret word.

If the weather outside is grey and dreary, kitchen linen in mood-lifting hues will remind us of warmer days that lie ahead. And this Scallop Stripe tea towel (£30) and Little Cress oven glove (£33) from Tori Murphy in fetching shades of claret are ju

A beautifully crafted bed really is the finishing touch to a stylish bedroom scheme, and we’re over the moon to be teaming up with The Cornish Bed Company this month to offer H&A readers 20 per cent off its cast-iron Tetbury bedstead. Traditional yet

Centuries ago, seashells were a popular material for making everything, from long, sautoir necklaces and cameo brooches to fancy boxes and ornaments. One of the most spectacular examples of ‘shell work’ can be seen at the National Trust property A la

Museum funding models have been shattered by closures in the past year. ‘Revenue from ticket sales, cafes, shops, events, partnerships and sponsorship have all been hit incredibly hard, while overheads to keep buildings and collections safe remain hi

This hearty soup is a meal in itself, a comforting midwinter dish and a great way of using vegetables from the garden. The lemon juice cuts through the oil and gives it a zing. SERVES 4–6 PREPARATION: 15 minutes COOKING: 40–50 minutes 1kg/2¼lb mi

A wonderful collection of watercolours and preparatory sketches, drawn and painted by the Fox Talbot family of Lacock Abbey in Wiltshire, has been digitised and made available online for the first time. Henry Fox Talbot (1800–1877) was the inventor o

At the AW20 Alexander McQueen fashion show, elegant models strutted down the catwalk clad in silver love spoon-style fretwork dresses and leather jackets adorned with love spoon-inspired lace heart embellishments. Readings of Dylan Thomas poetry prov

A letter, handwritten by Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson (1758–1805) to his friend, Post-Captain Charles Boyles, has come up for auction at Dawsons in its Fine Art, Antiques & Jewellery sale in December 2020. Remarkably, the missive had been languishing

The views from Nicky de Bouille’s home in Saumur haven’t changed in around 200 years. The front of the house looks out across the Loire river, which runs through this historic town – famed for its eponymous red and sparkling wines – while the back ov

Take a brilliant design duo and add one enterprising antiques business. Cue the furniture collection Turner Pocock x Lorfords, which combines comfort, craftsmanship and contemporary style. The sofas, armchairs, ottomans and Fireside chair will no dou

North Norfolk is magical at this time of year. Each winter, more than a third of the world’s pink-footed geese can be witnessed forming squawking ‘V’ formations in the endless skies. While at Blakeney Point, home to the largest seal colony in England

Natalia Willmott uses her collection of vintage and antique ribbons to revive the lost art of letter writing. She makes billet doux cushions with pockets in which to keep love letters, poems, jewellery or drawings. They’d make wonderful gifts any tim

Halfway through a tour of his Brighton apartment, Simon Martin’s gaze alights on the watercolour above the chimneypiece. It is a 1940s conversation piece by the British artist JS Goodall. Simon found the painting at a local market and, intrigued by t

Check ahead Please contact event organisers to check for postponements & last-minute cancellations The organisers behind Shrewsbury Flea are launching two new antiques and home shows this year, both of which will coincide with the Malvern Flea, so bu

When Annie Sloan moved from a country village to east Oxford 20 years ago, she was ready to embrace city living, and yearned for somewhere that echoed her passion for cultural fusion. ‘It’s a funky, cosmopolitan part of town, with all sorts of intere

This time of year usually sees the winter edition of the Battersea Decorative Antiques and Textiles Fair, the fabulous frenzy of buying and selling between dealers, designers and decorators from the UK and beyond in London’s Battersea Park. As planne

Despite being filled with wonderful antiques and works of art, Old Meadow House defies any notion of a conventional Cotswolds home. Not only is it barely eight years old – designed by its owner, Nikki Williams-Ellis – but it’s also unusual for having