Country Life: At Home in the English Countryside

Sir Roy Strong and his wife, the designer Julia Trevelyan Oman, have lived in the country for nearly thirty years. In 1987 he was asked to write an occasional column reflecting this quintessentially English way of life for the prestigious magazine A Country Life. This charming book brings these popular pieces together, portraying the passing of the seasons in what the author describes as his ‘beloved adopted county’ of Herefordshire.

A Country Life is a wide-ranging kaleidoscope of memories and observations, embracing the countryside, gardens, cooking, and remembrances of things both long gone and only yesterday. The author writes lyrically of the arrival of the bright green tarragon shoots in spring; of the delights of eating al fresco; of making sorbets from blackberry and quince; of the russet beech hedges in winter and the sweet nostalgia that comes from unpacking Christmas decorations.

The keynote of A Country Life is delight – a portrait of life in the English countryside, which seems as old as time itself.

Sir Roy Strong is well known as a historian and garden writer, lecturer, critic, columnist and regular contributor to both radio and television. He was Director of the National Portrait Gallery in London from 1967--1973 and of the Victoria & Albert Museum from 1974--1987. He has published a number of highly acclaimed books about gardening and history including The Story of Britain and The Spirit of Britain. He lives with his wife, designer Julia Trevelyan Oman, in Hereford.