New: Country Life Archive (1897-2005) & Country Life Picture Library

country-life-cover-29-may-1969

Front page. (1969, May 29). Country Life (Archive : 1901 – 2005), ProQuest, accessed 21 Sept. 2016

I am pleased to report that Oxford historians now have access to Country Life Archive, covering 1897 to 2005.

Country Life is a well-known weekly British culture and lifestyle magazine, founded in 1897 by Edward Hudson, friend of Gertrude Jekyll and patron of Edwin Lutyens.

It focuses on fine art and architecture, the great country houses and their interiors, church and historic buildings, landscapes, rural living and leisure pursuits such as antique collecting, farming, hunting, shooting, horse riding and gardening.

country-life-photo-of-mrs-cooper-key-18-jan-1941

Country Life (1941, Jan 18). Country Life (Archive : 1901 – 2005), ProQuest.

The magazine also reported on national events, governmental policy relating to agricultural affairs as well as society affairs of rural gentry.

Country Life is rich in advertising of, for instance, properties and as such is a valuable source in retracing the history of houses as well as finding images of them. Other advertising includes services and equipment needed for country living.

A highly visual resource, every page is full-text searchable, and reproduced in high-resolution and full colour.

The advanced search functionality includes the ability to search for specific images such as photos of interiors and exteriors or architectural drawings / plans.

country-life-advert-18-jan-1941

K L G. (1941, Jan 18). Country Life (Archive : 1901 – 2005), ProQuest, accessed 21 Sept. 2016

Country Life Picture Library contains images of country houses and gardens, interiors and architectural details, historic buildings and churches from the photo-archive of Country Life magazine. All images reference the original Country Life articles for which they were commissioned. Please note that images themselves can only be used upon registration, ordering and payment.

Both the Country Life Archive and Country Life Picture Library are now available on Databases A-Z to our readers. It will be added to SOLO shortly.

4 thoughts on “New: Country Life Archive (1897-2005) & Country Life Picture Library

  1. Dear Angela,

    It looks as if the provider changed the URL. I’ve now updated the links in the blog post to point to the entry of the resources in SOLO which is where we will keep the URL to the database updated. I can access both resources, using SSO for remote access. Can you try again, refreshing the blog post screen? If you still have problems, email eresources@bodleian.ox.ac.uk.

    Isabel

  2. please can you tell me if there is a problem accessing Country Life today? I can’t access the December 25th, 1915 edition although I can see it on the search results. Can you advise me please? Kind regards Angela Prior

  3. Dear Frances Luck,

    if you wanted to search this resource you need to register as a reader with the Bodleian Libraries. Information how to do this can be found at https://www.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/using/getting-a-reader-card. You are very welcome to do so. I did a quick search for Church Farm, Wingfield, but wasn’t able to locate any relevant article. It might require a more detailed search which is outside my scope.

    If you are not yet aware of it, you might be interested in a brief description in British History Online H F Chettle, W R Powell, P A Spalding and P M Tillott. “Parishes: Wingfield,” in A History of the County of Wiltshire: Volume 7, ed. R B Pugh and Elizabeth Crittall (London: Victoria County History, 1953), 69-76. British History Online, accessed March 27, 2019, H F Chettle, W R Powell, P A Spalding and P M Tillott. “Parishes: Wingfield,” in A History of the County of Wiltshire: Volume 7, ed. R B Pugh and Elizabeth Crittall (London: Victoria County History, 1953), 69-76. British History Online, accessed March 27, 2019, http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/wilts/vol7/pp69-76.

    Kind regards,
    Isabel Holowaty

  4. I have been told there was an article on 15thC Church Farm, Wingfield, Wiltshire in Country Life late 1920s. How can I search for this?
    Frances M. Luck

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