Lady Henrietta Spencer-Churchill, the only daughter of the 11th Duke of Marlborough, has by any measure led an extraordinary life. As a girl she moved from the family home in Oxfordshire to Blenheim Palace, the family seat and — by any measure — one of the finest buildings not just in Britain, but the world (it has UNESCO World Heritage Site status to prove it).

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Ever since then, first as a resident, then as a world-renowned interior designer who has played a leading role in the conservation of this 18th century masterpiece, her life has revolved back and forth around Blenheim, and we were thrilled that she agreed to talk to James Fisher on the Country Life Podcast this week.

Living at Blenheim, as she explains, brings great privilege: she tells how her father bought a speedboat, and taught Henrietta and her brother to waterski on the lake. Yet living in a house of global stature, and which opens its doors to visitors every day of the year, also brings unique pressures: everything from where to park and struggling to find a spot of lawn on a sunny day, to wondering how on earth they'll raise £10 million to replace a leaking roof that is three centuries old.

Lady Henrietta also discusses Woodstock Designs, her hugely successful interior design company, and talk about her latest book, Blenheim: 300 years of Life in a Palace (Rizzoli, £57.50), a truly sumptuous publication which tells the tales of those who have lived in the palace over the centuries, illustrated with beautiful images taken by Hugo Rittson-Thomas.

Episode credits

• Host: James Fisher
• Guest: Lady Henrietta Spencer-Churchill
• Producer and editor: Toby Keel
• Music: JuliusH via Pixabay

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The idea of 'nature as a healer' as become a truism, often repeated without much thought given to how or why it should do so.

One man who has thought about this phenomenon — and spent much of his life researching and writing about it — is Professor Miles Richardson, a member of the psychology department at Derby University, founder of the Nature Connectedness Research Group, and author of The Blackbird's Song & Other Wonders of Nature: A Year-Round Guide to Connecting With the Natural World.

We were thrilled, then, when Miles agreed to join James Fisher on the Country Life Podcast this week.

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Did you know, for example, that merely looking at a picture of a flower for a few minutes boosts your mood in very real psychological and physiological ways? Or that even when you're blindfolded, your body knows and responds to the difference between objects that are man made and those that are artificial?

It's a completely fascinating episode of the podcast which explores all this and much more.

You can find more about Miles and his work — particularly with the Nature Connectedness Research Group — at his research website, his blog and his Twitter page.

Episode credits

Host: James Fisher

Guest: Professor Miles Richardson

Producer and editor: Toby Keel

Music: JuliusH via Pixabay

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In 1996, a television show arrived on British screens which changed the way we see interior design: Changing Rooms.

It made household names of several of its stars, including host Carol Smilie and carpenter 'Handy Andy' Kane, but none became so famous as designer Laurence Llwelyn-Bowen, whose flamboyant dress sense, often outrageous designs and laconic demeanour made him world-famous.

As he turns 60, he remains almost as famous as he did at the height of the show's popularity, and we're delighted that he joined host James Fisher for this episode of the Country Life Podcast.

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Laurence talks about his early career, his influences as a designer and his entirely accidental transformation into a global TV star. He also talks candidly about ageing, from his thoughts on turning 60 to how retirees and the elderly are seen and treated in modern Britain.

It's something he feels passionate about, and indeed his latest job isn't on the small screen, but instead designing a series of retirement villages for Rangeford.

Instead of the 'beige coffin' that 'smells of cabbage and wee', Laurence is determined to create spaces that are more like boutique hotels that burst with colour, energy and fun.

'We're the generation who saw The Sex Pistols play live,' he says. 'We've been all over the world, and we've done all these kinds of things. We know what Soho Farmhouse feels like. And you know what, why on earth would we want to just sort of slide into this very nondescript, oatmeal environment just to wait to die?'

Episode credits

• Host: James Fisher
• Guest: Laurence Llwelyn-Bowen
• Editor and Producer: Toby Keel
• Music: JuliusH via Pixabay

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.