There is a pure, pre-Internet joy in finding a stack of old, forgotten magazines. I experienced this while we were preparing to close for the season this year. Country Life has long been my favorite British magazine and these, mostly from the 1970s, had some examples of why.
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| Barbour with a 70s vibe. |
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| Inflation |
21 comments:
Have you been visiting the UK? And if so, how do you compare it with the life in the US? I'm curious because you obviously seem to be influenced by the british lifestyle (Barbour, Land Rovers etc).
Best regards!
I love the clothing. Still relevant! Isn't it late in the season to be closing up? You must be a daredevil.
@YWP - I took these pictures when it was closed in mid-October, although NH is still open.
I'm a subscriber to Country Life (have been for years) My favorite part is the cartoon "Tottering by Gently" It's hystercial.
Without sounding silly, would you explain what you mean by "closing up for the season"? Also, I'd love a post on a Preppy reading list! Any good books, authors, favorites of yours ect... Thanks xx
I love magazines from that era. I have my grandmother's vintage Country Livings and Victoria's.
We toured the Speyside Glen Grant distillery a few years ago. Our then 16 year old son loved it because at the end they offered everyone (including him) a sample of their whisky.
Yes, and there's nohing like the real estate listings from Knight, Frank, and Rutley, with all of the "Old Rectories" and manor houses with "six reception rooms" and more. Many a youthful fantasy was inspired by such pages. And then, of course, there's "Tottering By, Gently," a great favorite. Reggie
How fun! A friend of mine brought me back a Billboard magazine from the 1980's, it's fun just looking at the fashion, advertising and whatnot, a blast from the past.
I really miss my 1965 Land-Rover "estate car." Truly a go-anywhere machine, provided you weren't in a hurry. At 60 miles an hour, all you could hear was the roar of the engine.
We visited the U.K. in August of last year. No longer can one rent a Triumph, Rover or even an Austin, although I regret passing up the chance to use a Skoda for the week we spent driving around. Got a VW instead; six-speed manual gearbox. Nothing to it--after the first quarter-mile. But we see more Minis here at home.
Other interesting publications from other there include Scottish Field and Scots magazine, not necessarily still available.
Had trouble understanding a lot of people, I have to admit.
Muffy,
Country Life! Man I couldn't get my hands on copy fast enough back in the 70s! Also enjoyed back copies of " London Illustrated" also! Glad to see all the Anglophile interest!
PS Use to drive one of the SAAB's shown in the CL's advertisements!
The key fob is from Brooks Bros., is it not? The embroidery looks like there logo - the Golden Fleece.
Is Country Life still published in the UK?
Paul Connors
Going to the UK is interesting, especially if one attends a Church of England (the Episcopal Church here in the USA)service on Sundays. Many of them are nearly empty, but in the small towns, the older folks still attend regularly and they seem to enjoy having Americans worship with them.
The American military historical fiction writer, W.E.B Griffin wrote about FAMOUS GROUSE Scotch whiskey in his series called THE CORPS. Not being a scotch drinker and not having ever seen it in liquor stores here before, I thought he "created" the brand for his stories. Boy was I surprised when folks told me it actually existed and then, even more surprised when I started seeing it in military Class Six (liquor) stores here in the USA and in liquor stores near where I live now in NJ.
I've been told that while it is a blended scotch, that it is still fairly good. I lean toward bourbon or Irish whiskeys myself and have never quite acquired a taste for Scotch, but it was nice to see it here in these old issues of the magazine.
Oh Muffy, I too love Country Life as I still get mine weekly! Unfortunately the price of 35 pence is now just over three pounds!
Anglophile? Having owned a MG TD, Triumph TR3, Lotus Europa, 2 Land Rover Discovery's, 2 Norton Motorcycles, listen to BBC news, love PBS shows from Britian, drink single-malts, Dewars and gin & tonic - I plead guilty. I see Country Life is still available, but a bit pricy. Treasure those old ones. The Volvo pictured is probably still on the road.
Cheers
Pitch-perfect! I love the Volvo and Saab ads, as well as the "anti-fashion" fashion spreads. I would imagine Town & Country looked something like this in those days.
I confess to having gone through a period during college when I was a latent Anglophile. That's when I had the Land-Rover. Later I even owned two Rover sedans (saloon cars). I didn't read Country Life but rather Car and Autocar. Presently we are maintaining three Volvos, although the one I drive was actually made in The Netherlands. I think it's really a Daf. Although I read British car magazines, my impressions of Britain, Europe and the rest of the world were based on reading borrowed National Geographic Magazines from the 1950s. I'm actually doing pretty well as far as visiting a lot of those places featured (and advertised) in those old magazines. I haven't been to the Yucatan or the Door Peninsula yet but they're still on the list. The first thing I checked off the list was Emily Dickinson's house in Amherst, Mass.
On our visit to the UK last year we spent time in the village of Cropredy, just north of Banbury. We were there specifically to visit Sulgrave Manor, which is nearby (that was on my wife's list). Cropredy is a charming little village and also the location of a huge music festival during the summer. We visited the parish church, which to an American, was positively ancient. No parish hall, so everything takes place inside the church itself. The choir's area is in one corner, the Sunday school for the children in another and so on. There are plaques on the wall listing those who went off to war and never came back.
These small villages also have a few thatched roofs. Most everything looks old, frankly. Many American cities and towns have a section referred to as "Old Town." Things built in Britain at the same time are referred to as "New Town." The perspective is different.
One unexpected feature that I don't recall ever reading about before going over was the canal network, mainly in the south of England. Apparently, messing about in boats is still popular.
High Ho Barbour!
The Sloane Ranger rides again!
Country Life has stayed current. They offer IPad subscriptions.
Does anyone remember Lady magazine from GB?
I was just in the UK last week and picked up a copy of Lady on the plane!
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