The Dorford Centre

Former townies Giles and Mary swapped city life for rural Wiltshire over thirty years ago, and they've each embraced it in their own very different ways.Mary has happily traded sophisticated London salons for monthly lectures at the Farmers' Club, competitive school quizzes, church interactions and local Auction House sales. While Giles has immersed himself in ... The Oldie Event – Giles Wood and Mary Killen – Country Life – in conversation with Harry Mount

In her irresistible new novel, Sunday Times No 1 bestselling author Victoria Hislop shines a light on the questionable acquisition of cultural treasures and the price people – and countries – will pay to cling on to them.Of all the ancient art that captures the imagination, none is more appealing than the Cycladic figurine. An air of ... Victoria Hislop – The Figurine

It should have an easy victory. After triumph in Tunisia, the sweeping success of the Sicilian invasion, and with Italy finally knocked out of the war, the Allies were confident that they would be in Rome before Christmas 1943.And yet it didn't happen. Hitler ordered his forces to dig in, thus setting the stage for ... James Holland – Cassino ’44

Both dark and luminous, poignant and wickedly funny, Alan Hollinghurst’s new novel gives us a portrait of modern England through the lens of one man’s acutely observed and often unnerving experience. It is a story of race and class, theatre and sexuality, love and the cruel shock of violence, from the finest writer of our ... Alan Hollinghurst – Our Evenings

With bees, butterflies and other pollinators threatened by climate change and habitat loss, it's now more important than ever to support and nurture pollinators in your garden. In this practical and beautiful guide, expert horticulturalist and regular Gardener's World presenter Rachel de Thame shows you how to create a garden that provides an abundant resource ... Rachel de Thame – A Flower Garden for Pollinators

Former Royal Marine, Major Scotty Mills, blends personal experiences from his remarkable life with inspirational advice and insights to provide his 12 Commando Rules for Life that could help anyone to do better and reach their targets.A sudden downpour while Scotty Mills was walking down a street in South London sent him diving for cover ... Scotty Mills – Never Give In

Anne Somerset masterfully traces Victoria’s political evolution, from headstrong teenager to seasoned octogenarian. This book demonstrates her passionate involvement in state affairs, and casts fresh light on her relationships with her ten prime ministers.Victoria herself acknowledged that when it came to ‘likes and dislikes’ of her prime ministers, ‘she had them very strongly’. She showed ... Anne Somerset – Queen Victoria and her Prime Ministers

Drawing on writers, storytellers and poets through the centuries, botanical illustrator Christina Hart-Davies examines the long history of herbal remedies, how plants have been used for healing and the beliefs that surround them, including simple recipes for use at home, in an enchanting, illustrated guide to the seasonal plants used as herbal remedies over the ... Christina Hart Davies and Vanessa Berridge – A Herbal Year and Garden Heaven

A vivid, inventive, spellbinding virtuoso portrait of a woman, a family and a city that are as everlasting as their glass by a master of her craft.Venice, 1486. Across the lagoon lies Murano. Time flows differently here – like the glass the island’s maestros spend their lives learning to handle.Women are not meant to work ... Tracy Chevalier – The Glassmaker

Britain’s best-selling historian writes the first definitive account of the famous televised SAS storming of the Iranian embassy in London in 1980On April 30, 1980, six heavily armed gunmen burst ... Ben Macintyre – The Siege

A sweeping and epic story of adventure and courage, injustice and triumph, The Map of Bones by Kate Mosse is the sequel to the number one bestselling The Ghost Ship.Olifantshoek, ... Kate Mosse – The Map of Bones