FROM MRS Patmore to Lady Sybil, these barking mad illustrations show the WOOF-er side of some of our most loved Downton characters. The art works entitled 'Houndton Tabby', were designed by illustrator and artist Kim Parkhurst, 39, after she combined her love of drawing and Downton Abbey. 'I've been painting portraits of animals in historical costume for some time,” explains New Yorker Kim. “I've taken some familiar and beloved characters whose demeanour, personality, and appearance seemed to translate to certain breeds of dog or cat. 'I got to thinking about Mr Bates' character and storyline, and Brendan Coyle's facial structure, and how he could look hard but also had the warmest, kindest eyes.
Thousands of people are gathering at a stadium in Johannesburg for a memorial service for Nelson Mandela .
Two dogs who couldn't keep their paws off each other have been united in matrimonial bliss after their owners shelled out $10,000 on a lavish canine wedding ceremony .
From giant mountains to vast deserts, an American photographer spent a year capturing the diverse and beautiful landscape of the United States .
A lazy otter finds the ideal spot to soak up the sun and sleep off his lunch .
At least three people have been killed and more than 100 injured, some seriously, in two explosions at the finish line of the Boston Marathon .
A woman who left a fellow nightclubber needing plastic surgery after savagely biting her on the hand because she was hungry, has been spared prison .
Beautiful turquoise waves rise and fall in a series of stunning images taken along the coastline of south-eastern Australia .
LIKE A living balloon this baitball of sardines is ready to burst when threatened by a pointy nosed sailfish .
A brave praying mantis makes an unusual friend in an Oriental garden lizard .
YOU’VE heard of the northern lights now feast your eyes on the natural wonder of the SOUTHERN lights .
What lies beneath this building site? Britain's great hope of winning the pre-WW2 arms race against Nazi Germany .