Solving time 16:10 for this top-class puzzle which was full of wit and invention. I'm thinking of the wordplay to clues like 14ac especially, but also 17ac, 4dn and 16dn. The praise is not all just for the setter though - the editors of Chambers Dictionary also deserve a mention for the 5dn definition.
BTW, sorry about the missing definition indicators - I tried to modernise my html markup with style definitions and span tags, but obviously LJ prefers the old-fashioned way, as it's all just been ignored. I don't have time to fix it at the moment either.
| Across |
| 1 | Recoiling part of gunpowder-based cavalry weapon (5) |
| SABRE - hidden reversed in "gunpowder-based". |
| 4 | Base used for rest to live, not live across street (8) |
| BEDSTEAD - BE (live) + DEAD (not live) around ST(reet). |
| 8 | Hamlet feature is divine scenes in ruins (14) |
| INDECISIVENESS - (is divine scenes)*. Hamlet the Shakespeare character, not a small village! Definition ref his famous "To be or not to be" speech I presume. |
| 10 | Branch I wrapped in drained aromatic herb (9) |
| SPEARMINT - ARM (branch) + I, inside SPENT (drained). |
| 11 | Spaniard known for penning large whale (5) |
| LORCA - L(arge) + ORCA (whale, the killer whale to be precise). Federico Garcia Lorca, Spanish poet. |
| 12 | Old Bailey hack has no love for disorder (6) |
| RUMPLE - RUMPOLE (self-described "Old Bailey hack" in the TV series) minus the O (no love). |
| 14 | Service’s founder to close large town’s front before the rest (8) |
| FACILITY - FAIL (founder) around C (large town's "front"), followed by ITY (the rest of the word for a large town). Tricky wordplay which I don't think I've seen before. |
| 17 | Is obliged to cross road in difficulty (8) |
| HARDSHIP - HAS (is obliged) around RD, + HIP (in). |
| 18 | Bar occupied by old William Archer (6) |
| BOWMAN - BAN (bar) around O(ld) WM (William). |
| 20 | Pick up head of lettuce to take home (5) |
| LEARN - L(ettuce) + EARN (take home). |
| 22 | Game with boxes of plant for brewer, alternative to rye? (9) |
| HOPSCOTCH - HOP (plant for brewer) + SCOTCH (alternative to rye, as in types of whisk(e)y). |
| 24 | Alternately 20 and work on this / stage of afternoon tea? (8,6) |
| SANDWICH COURSE - double definition. |
| 25 | Entire manoeuvres having enlisted men turn around (8) |
| REORIENT - (entire)* around OR (enlisted men). |
| 26 | Fashion line displayed in eyesore (5) |
| STYLE - L(ine) inside STYE (eyesore). |
| Down |
| 1 | Use of pins to prevent movement on mat (8,4) |
| SCISSORS HOLD - cryptic definition for a wrestling term. |
| 2 | Person turning up for one hash (5) |
| BODGE - BOD (person) + EG (for one) reversed. IT term for what in my current job they prefer us to call a "tactical solution". |
| 3 | Questionable silence about Catholic rings (9) |
| ENCIRCLES - (silence)* around RC (Roman Catholic). |
| 4 | Balkan region stunted trees after making a couple of switches (6) |
| BOSNIA - BONSAI (stunted trees) with the N and S switched, and the A and I too. |
| 5 | Not working, certainly needs to check in for unscheduled time off (5,3) |
| DUVET DAY - DUD (not working) + AY (certainly), around VET (check). bigtone53 on the Forum suggested checking out the Chambers definition for this, which is one of their classics: a day's absence from work arranged at short notice between an employee devoid of inspiration for a plausible excuse and an employer who has heard them all before". |
| 6 | Weight, area and length of pitches (5) |
| TONAL - TON (weight) + A(rea) + L(ength). |
| 7 | Drum and bass I mixed for Madness in performance? (9) |
| ABSURDISM - (drum bass I)*. |
| 9 | Pretty / painless, as contact should be? (4,2,3,3) |
| EASY ON THE EYE - double definition, one cryptic. |
| 13 | Spread disease mainly carried by horse (9) |
| MARMALADE - MALAD(y) (disease mainly) inside MARE (horse). |
| 15 | Smooth ruffled decoration from Prussia (4,5) |
| IRON CROSS - IRON (smooth) + CROSS (ruffled). Originally a Prussian war medal instituted in 1813, but reintroduced by Hitler in 1939. |
| 16 | Towering intellect genius has recorded initially is accepted by ambassador (4-4) |
| HIGH-RISE - first letters of Intellect Genius Has Recorded + IS, all inside HE (His Excellency, ambassador. |
| 19 | Consequence of varying South Park's opening (6) |
UPSHOT - (South Park)*. |
| 21 | Free article raised most profound point (5) |
| NADIR - RID (free) + AN (article), all reversed. |
| 23 | Drag heels, like lips after many a drag? (5) |
| TARRY - double definition, one cryptic. |