Innholdsfortegnelse for 23-nov-16 i Country Life

IS there any more inviting sight than the little wooden footpath sign that beckons the curious walker over a stile, across a meadow, along the clifftop, through woodland rustling with deer and birds and down a shady lane that could lead who knows where? Intrigued and committed, the walker presses on. And then—such disillusion!—a suddenly impenetrable thicket or uncompromising barbed-wire fence looms before them. The Ramblers has carried out an assiduous survey of some 140,000 miles of footpaths in England and Wales and has found many that doom the walker to such disappointment (Town & Country, page24). Rightly, the charity accepts that clearing paths, some of which are never used at all and others by only a handful of weekend walkers and their dogs, competes with many more pressing issues…

In aid of those living with terminal illnesses across the UK, Marie Curie is selling 200 tickets for a North Yorkshire Shoot Grand Raffle, in the hopes of raising £50,000 for the charity. The first prize is a day's partridge shooting for eight guns in North Yorkshire on Saturday, September 2, 2017, with lunch, afternoon tea and accommodation at the Aysgarth Falls Hotel with breakfast and supper (Champagne included). Runner-up prizes include pheasant and partridge shooting days throughout 2017 and a 12-bottle case of Château Calon Segur Claret. The draw will be made on December 5 and tickets cost £250; telephone 020–7599 7757 or visit www.mariecurie.org.uk/northyorkshireshoot for further details. George Young…

Led astray AS much as I applaud the article on vinyl (‘Get into the groove’, October 26), as a Led Zeppelin fan, I must point out that the advice ‘When it comes to making out, whenever possible put on side one of Led Zeppelin 4’ is accompanied by the sleeve of the band’s first album. Just think of all those amorous young couples whose sterling efforts might fall by the wayside when they hear Good Times Bad Times followed swiftly by Babe I’m Gonna Leave You. G. S. Waller, Essex Save our stores BEING country born and bred, but now a long-time resident of central London, I read your magazine to keep in touch with my roots, but your comments on metropolitan matters are also wholly apposite. The…

‘The value of such a gift in terms of worldwide praise would have been inestimable’ THE controversial proposed sale on December 8 of one of the best-known paintings in Britain, Sir Edwin Landseer’s The Monarch of the Glen, by the multinational drinks business Diageo (COUNTRY LIFE, November 9), was called off last week. The company acquired the work as a result of a merger with Dewar’s whisky, which used it as a trademark. Dewar’s was subsequently sold by Diageo to Bacardi and, on the grounds that the painting had ‘no direct link to our business or our brands’, it was to be sold after having been on loan to the National Galleries of Scotland (NGS) for 17 years. In the event, however, Diageo has come to a generous agreement with…

India Knight is an author and Sunday Times columnist. Her new book, The Goodness of Dogs, was published in September ‘I love Matisse’s interiors most of all. I love the joyous colours, obviously, but also, as here, the amazing use of pattern, the robust, un-winsome romanticism, the wonkiness and the way so many of them are slightly orientalised. This is supposedly a minor work, but just look–it makes my heart soar. I love the bright-blue sky, the way the flowers look like pom-poms and the pea-green birds. I want to live in the interiors he painted and, really, there isn’t a higher compliment’ IN 1917, Matisse spent the winter in Nice for the first time. He would live there, part or most of the year, for the rest of…

‘Historically, owls have been treated with a mixture of veneration and mistrust’ OFTEN heard but seldom seen, the formidable tawny owl is the archetypal ‘wise old bird’, a nocturnal predator that is the familiar voice of wintry woodland nights. Largest and most common of our four native owls, Strix aluco—also known as the brown owl, ferny hoolet or (in Gaelic) ‘the old woman of the night’—belongs to a relatively small avian group: there are more than 200 owl species worldwide, the smallest being the Mexican elf owl, which measures barely 6in long and barks like a puppy. Tawnies are widely distributed from Scandinavia to the Himalayas and the British population is an estimated 50,000 breeding pairs—a healthy figure, given that they aren’t even found in Ireland. Cryptically marked to ensure…

Prints charming Any pre-Christmas shopping escapade should include a trip to Thornback & Peel's shop at 7, Rugby Street, London WC1 (www.thornbackandpeel.co.uk; 020–7831 2878). Among its current stock is this Stag & Mistletoe Apron (above), which costs £24 Let it glow Neptune's growing number of stores-16 at the last count-offer a brilliant source of festive accessories and tableware. Shown here are its Tremaine nutmeg candles, £14, Bowsley tableware, from £8, and Ella tumblers, £34 for a set of six (right, 01793 427300; www.neptune.com) Hurly Burleigh The maker of Burleighware, which has been produced in the same pottery in Stoke since 1889, has just added Dove Grey (above) to its choice of colours. Plates cost from £10, mugs £15.50 and a small teapot £40 (01773 740740; www.burleigh.co.uk) B uttoned up When…

Mistletoe and Murder: A Murder Most Unladylike Mystery Robin Stevens (Puffin, £6.99) The brilliant fifth instalment from the award-winning author of the ‘Murder Most Unladylike’ series sees beloved teen detectives Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong in snowy Cambridge for the holiday. When there’s a murder three days before Christmas, the Detective Society must use all its cunning and courage to find the killer. Festive, fun and full of mystery. The Twelve Days of Dash and Lily Rachel Cohn and David Levithan (Egmont, £7.99) This much-anticipated sequel to the popular Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares is the fourth collaboration from bestselling authors Rachel Cohn and David Levithan. When her grandfather falls ill, Lily appears to fall out of love with life, shying away from friends and festive cheer. With 12…

Road to ruin BARBED wire, broken stiles, electric fences, locked gates and untraversable undergrowth are just some of the problems with the 140,000-mile network of footpaths in England and Wales, according to the biggest survey yet taken on public rights of way, organised by the Ramblers. Some 14,000 miles of paths need improvement, according to the charity, and 20,000 signs are recorded as missing, with some of those in place ‘misleading’. The best paths are in the Peak District, where only 3% need improving. However, in Cornwall, barbed wire is a problem, likewise overhanging vegetation in Gloucestershire, electric fences in Wiltshire and signage in Shropshire. In general, routes are poorest in the South-West, West Midlands and Wales, with Snowdonia the worst national park. The survey was undertaken by 3,250…

AT last week’s select committee into food waste, chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and campaigner Tristram Stuart shone a spotlight on the culture of food waste in Britain. The pair highlighted ‘bogus’ use-by dates that encouraged people to throw out perfectly edible food plus the marketing deals, such as buy one, get one free, that encourage shoppers to purchase more food than they could possibly use. However, their starkest criticism was that the shopper alone was being blamed for almost all the waste, estimated at up to 50% of everything we buy, when the supermarket supply chain was almost completely overlooked. Supermarkets impose stringent cosmetic standards on fresh fruit and vegetables, which means that a slightly bent carrot, for instance, will be rejected and left to rot. Now, incredibly and very sadly,…

THE other day I was visiting an old farmhouse in North Wales, and among other quaint and curious things I observed an old oak cupboard sunk into the wall. Upon the door of this cupboard a heart was marked consisting of small holes bored through the wood. At the base of the heart were more holes, forming a diamond shape. I was told that some time ago at a betrothal party each guest was asked to bore a hole. The few holes made below the heart were to represent heart’s blood. These were made some time afterwards, and show that one of the betrothed pair died before marriage.…

Caught on the wrong side I was surprised to notice in Tottering (November9) that Dicky was walking on the inside of the pavement, leaving Daffy at the mercy of the traffic. As a boy, I was taught that a gentleman walks on the outside of a lady, to protect her from splashes and so forth. In the past, it also kept one’s sword arm free. I still stick to the rules, although when my lady wife darts across the road to greet a friend, apparently immune to approaching traffic, discretion comes before valour—in the course of self-preservation, you understand. Terry Read, Norfolk The writer of the letter of the week will win a bottle of Pol Roger Brut Réserve Champagne…

New building projects are the meat and drink of modern museum life, the way these institutions re-present their collections, garner publicity and raise money. Usually, the focus is on extending or improving existing accommodation-it's much less common for museums to move location. That's what has happened, however, with the Design Museum, founded in 1989 (http://designmuseum.org). Its original premises in a 1930s warehouse on Shad Thames, Bermondsey, SE1, were closed in June and, tomorrow, the new museum, at the former Commonwealth Institute, on High Street Kensington, W8, will open to the public. The move is the culmination of eight years' work and the new interiors of this 1960s building have been renovated by a design team lead by John Pawson. OMA was responsible for the overall master plan and has worked…

‘We picnicked among the ruins as the temperature rose to the mid 20s’ LAST May, I went garden visiting in Italy. I lived there as a young man and try to go back several times a year. I’ve always loved Italy and have often been exasperated by the Italians; some of the country’s best gardens were made by English expatriates in the 19th and 20th centuries. However, problems emerge when the original garden-makers pass into the Arcadian fields and local organisations take over. In the 1940s, Neil McEachern was ‘encouraged’ to pass Villa Táranto on Lake Maggiore to a foundation with political clout. His 40-acre garden boasted more than 10,000 different varieties of trees and shrubs. Alas, with no tradition of ornamental horticulture in Italy, the garden is a…

‘ When my coffin is lowered into the ground, they can throw my mugs in after me WHEN I last had the privilege of visiting Tony Benn, I experienced one of the great treats of recent British political history—a mug of Benn tea. Served strong—a teabag for each mug—it was just like his politics. ‘House of Commons or Scottish Parliament?’ Benn asked, as he raised two mugs aloft for me to choose from. What else would you expect from such an indefatigable champion of democracy and one who reckoned he had drunk enough tea to float the RMS Queen Mary? And who better to help champion the imperative fact that mugs matter—often because they’re selected individually, typically on holiday, on a whim or given as gifts? A ‘favourite’ mug doesn’t…

‘Truffle season is here and, as much as I would love to pretend I’ve been scouring British woodland for fungi, mine came in a jar, courtesy of the local Italian delicatessen. Fresh ones are available, but might require a separate mortgage. Nonetheless, the unique flavour of these knobbly black balls–a sort of charming, mossy sock–is a seasonal must’ More ways with black truffles Black-truffle eggs and soldiers Add a little glamour to breakfast simply by storing eggs and black truffles in the same container in your fridge—after a couple of days, the eggs will be infused with flavour. Boil them as usual and serve with toast soldiers. Smart mushrooms on toast A kitchen supper becomes a dinner-party starter with the addition of black truffle. Fry mushrooms and garlic in…

EACH year, if we are lucky, the organisers of the BRAFA art and antiques fair that takes place in Brussels every January, invite a group of arts journalists to Belgium for a couple of days’ recce, visiting galleries and talking to dealers about the choicest things that they will be exhibiting. There are always a couple of extra cultural treats—one year, a backstage tour of La Monnaie, the Brussels opera house; on others, to the Art Deco Villa Empain, the Royal Museum for Central Africa at Tervuren, or to a major private collection of Surrealists. This time, we were based in Ghent, where we saw an interesting exhibition of paintings and works of art on the theme of the birth of capitalism during the Flemish Golden Age. That evening, we…

STRIPPING out’ is a term much loved by builders and one that I’ve begun to drop into conversation on a regular basis. ‘They’re stripping out,’ I say when people ask how the house is coming along. Or ‘Are they stripping this out?’, less casually and sometimes panicky while walking round it again with Zam. I made a list of things for stripping out that I gave, like an efficient person, to the chief builder, who folded it up and put it in his back pocket. I’ve no idea if he ever looked at it again. Quite high on the list was the ceiling that has all but collapsed in one of the bedrooms. It hangs weightily, looking ready to go ‘pop’ and the sight of it has made the builder…

Cirl buntings This yellow-and-green flash of a bird has recovered from the brink of extinction, thanks to farmers working together with the RSPB, with breeding numbers up from 118 in 1989 to 1,078 this year Remembering the fallen Historic England has listed 50 more war memorials across the country as part of its pledge to protect 2,500 memorials by 2018, the centenary of the end of the First World War Boy Scouts and Girl Guides People who were in the Scouts or Guides in childhood have better mental health in later life, find researchers from Edinburgh and Glasgow universities…

A TRIP to Northamptonshire in glorious late-autumn sunshine brought the working week to an unusually memorable close. The leaves of the oaks and beeches in the hedgerows turned the entire countryside gold and, on the way to a lunch at Lamport Hall, I had the opportunity to take in the recently restored Montagu and Buccleuch monuments at Warkton church. The result is a genuine wonder, the life-size figures of the various marble monuments illuminated in cool sunlight, eerily drawing the visitor into the grief and loss they celebrate. These delights made me reflect the next day on how distinctive London’s autumn is. The plane trees turn a distinctive yellow and shed their leaves less conclusively than their country cousins. Moreover, rather than melting with the first frost into a brown…

I wrote a few weeks ago recommending good-value and characterful southern French red wines suitable for regular pouring at home. When it comes to whites with similar virtues-extremely drinkable and versatile, not aspiring to the highest levels of complexity-the most promising source has turned out, perhaps surprisingly, to be Sicily. Surely Sicily is too far south to produce crisp and refreshing whites? Think again. Why you should be drinking them Some clever producers, aided by the island's chief viticultural research station outside Palermo, realised a while ago that Sicily possessed excellent white varieties in the form of Grillo, Inzolia and Catarratto. These wines share the characteristics of herbal aromas and full-bodied vinosity combined with crispness. Grillo is the crispest and currently most fashionable; Inzolia and, sometimes, Catarratto, have a…

Boshers, Oxfordshire An award-winning firm of master builders that is nearly 190 years old. It says that ‘at the heart of our success is our commitment to marrying traditional values of craftsmanship, attention to detail, personal service, a sustainable approach and the latest construction methods and project management systems' (www.boshersltd.com) R. W. Armstrong, Hampshire Provides services for most of southeast England. ‘Armstrong has consistently translated our designs into finished work of very high quality,' advises Nigel Anderson of ADAM Architecture (www.rwarmstrong.co.uk) R. Durtnell & Sons, Kent Founded more than 400 years ago, R. Durtnell & Sons is by far the oldest building contractor in Britain, handed down as a private company, father to son, for 13 generations. It boasts ‘an ability to change with the times and a willingness to…

‘ It’s so vital to bring back the glow and opulence intended by the original designer RICHARD HUMPHRIES has been a champion of the traditional weaving of silk since the 1960s in a career that parallels rising interest in the authentic reproduction of the rich glamour of historic interiors. The surge in popularity of silk in the grand English interior began with the arrival of the Huguenot weavers who fled France in the 1680s. This smoothest textile, prized for its ability to hold vivid colour, became as vital an element in grand interior decoration as for dress. This dominance of silk, one of the ultimate status symbols, lasted into the early 20th century, but wall hangings fell from favour and those that survived were often in a faded condition, ready…

Gyles Brandreth, author and broadcaster ‘I’m particularly keen on mugs with literary associations relevant to whatever I happen to be working on at the time, hence my current favourite features Oscar Wilde. W§herever I go, I get a mug. They mustn’t be too big and they mustn’t be too small. They do have to havea relatively thin lip. I can cope with a thicker lip than my wife—she requires a very thin lip’ Jilly Cooper, novelist ‘My obsession in life is greyhounds—I’m bats about them—and I’ve got a lovely mug, which has a picture of a black greyhound and out of its mouth is a trail, going: ‘Rrrroooo…’ Underneath, it says: ‘Excessively audible emanation, enthusiastically imparted by the canine greyhound.’ My lovely PA, Amanda, gave it to me and it’s…

The Dog Cottage Company Farrow & Ball paintwork (apparently, Bone is the most popular colour), window boxes, exterior lighting and glazed windows and doors. Prices range from £2,450 to £5,250 (www.thedogcottagecompany.com; 07778 989585) Timberbuild Dog Kennels A popular choice for family dogs and professionals, endorsed by Countryfile’s Adam Henson and several police forces (www.timberbuilddogkennels.co.uk; 01942 718483) Quality Dog Kennels This Yorkshire-based company provides sturdy and attractive wooden kennels in four standard designs, plus customisations such as a wipe-clean floor (07403 011246; www.qualitydogkennels.co.uk) Sherlocks Kennels Smart wooden kennels, popular with the professionals, such as gundog trainers, police-dog handlers and the emergency services (01243 786701; www.sherlockskennels.co.uk) A&T Kennel design Every kennel is bespoke, with optional extras such as central heating or underfloor heating (07810 867255; www.atkennels.co.uk)…

Memoir Scenes and Apparitions: The Roy Strong Diaries 1988–2003 (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, £25) SIR ROY STRONG’S previous volume of diaries is so firmly imprinted on my memory that I’d forgotten it came out as long ago as 1997. Covering the years 1967 to 1987, it was a sharp self-portrait of a cultural leader at the centre of metropolitan life, as director of first the National Portrait Gallery and then the V&A. This new volume begins just after he has—with relief—quit the V&A for life as a freelancer in the country, earning his money from television, books and journalism—not least for Country Life . Like everyone in his situation, Sir Roy frets about deadlines and finding enough money to pay the next tax bill, but, compared to the last volume, which…