Innholdsfortegnelse for 28-Nov-18 i Country Life

MISTLETOE, Messiah and mince pies: what more could anyone want? This weekend begins the season of Advent, when spine-tingling spiritual anticipation meets jolly, warming tradition in a glorious lightening of the long, dark days. In the Bleak Midwinter, scarlet-beaded holly trees cheering barren moorland, candlelight, delicate fairy lights in village churchyards, Tiny Tim, twinkling harps, sounding trumpets, Christmas stamps, Christmas roses, White Christmas, wafts of pine and cloves, snatches of carol singing in the high street (not always in tune), children dressed as half a sheep—however cool it might be to groan at the fuss, most of us secretly thrill at the build-up, at each opened door of the Advent calendar. The Advent calendar, born in 19th-century Germany, when Lutherans lit candles to count the days leading up to Christmas,…

IT’S beginning to feel a lot like winter and the RSPB is urging the public to spare a thought for garden birds, which will be struggling to find food. During the colder months, they need extra energy just to stay warm. ‘Until now, birds have been able to feed on insects and seeds, but the cold weather means they move into our gardens to find refuge,’ explains RSPB wildlife advisor Charlotte Ambrose. ‘You can make a real difference and improve their chances of survival.’ The charity has published a list of tips, such as maintaining dense wild-privet or field-maple hedges for shelter and letting ivy, holly and hawthorn grow so that birds can eat the berries. There’s advice on which kitchen scraps are best—blackbirds, song thrushes and robins love raisins,…

CONCERNS are growing around the impact of the Government’s proposed new expressway connecting Oxford, Milton Keynes and Cambridge. After the corridor for the road was announced in September, a group of MEPs wrote to Transport Secretary Chris Grayling expressing ‘deep concern’ that preparatory steps required by EU law, including a public consultation, had not been carried out prior to a decision. The Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust, which maintains that the chosen corridor is the most environmentally disastrous of all three potential options, has mounted a legal challenge to the decision. Highways England argues that the finer details are being consulted on. ‘The decision to pass either to the south-east or west of Oxford has been left open and will enable all views from local people, businesses and interest…

Doing it in style QI recently got engaged and, as this will be my first—and hopefully only—marriage, I have my heart set on a big white wedding. My wife-to-be is divorced and thinks it should be a discreet affair. I can’t help wanting to celebrate our union in style. Can you suggest a happy compromise? D. H., West Sussex A Congratulations, you have selected a woman whose wisdom is born of experience and a lady of taste. A white—that is, virginal—wedding, as she has rightly divined, is off the cards, unless you’re prepared to endure lubricious giggling from the groundlings’ pews. Stylish, I’d venture to suggest, isn’t the same as big. You are, evidently, happy to incur expense. Weddings are brutally short and, for the bridal couple, confusing. Why…

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ATHENA is growing increasingly worried about the institutional health of Historic England (HE). Like so many 21st-century bodies, it seems to have turned organisational ‘restructuring’ from an occasional recourse into a permanent state of existence. In the tumult, it’s hard to understand what’s going on; however, the anecdotal impression is not a happy one. At present, for example, HE is consulting its staff over changes to its national structure and, as part of this, the integration of two administrative regions: London and the South-East. The new region not only promises to be an unmanageably large, but it’s not clear how it could manage the special statutory responsibilities for Listed Buildings that HE has inherited in the capital (from the Greater London Council and English Heritage). ‘It’s in danger of losing…

The Messiah is currently at the Richmond Theatre (until December 1) and then The Other Palace, London SW1 (December 3–January 5, 2019). A Christmas special of Mock the Week will be screened over the festive period and new series of Not Going Out and Fleabag will be on the BBC next year Where is your favourite place in Britain? The twisted, ancient yew trees of Kingley Vale, near Chichester, West Sussex What is your favourite building? The Barbican, London EC1. It’s Brutalist, but shows a breadth of ambition and imagination Music? Leonard Cohen—poetry set to music Day off? Walking in the Yorkshire Dales Most precious item? One of my jolly paintings by the Sussex artist Tom Hammick Dinner guest? Herod. I’d like to try and calm him down a bit…

LUCY SIMPSON, senior gardener at Baddesley Clinton—surely one of the most romantic fortified manor houses ever built (and the first country house ever featured in COUNTRY LIFE , on January 8, 1897)—grows a mixture of flowers to provide year-round colour to bring indoors for the house, but, at Christmas, the demands go into overdrive. Walls, halls, doors and even fir trees are decorated each year using thousands of flowers that have been grown in the vegetable garden before being dried and then made up by hand. We work on 30 stems per yard for garlands and 12 decorations per foot of tree The sowing In all, 25,000 stems are needed at Christmas and, even with the resources at Baddeseley Clinton, there simply isn’t the space to sow everything, so Miss…

The leaves are just about all off the trees by now, so the big push is on to rake them off the lawn and transform them into leafmould. This is an excellent sort of elite compost that can yield the most admirable material for soil improvement. Oak, beech and hornbeam make the finest leafmould, but we can seldom be quite so selective. Evergreen leaves are unwelcome and easy enough to screen out. If the leaves are damp when gathered, so much the better. Jam them into big heaps against a wall or bag them and leave them for a year.…

IT is the season to be festive. Christmas Day lurks just over the horizon and, along the path to the great day, amid the shopping and yuletide decorating, are the gatherings. Seasoned party-givers are staffing up, the booze has been ordered (the sensible ones opting for simplicity—there’s a time and a place for Champagne and it’s now) and then there’s the issue of the nibbles. As a professional fusspot, I can tell you that I’ve seen some canapés in my time and it’s not always been pretty. Without question, the most disgusting was inadvertently eaten at an open-air drinks party in Chelsea. As mushroom vol-au-vents were passed around to guests assembled in a courtyard, I witnessed a pigeon drop its load onto the lapel of a guest. Thinking a tray-laden…

If it’s dark, chocolate should have an even colour and a sheen to it—if it’s patchy, it hasn’t been tempered correctly. If the chocolate gets a white bloom, it means it became too cold and, when it came back to room temperature, the sugar and fat separated. This doesn’t affect the taste, but it doesn’t look very nice. Never keep it in the fridge, 18˚–21˚ is best—our shop is always 18˚. Keep it somewhere cool and dark—an old-fashioned larder is ideal. Snap it—chocolate has to have a snap, you have to hear it. If it doesn’t, then it’s been made with too much cocoa butter or hasn’t been tempered properly. We use 70% cocoa, as anything darker is too intense to pair with other flavours and it allows the other…

LSA International set of four cocktail glasses Whether you’re mixing a martini or a Manhattan, this collection of mouth-blown pieces has all bases covered (£42; www.lsa-international.com) The Forager You can’t beat mixing your own, but there’s no shame in bottled cocktails. Mac & Wild’s are handmade in small batches in Edinburgh—The Forager is like a Highland Old-Fashioned, with Glenkinchie 12 year old, pine tincture, heather honey and barrel-aged bitters (£29.95; www.macandwild.com) Hawthorn strainer Hold this professional-quality gadget over the mouth of your shaker as you pour to catch ice, pips and pith (£1.85; www.souschef.co.uk) Ten Cocktails: The Art of Convivial Drinking by Alice Lascelles Drinks writer Alice Lascelles has travelled the world in search of cocktail perfection—dazzle your guests with her tales of Tokyo’s ice-carvers and The Savoy’s…

ON a day in May, sometime in the 1770s or 1780s, the botanist William Curtis was exploring the Thames-side between Greenwich and Woolwich when he encountered a plant he’d never expected to find. Although bulbous, it was flourishing amid reeds and marsh marigolds, ‘just above high water mark’, he recalled. Standing in sheaf-like clumps, its leaves resembled a daffodil’s in shape, but were deep glossy green. Over them, hanging in clusters from 2ft-tall stalks, the flowers hovered: dazzling white bells with an emerald spot at each petal tip and yolk-yellow anthers that were revealed by the breeze’s ruffling. Before long, he witnessed these blooms again—this time, joined in a dance of breathtaking brightness and delicacy along the muddy shore of the Isle of Dogs. This was Leucojum aestivum, a species…

• December 15 Lincoln Cathedral, 2pm and 7pm (01522 561600) • December 15 St Bartholomew the Great, EC1, 7pm (020–7600 0440) • December 16 Chelmsford Cathedral, 6pm (01245 294492) • December 16 Westminster Abbey, 5.45pm (with reading of the Nativity story by David Suchet), free • December 16 National Centre for Early Music, Walmgate, York, by the Ebor Singers (tickets through www.eventbrite.co.uk) • December 16 Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral, 3pm, free • December 17 Birmingham Symphony Hall, 7.30pm, with the choir of King’s College, Cambridge (0121–780 3333) • December 21 St Paul’s Cathedral, EC4, 5pm, free • December 22 New College Chapel, Oxford, 3pm, tickets available on the door or from www.ticketsource.co.uk • December 23 Winchester Cathedral, 3.30pm, free • December 29 St Martin-in-the-Fields, WC2 9.30pm, the Rodolphus Choir (020–7766 1100)…

TWO days in Paris earlier this month were a frustration and a joy—there were so many major exhibitions demanding to be seen and time to do justice to only a couple, but those that I did get to, and the Fine Arts Paris fair that was the focus of the trip, were well worth visiting. A colleague and I had thought to spend perhaps an hour at the Louvre’s ‘A Dream of Italy: the Marquis Campana’s Collection’, but remained for about four. The 19th-century Italian Marquis was a banker, archaeologist, collector and nationalist. The last brought him into conflict with the Pope and, when he was found to be mismanaging the funds of the Monte di Pietà, he was imprisoned and his vast collection confiscated. However, thanks to Napoleon III,…

THE snow was thickening as I drove past Stonehenge, but, as any schoolboy knows, fat flakes don’t often settle. It was a shame—I like some snow before Christmas for the soft pictures it paints across the landscape and, most of all, the incredible, deep silence it brings. Equally, I loathe snow after the New Year for the travel misery it causes—by then, I dream of spring. As I approached the farm where we were shooting, the high chalk downs whitened. It was beautiful and I was glad to be alive to see it. Slowly, however, the snow gave way to chilling rain and the guns who had packed waterproof trousers sat smugly in the kitchen as we drew pegs before the off. As I stood blowing into my fingers, waiting…

I ENCLOSE a photograph taken lately of a cottage at Selworthy, Somerset. The curious round chimney claims one’s first attention; as far as I can learn, it is a particular feature of the district. The Rev W. F. Reeder, Rector of Selworthy, has given me some interesting information: ‘There is one on the ruins of the original Holnicote House in the grounds of the present home of the Aclands, which dates from somewhere about 1600. Possibly the more modern ones were copied from this, but Sir Thomas Acland cannot throw any light on their origin.’ The house shown is really two cottages. They date from about 1790 and are built of rubble stone covered with stucco. Wicked words I find medicine is the best of all trades because whether you…

Exhibition November 29–December 21 ‘Hugh Buchanan: Fragments of a Classical Twilight’ ( right ), John Martin Gallery, Albemarle Street, London W1. Watercolours telling ‘the story of an encounter with a building at a particular moment in time’, evoking the last great age of Classical architecture, from London Livery Companies to the Gilded Age mansions of Rhode Island (020–7499 1314; www.jmlondon.com) Fair November 29–December 1 The Newburgh Priory Christmas Fair, Coxwold, North Yorkshire. More than 20 exhibitors selling food, books, jewellery, clothing and more, plus wreath-making and gingerbread-house workshops (from £15, to be booked in advance). Thursday drinks reception with carols from 5pm to 9pm, advance tickets £10; Friday and Saturday, 10am–5pm, £5 on the door (www.priddenprandevents.com) December 5 Gift of Sight Fair, Chelsea Old Town Hall, King’s Road,…

Slip into something more comfortable IN Jason Goodwin’s article, the reference to ‘the vulgarity of crystal’ neatly makes his point about slippers (Spectator, October 31), but this was the fairytale outcome of a misunderstanding. When these tales were spread by word of mouth, Cinderella’s slippers were described as made of glass (verre), whereas, in the original version, they were made of squirrel fur (vair). However, the mistake lent enchantment to that important moment in the story and so deserves to be retained. Ann Hutchins, Cambridgeshire Enough to make your eyes water I AGREE with Melanie Johnson about the joy of the humble shallot (November 7). However, I can offer this piece of advice—to peel them with ease, put them in a bowl and cover them with boiling water for…

ATHENA focuses on the work of the Victorian Society (November 14), a group that I have much reason to engage with. Without wishing to detract from the good work the society does, I do wish to correct the impression that the Church of England operates some sort of internal system designed to allow harm to heritage; this couldn’t be further from the truth. The Church of England is the UK’s largest owner and manager of built heritage, a responsibility we are proud to carry out. Our planning system is designed to balance the heritage significance of our buildings with the continuing, positive use of them, both for worship and wider community uses. Each diocese has a committee of experts who give their time voluntarily to consider applications for changes to…

James Hart Dyke: Patagonia is at John Mitchell Fine Paintings, 17, Avery Row, London W1, November 29–December 20 (020–7493 7567; www.johnmitchell.net)James Hart Dyke combines his skills as a painter with an explorer’s appetite for adventure in some of the world’s most challenging high-altitude landscapes. His new exhibition records an expedition he made last year to the remote mountain ranges of Patagonia, with a mix of studies done in situ and larger paintings worked up in the studio (right: Void—Mount Fitz Roy). The painter has made several royal tours as official artist to The Prince of Wales and, in 2011, spent months recording his observations of life inside the Secret Intelligence Service. Oxford Pioneers is at Oxford Ceramics Gallery, 29, Walton Street, Oxford, until January 3, 2019 (www.oxfordceramics.com;01865 512320) The Oxford…

Remember to sow for scent Inspired by the old tradition at Baddesley Clinton of masking unpleasant odours by strewing the wooden floors and hanging the beams with a colourful pot-pourri of fragrant herbs and scented flowers, Miss Simpson always includes many fragrant plants in her mix. Together with sweet marjoram, Oregano majorana, whose scent is intensified by drying, she adds the heavily perfumed perennial lavender, Lavandula angustifolia, which grows elsewhere in the garden. Choose the right colours Colour and colour retention are key qualities that Miss Simpson looks for in the flowers. This year, she’s grown a traditional, tried-and-tested dolly mixture of bright-hued everlasting flowers, including Helichrysum bracteatum, which flowers profusely if continuously cut from July until the first frosts. Also included in the display is a pastel mix of…

Octavia Pollock examines some common festive customs ROUND and plump, garbed in red and white, glimpsed occasionally in early winter. No, not Father Christmas, but fly agaric, a mushroom noted for its hallucinogenic properties, which just may have contributed to the image of the gift-giving chimney scramble and team of flying reindeer. Accounts of how Christmas customs began are legion. The legend of St Nick is said to start with the birth of Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, in about AD 245 in Byzantium—he gave away his money to those in need, anonymously. On hearing of three girls whose father couldn’t afford their dowries, he dropped a sack of gold down the chimney. This legend could have given rise to stockings by the fire, but another theory traces the tradition to…

• Whole bone-in Wiltshire ham (minimum 4.8kg (10½lb)), £87, Dukeshill (0345 370 0129; www.dukeshillham.co.uk) • Wiltshire-cure roasted ham on the bone (2.5kg (5½lb)), £50, Waitrose (0800 188 884; www.waitrose.com) • Whole Suffolk black ham on the bone (7.5kg (16½lb)), £185.63, Emmett’s (01728 660250; www.emmettsham.co.uk) • Honey-mustard Yorkshire ham (4kg (9lb)), £66, Lishman’s of Ilkley (01943 609436; www.lishmansbutchers.co.uk) • Chipnam Wiltshire-cure boneless ham (4kg (9lb) minimum), £65, Sandridge Farmhouse Bacon (01380 850304; www.sandridgefarmhousebacon.co.uk)…

THE annual celebration of COUNTRY LIFE’S GENTLEMAN’S LIFE supplement, at Huntsman, Savile Row, W1, has become the event to kick off the festive season. This year, the iconic tailor opened up its exclusive clubroom, where guests enjoyed classic Chase cocktails, Pol Roger Champagne and an array of delicious canapés from Heddon Street Kitchen. Pianist Clifford Slapper kept the crowd of bright young things entertained. Thanks to Platinum Card® from American Express, one lucky winner walked away with a luxurious Globetrotter suitcase ( facing page) containing Huntsman silk pyjamas and gifts from Chase and Pol Roger. Goodie bags (right) were bursting with treats from Floris, Aspinal and American Express, Chase, Mr Trotters, Atlas & I and the London Sock Company. It’s a GENTLEMAN’S LIFE indeed!…

£75 for 6, Claridge’s, containing suprises, from a mother-of-pearl caviar spoon to a smart leather bookmark and a crested Claridge’s eggcup (020–7629 8860; https://giftshop.claridges.co.uk) £65 for 6, Petersham Nurseries, contains a bronze elephant paperclip, wooden vegetable pencil, a packet of seeds, Priddy Essentials hand cream, an engraved card holder and a felt animal key ring, plus a joke and hat (020–8940 5230; www.petershamnurseries.com) Christmas Spirits crackers, £70, Fortnum & Mason, containing a festive crown, an entertaining scroll and treats include a mini bottle of Hendrick’s Gin, Sailor Jerry Rum, Balvenie 12 year old (020–7734 8040; www.fortnumandmason.com) Pheasant crackers, £49.95 for 6, Liberty, containing a nutmeg grater, mini whisk and honey drizzler among other treats (020–7734 1234; www.libertylondon.com) £56 for 6, Matilda Goad and TART London, each contains a a spice…

The cookery writer became a chef by accident and now has a string of restaurants, including ROVI, NOPI and Ottolenghi delis–the first of which opened 15 years ago in Notting Hill. Author of seven best-selling cookbooks, including Simple, published this year, he has launched a new Simple hamper in time for Christmas. Family life and pilates are his other passions and he lives in Camden, north London Illustrations by Ollie Maxwell. Words by Hetty Lintell…

In formal terms, Hussey’s 1922 play, The Dummies, is structured like The Beggar’s Opera, its narrative punctuated by songs set to familiar tunes, the presiding spirit that of Gilbert & Sullivan. It opens with a chorus of printers arriving on Monday to discover that neither Lord Vanburgh, the owner of the country house to be published that week (Rosey Villa, Epping), nor the Frontispiece, Lady Angelica Chippendale, can be contacted. Consequently, it’s impossible to secure permission for the magazine to go to press. Unbeknownst to the printers, both the figures they’re searching for have, by a strange coincidence, entered the office of COUNTRY LIFE under false names. They are in love with each other, but are, initially, ignorant of each other’s presence. They’re here for different reasons. Lord Vanburgh is…

The New Art of Cooking Frankie Unsworth(Bloomsbury, £30). Takes the pretty-picture idea and explains how it’s done. Miss Unsworth is a stylist who has organised photography for books by Michel Roux and Rachel Khoo, among others. Her tips include piling your prosciutto high to make it look generous, cutting multi-coloured tomatoes through the equator or leaving them on the vine and dyeing hard-boiled eggs beetroot red or turmeric yellow. The Art of the Larder Claire Thomson (Quadrille, £25). Fulfils my need to learn more about ingredients and less about recipes. Divided into chapters such as spices and vegetables, the author lists ‘larder basics’ to have on hand and follows this with recipes using the goods. Useful, although I would have liked more and rarer ingredients and fewer recipes. A New…

IF November’s good for anything other than growing moustaches for charity, it’s bonfires: the sharp crackle of bracken and bramble catching fire and the Indian smoke signals rising through the valley as gardeners get rid of damp leaves and cardboard boxes. Cleaning up creates a clubbable sense of common industry and shared purpose and the scent of smoke in the air is as good as a cigar. Our friends Simon and Alexa opened the season on November 5, with a huge blaze in a clearing in their woods. They laid on mulled cider and sausages, with a Guy played by Vladimir Putin, apparently as much a threat to Parliament as Catesby and his hapless co-conspirators four centuries ago. We arrived in time to watch his boots smoulder, and shuddered. Given…

Bristol December 16, 3.30pm, family carol service. December 23, 6pm, and December 24, 3.30pm Bury St Edmunds December 23, 7pm. December 15, 7pm, Carols by Candlelight Canterbury December 23 and 24, 3pm (doors open 1.30pm) Carlisle December 23, 3pm, and December 24, 6.30pm Chester December 23, 6.30pm, and December 24, 3pm Chichester December 20 and 21, 6pm, and December 22, 3pm Coventry December 16, 6.30pm Durham December 22, 7pm, and December 24, 3pm Edinburgh December 22 and 24, 7.30pm Ely December 23 and 24, 6pm Exeter December 6 and 8, 7pm, ticketed, doors open 6.15pm Gloucester December 23 and 24, 6pm Guildford December 23, 6pm Hereford December 22 and 23, 7pm, ticketed—download a form from the website and return by hand or post Isle of Man December 2, 3.30pm, Procession…

SHEEP and cattle numbers in the UK should be reduced by up to 50% and tree planting must double, according to the latest report from the Government’s Committee on Climate Change (CCC). Cutting sheep and cattle numbers would considerably reduce the amount of methane being released into the environment, suggests the report, as well as freeing up to 4.5 million hectares (11.1 billion acres) —over a third—of grassland and rough grazing for other uses. The CCC recommends planting trees and biofuels to soak up CO2 and combat future flooding, as well as an extensive programme of peat-land restoration. However, the NFU dismisses the report as simplistic. ‘It would be a fundamental mistake to design a farming system solely around an approach that mitigates greenhouse gases without any regard to the…

EXPERTS are mystified by the discovery of a tiny moth, native to England, Wales and Scotland, on the west coast of Northern Ireland. The 5mm white-speckled micro moth (right) seems to have survived a 15-mile journey from Scotland to the Giant’s Causeway, becoming the first of its kind to be found in the country. It was spotted by National Trust area ranger Dr Cliff Henry on the wall of his office. ‘These moths are normally found on a tree trunk or fence,’ he says. ‘Our office wall is the perfect spot for them as it’s shaded, north-facing and has the right lichen and algae that they feed on.’ With Butterfly Conservation Northern Ireland confirming it as a new species of moth for the country, the Trust will work to ensure…

THE search for ballet costume is such a predictable feature of our domestic life that I might as well enter it into my diary. This week’s search, however, was lent added urgency by the arrival of a long-anticipated exam. Somehow, shoes, socks and a top, all of which were present and correct in the child’s memory, had vanished from their rightful place. When they were finally discovered in a heap, far from looking sheepish, the child responsible became righteously indignant and accusingly asked who had left them on the floor. I was too relieved to quarrel. Meanwhile, excitement at the approach of Christmas is already palpable. It’s been expressed in discussions about proposed decorations around the house, the wistful but repeated mention of extravagant toys (perfect presents, apparently) and attempts…

• Seen as a symbol of hospitality, in Ancient Greece, it was rubbed on tables to welcome visitors. In the Middle East, mint tea is offered to guests upon their arrival. • There are hundreds of varieties of Mentha, with a range of distinguishing flavours, including banana mint, ginger mint and chewing-gum mint. • It has a number of medicinal properties: as well as soothing stomach aches and chest pains, spearmint tea has been proven to lower testosterone levels in women with polycystic ovary syndrome. • The plant is named for a mythological Greek river nymph, Minthe, who the goddess Persephone turned into a plant after her husband, Hades, fell in love with the naiad. • Naturally antibacterial, mint is rich in vitamins A and C, with smaller amounts of…

Those in the know believe this is the future of Champagne, explains Harry Eyres You might not think that the words ‘organic’ and ‘Champagne’ go naturally together—the Champagne region is quite far north and not a stranger to summer rain, so not the easiest place to grow grapes. However, no less a figure than Jean-Baptiste Lecaillon, chef de cave of Louis Roederer, recently went on the record saying ‘the future is organic and biodynamic’. These aren’t empty words: in 2017, 100% of Roederer’s substantial vineyard holdings were farmed organically. Why you should be drinking it Roederer—as well as an increasing number of smaller producers—isn’t just going organic, but is inspired by biodynamics, the arcane yet increasingly influential method stemming from Rudolf Steiner, involving adherence to lunar cycles and preparations…

WHAT do the comedian Hugh Dennis, mountaineer Sir Chris Bonington and politician Ann Widdecombe have in common? They all worked for consumer goods giant Unilever before ditching the day job to follow a more celebrated career. ‘Imagine bumping into us three in the staff canteen—what an oddball and unlikely trio,’ remarks Mr Dennis. We’re talking as the Mock the Week star rehearses for the festive comedy The Messiah, his first stage play in 20 years. ‘Fortunately, I didn’t campaign for the retention of blasphemy laws or make the first ascent of the north face of the Eiger. I actually found it hard to leave Unilever because, aged 24, I was travelling the world and entrusted with millions of pounds to produce TV commercials.’ In the end, it was his boss…

‘This joyful painting tells me all I need to know of my grandfather’s feelings for my grandmother. It tells me he loved her and was proud of her; admired her mind, body and spirit; respected her; saw her as his partner in life’s great adventure. It says that, after more than 45 years of marriage, two World Wars and five years as Prime Minister, Winston Churchill loved one thing above all else: to see his wife smiling and happy' CHURCHILL did not enter a picture gallery until taken by his doctor to the National Gallery in 1915. It coincided with his resignation as First Lord of the Admiralty after the Dardanelles disaster, following which the Churchills retired to Hoe Farm in Surrey, where his sister-in-law came to stay and…

ON Sunday, April 30, 1390, six men—John Wendreton, John Bey, John Fostal, William Heyward, John White and Hugo Penyperformed a public penance at Wingham, Kent. Walking ‘with slow steps humbly and devoutly’ in single file, wearing neither hoods nor shoes, they processed around the collegiate church. On their backs, they carried open sacks displaying their contents of hay and straw (Fig 1). This penance had been meted out to them at a tribunal assembled at Saltwood Castle by their overlord, William Courtenay, Archbishop of Canterbury. It was a mark of his intense displeasure at their manner of undertaking a customary duty to carry straw to his palace at Canterbury. The straw had been delivered ‘not openly in carts for his glory, but closely in sacks upon their horses backs for…

OYSTER,’ sneers Ambrose Bierce in The Devil’s Dictionary. ‘A slimy, gobby shellfish which civilisation gives men the hardihood to eat without removing its entrails.’ It’s safe to say he wasn’t a fan and he’s not alone, because these blessed bivalves don’t exactly make it easy. There’s the wretched business of cracking them open, an age-old skill that combines the guile of a cat burglar with the brute force of a circus strongman. Then, once you’ve forced the hinge apart, the contents are hardly attractive. A greyish, gently wobbling mass of phlegmy flesh, which can look disconcertingly like the contents of one’s handkerchief. After a particularly nasty infection of the bronchial tract. ‘He was bold man that first ate an oyster,’ said Jonathan Swift. He sure bloody was. However, like the…

Patek Philippe at Boodles Annual Calendar Ref 5146P in platinum with self-winding movement, £49,050; Perpetual Calendar Ref 5159R in 18-carat rose gold with self-winding movement, £72,310. To celebrate Boodles’ 220th anniversary, Patek Philippe has created a special edition self-winding World Time Ref 5230G in 18-carat white gold. This features a reference to Boodles’ birthplace of Liverpool, in iconic pink, as one of the 24 time zones displayed on the dial, as well as pink stitching on the strap. £40,800 for the complete set including matching cufflinks (020–74337 5050; www.boodles.com) Cassandra Goad Serena aquamarine and diamond ring, £10,825; Frida fringe aquamarine and diamond earring pendants, £12,680; on Astrea diamond hoops, £1,695; Riviere blue topaz bracelet, £4,235; Isla diamond chain, £4,335; Frida zircon and diamond pendant, £3,550. Available exclusively from Cassandra Goad,…

18-carat yellow-gold and mixed-stone earrings, £2,000, Pippa Small (020–7792 1292; www.pippasmall.com) Green-velvet slippers, £169, Oliver Brown (020–8038 5630; www.oliverbrown.org.uk) Velvet embellished jacket, £395, Beulah (020–7259 9699; www.beulahlondon.com Walking Lion cufflinks, £170, Patrick Mavros (020–7052 0001; www.patrickmavros.com) Cashmere wrap dress, £520, Varana (020–3903 4444; www.varanaworld.com) Turquoise tweed coat, £999, Lalage Beaumont (020–7584 9977; www.lalagebeaumont.com) Bedfa Swarovski pumps in Jupiter Brocade, £665, Rupert Sanderson (020–7491 2260; www.rupertsanderson.com) Limited-edition No 5 Eau de Parfum Red Edition, £130, Chanel (www.chanel.com) Silk sea-creature print evening scarf, £225, Gieves & Hawkes (020–7434 2001; www.gievesandhawkes.com) Midnight-navy Nehru velvet waistcoat, £195, Sir Plus (020–7127 4213; www.sirplus.co.uk) Braces, £125, Turnbull & Asser (020–7808 3000; www. turnbullandasser.co.uk)…

Blue Regal Peacock plate, 83/4in diameter, £13, Burleigh Pottery (01773 740740; www.burleigh.co.uk) Porcelain Isphahan dinner plate, 10in diameter, set of 4 £245, OKA (0333 004 2042; www.oka.com) Blue Pomegranate plate, 10in diameter, £60, Penny Morrison (020–7384 2975; www.pennymorrison.com) Emma Bridgewater Honesty and Feather 101/2in plate, £25, Liberty (020–7734 1234; www.libertylondon.com) Gien Oiseaux de Paradis luncheon plate, 10in diameter, £33.95, Harrods (0333 300 1000; www.harrods.com) Guinea Fowl dinner plate, 11 1/2in diameter, £29, Susie Watson Designs (0344 980 8185; www.susiewatsondesigns.co.uk) Sailor’s Farewell by Kit Kemp plate, 121/4in diameter, £85, Wedgwood (01782 282651; www.wedgwood.co.uk) Stamped Classical Porcelain side plate, 8 1/4in diameter, £21, John Julian (01722 744805; www.johnjulian.co.uk) Emma Bridgewater Blue Splatter pasta bowl, 9in diameter, £22.95, Liberty (020–7734 1234; www.libertylondon.com) Artichoke salad bowl, 14in diameter, £62, Sophie Conran (020–7603 1522; www.sophieconran.com)…

Lincoln, £899,950 A six-bedroom Grade II-listed Georgian property recognised by Pevsner, on Eastgate, a five-minute walk from Lincoln Cathedral, with ballroom and cellar. Savills (01522 508908) Canterbury, £950,000 Semi-detached Grade II-listed property on Broad Street with six bedrooms and garden overlooking the cathedral (left). Charles Bainbridge (01227 780227) Chichester, £1.6 million Grade II-listed Georgian town house with four bedrooms in West Pallant in the heart of historic Chichester. There’s also a cellar and walled garden. Hamptons International (01243 839399) Salisbury, £1.5 million One of Salisbury’s oldest properties, six-bedroom De Vaux House on St Nicholas Road, with parts dating back to 1260, has medieval features and a spacious walled garden. Strutt & Parker (01722 344011) Winchester, £1.175 million Spread over five storeys, this four-bedroom town house on Parchment Street, a stone’s…

ONE had to alleviate the boredom,’ Benjamin Britten wrote to a friend in 1942, explaining why he’d written his A Ceremony of Carols. Never have we been more thankful for someone’s boredom needing to be alleviated. Bring on boredom, if it gives a composer the urge to create such a magical work! Just thinking about A Ceremony of Carols, with its wintry harp sounds and thrilling three-part treble choir, sends shivers up and down the spines of all of us for whom the piece is the quintessence of beauty, expressing the mystery of the Christmas story like no other piece of music. It happened like this. After three years in the USA, the homesick Britten and his partner, the tenor Peter Pears, decided to return to wartime Britain in the…