Innholdsfortegnelse for 01-May-2019 i Country Life

TALENT doesn’t always run in the family. Given the success that can be gained from the selective breeding of racehorses and dogs, it’s surprising that humans—who often mate with their own ilk—don’t make a better job of it. However, artistic and, indeed, political dynasties (notwithstanding the topical Johnson and Rees-Mogg siblings and, of course, the Churchills/Soameses) are rare. They seem to have been more common in the Middle Ages and Renaissance, when the idea of the genius had yet to dawn and the visual arts were regarded as superior trades. Hence the confusion that can strike in a gallery—all those Cranachs, Bellinis, della Robbias and Breughels, let alone the van de Veldes, with whom one really is at sea. The 19th century produced a run of Scotts: Sir George Gilbert,…

SOME eight or nine years ago I was sitting on the bank of an upper reach of the river Tweed where the stream is but 20yds across. As I watched, a squirrel ran down the opposite bank and plunged boldly into the water, heading for a promontory formed by a bank of stones on my side. However, the current carried the little creature past. It landed a few yards from me and made at once for a pine tree. As I had never before seen a squirrel take to water, I watched its aquatic efforts closely, and was struck by the fact that it was a most inefficient swimmer. The head and part of the neck projected out of the water, the tail lying along the surface, while the body…

Right on track AGROMENES’S article ‘Let the train take the strain’ (April 3) reminded me of coming to view my house 18 years ago. I went to look at the back garden and saw behind it four railway tracks—perfect for someone who had always enjoyed steam engines as a small boy. There has been an increase in freight traffic over the years, after several local bridges were raised to accommodate container trains, and we also enjoy the occasional steam train passing through. Recently, the Flying Scotsman even stopped at the bottom of my garden—what’s not to like? Frank East, Leicestershire Now and then I WAS delighted to see the photograph of Kempsey ford taken in the 1960s (The way we were, February 27) and subsequent letter (March 13), as…

The black-and-green caterpillars of the box moth are starting their annual munch through the leaves of box hedges and topiary. If no action is taken, your plants will soon be defoliated. Fortunately, no pesticide is required to address the problem. A form of the biological control Bacillus thuringiensis, harmless to all except box caterpillars, can be sprayed to run off in the still of dusk; it will stop the beast in its tracks. Do your homework, act if necessary and be prepared to repeat the treatment. SCD…

SHAKESPEARE claimed that a ‘lizard’s leg and howlet’s wing’ created a ‘charm of powerful trouble’. Although it proved not to be such good news for Macbeth, more generally, charms and mascots traditionally protect their owner from harm and bring good luck. Lucky mascots take many forms, from live animals to stuffed toys. Some charms are only considered lucky by the individual—a gift from a much-loved relative, perhaps, or a pair of shooting stockings guaranteed to make their wearer aim straight and true. Those more universally recognised can include an acorn (real or crafted from precious metal), a pendant of St Christopher or a rabbit’s foot kept in one’s pocket. This is obviously less beneficial for the creature involved, but there has long been a tradition that carrying a rabbit’s foot…

The no-hit list LAST Wednesday, Natural England (NE) announced that, in two days’ time, it would revoke three general licences for the control of wild birds. For almost 30 years, these provisions have allowed the control of 16 species, including crows, pigeons and Canada geese, to prevent harm to public health, crops, livestock or wildlife. ‘I hadn’t heard a thing. I could have gone out tomorrow, shot some pigeons and fallen foul of the law,’ comments shocked Norfolk farmer and land agent Jake Craig. Ian Bell, chief executive of BASC, has reportedly taken Tony Juniper, brand-new chairman of NE, to task over the decision, arguing that it’s like changing the speed limit tomorrow and ‘putting out a notice on the internet’. Speaking to COUNTRY LIFE , the RSPB, which…

Stand by your man Q I recently broke up with my partner and my friends rallied round, confessing that they could never stand him. At the time, I enjoyed the demolition of his character. However, we have now reunited and I can’t forget the things they said. How can I look them in the eye, knowing how they feel about the man I love? A. T., Dorset A Forgive me smiling, but it is quite funny. Look, nobody’s wrong, everybody’s right. The only mistake was any delusion that one person’s character is all good or all bad. You have loyal friends, that’s all. It’s nothing to do with how they feel about him and everything to do with how they feel about you. They pounced on the bad, but…

THE death of the architect Sir William Whitfield last month, at the age of 98, marks the end of an era. He was a man who helped change British architecture for the better. His great contribution was to recognise both the importance of context and that new buildings need not refer only to what had been produced since the emergence of the Modern movement, but might also absorb Roman, Greek, Palladian and Gothic precedents as well. Whitfield led the way to a richer and historically informed design that would have been considered unthinkable—or, at best, maverick—in the blinkered architectural world of the 1950s and 1960s. He also achieved a deep sensitivity to light and shade, mass and texture. The clues of this remarkable visual dexterity were provided early on in…

THIS year marks 150 years since one of England’s most famous stories was published. Evoking a wild, untrammelled landscape dominated by the marauding Doone family, Lorna Doone made its author R. D. Blackmore famous and Exmoor immortal. Books about places are enduringly popular. Dickens evokes London, George Eliot’s Middle-march Warwickshire and Thomas Hardy will always make us think of Dorset. Today’s authors are no less place-based: think of Monica Ali’s Brick Lane or Ian MacEwen’s On Chesil Beach, whose narratives owe as much to place as to people. Lorna Doone, however, does something more. It captures a long-gone Exmoor and makes us think about change. Imagine a landscape in which the roads run out at Porlock and the moors are impenetrable and hostile even before the merciless Doone family is…

COUNTRY houses in the Cotswolds still look good value compared to London and it’s this, combined with the opportunity to escape the pressurised environments of the capital’s most ambitious schools, that provides a constant source of oxygen for the Cotswolds market, says Jonathan Bramwell of The Buying Solution (01608 690782). Improvements in connectivity on every level have been a further gamechanger. More efficient rail and road connections now make vast swathes of the area commutable, especially for those who only need to spend Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays working in London. In addition, a number of villages have Gigaclear internet speeds—something that is lacking in many parts of the capital. ‘That just wasn’t the case two decades ago,’ explains Bruce Tolmie-Thomson of Knight Frank (01285 886688). ‘It makes moving the…

❍ Clematis Bill Mackenzie Clear-yellow nodding flowers and wispy seed-heads over a long season ❍ Hemerocallis Stafford ‘This is the red I just keep coming back to’ ❍ Tagetes Cinnabar If you have room to grow only six or seven plants from seed a year, this a brilliant choice for filling gaps ❍ Dahlia Bishop of Llandaff Another old stalwart, but the best single red, with wonderful dark foliage ❍ Potentilla fruticosa Gibson’s Scarlet Still the best scarlet potentilla ❍ Colutea x media A deciduous shrub, with tangerine pea-like flowers. ‘Cut it back hard as buddleja, so it works within the border.’ Great for extending the season ❍ Rosa moyesii Geranium Clear-red flowers and fine orange-red hips. Its elegant arching form adds structure ❍ Sanguisorba Tanna A low-growing sanguisorba with…

BONHAMS’ exemplary catalogue entry for lot 51 in the March 27 sale of books and manuscripts closed with the sentence ‘Few more potent relics of English history have been offered for sale’ and it was no exaggeration. As a result, it seems right to devote more of this week’s column than usual to just the one object. On August 27, 1326, a marriage contract was sealed between the 13-year-old Prince Edward, son of Edward II of England, and 12-year-old Philippa, daughter of the Count of Hainault. This document (Fig 2) led immediately to a successful invasion, in the mid term paved the way for the Wars of the Roses and, by providing a precedent for the deposition of an unsatisfactory sovereign, began the centuries-long process towards the English version…

• Acorns as a symbol of luck came about thanks to an association with Norse mythology. It’s said that, during the Viking invasions of Britain, Englishmen carried one in their pocket in order to show supposed allegiance to the invaders and thus avoid being killed • Stan Chapman’s mascot, Percy the parachuting penguin, can be seen at the RAF Museum, Cosford, Shropshire. Douglas Bader’s nameless rabbit currently resides in the Coltishall Rooms at RAF Neatishead, Norfolk • In addition to any stuffed toys, some Second World War pilots would place dice, with seven pips showing, on their plane’s instrument panel before setting off on a bombing raid • As far as the legalities of a car-bonnet mascot are concerned, Regulation 53 Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 states: ‘No…

Cornerstones (Little Toller, £16) is a collection of essays edited by BBC producer Mark Smalley that collectively bring rocks to life by looking at the way they shape communities and places. In his essay Samiland , John Burnside writes that ‘if a true Sami is troubled or far from home, he or she need only lay an ear on the ground and listen to the beating heart of this world’. Days out Underground by Peter Naldrett (Conway, £16.99) is a useful guide to the 50 best days out for those who like the idea of a subterranean adventure of a gentle sort. From Welsh slate mines to ghostly streets beneath Edinburgh, it’s geographically comprehensive and full of interesting local history. Underground by Will Hunt (Simon & Schuster, £16.99) investigates the…

Another Bordeaux vintage, another opportunity, as the en primeur campaign gets into gear, for exaggerated claims of greatness? Perhaps, but I was genuinely impressed by the handful of 2018 barrel samples I managed to taste on a short trip in March. In pockets, at least, this is an exceptional vintage, which should be represented in every serious claret lover’s collection. Why you should be buying it Last year was ‘hell and paradise’, according to Gabriel Vialard, technical director of the Pessac-Léognan cru Château Haut-Bailly, one of the châteaux I visited and was most impressed by. The hell part of 2018 was hail and especially mildew, caused by the damp spring and early summer (Haut-Bailly lost half its crop); paradise was the remainder of the long, warm, dry growing season…

Email: countrylife_letters@ti-media.com Post: Letters to the Editor, COUNTRY LIFE Editorial, Pinehurst II, Pinehurst Road, Farnborough Business Park, Hampshire GU14 7BF (with a daytime telephone number, please) TI Media Limited reserves the right to edit and to reuse in any format or medium submissions to the letters page of COUNTRY LIFE N.B. If you wish to contact us about your subscription, including regarding changes of address, please ring Magazines Direct on 0330 333 4555…

Sir Cameron Mackintosh is a theatre producer whose Les Misérables, The Phantom of the Opera and Cats are the longest-running musicals of all time. His Mary Poppins returns to the West End this year ‘I met Francis Hamel in 1987 and we became firm friends. In 2007, I asked him if he’d like to paint not only my productions, but also the theatres I was beginning to collect. Only Sickert, Toulouse-Lautrec and Laura Knight had seriously painted the theatre in almost 100 years. This is my favourite. It’s where, as an impoverished 19 year old in 1965, I auditioned to be acting stage manager for Lionel Bart’s Oliver! . I got the job and ended up owning the theatre! Francis has caught the special magic of these extraordinary Edwardian…

• The Calf at Foot Dairy Overnight UK-wide courier delivery of raw milk from a Suffolk Jersey herd (www.the-calf-at-foot-dairy.co.uk) • The Dartmouth Dairy Glass-bottle deliveries in south Devon—it also does goat’s milk (01803 832801; www.dartmouthdairy.com) • Farmdrop Daily deliveries of organic Jersey milk in glass bottles within the M25, plus groceries (www.farmdrop.com) • Find Me a Milkman Dairy UK’s official service linking buyers to their local milk-delivery service (www.findmeamilkman.net; 020–7405 1484) • Milk & More Glass-bottle deliveries across the country, excluding the North-West (0345 606 3606; www.milkandmore.co.uk) • Parker Dairies Glass-bottle deliveries of milk from Pensworth dairy in Southampton, across east and central London (020–8520 5943; www. parkerdairies.co.uk)…

‘Politics has made everyone pause, but we’ve had a busier 12 months across the market than we had in the previous year,’ says Mr Tolmie-Thomson. ‘Like everything, it’s down to pricing.’ In some areas, stock remains very tight. One way around this is to rent while waiting for the right house; Mr Bramwell has just negotiated long-lease contracts of between five and 10 years (with clients paying up to £15,000 a month). ‘It sounds a lot, but if you consider the Stamp Duty you pay on a large country house, some parents will prefer to keep their London house and rent,’ he says.…

John Deere’s ZTrac Zero-Turn Z335E is a ride-on rotary mower, with a 107cm (42in) cutting width. Twin motion levers give great manoeuvrability. Good traction. From £4,057 (www.deere.co.uk) Self-propelled, with a 48cm (19in) cutting width, the Stiga Multiclip 50 SXE is a rotary mulch mower. No grass collection needed. £669 (0800 669 6326; www.stigalawnmowers.co.uk) The Ego LM2024E-SP self-propelled rotary mower is powered by a lithium-ion battery and has a cutting width of 50cm (19½in). Quiet mowing, zero emissions. £729 (www.egopowerplus.co.uk) A robotic mower with all-wheel drive for lawns up to 3,500sq m (just under an acre), the Husqvarna Automower 435X is able to cope with rough terrain and up to 70% slopes. It has onboard technology with GPS and smart-home connectivity. £4,400 (www. husqvarna.com/uk) The Cobra MX515SPBI is a self-propelled rotary…

MY early twenties redefined ‘idle’. Of the few exertions I undertook, a couple of autumnal trips to France and Switzerland to pick grapes stand out. The long, hard days were softened somewhat by the landscape, the camaraderie and the wine and chocolate given every two hours from 7.30am. At the time, I had little interest in gardening and no idea that the sense of harvest celebration was not only the anticipation of wine to come, but also relief that a year of gentle interventions had been successful. Easy as they are to grow, grapes take you on a particular dance through the seasons, which makes the eating and drinking especially rewarding. If you’re thinking of planting a grape, chances are it will appreciate the predicted hotter, longer summers, ripening…

Asparagus with watercress mayonnaise In the small bowl of a blender, mix two egg yolks and one teaspoon each of white-wine vinegar and mustard powder. With the motor running, add a couple of drops of light olive oil followed by a steady stream of 200ml. Once the mayonnaise has thickened, add a handful of watercress and a generous pinch of salt and process until smooth. Serve with grilled asparagus tossed with olive oil and lemon juice. Haddock fishcakes with watercress, citrus and avocado salsa Gently poach two fillets of haddock in milk. Once cooked (and any skin removed), mix together with 200g cold mashed potatoes. Add two chopped spring onions, 75g garden peas, a tablespoon of wholegrain mustard, two tablespoons of chopped basil and parsley and seasoning. Mix well and…

Speleology Underland Robert Macfarlane (Hamish Hamilton, £20) SOME months ago, on a Battersea balcony, I met a sandy-haired boy who told me earnestly over a piece of Pavlova that he was an explorer. My little quip about being ‘born in the wrong century’ went down badly and I wandered off outside to join the smokers in the rain. Had I finished navigating my way through Robert Macfarlane’s subterranean epic, I might have looked thoughtfully across the Thames and said something impressive, such as ‘I believe speleologists have only discovered a fraction of what lies beneath’. The relatively obscure term ‘speleologist’ refers to a group of adventurers and scientists who chronicle caves. Underland is an account of the author’s journey across the globe meeting those people and discovering the places beneath…

SIR GORDON RUSSELL (1892–1980) was one of Britain’s greatest designers, especially of furniture, so it comes as something of a surprise to find that his museum in Broadway, Worcestershire, houses the only piece actually made by him. It’s a rather crude set of bookshelves dating from his schooldays, seemingly no better than many of those preserved (for a while) by our own proud parents, but his was a harder exercise than most, as it was made from old nail-studded oak floorboards. It gives no hint of the genius with which he produced ideas and designs for others to execute. His biographer, Jeremy Myer-son, summarised Russell’s importance: ‘A pivotal figure in the transition from Arts & Crafts to design for industry in 20th century Britain. His influence spanned from the creation…

IT was one of those golden evenings on which the sea and the sky blend, without a horizon, and boats float in mid-air like a Chinese scroll painting. We were having tea with friends. Another guest was a sculptor, prompting our hostess to tell us about a marble bust of Elgar that she and her former husband had once had in the garden. It stood on top of the wall and, one day, it disappeared. The place then was an art school, full of sensibility and temperament, and now and then the two of them found they needed to bunk off for a day or two, leaving the students and teachers to their own devices. On this occasion, they had no particular destination in mind and just drove away, picking…