Innholdsfortegnelse for 12-Jun-2019 i Country Life

Quiz of the week 1) If the first two both measure 60˚, what does the third angle of a triangle measure? 2) Anthomania refers to an excessive passion or enthusiasm for what? 3) Lyme disease is a bacterial infection spread by which arachnids? 4) Which monarch was the first Supreme Governor of the Church of England? 5) The Janka hardness test is used to measure the resistance of which material? Riddle me this What goes up, but never comes down? Time to buy National Trust Lutyens swing seat feeder, £17.99, NatureTree (07511 733227; https://naturetree.co.uk) Carlotta trinket tray (set of four), £55, Sophie Conran (0333 240 1228; www.sophieconran.com) Bloody Mary hamper, £70, Daylesford (0800 083 1233; www.daylesford.com) Five things you (probably) didn’t know about… Royal Ascot • In 1711, Queen…

ON a recent visit to Northern Ireland, I was struck (as was my hire car) by the abundance of insects (Agromenes, May 29)—as could be seen by the state of the number plate after a week (above). The birdsong was nothing short of cacophonous and the fields were filled with grazing animals and their dung. This compares starkly with the much larger fields and increasing monoculture to be found in some parts of England, the USA and now even New Zealand. Efficiency in food production is one thing, but we should tread softly if, in increasing yields or demonising British meat producers, we destroy the land that so many of us love. Henry Dodds, Kent The writer of the letter of the week will win a bottle of Pol Roger…

1944 Not published, Devizes, Wiltshire Taken as the Second World War raged around the globe, this beautifully lit scene shows workers selecting the finest fibres from the flax harvest in the Wiltshire town of Devizes. According to contemporary reports, the extent of the crop in England and Wales stood at 4,000 acres in 1939. Due to the war effort, that figure had risen to more than 65,000 by 1944. The COUNTRY LIFE Picture Library contains 120 years’ worth of photography and articles from the world’s leading architectural and gardens experts. Many are available to licence or purchase in print form from £28 plus VAT. Please email enquiries to clpicturelibrary@ti-media.com…

New discoveries in the archives at Belvoir are fleshing out the history of this outstanding castle. In the first of two articles, John Goodall looks at a correspondence that offers a fresh perspective on how the building came into being THERE are few buildings that command their setting in the manner of Belvoir. The views that give this hilltop its name extend across the heartlands of England and three counties: Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire. It is no surprise, therefore, that the site was occupied by a major castle in the 11th century and has been repeatedly remodelled on the grandest scale in the centuries since. Before attempting to address the subject of what Belvoir has been, however—the subject of next week’s article— it is impossible to ignore what it is…

• Alfie received a huge boost in popularity due to the character Alfie Moon (played by Shane Ritchie) joining EastEnders in 2002 • Shirley was a boy’s name before the Charlotte Brontë novel (1849), but it was barely used until the child actress Shirley Temple found fame. In 1935, more than 1.5% of girls born in the UK were named Shirley • Cliff Richard changed his name from Harry Webb because it was considered an ‘old man’ name in the 1950s, whereas Cliff was cool. Today, the reverse is true • Neville grew in popularity during the early 20th century, peaking in 1939—shortly before Chamberlain resigned as Prime Minister • The revival of the name Florence is attributed to the popularity of Florence and the Machine. During the Victorian era,…

LOCATED in the heart of Knightsbridge, Lalage Beaumont is the go-to shop for beautifully crafted occasion and business wear. An advocate of timeless silhouettes, clean lines and playful prints, Lalage Beaumont has carved a niche as London’s principal brand for chic and easy to wear separates. We caught up with the designer to talk about her love of classic tailoring and how to master formal dressing. You’ve worked for famous British design houses such as Aquascutumhow has this inspired the way you design and create each collection? Starting my career at Aquascutum was wonderful. Quality, expertise and attention to detail were everywhere and, although my design ethos is quite different, since launching the Lalage Beaumont brand in 2004, I still put my collection together in the same way by building…

FOR DECADES, the aesthetic Holy Grail for anyone creating an outdoor space has been the French Riviera (polite parasols, towelling-covered loungers, a table for the Badoit and Joanna Trollope) or, more recently, Ibiza, which has introduced a clubbier vibe (giant bean bags, white upholstery and music systems broadcasting soulful anthems). ‘It’s high time we created a look that’s all our own’ More alarmingly, you occasionally see the homage to mid-20th-century Miami (bars, fake flamingos and even faker palms) that can look a little incongruous on a rainy August afternoon in Burnham Market. The problem isn’t only one of cultural appropriation, but also a degree of self-delusion; there are few places in Britain where you could wake from a Sancerreinduced stupor and think that you’ve been magically transported to Sainte-Maxime,…

THE story of east Devon’s grandest country mansion, Grade I-listed Mamhead House, set in 164 acres of glorious gardens and parkland on the slopes of the Haldon Hills north of Dawlish, with glorious views over Exmouth, is essentially one of survival. Designed by the architect Anthony Salvin, a pupil of Nash and a fervent admirer of Pugin, the vast, 37,437sq ft, late-Georgian mansion was built between 1828 and 1833 for Robert (later Sir Robert) Newman, MP for Exeter—an enormously rich shipping magnate whose forebears were described locally as ‘adventurers’. Inspired by a ground plan proposed by Charles Fowler of Plymouth in 1922, Salvin’s brief was to create a grand mansion in the Tudor style with Classical influences, siting the house to make the most of the spectacular coastal views,…

Sophie Melville, actress Sophie Melville maintains that she still doesn’t know what she’s doing, but theatre critics seem to disagree. In Wolfie, she was described by COUNTRY LIFE’s Michael Billington as ‘an astonishing, rubber-limbed shapeshifter’; in Iphigenia in Splott, she delivered a ‘blistering performance’. Iphigenia was, by coincidence, the first play Miss Melville studied at drama school. Growing up in Swansea, the future and a career weren’t discussed at home; she assumed she’d end up waiting tables, until a performing-arts teacher stepped in and suggested acting. In hindsight, it was obvious: ‘I was always quite dramatic. At school, I had to sit on a table by myself because I couldn’t stop talking.’ She abandoned her studies early, however, to star at Theatre by the Lake, in the Lake District. The…

A safer future for heritage THIS year saw the completion of a major conservation project to protect the future of Abraham Darby III’s Iron Bridge (above), in the Ironbridge Gorge, Shropshire. Constructed in 1779, it’s ‘an iconic symbol of the Industrial Revolution,’ according to English Heritage (EH) chairman Sir Tim Laurence. Stresses in the ironwork, a 19th-century earthquake and ground movement over time put the structure at risk, prompting EH to launch a rescue project in 2017. ‘It was heartening to see so many people rallying around to help us save this remarkable feat of engineering. Today, the bridge—returned to its original colour—stands proud across the River Severn, a reminder of what Britain has achieved.’ Additionally, the National Trust secured the views that inspired Turner when it bought Brackenthwaite…

THIS month’s commemoration of D-Day was a worthy celebration that elevated both those who took part and those who watched from afar. All of us are the lucky ones who inherited the world that those landings freed from Fascism. We were reminded not only of the bravery of the men who fought their way from the beaches of Normandy to Paris and Berlin, but of the leaders who planned and delivered their victory. And this is no bad time to remember them, particularly Winston Churchill and Theodore Roosevelt. Patriots to their fingertips, they were also fired with a passionate commitment to democracy and liberty. They knew the importance of inspiring people, but they also knew how to be decisive and to make the hard choices. ‘Churchill and Roosevelt were crowd…

IT was one of the most daring and celebrated prison escapes of all time. The audacious mass breakout from Stalag Luft III took place 75 years ago, to be immortalised in the adventure film The Great Escape of 1963, starring Steve McQueen. Hundreds of men put their lives at risk in a bid to tunnel their way to freedom. The camp held thousands of captured Allied airmen and was considered a fortress, but that didn’t deter Squadron Leader Roger Bushell, the man who conceived the ingenious plan. Bushell later wrote: ‘Three bloody deep, bloody long tunnels will be dug—Tom, Dick and Harry. One will succeed!’ Bushell’s plan worked, but at a high cost. Only three escapees made their way to freedom; 50 were captured and shot. There was no motorcycle…

WHEN you hear the words Tower Bridge, what comes to mind? Perhaps the Gothic-style towers or the bridge raised to let a ship pass. You might have visited the upper walkway and watched the traffic crossing 110ft beneath. You’re less likely to imagine the dark, submerged chambers into which the counterweighted ends of the bascules descend as the bridge lifts, or to consider the reaction to the bridge when it first opened 125 years ago, on June 30. A correspondent for Building News spoke of its ugliness and The Builder branded it ‘costly make-believe’. This was partly due to its startling scale, rising to more than twice the height of the Tower of London. It also brought unsavoury associations—a mortuary was built to deal with the bodies that washed up…

STRICTLY speaking, there were no passengers aboard the 16-hour flight from Newfoundland to Ireland. However, while the pilot and navigator were enjoying a well-earned breakfast of bacon and eggs, the curiousfarmboys that should have been tending cattle, devotees slipping quietly from the back of church and soldiers guarding the aircraft —might well have spotted the following in the open cockpit of the big, twin-engine Vickers Vimy, upended unceremoniously in a Connemara bog: two knitted black cats, two rag dolls and a miniature silver Kewpie doll. Along with these winsome charms, there was a lucky horseshoe under the pilot’s seat. It was Sunday, June 14, 1919. The aircraft had set out from North America the day before, flying in treacherous weather for most of the trip. This was the first successful…

Ingredients 175g butter, softened175g caster sugar3 eggs1tspn vanilla-bean paste125g self-raising flour50g ground almonds150g prepared rhubarb, cut into 2cm chunks100g frozen raspberries400ml double cream2tbspn elderflower cordialA few fresh raspberries and elderflowers to decorate Method Preheat your oven to 180˚C/350˚F/gas mark 4. Grease two 20cm (8in) round loose-bottomed cake tins and line the bases with baking parchment. In a bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating in between each addition, together with the vanilla-bean paste. Tip in the self-raising flour and ground almonds and mix until just combined. Finally, fold in the rhubarb and frozen raspberries, before spooning the mixture into the prepared tins. Bake for about 45–50 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.…

THE men at Ford might have named this muscular chariot after a feisty horse, but all the time I was driving it, I kept thinking of a gorilla. I know that wouldn’t work from a marketing point of view, but I was reminded of a great big silverback gorilla, with greased-back hair and Ray-Bans chilling out in the jungle sun as a bunch of athletic chimps pulled tricks in the trees above him, rushing about spinning and swinging all over the place. The gorilla doesn’t care. He knows who he is. So, too, does the Mustang. Unlike any other supercar I can think of—technically, it’s a ‘muscle car’, but with 450 crazy horses under the bonnet, I think we can say the Mustang is also a super-car—it doesn’t need…

Hampshire, £1.6 million Few settings are more idyllic than the grounds at Whitewater Mill, near Odiham. Approached down a long drive bordered by pasture, the Grade II-listed, 18th-century house opens onto the mill pond, with many rooms enjoying views of the water and the woodland beyond. Outside, a decking area looks out towards the formal gardens, the mill race and the River Whitewater, on which the property has 650 yards of fishing rights. Knight Frank (01256 630970) Co Durham, £1.5 million Beautiful countryside surrounds Derwent Lodge, a 19th-century country house close to the village of Shotley Bridge. Accommodation is split across the main house, which has five bedrooms and magnificent reception rooms—particularly the drawing room, with its grand fireplace, and the conservatory, with its fine views across the…

WRITING in the Weekend Review in 1932, the painter Paul Nash touched on a problem that would haunt his artist countrymen for decades to come. How, Nash asked, was it possible to ‘go modern’ as well as still ‘being British’? The question was self-answering: it wasn’t. Modernism, with a capital ‘M’, was International with a capital ‘I’. Still, with rare exceptions, Nash’s coevals set about squaring this circle and no one more avidly than Ivon Hitchens. In 1936, four years after Nash posed his conundrum, Hitchens, living in Hampstead, painted a picture called Triangle to Beyond. Now in the Tate, it would be his most abstract work and his most Modern. Three years later, however, its maker performed a sharp volte-face. In 1939, Hitchens bought six acres of woodland near…

‘I felt an instant connection to this painting when I first saw a print of it in my godfather’s house. It encapsulates the four most precious things to Munnings–and to me. If he were alive today, I would love to commission him to paint my wife on her horse. I love the fact that the conformation of the horse is near perfect, as is its carriage. This is further enhanced by the sun on its coat, which highlights the contours of its body and is emphasised in the long shadows and the brilliant shine on Violet’s hat. The precision and meticulous details are still and calming. If I could preserve a cherished moment in art, I would possibly choose Trooping the Colour or Royal Ascot’ IT was the novelist R.…

Kathryn Bradley-Hole is swept away by the melodic planting and soaring beds that delight visitors and performers alike THERE could hardly be a lovelier location in the south of England than Glyndebourne in East Sussex for a day out of opera and picnic or picnic and opera, depending on your priorities: couples and parties are often of mixed preference, but everyone agrees it’s a magnificent occasion, not to be missed when the chance arises. For one thing, you’re in a picturesque rural setting in the heart of the South Downs, whose bony chalk hills rise gently, but protectively around the estate, accompanied by the background of birdsong and soft bleating of sheep. Behind, there is the extended Tudor house and its great opera house alongside. Ahead lies a serene, informal…

WHEN Shakespeare put the words ‘What’s in a name?’ into Juliet’s mouth, he had no idea of the controversy that some parental choices would be causing 400 years later. From Harper Beckham and Apple Martin to Jamie Oliver’s sons Buddy Bear and River Rocket, there’s no shortage of celebrity offspring providing sport for columnists and casual observers alike with the inventive names picked by their parents. At the time of writing, just after the Game of Thrones finale, the papers are full of mirth at the 371 baby girls named Khaleesi in England and Wales since 2011 given the transformation of their once-benevolent namesake into a murderous tyrant. Back in Shakespeare’s day, it’s quite possible that an exuberant theatregoer might have dashed home from the Globe declaring that he’d call…

Scotland Black Cuillin Ridge The forbidding mountain range on the Isle of Skye that looms jaggedly like an ominous backdrop to a scene from The Lord of the Rings is considered the Holy Grail of British climbing, not to be confused with softer, rounder-topped Red Cuillin. It’s some seven miles long and the relentless, toothy summits include 11 Munros; Sgurr Alasdair is the highest point at 3,254ft. Apart from the obvious technical and endurance demands, there are few escape routes once you’ve started, mist can descend and hang around for days, compasses can be affected by magnetic rock, there’s no natural water and when there isn’t snow, there are midges. Most people contemplate the brooding magnificence from behind a car window. Fingal’s Cave It was the 18th-century naturalist Sir Joseph…

THE words ‘Pony Club camp’ exert a powerful magic on certain generations. They speak of water fights at the end of long days and recalcitrant, but much-loved grey ponies, rosettes and swimming in rivers, brusque instructors who urge ‘keep kicking’ and firm friendships. The smell of saddle soap acts like Proust’s madeleine to people whose horsey youth is behind them and it’s something that supermodel Edie Campbell, polo-playing publican Jodie Kidd, Health Secretary Matt Hancock, actresses Anna Chancellor and Honeysuckle Weeks, TV presenter Clare Balding and The Princess Royal all have in common. ‘In other words, don’t cry–dust yourself down, smile and get back in the saddle’ It’s 90 years since the Pony Club was formed and, although its local branch organisers—still called District Commissioners—are more likely to be harassed…

PARSIMONY and pleasure: two words that aren’t exactly the most natural of bedfellows. However, when it comes to offal and those more thrifty cuts of meat, it’s a truly joyous union. Cheap, nutritious and verging on the divine, these blessed bits and bobs are far removed from the bland iniquities of arid chicken breast, the po-faced predictability of fillet steak. They offer deep flavour, pure succour and true culinary thrills, plus a veritable riot of textures. If we are going to eat beasts, it’s only right and proper to ensure we don’t waste one tiny scrap. Not a novel notion, I know, and one that kept civilisation fed for millennia. But in this unthinkingly throwaway age, it’s more important than ever to embrace the whole beast, nose to tail, snout…

CLASSIC English elegance may be the hallmark of an interior by Nina Campbell, but so, too, is superb comfort—as this bedroom in a Knightsbridge town house suggests. Nina’s starting point was to line the walls in a specially woven chocolate damask, which helps to absorb sound. ‘Fabric introduces a sense of quietness and luxury,’ she explains, ‘and neither paint nor wallpaper gives that same richness of colour.’ The fabric disguises a door to the bathroom, beyond the bed, and is balanced by off-white painted walls below the dado rail. The fabric also serves as a sumptuous backdrop to a combination of gentle textures in white, off-white and china blue. Soft cashmere curtains are trimmed in embroidery from Holland & Sherry (020–7352 7768; www.hollandandsherry.com),the armchair upholstered in chenille and the bed…

THE whirring trill of the cricket on a languid summer’s evening is one of the great pleasures of the British countryside. The naturalist and author W. H. Hudson described the song of the great green bush-cricket, often heard, but scarcely seen, as like ‘crystal beads dropped in a stream down a crystal stair’. Other species include the now protected and extremely rare mole cricket (Gryllotalpa gryllotalpa), the call of which was described by Gilbert White as ‘a low, dull, jarring note… not unlike the chattering of the fern-owl [the nightjar], but more inward’; the field cricket (Gryllus campestris), with its melodious, powerful chirp that can be heard up to 100 yards away; and the wart-biter (Decticus verrucivorus), which gets its name from the 18th-century Swedish practice of allowing the cricket…

Music/countryside The Lark Ascending Richard King (Faber, £14.99) BECAUSE of its deceptively gentle title, inspired by Ralph Vaughan Williams’s soaring masterpiece The Lark Ascending, I expected this book to take us on a romantic stroll through the musical landscape of Gloucestershire and Worcestershire in the early 20th century, with a bit of the First World War thrown in. I was prepared for a grass-scented Vaughan Williams/Herbert Howells/ Ivor Gurney-fest. Richard King’s book turns out to be far more eccentric and unpredictable than that and I was soon snapped out of my nostalgic stupor. In his intriguing meditation on the relation between the British countryside and music (both classical and pop, but mainly pop), writing in detail about a selection of festivals, protests, crowds and bands, Mr King explores what he…