Innholdsfortegnelse for 14-Aug-2019 i Country Life

CITY people love to think of their areas as ‘village-y’. This brings a smile to the lips of country dwellers, whose idea of a village is rather different from Hackney or Highbury Fields. However, the truth is that some parts of the metropolis are more neighbourly than villages and have more things going on. Once, villagers would bond as bell-ringers, church-choir members or over a pint in the pub, but pubs have now closed or become gastro-pubs, serving food that regulars can’t afford, and church attendance has dwindled. Fewer children can go to a village school, depriving their parents of chat at the school gate. That leaves only the village shop to provide social glue and these have also closed at an alarming rate. Where they bravely stay open, against…

A BRONZE copy by Carbonneaux of the celebrated sculpture of Laocoön at the Vatican, which was installed in North Hall of Stowe House, Buckinghamshire, has been rediscovered. The bronze was sold in 1848 when the contents of Stowe were broken up. As part of its project to restore the North Hall, the Stowe House Preservation Trust has commissioned a copy by Rupert Harris Conservation studio. The replica, shown here, has now been installed in its early-19th-century position, which was illustrated in an engraving of a visit by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert to the house in 1845. The room has also been redecorated and re-floored, the most recent project in the long-running and exemplary work of the trust to restore the interiors of this outstanding house. For all the latest…

THE parish of Down Ampney in the Cotswolds will soon have a new tune. The vicar, the Rev Canon John Swanton, has commissioned composer Debbie Wiseman, who wrote the soundtrack to the BBC series Wolf Hall, to write a march to mark the 75th anniversary of Operation Market Garden. RAF Down Ampney played a key role in the air assaults and the piece celebrates its enormous sacrifice and honours the village’s link to composer Ralph Vaughan Williams, who was born in the local vicarage in 1872 and named one of his hymn tunes after his birthplace. ‘It suddenly occurred to me: why don’t we have a march to commemorate all those who served and left from RAF Down Ampney to fight on D-Day and Operation Market Garden?’ explains Canon Swanton.…

IT’S been a strange week: the children are away and their parents have remained in London at work, occupying an unnaturally quiet home. The peace has offered a rare opportunity to tidy the house, so every spare minute has been spent clearing. It’s a daunting task. Indeed, I think I know exactly what Hercules felt like when he was first shown the Augean Stables. Unlike him, however, I don’t have access to a river that might purge the mess. The frustrating thing is that, when the heavy lifting is over, there still remains a shale of toy detritus that defies organisation. Some of the objects within it are recognisable—such as beads, tiny weapons or badges—but so many toys dissolve into amorphous plastic bits and there is no knowing exactly what…

August might seem an odd month to be contemplating fortified wines, but, in the northern and western parts of the British Isles, it can be a damp time of year. I have lit fires in August and, when we used to go on holiday to Applecross in Wester Ross (with those wonderful views across to the Cuillins), we were always accompanied over the Pass of the Cattle by a bottle or two of tawny Port. Why you should be drinking them The classic fortified wines—sherry, Port and Madeira—are all ‘wine families’ encompassing a wide range of styles, from the lightest fino or manzanilla and the finest sercial Madeira to heroic vintage Port. They all come from hot countries, so there’s no rule outlawing a slightly higher level of alcohol…

BARRY CRYER describes himself as a university dropout: ‘I was supposed to be studying English Literature at Leeds, but I was in the bar and chasing girls and my first-year results showed it. So I’m “BA Eng. Lit. failed” of Leeds.’ That may be so, but he’s got a doctorate in the art and history of comedy. A chat with Mr Cryer is an anecdotal stroll through decades of comedic performance on stage, radio and TV. No wonder the British Music Hall Society honoured him with a lifetime achievement award last year. ‘I had a half-baked idea of becoming a journalist before I got pitchforked into this business, but before any of that, I used to listen to Max Wall on the radio. People know he was astonishing visually, but…

• The world’s first public aquarium was opened in Regent’s Park, London, in 1853 • In 2018, a 3ft 3in red-and-white koi fish sold to a collector in Japan for a record £1.4 million, after a fierce bidding war at auction • Generally, the beautiful and rare platinum arowana ( below ), or ‘dragon fish’, is the most expensive in the aquarium industry, selling for thousands of dollars. It’s believed to bring luck • In 2010, footballer Stephen Ireland infamously splashed out on a custom-made, 6,000-litre (1,320-gallon) aquarium. It was Britain’s biggest domestic fish tank at the time, housing 500 ornamental marine fish…

PERHAPS it’s because, since we were children, we’ve been told ‘Don’t touch’ that tactility is the least used of our senses in the garden. We admire the view of beds and borders, sweeping lawns, towering cedars and individual blooms. We listen to the susurration of the trees when their foliage is disturbed by a passing breeze. We inhale the perfume of roses and sweet peas and turn up our noses at the aromatic fermentation of a compost heap and we revel in the taste of home-grown fruit and vegetables. However, the fifth sense—that of touch—is rarely celebrated. I mean, how often do you take hold of your garden plants simply for pleasure? Oh, we haul them about when we’re digging up and moving them, we chop them about when…

Miss Stewart has put her own stamp on the property, yet has kept within respective boundaries of place. The pathways between the numerous buildings are lined yearly with pine needles, making any stroll a near-meditative experience. As she generally spends only August at Skylands, the perimeter beds of the terraces are generously planted with her favorite lilies, focusing on the Oriental Hybrids, as well as the sturdy Orientpets. She takes pride in considering and planting her own containers, which change from year to year. It is at her Skylands retreat that Miss Stewart keeps her significant collection of early-period faux bois vessels, which are planted with moss and lichens gathered from the property and arranged on the shaded dining terrace. The potager and cutting garden also owe their abundance to…

• August 18 Clara Schumann’s Piano Concerto performed by Mariam Batsashvili with the Ulster Orchestra under Rafael Payare at the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall, 7.30pm (www.bbc.co.uk/ proms) • August 26 Clara Schumann’s Piano Trio in G minor and Three Romances, paired with Robert Schumann’s Adagio and Allegro in A flat major, played by the Amatis Piano Trio at the BBC Proms at Cadogan Hall, SW1, 1pm • October 5 Clara Schumann: Prodigy, Muse, Virtuoso, with pianist Reiko Fujisawa and actor Crawford Logan, Southbank Centre Purcell Room, SE1, 7.45pm (www.southbankcentre.co.uk) • Romance: The Piano Music of Clara Schumann by Isata Kanneh-Mason is out now on Decca…

Big fruits North Yorkshireman Graeme Watson has set a new world record for the heaviest gooseberry—his specimen, which won the Egton Bridge Old Gooseberry Show ( COUNTRY LIFE, July 31), weighed a massive 64.56g (2 1/4oz) Isle of Wight wildlife More than 200 years after they were last spotted there, sea eagles have been reintroduced to the island Sand dunes A project to restore 17,300 acres of endangered sand dunes has received £4 million from the Heritage National Lottery Debts Some farmers have finally received long-overdue payment for work they undertook under two agrienvironment schemes. Some of the claims dated from 2015…

ANYONE who’s been entranced by Chitty Chitty Bang Bang has a rare opportunity to see a whimsical automaton by Rowland Emett, the inventor who designed the machines for the 1968 film, at the Bonhams salerooms in London’s New Bond Street. The 26ft kinetic sculpture—a masterpiece of English humour and eccentricity—features the Wild Goose train, its tea-cake-toasting driver and its passengers chuffing along a magical railway line that runs past a farmer playing the harp to his cows, a fisherman catching a mermaid in his net and the beach, where a gentleman in a striped Victorian swimsuit dives into the sea. ‘Children adore it, as do nostalgic adults,’ says Lucinda Bredin of Bonhams. Last exhibited in 2014, A Quiet Afternoon in the Cloud Cuckoo Valley will be on show until September…

CERAMICS take centre stage at Doddington Hall in Lincolnshire, where an exhibition, curated by Rebecca Blackwood, brings together historic pieces from the 18th and 19th centuries, with British Studio pottery, political oddities from Communist China and Eastern Europe and contemporary works. A parallel selling show, which features works by more than 100 ceramicists, will take place in the Stable Yard Galleries. Visitors can also participate in lectures, tours and pot-throwing demonstrations. ‘This is a combination that would only be possible in a privately owned and lived-in historic house like Doddington,’ says owner Claire Birch. ‘Summer of Ceramics’ runs until September 8; visit www.doddingtonhall.com for opening times.…

Top dog Q My partner and I can’t agree on what breed of dog to get—I’m a dachshund fan, he favours greyhounds. If we compromise, we’ll just end up with a dog no one wanted. Considering I’ll be the one doing all the work, should I just turn up with the puppy of my choice, so it’s too late? L. C., Powys AI don’t suppose you’d consider combining the two? A single cross-breed? A sort of lurcher? (Although, thinking about it, the begetting would be undignified, if not unachievable.) The thing is that a man’s choice of dog springs from the deepest well of his amour propre. Foist a dachshund upon him and you can kiss goodbye to any help from him, ever. You risk kissing goodbye to the…

IT has been a week of plucking and picking. Tuesday morning, a hefty chap with a trolley turned up at the back door with a wooden tea chest, but before I explain what was in it, I hope that, tonight, when you say your prayers, you will be kind enough to remember its senders: Aya Kichlu and Edward Foster. Mr Kichlu, who resides in West Bengal, runs Chamong, which owns 13 of the 87 officially recognised Darjeeling tea gardens. Mr Foster, who resides in London, runs Thompson Lloyd & Ewart, which (having been founded in 1760) is the longest-established tea brokerage in the world. Thanks to their efforts, the Family Self will not go short of tea for the next 12 months. In this instance, the word ‘tea’ is something…

South of England • Lodsworth Larder, West Sussex (01798 861947; www.lodsworthlarder.com) Eco-friendly paragon built in a pub car park; sells everything from luxury chocolates to surplus produce from the allotment • Heath Stores, Horsmonden, Kent (01892 722221; www. heathstores.co.uk) Local Chapel Down wines, wild-garlic pesto and home-baked ham, plus competitive prices on basics (it’s part of Londis) • Hampstead Norreys Community Shop and Courtyard Café, Berkshire (01635 202642; www.hncs. co.uk) Worthy 2019 winner of the Countryside Alliance Village Shop/Post Office Award. ‘There was no heart to the village until it opened,’ divulges one correspondent South-West • Ponsanooth Village Stores, Cornwall (01872 863025; www. facebook.com/Ponsanooth VillageStores) Fresh pasties, a farm-shop range of food, post office open seven days a week • Halstock Village Shop and Post Office, Dorset (01935 891781; www.…

• Climb the 2,619ft peak of Gros Piton—the guided hike takes about four hours, with magnificent views from the summit • Cruise the majestic coastline in the resort’s sleek black speedboats, which are called Sugar Rush and Sugar Daddy • Lunch at Boucan, Hotel Chocolat’s innovative hillside restaurant that specialises in organic ‘cacao cuisine’ • Rent a car to enjoy scenic mountain drives on winding roads framed by emerald forests rich with birdlife • Snorkel or dive in the nearby Soufrierea Marine Park, where the warm, clear waters are bright with fish and coral • Relax in Sugar Beach’s Rainforest Spa, where luxurious treatments using local fruits and herbs are given in tranquil tree-house cabañas…

Water camellias Those who slosh water freely about in gardens are generally mistaken. It’s better to consider which specific plants would benefit and deal with each accordingly. The camellia is one that’s presently occupied in silently forming its flower buds for next spring and will be materially assisted in that task by generous watering all this month. This advice particularly applies to plants in containers. There need be no concern over hard water, as you will have anticipated this problem by applying sequestered iron early in the year. If you didn’t, let this be your watchword for next year.…

WHEN, in 2007, a selling show titled ‘Tribal Perspectives’ was launched, there were just three exhibiting dealers. Since renamed the Tribal Arts Fair, it has gradually grown and, this year, from September 3 to 7, there will be 23 stands in the Mall Galleries, SW1, including a specialist book dealer. That will allow collectors to finalise deals and prepare for the annual feast of Parcours des Mondes in Paris from September 10 to 15. It will be the 18th outing and 63 Parisian and international dealers will take part in galleries around the Carré Rive Gauche. Six Asian-arts dealers are included and, for the first time, specialists in antiquities from around the Mediterranean have been invited to take part. A few years ago, I wrote about the puzzling lack…

SOMETHING happens and then something else happens and then all sorts of other things happen, expected and unexpected, unusual and ordinary.’ So observes the narrator of Diane Setterfield’s Once Upon a River (Doubleday £12.99), a story of a young child that the upper reaches of the Thames throws up—miraculously, alive—one winter solstice towards the end of the 19th century. The unexpected and the unusual feature heavily in this almost fairy tale, but what anchors it—and, indeed, all the other thrillers under review here—is the care with which the author creates an expected and ordinary world. An Oxfordshire of inns, farms, the parsonage and the big house is thrown into turmoil with the appearance of the girl, as two families come forward to claim her as their own. That one…

CLIMATE change is causing a dangerous disconnection between the natural life cycles of plants and animals, according to a study published last week by Andrea Holzschuh and Sandra Kehrberger of Germany’s University of Würzburg. It reveals that pasque flowers (below) are responding to rising temperatures by flowering earlier each year, but the solitary bees that feed on them (Osmia cornuta and Osmia bicornis, above) are not emerging as early. The paper is based on fieldwork carried out in Germany, but similar discrepancies have also been observed in the UK, says Paul Hetherington of Buglife. Researchers from the University of East Anglia have found that higher temperatures have a different effect on the solitary miner bee Andrena nigroaenea and on the early spider orchid. Although warmer springs advance the cycle for…

Arctic weather A heatwave caused more than 197 billion tons of ice to melt in Greenland during July and wildfires broke out across several polar regions Confused sheepdogs Farmers are highlighting the new and appalling crime of stealing well-trained sheepdogs to rustle sheep for thieves French curlews The curlew shooting season opened in France earlier this month after the French government decided not to renew a moratorium that protected the embattled birds Freshwater fish A pollution incident on the River Mole in Devon killed 6,000 salmon, brown and sea trout in what the Environ-ment Agency thinks is the largest ever fish kill in the South-West Recycling A survey by Recyclezone.org.uk reveals that two major obstacles to recycling are confusion about what can or can’t be done with each material…

SATURDAY, 10.30am: a quick stop at the drive-through Costa, then down to the Visitor Centre. Not a parking space to be had. Drive back up the road to another car park: choc-a-bloc. So I kick a log from some long grass and we sneak in at the end of a row. Then, it’s half a mile back to the start point, across the Nevis by footbridge and we’re off, easing into our stride up a gentle slope to join the Achintee path. From then on, for the five hours it takes us to climb and descend the Ben, we’re in a queue—an insect trail of Lycra and metal poles zig-zagging its way up and down a stairway of rock and rubble. Crowds throng the summit. A hiker proposes to his…

Is the hedgehog a criminal? IN reply some may say ‘yes’ and others ‘no’. The idea that hedgehogs suck the teats of cows in milk has long been exploded, but the idea that the animal will suck hens’ eggs and devour both chickens and the young of game birds still holds good, and it has recently been reported, but with little reliable evidence, that a hedgehog was caught eating a chicken on a farm at Crick in Derbyshire. I have never known them to be addicted to evil propensities towards farmers in any way except when a stray-laid hen’s egg has been found in a hedge bottom or in a rabbit hole. The animal is too slow afoot, except for catching snails, slugs and worms, and possibly eating up the…

‘WE want to set a global standard in the stewardship of World Heritage Sites. By working with the World Heritage Centre, the governing bodies for World Heritage Sites, Historic England and others, we will promote sustainable development while ensuring our sites are protected.’ Thus did the DCMS express its commitment to the care of UNESCO-designated World Heritage Sites in its Culture White Paper of 2016. The reality, however, has been in shocking contrast to this pledge. Even the status of the World Heritage Site of Westminster is under review as high-rise buildings compromise its setting. Now, Liverpool is in imminent danger of being struck off next July after repeated warnings that the city fathers must take greater care in approving development proposals affecting ‘the outstanding universal value’ of the site.…

THIS summer, Waddesdon Manor in Buckinghamshire is celebrating a historic reconciliation. The focus is a new picture, indistinguishable from François Boucher’s sumptuous 1756 portrait of Madame de Pompadour, which Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild bought in London in 1887, from the sale of Lord Lonsdale’s collection at Carlton House Terrace. Boucher’s painting of Louis XV’s mistress formed part of the Baron’s extensive and exceptional collection of French fine and decorative arts and it was one of his most prized possessions. On his death in 1898, he bequeathed it to his brother Nathaniel. However, at some point at the end of the 19th century, it had become separated from the ornate 18th-century gilded frame that Rothschild had acquired for it. This frame, with its 19th-century cartouche, passed into the collections at Waddesdon,…

YEARS ago, anyone wanting to study history at university used to be given a prophylactic called What Is History? by Professor E. H. Carr. History, he taught, was what anyone said it was. Nobody could ever be properly objective and any historian claiming to be fair-minded was either a liar or a fool. Carr had been a Nazi sympathiser at the outbreak of the Second World War, but transferred his admiration from Hitler to Stalin. The engine of progress, he claimed, was class struggle, leading to the workers’ triumph and the overthrow of bourgeois individualism. The master pattern had been set out in excruciatingly vague detail by 19th-century German philosophy, so it only required the evidence to be clinically assembled by intellectuals like Prof Carr. Otherwise, like the Hungarian Marxist…