Innholdsfortegnelse for 16-Jun-2021 i Country Life

THE extraordinary life and work of the late Duke of Edinburgh will be remembered in two Royal Collection Trust exhibitions of more than 150 objects and archival photographs this summer, tracing the childhood, naval career, patronages, interests and achievements of Britain’s longest-serving royal consort. ‘Prince Philip: A Celebration’ is at Windsor Castle from June 24 to September 20 and at Edinburgh’s Palace of Holyroodhouse from July 23 to October 31. At Windsor, the robe and coronet the Duke of Edinburgh wore at The Queen’s 1953 Coronation—for which he chaired the committee and was famously prominent in the seminal decision to broadcast the ceremony on TV—is on display, along with his Chair of Estate from the Throne Room at Buckingham Palace. As chair of another committee—one for the restoration of Windsor…

THE population of the threatened, orange-and-brown Duke of Burgundy butterfly has received a boost from the discovery of a new colony on Dorset farmland, attributed to a farmer’s efforts to improve biodiversity. Dr Martin Warren of Butterfly Conservation was strolling during lock-down on a path on a 60-acre chalk downland hill, part of John Hiscock’s organic dairy farm, when he happened upon what could be the largest Duke of Burgundy colony in the UK. The species is down 84% since the 1970s and, now, most colonies are in central southern England, with a few in the North. Mr Hiscock—who supplies the Duchy brand at Waitrose, which insists its UK dairy farmers devote 10% of their land to biodiversity and habitat management—recently benefited from Defra’s Countryside Stewardship scheme, allowing him to…

Quiz of the week 1) Who was named BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2020? 2) In traditional Western music, how many notes are in a musical scale? 3) Which number, referring to the brand's varieties, appears on all Heinz products? 4) The peewit or green plover is properly known by what name? 5) The Three Peaks Challenge involves climbing which three UK mountains? Word of the week Pleionosis (noun) The exaggerated sense of one's own importance 1) Lewis Hamilton 2) Seven 3) 57 4) Lapwing (‘Vanellus vanellus’) 5) Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon Time to buy Let’s go outside Willaston Grange, near Neston, Wirral. June 19, 12pm–4.30pm. Admission £5, pre-booking essential (www.ngs.org.uk) Willaston Grange has an uplifting story of restoration. The characterful Arts-and-Crafts house (not open) was home…

Much Ado About Mothing, James Lowen (Bloomsbury, £18.99) We have more than 2,000 species of moth in the UK and they are widely condemned as being - the ugly stepsisters to the butterfly's Cinderella. James Lowen's feelings about them ranged from hatred to indifference until, one day in his forties, he encountered an arrestingly beautiful poplar hawk-moth and ‘the scales fell from his eyes'. This book charts his year-long quest to see our rarest and most remarkable examples-and to persuade others of their value and unexpected magnificence.…

Apple-sorbet freshness Marks & Spencer, Found Blanquette de Limoux Brut, Languedoc, France NV. £10, Marks & Spencer, alc 12% One of 12 wines in M&S's new Found range-all £10 or less -celebrating hidden gems. Blanquettes must be at least 90% Mauzac (here with 5% each of Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay), which gives flavours of ripe apples, pears and florals on the round, honeyed palate. A grassy, apple-sorbet freshness runs through, too. Good for Prosecco lovers. Try with tarte tatin Nederburg, The Liberator Napoleon Bona Part Five Noble Late Harvest, Western Cape, South Africa 2019. £10.95/37.5cl, The Wine Society, alc 10% Muscat with one-third Chenin Blanc, this delicious sweet wine (160g/L residual sugar)-a limited-edition parcel-is fresh and youthful, with cane-sugar sweetness and pineapple and apricot fruit. Try it with blue cheese…

David Austin (1926–2018) once claimed his dyslexia enabled him to ‘make connections that other people don't'. Although he made little progress as a pupil at Shrewsbury School in Shropshire, it was on finding a copy of a gardening magazine in the school library that his interest in plant breeding began. A lifelong passion was born after he was given nurseryman Edward Bunyard's Old Garden Roses for his 21st birthday. His first new rose, ‘Constance Spry', was introduced in 1961, but, to begin with, nobody wanted his ‘old-fashioned' roses and nurseries refused to stock them. He persevered, however, and, by the 1980s, he was a Chelsea regular, winning his first Gold Medal in 1984 (30 of his English Roses carry an RHS Award of Garden Merit). Austin also wrote several books,…

Red A migrant to Britain from Europe 11,000 years ago and one of only two native species of deer. Iconic in the Scottish Highlands, although there are also significant populations in south-west Scotland, the Lakes, East Anglia, and especially in the West Country, where staghound packs monitor and regulate the population. Due to control measures, the Highland population is decreasing, but English numbers are increasing. Roe The other UK native and the prettiest of all our deer, roe dwell in woodland and are increasing in numbers across the UK. They cause damage to young trees and find ready habitat in new environmental schemes and on urban fringes, where they are difficult to cull; generally, however, they are not too hard to manage as a species because they are territorial. Fallow…

Gillows didn't only make furniture in mahogany and rosewood. In the late 18th century, the workshop produced pieces in fashionable satinwood and, in the 1820s and 1830s, branched out into supplying modish, large-scale giltwood furniture. Several suites of surprisingly flamboyant, but elegant large-scale giltwood seat-furniture were made for Wentworth Woodhouse in South Yorkshire, Ickworth in Suffolk and Tatton Park, Cheshire, between 1813–40, in the revived Louis XIV style (COUNTRY LIFE, October 11, 1924). Gillows has been extensively studied since the firm's archive, unique in English furniture-making, was acquired by Westminster City Archives in 1966. All students of the great Lancaster firm owe a huge debt to Susan Stuart, whose scholarship is published in her two-volume monograph Gillows of Lancaster and London 1730–1840 (Woodbridge, 2008).…

Maj Topbrass, long-serving chair of the parish council, might consider himself to be head honcho in the village, but Dave, the local mechanic, would beg to differ. Dave never pulls rank, but he takes a quiet pleasure in the power he wields when mechanical failure wreaks havoc in villagers' lives. It comes with all sorts of benefits, from complimentary pints to bottles of Scotch from grateful old ladies whose Honda Jazz he has sorted. Best of all was the unanimous support for his application to convert his former premises into a housing development that rode roughshod over the village plan. He could have taken early retirement, but he's moved to an industrial unit on the farm because, frankly, he would not only miss the forelock-tugging deference with which he's treated,…

TRAVEL still being up in the air—only in the metaphorical sense—the major international art fairs must continue to do their best by would-be exhibitors and visitors, with online enticements linked, where practicable, with gallery viewings. Very few established participants were keen on the idea of an autumn Maastricht TEFAF and that proposal has been dropped, following the permanent abandonment of the organisation’s winter event in New York. In London, Frieze and Frieze Masters are still scheduled to go ahead in Regent’s Park (October 13–17) and there is also a new permanent Frieze gallery space in Cork Street, where regular exhibitors at the fairs can put on exhibitions. Next week, my column will be devoted to London Art Week online and gallery exhibitions (July 2–16). And so to Masterpiece (June 24–27,…

ROAD verges cover an area the size of Dorset (1.2% of Britain), finds a new study, and should be allowed to flourish into mini wildflower meadows, 97% of which have been lost since the 1930s.s. Using Google, researchers from the University of Exeter estimate that road verges in England, Scotland and Wales cover some 1,000 square miles. Nearly 28% of these are frequently mown (some as a safety measure), 40.87% is grassland, 18.73% woodland and 10.66% scrub—and we’re not harnessing their ‘significant opportunities’, says the study. ‘There’s a lot of road verge in Great Britain and we could manage it much better for Nature,’ comments Exeter’s Ben Phillips. ‘About a quarter of our road verges are mown very regularly to make them look like garden lawns—this is bad for wildlife.’…

WHAT a difference a couple of weeks of warm, fine weather has made to the countryside. I’m not sure whether it’s only me, but I’m convinced this glorious spell has caused the trees, hedgerows and verge-side vegetation to put on an enormous growth spurt. So much so that the nettles in our field look far taller than usual and the shocking-pink red cam-pion appears to be brighter, more vigorous and more prolific than in previous years. Some of our tiniest wildflowers, such as the delicate, violet-blue blooms of germander speedwell, seem to be putting on more of a show, too. Indeed, this dainty flower—which boasts upright spikes of four bright-sapphire petals with a white centre that gives rise to common names such as ‘bird’s eye’—is often so concealed in the…

I AM sending you a photograph of a sixteenth century clock in the tower of St Mary Steps, Exeter. In a canopied alcove are three automatic figures, the centre one, supposed to represent Henry VIII, is in a sitting posture and, on the clock striking the hour, solemnly nods its head at every stroke. On each side is a soldier holding a javelin and a hammer, with which they strike the quarters alternately on bells at their feet. The figures are known as ‘Mathew the Miller and his two sons’, from the fact that the miller, who had a mill in Cricklepit Lane near the church, was so punctual in going and returning from his work that the neighbours were able to judge the time—C. S. W.…

LAST Wednesday, Athena tuned into Parliament TV to hear a Westminster Hall debate about the future of the learned societies—the Society of Antiquaries, the Geological Society, The Linnean Society and the Royal Astronomical Society—in their purpose-built premises of the 1850s at New Burlington House, Piccadilly W1. Readers of Athena will remember that for complex reasons these societies suddenly face massive and sharply increasing rental bills levied by the Department of Communities and Local Government and they can’t afford them (Athena, January 6, 2021). It was heartening that, over the course of an hour, a cross-party lineup of MPs praised the work of the learned societies and outlined the value of both what they do and the collections they hold. Forcing the societies out of Burlington House, they argued, would be…

Rosa ‘Constance Spry’ This pink climbing rose with the fragrance of myrrh was the original of David Austin's famed English Roses brand, introduced in 1961 Rosa ‘Graham Thomas’ Named after the horticulturist who was both a friend and an inspiration to Austin, the bold yellow climber with a tea-rose scent was introduced in 1983 Rosa ‘The Lark Ascending’ Peach-coloured shrub rose, introduced in 2012 and named after Ralph Vaughan Williams's composition. Echoing many racehorse owner-breeders, Austin always gave his new cultivars eye-catching names…

• Blue-tailed damselfly Visits all ponds. In flight May–August • Common darter Hardy species. In flight July–October and sometimes even later • Southern hawker Wood lover, but this friendly, inquisitive dragonfly also visits small ponds. In flight July–September • Emperor dragonfly Prefers large ponds with plenty of vegetation, but will visit smaller ones. In flight June–August • Large red damselfly Common in gardens, where it likes to perch on pond vegetation. In flight April–August • Broad-bodied chaser Enjoys small, sunny ponds and often returns to a favoured perch. In flight June–July…

SUMMER is here and alfresco parties are on, the success of which depends on a good atmosphere and relaxed guests. ‘Work with the materials you have and use pieces from your surroundings,’ encourages Georgina Griffith-Jones of Moriarty Events (www.moriartyevents.com). ‘Forage for shells and stones, then use them as place cards and piled along the table in between candles. Pick grasses and wildflowers (sparingly), too.’ She adds: ‘If you’re in a small space, try lavender or herb pots—encourage guests to pluck herbs to top their plates of food.’ Miss Griffith-Jones recommends wireless lamps to improve the mood and, if space permits, having drinks in one spot, then moving to another for the food. ‘This helps conversation to flow, and adds to anticipation. Don’t forget background music, which is key, and candlelight…

CHILDREN played a traditional little game with those white trumpet flowers. If they squeezed the calyx, the corolla would jump out. Around the country, various chants accompanied the activity. In south London, where the blooms were called poor man’s lilies, it was ‘Nanny goat, nanny goat, pop out of bed’. In Dorset and Bedfordshire, you would hear ‘Granny, granny, pop out of bed’. In Hampshire, it was ‘Lazy Maisie, jump out of bed’. Shropshire folk called them thunder flowers because a storm was believed to follow if they were picked. A Cornish name for the plant was pingle-wingles. In parts of lowland Scotland, it was known as young man’s death, for if a girl picked a bloom, her boyfriend was doomed. ‘Hedge bindweed was cited as a laxative, as a…

SOON after her marriage in 1858, Prince Albert wrote to his eldest daughter that: ‘We only rarely buy works of the Water Colour school for ourselves, but we have made presents to each other of the pictures. Thus the pleasure that we take in them is doubled.’ In fact, Victoria and Albert were both enthusiastic watercolour collectors, but they were also well aware of the need to avoid the conspicuous extravagance of the Queen’s uncle, George IV, in art collecting and architectural projects. Watercolours were an economical field in which to collect and, in the light of today’s knee-jerk criticism of monies proposed for work on Buckingham Palace, it is worth noting that, in their redecoration, the couple was scorned for cheese-paring. ‘The albums of views of Coburg given to…

I DON’T know if it was some congenital failing, or perhaps a result of their wartime experiences, but although my father and paternal grandparents loved wine and kept an excellent cellar, they relished food that was so bland as to be almost tasteless. Luncheon and dinner had the same four components: a dreary soup followed by over-cooked meat with over-boiled vegetables doused in a glutinous, insipid gravy, followed by an over-cooked pudding drenched in a glutinous, insipid custard, followed by a piece of hard, mouldy cheese, dried-out celery and stale biscuits. In 1958, this culinary wasteland was invaded by my mother. In she came with her outlandish, foreign (New York) culinary ways. She demanded that the cook start using onions, herbs and—gasp—garlic (I suspect my grandmother would rather have seen…

FARMERS and landowners can now apply for the new England Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO)—a grant scheme launched last week that rewards tree planting and management, with extra contributions per hectare for species recovery, reduced flood risk and improved habitats, water quality and public access. A total of £15.9 million is available for the first year, set to cover the entire cost of buying, planting and maintenance for a decade. The EWCO is ‘flexible’, explains Forestry Commission chair Sir William Worsley (Opinion, June 9), allowing landowners to plant anything from ‘a small one-hectare block’ or ‘a strip of trees along rivers to reduce flood risk, to large mixed woodlands’. This is ‘significantly better than previous schemes’ adds CLA president Mark Bridgeman and ‘the minimum application area of one hectare’, plus ‘optional…

The wrong god Last week's joyful floral display at Piccadilly Circus-by Lewis Miller -is welcome, but we must stop calling the figure atop the fountain Eros. It's actually his less mischievous twin, Anteros Kittiwakes Numbers have halved since the 1960s, due to climate change and overfishing, particularly of staple sand eels Letting it grow Despite enthusiasm for rewilding, landowners, farmers and councils still feel duty bound to keep fields and hedges tidy, sometimes overriding biodiversity as a priority, says the GWCT…

AT the end of half term the family enjoyed a weekend break in Northern Ireland. It was our first collective trip out of London since last autumn and proved a tonic for us all. Not only did we enjoy the most wonderful weather, but the countryside felt invigorating—alive with wild garlic, cow parsley and trees covered in salad-green leaves. Our escape was all the more welcome because both the children were confronted with school tests and exams on their return. Consequently, there has been a lot of revision—or at least long disappearances called revision—going on. This goes to press with just a French paper outstanding. As the weather warms up and the windows stand wide open at night, we have been particularly afflicted by the sound of foxes on the…

Make that change QI’ve always hated people saying that ‘things aren’t what they used to be’ as they object to some minor change. However, as I approach the end of middle age, I find myself railing against changes in everything from the National Trust to my local theatre. Am I wrong to feel this way? L. G., North Yorkshire AI think we can all agree that things are most certainly not what they used to be. Of course, in some cases, I’m rather glad. It’s infinitely easier to flick a lightswitch than to wander around with a candle, indoor loos are an undeniable convenience and I’m inclined to think it preferable that young girls are no longer married off to their father’s eligible friends. On the other hand, I resent…

What’s your earliest holiday memory? Salcombe, Devon. Beach days, rain or shine —and a full cool box. Perfect. Have you had any travel disasters? Yes, and it’s hard to describe quite how bad it was. The turbulent (literally) tale starts on a small ferry, in between two Greek islands: four hours in an enclosed space with 100 other passengers being sick into bags as we rocked back and forth, with, for some godforsaken reason, a Nazi documentary playing on the televisions. Where’s top of your travel bucket list? A road trip down the west coast of North America, a riding trip in Argentina—or Iceland! I’m dying to go to Iceland. What do you never travel without? A cornucopia of shirts (I know a great place!) and my film camera, paperback…

UNTIL only a few weeks ago, passing through the crisply detailed elegant portico on the south-east front of Wormington Grange in Gloucestershire, one entered a series of beautifully arranged and meticulously revived rooms. The house and its collection has been the life work of John Evetts, furnishing expert for The Landmark Trust. After taking on the house from his parents in the 1980s, he began with an almost blank canvas, with a handful of objects from his great-grandparents’ tenure—notably, a spectacular painting of a Dorset coastal landscape by Algernon Newton (1880–1968), two chandeliers and a large giltwood mirror. To these prominent pieces, Mr Evetts added elegant Regency mahogany and rosewood furniture of the best kind, selected for its proportion, design, colour, usefulness and, above all, appropriateness. Perhaps unsurprisingly for such…

ALTHOUGH there was an admirable attempt in the 1980s to treat contemporary decorative art with the respect it deserves, the fundamental mistake was to display it in the same way as pieces of conceptual art. Colour, texture and raw brickwork tend to offer a much more sympathetic setting, compared with lonely plinths, downlights and crisply plastered walls. Not only is no man an island, but few things of beauty were intended to be cut loose in a Minimalist void. Decorative pieces look so much more engaging set among furniture, paintings, bowls or flowers (and even a smelly old dog or two). ‘Few things of beauty were intended to be cut loose in a Minimalist void’ Context is one of the many reasons why a forthcoming exhibition curated by Adrian Sassoon…

I DO wonder, sometimes, if those of us who advise on gardens and gardening are too bossy. There is, after all, a fine line between sharing experiences of cultivation and being dictatorial. In the same way that there is no accounting for taste, neither is there any accounting for a style of gardening that gives any individual particular pleasure. Gardening is, by its very nature, interfering. It interferes with the natural flora of a patch of land, governing both its content and the way in which that content is laid out. Although there are definite rights and wrongs about what is likely to make certain plants grow well—light or shade, well-drained or soggy soil, acidic or alkaline conditions—within those parameters much boils down to individual taste—a gardener’s own likes and…

‘While you've a lucifer to light your fag, smile boys, that's the style.' So ran a line in the First World War song Pack up Your Troubles-the fag concerned was the Wild Woodbine, the cheap, unfiltered cigarette that brought consolation to the troops. One of the most memorable characters in that conflict was a chain-smoking padre, the Revd Geoffrey Stoddert Kennedy, who carried a haversack of paper five-packs that he distributed when he joined the men huddled in the trenches, where he was known as Woodbine Willy. A genuine hero, he won the MC crawling under fire to administer to the dead and dying on the Messines Ridge in June 1917. The Wills brand did the morale boosting in the Second World War, and, in civvy street, launched many a…

The exhibition ‘Victoria and Albert: Our Lives in Watercolour' shows 90 works, including several by Victoria. Scotland features largely in the watercolour collection and, in 1883, she appointed one of her last drawing masters, Nathaniel Everett Green, Landscape Painter in Watercolours in Ordinary on the strength of his Highland views. What she called her ‘Great Expeditions', in 1860 and 1861, assumed even greater importance to her afterwards, because they were her last brief moments of comparative freedom and happiness with Albert, who was already ill and died in December 1861. For a couple of days, they would travel ‘incognito' through the Highlands, staying in small inns. Later, the grieving Queen commissioned Richard Leitch, son of William, and Carl Haag-whom she thought greedy in charging-to make pictures of ‘some dear Memories',…