Innholdsfortegnelse for 08-Sep-2021 i Country Life

THE circus is back in town. Extinction Rebellion, which won sympathy when it started in 2018, is becoming tiresome. Most people have got the message about the climate: something untoward is happening and it behoves us to take what measures we can against it. But a campaign with a goal to crash the economy for the sake of environmental purity risks having the opposite effect from that intended. If the measures we need to take against a potential calamity are themselves calamitous, we may as well take our chances and enjoy the years that remain. Obviously, that is not a desirable outcome. There is a belief that noisy, economically destructive protest trumps rational discussion—we see it particularly with animal rights. It is promoted by those who hold that political change…

FOR 10 long years, conservators and volunteers have worked tirelessly to restore the exquisite Jacobean crewel-work embroidery of the famous 17th-century bed in Aston Hall’s King Charles Room, where Charles I slept before the Battle of Edgehill in 1642. Now, like a happy ending from mythology (although they slaved over their fabric only half as long as Penelope), the painstaking task is done and visitors can again admire the bed—with its curtains, pelmets and cover embroidered in wool coloured with natural dyes of blue, green, yellow, orange, red and pink, depicting the Tree of Life, birds, flowers, deer and a Chinese-style pavilion—at the Grade I-listed Birmingham institution. ‘Before the start of the project, the embroideries were very dirty, the colours were dull, and it was obvious that they were in…

FROM time immemorial gamekeepers have waged war against the hedgehog, or ‘woodurchin’, as the bristly animal has been termed. The sworn enemy of ground nesting game (to whose eggs it is fatally partial), and of leverets and young rabbits, it has ever been anathema to ‘Velveteens’. Indeed, at one time a price was set upon the wood-urchin’s head, a fourpenny bit having been the amount. The hedgehog’s utility in destroying cockroaches, upon which it thrives exceedingly, was not taken into account. The marauding creature sucked the eggs of pheasants and partridges, and therefore was doomed. ‘Hotchiwitchi’—as the gipsies entitle it—is, however, held in repute in bucolic culinary circles, being pre-eminently eatable. ‘And what,’ you will ask, ‘does baked hedgehog taste like?’ Well, it suggests pork, with a dash of chicken.…

WHAT a disappointing August and now no discernible Indian Summer to make amends. Hearing of brilliant sun in Scotland doesn’t compensate for all these gloomy days in much of the rest of the UK. What does make a difference, however, is the rediscovered pleasure of supper with friends after months of lockdown without being rained off or blown away when you’re trying to make six in the garden work. It is, however, odd how socialising doesn’t immediately flow as it used to. It’s almost as if we have to learn again how to be comfortable face to face—even with old friends—without any electronic protection. ‘We are two months away from “Natasha’s Law” and eight out of 10 food companies feel unprepared’ It’s in the awkwardness of recovering our social poise…

‘I have always loved van Gogh’s vivid and colourful paintings. This one is reminiscent of my glorious morning and evening walks during lockdown, when I was buoyed by the vitality and beauty around me, at a time that would otherwise have been terribly bleak. I took to walking miles every day through the beautiful Chiltern Hills. The vibrant colours of the fields of long grass and insects helped me gain a sense of perspective and gratitude. This expressive painting captures all of that. In what appears at first glance to be such a simple work, van Gogh has evoked the joy and hope of spring with the colour and movement of the grasses and the delight and beauty of the butterflies. I am passionate about luxury and exemplary craftsmanship and…

‘Paint it the colour of elephant's breath,' Nancy Lancaster once advised a decorator. A talent for phrasemaking clearly accompanied her all-seeing eye. The English country-house style, as operated by Lancaster, drew on a love of the past without being academically bound by it. Interior designer Nicky Haslam has described it as ‘a cool and eclectic view of the 17th and 18th centuries, rejecting anything ponderous, re-creating an image of the past that is not in any way “period,” with all the tiresome historicism that word implies'. Kelmarsh Hall, Northamptonshire, was the first of the large English houses to be the recipient of Lancaster's determination to replace the austere and intimidating with something more homely and welcoming. It was leased by her and her second husband, Ronald Tree, in 1928. Next,…

See the latest products and find out about specialist services, seek an architect's opinion or attend an inspiring masterclass at the Homebuilding & Renovating Show, which takes place at 10am–5pm, September 24–26, at ExCeL London, One Western Gateway, Royal Victoria Dock, E16. A one-day ticket costs £12 and two-day one costs £18, but COUNTRY LIFE readers can take advantage of a special offer to obtain free tickets, one-day entry only, by registering at london.homebuildingshow.co.uk/clfeature…

Miss Dior: A Story of Courage and Couture Justine Picardie (Faber, £25) IN 1946, so the story goes, Christian Dior was puzzling over what to name his fashion house’s first perfume: an elegant floral with notes of rose and jasmine. He and his pattern cutter Mitzah Bricard were wrestling with the question when Dior’s sister Catherine walked in. Bricard exclaimed: ‘Voila “Miss Dior”!’ —and the rest is history. ‘For a perfume to “hold”, it must first be held for a long time in the hearts of those who created it,’ Dior once said. He adored Catherine and the two went through hell together, as Justine Picardie shows in this atmospheric and unusual biography. Billed as ‘a story of freedom and fascism, beauty and betrayal’, it takes in Occupied Paris, the…

A NEWLY recognised National Plant Collection at Ventnor Botanic Garden on the Isle of Wight hopes to increase understanding about how climate change is affecting plants and trees, and how to garden in the future. Palm trees (Arecaceae) were first planted in glasshouses here in the 1860s—some of the first in the UK—and soon perished, but longevity improved dramatically in the 1970s. Since 2000, these trees have shown a 20-fold increase in survival on previous predictions. ‘Our National Plant Collections, or “living plant libraries”, showcase the amazing diversity of the UK’s cultivated plants,’ explains Vicki Cooke, Plant Heritage conservation manager. ‘Vent-nor’s palm trees live in the rare micro-climate of the “undercliff” on the Isle of Wight, so they’re protected from cold northerly winds by the chalk downs, only receive small…

THE countryside is gearing up for the harvest festivals, but this year has been ‘a mixed picture’, according to the NFU. ‘Many areas just haven’t had many clear dry days in a row to harvest, so things have been a bit “stop-start”,’ explains a spokesperson. ‘Where they have been harvesting, grain has often had to be dried, because the better weather hasn’t lasted long enough to get moisture levels down to where they need to be.’ Harvest would have been a little behind anyway, he adds, ‘because of the weather earlier in the year—such as the cold spring—which delayed ripening of crops a little.’ However, many farmers are seeing decent prices: in August, feed wheat, supply of which remains tight, brought in £170 per metric ton ex-farm, £54 more than…

Colour me beautiful FURTHER to Athena’s plea for a last hurrah for cooling towers (August 18), some years ago, my wife and I were visiting family in South Africa and I took this photograph of cheerfully painted cooling towers outside Johannesburg. Perhaps if some local artist decorated the towers at Fiddler’s Ferry, Cheshire, they might be listed and preserved. Mark Fordham, Merseyside Castles in the Scottish air I WAS very pleased to see Wedderburn Castle, Berwickshire, featured again in COUNTRY LIFE (below, August 25). The writer mentions my father, who brought us to live at Wedderburn in 1973. The house was not ‘semi-derelict’ at that time, as would be clear from your article of 1974, and the main drive was perfectly serviceable, although the back one was somewhat bumpy. Our…

AS Britain’s oldest purpose-built synagogue still in use, Bevis Marks has a unique place in Jewish history (Fig 1). It is known as the ‘great old Cathedral synagogue’ and the inscription over its entrance gives its Hebrew name as the ‘Holy Congregation The Gate of Heaven’. But it is generally known by the name of the City of London street on which it stands, historically held by the Abbey of Bury St Edmunds with the name Bevis Marks—recorded as ‘Bewesmerkes’ in 1407. Hidden from the street, Bevis Marks synagogue stands very much as it was completed in 1701—although much has changed around it and, sad to report, new development proposals on Creechurch Lane and Bury Street threaten to overshadow it. The synagogue was designed in an architectural style that echoes…

‘Every generation brings something new’ GARDENERS are always looking ahead, planning their crops, preparing the ground, planting seeds, taking cuttings and dreaming of growth and abundance. They know that they have to wait until the time is right, coping with disappointments and various unexpected developments along the way, but, eventually, when the conditions are perfect, they will reap the rewards. After a lifetime spent creating and caring for a spectacular family garden, the time will eventually come to hand over the reins to the next generation—and hope that they are up to the challenge. WHEN Joanna Macpherson received the call to take over the family estate, she had only ever visited Scotland for holidays and her knowledge of plants was limited to working for a gardening magazine and attending the…

Plaster perfection Creative director of Porta Romana Andrew Hills and Italian sculptor Viola Lanari will host a live demonstration and discussion on their recent collaboration, which has yielded a new range of sculpted plaster lighting and furniture. October 5, 10.30am, at 401½ Studios, 401½ Wandsworth Road, London SW8. No pre-booking required. Casting about Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler has collaborated with architectural sculptor Geoffrey Preston to create bespoke plasterwork designs, which will be exhibited at the company's showroom for the week. October 4–8, 9.30am–5.30pm; October 9, 10am–3pm, 89–91 Pimlico Road, SW1. Easy does it Founded in 1923, the Edward Barnsley Workshop in Hampshire builds on the legacy of furniture-maker Edward Barnsley (1900–87), now with a new Easy Chair in English Oak, upholstered in Attenborough wool linen from de Le Cuona's…

THOSE of us who relied on Netflix to lift their spirits during the long dark evenings of lockdown were rewarded by the screening in January 2021 of The Dig, a haunting dramatisation of the 1939 excavation of an Anglo-Saxon ship burial and its treasure in the grounds of the Sutton Hoo estate, Suffolk, starring Ralph Fiennes and Carey Mulligan. For lovers of historic houses, however, the real star of The Dig was its ‘moody and magnificent’ location, Norney Grange at Shackleford, three miles from Godalming, Surrey, which doubled for Sutton Hoo House in the film. An important, Grade II*-listed Arts-and-Crafts house built by the architect C. F. A. Voysey and set in 21 acres of landscaped gardens and woodland, Norney Grange is for sale, for the first time in 69…

ALL gardens go through change, but those surrounding the Mill House in Balcombe, West Sussex, have survived an impressive cycle of highs and lows. In the 1930s, the gardens were renowned for their exuberant borders and understated meadows. The then owner, Maude Haworth-Booth, was a friend and disciple of William Robinson who lived and gardened at nearby Gravetye Manor. Her book, My Garden Diary, which contains a foreword from Robinson, describes dense plantings of hardy perennials mixed with shrubs, climbers and native plants to create a naturalistic-looking garden scene of the sort that Robinson championed. When Graeme and Alison Musker acquired the property in 1998, the garden’s glory days were long past, choked by bindweed and smothered with ground elder. The Muskers sought the help of local gardener Alex Bell…

CLOUDS hung low over the Owen-duff River in Ireland’s Co Mayo when, after a lengthy wait, fisher-woman Miriam Moore landed her first salmon of the season. On its flanks were several large, circular wounds. She recognised the sign at once: the double-fanged mark of the lamprey. With good reason, the lamprey is known as the vampire of fish. It seeks out other fish and latches onto them with its circular, jaw-less mouth, ringed with rows of vicious teeth, then gorges on their blood. Attached to its victim, it is incredibly difficult to remove. It will remain clamped to a fish such as a salmon throughout its journey from the sea up river, until it finds a suitable breeding area, at which point it releases its victim and settles down in…

OFFERING something a little different to the overpopulated craft-gin market, Edinburgh’s Holyrood Distillery has taken inspiration from whisky and the ways its few ingredients create myriad flavours, producing a gin that is ‘stripped back to its core, juniper alone’. Its name, Height of Arrows, is a translation of the Gaelic name for Arthur’s Seat, Àrd-Na-Said (right), which can be seen from the distillery—so called because its height, 823ft, is said to be the furthest distance an archer could reach with an arrow. Piercing notes on the palate include orange zest, black pepper and cardamom, with fresh pine and resin aromas. ‘In whisky-making, we work with simplicity,’ explains Holyrood Distillery MD Nick Ravenhall. ‘We’ve taken this mindset to Height of Arrows and created a complex gin born from juniper alone.’ Height…

Oyster lovers August's Whitstable Oyster Festival was forced to cancel its food fair amid poisoning concerns over untreated sewage in seawater Working mothers A study names the 10 best European countries for working mothers -based on maternity pay, leadership and gender pay gap-and the UK does not make the cut. At least we're not among the 10 worst A snake is for life Two 10ft pythons were spotted in the Cambridgeshire village of Conington; the RSPCA is concerned that they are abandoned pets and more could follow…

IN the grounds of Kimberley Hall in Norfolk is a powerful oak that lived through the Hundred Years War and the Black Death, the Wars of the Roses, the Elizabethan age, Cromwell’s Protectorate and two World Wars. ‘The notion that it has survived seven centuries of history is hard to comprehend,’ says the hall’s Robbie Buxton, who recalls it being ‘a challenge to climb as a small child’. The oak is one of many majestic specimens featured in photographer Adrian Houston’s latest book, A Portrait of The Tree (£30). Concerned about the effect that climate change and disease were having on native trees, Mr Houston set out to show their importance and explore our connection with them. He asked landowners, entrepreneurs, actors, musicians and designers to pick their favourite tree…

Quiz of the week 1) The sackbut is a predecessor of which modern instrument? 2) Sevruga, beluga and osetra are all types of what? 3) Commonly found in perfume, the leaves of Pogostemon cablin are used to make which essential oil? 4) The toe loop, salchow, lutz and axel are recognised jumps in which sport? 5) According to legend, which brothers founded Rome? Word of the week Spuddle (verb) To work feebly and ineffectively Time to buy Riddle me this How long is the answer to this question Unmissable events Until December 18 ‘Estella Castle: Land in the Bend of the River’ (right), Egham Museum, Surrey. Straw work and corn dollies, with watercolours by John Hassell (www.visions.eghammuseum.org) September 12 Specialist Plant Fair, Borde Hill Garden, Haywards Heath, West Sussex. Locally…

Many birds are back in voice now, after August's silence during their moult. The warmth of summer helps to swell the numbers of insects they will find to eat, although they would be wise to give a wide berth to the large and flamboyant Jersey tiger moth, Euplagia quadripunctaria. Visually, ‘zebra' would be a better analogy, due to the black-and-white angular flashes on its upper wings. The folded lower wings, often partially visible as this large moth forages over nectar-rich flowers, range from egg-yolk yellow to near scarlet and are sparsely dotted with cheetah spots. So, no tiger-but all the same, its fancy dress proclaims ‘be wary': this morsel is toxic. The arrival of a Jersey tiger in the garden should cause excitement; these are rare creatures in Britain, although…

IN your ‘Quiz of the week’ (Notebook, August 25), you mention ragwort and the cinnabar moth. I have seen an explosion of ragwort this year, but not as many cinnabar-moth caterpillars. The Essex Wildlife Trust has asked motorists to count the number of bugs on their number plates and, as a motorcyclist, I can confirm that there are many fewer insects on my visor and bike screen than in previous years. The received wisdom is that this reduction is due to climate change, but here we have seen thousands of acres of land given over to housing, with the attendant loss of habitat, and I can’t believe that wind turbines aren’t having an effect. Insects are the bottom of the food pyramid and, as the world worries about the macro-effect…

1933 July 15, Published A group of prefects exuding youthful confidence chat and relax on deckchairs in the sunshine at Winchester College, Hampshire. In the pre-internet world, they read books and papers rather than tablets and laptops. The picture looks spontaneous, as if the photographer had simply stumbled across the scene and captured it. Every week for the past 125 years, COUNTRY LIFE has documented and photographed many walks of life in Britain. More than 80,000 of the images are available for syndication or purchase in digital format. To view the archives, visit www.countrylifeimages.co.uk and email enquiries to licensing@futurenet.com…

‘The irony of a main originator of the English country-house style being an American is noted’ NANCY LANCASTER and John Fowler were a fractious pairing, ‘the most unhappy unmarried couple in England,’ as Lancaster’s aunt Nancy Astor put it, but their imaginative dynamic brought spectacular results. Not the least of their creations was the Yellow Room, at 39, Brook Street, Mayfair, ‘a tour de force in decorating and one of the finest rooms created in the post-war period,’ according to their biographer Martin Wood. They came from different ends of the spectrum. Lancaster, the daughter of a wealthy cotton broker, had been born in the leafy Old South state of Virginia and moved to England in 1927. Lacking formal training, she had a talent for redesigning the interiors of large…

WHEN The Beatles released their eponymous 1968 album The Beatles, fans believed one of the songs written by Sir Paul McCartney, Martha My Dear, was perhaps an indirect message to his former fiancée, Jane Asher. With lyrics such as, ‘You have always been my inspiration’, you can understand the assumption. Years later, however, the musician revealed the true muse behind the song: it was about a real-life Martha, his beloved old English sheepdog (OES). To fans of the breed, it is no surprise that an OES might inspire poetry. An instantly recognisable dog, it is striking in both its large size and heavily coated appearance. To put it simply, it’s a big, soft bundle of fur, known for its gentle nature and a comical streak that melts the hardest of…

OF all the experiments that Lady Eve Balfour undertook over the course of her long life, the one most likely to have baffled her neighbours was her investigation into whose urine was the most beneficial to compost: her own (alkaline) or that of her long-term companion, Kathleen Carnley (acidic). Lady Eve, however, did not much care what her neighbours thought. The woman who co-founded the Soil Association and pioneered an organic-farming movement rarely minded being called a ‘crank’. After all, a crank—as she told the BBC’s Food Programme in 1989—was a small and useful, inexpensive instrument that causes revolutions. ‘It was financially precarious to be a farmer, so she played in a jazz band and co-wrote crime thrillers’ Born in 1898 to Scottish nobility, Lady Eve was an unlikely revolutionary.…

Built to last ‘Serious cookers for serious cooks' is the strapline of Lacanche. The Classic Flavigny, in luscious Cherry Red, costs from £11,200 (01202 733011; www.lacanche.co.uk) Good view Westbury is known for manufacturing timber windows, doors, orangeries and conservatories. Prices from £45,000 (01245 326500; www.westburygardenrooms.com and www.westburyjoinery.com) Colour shade Thomas Sanderson is launching a collection of coloured shutters in collaboration with Harlequin. Seaglass shutters are shown here, from £784 per m (0800 688 8082; www.thomassanderson.co.uk) On tap Instant boiling-hot water, as well as ‘regular' hot and cold, are all available from the Classic Fusion tap from Quooker, £1,790. Add a Cube system, £1,150, for sparkling and chilled water from the same spout (020–7923 3355; www.quooker.co.uk) Seeing clearly Mumford & Wood has long been making timber windows and doors. The Conservation…

Norfolk, excess £950,000 It's difficult not to be drawn to this pretty pink farmhouse dating back to 1537-with all its exposed beams and inviting wood-burners. In the wild Waveney Valley village of Denton, five miles from Harleston and Bungay towns, Grade II-listed Pear Tree Farm has been beautifully updated with five bedrooms, two under the towering pitched roof and one en suite. The drive sweeps through eight acres that include a double garage with a converted attic space (an excellent home office), six stables, tack room, outdoor school and paddocks. Durrants (01379 852217) Buckinghamshire £1.375 million In the Chiltern Hills AONB on the outskirts of Great Missenden-where Roald Dahl wrote in his garden shed for some 30 years-brick-and-flint Frith Hill Farm is pretty as a picture, white picket…