Aldeburgh Living by Aldeburgh Living

aldeburghliving ISSUE 001 Spring 2017

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The ArtHouse: Beach Front Interiors

Alde Valley Spring Festival Style: Spring Contrasts

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CONTENTS

Celebrating art, food, farming and landscape

The ArtHouse Aldeburgh beach

Your guide to this spring

Thao Ball and her Red Chilli Kitchen

Salter & King: Aldeburgh’s Craft Butcher

Miranda Kendall and Maple Farm Kelsale

Vanessa Collen introduces this season’s coastal style

Peter Harrison shares one of his favourite spring recipes

A day out with Iken Canoe

The evolution of graffiti shows at Snape

Alde Valley Spring Festival

What’s On

Worth a Butchers Hook

Spring Style Edit

Simply Messing About in Boats

Happening Here!

Beachfront Interiors

As they say in Vietnam

Life on the Farm

This Season’s Recipe

Masters of Invention

Beyond the Wild Wood Bluebells and ancient oaks in Captain’s Wood

aldeburghliving Living Publishing Ltd. 31 Fawcett Road, Aldeburgh, Suffolk IP15 5HQ Registered in England no. 10383720

Stacey Paine

Editorial and Design stacey@aldeburghliving.com 01728 453323 07800 566174 Nick Paine

Advertising and Brand nick@aldeburghliving.com 01728 453323 07967 508006 Emma Close-Brooks

Contributing Editor Bill Jackson Brian Skilton Nick Sinclair

Photography Printed by Southwold Press Ltd.

Subscribe Aldeburgh Living is a quarterly magazine published in March, June, September and December. Also available online at aldeburghliving.com, or by email (visit the website to subscribe). To have all 4 issues posted to an address of your choice simply subscribe via our website aldeburghliving.com or by email info@aldeburghliving.com. A subscription is only ÂŁ19.50 a year. Disclaimer: Whilst every care has been taken to ensure that the data in this publication is accurate, neither the publisher nor the editor, nor its editorial contributors can accept, and hereby disclaim any liability to any party for omissions resulting from negligence, accident or any other cause. All artwork is accepted on the strict condition that permission has been given for use in this publication. Aldeburgh Living does not officially endorse any advertising material included within this publication. All rights reserved. No parts of this publication may be reproduced without prior permission of Living Publishing Ltd.

SUFFOLK

ALDE VALLEY SPRING FESTIVAL

Each spring in Suffolk, when the hedgerows explode with cow parsley and bursting buds, another new growth sprouts from the lanes just a few miles inland from Aldeburgh. Coloured ribbons and wooden, pokerworked elfin signs pop from the verges, to entice the passer-by to follow their trail to the source of these man-made blossoms: White House Farm, Great Glemham, the home of the Alde Valley Spring Festival. Artist, visionary and organic farmer Jason Gathorne-Hardy is the man behind this now highly popular month-long celebration of local foods, farming, landscape and the arts; four things that he believes are not only vital to rural existence but ‘deeply interlinked. We are what we eat, and what we eat comes from our surroundings; and how we care for our environment and how we produce and sell our food greatly affects our landscape,’ he explains. ‘The arts all resonate with that landscape and have the potential to celebrate and amplify or highlight aspects of it and the way we live within it.’ Visitors to the Spring Festival can see, touch and taste the very essence of this part of the world, in a glorious homage to these four strands of Suffolk life. It has echoes of paganism about it and, on the surface, looks wonderfully rustic; the entire event takes place in White House Farm’s sheep barns, which, for the rest of the year, are occupied by the future produce of Alde Valley Lamb (Jason’s equally popular organic meat venture). Look closer, however, and you will find not only a prodigious set of names in the Festival Exhibition – Maggi Hambing, Roger Hardy and Tessa Newcomb, among several others – but an astounding display of talent and

creativity across a plethora of skills: drawing, painting, writing, sculpture, music, traditional crafts, as well as food and film. The event was born in 2003, in a cottage Jason was renovating in the village. ‘I had asked local artist Tessa Newcomb to paint some murals around the inside of the house showing scenes from the village street and surrounding countryside,’ Jason says. ‘Her presence and the work she was making seemed to start quite a few conversations running. I was intrigued at how this happened – it seemed to be the arts working, prompting conversations and engagement and new observations. We decided to open the house for two weeks with friends, showing other paintings by Tessa, together with some of my drawings, and paintings by my grandmother Fidelity Cranbrook. To our surprise, these all sold quite well.’ ‘I decided to do it again the next year – but in the farmhouse at White House Farm.’ Titled ‘The Easter Retreat Exhibition’, the second event included work by Tory Lawrence, Kate Giles, Maggi Hambling, Tessa, Jason and others. Once again it was hearteningly successful and the following year relocated to the sheep barns to expand further. ‘The early exhibitions took place shortly after lambing – it was always a scramble to scrub them down and paint them before opening time, and install a few extra light bulbs.’ Jason is lighthearted and characteristically self-effacing about how the Spring Festival has developed. ‘I look back sometimes with embarrassment to those times, rushing around with ladders, paint brushes, hammer and nails – sometimes even as the first

guests arrived. But it has grown over the years. For that I am immensely thankful.’ Soon the exhibitions were running alongside another of Jason’s projects, ‘Alde Valley Food Adventures’. ‘These were intended to build awareness of the amazing local food scene, to help nurture a broader sense of local food and landscape identity at a time when both seemed very vulnerable to large scale developments,’ he says. ‘In 2011 I decided to merge the ‘Alde Valley Food Adventures’ and ‘The Easter Retreat Exhibition’ to create The Alde Valley Spring Festival.’ Jason puts the success of the now thriving annual event down to a collective power, not only of people but of the place from which they all spring. ‘I try to plan with a clear intention to grow – but at the same time try to keep the side doors open. It sometimes feels a bit like being an operator in an old fashioned telephone exchange, adjusting the wires to make new connections. I think being immersed in a landscape and place is essential: just sitting in it and watching; learning about it primarily through observation but also through meeting people and having or making time to talk. I am always fascinated by the threads of narrative that can run through a landscape, bringing it to life.’ As an artist and regular exhibitor at the Spring Festival himself, Jason’s belief in landscape and the importance of responding to it pervades his own creativity. His materials and media often include the wind, rain and earth that host his creative process, tying it to place irrevocably. ‘I like to embed in the landscape – sitting well-wrapped up with papers, graphite, sketchbooks and a thermos; ideally in the elements – in the rain or wind. I like to work on wet paper,’ he says. Jason’s early endeavours into drawing and painting took place on the nearby banks of the tidal Alde at Iken and Snape, where he first experimented with using as media the stuff offered up by his surroundings. ‘When working – preferably outdoors and ideally in the rain or mist – I like to bring the pigments and water in the landscape into the work, often wetting paper in the sea, puddles, rivers or bogs and streams. I often draw into dusk, leaving after the light has faded. Losing the light leads to losing detail too – but can also give way to a more subtle

appreciation of shape and form.’ His other projects have included the creation of an annual, communityowned food-festival in the Kelabit Highlands of Borneo and recent drawing excursions have taken him to the Howgill Fells in Cumbria and to County Kerry in Ireland. Closer to home, Jason is currently working on a ‘seedling project’ entitled ‘The Eye of Achilles’, exploring the echoing history of the now endangered Suffolk Punch horse, focused on the Alde Valley. The 2017 Spring Festival welcomes some fantastic young artists and writers, alongside the big names to which visitors have become accustomed (the aforementioned Maggi Hambling and Tessa Newcomb have both been regulars throughout). Jelly Green, who grew up in Rendham (another Suffolk village through which the river Alde flows and which has produced a huge amount of artistic and musical talent) was the recipient of the 2014 Spring Festival’s inaugural Fidelity Cranbrook Residency Award for Painting, and this year has work on show in the main Festival Exhibition. As part of a new writing residency created last year, new writer Jack Cooke (author of ‘The Tree Climber’s Guide’) will be speaking at one of the Farm Suppers. There are many more that visitors will not want to miss – talks from Aljos Farjon, Alistair Carr and others, as well as exhibits from Ruth Stage, Jennifer Hall, Freddy Morris, Meriel Ensom, Craig Hudson, and the list goes

on. In addition, the Spring Festival’s ‘Handmade’ workshop residencies feature an enchanting display of craftsmanship and creativity, including felt-making, sculpture and musical instrument making. There are also several mouth-watering food events and really, something for all the family. Jason’s outlook on this year’s Spring Festival, fourteen years on from the cottage, is fresh as ever. ‘I think that a sense of exploration is important: in how we look at things and how we experience our surroundings. The Festival programme is intended to provide a welcome – but also encourage an

exploration of our surroundings, to get back in touch with the landscape to see it through the eyes of different artists, makers and writers. I hope guests and visitors will feel that.’ The Alde Valley Spring Festival runs Sat 22nd April–Sunday 21st May 2017, open daily 10am– 6pm except Mondays (open Bank Holidays). Free Entry to Festival Exhibition, Weekend Open Workshops, Farm Nature Walks. Other events by ticket only. Visit aldevalleyspringfestival.co.uk for bookings and information.

ALDE VALLEY SPRING FESTIVAL 2017 ‘Quercus: A celebration of the English Oak, Trees & Wildlife’ Festival Exhibition Featuring new works by: Jelly Green (recipient of the 2014 Spring Festival’s inaugural Fidelity Cranbrook Residency Award for Painting); Maggi Hambling; Ruth Stage; Jennifer Hall; Freddy Morris; Meriel Ensom; Roger Hardy; Tessa Newcomb; Craig Hudson; Jason Gathorne Hardy and others.

Writing at Great Glemham A new writing residency scheme launched in 2016, welcoming a series of authors writing about long distance walking, adventure and the outdoors. Including residencies, Farm Suppers and Festival Talks from: Alistair Carr – The Nomad’s Path: Travels in the Sahel (I.B.Tauris 2013); Aljos Farjon (a world-renowned expert on conifers, now working as Hon. Research Associate at Kew, mapping ancient oaks of England); and Jack Cooke – The Tree Climber’s Guide (Harper Collins 2016).

Handmade Workshop Residencies including pop-up workshops with Sarah Butters (feltmaker and wool-worker); Tobias Ford (knife maker and sculptor); Jim Parsons (chairmaker); Otis Luxton (musical instrument maker); and Raymond Hopkins (maker of stools and Glemham Hedge Chairs). Static displays by Drywood Ltd. (mobile sawmilling) and Jonny Briggs (oak timber framer) will also feature. Open at weekends during the Festival.

The Big Spring Picnic To take place at the Big Table: ‘unofficially the longest picnic table on the planet’, at 209m long it can seat up to 600. In association with woodland and wildlife charities. Also celebrating Aldeburgh Food & Drink Festival’s book Unearthed, published autumn 2016. All welcome, entry requirement simply a picnic of local foods. Launches 20th May 2017.

Farm Suppers Thurs 27th April, Thurs 4th May, Thurs 11th May, Thurs 18th May. Guests of Honour: Alistair Carr, Aljos Farjon, Jack Cooke.

Festival Talks Fri 28th April (Alistair Carr); Fri 12th May (Aljos Farjon); Fri 19th May (Jack Cooke).

Festival Shop Selling British sheepskins, pottery, handmade bags by Studio Vandertas, baskets and bags by Maison Bengal, baskets by Peter Dibble, local honey and apple juice and other local and handmade crafts. Pop Up Tea Rooms, Farm Nature Walks and KinderGarden Play Field will also be open – centred around the new addition to the farm: HQ (a.k.a. the farm’s ‘Hedge Quarters’ – the planning base for the farm’s conservation projects and centre for rural writing/poetry workshops).

GET YOUR FIXE OF THE CLASSICS The Brasserie Bleue in the White Lion Hotel is a great place to indulge in your favourite Brasserie dish, made with fresh, local ingredients.

Prixe Fixe 2 courses £12.50 3 courses £16.50

To book, please call 01728 452720 whitelion.co.uk White Lion Hotel, Market Cross Pl, Aldeburgh IP15 5BJ

Brighten your day with with exotic Indian cooking and local craft beer in an atmospheric restaurant by the sea.

To book your table, please call 01728 451800 seaspice.co.uk The White Lion Hotel, Market Cross Pl, Aldeburgh IP15 5BJ

SPRING DAYS, FISH AND CHIPS

Enjoy a peaceful lunch watching the ships go by in a wonderful restaurant by the sea.

01728 452071 brudenellhotel.co.uk Brudenell Hotel, The Parade, Aldeburgh IP15 5BU

Book your Perfect Suffolk Escape

4 Star Luxury Cottages & Studios and Caravan Club CL

Mollettâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Farm, Main Road, Benhall, Saxmundham, Suffolk IP17 1JY

Tel: +44 1728 604547 Email: bookings@molletts.com

www.molletts.com

The Lettering Arts Centre Contemporary gallery showcasing the finest examples of lettered art, from letter carving to calligraphy. Hand-lettered art by leading artists, crafted in stone, wood, metal, ceramics.

Lettering Arts Centre Snape Maltings, Snape, Suffolk IP17 1SP 01728 688393 | 01728 688934 www.letteringartstrust.org.uk

WHAT’S ON

March

April

2– 5th March

17th March

26th March

30th March–1st April

16th Aldeburgh Literary Festival

St. Patrick’s Day Black Velvet, Oysters, Irish Stew, Collcanon and a Treacle Tart

Mothers Day Afternoon Tea with Jazz

Puccini: Tosca

Various venues aldeburghbookshop.co.uk

4th March

Bandana Day for The Brain Tumour Charity

East Coast eastcoastcafeandstore.com

24th March onwards

The Icecreamery, Aldeburgh High Street

‘Masters of Invention’

12th March

Lettering Arts Trust, Snape Maltings

Prometheus letteringartstrust.org.uk Orchestra: Beethoven, Mozart, 25th March Respighi and Haydn Peter Harrison’s Saturday Jubilee Hall aldeburghjubileehall.co.uk Suppers Brick Kiln Barn brickkilnbarn.com

Thorpeness Country Club thorpenesscountryclub.co.uk

26th March

Mothering Sunday Lunch Set lunch and a glass of champagne for every mother East Coast eastcoastcafeandstore.com

30th March 2–3.30pm

Queer Talk: Britten’s Music for Pears The Red House brittenpears.org

Snape Maltings snapemaltings.co.uk

1st April

Pamela Holmes Booksigning Books & Cards, Snape Maltings snapemaltings.co.uk

1st April

Silver Electra An exciting opera aimed at children aged 7– 14, with a story that takes us from Australia to America and back Snape Maltings snapemaltings.co.uk

Tessa Newcomb Untitled Picnic ‘(detail)’. Painted at Alde Valley Spring Festival

May 1st April

14–16th April

22nd April–29th May

15th May

Steam Up

Snape Maltings

Alde Valley Spring Festival

Moat Farm Flower Workshop

See p.5 for details

Willow planters

Spring Steam and Activity Easter Weekend Day See ‘Happening Here’ Long Shop Museum p.33 for details longshopmuseum.co.uk

8th April

Britten–Pears Orchestra with Marin Alsop and Colin Currie

16th April

Easter Sunday Set Lunch East Coast

16th April

snapemaltings.co.uk

Easter Lunch and Egg Hunt

Moat Farm Flower Workshop

Peter Harrison’s Saturday Suppers brickkilnbarn.com

eastcoastcafeandstore.com

Snape Maltings

12th April

moatfarmflowers.com

22nd April

28th April

‘Are you so?’

Thorpeness Country Club

Maggi Hambling in conversation The Red House

thorpenesscountryclub.co.uk

brittenpears.org

20th May

The Big Spring Picnic Part of Alde Valley Spring Festival See p.5 for details 20–21st May

Sheep Shearing Easton Farm Park eastonfarmpark.co.uk

Easter Flowers

Easter weekend onwards

27th May

moatfarmflowers.com

Woodfired Pizza

Works in Wartime!

White Hart Aldeburgh

Living History and Vintage Fair longshopmuseum.co.uk

Worth a butcher’s hook Walking past Salter & King butchery in Aldeburgh high street is not easy. First, there is an inviting bench. Second, those with a dog will immediately find themselves hauled inward and, before embarrassment at your hound’s impetuousness can set in, the ‘Dog Park’ sign just outside the main door allows you to deposit Rover nonchalantly while you decide on what of the remaining spectacle to concentrate first. In season, pheasants in full feather and sometimes hares and rabbits hang, plump and wholesome, from the underside of the shopfront awning. Beneath, you will find a selection of seasonal vegetables to rival the produce of Mr. McGregor’s garden – fat juicy heirloom tomatoes, crisp green cabbages and, in the winter, sprouts on stalks that look good enough to entice even the grumpiest of sprout-haters. In almost every respect, it is the butchery from a child’s picture book – they actually use the butcher’s bike for town deliveries. But the stylish slate grey branding and the words ‘craft butcher’ hint that this is not just your ordinary meat shop. Gerard King, proprietor, is a third-generation butcher whose career started with the family business in Hackney, working as a packing boy. East London’s diverse and sometimes exotic client base gave Gerard

an education in culinary cultures and techniques, evident at Salter & King; local eggs, raw milk and other essential delicacies nestle among expertly chosen ingredients and marinades, some unusual and all highly appealing. The staff always know the answer to the best way to cook what you’re buying and Gerard inevitably has a recipe you hadn’t thought of. ‘Ask Gerard’ is almost becoming a town trope and, if you’re not inclined to cook your own, there’s a freezer full of home-made pies that includes the best steak & ale in pastry that money can buy. And all this before you’ve even made it to the meat counter. Gerard and his wife moved to nearby Great Glemham in 2007. His father had sold the Hackney butchery in the late 1980s. ‘Times were tough for butchers. So I had a decade out, working abroad and in the City,’ Gerard says. ‘But I held on to a vision of opening my own shop – butchery is in my blood, after all.’ The aim of the move was specifically to set up a butchery at the Suffolk Food Hall. ‘It was a great success and won several awards but when the chance came up to buy what was then Salter’s in Aldeburgh, I went for it.’ He is infectiously passionate about the best local meat. ‘My focus is on traditional-breed meat and

forgotten English specialities. I take real pleasure in seeking them out.’ Relationships are important – with beasts and custodians alike. ‘I try hard to find likeminded farmers and make visits to the farms so I really get to know the herd and farming methods,’ he says. ‘For me, good meat really matters – eating it should be a treat. Provenance, pasture, animal husbandry, handling, hanging and butchering all make such a difference to the taste and experience of eating meat. You want to eat something that has had a good life, something that has been treated well by the farmer and the butcher.’ Through it all, Gerard is a beef lover at heart – ‘nothing excites me more than going to look at a new herd of traditional-breed beef!’ His forward-thinking approach and appreciation of traditional values has led to some nationally acclaimed additions to the shop’s offering, including ‘Iken Old Cow’, a Spanish-inspired meat raised with the help of farmer Natasha Mann. He describes it as ‘a wonderful, super-aged beef’ (the most recent was a twelve year-old Lincoln Red; the majority of beef cattle in the UK are slaughtered aged 15-28 months). ‘I also make potted beef, salt beef and corned beef, with more specialities coming up.’ Salter & King brings significant custom from surrounding villages, forming an important and successful feature of Aldeburgh’s high street. ‘When so much is made of supermarkets and out-of-town retailers, it’s rewarding to be able to thrive as part of a traditional high street that has held on to its independence,’ he says. And the habit of passing the skills down the generations of Kings is hard to break. ‘My two kids love to come and help in the shop after school. My seven year-old daughter likes to bag things up, and my nine year-old son likes to count the money!’ Though not a resident, Gerard is very much at home in Aldeburgh. ‘We keep a little sailing boat at Slaughden. I love to take it out on summer evenings. Sometimes we’ll all have supper on the boat and watch the sunset. Even when it’s cold, Aldeburgh has a certain magic, a bleak beauty. It’s great community to be part of.’

Salter & King, 107–109 High St, open Monday–Saturday, 8am–5pm. Look out for home-made shepherd’s pies; preservative-free sausages; Old Cow; Alde Valley mutton; Large Black Pig from Oxburgh.

Discover

a remarkable collection of redeveloped Victorian industrial buildings for world-class concerts, distictive, independent shops, cafes, galleries, walks and abundant wildlife, all set against a breathtaking expanse of reeds, water and sky.

music

shops

nature

art

snapemaltings.co.uk

REAL BREAD & PASTISSERIE FRESHLY BAKED DAILY IN THE VILLAGE

Beautiful seasonal handpicked flowers from our farm in Dennington arranged for your wedding, event and home Frances Boscawen 01728 638 768 moatfarmflowers.com

SOURDOUGH LOAVES ECCLES CAKES • CROISSANTS LIGHT LUNCHES SEASONAL SOUP & SALAD

LUNCH wed-sat 12-3 BRUNCH saturday from 9, sunday from 10

café last orders 3:30pm, sorry we don’t take reservations.

BAKERY wed-sat 9-4 / sun 10-4 1 Pump Street, Orford, Suffolk IP12 2LZ tel. 01394 459829 pumpstreetbakery.com

Life | Land | Business

Whatever life brings weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re always there for you Our friendly, local solicitors are on hand to advise you on a host of legal matters, including buying and selling property, family breakdown, making a will or developing your business.

Call 01473 611211 barkergotelee.co.uk

41 Barrack Sq, Martlesham, Ipswich IP5 3RF Free parking

SPRING STYLE EDIT A

Sports Luxe C

This trend is about so much more than a pair of Adidas track pants and trainers. Whilst these pieces are not destined for the treadmill, they will absolutely show off your sporty spirit.

A Maison Scotch Star Sweater - Fleur - £104.95 B DvF Hadlie Dress - Collen & Clare - £378 C Rose Rankin Inish Boots - Collen & Clare - £189

Vanessa Collen, Managing Director of fashion boutique Collen & Clare brings us this season’s style edit. Collen & Clare have stores in Aldeburgh, Southwold and Burnham Market. As India Knight said in The Sunday Times Style Magazine, they really are the ‘ultimate boutique’!

Flora & Fauna

This season think not so much of pretty floral tea dresses but powered up, punchy patterns that combine animal prints with exotic fauna on anything from skirts to boots to macs.

A Rixo Penelope Dress - Collen & Clare - £305 B Maxmara Floral Mac - Collen & Clare - £310 C Apisi Liberty Winter Boots - Collen & Clare - £165 D Maison Scotch Silk Blouse - Fleur - £189.95

Think Pink B

Whether it’s in the pattern, the detail, the accessory or all over this Spring it’s time to revisit all things pink, from powder to Pepto Bismol and every tone between. A Coach Edie Bag - Collen & Clare - £350 B 1234 Jumper - Collen & Clare - £185 C Essential Ninga Shirt - Collen & Clare - £145 (skirt models own)

collen & clare C O A S TA L C H I C

The Red House, Aldeburgh Benjamin Britten and Peter Pearsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; home Explore great music in the place where it was written

For opening times and to find out whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s on, visit brittenpears.org The Red House, Aldeburgh Golf Lane, Aldeburgh IP15 5PZ

01728 451700 brittenpears.org

Skinny Dip Health Retreat

A day spa with heated outdoor pool, sauna, steam room, hot tub and floatation tank on the Suffolk coast

Relax, catch up with friends and pamper yourself

skinnydiphealthretreat.co.uk/spa Potton Hall, Westleton, Suffolk IP17 3EF

07932 278922

Simply messing about in boats

A little way upriver from Iken Church, at the base of the cliff, is a thin strip of orange sandy beach, almost covered at high tide. On a summer’s day, dinghy sailors from downriver stop for picnics, walkers paddle and wild swimmers make the most of warmer, shallow waters on this stretch of the river, only navigable for bigger boats during a narrow tidal window. Positioned neatly along the side of the footpath is an unassuming boat shed: the home of Iken Canoe. Started by husband and wife Dom and Kate Kilburn in 2012, Iken Canoe is unique on the river Alde and has been a great success, offering an accessible way of getting on the water regardless of experience. Forget traumatizing childhoods spent capsizing Oppies and entire university degrees sacrificed for 5am rowing training in January; basically, as long as you’re over the age of seven and you can swim, you can have a go. Having lived on Corsica as windsurfing and sailing instructors running a watersports centre, the couple first moved to Iken in 1994, full of ideas for a similar school here. However, with the

limitations imposed by the upper reaches of a tidal river and their first baby due, these notions were put to one side in favour of ‘sensible’ jobs; for Dom as an agricultural editor and Kate as a cookery teaching consultant working for the Jamie Oliver Foundation. As is often the way for those living on and near this river, this determined attempt at normal life was eroded gradually by the desire to go native. ‘I couldn’t quite get the thought from my mind that there was still an opportunity,’ says Dom. ‘Tourism and visitor numbers to the area were surging and yet there appeared to be nothing on offer for those wanting to enjoy, close up, the wonderful rivers and wildlife we have on the Suffolk coast.’ But with the same obstacles to such activities as windsurfing and sailing from Iken Cliff still present, they turned to something slightly different. ‘Having had our own Canadian canoe on the river for many years, it began to dawn on us that canoes and kayaks could be the answer.’. Dom explains: ‘Being such shallow-drafted boats, they can operate at almost any state of tide, meaning there was no limit to the hours we could offer.’

‘While I still have my full-time job, Kate has full responsibility for operating the business during the week and this can be flat out – particularly during the school summer holidays. However, as our children have grown older they’ve started to help Kate out; either helping to launch the customers after their safety briefing, or cleaning the boats and equipment. All our children have been born and bred on the banks of the river and they are very much at home with anything boat, river or mud related!’ Having booked ahead by website or phone, canoeists-to-be can park at Iken Cliff picnic site (a five minute drive from Snape) and walk down a narrow path through the edge of a wood to the boatshed. Dom and Kate will have determined the best time of day for the voyage, based on tide times and wind. Next, choose your craft. Kate and Dom have three-man Canadian canoes, sit-on-top kayaks for individuals and pairs – ‘great fun for all ages and easier paddling for younger people’ – and, most recently acquired, stand-up paddleboards. You’ll be asked to confirm that you really can swim, kitted out with a buoyancy aid and given a thorough and reassuring briefing, during

which you’ll be shown how to keep control of your vessel and provided with a proper oldfashioned printed map (GPS via your phone isn’t easily compatible with paddling and is an ugly distraction from what you should be looking at around you). Capsizes, we are told, are rare, but you’ll be instructed on how to deal with such an event – just in case – and Dom and Kate are comfortingly serious about safety. You’re shown to your boat via a tactically positioned pontoon, keeping you reasonably un-muddy even at low tide, and off you go. ‘High water offers the paddler a greater area of water to explore, but often at low water, with the mud banks exposed, there is more wildlife to be seen,’ Dom says. ‘We are very lucky to have a small colony of common seals, which basks on the mud at low water about half a mile downriver from our launch site. On the way to Snape there is every likelihood of spotting a huge variety of wading birds and a pair of marsh harriers is often seen.’ And the most unusual sight? ‘To the really keen eye, otters can also be seen but this is a very rare and exciting event!’ Upstream to Snape Maltings is the most popular route, after a short detour to the seals,

enabling a pit-stop pint at the Plough & Sail pub and back to base within a couple of hours. For the more ambitious and less destinationfocused, a full morning or afternoon can be whiled away downriver towards Aldeburgh. Canoeists from Iken Cliff can experience this unspoilt, historic landscape, on an ancient trade route between Snape Maltings and the sea, without worrying about the wind dropping, the tide disappearing or their keelboat bottoming out. A relatively sheltered stretch of the river, well upstream, fairly shallow and with small marshy islands scattered about, this area is idyllic and unthreatening, not to mention extraordinarily beautiful, particularly on a sunny evening. A great activity where the kids can soak each other in their kayaks while adults take in the view from their elegant canoe, this is a must-do for anyone visiting the area. Iken Canoe is open May to mid-September. Weekends only in May, June and September and daily through July and August. Enquiries and bookings can be made via the website ikencanoe.co.uk or by phone: 07979 517186.

Tales of the Riverbank On one occasion a vicar and his young daughter hired a Canadian canoe. Being adventurous types, they opted to strike out downriver for a four-hour trip. I suggested stopping at a lovely beach on the shore, having some lunch and then paddling back. However, I warned him that, with the direction of the wind and the likelihood of it getting stronger later in the day, when he landed the canoe, at all costs he should tie it up to stop it floating away on the rising tide. Some time later I received a phone call. It was the vicar. They had left the canoe on the beach and gone for a walk to find a nice place for their picnic. They discovered on their return that their canoe had simply disappeared and they were left stranded, a long way from home! I jumped into our rescue boat and set off in earnest to find them. But before I had gone more than about 400m, there was the canoe! It’s safe to say that the vicar and his daughter were in good fettle when a few minutes later I picked up the two lonely figures from the deserted beach – dented pride but nothing more.’ – Dom Kilburn

Renovation and 2 new builds, Saxmundham Road, Aldeburgh

Chapel Properties (Woodbridge) Ltd. Office 3, Quaypoint, Station Road, Woodbridge, Suffolk IP12 4AL - Registered Company No. 8899110

Design | Build | Renovate

Chapel Properties of Woodbridge is a local construction company specialising in high quality new builds, property renovation, residential refurbishments and extensions Our experienced team of builders, tradesmen and designers delivers exceptional service, overseen by excellent project management to ensure each project is delivered to the satisfaction of our clients

01394 610 526 chapelproperties.co.uk info@chapelproperties.co.uk

HAPPENING HERE

A cup of fragrant tea... The Tree Climber’s Guide Iken-dweller Jack Cooke’s The Tree Climber’s Guide is a trapdoor into the canopy of England’s metropolis. In a treetop tour encouraging a leap up into branches that shade, shield and cleanse our existence, it will delight the adventurous and inspire the timid.

The White Lion this Spring brings us a very special array of afternoon teas. Each month this seafront hotel will change its exquisite range of cakes, pastries, and perfectly formed sandwiches to reflect the best of the season. March’s Afternoon Tea will put a Spring in your Step; April’s will be an Easter treat; whilst May’s will appeal to all Chocoholics. £15 per person, from 3-5pm. Please book ahead on 01728 452720 whitelion.co.uk.

Health and happiness... Priscilla Westgarth is creating a day spa

The Tree Climber’s Guide (Harper Collins, £14.99) is available from the Aldeburgh Bookshop and all good booksellers.

at Potton Hall, only a twenty minute drive from Aldeburgh. Nestled in the Suffolk countryside is the heated outdoor pool, steam room and sauna, floatation tank and hot tub. Priscilla is passionate about health and happiness and offers personal training, nutrition advice and life coaching. What an amazing sanctuary to have so nearby! Find out more at skinnydiphealthretreat.co.uk.

This year’s Easter Weekend juxtaposes youthful energy and profound contemplative music. One of the world’s outstanding conductors, Marin Alsop, conducts the Britten-Pears Orchestra performing Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra and Britten’s Young Persons Guide to the Orchestra, which is repeated in a family concert on Easter Sunday. Bach’s great St John Passion is given a dramatic chamber performance by Solomon’s Knot and the Marmen Quartet play meditative works by Bach, Beethoven and Philip Glass. In the week before Easter, following a performance at London’s Royal Festival Hall, Marin Alsop and the BrittenPears Orchestra are joined by virtuoso percussionist Colin Currie on Saturday 8th April.

A classical Easter

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Queer Talk: Homosexuality in Britten’s Britain This important exhibition at The Red House marks the 50th anniversary of the decriminalisation of homosexuality. It will focus on Benjamin Britten and his partner, the tenor Peter Pears, at a time when their relationship was illegal. Key works highlighting their relationship will be featured along with the wider cultural, political and legal situation faced by gay men in the 1950s. Several supporting talks and events throughout the year. Exhibition runs until 28th October at the Red House. Find out more at brittenpears.org

Music and chocolate Snape Maltings have a very special weekend planned for us this Easter Good Friday 14–Easter Sunday 16th April. Enjoy free family activities over the Easter Weekend at Snape Maltings. Saturday hosts a special Easter Farmers Market, live music across the site, a Charbonnel and Walker truffle tasting in the Food Hall, and a Kadai Fire Bowl demonstration in the courtyard. Take part in the quintessential Easter Egg Hunt on Easter Sunday – and for us, this will be followed by an afternoon stroll by the river to walk the chocolate off! Find out more at snapemaltings.co.uk.

Our much-loved Lawson’s Delicatessen Lawson’s Delicatessen in Aldeburgh has been popular with locals and visitors for many years and has won numerous awards. After ten years, founders Richard Lawson and Claire Bruce-Clayton are handing over the reins to new owners Clare Jackson and John Omerod, a father and daughter team. Clare and John share an ambition to reinvigorate the popular delicatessen, and plan to introduce some interesting new products including serving Monmouth Coffee to take away. 138 High Street, Aldeburgh lawsonsdelicatesen.co.uk.

The ArtHouse Art dealer Caroline Wiseman shows us around her beachfront home

On Aldeburgh’s Crag Path stands a pair of slender brick watchtowers. Beach-side of the sea wall, they have survived nearly two centuries of North Sea winds and storms. And the southern tower, known as the South Lookout, has been reinvented by a woman with an eye for an inspirational location and a talent for making a home a gallery, and a gallery a home. Since 2011, visitors have been invited to look inward as well as outward, with a remarkable succession of art installations, exhibitions and residencies, both in the tower and what is now known as the ArtHouse: owner Caroline Wiseman’s home, just across the path. She and her partner came to Aldeburgh in 2010 looking for a ‘small cottage’ to buy. ‘I swim most mornings. One morning I walked past the Lookout and saw it had a TO LET sign on it,’ she says. ‘While I swam I dreamed it could be a place of creativity for people from all around here, and the country and the world.’ After a year of letting, they sold their home in London and bought the tower, house and adjoining cottage. Overlooking the tower and beach, the house has a classic seaside feel: bright and warm, the walls are painted white to keep the look ‘very fresh’, providing ‘an excellent backdrop to the works of art,’ says Caroline. Each room is flooded with natural light from the large, seaward windows. A grand piano (a 21st birthday present

to Caroline’s partner) sits proudly surrounded by an eclectic, cosmopolitan array of old and new: inherited antique candelabras and painted plates, with a dining table and Shaker chair brought over from New York. Carefully selected sculptures and artworks, collected from numerous artists’ residencies, sit among the rich colours and textures of a curious and beautiful assortment of furnishings and textiles. Adding to the overall impression that nothing in this house is here by accident is the large Aga in the kitchen; it was dismantled and moved with them from London. ‘We love entertaining and the Aga is excellent for cooking huge amounts of food,’ Caroline says. ‘Often we eat in the Lookout and take the food out there on trays.’ It’s not the first time Caroline has made her home an artistic working space; almost thirty years ago she started her first gallery from her own house (then in London; later in New York and Manhattan). ‘Clients loved seeing how modern art looks fabulous in a Georgian house. They could come in the evenings and it was much more informal than a gallery.’ Her gift for spotting potential in a location is one she shares with partner Francis Carnwath who found the building that is now Tate Modern, while he was working as Deputy Director of the Tate. ‘My vision here has been for the house and the

Lookout to be places where creative people – artists, poets, writers and thinkers of all descriptions – can come and be creative and encourage others to come as part of a creative community.’ The ArtHouse and Lookout are now in their seventh year of opening as an inspired balance between gallery and home.

2017 events include a residency by Eileen Cooper RA. Current exhibitors: Alison Wilding RA and Nigel Hall RA, alongside local artists Ryan Gander and Tessa Newcomb. Visit carolinewiseman.com.

Photography: Pg.34 The Terrace & Kitchen; Pg 37. Living Room & Landing (Nick Sinclair) Photography: Pg 36 Portrait (Bill Jackson)

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As they say in Vietnam: ‘Ăn Ngon’ Thao Ball is a woman whose story is as extraordinary as the flavours with which she cooks. A child refugee from South Vietnam, she fled the country alone, by sea, aged just twelve, as one of two million ‘Vietnamese Boat People’ to seek asylum between 1975 and 1995. Thirty years on, in Aldeburgh, Thao set up Red Chilli Kitchen, creating sauces and ingredient combinations inspired by the food of her early childhood. Escaping South Vietnam in 1984 aboard a small fishing boat with seventy strangers, Thao was lucky; many refugees were killed by pirates or died of thirst. Despite the boat suffering a broken propellor and ten days drifting at sea, her story ends well. After seven months in an Indonesian refugee camp, Thao was resettled in Denmark and reuinited with her family. They established new roots there and Thao later moved to the UK. ‘My parents used to send me small food parcels,’ she says. ‘My clever mum turned the ingredients she uses in my favourite dishes into pastes and marinades. That way her marinades could keep longer and were easy to send abroad. She is an amazing cook!’ Thao’s mother had run a restaurant back in Phuoc Long. ‘I have learnt a lot from my mum and I am still learning.’ And the hand-me-down tradition has stuck. ‘I was not interested in cooking until I became a mummy. Our daughter loves cooking; she is an expert in making Vietnamese summer rolls and baking cupcakes!’ There are five products in the Red Chilli Kitchen range; a fantastic base for hundreds of delicious dishes, several recipes for which can be found on Thao’s website. The flavours are strong and warm, characteristics Thao shares. Inspired by friends, family and those who tasted her sauces at local charity fairs, she set up

Red Chilli Kitchen in the summer of 2014. ‘My husband (an ex-marketing man) came up with the name. People who know me well know that I love adding a little bit of chilli in everything I cook and eat. The long chilli reminds me of the map of Vietnam and there were always a few chilli plants in our garden.’ Hearing Thao talk about her food is enough to inspire even the most unadventurous cook. ‘Vietnamese cuisine is fresh and fragrant, I love the idea that we serve fresh lettuce leaves, limes and herbs with almost everything. It has a strong influence from the French. For example we turned a French beef stew into one of our nation’s favourite dishes, Bò Kho, by adding a few of our exotic ingredients. We like to serve Bò Kho with French baguette and fresh greens.’ Thao is vivacious and impressively knowledgable about Vietnamese flavours. ‘What you cook depends which part of the country you come from. Up North people won’t dream of putting fruit in savoury dishes – they replace coconut milk with cow milk or water. But in the South where coconuts, mango, melon, papayas, bananas grow wild, people tend to add fruit in savoury dishes. People in the middle of the country love extra heat.’ And her favourite example of her native cuisine? ‘I have so many favourite dishes – my mum’s beef stew, beef noodle soup, curry, vit rôti, bánh mì, mango salad, jackfruit stew... I have not had watermelon soup and stir-fry papaya since I left Vietnam but I still remember the tastes.’ Thao now lives in Aldeburgh with her husband and daughter. ‘I feel so at home here that my husband thinks I am more Suffolk than he is.’ Describing herself as birdlike, with ‘itchy wings’, until now she has never

settled for long. ‘Aldeburgh is the only place I have stayed for more than five years,’ she says. ‘Maybe because I was looking for a place where I could call home. Phuoc Long was my home, and now Aldeburgh. I love the beach, walks, fresh air and of course the people.’ Nevertheless, Thao’s early homes have not been forgotten. ‘I have adapted to the Suffolk way of living but I have not lost my Vietnamese and Danish roots. Between you and me, I don’t eat fish with chunky chips...I like my fish with French fries, rice or pasta. I prefer Danish breakfast (a slice of fresh bread, cheese and fruit jam on top) to a fry up...I like my coffee with condensed milk... when I go to my in-laws for Sunday lunches or dinners, there is always a little bottle of chilli sauce on the table.’ Vegetarian Sweet Potato Curry ‘Cà Ri Chay’

Serves 4 Ingredients 4 tbsp Red Chilli Kitchen Curry Paste 4 small sweet potatoes (diced into 1.5cm cubes) 2 carrots (diced into 1.5cm cubes) 200ml coconut milk 200ml water Method Pour coconut milk and water into a pot Stir in the curry paste Bring the mixture to the boil, then add the vegetables Let the curry come back to the boil Reduce the heat and let it simmer for 20-25 minutes or until the vegetables are just cooked

Serve with plain rice or a baguettte and a green salad

All Red Chilli Kitchen products can be bought online direct from redchillikitchen.co.uk and at Snape Maltings Food Hall. Details of upcoming events and food festivals can be found on the website.

Life on the farm Maple Farm Kelsale sits in a spot that catches the Suffolk light in just the way you would expect it to have done any number of centuries ago. Standing in the morning sun here, the sense of agricultural transcendence is hard to shake. The chickens roaming freely across open fields are one of the first things you notice and their freedom adds to the feeling of timelessness, shattering the stereotypical vision of modern husbandry and replacing it, not with something archaic but something pure, longer-sighted, and thriving. Indeed, back in 2000, the chickens were the beginning of the story for William and Miranda Kendall’s now highly popular organic produce business, Maple Farm Kelsale – and in this case, the chicken did come before the egg. Having moved back to the East Suffolk farm, which has been in Miranda’s family for generations, the couple with their young family began, bit-by-bit, to realise their vision of a working organic farm. ‘My great-uncle took over the house and land from my great-great grandmother,’ Miranda says. ‘He kept the fields small and the hedges high, so in many ways the farm was ideal for organic farming. But after years

of arable farming the soil was in a poor state and needed a lot of lay crops and organic mushroom compost, among many other things. We started to keep chickens to improve the fertility of the fields and their eggs proved an instant success.’ Home-grown vegetables were the next addition to the Maple Farm organic range, which soon extended further. ‘We milled the different grains we grew to make flour [rye, wholemeal, spelt, wholegrain and white are all available in the range] and we began keeping bees, thanks to the wonderful Graham who gathers the honey for us.’ A small pig herd soon followed, leading to traditional sausages and Suffolk-cure bacon. ‘In the early days, our two daughters used to help at farmers’ markets every Saturday morning as we tried to spread the word about Maple Farm Kelsale and its produce. I worry that we may have put them off for ever! But the eldest one has recently trained as a chef, so perhaps not.’ Over time, the animal contingent grew to include visiting herds of sheep – to graze the clover over the summer and produce organic lamb – beef cattle, and Maple Farm’s own turkeys, who perform a

secondary front-of-house duty in greeting human visitors to the farm with a characterful and noisy display, at its most effusive in the spring. Today’s drove of Middle White pigs – a now rare British breed, prized in the early 20th Century as a pork pig – spends most of its time rooting in the Maple Farm woods and munching on organic vegetables and grains grown on the farm. Like the chickens’, the lifestyle of everything – and everyone – on the farm evokes an idea of farming more prescient and genuine than the image of meat production that springs to the jaded modern mind. ‘Organic’ here is to be understood as more than simply farming without artificial pesticides and chemicals. It is also, as the team at Maple Farm is keen to convey, a commitment to nurturing healthy soil, healthy animals and a high standard of stewardship (involving coppicing, planting wild flower and grass margins and restoring natural ponds, among many other things). But above and beyond all this, ‘organic’ in the Maple Farm context draws on another sense of the word, referring to a truly harmonious kinship between the elements of the whole. It’s a micro-community of flora and fauna, both wild and cultivated, with a set of not unremarkable custodians, and a way of life that is hard to resist buying into.

The Kendalls’ enterprising vision for Maple Farm hasn’t stopped at its produce, nor at the successful attainment of organic status. If you want your own mini-Maple Farm, there is in fact a selection of potted herbs to choose from for windowsill harvest. Meanwhile, an organic foliage sideline, which is doing great work to reduce floral air-miles and promote seasonal flora, is sold to London florists, photographers, hotels and restaurants. The Edwardian farmhouse itself, named frankly ‘By The Crossways’, has an unusual hall, which over the years has served as a unique space to share with the local organisations that Maple Farm and the Kendalls have supported. ‘Last month, we hosted Alys Kihl’s Wonderful Beast singing group,’ Miranda tells us. ‘Their performance of Romanian

and Hungarian songs lifted the roof and reminded us all of the rich cultures of the many Eastern Europeans working in our Aldeburgh hotels and restaurants.’ And it’s a worthwhile cause, given that many local eateries serve the farm’s own produce. ‘We also had an exhibition of exquisite needlework cushions and Christmas decorations made by prisoners through the charity Fine Cell Work, including a special display of work from the men in HMP Warren Hill just a few miles away, which sold out in one day.’ But it’s not by coincidence that these groups are brought together here, or that what, in other hands, could have been a small-scale start-up with modest ambitions has now become a hub of local activity. Maple Farm eggs are stocked in Waitrose (Saxmundham), as well as farm shops within a 15-mile radius of Kelsale and in the East of England Co-op ‘– who have supported us through thick and thin.’ Perhaps unsurprisingly Miranda and William are both savvy business people with a remarkable list of successes behind them each – think the New Covent Garden Soup Company, Green & Black’s, and Phipps PR. Miranda is an Ambassador for the Woodland Trust and William the current High Sheriff of Suffolk. Miranda recruited the Fine Cell Work team at HMP Warren Hill and is also a trustee of Aldeburgh Music. In many ways, the Kendalls’ approach to life in Suffolk is reflected in Maple Farm; immersing themselves gradually

and naturally in the rich variety of goings-on to become part of the cultural ecosystem of where they live. Miranda’s enthusiasm for Maple Farm is evident and infectious. ‘Mike and Raynor now oversee the day to day farming including our small farm shop, which is stocked with fresh produce twice a day, seven days a week. There is an honesty box in the corner so people can drop in any time. We’re even open on Christmas Day.’ Fresher produce is hard to find, unless you’re going to dig it up yourself and, in addition to the rest, a limited but delicious selection of fruit is available at the right times of the year. ‘It’s heart-warming to see people popping in on their way home to stock up on fresh eggs. Our customers are truly lovely people – often having to step over puddles and fight through the mud to get to us, and sometimes we run out of produce when the chickens are having a bad hair day or the weather is bad.’ And if it is, you can always pick up a box of Maple Farm eggs from a number of local shops, along with your other staples. Though, how you can resist a visit to the farm itself is a question without a good answer. The Maple Farm Kelsale on-site farm shop is open 9am–6pm every day. Meat orders can be made at maplefarmkelsale.co.uk, or phone 01728 652000. Photography by Brian Skilton

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Guests mingle and chat as seemingly endless platters of canapés are passed around and the Prosecco flows. Then at convivial long tables, diners enjoy a set menu with every dish reflecting the Suffolk landscape and its seasons. These delicious Suppers are a draw for those who are up for something rather special and different; good food in the company of like-minded guests. Enjoy Peter’s cooking in a beautiful 17th century, restored Suffolk barn.

Peter Harrison’s Saturday Suppers 2017 Saturday Suppers comprise of four delicious canapes and Prosecco followed by a three-course, seasonal set menu which can be adapted for for dietary requirements.

Brick Kiln Barn Suppers 2017 25th March 3rd June 9th September 18th November

22nd April 15th July 14th October 9th December

£45.00 per person Bring your own wine. House wine is available to buy.

www.brickkilnbarn.com Book by emailing debbie@brickkilnbarn.com or call Debbie on 07730 313277

Smoked Mackerel Salad

Photograph by Nick Ilot

Chef Peter Harrison of Brick Kiln Barn is renowned not only for his exceptional cooking skills but also for his inspired use of the best fresh local produce. This mackerel recipe, as with all his food, is honest, elegant and delicious. peterharrisonchef.co.uk

Ingredients 2 fillets of smoked mackerel (skinned, deboned and roughly flaked) 1 tbsp Greek Yoghurt 1 small red chilli (finely chopped) Juice and zest of 1 lemon 1 small bunch of coriander (chopped) 1 tbsp hot horseradish sauce 2 spring onions (finely sliced)

Method Take one of the prepared mackerel fillets and put it in a bowl with the lemon juice, zest, yoghurt, coriander, spring onion, chilli and horseradish Mix to a coarse consistency, using the back of the spoon. Adjust the seasoning to taste *At this point it is great to serve with or on rye/ sourdough toast if a salad is not required*

4 radish (finely sliced) Quarter of a cucumber (peeled ribbons) 1 handful of cherry tomatoes (cut in half) 1 handful of rocket or mixed leaves Salt and pepper Toasted rye read or sourdough to serve

To continue towards the salad option: Flake in the other fillet, add the tomatoes, cucumber, radish and leaves Check your seasoning Mix together gently and serve with toast

Above: Niels ‘Shoe’ Meulman Facing: Zaki Dee

Masters of Invention From Cave Painting to Style Masters – the Evolution of Graffiti The art and importance of graffiti, from the tombs of Egypt to the walls and subways of New York, Philadelphia and beyond are explored in a new exhibition opening this spring. ‘Masters of Invention’ brings together a new collection of paintings and artworks by some of the most influential graffiti artists of the past forty years, alongside unseen sketches and photographs, to build a powerful picture of 40,000 years of creative – and often audacious – handmade lettering and image making. ‘Masters of Invention’ explores the place of graffiti writing in lettering and writing culture and in the history of contemporary art and graphic design. The origins of graffiti can be traced to the earliest recorded examples of human creativity. The story of modern graffiti began in the inner cities of Philadelphia and New York in the late 1960s and early 1970s; young pioneers created lettering that captivated audiences, beginning with their personal tags before taking their craft to more sophisticated places and earning the title ‘style masters’. ‘Masters of Invention’ presents new work by a generation of contemporary artists from the UK, Europe and beyond, each of whom explores the creative possibilities of graffiti away from city walls and subways. The exhibition is curated by designer, writer, lecturer and former graffiti artist, Errol Donald, who says, ‘the show is a unique visual history of a letterform that has evolved from humble beginnings into a highly complex and sophisticated form of design practice, that has eluded formal classification and remained faithful to its subversive, and mysterious origins.’ ‘Masters of Invention’ runs from 24 March–29 May 2017 at the Lettering Arts Centre, Snape Maltings, the home of the Lettering Arts Trust (LAT). Free Admission. letteringartstrust.org.uk

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Beyond the Wild Wood The best kept secrets always lie upon one’s doorstep, and we are blessed to have Captain’s Wood as one of ours. Well off the beaten tourist track it is almost unknown to all but the most local of locals, and boasts one of Suffolk’s most magical spectacles. Captain’s Wood is open, airy and ancient. Fallen trees of former seasons lay entwined between gnarly, aged oaks, slender birch, wispy hazels and enveloping chestnuts. The scene surrounding you changes at every turn of the path as it winds through as if on the page of a children’s story book. Towards the end of April and into May, Captain’s Wood hosts one of the largest expanses of bluebells in Suffolk. There can be nothing more enchanting than a walk through this bluebell-lavished woodland, with baby green leaves bursting above and dappled sunlight breaking through the canopy. Bluebell sap was once used to bind books, set feathers upon arrows and starch the ruffs of Elizabethan collars. Folklore says that whosoever hears a bluebell ring will soon die, while legend has it that a field of bluebells is intricately woven with fairy enchantments. The timeless spectacle evokes a sense of connection with worlds past, present and future that can only be felt in places such as this. A walk through Captain’s Wood leaves one wondering whether magic may just be real. How to find Captain’s Wood A small rough area accessible as a car park can be found east of Sudbourne along School Lane on the edge of Tunstall Forest. The entrance driveway is just past the Old Schoolhouse on the right. No dogs.

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