Rutland Living October 2013 by Best Local Living

COVERING RUTLAND, MARKET HARBOROUGH & SURROUNDING VILLAGES

RUTLAND Rutland Living LIVING Magazine! Celebrating 10 years of

Market Overton

Essendine

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Greetham Ashwell Cottesmore Exton Great Casterton Langham Whitwell Empingham Oakham Tinwell Braunston Hambleton Manton Edith Weston Ketton Ridlington Luffenham Belton in Rutland

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TEN YEARS OF HELPING YOU TO GET THE MOST OUT OF LIVING LOCALLY

Best Days Out Local Food Heroes Local Historical Figures

PLUS: LOCAL BUSINESSES CELEBRATE A DECADE LOCAL PROPERTY OVER THE PAST 10 YEARS

ÂŁ1.50 OCTOBER 2013

@RutlandLiving

WWW.BESTLOCALLIVING.CO.UK

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Our experience makes yours Find your perfect holiday with your local, independent & friendly travel experts

THE NORTHERN LIGHTS THE COOLEST LIGHT SHOW ON EARTH!

itness the extraordinar y phenomena of the ‘Northern Lights’ in Tromso, Norway’s Paris of the North. By night enjoy the effer vescent atmosphere of the world’s most northerly university town and sample fresh fish dishes in local restaurants. By day enjoy a thrilling husky safari, go ice kick sledding or take a polar walk. The Northern Lights, or Aurora Borealis to give them their proper name, are a natural phenomenon, totally unpredictable but a magnificent spectacle when the atmospheric conditions are just right. The Norwegian scientist Kristian Birkeland first gave the world an explanation for the Aurora by observing how electron rays from the sun collided with the earth’s magnetic field, followed it down to the magnetic poles and created an explosion of light. Visible from October to April, Tromso is one of the world’s best spots from which to see the lights as well as being a city in which to enjoy yourself. Whilst no one can guarantee you will see the Northern Lights, we do guarantee you a fabulous winter break, with the best possible chance of seeing the lights and some fabulous excursions to make your trip one to remember. The Husky Safari includes a traditional lunch or dinner by open fire in a Lavvo (tent) and a thrilling morning or afternoon trip, thermal clothing and protective outerwear all included! Or why not cruise offshore into the dark evening on the fishing boat ‘havcri’ spotting for the Aurora to burst out over the Sound. The Polar Night Sleigh Ride to the ancient Holmsetta Farm also gives an excellent opportunity to see the lights. Oundle Travel is offering a three night break to Tromso including return scheduled flights from Heathrow from just £760.00 pp. For those of you who would prefer a longer break why not treat the family to Iso Syote in the heart of Kuusamo Lapland. Far removed from the commercialised

Lapland trips that flood the market, this destination offers a perfectly balanced combination of activities, superb accommodation and pristine wilderness, from £1395.00 pp. The Ice Hotel , The Snow Hotel and The Igloo Hotel are ready from early to mid-December, the brainchild of Yngve Bergqvist who 20 years ago built a one-off igloo for a local Sami heritage project in Jukkasarvi, which today has morphed into a stunning hotel with snow rooms, elaborate suites and a chapel. The Sorrisniva Igloo Hotel is a smaller, more intimate hotel which stands in the vastness of Norway’s Finnmark plateau. • For details of holidays to Norway, Lapland, Iceland or maybe something just a little bit more special for your next winter break, call Oundle Travel, they have considerable personal experience of the area - 01832 273600 www. oundletravel.co.uk

01832 273600

Market Place, Oundle, Peterborough, PE8 4EA Email: sales@oundletravel.co.uk Website: www.oundletravel.co.uk

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R UTL A N D & MA RKET HA RBOR OUGH LIVING

OCTOBER CONTENTS W W W . B E S T L O C A L L I V I N G . C O . U K

Founding Editor, Sue Stephens, is remembered by Amander Meade Longstanding readers and many Rutlanders will recall that during its infancy, Rutland & Market Harborough Living was edited by the much loved and very much missed Sue Stephens. Sue was a phenomenal woman; a devoted wife and mother, teacher, fundraiser, writer and artist and is also remembered as the cofounder of the brilliant Oakham Festival. She jumped at the chance of editing Rutland’s new lifestyle magazine and was proud of the product and the team she gathered around her. Sue lost a brave battle against cancer in December 2004 and her loss was front page news in the local press – a measure of the impact she had on her community. To me personally, Sue was a neighbour and mentor; I have her to thank for a new career and for giving me my ﬁrst chance to have writing published. When Abigail took over as editor, I know she was daunted by stepping into Sue’s role – she needn’t have worried. The synchronicity was spooky – both teachers, mothers, fundraisers – they even drove the same make of car and had the same kind of dog! Although it has evolved beyond recognition during the last decade, I believe Sue would love the magazine more than ever and be proud of it, just as we are all proud to remember her and her unique contribution to Rutland. And here’s to the next 10 years of Rutland Living. • A huge thanks to Patrick Latham, Bespoke Cartoons, Caricatures and Illustrations, www.3rdmancartoons.co.uk for the inspirational cover, (10 Limited Edition Signed A3 prints available on request) and to Johannah of Johannah’s Patisserie for the fabulous cake which we shared out at The Food Festival last month.

7 Editor’s Selection 8 Fashion

10 Inspiring Autumnal outﬁts Hair and Beauty heroes

Essendine

Greetham Cottesmore Exton Great Casterton Langham Whitwell Empingham Oakham Tinwell Braunston Hambleton Manton Edith Weston Ketton Ridlington Luffenham Ashwell

Wing Uppingham Glaston Morcott Seaton Lyddington Caldecott

16 Shops and Services

Covers: RL: Patrick Latham, www3rdmancartoons.co.uk MH: Elli Dean www.ellideanphotography.co.uk

A Decade in Business

18 Food and Drink 10 Local Food Heroes

22 Recipe

Sean Hope creates the Rolls-Royce of cheese on toast!

24 Arts and Culture

The Reduced Shakespeare Company in Corby

26 Education

Why Study Shakespeare?

29 Out and About

The Little Bytham Spinney Project

31 Property

A Decade of Diligence

32 Travel

10 years of Rutland Living: Look for our Top Tens throughout this special birthday issue

10 Ski Bites and the Delights of Canada

35 Motoring

Greater model choice

36 Walk

Discover N1C, the New Kings Cross and surrounds

39 Diary Dates

What’s on in our region this month

40 Out and About

A Home from Home at Foxton Locks’ Lodges

43 Shops and Services

Operation Christmas Child, Breast Cancer Awareness month, SHOOT IT MOMMA’ and more

47 Local History

10 Rutland Historic Celebrities

49 Profile

Nicholas Rudd Jones, Publisher

51 Out and About 10 Great Days Out

52 Out and About 54 Gardening With Adam Frost

SUBSCRIBE TO Rutland & Market Harborough Living

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Belton in Rutland

12 Health and Beauty

10 Stops on the Rutland Shorelink Bus

@RutlandLiving

Market Overton

The Rutland Living Team as you’ve never seen them before

Editor Abigail Richardson 01572 756733 Local Living Ltd, PO Box 208, Stamford PE9 9FY rutlandliving@gmail.com Advertisement Manager, Rutland Tracy Watkinson 01572 813187 rutlandliving@btinternet.com Advertisement Manager, Leicestershire Helen Walton 01780 754801 helen.stamford@btopenworld.com Advertising Copy & Subscriptions Rachel Beecroft 01780 765320 rachel@locallivingdesign.co.uk Head of Design Steven Handley steve@locallivingdesign.co.uk Senior Designer Nik Ellis nik@locallivingdesign.co.uk Publisher Nicholas Rudd-Jones 01780 765571 nicholas@bestlocalliving.co.uk Printed by Warners of Bourne

Subscriptions – annual rate £20 (UK only). Please write to The Editor, enclosing cheque made payable to Local Living Ltd Or subscribe online at www.bestlocalliving.co.uk

RUTLAND & MARKET HARBOROUGH LIVING OCTOBER 2013

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Make romantic moments last forever... Mill Street, Oakham LE15 6EA | T: 01572 722666 www.heidikjeldsen.co.uk

23B Mill Street, Oakham, LE15 6EA, Tel 01572 757577

Style Evening

Thursday 7th November 7.00pm ~ Style Tips for Autumn/Winter 2013 ~ ~ Fashion Show ~ ~ Fitness Talk by Judith Ewing ~ ~ Live Music ~ ~ Wine & Canapes ~

Tickets £15

Gift Wrapping Evening with Jane Means Tuesday 11th December Time to be confirmed

~ A live demonstration by professional gift wrapper Jane Means ~ ~ Known as “the gift wrapping guru” ~ ~ Wine & Light Supper ~

Tickets £25 Both events in aid of Make a Wish Foundation

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Sarah Harding Interiors Ltd New Colefax and Fowler collection.

• Professional Interior Design Service • • Re-upholstery and Soft Furnishings • • Emma Bridgewater and Cath Kidston Stockists • Furniture •

info@sarahhardinginteriors.co.uk 6 Market Place, Uppingham, Rutland LE15 9QH Tel: 01572 823389 - www.sarahhardinginteriors.co.uk

THE SPECIALISTS IN OUTDOOR CLOTHING AND WELLIEBOOTS

www.barnack.co.uk

tel:

01780 740115

Barnack, Stamford. PE9 3DY 2 miles from Burghley House Shop opening hours: Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat 10am-4pm

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E DITOR ’ S SE LE CT ION

THE TEAM Abigail Richardson Richardson, Editor and theatre enthusiast, invites you to meet her extremely valued team…

Helen Walton, advertising director, is high on life, cherishes her children and loves the job she does working hard to help advertisers connect with their customer.

Rachel Beecroft, works in production and when she isn’t glued to her desk, loves spending time with family and friends, celebrating everything local. She also has a weakness for shoes!

Catherine Batkin is a not-so-secret beauty junkie and loves trying out all the latest products and treatments. Amander Meade has written for all but the very ﬁrst edition of Rutland Living and has loved every minute of seeing the magazine go from strength to strength. She enjoys writing about the fascinating people and exciting events across the region she is proud to call home.

Elli Dean joined Rutland Living after moving to the area from London a few years ago. Elli specialises in Corporate, PR and lifestyle photography and has a particular interest in capturing the character of people and their life stories.

For seven of the last 10 years Tracy Watkinson has been Advertising Manager for Rutland Living, lives and breathes Rutland as well as particularly enjoying the wonderful eating out variety in her region.

Steven Handley and Nik Ellis are the long suffering, hugely talented designers that hate being in the limelight!

Vanessa Hollander and her girls moved from London to Rutland six years ago and have never looked back! She is our resident Fashion Editor and loves everything about clothes and fashion! Nicola Hardy is an interiors enthusiast. She can’t windsurf or snowboard but can operate a sewing machine without falling over, and loves drawing faces.

Matt Wright is the founder of Melton Mowbray based Great Food Club and is passionate about local food and drink.

Thanks to Nicola Hardy for the fun caricatures

Caroline Aston loves researching the quaint, quirky and eccentric aspects of history. When not digging deep into Rutland’s past she sails the world as guest lecturer on the trio of Cunard Queens, Queen Mary 2, Victoria and Elizabeth and the rivers of Europe with Noble Caledonia. RUTLAND & MARKET HARBOROUGH LIVING OCTOBER 2013

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FA S HI ON

New Season Clothes to Fall for! Tailored print trousers by Stills, £180 Navy camisole by Stills, £25 Silk sheer blouse by Stills, £170 all at Vanilla, Oakham

10 I 1 2 3 4 5 6

Vanessa Hollander seeks out the best of autumn/winter fashion and gives us 10 seasonal wardrobe tips

t’s time to dig out the woolies, boots and tights. Autumn is ofﬁcially upon us! Here are my top ten tips for creating this season’s latest looks.

Invest in a knitted blazer; they are soft yet smart and great to pair with jeans. Grab a pair of shoe boots - the autumn version of a stiletto. Invest in good knitwear. This season a loose ﬁtting cardigan or poncho is a good investment buy. Layer – invest in a lace trimmed vest in a couple of colours and breathe new life into your wardrobe. Don’t be afraid of adding a little sparkle to a daytime look. It can work if it’s subtle and only one item. Pink is big news for autumn/ winter – add a touch of dusky

or bright pink and you’ll be right on trend. Patterned tights are back in fashion – for larger legs choose smaller patterns, slim legs can take larger prints. Printed, tailored trousers are still very much ‘now’ and can work for day or evening. Flat collars are also still big for autumn/winter. Invest in a round collar white shirt and you won’t go far wrong! Buy a gorgeous, sheer blouse to team with jeans or trousers for a low key, sexy evening look.

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Animal print jeans by Mac, £89 Short sleeved jumper with sequin collar by Set, £125 Ankle boots by Lisa Kay, £145 all at Vanilla, Oakham

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trousers by Penny Black, £85 Silk shirt by DPH, £149 Fringed cardigan by Viento Donna, £119 Boots by Unisa, £179 all at Jacks, Market Harborough

knitted dress by odd Molly, £169 cardigan by odd Molly, £150 tights by Wolford Grey knee high boots by Vic, £269 all at cavells, oakham

StockiStS: cavells, Oakham, Tel: 01572 770372, www.cavells.co.uk coco, Oakham, Tel: 01572 757646 Fords of oakham, Tel: 01572 722654, www.fordsofoakham.co.uk Jacks, Market Harborough, Tel: 01858 468 876 Vanilla, Oakham, Tel: 01572 757577

Jeans by 7 for All Mankind, £200 Layering vest by Rosamunde, £50 cashmere one-pocket sweater by chinti & Parker, £305 cashmere printed scarf by Paul Smith, £149 Short suede boot by Vic, £189 all at cavells, oakham

Jeans by Laura Ashley, £50 Jumper with tie at back by Laura Ashley, £45 knitted blazer by Laura Ashley, £65 all at Fords of oakham Shoe boots by Paul Green, £140 at coco, oakham

With thanks to: Our amazing model, Trish Hudson. Find Trish at Windmill Wheels, www. windmillwheels.co.uk or Oakham Cycle Centre www.Oakhamcyclecentre. co.uk for all your cycling fashion needs. Neeta at Flawless Faces for the make-up Browns Tel. 0844 9993365 Our brilliant photographer – Elli Dean www.ellideanphotography. co.uk Tel: 07932055548

RUTLAND & MARKET HARBOROUGH LIVING OCTOBER 2013

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Pfaff Sewing Machines : Haberdashery Patchwork and Quilting Supplies Fabrics : Simplicity Patterns

A full range of Children’s Wear from Premature Babies to 8 years at affordable prices

Classes Sewing Machine Servicing Alterations Service

gebn inp er OpenO p e S tem

Now

y 14th

Saturda

Rutland Sewing

Unit 1a Rutland Village/Rutland Garden Centre, Ashwell Road, Oakham, Rutland LE15 7QN 07966 218458 tel.01572 756468tel. email. rutlandsewing@btconnect.com

Hours of Business

Tuesday to Saturday 9am -5.30pm Sunday 10am - 4pm

• Sarah Louise • 3 Pommes • Toffee Moon • Aden & Anais • Manhattan Toys • Ickle Shooz • Lunn Nightwear • Frugi

Bed Linen - Ladies Nightwear

At Swans linens you get: • Huge choice • Personal service • Friendly advice • LOYALTY CARD

Swans Linens, 17 Mill St, Oakham www.swanslinens.co.uk - Tel: 01572 724364

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23B Mill Street, Oakham, LE15 6EA, Tel 01572 757577

Stockists of

• Stills (as shown above) • MAC Jeans • In Wear • Extensive handbag, jewellery & Gift Range

LADIES FASHION

Fabulous Autumn Winter Ranges Now in stock Collections from Libra : M H Gold Olsen : Oscar B Frank Lyman Emreco : Lebek Steilmann : Gelco Tia : Michele : Marble and many more

11 Crown Walk, Oakham 01572 770457 Just off the High Street Near Boots Opposite Market St

Other Branches at 2d Main St. Keyworth, Nottingham 0115 937 7287 14 Main Rd, Radcliffe-on-Trent 0115 933 5515

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19/09/2013 15:37

HEA LTH & BE AUT Y

Hair and Beauty Heroes Ever wondered what products the hair and beauty experts love to use themselves? Catherine Batkin finds out which lotions and potions grace the bathroom shelves of a few of her industry friends…and divulges her top picks too!

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Faith, Pomegranate: “I actually use all of the products I stock but my faves are by natural brand Korres. The White Tea gel cleanser is really light, quick and easy to use and ideal for combination skin. I follow this with the Korres Wild Rose moisturising cream which leaves my skin beautifully soft. And if I’m in need of a pick-me-up, I always reach for the Guava shower gel which is so fresh and zingy it almost makes it a pleasure to get up in the morning!”

Beauty Editor’s Top Picks:

Primer – I have to admit, this is something of a recent discovery for me having only ever used foundation on freshly moisturised skin – a big ‘no, no’ according to professional make-up artist Liza Smith: “Primer is probably the single most important Julianne, Lalique: item in your make-up kit - it evens “The one product I can’t live without is Decleor Aroma Cleanse; skin tone and provides a flawless in fact I love it so much, I’ve recommended it to all of my friends! base on which to put foundation.” It’s a 3-in-1 product that turns into foam when it comes into Liza’s all-time favourite product and contact with water – amazing for removing all of your make-up the one she uses on all of her brides in the shower and giving you that really clean feeling. I have is MAC Prep + Prime – so if it’s good sensitive skin and it is great for cleansing without stripping skin enough for her, it’s certainly good of its natural oils, gently scrubbing away to remove dead skin enough for me! cells. It comes in a cute little make-up bag with a muslin cloth so GeL naiLS – My thin, fragile nails you have everything you need to get glowing skin.” are the bane of my life and even a generous coating of nail varnish Kimberley, The Beauty Room: can’t transform them into anything My top tip for achieving healthy, natural looking skin and the remotely presentable. With my products I use myself are the Dermalogica Sheer and Cover tints. summer holiday approaching I They’re especially good because unlike many tinted moisturisers decided to treat myself to gel nails and foundations which focus solely on delivering coverage and from Lalique - probably the best £20 concealing imperfections, these both contain SPF20 and also I have ever spent! I chose a gorgeous improve skin health too. They come in three different shades deep red with a touch of shimmer which drew loads of compliments, and they and adapt to your natural skin tone for lasting coverage and a lasted for two and a half weeks without any sign of chipping at all. (There was smooth, even finish.” the obvious re-growth at the base of the nail but you couldn’t tell if you didn’t look too closely!) But best of all, my natural nails grew underneath and are now Annabel Elkins, Barnsdale Hotel Spa: the longest and strongest they’ve ever been. “Since working at Barnsdale, I’ve used Elemis products and I DeeP conDitioninG treatment – being something of an avid home especially love the Tri-enzyme range which contains cleanser, hair colourer (a necessity, not because I enjoy it!), I am always looking for toner, moisturiser, serum and day and night cream, all of products that keep the colour looking fresher for longer – step forward Clynol which have excellent resurfacing properties. I’ve noticed a real Colour + Care Enhance Leave-In Treatment (£10.65, 150ml) as recommended improvement in my skin because they not only reveal fresher by Chris Gunby at creme Hair and Beauty. This amazing leave-in treatment looking skin, they also help with the appearance of fine lines, reinvigorates hair with the moisture and condition that styling removes, while sun damage and scarring from spots – I thoroughly recommend fixing the vibrancy of the hair colour so it lasts for up to 30 washes. Containing them!” restructuring keratin, restorative apricot and a liquid jewel extract that fills coloured hair with dazzling shine – I can’t wait to try it! Thomas, Thomas Hairdressing: BoDy oiL – an old one, but a really good one – Elemis Exotic Frangipani Monoi “I love the Aveda Control Paste for styling my hair. Firstly it Moisture Melt; I can’t help treating myself to a bottle every time I go to eden smells fantastic – very summery; like oranges and also doesn’t Hall Spa! It’s solid at room temperature but once you gently heat the bottle in leave my hair greasy and shiny – I hate the slicked back look! It’s warm water, it turns into beautifully silky oil. I use it as a body oil, for softening lighter than a wax with a creamier texture but still has that allhands and feet prior to a manicure and pedicure plus as a conditioning treat in important hold to keep my hair in place all day.” (£19.95) my hair if it gets very dry. And I must mention the smell – absolutely amazing…a heady tHe oneS to WatcH… mix of coconut and frangipani flowers which reminds me of marzipan! Brand new to the Korres make-up range is the black volcanic minerals mascara and liquid eyeliner – and yes, they genuinely do contain volcanic pigment from the Greek islands! The mascara offers a deep, intense colour whilst providing moisturising and conditioning properties Directory: to your natural lashes. And the liquid liner is incredibly long-wearing for a flawless, smudge-free creme Hair & Beauty, Mill Street, Oakham, Tel: finish. Available from Pomegranate now…but they are flying off the shelves, so act quickly! 01572 723823, www.cremehairandbeauty.co.uk Kim at the Beauty room is delighted to introduce a powerful anti-ageing care product the Beauty room, South Street, Oakham, that can be used for sensitive eyes. She told me: “The eye area is one of the first areas of the Tel: 01572 755389 face to show signs of ageing, in the form of lines, sagging and dryness. Recent advances have William Wheelwright Hair, Barnsdale Lodge spawned a wide variety of topical anti-aging eye treatments, but none of these products address Hotel, Tel: 01572 757137, the needs of the millions of people who suffer from eye-area sensitivity. That is, until now! The www.williamwheelwright.co.uk Dermalogica UltraSmoothing Eye Serum contains not only a powerful complex of ingredients to Barnsdale Spa, Barnsdale, Oakham, treat skin ageing, but is also formulated with an effective blend of sensitivity-fighting botanicals Tel: 01572 771313, www.barnsdalehotel.com to reduce inflammation and puffiness.” Lalique, South Street, Oakham, Hair product junkies will be excited by the new range of styling products at the Wil Tel: 01572 723950, www.lalique-beauty.com Wheelwright Hair Salon. Called ‘More Inside’, these products have been created for stylists to Pomegranate, Mill Street, Oakham, maximise their creativity and work much more closely with the client’s hair type and personality Tel: 01572 755096 to create the perfect look for them. The active ingredients are combined in order to perform Liza Smith, Tel: 07788 421 401, specific functions, called “factors”: extra moisturising factor, extreme flexibility factor, antiwww.professionalmakeup-artist.com residue factor and texture factor…so you can wave goodbye to styling products that leave your thomas Hairdressing, The Maltings, Mill hair tacky and sticky. Better still, all products are paraben and colour free to allow your hair’s Street, Oakham, Tel: 01572 756561, natural beauty to shine through. www.thomashairdressing.co.uk RUTLAND & MARKET HARBOROUGH LIVING OCTOBER 2013

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NEW BARBER SALON OPEN IN OAKHAM HAIRCUTS FOR ALL THE FAMILY! Gents, Ladies & Children No Appointment Needed OPENING TIMES: Monday/Tuesday 8.30am to 5pm Thursday 8.30am to 7pm Saturday 8.30am to 3pm

Cuts ‘n’ More

FREE TOY CAR WITH CHILDREN’S HAIRCUT!

8 Melton Road, Oakham, LE15 6AY Opposite the Esso garage Branches also at Rothwell and Stamford

www.cutsnmore.co.uk

THE OLD CHURCH, 8A MILL STREET, OAKHAM, RUTLAND LE15 6EA For all hair and beauty treatments and appointments call

01572 723823 www.cremehairandbeauty.co.uk

Wedding Show The East of England Autumn

Photo courtesy of Paul Massey

Org a by - nised Cup i We dd ds Sho ing ws

SUNDAY 27TH OCTOBER

10.30am – 4.00pm The East of England Showground, Peterborough

Tel: 07738 912092 / 01775 765385 for details www.cupidsweddingshows.com

Goody Bag for the ﬁrst 250 Brides Free Glass of Bubbly Catwalk Shows Free Parking Free Bridal Directory Free Prize Draw Admission: Adults £4.00 Children/OAP’s FREE

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LOCAL PRIVATE CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGISTS Specialising in treating: • Low self-esteem and loss of confidence • Low mood, depression, self-harm and suicidal thinking • Anxieties, phobias, obsessions and ruminations

• Significant life events, trauma, nightmares, flashbacks

• Attachment and relationship difficulties • Abuse (physical, emotional and sexual) Adult Speciality

Johan Truter

Tel: 01780 758556 www.psychologistuk.co.uk Orion House, 14, Barn Hill, Stamford, PE9 2AE

Child and Adolescent Specialty. EMDR Practitioner

Dr Alexandra Dent

Mbl: 07986 585270 www.alexandradent.co.uk

Orion House, 14, Barn Hill, Stamford, PE9 2AE Church Street Practice, Melton Mowbray LE13 0PN

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18/09/2013 18:23

10 A Decade in Business S HOPS & SE RVICE S

Amander Meade chats to some of Rutland & Market Harborough Living’s loyal advertisers and ﬁnds out what opportunities the last ten years have brought and how they have responded

Cavells

Swan’s of Oakham

Swan’s go worldwide… Tom Scott joined Swan’s, the family antiques and interiors business around ﬁfteen years ago with the intention of launching the business on line. “Our internet trading accounts for around ﬁfty per cent of our business now and we have a worldwide presence on line with customers regularly buying from us in Australia, the USA, Pakistan and all over Europe – something which we are thrilled about.” Swan’s retail business is continues to thrive with new specialist sections in lighting just launched at the premises on Mill Street. “Many of our customers have actively moved away from ‘throwaway furniture’ in favour of investing in high quality items – a much greener approach whether they are buying antiques or having existing furniture refurbished.” As for the next ten years, Tom thinks that to stay competitive, independent traders are going to have to work much harder to keep customers aware of what they have to offer.

Another happy birthday – Lands’ End are ﬁfty! Rutland based mail order business Lands’ End also have a special birthday this year – it’s ﬁfty years since the business launched in America with the UK operation now in its twentieth year. The largest employer in the county, Lands’ End is well known as an excellent place to work and has won prestigious awards for its environmentally friendly distribution centre.

Sarah Harding Interiors

“As well as supporting the local community with regular charitable donations, we run a number of employee well-being initiatives where our staff can take advantage of various leisure activities and beneﬁt from great offers with local businesses. Our summer highlight is the company family picnic, complete with fairground rides. During the last ten years, the company have expanded into Europe and launched a successful childrenswear range. Moving forward Lands’ End will focus on the continuing shift to digital technology, whilst maintaining its heritage as a catalogue business.”

Cavells expand and evolve... “Cavells has evolved in lots of ways over the last decade including a major extension to our existing store plus new brands such as Weekend MaxMara, Michael by Michael Kors and Chinti and Parker. Footwear has developed into one of our strongest selling categories with shoes and boots from Ash, Vic, Paul Smith and Unisa to name but a few. We have also welcomed the addition of Cavells South Street which has a more country and lifestyle feel, and of course, the internet has also had a major impact on our business. We now have a thriving transactional website which features most of our brands, and are sending out Cavells parcels to Australia and Russia on a regular basis! The internet also means that we have to

Viv and Debbie from Sarah Harding Interiors

Part of the new showroom at Sarah Harding Interiors

work extra hard to provide a really good service and something a bit different. We now offer monthly ‘Fashion Mornings with Lunch’ at Hambleton Hall plus special fashion events throughout the year.”

The future looks bright for Sarah Harding Interiors When Sarah rented a small showroom above an antique shop in High Street East in 2001 and set up Sarah Harding Interiors she began a business that has seen her move premises twice and become a well-respected and successful home interior furnishing business. Vivienne Jackson joined her in 2002 and with the help of Sarah’s husband John between them they have established a large customer base. “We expanded to new premises in 2003 and began to stock Cath Kidston and Emma Bridgewater as well as holding a large selection of wonderful materials including Colefax & Fowler, Osborne & Little, Cole & Son, and many more. A real privilege was supplying all the soft furnishing for the refurbishment of The Falcon Hotel, as well as major projects within Rutland, Norfolk, London and even Europe. In 2012 the business moved to the Market Place in Uppingham and continues to expand. Sarah puts her success down to good old customer service “It’s difﬁcult to buy curtains and soft furnishing over the internet” Sarah explained, “We offer a great service where we

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Fords of Oakham

Elizabeth Stanhope Interiors

visit your home and help you decide the right fabric for you.” So to the future – “More and more people are becoming interested in updating their homes and we will be right here to help them!” With two daughters growing up fast and already helping Mum out in the shop, Sarah Harding Interiors looks likely to be enjoying another fantastic ten years.

Fords – still Rutland’s favourite department store... Juliana White joined the team at Fords ﬁve years ago when she married Richard who is a direct descendant of the original Mr Ford. She is now very proud to be part of the family business and tells us about some of the changes and challenges of the last decade. “The biggest events have been the expansion of the main premises, doubling the size of our famous toy department, meaning we can offer fantastic toys at affordable prices. We are also really proud of our Toy Savings Club. Our newly launched Ladies wear Department goes from strength to strength. We do miss former Director Sue Green who retired after many years at the helm but are glad she now has the time to enjoy travelling and working on her garden. The latest challenge for us has been the conversion to electronic tills which will bring about some positive changes to our levels of

LSA Glass at Elizabeth Stanhope Interiors

service by making sure we can respond quickly to demand and are stocking plenty of the things our customers want. Thanks to everyone for their continued custom – Robert, Richard and I, along with our team, look forward to meeting the challenges the next ten years will bring.”

Ten years of growth with new exciting ranges to look forward to… Design experts Elizabeth Stanhope Interiors have plenty to celebrate after ten years of growth and expansion, “The last decade has provided wonderful opportunities for us to expand both our customer base and our retail showroom space with additional premises next door,” explains Elizabeth. “We continue to work as much on projects involving a whole house, as we do working with a client who is refurbishing a house step by step. Having such a vast range of fabrics in stock and on display really helps customers to visualise the ﬁnished article” Elizabeth Stanhope continues to attract big names in the Interior Design world, with her eagerly anticipated charity events, which have featured past speakers such as Nina Campbell, William Yeoward and senior designers from Farrow & Ball, and Colefax & Fowler. Look out for autumn/winter new collections arriving in store already, including Elizabeth Stanhope’s new range of fabric, available and in stock now.

Customer focus as strong as ever at Knights… Anna from Knights says they have seen vast changes in the electrical market during the last ten years – “Appliances last longer, are more versatile and are much more energy efficient than ever before. The advances in technology have been staggering. Ten years ago you would watch a film from a VCR machine, now a quarter of television sales are for the new generation of smart televisions where you can download films from the internet directly to your own screen. Who knows that the next 10 years will bring? The only thing that remains constant at Knights is our commitment to service. We show you the new technology in store, deliver the same day at a time to suit you, set the new equipment up for you and show you how it works.” DIRECTORY: Cavells – Tel: 01572 770372 www.cavells.co.uk Elizabeth Stanhope Interiors Tel: 01572 722345 www.elizabethstanhope.co.uk Fords of Oakham Tel: 01572 722654 www. fordsofoakham.co.uk Knights of Oakham Tel: 01572 722240 Lands’ End www.landsend.co.uk Sarah Harding Interiors Tel: 01572 823389 www.sarahhardinginteriors.co.uk Swan’s of Oakham Tel: 01572 724364 www. swansofoakham.co.uk

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B R I N G I N G L OCA L FOOD T O LIFE

Ten Local Food and Drink Heroes By Matt Wright

hoosing ten local food and drink heroes was surprisingly challenging. There are lots of people in the area doing great work, from chefs to farmers to shop owners, so it was hard to whittle the list down to ten. The ﬁrst job was to deﬁne ‘local’, which in this case I decided was an area of around 30 miles from Stamford and Rutland. The next task was to choose the selection criteria. What all these people have in common is the hard work they put in – day in, day out – that has a measurable positive impact on our local food and drink culture. Here they are:

About the writer Matt Wright founded and runs Greatfoodmag.co.uk and Greatfoodclub.co.uk, two Leicestershirebased websites that celebrate and promote local food and drink. His Great Food Club Handbook 2013/14 is out now.

Aaron Paterson, head chef, Hambleton Hall Consistency over many years is the mark of a great chef. Aaron’s continued ability and desire to create top quality food from the kitchen of Hambleton Hall over 29 years has brought pleasure to thousands. But more importantly it has inspired a great number of local chefs who have gone on to set up their own ﬁne restaurants, from Tom Cockerill (formerly of Entropy), to Neil Hitchen at The Berkeley Arms to Sean Hope at The Olive Branch. Has any chef had more impact in the region?

Stephen Gould, managing director, Everards Everards is a family-owned brewer from Leicester with around 180 pubs in the Midlands. Under Stephen’s stewardship, Everards is becoming one of the most progressive food and drink businesses in the region. Its clever Project William and Project Artisan schemes have led to the transformation of 28 Midlands pubs that were threatened with closure into bustling real ale houses. His collaborative approach of working with microbrewers is good news for the brewing and pub industry.

Ben Jones and Sean Hope, proprietors, The Olive Branch and Red Lion Inn Apologies to Ben and Sean for treating them as one hero! The duo behind The Olive Branch at Clipsham and The Red Lion Inn at Stathern have consistently set the standards for pub hospitality, food and drink in the region. The latest evidence of this is The Olive Branch being named Good Pub Guide Pub of the Year 2014.

Join Matt’s food club – Great Food Club – free of charge and discover the very best local food and drink. Members can enjoy special offers at over 90 handpicked independent pubs, restaurants, producers and farm shops www.greatfooodclub.co.uk/join

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Sara Barton, founder, Brewster’s Brewery The founder and head brewer at Grantham’s Brewster’s Brewery was named British Beer Writers’ Brewer of the Year earlier in 2013. Not only does she brew fantastic beers – try Hophead at Stamford’s Jolly Brewery or Oundle’s Ship Inn when it’s available – she is also responsible for encouraging female brewers into the industry via her Project Venus scheme.

The Fenland mustard farmers In 2007, mustard growing in the UK, which almost exclusively takes place in south Lincolnshire and north Cambridgeshire, was on the verge of dying out after 200 years. The reasons were declining yields and the fallout from the 1995 sale of Colman’s to Unilever. But 11 growers in the Fens refused to stand by and watch that happen, so they formed a co-operative headquartered in Thorney near Peterborough, and have since almost single handedly secured the future of the English crop.

Alison Newcombe, organiser, Oundle Food Festival Alison’s hard work organising the excellent annual Oundle Food Festival deserves plenty of respect. The event goes above the norms of town food fairs by running talks with the likes of Jane FearnleyWhittingstall (Hugh’s mum), gin tastings, bread making sessions and educational children’s activities, culminating in a superb street market. Oundle Food Festival is an asset to the region and has the potential to become even bigger and better, and it wouldn’t happen without Alison.

Nigel Moon, miller, Whissendine Windmill Not only does Nigel keep the sails of Whissendine Windmill spinning and milling, he was also responsible for restoring the building into the flour-producing workhorse it is today. The windmill had stood idle for 74 years before it was purchased by Nigel in 1995. One of the local food world’s true characters, Nigel’s passion for keeping the tradition of milling alive is a wonder to behold.

Julian Carter and Tim Hart, head baker and proprietor, Hambleton Bakery Another double act posing as a single hero! Julian is head baker at Hambleton Bakery, named Britain’s Best Bakery 2012 by ITV. Tim, meanwhile, is the man who was inspired to set up the bakery business (he is also the man behind Hambleton Hall and Hart’s of Nottingham). What Julian and Tim have jointly created is somewhere that promotes and celebrates real bread and top quality baking.

Karen Brannan, founder, The Cheese Cellar, Stamford

Tony Davis, joint founder, The Grainstore Brewery

Karen, through her Cheese Cellar on St Mary’s Street, has brought an amazing range of high quality cheeses to Stamford and spends many evenings talking to groups about cheese and running product tastings. She also supports the town in which she trades through the Visit Stamford group, acting as a Retail Champion for Stamford Lanes.

Under Tony, The Grainstore Brewery has won numerous awards down the years for its beers and its pub, including Own Brew Pub of the Year in the Good Pub Guide 2014. The Grainstore enhances the local area and runs superb beer festivals, too. One of the UK’s most respected brewers, Tony is also a qualified Beer Acadamy Beer Sommeliers. Currently there are around 50 Beer Acadamy Beer Sommeliers worldwide. RUTLAND & MARKET HARBOROUGH LIVING OCTOBER 2013

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Christmas and New Year

OUNDLE MILL IS THE PERFECT SETTING FOR YOUR FESTIVE CELEBRATIONS Whether you are looking for a unique venue for a Christmas party, a stunning Christmas Day lunch, a stylish New Year’s Eve dinner – we can offer a truly exceptional experience.

CHRISTMAS LUNCH If you are looking to relax and enjoy a fabulous Christmas Day without any chores then lunch at Oundle Mill could be the perfect way to celebrate and enjoy a little pampering. Christmas Day Menu £75 per person

CHRISTMAS PARTIES Our three course Christmas party lunch menu is priced at £16.95 per person and Christmas party dinner menu is priced at £22.50 per person.

NEW YEAR’S EVE Join us at Oundle Mill for an unforgettable evening to ring in the New Year with a celebration dinner in a festive atmosphere and inspiring surroundings. Celebrate the New Year in style with your closest family and friends and enjoy a delicious three course dinner in a stunning setting. New Year's Eve Menu £37.50 per person OUNDLE MILL - A PERFECT PLACE TO EAT, MEET OR SIMPLY RETREAT

Oundle Mill, Barnwell Road, Oundle, Northamptonshire, PE8 5PB Tel: (01832) 272621 www.oundlemill.co.uk 20

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Christmas Parties 2013 Hambleton Hall has a wonderful Private Dining Room - ‘The Study’ - available for parties of 6 - 16 guests

Special Limited Choice Menu - £55.00 per person Crab Raviolo with a lemon grass & ginger flavoured bisque or Fricassee of Wild Mushrooms with confit of bacon & quail egg or Hambleton Salad *** Sirloin of Beef with Jacobs Ladder & cèpe purée or Roast Breast of Pheasant with pearl barley risotto & root vegetables or Pan Fried Fillet of Seabass with caramelised fennel *** Lime Meringue Pie or Passion Fruit Soufflé or Chocolate Truffle flavoured with salted caramel ***

At the end of the evening why not stay the night? We are offering a special rate of £230.00 per night, based on 2 people sharing one of our standard double bedrooms,this includes full Hambleton breakfast & vat.

For more details about our Special Breaks and Events please visit our website www.hambletonhall.com

All menus are subject to a discretionary service charge of 12.5%

HAMBLETON, OAKHAM, RUTLAND, LE15 8TH T: 01572 756991 E: hotel@hambletonhall.com W: www.hambletonhall.com

December Lunch Menu 2 courses £15.95 per person 3 courses £18.95 per person

December Dinner Menu 2 courses £22.95 per person 3 courses £28.95 per person

Christmas Lunch Menu 4 courses £69.95 per person

New Year’s Eve Dinner 4 courses, coffee & truffles £39.95

Year’s Eve

Download our full Christmas brochure now at:

www.thejacksonstops.com S OP

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r person et 6 course dinner, and Champagne at Midnight! KSO N ST AC ed into dinner by Piper Mark, then Dance in the New Year with The Kings of Eden. nobody under 12 years of age OU IN N N C

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Call and book your table on: 01780 410237 Rookery Lane, Stretton, Rutland, LE15 7RA

Now in

2013

Michelin Guide

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S E A N’ S SIMP LE SU PPE R S

The Rolls-Royce of cheese on toast When it comes to a good brunch this local rarebit recipe takes some beating, says Sean Hope

his is comfort food at its best: simple, local and delicious. It has three key ingredients – Lincolnshire Poacher cheese, mushrooms (we sometimes use woodland blewitts from Clipsham Woods, where they’re free and tasty), plus our pumpkin seed bread, but any good quality bread will do. It’s no fuss to prepare and makes a refined first course or a really wholesome brunch.

MUSHROOM AND LINCOLNSHIRE POACHER RAREBIT ON TOASTED BREAD SERVES FOUR Rarebit ingredients • 100g plain flour • 100g unsalted butter • 300ml milk • 100g Lincolnshire Poacher cheese, grated • 1 tsp Worcester sauce • 1 tsp English mustard • 2 egg yolks Other ingredients • 1/2 onion, finely chopped • Handful mushrooms, sliced • Chopped tarragon • Lemon juice • 4 slices good quality bread Rarebit 1. Melt butter in a thick-bottomed saucepan. 2. Add flour to the butter and stir well with a wooden spoon until the roux begins to come away from the side of pan. 3. Gradually add the milk, mixing thoroughly to obtain a smooth sauce-like consistency. 4. Cook out the sauce for 5 to 10 minutes before adding grated cheese, mustard and Worcester sauce.

5. Remove pan from heat and stir in egg yolks. Season to taste, cover and leave to cool. Mushrooms 1. Heat frying pan, drizzle with olive oil and add a knob of butter. 2. Sweat off a little chopped onion, add a good handful of sliced mushrooms and sauté until golden brown. 3. Season to taste, finish with a squeeze of lemon juice and chopped tarragon. Assembly 1. Cut four slices of bread, nice and chunky, and toast. 2. Place toasted bread on an oven tray, scatter the pieces of bread with the sautéd mushrooms. 3. Liberally spread the rarebit mixture over the mushrooms and place under a hot grill until golden brown. 4. Serve with either crispy smoked streaky bacon or a homemade fruit chutney. CHEF’S TIP The best mushrooms to use are local blewitts, but if you can’t get hold of any you could try oyster, cepes, girolles or shitake mushrooms. For lottery winners, truffles and foie gras are a must!

COME AND TRY OUR SAVOURIES! At The Olive Branch we like to create a menu that’s traditional but also just that little bit different. For example, we have a selection of savoury dishes on our dessert list in addition to the usual cheese and crackers. We think it’s a very fitting thing to offer at a traditional country inn. The savouries we currently suggest as ‘puddings’ are as follows: • Potted Stilton with date and walnut bread (£4.95) • Olive Branch Scotch woodcock (truffle scrambled egg, anchovies, toasted brioche), £5.25 • Apley goats’ cheese pannacotta, gooseberry and ginger compote, £6.75 These savouries also go brilliantly with some of the autumnal, rich, British bottled beers we have behind the bar, as well as with port, or Melton Mowbray sloe gin.

PASSIONATE ABOUT GOOD FOOD? If you are passionate about local food and drink then you might like to join Great Food Club. • Sign up at www.greatfoodclub.co.uk, free of charge.

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Barnsdale Hall Hotel

Christmas & New Year Celebrations 2013 Christmas Party Nights £26.95

Christmas Residential Package £369 per person

Join us for a traditional family Christmas. Let us do all the work this Christmas while you enjoy this magical time of year.

Christmas Day Lunch £69.50

Children 6-11 years £34.50

THE MARQUESS MONTHLY QUIZ Held on the last Sunday of the month throughout

Spiced pumpkin soup, toasted seeds, chilli crème fraiche

Autumn and Winter, includes dinner,

Oak smoked salmon and prawns, capers and lemon

all for £12.50pp.

Chicken liver parfait, tomato and date chutney, brioche toast

Come and join us on 27th October, 6.30pm,

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don’t forget to book your team.

Roast turkey, sage and chestnut stuffing, bacon wrapped chipolatas, cranberry and bread sauce, gravy

FESTIVE COOKING DEMONSTRATION

Roast sirloin of Lakeland beef, Yorkshire pudding, horseradish cream and gravy

Get some top tips for Christmas!

Grilled Loch Duart salmon, chive crushed potatoes, kale and Champagne and caviar sauce

Monday 11th November, 10.30am; includes 2 course lunch and glass of wine £35pp.

FESTIVE SET LUNCH It’s nearly that time of year again! We will be offering a festive set lunch throughout December, Monday to Saturday,

2 COURSES £16.95PP.

Spinach, ricotta and pine nut tart, root vegetables, parmesan cream Seasonal vegetables and roast potatoes [k\

Christmas pudding, brandy sauce Montgomery cheddar, Sparkenhoe Red Leicester, Colston Bassett Stilton, fruit cake and chutney Dark chocolate torte, Caramalised hazelnuts and Satsuma, coffee sauce

LUNCH & DINNER, 7 DAYS A WEEK

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For more information or to make a reservation please contact us at

Mince pies and chocolate truffles

52 Main Street, Lyddington, Uppingham, Rutland LE15 9LT • Tel: 01572 822 477 email: info@marquessexeter.co.uk www.marquessexeter.co.uk

Barnsdale Hall Hotel, Nr Oakham, Rutland, LE15 8AB

Tel: 01572 757 901 www.barnsdalehotel.co.uk

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A RTS AND CULT UR E

The Reduced Shakespeare Company in the Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) Abigail Richardson interviews Matt Rippy of the Reduced Shakespeare Company

“If you love Shakespeare, you’ll love this show. If you hate Shakespeare you’ll love this show.” Formed in San Francisco in 1981, this three-piece company manages to compress the jewels of literature and history into a single evening with an irreverent gallop though the 37 plays in 97 minutes! You can be assured of a non-stop, high-speed and excruciatingly funny performance. Matt, originally from Houston, Texas, followed his heart to Peterborough in 1994 and his first UK performance was at Tolethorpe Hall, Stamford playing Orlando in As You Like It. He joined the Reduced Shakespeare Company is 1996 and other than a two year break where he worked in TV and film, he has been with them ever since – “It’s just too much fun – they keep pulling me back in.” Matt worked in the West End for two years before the company’s first UK tour in 1996, then back to the West End before a tour of the USA in 2009. This summer saw three simultaneous tours in Honk Kong, the UK as well as the development of a new show, Shakespeare’s Comedies, in California. Currently living in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, Matt enjoys ‘the best of both worlds’ as he loves living in the idyllic English countryside, yet enjoys travelling and visiting family as he tours the USA. “OUR MISSION IS TO CONVERT THE SHAKESPEAREAN NON-BELIEVERS.” Passionate about Shakespeare, Matt tells me of his horror at hearing statistics such as that 1 in 4 adults have never seen, let alone read one of Shakespeare’s play and that in a recent survey it revealed that most students didn’t know what century the plays were written. He says, “Shakespeare is so relevant today as well as fun and rich but people are too sacred of the language, which is why performing the whole lot in 90 minutes is a great way of introducing people to what Shakespeare has to offer. We offer ‘gateway plays’ which show the absolute bawdy

with slapstick humour… but hopefully the grammes about the human condition that offer societal truths also hit home.” Matt continues that he feels people today, particularly younger ones, are, “too sacred, too afraid to jump in and get muddy – we love to get muddy. Our mission is to convert the Shakespearean non-believers.” There is a DVD on sale and Matt admits that he was fearful its existence might reduce audience numbers as obviously it negates the need for buyers to see the show live but apparently it has had the opposite effect: “The DVD helps encourage audiences. Often teachers wait to greet us (we always come out to the lobby at the end of a show) and wax lyrical about how the DVD works as an introduction to their programme at the beginning of a semester (term) or as a treat at the end of the course.” Matt continues – “We offer workshops for schools where we use improvisation techniques to get the brains juicy and feeling free. Kids are so uptight these days – they need to be encouraged to be fearless and to realise that no matter what they say or do, it can be genius. The golden rule of improv is that you can turn anything into gold – I call it ‘golden poop’. Kids need to learn to take this into the world with them and not be afraid of anything.” Sadly, the workshops are more available in the USA’ to Sadly, the workshops are available more in the USA. I told Matt that the teaching of Shakespeare is currently under scrutiny in the National Curriculum – he was horrified – “If they drop it from the curriculum then not only do we lose our urgency but Shakespeare is such an important teaching tool as his plays have so much to offer in terms of understanding the human condition.” • Currently on tour and locally at: Guildhall Arts Centre Grantham, Thursday 10th October, Tel: 01476 406 158 or www.guildhallartscentre.com And The Cube at the Core Corby, Friday 11th October, Tel: 01536 470 470 or www.thecorecorby.com

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E DUCAT ION

“Knowledge is the wing where with we fly”

why study shaKespeare? Ben Jonson anticipated Shakespeare’s incredible future when he declared, “He was not of an age, but for all time!” in the preface to the First Folio in 1623. Abigail Richardson and other local teachers explore the relevance for Shakespeare in education today

o how is it that Shakespeare is still considered relevant in the 21st Century, and more specifically to young people today? Surfing the internet I came across a literary blog clearly geared towards the youth of today and I was interested to note a student’s response to the question, “Shakespeare’s been dead for nearly 4 centuries… seriously, so does he still have contemporary relevance?” ‘Anisa’ responds with: “In my mind there’s no doubt that Shakespeare to this date has an abundance of contemporary relevance. Many of his concepts such as status and the fight between good and evil deal with human nature, and so are timeless. However, an interesting point is that some of his themes were incredibly modern for his time, so much so that they are still prevalent in our current society; including the oppression of women, oppressive traditions, forbidden love and even homosexuality”. On the same web page there are links to Harry Stiles and a drop box to his biography – Shakespeare synonymous with Stiles? Perhaps that’s pushing it, but not a bad association for a man 400 years his senior! To mark the 450th anniversary of the Bard’s birth, Michael Gove has, recently, backed an ambitious plan to give 50,000 children the chance to stage a Shakespeare play in a theatre by 2014. The Shakespeare Schools Festival is to receive £140,000 to help it triple the number of schools involved in their popular event. Culture certainly seems to be high on the agenda for the Department for Education as it has pledged to make £15 million available over the next three years “to ensure that all pupils can engage in a variety of cultural activities of the highest quality”. What’s more, leading British academics are seeking to persuade the European parliament to adopt Shakespeare as its European laureate in time for the 400th anniversary of his death in 2016. The plan is also to create a Shakespeare Ode, inspired by the one Garrick wrote in 1769, which will celebrate Shakespeare as a figure for European creativity. The 2016 celebrations will include a revival of Garrick’s Ode, with Sam West playing the actor. But what does this mean for schools and English teachers? There were rumours recently that the government had intended to scrap Shakespeare in favour of Media Studies but Gove, in his review of the National Curriculum, has promised that Shakespeare and other classics will remain centre stage: “We need to reform English…Our literature is the best in the world - it is every child’s birthright and we should be proud to teach it in every school…the great tradition of our literature…should be at the heart of school life.” And in his speech ‘All pupils will learn our island story’ Gove clearly believes the classics should be on offer to everyone: Teachers transform lives as very few others can. They are there at the moments in all our childhoods when new horizons beckon. The moment mere shapes on a page suddenly become living words, with a gripping story to tell...The moment a pupil who says she’s never seen the point of books - or, for that matter,

school - sits enraptured by a performance of Hamlet. These moments are the gifts that teachers give and I believe no gifts are more precious…we honour the work our teachers do, we salute the sacrifices they make, we applaud their commitment to our children. But not everyone thinks Shakespeare’s place should necessarily be in education. According to an online blogger, Andrew Cowie, Helen Mirren stated that she doesn’t think students should have to read Shakespeare in school: “Honestly, I don’t think kids should be made to read Shakespeare at all. I think children’s first experience of Shakespeare should always be in performance in the theatre or in film – mostly in theatre, but it should be a performance because that makes it alive and real”. But Cowie argues that theatre attendance is, “heavily skewed by class, ethnicity and region so if you wait for young people to discover Shakespeare in the theatre then the most socially deprived never will and you’re in danger of reinforcing rather than breaking down social inequality.” Cowie goes on to argue that Mirren is somewhat hypocritical as she, “seems to have forgotten about her own English teacher whom she had previously credited with introducing her to Shakespeare.” Cowie also tells us of Patrick Stewart, “Another clever, working class child who owes his love of Shakespeare, and subsequent career, to an inspiring English teacher rather than a theatre visit, ‘It was the first time I ever held a copy of Shakespeare in my hand and it was certainly the first time I ever had Shakespeare’s words in my mouth. That’s when it happened for me’”. The dead, white, male canon of the English Literature GCSE syllabus has always been controversial and Sarah Olive, a lecturer at York University with a special interest in Shakespeare, is disapproving that, “Senior figures in the current Department of Education overwhelmingly persist in constructing English as ‘the great tradition of our literature’. She complains that Gove’s recommended authors have, “on average, been dead for 206 years. Adrian White, Head of English at Pitsford School, agrees that the canon is old fashioned and intimidating: I agree that Shakespeare belongs where he is, at the heart of the English curriculum. In my experience children are able to enjoy him, especially when an enactive approach is taken. Mirren is quite right about putting performance first, however. Merely reading Shakespeare can be a very dispiriting experience. Odd poems by Keats, Shelley and Byron have proved successful, but I personally find Augustans like Dryden and Pope uncongenial and would never willingly teach them. Swift, Austen, Dickens, Hardy can be wonderful, but with some of the full-blown novels weighing in at 800 pages plus, they are unlikely to find a home in a modern curriculum. We will continue to whet appetites with extracts and shorter works, however Overall, I would say that this is a rather dusty reading list, harking back to a 1950s view of the literary canon, and indeed

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of British history. I suggest that these writers are likely to be of far more interest to adults than children. It is odd too that this great heritage is so skewed in favour of male authors - and the golden age appears to have come to a shuddering halt about one hundred years ago! To judge whether or not our literature is the best in the world would surely require extensive first-hand knowledge of the literature of every other country, and some agreed assessment criteria. Without these any such claim is either arrogant or simply fatuous. On this evidence as Secretary of State for Education Mr Gove makes a splendid mortician, carefully embalming the English curriculum, ensuring that no tremor of life should ever threaten to cause our children’s hearts to beat! Gove’s plans for a new GCSE course is still under debate and we are to wait and see how and where, exactly, Shakespeare will be placed post 2014. Some academics would argue that Shakespeare is a must for our students today as his name is synonymous with culture and knowledge of his works acquaints us with what it means to be ‘civilized’. As an English teacher, I would agree with student Anisa that it’s the stories and the themes that are so compelling and, in my opinion, Shakespeare certainly deserves a place in the UK’s educational curriculum in the 21st Century but I agree with Mirren to a certain extent - Shakespeare’s plays should be seen in performance but they should also be studied ‘actively’ in the classroom. Richard Harman, headmaster of Uppingham School, concurs, “As a Headmaster and an English teacher, I agree with both Michael Gove and Helen Mirren. Shakespeare should have a key place in the curriculum and should be taught both in the classroom (within English lessons) and also from a performance perspective, preferably in the same lessons. His plays were written to be performed, seen and heard in the theatre, and Mirren is right to say they are best appreciated in that context, but he is also one of our greatest poets and indeed one of the greatest poets in any language. So pupils need to appreciate his work from a literary perspective as well. The two should inform each other, rather than be presented in opposition, and need to be taught in an age appropriate way.” Charles Welsh, headmaster of Witham Hall, is of the same opinion, “Shakespeare can be taught in a variety of subject areas: English, Drama, Music, PSHE, Art, History etc. Through all of these mediums children can begin to feel confident with Shakespeare, and that confidence is best developed through teaching and learning activities that explore his works as they were intended – aloud, dramatically, energetically and playfully! Children should be familiar with Shakespeare’s influence on our language and our literature by the time they leave school his plots are action-packed, timeless and relevant. Moreover, he captured the essence of the human condition and so his themes and plots are highly effective in enabling children to understand themselves, their emotions and what motivates people to act and behave as they do. At Witham children are introduced to Shakespeare at different ages through different subjects – within English we use the excellent Leon Garfield versions of the stories and the captivating cartoon versions produced in the 1990s in Wales but animated in Russia. In year seven and eight we show film versions of both Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet. We look at the plays also in terms of their historical context, their predominant linguistic features and themes. Alongside our Music engaging with Shakespeare, every other year we are involved in the National Schools Shakespeare Drama Festival; most recently a school cast performed an abridged version of The Tempest at the Key Theatre in Peterborough, and as part of this experience watched the play performed in Stratford.” Victoria Crosher, head of Casterton Business and Enterprise College adds, “In terms of Shakespeare, he’s not the world’s most famous dramatist for nothing, even if he is dead and white, but Mirren has a point. Shakespeare should always be treated as a performance not a text to be read in isolation of the moving image

or a trip to the theatre. Gove would be better served to ensure all pupils had access to regular live performances of plays than limit the curriculum in the way he proposes.” Nigel Lashbrook informs us of the philosophy at Oakham School: “At Oakham, we strongly believe that pupils should be given the space and time to enjoy Shakespeare and other great works, including contemporary and multicultural literature. This could be through reading, studying, watching or acting. Good education offers pupils a variety of ways to access information and knowledge. Whilst one pupil may enjoy reading Shakespeare, another may only truly appreciate his works when seeing it performed. We are fortunate, as an independent school, to be able to offer a range of trips and activities to extend our curriculum and help to bring literature ‘off the page’”. Judith Green, English teacher and Shakespeare expert at Catmose College expands, “Shakespeare peoples our cultural landscape. There is no longer the bible as a common resource for stories. The plays show us what it is to be human and, like Harry Potter, remind us of the strength of human love, the importance of friends, the potency of power and sex. The harder the text, usually the better the students work – but there has to be a reward. Learning Shakespeare off by heart, gives the learner some status. ‘This isle is full of strange noises..’ was used in both the opening and closing Olympic ceremonies; Studying Shakespeare, gives the learner access to language that makes a kind of (whimsical moment) electrical connection between head, heart and mind. Also as it can be hard to understand, to awaken the imagination, our learners need to move around, play with the words, see performances and attend workshops – so the process of understanding is interesting and enabling. But it must be taught well; it must be performed well. Like wine or cheese – Shakespeare can be the best or the worst experience. ‘But screw your courage to the sticking point and we’ll not fail…” Stephen Roberts Principal of Stamford Endowed Schools tells us, “Schools and parents need to encourage children to read and early on I don’t think it matters what they read. Once the love of reading has been established then the great works of the English language can be experienced and savoured. The problem is that in a class of 15 year olds there will be some for whom studying Shakespeare will be a joy because they have the sophistication of language required and for others it is a mystery. In the latest John Irving novel, In One Person, there is the following dialogue ‘Are you going to put on any of Shakespeare’s plays?’ she asked Richard. ‘I believe that’s the only way to make boys read and understand Shakespeare,’ Richard told her. ‘They’ve got to see the plays performed – better yet, they’ve got to perform them.’ I am not an English teacher but I would agree with this. SES are involved in the National Shakespeare Festival during which some pupils will get the opportunity to perform abridged Shakespeare plays.” Gregory Doran, in the members’ news letter in January 2013 as he commenced his reign as the RSC’s artistic director, sums it up for me: “Shakespeare works on many different levels throughout your life. In the first instance you are grabbed by the stories; Shipwrecks, fairies, witches, ghosts and battles. Then maybe the language, the psychology of the characters and it grows with you through life. But if you miss that first stage, if you miss that initial excitement of encountering Shakespeare for the first time, whether that’s reading it or seeing it live, I think you miss a very important part of that journey. That is why it is a key element of the school curriculum, while our responsibility is to help teachers deliver Shakespeare in engaging ways”. There is no doubt that with the celebrations of 2016 Shakespeare will remain an intrinsic part of the curriculum because he is a National treasure as well a, arguably, the best playwright of all times but I would like to think that, as Nelson Mandela once said, having found solace in Shakespeare’s works when imprisoned on Robben Island, “Somehow Shakespeare always has something to say to us”.

RUTLAND & MARKET HARBOROUGH LIVING OCTOBER 2013

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18/09/2013 18:25

ACT IVIT IE S

Tales from the Spinney Tucked away in woodland near Little Bytham, just north of Stamford, there is a magical place where children’s imaginations can come alive. Sheena Harvey joined in the fun

etween the tall trees, among the leafy bushes and hidden round every turn of the winding woodland trails at the Spinney there are slides, swings, climbing webs, a wobbly bridge, a zip wire and a lookout tower. There are hillocks to run down and glades for picnics. There’s a place for a campfire, and all sorts of hidey-holes for dens. “The Spinney is the antithesis of sitting in front of a computer,” says Patrick Candler, who conceived the play area. “Here children – and parents – can run free and wild and have a great time. I’m a farmer’s son and I remember whiling away happy days in a wood in Suffolk. That’s why I’m so keen on adventure play. These days, the Spinney is as open a place for that as you can get.” The story of the Spinney began in the late 90s. Just at the time when the Millennium Commission was inviting bids to fund all sorts of commemorative schemes to mark the new century, Patrick was Chair of the Friends of Bythams School (FOBS), the parent/ teacher association. The FOBS’ bid for a play area fitted the Commission’s criteria so well they awarded it £67,800. Once the land had been bought, landscape architect Don Munro drew up a basic design and the present site manager, Judith Smith, lent her skills in agronomy and environmental science. Historically, clay had been extracted from the site to make bricks, so the area was full of natural hills and hollows, although now quite overgrown. In January 2003 the diggers arrived to create an access route from the main road, a car park and the first picnic area. Then volunteers moved in to clear the undergrowth and thin the trees. They planted native species to increase diversity, and natural hedging to screen the site from the road. Because the area is bounded on one side by the East Coast mainline, Network Rail was approached about a barrier to the railway. “They came up with some really robust metal fencing,” says Patrick. “It gave us what has to be the securest bit of line between London and Edinburgh!” For the rest of the project the Trust tried as far as possible to use

goods, labour and expertise from local sources. “We wanted the whole community to be involved,” says Patrick. “We held consultation meetings around the area, and we continue to consult with local kids and interpret their requests as best we can.” In 2011 the Trust got a large lottery grant to buy equipment suitable for older children. Other, smaller grants over time have contributed to many features that make the Spinney fun and accessible to all, including wheelchairs and buggies. All told to date, more than £200,000 has been raised. Once the play areas were finished, the Trust created a heritage orchard with indigenous Lincolnshire fruit trees, including an apple from Isaac Newton’s home, Woolsthorpe. Two weekend mornings a month volunteers meet at the Spinney to do routine maintenance and tidying. “We’re always pleased to welcome extra helpers,” says Patrick. “No particular skills are required, just a willingness to muck in. We’ve had a fantastic 10 years so far but the site is subject to wear and tear and we’re keen to keep it looking good.” The latest phase has seen children from Bythams School making a sensory garden and the acquisition of a 3.9 acre plot next to the woods to create a wildflower meadow. “The meadow’s open for everyone to enjoy,” says Patrick. “It’ll take between three and five years to come to maturity, but then it will be good for bugs, bees, birds… and people.” There are few rules at the Spinney. “Our philosophy is: do as you please, run and climb and dig, have picnics and parties, but please respect the place,” says Patrick. Even grown-ups can enjoy sliding down the zip wire or building a den. “There’s a child in all of us,” according to Patrick. “And if we can get that feeling out for a few hours it’s a wonderful thing.” • The Spinney is just off the B1176, between the villages of Little Bytham and Creeton. For more information, or to volunteer, contact www.bythamspinney.co.uk or www.facebook.com/bythamsSpinney RUTLAND & MARKET HARBOROUGH LIVING OCTOBER 2013

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PR OPE R T Y

A Decade of Diligence Nicola Hardy talks to Grant Murray who reveals how the past ten years has changed the face of Oakham and his business

“T

his past decade has been turbulent, but there is light at the end of the tunnel”, says Grant, with a wry smile. He reminds me that Murrays celebrated their bicentenary last year and is proud of his company that has progressed and transformed into what it is now in 2013.

“Without a doubt the most important factor in the development of selling houses has been the internet”, admits Grant, “It’s had a revolutionary impact on the property market, providing instant access to punters of available homes to buy or rent”. He advises that customers have a look on ‘Rightmove’ to see what they like then email the respective estate agent for details. “It’s so important to involve skilled professionals, like us, to negotiate prices, to carry out necessary background checks, keeping an eye on the chain and communicating with lawyers. Advertising and marketing too has vastly improved due to this media.” Rutland has been recently described in The Sunday Times as a highly desirable place to live. Properties are great value for money; the area is picturesque and the schools are some of the best in Britain. It’s centrally placed in the country, therefore an ideal location to commute to several large cities and the perfect place to settle down and bring up a family. It’s a great combination of nature, nurture, health and education. Schools are a huge draw for people moving into the area. Oakham school is one of the major English public schools and has had a 100% pass rate for three years running; this year being the best ever with 25% achieving A* and A grades. By moving to Oakham and surrounding villages there is a saving of up to 50% in fees for day pupils. Catmose College is also an ‘outstanding school’ Ofsted 2012. Designed by EllisMiller with its simple modernist inspired architecture, winning a couple of highly prestigious prizes. Rutland County College, also Ofsted outstanding, has also recently excelled with 99% ‘A’ Level pass rate and virtually all students accessing their chosen universities. All three schools have a strong work ethic, small class sizes and excellent staff.

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Oakham bypass, 2007, an £11,000,000 road relieving traffic congestion and increasing safety for pedestrians and cyclists. “Stamford Road and Catmose Park Road are still highly desirable locations. Stamford Road for its large properties and gardens and Catmose for its quiet, tucked away appeal. The David Wilson homes built in 2000 were already selling second hand in 2003, and continue to be popular.” Leighfield Park -Larkfleet’s major urban expansion of Oakham, located between Oakham bypass and Barleythorpe. “These are traditional style homes offering energy efficient lifestyles. The Government ‘help to buy’ scheme is available, as is ‘part exchange’ and a ‘try before you buy’ opportunity, allowing potential buyers to live in a fully furnished property for a few days to get a feel for quality and Oakham’s facilities.” Renting- Rentals have always been strong for Murrays. “When prices were low people could build up their portfolios with ‘Buy to lets’. Over the past ten years homes were hard to sell so folk had to rent rather than buy. Renting is more part of the norm nowadays as in Germany and France. The population is more transient, moving from place to place for work, and renting is a smoother easier operation.”

Tesco’s Superstore and the Co-op rebuild. “We are lucky to have two one-stop stores making busy lives easier to buy all we need in one place, but the downside is the high street shops get neglected and businesses close. The Internet too is responsible forcing book shops and boutiques to shut down.” Parking in Oakham - Continuing from no.8, “If it were slightly easier to park in town we’d shop in town”. Trafﬁc wardens need to be less vigilant! Grant believes that to bring more shoppers into Oakham parking policies need to be reviewed. Consequently there would be less empty commercial premises on the high street. Ending on a very positive note Grant took me through the selling ﬁgures over the past few months. “Sales are picking up on average 25% per month, lettings are above average and we are selling 50% more houses this year than last year”, he cheerfully announced. “Murrays have 230 houses available for sale with the largest selection of properties available in the Rutland & Stamford area at the moment”, he added. I asked him how much a home valued at a million pounds in 2003 would be worth today: “Today it would sell for 25% more, an extra quarter million, which is why top end houses sell so well in Rutland, the majority of homes have increased by 31%”.

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T R AVE L

10 Ski Bites with Nick Edwards 1 2

The Swiss ski resorts of Lenzerheide and Arosa will be linked up this season to offer 225km of piste. North Korean nutter Kim Jong-Un plans to build Asia’s largest ski area and has already started development. He has, however, suffered a serious set-back owing to various European ski lift manufacturers refusing to do business with him. What is the altitude of Courchevel 1850? Wrong, it’s around 1730m. There is no letter “m” after the 1850 in the name and was simply called that to rival Val d’Isere for business. French ski resorts have this year banned British companies from ski guiding on the grounds of safety. Yet they will allow the Ski Club of Great Britain to guide without qualiﬁed instructors. Oh no, it’s not about the money they assure us. Virtually all airlines now charge for ski carriage (including BA) but if you ﬂy with

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Lufthansa and Swiss your carriage is included. This can save you around £90.00 when compared to Ryanair. Short break recommendation? Champoluc in Italy is perfect and offers over 150km of piste with some of the world’s best off-piste in neighbouring Alagna. In the USA the legal deﬁnition of “ski in ski out” is actually within 200m of the slopes. Always carry your skis on your shoulders with the tips facing forwards and angled downwards. I don’t know why but you’ll be laughed at otherwise! Fancy running your own ski company? Well, have a quick whip round and get your bid in quickly as Neilson Ski is up for grabs. Best ski nightlife in the world? Ischgl, Austria……..but it doesn’t come cheaply.

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Canada Canada is a hugely diverse destination with something to offer everyone. Whether you are look for a cosmopolitan city experience or a wilderness adventure, you will ﬁnd them all along with much, much more in this wonderful country. One of the most iconic trips in Canada is the two day journey on the Rocky Mountaineer train, rightly described as the most spectacular train trip in the World. It departs the vibrant city of Vancouver and heads on a two day adventure towards the Rocky Mountain resort towns of Banff or Jasper. An overnight stay in a hotel is included to ensure that you don’t miss any of the jaw dropping scenery along the way and you can choose between 3 fabulous levels of service including the luxurious Goldleaf option. To get off the beaten track or have an up close wildlife experience you could also choose from a wide variety of unique experiences such as the Grizzly Bears of Knight Inlet or a heli-hiking adventure. For something a little different, board one of the Alaskan Cruises to explore some of the most spectacular and unspoilt scenery on earth. Choose from a selection of state of the art ships with a wealth of facilities and offering great value for money. Canada also offers some wonderful city experiences. Vancouver is often rated as one of the best places in the world to live and has a vibrant feel with a stunning backdrop. Canada’s largest city, Toronto, is found in the east and is a perfect place for a shopping break. It offers a huge selection of museums, theatres, restaurants and galleries and is only two hours from one of the wonders of the world, Niagara Falls. Savvi Travel can offer a wide range of planned self-drive trips or help to plan your own tailor made holiday to travel at your own pace. They can also suggest a selection of organised coach tours aimed at making the most out of the time that you have in Canada. As many of the popular areas are in National Parks or in remote spots then booking early is always recommended. • Call Dave or Kay on Tel: 01572 842012 or call into the shop at 7 The Maltings, Oakham for your ‘Complete Guide’ or Coach Touring brochure to help plan your perfect visit to this dream destination.

RUTLAND & MARKET HARBOROUGH LIVING OCTOBER 2013

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18/09/2013 18:26

MOT OR ING

Is Greater Model Choice a Good Thing? Vehicle owners have never had a greater range of new cars to choose from than in today’s market, as Ashley Martin discovers

ot only are there approximately 50 different motor manufacturers selling cars into the UK market ranging from Abarth, a division of Fiat, to Volvo, but new model ranges continue to be introduced as vehicle designers, engineers and marketeers find niches to exploit. The fabled Mini, now part of the BMW Group, can be bought, for example, in an incredible seven different guises - the Paceman now selling alongside the Hatch, Clubman, Convertible, Countryman, Coupé and Roadster. Meanwhile, the word ‘crossover’ has been introduced to the motoring vocabulary as manufacturers mix the virtues of the MPV (multi-purpose vehicle or people carrier) with the SUV (sports utility vehicle or fashionable off-roader) with the long-established hatchback to deliver a new type of car as most recently illustrated with the Renault Captor due to enter showrooms in July. Add into the mix, power alternatives to the traditional internal combustion engine - the ever-growing range of hybrid, extended range electric vehicles, plug-in electric vehicles and pure electric vehicles - and model choice now incredibly extends to approximately 8,500 different models. Taken at face value the fantastic choice available is good news for motorists as they seek a vehicle to match their wallet and lifestyle. But, according to car information experts CAP Automotive, publishers of among other titles the fabled Black Book beloved of traders to value used cars, the seemingly ever-extended choice is hitting owners where it hurts most - in the wallet. CAP’s analysis of new car model introductions over the past three decades

reveals a dramatically shorter ‘shelf-life’ for today’s new vehicles. Known in the industry as ‘lifecycle’, the period between replacement model introductions or significant ‘facelifts’ has shrunk from around 10 years in the 1970s and 80s to around three-four years today. Although motorists benefit from ever more rapid advances in car quality, new in-car gizmos and the latest engine technology resulting in lower emissions and therefore improved MPG, they pay a heavy price in increased depreciation as models go out of style quicker than they did 30 years ago. After the initial depreciation ‘hit’ that comes with the purchase of any new car, the typical inlife model ageing patterns sees residual values fall 3-4% per year. The arrival of a new model will typically add around 25% to the residual value when compared with its predecessor - an average £1,000 on a lower medium model, £1,500-£1,750 on an upper medium model and £2,000 on an executive model - relative to the degree of change. As Ford roll out its latest generation Fiesta - Britain’s best-selling car - and Volkswagen bring out the new version of its ever-popular Volkswagen Golf, the 2013 World and European Car of the Year, CAP new car expert David Saville said: “You can’t help feeling like it’s only two minutes since the previous generation was introduced in each case. “The outgoing Fiesta was produced between October 2008 and October 2012 and the previous Golf ran from November 2009 until November 2012. “Looking back into history the first generation Fiesta was introduced in 1976 and

ran until 1983. The Golf was introduced in 1974 and remained substantially unchanged until 1983.” Experts attribute some of the impetus behind shortening lifecycles to the influence of Far East manufacturers - the Japanese and Korean brands - which adopted a policy of refreshing their offerings more rapidly than the competition, as they worked hard to crack European markets. The success of that policy by the likes of Honda, Mazda, Nissan and Toyota from Japan and Hyundai and stablemate Kia from Korea prompted other manufacturers to follow suit. A second major influence on shortening lifecycles is ever tougher emissions standards, with manufacturers constantly working to meet rapidly changing European rules. Mr Saville said: “A model that had an acceptable level of CO2 emissions three years back is now totally out of step with the latest requirements.” A further influence is the ease, as a result of computers, with which the look of a car can be changed, using modern automotive design techniques compared with 30 years ago. On the face of it, concluded Mr Saville, new car consumers benefit by always having a choice of up-to-date models to choose from. However, he added: “This can also have a negative effect because most buyers have a car that they need to dispose of when they come back into the market. If their existing model isn’t the latest offering from that manufacturer, ‘lifecycle depreciation’ kicks in and makes their car less attractive as a private sale or a trade-in.”

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DAY S O UT

Discover N1C Sue Dobson suggests a walk around King’s Cross and St Pancras, taking in history, tradition and London’s most exciting new development that even boasts its own postcode!

Above: London’s most exciting building site Left: Granary Square, the heart of the new NC1 development

Northern Hotel, once stored Lincolnshire wheat Christian worship here since the 4th century rom farms, fields and Georgian health spas for London bakers. Now it is home to Central and while the church is now largely Victorian, to a Victorian industrial heartland, freight St Martin’s College of Art and Design, two it has a 6th-century altar stone and Roman and transport hub, King’s Cross has seen many restaurants and the King’s Cross Visitor Centre fragments in its fabric. changes but probably none as exciting as the where you can pick up information about the In the peaceful, tree-shaded gardens of its current building spree. area’s history, future development and the former churchyard, Frankenstein author Mary In decline for decades, the 67 acres north variety of current pop-up events, such as the Godwin secretly met her lover and future of King’s Cross station is being transformed summer’s roller skating rink, floating cinema husband, the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley and with glittering high-rise homes and offices, and art installations. At the back of the building, it was author Thomas Hardy, then a young shops, galleries, cultural venues, cafés, bars seek out Global Generation’s Skip Garden, a architect, who oversaw the excavation of and restaurants. Restored and refurbished moveable vegetable garden that supplies fruit the cemetery when the Midland Railway was Victorian buildings and heritage structures will and vegetables to local restaurants. extended to a new terminus at St Pancras. Look sit alongside the modern steel and glass, amid When you’ve had your fill of Granary Square, for the Hardy Tree ringed with a collection of public spaces incorporating 10 new parks and go left on the towpath alongside the Regent’s headstones. squares. The area even has its own brand new Canal and up the stairs at the first bridge, Passing the celebrated architect Sir John postcode, N1C. crossing the road to visit King’s Place (90 York Soane’s family mausoleum, which inspired Sir From the new piazza in front of King’s Cross Way). It’s London’s newest concert venue, Giles Gilbert Scott’s iconic design for the red station, turn right onto Euston Road, passing with two state-of-the-art halls designed for telephone box, walk down the steps by the Sir George Gilbert Scott’s fairytale façade of the Hobson’s Conduit classical, pop, folk, jazz, film and spoken word Coroner’s Court, turning right into Camley St Pancras Renaissance hotel (its spectacular, events, houses two art galleries, a café, bar and Street and through its road tunnel under the exquisitely restored interior well worth the restaurant, and The Guardian and Observer railway lines. Then the Camley Street Natural excuse of stylish coffee break) to reach The newspapers have their offices there. Park beckons. British Library. Walk through to the back of the building, This pocket nature reserve alongside the As well as being a heaven for book lovers, pausing along the way to collect info on the Regent’s Canal was created on the site of an old the British Library hosts some extraordinary amazing array of concerts and events on offer railway coal yard. Managed by London Wildlife treasures, among them the Magna Carta, the at affordable prices, and out on to the terrace Trust and cared for by enthusiastic volunteers, Gutenberg Bible, illuminated medieval and The Orchard, Grantchester for a view of narrow boats lined up in the the little green jungle features such key wildlife Renaissance manuscripts, Leonardo da Vinci Battlebridge Basin. From here you can see the habitats as grassland, woodland, wetland and a notebook sketches, Shakespeare’s first folio, London Canal Museum, your next destination, floating forest garden. Nelson’s battle plan for Trafalgar, Handel music reached by turning left off York Way into At the end of Camley Street go left up Goods scores and some of the world’s rarest and most Wharfdale Road and left again at New Wharf Way and you’ll see the pedestrian bridge across significant postage stamps. What’s more, entry Road. the Regents Canal into Granary Square, where to the permanent galleries is free. The London Canal Museum (open Tuesday to the sweep of over 1000 playful fountains Changing exhibitions are always interesting. Sunday, 10am to last admission 4pm, entrance attracts small children (and their parents) on Currently (until mid-September) there’s the charge) is a fascinating place that tells the story hot days and the canal side steps have been colourful and thought-provoking Propaganda: of London’s busy waterways, their cargoes, turfed for a summery look. To your right, King’s Power and Persuasion (admission charge) and the lives of the people who lived afloat and Boulevard hosts KERB, presenting some of Poetry in Sound: The Music of Benjamin Britten the horses that pulled their boats. Peer down London’s best street food between 11am and (free). a huge Victorian ice well, squeeze into the tiny 2.30pm on Tuesdays to Fridays. Back on Euston Road, turn left and walk cabin of a boat where whole families once lived Granary Square is at the heart of N1C. The up Midland Road alongside St Pancras and view films, maps and memorabilia. York Granary Building, designed by the architect International and its Eurostar trains, to visit Way will return you to King’s Cross station. of King’s Cross station and the elegant Great St Pancras Old Church. There’s been a site of

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King’s Cross underground and overground station, the restored Great Northern Hotel, st Pancras station and the st Pancras Renaissance hotel

Over 1000 jets, each one individually coloured so they look spectacular at night, rise from the old canal basin outside the Granary building. the fountains are a big hit with young children on hot summer days

Right: Harry Potter fans gather to be photographed against Platform 93/4 left: Follow the sign

Right: london Canal Museum explores the history of the canals that made the industrial Revolution possible left: A moveable skip garden provides fruit and vegetables to local restaurants

Two great railway hotels are restored

PITSTOPS Leave King’s Cross station through the back of the soaring concourse near platforms 9 to 11, passing the Harry Potter corner where fans line up to be photographed alongside Platform 93/4, and walk down London’s newest street, King’s Boulevard to discover tempting street food (Tuesday to Friday between 11 and 2.30). Cross the canal bridge to Granary Square where Caravan and The Grain Store bistro both have outdoor seating. Go right on Goods Way for The Filling Station and the canal side terrace at Shrimpy’s diner, or continue to King’s Place where the Green & Fortune Café offers great cakes and the waterfront Rotunda restaurant has canal boat views. Both serve good British food sourced from their own farm.

When the Great Northern Hotel opened in 1854 it stood at the heart of London’s revolutionary new age of steam, a glamorous and stylish point of departure. Close by, the lavish Midland Grand (now the St Pancras Renaissance), inspired by the Victorian gothic Houses of Parliament, received its first guests in 1873. In their heyday they were the talk of the town, attracting celebrities from around the world. Years of painstaking renovation have restored both hotels to glory. They sit alongside the eye-pleasing facelifts given to King’s Cross and St Pancras railway stations and their bars and restaurants invite travellers to step into the elegant world of the golden age of rail.

Events in September 7 KERB Saturday street food market 13-15 King’s Place Festival: over 100 eclectic events involving music and the arts 21-22 Open House, behind-the-scenes at King’s Cross, free 28-29 King’s Cross Journeys two-day family festival, free visit www.kingscrossevents.co.uk for details

Climb aboard the tiny living quarters of a narrowboat and learn about the way of life on the canals

King’s Cross stunning new concourse

Take a guided tour British Library: Monday to Saturday, 10.30am and 3pm; Sunday 11.30 and 3pm. £8/£6.50 concessions. www.bl.uk St Pancras Renaissance hotel, daily, £20. Tel: 020 7841 3540 The King’s Cross Business Partnership offers a range of free walking tours in the area. For how to book, see the website www.kingscrossandstpancras.com

UseFUl websites www.kingscross.co.uk www.kingscrossandstpancras.com www.kingsplace.co.uk www.kerbfood.com/kings-cross/ www.bl.uk www.canalmuseum.org.uk

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Barristers’ Chambers

e are a well-established, friendly and approachable multi-disciplinary practice of barristers based in Leicester but with a nationwide presence. In addition to accepting instructions from solicitors throughout the UK we also welcome direct access clients and undertake a great amount of such work whether from individual members of the public or from companies and other organisations looking for advice and representation from specialist advocates and lawyers. We offer professional expertise in many and varied areas of the law including:

· Agricultural and Equine Law · Commercial, Company and Partnership Law · Coroners’ Inquests · Courts Martial · Crime · Education Law · Employment Law · Equine · Family Law and Care

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You can contact our Clerks to discuss your needs and requirements or if you prefer by email: clerks@newwalkchambers.co.uk New Walk Chambers, 27 New Walk, Leicester, LE1 6TE - Tel: 0116 2559144

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Open Day Saturday 5 October 10.30am-1pm • A small, friendly, independent school for pupils aged 3-18 years • New Junior School Building • In ‘The Independent’s’ Top 100 Schools • Excellent GCSE and A Level results • Bus services from Kettering, Market Harborough, Towcester and Northampton Town Centre • Childcare Vouchers accepted

Your child’s next move? 01604 880306 office@pitsfordschool.com www.pitsfordschool.com

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D IA RY DAT E S

WHAT’S ON Amander Meade selects some of the best entertainment in the region this month FRIDAY 4, SATURDAY 5, SUNDAY 6 OCTOBER EVENT: DIESEL GALA The biggest and best of its kind in the country with up to six guest locomotives. Later this month on Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 there is the travelling Post Office weekend and the following weekend there are spooky Halloween trains pulled through the haunted tunnel. Nene Valley Railway For more information Tel: 01780 784444 www.nvr.org.uk SATURDAY 5 OCTOBER, 7.30PM MUSIC: THE TIPPETT QUARTET The quartet celebrates the centenary of Nino rota, collaborator of Federico Fellini and composer of the score to the first two Godfather films. Later this month on Saturday 26th October at 7.30pm, Music In Lyddington present a centenary celebration for Benjamin Britten. There will be a pre concert talk in the village hall at 5.30pm followed by Julius Drake and friends performing works by Purcell and arranged by Britten. Both events take place in St Andrew’s Church, Lyddington Tickets are £14 in advance from Uppingham Theatre or Music & More, Oakham More information at www.musicinlyddington.co.uk WEDNESDAY 9 OCTOBER, 7.30PM EVENT: FILM NIGHT Bring your own drinks and nibbles to this family friendly film night showing ‘A Late Quartet’ (15) – look out for monthly showings. Uppingham Town Hall FRIDAY 25 OCTOBER EVENT: PAVILION CURRY & QUIZ NIGHT Golf professional Richard Alderson hosts as Quiz Master while a selection of delicious curries is served throughout the evening. Ticket price includes a bottle of wine per couple. Tickets £18 per person Tel: 01572 787044

pianist Nicholas Bosworth in Mozart’s masterpiece. Opera Minima recruits young professional singers who perform with the English National Opera and beyond. Oakham Castle (Additional performances at Great Easton Village Hall and Dingley Church on Sunday 10 and Saturday 16 November respectively.) Tickets from Oakham Castle or at www. WeGotTickets.com/OperaMinima For Dingley tickets Tel: 0116 233 111 All information at www.operamimima.org.uk BONFIRE BONANZA

Catch the best firework displays in the region... FRIDAY 1ST NOVEMBER, GATES OPEN 6.30PM; DISPLAY AT 7.30PM Market Harborough Rugby Club Fireworks Spectacular display - plus hot food and licensed bar. Rugby Club, Northampton Road, Market Harborough Tickets: Family (2 adults + 2 children) £15, adults £5, children (2-14) £3.50, under 2 years free Book online at www.mhrufc.co.uk or at Kitchen Range Cook Shop, Church St.

TUESDAY 8 TO SATURDAY 12 OCTOBER, 7.30PM WITH A MATINEE ON SATURDAY AT 2.30PM MUSICAL THEATRE: STEP INSIDE LOVE Market Harborough Musical Theatre celebrates the swinging sixties with their latest show. Staying strictly with British sounds of the sixties the youthful cast will bring back memories of the fashion, the style and the dances of the era performing songs made famous by the likes of Cilla Black, Sandie Shaw, Dusty Springfield and The Beatles. First produced in London it played to full houses and had rave reviews. Harborough Theatre, Church Square Tickets £10 at www.mhmt.ticketsource.co.uk or at the Sugar Loaf on the High Street

THURSDAY 31 OCTOBER (PREVIEW EVENING 7PM), FRIDAY 1 TO SUNDAY 3 NOVEMBER FROM 10AM. EVENT: ART IN LYDDINGTON 2013 One of Rutland’s largest professional fine art exhibitions opened by the High Sheriff. A fantastic array of paintings, sculptures, ceramics, textiles, glass and other art works in both contemporary and traditional styles. See artists at work, attend a lecture, support the raffle or enjoy some of the delicious refreshments available. All work is for sale and admission is free. St Andrew’s Church, Lyddington Fundraising for St Andrew’s Church, village charities and the village defibrillator

SATURDAY 2 NOVEMBER, GATES AT 6PM DISPLAYS BEGIN AT 7PM All new family friendly displays by Hi-5 Fireworks with lots of tasty refreshments and light sabres on sale. Oakham Rugby Club, Pillings Road Tickets £3.50 in advance, family tickets (4) £12 and (5) £15 from Fords of Oakham and Uppingham Sports & books SUNDAY 3 NOVEMBER BONFIRE NIGHT Traditional bonfire and spectacular firework display. A choice of delicious hot food will be available in the marquee. Stapleford Country House Hotel Tickets £12.50 per person Tel: 01572 787000

BOOK EARLY FOR… FRIDAY 8 NOVEMBER OPERA: THE MAGIC FLUTE See the rising stars of English opera perform under the watchful eye of

RUTLAND & MARKET HARBOROUGH LIVING OCTOBER 2013

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OUT & ABOUT

A Home from Home at Foxton Locks Lodges Dreading the onslaught of family members and well meaning friends who ring up and say “let’s get the two families together over the holidays!”. Well fear not, as Foxton Locks Lodges is a home from home where your visiting ‘guests’ can stay and enjoy the beautiful countryside and even your hospitality without actually staying under your roof! Sosennah Every explores…

aura Turney discovered a gap in the local market when looking to diversify her parent’s Foxton farm and set up luxurious log cabins as self catering holiday lets. Now in its second year, the lodges are proving equally popular with local families as well as with visitors from all over the country and abroad. The visitors’ book reads “faultless, everything we needed was here”; “very tranquil with great views”; “a perfect holiday with wonderful walks and local pubs”. Our experience over three days was equally fabulous. The thought of carting two children, a husband and food for three days was filling me with trepidation; however, the minute we arrived in the spacious and beautifully appointed Fox’s Den cabin, we felt on holiday. The wonderful aroma of pine as you walk in and the long uninterrupted countryside views instantly reminded us of being in a chalet. The children jumped straight into the hot tub which proved to be even more fun in the sudden thunderstorm! There was a bottle of wine in the fridge on arrival which was most welcome once the children were tucked up in bed in the twin room and we pondered the local takeaway menus. We plumped for a very good Cantonese meal from Swallow Cottage in Market Harborough. The

Shoulder of Mutton pub in Foxton also serves Chinese food, but is closed on Mondays. Witnessing a spectacular sunset from the terrace, listening to music from the ipod docking station provided, enjoying the gas fire and a dvd or feuding over the Leicestershire version of Monopoly, we felt completely relaxed. There is a lot to be said for a change of scene to revitalise the body and mind, without having to travel far from home. The next day, we choose to stay close to the cabin and walked to the Foxton Locks, via the tow path and back through the fields. We thoroughly enjoyed watching the canal boats go through some of the ten locks, visiting the museum and seeing the historic and impressive Foxton Locks Inclined Plane Boat Lift. Back at the cabin, it was BBQ time on the terrace and again the kitchen didn’t disappoint with every utensil you could wish for in the cupboards. With friends joining us for the meal, it was good to know the cabin easily accommodated a large group. Laura has certainly thought of everything when decorating and appointing the cabin. The large double bed, good solid furniture, comfortable sofa/sofa bed, were all of a high quality and the ample towels, pillows, throws

and four bath robes made us feel in cosseted luxury. Fox’s Den has one ensuite shower room and one bathroom, all of a generous size – this is one of the few places where the pictures on the website are true to their real proportion! The other cabins are called Badger’s Set, a one-bedroom cabin and Squirrel’s Drey a large two bedroom ensuite cabin with a huge southwest decking area. All have private hot tubs and are set well apart with some good planting in between adding to the feeling of privacy. Bicycles can be hired and your food shopping can be delivered and unloaded for you in advance. For those arriving late, a breakfast basket filled with bacon, eggs, bread, butter, croissants, jams, orange juice and filter coffee is available to order for £6, enough to last a number of mornings! Hospitality is paramount and Laura is happy to help make guests’ stays memorable by decorating cabins for a hen group or organising a champagne hamper. Bookings are from Friday to Monday or Monday to Friday and a mid season price is about £470, all easily bookable online. My three year old summed up our stay perfectly with, “That was brilliant Mummy”! • Contact: Foxton Locks Lodges, Tel: 01858 545273, www.foxtonlockslodges.com

RUTLAND & MARKET HARBOROUGH LIVING OCTOBER 2013

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18/09/2013 18:26

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he Carisbrooke team offer a lifelong approach to providing dental care and treatment to patients. They have an exceptional reputation both with patients and dentists in and around Leicestershire who refer many of their own patients to the practice for specialist care. Carisbrooke Specialist Dental Centre offers a complete range of dental care from family general dentistry to complex specialist procedures. The team have a lifelong approach to looking after their patient’s dental health.

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• RL oct ADS.indd 42

19/09/2013 15:36

L OCA L NE W S

SHOPS & SERVICES Operation Christmas Child

The Little Big Bra Shop - Breast Cancer Awareness

A Christmas gift with a difference

Operation Christmas Child has delivered 100 million gift-filled shoeboxes to needy children in over 130 countries over the last 23 years. In 2012 nearly 1 million shoeboxes were sent from the UK to children overseas. This is the most personal of charities, as your gift of a filled shoebox will have such a positive and wonderful impact on one particular child’s life. The children who receive these shoeboxes are picked by OCC partners in the receiving countries to be the most needy and so you know that your box will be cherished as the best gift each child will ever receive. So, how can you get involved? Would you consider: - Filling a shoebox this year? - Coming along and helping at the Rutland Processing Centre, checking boxes and packing cartons? This year the Shoebox Service is at Uppingham Church on Sunday 17th November at 3.30pm. The processing centre runs at Uppingham Church on Monday 18th and Tuesday 19th and the van of cartons is loaded and away on Wednesday 20th November. • If you are interested, please contact Christobel Price Tel: 01572 823201 or Sue Steward on Tel: 01572 747725

Shoot It Momma’ Lizzie Haines of ‘SHOOT IT MOMMA’ is an Uppingham based wedding photographer who insists upon making your photographic experience as pain free as it can possibly be. “With so many people shying away from the camera I really work hard in order to become friends with the couples that I photograph and most importantly, I try to make them laugh” says Lizzie, who takes a relaxed approach to her passion of photographing people. “If I can’t put people at ease and ensure that their time with me doesn’t distract from the overall enjoyment of their big day then I’m not doing my job properly.” Lizzie believes that being photographed should never be a chore and that the onus is on your photographer to make that the case. Her aim is to leave you with a strong sense of friendship and a great set of photos. Meeting new people and making friends is as important as the camera that she uses and this state of mind is reflected directly in the pictures that she takes. Capturing the whole of your day from start to finish Lizzie combines stunning portraits with candid shots to produce a beautiful portrayal of a day that you will never want to forget. “I like to catch people at their best and they aren’t at their best until they are relaxed…so let’s get a coffee and see how we go shall we?” • Contact Lizzie via email lizzie@doitmomma.co.uk or on Tel: 07951 030114 and see more of her work at www.shootitmomma.co.uk

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. Karen Forbes explains why her service is unique: “I’d like to ensure all those ladies affected by this are aware of the fully experienced, professional and friendly mastectomy fitting service that is available here at The Little Big Bra Shop. Whilst I have always ensured there was a great product choice available for ladies who have had a mastectomy right from the start with the Royce brand, I have widened the choices still further with the introduction of the Anita brand for both lingerie & swimwear. With 50,000 women diagnosed with breast cancer each year in the UK, nearly 18,000 mastectomies carried out in England during 2009-2010 and a further 39,000 women had other types of breast surgery such as lumpectomies, I am all too aware after years in the lingerie industry of the need for comfort in this difficult time. Ladies are in safe hands as my team are fully trained and I have worked extensively for leading brands and have vast experience in mastectomy fittings having assisted in the training schools for leading retailers working in conjunction with breast cancer care. The Mastectomy bras stocked have bilateral pockets to hold your prosthesis in place securely and comfortably.” • Contact: The Little Big Bra Shop, 4 Adam and Eve St, Market Harborough LE16 7LT. Tel: 01858 465592

Bottles, Jars and Lids Award winning local producer of artisan jams, marmalades, chutneys, mustard and cordial is expanding. Rutland Preserves is now selling bottles, jars and lids suitable for a variety of uses. In addition to preserving, they can be used for wedding favours, gifts, candles, sweets, as well as delicious homemade sloe gin, oils and dressings. Currently, there is no where locally to buy more than a few jars and then the range is very limited. Rutland Preserves offers more choice at very competitive prices. Postage costs for online purchases have increased significantly in the last year or two, with most online retailers charging by weight, so it is great to have more choice locally. Currently orders are available for collection only, other than large quantities which can be delivered free of charge depending on location. • For more information visit www.rutlandpreserves.co.uk

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L OCA L NE W S

SHOPS & SERVICES The Born and Bred Equestrian Young Rider Support Scheme

orn and Bred Equestrian, developed and run by Charles James Fox is a new equestrian competition and leisure wear range based in Oakham. Passionate about education and development of young talent, the label is working with young riders between the ages of 15 and 25 on the Born and Bred Young Rider Support Scheme. The national scheme aims to link up young aspiring and talented riders with mentors and fellow riders who may be competing one or two levels above and with a little more experience, however, not yet at the top of their game. Currently there are six mentors covering the disciplines of Eventing, Showjumping and Dressage, all of whom support the ten ‘Young Riders’ between the ages of 15 and 25 years old. Locally, Born and Bred riders include Jess Butler (Cottesmore, eventing mentor) who was on course to compete at Burghley for the first time this year until a broken ankle in the spring cruelly set her back. Alex Tordoff (Tilton) one of the Young Riders, a 16 year old talented rider in Eventing; Nia Demming (Market Harborough) another 16 year old Young Rider making her way in eventing; Katie Sutcliffe (Stamford & Oakham School) is another eventer recently to join the scheme. Of the other riders around the UK, Young Rider, Pumbaa Goess-Saurau was recently selected for the GB Pony Champs in Italy where she won team Bronze and paraded at Burghley Horse Trials on the Sunday of the event in Stamford. A recent move has been to include not only current riders as mentors, but also through contacts to offer links to human and equine therapist & saddler Poppy Webber (Lincs) and John Thelwall top equestrian coach. Although the Young Rider Scheme is a national scheme, Rutland is certainly a centre, with 11 of the current 22 riders being located around the area between Nottingham, Market Harborough and Peterborough. Born and Bred Equestrian try to take on a two or three more young riders each year within each equestrian discipline and promote one or two of the established young riders who have shown improvements and an ability to work with other people, to the position of mentor for the new signings. Applications for entry onto the scheme in 2014 opens in October and the successful candidates are announced in December. • Those looking for more information about Born and Bred Equestrian clothing or the Young Rider Scheme or if you wish to contact Charles James Fox, you should visit www.bornandbredequestrian.com or call Patrick Latham on Tel: 01572 758752

Cuts ‘n’ More Barbers comes to Oakham Cuts ‘n’ More barbers having already established Barber Salons at Stamford and Rothwell has now opened a new branch in Oakham at 8 Melton Road, opposite the ESSO service station. Cuts ‘n’ More is focused on providing high-quality hairdressing and customer satisfaction. Says David Moore, owner, “We will do everything we can to meet your expectations. Our team keep ahead of new trends in haircuts whether it’s the David Beckham’s haircut or the boys from One Direction. We aim to cut and style your hair the way you want it. And not just for gents; it’s haircuts for all the family with children and ladies’ cuts catered for. The Oakham branch is open Monday to Saturday (closed Wed) with a late night till 7pm on Thursday. We are constantly striving to provide an even better hair cut experience with continued professional development with all our staff by on-going training at Stamford coupled with outside training resources.” Haircut prices in Oakham have been kept competitive without any compromise of service such as gents’ at £9 and a lady’s trim at £14. Walk in cuts - no appointment needed.

Modified Pilates and Core Stability

Chartered Physiotherapists Michele Evans and Liz Gregory have recently formed Pilatesplus Rutland. They teach small classes in Oakham and the surrounding villages – currently Greetham, Edith Weston, Manton and South Luffenham. Pilates aims to target deep postural muscles of the abdomen and spine improving posture, tone and also targeting flexibility. Because Michele and Liz are physiotherapists they are able to modify the exercises to suit individual needs at all levels. Their classes are particularly helpful for those more wary of exercising such as individuals suffering from back/neck problems but also for those wishing to improve their general posture and tone. Classes are run termly and need to be pre-booked to ensure maximum benefit. 1:1 sessions are also available. • Show a copy of this article to entitle you to 10% off one term’s fees. If you wish to discuss how the classes can be tailored to your needs email: pilatesplusrutland@gmail.com

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18/09/2013 18:27

Sibbertoft Manor Nursing & Residential Care Home

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19/09/2013 15:35

L OCA L HIST ORY

10 Rutland Historic Celebrities “Our Rutland is small but beautifully made as the cliché runs”, declares Caroline Aston. “We thoroughly merit our motto of ‘Much in Little’ and to celebrate 10 glorious years of Rutland Living here is a breakneck speed canter through some of our county’s historic celebrities”

ention the smallest county in England and you must mention its pint-sized personality, Jeffrey Hudson. Served up under a pie-crust at Burley on the Hill to a startled Queen Henrietta Maria, wife of Charles I, Hudson was swept off to an action packed existence at the royal court. Having your own dwarf was like having a Ferrari in the garage and the little man was hugely popular with an ego to match. He fought a duel with a turkey cock, became Captain of Horse in the King’s army and fought in the Civil War, ﬂeeing the battleﬁeld at Newbury along with the famous Prince Rupert of the Rhine. His other famous duel was against a Mr Crofts whose weapon of choice was a large water pistol. Jeffrey arrived on a pony to level up the height difference….and shot Crofts dead with a pistol that was the real McCoy. The tiny courtier died aged 63 in 1682. The Ashmolean Museum in Oxford houses his teeny blue satin coat, breeches and a pair of his stockings while his ancestral home in Oakham stands opposite the White Lion pub, wearing a blue plaque to Jeffrey’s memory rather like the medal he never won in life. Mr Hudson rather blotted his copybook by getting implicated in the Popish Plot, which was cooked up by a rather more infamous Rutlander… Titus Oates, born at Flores House in Oakham High Street, was a rabidly anti-Catholic clergyman who alleged that there was a Catholic (or Popish) conspiracy to assassinate

Charles II which lead to at least 22 executions between 1678 and 1681. Oates was ultimately tried for perjury and whipped through the London streets, dying a compromised character in 1705. And while we are about it another 17th century Rutlander of note was Jeremy Taylor, Rector of Uppingham from 1628 to 1642, who was Chaplain to Charles I. He accompanied that ill-fated monarch throughout the Civil War, eventually receiving his royal master’s pocket watch and some jewels when the king got the chop in 1649. Oh, and Boris Karloff, aka William Pratt, attended Uppingham School as a boy for 3 years before ﬁnding fame and fortune in Hollywood as Frankenstein’s Monster – Boris used to visit Rutland regularly for the Old Boys Cricket Matches in the 30’s (though thankfully without a bolt through his neck!) The list goes on and on. That great mathematician Sir Isaac Newton was the grandson of James Ayscough of Market Overton and Handel is known to have visited the Gainsborough family at Exton in the 18th century and composed a piece speciﬁcally for a masque performed there in 1745. At Lyndon, Thomas Barker was an eminent meteorologist and astronomer married to the sister of that most famous of 18th century naturalists Gilbert White of Selborne. Barker’s description of a tornado that hit Rutland in September 1749 is extraordinary: a whirling wind sucked up water from the River Welland

and hay stooks at Seaton. Barker seemed almost disappointed when he lost sight of the thing somewhere over Hambleton! Vegetarian Barker died in 1809, aged 87and weather historians still consult his numerous publications. Who else? Well, up at Burley on the Hill the cricket-mad Earl of Winchilsea and Nottingham (1752 – 1826) helped to found a little club that today we call the MCC while Normanton Park was home to Sir Gilbert Heathcote, 1st Baronet. Heathcote was one of the ﬁrst Directors of the Bank of England and Governor of it twice. A man so mean that the poet Pope wrote a poem about his parsimony Heathcote died in 1733 - and was the last Lord Mayor of London to ride on horseback in his own procession. To end with, we can’t ignore Hugh Lowther, the famous Yellow Earl (of Lonsdale). His hunting box at Barleythorpe was renowned for legendary hospitality, he founded the Automobile Association with its yellow and black badge echoing his own livery colours not to mention establishing the Lonsdale Belt in boxing. A larger than life character who was once described as ‘almost an emperor, not quite a gentleman’ Lord Lonsdale is an ideal way to conclude this celebration of long-vanished Rutland personalities which prove beyond any doubt that there most certainly is multum in our parvo!

RUTLAND & MARKET HARBOROUGH LIVING OCTOBER 2013

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10 Nicholas Rudd-Jones PR OFILE

Ten years ago, a small team of local writers launched the ﬁrst edition of Rutland Living (hot on the heels of its slightly older sister, Stamford Living.) Amander Meade speaks to its creator, and Managing Editor of the Local Living Group, Nicholas Rudd-Jones What inspired you to launch the magazines? At the time I was living in Stamford but working in London and I had had enough of that particular corporate environment. My sons were small and I was keen to spend as much time as possible with them as they grew up. I wanted to launch my own business as well as being more involved in Stamford life. The concept of a truly local magazine began to take shape; I think there was a gap in the market somewhere between what the local press offered and providing local people with lots of information about community issues so our product ﬁlled the niche beautifully. The timing was great as the technological revolution meant it was much easier for us to design and produce our own publications. Essentially, the brief has never changed – to produce magazines that help readers get more out of where they live. All our editors and writers live in the region they write about and are as passionate about where they live as I am. What do you think makes this region so special? That’s a threefold answer! Firstly, the beauty of the countryside – Rutland is a prime example of where man’s intervention has enhanced the landscape in the shape of Rutland Water. Secondly the people; this region has always been somewhat of a ‘crossing point’ and that transience has introduced different kinds of people over the centuries and I think that still happens now. It’s the diversity of population moving in and out of the region with new ideas that helps keep the businesses and the communities fresh. Thirdly, I love the villages here – especially Lyddington and Barrowden. Walking is a hobby of mine and I have explored every inch of footpath in the county and nearly all the pubs too! What have been your personal highlights in the last decade? It’s always a real pleasure when readers tell us they enjoy what we produce and when advertisers tell us we help to make a difference to their success. I’ve really enjoyed getting to know lots of local entrepreneurs – Tim Hart is someone I admire for his business acumen. He was kind enough to give me some great advice right at the start of this venture and I have huge respect for him. I am also very proud of the fact that many of the individuals behind the brand, who were with me ten years ago, are still with me now and that is entirely down to the talent, commitment and loyalty of the people involved. What will the next ten years bring do you think? With the economy starting to improve, the business is in great shape to move forward. I

can see us utilising social media more to keep our brand ‘super local’ and at the heart of our readership. Personally, I would like to spend more time writing walking books. Tell us three things that drive you mad and three things you love. Litter drives me mad! I try and pick up three pieces every day. I can get a bit worked up about the battle to access footpaths in this country and those who would restrict our access to them. Footpaths are public highways for the feet just as roads are for cars.

I don’t like lack of positivity in any form. I was brought up to try and have a positive outlook to life in general and I really try to keep that in mind. Top of the love list has to be walking – one of my favourite things to do and I never tire of exploring new places on foot. Butterﬂies – I have been fascinated by them since I was a child and I have found that my interest in butterﬂies adds an extra dimension to my love of walking, with lots of special sites of interest across the region. Editorial conferences – I’m always inspired by the camaraderie and creativity the team generates.

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OUT & ABOUT

Great Days Out Where shall we go? Here’s our pick of ten of the best days out; try some during this month’s school break or save them up until spring

The National Space Centre www.spacecentre.co.uk

Tallington Lakes and Dry Ski Slope www.tallington.com

The UK’s largest attraction dedicated to space exploration and space science. An impressive building filled with rockets, satellites, Martian surfaces and other amazing artefacts. Everything is interactive and family friendly – sit in the UK’s largest planetarium for the 360 degree show or blast off on the world unique SIM ride. Great for... A day out in poorer weather as it’s all indoors.

Beautiful spring water lakes where you can try a range of water based sports including jet-skiing, windsurfing or zorbing. On land, try off road karting, scale the climbing tower or hone your skills on the dry ski slope. Great for...Active families, or to pack in some ski practice before a trip to the mountains.

Rutland Water and Egleton Nature Reserve www.rutlandwater.org.uk

Explore inside the stunning Elizabethan architecture followed by the Garden of Surprise. Lots to do and see during the whole season including Film Festivals, local food events, concerts, craft and Christmas Fayres. Great for… History buffs and garden lovers.

Rutland Water is hard to beat for walking, cycling, fishing and sailing – beautiful and lots to do all year round. Nature loving families can make the most of the fabulous Egleton Nature Reserve with its ancient woodlands, meadows, streams, shallow water lagoons and reed beds which are home to the water fowl, otters, stoats, great crested newts, grass snakes and many more. Great for… Families who love the outdoors, getting involved and getting muddy!

Belton House www.nationaltrust.org.uk Described as ‘the perfect English country house estate’, Belton’s fine furnishings and art collections lend it grandeur while the ‘Below Stairs’ tours give a fascinating insight into the life of a servant in the eighteenth century. The current theme is ‘Beyond Face Value’ with special opportunities to look behind the scenes, talk to the teams on Conservation in Action days and ‘Meet the Experts’ inside and out. Great for… A fabulous adventure playground with imaginative events in school holidays.

Twin Lakes Park www.twinlakespark.co.uk Set in over seventy acres of countryside, Twin Lakes never feels crowded and works summer or winter, in wet or dry weather. Rides, huge indoor play areas, boating, animals and shows. Suitable for ages 2 – 15 years with so much to do. Look out for spectacular special events – around Halloween, Firework Night and Christmas. Highly recommended. Great for…Superb value for money and lots to keep all age groups happy for a full day.

Burghley House - www.burghley.co.uk

Go Ape! (Nottinghamshire) - www.goape.co.uk The ultimate tree top adventure with breathtaking wires, tricky crossings and zip wires set in the lush green forests of Sherwood. Perfect for older children and daredevil teens. Great for...Breathtaking scenery and challenging activities

Wicksteed Park - www.wicksteedpark.co.uk Combines the excitement of roller coasters, rides and attractions with the tranquility of the historic grade II country park. Take in the nature reserve and one hundred and forty seven acres of beautiful parkland for a truly relaxing experience. Great for…. Traditional family fun and bags of space to spread out for a picnic or a ball game.

Twycross Zoo - www.twycrosszoo.org Set in over fifty acres of parkland, the zoo is famous all over the world for its apes and monkeys. The conservation centre breeds all kinds of animals and the feeding shows are a must see. Great for... An ethical zoo experience.

East Carlton Country Park East www.corby.gov.uk Situated near Market Harborough, the park is home to a Heritage Centre featuring the history of Corby and the development of the iron and steel industry in the town. Great play area particularly suited to children under six years with sandpit, swings and climbing equipment plus cafe, craft workshops, lovely country walks and a haunted hall. Great for...A day out easy on the pocket – admission and parking is free!

RUTLAND & MARKET HARBOROUGH LIVING OCTOBER 2013

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HOP-ON, HOP-OFF BUS THE

Links Oakham (town and station), Uppingham and surrounding villages with Rutland Water.

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www.rutlandphotographer.co.uk For full information about rates and packages or to see more of my work, call me on 07932 055548 or email: yael.dean@gmail.com 52

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OUT & ABOUT

Stops around The Water Nicholas Rudd-Jones went on a magical mystery tour around Rutland Water on the Rutland SHORELink, the hop-on, hop-off bus and was mightily impressed

utland County Council launched the Shorelink Bus service earlier this year to connect Oakham and Uppingham with Rutland Water. It offers a regular hourly service around the water to locals and tourists alike, and is ideal for exploring one of the most beautiful spots in the country without a car, stopping at all the points of visitor interest around the water. I started my journey at Oakham Railway Station and bought a one-day pass that allowed me to use the bus whenever and wherever I wanted anytime that day. I decided to take the tour all the way around. Getting on the bus I met a grandmother and her granddaughter, Oakham residents on their way to the Rockblok (for the granddaughter) and a cup of coffee (for granny). Also there was a bicyclist who had come off his bike and had to be patched up at Oakham Hospital. He was now on his way back to pick up his bike at Normanton. As we went around, other passengers got on, including a couple camping at Lyndon High Top who had a camper van and wanted to use public transport to get around. They had used it every day and sung its praises. Also there were some locals getting on at Manton to go shopping in Uppingham. The trip itself was a pleasure. The views of the water are great, giving much better visibility than you would get from a car; there’s no driving stress; people on the bus are very friendly and swapping advice on the best places to go; and there’s ample space for bikes and any other paraphernalia. Stop 1: Barnsdale Gardens www.barnsdalegardens.co.uk A wonderful collection of mini-gardens (and some not so small!), that are not only lovely to see, but potentially a great inspiration for your own plot. I am not a knowledgable gardener, but there is plenty of information provided, a wellstocked nursery, and helpful staff. The coffee shop is excellent, with delicious salads etc and scrumptious cakes. Stop 2: Whitwell Harbour Get off here for the Rutland Belle, the Harbour Café, Whitwell Watersports, the Cycle Shop and the Rockblok. There is so much to do here, you will probably want to pause here for at least a couple of hours and catch a later bus. Stop 3: Sykes Lane Here you will find the newly refurbished visitor centre, an excellent adventure playground and plenty of space for picnicking. Walking across the dam also make a nice short walk if it’s not too windy. Stop 4: Empingham www.whitehorserutland.co.uk Maybe you fancy a spot of lunch at the excellent White Horse which, under new

ownership this year, offers excellent food and hospitality. Tell them you need to be on the bus again in an hour (it goes right past the door) and I’m sure they will oblige. Stop 5: Normanton Get off here for the Fishing Lodge, Bike Hire & store, an Italian restaurant even (L’Incontro)! And there is a lovely short walk alongside the water to Normanton Church, which was saved from flooding when the reservoir was created. An hour’s break would be ideal for that. Stop 6: Edith Weston This is your stop if you want to go down to the Rutland Sailing Club. It’s also a good start-point for a walk along the quieter southern shore in either direction. Stop 7: Lyndon Get off here is you’re staying at the Lyndon Top campsite, fancy a round of golf or PYO strawberries. This is also the stop for the famous Lyndon Nature Reserve Visitor Centre. The centre features the live Osprey camera as well as fantastic new displays looking at the relationship between weather and wildlife, with specific sections on weather, climate change and phenology. There is lots of good information about the nature reserve at www. rutlandwater.org.uk

Stop 8: Uppingham Uppingham would always win the ‘perfect small town’ award – it is so beautiful, and there is so much going on here. Stop off for a coffee or to explore the High St. The bus stops in North St, and it is just a oneminute cut through to the High St; or go round by the traffic lights and pop into the delightful Goldmark Gallery to be inspired by some prints or pottery. Stop 9: Egleton (the stops are less frequent here - check timetable) Stopping off point for the incomparable Egleton Nature Reserve, also the site of the worldfamous Bird Fair each August. Stop 10: Oakham On the way back why not stop on the High St and browse the shops. Whatever time of day and whether you want a drink, a snack or a meal, Otters Deli at the end of Mill St is a perfect spot. Or if you want to sit outside in a charming garden, try the Castle Cottage Café, just off the Market Square. All in all a thoroughly worthwhile service for anyone, local or visiting, who wants to enjoy all the pleasures of Rutland Water without the hassle of driving and parking charges. More details: • The service operates 7 days a week, including Sunday and Bank Holidays, between 9am and 7pm. • For timetable information visit www.rutland. gov.uk/shorelink • For tourism information visit www.discoverrutland.co.uk • Please note that there are other stops along the way in addition to the ten mentioned, please consult the timetable.

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GAR DE NING

Adam the Gardener Adam says: “With autumn fast approaching it’s a great time of year to get the family out in the garden and prepare it for winter, particularly with an eye to wildlife. I recommend getting the kids involved with making wildlife dens and shelters to help our outdoor gardening friends as much as possible.” OCTOBER: October is all about the start of autumn - the nights draw in, the clocks go back and there are the first frosts in colder parts of the country. Although your gardening time may feel curtailed by the shorter sunlight hours, the days can often still be fantastic and full of autumn colour to make up for the fading light.

ocal gardening talent, Adam Frost has an impressive CV, having worked with many of the garden design greats, including Geoff Hamilton at Barnsdale Gardens. Adam won his fifth Gold Medal at this year’s Centenary RHS Chelsea Flower Show, with his Homebase sponsored garden entitled, “Sowing the Seeds of Change”, which featured inter-planting of flowers and vegetables, fruit trees, alpine strawberries, a bee hive and dipping ponds to encourage wildlife.

Plants: Prune back your climbing roses but not all your perennial plants. It’s one of gardening’s constant arguments, how much ‘tidying’ to do – I like to leave some vegetation as protection for wildlife during the colder season ahead. Perhaps leave a few piles at the back of the border for wildlife. If you’re really keen it’s a good idea to collect seeds for sowing next year, pop the seed heads into an envelope and leave to dry completely. Leave some of the seed heads on the plants as these not only provide food and shelter for wildlife but look great with frost. Once they have been frosted and going ‘mushy’ then that’s the time I clear them. Look at your catalogues for buying in new seeds. Sweet peas can be sown into pots to over-winter in a sheltered position or a frame. Vegetable and Fruit Gardens: October is a good time to dig over vacant areas of your vegetable patch, as the approaching cold weather may help to improve the soil structure by breaking down large clumps into crumbly particles. Keep harvesting any remaining pumpkin and squash and move them into a dry position to prevent from rotting. Harvest beetroot, courgettes and tomatoes. Lift rhubarb, leave for the frost to get to it and then replant. Pick windfall apples (leaving a few for the birds to enjoy) for cooking and also those on the tree that are ripe. The unblemished fruit can be stored in a cool shed to last into the winter months. If you’ve got some tomatoes left it might be a good idea to dig out a good chutney recipe. Hoarding is such a good feeling, for there is nothing like providing for the future. Plant out spring cabbages and garlic and sow hardy broad beans and peas.

Wildlife: Birds come to gardens to feed, breed, nest and rest so make sure your garden is accommodating by providing a bird box, feeding station or bird bath. Think about planting heleniums and sedums to provide nectar and berries for bees and other insects. I have a bench seat with the underneath filled with logs made from chopped up fence posts which make ideal habitats for spiders, bees, lacewings and ladybirds. As the leaves start to fall we want to have a tidy up but do leave some in small piles to provide shelter for wildlife. Even a drilled log will provide plenty of shelter. Our little friends are looking for warmth, safety and sheltered spots for the coming month - not unlike us really but for them it’s a matter of life or death. A recent report commissioned by the UK’s wildlife organisations called ‘State of Nature’ highlighted this, with some pretty shocking results - 60% of the UK species assessed have declined over the last 50 years, with some close to extinction. I am passionate about getting children and young adults outdoors and reconnecting with nature to realise the importance our wildlife has for future generations. “All is not well....from the loss of butterflies to the disappearance of sparrows or the absence of colourful wildflower meadows. The causes are varied, but most are ultimately due to the way we are using our land and seas and their natural resources, often with little regard for the wildlife with which we share them. The impact on plants and animals has been profound.” David Attenborough Although The State of Nature report highlights what we have lost, and what we are still losing, it also gives examples of how we can work together to stop this loss, and help to bring back nature where it has been lost. These examples should give us hope and inspiration to reverse the decline of British wildlife. Adam Frost was speaking to Antonia Scott • For more information: www.adamfrost.co.uk www.rspb.org.uk/stateofnature

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