Cotswold Homes Spring Edition 2013 by Cotswold Homes

Cotswold Homes Cotswold-Homes.com The Property & Lifestyle Magazine for the North Cotswolds

SPRING Edition 2013

£2.50 where sold

WIN TICKETS!

BLENHEIM PALACE PAXFORD POINT TO POINT COTSWOLD FARM PARK THE GLASS MENAGERIE

HOT PROPERTY

THE ROSY FUTURE OF UPPER RISSINGTON RETIRING TO THE COTSWOLDS GORGEOUS HOLIDAY HOMES

MASTERCHEF’S GREGG WALLACE HIS LIFE, HIS FOOD

COUNTRY WEDDING PLANNER GREAT IDEAS FOR BRIDES TO BE

A WORKING LIFE

OUT & ABOUT THIS SPRING

CHASTLETON HOUSE HIDCOTE MANOR, BOURTON HOUSE, KIFTSGATE COURT AND PAINSWICK

LAMBING WITH ADAM HENSON FIRST TIME FARMER ADAM CRUDGE A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A COUNTRY VET

PRIVILEGE CARD OFFERS

SUPPORT LOCAL TRADE AND SAVE MONEY!

Cotswold Homes Magazine CONTENTS Competition Page Win Tickets to Local Events!

Grand Plans The Future of Upper Rissington

Tolkien Trivia A Trail of The Shire

Retiring to the Cotswolds Where to Buy?

Glorious Gardens Four of Cotswolds’ Best

A Holiday Home Portfolio Bourton on the Water

When Time Stood Still Chastleton House

Wedding Season Get Ready for The Big Day

Lowry His Cotswold Connections

Ten Years Younger Trevor Bigg’s Beauty Secret

Enid Marx A Collection at Compton Verney

Fit And Fantastic Keep that Resolution with Tim Spittle

Day Tripper Travels To Oxford

Bright Young Things Emerging Cotswold Entrepreneurs

Cheltenham Holst’s Musical Home

Cyber Defence Job Opportunities with GCHQ

Equestrian Lady Events For Your Diary

Easter Greetings Veronica James

A Country Vet Caring for Your Pets

What the Gamekeeper Saw Adam Tatlow

Lambing Lessons Adam Henson

Perfect Puds Masterchef’s Gregg Wallace

Channel 4’s First Time Farmer Henry Crudge

Cotswold Calendar What’s On This Spring?

100

The Glass Menagerie Chipping Norton

Privilege Card Offers Supporting Local Trade

106

Hot Property Ask the Experts

Directory of Independent Local Businesses

112

Editor’s WELCOME Welcome to our Spring Edition, 2013, a very busy season out and about in the North Cotswolds! We catch a train to Oxford, wander magnificent gardens at Hidcote, re-visit the past at Chastleton House, pursue the Tolkien trivia trail, follow the revival of interest in Lowry, take in Enid Marx at Compton Verney and Holst in Cheltenham, and look forward to a Tennessee Williams classic production at Chipping Norton’s Little Theatre. Collette’s equestrian diary is full to bursting, with another six whole pages of things to do in our Cotswold Calendar (pages 100 - 105). Learning about how to lamb at the local farm park, we talk to TV’s Adam Henson, the Cotswolds’ most famous farmer, whilst a new spotlight falls on Henry Crudge, Channel 4’s First Time Farmer. Our Hot Property section considers the rosy future of Upper Rissington and we get expert answers to your questions on a host of house-related issues, including the best place to invest in building a holiday-let portfolio. Meanwhile, wedding belles will welcome words of wisdom on getting hitched, with a scrapbook of lovely ideas for brides and grooms. Our Privilege Card section goes from strength to strength - turn to page 106 for lots of excellent offers and discounts on products and services from local independent businesses – helping you to support local trade and save money! Matt Dicks, Editor, Cotswold Homes Cotswold-Homes Magazine Our next edition, Summer 2013, will feature an interview with Raymond Blanc on his life and work, plus a host of articles on places of local interest and up-coming events in the North Cotswolds, all designed to make the best out of living in this beautiful part of the world, including another outing on the local train line with our new feature Day Tripper. If you know of any great stories, exciting events, interesting people to talk to or beautiful places to visit in the North Cotswolds, please do get in contact with our team. The magazine is scheduled for delivery during the Easter Holidays, with the deadline for proof-ready advertisements set no later than March 21st, 2013. Membership of the Cotswold Homes Directory gives exclusive access to discounted advertising rates and the Privilege Card scheme. For marketing and advertisement rates, contact Collette Fairweather; for editorial content, contact Matt Dicks. 01608 653899. Design team: www.wearealias.com Cover Image by Sarah Farnsworth www.sarahfarnsworth.zenfolio.com Cotswold-Homes.com The Property & Lifestyle Magazine for the North Cotswolds www.cotswold-homes.com

Cotswold Homes Magazine

Cotswold Homes the most rapidly growing free magazine in the North Cotswolds! Our magazine Cotswold Homes is a showcase for all that is wonderful about living in and visiting the North Cotswolds, particularly celebrating and championing the wealth of small, independent businesses based in and serving our community. Now, over 9,000 copies are delivered freely to homes and businesses in the North Cotswolds, informing and entertaining both residents and visitors. Featuring beautifully designed articles, excellent Privilege Card offers, a property showcase, business insights and events listings, it’s the essential North Cotswold companion. Best of all, it’s absolutely free. The magazine is available from many local businesses, branches of HARRISON & HARDIE Fine & Country estate agents and at local stations on the Worcester to Paddington train line, in addition to most meeting places, coffee houses, restaurants and local hotels.

Our website You can read an online version of our magazine at www.cotswold-homes.com, a portal to all kinds of information about the North Cotswolds – with detailed information about a host of services, shops and amenities, including properties for sale and to rent in the local area. The website attracts thousands of unique and returning visitors each month. With an extensive, easy to use local business directory, it equips visitors and residents with everything they need to know about the Cotswolds, including all our Privilege Card offers and a regularly updated Cotswold events calendar. Why not pay us a visit?

Our Privilege Card Get great deals and discounts with Cotswold businesses using our FREE Privilege Card! The Cotswold Homes Privilege Card gives you access to all kinds of offers – from shopping to beauty to cleaning and legal services. New offers are emailed to our database of card-holders once a month and displayed in each edition of the magazine. Haven’t got a card? Just email your address to admin@cotswold-homes.com and we’ll send you one through the post, or pop into Harrison & Hardie estate agents (in Bourton-on-the-Water, Stow-on-theWold and Moreton-in-Marsh) to pick one up!

Our Advertisers We take pride in supporting only independent businesses that are based in and/or serve our local community. Not only do we provide mini-websites, directory listings, graphic design services and magazine advertising for our businesses, we also run exclusive Privilege Card offers that are emailed out to our database of thousands of Cotswold residents and visitors. We deliver highly affordable advertising solutions on a multi-media platform including Facebook and Twitter to provide maximum exposure across the community – both online and in 9,000 print copies per magazine issue.

Talk to us If you have a local business and would like to find out what we can do for you, call our Accounts team on 01608 653 899 or email collette@cotswold-homes.com

like us on facebook for more chances to win! www.facebook.com/cotswoldhomespage 4

Cotswold Homes Magazine

Cotswold Homes Competition

Cotswold Homes SPRING Issue Giveaway Good news: we’ve got another seasonal round of prizes to give away to our readers! Get out and about this spring with free tickets to some of the very best Cotswold destinations - it couldn’t be simpler to enter. See below for all prizes and details. All winners will be drawn at random on Friday 29th February, notified by e-mail / telephone. WIN! – Three Family Passes to ‘Lights, Camera, Action - Blenheim Palace, The Star of TV and Film’ Special Exhibition 9th February – 1st April 2013. Blenheim Palace will open for the new season with a dynamic exhibition that has at its heart many of the films and TV programmes in which Blenheim Palace has starred. The most recent large productions include Gulliver’s Travels (Fox UK Productions

2010), The Young Victoria (Momentum Pictures, 2008) and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Warner Brothers, 2007). Staged at various locations throughout the palace and grounds, find out what happens when Hollywood descends! E-mail admin@cotswold-homes.com with ‘Blenheim’ as the subject and include your contact details, or message us at www.facebook. com/cotswoldhomespage!

r Like oupage k o o b e c Fa more

for nces chawin! to

WIN! – VIP Tickets for the Opening Night of ‘The Glass Menagerie’ at The Theatre Chipping Norton (Thursday 7th March, 7.45pm, tickets for a family of up to five.) Innovative, heart-breaking and intimate, the production promises to be spectacular. Included in this prize will be a goody bag with food and drink vouchers and a souvenir programme. There will also be a chance to meet with the Director of the show, John Terry. E-mail admin@ cotswold-homes.com with ‘Tennessee’ as the subject and include your contact details, or message us at www.facebook.com/ cotswoldhomespage! Terms & Conditions

Entry to the competition is open to all except the employees (and their families) of Cotswold Homes or Harrison & Hardie. Winners will be drawn at random and notified via Facebook, by e-mail or by phone and may be posted on our website. No alternative prize or cash substitute is available for any of the prizes. In the event of a winner being unable to accept their prize then another winner will be drawn. This giveaway is open to residents of the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man and Republic of Ireland aged 18 years or over, except employees of Cotswold Homes Magazine, their families, agents or anyone else professionally associated with the giveaway. It is a condition of entry that all rules are accepted as final and that

WIN! – Two free family passes to Adam Henson’s Cotswold Farm Park! As a Cotswold Homes exclusive, we have two pairs of family tickets to Adam’s Cotswold Farm Park to give away. E-mail admin@cotswold-homes.com with ‘Farm Park’ as the subject and include your contact details, or message us at www.facebook. com/cotswoldhomespage! the competitor agrees to abide by these rules. The decision of the judges is final and no correspondence will be entered into. Entries must be submitted via the Facebook ‘Like’ system or emailed to admin@cotswold-homes.com (or as specified in entry terms of a specific prize) and entry is restricted to one per person. Late, illegible, incomplete, defaced or corrupt entries or entries sent through agencies and third parties will not be accepted. No responsibility can be held for lost entries and proof of dispatch will not be accepted as proof of receipt. The winner will be drawn at random from all entries received by the closing date and notified via Facebook message or contact details supplied. The winner will be contacted within seven days of the closing date of the prize draw. Should the Promoter be unable to contact the winner

WIN! - Two free tickets/ car passes to the Paxford Point-toPoint on Easter Monday. (Gates open 10.30 am, first race 1.00 pm) A regular fixture in the Cotswold Calendar, the Paxford Point-to-Point offers horsing thrills, spills and excellent company as hundreds trek out to see the show. E-mail admin@cotswold-homes.com with ‘Paxford’ as the subject and include your contact details, or message us at www.facebook.com/ cotswoldhomespage! or should the winner be unable to accept the prize, the Promoter reserves the right to award the prize to an alternative winner, drawn in accordance with these terms and conditions. The prize is described as available on the date of publication and all prizes are subject to the terms and conditions of the supplier. The prizes do not include travel insurance, food and drink, personal expenditure, or incidental costs, other than where mentioned. All elements of the prize are non transferable and there are no cash alternatives. The winner may be required to take part in publicity. Events may occur that render the prize draw itself or the awarding of the prize impossible due to reasons beyond the control of the Promoter and accordingly the Promoter may at its absolute discretion vary or amend the promotion and the entrant agrees that no liability shall attach to the Promoter as a result thereof.

like us on facebook for more chances to win! www.facebook.com/cotswoldhomespage www.cotswold-homes.com

There and Back Again

Audiences around the world are finding themselves lost in Middle Earth once again, thanks to director Peter Jackson’s multi-part adaptation of The Hobbit. If you’re at all curious about the tale’s author, J.R.R Tolkien, or the people, places and stories that may have inspired his work, then let us point you towards some areas of interest. These locations can be found either around or only a short distance from the Cotswolds, so we’re excluding his childhood haunts from around Birmingham, for example. Regrettably, we were unable to find a dragon-infested mountain.

Evesham & Worcestershire Area The family of Mabel Suffield – Tolkien’s mother - had long inhabited Evesham and the author certainly felt at home amongst the countryside of Worcestershire (an area which has obvious visual parallels with the Shire, the rural homeland of all hobbits). His brother Hilary had a fruit farm in the Evesham area, which Tolkien and his family visited by car (a Morris Cowley he nicknamed ‘Jo’). Interestingly, it seems the author may have ‘borrowed’ the name of Bilbo’s iconic hobbithole, ‘Bag End’, from the name of his aunt Jane Neave’s manor, located in the village of Dormston in Worcestershire…

‘borrowed’ e av h ay m r o th au e s th “Interestingly, it seem nic hobbit-hole, ‘Bag End’, from ico the name of Bilbo’s located in r, o an m s e’ v ea N e n t Ja the name of his aun hire…” rs te es rc o W in n o st m the village of Dor 8

Cotswold Homes Magazine

There and Back Again

Moreton-in-Marsh After much research, the Tolkien Society presented a special print to The Bell Inn in Moreton-in-Marsh, citing many structural similarities between the building and The Prancing Pony, an inn appearing in the The Lord of the Rings. Based in the curfew town of Bree, The Prancing Pony is the site of an attempt on the hobbits’ lives by the chilling Ringwraiths. It is likely the author would have been familiar with The Bell as it lay en route to his brother’s farm on the way from Oxford, and so both the town and its inn could well have stoked Tolkien’s imagination on his travels.

The Canadian fantasy artist Ted Nasmith, who specialises in rendering Tolkien’s characters and landscapes, has exhibited here over recent years. Nasmith has produced many artworks for Tolkien books and calendars, and is now also involved in the Fire and Ice series – now adapted as the hit television show Game of Thrones. Around two miles out of Moreton the Four Shire Stone can be found, which may well have provided the inspiration for the Three-Farthing Stone in the author’s fiction. Both are places where a number of boundaries intersect.

“The multi-tale n Tolkien and his ted Morris, whose fantasy st o rented the buil friend C.S. Lewis greatly admir ries ding ed, had in the 1880s. (So with the painter Edward Burn e-Jones me even t also influence hink Burne-Jones’ paintings d the young To lkien).”

Broadway Tower

Though the spectacular panoramic views offered by Broadway Tower beg visitors to imagine besieging armies, it is for another reason altogether that we include this gothicstyled folly. It is the tower’s association with William Morris, the figurehead of the Arts and Craft movement, who links us to the author. The multi-talented Morris, whose fantasy stories Tolkien and his friend C.S. Lewis greatly admired, had rented the building with the painter Edward Burne-Jones in the 1880s. (Some even think Burne-Jones’ paintings also influenced the young Tolkien). But exactly how influential was Morris on Tolkien’s writings? Let us consult that ancient book of knowledge, Wikipedia: ‘The name “Gandolf” occurs as a character in William Morris’ 1896 fantasy novel The Well at the World’s End. Morris’ book is a multi-part ‘magical journey’ involving elves, dwarves and kings in a pseudo-medieval landscape which is known to have deeply influenced Tolkien.’ Some fans also believe there is a link between Broadway Tower and Amon Hen, a hill appearing in The Lord of the Rings which serves as a watchtower. It is here where the hobbit Frodo puts on an evil ring, sits on the ancient Seat of Seeing and is able to view events occurring many miles away – just as anyone at the top of Broadway Tower can see far into the surrounding counties. www.cotswold-homes.com

There and Back Again

Dwarf’s Hill: The Roman Ruins at Lydney Park For a short while in 1929, Tolkien was part of an excavation team working on this ancient heritage site in Gloucestershire, itself the source of local superstition. Folklore has it that when the Romans deserted the site the people living in the area eventually forgot that they had ever been there, and began thinking of the ruins left in the area as the dwellings of hobgoblins or other such spirits. Ancient mines and passages exist under the surface of the ground here, as the settlement dates back to around the time of the Iron Age. It is easy to see the appeal it must have held for Tolkien, who wrote about the site in an essay. His time at Lydney occurred just before he began work on The Hobbit, so there may well be some substance to claims of inspiration.

“Other creepy underground places in the LOT R trilogy include the goblininfested mines of Moria and the tun nels stalked by the giant spider, Shelob.”

Barrow Mounds and Burial Grounds The Cotswolds are strewn with ancient tombs and prehistoric burial sites, the best known probably being the great barrows of Belas Nap, near Winchcombe, and West Tump, near Birdlip. These places have an undeniable mystique, but none are quite as frightening as those found in 10

Cotswold Homes Magazine

The Fellowship of the Ring’s Barrow Downs. Soon after the intrepid band of hobbits leave the safety of the Shire, they are assailed and dragged into the darkness of an underground tomb by a ‘barrow-wight’, a kind of undead

spirit/creature. It’s not all bad, though, as the team grab some enchanted weapons before they escape. Other creepy underground places in the LOTR trilogy include the goblin-infested mines of Moria and the tunnels stalked by the giant spider, Shelob.

There and Back Again

Chipping Campden Tolkien’s correspondence shows he stayed here in the Kings Arms with his son John from the 25th June – 3rd July 1973. He died on September 2nd, later that year. His youngest son, Christopher Tolkien, now oversees the literary estate. Christopher does not seem particularly thrilled with the film adaptations of his father’s work; in a recent interview with French newspaper Le Monde, he said that ‘They gutted the book, making an action movie for 15-25 year olds. And it seems that The Hobbit will be of the same ilk… This level of marketing reduces to nothing the aesthetic and philosophical significance of this work.’ Oh well. We liked the films, anyway.

Oxford

“There is much to see within the city of dreaming spires, where Tolkien studied, lived and taught for man y years.” Tolkien and his wife Edith lay at rest in the nearby Wolvercote cemetery. The gravestone reads: Edith Mary Tolkien, Lúthien, 1889-1971 John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, Beren, 1892-1973 The names Lúthien and Beren refer to two fabled lovers of the writer’s own imagining, and it appears their romance was intended to mirror the love between J.R.R.T and his wife.

There is much to see within the city of dreaming spires, where Tolkien studied, lived and taught for many years. Stop by the Eagle and Child, where Tolkien’s group of literary friends, the so-called ‘Inklings’ (including C.S. Lewis of Narnia fame) would meet for drinks, readings and the sharing of ideas. Other sites of interest include Pembroke and Merton colleges, where Tolkien professed first in Anglo-Saxon and later in English Language and Literature, and the botanical gardens where you can see the Pinus Nigra, his favourite tree. A committed Catholic, he would also visit the church of St Aloysius, which can be found on Woodstock Road. The iconic Radcliffe Camera also took on a strange new aspect in Tolkien’s mind; to him it resembled a temple honouring the dark lord Morgoth, which was lost with the sunken city of Numenor - an important place in his extensive mythology and perhaps an allusion to Atlantis. This city is an important location in Tolkien’s abandoned novel, The Notion Club Papers, in which one of a circle of friendly Oxford academics (modelled, it seems, on the Inklings) begins to dream of Numenor. www.cotswold-homes.com

Annie Pearce

Life enhancing gardens by Annie Pearce

As we head towards spring and its wonderful promise of new life, the last few weeks of winter can often be some of the gloomiest and it is with some effort that we venture out into the cold. However, if you managed to get your early spring bulbs planted last autumn, do take a walk around your garden as nothing cheers the soul more than the sight of snowdrops and crocus heralding the imminent arrival of spring. Then you can head back into the warmth, put your feet up in front of the fire, and start planning your dream garden. To help you along the way, here are three factors to consider when planning a new border.

Succession planting:

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I always use grasses because they are not only beautiful but also incredibly easy to look after.â&#x20AC;? 14

Cotswold Homes Magazine

In order to create long lasting interest in our gardens it is vital to use plants that perform at different times of the year, so there is a succession of flowers and foliage to delight us. Borders change almost every day, and if that change is carefully choreographed we can ensure that there is rarely a down moment in the garden. When you begin a planting scheme, split the year into months and simply write down all the plants you know that flower in each month, plus all those plants with beautiful

foliage that will act as a wonderful backdrop to the (sometimes) ephemeral flowers that we love so much. If one or two months are a bit short of plants, have a look on-line or pop into your local nursery or garden centre and see what they suggest - they will be only too happy to help. When you have your preliminary list of plants do check that they will thrive in your garden, as nothing looks worse than an unhappy plant. Some of your favourites may well have to go but donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t despair, as there will be always another gorgeous plant you can use it its place.

Annie Pearce

“To create a glorious and harmonious effect we need to create multiple layers of interest. We do this by weaving together plants of different heights, shapes and textures.”

Staying power: This is the next thing to consider when refining your plant list. Put simply, when deciding which key or signature plants to use, choose those that have a long flowering period and / or have great seed heads and foliage. As I love naturalistic planting, I always use grasses because they are not only beautiful but also incredibly easy to look after. One of my favourites is Calamagrostis ‘Overdam’, pictured below, planted together with Allium ‘Mount Everest’ and Cornus Kousa var.

chinensis in a contemporary garden that I designed in London.

Layering: To create a glorious and harmonious effect we need to create multiple layers of interest. We do this by weaving together plants of different heights, shapes and textures. Spires and umbels, together with plumes and daisies, bold, large leaved foliage interwoven with linear leaves, glossy leaves against matt, downy leaves - all these combine to create a border of endless variation.

With your carefully chosen palette of plants you are now ready to create you own living work of art. Have fun and experiment, let your garden evolve with you and enjoy every wondrous moment.

For further help or advice, please call Annie on 07973 137808 or visit www.anniepearce.co/ www.metamorphosisdesign.co.uk

www.cotswold-homes.com

FOUR GOOD GARDENS

In Bloom

Celebrate the coming of Spring in our favourite Cotswold gardens Kiftsgate Court Gardens

The gardens at Kiftsgate Court are the creation of three generations of women gardeners. Altogether, their efforts have transformed what was originally a paved, formal court into a spectacular garden of global renown. Heather Muir, the first of these gardeners, allowed the garden to develop naturally as she worked, assisted in her labours by Lawrence Johnston of Hidcote Manor. Her ‘unplanned’ approach resulted in a more feminine design, in contrast with the more masculine lines at Hidcote. Muir’s successor, Diany Biddy, created the distinctive semi-circular pool, commissioned statues and opened the garden to the public. Today, owner Anne Chambers’ finest addition is arguably a water garden that fills an area previously occupied by a tennis court, complete with beautiful white stepping stones.

Visit www.kiftsgate.co.uk for more information, including opening times. KIFTSGATE COURT GARDENS, Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire, GL55 6LN. Telephone: 01386 438777 Email: info@kiftsgate.co.uk

Hidcote Manor Garden

“A sequence of natural ‘rooms’ have been created with hedges, stone walls and yews, with each space bearing its own unique and carefully cultivated character.”

Cotswold Homes Magazine

One of the best-known in Britain, Hidcote’s garden was created by the American Lawrence Johnston, who settled in England with his mother and was naturalised in 1900. Neighbouring Chipping Campden, Hidcote Manor Garden was influenced by the area’s Arts and Crafts movement and its distinctive style has been often imitated. A sequence of natural ‘rooms’ have been created with hedges, stone walls and yews, with each space bearing its own unique and carefully cultivated character. Close to the excellent Kiftsgate Court Gardens, Hidcote is an essential destination for anyone interested in ingenious garden design. Visit www.nationaltrust.org/hidcote for more information, including opening times. HIDCOTE MANOR GARDEN, Hidcote Bartrim, near Chipping Campden, GL55 6LR. Telephone: 01386 438333 Email: hidcote@nationaltrust.org.uk

FOUR GOOD GARDENS

Exceptional topiary, a stunning Tithe Barn, knot garden and water features sourced from natural springs are amongst the attractions that captivate visitors year-on-year.

Bourton House Garden Despite declaring itself ‘the Cotswolds’ best kept secret,’ Bourton House Garden enjoys a well-deserved reputation for its beauty and ambition: it won the prestigious HHA/ Christie’s ‘Garden of the Year Award’. The garden has even caught the attention of the Japanese media, with television crews making the trip out to Bourton on the Hill to film (a fashion magazine photoshoot even featured a man in a bear suit enjoying the grounds with an attractive young companion). Exceptional topiary, a stunning Tithe Barn, knot garden and water features sourced from natural springs are amongst the attractions that captivate visitors year-on-year. Visit www.bourtonhouse.com for more information, including opening times. BOURTON HOUSE GARDEN, Bourton-on-the-Hill, Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire, GL56 9AE. Telephone: 01386 700754 E-mail: info@bourtonhouse.com

www.cotswold-homes.com

FOUR GOOD GARDENS

“Benjamin Hyett created this stunning example of the type at Painswick. The garden is located in the valley next to Painswick House, constructed by Benjamin’s asthmatic father Charles as a bid to escape the choking city smog of Gloucester.”

Painswick Rococo Garden Between 1720 and 1760, a style of garden design emerged that favoured a decorative, ornamental and frivolous aesthetic, which garden historians have since termed ‘Rococo.’ Benjamin Hyett created this stunning example of the type at Painswick. The garden is located in the valley next to Painswick House, constructed by Benjamin’s asthmatic father Charles as a bid to escape the choking city smog of Gloucester. Sadly, he died not long after work on the house was finished, and so never saw the fantastical results of his son’s endeavours. In the 1970s intensive restoration began at the thenovergrown garden, transforming it into what can be seen today. Painswick is also as famous for its thick carpets of spring snowdrops as it is for its flamboyant architecture and stunning aspects. Visit www.rococogarden.co.uk for more information, including opening times. PAINSWICK ROCOCO GARDEN, Painswick, Gloucestershire GL6 6TH. Telephone: 01452 813204 Email: info@rococogarden.org.uk 18

Cotswold Homes Magazine

Chastleton House

Lost in Time Conserving Chastleton House

How do you go about looking after a 400 year old estate that’s been left unchanged since Jacobean times? We took a trip to Chastleton House to find out.

©National Trust Images/Ian Shaw

©National Trust Images/Nadia Mackenzie

“When this place first opened, they went around spraying the cobwebs they found with hairspray to preserve them.” I’m listening to Sebastian Conway, one part of the small conservation team at Chastleton House, as he explains the unique philosophy here at the estate. “The National Trust policy is to keep it as it was. It’s a bit like Marmite, really; people either love it or they hate it… “We keep the house looking undisturbed, as though the family have just left the room. Chastleton is not about bling. It’s not polished like, 22

Cotswold Homes Magazine

©National Trust Images/Ian Shaw

say, Blenheim…The people who lived here tended not to be great statesmen or people of reputation… they rarely popped their heads above the parapet. They were more concerned with keeping the roof above their heads.” We have 400 years of the inhabitants’ mixed fortunes to thank for this time capsule. “If they’d had the money, who knows what would have happened,” says Sebastian. “Capability Brown would probably have been called in to sculpt the grounds and uproot the river…” As it stands today, the house is a portal to the early 1600s, a Cotswold

stone incarnation of the area’s wool fortune before the death of the industry. With its remote situation and timeless aspects, this Jacobean pile could not be more embedded in the heart of old England. The land here may have been part of a manor dating back to 777, long before lawyer Walter Jones built the house in around 1607. Yet in the centuries after it was completed in 1612, the estate began to shrink. It has remained in the same family for almost the entirety of the following years - no mean feat, even if at times its condition might have approached that of

Chastleton House

©National Trust Images/James Dobson

“Upstairs in the highly decorative Fettiplace Room there hang great tapestries that match the house for age. Amusingly, the room’s four poster bed is raised every year with a car jack so staff can access an antique carpet that is stored underneath.”

©National Trust Images/Arnhel de Serra

‘Miss Havisham’s mansion’. At Chastleton House there is good dust and bad dust. Good dust is what gives the place atmosphere; it makes it look at once historic and lived-in. Bad dust is dust that clumps and layers due to the humidity, sticking to the surfaces underneath. If a visitor drags their fingers across an ancient tabletop it must be ‘re-dusted’ at once to preserve the illusion of timelessness…but at the same time, intensive cleaning is needed to maintain the ageing house and its contents. Caretaking at Chastleton is therefore something

of an odd balancing act; keeping the place looking imperfect whilst protecting it from ruin. With the Trust’s philosophy explained, it’s time for a tour. Entering the Hall, the buck on the wall is the first thing visitors see – a painted beast with a mounted head and the protruding antlers of a North American caribou. This strange creature is surrounded by a number of dark portraits, none of which have felt the touch of a restorer’s brush. This entrance does well to establish the atmosphere – the sense that somebody in Jacobean dress could be just around the corner. www.cotswold-homes.com

Chastleton House

ÂŠNational Trust Images/Chris Lacey

Cotswold Homes Magazine

Chastleton House

©National Trust Images/Chris Lacey

“The last room on the tour is the Old Kitchen, complete with a formidable stove, pewter plates, measures and a dilapidated bicycle. It is one of the best preserved rooms, and viewers of Downton Abbey will no doubt mentally impose scurrying servants and cooks onto the scene.” Upstairs in the highly decorative Fettiplace Room there hang great tapestries that match the house for age. Amusingly, the room’s four poster bed is raised every year with a car jack so staff can access an antique carpet that is stored underneath. Many of the rooms were shut or sealed off for years according to the tastes or finances of the various occupants (for many years the upper level was neglected), though one room which saw continuous use was the Great Chamber, used for entertaining throughout the centuries.

Soon we find ourselves under the barrel-vaulted ceiling of the Long Gallery, with its distinctive plaster patterning (the design thereafter copied by an Oxford college). Originally used for the hanging of ancestral portraits, it seems residents would exercise here when the weather was dismal – the Trust’s restoration work has turned up shuttlecocks and other equipment stowed underneath the floorboards. Every year Sebastian and a couple of others might take anywhere up to a week to clean the whole 72 feet of ornamental ceiling.

At the far-end window of the Gallery we find some impressive cobwebs, which here, of course, have decorative value. “Sometimes visitors get almost angry that the National Trust has apparently let the house fall into this condition, that we haven’t restored it to full glory. What they might not understand is that there was no ‘glory’ in the first place.” The last room on the tour is the Old Kitchen, complete with a formidable stove, pewter plates, measures and a dilapidated bicycle. It is one of the best preserved rooms, and viewers of Downton Abbey will no doubt mentally impose scurrying servants and cooks onto the scene. Of particular note is the soot-scorched ceiling, vast and blackened. Sebastian says it may not have been cleaned for 400 years. ‘Tradition says that if the ceiling were ever to be cleaned that it would usher in bad luck,’ he remarks. ‘Though what worse luck they could have suffered, I don’t know!’ www.cotswold-homes.com

Chastleton House

©National Trust Images/Chris Lacey

It seems the most dramatic incident in Chastleton’s largely uneventful history occurred just after the Civil War, as the defeated Royalists scattered. Arthur Jones was supposedly pursued back to Chastleton by Commonwealth soldiers on the lookout for fugitives; as Arthur hid, his wife, Sarah, was forced to serve the soldiers supper and drink before they were to search the house in the morning. She laced a flagon of ale with laudanum and Arthur fled from the sleeping soldiers on the back of their best horse, or so the story goes. Of course, far more worrying than any dozy roundheads were the debts which plagued many of the estate’s inheritors. But it is strange to think that visitors today can be thankful for Chastleton’s former financial troubles, which prevented anything other than mostly superficial modifications from taking place. Outfitted with all the features and trappings expected from an ascending businessman, the house stands as a rare portrait of a vanished age, preserved for all to see. 6 miles from Stow-on-the-Wold. Approach only from A436 between A44 (west of Chipping Norton) and Stow.

©National Trust Images/Chris Lacey

Cotswold Homes Magazine

Contact chastleton@nationaltrust.org.uk or 01494 755560 (infoline). For opening times, please visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk/chastletonhouse/opening-times. Visit Chastleton House and other National Trust properties online at www.nationaltrust.org.uk

L.S Lowry

It’s the Matchstick Man’s

Time to Shine

With a new Tate Modern show set for the summer, critics are re-evaluating the popular paintings of L.S Lowry – an opportune moment to reflect on his life and his rare Cotswold works. ‘[IT IS] A SHAME verging on the iniquitous that foreign visitors to London shouldn’t have access to the painter English people like more than most others.’ So said Ian McKellen in 2011, as the actor took the Tate to task over their reluctance to display their extensive collection of L.S Lowry paintings. Did they listen? So it would appear. This summer, Tate Britain will host Lowry and the Painting of Modern Life. According to the Tate, this exhibition is ‘the first such show held by a public institution in London since the artist’s death.’ Two eminent art historians, Anne M. Wagner and T. J. Clark, have been invited to ‘reappraise Lowry for a new and extended audience.’ (The Tate Gallery has asserted that the exhibition has been a long time in planning, strongly denying any accusations of an antiNorthern/Lowry bias). All this is good news for the painter’s legions of fans. But what does the Lancashire-born Lowry, thought of as a quintessentially Northern artist, have to do with the Cotswolds? In recent years the painter made local headlines when his paintings of Gloucestershire towns fetched large sums at auction. In 2011, a wintry 1947 painting of Stow-on-the-Wold’s square - complete with a scattering of the artist’s characteristic matchstick-like figures - was sold by Christie’s for a rather respectable £481,250. (A painting of Northleach was sold the previous year for £265,250). Limestone streets and squares seem a far cry from vast factory facades, but the paintings show that Lowry was acquainted with both. The artist was introduced to the Cotswolds in 1930 when he was commissioned by his friend H. W. Timperly to produce a number of drawings for The Cotswold Book. Taken with the regional differences in landscape and architecture, he remarked in a letter: ‘The villages are certainly very quaint…the buildings are mostly of stone, [it] is very warm.’ Artworks such as these reveal that this socalled ‘provincial’ was a little better travelled than most people may realise. (Aside from the bleak industrial townscapes that cemented his reputation, he also depicted seaside and country 28

Cotswold Homes Magazine

scenes, together with some almost gruesome self portraits). All these goings-on now invite us to re-examine what we know about the painter of matchstickmen. Peek through the nostalgia and national fondness and the image that emerges is one of a solitary man whose loneliness was relieved by his art: a near-melancholy figure, standing quite apart from the crowd. Lowry was born in 1887 to a depressive mother who once dreamed of being a concert pianist and a father who was, in his son’s words, something of a ‘cold fish’. For the greater portion of his life he was employed as a rent collector, living and working in Pendlebury for over 40 years. He never married and claimed he had ‘never had a woman’. Over the course of his lifetime, he rejected five honours, including a knighthood, and so is still the record-holder for most rejected British honours. He died in 1976 at the age of 88. With his early years spent in a relatively genteel neighbourhood, the fading fortunes of his parents forced a move to the more industrial Pendlebury. The chimneys and textile mills found there impressed upon the young Lowry so greatly that they would become iconic elements in his later works. He spent many years attending art-school: claims that he was a naïve painter have little basis. It is said that his parents did not fully understand or appreciate his work. When his father died, care of his mother fell to him, but she died just before she could witness her son’s rise to fame. In his mind, success had come too late.

“what makes Lowry so popular is the same sort of thing that stops him from being the subject of serious critical attention. What attracts so many is a sort of sentimentality about him.”

Lowry would often whimsically donate paintings and drawings to the random people that he sketched; these chance gifts are now sold for thousands. In 2010, his former milkman, Ben Timperly, revealed that he had thrown away a speculated £1,000,000 worth of drawings the artist had given to him as a teenager, as he ‘didn’t think anything of them’ at the time. 'There must have been at least ten but I just put them in the dustbin,’ said Timperly. ‘All I was concerned about was getting on with my round.’ Within the art world, many have been similarly indifferent. Chris Stephens, head of displays at the Tate, once called Lowry a ‘victim of his own fan base’, saying ‘what makes Lowry so popular is the same sort of thing that stops him from being the subject of serious critical attention. What attracts so many is a sort of sentimentality about him.’ Reactions to Lowry’s recent resurgence are mixed. ‘Lowry deserves a place in art history, but let’s not go nuts,’ wrote Guardian critic Jonathan Jones. ‘He is not some British van Gogh whose outsider genius transformed art. He is, however, an eerie documentarist of a vanished age in the life of our cities, and that is important.’ Others disagree with such views, which reduce the role of this artist to a witness of history – a mere eyeball recording the grim slog of the working man through industrial Britain. Hopefully the Tate Britain show will illuminate the less familiar aspects of a popular figure, but, if nothing else, we’re sure the galleries will be no less populated than one of the artist’s Salford streets. Meanwhile, we Cotswoldians can always share in the unusual pleasure of knowing we’ve had our own towns immortalized by one of the best-loved artists of the 20th century.

3 28

Father and Son Time

Father and son

At Styles of Stow, a passion for Horology – clock making and restoring to you and me – stays in the family.

For many years, Wilf Styles has dealt in antique clocks from his extensive showrooms in the heart of Stow-on-the-Wold. Now he is helping his son David, 22, train to become a horologist, and eventually enter the business.

placed an order, asking if it could be transported the next day. ‘So I said yes, of course, and asked him why, at his age, he was suddenly interested in clocks. “She died three weeks ago”, he said: “For the sixty years that we were married, I’ve always wanted a clock.” Imagine that – waiting all your life to have a clock.’

‘You can quote me on this: I am astonished by his enthusiasm,’ says Wilf. ‘I’d have bet a million pounds that he wouldn’t have been this enthusiastic.’ David is currently enrolled on a conservation course at West Dean college, where he practises the restoration and making of clocks. At West Dean, the old ways are faithfully taught – the focus is on preservation, not innovation. Graduates have worked in institutes such as the V&A museum, the Royal Collection and the Palace Museum in Beijing. As with learning any specialism, it’s not easy. I ask David: What’s the first thing a clockmaker has to learn? ‘Our tutor believes that, in order to become a Horologist, you have to make a clock first.’ That’s right - within his first three months of college, David had to first design and then make a working clock. ‘And this is someone who has never made anything from metal before,’ Wilf remarks. ‘It was difficult at first,’ admits David. ‘But once I got into it I was using all sorts of skills I just didn’t know I had.’

as disparate as Chile, Tasmania, Japan…The list goes on. Though going online has assisted Wilf’s business, he wouldn’t advocate buying blind from an exclusively online retailer. A shop premises reassures the customer and, vitally, allows them to examine what they’re thinking of buying – for if you’re ordering online, how could know how

Perhaps Wilf can tell such stories because a grandfather clock is just one of those rarefied belongings which, like a piano, means so much more than the sum of its parts. They are not so much objects as they are characters, enriching a household with their sounds, design and stately presence. It is easy to see how they inspire such feeling in people. The jewel of Wilf’s personal collection is a clock from 1784. It has hands telling the time according to the sun, showing the position of the tides, revealing the age of the moon and also has a hand for quarter chimes (the maths involved in the clock’s creation must be intimidating). The face displays a painted scene from England’s military capture of Canada from the French in 1759, with pictures of the arts and the sciences decorating the corners. He says the experts call it the best painted dial clock in the world – a claim that is easy to believe.

‘In his first three months at West Dean, David had to design and make a working clock’

Perhaps the biggest advantage of attending West Dean is the access that it affords to a global family of clockmakers. The college accepts only eight or so students a year, meaning that the community of professionals remains tight-knit and mutually supportive. ‘There’s only four firstyear students and three second year students on my course,’ notes David. This ‘new generation’ of horologists will be the latest to weather ever-changing times with timehonoured skills. But for a business that deals in antiquity, Styles of Stow have certainly seized the moment with the internet. Their web presence enables the export of clocks to all manner of unlikely and exotic destinations: from cities such as Odessa, Manila and Hong Kong to countries

many parts still remain from the original model? ‘[A grandfather clock] is a dangerous thing to buy if you don’t have the knowledge, or someone you can trust,’ he says. ‘Originality is everything.’ He compares the sale of a clock to the sale of a 300 year-old car: ‘Would you want to buy that without looking at it first?’ (As it turns out, antique clocks and barometers can – like classic cars – actually be exempt from capital gains tax, due to the ongoing maintenance required to keep them in good working order). The eventual passing of Wilf’s business to David will mean more than just a transfer of skills, insight and knowledge. He also has a trove of stories to share from his years as a horologist. ‘My oldest customer was 87, a man who lived in London,’ he says, and recalls how this customer

With the standards of craftsmanship still passing, preserved, from generation to generation, it is unlikely that appetite for these unique timepieces will diminish any time soon. ‘People take a great reassurance from them,’ says Wilf. ‘They love winding them every week.’ When it gets down to it, he says, these great timepieces really are ‘the heartbeat of the home.’ Contact: Wilfred Styles Styles of Stow The Grandfather Clock Shop Sheep Street Stow-on-the-Wold Gloucestershire GL54 1JS United Kingdom Telephone / Fax: +44 (0)1451 830455 E-Mail: info@stylesofstow.co.uk www.stylesofstow.com www.cotswold-homes.com

Enid Marx

Compton Verney re-introduces the talents of designer/ collector extraordinaire Enid Marx

This spring, Compton Verney is redisplaying their Marx-Lambert collection in the hope of bringing about greater recognition of the prolific designer, Enid Marx (1902-1998). A distant cousin of Karl Marx, Enid was best known in her lifetime for her bold, vivacious patterns. By the end of her long career, she had designed stamps, posters, the seating fabric for the London Underground and various book jackets, as well as having produced illustrated children’s books (including ‘Bulgy the Barrage Balloon’, which required special permission from the Ministry of Defence). Marx had a real passion for British folk art, an enthusiasm she shared with her partner, historian Margaret Lambert. The eccentric objects and artefacts that the two collected together were bequeathed to Compton Verney, where they have been on permanent exhibition alongside Marx’s paintings, prints and other artworks. ‘The “innocent eye” is disappearing,’ said Marx, who strove to preserve the artistic expressions of the unpractised – often rural craftsmen or labourers who, before the age of industrialisation, used what little free time they had to produce creative works. Usually untutored, these now nameless artists made things that either reflected their way of life or served some forgotten purpose. The original intentions behind some of the more curious objects in the gallery can today only be guessed at. 30

Cotswold Homes Magazine

The re-display of the Marx-Lambert collection will serve to distinguish it from Compton Verney’s own unique collection of British folk art. The exhibition area will also be furnished in parts to resemble an interior, an installation naturally more befitting of the collection than white gallery walls.

As the collection will be re-invigorated by the changes, the works will be made more accessible to the public. With the gallery’s plans to allow visitors to touch certain fabrics, exploring the collection will also be a more tactile experience than before.

Enid Marx

The Collection before the re-display. The improvements will make it more accessible.

Enid’s Life Enid Marx was born in London in 1902. Accounts suggest she became interested in textiles aged around four when she was given a bunch of ribbon samples by a local draper. After a chequered stint in the Royal College of Art (where she did not achieve a diploma), most of her adult life was spent creating vivacious patterns and paintings. Her first workshop was a cowshed on Hampstead Hill. Enid’s commissions came from a variety of sources, but she was perhaps best known for creating the designs for the seating fabric (or ‘moquette’) on the London Underground. Her decorative pattern work caught the attention of publishers, who asked her to design a number of book jackets.

............................................................................................... “With the gallery’s plans to allow visitors to touch certain fabrics, exploring the collection will also be a more tactile experience than before.” ...............................................................................................

In 1944 she became the first woman engraver appointed as a Royal Designer for Industry and between 1944-7 she served a member of the Design Panel of the Utility Furniture Advisory Committee. Together with her companion Margaret Lambert, Enid published two definitive books on the subject of English folk art: ‘English Popular and Traditional Art’ in 1946 and ‘English Popular Art’ in 1951. In later years, she became a tutor, sharing her knowledge and passion with students as a department head at the Croyden College of Art. She died in 1988 having led a long and exceptionally industrious life. www.cotswold-homes.com

Alternative Oxford

Cotswold Homes Magazine

Alternative Oxford

T r av e l l i n g t o O x f o r d b y t r a i n t a k e s o n ly 3 5 m i n u t e s f r o m Mo r e t o n - av o i d i n g c o m m u t e r s , t h e r e a r e s t i l l h a l f a d o z e n t r a i n s b e f o r e lu n c h a n d p l e n t y to g e t yo u h o m e aga i n b e f o r e t h e ru s h ! ‘ T h e d r e a m i n g s p i r e s ’ a r e o f t e n w h at w e p i c t u r e w h e n w e t h i n k o f O x f o r d , b u t l oo k pa s t t h e m a g n i f i c e n c e o f t h e m a n y c o l l e g e s a n d museums and there’s s till plent y to explore. In the firs t in a series o f ‘ D ay T r i p p e r ’ , w e l i s t s o m e o f o u r f av o u r i t e a l t e r n a t i v e s f o r a d ay o u t i n t h i s b e a u t i f u l c i t y.

Admire the Architecture at The Town Hall

After some intriguing architecture? You could do worse than to check out the Town Hall, which is free to enter (unlike most colleges) and is often used for concerts, fairs, festivals and other events. The ornate ceiling of the Main Hall is especially beautiful.

Get Crafty

at Arts at the Old Fire Station.

There’s more to this space than a gallery and a theatre. Vintage clothing fairs, poetry slams, short story readings and workshops make it a hub of creativity. The building is shared with Crisis Skylight Oxford, a charity providing training and support for homeless and vulnerable people. Visit www.oldfirestation.org.uk

See the Show

at The Ultimate Picture Palace

Oxford’s oldest cinema, the Ultimate Picture Palace is a privately run cinema with a unique classical façade. The history of the cinema was the subject of a documentary entitled ‘The Ultimate Survivor’. See www.picturepalace.org.uk for more details.

View the Vista from Carfax Tower

Take to the top of Carfax Tower for an affordable view of the city. The remains of a 12th century church, the Tower is easily found in central Oxford. Open 10am–5.30pm (Easter to October) 10am–3.30pm (October to Easter).

Be Bohemian in Jericho

A suburb that’s equal parts historic and cool, Jericho has some interesting restaurants, bars and shops. It is supposed that the name stems from its time as a place for travellers to rest if they arrived after the city’s gates had closed. Hence ‘Jericho’ - A place outside the walls.

Boggle the Mind

at The Museum of the History of Science

Situated in the Old Ashmolean building, this Oxford museum is every bit as interesting as its illustrious cousins. Wonder at the many mechanical marvels that include a prototype of a ‘difference engine’ – perhaps the earliest incarnation of the computer. Visit www.mhs.ox.ac.uk

Ogle an Oxfordian Oddity: The Headington Shark

Grab a Quirky Cuppa at Zappis

Ever eaten at a cool café situated in a bike shop? Try Zappis, found within Bike Zone on St. Michael’s street, for a nice, niche-y atmosphere and good grub at prices that won’t give you a puncture.

Artist and BBC radio presenter Bill Heine created a stir by with this truly eccentric extension to his residence: a fiberglass shark apparently plunged headfirst into his roof. Having just turned 26, the shark remains a sight to be seen. Thankfully, planning permission was awarded in 1992. Drive by this suburban Jaws at 2 New High Street, Headington, OX3 7AQ, or see the fan site: www.headington.org.uk/shark/

www.cotswold-homes.com

Gustav Holst

A visit to the Holst Birthplace Museum reveals little known truths about one of Britain’s favourite composers

In a regency townhouse in Cheltenham, there stands a piano on which some of the most famous music in the world was composed. The composer bought the instrument secondhand for the princely sum of £12. That man’s name was Gustav Holst; the suite he wrote he called The Planets. For this townhouse is where Gustav Holst was born, back in 1874, coming into the world in the same small, middle-class bedroom where his mother would die of pneumonia just seven years later. Soon after that sad incident, the Holst family left the home.

Cotswold Homes Magazine

Gustav Holst

Today the building stands as the Holst Birthplace Museum, honouring not only his early years, but also his entire lifetime's worth of interests and achievements. Here you can learn all you could ever wish to know about one of England's best-loved composers - and some of it might just surprise you. Amongst the first things that you’ll discover is that Holst was far from as stuffy or austere as some images would suggest. He had a very modern mind, for his time, and some almost mystical inclinations. As some may know, it was a passion for astrology that influenced him to write The Planets, but he also had a great affection for all things Indian. Foreign music and many-limbed eastern deities stirred the composer's imagination: He taught himself Sanskrit and drew inspiration from Indian opera long before the Rolling Stones were influenced by jazz and the blues. In a sense, he had the alternative worldview of someone of a much later generation. It was actually the breakout success of The Planets that has imprinted the image of a fuddylooking, formal Holst in the history books. In truth, he simply struggled with the celebrity that success and hated having his picture taken (his daughter Imogen once referred to 'the sullen droop of his expression' when someone would appear with a camera). But the museum displays some personal photographs that dispel the

“He had a very modern mind, for his time, and some almost mystical inclinations.” picture of a 'grumpy' Holst. The pictures show him wearing a hat at a funny angle, or laughing mirthfully with his wife: here the man looks surprisingly relaxed and humorous. At the Holst Birthplace Museum, one may also learn about other noteworthy Holsts. As you’d expect, many were musical (his father Adolph, also a music teacher, made the young Holst play the trombone, believing it would relieve the child’s asthma) but there is also a painter in the mix: Great-uncle Theodore, currently enjoying a renaissance as an influence on Rossetti. His gothic, mythical and darkly sensual paintings hang from the house’s walls. There is even an interesting story behind the family name. When Gustav’s grandfather Gustavus arrived in Cheltenham in the midnineteenth century, he added ‘von’ to his surname to appear more aristocratic, and thus attract wealthier families to his tuition services by capitalising on the fashion for European musicians. The whole family copied the affectation. Years later, moved by anti-German sentiment, grandson Gustav attempted to remove the ‘von’ – only to discover he had never been entitled to it anyway.

But the museum does more than simply share the anecdotes and artefacts of the Holst family. With rooms decorated in both regency and Victorian styles, all complete with period furnishings, it offers a peek at long-lost interior fashions. There is even a maid’s bedroom, playroom and a teenytiny outside toilet to marvel at. Holst lived away from the Cotswolds for much of his lifetime, but he returned to Cheltenham for what was perhaps his most significant moment: An honorary Holst Festival held in the town hall in 1927, where his many compositions were specially brought to life by the City of Birmingham Orchestra. It was, Holst declared: ‘The most overwhelming event of my life.’ Make sure to visit the museum when it reopens in February ; the museum’s website www. holstmuseum.org.uk is an excellent source of information on the composer and his relatives. Holst Birthplace Museum 4 Clarence Road Pittville, Cheltenham Glos, GL52 2AY Tel: 01242 524846 Images reproduced by kind permission of the Holst Birthplace Museum

www.cotswold-homes.com

DIARY OF AN EQUESTRIAN LADY

DIARY OF AN EQUESTRIAN LADY by Collette Fairweather

WINTS

5 TICKE PAGE SEE

Ride Round England Spring 2013 will see William Reddaway, retired education and training manager, set off on the most ambitious of adventures. As retirement loomed, he began preparation for his ambitious ‘ride round England’ project. Over the next six months he plans to cover over 2500 miles, brushing the borders of England and incorporating 30 cathedrals en route. William hopes to raise £250,000 for two deserving charities: The Family Holiday Association, helping disadvantaged families get a much needed break away from home, and the Wormwood Scrubs Pony Centre, providing therapeutic riding sessions to disabled children from 7 years upwards. Of course, this epic journey wouldn’t be possible without his furry, four-legged companion Strider, a part-shire gelding who will be providing the all important ‘horse power’. As the date of departure looms ever closer, William continues to seek monetary sponsorship and support via relief horses and places to ‘hit the hay’ whilst on the road, 36

Cotswold Homes Magazine

so if you can help these extremely worthy causes please get in touch! Visit www. rideroundengland.org

Colne Saddlery – Catering FOR Bourton and Beyond!

For 40 years, Maurice Emtage has owned and run Colne Saddlery with his daughter Gemma. With a shop in Gloucester, workshop in Kineton and visiting a variety of shows all over the country, they have built a reputation for sound impartial advice. With new premises at Manor Farm, Upper Slaughter, they are now able to house the workshop (where Maurice does all the repairs and saddle adjustments), an extensive retail shop and all of their new and second saddles all under one roof. They also have an arena so clients can come along and try all the saddles on site, ensuring the best of fits. How very tack-tile! For more information and contact details, please see the website www.colnesaddlery. co.uk

Paxford Point to Point – North Cotswolds Annual Easter P2P

For me Easter would not be Easter without chocolate eggs, fluffy chicks, a cuddly lamb or two and Paxford Point to Point on Easter Monday. Sticking with tradition, on April 1st (with kind permission of Mrs Adams and family) the gates will open at 10.30am with the first race at 1pm. With stalls and stands to visit between races and games and rides for the children and the young at heart, you are bound to bump into a familiar face, as residents support the local horses and riders on their romp around the easily-viewed course. Check out our competitions over on page 5, where we are giving away two family car passes! For further information, please see events on www.northcotswoldhunt.co.uk

A Country Vet

A Day in the Life of a Country Vet Grahame Howe is Clinical Director of Stow Veterinary Surgeons, pictured with 'Oakley' who belongs to Jodie, one of the practice’s lovely veterinary nurses. Stow Veterinary Surgeons has been operating in Stow-on-theWold for nearly a century, recently celebrating a ten-year anniversary at their purpose-built premises on Maugersbury Road. Striving towards the best possible care for pets in sickness and health, the surgery sits at the heart of a rural district where animals come in all shapes and sizes from horses to hamsters, and the problems are just as wide-ranging. As Laura, veterinary nurse, says: “We see everything from a dog with an upset stomach to a duck with a sore eye! You never quite know what the next day is going to bring.” In this new feature for Cotswold Homes readers, Grahame answers your questions on common animal ailments and how best to care for your pets.

“Stow Veterinary Surgeons has been operating in Stow-on-the-Wold for nearly a century, recently celebrating a ten-year anniversary at their purpose-built premises on Maugersbury Road.” Our elderly dog ended up in vet hospital on Christmas Eve after he wolfed down a whole box of dark chocolates that had been wrapped up under the tree. Why is chocolate so dangerous for dogs? And what other seemingly innocuous foods do we need to keep away from our hungry hound? Chocolate poisoning is one of the most common types of poisoning cases seen by veterinary surgeons throughout the year, and as you can imagine the highest occurrence is during the Christmas and Easter holidays when there is an abundance of yummy chocolate hidden around the house. It is surprising that so few people realise the dangers of many common foodstuffs to dogs and yet in some severe cases eaten in sufficiently large quantities, some types of chocolate can be poisonous enough to prove fatal.

The poisonous agent in chocolate is called theobromine. Levels of theobromine vary depending on which type of chocolate it is. In white chocolate, for example, theobromine levels are low, relative to plain or dark chocolate or cocoa powder where levels can be high. Theobromine acts upon the nervous system of the dog and affects the liver, kidney and heart. Symptoms start to occur within four hours or so and can include hyper-activity, vomiting, and excessive drinking. Like you, owners will probably discover the scene of the crime before they see the first clinical signs of poisoning in their animal. If you suspect your animal has eaten chocolate you should contact your vet for advice, as early treatment reduces the risk of losing your precious pet. Other seemingly innocuous foods that can be dangerous to dogs include raisins, grapes, onions, garlic, coffee and caffeine – all of which can cause illness. In addition, chewing gum and sweets can also cause some problems if

they contain Xylitol, an artificial sweetener which in dogs can be poisonous, causing a rapid drop in blood sugar level and, in some cases, liver failure. In summary, the message from the Country Vet has to be ‘stay vigilant’ because we know only too well how clever these dogs can be! Make sure all chocolate is kept out of reach, or they will sniff it out. Put all those Easter eggs on the top shelf out of harm’s way, keep your larder door firmly shut and whilst you are out of the house, make sure your dog cannot seek out any hidden supplies in unexpected places like a teenager’s bedroom, for example! Exclusively for Cotswold Homes Privilege Card holders, Stow Vets are offering a FREE HEALTH CHECK for your pet including a goody bag for dogs and cats (while stocks last) with a lucky dip of toys, bowls and food. See the Privilege Card Section (from p.106) for further details. Stow Veterinary Surgeons, Maugersbury Road, Stow-on-the-Wold : 01451 830620

www.cotswold-homes.com

Learn to Lamb

WI TIC N SEE KE PAGETS 5

We ask Adam Henson all about the lambing process As lambing season is upon us, who better to answer any questions than our resident Cotswold expert Adam Henson? As a Cotswold Homes exclusive, we have two pairs of tickets to Adamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cotswold Farm Park. See our competition page over on page 5 for how to enter and for further giveaways!â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Q. How has the process of lambing changed over the years, if at all? The process of lambing has changed very little over the years and the biology of lambing remains the same. The most noticeable difference is that many flocks now lamb indoors. Q. Do ewes require any special treatment before lambing? 75% of foetal growth is in the last 6-8 weeks of gestation. In order that the ewe stays in good condition, produces plenty of milk and that the lambs are born at the optimum size, the ewes must be fed the correct amount of high protein food. Ewes are therefore scanned halfway through their pregnancy, and ewes carrying triplets are fed a lot more than a ewe carrying a single lamb. Fresh water and good fodder must be available at all times. Q. How can you tell when the ewe is ready to lamb? A ewe becomes very restless. She will stand up and lie down a lot, trying to get comfortable. She will turn round a lot, looking behind her to see if the lamb has dropped out. Pawing the ground is common and she will lick her lips in anticipation of licking the newborn lamb. When she is close to lambing she will not go to feed. Q. Is there anything a farmer can do to encourage a birth to happen when he wants it to? The gestation is about five months, so if you put the rams in with the ewes on 5th November the lambs will be born on 1st April. Nature then has to take its course and no more can be done to speed up or slow things down. Q. What are some of the biggest risks posed to ewe and lamb during lambing? 38

Cotswold Homes Magazine

There is a risk of lambs being mis-presented in the birth canal and getting stuck. Lambs should be born nose and two front feet first. A major cause of lamb deaths is hypothermia and e-coli infections. Lambs need to get a good amount of colostrum in their first milk within an hour of birth, to build up an immunity to bugs and disease, as well as keeping warm. The ewes lick the lambs dry when they are born. Q. Step by step, how should a farmer assist the lambing? If the lamb is mis-presented the farmer can wear a surgical glove for cleanliness for farmer and ewe, and put their hand inside the ewe to position the lamb so that it dives out forward. There may be a head back, a leg back, or two lambs being pushed into the birth canal at once. Sometimes lambs are breach births and need to be pulled out carefully backwards. Q. How can you tell if a birth isn't going quite how it should? If a ewe does not lamb within an hour of her waters breaking, then it is likely she needs help. Q. Is it true that newborns who are having difficulty breathing can benefit from a little gentle swinging? A gentle swing can clear birth fluids and mucus from their nose and throat, to help them breath. Tickling their nose with a piece of stiff straw can make them sneeze, which also sometimes helps. Q. Do ewes ever reject their lambs? If so, what can a farmer do to help - and how might one deal with orphaned lambs?

Ewes will sometimes reject their lambs. Putting a dog near the pen with the ewe and lambs, will encourage her protective, maternal instincts to kick in. The ewes can also be put in a head yoke for a couple of days so that the lambs can suckle without her being able to butt them away. Once the milk is passing through them, she is more likely to accept them. Orphan lambs can be reared on the bottle, but it is time consuming. They can also be adopted onto ewes which are giving birth to just one lamb. As a ewe gives birth you rub the orphan lamb in the birth fluids. When the ewe stands up and turns around there are two wet lambs that both smell the same and she accepts them both as her own. Q. Do the mothering instincts of ewes improve with age and experience? Yes, but young ewes will have good natural, maternal instincts that kick in like magic when a ewe gives birth. Q. Are there any risks to human health posed by the process? Sheep can carry zoonotic diseases which can pass to humans, so biosecurity and cleanliness is important. Pregnant women should avoid lambing sheep and the associated fluids from lambing ewes. The Cotswold Farm Park is open every day from 9th February until 22nd December 2013. Lambing season is from 9th February until 21st April. Come and see lambs being born and get the chance to bottle feed them too. www.cotswoldfarmpark.co.uk

First Time Farmers: Meet Henry

First Time Farmers: Meet Henry We interview Henry Crudge, one of the stars of Channel 4’s new documentary First Time Farmers. From the makers of Made in Chelsea, the programme introduces several young farmers, some from the Cotswolds, and the issues that they face in their working and personal lives. HENRY’S FIRST TIME FARMERS BIO Henry is 25 from Chipping Norton and helps run the family farm with his dad. He lives with his friend Pete. Type of farming: Arable  Relationship: Girlfriend After studying at the RAC for 4 years, Henry is now working long hours on the family arable farm with his dad Peter. The farm has been in the family for generations and Henry stands to be the fifth generation to take over. Henry and his dad are a close team and inject plenty of play into their work, whether it’s banter in the ‘Man Cave’ (their on-site workshop), shooting or safari off-roading. However for Henry’s dad, the farm always comes first, whilst Henry tries hard to keep a healthy work-play balance, he often puts raves and parties higher on the priority list than his dad would like. During the busy harvest season his mum Sue works fulltime to keep them watered, fed, and happy – a vital role on any arable farm, especially when times get tough.

Cotswold Homes Magazine

How did you first make contact with the producers? They actually found me through Facebook – I don’t really know how, probably through the Royal Agricultural College page. I’m sure it was very easy for them to find me! In the first episode, we saw a young farmer struggling with the routine and the sometimes solitary nature of the work. Are such feelings ever a problem for you? I think that was Nick who said that, wasn’t it? Well I completely disagree with that, but things are very different in my line. Obviously in summer, I work hard, long hours, but every day is different – things never work out quite how they’re supposed to. Does your girlfriend come from a similar background? She does, yes. Her dad is a farmer with a 2,000 acre farm in Suffolk. Her name is Jade Holland Cooper, and she actually runs her own fashion business – it’s tweed with a twist. But yes, she absolutely understands the pressures involved.

First Time Farmers: Meet Henry

“

As far as I go, it’s just something I’ve done all my life. And what can I say? I love doing it.

She knows I have to work all summer and appreciates all of that. Did you already know any of the young farmers prior to the show? If not, do you think you’ll keep in touch with anyone? I knew Ed Godsall and Ali Hunter Blair from before – I was at Cirencester [RAC] with them, and I’d met Robbie and Nick. As for keeping in touch…yeah, why not? Some of us are only a few miles away from each other. I’m sure our paths will cross… We’ve had some pretty rotten weather in the last year. As an arable farmer, can you ever truly predict what will happen year-on-year? No. That’s the thing with farming – you are completely governed by the weather. We also make racehorse hay here on the farm, and due to the weather we were about 6-8 weeks behind on production, so the quality wasn’t as good as usual – it degrades. Rain is a big pain – it can really affect the size of a grain and the actual planting. What’s the biggest challenge facing young farmers today?

Well, there’s always the weather, but we can’t do anything about that – you’ve just got to take it as it comes. Our ancestors survived, you know, plus we’ve got certain advantages: hybrid crops, technology, tractors…Market prices are a big thing, and not just in arable. We are very much governed by what the rest of the world is doing. The market is always fluctuating. If farmers have a bad year in another part of the world, perhaps we’ll have a better year. Also the cost of fertilizer, and the actual prices of fossil fuels, they have a big impact. What did you study at the RCA, and have your studies been useful to your career? I studied Agriculture. As far as the practical side goes, I learned everything from my dad, really. You can sit in a lecture room but the thing is you’ve really got to learn about is your land, your soil, your farm. The book-keeping side of the course was very helpful, but when it comes to farming, even Dad’s still learning! In your opinion, is it possible to achieve a work/life balance in such an intensive and sometimes gruelling career?

”

programme], but Dad is very fair. As long as I’m at work on time and switched on I can do whatever I want. I have burnt the candle at both ends in the past, but it’s not like I have to put on a suit and give presentations! They have played on [the balance] in my episode, but then they have to give everyone a ‘character’, you know? And are you happy with your episode? Oh yes. It’s quite short considering they literally spent the entire summer shooting here, but yes, I’m happy. Plus there’s plenty of Mum and Dad in there, which is good! Finally, some of the young farmers seemed to struggle with the sense of an obligation to the farm. Were it not for family ties, do you think you’d be interested in farming? It’s quite difficult to say – I’ve worked every harvest since the age of 13. I never would want to do anything else. It’s certainly very hard to get into farming if you’re not born into it, unless you had a load of money…As far as I go, it’s just something I’ve done all my life. And what can I say? - I love doing it.

Definitely. They return to that quite a lot [in the

www.cotswold-homes.com

The Glass Menagerie

The Theatre Chipping Norton Presents

WI TIC N SEE KE PAGETS 5

Hot on the heels of the acclaimed Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune comes Tennessee Williams' classic tale of a family's fragile dreams. For the second production in their planned two-year run of in-house productions, The Theatre Chipping Norton has chosen a modern classic – Tennessee Williams’ breakout play, The Glass Menagerie. Set in 1940s St. Louis, it is a story of the conflicting dreams of the Wingfields – a family stuck between the past and the future. Menagerie is a ‘four-hander’, meaning it has only four characters: a domineering mother, Amanda, and her adult children: the delicate, reclusive Laura and the frustrated, trapped Tom, who yearns for escape. The fourth part is that of the Gentleman Caller – a colleague of Tom and the schoolgirl crush of Laura. Amanda desperately hopes this visitor can save her daughter from a spinsterish destiny, but his visit may have quite unintended consequences… 42

Cotswold Homes Magazine

As a memory play, The Glass Menagerie opens with Tom introducing his former life with his mother and sister. The Theatre Chipping Norton plays with this structure, re-imagining Tom as a director who is actually staging his memories within a 1940s film studio. It’s an especially fitting concept when you consider that Tennessee Williams was working as a screenwriter in Hollywood at the time of the play’s success. Within the script, there are also many parallels between the story and Williams’ life. The common assumption that the character of Tom may be a surrogate for the playwright is based on a number of observations; that his first name is Thomas (Tennessee’s real name); that he works unhappily in a shoe factory;

The Glass Menagerie

Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie at a Glance The Characters: Amanda:

A one-time debutante and southern belle, Amanda married unwisely and was abandoned, along with her children, by a travelling husband. Entranced by her memories of the past, and desperate to find a ‘gentleman’ for her reclusive daughter, Laura Amanda has grown overbearing – almost smothering her children with love.

Tom:

Employed in a dull job at a shoe factory, Tom yearns for escape and artistic fulfilment – though his meagre wages are all that keep his family afloat. He struggles with the knowledge that he cannot save both his life and that of his mother and sister. Writing poetry and visiting the movies are two of the few things he can do to indulge his yearnings.

Laura:

that he has an insensitive and overbearing mother and a crippled sister; that he attended Soldan High School; and of course, his secret life as a poet, disappearing at night in search of entertainment and adventure. Director Elia Kazan once said of Williams: ‘Everything in his life is in his plays, and everything in his plays is in his life.’ The Glass Menagerie was the first of Williams’ to be produced, debuting in Chicago during the winter of 1944. Its instant success made him the object of a scrutiny he found difficult to bear, though the play enjoyed a very lengthy run and rave reviews. His next play, A Streetcar Named Desire, brought even greater acclaim, and it is chiefly for these two early achievements that he is remembered today, despite a long and prolific writing career. For the Chipping Norton production of Menagerie, Director John Terry will be making good use of music, with elements of live performance bringing to life the world of Tom’s memories. A prominent motif in Williams’ script, the meaning and role of music will be adapted and explored onstage. Award winning theatre designer

William Fricker, whose recent work includes the worldwide tour of War Horse, is at work realising the Hollywood-inspired set. At this point, much is still under wraps – we can’t wait to see what’s planned. Keep an eye on www.chippingnortontheatre.com for more details and for more news on this and other events at The Theatre. Plus See Page 5 of the magazine for your chance to win VIP tickets to the opening night!

The Glass Menagerie at The Theatre Chipping Norton Thu 7 Mar - Sat 9 Mar 7.45pm Tue 12 Mar - Sat 16 Mar 7.45pm with post-show talks on Wed 13th & Thurs 14th March Tickets: £14, £12 conc. £8.50 schools

Fatally sensitive and too shy to engage with the outer world, Laura seeks solace in her collection of glass animals. The revelation that Jim is coming to dinner throws her into a state of extreme agitation. Laura has an affinity with her brother, Tom, who she often talks to out on the fire escape.

Jim:

A friend of Tom’s from the shoe factory, Jim has been invited over for dinner at the Wingfield residence. Likeable and handsome, he was a star athlete at high school, but seems disappointed with the realities of his working life. Though he doesn’t know it, he carries all the fragile dreams of the Wingfield women…

What The Theatre says:

‘Our powerful new production reimagines Tennessee Williams’ autobiographical classic in a deserted 1940s Hollywood film studio, a world he inhabited as he wrote this play. In a tangle of humming film lights, old pianos and curling celluloid, Tom, now a successful scriptwriter, takes us back into memory: a family home, a crippled sister, an overwrought mother and a knock at the door.’

www.cotswold-homes.com

HOT PROPERTY - ASK THE EXPERTS

Ask the experts

Market Place Caroline Gee

The

Q A

I am interested in investing into a property portfolio, buying two or possibly three properties, each around £150,000 - £200,000 depending on loan to value. Am I better off buying two bigger or three smaller properties and where should I look to buy?

bedroom is normally a double, and the generous size enables a couple to stay on in the same home if they decide to have a family in due course. Many couples are simply in need of a good office space away from the living area, as working from home is becoming increasingly common.

Rents are due to rise as much as 18% in the next five years and so a lettings portfolio is a great thing to be doing in today’s uncertain economic climate. More and more people are opting for long-term renting rather than engaging in a constant struggle to get on the property ladder. The average age of a first time buyer in the UK is now 37, higher still in London. Even affordable housing requires a sizeable deposit with income multiples that are unrealistic for many young couples, even when both are working without children, especially if they have been in further education and have sizeable student loans to repay on top of everything else.

Terraced and semi-detached, three bedroom properties tend to fetch between £700 and £900 per calendar month, upwards again for larger, detached properties. Generally, three bedroom properties are extremely popular as they offer good, flexible accommodation for bigger families or those who need separate office space and/or guest rooms. Most two and three bedroom properties in Upper Rissington have really decent kitchen/breakfast rooms with far more generous living space than other similarly priced rental properties elsewhere, enjoying good plots with lovely gardens. These houses lend themselves to extension, upwards into the roof and outwards, potentially. Landlords can add more value by going into the loft, building on a conservatory or an extra reception room, even a double height extension. Because they are made of brick rather than local stone, changes are more affordable

Upper Rissington is one of the most sought-after locations for prospective tenants in the North Cotswolds, particularly popular because the properties have well-presented and

“The one potential advantage of three bedroom properties is that tenants are more likely to want to stay longer term, because the step up to four bedrooms can be quite expensive by comparison.” spacious, easily maintained accommodation with off-road parking, situated within walking distance of a great little shop for day-to-day needs and in the catchment area of great local schools and bus routes to Great Rissington, Bourton on the Water and Stow on the Wold. Larger towns like Chipping Norton, Burford, Witney and Carterton offer a wide range of amenities and are less than half an hour’s drive, whilst centres like Cheltenham, Banbury and Oxford are an easy commute and the mainline train at Kingham (10 minutes away) gets into central London in an hour and a half. Two and three bedroom properties that come onto the market for rent in Upper Rissington are usually agreed within a fortnight and you cannot go wrong with either type. Two bedroom properties tend to fetch between £645 and £750 per calendar month, depending on the size of living and outside space , attracting young couples moving in together for the first time and increasingly more mature, professional couples. These low maintenance homes can usually accommodate young families, too, as the second

Cotswold Homes Magazine

and easier, with planning permission usually fairly simple to achieve. The one potential advantage of three bedroom properties is that tenants are more likely to want to stay longer term, because the step up to four bedrooms can be quite expensive by comparison. Such low turnover is perfect for professional landlords who wish to see their properties consistently occupied by reliable tenants. Caroline Gee is a director at HARRISON & HARDIE, having worked in the North Cotswolds alongside fellow director Karen Harrison since 1994. Caroline set up their Lettings department in 2009, becoming market leaders by the end of that year. There are now two dedicated Lettings teams – Caroline works with Amy Coldicott in Moreton in Marsh and Lucy Driver is based in Bourton on the Water with Ewan Peaston. To speak to Caroline, telephone Moreton in Marsh 01608 653896 or visit www.cotswold-homes.com for information about properties currently available to rent.

HOT PROPERTY - ASK THE EXPERTS

Ask the experts

Structurally Sound Robert Hamilton

Q A

We have purchased an ancient cottage unchanged by the previous owner for many decades and empty for many months since he went into a nursing home. With a stream forming the boundary at the far edge, the land is particularly boggy after all this rain and the house is really damp. As part of extensive renovation, we are considering under-floor heating beneath the flagstones rather than a physical damp-proof course. What is your advice? 2012 was officially the second wettest year in the past hundred years and whatever your views on climate change, there is no denying that extreme dampness presents particular problems to owners of period houses. Commonly, houses built of Cotswold stone have an exterior of natural stone and interior of rubble with an inner leaf of whatever was available from the nearest quarry - enormously thick and strong but tending to feel cold and damp unless the interior is kept well heated. Left

Severn Estuary to become rain on the higher ground of the Cotswold Escarpment whilst from the East, harsh weather is brought in by strong winds. The geography of land and water table is important because sometimes the reason for dampness is not intrinsic to the construction. My heart skips a jolly beat when I see evidence of a previous professional surveyor’s input - many surveyors automatically advise standard solutions (for example: ‘Install a physical damp-proof course’, ‘Apply tanking’, or ‘French Drain’) including digging out external ground levels or changing water-courses, but beware! Consider the porosity of the exterior ground, thickness of roads, inclination, soil type, risk of ‘run-off’ from more distance, tree roots, etc., before adopting any solution. Only once you have established there are no external influences, address the damp permanently. Yes,

“Left empty in all weathers, your house will have developed dampness by natural condensation of internal moisture onto colder surfaces, even in summer time” empty in all weathers, your house will have developed dampness by natural condensation of internal moisture onto colder surfaces, even in summer time. To begin, run the heating constantly at an economy level (12C) or install a dehumidifier (plumbed in to drain away condensation), whilst you consider other potential causes. Proximity to a stream would originally have been a good thing and not necessarily a worry today - in the Cotswolds, many ancient settlements dating back to Roman times made use of nearby stony riverbeds for transport by cart. In 2007, I checked the levels on one ancient mill and found that the interior floor level was still one hand’s width above the highest recorded water level, so heavy rain could simply have caused water logging and heat loss from defective pointing and/or blocked and leaking gutters. Especially if exposed to prevailing weather on high ground, orientation might also be a problem - clouds funnel up the Bristol Channel and the

under-floor heating is the right way to go! This requires a lower water temperature than radiators, hence less energy to heat – just remember to install insulation in addition to a damp proof membrane beneath the flagstones. Your ultimate luxury would be a ground-source heat pump (a sort of fridge in reverse, making use of the constant water temperature under ground). This is expensive to install but if you are digging up floors anyway, worthwhile in the longer term. Once warm, your cottage will be dry and the heating bills will begin to stabilise. Central Surveying has offices in the Cotswolds and Knightsbridge, specialising in independent professional surveying and property consultancy services for commercial and residential clients in the Cotswolds, South West and London. Robert Hamilton works from Naunton in the heart of the North Cotswolds. To contact Robert, telephone 07769 173233 or visit the www.centralsurveying.co.uk.

www.cotswold-homes.com

HOT PROPERTY - ASK THE EXPERTS

Ask the experts

Legally Bound Stuart Palmer

Q A

I own a period cottage in the Cotswolds called “Glebe House” located within 100 metres of the local church. I have read in the press that my house might be subject to a Chancel Repair Liability. What is this and do I need to be concerned? Chancel repair liability is a liability stemming from medieval times to contribute towards the repair of the chancel, which is usually the eastern end of the church, the altar and the choir stalls. This liability is attached to land which originally formed part of a rectory but following the dissolution of the monasteries under Henry VIII was transferred to ordinary people. Those new owners owned the land on the same terms as the Church, which included an obligation to contribute towards the cost of chancel repairs. This could mean that your property might be subject to a chancel repair liability and you could be asked to contribute towards the cost of expensive repairs to your local church.

out insurance without carrying out the “search”. Because the liability is rare, a variety of cheap insurance products are available charged as a one off premium rather than annually. Even if a property is subject to a liability this does not necessarily mean that the Church would seek to recover a contribution towards their costs. The insurance will protect you as the property owner and can also include protection for any future buyer of your property and their mortgage lender (although such policies often have a fixed lifespan such as ten years). In October 2013, the legal status of a chancel repair liability is changing following legislation passed in 2002 when the Church was given ten years to register and disclose a chancel repair liability. However, this does not mean to say that if the Church fails to register this liability before October 2013 that the liability falls away. If a liability exists and there is no registration, then it will continue to exist until the property changes ownership. This means, unfortunately, that once the

“An inspection of your title deeds is not enough, because your deeds will not always show the liability and even if they do show a liability this is not always accurate.” The first thing to remember about chancel repair liability is that it is extremely rare. However it is not necessarily straightforward to establish whether or not your property is subject to a liability. An inspection of your title deeds is not enough, because your deeds will not always show the liability and even if they do show a liability this is not always accurate. There is no single register for England and Wales that identifies which properties are subject to this liability. A number solicitors and licenced conveyancers carry out chancel repair liability ‘searches’. These ‘searches’ are relatively inexpensive but there are genuine concerns over their reliability, often giving unclear or vague results suggesting only that there may be a ‘potential’ chancel repair liability. It is common for the ‘search’ provider to offer insurance for chancel repair liability when providing the ‘search’ result. This would seem a clear conflict of interest! If you think that there may be a liability you can simply take

Cotswold Homes Magazine

October deadline passes the issue will go not away. In your situation it would be prudent initially to consult a solicitor. The location and name of your property do raise flags that it may have a chancel repair liability and it would certainly be advisable for you to consider taking out chancel repair liability insurance. Stuart Palmer is an experienced property lawyer, partner at Bower & Bailey Solicitors LLP, Witney. He provides comprehensive legal advice on a wide variety of property matters, representing local businesses, property developers, commercial lenders, housing associations and other professionals along with private individuals. He has a reputation for being a straightforward, effective and positive solicitor who always seeks to achieve the desired result for his clients by the simplest route. To speak to Stuart, telephone 01993 705095 or visit www.bowerandbailey.co.uk

www.cotswold-homes.com

HOT PROPERTY - ASK THE EXPERTS

Ask the experts

Mortgage Matters Sue Ellis

Q A

I am considering ‘tidying up’ my finances in 2013 as in addition to having a mortgage, I have a couple of credit cards balances and a car loan. Is there any advantage to adding this to my mortgage as I have been told that borrowing against my house is the cheapest option, but I’m not so sure? You are not alone in having debts in several places, potentially with differing rates of interest (depending on the type of debt). This is often stressful, having to ensure all your loans are paid on time, particularly when we are all feeling the pinch during the recession. Some of the loan solutions advertised on television over recent months have taken full advantage of people’s financial difficulties with APRs of several hundred per cent and as an alternative, consolidating your debts into your mortgage might seem very attractive. However, there are several factors to consider when looking at consolidating debt.

for the term of your mortgage, too, sometimes for a great number of years. Before you think about doing so, you need to look at the interest rate you are being charged on the debt. For example, it does not make sense to consolidate a 0% credit card balance transfer or 0% car finance to a mortgage when you will be paying 2% upwards for a mortgage! Thirdly, you need to consider whether your home has sufficient equity to support the additional loan, especially bearing in mind the fluctuations of the last few years. Lenders are increasingly unwilling for clients to add substantial debt to their existing mortgages, because it raises the risk to the lender - increasing the loan-to-value ratio between the amount of borrowing and the value of the property. In addition, a large amount of additional debt can sound alarm bells to your lender, revealing a lifestyle of someone living beyond their means and therefore not financially organised, potentially leading to disaster by running up large credit

“Lenders are increasingly unwilling for clients to add substantial debt to their existing mortgages, because it raises the risk to the lender - increasing the loan-to-value ratio” Firstly with all types of borrowing secured against a property it is vital to remember that you are putting your home at risk should you default on your monthly payments. It is a statutory regulation laid down by the Financial Services Authority that the risks are clearly shown on any literature connected with secured borrowing, but the reality of having your home repossessed needs to be underlined in red – you must think very carefully about the prospect of not being able to pay back the debt if you are worried your circumstances might become more uncertain in the near future. If you are facing redundancy or suffering from ill health, for example, you should not gamble your home in this way. Secondly, most people choose to consolidate debt in order to reduce outgoings, spreading the amount over a longer period of time than otherwise would have been payable. However, by putting all your debts into one you are effectively increasing the overall cost of the borrowing

Cotswold Homes Magazine

card debts/overdrafts and other similar problems. Another point to note is that there may be costs involved in securing borrowing on your property and these must be also be considered in order to make an informed decision. All that said, on the plus side it can make it easier to manage debt by having it all in one place, and by securing it against a property you could benefit from a lower rate of interest, making your outgoings more manageable, month on month. Of course, the golden rule, whatever you decide, is that you cannot allow debts to rack up again, leading to another quest for the same solution in a few years time! Sue Ellis works alongside Johnny Magee as a Mortgage Broker at Jem Financial Planning. The team has 43 years experience in investment, retirement and inheritance planning, mortgages, protection and general insurance. To speak to Sue or Johnny, telephone 01386 840777 or visit www.johnny-magee.co.uk.

HOT PROPERTY - ASK THE EXPERTS

Ask the experts

A Grand Design Les Burton

We have recently bought a stone barn on the edge of a village with outline planning permission for a fairly standard, galleried, two-storey conversion. We would love to be more adventurous with our detailed plans and embrace new architectural ideas but should one take risks with the established vernacular in such a traditional part of the world? We are anxious that the local planners will not be amenable and we will waste time and money in submitting something that will inevitably meet with strong opposition.

This is a question that I am quite frequently asked by clients, who either wish to experiment with new ways in which historic buildings can be extended or are worried how successful they will be when drawing up grand plans for a new-build project in the heart of the North Cotswolds. Living in a part of the world designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty has its pros and cons, as has battling with the constraints of Listed Buildings, for example. The simple answer is that each project has to be considered on its merits, paying due respect and attention to the surrounding buildings in order to be as empathetic as possible. Of course, other than design the biggest consideration is the use of materials – what your budget allows you to do as well as what you would like to achieve – the two are not always easy bedfellows! A good architect should always consider the various possibilities for each site and the design should always be site specific. Decisions about style and function can only be formed as a direct result of detailed site analysis, and of course this should include a thorough investigation into the local vernacular, weighing up the principle benefits and the challenges of environment, place and surroundings. For example, when considering a conversion or a new build, one must take into account the views, both the best that can be achieved looking out from within the building but equally importantly, how the property is perceived on the approach to it. One must take

into account the intended function of the building and ensure that design is informed by usefulness – to paraphrase the guiding principle of the Arts & Crafts guild, have nothing in your home that you know neither to be useful or beautiful. These principals should inform good design and assist your architect in the creation of a building that answers both the needs and the function of the site and that will appeal to your particular aesthetic. What constitutes good design in architecture is something perceived differently by each onlooker the nature of good design is never definitive but is simply an expression of one’s desire to create humane environments, constructing places that work well and have respect for form, surroundings and function. Clearly, you need to respect what has gone before but it cannot be the only thing to inform the future - if such restraint is imposed then one cannot fully design. Local planners understand that work should be respectful to the local vernacular and to precedent but accept these elements cannot be the sole driver for new design. In my experience of working with local planning officers, consulting early and openly at each step of the process, engaging in a positive discussion and being able to accept changes to some of your ideas as well as being clear about your vision is very important, including the legalities of getting your design to work in accordance with what the local planners are prepared and able to accept. The services of an experienced local architect will take a huge amount of stress out of that process and should enhance your ability to create something you can truly be proud of, as your own, unique “grand design”. Les Burton is a partner in Randell Burton Architects, RIBA Chartered Architects based in the Cotswolds with wide experience in carrying out works to traditional, vernacular and Listed Buildings. For more information visit www.randellburton.co.uk, contact info@randellburton.co.uk or speak directly to Les Burton on 01608 644573.

www.cotswold-homes.com

HOT PROPERTY - ASK THE EXPERTS

Ask the experts

Holiday Cottages Andy Soye

Q A

I have been reading your Ask The Expert articles in Cotswold Homes magazine for some time, persuading my wife that your business might be the answer to banishing our recession blues. It seems that your flexible business model could potentially enable us to create significant wealth for ourselves with our second home, whilst still allowing us to use it when we want to do so. In your opinion, what are the things we need to consider about holiday letting and when is the best time to get on with things, if we do decide to go ahead? It is clear that the current economic climate is making people review their finances and many are asking the question: “Why are we spending £5,000 per annum maintaining our cottage, when we only use it three or four times a year?” Some people consider selling, however, as the original purpose was almost certainly an emotional rather than a business investment, most people don’t really want to part

Mat Faraday

cottage holiday in Britain and the Cotswolds is an ideal location. Easily accessible from both the north and south, and only ninety minutes by train from London, the beauty of the Cotswolds area ensures that it retains its charm and appeal all year round, whatever the weather. A cottage with a real fire, lovely country pubs, and walks through beautiful villages and picturesque valleys, all provide the perfect setting for a weekend away. A high quality holiday let should contain plenty of character – for example, an inglenook fireplace, exposed brickwork and wooden beams - and should be well equipped, with sufficient and appropriate crockery, cutlery and bedding, and presented in good decorative order throughout. Ideally it should be located away from busy roads, within walking distance of a nice pub, with a safe, child-friendly garden and outside space for summer dining, plus off- street parking. The Cotswolds is a genuine all year round market for

“A cottage with a real fire, lovely country pubs, and walks through beautiful villages and picturesque valleys, all provide the perfect setting for a weekend away” with their beloved home. To offset the running costs, some people consider taking a long-term tenant, however, this prevents owners from ever using their own home. Holiday letting should overcome both these problems, however, many agencies have previously been too restrictive in their policies on allowing owners to use their own properties. Character Cottages is a specialist holiday lettings business, established specifically to help second home owners to convert the costs of running a property into substantial profits, whilst still enjoying the benefits of owning a country retreat. Based on our proven track record, by working with us and deploying our methods, an attractive three bedroom Cotswold holiday home can generate more than £35,000 of letting income every year. Even in difficult financial times, people still want to take a holiday (perhaps even more so than before) and the rise of the “staycation” is on an upward curve. Many holidaymakers are swapping an expensive trip to Europe for a self-catering

Cotswold Homes Magazine

holiday letting, so there is no “best” time to launch a cottage Whatever the season, once the property marketing has started, many owners are amazed at how quickly the bookings start to come in! The key advice that we would give, especially if you are considering holiday letting for the first time, is to talk to us before you start. We provide owners with lots of guidance and support, to help you launch your property quickly, yet effectively. Launching a furnished property can take as little as two weeks, and the right advice from the outset will enable you to maximise your chances of success. Andy Soye and Mat Faraday are co-founders and owners of Character Cottages, an independent company specialising in the management of holiday let properties in the Cotswolds. To find out more about their services contact them on: owners@character-cottages.com or telephone 0844 8708532

Ask the experts

www.cotswold-homes.com

The future of Upper Rissington

A NEW COTSWOLD VILLAGE WITH AN HISTORIC PAST

The first people to buy homes at Upper Rissington in the late 90s were wise to embrace the opportunity. Buoyed by wellfounded optimism for the future of this new village, the original 240 ex-RAF homes were snapped up faster than they were released - a waiting list of first time buyers, local families and ex-forces, quick to see how things could only get better. The future of the village was assured, residual snobbishness about “The Camp” fading fast as the great potential of this former RAF base, perched high on the edge of the Cotswold escarpment surrounded by beautiful countryside, began to seem like absolute common sense in a wildly escalating market. Prices rose rapidly. From the smallest terrace in Grebe Square to the grandest home in Smith Barry Crescent, every house presented the possibility - even with a small budget - to improve, to extend, to modernise and to make serious money. Meanwhile, luxury new homes erected in the curtilage of the officers’ houses sold like proverbial hot cakes, too, the larger ones selling in excess of half a million pounds by 2006. Those residents who had seen

60 Cotswold Homes Magazine

the future from the start congratulated themselves, sitting in houses bought for a fraction of their current worth. Even in a generally upward-rising market, the rise was meteoric. By the end of 2006, however, residents began to express anxiety at deteriorations in the village, following Cotswold District Council’s refusal to allow further building without a commitment from County and Metropolitan to provide new amenities and to upgrade services. The developers failed to maintain, failed to spend, failed to keep their obligations, whilst solicitors hesitated and raised further enquiries, dissatisfied with answers about the future. In 2007, an original officer’s house in Smith Barry Crescent agreed at £540,000 but the purchasers withdrew on the day of exchange – a year later, it finally sold for over £100,000 less. With the harsh economic downturn, Upper Rissington’s future seemed in question and sales became sluggish as the lack of investment in infrastructures became more apparent.

Enter, stage left, Reland. A sister company of Country & Metropolitan but motivated to make a difference, with experience of developing similar sites, Reland was a different prospect from its predecessor. The new company engaged on a plan of campaign that reassured and slowly restored faith – services were repaired, the Officers’ Mess was made safe, open spaces were maintained, dues were collected amid a sense of “things being done”. Then, grand plans were drawn up with the collective energy of the local parish council in full support. To the shocked delight of residents, who had grown somewhat cynical after Country & Metropolitan’s failed ambitions, the outline plans were passed. Seemingly without serious opposition and despite Cotswold District Council, whose decision was overturned by the highest power in the country, Reland gained planning permission for around 300 new homes, constructing a blueprint for an improved village with a host of new amenities including a new federation primary school with Great Rissington, currently one of the best primary schools in the country.

The future of Upper Rissington

“…a proper, sustainable future for a community forged on optimism, that has always embraced the capacity for change and has seen its faith finally justified…”

a completed village with a proper, sustainable future, another exciting period of growth and prosperity for a community forged on optimism, that has always embraced the capacity for change and has seen its faith finally justified. Faith in the future was bright once more. In 2010, immediately after the passing of the outline planning permission, values in Upper Rissington recovered quickly and stabilised in line with the local market. The same officer’s house bought at £435,000 only a year earlier was soon the subject of a fierce bidding war to £500,000, when the vendors hastily called time and decided to stay put. Sales became swift and sure again – confidence was restored. In the last two years the slow-burn of the rental market has also hit the spot at Upper Rissington; an expectation of underlying capital growth, capacious family homes in the catchment area of outstanding schools, a steady stream of demand - a sure thing for the next generation of investors. Denied the opportunity by lenders, would-be first time buyers and young families have become long-term tenants to build their future here instead, courtesy of a new type of investor, the landlord. 2013. Enter, stage right, Bovis Homes and Linden Homes. Now set to take on the plans drawn up by Reland, their vision is not a blandly spreading housing development but

Three hundred beautifully conceived and designed family houses will be built on the edge of the existing village by two affluent, experienced, reputable companies with the ability to invest properly long-term. This community may have waited a long time for the fulfilment of the grand plans of previous owners but the rewards will be worthwhile. Upper Rissington will encompass the old and the new, a wonderfully positioned rural village provided by a bespoke market square lined with shops and offices, including a new Co-op supermarket. Further towards the centre of the village, close to the new primary school, a sports and community centre will offer recreational facilities, with playing fields surrounded by open spaces, cycle paths and woodland walks. Nearest to the centre will be starter homes, affordable housing and young family terraced and semi-detached properties graduating out to larger, grander, detached houses in larger plots and finally, at the edges, cul-de-sacs of luxury family homes with great gardens and countryside views.

The development will echo the established vernacular of brick, render and stone but prettified and brand new. Alongside, a sympathetic renovation of the old Officers’ Mess into townhouses will make an important nod to the heritage of the village. As a remote but vital outpost, a flying school throughout the Second World War and home to airmen from both sides of the Atlantic, RAF Little Rissington will be remembered in its renovation as the village moves on to a new chapter in its history. The original occupants would no doubt be pleased to have provided future generations with a fabulous opportunity to live well and easily in a desirable, countryside location at the very heart of the North Cotswolds. Photography by David Harrison, chair of Upper Rissington Parish Council. For more information about homes for sale at Upper Rissington or to register your interest in the new development, simply contact Karen Harrison at HARRISON & HARDIE Fine & Country, Bourton on the Water, 01451 822977. For full details of properties currently on the market at Upper Rissington, visit www.cotswold-homes.com.

www.cotswold-homes.com

The story of ap Ellis House

The story of ap

Ellis House,

Upper Rissington

James von Speyr and Karen Harrison, director-owners of HARRISON & HARDIE Fine & Country, purchased ap Ellis House in Upper Rissington in 2004. Formerly the Group Captain’s residence, it had been left abandoned for twelve long years during the American occupation of RAF Little Rissington, before being partially restored by Country & Metropolitan.

Cotswold Homes Magazine

The original base commander’s house at Upper Rissington in Smith Barry Crescent is known as ap Ellis House, named after the first Group Captain to live there when it was built in 1946. Resourceful, far-sighted and determined, ap Ellis was a formidable character, responsible for ensuring that this new, exposed outpost of RAF Little Rissington was planted with a profusion of traditional British trees, transforming the barren hilltop for future generations in the process. Told he couldn’t have a gardener for less than an acre at his new-build property, ap Ellis and his batman secretly moved the perimeter marker pegs so that when the

boundary walls were finished the grounds were inexplicably large enough and he got his full-time gardener. Many years later, when the Americans took over “the Camp”, they decided ap Ellis house was much too big to keep up and it was left to rack and ruin for twelve long years before County & Metropolitan bought the whole development from the MOD in 1997. The first person to buy the partially refurbished property had it re-valued every year by Karen Harrison until he decided to sell in 2004. He brought Karen back to discuss marketing, just as she and husband James were on the verge

The story of ap Ellis House

The whole house seemed incredibly dark having been painted mostly in plum, blue and purple, except for our bedroom, a hangover-inducing acid yellow. “It has proved to be a labour of love in more ways than one. We brought three children with us and have produced another two since then, whilst the list of jobs never gets any shorter! Most of what had been done by C & M needed re-doing because it had been bodged, including the matchstick thin doors that had replaced much weightier originals and the picture rails that had been ripped out in many of the rooms. Firstly, we got rid of all the old wasp nests, exhumed thousands of bluebottles, despatched mice from the loft spaces, stripped out and replaced all the highly coloured, mismatched pieces of carpet and re-painted the walls from top to bottom, all in cream, transforming the light immeasurably, then set about taming a wilderness of garden and repointing the dry stone walling, digging a vegetable garden, taking out old hedges and trees, replanting cherry, beech and rowan saplings to satisfy Tree Preservation Orders.

pantry. Each year I went back to revalue the house for the owner I fell more in love, probably because it reminded me of the vicarage where I spent my childhood, but I never thought we would be in a position to live there. The house was still in a fairly interesting state of repair when the vendor decided to sell but I immediately took James to see it, on a dull, freezing cold, driving wet afternoon in February. We offered on the spot to secure it before it went to open market, a serendipitous opportunity that we knew better than to miss.

“Fortunately we aren’t overlooked because it took us three years just to put up curtains in fifty-odd windows, during which time we also fitted new oak doors on the ground floor, overlaid all the old wooden floors and quarry tiles with engineered oak boards, replaced picture rails throughout, waterproofed porous external walls, reopened the old flues and refurbished the fireplaces and chimneys (fitting them with wood-burning stoves), and re-surfaced two flat roofs. We removed half the kitchen units and painted the remaining ones in duck-egg blue, despatching a rambling hotchpotch of tiny service rooms and instead, installing an industrial-size oil-fired boiler and a big, American-style laundry into the old, adjoining garage.

“We moved in during a beautifully hot, thundery summer later that year. We thought a proper refurbishment might take a couple of years but very early on, despite the work that had been done by C & M and the first owner, we soon realised we had not so much bought a functioning house but a denuded shell with bomb-proof walls, a new roof, a very inadequate boiler and the best part of 5,000 square feet still to make properly liveable. There was not much of substance inside except a rather eighties-style, overfitted kitchen and four bathrooms (one of which we renamed the porno shower because it was entirely tiled in black shiny marble!).

“The biggest project was converting the boot-room, cellar, garden store, outside loo and utility/boiler room into a large, airy summer sitting room, complete with wide patio doors to take full advantage of the views. Since then, we have taken out the offending black shower and replaced it with something much less blingy, turning another bathroom into a nursery when our youngest was born so we could all sleep on one floor. With such huge potential there’s loads more we would like to do and it’s still far more shabby than chic, but however hard the work it’s also truly the most lovely place to live - and a great party house, too!”

Morning view off Sandy Lane by David Harrison

of making an offer on another property in Bourton on the Water. Karen was in no doubt that this was the house of her dreams. “I first saw ap Ellis House as a ruined wreck when it was still owned by the MOD, the lawn three foot high, boarded up and painted black inside, with unsafe stairs and the outlines of bodies drawn onto quarry tiled floors, disembodied mannequin hands dripping in fake blood dangling from the ceilings - the Americans had used it just once a year for their Halloween parties so it was very dark and pretty spooky! The position was lovely, though, sitting on the old terrace in the warm sun looking right out towards Oxfordshire and imagining what it must once have been like. The Queen Mother stayed and the hunt used to pass through when the Officers Mess was in its heyday. “One of the workmen for C & M remembers a wholesale stripping down of what remained of the weather-ruined interior, including carting away an Aga on a forklift truck that promptly fell off and cracked in half only a few yards down the road, and tearing out an original oak kitchen with glass fronted dressers, servant bell pulls and a butler’s

www.cotswold-homes.com

Ten good reasons

Ten good reasons why

Upper Rissington

is such a great place to live (the best primary school in Gloucestershire and among the very best in the country, according to the Times), planned as a federation school with Upper Rissington by September 2014.

1. Location… Upper Rissington sits within a “golden triangle” between Burford, Stow on the Wold and Bourton on the Water - ten minutes to Kingham Station, Oxford in thirty minutes, London in an hour and a half, five minutes to the Fosseway, five minutes to the A40 – peaceful isolation with great accessibility and amenities within a stone’s throw. 2. Location…. Perched high on a plain with stunning views and surrounded by beautiful countryside, it is a very rural place to inhabit – red kites and crows in a wide open sky, barn owls and bats skimming the twilight and a host of indigenous wildlife invading the garden… hedgehogs, muntjac deer, foxes, rabbits, songbirds, woodpeckers, squirrels, butterflies… if you wish to engender a sense of connection to a natural environment in your children, this is the place to live.

grassy fields without worry, all within sight and touching distance of home.

6. A great community. The first

4. Proper family homes. The original houses are mostly on large plots substantial, spacious, solid and traditionally built. Many houses have been refurbished and extended but there are still plenty with the potential to do so. For a growing family they are a great choice, whether you only have £150,000 or more than £500,000 to spend. If you would rather not do work, the new houses will suit perfectly, taking the local vernacular as a blue-print but prettified, with Cotswold stone and creamrendered exteriors and similarly spacious interiors, albeit on smaller plots.

“settlers” arrived only 14 years ago when the original homes were sold off. In a time where modern life is often peripatetic and unconnected, everyone knows everyone here and continues to make an effort to do so – a friendly, inclusive neighbourhood where you can pop round for a cup of tea just like the old days, and when moving in feels very quickly like home. People often get together for walks or sport, barbecues, the odd summer street party and fireworks – and when it snows, everyone comes out to play!

7. Anxiety-free living. The North Cotswolds is generally a low crime area and Upper Rissington is no exception – another big upside of a connected, rural neighbourhood of settled and hard-working families, the village is imbued with a sense of well-being, quiet and safe by night and day. You get a smile from an unfamiliar passer-by, you can throw open your windows and doors in the summer, take the dog for a walk on dark nights and send your children out to play without worrying. 8. A refreshing absence of nimbyism.

3. Location. Upper Rissington is in the catchment area and on the bus route of two Outstanding state schools – the renowned Cotswold secondary school in Bourton on the Water and Great Rissington primary school

Cotswold Homes Magazine

5. A simple childhood. Upper Rissington is a safe place of a seemingly different time, where children can happily walk or cycle from one end of the village to another, go to the shop for a packet of sweets, take a sledge out with friends in the snow, build dens, climb trees and play in

Thriving on traditional values, Upper Rissington is a serendipitous community. By nature inclusive, forward looking, accepting of difference, embracing growth and change, the community is still fuelled by positive energy – easy-going, happy to make new friendships but settled, transparently at ease with itself and what happens next.

Ten good reasons

HARRISON & HARDIE is synonymous with the village of Upper Rissington, overseeing the vast majority of property sales and lettings over the last twelve years. Katy Hill, Branch Manager at Bourton on the Water, picks her favourite home currently for sale.

9. A sense of seasons passing. A host of traditional British trees in every garden, street and avenue provide shelter from the winter winds and a profusion of colour to herald in warmer weather. Bleak and glorious by turns, Upper Rissington has its own micro-climate, the coldest days and the hottest ones, too snow by the bucket load in winter, late cherry blossom springs, balmy summer days on top of the hill, harvest fields in the distance; deep autumnal reds on grey afternoons shrouded in fog; fierce hoar frosts coating every twig, leaf and blade of grass ice-white against blue skies – weather that simply takes your breath away. 16, Smith Barry Crescent

10.Stars, planets and sunsets. Set high on a trig point and open to the elements it may be, but with that comes the greatest beauty - the vastness of the night sky here, with thousands upon thousands of stars set in midnight black or the full beam of a huge moon shining over quiet houses, ethereal mists on bright, cold sunrises above the Oxfordshire hills and summer nights with fish-scale clouds illuminated pink and violet as the sun slowly sets over the Windrush valley. Article written by Karen Harrison, director of HARRISON & HARDIE, Fine & Country Photography by David Harrison, chair of Upper Rissington Parish Council.

“16, Smith Barry Crescent was built in 2003, one of a handful of new build luxury homes erected by Country and Metropolitan on the old tennis courts that once served the officers’ houses,” says Katy Hill, of HARRISON & HARDIE. “I sold the development to the first occupants and have always loved the arrangement of this little circle of prestigious homes. “The house occupies a lovely, large plot with mature trees, enjoying landscaped gardens surrounded by beech hedges and parking for several cars, as well as a detached double garage. Maintained beautifully by the present owners, constructed in brick with Cotswold stone quoins, it is a pleasing, substantial family home placed in the prettiest close. “A wide, light entrance hall opens onto three reception rooms – a study overlooking the front of the house, a formal dining room and a large sitting room with an open fireplace. A warm, sunny kitchen/breakfast room has

wide, glazed doors leading to a conservatory, enhancing a sense of flowing space, served by a separate utility room. On the first floor, a balconied landing leads to four bedrooms, one en-suite, and a family bathroom. “The garden is sheltered and facing south it catches the sun all day round. A perfect place for young children, set between the new development and the old village, peaceful and safe, with no passing traffic beyond its immediate neighbours, this is a perfect example of why Upper Rissington is a great place to live.”

16, smith Barry Crescent is offered to the market at £499,950. To arrange a viewing, telephone Katy on 01451 822977. To download full details simply visit www.cotswold-homes.com.

www.cotswold-homes.com

Retiring to the Cotswolds

Retiring to the Cotswolds The Cotswolds is a wonderful place to retire – from here it is possible to get just about anywhere in England within two to three hours, with excellent access to the West Midlands, London and the South West, so it’s perfectly placed for family and friends to come and visit and, as one of the most popular tourist destinations, if you can’t cope with putting people up, it’s never going to be difficult to find somewhere really lovely for them to stay.

There are a number of centres in the Cotswolds that are particularly suited to retirement but depending on your age and needs, villages should not be discounted – some of the larger villages are a wonderful opportunity to establish a new social life. For example, the gorgeous village of Blockley has two pubs, a church, a delicatessen, village shop and post office, and is only a stone’s throw from Moreton in Marsh. Another lovely place to consider is nearby Longborough, which also has a great pub, active church, a village stores and coffee shop – all you need to get to know everyone! However, for many, the decision to retire comes much later on in life, when it is accompanied by worries about mobility, health and access to reliable day-to-day care. The Cotswolds are provided with a number of bespoke retirement developments ranging from warden-assisted apartments to grand, gated communities that are equipped to offer every level of care. Chardwar Gardens is situated in an ideal location in Bourton on the Water, for example – a collection of

Cotswold Homes Magazine

stone cottages arranged in the grounds of an old manor close to the River Windrush at the heart of the village, with beautifully tended gardens, parking and garages, all looked after by a resident warden. From here, one can easily walk to the surgery, collect a newspaper, pick up groceries from a supermarket just over the road or simply find a little bench by the river to watch the world go by, ice cream in hand! Similarly, University Farm in Moreton in Marsh is situated close to amenities, a wide central courtyard of delightful cottages and apartments that has the additional benefit of a private swimming pool, ideal for keeping active day-to-day. Enjoying views over the duck pond and tucked away from the busy main thoroughfare, it feels peaceful and secluded even though it is only a gentle, level walk to a host of local shops, where services include two surgeries, a supermarket, the mainline train station and regular buses to other towns and villages in the area plus, most recently, a brand new hospital. Harrison & Hardie have just listed a mid-terraced

Chardwar Gardens

Retiring to the Cotswolds

27 Uni Farm

three-bedroom cottage here, one of the most sought-after in the development, at £340,000. For further details and to arrange a viewing, please contact Tom Burdett on 01608 651000 or visit www.cotswold-homes.com to download a brochure. The jewel in the crown of retirement properties in the North Cotswolds is undoubtedly Newlands Court, Stow on the Wold. Here, the original grand house with its stunning gardens and wonderful views became a luxury nursing home many years ago but now has exquisite homes situated within the gated grounds, facilitating a great sense of independence but accessing a range of services from domestic cleaning to round-the-clock care. Newlands House itself was substantially extended in 2010 to provide a number of new apartments, many with outstanding views over surrounding

countryside, particularly suited to those who need a higher level of care but beautifully proportioned and substantial, where one might still happily keep precious items of large furniture from the old family home. It is easy to be sociable here too, with a fine dining room and coffee shop to host lunch for visitors and to meet up with friends on a daily basis, plus an all-important hairdresser and therapists to provide luxurious pampering on the occasions when you prefer a little “me” time! For further details of retirement properties currently available for sale in the North Cotswolds, contact HARRISON & HARDIE, Fine & Country – Bourton on the Water 01451 822977 or Moreton in Marsh 01608 651000.

www.cotswold-homes.com

A H C

A trio of holiday cottages in Bourton on the Water

Trio oliday ottages in

Bourton on the Water

April House

According to Mat Faraday and Andy Soye, owners of holiday-let company Character Cottages, Bourton on the Water is a great location to build a portfolio of cottages as a long-term investment. Andy says: “Since the recession, the trend for ‘staycations’ has grown significantly, especially for short breaks. The North Cotswolds is a very popular destination at all times of the year, being easily accessible from most parts of the UK and an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. At the heart of

Cotswold Homes Magazine

the North Cotswolds, Bourton on the Water caters for every need, whatever age or however large the party, whether holidaying as a family or seeking a romantic escape. With a range of tourist attractions, great countryside walks, places to eat and day-to-day amenities all immediately on hand, there is always something to do. This village is one of the most popular in the entire Cotswolds and we expect over fifty five bookings per annum for a cottage located there.”

A trio of holiday cottages in Bourton on the Water

Hillview

Katy Hill, manager of the Bourton on the Water branch of HARRISON & HARDIE, Fine & Country, agrees. “The most resilient sector of the local marketplace over the last five years of recession has been the traditional holiday cottage with roses round the door, with prices still hovering around the height of the market in 2007. Bourton on the Water is a wonderful base for exploring the Cotswolds – naturally pretty, with a little host of period properties surrounding the shallow River Windrush, the village is affectionately known as the Venice of the Cotswolds. “At the moment we have three cottages in the village that would all make ideal holiday homes – to buy something immediately ready to go, we have a lovely property situated on the High Street, offered at £375,000. Hillview is a stunning period property, recently

Hillview

“Bourton on the Water caters for every need, whatever age or however large the party, whether holidaying as a family or seeking a romantic escape”

renovated to a very high standard, crammed with beautiful character features and a host of mod-cons, with three bedrooms (all ensuite) and spacious living space including a delightful kitchen/breakfast room – outside there is a sunny, walled “gin-and-tonic” terrace and off-street parking, making this the perfect lock-up-and-leave second home. “At the same price, on the western edge of the village is Romany Cottage – a romantic

www.cotswold-homes.com

A trio of holiday cottages in Bourton on the Water

cottage with a sweet cottage garden, four bedrooms and a wealth of traditional features including exposed beams and an inglenook fireplace fitted with a wood-burning stove. A wonderful place to spend a weekend, situated on a seldom used vehicular lane leading to fishing lakes, there is a nearby footpath through fields towards the neighbouring village of Wyck Rissington - on a beautiful summer’s evening heading into the setting sun, this is one of the loveliest of local walks. “Just off the centre on The Avenue (a wide

footpath leading up to the village) is April House, offered to the market at £450,000. Currently with five bedrooms arranged over two floors, a photogenic cottage that has lots of kerb appeal and a gorgeous garden with plenty of parking, particularly suited to a large family holiday home. On a safe, level walk down to the church, it is within five minutes of all the family-friendly amenities, including gift shops, tearooms and ice-cream parlours, plus famous attractions like Birdland, the Model Village and the Maze – or just buy a fishing net and let the children paddle in the river!”

Mat Faraday assesses Katy’s choices: April House is a classic Cotswold home - these larger houses tend to stand out from the crowd and beat off competition. Sleeping up to ten guests in a village where smaller properties dominate, this cottage would therefore be in high demand, just requiring a little thought to ensure there is enough seating for all the guests when dining. Suitably furnished, it should generate around £50,000 in gross annual income. Hillview photographs very well, with its large bay windows and honeycoloured stone. Given its central position and standard of presentation it will undoubtedly prove a popular choice, enjoying a classic mix of modern furnishings and character features - the layout of the bedrooms and bathrooms make this cottage rather a unique find. Sleeping five, this should top £30,000 gross per annum.

Hillview

Romany Cottage

To arrange a viewing, contact Katy Hill on 01451 822977 or visit www. cotswold-homes.com to download further details of all properties on the market with HARRISON & HARDIE, Fine & Country

Romany Cottage

Cotswold Homes Magazine

We love Romany Cottage, too - being detached and full of period features, it will have lots of appeal to those seeking a retreat from modern life. With an eye to maximising income, enhancing a host of lovely features with a light modern touch will draw in plenty of holidaymakers. Sleeping 6+2, we would expect around £36,000 gross per annum.

section header

www.cotswold-homes.com

Cotswolds FINEST HOTELS

Wedding Days and Honeymoon Nights Your Guide to Cotswolds Finest Wedding Venues

If you got engaged at Christmas, then here’s your guide to the finest venues in the Cotswolds. Celebrate your happy news with Cotswolds Finest Hotels and win a £100 of gift vouchers to spend at any Cotswold Finest property by simply entering our prize draw. Go to www.cotswoldsfinesthotels.com/competition.aspx or scan the QR code with your smart phone to take you straight there – enter as many times as you wish for more chances to take home the bubbles!

The Swan, Bibury

Castles, country houses, beautiful restaurants and riverside pubs are amongst the myriad locations many couples dream of for their big day. Cotswolds Finest Hotels is a collection of 31 such treasures – all independently owned, all offering something different but always memorable for your big day.

“If the gentle sound of running water as a backdrop to your wedding floats your boat then why not get married by the river Thames at The Trout at Faringdon or The Swan in Bibury?”

Additionally, each one has first class accommodation - which means no problem with the transport home. For many, the ultimate wedding experience is to take a property over for exclusive use and you can do that at most of the properties in the collection.

If the gentle sound of running water as a backdrop to your wedding floats your boat then why not get married by the river Thames at The Trout at Faringdon or The Swan in Bibury? You can also enjoy scenic views of the Avon from The Arden Hotel in Stratford.

Cotswold Homes Magazine

If a stately home or castle is your perfect location, then look no further than Thornbury Castle, Lords of the Manor or The Manor in Castle Combe where you truly will feel like a prince and princess. The Goring in London was home to a real duchess for the day when

Cotswolds FINEST HOTELS

The Trout

“...The Greenway in Cheltenham will pamper and spoil to your heart’s content, a great option for a girlie weekend before the big day.”

Bedroom at The Greenway

Kate Middleton spent her last night there before marrying Prince William. The Swan at Swinbrook has played host to hospitality royalty with Rocco Forte´s niece choosing to marry there, and also Piers Morgan when he tied the knot in 2010. If an al fresco affair is something you have always dreamed of, then Barnsley House in Bibury offers beautiful grounds for your wedding ceremony - as does Bibury Court. Any of the Cotswold Finest properties can offer you the perfect first night as husband and wife. Choose a four poster bed slept in by Henry VIII at Thornbury Castle (they even have an 8ft four poster bed), or spend your first night in a four poster bed in Broadway at Russell’s or Dormy House Hotel. If you are looking for wedding reception with a slightly different theme, then Three Ways near Chipping Campden can offer you a traditional English pudding reception. Perhaps for your stag or hen night you could enjoy a gin tasting at The Feathers in Woodstock - home to over 150 different gins from around the world! Hotels with spas are a must for many brides looking to be pampered with her bridesmaids before the big day. Calcot Manor, Cotswold House, Cotswold88, Barnsley House and The Greenway in Cheltenham will pamper and spoil to your heart’s content, a great option for a girlie weekend before the big day. For a more informal but extremely enjoyable

The Greenway, Cheltenham

night out, grooms may wish to spend the night at one of the fantastic pubs. The Village Pub, Cotswold Plough, Kingham Plough, The Swan, The Trout and the Kings Head are all available for the night before the wedding or the wedding reception itself. If you just want beautiful surroundings for you and a small group of very close friends and family then Burford House or The Dial House in Bourton on the Water can offer you a fabulous wedding breakfast in intimate surroundings.

Cotswolds Finest Hotels is a collection of high quality properties all of which are independently owned. They have been invited to join the collection due to their high levels of hospitality and service and their unique locations. For more information visit our website at www.cotswoldsfinesthotels.com.

Pub, restaurant, stately home, picture postcard boutique hotel, castle – all are waiting to make your wedding day, reception or honeymoon one that neither of you will forget.

GIFT VOUCHERS THE PERFECT WEDDING PRESENT What do you buy the couple with everything? Cotswolds Finest Hotels now offers gift vouchers from £25 upwards which can be exchanged for afternoon tea, spa treatments, dining or accommodation at any one of the properties listed on our website at www.cotswoldsfinesthotels.com www.cotswold-homes.com

Cotswold Wedding Scrapbook

g g estion s fo r su n ow r ou h it w g in ol d wed d bea ut if u l to Pla n you r id ea l C ot sw ls a on si es of pr ed st fi n din g tru you r big d a y – from you on you r wa y! e id u g to ce vi d a of ippets ve n u es, wit h so m e sn a Sibun Planner: Juli The Wedding nning e-Wold, has been pla

close to Stow-on-th the day. ing planner based s and worry from Julia Sibun, a wedd to remove the stres w ho s d is ow an s kn d tor an rac nt ars co ppliers and weddings for ten ye nning the ee all the various su pla ers of ov d cts an pe as ate all din Julia can co-or t when needed on or pp su d Julia’s an ts e es vic give ad number of gu always available to ief, the budget or the br nderful the wo , on ing ati nis loc ga the reputation for or a s ha day. Irrespective of lia Ju y wh tio ice and atten n same - which is ness, personal serv commitment is the lm ca n, tio cre dis emphasis on their choices and weddings with an ays be honest with alw to ts en cli ts their own r he urages that the day reflec to detail. Julia enco and it is important y da ly on d an e ir on e! decisions - it is the dreams to come tru wishes - allow your d an es liti na rso pe Tel: 07974 778 806 n.co.uk Email: julia@jsibu .uk co m. ibu as www.juli

Get a fri en d to ma na ge sn ap

A few dig ita l ca me ras will be floati ng aroun d on th e wedding da y so en list a tru sted fri en d to bri ng a laptop an d qu ickly bo rrow th e ca me ras of de pa rti ng gu est s, tra ns po rti ng th eir pics fro m me mo ry ca rds as th ey lea ve. It’ s als o a fu n idea to ha ve dis po sa ble fil m ca me ras at eve ry ta ble – your ph oto -frien d should en cou rag e pe op le to ma ke full us e of th ese, an d ret rie ve th em fro m an y sn ap -h appy child ren!

Bespoke Styling at Beautylicious & Kate's Hair Flair Beautylicious owner and ther apist Verity is happy to provide all of the step s required to ensure that all of your bea uty needs are taken care of, ahead of your big day. Brides want to look and feel happy throughout their wedding day - this process can start from an early stage with regular man icures, facials, and waxing in the months lead ing up to the day itself, with bespoke packag es to suit individual requirements incl uding Sienna-x spray tans, lash extensions, she llac and eye treatments. They always offe r a makeup trial to ensure you are entirely hap py and suggest you collect pictures of styles you like so that they can reproduce the look you are trying to achieve. Beautylicious use 'Royal Effem', a beautiful Italian brand of mak eup renowned for its rich colour and high qua lity finish. Lipsticks can be ordered at you r trial, to be delivered in time for your wed ding day, with testers to 'try before you buy '! Kate's Hair Flair owner Susan Loton and her senior stylist Laura have ove r eighteen years’ experience in hairdressing. The y recommend having your hair cut, coloured and regularly treated in the run up to your wedding day, offering trials and an out of salo n service, too, if required. Consultations are free, when they will happily discuss all your requirements and give hair care advice. The ir friendly and professional salon staff will help you to feel relaxed and happy on the mos t important day of your life. Beautylicious and Kate’s Hai r Flair, High St, Bourton on the Water Tel: 01451 820012 beautyliciousbourton@gmail.c om www.beautylicious-bourton-co. uk

Cotswold Homes Magazine

Photography by Julie Davenp ort www. juliedavenport.co.uk

Cotswold Wedding Scrapbook

Kingham e Mill House Hotel, Th : ue n Ve t ec rf Pe A

dding. Set in ten acres of tion for your Cotswold We loca fect per the is . With m gha kdrop for your special day The Mill House Hotel in Kin r mill offers a stunning bac flou ted ver s, look con ion tful opt igh ing del din extensive choice of beautiful gardens, this available on request, and an el guests hot 80 to the of up for use es ve oni lusi em exc 21 bedrooms, dding. Licensed for civil cer We ld swo Cot ta r ues you req for use more information or no further than the Mill Ho y, Top Marquees. To receive pan com ee o.uk rqu tel.c ma e eho ous w.millhous or more, if using their in-h 188 or visit the website: ww ria Drinkwater on 01608 658 brochure please contact Ma

Mother of Br ide/Groom Wedding Ou tfit: Jenny Edward s-Moss

Jenny Edwards-Mos s has been designin g and making wedding ou tfits for the mother of the bride or groom for 20 ye ars from her shop in Stow-onthe-Wold, working mainly with luxuri ous and colourful silks. Fr om a stunning hat down to a matching pair of sh oes this can be a on e-stop shop, and you could find just what you are loo king for from the colourful selection of outfits on display in the shop. Alterna tively, you can choo se to have a unique outfit made especially for you, made by Jenny’s team of sk illed seamstresses here in the Cotswolds. Why no t pay a visit to Jenny ’s shop and find out for yo urself why so many people are so pleased to have discovered her! Jenny Edwards-Mos s, Brewery Yard, Sh eep Street. Stow-on-the-Wold Telephone: 01451 870194 www.jennyedwards moss.co.uk Email: jenny@jenny edwardsmoss.co.uk

phy Perfect Photogra ooth from Maggie B ing photographer Experienced wedd w she plains to brides ho Maggie Booth ex ! on ot sp s nt photo gets the all-importa d drawn your research an ‘So you’ve done now you and your up a short list and . This ing for the meeting fiancé are prepar the e se to y not only is your opportunit ow rk but to get to kn wo r’s he ap photogr couple a et me I n he W them as a person. show show them a slide for the first time I e of ng ra my as s as well of recent wedding about ar he to nt wa o I als stunning albums. tions y and their expecta da ing dd we ir the r. This he ap dding photogr of me as their we lps he d an nt so importa initial meeting is us. I n ee tw be t or pp ra to establish a good ked as ny questions I’m don’t mind how ma e ar le up co is that the the important thing ing lov as ll me as we comfortable with tiful graphy and beau oto ph of le my sty pictures.’ d of Maggie’s awar To see examples www. sit ,vi hy photograp winning wedding call or k o.u y.c tograph maggieboothpho 01453 758621. ng otography – creati ‘Maggie Booth Ph tell t tha es ughtful imag beautiful and tho y.’ da wedding the story of your

W rit e ‘T ha nk Y ou ’s

Aft er th e Event

W rit in g ‘th an k you’ s is an esse nt ia l, ye t ardu ou s ta sk. Do re sist th e te m pt at io n of doin g this in ad va nce of th e big da y, be ca us e on ly afte rw ards will th e fu ll scale of th e he lp yo u’ve re ce ived be co m e appa re nt. N ot on ly will you be th an ki ng your gu ests fo r th ei r gift s - you ca n al so ex press your grat itu de fo r all th ei r su pp ort an d he lp on th e da y its elf. www.cotswold-homes.com

Cotswold Wedding Scrapbook

Gorgeous Marquees from Mudway Workman Your wedding day is exactly that - yours! You want to be able to enjoy the day fully, and Mudway Workman can help you do just that. Every contract is unique and, regardless of size, and is handled with the same care, enthusiasm, and attention. Mudway Workman pride themselves on our reputation, offering professional highly experienced advice from the initial visit through to the dismantling of all equipment. They are sympathetic to the minor details that concern clients in the period immediately prior to the function. Mudway Workman take care of supplying, erecting and dismantling your marquee, providing furniture, dance floors, heating, lighting and sound and toilets - ensuring that they supply you with the exact marquee to suit your guests and wedding perfectly.

Ma ke a Me mory Box Sign up som eone to scoot arou nd the venu e, colle cting anythin g that can serve as a keep sake or mem ento. Wh en it’s all gath ered up you can mak e a special souvenir box, full of reminde rs of your special day. Even ephe mera such as confetti can be pres erved to give you a happy feeli ng whe n you look back, years afte r the event.

‘Very many thanks for your services; we are appreciative of all your help and your employees were a credit to you’ Richard & Yvonne Pugh To arrange a visit and for more information, please get in contact on Tel: 01242 680 204 Fax: 01242 681 006 Email: enquiries@ mudwayworkman.co.uk

ampton m o o inchinh M R f o r own e n t i w h W flect you tiful to re u e a d e h n t b a e e t uniqu d catwalk ed in th es a s s e r ‘mirrore stablish wedding e d r D n u e lips a o u y q e d ti e it ara Phil mak l bou ing su s an n w cludes Z o ive brida t gown to mptuous dress in s h t G ners lu a g c ig l ri th s x e e t e a s d the su actly th bridal cret, an client li x e h d e s a it t te d w h c p n it e d fi le k n e W Sensation u a refully s lds’ best joyable. y Nicky lping yo service, ca wo ly sb t he y en the Cots al friend wns from nes. Bridesmaid portantl ate abou Room is s person o icked go passion most im it e J p d r it re d n ta a h n fo a s a y u d W h le . e g le The with own t only morab nd Au nd Les m is ren eautiful ointmen less, me s Peiro a Rachel a hite Roo simply b es effort in, Jesu . By App owners W is e ll m s e n A o o h o c R T e ie ti . c b a n pha Frey colle l style dress Co and ds! The liano, Ste persona edding , Ivory & safe han e Castig sing a w n m o in li a o h h ro re k c a a ’ c C a s, yP room red you Westeniu ssories by Jenn rest assu 3 048 in, Ritva cce rv a you can A . P s rt n a 01453 88 io g Stew Occas tershire s lm e c je u H lo includin Jim n, G ane and hampto Macfarl Minchin t, e e tr S uk.co.uk 8 High hiteroom Room, 1 w e e it h h .t w W k ww The muk.co.u whiteroo e th @ s ie e: enquir

Cotswold Homes Magazine

where

Cotswold Wedding Scrapbook

yre Wedding Fa D Walker? Delicious ast from R o r g o h a t u o his team can – how ab kfast, Rob and ea br ng di y ed w nt for your whole lamb, dr d hog roast to a ng a little differe ar hi et nd le m sta so ho e y w th a nc m fa en If you ted meats, fro table? Or ev ted chicken per selection of roas e as ed id ro ok w rb co a he e ng d id hi an ov yt pr a garlic , and ever ary. How about sourced locally per head rubbed in rosem ith all the meat W ? ef starting from £6 be es ic of pr in lo ith sir w or ts, e es re after, id gu ps 0 yo roasted to m 60 to 30 and salads u’ lection of sides ter for parties fro se ca n er lad, ca id sa w ey ek a th s re G e, it’ on sit stuffing. If green bean, lads, including applesauce, and , sa ts, lls ed es ro ar g gu ep in ur pr ud yo ly cl g in of fresh two amon a vast selection a vegetarian or they can supply nd if you have A ! w sla le co ic d exot tomato salad an r for them too! or Walker can cate RD ry or arsh High Street w t don’ on Morton-in-M op sh r’s he tc in to the bu ation please call For more inform 608 651002. 01 on and his team telephone Rob

di ng s le Verse s a nd R ea ib B ng di ed W 10 G reat 16 -19 13:4 -13; 1 Jo hn 4: ns ia th in or C 1 e: L ov 5: 22- 33 1:16 -17; Eph es ia ns h s 4: 9- 12 ut R e: ag ri ar M :4 - 6; Eccle si aste 19 ew th at M ; 24 is 2:18 es ia ns 4:1 M arri ag e: Gen es pi a ns 4: 4 -9; Eph lip hi P ; 19 21 3: W hy God M ad e ns r Spou se: C olossi a How To Treat Y ou

Tak e Break s fro m ‘Th e Wedding

Zo ne’

On you r big da y you ’ ll never be alo ne, quite nat ura lly at the centre of att ent ion at all tim es. But do ma ke sure to steal quick break s wh ere you can be alo ne to adjust you r ha ir/clot hes/m ak eup or sim ply tak e a breath er. It’ ll hel p to kee p up you r ene rgy levels right throug h unt il bedtim e!

Perfect Flowers from The Broadway Florist Let Shelley Spencer, Creative Director at The Broadway Florist, help you design the picture-perfect backdrop. Be inspired by The Broadway Florist’s gorgeous Flower Couture and Floral DECO collection detailing a selection of beautiful flowers for different occasions, scene setting and seasons. Originally specialising in weddings, Shelley Spencer the Creative Director has an enviable flair and exceptional talent that transforms flowers into coveted gifts, expressions of love and impressive displays. Whatever the occasion, The Broadway Florist can create bespoke displays or arrangements to add the wow factor.With a background in bridal fashion, married, with a passion and talent for flowers and a splash of event planning, Shelley’s attention to detail and personal touch is evident in each bespoke wedding commission. Whether your style is contemporary, vintage, traditional, country or glamorous, from bouquets and buttonholes to room dressing and stunning centrepieces, to have and to hold is a promise delivered by The Broadway Florist. Arrange a personal consultation with Shelley at The Broadway Florist to view her gorgeous wedding portfolio! The Broadway Florist, 3 Keil Close, High Street, Broadway, Worcestershire Tel ~ 01386 853000 info@broadway-florist.com

www.cotswold-homes.com

Milton Dental Practice

Dental Health

Matters

Brighten your smile and take ten years off your age!

Dr Trevor Bigg, Milton Dental Practice BDS, MGDS RCS(Eng), FDS RCS(Ed), FFGDP(UK) As the years go by, our teeth naturally darken due to staining from tea, coffee, tobacco and wine. Everybody wants lighter, brighter teeth, the same light and bright colour they were when we first had them, as research has shown that a patient aged 45 years or older looks ten years younger if their teeth are whitened. It’s a ‘scalpel free’ face-lift! Dentists want to whiten teeth because there is no other technique, other than Orthodontics or ‘braces’, which does as little damage to the teeth than bleaching. Whitening with hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide has been practised since the middle 1980s and shown to be safe and effective. The only other ways of improving the appearance of front teeth are by crowning, (capping), or by placing porcelain or composite resin veneers. • Crowning has been used for many years to restore unsightly or damaged teeth. Though successful in most cases, about 60% of the tooth is removed when crowning and this can lead to a weakened tooth and fracture, or even a dead nerve later. • Porcelain veneers are less destructive, but still involve some tooth removal. They may last five to twelve years before fracture or discoloured edges can become a problem. • Composite veneers are the least destructive and can usually be placed with little or no tooth preparation. They last three to seven years before they need re-facing or replacing, depending on how much you smoke or consume staining food, such as red wine or black coffee. But why should dentists worry about how much tooth is removed when a restoration is prepared? 82

Cotswold Homes Magazine

“Whitening with hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide has been practised since the mid 1980s and is shown to be safe and effective.” Because our patients are living longer and longer and retaining their teeth into old age, we dentists have a duty to restore teeth by removing as little enamel or dentine as possible. Every technique used where dentists remove healthy tooth weakens it and could lead to its extraction in the long term. So that’s why bleaching is such a healthy option! Since November 2012 the law concerning bleaching in the UK has changed and dentists in the European Union are now only able to whiten teeth with hydrogen peroxide up to a maximum concentration of 6%. This has meant that all the Power Whitening techniques, which you may have seen advertised involving heat, light or lasers, are no longer used in this country and have been withdrawn from the market. So if you want to have your teeth whitened your dentist will need to assess your mouth to make sure it’s suitable. Generally tooth bleaching would not be suitable if your mouth has many discoloured crowns, veneers or fillings in the front teeth. Dark staining caused by dead teeth

and very sensitive teeth can also be a problem, but these can always be overcome by using special techniques. The procedure for modern tooth whitening is an initial appointment to assess your mouth and to take impressions for bleaching trays. These are small, thin mouthguards that are provided at the next appointment with instructions to wear for an hour or so over two weeks or overnight if possible. After two weeks you return to the practice for assessment. Generally two weeks are sufficient to whiten your teeth to the colour you want, and from time to time you will need to ‘top-up’ the whitening with one or two days bleaching, but after the initial treatment this occurs very quickly. So tooth bleaching is safe, successful and predictable! If you want to brighten your smile make an appointment with your dentist or contact Penny at Milton Dental Surgery on 01993 831 396 or penny@drbigg.com when she can provide you with further information. A Privilege Card Offer for Tooth Whitening at Milton Dental Surgery can be found on page 107

TIM SPITTLE

Christmas and New Year have come and gone but the rich foods, boozy parties and snack after snack have probably been followed by chocolate treats and little nibbles to get you through the cold mornings and dark evenings. If you are like most people, you are carrying some extra weight after a wet and miserable winter and have spent most of it indoors, sitting down in front of the television. Your body is probably telling you to take action even if the mind is not ready or willing – you might have made a resolution to get yourself fit but have you have broken it already? Often the hardest thing of all is maintaining motivation - over 50% of people who start the gym in January stop by February. For those of you who have carried on their fitness regimes resolutely through the festive season and the

worst of winter - WELL DONE! For the majority of us already sliding off the bandwagon, even the mere thought of the long, arduous hills we have to climb is enough to put us off getting fit. It’s not easy to get into shape but here are some points to help you, to encourage you and to put you firmly on the road to success. Exercise is not all about tight jeans, wobbly bits and vanity. We should be thinking more deeply about why we need to stay (or start to get) in shape. With a good, regular structure of varied training we can cast off risks of obesity, reduce the chance of type II diabetes and improve our cardiac performance. We can reduce high levels of cholesterol and often lower our blood pressure. We can increase our bone density – particularly important in women to reduce the chances of fracture, as we get older. For those who suffer from aches and pains,

poor posture, tight shoulders and backs, stiff legs and aching joints, solid exercise plans can lead to a reduction in pain, discomfort and long term increased mobility. Not only does exercise reduce weight and get you fit, it also works on the inside, altering our biological performance, our metabolic rate, lubricating joints, freeing up tight limbs and making you feel alive and well, with mental benefits as good as the physical, once you get into a routine – regular exercise can can improve mood, fight depression and help to fade away those winter blues. But…. you have to make the effort! This is the time you may need support, so why not trade in some of those boozy nights out and use the savings to assist with a little one-to-one personal training on an ongoing basis. A good trainer will sort out everything you require and offer you the support and motivation you need, to get you where you want to be. The first steps are the hardest so don't go it alone....

''With a good, regular structure of varied training we can cast off risks of obesity, reduce the chance of type II diabetes and improve our cardiac performance."

Cotswold Homes Magazine

TIM SPITTLE

t en r fe if d to s it ef n be y ke e m so Here are types of exercise.

RESISTANCE TRAINING

CARDIO (CV)

weight

dy TYPE: Weights, bands, balls, bo rt with HOW MUCH: 2 times a week to sta , strengthens, firms and BENEFITS: Raises metabolism ses bone density adds lean muscle, increa

TYPE: Running, cycling , rowing, bodyweig ht, boxing, classes , etc. HOW MUCH: 2 or 3 times a week BENEFITS: Raises fitness , improv

weight loss, lifts m ood,

es poor respira improves heart fit tion, causes ness

CORE

, Pilates , weight lifting e) nc la ba & y s (stabilit ) TYPE: Core exercise & often is best es a week (little m ti 5 to improves 2 : HOW MUCH eases balance, cr in s, nt de ci jury and ac rength BENEFITS: Reduceserin l day-to-day st al posture and ov TYPE: Stretchin g, variety

FLEXIBILITY

of exercise HOW MUCH: Aft , yoga er every tim e y ou exercis BENEFITS: Redu e

mobility, re ces pain and stiffne ss, helps duces accid ents

www.cotswold-homes.com

BLOXHAM SCHOOL

Looking Ahead at Bloxham School School appoints new headmaster to continue legacy of achievement.

The Council of Governors of Bloxham School has recently announced that it has appointed Paul Sanderson to be the new Headmaster, commencing September 1st 2013. Mr. Sanderson will succeed Mark Allbrook, who has announced that he will retire in the summer after 11 years of outstanding service to the school. Mr. Sanderson (40) is currently a Deputy Headteacher with responsibility for the curriculum in and out of the classrooms at Gordonstoun School in Scotland. He is married to Helen with three young children. He was educated at Banbridge Academy in Northern Ireland, and subsequently

gained a BSc (Hons) degree in Biological Science at the University of St Andrews. As a postgraduate student, he obtained his PGCE at Keble College, Oxford followed by a MEd in Educational Research at Jesus College, Cambridge. Speaking with obvious delight at his appointment, Paul commented: ‘I am both thrilled and delighted to have been appointed the 13th Headmaster of Bloxham School. My wife Helen and I are very excited to be coming to a school that has students at the heart of its thinking. I admire that its roots are borne out of a Christian

“My wife Helen and I are very excited to be coming to a school that has students at the heart of its thinking. I admire that its roots are borne out of a Christian commitment to the community and that it has pupil wellbeing as its central focus.”

commitment to the community and that it has pupil wellbeing as its central focus. By affording young people the opportunities to develop, intellectually, spiritually, emotionally, physically and socially, it strives to educate the whole person in preparation for an ever changing and uncertain world. Mark Allbrook will leave me with a fine and highly regarded school. I will endeavour to build upon his industry to nurture and strengthen Bloxham’s position as a leading independent school.’ Commenting on his successor’s announcement Mark Allbrook said: ‘I am confident that we are announcing the appointment of someone capable of both maintaining Bloxham’s strong traditions and also move us forward. It has been an honour to have been the Headmaster here for the past eleven years and I hope to be able to hand on the baton with Bloxham in a strong position. I wish Paul and his family every success and happiness here at Bloxham; I am sure that they will receive the warm welcome for which the school is justifiably renowned.’

Bloxham School Bloxham was founded in 1860 by The Reverend Philip Reginald Egerton and joined the Woodard Corporation of Schools in 1896. It remains a Woodard School to this day and is proud of the affiliation. Recent times have seen Bloxham strengthen its position with the advent of full coeducation and the opening of a Lower School, Exham House, to cater for ages 11 and 12. Numbers are pegged at around 420 in total with a strong 6th Form.

Paul and Helen Sanderson

Cotswold Homes Magazine

Recent building works have seen the completion of an inspirational Vallance Library, and extension to the Sam Kahn Music school and, to cater for a new subject to the curriculum, a splendid new Food and Nutrition facility. You can find out more about Bloxham by visiting www. bloxhamschool.com and accessing the interactive prospectus.

Bright Young Things: HENRY HALES

Bright Young Things In a time of uncertainty, the gifts of ingenuity, invention and imagination are proving valuable assets to a new business-minded generation. We interview three unique young entrepreneurs who, operating in the Cotswolds and beyond, have made businesses by creating and selling their own products.

HENRY HALES, 24 Henry ’s business, SIR PLUS, purchases disused or surplus fabrics (or ‘cabbage’ in industry terms), using the material to create bespoke garments for the discerning customer.

What is unique about your products? I make clothing using off-cuts and surplus fabrics that I buy from tailors, shirt-makers and factories. It all started when I wanted to make really great boxer shorts, but was struggling to find good fabric: on a trip to a factory I saw a load of the nicest shirting being stored under a cutting table, effectively wasted. The range has quickly expanded and now consists of a variety of products, all made using surplus fabric. This includes waistcoats, jumpers (off-cut elbow patches), T-shirts (off-cut pockets) and a few other pieces. Is there a philosophy behind your business? Sir Plus is about quality, character and resourcefulness! How old were you when you launched the business? I was 23. What sort of research did you undertake when you were in the planning stage? I wrote a business plan and sent out numerous questionnaires. I also bought and wore a lot of boxer shorts! Did you HAVE any special training, interest or background that gave you a start in this field? Nope!

Cotswold Homes Magazine

Has anybody famous ever taken an interest in your products? Yes. Ben Lovett from Mumford and Sons has a waistcoat, Lily Allen and Bill Nighy have a few pairs of boxer shorts and the Hairy Bikers both bought waistcoats! Did you ever have a different career path in mind before beginning this venture? Yes - I studied property at university and that seemed the obvious career. However, I wanted to start something and have a bit of an adventure. What are you looking to achieve in the future? In the short term I want to grow the product range and look at employing someone in the next year or so. Long term, it’d be great to open a shop. How much of your time do business matters occupy? Most of it. Working in retail means your weekends are gone. I’m normally doing a market, or show. What advice would you give to a young person thinking about starting a business? Start small and grow. If you have stock, keep it tight. Treat your suppliers well and stay focused on what you’re trying to achieve.

Bright Young Things: ROSE BROWN

ROSE BROWN, 22 CEO of PHB ETHICAL BEAUTY, Rose has created a range of pioneering eco-certified beauty products sold through both her Cheltenham and Birmingham premises and online.

What is unique about your products? I’m a vegetarian and I had become increasingly concerned about many of the ingredients in High street beauty products. Not only do many contain animal derived ingredients, such as animal fats and carmine-crushed insects - but some are also packed with unnecessary chemicals, like SLS and parabens. I became determined to create a range that was uniquely ethical, cruelty free and 100% natural. Our products are all handmade in the UK and our packaging is eco-friendly. I also wanted to ensure PHB products had supporting accreditations to offer further confidence to the customer, so our products are Vegan Society Registered, BUAV approved (cruelty free) and we are in the process of registering with Fair Trade and the Soil Association. Is there a philosophy behind your business? There is a strong natural and ethical philosophy behind our business, and we believe we’ve created a range which offers ‘beauty that doesn’t cost the earth.’ This is because not only are our products natural and eco-friendly but they are also affordable. Natural products can often be prohibitively expensive to the customer; the philosophy behind our business is that we offer natural and ethical products that are both luxurious and affordable. How old were you when you launched the business? I was 19 when I first thought about the concept of the business and started to set up the website. When we opened our first Birmingham store I had just turned 20. In fact we got the keys to the shop on my 20th birthday! What sort of research did you undertake when you were in the planning stage? I had to do an overwhelming amount of

research! Although I had an interest in beauty products, having a business means you need a lot more than just an interest. I had to learn the ins and outs of every ingredient very carefully, research suitable manufacturers that could produce products to my ethical standards and then also had to research and produce product packaging, label design and website construction. Then there are all the other things that you have to learn and research about setting up a business. All in all, the last 4 years have been a real learning curve and of course you make mistakes along the way but I firmly believe that you can learn as much if not more from your mistakes. Did you have any special training, interest or background that gave you a start in this field? I have always had an interest in make up and beauty products and it was me being a vegetarian that first got me interested in looking at natural products that could be free from animal ingredients and cruelty free. I had actually completed my first year of an honours degree in Media and Communications at Birmingham City University, so I had done some useful work as part of my course about marketing and public relations. I left my course to pursue my business and haven’t regretted it for one minute. Has anybody famous ever taken an interest in your products? Not that I’m aware of at the moment although my Dad (who is drummer with reggae band UB40) loves our men’s range - especially the body wash! Did you ever have a different career path in mind before beginning this venture? I hadn’t completely decided but I thought maybe following my degree I might do some work in journalism or television. I must admit I had never really thought of going

into business. What are you looking to achieve in the future? I would love to keep growing the business and possibly open some more stores in the future. In the meantime I’m concentrating on establishing our store in Cheltenham as a place that customers can come for beautiful, affordable natural beauty products and also first class customer service. How much of your time do business matters occupy? Pretty much all of it! At the moment I am running our Cheltenham shop six days a week whilst also trying to juggle the day to day aspects of running a business. We’ve had a lot of interest in our range because of its’ unique eco-credentials so we’re also rather busy exploring a number of exciting prospects currently. Which just leaves Sundays to catch up on design and marketing work, updating the website and social media, and if I’m really lucky a slightly earlier night! What advice would you give to a young person thinking about starting a business? I would say that if you have a good idea to do as much research as possible. There are very few completely new ideas so it’s always good to look at your competitors to see what they are doing and to see how it can be improved upon. After the research I would say it is really important to be determined and persistent and of course to work hard. Going into business cannot be a half-hearted decision, you have to put everything you have into it which usually involves a lot of sacrifice. It’s well worth it in the end though.

www.cotswold-homes.com

Bright Young Things: ISOBEL FILIPOVA

ISOBEL FILIPOVA, 26 Bespoke Shoe Maker Isobel Filipova specialises in creating artisan shoes to suit every shape and size of foot, designing in accordance with her clients’ tastes and ideas.

What is unique about your products? My products are handmade, one-off pieces designed specifically for my customer’s needs and wants. I work closely with the customer from the very beginning on every aspect of their footwear - from producing hand-drawn designs and helping them to choose the right leather, right down to deciding trimming and sole choices. Everything is handmade in my workshop by me: the only thing I outsource is the embroidery on my new line of personalized initial-embroidered house shoes, which is done in Bouton on the Water.

Is there a philosophy behind your business? Basically I want to give people what they want. I have spent years struggling to find shoes to fit. I have UK size 9.5 feet and so would end up buying shoes because I liked them and finding the outfit to go with it! So I want to people to be able to come to me and have a pair of shoes to match an outfit or for a special occasion - or just day to day shoes that fit them properly, whatever their measurements. How old were you when you launched the business? I launched my business when I was 21. Luckily my stepdad is a farmer and found me a corner of the yard for my workshop. Since setting up the business I have married and now have a two year old daughter so it is pretty full on! Going of to my workshop is real me-time. I love what I do

90 Cotswold Homes Magazine

and always come back with a spring in my step. What sort of research did you undertake when you were in the planning stage? I have studied and worked in the industry since I was 18 and from experience finding the exact shoe and fit one wants is not easy. Everyone is unique in style and size and it is about time choice was made available to the masses - ! I found it very hard to find work experience in my field because there are so few shoe makers around. Many of them only make for men, or make orthopaedic shoes, which was not really the area I wanted to work in. I finally found Theatrical Shoemakers in London, a wonderful company who still inspire me today. Did you do any special training, interest or background that gave you a start in this field? I discovered I wanted to be in the footwear industry during an art foundation course. From that point I found a local shoemaker who agreed to help me with my project and during the summer I worked for him and learned the art of shoe making. I fell in love straight away. I knew from then I wanted to make and not just design; for me, it became about the story of each shoe and the

foot that would wear it. I went on to start a fashion degree with a pathway in footwear, but I was to eager to get on with shoe making, so I left and did an intensive summer course in London, which lead on to me starting work experience at theatrical shoemakers, which turned into a full blown job. Did you ever have a different career path in mind before beginning this venture? Not really. I knew I was going to end up in a creative industry, which was why I did the Art foundation course. [During a fashion class] the tutor was talking about the different paths we could go down and he mentioned footwear design: it was a light bulb moment! I had always loved shoes, and with my big feet it seemed obvious really. What are you looking to achieve in the future? Eventually I would love to have a very small exclusive collection which I would hope to be in one of the local boutique shops. (I was approached by Daylesford just after I had started my business but unfortunately it wasn’t what they were looking for). How much of your time do business matters occupy? Currently I can’t let it take up too much time as I want to enjoy my time with my little one. I tend to do a lot of work at the weekends as my husband can have Olivia. Also anytime she is napping or playing happily I tend to do a little. Really, whenever I can fit it in!

Defending the Realm: Job Opportunities at GCHQ

Defending the Realm: Job Opportunities at GCHQ Know somebody in search of a specialised and important career? They could be helping GCHQ protect Britain on the cyber frontier. We spoke to the intelligence agency (Gloucestershire’s biggest employer) about their work, their innovative recruitment strategies and the challenges posed by cyber crime. Q1. What sort of skills are the most valuable to GCHQ as employers? Do the essential skills required bear any resemblance to those sought after in the times of Turing? A1: Many of our roles require expertise in specialist fields, engineering, mathematics and languages being good examples however, people are often surprised at the range of employment opportunities available at GCHQ, whether they have a degree or not. Whilst the work environment is obviously different and our capabilities have advanced since Alan Turing’s time at Bletchley Park, he would be very familiar with the skills requirement.

Q2. Recently, GCHQ has been using social

media sites such as Twitter and Facebook to help recruit. Why this new strategy? A2: As an internet age organisation GCHQ continues to explore new recruitment strategies and techniques to reach out and attract internet specialists, linguists and technologists and the use of Social Media such as Facebook and Twitter are just a part of that strategy.

Q3. Linguists are very important to your organisation - people who are not only fluent in a given language, but have a developed knowledge of associated cultural and political issues. Given that fewer British pupils seem to be studying languages, are you making any attempts to encourage them towards this area? A3: GCHQ is the largest single employer of linguists in the Civil Service and one of the biggest employers of linguists in the country. We recognise the importance of sharing those skills and expertise with the wider community and through our national outreach programme, our representatives share their skills, expertise and experiences with schools and universities throughout the country. The programme reaches out to students from all backgrounds to develop

their skills, introduce them to new language opportunities and encourage them to consider seriously studying languages in the future.

Q4. What are some of the most common

misconceptions about working at GCHQ, or about the nature of GCHQ itself? A4: People sometimes think that we cannot be properly accountable because we operate in Secret; nothing could be further from the truth. GCHQ is subject to rigorous oversight by Parliament, and works within the legal framework that complies with UK and European conventions. This means that it would be unlawful for GCHQ to obtain intelligence that does not meet these legal requirements.

Q5. Is there any such thing as a ‘typical

working day’ for somebody working at GCHQ? A5: It would be wrong to give the impression that every day is different for all of our staff but the wide nature of our work means there are plenty of times where there is lots of excitement and fast moving situations across the department and we all take pride in knowing that what we do makes a real and significant difference to the UK.

Q6. What advantages does the iconic

GCHQ building, commonly known as ‘the doughnut’, bring to employees? A6: The open plan design of the building fosters closer team working and knowledge sharing and the place is always buzzing with activity. There are cafes, a restaurant, a gym and a prayer room for different religions. The circular nature of the building means you are never more than 5 minutes away from a colleague.

Q7. Beyond being Cheltenham’s largest

employer, do you bring any other benefits to the local community? A7: The obvious answer is that being such a

large employer does give the local economy a boost however, we are proud that GCHQ’s corporate social responsibility focuses on using the skills of our staff to support education, inspire young people, and to promote the study of key subjects relevant to us. We also promote and support dozens of local and national charities.

Q8. The BBC says ‘Research suggests cyber crime costs the UK economy £21bn a year’*. Should we all be paying more attention to the economic effects of this kind of crime especially in a time of recession? A8: Whilst the internet provides great benefits for the UK’s industry, government and citizens, as our dependency on it increases so do the risks and threats we face online. The National Security Council considers large scale cyber crime as a tier 1 threat and as such all of us should take the threat seriously. On our web site www. gchq.gov.uk we have published a document called “10 Steps to Cyber Security” that gives guidance to businesses on how to minimise risks to company assets. Q9. Finally, around what time of year should any young people interested in careers at GCHQ start looking for opportunities? A9: Anytime is a good time. A good place to start is our web page www.gchq-careers. co.uk where most of your questions about employment at GCHQ should be answered and you can also find the current opportunities that are available. There is also a “Match me” tool that helps you to identify the right job that meets your skills and interests. You can then, if you wish, provide your email address to be advised when future posts that match your requirement become available. If you have any other general questions you can contact the recruitment team at recruitment@gchq.gsi.gov.uk or call 01242 221491 ext 86664.

www.cotswold-homes.com

Blessings of the Easter Season!

from Veronica James, Area Dean of the North Cotswolds Now is the time when flowers, festivals and feasts provide us with hope for the spring and the new season ahead. Our churches start to look especially beautiful, with spring colours bringing sunshine and life into the old stones. The Christian faith has ebbed and flowed through the Cotswold valleys over centuries just as the beautiful rivers, Eye, Windrush, Dikler and Evenlode have flowed and continue to do so. And within these old churches, too, stories have been told and shared over the centuries, telling of the way Christ came into the world for us all. Stories that reflect lives lived by rich and poor, visitor and resident.

around from the angels, and assuming she was speaking to the gardener, she enquired of the man where Christ’s body had been taken. When he called her by name, she immediately recognised who the person was – her dear friend, who had not yet ascended to his Father.

We read in the Bible at this Easter time how, after the crucifixion, Mary Magdalene found herself to be at the empty tomb. Turning

The Church of England holds a privileged position throughout the land, and with this comes responsibilities. As a parish priest in

Back in our Cotswold churches, there will be many Easter gardens. Some designed by the children, others by adults, all draw us into the story of Easter. Written into our landscape, the Easter story has always been part of our heritage - but it is a story that needs to resonate with the present and the future.

Services for Easter you might like to come along to: Palm Sunday Donkey Procession, (24 March) 11am Upper Slaughter ford at the River Eye and on to St Peters Parish Church Good Friday, (29 March) 11am – 1pm St Andrews Church Naunton, readings and hymns ‘At the foot of the Cross’ Easter Sunday (31 March) 6.30am Guiting Power GL54 5TY, St Michael & All Angels Churchyard Sunrise Easter Communion

Cotswold Homes Magazine

this area, I believe that we are all called by name, and that being called by name, we are offered an invitation to follow Christ, just as Mary Magdalene did 2000 years ago. And our responsibility? Well, to keep on telling the story - that there is life to be lived in these old stones, and joy to share in the abundance of new life; a good news story for everyone. Enjoy your chocolate Easter eggs, and don’t forget to pass the story on! Blessings to all, and keep safe as you travel Yours, Veronica Area Dean of the North Cotswolds

followed by Breakfast 8.30am Easter Communions (Book of Common Prayer) St Andrew Naunton GL54 3AX & St Peter Upper Slaughter GL54 2JF 10am Guiting Power Family Service; Temple Guiting Family Communion GL54 5RW 11.30am Lower Slaughter GL54 2HR Family Communion; Cutsdean Holy Communion GL54 5RX We look forward to welcoming you.

What the Gamekeeper Saw Wildlife Photography by Adam Tatlow

Spring brings us a rare sighting of a Woodpecker chick, thanks to some stealthy photography from gamekeeper Adam Tatlow. Check out www. cotswoldkeeperphotography.com for more of Adamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wildlife portraits and the chance to purchase unique prints and giftware.

www.cotswold-homes.com

Grabbing a BITE with Gregg

Grabbing a BITE with Gregg Broadcaster, writer and entrepreneur, Gregg Wallace has a finger in any number of pies. Fan & fellow foodie Collette Fairweather relished the opportunity to ask about the Cotswolds, his autobiography and what the future holds.

Cotswold Homes Magazine

Grabbing a BITE with Gregg

“I didn’t ever think my life would be interesting enough for a book, because you don’t take any notice when you’re living it” Recently, Chipping Campden welcomed Gregg Wallace for ‘BITE’, a weeklong festival of food where he was joined by a host of chefs including Prue Leith and the Fabulous Baker Brothers. Gregg, 48, was only too keen to revisit the Cotswolds. ‘When they asked me to get involved, I did so willingly – it’s a beautiful part of the world.’ Starting out as a greengrocer, he remains ‘heavily involved in growing produce’ supplying the best restaurants in London (His business ‘Secretts’ delivers fresh farm produce daily from Surrey). And as the Cotswolds remain an agricultural haven, it is unsurprising to learn Gregg is partial to some of our local delicacies - in particular, Evesham asparagus. ‘I love it from two perspectives: one as a gourmand and one as a grocer!’ Hosting a sell out dinner on the Sunday night of the festival, he spoke about his enthusiasm for fresh, local produce, a passion further explored in his autobiography, Life on a Plate. ‘I didn’t ever think my life would be interesting enough for a book, because you don’t take any notice when you’re living it,’ he admits. ‘It’s only when you look back, you notice it had more ups and downs than an elevator!’ Sparing few details when recalling his personal relationships with his three wives, two children and parents (in particular, his two fathers), the elevator analogy is a rather fitting one. ‘The book was difficult to write, because there are lots of sad bits in it. There are many happy bits too, but the sad parts were very difficult. I seemed to be spending the year or so that it took to write it constantly dwelling on the past.’ It’s doubtlessly been an emotional time for Gregg, but the effort has been well received. ‘The reaction has whole-heartedly been a good one with lots of “really?” and “I had no idea!” loads of that.’ The book serves up the story of how Gregg, born into humble beginnings in Peckham, and raised on a diet of convenience, carved out a life in fine cuisine – a most unlikely career, but it is exactly his unpretentious approach to food commentary that has proved his recipe for success. Gregg regularly engages millions of viewers, religiously tuned to his shows. He has become established as a regular on both

Keri Moss, Anton Piotrowski, Gregg Wallace, Michel Roux Jr and Oli Boon

radio and television; Veg Talk on Radio4 was his first step into the limelight, before he moved into television on Saturday Kitchen. He also hosted two editions of The Money Programme on the effect that the current financial crisis is having on the public’s attitudes towards food, because ‘there are some issues that just burn inside me that I’d really like to get to grips with, but I don’t.’ Why not? ‘I can’t act at the moment because I think it would have an adverse effect on me as a television presenter and, at the moment, that’s how I feed my family.’ Best known for the hit BBC series MasterChef, Gregg is now co-hosting its seventh series, evaluating the latest generation of stellar chefs. Last year saw a controversial move by the judging panel as joint winners were crowned on MasterChef: The Professionals. ‘Amazing people and an amazing final, I can’t ever remember a decision as tight. Keri’s cooking was out of this world - truly incredible. I was so impressed with her. Anton is an exceptional talent and had a brilliant competition’. This year brings us another series of MasterChef, which finished filming in December, ‘John [Torode] and I will be back with a new set of amateur contestants in the spring’. Re-launched in 2005, the show saw the introduction of tests such as Pressure,

Invention, and Passion. ‘The format is constantly tweaked – no series is ever the same. This is for two reasons, one, we want to keep it fresh and two, we don’t want any contestant being able to work out how the series will play out’. With another run of MasterChef under his now ever-decreasing belt (as he is also one of the new faces of Weightwatchers), what else is on the horizon? ‘I’m making a series about supermarkets for the BBC and there’s lots more of MasterChef. I’m [also] getting very fit and strong and I want to see where that leads me. I would like to do something with my newfound fitness.’ Despite the new trim figure, Gregg’s weakness for all things tooth-achingly sweet remains. ‘My favourite thing to make is actually a pavlova - I just love meringue and sweet things and I know the family love it. So that’s one of my favourite things - I just love a gooey sticky mess!’ What about when it comes to eating out? ‘Something I wouldn’t be able to resist on the menu? Oysters!’ It’s certainly a relief to know that the new, streamlined Gregg can be just as indulgent as the rest of us at heart. Life on a Plate: The Autobiography by Gregg Wallace is available online and at all good bookshops. www.cotswold-homes.com

GREGG’S FAVOURITE PUDDINGS

by Gregg Wallace, published by Hamlyn, £17.99 www.octopusbooks.co.uk

Blackberry and raspberry tart A tart tart! Now there’s a thing. This one makes very good use of soft fruit, both raspberry and blackberry having a fine tart quality. Serve as a dessert or with afternoon tea.

Serves 6 1 quantity Pâte Sucrée* plain flour, for dusting 50 g (2 oz) ground almonds 4–6 drops of almond essence 1 quantity Rich Crème Patissière* 500 g (1 lb) blackberries and raspberries icing sugar, for dusting

1 Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface and use to line a 20 cm (8 inch) flan tin or dish. Line the flan case with foil, fill with baking beans and bake in a preheated oven, 200°C (400°F), Gas Mark 6, for about 15 minutes until the pastry has begun to form a slight crust. Remove the foil and beans and bake for a further 10 minutes or until the pastry is dry and golden brown. Leave to cool in the tin on a wire rack, then carefully remove from the tin. 2 Stir the ground almonds and almond essence into the crème patissière and spread over the base of the flan case. Arrange the fruit on top. Dust with icing sugar before serving. * For details of quantities, refer to Gregg’s new cook book.

Cotswold Homes Magazine

GREGG’S FAVOURITE PUDDINGS

Ginger Rhubarb crumble Serves 6 1 kg (2 lb) fresh rhubarb 125 g (4 oz) caster sugar 2 pieces of stem ginger, chopped 2 tablespoons stem ginger syrup whipped cream or vanilla ice cream to serve custard, to serve Crumble 250 g (8 oz) plain flour 125 g (4 oz) butter, diced 25 g (1 oz) caster sugar 25 g (1 oz) demerara sugar You have found it. Congratulations. I am often asked for this recipe and here it is: my favourite pudding of all time. I just adore it. It’s the crunchy, crumbly sweet topping with that absolutely incredibly sharp sweet rhubarb below. I would happily drown in a good rhubarb crumble.

1. Top and tail the rhubarb and remove the stringy skin. Cut the sticks into 2.5 cm (1 inch) lengths, put them in a large ovenproof dish and sprinkle with the caster sugar. Add the stem ginger and stem ginger syrup.

2. To make the crumble, sift the flour into a bowl. Add the butter

and rub in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the caster sugar.

3. Cover the rhubarb with the crumble and press it down lightly. Sprinkle the surface with the demerara sugar. 4. Bake in a preheated oven, 190°C (375°F), Gas Mark 5, for 40 minutes until golden brown. Serve hot with custard. Gregg’s tip If you want to be a purist you can leave out the stem ginger and stem ginger syrup, but add an extra 25–50 g (1–2 oz) caster sugar.

Tarte tatin Serves 6 Pastry 175 g (6 oz) plain flour, plus extra for dusting 75 g (3 oz) butter, chilled and diced 25 g (1 oz) caster sugar 1 egg yolk 2–3 tablespoons iced water Filling 50 g (2 oz) butter 50 g (2 oz) caster sugar 6 dessert apples, such as Cox’s, peeled, cored and quartered thick cream or crème fraîche, to serve Classic brilliance and one of my all-time favourites. It’s that combination of sweet juicy apple, buttery pastry and syrup that is just an incredible flavour and texture combination.

3 Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface to a round a little larger than the pan. Place it over the apples, folding over the edges of the pastry until it fits the pan neatly.

1 Sift the flour into a bowl. Add the butter and rub in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar. Add the egg yolk and enough of the water to mix to a firm, smooth dough. Wrap in foil and chill while you make the filling.

4 Bake in a preheated oven, 200°C (400°F), Gas Mark 6, for 35–40 minutes until the pastry is golden. Leave to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, place a large plate on top of the pan and invert the tart on to it. Serve warm with thick cream or crème fraîche.

2 To make the filling, put the butter and sugar in a 20 cm (8 inch)

Gregg’s tip

ovenproof frying pan and heat on the hob until the sugar has melted and the mixture is golden. Add the apples and toss them in the syrup to coat. Cook for a few minutes until the apples begin to caramelize.

Replace the apples with 5 peeled, cored and quartered pears and sprinkle the filling with 50 g (2 oz) walnut halves before covering with the pastry.

www.cotswold-homes.com 99

EVENTS

THE COTSWOLD CALENDAR:

Your essential guide to local events 'Compiled with the kind assistance of Sue Hasler of Go-Stow. www.go-stow.co.uk

FEBRUARY The Simple Life: a display on the men of the Guild of Handicraft, Court Barn Museum, Chipping Campden Saturday 15th Dec 2012 – 13th Feb 2013 This display looks at the transition of the artists and craftsmen who came from East London to Chipping Campden, the role they played in the Guild and what became of them after the Guild disbanded in 1908. Tuesday-Sunday 10am – 5pm. Adults £4 Con £3.25 (01386) 841951

36 Kasen: The Thirty-Six Immortals - Japanese Poetry, Bodleian Library, Oxford University 3rd February 2013 – 4th March 2013 Illustrated manuscripts displayed at the library honour the thirty six poetry immortals, ancient writers of great influence in their country of Japan but little known beyond its shores. Take the rare chance to discover more at Oxford this February. Admission Free. (01865) 277000 Charity Auction, The Theatre Chipping Norton 8th February 2013 This exciting event is planned as the first in a series of annual auctions to raise funds for the theatre. Robert Hardy CBE, Cotswold resident and guest of honour will officially open the auction. From 7.30pm Entry tickets cost £12, including drinks and canapés. Floodlit Swan Supper, Slimbridge Wetland Centre 8th February 2013 Settle in Slimbridge’s heated observatory and watch the evening feeding of the Bewick’s swans whilst indulging in a special fourcourse menu. Learn in luxury as the centre’s wardens reveal the habits and history of these interesting creatures. From 6.30pm. Tickets cost £25. (01453) 891223 Puppet, Toy and Shadow Theatre Festival, Bayshill Unitarian Hall, Cheltenham 12th – 16th February 2013 Visit the 7th Annual Festival of puppetry and toy theatre in aid of children's charities featuring shadow puppets, marionettes, glove puppets with model toy theatre shows and workshops. See displays of related items by professional & amateur performers and puppet makers. Daily Performances 11am & 2.15pm (sat 2.30pm). (01242) 255820 Winter Owl evenings at the International Centre for Birds of Prey ( ICBP), Newent, Glos 15th-16th February 2013 Experience the owls flying by torchlight during this very special winter event. Hot mulled wine and apple juice will be served together with a hog roast. See www.icbp.org for more details. 100 Cotswold Homes Magazine

EVENTS

THE COTSWOLD CALENDAR:

Your essential guide to local events 'Compiled with the kind assistance of Sue Hasler of Go-Stow. www.go-stow.co.uk

The Wedding Show, Cheltenham Racecourse 16th – 17th Feb 2013 Industry suppliers and professionals gather at Prestbury Park for all things wedding. Catwalk shows, demonstrations, live bands and dining await visitors. 10am-5pm. See www. thecheltenhamweddingshow.co.uk for more details. (08432) 899 659 Beauty and the Beast on Ice, The Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham 20th February – 24th February 2013 The Russian Ice Stars are in town for a sensational-sounding rendition of this timeless tale. See the theatre transformed into an ice rink for a technically impressive performance. From 7.45pm (some additional matinees; see www.everymantheatre.org. uk) Tickets £12-£27. (01242) 572573

MARCH Jane Austen: A Literary Genius at Work, Bodleian Library, Oxford 1st March 2013, 10am – 4pm Witness firsthand the workings of Austen’s creative mind as a newly acquired, handwritten manuscript of her unfinished work, The Watsons, goes on show for one day only. Included in the display is Volume the First, a manuscript of Austen’s juvenilia. Admission free. (01865) 277000 BBC National Orchestra of Wales Concert, Cheltenham Town Hall 7th March 2013 Conductor Jac Van Steen breathes new life into Elgar’s work with accomplished pianist John Lill revisiting Schumann. Join the BBC National Orchestra of Wales for an evening of fine music. From 7.30pm. Tickets cost from £10. (08445) 762210 Mothering Sunday Cream tea Special at Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway (GWSR) 10th March 2013 Treat your Mum to an extra special afternoon out – you can relax in your comfortable seats and watch the Cotswold Countryside glide by. Enjoy a delicious cream tea on board with locally made scones served with lashings of clotted cream and of course plenty of tea and coffee. See www.gwsr.com for more details. The Cheltenham Festival, Cheltenham Racecourse 12th March – 15th March 2013 The immensely popular four-day festival of horse-racing returns, with Champion Day, Ladies Day, St. Patrick’s Thursday and Gold Cup day each bringing their own excitements. Visit www. cheltenham.co.uk/fixtures/the-festival for details.

www.cotswold-homes.com 101

EVENTS

THE COTSWOLD CALENDAR:

Your essential guide to local events 'Compiled with the kind assistance of Sue Hasler of Go-Stow. www.go-stow.co.uk

The 2013 Cheltenham Festival at a Glance CHAMPION DAY Tuesday 12th March …And they’re off! Commencing the 2013 Cheltenham Festival are, as ever, the many thrills and spills of Champion Day. Plenty of promising young blood ensures that competition for the Champion Hurdle will be fierce, with six other races providing additional excitement. The atmosphere at the racecourse crackles as racing aficionados, fans and devotees come from across the country, bedding in at Cheltenham for the festival spectacle. First race 1.30pm / Last Race 5.15pm

LADIES DAY Wednesday 13th March The highlight of the Festival for many women (and many men, we’re sure) is Ladies Day, where the best-dressed receive special awards for their sartorial extravagance. There’s a fine line between flamboyance and fashion failure, however, making dressing for the day a tricky balancing act for Ladies Days’ famous attendees. If you want to be in the running for the prizes on offer, best to get there early – fashion scouts start roaming as soon as the gates open. The Queen Mother Champion Chase should help keep eyes fixed on the course for at least some of the day... Gates open at 10.30am. First race 1.30pm / Last race 5.15pm 102 Cotswold Homes Magazine

EVENTS

THE COTSWOLD CALENDAR:

Your essential guide to local events 'Compiled with the kind assistance of Sue Hasler of Go-Stow. www.go-stow.co.uk

ST. PATRICK’S THURSDAY Thursday 14th March Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day just a tiny bit early, Cheltenham Festival offers thrilling hurdling action to all-comers. Can Big Buck’s take the World Hurdle for an incredible fifth time? Elsewhere you’ll find all the Irish-themed fun that you would expect, as enthusiasts party hard in Festival fashion. Gates open at 10.30am. First race 1.30pm / Last race 5.15pm. CHELTENHAM GOLD CUP Friday 15th March The final day of Cheltenham Festival is where the excitement peaks. With Synchronised snatching Gold Cup victory just before his tragic death in the 2012 Grand National, the pressure is on previous winner Long Run, who finished third in the last season, to recover the crown. But could a plucky contender like Sir Des Champs take the gold? Gates open at 10.30am. First race 1.30pm / Last race 5.15pm www.cotswold-homes.com 103

EVENTS

THE COTSWOLD CALENDAR:

Your essential guide to local events 'Compiled with the kind assistance of Sue Hasler of Go-Stow. www.go-stow.co.uk

Easter Extravaganza Berkeley Castle 21st March – 1st April Berkeley Castle is one of the most remarkable buildings in Britain and possibly the most outstanding example of medieval domestic architecture in the country. Plenty of fun for all the family including an Easter egg hunt through the gardens and though the castle. See www.berkeley-castle.com for more details. The Gloucester Mystery Plays – Easter Cycle, Gloucester Cathedral 21st-22nd March 2013 Enthusiastic players revive an ancient tradition outside the city’s magnificent cathedral. Come along to this, the Easter Cycle of the mystery plays, for spectacular renditions of The Life of Christ, The Passion, The Harrowing of Hell and The Last Judgment. From 7.30pm. £12 adult £10 under 16. (01452) 528095 Bellini, Botticelli, Titian… 500 years of Italian Art, Compton Verney Gallery 23rd March 2013 - 23rd June 2013 This spectacular exhibition comprises forty of the City of Glasgow’s greatest Italian paintings – the finest and most comprehensive civic collection in the UK, and mostly unseen outside Glasgow. The works chronicle a remarkable time span from 1400 - 1900, demonstrating the gradual move from religious to secular subjects. This outstanding exhibition includes landscapes, portraits and devotional works from the Renaissance by artists such as Giovanni Bellini, Sandro Botticelli, Titian, Salvator Rosa and Francesco Guardi. See www.comptonverney. org.uk for details. The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland, Cheltenham Cineworld 28th March 2013 Head over to the cinema for this special screening of this acclaimed Christopher Wheeldon ballet, an imaginative interpretation of Carroll’s surreal classic. This production is available for viewing as part of the Royal Opera House LIVE. From 7.15. £17, Con. £13.50 (08712) 002000 Easter Egg Hunts with the National Trust Easter weekend Friday March 29th – Monday April 1st Egg hunts held at the following properties: Chedworth, Chastleton House, Hidcote, Snowshill Manor and Westonbirt Arboretum.

APRIL Easter Eggspress at the GWSR April 1st 2013 Climb aboard the train for an unforgettable Easter train ride. Meet the Easter Bunny and take part in lots of Easter craft activities and competitions. See www.gwsr.com for prices and event details. 104 Cotswold Homes Magazine

EVENTS

THE COTSWOLD CALENDAR:

Your essential guide to local events 'Compiled with the kind assistance of Sue Hasler of Go-Stow. www.go-stow.co.uk

Santini Cotswold Spring Classic Sportive April 1st 2013 The fifth running of this popular cycling event, riding through some of the best countryside the Cotswolds have to offer. Based from Cirencester College on the outskirts of Cirencester, the event HQ will be open from 7am on the day for pre-event registration and offers 3 different routes this year: 50km, 100km, 160km. See www.cotswoldspringclassic.co.uk for details. Escape the Blitz by Steam Train, GloucestershireWarwickshire Steam Railway 27th-28th April 2013 Everybodyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s favourite heritage steam railway is back in style, lining up a nostalgic wartime schedule for everybody to enjoy. Songs, uniforms and displays will take visitors back in time â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and period dress is positively encouraged. See www.gwsr.com for prices and event details.

www.cotswold-homes.com 105

Cotswold -Homes.com

Privilege carD

offers

CotOur swol Hom Privil es d

Car ege d is

FREE

Where can I get a PRIVILEGE CARD?

Just pick one up from the offices of HARRISON & HARDIE in Stow, Bourton and Moreton - it couldn’t be easier. (Not local? Simply register by clicking on the Cotswold-Homes Club button at www. cotswold-homes.com.) You will receive a monthly e-mail with a list of offers like the ones in this magazine, all from independent North Cotswold businesses.

Shop local and save money!

With a bumper selection of Spring offers from a host of local businesses, make sure you pick up your card as soon as possible!

10% off any orders online

over £10 of all Cotswold Gold products. Product Code: CotswoldHomes (Valid to 30/04/2013) Cotswold Gold East Lodge Farm, Stanton, Broadway, Worcestershire, WR12 7NH, 07867 938 221

Adam Tatlow Photography

20% off internet sales over £25 site wide until the end of April 2013.

07774285459 cotswoldkeeper@aol.com

106 Cotswold Homes Magazine

Cotswold -Homes.com

Cotswold Carriers 10% discount off our removal services until the end of April 2013

01608 730500 Warehouse No 2, The Walk, Hook Norton Road, Chipping Norton, Oxon OX7 5TG

10% off

EVERYTHING IN STORE, PERFECT GIFTS FOR FRIENDS AND FAMILY.

Enjoy our 9 course tasting menu for 2 & receive a complimentary bottle of champagne. Available any night - cannot be combined with any other promotions. Until the end of April 2013 Dial House Hotel High Street Bourton on the Water GL54 2AN 01451 822244

6 week Total Anytime membership for the price of only 4!! Standard and concession rates apply,

Until the end of April 2013.

call now for more details 01386 841595

Tel: 01451 822800 Box of Delights, High Street, Bourton-on-the-Water, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, GL54 2AQ

Tel: 01386 841595 Chipping Campden Leisure Centre Cidermill Lane, Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire, GL55 6HU

Cotswold -Homes.com

Robert Boswell Design Consultancy 10% Off First Fee Invoice valid until April 2013 Robert Boswell Design Consultancy Ltd. 01451 831921 - 07702 347424 rb@rbdconsultancy.co.uk

Complimentary glass of Fizz when ordering from the Daily Lunch Menu. Valid until the end of April 2013. Cannot be used with any other offers or promotions. Tel: 01451 820456 Lower Slaughter Manor, Lower Slaughter, Gloucestershire, GL54 2HP

Enjoy a complimentary glass of wine when ordering one of our fabulous sharing platters. Available any night – cannot be combined with any other promotions. Valid until April 2013. The Mill House Hotel Station Road Kingham OX7 6UH 01608 658188

Any coffee or tea with a slice of Lemon, Dorset Apple or Triple Chocolate Cake for £3.50. Valid until the end of April 2013.

Tel: 01608 652060 Cacao Bean, Carfax House, High Street, Moreton in Marsh, Gloucestershire, GL56 0AT

15% discount on all property related legal services

valid until the end of April 2013 Contact Louise for further details 01993 705 095 Willow House, 2 Heynes Place, Station Lane Witney, OX28 4YN

15% off all food and drink until the end of April 2013. Excludes any other offers and promotions and set menus – booking advisable. 01451 832010 10 Talbot Court, Stow on the Wold, GL54 1BQ

The Lamb Inn Great Rissington

1 FREE CLASS to all new class members! Valid until the end of April 2013.

Tel: 01386 701231 Unit 6, Draycott Business Village Draycott, Nr Moreton in Marsh Gloucestershire, GL56 9DY

New WHITEWASH Professional Whitening Strips. No impressions, two visits to the Dentist and whiter teeth for only £222! Ask Penny for details. Until the end of April 2013. Trevor Bigg Breakspeare House, Shipton Road, Milton-Under-Wychwood, Oxford, OX7 6JW 01993 831396

Free property appraisals, free photographs and up to £500 cash back for new joiners

Free glass of Prosecco and two courses available Monday -Friday Lunch and Dinner for just £15 per person.

until the end of April 2013

Until the end of April 2013.

www.character-cottages.com and owners@character-cottages.com

Tel: 01451 820388 The Lamb Inn, Great Rissington, Gloucestershire, GL54 2LP

15% off A La Carte Menu (excluding beverages). Mon to Thurs – valid until the end of April 2013. 01386 853555 The Green, 20 High Street, Broadway, Worcestershire, WR12 7DT

FREE footstool with each sofa purchased* *excluding material until the end of April 2013 Tel: 01608 659091 5 Threshers Yard, West Street, Kingham Oxfordshire, OX7 6YF

Privilege Card Offers

Randell Burton Architects are pleased to offer a free consultation on any project and a donation to the charity Shelter.

20% off

all surveys until the end of April 2013

Valid until the end of April 2013. 01884 254465/ 01608 644573 1 West Street, Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, OX7 5LH

10% discount off all food until the end of April 2013. Sheep Street Stow-on-the-Wold Gloucestershire GL54 1AU 01451 830 344

Tel: 01285 640840 Central Surveying, 17 Black Jack Street, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, GL7 2AA

Get 20% discount on all fabrics & sofas

15% off all legal fees

until the end of April 2013

Thomas Legal Group is a dedicated provider of conveyancing services in and around the Cotswolds Tel: 01452 657950 Thomas Legal Group, Brunswick House Brockworth, Gloucestershire, GL3 4AA

20% off when staying

two nights or more in our cosy cotswold shepherds hut

Until the end of April 2013.

valid until the end of April 2013

01993 822385 Fulbrook, Nr Burford, Oxfordshire 0X18 4DE

01453 883515 Cotswold Shepherd’s Huts, Sarratt, Keble Road, France Lynch, Nr. Stroud, Gloucestershire GL6 8LN

Fusion Hair Salon 25% off a bottle of Moroccan Oil with any highlights, tints or colours.

FREE Tree Planting with every job

(oil £22.50 normally £30) until the end of April 2013.

(exc price of the tree). Until the end of April 2013.

01451 810781 Unit 2 Moore Road, Bourton on the Water, Cheltenham, Glos, GL54 2AZ

Tel: 01608 644490 The Spinney, Elmsfield Industrial Estate, Worcester Road, Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, OX7 5XL

Durhams farm riding school – 3 for 2 on ½ hour riding lessons, for both Children and Adults until the end of April 2013 01608 674867 Durham’s Farm Riding School, Chastleton, Moreton in Marsh, Gloucestershire, GL56 0SZ

20% Off All Products From Our Online Shop Or Shop At Our Shooting School Until The End Of April 2013 01242 673542 - 07921951477 www.prescottshooting.com dan@prescottshooting.com Pinnock Wood Farm, Cheltenham, Nr Winchcombe, Gloucestershire, GL54 5AX

until the end of April 2013.

ALL CONTRACTS AGREED BEFORE 30TH OF APRIL HAVE THE CHANCE TO WIN EITHER A £500 JOHN LEWIS GIFT VOUCHER OR A NEW BATHROOM SUITE TO THE SAME VALUE.

24 High Street Moreton-in-Marsh Gloucestershire GL56 OAF 01608 651002

01242 621190 Alderwood Construction, Unit 5 Gamma, Orchard Industrial Estate, Toddington, Gloucestershire, GL54 5EB

R&D WALKER T/A P Checketts 15% off chuck steak and beef mince on orders on £5 or more

Cotswold -Homes.com

15% off our legal fees until the end of APRIL 2013.

Bampton Law Clanfield House, Market Square, Bampton, Oxfordshire OX18 2JJ T: 01993 852222

10% off throughout the store until the end of April 2013 when presenting your privilege card before placing your order. 01789 299446 Units 2-4 Avon Retail, Wharf Road, Stratford upon Avon, Warwickshire, CV37 0AD

VAT FREE on our Famous 24 Hour Taxi Service 50% off returns following an outbound journey within a 20-mile radius of Bourton-onthe-Water. Valid until the end of April 2013. 01451 820778 07585 308838 The Cotswolds

Book a full shellac manicure and cut& blow dry together in February or march for £46 - saving £10!

Art Deco GWR Bench, until the end of

April 2013. 01608 652505 12 Fosseway Business Park, Moreton in Marsh, Gloucestershire, GL56 9NQ

20% off allfashion clothing in store, brands to include Cavello, Gersemi, Horseware, Mountain Horse and more. Offer runs untill the 30th April 2013

Free Bottle of House wine, with a three-course dinner . Min 2 max 6 people, cannot be used with any other offers, valid until the end of April 2013. 01993 823151 Burford House Hotel, 99 High Street, Burford, Oxfordshire, OX18 4QA

Bring your pet to see us for a FREE HEALTH CHECK with a nurse and get a dog or cat goody bag whilst stocks last. 01451 830620 Stow Veterinary Surgeons, Maugersbury Road, Stow-on-the-Wold, Gloucestershire, GL54 1DU

15% Discount

in the Café and Foodstore. Valid until the end of April. Cannot be used in conjunction with other offers.

01451 820012 High Street, Bourton-on-the-Water, Gloucestershire, GL54 2AP

01451 850570 Unit 1, Manor Farm, Upper Slaughter, Cheltenham, Glos, GL54 2JJ

01451 830469 Ganborough Rd Moreton-in-Marsh, Longborough, Moreton-in-Marsh GL56 0QZ

10% off

10% off all wedding flower bookings, until the end of April. Cannot be used in conjunction with other offers.

20% off all prints with the code MHOMES20 at www. sarahfarnsworth. zenfolio.com. Valid until the end of April 2013

all stocked wood burning stoves

until the end of April 2013, cannot be used in conjunction with any other offers. 01608 682628 10 Blackwell Business Park, Blackwell, Near Shipston-on-Stour, Warwickshire, CV36 4PE

3 Keil Close, High Street | Broadway, Worcestershire, WR12 7DP 01386 853000 Email: info@broadway-florist.com

01608 652918 Grimes House, High Street, Moreton in Marsh, Glos GL56 0AT

Cotswold -Homes.com Cotswold Homes Directory of Independent Businesses HOMES AND GARDENS

Design Inspiration and Property Services ARCHITECTS Randell Burton Architects, Chipping Norton and Devon 01608 644573/01884 254465 Randell Burton Ltd is an RIBA Chartered Practice with offices in Devon and The Cotswolds and serves an extensive client base in both areas. W: www.randellburton.co.uk E: office@randellburton.co.uk

BATHROOMS The Bathroom Studio: 01386 47234 Our business is to design, supply and install bathrooms and with over 29 years of experience we pride ourselves on being able to provide a service that that is second to none. W: www.the-bathroomstudio.co.uk E: thebathroomstudio@btconnect. com

BUILDERS AND CONTRACTORS Alderwood Construction Ltd 01242 621190 W: www.alderwoodconstruction. co.uk E: info@alderwoodconstruction.co.uk Cotswold Building Contractors: 01386 840484 A local, friendly and trustworthy building and development service with a high degree of expertise and excellent workmanship E: neil.plumb@btconnect.com Domestic Tank Services - Water Storage, Diesel, Oil, Bespoke Tanks: 01386 853030 We are a young and dynamic company, whose team is built on the knowledge of over 30 years of experience. W: www.domestictankservices.com E: info@domestictankservices.com

110 Cotswold Homes Magazine

Four Shires Construction Ltd: 01451 850905 / 07879 473349 Four Shires Construction Ltd specialise in premium Cotswold Barn Conversions and renovations. Bathrooms, Living, Gym and Sauna, Bedrooms, Dining, External W: www.fourshiresconstruction.co.uk E : josh@fourshiresconstruction. co.uk

FIREPLACES

CARPETS AND FLOORING

Greyhound Stoves. Blackwell: 01608 682628 We are a Fireplace Stove Studio - our showroom features over 50 displays which include multi-fuel / wood burning stoves and stone and wood fireplace surrounds. W: www.greyhoundstoves.com E: greyhoundstoves@btconnect.com

Becknell Services - Flooring specialists: 01386 840484 Wood & Stone Floors Refurbished, Curtain Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning, Reach & Wash Window Cleaning E: neil.plumb@btconnect.com

Clearview Stoves, Stow-on-theWold 01451 831000 Britain’s leading manufacturer of clean burning wood stoves W: www.clearviewstoves.com E: info@clearviewstoves.com

FURNITURE Carpetwise, Curtainwise, Furniturewise, Stratford upon Avon 01789 299446 Carpetwise Stratford upon Avon, Warwickshire has grown to become one of the Midlands’ leading specialists in carpets, hard floor coverings, rugs, curtains, blinds, soft furnishings, and now furniture, stocking many well-known brands. W: www.carpet-curtainwise.co.uk E: info@carpet-curtainwise.co.uk KC Carpets, Moreton in Marsh: 01608 650331 We are a family run business that has been offering the best in carpets, vinyl flooring and blinds since 1984. W: www.kc-carpets.co.uk E: kccarpets@ymail.com

Baroque Ardor – unique hand painted furniture: 07595 894676 / 07920 112252 A successful partnership of interior designers who are dedicated to creating unique, hand painted furniture. W: www.baroque-ardor.co.uk E: info@baroque-ardor.co.uk Sebastian Sellers Northleach: 01451 861864 Mike Sellers Smith & his team at Sebastian Sellers have over 30 experience in the planning & creation of individually designed & handmade furniture. E: information@sebastiansellers. co.uk

Parsons Carpet & Flooring Specialists: Cheltenham: 01242 521273 Passionate about flooring and equally passionate about the quality of service that we provide to you! W: www.parsonsflooring.com E: enquiries@parsonsflooring.com

Westcote Design, Kingham: 01608 659091 We produce a comprehensive range of sofas, sofa beds, footstools, headboards and bespoke furniture manufactured by a small talented team. W: www.westcotedesign.co.uk E: info@westcotedesign.co.uk

DESIGNERS

GARDENS

Robert Boswell Design, Stow on the Wold 01451 831921 A complete design and specification service to the residential, retail and contract markets. W: www.rbdconsultancy.com E: rb@rbdconsultancy.co.uk

Annie Pearce, Garden Design: 01451 822390 I work with you personally to help you create your own beautiful, unique garden that I hope will truly enhance your life. W: www.anniepearce.co.uk E: annie@anniepearce.co.uk

Batsford Arboretum: 01386 701 441 For quality plants, gorgeous gifts and garden sundries, locally sourced home-baked food and beautiful shabby chic ideas from the Applestore shop. W: www.batsarb.co.uk E: arboretum@batsfordfoundation. co.uk Fosseway Garden Centre, Moreton in Marsh: 01608 651757 A large garden centre offering gardening, pets, gifts and everything to do with outdoor living, plus a great cafe. W: www.fossewaygardencentre.co.uk E: jo.creek@fossewaygardencentre. co.uk Lonstone: Garden Landscaping, Longborough: 01451 830140 Manufacturers of premium quality garden landscaping products, including paving and exclusive reproduction Lonstone Vintage Planters and feature pieces W: www.lonstone.co.uk E: info@lonstone.co.uk Treetech Arboricultural Services Ltd, Chipping Norton: 01608 644490 Professional, efficient service with consistent quality standards for all aspects of tree care W: www.treetech.co.ukE: ben@treetech.co.uk

INTERIORS Angela Hay Curtains & Blinds: 01386 700692 Hand made Curtains & Roman Blinds, based in the Cotswolds. W: www. angelahaycurtainsandblinds.com E: r.barrett200@btinternet.com Amanda Hanley By Design: 01993 822385 / 07976 353996 An independent and professional service for all of your interior design projects W: www.amandahanley.co.uk E: amanda@amandahanley.co.uk Bower Willis Designs 01608 690870 Kitchen Design, Stratford upon Avon, Warwickshire & Cotswolds. W: www.bowerwillisdesigns.co.uk E: studio@bowerwillisdesigns.co.uk

Cotswold -Homes.com Cotswold Homes Directory of Independent Businesses Pippa Paton Design: 01993 220 721 / 07836 793 624 A specialist in contemporary Cotswolds interior design creating beautiful, exceptional homes, which enhance the lives of those who live in them W: www.pippapatondesign.co.uk E: scott@pippapatondesign.co.uk Round House: 01242 521 900 / 07809 635 133 At Roundhouse we make beautiful kitchens, wardrobes and other furniture. What we design is a space for living. W: www.roundhousedesign.com E: jonny@roundhousedesign.com

HOUSE SITTERS Ticketyboo House Sitters, Barnwood, Gloucestershire: 01452 790104 If you are going on holiday, on business or leaving your home for any reason, Ticketyboo Housesitters offer you a personal house and pet sitting service. W: www.ticketyboo-housesitters.co.uk E: info@ticketyboo-housesitters.co.uk

PROPERTY MAINTENANCE Leave It to Us -Cotswolds: 01451 830199 Professional Cleaning - Property Maintenance - Home Makeovers - Quality Interior Decorating, Residential Property Finder, Specialising in Cotswold properties W: www.leaveittous.biz E: enquiries@leaveittous.biz

SWIMMING POOLS Five Valleys Natural Pools: Swimming Pools: 01453 884881 / 07714 236211 In partnership with Biotop: Design & Construct eco friendly natural swimming pools W: www.fivevalleysnaturalpools.co.uk E: mail@fivevalleysnaturalpools.co.uk

LIVING IN THE COTSWOLDS

Leisure, lifestyle and business ARTISTS AND CRAFTSMEN Adam Tatlow – Wildlife Photography: 07774 285 459 Cotswold Keeper Photography by Adam Tatlow; photography of all animals wild and free, taken in the stunning countryside near to Guiting Power in the heart of the Cotswolds. W: www.cotswoldkeeperphotography. com E: cotswoldkeeper@aol.com James Butler, Sculptor Celebrated artist and sculptor, commissioned by the Royal family, creator of many famous works of art W: jamesbutler-ra.com Laura Fearn – Art, Design & Illustration 07594 302216 Laura Fearn is an artist, illustrator and designer W: www.laurafearn.com Lindy Allfrey, Stow-on-the-Wold 01451 832440 Portrait Painter & Portrait Workshops W: www.lindyallfrey.co.uk E: lindyallfrey@btopenworld.com

WINDOWS

Tilly Tayler-Levy – Equine and Canine Artist: 07769 896 966 Tilly specialises in equine and canine portraiture in both oil and pastel as well as and sculpture in bronze. E: georgia-tl@hotmail.co.uk

Mike Honour Windows, Blockley: 01386 701079 When you choose Lattice Period Windows for your windows you can be sure that you are selecting the best combination of craftsmanship, style and durability. W: www.mikehonourwindows.co.uk E: sales@mikehonourwindows.co.uk

Whichford Pottery 01608 684416 Working as a team of potters, decorators and apprentices, we are committed to excellent craftsmanship and design. W: www.whichfordpottery.com E: flowerpots@whichfordpottery.com

EQUESTRIAN CENTRES Overdale Equestrian Centre, Nether Westcote: 01993 832520 Overdale Equestrian Centre is unique in its focus on teaching riders the HOW of riding, improving balance, skill and confidence. W: www.overdale-equestrian.co.uk E: karin@overdale-equestrian.co.uk Durhams Farm – Horse/Pony Riding: 01608 674 867 / 07811 339 162 A well-established, successful, fun riding school and livery yard; experienced, qualified and friendly instructors teaching a wide range of activities for all ages, all year round W: www.cotswoldriding.com E: info@cotswoldriding.com

ESTATE AGENTS Harrison & Hardie Estate Agents – North Cotswolds Moreton in Marsh: 01608 651000 moreton@harrisonandhardie.co.uk Bourton on the Water: 01451 822977; bourton@harrisonandhardie.co.uk Stow on the Wold: 01451 833170; stow@harrisonandhardie.co.uk Residential Lettings: 01451 833177; cgee@harrisonandhardie.co.uk The Leading Estate Agency specialising in Residential Sales and Lettings W: www.cotswold-homes.com Fine & Country Estate Agents: LONDON Represented in the North Cotswolds by HARRISON & HARDIE estate agents James von Speyr, Director 01451 833170; jvonspeyr@harrisonandhardie.co.uk Karen Harrison, Director 01608 651000; E: kharrison@harrisonandhardie.co.uk Award-winning, international agency for upper quartile residential property in the UK and abroad Superior town residences, luxury new-build properties and classic country homes W: www.fineandcountry.co.uk

FINANCIAL SERVICES JEM Financial Planning: Cotswolds: 01386 840777 John Magee, an Independent Financial Adviser, and Sue Ellis, a Mortgage Broker, offer friendly, professional advice W: www.johnny-magee.co.uk E: john@jemfinancial.co.uk

Philip Hanley Financial Services, Fulbrook: 01993 824680 Independent Financial Adviser providing investment, pensions and mortgage advice W: www.pjamesfs.com E: philip@pjamesfs.com

FINE FOOD AND DRINK SUPPLIERS Cotswold Gold, Stanton: 07867938221 Cotswold Gold is a Natural Extra Virgin Rapeseed Oil, extracted using traditional cold pressing. W: www.cotswoldgold.co.uk E: charlie@cotswoldgold.co.uk The Cotswold Brewing Company, Bourton on the Water: 01451 824488 A family owned and run brewery which supplies kegged and bottled lagers, wheat beer, stout and cider to pubs, restaurants and hotels in the Cotswolds. W: www.cotswoldbrewingcompany. co.uk E: sales@cotswoldlager.com The Cotswold Food Store & Café: 01451 830469 The Cotswold Food Store and Café is a must-visit farm shop situated in a traditional Cotswold stone barn. W: www.cotswoldfoodstore.co.uk E: richard@cotswoldfinefood.co.uk R&D Walker T/A P Checketts – Moreton in Marsh: 01608 651002 Butcher’s providing seasonal meats, game (when in season), local venison, local beef, lamb and pork W: www.cotswold-homes.com Simon Weaver – Cotswold Organic Dairy, Upper Slaughter We proudly follow a traditional method of organic farming, and place great store in caring for the land and animal welfare. 01451 870852 E: info@turnstonefarming.co.uk W: www.simonweaver.net

HOLIDAY COTTAGE MANAGEMENT Character Cottages, Cotswolds: 0844 870 8532 Character Cottages is a distinctive, full service holiday lettings business, with a focus on letting and managing fabulous country homes. W: www.character-cottages.com E: enquiries@character-cottages.com

www.cotswold-homes.com 111

Cotswold -Homes.com Cotswold Homes Directory of Independent Businesses MARKETING Cotswold-Homes.com: North Cotswolds: 01608 653899 Innovative, multi-media marketing for independent North Cotswold businesses W: www.cotswold-homes.com Marketing: collette@cotswoldhomes.com Editorial: matt@cotswold-homes. com Social media: leah@cotswold-homes. com

MH & Partners, Design, Web, Events & Marketing: 07773 369 648 mh&partners are a team of friendly, creative, people who work within many sectors including tourism, based in Ebrington and Stratford upon Avon W: www.mhandpartners.com E: info@mhandpartners.com

MECHANICS TWC Vehicle Services Freelance mechanic and Subaru specialist 07826 847357 E: teddolls@hotmail.co.uk

NURSERIES AND SCHOOLS Bloxham School, Bloxham Oxfordshire 01295 720222 Bloxham School is a small, friendly and flourishing co-educational boarding and day school of around 420 pupils. W: www.bloxhamschool.com E: registrar@bloxhamschool.com

Cotswold School – Bourton on the Water: 01451 820 554 / 01451 820 938 A popular, happy, and successful 11-18 Academy status school set in beautiful rural surroundings, with an excellent reputation for academic success. W: www.cotswold.gloucs.sch.uk E: admin@mail.cotswold.gloucs. sch.uk

112 Cotswold Homes Magazine

Stepping Stones & Woodland Adventure Holiday Club: 01451 820 345 Professional high quality care and education tailored to Children’s and Parents’ individual needs, implementing the Early Years Foundation Stage and all the requirements of Ofsted. W: steppingstonesnurserycotswolds.co.uk E: info@steppingstonesnurserycotswolds.co.uk

The Barn Nursery, Bourton-onthe-Water: 01451 822 224 The Barn Nursery is a family-run nursery school and day nursery offering full-time and sessional daycare for children aged from 3 months to 5 years W: www.cotswold-homes.com E: mrs_cort@yahoo.co.uk

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT Maggie Minter, Bourton on the Water Peak performance and high growth coaching 01451 810500 W: www.maggieminter.co.uk E: maggie@maggieminter.co.uk

PHOTOGRAPHERS Louise Bowles Photography, Blockley: 01386 701520 Professional photographer whose services include wedding and family photographsWeddings, Family Portraits, Newborn, Events, Studio in Blockley W: www.louisebowlesphotography. com E: info@louisebowlesphotography. com

Sarah Farnsworth Photography, Moreton in Marsh: 01608 652 918 / 07921 196 032 Commissions include rural nature, candid portraiture, product photography, landscapes, lifestyle & interiors, and sporting events amongst others. W: www.sarahfarnsworth.co.uk E: info@sarahfarnsworth.co.uk

PRINTERS Stones, Banbury Magazines, Directories, Catalogues, Commercial, Financial 01295 819300 W: www.stonestheprinters.co.uk E: info@stonestheprinters.co.uk

REMOVAL COMPANIES Cotswold Carriers Removals Limited, Chipping Norton: 01608 730500 We are a family-run business, operating 7 vehicles of varying sizes. W: www.cotswoldcarriers.co.uk E: bill@cotswold-carriers.com

RUGBY Gloucester Rugby Club, Gloucester Our famed grounds host the best rugby every season! 0871 871 8781 W: www.gloucesterrugby.co.uk E: admin@gloucesterrugby.co.uk

SHOOTING SCHOOLS Prescott Hill Shooting, Based at Ford Prescott Shooting specialises in providing the ultimate shooting experience both at our Shooting School in the Cotswolds or at a Stately Home or Castle! 01242 673542 W: www.prescottshooting.com E: dan@prescottshooting.com

SOLICITORS Bampton Law, Bampton and Bourton-on-the-Water: 01451 820265 Bampton Law LLP traditional in values, modern in practice. We pride ourselves on working alongside our clients as trusted advisors. W: www.bamptonlaw.co.uk E: info@bamptonlaw.co.uk Bower & Bailey Solicitors - Banbury, Oxford, Swindon,Witney: 01993 705095 At Bower & Bailey we offer a broad range of legal services designed to respond to the needs of both private and commercial clients. W: www.bowerandbailey.co.uk E: witney@bowerandbailey.co.uk

Kendall & Davies Solicitors, Cotswolds: 01451 830295 From our four offices we offer friendly, client-focussed services related to property, business and family matters. Bourton, Stow, Moreton and Burford W: www.kendallanddavies.co.uk E: stow@kendallanddavies.co.uk Thomas Legal Group, Gloucestershire: 01452 657950 Dedicated provider of conveyancing services in and around the Cotswolds, offering top quality service and FIXED PRICE conveyancing W: www.thomaslegalgroup.co.uk E: sharon.foote@ thomaslegalgroupuk.com

SURVEYORS Central Surveying, Cirencester: 01285 640840 Chartered Surveyors, Building Surveyors and Property Consultants for London and the South West. W: www.centralsurveying.co.uk E: office@centralsurveying.co.uk

TAXIS Hope Private Hire -Taxi Service: The Cotswolds: 01451 820778 / 07585308838 A reliable, punctual service available 24 hours a day Airport Transfers, Castles, Races, Seaport Transfers, Gardens and Tours of the Cotswolds W: www.hopeprivatehire.com E: andrew@hopeprivatehire.com

THEATRE & CINEMA Chipping Norton Theatre: 01608 642350 We are a theatre, an art-house cinema, a gallery and a concert hall. W: www.chippingnortontheatre.co.uk E: boxoffice@chippingnortontheatre. com The Regal Cinema, Evesham Art Deco Cinema 01386 421007 W: theregal.ac E: boxoffice@theregal.ac

Cotswold -Homes.com Cotswold Homes Directory of Independent Businesses TRANSPORT William Gilder Ltd, Cheltenham: 01242 620677 William Gilder Ltd has proudly provided specialist transportation services for over 25 years. Disposal, Painting, Storage, Transport W: www.williamgilder.co.uk E: theboss@wgilder.co.uk

THE HIGH STREET

Day-to-day essentials, occasional luxuries ANTIQUES Styles of Stow, Stow on the Wold: 01451 830 455 An extensive selection of rare and unusual grandfather clocks standing alongside other fine antique timepieces. Repairs and restoration carried out on site by our highly qualified craftsmen. W: www.stylesofstow.com E: info@stylesofstow.co.uk

FASHION AND JEWELLERY Brocks Menswear Stow on the old and Cirencester: 01451 831200 The theme is ‘smart casual’ and includes shirts, Polos, Knitwear, Trousers & Jeans, Jackets & Coats & Footwear. W: www.brocksmenswear.co.uk E: stow@brocksmenswear.co.uk

Foundation, Stow on the Wold and Cheltenham: 0845 388 7336 Clothing & Accessories for Modern Living W: www.shopfoundation.com E: info@shopfoundation.com

GH Fine Jewellery, Stow on the Wold: 01451 830155 GH Fine Jewellery specialises in antique jewellery, silver, second hand, valuations and buying E: patrick@ghfinejewellery.com

Fusion Unisex Hair Salon Bourtonon-the-Water: 01451 810781 Fusion hair salon specialises in cuts, re-styles, colours, and special occasions. Open daily from 9am, conveniently located just off the High Street. W: www.cotswold-homes.com MODE Hair & M Spa at Lapstone, Chipping Campden: 01386 841123 MODE: award winning hair stylists with innovative techniques and products, MSPA: provides balancing transforming treatments enabling purification and relaxation. W: www.mspa.so E: mspa@mail.com Personal Best Fitness Studio, Chipping Campden 01386 840437 A brand new studio in Chipping Campden offering everything from gym membership, personal training, sports and remedial massage and a whole range of classes! W: www.pbfitnessstudio.com E: info@pbfitnessstudio.com

The Cotswold Tailor Woodstock: 01993 358284 The Cotswold Tailor sells unique contemporary men’s and women’s clothing tailored in traditional tailored British Cloths. (Aptus Suits) W: thecotswoldtailor.com E: info@thecotswoldtailor.com

Rapid FX Personal Fitness, Draycott: 01386 701231 RapidFX personal training is dedicated to offering professional personal assistance to fitness and wellbeing within the North Cotswolds. W: www.rapid-fx.com E: tim@rapid-fx.com

FITNESS AND BEAUTY

FLORISTS

Cotswold Leisure, Bourton on the Water: 01451 824024 Cotswold Leisure Bourton offers a range of facilities to suit all ages and abilities. W: www.cotswold.gov.uk E: bourton.leisurecentre@cotswold. gov.uk

Cotswold Flowers, Bourton on the Water: 01451 821306 Family run florist offering local, national and international delivery six days a week Wedding Florist, Funeral, Local Delivery, Hand Tied Bouquets W: www.cotswoldflowers.co.uk E: info@cotswoldflowers.co.uk

BOOKSHOPS Cotswold Bookstore, Moreton in Marsh: 01608 652666 A large shop with a comprehensive stock of books for adults and children with large History and Military section, friendly atmosphere W: cotswoldbookstore.blogspot.co.uk E: cotsbookstore@tiscali.co.uk

DENTISTS Milton Dental Practice, Miltonunder-Wychwood: 01993 831396 Milton Dental Practice is a private practice dealing with all aspects of dental treatment. W: www.drbigg.com E: reception@drbigg.com

Cotswold Leisure, Chipping Campden 01386 841595 Cotswold Leisure, Chipping Campden provides indoor sports, recreation and leisure opportunities for the north Cotswold area. W: http://cotswoldleisure.org/ chipping-campden E: chippingcampdensportscentre@ cotswold.gov.uk

GIFT SHOPS Box of Delights – Bourton on the Water: 01451 822800 Box of Delights offers a range of beautiful contemporary gifts, greeting cards, Jewellery, home decorations. W: www.boxofdelights.biz E: enquiries@boxofdelights.biz

The Cedars – Bourton on the Water: 01451 822 399 The Cedars offers something for everyone, providing gift inspiration from unique colourful wall art and decorative tea light holders. W: www.cotswold-homes.com E: cedargifts@btinternet.com

VISITING THE COTSWOLDS

Where to stay, what to do, where to go? Go Stow, Stow on the Wold 01451 870 150 An independent Visitor Information Centre, with lots of experience and expertise to help you make the most of your visit to the Cotswolds W: www.go-stow.co.uk E: info@go-stow.co.uk Cotswold Shepherd’s Huts, Nr. Stroud 01453 883515/ 07971417177 Established in 2005 with over 70 satisfied customers, from the shores of Scotland to the tip of Cornwall, Cotswold Shepherd’s Huts have been used for a variety of purposes. W: www.cotswoldshepherdshuts. co.uk E: enquiries@ cotswoldshepherdshuts.co.uk

FAMILY DAYS OUT Cotswold Farm Park Guiting Power: 01451 850307 Cotswold Farm Park was the first Rare Breeds farm to open to the public. A total countryside experience in the heart of the Cotswolds W: cotswoldfarmpark.co.uk E: info@cotswoldfarmpark.co.uk

www.cotswold-homes.com 113

Cotswold -Homes.com Cotswold Homes Directory of Independent Businesses PUBS, TEA HOUSES AND COFFEE SHOPS Cacao Bean, Moreton in Marsh: 01608 652060 A Konditorei (German Pastry Shop) and Café that also provides celebration cakes made to order. Celebration cakes, Chocolates, Cakes, Truffles, Tarts, Fudge W: www.cacaobean.co.uk The Coach and Horses, Longborough: 01451 830325 A Cotswold village pub offering open fires, good food and awardwinning Donnington ales brewed just a couple of miles away. E: info@thecoachlongborough.com The Fox Inn, Broadwell: 01451 870909 The Fox is a friendly, family pub offering traditional pub food with beer garden, ideal for couples and families. E: foxinnbroadwell@aol.com The Fox Inn, Great Barrington: 01451 844385 The Prettiest pub setting in the Cotswolds on the banks of the river Windrush - Bar Snack Menu, Riverside Dining, Traditional C17th Bar with local Ales, Ciders & Juices W: www.foxinnbarrington.com E: info@foxinnbarrington.com The Halfway House, Kineton: 01451 850344 The Half Way House is 17th Century Inn serving good traditional food, using local ingredients, and fine local ale. W: www.thehalfwayhousekineton. co.uk The Lamb Inn, Great Rissington: 01451 820388 The Lamb Inn at Great Rissington is one of the Cotswolds’ most welcoming country inns situated in a beautiful village with lovely views from the garden. W: www.thelambinn.com E: enquiry@thelambinn.com The New Inn, Willersey: 01386 853226 The New Inn is a lovely pub with plenty to do and has a games room & skittle alley! Traditional village pub, Function room, Donnington Ales W: www.newinnbroadway.co.uk E: info@newinnbroadway.co.uk

114 Cotswold Homes Magazine

The Plough Inn, Ford: 0800 066 3851 Sitting in the hamlet of Ford, this popular 16th Century Inn is renowned for its excellent menu and fine Donnington ales W: www.theploughinnford.co.uk E: info@theploughinnford.co.uk Russells’s of Broadway, Broadway 01386 853555 Russell’s of Broadway brings something special to the Cotswolds area, a superb dining experience with seven tastefully appointed bedrooms. W: www.russellsofbroadway.co.uk E: info@russellsofbroadway.co.uk The Snowshill Arms, Snowshill: 01386 852653 A 13th Century pub, situated in the pretty, tranquil village of Snowshill - Beer garden, Function room, Donnington Ales, Children’s play area W: www.cotswold-homes.com The Vine Leaf, Stow-on-the-Wold: 01451 832010 The Vine Leaf. Here we serve good locally sourced food served all day. Anything from delicious home made burgers to sandwiches, light lunches and main meals. W: www.thevineleaf.co.uk E: thevineleaf@gmail.com

HOTELS Buckland Manor, Nr Broadway: 01386 852 626 Whether you are looking for a romantic getaway, somewhere for a special event or celebration, or a quiet escape, Buckland Manor won’t disappoint. W: www.bucklandmanor.co.uk E: info@bucklandmanor.co.uk Burford House Hotel A beautiful townhouse hotel rated AA 5 star with four poster beds and Wicked cream teas! 01993 823151 E: stay@burfordhouse.co.uk W: www.burford-house.co.uk Hyde Barn, Fosse Manor Hotel For Weddings and Events, a newly built bespoke barn, catering for up to 175 guests 01451 833 556 W: www.hydebarn.co.uk E: annie@hydebarn.co.uk

Lower Slaughter Manor, Lower Slaughter: 01451 820456 The epitome of country house chic; romantic getaways, restful breaks, conferences, and weddings, with exquisite dining also available to non residents. W: www.lowerslaughter.co.uk E: mail@lowerslaughter.co.uk Mill House Hotel, Kingham 01608 658188 The Mill House offers the highest standards of hospitality, luxury and service. W: www.millhousehotel.co.uk E: stay@millhousehotel.co.uk The Dial House Hotel & Restaurant Bourton on the Water: 01451 822244 The Dial House Hotel demonstrates the best blend of traditional and modern to bring you the ultimate country hotel experience. W: www.dialhousehotel.com E: info@dialhousehotel.com The Grapevine Hotel, Stow-on-the-Wold Set in this historic market town, a 17th century hotel renowned for its warm hospitality and delicious food 01451 830344 W: www.thegrapevinehotel.com E: stay@thegrapevinehotel.com The Washbourne Court Hotel, Lower Slaughter: 01451 822 143 The 17th Century venue provides luxurious short breaks, conferences, and wedding receptions, catering for locals as well as guests. W: www.washbournecourt.co.uk E: info@washbournecourt.co.uk Wyck Hill House Hotel & Spa, Stow on the Wold: 01451 831936 For somewhere to relax, to work, a place to celebrate or to combine all these things, Wyck Hill is the perfect venue. W: www.wyckhillhousehotel.co.uk E: sales.wyckhillhousebespokehotels. com

WEDDINGS Beautylicious & Kate’s Hair Flair, Bourton-on-the-Water: 01451 820012 Beautylicious offers a full range of beauty treatments including facials, make up, massage, manicures, pedicures, nail treatments and hair removal. W:www.beautylicious-bourton-co.uk E: beautyliciousbourton@gmail.com

Jenny Edwards-Moss, Stow-onthe-Wold: 01451 870194 Jenny Edwards-Moss has been designing and making wedding outfits for the mother of the bride or groom for 20 years from her shop in Stow-on-the-Wold, working mainly with luxurious and colourful silks. W: www.jennyedwardsmoss.co.uk E: jenny@jennyedwardsmoss.co.uk

Julia Sibun, Stow on the Wold: 07974 778 806 Julia Sibun, a wedding planner based close to Stow-on-the-Wold, has been planning weddings for ten years W: www.juliasibum.co.uk E: julia@jsibun.co.uk

Maggie Booth, Stroud: 01453 758621 Maggie Booth Photography – creating beautiful and thoughtful images that tell the story of your wedding day. W: www.maggieboothphotography. co.uk

Mudway Workman Marquees, Stoke Orchard: 01242 680 204 At Mudway Workman we provide marquee hire for functions of almost any size - for example, weddings, children’s parties, anniversaries, lunches, balls and corporate events. W: www.mudwayworkman.co.uk E: enquiries@mudwayworkman. co.uk

The Broadway Florist, Broadway: 01386 853000 Be inspired by The Broadway Florist’s gorgeous Flower Couture and Floral DECO collection detailing a selection of beautiful flowers for different occasions, scene setting and seasons. W: www.broadway-florist.com E:info@broadway-florist.com

White Room, Minchinhampton: 01453 883 048 The White Room is the Cotswolds’ best kept secret, an exclusive bridal boutique established in the beautiful town of Minchinhampton W: www.thewhiteroomuk.co.uk E: enquiries@thewhiteroomuk.co.uk