Cotswold Homes Summer 2014 by Cotswold Homes

Cotswold Homes COTSWOLD-HOMES.COM THE PROPERTY & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE FOR THE NORTH COTSWOLDS

SUMMER EDITION 2014 COMPLIMENTARY COPY

NELL GIFFORD ON TEN YEARS OF GIFFORDS CIRCUS • RUFUS HOUND GETS SERIOUS ABOUT THE NHS • SCIENCE FICTION GRANDMASTER BRIAN ALDISS • HOT PROPERTY • FESTIVAL FEVER: BIG FEASTIVAL, CORNBURY, WILDERNESS & MORE • PRIVILEGE CARD OFFERS • SUMMER TICKET GIVEAWAY EXTRAVAGANZA

Cotswold Homes Magazine CONTENTS The Ringmistress Speaks

Festival Fever Our top picks of upcoming festivals

The Roaring Girl

Events

We preview the RSC’s roaring new play

Rufus Hound

Nell Gifford on ten eventful years of Giffords Circus

What’s on near you this summer

The stand-up on his crusade to save the NHS

Cheltenham Racecourse

The other life of the famous racecourse 54

Brian Aldiss

The Grandmaster of Sci-fi fiction on his lengthy career

Movie Insider

Our inside man spills the beans on the hottest summer flicks

Paul Mayhew-Archer

The co-writer of The Vicar of Dibley on charity Maggie’s, writing, Parkinson’s and meeting Dustin Hoffman

Moreton Art Weeks

Tom Kerridge

Our foodie meets a proper nice bloke

Hot Property

The finest properties and Ask the Experts advice

Privilege Card Offers

123

Save money, shop local

Directory

128

Local & independent businesses near you

Get the lowdown on Moreton-in-Marsh’s art extravaganza

EDITOR’S WELCOME Summer is here and with it comes festivals, fetes and all manner of sunny excitements.We’ve had great fun in assembling a list of our favourite events for your delectation: whether you’re a foodie, an art buff or a welly-wearing rocker, there’s plenty to keep you occupied over the summer months. A highlight of the Cotswold calendar is undoubtedly the sight of Giffords Circus pitching up on the green – and in its tenth anniversary year, we’ve interviewed founder Nell Gifford to celebrate. But that’s not all: we’ve packed our summer issue with stars such as comedian Rufus Hound, legendary sci-ﬁ author Brian Aldiss and The Vicar of Dibley co-writer Paul Mayhew-Archer, who is busy working with Dustin Hoffman on a charming Roald Dahl adaptation. There’s also the pick of local property, exciting new Privilege Card offers and a directory of local independent businesses – and don’t forget to enter our many, many competitions for your chance to win festival tickets and bumper prizes. Cotswold Homes Magazine Our next edition, Autumn 2014, will bring you more upcoming events, special offers and articles showcasing the best of the local area – helping you to get the most out of life in this beautiful corner of the world. We will be distributing the next magazine from early September. To speak to a member of our team, please telephone 01451 833171 or email: Marketing and Sales – Sarah Harris – sarah@cotswold-homes.com, Emma Lawrence - emma@cotswold-homes.com Editor’s Desk – Matt Dicks – matt@cotswold-homes.com Property – Karen Harrison – karen@harrisonjameshardie.co.uk Administration – admin@cotswold-homes.com Design team: Alias www.wearealias.com

0845 257 7475 sayhello@wearealias.com

Star Chamber Ofﬁces, Hollis House, The Square, Stow-on-the-Wold, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL54 1AF

COTSWOLD-HOMES.COM THE PROPERTY & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE FOR THE NORTH COTSWOLDS www.cotswold-homes.com

Cotswold Homes Competition

COTSWOLD HOMES HOT SUMMER TICKET GIVEAWAY THIS SUMMER WE’VE GOT MORE COMPETITIONS THAN EVER BEFORE - AND ENTERING COULDN’T BE EASIER (JUST REMEMBER TO INCLUDE YOUR CONTACT DETAILS WITH EACH ENTRY SO WE CAN CONTACT YOU IF YOU WIN!). AND IF THAT ISN’T ENOUGH FOR YOU, THERE’S ALSO A CHANCE TO WIN A 2 HOUR EQUINE PHOTOSHOOT WITH TOP PHOTOGRAPHER CHRIS BOULTON SEE PAGE 51 FOR MORE DETAILS.

WIN 2 X TICKETS FOR THE ROARING GIRL AT THE ROYAL SHAKESPEARE COMPANY STRATFORD-UPON-AVON

For your chance to win tickets to the rip-roaring production explored in this magazine (excluding Saturday performances), all you have to do is email admin@cotswold-homes.com with ROARING GIRL in the subject ﬁeld. Alternatively you can enter by liking us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ cotswoldhomespage and sending us a message. Entries must be received by draw date 17th July 2014.

WIN A FAMILY TICKET (2 X ADULT, 2 X CHILDREN) TO GIFFORDS CIRCUS

For your chance to win a ticket to the much-loved Giffords Circus (speciﬁcally the Monday 28th July 1.00pm performance at Barrington) all you have to do is email admin@cotswold-homes.com with GIFFORDS in the subject ﬁeld. Alternatively you can enter by liking us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cotswoldhomespage and sending us a message. Entries must be received by draw date 17th July 2014.

WIN AN ANNUAL PASS (2 X ADULTS, 2 X CHILDREN / 1 X ADULT, 3 X CHILDREN) TO ADAM HENSON’S COTSWOLD FARM PARK For your chance to win, all you have to do is email admin@cotswold-homes.com with FARM PARK in the subject ﬁeld. Alternatively you can enter by liking us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ cotswoldhomespage and sending us a message. Entries must be received by draw date 15th August 2014. LIKE US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE CHANCES TO WIN! WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/COTSWOLDHOMESPAGE 4

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Cotswold Homes Competition

COTSWOLD HOMES HOT SUMMER TICKET GIVEAWAY WIN A FAMILY TICKET (2 X ADULT, 2 X CHILDREN) TO CORNBURY MUSIC FESTIVAL (4TH, 5TH, 6TH JULY)

WIN 3 X PAIRS OF TICKETS TO BARBURY HORSE TRIALS (FOR 5TH OR 6TH OF JULY)

For your chance to win, all you have to do is email admin@cotswold-homes.com with BARBURY in the subject ﬁeld. Alternatively, you can enter by liking us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cotswoldhomespage and sending us a message. Entries must be received by 30th June 2014.

For your chance to win, all you have to do is email admin@cotswold-homes.com with CORNBURY in the subject ﬁeld. Alternatively you can enter by liking us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cotswoldhomespage and sending us a message. Entries must be received by draw date 3rd July 2014.

WIN A FAMILY TICKET (2 X ADULT, 2 X CHILDREN) TO THE BIG FEASTIVAL (29TH- 31ST AUGUST) For your chance to win, all you have to do is email admin@cotswold-homes.com with FEASTIVAL in the subject ﬁeld. Alternatively, you can enter by liking us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cotswoldhomespage and sending us a message. Entries must be received by 10th August 2014.

TERMS & CONDITIONS

Entry to the competition is open to all except the employees (and their families) of Cotswold Homes or Harrison James & 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 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 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

NELL GIFFORD

It’s all thanks to the visionary Nell Gifford who, together with husband Toti, has realised her incredible dream of running her own circus. With Giffords now in its tenth year, we caught up with Nell at the farm where she is conducting rehearsals for new show The Thunders.

CH: First things ﬁrst: tell us a little about your new book!

So the strength of Giffords Circus lies in your partnership?

NG: It combines all sorts of material from the archives: photographs, drawings, diaries that tell the story of Giffords Circus from the start-up days onwards…

On this sunny spring morning, the farm is positively industrious – a place of continuous painting, prop-making, assembling and, of course, performing (practice makes perfect).

When did you ﬁrst get this altogether ambitious idea of actually starting a circus? What made you think ‘Yes, I can really do this?’

Deﬁnitely. Toti put all his thought into it as well. We met in 1997. He came to join the circus I was working with in ‘98 – we were engaged then – and we just started talking…and drawing. It’s really strange but, we’ve worked out that somehow if we draw things, they tend to happen. If we don’t draw an idea it simply doesn’t happen. Is the drawing of it what’s making it happen? It’s very odd…

Inside the tent Giffords regular Nancy practises with a perch of doves, while outside freshly painted wagons await the road. A stormy mural hangs behind the art director as she constructs a few shattered Grecian columns for this year’s Olympian theme. Children play, dogs snooze and the iconic Brian the Goose honks in his pen. It is an opportune moment to ask Nell about her upcoming book and ten years of wonderfully unruly circus life… 8

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I always wanted to start my own circus since the age of eighteen when I worked on one, which was the ﬁrst time I properly saw a circus. The journey to having one of my own has been full of ups and downs, moments of thinking ‘this is completely impossible’… When my husband Toti and I got together it all got moving. He’s a landscape architect/ engineer, very good at logistics – planning, driving, everything. We realised we could put our skills together and make a go of it. It became his passion, too.

What was the response of friends and family when you announced these grand plans? Some people were sceptical, some were enthusiastic and some thought we were going to lose all our money – not that we had any money anyway. So it was mixed. But now everybody loves the circus, it’s only really those closest to us that worry it could be too tiring and stressful. Yes, it’s work, but it’s really fun – and everybody enjoys the shows now.

NELL GIFFORD

“When my husband Toti and I got together it all got moving. He’s a landscape architect/ engineer, very good at logistics – planning, driving, everything. We realised we could put our skills together and make a go of it.” A new Giffords show is deﬁnitely a hotly anticipated event in the local calendar. It is surprising that it’s only been ten years – it feels like people have been talking about it forever… I know. It’s weird because I can’t believe that anybody’s heard of it. It still surprises me when people say they come every year to see it. I think that it surprises me because you’re always worrying about it as a business, so you never think: ‘Oh gosh, clever us, it’s all done and dusted!’ It is always ‘How can we improve on that?’ and ‘Is that department working as well as it could?’ Troubleshooting, basically, and waiting for the next thing to go wrong – and then putting it right. But there’s the creative element too, steering the ship creatively. Would it be right to say that it’s the creative aspect that most appeals to you? Well, I really, really like thinking of acts, designing acts with animals and making them happen. I love creating a team. That’s what I like to do. www.cotswold-homes.com

NELL GIFFORD

Can you tell us about your creative process? How do you develop these sketch-like ideas? I’ve always got about ten other shows in my head at any time. You start to understand that anything is possible – we can do Joan of Arc or Noah’s Ark. We can build an ark and whilst we might not be able to do the whole animals going in two-by-two, we’ll find a way to do it. We’ll bring a certain joy in believing that those animals are there – that’s theatre. Once you realise that you can do anything, it’s not that difficult to think of ideas. It’s so fun. Have you ever had an idea that’s been too ambitious? Loads of times. But the more you work you realise what your strengths are, so you can play to them. Trying things, failure, it’s all part of it. When you think back to the circus ten years ago, was it markedly different to how it is today? In a way it was exactly the same, except a bit smaller and with fewer people. I think it was less designed but in a way it was more designed, because nothing pre-dated it. The curtains were curtains: real, actual curtains from a window. The clothes were mainly old riding clothes that we had, though we’d made a few. There were two musicians whereas now we have five – and we have had up to sixteen. But it was the same atmosphere, essentially. In that first year somebody said ‘you look like Edwardian children dressing up’ and I thought that was lovely. The musicians were really good musicians, even if they were working with the most basic of equipment. It was great. What is the ‘circus community’ like? You have a variety of performers. How do you all fit together in the day-to-day? It’s a very global community – lots of languages, lots of nationalities. It’s really good fun, like a travelling party. It’s almost like a summer wedding that goes on for the whole summer. You feel like you’ve had enough of everybody by the end of the season – as you would if you have been at a

“It’s a very global community – lots of languages, lots of nationalities. It’s really good fun, like a travelling party. It’s almost like a summer wedding that goes on for the whole summer.” 10

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party with the same people for five months. Some people don’t get on, but most people do. There are people in charge. We make sure people are well looked after and we manage the managers. It’s organized and creative and there’s routine. Do you hold auditions? Not as such now, as there aren’t really many good-enough circus people in the UK – though we do audition for musicians. Really it’s more of a scouting process. We have a good set of international contacts now. We need to go abroad to do more of that but I don’t want to leave the children - I’d rather wait until they’re big enough before we start travelling again, so we’re coasting on a lot of work we did in the first ten years. When they are seven and upwards we’ll go, but I really don’t want to drag them to Moscow. It’s too big and exhausting for them – and I’m not prepared to go and leave them here. Do you have a work/life balance? Or are work and life one and the same? I think I finally have a good work/life balance. Now I definitely know when something goes out of balance and how to address it. When you’re hitting forty and getting older it’s good to know you can actually just leave things to run themselves, and if they can’t you have to make it so they can…

So it’s a question of becoming a better manager? Yes, letting people make mistakes and knowing when to be there…when you’re needed and when you’re not. There’s that old adage: ‘never work with children or animals’. What would you say to that? I love working with animals and animals love working with people. Domestic animals are happy to take leadership from humans and have even been bred to do so. The only frustrating thing is that there are a lot of voices that are saying it’s cruel – but these are people who may well be going out to work all day and leaving the dog at home and giving it a walk around the park on a lead in the evening. Our dogs are in company all day long. They’re stimulated, always on the go training in an enriching environment. I saw a documentary where they ﬁlmed dogs left at home when the owners went out to work and it was just awful – they were howling, distressed…If people actually thought our dogs were mistreated, I’d love to know what the alternative is! The Giffords book that is about to be published is a retrospective of the last ten years. When you look back over that time, are there any memories that give you particular pleasure? I think the pleasure comes from having long

NELL GIFFORD

“This is my favourite time of year (early April). Full of hope, full of promise, all the new people are still openeyed about it and the old people are helping them along. It’s really nice.” working relationships with people, that you’ve managed to achieve that. It’s usually the pain that gives you amusement later: thinking: ‘Oh my God, did we do that?’ For instance, we got stuck trying to get into Hoxton Square in London: we had to take the gates off their hinges and were blocking all the Old Street trafﬁc at six in the morning – it was cooking hot and we were just dripping, stuck… we were proper country bumpkins trapped in this urban environment we just didn’t understand very well.

TSIEE P

I remember being there and talking to him, but I next saw him at Zippos. I got to know him over the years – everybody knows everybody in circus. He came and started working here in 2003 and we got along well together, just worked really well. But in circus everybody knows everyone, everywhere. We could go see a circus in Iceland and we’d probably know somebody. When the show is in full swing, what is a typical day like?

This is my favourite time of year (early April). Full of hope, full of promise, all the new people are still open-eyed about it and the old people are helping them along. It’s really nice.

Animals in the morning from 7.30, so they get their exercise and training and playing, then other people will get in the ring for a few rehearsals, lunch. The afternoon is like a little siesta. People do tend to sleep in the afternoon if there are evening shows because you’re up until ten. Teatime is the wake up time and then: shows.

Do you think in time your children will take up the circus mantle?

Can you tell us a little bit about The Thunders and what we can expect?

I hope so. I really, really hope so, but it’s up to them. I hope that they think of it as a family business that they’d like to take on. I don’t know, they might hate it, but they don’t seem to hate it now.

Spotty dogs, spotty horses, high camp swords and sandals, a Trojan horse and Greek myths (but all very tongue-in-cheek).

What’s your favourite time of year?

NS WCIKAEGTE 4

Scottish Exhibition Centre car park in about ‘94. He was a clown, I was a groom and he was visiting with a friend (who was also a clown) and there was a party in the caravan after the show.

How did you come to meet Tweedy, the muchloved clown? I’ve known Tweedy since before we started Giffords Circus. I met him in a caravan at the

Thank you, Nell. We can’t wait to see the show… Find out more information about Giffords Circus and their The Thunders performances at www. giffordscircus.com…and why not try entering our competition for a free family ticket? www.cotswold-homes.com

THe roarInG GIrl

DRESSED FOR EXCESS

‘IN A LONDON FUELLED BY GREED AND DESIRE, CROSS-DRESSING HEROINE MOLL HAS THE WORLD WRAPPED AROUND HER LITTLE FINGER, AND SHE HAS A PLAN…’ WE EXPLORE A CROOKED CITY WORLD OF CUTPURSES, REBELS AND DRAG KINGS IN THE RSC’S PRODUCTION THE ROARING GIRL.

‘It’s a Jacobean play where a woman doesn’t end up married or dead,’ says director Jo Davies, who is resurrecting a controversial figure for her RSC debut. ‘And that by its nature is a rarity. This roaring girl does properly roar…’ The eponymous ‘roaring girl’ is Moll Cutpurse, a cross-dressing libertine and the hot-blooded heart of the RSC’s new production, based on a play first published in 1611. Inspired by the notorious real-life pickpocket/ fence Mary Frith – the so called ‘Governess of London’s underworld’ - Moll lives by her own rules in a world dominated by corrupt and hoggish men. Dekker & Middleton’s play opens with a frustrated proposal: when the powerful Sir Alex Wengrave refuses to allow his son Sebastian to marry fiancé Mary because the dowry is too small, Sebastian pretends to have fallen in love with the infamous Moll - hoping to horrify his father into accepting Mary as a preferable daughter-in-law.

Mary Frith was the original, as far as I’m concerned, as she just did not care what people thought of her… She was dynamite, a cool chick born out of her time.

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COSTUME DESIGN FOR MRS TILTYARD BY NAOMI DAWSON

TICKIN see E PaG TS e 4

THe roarInG GIrl

Photos of The Roaring Girl by Helen Maybanks

This rare revival of The Roaring Girl marks the start of a ‘Roaring Girls season’ at the RSC – a succession of plays that puts women front and centre. But when scheming Sir Alex enlists the villainous Trapdoor in his plot to ruin Moll, she finds her already tarnished reputation under assault – can this free spirit thwart the conniving attempts to brand her a whore? This rare revival of The Roaring Girl marks the start of a ‘Roaring Girls season’ at the RSC – a succession of plays that puts women front and centre.This

particular production brings the action forward to the 1890s, with the characters decadently decked out to reflect the grit and glamour of City life. In amongst the chequered rogues, Lisa Dillon’s swaggering, whip-thin Moll rocks out with slicked hair and a drawn-on moustache. Swinging from chandeliers and strumming an electric guitar, she’s a woman ahead of her time. Dolling up as a man is her

way of asserting independence from those who view women as little more than flesh for the fondling. ‘The definition of a roaring girl is bred out of the definition of a roaring boy, interestingly enough,’ reveals Jo. ‘I described [the play] the other day to somebody as a Jacobean Pussy Riot…Lady Gaga might have the same sort of spirit as a roaring girl, or Madonna. www.cotswold-homes.com

THe roarInG GIrl

There’s a line she has in the play: “I care not what other people think of me. I please myself.” It’s just as if she’s saying “Be who you are”. You have a voice, so use it.

It’s women who put themselves out there ahead of the game and say “actually, I want to change the parameters, I want to change the tone that you’re talking to me with.” ‘It’s women who put themselves out there ahead of the game and say “actually, I want to change the parameters, I want to change the tone that you’re talking to me with.” Moll Cutpurse is such an unusual character – she quips, she smokes, she sings, she harangues people all the time – she’s a force of nature from the moment she steps on the stage… ‘There’s a line she has in the play: “I care not what other people think of me. I please myself.” It’s just as if she’s saying “Be who you are”. You have a voice, so use it.’ ‘I think that when the Spice Girls claimed Girl Power 18

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they didn’t know what they were talking about,’ says Lisa, who clearly relishes playing the renegade Moll (you might remember Lisa’s spirited performances from from 2012’s The Taming of the Shrew or The Knot of the Heart at the Almeida). ‘Mary Frith was the original, as far as I’m concerned, as she just did not care what people thought of her…She was dynamite, a cool chick born out of her time. Her philosophy was out of her time. ‘She was inspirational, in that way. I think a modern audience will enjoy and marvel at her freedom.’

If the riotous tale of Moll Cutpurse has whet your appetite for taboo-breaking mayhem, watch out for Arden of Faversham (until 2 October) in which a miserable wife plots the murder of her businessman husband, and The White Devil (30 July – 29 November), a violent tragedy where adultery and corruption take centre stage. The Roaring Girl is at the RSC’s Swan Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon until the 30th of September. Visit www.rsc.org.uk/roaring for booking and further information, or call the ticket hotline on 0844 800 1110

CoTTonwood InTerIors

Come home to Craftsmanship with Cottonwood Interiors FAMILY-RUN COTTONWOOD INTERIORS specialise in all types of fitted and freestanding furniture for all the rooms in your home, transforming unusable spaces into stylish, adjustable storage areas that can be totally functional, durable and beautiful all at the same time.

Making all their furniture at their own manufacturing site based in Chipping Norton - the gateway to the Cotswolds - they’re ideally positioned to cover Oxfordshire and surrounding counties. With 30 years’ experience in both residential and commercial arenas, they’re very flexible and can accommodate most requirements: designing, creating, building and installing your unique, practical, durable, handmade quality furniture. But Cottonwood don’t just stop at shelving, storage, fitted or freestanding furniture: they also do bespoke wardrobes, bedrooms, quality bookcases, stylish media units and all varieties of handmade wooden furniture. They also create fabulous kitchens and bathroom cabinetry, with designs ranging from hearty Cotswold styles to contemporary designer looks. ‘We’re dedicated to creating interior designs that unite form and function into a single concept reflecting your own personality and style. With the right design, any space can be turned into an environment of wellbeing and efficiency,’ says Cottonwood Interiors’ Sophie Evans.

‘We will assist you you with every aspect of your project - from the initial concept to the last door handle. With our free consultation service and affordable prices, you’ll be glad you came to Cottonwood.’ ‘We assist you with every aspect of your project - from the initial concept to the last door handle. With our free consultation service and affordable prices, you’ll be glad you came to Cottonwood.’ But don’t just take it from them. Mr and Mrs Thornton from Bourton-on-the-Water said: ‘We are thrilled with our beautiful study units and bedroom furniture - the design and quality of workmanship is perfection. Cottonwood Interiors’ work ethos is exceptional…they are friendly and supportive. We have really enjoyed working with them and

we are listing new projects for them as we speak.’ While Mr Knollys of Oxford said: ‘My kitchen is perfect, beautiful colour and great design. We received swift, reliable service with excellent communication and all for unbelievable value for money. It was very reassuring to deal with such an organised and helpful company.’ See what Cottonwood Interiors can do for you: visit www.cottonwoodinteriorslimited.co.uk or get in touch by telephone: 01608 643897 or by email: info@cottonwoodinteriorslimited.co.uk www.cotswold-homes.com

Cowley Manor

Celebrate at Cowley Manor in the Cotswolds ... Cowley Manor is a contemporary, country house hotel that sits in the glorious Cotswold countryside surrounded by rolling parkland, woods and meadows. The gardens feature several natural springs, a series of lakes and Victorian cascades. Cowley Manor and its award-winning design and architecture combined to pioneer a new wave of country house hotels. With emphasis on comfort, service and very few rules, Cowley Manor is the ideal place to relax, unwind and indulge in the heart of the British countryside. From small and intimate gatherings to large and opulent parties, we have the space and flexibility to accommodate a wide range of events. Contact our dedicated events team, who will be happy to help you with your next celebration or gathering.

Cowley Manor, Cowley nr Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, GL53 9NL +44 (0) 1242 870 900 events@cowleymanor.com www.cowleymanor.com 20

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Cowley Manor

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Rufus Hound

Rufus Hound gets serious about saving the NHS Most know Rufus Hound as an award-winning comedian and current star of smash musical Dirty Rotten Scoundrels - but now he’s running with the single-issue National Health Action party in the May European Parliamentary election polls. We find out what made him take the plunge into politics… CH:You recently ‘came out’ as a politician on the Jonathan Ross show. As a comedian, did you feel apprehensive about declaring an interest in politics? RH: Not as much as I should have done, probably! I think as a comedian, you get used to chewing ideas over, looking for what's funny about them. I'm very aware that my politics are founded on a bigger picture. I start with a sense of ‘What is it that actually improves the world? What is it that would actually benefit humanity?’ and then read what people far smarter than me have written about it. As opposed to people working in one specific field, and then expand on the central tenets of that specialism. People are quick to berate social media, but as a news aggregation service,Twitter is second to none. Follow the right people and it's increasingly easy to get a picture of the world as it is, as opposed to the one a tiny handful of oligarchs who run this country want you to believe it is. I realise that makes me sound like a tin-hatted conspiracy theorist, but I assure you, my kitchen foil remains for culinary use only. What sort of people is the NHA (National Health Action party) made up of, and do they have any chance of government? The NHA was founded by two doctors - Dr Clive Peedell & Dr Richard Taylor (the twice elected independent MP who ran a "Save Kidderminster 22

Cotswold Homes Magazine

Rufus Hound

Hospital" campaign).The rest of the party is made up almost exclusively of healthcare staff who are aghast that successive governments have been intent on ripping the NHS to pieces – pieces, - it should be said that are unsurprisingly lucrative for a host of private companies, the management of which are all making massive donations to The Conservative Party. I think it's true to say that no one in The NHA wants to be a politician.They'd all rather be treating people with cancer, nursing, driving ambulances, saving lives. But to paraphrase Plato: ‘One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics, is that you end up being governed by your inferiors.’ It is a party of people who feel compelled to act, rather than standing on the sidelines watching as our NHS is deliberately underfunded, left to fail, demonised and then sold off.They are people who want to fight - almost as if caring for the broken and dying weren't heroic or hard enough.

So, the title of my blog post was "David and Jeremy want your children to die - unless they're rich." Everyone who read the blog knew exactly what I was saying. That for the generation behind me, healthcare will be apportioned according to wealth not need.

What was it about current government policy that compelled you to stand as an MEP for the NHA? In the last five years, 70% of healthcare contracts have gone to private companies. According to the WHO (World Health Organisation) that fits within the definition of privatisation. So - and I really can't shout this loud enough - it is a provable fact that the NHS is being privatised. Now let's look at that bastion of private health provision, the USA. In America the biggest cause of bankruptcy (over 60%) is medical bills. 25 million Americans (almost 10%) will skip or forego prescription medication due to cost.The founder of the NHS, Nye Bevan, famously said: ‘Illness is neither an indulgence for which people have to pay, nor an offence for which they should be penalised, but a misfortune - the cost of which should be shared by the community.’ So to me this all comes down to a single idea - do we want to live in a world where we all work together or a world where it's every man jack for himself, where sharp elbows and selfishness reign? The specific reasons for running as an MEP are because I want to create public desire to exempt the NHS from TTIP - a truly scandalous piece of Euro-legislation that will make it possible for companies to sue governments for perceived loss of profit. Bayer is already suing the EU for its ban on neonicotinoids/neonics (pesticide proven to be responsible for decimating the bee population) - a step the EU took to protect the entire food chain of planet Earth. Once governments are obligated to work solely in the interest of corporate bottom lines, it strikes me that civilisation is, basically, over. We've prioritised spreadsheets over the human experience. You published some controversial remarks about the intentions of the Conservatives towards the NHS. Broadly speaking, what has the public response to your remarks been?

I used to work in PR. I was terrible at it, but I wrote pretty good press releases. I know that to make what you're saying stand out you kick off with an outlandish remark and then fill in the detail thereafter. It's what journalists do all the time. So, the title of my blog post was "David and Jeremy want your children to die - unless they're rich." Everyone who read the blog knew exactly what I was saying.That for the generation behind me, healthcare will be apportioned according to wealth not need.That health outcomes for the poor will be significantly worse unless we reverse the changes made to our health service. However, a handful of Tory attack dogs decided it was time to 'take offence', to chasten me for the clearly hyperbolic headline, rather than engage with the article itself. Do I think Cameron and Hunt want your children to die? No. Obviously not. Do I think the life expectancy of poor children will fall as a direct result of the changes these men are inflicting on the NHS? I absolutely do - but not because I start from the position that I want to upset Conservatives, because that's what the experts predict, based on cold, hard evidence. Do you concede that one day it might be necessary to implement additional funding measures as our population grows? What do you think of the proposition made by former Labour health minister Lord Warner that every user of the NHS should pay £10 per month to help keep it afloat, or the ‘sin taxing’ of sugary foods, alcohol and tobacco? Population growth has nothing to do with it.The NHS is funded through tax, so as long as people pay their tax, proportionally, the NHS remains affordable. However, what's happening with our economy is that all of the money is being squeezed up to the top, whilst the other 99% of people are experiencing a genuinely enormous cost-of-

living crisis. If we created a society that had - as a foundation - the notion that success is measured by contribution, not personal wealth, then I think we'd be providing the framework for a nation moving forward with pride. As for charging people to visit their GP, £10 may not sound like a lot of money, but if you've got three kids and they all come down with something, you're asking many of the least fortunate members of our society to find money that they simply don't have. I accept that this charge could be means tested, but I'm also given to the argument that implementing this system costs more to administrate than it would save. ‘Sin taxing’ may work, but bearing in mind how much of the food in supermarkets isn't particularly good for you, the cost of an average weekly shop could skyrocket. In a year that has seen the use of foodbanks increase by 163%, that seems like just one more way to make life harder for those who have it hardest. Dr Clive Peedell of the NHA will be running against Witney’s current MP, Prime Minister David Cameron himself, in the 2015 elections. What’s he like? Genuinely one of the most exceptional men you could ever wish to meet.You could do no better in an elected representative than this consultant cancer specialist, who passionately and genuinely cares about the well being of everyone, regardless of their status. A far cry indeed from Cameron, the man who promised there'd be ‘no more top down reorganisations of The NHS,’ then, having been elected, embarked on the biggest top down re-organisation in the NHS's history - or to use the words of former NHS Chief Executive Sir David Nicholson ‘a reorganisation so big you can see it from outer space.’ Thank you, Rufus. www.cotswold-homes.com

BrIan aldIss

JAZZ FM PRESENTER DAVID FREEMAN TRACKS DOWN THE VISIONARY AUTHOR

With the huge popular and critical acclaim of the film Gravity, science fiction is taking back the stage.There are countless SF films produced every year but, from time to time, one movie breaks through and utterly commands public attention. Movers and shakers in the horror, thriller and fantasy genres are all too eager to splice SF DNA into their narratives, and a great many recent blockbusters – The Matrix, Inception, Avatar – are indebted to the ferocious imaginations of a handful of prolific 20th century writers - luminaries such as Philip K. Dick and J.G Ballard who speculated where mankind was heading and shuddered.

Brian will be 90 next year and to mark this momentous occasion Harper Collins imprint The Friday Project has purchased the rights to more than fifty of his works to re-publish in e-book and print over the course of 4 years.To find how this remarkable man is enjoying his ongoing celebrity I went to meet him in his Headington home.

One of the greatest masters of the SF genre is Brian Aldiss. He has written over 100 books, and in the early 1960s began a sci-fi journal, SF Horizons, that included contributions from Kingsley Amis and C.S Lewis. He was named a Grand Master by the Science Fiction Writers of America in 2000 and was inducted by the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 2004. He has received two Hugo Awards, one Nebula Award, and one John W. Campbell Memorial Award. His short story Super-Toys Last All Summer Long was the basis for the Stanley Kubrick/Steven Spielberg film A.I. Artificial Intelligence.

My first stories were written when I was 14 and were ‘The ‘Adventures of Whip Donovan’. Whip travels round the solar system – I wrote them and illustrated them with my paintbox.

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Hello Brian. When did you ﬁrst become interested in science ﬁction? When I was a kid everyone read H.G.Wells. His books were beyond popular – everyone knew The War of the Worlds.

The incredible thing is that these two handwritten books have turned up in the Bodleian Library. I couldn’t believe it and my publisher is going to bring out an edition of the Whip Donovan story.

How did your ﬁrst published book come about? Well, it’s a long story! During the war I served in the Middle East and returned to the family home in Barnstable, and out of the blue I decided to buy a single ticket to Oxford and got a job in a bookshop. Every week the Bookseller magazine was passed round and I found it a bit dull. I wrote to the editor suggesting I write a weekly comic column and they happily agreed. Faber and Faber then asked if they could publish the strips in a book, which they did. It was first published in 1955 as the Brightfount Diaries – the book is still available! What was your ﬁrst published Science Fiction novel? It was called Non–Stop and it was about a space ship that had been on an exploratory mission but when it got back to earth orbit their home planet wouldn’t let them land. It was based on my own experience of trying to get back to England after serving abroad… For all sorts of reasons for a long time I just couldn’t get back…So I made it into a space story.

BrIan aldIss

Have you recycled your own life experiences in other stories? One of the next books was GREYBEARD. I was married – we were so poor we lived in Kidlington! We began to be more successful and moved to a lovely house in Oxford. My wife didn’t like living in Oxford and moved to the Isle of Wight. I was broken hearted. I missed the children hugely and expressed myself in a story where there was a time in the future when there were no children. I thought it was unlikely to be popular but now it’s a Penguin Classic. Tell me about the ﬁlms you have been involved with. One of my books, Frankenstein Unbound, was made into a film by Roger Corman. It was marketed as a horror movie and starred John Hurt and Bridget Fonda. Corman was such a nice guy. He invited all my family to join the cast in Italy for the filming. It was great fun.

“MY FIRST STORIES WERE WRITTEN WHEN I WAS 14 AND WERE ‘THE ‘ADVENTURES OF WHIP DONOVAN’. WHIP TRAVELS ROUND THE SOLAR SYSTEM – I WROTE THEM AND ILLUSTRATED THEM WITH MY PAINTBOX.” Now let’s talk about A. I Artiﬁcial Intelligence… This started as a short story in a magazine. It was called Super-Toys Last All Summer Long. It’s about a robot boy who wants to be a real boy. Stanley Kubrick read it, liked it and got in touch. Then we started working on the film. It was great – every morning a limo would pick me up and it was fine. Stanley however was coming to the end of his life and it was rather challenging.

Now we live in one of the high tech futures you imagined. Are you comfortable in this world? Well quite honestly I don’t have much to do with it. My life is very much how it has always been in the past 60-odd years. I find myself impelled to write, which I do every day.* * And at that point Brian strode into his study to write another page - and I got into my car feeling that maybe I should just try harder. David

When he died Steven Spielberg took over the film and he was a delight to work with. It took a while: the production had its first meetings in the early 1970s and the film was finally released in 2001. Now we are 14 years into the new millennium. You wrote a history of Science Fiction called The Billion Year Spree. In that you argue that Science Fiction was a 20th century phenomenon… I think that’s true. Science Fiction is now concerned with a very restricted worldview. Gravity is a great movie but its vision is limited.

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MoVIe InsIDer

Adam Rubins is CEO of global comms agency Way to Blue – and a big film buff. Here he reveals the cream of summer’s movie crop.

HELLO COTSWOLDS. ME AGAIN, DELIVERING YOUR QUARTERLY BITE OF MOVIE DIGESTIVES. THIS TIME WE LOOK AT THE SUMMER SEASON AND IT’S SO HOT YOU MAY NEED TO CARRY PROTECTION (SUN BLOCKBUSTER, PERHAPS?). August) which has the distinctive taste of another franchise in a galaxy far, far away…The week after sees two very different franchises go head to head with The Inbetweeners 2 and Planes: Fire & Rescue displaying two very different kinds of wing men. The Expendables 3 adds Harrison Ford and Mel Gibson to its impressive roster and Sin City 2 sees the return of Mickey Rourke and Jessica Alba’s shapely bottom acting ability. Also worth looking out for are orignals Lucy, Deliver Us From Evil, Into The Storm and What If. Without a doubt it’ll be a fantastic summer. There will be some big winners (robots, apes, galaxies) and some big losers (your sore bottom). Enjoy your popcorn and please, no talking!

How To Train Your Dragon 2

JUNE

AUGUST

In terms of the box office, June is all about 2 films. There’s the sequel to 21 Jump St, the aptly named 22 Jump St (6th June) and the tear-jerking book adaptation about two teenage cancer patients, The Fault In Our Stars (19th June) starring Jennifer Lawrence and Shailene Woodley. June is also rounded out with period drama (Belle), music (Jersey Boys), culinary delight (Chef) and mirror horror (Oculus).

August brings a veritable mish mash of potential franchises, aged franchises and animated franchises as well as some light hearted and not so light hearted one offs. The month starts strong with Marvel sci-fi epic Guardians Of The Galaxy (1st

THE WEEK AFTER SEES TWO VERY DIFFERENT FRANCHISES GO HEAD TO HEAD WITH THE INBETWEENERS 2 AND PLANES: FIRE & RESCUE DISPLAYING TWO VERY DIFFERENT KINDS OF WING MEN.

JULY July steps up the blockbuster pace with 4 sequels starting with the animated How To Train Your Dragon 2 (4th July). The week after that we have reboot Transformers: Age Of Extinction (10th July) followed by my personal favourite Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes (17th July) and The Purge: Anarchy (25th July). Rounding out July is Channing Tatum/Mila Kunis sci-fi extravaganza Jupiter Ascending, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson muscle fest Hercules and something altogether different from Richard Linklater as he charts the growth of a child over 12 years in Boyhood. 26

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The Inbetweeners 2

FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER: @ADAMRUBINS

ALternAtIVe PArtIes

Unique Summer Party Ideas IT’S SUMMER PARTY SEASON IN THE COTSWOLDS – HELP YOUR PARTY STAND OUT FROM THE CROWD WITH THESE SCORCHING IDEAS FROM ISABELLA SPITTLE. 1 • Fiesta For a fiesta, colourful decorations must be in order, such as rainbow piñatas stuffed with candy, ribbon lanterns and Mexican paper decorations. Decorate your outdoor dinner table using straw flowers and hanging tissue decorations (You could perhaps even use this as an activity at the party itself!). Bright flower arrangements, hats and a floral dress code will also brighten up your back garden; you could also serve refreshments such as Pina colada and watermelon juice to your guests. A unique idea for serving punch is to scoop out the contents of a watermelon and use it as a container. Food-wise, serve plenty of marinated dishes. An idea for a starter is to serve jalapenos stuffed with cheddar and cream cheese, followed by tortilla chips accompanied with a selection of salsa dips.

2 • Texas Barbeque Decorate your outdoor space using bales of hay or straw and a couple of Texas ﬂags. To spice up the dress code of worn out denim jeans, cowboy boots and bandanas, hand out water guns and sheriff badges to people as they arrive (Country music will also help to set the mood). Serve the guests plenty of meat - steaks, stacks of barbeque ribs and sausages and also sides of Texas toast, grilled corn on the cob and potato salad. You could also incorporate lots of different outdoor activities into this barbeque, such as twister and table tennis. If you have time beforehand, you could also make some DIY giant Jenga blocks.

3 • Vintage cupcake party Set out a table and cover it with vintage decorations, fabrics and tea sets. You could also stack cupcakes on top of one another to create a grand display for your guests as they arrive. Another idea is to set out a ‘decorate your own cupcake’ stand, and give guests three plain cupcakes each to decorate how they would prefer. Another idea (if you are not willing to make heaps of cupcakes before the party) is to create your own lemonade stand in your back garden. Make homemade pink lemonade using raspberry and lemon juice and have your guests line up to be served. 28

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4 • Outdoor movie night Use a projector, DVD player and some speakers to create your own outdoor cinema! Set up chairs around a plain white sheet/backdrop and subtly light up your surroundings with some torches or fairy lights (This would be extra fun inside a barn, if you live on a farm). Hiring a popcorn machine or stocking up on plenty of chocolate treats is necessary for keeping everyone entertained. You could also get someone to refill people’s drinks or have a break halfway during the film so people can stretch their legs and get something else to eat. For family entertainment, pick a film that is suitable for all ages.

MAKE HOMEMADE PINK LEMONADE USING RASPBERRY AND LEMON JUICE AND HAVE YOUR GUESTS LINE UP TO BE SERVED. 5 • Hawaiian Luau Fill your garden with flowers and have your guests dress up in the wackiest floral clothes and hula skirts. Make strings of paper flowers in different vibrant colours and decorate your garden with bizarre looking totem poles and tiki torches. Serve many varieties of cocktails to your guests, and don’t forget to include activities such as a limbo contest. For food, serve your guests peppered pineapple and beef kebabs and plenty of exotic fruits. You could also add pool party elements into your luau, or make it completely different and theme it on a beach or an island. Or try some of these other ideas: Ice cream party, traditional camp-out, tropical rainforest party, outdoor volleyball, balloon darts, strawberry picnic – don’t be afraid to let your imagination run wild.

MAGGIes

& Me Paul Mayhew-Archer is a comedy writer whose credits include The Vicar of Dibley (co-written with Richard Curtis) and My Hero. He’s also an ambassador for Maggie’s, a charity that provides free practical, emotional and social support for people with cancer. Jazz FM presenter David Freeman speaks to him about the new Maggie’s Centre in Oxford – and his work with Dustin Hoffman…

Paul, when the new Maggie’s Centre opens, what will it mean for people going to the Churchill in Oxford? I think it will be a fantastic comfort. The new centre looks magnificent to me. It will be a great reassurance – I’ve been in other centres and they are such places of calm and friendliness. I think that’s what you need, really, if you are suffering with worry about your future. You need all the help you can get. Absolutely. And at Maggie’s, it’s not just about the individual patient, it’s the family as well… Maggie’s didn’t exist when I was young. When I was 14 my mother was diagnosed with cancer and given six months to live – and I didn’t know this. She lived for six years and I never knew it. My father never knew whether my mother knew – it was a completely unspoken thing that went on in our family during my teenage years. She didn’t want to know whether she had cancer, and he didn’t want to broach the subject, didn’t know how he could comfort her…it was just one of those terrible situations where there was an absolutely hideous elephant in the room that nobody spoke about. And I suspect that one of the really good things about the society is that we’ve tried to bring things into the open – so people can talk and share these things. When I was young there was no support group and it was a very lonely thing. And so is this ghastly personal story the reason you’ve thrown your enthusiasm in with Maggie’s? 30

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Designing the new Maggie’s Centre

Yes, that’s what it is really, though I’ve had other friends and people and relatives [with cancer]… A similar sort of thing happened to me three years ago when I was diagnosed with Parkinsons. I remember when I was with my wife when it was diagnosed – we came out of the John Radcliffe and thought ‘Hmm. Well, what to do now?’ And cancer isn’t the only disease that needs a Maggie’s, really. It’s difﬁcult to describe to people what exactly Maggie’s does – because they aren’t doctors, are they? It’s not that difficult, really – they provide information, psychological support, friendship,

backup. And practical help – help with food, wigs…You go in and there’s people you can talk with and meet. The environment has such warmth. And the people, I have to say, are just so nice and friendly and lively and funny. I work in comedy and I am absolutely convinced that there is a therapeutic power in laughter. Since you were diagnosed with Parkinson’s, have you found it difﬁcult to be funny? Does it seem wildly inappropriate? No, strangely. Pretty well all my life I’ve been trying to get a laugh – or to make myself laugh – and if I’m not heading towards a laugh, I don’t know where I’m going. I never felt there was

MAGGIes

treehouse, instead of the normal portakabin – presumably people can be consulted anywhere, so why this expensive, beautiful new building? I know the answer, but what do you think the answer is? Well [not only] is it bigger, but I think people deserve beauty. It blends into the natural world. I would rather go to the treehouse than a portakabin! I think they deserve beauty as a contrast to metal and hospital beds. They need something lovely. Are you working on any funniness now?

The environment has such warmth. And the people, I have to say, are just so nice and friendly and lively and funny. I work in comedy and I am absolutely convinced that there is a therapeutic power in laughter.

At this very moment I’m working on a TV show called Esio Trot, a comedy-drama based on a little story by Roald Dahl, featuring Dustin Hoffman and Judi Dench, and I’ve written it with Richard Curtis. It’s actually about elderly romance. There’s an old man in love with an old lady and through communicating with a tortoise he thinks he can win her love. It’s a very beautiful little story, very sweet, very lovely – a romantic comedy that’s quite different. It’s destined for BBC1 at around Christmas/New Year time and will be around ninety minutes long. I have to say I’m really living in dreamland – I wrote the first draft around three years ago and we had no idea who would be in it. Then producers get in touch and…suddenly, we’ve got Dustin Hoffman! I’m quite tempted to ask that dreadful question – what is he really like? Really, really lovely. Chatty, friendly, un-starry. You talk to Dustin Hoffman and he talks about being in makeup for six hours a day to wear the make-up for the elderly chap, or his friend Steven Spielberg, but there’s no sense of name-dropping or anything like that. You’re aware he’s had this incredible life but he’s very down to earth. His greatest delight, as far as I can tell, is showing you pictures of his three-week old grandchild. He’s basically a family man. And it’s funny, really, because it did make me think of not having a mum and dad – because it was the sort of story that I would have liked to have shared with them.

any purpose to the material other than to get people to laugh – and strangely, the Parkinson’s has given me a purpose. Being positive, being cheerful – I actually believe that no matter how grim a situation is, there’s a comic side. Finding that side can alleviate the situation or make things a bit brighter. Working in comedy programmes, you can make jokes about quite serious things and usually the people who complain are not the ones suffering from the illness. It strikes me that when somebody has treatment, and it’s all needles and chrome and seriousness, your existence as a fully-rounded

human being isn’t recognised. And in Maggie’s, you’re a person again… That’s right. You are not defined by your illness. There’s a danger that people become completely characterised by it – become the illness, not the person - but it’s so important to keep the other things ticking away. So now we’ve got this extraordinary sort of

Finally, Paul – how are you feeling? You’ve admitted that you’re working with Parkinson’s… What is it like for you? Pretty good, really. My hands are quite slow but they’re still marvellous with computers. I went and did some ballet, which is very good exercise. Lots of it is sitting-down ballet, which I like. But I have always had no physical co-ordination whatsoever, and now Parkinson’s makes the perfect excuse!

This year Maggie’s is celebrating 18 years of supporting people with cancer. For more information visit www.maggiescentres.org

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Mary Fedden

The Brian Sinfield Gallery is one of the most prestigious exhibition spaces outside London for contemporary painting and one of the longest established galleries in the Cotswolds. We specialise in 20th Century, traditional and semi-abstract work by mainly British artists, and also hold a select group of sculpture, mainly bronze. Whether working with widely-acclaimed artists or emerging talent, our focus is on depth, tone and originality. Painters we represent include Fred Cuming RA, Saied Dai, Andrew Hemingway, Martin Yeoman and PJ Crook. The gallery also runs an art brokerage scheme, selling 20th century and earlier paintings and watercolours (min. price £5,000) on behalf of vendors, as an alternative to selling at auction. Paintings sold under this scheme include works by Alfred Munnings, Mary Fedden, David Cox, L.S. Lowry, Roderic O’Conor, Sir Kyffin Williams, Elizabeth Blackadder.

Andrew Hemingway

NEW ARTISTS

We offer an exciting exhibition programme each year with a mix of solo and group shows, our next being new works by pastel artist, Andrew Hemingway, commencing with a private view on Saturday, 28th June. Hemingway’s pictures elicit excitement. This extraordinary technical ability goes far beyond good draftsmanship, and when seen for the first time you find yourself asking “how does he do that?”, especially when you realise the medium is pastel.

Introducing Antony Williams Exhibition 9th - 22nd November "There are good reasons why Antony Williams has an enviable reputation among artists and serious collectors. One is his rigid search after the truth in his portraits, teasing out the character behind the mask, but what strikes the viewer first is the texture of the skin, etched lines where the ageing process is laid bare. His portraits underline the passage of time and mortality. These are paintings with a heightened sense of realism based on intense observation."

Introducing Jake Attree Exhibition 12th - 25th October

“A tonal yet intense palette dominated by deep greens, bright greys, rich browns and various shades in between and enhanced by heavy impasto. Jake’s apparently simple, tonal compositions have an abstract beauty that is very powerful and totally arresting.”

Brian Sinfield Gallery 127 The Hill, Burford, Oxon OX18 4RE Tel 01993 824464 | Mobile 07582 602943 | gallery@briansinfield.com | www.briansinfield.com 32

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Moreton Arts

moretonarts Moreton Art Weeks (5th-26th July 2014) are organised by a group of art professionals and designers who are based in and around the town. Its galleries offer a wide range of styles and a huge variety of objects to suit every taste, from 19th Century and Victorian paintings to cutting edge contemporary artwork. Moreton-in-Marsh is well situated for visitors who love art, creativity and design, possessing a train station and standing at the junction of two old trading roads, the Fosseway and the A44 link between Oxford, Hereford and Worcester. Its galleries offer a wide range of styles and a huge variety of objects to suit every taste, from 19th Century and Victorian paintings to cutting edge contemporary artwork. With its many galleries, antique establishments and varied food venues Moreton offers a great day out. From the beauty of the great outdoors at Batsford Arboretum, Bourton House and Sezincote to the beauty of crafts, arts and design on the High Street, you will find a great range of offerings in the town and the surrounding area. During Moreton Art Weeks you can experience many artists’ demonstrations, enjoy special exhibits and even see a celebration of the creativity of local school students.

Events include: Astley House Fine Art

5th-26th July: A wide variety of original 19th and 20th century oil paintings  including landscapes, genre, portraits, still-life and large decorative items always on show. 34

Cotswold Homes Magazine

Celia Lendis Galleries

Dormer House School Exhibition Opening Night: 7th July 6pm. Runs 8th and 9th July 10am-5pm. Ryutaro Ikeda & Louise Plant Opening Night: 12 July, 6pm-8pm. Daily 10am5pm (except Tues) until 10 September. 26th July, 4pm: ‘Building an Art Collection’ : A talk by Vanessa Curry, Sotheby’s Art Investment Lecturer and a leading Fine Art Consultant (in partnership with NFU Mutual).

Grimes House Gallery

5th–26th July: Summer Exhibition & Scenes of Local Interest - a feature from Artist Sean Bolan.

John Davies Gallery

David Prentice exhibition featuring recent works of the late David Prentice.

The Moreton Gallery

Summer Exhibition featuring the work of Jane Ormes, Lesley  Jones, Janis Goodman, Jane Eccles, Sue Bartlett, Katie Allen, Vicky Oldfield, David Stanley. Artists’ Demonstrations:  Illustrative Artist Sam Wilson (5th July),  Watercolour Artist Frederick Bertie (11th July)

Wold Galleries

5th - 26th July: Summer Exhibition: The Beauty of Britain. Our artists’ take on the British Landscape.

Moreton Arts

Heroes of Moreton: We Remember Them 12th – 25th July Do visit the exhibition recognising the huge sacriﬁce made by the town’s men in wartime. The main exhibition in the Redesdale Hall will reunite them, in spirit at least, and honours their astonishing dedication and devotion to their country.

Artists’ demonstrations: Pastel demonstration with Clive Eastland (5th July). See Clive demonstrating his vivid pastel technique whilst working on new pictures for our gallery. 19th July Tim Nash (Mixed Media): paint and application techniques from this very successful artist and teacher.

Robin Furlong Furniture Designer 5th-26th July: Contemporary Fine Furniture Showroom & Workshop.

The Ted Nasmith Art Shop

5th to 26th: ‘The Tolkien Artworks’ on display at The Bell and Marshmallow.

‘Heroes of Moreton: We Remember Them’ will celebrate the lives of those on the Roll of Honour on the Moreton-in-Marsh & Batsford War Memorial in the centre of the North Cotswolds town. Building on work completed by local authors Ken Fowler and the late Guy Stapleton, the Moreton-in-Marsh Business Association (assisted by local graphic designer Adam Wood, the Moreton-in-Marsh & District Local History Society and local branches of U3A) is putting together a fascinating exhibition, together with a range of talks, poetry readings and musical evenings, aided by funding from Cotswold District Council provided by Councillor Robert Dutton. Kit Havelock-Davies, Chairman of the Moreton-in-Marsh Business Association and the main organizer of Heroes of Moreton: We Remember Them, said, ‘We are delighted to be able to recognise the huge sacrifice made by these local men.The main exhibition in the

On Saturday 19th July, between 7pm and 8pm, vintage singer Fiona Harrison will give a performance titled ‘Pack up your Troubles : Popular Music Hall Songs from WWI’ in the Redesdale Hall, in the evocative setting of the exhibition. On Thursday 24th July from 2pm - 5pm, social and military historian Neil R Storey (author of over 25 books, many of them about the Great War and regular columnist in Family Tree magazine and one of the experts in the new series of the BBC’s Who Do You Think You Are?) will host a session titled “Unlock the Secrets of your Family Military Photographs”, at which members of the public will be invited to bring their family mementoes, such as military photographs, medals and memorabilia, so that Neil can provide an insight into their origin and links.

Inn on the Marsh

5th-26th July: Display of Great War recruitment posters.

TSB Exhibition

An exhibition in the local branch portraying the history of TSB.

Batsford Arboretum

July 10th: The wonderful all-male company The Lord Chamberlain’s Men mark their tenth anniversary with a very special performance of Shakespeare’s most enduring love story, Romeo and Juliet. The company’s debut at Batsford last year proved a huge hit with visitors and is already attracting considerable attention.

"The living voices of all those who served in the First World War are now silent. It is up to us to keep their memory and the legacies they left for us alive." Redesdale Hall will reunite them, and honour their astonishing dedication and devotion to their country.’ The Moreton-in-Marsh Business Association has already accrued an amazing collection of items for the exhibition, including 35 portraits of the men named, a uniform and officer's cap belonging to local regiments, cap badges, a soldier’s trench bible, diaries and maps of the Gloucester and Worcestershire Regiments, silk cigarette cards, WW1 postcards, recruitment posters, issues of the Illustrated War News and German barbed wire with British wire cutters found on the Western Front. On the first day of the exhibition (Saturday 12th July), Sarah Campbell of Kendall & Davies Solicitors in Moreton-in-Marsh will present an evening of readings from the War Poets, such as Wilfred Owen, Robert Graves, Siegfried Sassoon and the Gloucester-born Ivor Gurney, alongside extracts and anecdotes from a series of postcards written from the front line and extracts from War Diaries relevant to the battles in which Moreton men served.

On Friday 25th July, Neil will return to the Redesdale Hall to give a talk entitled Fallen:The Lost Generation of the First World War. As Neil points out, ‘The living voices of all those who served in the First World War are now silent. It is up to us to keep their memory and the legacies they left for us alive.’ His latest book The Tommy’s Handbook will be published in July 2014 and it is hoped that advance copies will be available during the exhibition. This year Moreton also has a food trail of art related dishes at venues such as the Greek Deli in the Cotswolds, the Cacao Bean or Timothy's. Try their art-inspired masterworks and get the great taste of Moreton. Butchers RD Walker will be offering their WWI Sausage and The Cotswold Cheese Company will stock a Passchendaele Flemish Cheese whilst the Swan Inn will serve up their Heroes Lunch in support of the ‘We Remember Them’ Commemorations. Visit www.moretonarts.com for more information www.heroesofmoreton.com www.facebook.com/MoretonArtWeeks www.facebook.com/heroesofmoreton www.cotswold-homes.com

tHe BIG FeAstIVAL

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…and it’s better than ever. Jamie Oliver and Alex James’ inimitable Big Feastival returns, bringing Fatboy Slim, Laura Mvula, Jamie Cullum, Monica Galetti, Rachel Khoo and Levi Roots (& many more) in tow. Laura Mvula

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You’ve got to hand it to Jamie Oliver and Alex James: they’ve perfected the family festival formula, keeping it cool and very Cotswold. There’s no doubt food and music are a match made in heaven, and the Big Feastival brings revellers the best of both. ie Oliver

Situated in the rolling grounds of Alex James’ Kingham farm, The Big Feastival showcases awesome stars both musical and culinary. With live cookery demonstrations, spectacular stage acts and excellent entertainment for kids, this is a festival that caters for all appetites. 36

Cotswold Homes Magazine

Alex James and Jam

tHe BIG FeAstIVAL

Rachel Khoo

Fatboy Slim

They’re going to have to work hard to better last year’s hi-octane extravaganza, which saw Basement Jaxx blast the stage in a carnival of colour and Rizzle Kicks parade around in all their exuberant glory. But with 2014’s stellar line-up, we feel we won’t be disappointed. Doubtless you’ll know DJ Norman Cook, aka Fatboy Slim, as the creator of some of the most iconic dance tracks of the nineties – he’ll be headlining on Saturday, accompanied by the multiple award winning singer-songwriter (and now certified chef) Kelis and the amazing ‘gospeldelia’ singer Laura Mvula. Jamie Cullum’s jazz stylings perfect the weekend on Sunday, with a smorgasbord of other bands including hip hop trio De La Soul and sibling three piece Kitty, Daisy and Lewis, who ﬂavour their music with fifties lashings of swing, R&B, blues, Hawaiian and Rock ‘n’ Roll.

“The Big Feastival showcases awesome stars both musical and culinary. With live cookery demonstrations, spectacular stage acts and excellent entertainment for kids, this is a festival that caters for all appetites.” Swing over to the kitchen and be similarly star struck as you see Jamie josh with his mentor, the Italian legend Gennaro Contaldo (with banter as saucy as anything on the menu). Michel Roux Jr’s right-hand woman and Masterchef star Monica Galleti will be sharing her expertise, while Rachel Khoo returns from Paris to treat us once again. Cook Yourself Thin star (and former professional body piercer) Gizzi Erskine also joins the Feastival roster, as well as Nathan Outlaw, Mark Hix and a whole host of other maestros. But it’s the little greenfingered touches that make

us country bumpkins the most excited. New this year is an allotment (planted by schoolchildren with assistance from The Royal Agricultural University) and The Potato Patch, where you can dig up your own produce before prepping and cooking it under the watchful eye of Jamie’s Kitchen Garden Project and the Potato Council. The boys are serving up much more than can be described here, so it’s best you wander on over to www.jamieoliver.com/thebigfeastival to see the full line up and to purchase a variety of tickets. So come and have fun at the Big Feastival – we certainly will. www.cotswold-homes.com

FestIVal FeVeR

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It’s festival season here in the Cotswolds! Here’s our guide to what’s in store. (Read wearing wellington boots and sunglasses for maximum excitement).

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Nina Nesbitt - Cornb

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CORNBURY MUSIC FESTIVAL

What is it? Affectionately dubbed ‘Poshstock’, it’s a wellestablished music/family festival that has hosted some of the greatest acts ever to take the stage. Prime Minister David Cameron was spotted strolling barefoot around Cornbury last year in a pair of knock-off sunglasses, which led to plenty of jokes about austerity measures. Cornbury describes itself as ‘an eclectic and eccentric music carnival’, ‘A dynamic summer festival disguised as a country fayre’ and a ‘lovingly crafted, top notch, very English open air party, tailor-made for the whole family.’ When is it? The 4th, 5th and 6th of July 2014.

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Where is it? The Great Tew Park.

Tell me something cool about this festival… Cornbury has a hosted some of the greatest names in music history, including the late, great Amy Winehouse.

Who will be there? A starry line-up indeed: Jools Holland, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Melanie C, The Feeling, X-Factor favourites Sam Bailey and Luke Friend, Illinois rocker Lissie, the legendary Kill Bill theme writer Tomoyasu Hotei…

Planning on glamping? You’ll be (gently) awoken by the bells of Great Tew’s St Michael & All Angels church. It turns out they’ve been rung every Sunday since 1843. Stressed out by all the sights and sounds? Try the ‘Therapixie’ area, where special treatments such as hot stone massages are on offer from independent therapists and healers. Other special features include glamping, posh loos, traders & caterers and the rare chance of seeing David Cameron’s naked feet (possibly). www.cornburyfestival.com

Al Murray - Cornbury

Cotswold Homes Magazine

The Feeling - Cornbury

Wilderness

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WILDERNESS What is it? ‘Our renowned parties reimagine paradise lost… venture through the forest to find dancefloors and liquor joints…’ Wilderness is a very artsy music festival that this year promises a ‘witching hour’, a ‘full moon ceremonial burn’ and all kinds of acts and effigies. Where is it? Cornbury Park in Oxfordshire. You can even get a special bus ride there and back from London Victoria if the Cotswolds isn’t your first place of residence. When is it? The 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th of August 2014. Who will be there? Wilderness is rather cool and the line-up reflects this, with acts such as Metronomy, London Grammar, Jessie Ware and Sam Smith (although the less edgy Burt Bacharach is also putting in an appearance). There’s also ‘Debating Halls & Literary Arts’, ‘Tented Theatre & Promenade’, ‘Wellbeing & Outdoor Pursuits’ and ‘Banquets, Feats & Gastronomy.’ Tell me something cool about this festival… You can catch a performance of As You Like It by the Oxford Shakespeare Company, as well as features from Shakespeare’s Globe, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Royal Observatory Greenwich and columnist George Monbiot. www.wildernessfestival.com

Wilderness Festival

THE CROPREDY CONVENTION What is it? A music festival hosted by the members of legendary English folk band Fairport Convention. It’s been hosted annually since the 1970s so it has a faithful following of music lovers and claims to be a music festival ‘unlike any other’. Where is it? The charming village of Cropredy, just five miles north of Banbury.

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CORNBURY DESCRIBES ITSELF ‘AN ECLECTIC AND ECCENTRIC MAS USIC CARNIVAL’, ‘A DYNAMIC SUMM FESTIVAL DISGUISED AS A COUNER TRY FAYRE’ AND A ‘LOVINGLY CRAF NOTCH, VERY ENGLISH OPEN AITED, TOP TAILOR-MADE FOR THE WHOLE R PARTY, FAMILY.’ JAMIE OLIVER and ALEX JAMES present THE BIG FEASTIVAL

Where is it? On Alex’s very own Cotswold farm in lovely Kingham.

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Tell me something cool about this festival… Fairport Convention have been playing for over 40 years. They have the sort of enduring, loyal and good-natured fan base that many of today’s upstart bands would murder for. These disciples bring the warm and welcoming atmosphere that distinguishes Cropredy from the rest of the crop.

When is it? The 29st, 30st, 31st of August 2014.

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Who will be there? Fairport Convention, of course, but also the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Musicians of the Year, Marillion, Blackbeard’s Tea Party, The Waterboys, Chas & Dave and many more.

What is it? The marriage of two celebrity minds – TV chef Jamie Oliver and Blur Bassist Alex James – has produced The Big Feastival, a rollicking knees-up where great food and great music share star billing. A real treat for the palate and the ears and a great fun for the family, too.

Sophie Ellis-Bextor - Cornbury

Arrested

Who will be there? Music-wise they’ve got Fatboy Slim, Jamie Cullum, Kelis, the Cuban Brothers and our own favourite beatbox act, Duke. In the kitchen there’s Jamie Oliver (naturally) and his hilarious mentor

Gennaro Contaldo, Monica Galetti, Valentine Warner and many others. Cbeebies supremos Justin Fletcher and Mr Bloom will keep little ones well entertained. There’s also a strange figure named DJ BBQ, who has to be seen to be believed… Tell me something cool about this festival… You may know Alex James as a rockstar, but did you know he’s also a passionate cheesemaker? Savour some of his wares and a little something from the many, many other food producers on offer. Cooking demonstrations from top chefs plus great performances from new and returning acts means Feastival-goers are spoilt for choice. But whatever you do, make sure you catch the banter between Jamie and Gennaro… www.jamieoliver.com/thebigfeastival

www.cotswold-homes.com

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COTSWOLD R CALENDA MER SUM

CHIPPING CAMPDEN OPEN GARDENS JUNE 21-22, 2.00-4.00PM

OUR PICK OF LOCAL EVENTS

There will be over 25 private gardens open on the weekend. Tickets available from Campden Tourist Information from beginning of June £6 per day or £8 for both days. Teas and plants available. www.chippingcampden.co.uk

GIFFORDS CIRCUS, VARIOUS LOCATIONS MAY 23 – SEPTEMBER 14

MIDSUMMER SPEED FEST AT PRESCOTT SPEED HILL CLIMB, GOTHERINGTON JUNE 28-29

Giffords Circus will be bringing their new show, The Thunders, around various Cotswold venues including Barrington, Oxford University Parks, Minchinhampton, Marlborough and Cirencester. Please see the website box office for a complete list of dates and venues. www.giffordscircus.com

ON FORM SCULPTURE IN STONE, ASTHALL MANOR, BURFORD JUNE 8 – JULY 6 on form, the only sculpture exhibition dedicated entirely to works in stone, returns to its exquisite Cotswold setting this summer. on form 14, set in the magnificent gardens and spectacular ballroom of Asthall Manor near Burford, will feature more than 200 works by 30 of the most accomplished sculptors working in stone today. www.onformsculpture.co.uk

SEZINCOTE FETE, SEZINCOTE HOUSE JUNE 14, 2.00PM Set in the gardens of the country house estate that inspired George IV to build the Brighton Pavilion visitors will be taken back to the summers of WW1 by a one–off exhibition that brings the names on the Longborough and Sezincote War Memorial to life, vintage cars from the period, a display from The Cotswold Cricket Museum and of course all the traditional fete events and stalls – including probably the biggest and best Tombola in the county.

THE CHELTENHAM FOOD AND DRINK FESTIVAL JUNE 13-15 This Festival at Cheltenham is a gastronomic delight, with over 226 exhibitors; the scope of local & regional products on show ensures there is something for everyone. You’ll find an astonishing variety of victuals from oatcakes to aphrodisiac Quince, the widest range of baked goods, meats, fish, cheeses, jams, chutneys and much more on offer; this is the regional food event not to be missed. www.garden-events.com

SHERSTONFEST 2014, SHERSTON JUNE 13-14 Billed as the South Cotswolds Cider, Music and Fine Food Festival, this belter of an event promises the best of music and cider. Acoustic acts and ‘The Extreme Cheese Sessions’ complete this festival, presented in association with BBC Introducing. www.sherstonfest.com

BROADWELL AND DONNINGTON FETE JUNE 14, 2.00PM This June, Broadwell village green is the setting for an afternoon of

traditional fun and entertainment for all the family. Featuring animal antics, bouncy castle, fun races for the children and the ever-popular duck races. Bring your dog along and enter them in the Dog Show! Plenty for the adults - books, cakes, bottles, bric-a-brac, tombola, plants, BBQ, Pimms and teas.

Cotswold Homes Magazine

The 6th Round of the 2014 Midland Hill Climb Championship, and 2nd Round of Prescott Gold Cup. On Saturday 28 & Sunday 29 June Prescott Hill Climb will be playing host to many racing classes competing over the weekend, which also sees the 6th Round of the 2014 Midland Hill Climb Championship supported by TTC Group, and the 2nd Round of Prescott Gold Cup. www.prescott-hillclimb.com

MORETON ART WEEKS JULY 5-26 Moreton-in-Marsh’s art, design and interiors event. See pages 34-35 of this magazine for more information. www.moretonarts.com

THE COTSWOLD SHOW, CIRENCESTER PARK JULY 5-6 Two days, 100 acres, hundreds of attractions and 40,000 visitors – the Cotswold Show is now one of the most popular on the regional Country Show calendar. Cirencester Park was laid out in the 1700s and a monument erected in 1741 to the memory of Queen Anne by the first Earl of Bathurst, whom she had created Baron Bathurst in 1712, with the help of the poet Alexander Pope. www.cotswoldshow.co.uk

STORYTELLING & STORYMAKING SATURDAYS, MORETON-IN-MARSH JULY 5, 12, 19 As part of Moreton Art Weeks, Books Yule Love will be hosting magical storytelling & storymaking sessions for young and old. Storymaking 11.00 - 12.00 younger children 12.00 - 13.00 children and adults / storymaking workshop 15.00 - 17.00 workshop (all welcome). www.moretonarts.com/events

THE ROYAL INTERNATIONAL AIR TATTOO, RAF FAIRFORD JULY 11-13 Few events can rival the intensity, drama and spectacle on offer at the world’s greatest airshow. The Air Tattoo, one of the UK’s premier outdoor events, returns this summer with an extravaganza of entertainment for all the family. Alongside the thrilling flying action, visitors will be treated to non-stop entertainment on the ground - so whether a wide-eyed first timer for a seasoned airshow veteran, the experience is breathtaking.

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CLA GAME FAIR AT BLENHEIM PALACE, WOODSTOCK JULY 18-20 The CLA Game Fair is the world’s leading Country Sport Event. This three day National Countryside Show offers a memorable day out for all the family, with masses of opportunity to try new experiences, meet the experts, watch entertaining displays and demonstrations, sample delicious British Food and Drink and shop ‘til you drop. If you enjoy the countryside and all that it entails, there really is something here for everyone. www.gamefair.co.uk

CHELTENHAM TOWN HALL PROMS FESTIVAL OF MUSIC JULY 2 - 14 Celebrate the 70th Cheltenham music festival featuring Nicola Benedetti, Milos and more. The Cheltenham Music Festival is all about high-calibre performances, magnificent venues and a huge variety of music – from symphonic grandeur to the intimacy of chamber music, and from sublime choral experiences to brand new musical adventures. With its excursions, too, into world music, film, dance, the visual arts and the spoken word, it is a cultural banquet that has few equals in the UK. www.cheltenhamfestivals.com/music

COTSWOLDS BEER FESTIVAL, POSTLIP TITHE BARN, NR WINCHCOMBE JULY 18-20 A celebration of the best beer and cider from near and far - a great event in a classic heritage setting, brought to you by the CAMRA campaign for real ale. www.gloucestershirecamra.org.uk/cbf/

TEWKESBURY MEDIEVAL FESTIVAL JULY 12-13 Held on the fields behind the Tewkesbury Borough Council offices, Gloucester Road (part of the site of the original battle of Tewkesbury in 1471). Already hailed as Europe’s biggest and most spectacular medieval event, Tewkesbury Medieval Festival is planning to make this anniversary bigger and better than ever. There will be the usual battle featuring around 2000 knights, archers and men at arms, a colourful and authentic living history camp with families living in complete medieval style for the whole weekend, and a fascinating market selling everything from medieval pots and authentic costumes to toys and individual jewellery. www.tewkesburymedievalfestival.org

THE BATTLE PROMS CONCERT AT BLENHEIM PALACE JULY 12 Every summer thousands of concertgoers pack up a picnic, stock up on fizz and join the party in the stunning grounds of Blenheim Palace for the Battle Proms Concert. The 10th annual Blenheim Palace Battle Proms Concert will be on Saturday 12th July 2014, and will return to the North Park this year, which offers the best auditorium for the choreographed Spitfire display, and also gives additional room for the inclusion of a special infantry display to celebrate ‘The Road to Waterloo’: the build up to the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo. www.blenheimpalace.com

ART COUTURE PAINSWICK JULY 13 Fine art meets couture in this bold, brilliant and thoroughly entertaining event. Head to the pretty village of Painswick for costumed parades, exhibitions and quirky street stalls. Previous attendees have included artist Grayson Perry, who judged the costume competition. ACP is a Cotswold occasion quite unlike any other. www.acpfestival.co.uk

GUITING FESTIVAL, GUITING POWER JULY 25 – AUGUST 3 The Guiting Festival is a summertime celebration of high quality music starting at the end of July every year in the picturesque village of Guiting Power, set deep in the heart of the Gloucestershire Cotswold Hills. For well over 40 years the Guiting Festival has been a highlight of the Cotswold summer calendar. Each Festival features an exciting variety of Evening Indoor Concerts and Sunday Open-air Concerts, with performances from some of the most accomplished jazz, classical and folk music artists available. www.guitingfestival.org

HERITAGE DIESEL WEEKEND, TODDINGTON JULY 26-28 The GWR ever-popular Diesel gala returns. As well as an intensive service of diesel hauled trains and a DMU service, the gala will include an Open Day at the newly built Toddington Diesel Shed with an under-cover model railway exhibition, a number of ‘behind the scenes’ and ‘how it works’ displays relating to diesel locomotives, and an opportunity to get an up close view of two long term overhaul projects on a class 47 and a class 37 including cab visits. www.gwsr.com

PRESCOTT HILL CLIMB, GOTHERINGTON AUGUST 1-3 Vintage vehicles ahoy! This event attracts thousands of enthusiasts and is one of the most prestigious events in the Hill Climb calendar. One for petrol-heads and curious families alike: Smell the motor oil, feel the warm tarmac and hear the engines in full song at this illustrious motoring occasion. www.prescott-hillclimb.com

COTSWOLDS VINTAGE FAIR, TODDINGTON VILLAGE HALL AUGUST 16 This delightful fair set in glorious Cotswolds countryside has become an annual highlight in the Vintage Fair Calendar. An eclectic gathering of more than 40 stallholders come together with one theme in common – a love of all things vintage – and customers now travel from far afield to experience the event. www.thecotswoldsvintagefair.blogspot.co.uk/

BOURTON-ON-THE-WATER FOOTBALL IN THE RIVER AUGUST 25 Take your places on the banks of the river Windrush in Bourtonon-the-Water for Football in the River 2014 kicks off once again on bank holiday Monday. A fete will be held from 11am, with the football match kicking-off at 4pm.

www.cotswold-homes.com

Cheltenham Racecourse

The Other Life of

Cheltenham Racecourse What goes on at the world-famous racecourse when there’s no racing? Quite a lot, as it happens. We find the prestigious venue hosting wedding parties, top events and business conferences of all sizes.

Every March the eyes of the nation fall on Cheltenham, the illustrious Home of Jump racing. Thousands flock to its racecourse, a crucible of excitement where new racing heroes arise and old favourites falter. During The Festival millions of pounds are pumped into the local economy as the masses arrive and then, just as quickly, depart. But what happens on the many days when there is no racing at Cheltenham? You’ve likely heard that the racecourse is in the middle of a huge redevelopment (including the construction of a £45 million new Grandstand, to be ready in time for The Festival 2016). Outdated features have been pulled down, paving the way for a prosperous future.

You may have already been to The Centaur to see acts such as Rizzle Kicks or comedian Jack Dee, or perhaps you’ve attended the award-winning Wychwood Festival.

Cotswold Homes Magazine

Cheltenham Racecourse

The Racecourse has also become a popular choice for wedding parties – especially Asian weddings, which often require larger venues. It’s a massive investment, but then Cheltenham is arguably the jewel in The Jockey Club’s crown. Now the racecourse is also driving through growth in a different area altogether: conferencing and events. It makes sense that Cheltenham seeks to best utilise the plentiful space at its disposal. It is a truly enormous venue, outfitted with a myriad of rooms, halls, boxes, bars, restaurants and halls.

The best known of these is arguably The Centaur, which has ‘theatre’ capacity for 2,250 patrons, or the stunning Panoramic Restaurant overlooking the entirety of the natural amphitheatre that contains the course itself. You may have already been to The Centaur to see acts such as Rizzle Kicks or comedian Jack Dee, or perhaps you’ve attended the award-

winning Wychwood Festival. (The Racecourse has also become a popular choice for wedding parties – especially Asian weddings, which often require larger venues). But the truth of it is that Cheltenham Racecourse is perfectly equipped to handle a function of any size – from vast business conferences, award ceremonies, product launches, trade shows, gigs and festivals to intimate business meetings between two or more people. Here the potential of every available space is being realised. The Hall of Fame – a capacious, attractive entrance hall honouring jump-racing history – is ideally suited for trade shows. It is classed as a working museum and can entertain as many as 400 people for a drinks reception. www.cotswold-homes.com

Cheltenham Racecourse

But thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not all: a 3D capable, high-definition cinema screen equipped with surround sound makes for excellent concerts and presentations. And of course thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s space here like nowhere else - after redevelopment work finishes in 2016, Cheltenham will have outdoor capacity for 30,000. (Bountiful parking and free Wi-Fi also come in handy). 46

Cotswold Homes Magazine

The Racecourse routinely hosts conferences and events staged by the biggest and best known of companies (including major UK retailers and financial institutions) and recently accommodated the Visit England awards. But now it is also reaching out to local businesses with Business Breakfasts, giving people the chance

Cheltenham RaCeCouRse

But that’s not all: a 3D capable, high-definition cinema screen equipped with surround sound makes for excellent concerts and presentations.

to eat, rub shoulders and see guest speakers such as Dee Anderson – daughter of Thunderbirds creator Gerry Anderson and present custodian of the Thunderbirds brand. (The inaugural Business Breakfast meeting is scheduled for Wednesday 18th of June and costs only £15.00 + VAT per person). ‘A lot of the bigger companies who have used us use agencies to find the best venues for their events,’ says Regional Manager Clare Reader. ‘But we like local businesses to know that we’re here and that we will cater for gatherings of all sizes. Our Business Breakfasts will help local businesses connect with each other and enjoy guest talks from interesting figures such as Dee.’ With its grand history and accessible position, Cheltenham is well situated to benefit from those looking to create a personalised and memorable event. And with one car launch involving automobiles suspended from ceiling beams, anything is possible. If event organisers can dream it, Cheltenham will help them realise it.

CoMiNG SooN AT Cheltenham RaCeCouRse:

18 June 2014 BusIness BReaKFast Network with local business and enjoy a full English breakfast with guest speakers in the beautiful Panoramic Restaurant.

20 JulY 2014 lee eVans solD out

The Centaur at Cheltenham Racecourse will play host to the Perrierwinning Lee Evans, who will perform his warm up act ‘Work in Progress’. Presented by Off The Kerb productions, the show will give Lee the chance to test out his new gags and famous physical observational comedy, ahead of the Monsters tour, his most ambitious tour yet, scheduled to play for more than 50 dates at the biggest arenas across the UK and Ireland.

28 sePtemBeR 2014 ‘nIDIot’ WIth Jon RIChaRDson Award-winning comic Jon Richardson is checking his tyre pressures, hoovering his floor mats and putting an emergency packed lunch in the boot of his car, ready to hit the road again with a brand new tour ‘Nidiot’. Please note: Age restrictions - all attendees must be 15yrs plus.

With so much to offer, it could be that Cheltenham is the perfect choice to host your next event.

9 oCtoBeR 2014 the VamPs

If you’re interested in what Cheltenham Racecourse can do for you, or would like to view upcoming events, visit www.cheltenham.co.uk/ conference-and-events for more information.

Chart-topping boyband The Vamps play live at Cheltenham Racecourse as part of their UK tour. Tickets on sale from 26th April. Please note that children aged 15 and under must be accompanied by an adult.

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sam tWIston-DaVIes

Sam at Stratford with Harrison James & Hardie Director James Von Speyr

Sam Twiston-Davies named No 1 Stable Jockey at Ditcheat Champion trainer Paul Nicholls honours local jockey Sam Twiston-Davies with top job

It is a great honour for local lad Sam, who was educated at the Cotswold School and is sponsored by the leading local independent estate agency, Harrison James and Hardie.

We spoke to the jockey before the World Hurdle, where he revealed the honour and excitement he felt to have been selected for such a prestigious ride – one that some seemed to consider a poisoned chalice due to Big Buck’s lengthy spell out of action. ‘Although it is a pressure, that same pressure is a privilege…. obviously I’ve been doing something that they like, and I feel very lucky to be riding him,’ he reflected before the race.

During the last Gold Cup, Sam rode Big Buck’s in the World Hurdle in what proved to be the champion horse’s final race before his retirement was announced. It was a hotly anticipated ride Big Buck’s had spent a lengthy spell in recovery since his many victories and all eyes were on Sam, who rode to a respectable 5th place.

Sam’s enthusiasm has served him well. The new move means he will have the pick of the rides in the stable – with the exception of Silviniaco Conti (remaining with Noel Fehily). ‘Sam will have the pick of our team,’ assured Nicholls in his Betfair column. However, Sam will still ride The New One for his father, trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies.

Jockey Sam Twiston Davies has been named the ﬁrst jockey at Ditcheat. He replaces Daryl Jacob, who has opted to go freelance after being offered the No 2 job by nine-time champion trainer Paul Nicholls.

Cotswold Homes Magazine

“It is an amazing set-up and I feel very privileged to be riding as the ﬁrst jockey for the champion trainer ...”

‘It is an amazing set-up and I feel very privileged to be riding as the first jockey for the champion trainer,’ Sam told Cotswold Homes when we asked about his new position. ‘It’s an exciting season ahead and I can’t wait to get started.’ Here’s wishing the best of luck to Sam in his new role.

EQUESTRIAN LADY

Diary of an Equestrian Lady

An AudiEnCE WiTH lAurA COllETT Collette Fairweather catches up with international event rider Laura Collett to discuss ﬁrst ponies, Kauto Star and her local event, Barbury Horse Trials.

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Photography: Fiona Scott-Maxwell

CH: How did you get involved with horses and then competitive riding? LC: I started riding when I was about two. My older brother had a pony and he wasn’t that keen - he was always crying because he wanted to get off and I was always crying because I wanted to get on! I then went into showing at about six and after six years I decided I wanted to do something that was a bit more of a challenge, so we bought a brilliant 14.2 jumping pony and I subsequently got hooked on eventing.

Photography: Fiona Scott-Maxwell

He’s being re-schooled and having an easy retirement and competing at little dressage shows. He also does public parades. He’s had enough pressure on him in his racing career so he’s just relaxing now really. Will Kauto Star be appearing at Barbury International Horse Trials? He’ll do a little dressage demonstration in the main arena, mainly for the public to see how well he still looks.

Did you compete in young teams? I went to the pony championships and between 2005 and 2010 I won five gold medals, a silver and a bronze at junior and young rider levels. I decided at that point I would leave school after my GCSEs and set myself up to do this full time. I have been lucky as I have built up a great string of horses and have the support of some great owners. You took on double time winner of the Gold Cup Cheltenham, Kauto Star at the end of last year. What are the plans for him? 50

Cotswold Homes Magazine

What makes Barbury International Horse Trials such a great event? It’s a great course for spectators because it’s probably the only course where you can stand at one point and see all the cross-country fences. It’s the most brilliant setting, and the track and ground are always in perfect condition and horses always seem to run well there. We look forward to seeing you there. Best of luck for the season!

Barbury international Horse trials From the 3rd to the 6th of July Barbury International Horse trials will celebrate its tenth year, welcoming a host of international event riders to the private Barbury Castle estate in the heart of the beautiful Marlborough Downs just over the border in Wiltshire. Over the four days of competition, over a thousand horses will compete in dressage and show jumping and will run around a cross-country course designed by Captain Mark Phillips. Unlike many other events, Barbury will also play host to international show jumping and celebrity races, in addition to over 70 trade stands and attractions (including a sheep show!) promising an excellent day out for all the family. www.barburyhorsetrials.co.uk

EQUESTRIAN LADY

Tillyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Equestrian Calendar Equestrian artist Tilly Tayler-Levy steps outside the Cotswolds for a look at top events coming this summer. 17th - 21st June Royal Ascot, Berkshire Don't miss world-class racing. Visit www.ascot.co.uk for more information and tickets.

21st - 22nd June Salperton Horse Trials, nr Northleach, Gloucestershire Set in the beautiful surroundings of Salperton Park House and village. For further information, please contact the event secretary on 01451 850388

25th - 29th June The Equestrian.com Hickstead Derby Meeting

29th July - 2nd August Glorious Goodwood Fashion, high society and horseracing come together for five enthralling days. Visit www.goodwood.co.uk/horseracing for more information.

29th July - 3rd August The Longines Royal International Horse Show One of the oldest horse shows in the world, a huge shopping village and even a funfair will provide entertainment for the whole family. Visit www.hickstead.co.uk for more information.

1st â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 3rd August The Festival of British Eventing, Gatcombe Park, Gloucestershire

International show jumping and a quintessentially British family day out. Visit www.hickstead.co.uk for more information.

In addition to a weekend of top class eventing, there will be fun for all the family with a shopping village and entertaining arena attractions. Visit www.gatcombe-horse.co.uk for more information.

10th - 12th July The July Meeting, Newmarket Racecourse

4th - 7th September The Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials, Lincolnshire

Head to Newmarket for summer thrills and spills. Visit www.newmarketracecourses.co.uk for more information and tickets.

A fantastic equestrian sporting and social event. Visit www.burghley-horse.co.uk for more information.

Tom Kerridge

Tom Kerridge is fast becoming a regular on our television screens and well known for an array of reasons: his dominating physique, his two Michelin stars, his West Country accent and his endearing ordinariness. But one shouldn’t be fooled, as despite protestations, it is no happy accident he’s amassed an array of awards - Tom’s as sharp as one of his kitchen knives. Driven by his passion for great ingredients cooked with respect, he has carved out a new style of Michelin starred dining. Trimming away fastidiousness; he has removed the fear of participation and serves the highest quality food in the most relaxed environment imaginable: the humble pub.

Collette Fairweather catches up with top chef Tom Kerridge to discuss growing up in Gloucester, picking up a couple of Michelin stars and how the year long wait for a table at his restaurant The Hand and Flowers came to be.

CH - Tell us about where you grew up, and how your initial steps into the professional kitchen came about. TK – Well, I am from Gloucester and by that I mean the city centre, not the beautiful countryside surrounding it. I’m from a single parent family, and because my mum was working two jobs, I ended up cooking tea two or three times a week.To be honest it wasn’t real cooking - it was reheating. Fish finger sandwiches and beans on toast, but I suppose that was my first real experiences of heating food up in a pan. I ended up in professional kitchens, because I didn’t really know what I wanted to do, and found that I absolutely loved it.The people, the camaraderie, the way that chefs are…It’s a way of life, not a job. We hear that we nearly lost your culinary talents to the small screen… Yes, well, kinda, because between the ages of sixteen and eighteen, I ended up at youth theatre, and I got spotted for a cameo in Miss Marple amongst others. It all happened so quickly and was a little bizarre. However fun it was, acting wasn’t something that I really wanted to do - the parts were often titled things like Thug One or Bully Number Three. It was cool, but it wasn’t where I was going. When did you swap the bright lights for Michelin stars? It’s never been about the food, it’s been about the kitchen and the people, the adrenalin; you have to love the hard work and the hours and being a part of something.Then I found an additional drive - to push myself harder than anybody else. I will quite happily be the first in and the last out. I’m not one to shirk responsibility, and that quality goes a long way in the hospitality industry. I was clear about where I wanted to go in my career, and my interest in ingredients [developed] at the same time. For me there was no romantic notion that I used to lick Nan’s cake bowl as a child. It was all about ‘being’ a chef rather than just cooking. I liked the manual labour element of it too. I get asked, a lot, what I would be if I wasn’t a chef…I would have been a butcher or a baker, or a deep sea fisher on one of the trawling boats. Something hard, where your hands get battered, that’s the sort of job I would have. Although my hands are not so battered any more, since I write books and appear on telly!

Cotswold Homes Magazine

Tom Kerridge

rooms, and consequently it’s the first year Beth and I have actually taken a salary. But I’m a chef first and foremost because I love it and Beth is a sculptor because she loves it. Not once have we worried about money, because if you want to make money you don’t become an artist or a chef! We have 17 chefs in our kitchen, serving 55 seats, but every lunch and dinner service we will cater for 75-80 every service, and a Monday lunch is as busy as a Saturday night. It’s fifteen tables and a large bar area in stripped wood and exposed stone work, it’s beer pumps and smiling faces - everything that people find inviting about pubs, just with Michelin starred food. We wanted to take the fear of fine dining away - you shouldn’t be worrying that you’re using the wrong fork or drinking from the wrong glass. We wanted to remove all of that. We don’t change our menus that often. It all develops and grows. We like consistency, and it is difficult to change with over fifty members of staff. And when we open the doors at 11.30 we’re busy for the next eleven hours. We’re not officially open all day but it seems we roll from lunch into supper: if we’re here, were happy to serve you.

“I ended up in professional kitchens, because I didn’t really know what I wanted to do, and found that I absolutely loved it. The people, the camaraderie, the way that chefs are…It’s a way of life, not a job.” I’m not the most dynamic chef out there, and I’ve never pretended to be. I like cooking things properly. Your ‘proper’ style of cooking has gone down well. Do you believe simplicity is the key to your success? I have never tried to be anything I’m not. From the minute I started I wanted to open my business in a pub - it’s where I’m happy. I’m so much more comfortable in jeans and trainers, sharing a pint, than I [would be] in a suit in Mayfair. So when it came to the business I wanted to be comfortable within the space and then I wanted to cook food I wanted to eat. So looking from the outside in, it’s all been a little self-indulgent.The idea was to get people to move away from going out for a special occasions and encourage them to come on a Tuesday lunch time too, which would make it a viable business. A huge part of our time is spent on consistency, rather than blinkered creativity, if that makes sense. We spend a lot of time focusing on doing the basics properly…90% of the work is already done by the farmers and butchers, and as a chef you have the least amount of time with it…you just have to try not to mess it up! You have to have a healthy respect and understanding for all the hard work that came before it ended up in your kitchen.

And a lot of chefs forget about that, they cook for their ego and create pretty pictures on a plate, styling their food for prizes. Food should never, ever be about style, but about flavour.You can waste so much time styling a pretty plate, but as soon as the customers have put their knife and fork through it, and moved it about, it’s just a mess. Without the flavour to back it up, what’s the point? Tell us about The Hand and Flowers… I wouldn’t have opened this business if it hadn’t been for my wife Beth - she’s a sculptor, and the key to our success. We were looking to open a restaurant, and stumbled across The Trouble House in Tetbury. It was a Michelin starred pub in 2004 and Beth and I went away thinking that it was simply fantastic and thought let’s do something like this. If we were going to work a hundred hours per week, we might as well be doing it for ourselves. So we leapt in together, re-mortgaging our little flat in London, and on thirty grand we moved into The Hand and Flowers. Me, Beth, two dogs and my best mate lived above the pub and that was it - we opened up and off we went. Since that day we have just kept reinvesting. I worked it out the other day: there’s £1.7million that we have put back in the form of cottages, kitchens,

We hear there’s quite a wait for a table? Yes…embarrassingly so.The [next availability] for a Friday or Saturday night is in March 2015! Mid week is shorter… probably only three months.The bank managers are very happy, and it’s a problem that every chef would want…my only problem with it is we set it all up to be accessible and having to wait a year to come for steak and chips (although, they are bloody good steak and chips)! What are your current television projects? We are doing a second series in a similar style to before with the same heart and soulful food.The feedback [from the first series] was that it was quite blokey food, but girls liked it too. And so it sucked in a load of blokes, not just the middle class chaps who like to cook game, but geezers…. because we cooked it on a barbeque and served it with beer. So were trying to keep that feel for the next series, which is due to hit the screens in early autumn. We’re also working on another supporting book. More of the same…they are the same plates that we serve in The Hand and Flowers, and yes we have two Michelin stars, but the dishes originate from the same ideas. It is just the plates we serve in the pub travel a more elaborate journey.The book has a few cheffy tips but nothing too radical: just cooking looked at from a different angle. Thanks so much for your time Tom, we’ll leave you in peace - but before we go, looks like we’d better book a table!

For more about Tom and his cuisine, visit www.thehandandflowers.co.uk www.cotswold-homes.com

DIARY oF A FARmER’S WIFE

SuMMEr It is an unfortunate truth that the smell of freshly cut grass on a summer’s day reminds me of being stuck in a classroom, wrestling with trigonometry (or, worse, doing an exam). I am also reminded annually of the day I handed in my dissertation, driving to the pub to celebrate (obviously) and suddenly noticing that summer had arrived whilst I had been head down at my computer. It’s ten years since I graduated and even longer since I left school, and I wonder if I will ever shake the association between the welcome ﬁrst days of summer and being stuck in a classroom! The Ag College in Cirencester provided us with generous summer holidays and I spent mine driving tractors for my Dad. Restricted to basic tractor work, I eventually graduated to operating the grain drier once Dad had built some confidence.The days were long and dusty but my mother looked after us superbly, bringing lunch out at midday every day. My husband does not benefit at all from the experience I gained during those three years – I don’t do any tractor work and he definitely doesn’t get a slap up picnic lunch at midday, a constant source of disappointment for him. Our summers at Tagmoor, as with summers everywhere, depend entirely on the weather. After a year of nurturing the crops and doing everything possible to ensure a successful harvest, to have it all ruined by the weather is so frustrating. My father in law’s seemingly relaxed approach to the harvest is not something he passed on to James and my 56

Cotswold Homes Magazine

By the time we get back from ten days’ camping in France harvest should be just around the corner. Much as i worry about small children and large machinery it is a wonderful time for them – combine rides with Grandad ... coping mechanism for this is to try and put a decent supper on the table - at least then he won’t be hungry as well as grumpy. There are also plenty of fun times to be had during the summer though - our family holiday for one thing, as well as special treats like a trip to Gifford’s Circus. By the time we get back from ten days’ camping in France harvest should be just around the corner. Much as I worry about small children and large machinery it is a wonderful time for them – combine rides with Grandad (who I think finds half an hour of their constant chatter more exhausting than a day of concentrated driving) are the pinnacle of the farming year for them. For my

part I will work on improving my track record in the lunch stakes – I will never reach the dizzying heights of my mother and her punctually delivered picnics but surely I can send him off with a packed lunch at least….I even own a shop full of delicious food so no excuses! For more information on the goings on at Tagmoor Farm have a look at www.lovemycow.com and www.fieldbarnpark.com In addition to mucking about on the farm and raising three children, Anna also has a farm shop in Bourton on the Water www.toastthecotswolds.com and helps organise The Cotswold Food and Farming Festival (www. thecotswoldfoodandfarmingfestival.com).

THAnK yOu FOR VISITING

FARm PARK

Adam Henson reﬂects on what the Farm Park has meant to generations of local families – and to him and his father, founding farmer Joe Henson.

TICKIN SEE E PAg TS E 4

As a presenter, you meet lots of different people, all with their own stories to tell. It’s one of my favourite parts of the job and fortunately for me, it doesn’t all stop when the cameraman leaves. Back at the Farm Park, I’m always seeing new faces, which is fantastic. But what’s even better than that is seeing familiar ones, the people who come back to enjoy this patch of the Cotswolds over and over again. I regularly hear parents reminisce about their visits here as children and the fact that they now bring their own families for a day out gives a wonderful sense of time, continuity and legacy to the Farm Park. When my dad first opened the gates 43 years ago, he wouldn’t have realised how many memories would be created here and it’s humbling to now hear so many of them. For the regulars, no visit of theirs will be quite the same; the changes in the seasons bring variations to the scenery, from the vast yellow swathes of rape in the fields to the frost

When my dad ﬁrst opened the gates 43 years ago, he wouldn’t have realised how many memories would be created here and it’s humbling to now hear so many of them. settling in the hedgerows and everything in between. There might be some new arrivals in the paddocks, a different demonstration taking place in the barns or new bugs to spot in the Conservation Area. But the main difference to your day comes from the people you spend it with. As the promise of longer days and warmer weather approaches, now is the perfect time to organise an outing with friends or family. You don’t need to spend hours in the car playing ‘I Spy’ either. Here in the Cotswolds, we are spoilt for choice of new places to discover, or old favourites to revisit. It’s outings like these which form long-lasting

memories and long-standing jokes that you will still laugh at together years down the line. If you do manage to get out and about in the next couple of months, I hope you have a wonderful time enjoying the company of those closest to you. And if you have previously visited the Cotswold Farm Park, either in my Dad’s day or more recently, thank you for being part of our story and our growth. We hope to see you again. Find out more about what’s going on at Adam’s Farm Park today at www.cotswoldfarmpark.co.uk www.cotswold-homes.com

DAY TRIPPER

D AY T R I P P E R : THE WRITER ON THE TRAIN I N O U R R E G U L A R D AY T R I P P E R F E AT U R E , W E V I S I T P L A C E S T H AT C A N B E ACCESSED VIA AN EASY RAIL COMMUTE FROM THE COTSWOLDS. BUT IN T H I S I S S U E , T H E R E I S N O PA R T I C U L A R D E S T I N AT I O N – I T I S T H E J O U R N E Y T H AT M AT T E R S , A N D T H E A N E C D O T E S C O L L E C T E D A L O N G T H E WAY. M E E T J A M E S AT T L E E , T H E O F F I C I A L ‘ W R I T E R O N T H E T R A I N ’ F O R F I R S T G R E AT W E S T E R N . James: I spent over a decade commuting every day by train from Oxford to London. Having an hour at a desk at the beginning and end of every day, albeit on a train, enabled me to complete three books. When I went freelance and stopped my daily journeys I realised I had missed the opportunity of writing something about the journey itself. I approached First Great Western and they responded by making me their Writer on the Train, with the freedom to explore the network. I am currently working on a book, to be published by Guardian Books in 2015, and an app that will deliver writing to commuters on the London to Bristol line. James Attlee is the author of Nocturne: A Journey in Search of Moonlight and Isolarion: A Different Oxford Journey. www.writeronthetrain.com

HENRY WEST AND THE READING TORNADO

Momentous events seldom happen singly. Just six days before Reading station was due to open in March 1840, linking the town to the nation’s capital by rail for the first time, the area was struck by a freak tornado. Henry West, a 24-year-old unmarried carpenter from Wilton in Wiltshire, was unlucky enough to be working on the station roof that particular morning, attending to the lantern; the wind lifted him up transporting him some 200 feet, where his insensible body was discovered in a trench some time later. It was said, as is customary on such occasions, that he was killed instantly. The swiftness of this transition from life to death made a strong impression on Henry's fellow workers, who erected a monument to his memory fashioned from a railway sleeper, inscribed with a verse admonishing all to be ready to face such a call themselves: 60 Cotswold Homes Magazine

Sudden the change I in a moment fell and had not time to bid my friends farewell. Yet hushed be all complaint, 'tis sweet, 'tis blest to change Earth's stormy scenes for Endless Rest. Dear friends prepare, take warning by my fall, so you shall hear with joy your Saviour's call.

Modern rail travel often provides us with reminders of our mortality. One of the regular causes of delays to our journey is the announcement of a person hit by a train. These collisions are not usually accidental. The

concept of committing suicide by jumping in front of a locomotive seems to have emerged almost at the same time as railways themselves: by the end of the 19th century it had already featured as a plot device in the fiction of Dickens, Tolstoy and Zola. Death stalked the development of the railways; navvies and tunnellers died by the hundreds in their construction and derailments were common in the early years, inducing a state of fear in many travellers. On my own homeward journey, the train often halts by a graveyard just outside the station while it awaits a platform. Travellers raising their eyes to glance through the window are reminded that one day the carriage won’t judder reassuringly and carry them forward once more; that this will be their final destination, as it is everyone’s. There was a time when people cultivated such thoughts, keeping a skull, or a painting of a skull, near at hand as an aid to contemplation. Today we tend to brush aside such momento mori, as though in the speed of our passage we could out-run our inevitable end. However fast our

DAY TRIPPER

Photo by Albert Masias

progress, occasionally things come to a halt; at such times the story of Henry West seems especially poignant. I was first made aware of Henry's story when I came across his dates and the commemorative verse on a brass plaque on the wall on Platform 7 of the Station; later I took a walk to St Lawrence's Churchyard, where I found the larger wooden memorial to his martyrdom in the cause of progress. Reading was, briefly, the terminus of the line and Brunel had grand plans for building a landmark station there, but these were thwarted by the budget-minded directors of the GWR. Instead he constructed one of his quirky ‘one-sided’ stations, the up and down platforms of which lay alongside one another, served by the simplest amenities. Brunel claimed the single-sided design afforded greater convenience to passengers; but while it is true they did not have to cross the line, trains, in order to reach them, did, with an obvious impact to the service. Henry, then, was not engaged in constructing a building of great distinction when he met his end. Brunel’s original station buildings lasted a mere 20 years, while his single-sided design persisted into the 1890s. When I searched for Henry’s plaque following the recent redevelopment of the station, I could no longer find it. Had he finally been swept away by a wind of change of a different kind, the arrival in Reading of a station building of sufficient magnitude to satisfy Brunel’s ambition for this strategically important location, as well as to solve the congestion problems that have long plagued the route from the west into London?

S TAT I O N J I M : O R A C A L L F O R T H E M U M M I F I C AT I O N O F T H E VIRTUOUS DEAD Slough Station is unique as a place of pilgrimage for the curious. Those who make a search of Platform 5 will find a glass case, in which the stuffed body of a departed railway worker is displayed for all to see. I refer of course to Station Jim, the dog who lived at Slough in the last years of the nineteenth century and worked as Canine Collector for the Great Western Railway Widows and Orphans Fund. Dog Jim (as he was also known) suffered poor health and died in harness after serving in his post for only a couple of years. However, he made a great impression in his brief career, winning the public's affection by barking whenever a coin was placed in his collection box and performing a number of other tricks, including ‘playing dead’. Now, of course, at permanent attention in his transparent sentry box, he plays alive. He certainly looks real enough; a demonstration of the fact that it is perfectly possible to be scooped out from the inside while keeping up external appearances. Jim didn’t choose to prolong his presence on earth in this manner, unlike another famously preserved figure, known as The Auto-Icon, that resides in its own glass-fronted box a mile or so from Paddington Station at University College, London. The philosopher and social reformer Jeremy Bentham’s desire that his head and skeleton be preserved after his death was included in his will; so important was this ambition to him he is said to have carried the glass eyes he had selected for the purpose in his waistcoat pocket for a decade before his

death. Unfortunately the methods used to preserve his head gave it rather a shocking appearance and it was soon replaced with a wax portrait. For many years the rejected head rested between the feet of Bentham’s fully dressed skeleton. However, its presence became too much of a provocation for student pranksters who kidnapped it more than once, demanding a ransom. According to one story, it was taken for a lengthy excursion through the United Kingdom by train, by an unknown route, finally ending up in a left-luggage locker at Aberdeen station. Would Station Jim have been moved to bark as a train bearing Bentham’s mummified head passed by? It is telling that the dutiful dog’s continued presence among us, over a century after his death, was enabled through public subscription and the contributions of his fellow members of staff at Slough. Frozen in position, he stares glassily across the platform, his expression one of infinite, long-suffering patience. Meeting his gaze, I wonder if this might not be a model for memorialising the departed. Why consign them to graveyards where they moulder forgotten? How much more appropriate that the worthy live on where they made most impression during their lives, at their places of work. Friendly station staff, missed by the travelling public when they disappear from service, would surely be a popular choice for mummification, as would the long-term commuter who shocks his fellow travellers by dying in harness. Among the flow of the crowd on our rush hour platforms these figures would not move, frozen in attitudes and gestures once familiar, their continued presence a reassuring reminder of values that endure. www.cotswold-homes.com

THE

NORTH COTSWOLD

PROPERTY MARKET

ONLY FIVE MONTHS INTO 2014, HARRISON JAMES & HARDIE FINE & COUNTRY, THE NORTH COTSWOLDS’ LEADING ESTATE AGENCY, HAD ALREADY AGREED SALES ON A STAGGERING 105 LOCAL PROPERTIES, NEARLY 15% MORE THAN THEY ACHIEVED IN THE SAME PERIOD AT THE HEIGHT OF THE MARKET IN 2007.

“The level of service experienced as a potential buyer is by far the best test of an agency’s worth and the most likely indicator of the company’s ability to ensure the best possible sale prices for clients.” Karen Harrison, director.

HoT PRoPERTY - ASK THE EXPERTS

Ask the experts

Selling in Karen Harrison

Q A

a Rising Market

We have just had four valuations ranging from £600,000 to £750,000! How ambitious should we be in a rising market and how do we choose which estate agency to use, given such a huge disparity in suggestions on price? To achieve the best possible sale price please don’t jump too quickly, especially with your choice of agency. Please don’t be tempted by the most flagrantly ambitious price and neither the lowest fee, especially suspicious if they coincide, for this really is the oldest trick in the book. Anyone can stick a sucked finger into the heady winds of optimism and then add ten per cent for good measure – the only deliberate calculation in doing so is to outdo the next agent walking through the door, in order to secure your instruction. An overambitious agent will suggest you can always reduce the price and promise a low/scaled fee in return, but this cynical tactic is most likely to slow your sale down and to cost you money, not the reverse. Do more homework on each agency before making your choice. In a rising market you need the best, not the cheapest agency - an agency with the proven ability to attract as many buyers as possible, a superlative level of service at all stages of the transactional process. When it’s busy, buyers begin to make quick decisions about what they want, so you need lots of really good people selling on your behalf, capturing all that burst of initial interest, converting it into proper activity and offers.The best agency will have plenty of experienced sales staff to extract the best opportunities – proactively engaged in selling, working hard to secure viewings as soon as possible. Without someone to shout about your property, it will linger even in a good market place. When everything of comparable quality is selling quickly around you, your decision to save on fee and/or to overprice could cost you very dearly indeed – you could end up under-selling.The truth is that we all want what everyone else wants and no one wants what everyone else has overlooked, so the first few weeks of entering the market place are critically important. To secure the highest price, it is really important to choose an agency that has the ability to “sell, sell, sell” - a company with access to the greatest number of buyers, staffed by the most experienced people, properly equipped to drive the greatest amount of competition in the shortest possible time, with a sophisticated understanding of the local marketplace. Listen to their advice and be prepared to accept their fees will be higher, because all this experience and skill does not come cheap. It does, however, ensure

the strongest negotiators will be acting on your behalf, best placed to assess the maximum that someone will pay and who is most likely to pay that price.These agents will offer strong, comparable evidence and solid reasoning for their pricing strategy because they know the market inside out. Noting which agency has the most recently sold properties in your area is a good barometer but, to understand the comparative merits, take time as a potential buyer to experience service standards, first hand.Visit their offices in person, register, go out on viewings and then consider how proactive each agency is, how experienced, how knowledgeable, how helpful and friendly, how informed about properties, location and amenities? Is everyone busy on the phones, dashing in and out on viewings, creating a palpable buzz of enthusiasm but never too busy to help? Are the staff knowledgeable, intelligent, hard-working and motivated? Do they sell the benefits of properties, not just giving out random details of everything in your price range? Can they offer a wide variety of suitable properties to view? Do they continue to refine their understanding as they get to know you better, proposing properties you wouldn’t initially have considered, persuading you to look at houses that you find are surprisingly good? Do they always keep in contact, asking for feedback from all your viewings, seeking offers if you are keen? Do they keep regularly in contact? Are they always on the ball and always pleased to help? If so, choose this agency.The level of service experienced as a potential buyer is by far the best test of an agency’s worth and the most likely indicator of the company’s ability to ensure the best possible sale prices for all their clients.Trust in your research, in recommendation and in reputation. Rely on proven results - doubt brave claims and question cheap fees. In a rising market, it’s as important as ever to have the best people working on your behalf anything less could end up costing you thousands. Karen Harrison is co-founder and owner of HARRISON JAMES & HARDIE estate agency, a local independent company that has enjoyed consistent success as market leaders and specialists in Residential Sales and Lettings of North Cotswold properties for well over a decade, and is the appointed agent for Fine & Country in the North Cotswolds.To speak to Karen, telephone 01608 651000 or 01451 822977 or e-mail karen@harrisonjameshardie.co.uk To view properties for sale or to let, visit www.cotswold-homes.com.

www.cotswold-homes.com

Little Amberley, Broadwell

ÂŁ550,000

A deceptively spacious 3 bedroom detached bungalow with a beautiful, well stocked and private garden. The property has recently undergone significant modernisation and the generously proportioned living accommodation is presented to the highest standard. Entrance Hall | Sitting Room Open To Dining Room | Garden Room | Kitchen | Master Bedroom With En-Suite | 2 Further Bedrooms | Bathroom | Utility | Extended Garage | Garden | Parking | EPC Rating: E Fine and Country Harrison James & Hardie, Moreton in Marsh 01608 653 893

Oakview, Stourton

ÂŁ549,500

Bourton on the Water | Moreton in Marsh | Stow on the Wold | Mayfair | Lettings

1 Pinchester Cottages, Little Compton ÂŁ499,950 A well-proportioned Cotswold stone period home, located in a quiet backwater of this traditional Cotswold village. Offered with no onward chain. Entrance Hall | Sitting Room | Dining Room | Study | Kitchen/Breakfast Room | Utility Room | WC | Two First Floor Double Bedrooms | Bathroom And Spacious Landing (With Scope To Add An Additional Bathroom/En-Suite), Second Floor Double Bedroom With Additional Room Ideal For Dressing Room Or Study | Parking | Gardens To Front And Rear | EPC Rating: F Fine and Country Harrison James & Hardie, Moreton in Marsh 01608 653 893

1 Sunnyside, Upper Oddington

ÂŁ495,000

A recently refurbished period property completed to a high standard and located within a premium Cotswold Village. The property benefits from a substantial Cotswold stone outbuilding with planning permission to convert into further living space. Entrance Hall | Sitting Room | Kitchen/Breakfast Room | Master Bedroom With En-Suite | Guest Bedroom With En-Suite | Third Double Bedroom | Bathroom | Cotswold Stone Outbuilding | Garden To Front And Rear | Parking | EPC Rating: E Fine and Country Harrison James & Hardie, Moreton in Marsh 01608 653 893

Country Homes from harrison james & hardie

Almond Lodge, Wyck Rissington

ÂŁ650,000

Rushdale, Naunton

Guide Price ÂŁ450,000

Bourton on the Water | Moreton in Marsh | Stow on the Wold | Mayfair | Lettings

2 The Avenue, Bourton on the Water

ÂŁ429,950

Fine and Country, Harrison James & Hardie, Bourton on the Water 01451 824 977

Fine and Country, Harrison James & Hardie, Bourton on the Water 01451 824 977

Country Homes from harrison james & hardie

Lettings

1 Hollybank, Longborough

ÂŁ1,350 PCM

An attractive stone built cottage situated in an elevated position and benefitting from beautiful views of the picturesque High Street and surrounding countryside. Sitting Room | Dining Hall | Kitchen | Bedroom 3 With En-Suite Shower Room | 2 Further Bedrooms | Bathroom | Garden | EPC Rating: F Fine and Country, Harrison James & Hardie, Stow-on-the-Wold 01451 833 170

5 Yew Tree Cottages, Stow on the Wold

ÂŁ850 PCM

Bourton on the Water | Moreton in Marsh | Stow on the Wold | Mayfair | Lettings

Lettings

7 Sheep Street, Shipston on Stour

£1,495 pcm

Primrose Cottage, Great Rissington

£995 pcm

Harrison James & Hardie, Stow-on-the-Wold 01451 833 170

18 Sunderland Road, Moreton in Marsh

£850 pcm

27 Lysander Way, Moreton in Marsh

£825 pcm

Harrison James & Hardie, Stow-on-the-Wold 01451 833 170

Country Homes from harrison james & hardie

HOT PROPERTY - ASK THE EXPERTS

Ask the experts

The True Cost of Re-Build Robert Hamilton

Q A

i have just had the surveyor’s report from my building society and the figure given for the re-instatement value on my period property seems very low compared with the purchase price – should i be worried and what should i do? a reinstatement value is predicated on a worst-case scenario - heaven forbid, if your house were to burn to the ground. of course, an empty site will still have residual value and the figure is calculated, therefore, on the cost of rebuilding the property itself to the original standard. The figure is not simply limited to bricks and mortar but takes into account all sorts of additional costs – skip hire, site clearance and crowd-barriers, ‘shoring up’ party walls and/or repairing damage to an attached property, rehousing neighbours whilst work is carried out, temporary accommodation for you... The word ‘minefield’ does not even come close.

Building Cost information Service - an index provided to the association of British insurers based on an average of house types (but which does not account for regional differences in the cost of materials, labour, etc). a modern property with an external built area of 160 square metres might be £1000 per square metre to re-build and the reinstatement cost would be £160,000 but an older cottage would probably cost £1500 per square metre to rebuild, so the reinstatement cost would be £240,000. if listed, a cost of £2,000 per square metre would be the minimum estimate - think about sourcing all those Period features! in the last case, the reinstatement value soars to twice that of the modern property, at £320,000. this is why reinstatement costs can vary hugely. Generally the reinstatement figure is usually much lower but can be sometimes equal to or even, in very rare cases, in excess of the purchase price. Either way, it is your responsibility to check the reinstatement figure and to review it every five years or so.

“The external built area can be calculated using the Land Registry Title Plan or Landmark ‘Promap’, a scale drawing from which accurate measurements can be taken.” First one must calculate the external built area of the property, including permanent structures like garages and barns (but not summerhouses or sheds). the external built area can be calculated using the land registry title Plan or landmark ‘Promap’, a scale drawing from which accurate measurements can be taken. the BCiS (Building Cost information Service) calculator is also useful - based simply on postcode and number of rooms. this can give a very accurate estimate for modern build houses but it does not work so well with period homes where even simple maths can be complicated. For example, with a modern house one would gross up the internal ﬂoor area by 10% but a period property with thicker walls might need grossing up by as much as 15% to 20%. Having established the external built area, this is then multiplied by the general cost of re-build. Surveyors use the

Whilst it is common policy to shop around for the cheapest quote these days, new owners can find themselves woefully under-insured by doing so. Particularly when buying a period property, it is always best to find out the current insurer before purchase and continue cover with the same insurer if possible - especially if the property has some adverse history like flooding, for example. Should the worst-case scenario happen, it is at least a comfort to know one has been correctly and adequately insured! 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 01285 640 840 or visit the www.centralsurveying.co.uk.

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HOT PROPERTY - ASK THE EXPERTS

Ask the experts

Sue Ellis

Tighter Lending Criteria – More Big Brother Tactics?

Q A

my partner and i are planning to buy our first house but i’ve recently seen on the news that there are to be tighter rules when assessing lending, including investigating spending habits – i cannot help worrying about the implications when we have yet to enter the mortgage market? you are referring to the new Mortgage Market review (or MMr as it’s widely known) that came into force on 26th april 2014, initially mooted by the Financial Services authority back in october 2009 (now the Financial Conduct authority), when it set out the need for a full review and analysis of the way in which mortgages should be regulated and monitored, following the crash of 2007. Back then, there were several major areas of concern but the main ones were increasing the accountability of lenders for their processes –the affordability of mortgages upon prospective borrowers, the introduction of tighter assessments upon initial applications and the ban on ‘Self Certification’ mortgages, the latter being rife before the crash, when borrowers could state what they earned without checks being made. Such lack of control undoubtedly contributed to the disaster - many borrowers took on mortgages that were totally unaffordable, leading to unavoidable arrears and ultimately, suffering the desperation of having their properties repossessed by lenders during the recession. So how does this new accountability affect borrowers? For every new lending scenario that is under consideration - be it borrowing more money with the same lender, re-mortgaging, a new purchase or even simply finding a better deal with your current lender - much more information must be provided. the lender will ask about regular expenses such as council tax, utility bills, food and clothing and even want to know how much you spend on holidays, gym membership and the cost of keeping your pets – the list goes on! another important change is the ‘stress test’. the Bank Base rate has remained low over the last few years so lenders are keen to ensure that, when rates rise, borrowers can still cope with resultant increases in their monthly payments. typically, someone with a mortgage of £250,000 at 3.5% would pay £1250 per month today but at 7% this sum would increase to £1767 a month – a hefty additional amount to find, suddenly.

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one headline read recently: ‘Will you be quizzed about your sex life when you apply for a mortgage?’ – somewhat sensationalist! However, there have been reports of advisers, acting for High Street lenders, asking potential borrowers if they might be planning to start a family within the next few years or even whether they might already be expecting a child! of course, if personal or work circumstances are imminently about to change then these plans need to be factored in to the assessment but as to two, three or four years’ time?... Rather more difﬁcult to estimate! no doubt, the article was to illustrate the fact that borrowers must expect a much more lengthy interview and assessment of their application before being given a lending decision, perhaps lasting up to three hours. as a broker, however, i do support the underlying rationale for these changes - i believe that lending must be assessed properly because it does no one any favours, be it borrower or lender, if the mortgage is not affordable. the ‘what ifs?’ of life really must be covered as far as possible, so that borrowers understand the effects upon affordability, be it interest rate changes or shifts in personal circumstances, spending habits, etc. But asking questions about your sex life? i really don’t need to know about that, thank you! i am happy to advise, of course, on your personal circumstances, and the ways in which you can prepare and change what is necessary before you apply for a mortgage not only in saving up for a deposit but also educating yourself about the longer-term realities of taking on a mortgage upon your future plans. you must give yourself time to alter any prodigious spending habits and have your answers at the ready so that you can adequately demonstrate your sense of ﬁnancial responsibility, when you do apply! sue ellis works alongside Johnny magee as a mortgage broker at Jem Financial Planning. The team has 48 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

Simon David

Protection Against Worst Case Scenario

- Declarations of Trust

Q A

i am thinking of buying a property with my new partner – as yet we have no plans to marry so i am concerned to protect my financial situation, given i am putting in the entirety of the deposit and he is putting in nothing. is there anything i can do to ring-fence my investment and would it hold good if we were to marry in due course?

such as agreed percentages for mortgage payments, and whether one party should have more of a percentage if they contribute towards a reduction in the mortgage debt. you also need to consider what happens in the event of a loss - that is, if the value of the property has reduced rather than increased at the time of a sale.

the short answer is yes, however the longer answer is a little more involved!

If you do decide to get married in due course, may I first underline that you should take some very specific advice on from a solicitor who specialises in matrimonial issues. although you can both still sign a Declaration, in the event of a divorce then the courts would not necessarily have to follow the agreement between you, as they will be looking at other issues such as maintenance, children, other property, etc. there may be other ways to protect your investment, such as a pre-nuptial agreement, but again these are not binding on the court. if you get married and the property is in a sole name then you could think about a Declaration between you and your spouse before you sell, as this could assist in paying less capital gains tax. Specific advice should be taken from your accountants before entering into such an agreement.

The first piece of advice is to discuss the issue with your partner openly. I appreciate that this may be difficult to do – fearing it might lead to accusations of you being unable to trust him - but it is vitally important that you do this, at the earliest possible opportunity. if you leave the conversation until just before completion of the purchase, it may cause even more difficulties between you, especially if he receives a solicitor’s letter outlining your plans! assuming that your partner is comfortable with the idea and understands your concerns, then the easiest way to protect your initial investment is by way of a Declaration of trust deed. a Declaration of trust can spell out the amount of your initial contribution and what will happen in the event of a sale – for example, whether you receive your initial investment back plus an agreed percentage of the proceeds or just a straight percentage based on your initial investment. However, this is not an exact science. Depending on the way you word the Declaration, the amount you receive may vary slightly so it is worth working through some scenarios to see what suits you both. the important issue is to try and agree this between you before engaging a solicitor to draw up the final document. it might not be something that you wish to consider but the Declaration can also spell out what will happen to the property if you were to split up. it is important to think about this, as without such provision in the Declaration it may be much more difficult to agree whether the property should be sold or transferred to one of you. Disagreements of this nature (at a time when everyone is already at loggerheads) could involve expensive court costs to reach such an agreement. the Declaration can also deal with other matters,

indeed, regarding property, using a Declaration of trust is generally useful. a Declaration of trust may be a great way to outline speciﬁc shares in the property if, for example, a parent or grandparent has contributed towards the purchase price and wants to protect their own investment. Perhaps you have jointly owned property that you are renting out, when you might like to think about a Declaration of trust to assist you with tax planning, particularly if one is a higher rate and the other is a lower rate tax payer. you could specify in the Declaration that the lower rate tax-payer owns a larger percentage of the shares in the property - between you, you should pay less tax on the income derived from the rent - but take speciﬁc advice from your accountant, of course. simon david is the managing Partner at Thomas legal group – one of the Cotswold’s premier property law firms; The Conveyancing experts. Please contact him via e-mail at info@tlg.uk.com or via the website www.thomaslegalgroup. co.uk for information on the cost of conveyance upon your property sale or purchase.

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HOT PROPERTY - ASK THE EXPERTS

Ask the experts

Summer Holiday Letting Andy Soye

Q A

i am in the process of buying a four bedroom character cottage in The Cotswolds and i would like to start holiday letting in time for the peak summer months. what should i do to ensure i make the most out of the summer season? Due to its location in the heart of England, the Cotswolds is a true all-year-round holiday letting destination and a properly marketed cottage should generate in excess of fifty bookings a year. Average booking values reach their highest levels during the summer season, typically generating the highest profits of the year. We would describe the summer season as running between May and September. Prices typically start to increase from april onwards with the Easter holidays, reaching a peak during the school holidays (which run from the middle of July until the end of august), when demand is highest from families seeking a beautiful country holiday. Prices reduce a little by September but this can still be a popular month in the Cotswolds for other holiday seekers. all our famous towns and villages and attractions are just a little quieter to enjoy than during the school holidays but the weather is often just as good! the booking values and prices that can be charged during the summer season will vary depending on the size and quality of your cottage. However, a typical, well-presented four-bedroom cottage, capable of sleeping eight adults, could fetch around £1,600 a week in august. an important aspect of the holiday letting market in the Cotswolds is the demand for short, flexible breaks. As long as booking slots are correctly priced, owners who offer guests flexibility can typically make significantly higher profits than those who only offer weekly bookings. Flexible break strategies usually involve splitting a week into two time slots: a mid-week slot and a weekend slot. The key to higher profits is to ensure that the price of these shorter slots is not just a pro-rata of the weekly rate but priced according to market demand, with weekend rates priced at 70-75% of the weekly rate and mid-week rates at 65-70% of the weekly rate.

Cotswold Homes Magazine

Mat Faraday

During the summer, a popular property can expect to get a good mix of week-long, weekend and mid-week bookings. in those weeks where there is both a weekend and a mid-week booking, the owner will earn approximately 135140% of the weekly price! Yes, there are two turnarounds to deal with rather than one but owners should still make much higher profits than if they stick to the old adage of “weeks only in summer”. There are other specific preparations you should consider for summer rentals. England never promises unbroken sunshine but most families and groups want to enjoy the outdoors on their summer holiday in the Cotswolds. Consequently, it is important to give a little thought to the outdoor facilities at your property, to help maximise guests’ enjoyment. this can be as simple as ensuring your outside furniture is clean and sturdy, applying a pressure washer to any decking or paving, and providing a barbecue and utensils ready for an afternoon’s cooking. leaving a Cotswold Explorer map in the property, together with details of beautiful local walks, places of interest and pubs to visit en-route, is also a nice, personal touch. the most important aspect to ensuring maximum profitability is to employ experts to do the work for you. at Character Cottages we are very experienced at marketing and maximising the returns on properties sleeping six and above. We offer owners a wide and detailed range of support and advice on many key holidayletting factors, including furnishing, pricing, occupancy, security deposits and overall property management. To find out what your large cottage can do for you, please get in touch with us for specific advice relative to your property and needs. We look forward to helping you gain the very most from your new, and very wise, property investment! Andy soye and mat Faraday are co-founders and owners of Character Cottages, an independent company specialising in the holiday letting of luxury properties in the Cotswolds. To find out more about their services contact them on: owners@character-cottages.com or telephone 08456 80 80 29.

THE GRANARY

The Granary, Bourton-on-the-Water

is is not just a place to “Th admire for its beauty – it

“

is an eminently sensible, practical family home

Cotswold Homes Magazine

THE GRANARY

Granary The

Clapton on the Hill

A tiny hamlet nestled in the fold of hills overlooking the Windrush valley towards Sherborne, Clapton on the Hill is only a couple of miles away from Bourton on the Water and a few minutes’ drive in the opposite direction to reach the A40, but it has a timeless quality and simplicity that has changed very little in the last fifty years, save for the conversion of a few farm buildings and a couple of rather grand newbuilds. With such a lovely position, the passing of the seasons is more noticeable than in the temperate bowl of Bourton on the Water – dark storms brew in the far distance and when it snows it really snows. Equally, when it’s stiflingly hot down in the valley, the air on the top of the hill is refreshing and clear, providing the most astonishing far-reaching views that stretch for miles. In the middle of the hamlet is a little group of established barn conversions, completed in the late 90s, of which The Granary is the centrepiece, approached by a private, gated gravelled yard bounded by Cotswold stone walls with a double garage to one side, all perfectly in keeping with the character of the property. Walking in, one is immediately struck by the huge, double height hall, the first stamp of individuality and beauty in this ancient barn, filling the whole property with light. The hall forms a natural atrium to one end, somewhere to sit and look out over the garden, with rooms off to either side. Throughout, there are period details - each room is significantly different but all are blessed with pleasing, natural textures, changing shapes and differing levels, places of shade and sunshine, a rich palette of materials. Much of the original construction is still in evidence - exposed beams, flagstones, deepset windows with fleeting views, broad aspects where once were barn doors, curious niches,

little nooks and crannies, nothing in a straight line, but everywhere generously proportioned with high ceilings. This is not just a place to admire for its beauty – it is an eminently sensible, practical family home, where considerable attention has been given to the small details of day-to-day life and comfort, such as the utility room, with its host of cupboards and traditional Sheila Maid. The warm heart, the kitchen-breakfast room, has a range cooker, under-floor heating and a large table where guests and family naturally congregate and relax. This is a proper party house - the more formal dining room is heavily beamed with exposed stone and low windows, vast, with sufficient room for a desk and library as well as a dining table – one can imagine how it might be laid at Christmas and the same can be said of the equally huge sitting room. An inglenook fireplace is set into a corner with a wood-burning stove where one can draw close, snug in winter, but there is enough space for different seating arrangements in summer, taking advantage instead of wide-open doors that lead out onto a quite lovely garden. One should enjoy a garden like this, even on wet, indoor days - it is arranged like the house with characterful rooms and different levels, hidden corners, a wealth of textures and colours, heights and shapes, eminently sociable but equally private, bounded by a high Cotswold stone wall. A formal patio is perfect for al fresco dining but also, on high days and holidays, there is the unexpected luxury of a hot tub and outside shower, discreetly screened. The practicalities of the house extend into the garden, where proper consideration has been given to ease of maintenance, with a wholesale sprinkler system and strategic places

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THE GRANARY

for potting, a pretty tool shed, raised beds, a trail of little pathways, plenty of shade and sun and different places to sit, a picture-perfect outlook. Back in from the garden, through the main hall doors and up the open-plan staircase with balconied landing to the bedrooms – just at the top of the stairs, the fourth bedroom could become a nursery or separate study, equally could provide another bathroom, but at present is set up as occasional guest accommodation. The master bedroom is set deep into the eaves, L-shaped, with a fitted dressing area and en-suite bathroom – along the hallway, there is a main family bathroom serving two more sizeable double bedrooms. The first floor enjoys some lovely views, has the same profusion of character and again, is luxuriously comfortable – great cupboard space, proper head heights, decent showers and deep baths. The Granary, Clapton on the Hill, Price Guide £950,000. To arrange a viewing, contact Katy Freeman at Fine & Country North Cotswolds, Bourton on the Water – 01451 822977 – or for further details, floor plans and more photographs, simply visit www. cotswold-homes.com.

Cotswold Homes Magazine

NAUNTON

Bakehouse Cottage, Naunton

Naunton BAKEHOUSE COTTAGE

& SUMMERHILL HOUSE

Cotswold Homes Magazine

NAUNTON

“Naunton is at the centre of passionate horsey country, whether racing, hunting or eventing – populated with paddocks, yards and stables”

Bakehouse Cottage, Naunton

Situated in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Naunton is one of the North Cotswolds’ “golden postcodes”, a quintessential village populated by ancient cottages that nestle into a steep-sided valley, following the course of the shallow River Windrush. More than 200 years ago, many of the cottages had specific purpose for serving the local community – and around the time Bakehouse Cottage was first built, bread would have been baked in its stone ovens for the residents and the large country house nearby. The ovens have long since gone but the beautiful cottage has been extended over time to provide a wonderful family home today, now with a separate self-contained annexe. Located in the centre of the village with large, sociable and eminently comfortable rooms that are perfect for informal entertaining, this characterful and substantial property overlooks a well-stocked country garden that provides a safe, idyllic environment to raise children and to relish all the advantages of country life. Naunton is famous for its vibrant community, supported by an active village hall, church, golf course and traditional public house where one can congregate happily with neighbours, and is fabulously positioned for walking and a host of traditional country pursuits.

Bakehouse Cottage, Naunton

Bakehouse Cottage, Naunton www.cotswold-homes.com

NAUNTON

Summerhill House, Naunton

Naunton is also at the centre of passionate horsey country, whether racing, hunting or eventing – populated with paddocks, yards and stables. Cheltenham is the glory-maker and jewel in the crown of the Sport of Kings, with a cluster of villages in the surrounding hills providing ideal terrain for training grounds. Guiting Power, Ford, Condicote and Stow on the Wold are iconic North Cotswolds settlements like Naunton pretty and un-spoilt, centuries old, nestled amidst beautiful scenery. Here reside Jonjo O’Neill, David Bridgewater, Shaun Lycett, Tom George and Nigel Twiston-Davies, to name but a few. Particularly suited to equestrian use, sitting high on the escarpment just above the village of Naunton is Summerhill House, a detached modern chalet-style home built at the edge of six acres of flat fields and equipped with stables – the perfect spot for keeping horses. Approached 82

Cotswold Homes Magazine

via a long driveway, the property enjoys a nirvana of peace and solitude. Surrounded by glorious open countryside where one might amply enjoy the benefits of the good life, here as far as the eye can see, all is green and quiet. Perhaps the land might equally suit a drive for self-sufficiency with plenty of room for a vegetable garden, chickens and a pig or two, but as the centres of Bourton on the Water and Stow on the Wold barely ten minutes away, so provisions and amenities are never too far from hand. Situated within half an hour of the cosmopolitan centre of Cheltenham Spa, the village is well placed for day-to-day needs. Stow on the Wold is only a few minutes’ drive, where one can find a host of provisions including boutique shops, farmers’ markets, restaurants and coffee houses. Equidistant is Bourton on the Water, a popular tourist destination with many amenities and attractions that are particularly

Summerhill House, Naunton

suited to family life, including the Cotswold secondary school. This part of the world is particularly useful for commuting, served by a number of major interconnecting road and rail routes, including the M5 and A40 at Cheltenham and the mainline train stations of Moreton in Marsh / Kingham connecting to central London within two hours. Bakehouse Cottage, Naunton – Price Guide £750,000 Summerhill House, Naunton - £840,000 Sale Agreed To ﬁnd out more information on both these properties please speak to James von Speyr, Director, Harrison James & Hardie Fine & Country, Bourton on the Water 01451 822977

BOURTON ON THE WATER

BOURTON ON THE WATER, THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS

Katy Freeman, Branch Manager at Harrison James & Hardie Fine & Country Bourton on the Water, has lived in nearby Upper Slaughter since childhood. She and her sales team – Lucy Driver, Jo Shipman and Sophie Keogh – have more than 45 years’ combined experience of the local marketplace. To register your requirements or to book viewings on any of the properties Katy has suggested, simply telephone 01451 822977. 86

Cotswold Homes Magazine

Bourton on the Water is the most popular village in the Cotswolds for holidays without a doubt, with visitors arriving throughout the year. It’s a perfect place for school vacations and short, romantic breaks alike, where many bed and breakfasts, holiday cottages and family hotels cater for a range of pockets. This is a friendly place where the prevailing mood is laissez-faire with a tiny dash of seaside – there are a host of places to visit and things to do, inside and out, a place of good old-fashioned fun. A number of great family attractions are all conveniently situated in the middle of the village, dotted along from one end of the High Street to the other, however the shallow river Windrush provides plenty of pleasure without spending money. Here visitors simply pick a shady spot or catch the sun on the banks, relaxing and watching the children paddling in jelly shoes, or feeding a clamour of fat, friendly ducks. In high summer, the local football team comes for a kick-about in the water, with other occasional diversions taking place all season, whether racing homemade sailing crafts or taking bets on the progress of a host of yellow bathtime ducks as they bob cheerfully down-stream.

Downstream towards the delightful Dragonfly Maze, where one can happily amble for an hour or two and so too, neighbouring Birdland, where the penguins, cockatoos and flamingos will keep everyone amused for an afternoon. For more retrospective delights, the Motor Museum and Model Village are fascinating and quaint – and tucked away at the back of the well-stocked toyshop is the Model Railway, where a number of train-sets are laid out, providing a great place to hide from a downpour. This is a deliberately traditional village - not much has changed in the centre for years although newer homes have gradually proliferated at its edges. One can do all the usual, touristy things - stop off at a myriad of stone-fronted tea shops or potter at one’s leisure in a clutter of bijou gift shops - but the village is not just kiss-me-quick and fish and chips. The beautiful Dial House Hotel is renowned for fine dining; go to L’Amatra at the Chester House Hotel for authentic Italian pizzas, fish dishes and risottos. Just off the High Street on Moore Road is the new cool kid on the block, Toast - Anna McCurragh’s fabulous delicatessen

BOURTON ON THE WATER

provides discerning palettes with a lovely range of local produce. Make towards Sherborne Street for Bakery On the Water – then, armed with a couple of fresh baguettes, a selection of Anna’s goodies and a bottle or two from the lovely folks at Cotswold Brewery, you have the perfect ingredients for an impromptu picnic on the lesser known haunts, south of the river. Indeed for many residents it is not the High Street but the secret, quiet places that are the real delight – just a few minutes walk away from the bustle of the centre, the scene is bucolic and peaceful. Those who know the real Bourton on the Water prefer to paddle in the river beyond Sherborne Street – equally, they would advise an evening stroll along the leafy backwaters of Cemetry Lane and out over the flat fields into the setting sun towards Wyck Rissington or a brisk early morning dog walk touring the glittering lakes at the top of Rissington Road. On a cloudless sunny day, it is a simple pleasure to cross over the Fosseway and head for Lower Slaughter or pick up the long trail of the Cotswold Way, for this is a village situated in the midst of the most

“.. just a few minutes walk away from the High Street, the scene is bucolic and peaceful…” beautiful and serene countryside, where one can quite easily get away from the madding crowds. And it is not just a holiday destination – indeed, a steady stream of city dwellers are now taking advantage of boom-time property prices in London, exchanging their squeezed-in, noisy Victorian terraces for spacious country homes. At half the price for a family home here in the Cotswolds, one might still jump on a train and be back in Paddington in under two hours but the area provides a superlative state education and a wonderful village life. A trend for academic excellence begins in tiny local primary schools– Lower Swell, Cold Aston, Great Rissington, Bledington to name a few – then, secondary age children are bussed in from miles around to the renowned Cotswold School in Bourton on the Water, rated Outstanding and renowned for its friendly, positive, high-achieving work ethic.

What to buy with £750,000 to £850,000 in pocket? Lots of room, a big garden, views, character, a change of pace? We asked Katy Freeman, Branch Manager at Harrison James & Hardie Fine & Country for her choices. “Bourton on the Water has a number of desirable family homes on offer, from newbuilds on established modern estates to more expensive, individual homes populating the south side and outskirts, like the halfhidden Edwardian gem, Gorse Dene or, on the same stretch of Rissington Road, the great rambling Bed & Breakfast, Southlands. Equally desirable, one could pick a Cotswold stone new-build luxury home like The Tallot, situated in a small courtyard high up overlooking open countryside…” www.cotswold-homes.com

GORSE DENE

Gorse Dene An Edwardian Gem

“Gorse Dene is a quintessential, comfortable family home – blessed with character features, set well back from the road about fifteen minutes walk from the centre of the village, looking out over meadows towards the surrounding hills with a great sweep of safe, lawned garden, it has five large bedrooms on the first floor and plenty of room downstairs for any number of children and friends. There’s a traditional L-shaped kitchen breakfast room to sit together for an evening meal, two sitting rooms

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(a grown-up one and a children’s snug) and a separate dining room for formal occasions plus a capacious study, already set up for working from home. There is still room to grow into or to add on, with an attached garage and utility room that could be converted into a granny annexe, plus a perfect spot overlooking the garden beyond the kitchen which would be just the place for a light-filled conservatory.”

GORSE DENE

Gorse Dene, Rissington Road is offered for sale at ÂŁ750,000. For more photos, ďŹ&#x201A;oor plans and details, visit www.cotswold-homes.com

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SOUTHLANDS

Southlands B & B A Fine Family Home?

90 Cotswold Homes Magazine

SOUTHLANDS

“Particularly suited to a multi-generational family, equally as a great holiday home investment, Southlands is currently a successful Bed & Breakfast but would only take a little imagination to return it to a fine family residence. This substantial, well-presented property is entirely fit for its current purpose, with an impressive eleven bedrooms including a cottage in the grounds, the whole offering over 4,600 feet of living space. However, a quick squint at the floor plan reveals how one might create a third spacious reception room by simply knocking together two ground floor en-suite bedrooms. Equally, removing a couple of walls on the first floor would create a grand master suite for mum and dad whilst retaining four further double bedrooms, all with bathrooms, for a brace of children. Add a nanny or a university returner to the mix and the self-sufficient cottage is just right (and quite an opportunity to let out for additional income, in any case) with three bedrooms and bathroom, a kitchen and a sitting room - somewhere to enjoy some peace and quiet yet close enough to the main house not to feel too isolated from the rest of family life.” Southlands, Rissington Road is offered for sale at £850,000. For more photos, ﬂoor plans and details, visit www.cotswold-homes.com

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THE TALLOT

The Tallot Whiteshoots Hill Away From the Madding Crowd

â&#x20AC;&#x153;If the thought of picking up a paintbrush is just too much to contemplate and your fantasy family home would grace the pages of a glamorous magazine, then The Tallot will tick all your boxes. Immaculate and ready to move into without so much as breaking a fingernail, this is one of a small courtyard of properties situated high up above the village on the climb to North-

Cotswold Homes Magazine

leach, just off the A429. Approached via a generous gravelled drive, surrounded by dry Cotswold stone walls, with landscaped gardens providing ample space to relax and play, this modern Cotswold stone property is sleekly minimalist, sparingly furnished and decorated in gentle hues of cream, chocolate and caramel. Equipped with many luxurious comforts and pleasing architec-

tural details, the highlights include an oak-floored sitting room with a wood-burning stove and a vast, beautifully fitted kitchen - upstairs there are five generous bedrooms and three bathrooms, the centrepiece being a master suite with hisand-hers walk-in wardrobes and a Juliet balcony overlooking the garden.â&#x20AC;?

THE TALLOT

The Tallot, Whiteshoots Hill, is offered for sale at ÂŁ750,000. For more photos, ďŹ&#x201A;oor plans and details, visit www.cotswold-homes.com

www.cotswold-homes.com

Marwood, Bourton on the Water

£550,000

3 Meadow View, Bourton on the Water

£450,000

A delightful detached home which enjoys countryside views to the rear from its private garden, offering scope to extend subject to necessary consents, and is ideal as a family home, retirement property or investment/holiday let. No onward chain. Entrance Hall | Cloakroom | Sitting/Dining Room | Kitchen/Breakfast Room | Integral Garage with Utility Area (space for a large vehicle and storage), Four Bedrooms | Double Shower Room | Driveway and Parking | Gardens | EPC Rating: C

Harrison James & Hardie, Bourton on the Water 01451 822 977

13 Maugersbury Park, Stow on the Wold

£400,000

A well-presented semi-detached three bedroom property with driveway and generous garage. The property has a stunning half an acre garden backing on to open countryside and is prime for extending (subject to necessary consents). Entrance Porch | Entrance Hall | Sitting Room | Kitchen | Utility Room | Dining Room | Three Bedrooms | Bathroom | Double Garage | Garden | Parking | EPC Rating: TBC The property also holds planning permission for the erection of single storey building to rear to provide self-contained ancillary accommodation Application ref: 12/03316/FUL

1 Hawthorn Cottages, Stow on the Wold

£375,000

Harrison James & Hardie, Bourton on the Water 01451 822 977

harrisonjameshardie.co.uk

Bourton on the Water | Moreton in Marsh | Mayfair | Lettings

5 King Charles Place, Stow on the Wold

£329,950

19 Barnsley Way, Bourton on the Water

£299,950

Harrison James & Hardie, Bourton on the Water 01451 822 977

Roseland, Great Rissington

£285,000

Holme Cottage, Stow on the Wold

£275,000

Harrison James & Hardie, Bourton on the Water 01451 822 977

view all our properties at harrisonjameshardie.co.uk

Clematis Cottage, Long Compton

£345,000

17 University Farm, Moreton in Marsh

£340,000

Harrison James & Hardie, Moreton in Marsh 01608 651 000

Brook House, Broadway

£325,000

Troopers Lodge, Bourton on the Hill

£299,950

Harrison James & Hardie, Moreton in Marsh 01608 651 000

harrisonjameshardie.co.uk

Moreton in Marsh | Bourton on the Water | Mayfair | Lettings

4 Carsons Close, Stretton on Fosse

£225,000

1 Roseville, Moreton in Marsh

£220,000

Harrison James & Hardie, Moreton in Marsh 01608 651 000

13 West Street, Shipston on Stour

£177,000

Unit 1 Wellington Court, Moreton in Marsh

£169,950

Harrison James & Hardie, Moreton in Marsh 01608 651 000

view all our properties at harrisonjameshardie.co.uk

seconD Home central

SECOND HOME CENTRAL The countryside around the market town of Moreton in Marsh makes the perfect destination for a weekend bolthole – especially with a direct train line that’s less than two hours from Paddington plus a quick taxi ride to any number of picture-postcard villages. So many little places to choose from, too, from the Georgian glamour of Blockley to the chocolate box charm of Chipping Campden– one can imagine life much as it was a hundred years ago but with all the convenience of Tesco’s and really good access back onto the A429. The villages a little further out to the north might be lesser known but are just as beautiful – Stourton, Wolford, Armscote, Blackwell, Ilmington - ancient, picturesque, rose-covered, built of honeyed stone and thatch, with the odd Georgian manor dotted in between and only a stroll to the pub, the church and the cricket pitch. No wonder that so much television and film (Father Brown, et al) is on location in this neck of the woods, for this part of the Cotswolds is much beloved by the BBC set and famous festival-makers alike. The London crew might rock up just in time for lunch at the Wild Rabbit (Lady Bamford’s ultimate gastro pub in Kingham) then hang out with Alex James, perhaps, or Jeremy Clarkson, both of whom have made the North Cotswolds their proper home. Just don’t make a song and dance if you see anyone –native Cotswoldians are 98

Cotswold Homes Magazine

indifferent to glitterati so no gawping and definitely no autograph hunting! London in the country is incognito, dressed down and muddy, Boden and Bridgewater not oligarch glamour, all long walks and inglenook fireplaces, floorboards as wide as feet and birdsong for breakfast – a complete retreat from the constraints of city life, balm to the soul, where one can play at being in the country but there’s a decent deli within ten minutes’ drive and Stratford Upon Avon’s RSC in twenty. If one is looking for a little country cottage or a grand country pad, what to buy? Tom Burdett, of Harrison James & Hardie Fine & Country has a

selection of five homes – but do be quick. The market is moving fast and quaint cottages are most in demand – even gazumping is back. How to secure the house of your dreams if you aren’t around in the week? “We are the only agency to do viewings with fulltime staff on Sundays, so register with us and we will organise a round-robin of potential properties for you to view. It’s important we get to know what you want in the first place, then be prepared to come up on a phone call if we recommend it, because the best homes are often under offer by the time we go to details.”

Frampton House

Frampton House S t o u r t o n The first of Tom’s selection is not what one would consider as a traditional second home but this is about its potential. Enjoying a picturesque riverside location, Frampton House, marketed at £675,000, is situated on a quiet country lane, equi-distant between the tranquil Cotswold villages of Cherington and Stourton. A large, modern, six bedroom home with an attached one-bedroom bungalow, situated in one and a half acres including a paddock with its own river frontage, one of the most attractive features is its setting and grounds, where a raised deck has been placed to make the most of the sun, offering a truly delightful aspect over the grounds and onto the river, fields and hills beyond. “Occupying such a position between two charming villages where the majority of properties are period Cotswold cottages, as yet the potential of Frampton House has not been fully realised. This is an exceptionally spacious,

“A large, modern, six bedroom home with an attached one-bedroom bungalow, situated in one and a half acres including a paddock with its own river frontage, one of the most attractive features is its setting and grounds ...” loved and comfortable home very typical of its era but, in updating, one could imbue far more traditional character simply by choosing natural materials and colours, using a palette of oak and stone in the interior, for example. Just as easily, too, one could face the exterior in stone, which although costly would be completely transformational. In so doing one would create a substantial and impressive Cotswold retreat in a fabulous position, ideal for hosting large groups of friends and family.” www.cotswold-homes.com

Dumbra, Ilmington

The conversion has created a seamless flow of living space, ideal for family living and entertaining, with three reception rooms including a wellproportioned dining room and two sitting rooms fitted with wood burning stoves, all with windows looking onto the garden.

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Dumbra, Ilmington

Dumbra Ilmington

Dumbra is a cottage situated in a prime position overlooking a pretty sweep of common in the centre of the delightful hill village of Ilmington. Dumbra appears to be a small yet picturesque cottage in typical golden Horton stone – however, this is a far bigger property that completely belies its exterior. “Dumbra, marketed at £549,950, has been greatly extended to the side and rear, nearly doubling its size, cleverly reflecting the original period features and character of the cottage throughout.The conversion has created a seamless flow of living space, ideal for family living and entertaining, with three reception

rooms including a well-proportioned dining room and two sitting rooms fitted with wood burning stoves, all with windows looking onto the garden. But the kitchen breakfast room is the property’s show piece, with a vaulted ceiling and exposed beams, a range cooker and beautiful units fitted with granite worktops. Having ample space for a large table, this is the perfect place to host an informal dinner party with family or friends. Upstairs are three double bedrooms, two en suite, plus a separate bathroom and, usefully, the attic has planning permission to create a further two bedrooms with dormer windows – indeed, the current owners have already carried out some preliminary work.”

www.cotswold-homes.com 101

Lucies’, Great Wolford

Lucies’

Great Wolford

102 Cotswold Homes Magazine

Tom’s next choice is a charming period property located at the heart of the delightful rural village of Great Wolford, another deceptively spacious home with an abundance of character features and a fabulous cottage garden. “Perhaps one of the most iconic and certainly one of the most characterful properties in Great Wolford, Lucies’ is situated in the heart of this much sought-after village, overlooking the parish church. Marketed at £495,000, it does look like something straight out of a Richard Curtis film – double-fronted, gabled, with lattice windows and a well-stocked, mature cottage garden. There are two principal reception rooms - the sitting room has an attractive bay window and a large

stone-built open fireplace with views overlooking the village green, and the dining room is complete with a traditional flagstone floor, looking out over the garden – beyond is the kitchen and breakfast room and yet another family room with an adjoining shower room, offering scope for a ground floor bedroom suite. There are two floors above, each with two bedrooms. The large master bedroom has lovely views to another quaint row of cottages on the other side of the green, completing the quintessential village scene. The top floor has an absolute abundance of character and charm – exposed beams, vaulted ceilings and mullioned windows. This is a stunning home everything one could wish for to impress friends for a weekend in the country!”

Lavender Cottage

Lavender Cottage Long Compton Tom’s final two choices, Lavender Cottage and Heron Cottage (see overleaf), are found in the neighbouring villages of Long Compton and Little Compton. Long Compton is a great stretch of village with tendrils of lanes reaching off into countryside, situated on the road between Chipping Norton and Shipston on Stour. Right on the eastern edge of the Cotswolds on the border of three counties just into Warwickshire, it sits between Shipston on Stour, Moreton in Marsh and Chipping Norton, ideal for anyone making a regular commute to Oxford or Stratford Upon Avon, or to London via the trainline at Moreton. Its position might explain why it offers more amenities than the majority of villages – there’s a pub, a village store and primary school. Quite unlike its bigger cousin, Little Compton is completely set back from the road en-route between Moreton and Chipping Norton, an exceptionally attractive village of predominantly period stone buildings, tucked away in the midst of glorious countryside. “Lavender Cottage in Long Compton, marketed at £325,000, is a sweet little period cottage, set well away from the main road, tucked quietly on a lane, enjoying a pretty and peaceful location. It’s a great bolt-hole, especially if one wishes to have relatively little maintenance to consider – not too big but perfectly comfortable enough to have friends to stay. Double-fronted, part of a picturesque terrace

of cottages, it has two main reception rooms - a sitting room and dining room overlooking the front - with a long galley kitchen to the rear, whilst upstairs are three bedrooms and a family bathroom. Outside, there is plenty of parking and the Cotswold stone walled garden is quite delightful – just the right size simply to enjoy the weather, with a great gin-and-tonic terrace and a small lawn for sun-bathers, afforded plenty of privacy with a host of mature trees at the border. www.cotswold-homes.com 103

HERON COTTAGE

Heron Cottage Little Compton

“Marketed at £425,000, Heron Cottage has many of the same lovely qualities as Lavender Cottage but is larger and semi-detached, constructed of Cotswold stone and full of character, situated in a tranquil spot on the edge of the village. It also has two main reception rooms, but a kitchen/breakfast room and a study, too, on the ground ﬂoor. Above are three bedrooms with the master bedroom en-suite, and

a main bathroom. It’s a beautifully presented home – the particular joy is a large southerly facing rear garden with a stone built outbuilding that could easily be converted (with relevant consents), enjoying absolutely stunning, open countryside views. Just to complete the sense of the Good Life, there’s also an allotment available for with a peppercorn rent, right at the bottom of the garden!”

All the properties that Tom has suggested are available through the offices of Harrison James & Hardie, Fine & Country, Moreton in Marsh. To speak to Tom Burdett, Branch Manager, call 01608 651000 - for further details including ﬂoorplans and more photos, simply visit www.cotswold-homes.com

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UPPER RISSINGTON

UPDATE ON UPPER RISSINGTON Locals cannot help but notice the prodigious speed of change in the village of Upper Rissington – a surprising number of the planned new homes are already built, the new road layouts are almost ﬁnished, and many new villagers have moved in. The most exciting phase of the development is now underway – a split-site school with Great Rissington that is rated Outstanding by Ofsted. Those who have lived here long enough will remember when the RAF base was ﬁrst sold off to Country & Metropolitan at the end of the 1990s - despite 100 new homes being built nothing was done to future-proof the village, bringing a question over sustainability and a lengthy stalemate with the local district council. For those who bought 108 Cotswold Homes Magazine

homes in the village between 2003 and 2012, a leap of faith was deﬁnitely necessary and until the situation was resolved, many locals struggled to believe all would be well in the end. But all is well. Planning permission was finally obtained in 2012 for 300 new homes - Bovis Homes bought the site with Linden Homes, excited by not just a new development but the completion of a Cotswold village. Included within the permission were a host of measures designed to ensure long-term viability for the future - a very necessary overhaul of the water and drainage system to an adoptable standard, natural gas to the new homes, a supply of regular bus services, a bespoke community

centre and primary school, a new supermarket, a pub, a market square with attractive retail and commercial units providing local employment. Today, all residents can safely look forward to an assured future in one of the most wonderful of places to bring up a family – a friendly, safe village overlooking beautiful open countryside, situated within easy access of excellent rail and road networks and only a stone’s throw away from the local centres of Bourton on the Water, Stow on the Wold and Burford. This vision of a proper sustainable village, hewn from a rural outpost rich in RAF history, is an exciting reality - the long-term success of Upper Rissington is cemented by the provision of the

UPPER RISSINGTON

new primary school. Soon, local children will be able to walk across fields and through tree-lined avenues, picking up friends on the way, to enjoy superb amenities and the highest standard of state education. Co-run as a split site school by Mrs Bannister, the Head Teacher at Great Rissington primary school, the new building has modern, light-filled classrooms equipped with Apple computers, proper playing fields, a gymnasium, a fit-for-purpose catering kitchen and a large school hall. Initially, it will have four classrooms but is capable of extension to hold over 200 pupils - that’s just as well, for demand for family homes on this exemplary new rural development is already very high. Kate and Mike have just bought a property from Bovis Homes, Karen Harrison says: having moved to the North Cotswolds three years ago from Surrey with their baby son Ollie, since when they have had daughter Abbie. “We originally re-located because the area is very central for commuting to various cities, but we soon discovered the wider benefits of such an incredible community. We have been spoilt for choice when buying our family home - excellent schools, gorgeous villages in fabulous surroundings, all situated in the most beautiful countryside. We chose Upper Rissington because

it gave us the very best home in our price range. Here we have a brand new, spacious and well-designed family house with a large garden, situated in a quiet cul-de-sac that is both safe for the children and sociable, where we enjoy a healthy outdoor lifestyle so different to what we would have experienced had we stayed in Dorking. We love the fresh air, the country life, above all the friendliness – a fantastic place to raise children, without a doubt.” Harrison James & Hardie are Sole Agents for Bovis Homes. “People quickly fall in love with the realities of living here. The skies are vast and the

views over surrounding countryside are beautiful, situated right at the top of the Cotswold escarpment. Family homes have space galore, blessed with an abundant beauty of nature on the doorstep, surrounded on all sides by open farmland…hedgehogs, deer, foxes, owls, bats, rabbits and pheasants are regular visitors to most gardens! It’s an old-fashioned rural lifestyle, with so many places to play and roam freely - children can keep to broad fields and quiet avenues where it is safe to cycle, to picnic and to explore. There’s a shop to buy sweets, lots of friends to call upon en-route and now, the icing on the cake, a fabulous village school!” www.cotswold-homes.com 109

ALDERWOOD

A 21st Century Service Stop with Style

Craig Siller of Alderwood Construction on the completion of their ambitious motorway project

In the last issue I wrote how Alderwood Construction had played a modest part in the construction of the new northbound motorway services on the M5 just south of Gloucester aptly named the Gloucester Services. Now I’d like to take a minute to reflect on exactly what we did, and what this means for the experience of the motorway commuter. We worked with a great delivery team in the Buckingham Group to deliver the Cotswold stonework facades to not only the main building, but also the petrol station. Here you have a building that is thoroughly modern in form but utterly traditional in the use of materials and techniques. The dry-stone wall effect has recessed mortar fixing points and is replicable on many other buildings that forward-thinking architects and designers are creating today. We are pleased to say that the new service stop is fully open for business and in our opinion way exceeds even our expectations. Here you will find no mass-manufactured fast food and trinket 110 Cotswold Homes Magazine

"We are pleased to say that the new service stop is fully open for business and in our opinion way exceeds even our expectations." machines but instead refreshingly good quality local fast food, meat and fresh produce counters, a shop and petrol station, all situated in a welldesigned, high quality new station. It’s safe to say service stations are not well loved by drivers, typically visited when little Johnny needs the loo or a colleague moans that they need a coffee (and, god forbid, when you need to fill up). But we can honestly say that we’ve helped make this a real destination, providing a more artisan shopping and eating experience. It’s a definite reason to take the motorway for leisure or business travel – or indeed to take to find a new dream home in the Cotswolds. Now all we need to do is spread the word to the other drab, concrete 1970s stations –

encouraging them to go the extra mile. If you like this style of walling work and would like any advice in recreating it, then give us a call - we can help you or your designers and architects to achieve something really quite beautiful.

Contact Alderwood Construction at 01242 621190 / info@alderwoodconstruction.co.uk and visit www.alderwoodconstruction.co.uk for a portfolio of completed projects.

MILTON DENTAL PRACTICE

Dental Health

Matters Recognising Mouth Cancer

Dr Trevor Bigg, Milton Dental Practice BDS, MGDS RCS(Eng), FDS RCS(Ed), FFGDP(UK)

Mouth or oral cancer - it’s not an easy subject to talk about, but it’s so important to be aware of what to look for because if it is spotted early enough it is curable. Oral cancer can affect all the tissues of the mouth: the lips, the tongue, inside the cheeks and the throat or larynx. It’s more common in people over 40, particularly men, but recently cases have started to occur more often in younger patients and more women. 6,500 new cancers are diagnosed each year, of which two thirds survive, but the number of cases is gradually increasing. What causes mouth cancer? In some cases the cause of the cancer is not known, but there is a strong link with smoking cigarettes or pipes and drinking alcohol, particularly if they are taken together. Lip cancer is more commonly associated with pipe smoking or the effect of too much sunlight on pale skin. More recently the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), which causes cervical cancer, has been linked to the increase in mouth cancer in younger patients. What does it look like? Mouth cancer can appear in many forms. One classic sign is a painless ulcer, which doesn’t heal normally. Other signs are white or red patches that have been present for some time, unexplained swellings in the mouth or neck,

"One classic sign is a painless ulcer, which doesn’t heal normally. Other signs are white or red patches that have been present for some time, unexplained swellings in the mouth or neck ..." numbness and difficulty in talking, chewing or swallowing. Lip cancer may show as an ulcer or swelling in the red border of the lip. How can I protect myself from mouth cancer? To protect yourself; 1. Examine your mouth for ulcers that don’t heal and red or white patches 2. Visit your dentist regularly for a mouth examination, even if you have dentures 3. Use a sun screen for your lips in hot weather 4. Have a good diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables rich in vitamins 5. Cut out smoking and cut down on drinking

If anything suspicious is seen the area may be photographed and charted for review, or you may be referred to the local Oral Surgery Department for a second opinion and, possibly, a biopsy to examine a sample of cells. If you want more information about Mouth Cancer go to the BDHF web site ‘Tell me about – mouth cancer’ or contact Penny at Milton Dental Practice: 01993 831 396 or email penny@drbigg. com and come to see us for a consultation. To accompany this article, we are offering a New Patient Examination at the reduced fee of £59.00 (normally £89.00) and a free Denplan Examination. www.drbigg.com www.cotswold-homes.com 113

TIM SPITTLE

SUMMERTIME IS UPON US AND FOR MANY IT IS WHAT HAS TO BE THE HEIGHT OF ONE’S TRAINING. ALL THE HOURS IN THE GYM, RUNNING AROUND THE COTSWOLDS, HIKING ABOUT OUR HILLS AND GENERALLY KEEPING FIT IS OFTEN MEASURED BY HOW WE SEE OURSELVES IN SHORTS, T-SHIRTS AND SWIMWEAR. It’s not so much about vanity, but rather (and most would agree) about looking and feeling in shape, healthy and fit - it’s the ‘feel good’ factor! In turn it lifts us, enhances our lives and brings about a deeper confidence with who we are.

INFERNO TRAINING (NOT FOR THE FAINT HEARTED) One of our many summer training plans for 2014 is our Inferno program. It’s not easy! You must be motivated and never miss a training session. But if you can be resolute and stay the course for 6 weeks, you will see quite dramatic changes. The program can be carried out in the gym or at home and even with a variety of substitute equipment if you lack the full complement of essentials.

THE WORKOUT STRATEGY A SUPERCHARGED HOME WORKOUTS – CARRY OUT 5 SESSIONS PER WEEK B INFERNO PROGRAM – CARRY OUT 3 SESSIONS PER WEEK C HARD CORE - COMPLETE 3 SESSIONS PER WEEK Always warm up thoroughly for 5-10 minutes

A. SUPERCHARGED HOME WORKOUT Select 1 per day and a total of 5 within a week. Mix them up and vary the days.

1 BURPEES – 5 SETS OF 10 BURPEES

Complete each rep with good form, rest between each group of 10 for 45 seconds

MOTIVATION DIG DEEPER…

2 100M SPRINT INTERVALS – 8-10 TIMES

You will need to be motivated and if possible training twice a day. Use the following program, stick to the training days and ensure you take at least 1 full rest day per week.

3 2 MILE FAST RUN

114 Cotswold Homes Magazine

BURPEES

Run for 10 minutes, steady, then sprint 100m as fast as you can, rest for 90 seconds and repeat until completed.

Warm up, then literally run for 2 miles ﬂat out.Time it and then run faster next time

100M SPRINT INTERVALS

TIM SPITTLE

CLEAN & PRESS

B. INFERNO PROGRAM Warm up and loosen off for 5-10 minutes before commencing the plan, then select a suitable weight (which becomes difficult near the end of the set) for each exercise and piece of equipment that allows you to perform the set with good form. For the lifts, keep your chest up, look forward and maintain a steady controlled tempo lifting through your legs and glute muscles.With the knee driver & sprints use explosive power and push hard with 100% effort.

ALTERNATING KNEE DRIVER

TYRE FLIP

CLEAN & PRESS THEN DO 400M SPRINT (15 reps x 4 sets)

TYRE FLIP* (OR SIMILAR) THEN DO ALTERNATING KNEE DRIVER (15 reps x4 sets)

(50-100 reps)

THRUSTERS THEN DO BOX JUMP X 10 REPS (15 reps x4 sets)

(10 reps)

THRUSTERS

BOX JUMP

PRESS UP THEN DO SEAL PRESS UP X 10 REPS (10-15reps x 4 sets)

(10 reps)

SEAL PRESS UP

*You may substitute the Tyre Flip for a deadlift

PRESS UP

C. HARD CORE Complete 3 core workouts, engaging you stomach muscles, keeping control of your back and not over arching or breaking form.

CROSS CRUNCH (4 x 16 reps)

DRAGON FLAG (4 x 12 reps)

HYPER EXTENSION

(4 x 8 reps)

PLANK

(working up to 3 minutes)

PLANK CROSS CRUNCH

ROTATION (4 x 16 reps)

Make sure you stretch fully after each workout & keep hydrated. Keep your diet regular, varied and clean, lose the alcohol, drink plenty of water and gets a good nightâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sleep to help you recover fully.

DRAGON FLAG

HAVE FUN AND FEEL AMAZING THIS SUMMER. IF YOU REQUIRE ADVICE OR INFORMATION ABOUT OTHER PROGRAMS WE RUN, BOOT CAMPS OR PERSONAL TRAINING PLEASE EMAIL TIM@RAPID-FX.COM OR CALL 01386 701231 IMPORTANT

You must have a level of experience in these exercises and have an existing base level of fitness. If you require guidance, then ask a personal trainer or fitness instructor for help. Always consult your doctor before embarking on a program of physical exercise. www.cotswold-homes.com 115

From Area Dean Veronica James Dear All, The seasonal cycle of the farming year is reﬂected in some traditional services, and in May Rogation Sunday is celebrated. In days gone by, the boundaries of parishes were shown to the children as boundaries not to be crossed. And within the parish church prayers were said for the crops growth and blessings offered to those who farmed the soil and tended the ﬂocks. Nowadays we join our neighbouring parishes – together we took a Rogation Sunday walk from the parish church of St Mary Temple Guiting to the smaller church of St James at Cutsdean. But Rogation is not the beginning - Plough Sunday at the start of January marks the season of preparation and planting. Today our farmers plant winter wheat and other crops well before Christmas to enable the small roots to become embedded in the soil before the harsher weather sets in. In our cycle of prayers at Plough Sunday we bless the plough (often brought into the church) and the tupps. Following the Rogation in May we celebrate the first cut of harvest at the beginning of August with Lammas. Lammas is a service in which the bread for the Holy Communion is made from the wheat first harvested at the beginning of the season. This then leads us to the very popular Harvest Festivals of the autumn, when ‘all is safely gathered in’.

When you are out and about enjoying the magnificent countryside of the Cotswolds, please do take time to give thanks for our farming community who work through all weathers to enable the ﬂocks to thrive and crops to grow. Here are some services and events that you might like to come along to this summer. I have included postcodes for easier directions:

“Lammas is a service in which the bread for the Holy Communion is made from the wheat first harvested at the beginning of the season.”

Sunday 29 June, 11am Outdoor Service of Favourite Hymns at St Mary’s Church, Lower Slaughter, GL54 2HR and Sunday 29 June, 6pm Patronal Festival of St Peter, at the ford in Upper Slaughter GL54 2JF Sunday 13th July, 11am Holy Communion at St Faith’s, Farmcote GL54 5AU Sunday 3 August, 11am 1914-1918 Commemoration Service at St Michael & All Angels Church, Guiting Power GL54 5TY With blessings to all for a wonderful summer season, Veronica James www.cotswold-homes.com 117

BLOXHAM SCHOOL

Finding the Fees

Nick Irvine of Bloxham School talks scholarships and bursaries and how they are awarded to your children Making the decision to place a child into the world of independent education is not one to be taken lightly, nor one that will be unlikely to be devoid of a degree of financial pain. It is commonly said that after the purchase of a house, education is the most expensive purchase an individual is ever likely to be involved in – in may well be the most expensive if a child starts out on the road as a member of an independent nursery or kindergarten and stays through to complete A-levels. Then the balance is beginning to be close - and if you then think about support through University – the balance drops dramatically on the education side! Despite that financial health warning there is still no shortage of past ‘customers’ who will tell you that, expensive as it was, that it was the best money ever spent and there are seemingly no shortage of potential families beating a path to the independent school door. So how are people finding the money, and what help is there to support the parent who finds that it is all too much to contemplate? Let’s exclude the super-rich for a moment (who are unlikely to be reading this in any event as they bask in the sunshine of their tax haven paradises) and concentrate on you and me, normal families with good incomes but not quite yet ready to purchase the private jet for the weekend getaways. We have normal aspirations and many of those are aspirations we have on behalf of our children. Uppermost in our thoughts is our desire to give them the best start possible in life and that must mean the best education, exposure to the best opportunities and to develop the best attitudes. Those attributes, coupled with the love of a 118 Cotswold Homes Magazine

happy family and the blessings of good health, go some way towards creating our idyll. Independent Schools like to talk about their Scholarship and Bursary programmes. The very existence of these is often used to in part justify the charitable status enjoyed by a great number of independent schools. But what do they really mean and how are they applied? How do we find out about availability and does my son really need to be able to split the atom at 11, run shoulder to knee cap with Usain Bolt at 12 and play to a packed Albert Hall at 13+ to qualify? Probably not, but please read on! So first of all let’s examine what we mean by scholarships - how they differ from bursaries? A scholarship is awarded in recognition of a

special talent or ability. This might be an academic scholarship awarded for a strong showing either in a bespoke scholarship paper or a particularly high score in general entry exam, or for an exceptional musical talent, artistic ability or sporting prowess. Some schools also like to reward the genuine all -rounder who will enliven and enrich all corners of the school. Awards are most usually expressed as a %, a discount if you prefer, which can vary from the very rare 100% award to the far more common 5 - 10%. There has been a considerable movement away from huge awards as scholarships in favour of a broader but less well-loaded brush allowing more funds to be available to those who really need it (and that’s you and me again!). It seems fair and equitable that rather than giving massive

BLOXHAM SCHOOL

Every school, senior and junior, will operate under a different system and will have their own rules – that’s part of the reason why they are independent! Don’t be afraid to ask the difficult questions. support to families who perhaps didn’t need it that the largesse is more fairly dealt out. Parents of pupils who are awarded a scholarship may still apply for a bursary. Bursaries are also a form of discount, but this time the level is based on the ability to pay for education. As we mentioned before, schools are perhaps more disposed towards awarding these at a level seldom seen via the scholarship route. To qualify for a bursary be prepared to have to undergo a financial and asset health check that will leave no stone (mortgaged or owned outright) unturned. These checks are imperative to ensure that help really is going to the right families. Bursaries may be topped up or reduced, even withdrawn if financial circumstances change so expect the bursar’s call if your numbers come up on Euro Millions or you get left a Picasso or two in a will. Some schools have bursary funds that are historic and seemingly bottomless but others, and it is a strong majority of others, are funding bursaries out of surpluses generated or via development funds that are generated by grateful former pupils and friends of the School to make their style of education available to a wider community.

5% probably doesn’t seem to be much of a help or overly generous but once the maths are applied to the large sums involved (many senior boarding school fees are now over £30 k per annum and that out of earned income) then the figures are really very large and extremely helpful to the many who benefit from them.

Every school, senior and junior, will operate a different system and will have their own rules – that’s part of the reason why they are independent! Don’t be afraid to ask the difficult questions. Find out more about Bloxham School at www.bloxhamschool.com www.cotswold-homes.com 119

WHAT THE GAMEKEEPER SAW Gamekeeper and Wildlife Photographer Adam Tatlow has been keeping his eyes on the skies and has spotted a wide range of Cotswold birds, including a Swallow, French Partridge, a Woodpecker and even a Kingfisher. See more of Adamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work (and order cards and prints) at www.cotswoldkeeperphotography.com

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Cotswold -Homes.com

PRIVILEGE CARD

OFFERS

COTOUR SWO HOM PRIV ESLD I

CAR LEGE D IS

FRE E

WHERE CAN I GET A PRIVILEGE CARD?

Pick one up from the offices of HARRISON JAMES & HARDIE in Bourton on the Water, Stow on the Wold and Moreton in Marsh - 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 Summer offers from a host of local businesses, make sure you pick up your card as soon as possible!

20% OFF SURVEYS

PRIVILEGE CARD DISCOUNT MUST BE REQUESTED BEFORE QUOTE IS PROVIDED, CANNOT BE USED IN CONJUNCTION WITH ANY OTHER OFFERS, DISCOUNTS OR PROMOTIONS. VALID UNTIL THE END OF AUGUST 2014. Tel: 01285 640840 Central Surveying, 17 Black Jack Street, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, GL7 2AA

10% DISCOUNT OFF ALL NEW FURNITURE AND FABRIC. Valid until the end of August 2014. Tel: 01608 659091 5 Threshers Yard, West Street, Kingham Oxfordshire, OX7 6YF

123 Cotswold Homes Magazine

10% Off any bag. (Valid until the end of August 2014).

LEVINGTON MULTIPURPOSE COMPOST, PLUS JOHN INNES 3 FOR 2 OR £5.99 EACH. EVERYTHING YOU NEED FOR A BEAUTIFUL HOME & GARDEN.

Tel: 01993812466 www.tannerandoak.com info@tanerandoak.com

Tel: 01608 651 757 info@fossewaygardencentre.co.uk Stow Road, Moreton in Marsh, Gloucestershire, GL56 0DS

Visit www.tannerandoak.com

20% Off

our premium made-tomeasure hardwood window shutters. Call for a free no obligation survey & quote. Valid until 31/08/14

Tel: 01242 649592 37 Eldon Road, Cheltenham. GL52 6TX

MOVING HOUSE? THEN CONTACT THE CONVEYANCING EXPERTS AND GET 15% OFF OUR STANDARD LEGAL FEES! CALL 01452 657950 FOR FURTHER DETAILS 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 Web: www.thomaslegalgroup.co.uk E-mail: info@tlg.uk.com

Cotswold -Homes.com

Privilege Card Offers

R&D WALKER T/A P CHECKETTS

10% OFF SAUSAGES. 5LB’S OF RINDLESS BACK BACON FOR £9.99 VALID UNTIL 31/08/14 24 High Street Moreton-in-Marsh Gloucestershire GL56 OAF 01608 651002

20% Off Seasonal discount. Mulberry fabrics. Valid until 31/08/14 01993 822385 Mob - 07976 353 996 Fulbrook, Nr Burford, Oxfordshire 0X18 4DE

Enjoy 2 for 1 entry to beautiful Batsford this summer. Valid until 31 August 2014 Tel: 01386 701441 Batsford Arboretum & Garden Centre, Batsford Park, Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire, GL56 9AB www.batsarb.co.uk

THE LAMB INN GREAT RISSINGTON BOURTON-ON-THE-WATER

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 AUGUST 2014. Tel: 01451 820778 Mob: 07585 308838/ 07748 983 311 The Cotswolds

www.hopeprivatehire.com

FREE PRELIMINARY DESIGN SERVICE. CHANCE TO WIN £350.00 GIFT VOUCHER FOR ECKINGTON MANOR COOKERY SCHOOL, ALL APPROVED PROJECT ENQUIRIES WILL BE ENTERED FOR A DRAW AT THE BEGINNING OF SEPTEMBER 2014. 01242 621190 Alderwood Construction, Unit 5 Gamma, Orchard Industrial Estate, Toddington, Gloucestershire, GL54 5EB

20%

OFF RESIDENTIAL SURVEYS

10%

OFF PEST CONTROL SERVICES www.jhcservices.co.uk ofﬁce@jhcservices.co.uk Tel – 01789 721 880

10% OFF EVERYTHING IN STORE, PERFECT GIFTS FOR FRIENDS AND FAMILY. UNTIL THE END OF AUGUST 2014.

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

5% Discount for first orders, cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer Valid until the end of August 2014. Tel: 01386 701 079 www.mikehonourwindows.co.uk Unit 85, Northwick Business Centre, Blockley, Moreton in Marsh, Gloucestershire, GL56 9RF

10% Discount

on carpets, Amtico and Karndean (excludes quotes where discounts has already been given). New Road, Moreton in Marsh, Gloucestershire, GL56 0AS Tel – 01608 651 991 E-mail: enquiries@cotswoldcarpets.co.uk

15% OFF FOOD (T&C’S APPLY)

VALID UNTIL THE END OF AUGUST 2014. Tel: 01451 820388 The Lamb Inn, Great Rissington, Gloucestershire, GL54 2LP

NEW PATIENT EXAMINATIONS FOR ONLY £59.00 (NORMALLY £89.00). WITH A FREE DENPLAN EXAMINATION. ASK PENNY FOR DETAILS. VALID UNTIL THE END OF AUGUST 2014. Trevor Bigg Breakspeare House, Shipton Road, Milton-Under-Wychwood, Oxford, OX7 6JW 01993 831396

40% REDUCTION ON SELECTED SHOWROOM CABINET FURNITURE - CALL IN TO SEE WHAT’S ON OFFER VALID UNTIL THE END OF AUGUST 2014. Tel: 01608 650567 Fosseway Business Park, Stratford Road, Moretonin-Marsh, Gloucestershire, GL56 9NQ

Cotswold -Homes.com

BUY ONE PERSONAL TRAINING SESSION GET ONE FREE!

WORTH £38

(NEW CLIENTS ONLY) Valid until 31/08/14 Tel: 01386 701231 Unit 6, Draycott Business Village Draycott, Nr Moreton in Marsh Gloucestershire, GL56 9JY

6.30-9pm Friday, Saturday, Sunday: Select your fish at time of booking & it will be delivered fresh on the day.

50% OFF A 30 MINUTE RIDING LESSON FOR NEW CUSTOMERS OR BUY 2 LESSONS AND GET THE 3RD FREE. UNTIL THE END OF AUGUST 2014. Durham’s Farm Riding School Chastleton Moreton-in-Marsh Gloucestershire GL56 0SZ 01608 674867

10% OFF YOUR FOOD BILL, NOT AVAILABLE ON SUNDAYS. VALID UNTIL 31 AUGUST 2014.

Valid until 31/08/14.

01451 870 210 Digbeth St, Stow on the Wold, Gloucestershire, GL54 1BN www.treebusevents.co.uk

10% OFF ANYTHING IN THE SHOP. VALID UNTIL 31 AUGUST 2014. 01865 516 256 229 Banbury Road, Summertown, Oxford, OX2 7HN

01451 833 866 Lower Swell, Gloucestershire, GL54 1LF www.thegoldenballinn.com

FREE VALUATIONS. VALID UNTIL 31 AUGUST 2014. 01451 830 155 3 Talbot Court, Stow on the Wold, Gloucestershire, GL54 1BQ www.ghfinejewellery.com

COTSWOLD CARRIERS FREE PACKING MATERIAL FOR YOUR MOVE IF YOU QUOTE THIS NUMBER WHEN YOU CONTACT US: 730500 UNTIL THE END OF AUGUST 2014 01608 730500 Warehouse No 2, The Walk, Hook Norton Road Chipping Norton, Oxon OX7 5TG

10% Off a two hour party. Valid until 31/08/2014. 07968 151 016 info@thefabuloushat.com www.thefabuloushat.com

NEED RELIABLE ACCOUNTANCY & TAXATION ADVICE? CONTACT US FOR YOUR FREE ONE HOUR INITIAL CONSULTATION. VALID UNTIL 31 AUGUST 2014. Fatim Najaﬁ FCCA t 01452 530549 m 07851 460480 e enquiries@spot-on-accounting.co.uk PROFESSIONAL ACCOUNTANCY & BOOKKEEPING SERVICES

THE SPICE ROOM

Victoria Coﬀee House

10% off all food & drinks

Valid until 31/08/2014. Tel: 01608 651191 16 High Street, Moreton in Marsh, Gloucestershire, GL56 0AF

CAFÉ & INDIAN RESTAURANT

10% DISCOUNT ON ALL ORDERS OVER £10 (COLLECTION ONLY – CANNOT BE USED IN CONJUNCTION WITH ANY OTHER OFFERS) VALID UNTIL THE END OF AUGUST 2014. Tel: 01608 654204 3 Oxford Street, Moreton in Marsh, Gloucester, GL56 0LA

To advertise in the Privilege Card scheme, please contact Sarah for more information at sarah@cotswold-homes.com / 01451 833171

Cotswold -Homes.com Cotswold Homes Directory of Independent Businesses HOMES AND GARDENS DESIGN INSPIRATION AND PROPERTY SERVICES

BUILDERS AND CONTRACTORS Alderwood Construction Ltd, A family building firm near Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, creating high quality homes, renovations and extensions in the Cotswold area. 01242 621190 W: www.alderwoodconstruction.co.uk E: info@alderwoodconstruction.co.uk Budget Skips, Honeybourne Budget Skips are specialists in skip hire, waste management and recycling. 01386 841 181 W: www.budgetskips.com Cox’s Architectural Yard, Cox’s Yard offer a constantly changing stock of architectural salvage, antiques and artefacts backed up by full restoration services. 01608 652 505 W: www.coxsarchitectural.co.uk E: info@coxsarchitectural.co.uk Domestic Tank Services, Water Storage, Diesel, Oil, Bespoke Tanks: We are a young and dynamic company, whose team is built on the knowledge of over 30 years of experience. 01386 853 030 W: www.domestictankservices.com E: info@domestictankservices.com Greyhound Stoves, Blackwell 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. 01608 682 628 W: www.greyhoundstoves.com E: greyhoundstoves@btconnect.com Stow Construction, Professional, reliable, family run business based in Stow on the Wold. Please call to discuss your next project. 07917 162 978 E: nscarsbrook@aol.com

CARPETS AND FLOORING Cotswold Carpets, Moreton in Marsh The Cotswolds leading carpet and flooring specialists. Carpets, Vinyls, Natural Flooring (e.g. Sisal, Coir, Jute) and handmade rugs (Persian,Turkish). 01608 651 991 W: www.cotswoldcarpets.co.uk E: enquiries@cotswoldcarpets.co.uk KC Carpets, Moreton in Marsh We are a family run business that has been offering the best in carpets, vinyl flooring and blinds since 1984. 01608 650 331 W: www.kc-carpets.co.uk E: kccarpets@ymail.com

ELECTRICIAN Cotswold & Vale Ltd, Bourton on the Water Cotswold & Vale are fully committed to providing high quality work and excellent customer service to our clients based in Bourton on the Water and surrounding areas. 01451 810 686 W: www.cotswoldandvale.co.uk E: contact@cotswoldandvale.co.uk

128 Cotswold Homes Magazine

FURNITURE

REMOVALS

Chris Harwood Furniture, Upper Slaughter Hand-crafted freestanding and fitted furniture to your bespoke requirements. 07809 763 078 W: www.chrisharwoodfurniture.co.uk E: info@chrisharwoodfurniture.co.uk

Cotswold Carriers, Hook Norton We undertake most kinds of domestic and commercial removal, specialising in transporting antiques and fine art. We also have comprehensive storage facilities at our Oxfordshire base. 01608 730 500 W: www.cotswoldcarriers.com E: bill@cotswoldcarriers.com

Sebastian Sellers, Northleach Mike Sellers Smith & his team at Sebastian Sellers have over 30 experience in the planning & creation of individually designed & handmade furniture. 01451 861 864 E: information@sebastiansellers.co.uk

WINDOWS

Westcote Design, Kingham We produce a comprehensive range of sofas, sofa beds, footstools, headboards and bespoke furniture manufactured by a small talented team. 01608 659 091 W: www.westcotedesign.co.uk E: info@westcotedesign.co.uk

GARDENS Batsford Arboretum & Garden Centre, For quality plants, gorgeous gifts and garden sundries, locally sourced home-baked food and beautiful shabby chic ideas from the Applestore shop. 01386 701 441 W: www.batsarb.co.uk E: arboretum@batsfordfoundation.co.uk Fosseway Garden Centre, Moreton in Marsh A large garden centre offering gardening, pets, gifts and everything to do with outdoor living, plus a great cafe. 01608 651 757 W: www.fossewaygardencentre.co.uk E: jo.creek@fossewaygardencentre.co.uk Lonstone: Garden Landscaping, Longborough Manufacturers of premium quality garden landscaping products, including paving and exclusive reproduction Lonstone Vintage Planters and feature pieces. 01451 830 140 W: www.lonstone.co.uk E: info@lonstone.co.uk

INTERIORS

Mike Honour Windows, Blockley 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. 01386 701 079 W: www.mikehonourwindows.co.uk E: sales@mikehonourwindows.co.uk

LIVING IN THE COTSWOLDS LEISURE, LIFESTYLE AND BUSINESS

ANTIQUE DEALERS Jonny Williamson, Antique dealer who specialises in militaria. 0845 496 1815 E: info@jonnywilliamson.com

ARTISTS AND CRAFTSMEN Adam Tatlow – Wildlife Photography, 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. 07774 285 459 W: www.cotswoldkeeperphotography.com E: cotswoldkeeper@aol.com Celia Lendis Contemporary – Artist, Celia Lendis Contemporary represents artists of integrity whose work expresses and authentic vision, commitment to craftsmanship and an intellectual engagement with the world. 01608 650 852 W: www.celialendis.com E: gallerycelialendis.com

Amanda Hanley by Design, An independent and professional service for all of your interior design projects. 01993 822 385 / 07976 353 996 W: www.amandahanley.co.uk E: amanda@amandahanley.co.uk

Little Buckland Gallery, Broadway Little Buckland presents the very best contemporary art pieces created by artists in the area, as well as throughout the country. 01386 853 739 W: www.littlebucklandgallery.co.uk E: info@littlebucklandgallery.co.uk

Shuttercraft, Shuttercraft offer you the UK’s widest and best quality range of internal plantation shutters and made-to-measure wood slat venetian blinds. 01242 649 592 W: www.shuttercraft.co.uk E: enquiries@shuttercraft.co.uk

Robin Furlong - Furniture Designer, Moreton in Marsh Robin Furlong is a furniture designer of distinction, whose work represents some of the finest style and craftsmanship of its age. 01608 650 567 W: www.robinfurlongfurniture.co.uk E: robin@robinfurlongfurniture.co.uk

Unfitted, Moreton in Marsh With over 35 years’ experience, Unfitted create handmade to order furniture using time-honoured cabinet making techniques, and are dedicated to creating bespoke furniture designed to give you years of reliable service. 01608 650 065 W: www.unfitted.co.uk E: info@unfitted.co.uk

CAR SERVICES Bourton Landrovers, Bourton on the Water The Landrover specialists! We are specialists in repairs, service, sales and conversions. With a FULL parts and MOT service. 01451 810 364 W: www.bourtonlandrovers.com E: info@bourtonlandrovers.com

Cotswold -Homes.com Cotswold Homes Directory of Independent Businesses DRY CLEANERS

FINE FOOD AND DRINK SUPPLIERS

Mary’s Laundry, Bourton on the Water Mary’s Laundry Is a family owned business in the heart of Bourton on the Water and offers a comprehensive laundry and dry cleaning service for local people and businesses. 01451 820 808 W: www.maryslaundry.net

R&D Walker T/A P Checketts, Moreton in Marsh Butcher’s providing seasonal meats, game (when in season), local venison, local beef, lamb and pork. 01608 651 002 W: www.cotswold-homes.com

ESTATE AGENTS Bloor Homes Moreton Park, Moreton in Marsh Bloor Homes today is one of the largest privately owned house building groups, building in excess of 2,000 new homes each year. 01608 651 000 W: www.bloorhomes.com E: moretonpark@bloorhomes.com Bovis Homes Victory Fields, Upper Rissington From apartments to large family homes, Bovis build some of the best new homes in the UK and offers stunning all new inclusive specifications. 01451 822 977 W: www.bovishomes.co.uk E: info.southwest@bovishomes.com Fine & Country London, Fine and country homes marketed locally, nationally and internationally, with over 300 member agencies worldwide. Park Lane, Mayfair, London W1 Managing Director: Malcolm Lindley 020 7079 1515 W. www.fineandcountry.co.uk Fine & Country North Cotswolds; Sales & Lettings, Head Office Stow on the Wold With branches at Moreton in Marsh and Bourton on the Water Managing Director: James von Speyr 01451 833 170 james@harrisonjameshardie.co.uk Lettings: Amy Coldicott amy@harrisonjameshardie.co.uk Harrison James & Hardie Estate Agents; Sales & Lettings The North Cotswolds leading estate agency, from first time buyer apartments to grand country residences Bourton on the Water Branch Manager: Katy Hill 01451 822 977 katy@harrisonjameshardie.co.uk Stow on the Wold Managing Director: Karen Harrison 01451 833 170 karen@harrisonjameshardie.co.uk Moreton in Marsh Branch Manager:Tom Burdett 01608 651 000 tom@harrisonjameshardie.co.uk Lettings Director: Caroline Gee Bourton on the Water: 01451 824 972 Moreton in Marsh: 01608 653 896 Stow on the Wold: 01451 833 170 caroline@harrisonjameshardie.co.uk W.www.harrisonjameshardie.co.uk Sovereign Living, Moreton Park, Moreton in Marsh Affordable new homes in Moreton Park, Moreton in Marsh. 01608 651 000 W: www.sovereignliving.org.uk

FINANCIAL SERVICES JEM Financial Planning, John Magee, an Independent Financial Adviser, and Sue Ellis, a Mortgage Broker, offer friendly, professional advice. 01386 840 777 W: www.johnny-magee.co.uk E: john@jemfinancial.co.uk

The Ice Cream Cake Company, An ice cream cake looks like an ordinary cake, but instead of being filled with traditional sponge, it is filled with your favourite flavour of ice cream! Perfect for children’s parties as they serve as a birthday cake and a desert! 07917 473 178 W: www.theicecreamcakecompany.co.uk E: pippa.arnott@gmail.com

Stow Primary, Stow on the Wold A happy, thriving primary school situated In the heart of The Cotswolds in the small market town of Stow-on-the-Wold. 01451 830 784 W: www.stowprimaryschool.co.uk E: admin@stow-on-the-wold.gloucs.sch.uk

SOLICITORS Kendall & Davies Solicitors, Cotswolds From our four offices we offer friendly, client-focussed services related to property, business and family matters. Bourton, Stow, Moreton and Burford. 01451 830 295 W: www.kendallanddavies.co.uk E: stow@kendallanddavies.co.uk

Toast - The Cotswolds, Bourton on the Water Toast is on a mission to champion local food and support local businesses. All produce in stock is either carefully sourced from or supplied by people and businesses within The Cotswolds. 01451 821 306 W: www.toastthecotswolds.com E: hello@toastthecotswolds.com

Thomas Legal Group, Gloucestershire Dedicated provider of conveyancing services in and around the Cotswolds, offering top quality service and FIXED PRICE conveyancing. 01452 657 950 W: www.thomaslegalgroup.co.uk E: sharon.foote@thomaslegalgroupuk.com

HOLIDAY COTTAGE MANAGEMENT

SURVEYORS

Character Cottages, Character Cottages is a distinctive, full service holiday lettings business, with a focus on letting and managing fabulous country homes. 08456 808 029 W: www.character-cottages.com E: enquiries@character-cottages.com

Central Surveying, Cirencester Chartered Surveyors, Building Surveyors and Property Consultants for London and the South West. 01285 640 840 W: www.centralsurveying.co.uk E: office@centralsurveying.co.uk

MARKETING Alias Based in the heart of the Cotswolds, Alias is a leading marketing consultancy offering a wide range of services, including public relations, graphic design, web design, SEO and social media marketing. 0845 257 7475 W: www.wearealias.com E: sayhello@wearealias.com Cotswold-Homes.com, North Cotswolds Innovative, multi-media marketing for independent North Cotswold businesses. 01608 653 899 W: www.cotswold-homes.com Marketing: sarah@cotswold-homes.com Editorial: matt@cotswold-homes.com

NURSERIES AND SCHOOLS Bloxham School, Bloxham, Oxfordshire Bloxham School is a small, friendly and flourishing co-educational boarding and day school of around 420 pupils. 01295 720 222 W: www.bloxhamschool.com E: registrar@bloxhamschool.com

JHC Services, Ullington JHC Services offers a unique rural services ‘one stop shop’, offering services for: building surveys, pest control, chimney care services, wood supplies and gardening services. . 01789 721 880 W: www.jhcservices.co.uk E: office@jhcservices.co.uk

TAXIS Hope Private Hire -Taxi Service, The Cotswolds A reliable, punctual service available 24 hours a day, offering: Airport Transfers, Castles, Races, Seaport Transfers, Gardens and Tours of the Cotswolds. 01451 820 778 / 07585 308 838 W: www.hopeprivatehire.com E: andrew@hopeprivatehire.com

THEATRE & CINEMA Chipping Norton Theatre, We are a theatre, an art-house cinema, a gallery and a concert hall. 01608 642 350 W: www.chippingnortontheatre.co.uk E: boxoffice@chippingnortontheatre.com

Cotswold School, Bourton on the Water A popular, happy, and successful 11-18 Academy status school set in beautiful rural surroundings, with an excellent reputation for academic success. 01451 820 554 / 01451 820 938 W: www.cotswold.gloucs.sch.uk E: admin@mail.cotswold.gloucs.sch.uk Dormer House School, Moreton in Marsh An independent prep school for boys and girls of all abilities from 2-11 years old, in the heart of The Cotswolds. 01608 650 758 W: www.dormerhouse.co.uk E: office@dormerhouse.co.uk

THE HIGH STREET DAY-TO-DAY ESSENTIALS, OCCASIONAL LUXURIES

ANTIQUES Styles of Stow, Stow on the Wold 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.

www.cotswold-homes.com 129

Cotswold -Homes.com Cotswold Homes Directory of Independent Businesses 01451 830 455 W: www.stylesofstow.com E: info@stylesofstow.co.uk

DENTISTS Milton Dental Practice, Milton under Wychwood Milton Dental Practice is a private practice dealing with all aspects of dental treatment. 01993 831 396 W: www.drbigg.com E: reception@drbigg.com

been operating for over 30 years. 01926 311 415 W: www.carricktravel.com E: enquiries@carricktravel.com Holidays Please, Stow on the Wold Holidays Please is an award winning ABTA travel agent who are available even when the high street is closed! 01451 810 255 W: www.holidaysplease.co.uk E: Debbie@holidaysplease.com

FASHION AND JEWELLERY

VISITING THE COTSWOLDS WHERE TO STAY, WHAT TO DO, WHERE TO GO?

GH Fine Jewellery, Stow on the Wold GH Fine Jewellery specialises in antique jewellery, silver, second hand valuations and buying. 01451 830 155 E: patrick@ghfinejewellery.com Tanner & Oak, Tanner & Oak offer thoroughly British styling, striking the perfect balance between classic vintage design and quirky Country Club detailing, to give a timeless range of distinctive accessories. 01993 812 466 W: www.tannerandoak.com The Cotswold Tailor, Woodstock & Shipston on Stour The Cotswold Tailor sells unique contemporary men’s and women’s clothing tailored in traditional tailored British cloths (Aptus Suits). T. 01608 238 008 W: www.thecotswoldtailor.com E: info@thecotswoldtailor.com

FITNESS AND BEAUTY Personal Best Fitness Studio, Chipping Campden A fitness studio in Chipping Campden offering everything from gym membership and personal training to sports and remedial massage, and a whole range of classes! 01386 840 437 W: www.pbfitnessstudio.com E: info@pbfitnessstudio.com Rapid FX Personal Fitness, Draycott Rapid FX personal training is dedicated to offering professional personal assistance to fitness and wellbeing within the North Cotswolds. 01386 701 231 W: www.rapid-fx.com E: tim@rapid-fx.com

GIFT SHOPS Box of Delights, Bourton on the Water Box of Delights offers a range of beautiful contemporary gifts, greeting cards, Jewellery, home decorations. 01451 822 800 W: www.boxofdelights.biz E: enquiries@boxofdelights.biz

TOYSHOPS Ella’s Toy Shop, Stow on the Wold Carrick Travel is an independent family owned business which has been operating for over 30 years. 01451 833 555 W: www.ellastoys.com

EVENTS The Fabulous Hat, The Fabulous Hat provides children’s entertainment at birthdays, weddings, corporate events, Bar Mitzvahs, Christmas and Halloween events, or any other special occasion you want to make extra fun! 07968 151 016 W: www.thefabuloushat.com E: info@thefabuloushat.com

FAMILY DAYS OUT Cotswold Farm Park, Guiting Power Cotswold Farm Park was the first Rare Breeds farm to open to the public. A total countryside experience in the heart of the Cotswolds. 01451 850 307 W: cotswoldfarmpark.co.uk E: info@cotswoldfarmpark.co.uk Cotswold Riding at Durham’s Farm. Chastleton Durham’s Farm Riding School is a family run business, situated in a beautiful part of the Cotswolds. We offer riding lessons for all levels, with excellent facilities. 01608 674867 W: www.cotswoldriding.com E: info@cotswoldriding.co.uk Cotswold Wildlife Park & Gardens, The Cotswold Wildlife Park & Gardens exhibits over 260 different species of animals and Is the largest privately owned zoological collection in the UK. 01993 823 006 W: cotswoldwildlifepark.co.uk E: enquiries@cotswoldwildlifepark.co.uk

PUBS, TEA HOUSES AND RESTAURANTS Black Cat Café, Northleach Fabulous home baked food, cakes, quiches, brownies, flapjacks, sandwiches and more, fresh everyday. No microwave on premises! 01451 861 101

TRAVEL

Digbeth’s, Stow on the Wold Digbeth’s has something special to suit all tastes, whether you require a breakfast, traditional tea and cake, delicious hearty dishes a light snack or our very popular Sunday Lunch. 01451 831 609 W: www.digbeths.com

Carrick Travel, Bourton on the Water Carrick Travel is an independent family owned business which has

Lucy’s Tearoom, Stow on the Wold, A traditional English tearoom in Stow on the Wold, providing

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a high quality and personal service, and local, fresh and ethical produce. 01451 830 000 Sitara, Moreton in Marsh Sitara Restaurant is best known for serving fine Indian cuisine that is authentic and stands out from the rest. It is a great place to eat and entertain friends as well as business colleagues. 01608 651 015 W: www.sitaramoretoninmarsh.com The Golden Ball Inn, Lower Swell We pride ourselves on a great pub atmosphere, the best local ales and good food, including our award winning burgers. 01451 833 866 W: www.thegoldenballinn.com E: thepub@thegoldenballinn.com The Lamb Inn, Great Rissington 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. 01451 820 388 W: www.thelambinn.com E: enquiry@thelambinn.com The Plough Inn, Cold Aston A firm favourite with the locals and run by locals,The Plough Inn offers a warm welcome, real ales, cracking wines and delicious home cooked freshly prepared food. 01451 822 602 W: www.coldastonplough.com E: hello@coldastonplough.com The Spice Room, Moreton in Marsh The Spice Room brings the ultimate, authentic Indian fine dining experience to the Cotswolds, and is deeply committed to setting the standards in excellence and quality. 01608 654204 W: www.spiceroomrestaurant.com The Vine Leaf, Stow on the Wold Here at The Vine Leaf, we serve good locally sourced food served all day - anything from delicious home made burgers to sandwiches, light lunches and main meals. 01451 832 010 W: www.thevineleaf.co.uk E: thevineleaf@gmail.com Treebus Restaurant, Stow on the Wold A well-established eatery in the centre of Stow serving delicious home-made food & specialising in fresh fish dishes. Open late until 9pm on Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays. 01451 870210 Victoria Coffee House, Moreton in Marsh Victoria Coffee House is the perfect getaway for that great cup of coffee and a delectable pastry treat! 01608 651 191 W: www.victoriacoffeehouse.co.uk E: enquiries@victoriacoffeehouse.co.uk

HOTELS Cowley Manor, Cowley, Gloucestershire Cowley Manor is a contemporary country house hotel which sits in the glorious Cotswold countryside surrounded by 55 acres of parkland, woods and meadows. 01242 870 900 W: www.cowleymanor.com E: stay@cowleymanor.com