Country & Town House - February 2020

THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS

MAN À LA MODE The new way to do off-duty

FEBRUARY 2020 £3.90

THE HEAT ISFrom ON city to safari, discover Africa’s hottest spots

Biker

HOT TICKET Your cultural digest for 2020 Cover-V6.indd 2

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Max Irons revs up for his next role 23/12/2019 09:37

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CONTENTS FEBRUA RY 2020

COLUMNS 16 18

THE GOOD LIFE Alice B-B gets behind the potter’s wheel THE RURBANIST Ruby Hammer

UP FRONT 21 22 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 32 34

BACK TO BASICS Put the fabric first THE EDIT Style update OUT OF OFFICE Laid-back luxe WELL GROOMED Men’s style news THE MAGPIE Wrist appeal MY STYLE Olivia von Halle SOCIAL STATUS Victoria Magrath POWDER ROOM Date-night essentials BODY LANGUAGE The hypochondriac’s best friend BODY & SOUL Eating for nutrition DOCTOR, DOCTOR Fitness is as much in your head as it is in your body

THE GUIDE 37 41 44 45 46 48

THE GUIDE Kettle’s Yard puts female artists front and centre 365 DAYS OF CULTURE Ed Vaizey’s guide to the year ahead ARTIST’S STUDIO Christos Tsimaris TALENT SPOTTERS Have more confidence to identify emerging artists THE OLYMPIAN Letter writing is not dead, according to Sebastian Coe CONVERSATIONS AT SCARFES BAR It’s Mark Stevenson’s job to predict the future. Charlotte Metcalf finds the futurologist is doing things differently

FEATURES 50

60

50

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IRONS MAN Despite his acting lineage, there’s more to Max Irons than his on-screen life, as Benji Wilson discovers THREE SISTERS The potter, the painter and the writer: Charlotte Metcalf meets Clover Stroud, Nell Gifford and Emma Bridgewater for their first – and last – interview together ELBOWS AT THE READY Want a Carrie Bradshaw wardrobe on a pauper’s budget? Follow Caroline Phillips’s guide to designer sample sales

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BRITISH LEATHER GOODS

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CONTENTS FEBRUA RY 2020

INSIDER 69 70 72 73 74

STILL LIFE Country table setting DESIGN NOTES Easy tiger tiles SOOTHING SPACES Minimal comforts SCREEN STARS Privacy starts at home THE MODERN CLASSIC Sophie Conran spent 30 years doing up her home

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WILD ARABIA Forget Dubai, Holly Rubenstein finds the real UAE LOCAL HERO The Somerset hotel pulling the It crowd has gardening at its heart, finds Sandy Carr RULES OF THE WILD The best beds to rest your head in Africa DOWN BY THE RIVER Sam KinchinSmith was thrilled to miss the Great Migration in the Maasai Mara BUCKET LIST Jamie Cullum GASTRO GOSSIP Market fresh ROLL ON, SAUSAGE Picnic-ready pork FORK & FIELD The future is pink at Hélène Darroze at The Connaught HAPPY HOUR Smoky cokey

FOOD & TRAVEL 82

84 89

90 92 93 94 95

ON THE MOVE 97 PROPERTY OF THE MONTH 98 LET’S MOVE TO Henley-on-Thames 100 FIVE OF THE BEST At-home cinemas

REGULARS 10 12 96 128

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EDITOR’S LETTER CONTRIBUTORS STOCKISTS TALES OF OUR TIME

ON THE COVER Max Irons wears Belstaff jacket, Hackett trousers, Sunspel jumper and Christian Louboutin boots, with Royal Enfield 650 twin bike.

Photographe by David Goldman. Fashion Direction by Nicole Smallwood. Grooming

by Rebekah Lidston at Frank Agency using Ren Skincare and Aveda UK. Location: With thanks to Kirtlington Park

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EDITOR’S PICKS

SELF-LOVE Who needs jewels when a Vampire’s Wife Sacred Heart bag does the trick?

EDITOR’S LETTER

50

W

hatever outcome you wanted from the general election, I do at least feel that the country at large has finally decided where to stake its future and, hopefully, we can begin to leave a fractious decade behind us and put long-neglected issues to the fore.

Columnist Michael Hayman has some words of wisdom to this effect on page 128.

My education taught me that, while humans are part of the natural world and must adhere to its rules and respect their place within it, it is our culture that elevates us above it – our music, our art, our writing. These are the gifts for which we should strive and which set us apart from our simian cousins. This is why an extraordinary performance will ensure a sell-out play, or why people queue all night to have their shiny new book signed by a beloved author; or why tickets for Glastonbury sell

LISTEN within nanoseconds. So, as well For some millennial as asking Ed Vaizey to scan 2020’s insight, listen to cultural horizon and pick his Trick Mirror by Jia Tolentino on BBC must-sees (p41), we also meet Sounds three sisters with artistic blood running through their veins.

But in a stark reminder of the harshness of nature, it is with huge sadness that Nell Gifford, one of the sisters and founder of one of the UK’s best-loved and most EAT extraordinary entertainments, Giffords Reclaim the post Circus, died just a week before we went Christmas waist to press. Our photographer, Alexandra with a week of Pure Package Dao, captured them all food delivery beautifully together and beautifully alive. Charlotte Metcalf tells their staggering story (p60).

Max Irons also has a very creative pedigree.

As the son of Jeremy Irons and Sinead Cusack, it was little wonder that he’d forge his own artistic path.

He chats to Benji Wilson about his latest role, his SHOP WITH HEART love of motorbikes and Buy essentials for his desire to give his own refugees at Choose family the bucolic upbringing he enjoyed (p50).

Love in Covent Garden Finally, if you want to forget all that culture and immerse yourself in nature at its most sublime, Daisy @countryandtown Finer finds the African /countryandtownhousemagazine /countryandtownhouse haunts to head to (p84).

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The Bournbrook Travel Bag Collection.

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CONTRIBUTORS

What exhibition are you most looking forward to? Raphael at the National Gallery. I love the simplicity, balance and harmony of his paintings.

Most memorable gig?

Elton John and the Beach Boys at an all-day concert at Wembley in 1975. It was Fun Fun Fun. Which artist would you most like to take out for dinner? Edvard Munch to find out what The Scream is all about. I’d take him to Burger King, so he’d really have something to scream about – and a tummy ache.

What do you love most about British culture? Shakespeare’s one of ours, the novel was invented here, and we have the rule of law and democracy. What’s not to like?

BENJI WILSON

What exhibition are you most looking forward to? JMW Turner at Tate Britain in the autumn. The granddaddy of British abstraction.

Most memorable gig?

Arcade Fire at Brixton Academy in 2007. Total euphoria, grown adults in tears, about 50 musicians on stage; I’ve never seen anything like it since.

Which artist would you most like to take out for dinner? It has to be Prince. Ideally I’d take him to a nice restaurant on Alphabet Street where we’d have Starfish and Coffee wearing matching Raspberry Berets.

What do you love most about British culture? It doesn’t take itself too seriously (most of the time).

DAVID GOLDMAN

What exhibition are you most looking forward to? I’ve always been a big fan of David Hockney, so his retrospective at the National Portrait Gallery.

Most memorable gig?

The Prodigy in Brighton.

I couldn’t tell you the exact year, it was the midNineties and it was all a bit of a haze back then.

The energy in that gig was insane.

Which artist would you most like to take out for dinner? The photographer Robert Capa. His pictures are what made me pick up a camera in the first place.

What do you love most about British culture? How we have always punched above our weight across all areas of the arts.

SAM KINCHINSMITH

What exhibition are you most looking forward to? While the nights are still long I’m going all the way to Copenhagen for the Nick Cave exhibition at the Black Diamond.

Most memorable gig?

Sigur Rós at Glastonbury, the day after the Brexit referendum, felt lifesavingly cathartic.

Which artist would you most like to take out for dinner?

Definitely Maggi Hambling. I would take her to a Suffolk pub in midwinter, sometime before the smoking ban was introduced.

What do you love most about British culture? Its repressed, dreary, drizzly sense of humour.

PHOTOS: STEVEN RENNIE PHOTOGRAPHY

CAROLINE PHILLIPS

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CO U NTRYA N DTOW N H O U S E .CO.U K

EDITOR Lucy Cleland EDITOR-AT-LARGE Alice B-B ASSOCIATE EDITOR Charlotte Metcalf MANAGING EDITOR Anastasia Bernhardt SUB EDITOR Belinda Bamber FEATURES ASSISTANT & SUB EDITOR Sofia Tindall FASHION DIRECTOR Nicole Smallwood BEAUTY DIRECTOR Nathalie Eleni FASHION EDITOR Lucy Bond LUXURY EDITOR Lucia van der Post INTERIORS EDITOR Carole Annett EXECUTIVE RETAIL EDITOR Mariella Tandy PROPERTY EDITOR Anna Tyzack MOTORING EDITOR Jeremy Taylor ONLINE EDITOR Rebecca Cox ONLINE WRITER Ellie Smith ONLINE ASSISTANT Daniella Saunders CREATIVE & PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Parm Bhamra JUNIOR PRODUCTION DESIGNER Samuel Thomas LUXURY LIFESTYLE ADVERTISING MANAGER Ellie Rix ACCOUNT MANAGERS Shanna Whaley and Bianca Maraney DIGITAL MANAGER Adam Dean TECHNICAL MANAGER Hannah Johnson TECHNICAL DIRECTOR Mark Pearson DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL STRATEGY Wil Harris FINANCE CONTROLLER Lauren Hartley SALES & OFFICE MANAGER Daisy Orr-Ewing FINANCE DIRECTOR Jill Newey PROPERTY & MARKETING ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR Gemma Cowley GROUP PUBLISHING DIRECTOR Tia Graham MANAGING DIRECTOR Jeremy Isaac CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Stephen Bayley, Simon de Burton, Fiona Duncan, Olivia Falcon, Daisy Finer, Lydia Gard, Avril Groom, Richard Hopton, Emma Love, Mary Lussiana, Anna Pasternak, Caroline Phillips, Holly Rubenstein, Marcus Scriven THE EDITOR editorial@countryandtownhouse.co.uk FASHION fashion@countryandtownhouse.co.uk ADVERTISING advertising@countryandtownhouse.co.uk PROPERTY ADVERTISING property@countryandtownhouse.co.uk ACCOUNTS accounts@countryandtownhouse.co.uk SUBSCRIPTIONS subscribe@countryandtownhouse.co.uk COUNTRY & TOWN HOUSE is a monthly magazine distributed to AB homes in Barnes, Battersea, Bayswater, Belgravia, Brook Green, Chelsea, Chiswick, Clapham, Coombe, Fulham, Holland Park, Kensington, Knightsbridge, Marylebone, Mayfair, Notting Hill, Pimlico, South Kensington, Wandsworth and Wimbledon, as well as being available from leading country and London estate agents. It is also on sale at selected WHSmith, Waitrose, Marks & Spencer and Sainsbury’s stores and independent newsagents nationwide. It has an estimated readership of 150,000. It is available on subscription in the UK for £29.99 per annum. To subscribe online, iPad, iPhone and android all for only £24.99 visit: exacteditions.com/read/countrytownhouse. For subscription enquiries, please call 020 7384 9011 or email subscribe@countryandtownhouse.co.uk. It is published by Country & Town House Ltd, Studio 2, Chelsea Gate Studios, 115 Harwood Road, London SW6 4QL (tel: 020 7384 9011). Registered number 576850 England and Wales. Printed in the UK by William Gibbons and Sons Ltd, West Midlands. Paper supplied by Gerald Judd. Distribution by Letterbox.

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COLUMN

THE GOOD LIFE

THIS MONTH I’LL BE

‘C

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Considering a Tony Robbins retreat – if you haven’t already, watch I Am Not Your Guru on Netflix. (tonyrobbins. com)

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Trialling Human Charger, a headset that delivers sunlight to the brain. (human charger.com)

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Slathering on Sisley’s Velvet Sleeping Mask – a snuggly duvet for winter skin. (sisleyparis.com)

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KEEP IT SIMPLE New year, new uniform. wardrobe.nyc

WONDER PILL Feel better. lyma.life

WHEELY GOOD Beginners and pros alike. studio-pottery -london.com

ARTS AND CRAFTS My sister, the potter. florencestgeorge.com

EXPLORE BRITAIN Alderney’s chic new hotel. blondehedgehog.com

PHOTO: © OWEN TOZER

And as I sit at the wheel, persuading a ball of grey mud into a wonky egg cup, it’s easy to understand why this meditative, hands-on practice is so often part of treatment for depression.

EXTREME GLOBETROTTING. That’s how I’d describe my 2019. And while it’s been amazing, I definitely feel a shift this new year: a sense of guilt at my carbon footprint coupled with an urge to feel settled and balanced amidst global uncertainty. I’m also curious to discover the greatness of Britain. Top of my list are The Newt in Somerset (see page 82) and The Fife Arms in Scotland is next.

And one to revisit is new hotel The Alice B-B vows to throw plates, stick Blonde Hedgehog to staycations and pop the good pills in Alderney. It’s a charming boutique hotel on this funny little island in the Channel that’s ONE UP!’ ‘Centre it!’ stuffed with wartime history (it ‘Don’t collapse!’ Add plenty was occupied during the Second of swearing, clay-splattered World War). It also has stunning faces and this is what a family night white beaches and an abundance out looks like for me. Now my little of wildlife that includes gannets, sister Florence St George is a fully puffins, seals and scores of blonde fledged ceramicist, you’ll find us hedgehogs – thanks to a strange having a family get-together at genetic anomaly and no predation.

Studio Pottery in Victoria. Florence THIS IS IT. If you only ever take was having a grim time of it; she one piece of my advice then make suffered post-natal depression after it the health supplement Lyma. her first child, and then the trauma Over the last year I’ve started having of a life-threateningly sick second some very un-fun mid-life changes: baby. One day, she bought a bag thinning hair, sleep issues, anxiety. of clay to distract herself and fell in But since taking Lyma, I feel more love with the ancient craft. ‘Pottery carefree and positive, and my hair’s is my Prozac,’ Florence stopped falling out. Life feels not explains. As a result she’s come off anti-depressants, just okay but brilliant again – like anything is possible. And I know has taught handicapped it’s working because when I ran out and orphaned children I immediately went back to waking in the Bahamas, currently each morning with an impending has her pieces exhibited sense of doom. The downside? Lyma in London’s prestigious isn’t cheap. But for the price of a Sladmore Gallery and in fancy coffee I’d rather knock back January will be on telly in these wonder pills any day. n The Great Pottery Throw Down.

LU XU RY & N ECESSIT Y

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INTERVIEW

THE RURBANIST

Ruby Hammer on snorkelling, crosswords and the importance of great brows Last book you read? At the moment I am reading

Joan Didion’s The Year of Magical Thinking. It’s the most simple and profound book, and I’ve already earmarked it to give to friends.

Most valuable piece of advice you have received?

Trust yourself. Your own gut instinct knows what your head hasn’t figured out. When people tell you to do something that doesn’t feel 100 per cent right, you need to be able to trust your instinct.

What brings out the worst in you? Uber drivers, and when someone doesn’t listen to you.

What was the last song you listened to that made you dance? A remix of Jingo by Candido. I can’t help but dance

the minute I hear it.

What’s your favourite game to play and why? I don’t tend to play games but I love crosswords as it’s time for myself.

What are Saturday afternoons made for? Catching up. I get on top of all the chores from the week, like restocking my cupboards and cleaning my make-up brushes. It helps me function during the week.

What would really improve your life? A bit more sunshine. Though I would really love a personal chef who could work out a menu and cook for me five days a week. I’d never have to consider the nutritional value, I would just know it was healthy and delicious.

Where’s home for you? London, Maida Vale.

Where do you go to lose yourself? Anywhere

What never fails to bring a smile to your face?

Whenever I think of loved ones or look out to sea.

At the moment I think about my new products. I’ve always worked for other people, and now I’m pleasing myself and choosing items that spark joy for me.

What item in your wardrobe do you wear the most? Jeans. My favourites are AG Jeans or J Brand.

FROM ABOVE: Ruby Hammer; COMO Cocoa Island resort in the Maldives; J Brand Maria high-rise skinny jeans, £230 at Net-a-Porter; Ruby’s mum made the most incredible Indian food

I love really good Indian food, especially anything that my late mum made. I would cook for my husband, though he would tell you I’m most likely to make him apple slices with peanut butter.

Where was the last place you ‘discovered’? Cocoa Island in the

Maldives. It’s so small, it only takes seven minutes to walk the whole way around. I love the ocean, and jumping off the house reef – the snorkelling is breathtaking. n Ruby Hammer’s capsule collection is available at Harvey Nichols in store, harveynichols.com and online at rubyhammer.com

PHOTOS: GETTY IMAGES

where I can focus on something else, whether that’s watching a film, meditating or having a treatment.

Daily ritual? Without fail I look after my skin. I cleanse and hydrate twice a day. I don’t always wear make-up but I always brush up my brows – I love using my magnetic brush to do this.

Secret place for a good night out? Wherever DJ Sultan (my husband’s alter ego) puts on his headphones I tend to have the best nights. It’s always impromptu but creates a great atmosphere.

Best thing a cabbie has ever said to you? I love it when I get a Cockney cabbie and they assume I’m a Londoner. It brings a real smile to my face.

Signature dish and who are you cooking it for?

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EDIT ED BY M A R I E L L A TA N DY

STYLE BEAUTY JEWELLERY PA RT I E S

UP FRONT

BACK TO BASICS Brunello Cucinelli’s collections are always true wardrobe investments, designed to stand the test of time. Using only the finest natural yarns and fabrics the brand is renowned for sublime, handmade pieces that elevate the everyday. The Brunello Cucinelli philosophy is as considered as the clothes themselves, placing ethical production and community at the heart of the company’s values. brunellocucinelli.com

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UP FRONT

The

EDIT The pieces to add to your spring wardrobe. By Mariella Tandy CHECK MATE

Barbour’s second collaboration with Alexa Chung lands just in time for spring.

Checks dominate the collection, like this Ivy Casual jacket. £299. barbour.com

KNIT CLUB

5

La Perla is turning 65 years old – and it’s looking pretty great for its age. As embodied by the limited edition Macramé Noir collection, which can go beyond the bedroom.

Jacket, £1,515. laperla.com

2

Barrie is known for its fun take on knitwear. Luckily for us it has now opened a new London outpost on Conduit Street.

Denim fringe pants in cashmere, £1,447; denim jacket in cashmere, £1,921. barrie.com

ARM ART For the fourth iteration of the Dior Lady Art project, 11 artists have rendered a bag with their artistic vision.

Highly collectable and made in very limited quantities, this Joana Vasconcelos edition is the ideal Valentines day gift. £POA. dior.com

THAT’S A WRAP

THROW SOME SHADE Alexis Amor opticians, based in Richmond, has a huge range of exclusive frames for both optical and sun.

The Ava in Caramel Havana stripe, £245. alexisamor.com

SUPER SERUMS NUTRITION FOR YOUR SKIN

VOTARY Super Seed serum, £75. votary.co.uk

4

ELIXSERI Rescue Diver, £85. net-a-porter.com

WILDSMITH SKIN Active Repair Platinum Booster, £175. harrods.com

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SKIWEAR

QUEEN OF THE SLOPES VAARA Eliza Bicolour Knit, £375. vaara.com

KEEN GREEN

6

Don’t miss Harrod’s new menswear designer collections.

Harrods Green Acne jacket, £2,000. harrods.com

7

PERFECT FIT

Pink Bespoke is the new service from Pink Shirtmaker. Pay a visit to its new state-of-the-art workshop in Vauxhall to be fitted for a custom shirt in the modern, airy space which is dedicated to Pink’s promise to bring quality shirtmaking back to England. From £330 with a one-off set up fee of £100. thomaspink.com

DRESS YOUR HOME Bella Freud’s candles are as covetable as her famed jumpers.

Made with hand poured wax and the finest essential oils, these are a must for any fashionable home. £45. bellafreud.com

WRITE ME

PERFECT MOMENT All-in-one merino suit, £400. matchesfashion.com

The distinctive envelope closure on Grace Han’s Love Letter top handle tote is inspired by the tradition of letter writing. Love Letter bag, £1,795. gracehan.com

9

REALE JEWELS

SUPERGA Shearling Alpina boot, £190. superga.co.uk

Divert from Dolomites skiing to Milan for Van Cleef & Arpels’ biggest-ever European exhibition at the sumptuous Palazzo Reale. Wonderful stones and consistently incredible craftsmanship from 1906 till now.

Until 23 February. vancleefarpels.com

10

COUPLE GOALS

Angella Nazarian’s Creative Couples is a deep-dive into the stories of 15 couples who motivate and change lives as a team, ranging from Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin, to Rei Kawakubo and Adrian Joffe. (£42, Assouline)

11

HIGH FIVE Head to Makanyi Lodge for a private and authentic safari. Based in the southern sector of the Timbavati, an area of prime game viewing and home to the ‘Big Five’.

Suites from £750. makanyilodge.com

12

Van Cleef & Arpels Zip necklace, 1951, transforms into a bracelet. Platinum, yellow gold, sapphires, emeralds, rubies and diamonds

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UP FRONT

BAMFORD T-shirt, £95; pants, £145

FARLOWS Wellington Donegal tweed topcoat £695

HACKETT Linen tie in rust, £110

CHURCH’S Pembrey suede loafer, £450

SUNSPEL Overshirt, £175; T-shirt, £70; trousers, £145; shoes, £165

S T Y L E

OUT OF OFFICE

MICHEAL KORS Oversized Lexington watch, £269

Smarten up your weekend wardrobe, says Mariella Tandy AIGLE Pleuro polo shirt, £70 HUNTER Anorak, £135

FAVOURBROOK Cashmere gilet, £490

MULBERRY Belgrave document holder, £795

CONNOLLY Knitted cashmere sweater, £880

CROCKETT & JONES Coniston suede boots, £415

LONGCHAMP Wallet, £85

GUANABANA Belt, £60 PAUL SMITH Wool baseball Cap, £80

SEE STOCKISTS FOR MORE DETAILS

This is how to nail your off-duty look for spring: layer up relaxed tailoring, bright colours and chunky textures to achieve a laid-back luxe look. Sharpen with a stand-out accessory – whether that’s a sleek document holder or a chunky pair of combat boots.

Faded navys and sunny yellows are key this season.

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EVENING ALL Thom Sweeney has launched its first range of eveningwear, and very luxurious it is too with rich velvets and corduroys, decadent roll necks and a cool contemporary edge throughout. Velvet shawl lapel evening jacket, £1,395. thomsweeney.co.uk

TIME OF LEGENDS

A. Lange & Söhne’s new Odysseus lays the foundations for the brand’s sixth watch family.

This splendid first timepiece in shining stainless steel comes with a tailor-made selfwinding movement and a large day-of-the-week and date display. £24,900. alange-soehne.com

M E N ’ S

S T Y L E

WELL GROOMED Velveteen dreams.

By Matt Thomas

DOVER SOLE

Edward Green’s Dover style is an iconic split-toed Derby, with a sleek profile and formal character. Each pair also has its Norwegian apron handsewn using a boar’s bristle needle – a technique understood by connoisseurs to be the cordwainer’s most intricate craft. £1,200. edwardgreen.com

VC PEA Private White V.C. has created a handsome peacoat in close collaboration with luxury and classic menswear expert Simon Crompton of Permanent Style. Permanent Style bridge coat, £850. private whitevc.com

NOTES ON RIO

SILK CUT

Each season New & Lingwood introduces a limited-edition range of silk gowns to its collection, all handmade in 100 per cent English silk satin, woven at a mill in Suffolk that dates back to the Huguenot period. Customers can also commission their own bespoke design.

Dressing gown, £2,500. newandlingwood.com

Frescobol Carioca has released its debut fragrance, appropriately named .1 Parfum, with tropical botanical notes including warm incense, sandalwood, and green tones of cyclamen, designed to transport you to Rio. £85. frescobol carioca.com

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UP FRONT

PUMP IT UP

HEARTS FOR YOUR VALENTINE

Zenith Defy El Primero 21 (44mm) in black carbon. £10,600. zenith-watches.com J E W E L L E R Y

CLASSIC CHRONOGRAPH The Patek Philippe Men’s Chronograph continues to be many a watch connoisseur’s dream horological piece. In white gold, blue varnished dial, gold applied numerals with luminescent coating with tachymeter scale. £56,430. patek.com

THE MAGPIE Mariella Tandy selects some serious wrist candy HIGH FLYER

Richard Mille and Airbus Corporate Jets have launched a new travel watch, the RM 62-01. It features an all new grand complication with a Tourbillon Vibrating Alarm.

Limited edition of 30 pieces. £POA. richardmille.com

MAGIC EIGHT

Linde Werdelin’s latest watch is an eight-piece limited edition of the new Oktopus Volcano, created with master engraver and artist Johnny Dowell. Each has slight variations in the design due to the hand engraving. £21,600. lindewerdelin.com

NEED FOR SPEED

The Rolex Cosmograph Daytona, introduced in 1963, was designed for professional racing drivers. With its highly reliable chronograph, it allows drivers to measure average speeds up to 400 kilometres per hour. Cosmograph Daytona, £22,150. rolex.com

1 Alison Lou Alison Lou Tiny Heart Huggy 14-karat gold enamel hoop earring. £280. net-a-porter.com 2 Brooke Gregson Gold, diamond and enamel necklace. £1,890. brookegregson.com 3 Carolina Bucci Gold multi-stone ring. £7,980. carolinabucci.com 4 Venyx Engraved heart earrings. £8,640. venyxworld.com 5 Sydney Evan Yellow and white gold diamond bangle. £4,760. netaporter.com

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Q & A

MY STYLE

Minimalism is for wimps. Olivia von Halle is all for maxing it out

PHOTO: REX FEATURES; SEE STOCKISTS FOR DETAILS

Event dressing? February is always a blur with

Sabine Getty

fashion month – I’ll be in NYC, London and Paris.

I’ll be wearing Olivia von Halle at appointments; our Aureta and Rosetti dresses are easy to wear and can take you from day to dinner.

Wardrobe failsafe? My personal aesthetic is thoroughly maximalist, I’m a dress obsessive.

For the last few years I’ve worn Alessandra Rich, Vampire’s Wife and OvH dresses on repeat.

I love that they lend a sense of occasion and have the power to elevate the every day.

Everyday uniform? Practicality is an absolute necessity. For me this means silk slip dresses or skirts paired with thick cashmere sweaters, chunky boots or trainers – and lipstick to help me feel pulled together!

Style crush? I’m loving Sabine Getty’s style.

She’s an original, brave and daring, and makes mega-vintage couture feel fresh and modern.

Power dressing? An Alessandra Rich dress and earrings worn with Osman velvet platforms – I’m six foot so in five-inch heels I have the world at my feet!

Holiday essentials? Our new Gia tracksuit is made from butter soft silk-cashmere so it’s perfect for snuggling up on the plane, or by the fire post-skiing. I’m also never without my Gentle Monster sunglasses, an OvH eye mask and more books than I’ll ever be able to read.

Finishing touches? Le Labo Fleur d’Oranger and, as I have enormous feet almost all my shoes are Gucci, which does big sizes.

Country walk? Can I ride instead? If so, my Martha Sitwell x Harry Hall yellow corduroy breeches, Ariat Heritage Compass lace-up boots and an ancient cashmere jumper.

Secret labels? One of my friends is about to launch a jewellery brand called Etora – I’ve had a preview and the pieces are amazing. I’m trying to be more sustainable this year: Laura von Behr sells the most amazing vintage dresses from her studio in Hackney. And Assouline has the world’s dreamiest coffee table books.

Style cheats? Do a proper Marie Kondo style clear out of your wardrobe – you’ll be amazed at what pieces you rediscover. n

1 Alessandra Rich Silk maxi dress, £1,670 2 Gentle Monster Sunglasses, £250 3 Le Labo Fleur d’Oranger 27, £127 for 50ml 4 Osman Gesa platform sandal, £430 5 Olivia von Halle Rosetti Estella dress, £560 6 Olivia von Halle Gia London tracksuit, £995 7 Assouline Roy Lichtenstein: The Impossible Collection, £754 8 Ariat Heritage Compass boot, £290

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UP FRONT

Q & A

SOCIAL STATUS

Victoria Magrath shares her renovation story with Nathalie Eleni Tell us about your Instagram account, @frowhome I’ve posted on my @inthefrow

account now for seven years, so I was definitely looking for a new challenge. I had never had the chance to dabble in interiors before, as this was the first house I’d ever owned, so it was an exciting new adventure for me.

I set up @frowhome to capture moments of the renovation. I’ve found the best thing about interiors is seeing the photos from before a project was completed. I wanted to document the whole process from start to finish.

Top renovation tip? I think one of the best things I have learned is to work out what order everything needs to be completed in. There’s no point painting a room before you’ve decided to change the coving, and there’s no reason to fit the carpet before you’ve painted the skirting board. And there’s definitely no point in attaching your beautiful new wall lights before you’ve painted the room. As obvious as that all sounds, those are all things I had to learn along the way.

Which was your favourite room to style?

I immediately think of the kitchen, as it was a huge project to complete, but in all honesty the room I’ve enjoyed transforming the most was the living room. It was a dumping ground for a few months while the kitchen was finished, and so it went from rubble to a really incredible room within a week.

I swoon every time I walk in there now.

I find the colours and the fabrics that we chose to be so calming. It’s the perfect space to retire to at the end of the day. inthefrow

Make-up:

TEAM nathalieeleni_beauty Hair: callyborghair Photography: rvds Earrings, Soru

GET THE LOOK

1 2 3

For the glossiest lips apply Clé de Peau Beauté Radiant Lip Gloss in Pink Aura. £38. harrods.com Skim along the lash line for subtle enhancement. Yves Saint Laurent Couture eye liner, £26. lookfantastic.com Perk up eyes pre-makeup with this little tube of magic from Clark’s Botanicals.

The Anti-Puff eye cream brings eyes to life. £70. spacenk.com

4

Highlight cheekbones with Code 8 Between Two Women HD palette. Dust over eye sockets and wet an eyeliner brush and apply the darker shade over your eyeliner to intensify. £32. codeeight.com

5

For a natural, second skin finish apply Chantecaille Future Skin foundation. £68. harrods.com

frowhome n

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TEAM Makeup: nathalieeleni_beauty Hair: callyborghair Photo: RVDS Model: mayaransar wears Rodial Skin Tint and Celeste Starre earrings

SKIN CLINIC

FROM DESK TO DATE

Emma Hardie Plump & Glow hydrating facial mist. £42. look fantastic.com Elemis Pro-Collagen Hydra-Gel eye masks. £52 for six. elemis.com Amanda Harrington Prep & Glow face kit. £90. amanda harrington.com

B E A U T Y

POWDER ROOM Pre-date beauty boosters. By Nathalie Eleni

NEW RELEASES

HOT OFF THE PRESS

PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES

1 Re-energise stressed out skin with Institut Esthederm’s Spiruline Serum. £64. feelunique.com 2 Sensica Sensilift uses dynamic radio frequency to boost collagen production, for impressively firmer and tighter skin. £249.99. sensica.com 3 Give eyes a pampering treat while you sleep with Crystal Eyes’ silk, fairtrade rose quartz crystal-infused eye mask. £75. mycrystaleyes.com

NEW TO TOWN

TREAT YOURSELF

Beautifully microbladed brows can be more transformative than botox. Put yourself in Sian Dellar’s expert hands and she will instantly frame your face and take years off it with the most natural strokes that mimic fine hairs. From £295. permanentmakeup -specialist.com

For flawless date night skin an OxyGeneo Glow and Go Facial at D.Thomas Clinic is a must. The Oxygeneo device deeply exfoliates, plumps skin with vitamins and creates oxygen-rich blood flow. The treatment is finished with ultrasound and LED light therapy. Instant results. From £210 for 45 minutes. dthomas.com

THREE OF THE BEST

NUDE LIPS

CTZN Cosmetics Nudiversal Lip Duo, in Bali. £19. ctzncosmetics.com

Armani Beauty Neo Nude Ecstasy Balm, shade one. £27. armanibeauty.co.uk

Sisley PhytoLip, in Sheer Sorbet. £34. sisley-paris.com

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UP FRONT

MIND & M ATT ER

1

CURL For the perfect flutter, Dior’s chic curler captures even the hardest-toreach lashes. £20. dior.com

R E V I E W

BODY LANGUAGE Olivia Falcon meets a doctor for all seasons

a super fine needle onto my tummy. I wear it for ten days to track my glucose spikes and this gives Dr Tam an precise picture of what is causing middle age spread (a lack of sleep and too much wine).

She also kits me out with an Oura ring to which I have developed a Gollum-like obsession. It transmits graphs of my sleep patterns, activity and stress levels to my mobile phone and gives us a clearer picture of my unhealthy habits.

Unlike other doctors who have lost me at talk of ferritin levels, Dr Tam’s great skill is how she translates the impressive amount of data she collects into a simple, easy to follow plan. This is then implemented with her multidisciplinary team to include nutritional hacks, hormone tweaks with bio-identical hormones, exercise suggestions and, if needed, life coaching to not only fix the glitches but give you a better quality of life for years to come. And trust me; no matter how rosy a picture you’re painting on Instagram everyone needs a Dr Tam in their lives.

Consultations from £325; Oura ring £265; programmes from £1,500. wellgevity.co.uk n

2

SCREEN Protect eyes, skin and sleep from blue light.

EyeJust blue light screen protector. £27. almost essential.com

3

READ My favourite TED talker, Simon Sinek’s brilliant new book, The Infinite Game can help you explore how your business can achieve long-lasting success. (£13.99, Portfolio)

PHOTOS: GETTY IMAGES

F

ull disclosure here, I am a terrible hypochondriac.

I get a headache and Google brain tumour. I have an itchy scalp and douse the whole family with Headrin – it turned out to be dandruff, not nits.

So, as cold and cough season reaches it crescendo I suspect my lovely NHS doctor is breathing a sigh of relief that I have met Dr Tamsin Lewis, a medical doctor with specialist training in using psychiatry and sports medicine to improve people’s wellbeing.

She offers the most comprehensive health management programmes to optimise your wellness using the smartest health-tech devices and has a legion of devoted patients who have relied on her to sort out a number of modern-day malaises, from insomnia and stress to burnout.

In my case Dr Tam is on a mission to find out if I am perimenopausal as unexplained weight gain, irregular periods and lethargy are making me fret.

As one would expect there are the usual tests, such as blood screenings to look at my hormones and the Dutch test, a pretty tricky DIY urine and saliva screen that maps your biochemistry.

Dr Tam also has some other pretty interesting gadgets that offer fascinating insights.

On our first meeting I’m tagged with a Dexcom glucose monitor, which is clipped with 30 | COUNTRYANDTOWNHOUSE.CO.UK | February 2020

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Make it personal.

The Moisturiser

The Hydrator

Your skin’s needs are unique and always changing. The world-renowned beauty trailblazer, Dr Jean-Louis Sebagh pioneered the concept of mixing different, powerful serums to create a personalised daily ritual that perfectly meets your skin’s needs. Potent and award-winning, Dr Sebagh’s iconic serums—including the trio of super-serums featured here—can all be used alone or combined, for agelessly radiant results.

Moisturising is essential to restore the skin barrier, protect against environmental aggressors, seal in hydration and keep skin plump. Deeply moisturise and soothe your skin using Rose de Vie Serum, with antioxidant and nourishing rosehip oil, blended with the hydrating, hyaluronic acid-rich Serum Repair, which instantly leaves skin looking and feeling plumped, firmer and tighter.

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The Anti-Ager

The Brightener

Add a trouble-shooting, ‘Ageing-Maintenance’ hero to the mix with a few drops of Supreme Maintenance Youth Serum. It boasts 95% active ingredients, more than any other skin care product, including the ‘youth molecule’ Resveratrol, three anti-aging peptides, a mineral radiance booster and an anti-pollution film.

Power-up your serum blend even more with a little Pure Vitamin C Powder Cream. This patented, highly concentrated and stabilised powder-to-cream formula can be mixed with any serum to brighten the skin, prevent pigmentation and bring back its glow.

Available in-store and at drsebagh.com

20/12/2019 09:58

UP FRONT W E L L N E S S

BODY & SOUL

CHECK IN

Camilla Hewitt’s bite-sized tips to achieve better nutrition

MARBELLA CLUB, SPAIN

2

1

1

ASK THE EXPERTS

Lime Wood Hotel has teamed up with Nutritional Therapist Amelia Freer (pictured left) to deliver a series of workshops from its state-of-the-art cookery school in the New Forest. Over the course of the day, Amelia explains how food can be a powerful tool for well-being and demonstrates how you can enjoy the many benefits of nutritious meals.

Workshops and events include healthy cooking for kids, eating for health and weight loss and a three-day whole body wellbeing retreat. From £1,630. limewoodhotel.co.uk

2

IDENTIFY PATTERNS

Some of us gorge; some of us graze. Some snack; some comfort eat. The 30-day Headspace Mindful Eating course is a great tool for understanding why we eat the way we do and the thoughts that drive our choices. By seeing things more clearly and accepting what challenges us, we can foster a healthier relationship with food. £9.99 a month. headspace.com

3

DON’T RELY ON A DOCUMENTARY

If The Game Changers documentary has cemented your decision to go vegan, make sure you aren’t deficient in vitamins and minerals.

Dietitian Sophie Medlin says that a well-balanced vegan diet may have major health benefits but it needs to be supplemented appropriately. citydietitians.co.uk

4

This year Marbella Club officially launches its year-long retreat series providing transformative wellbeing experiences designed to prevent everyday ailments such as exhaustion, stress, anxiety or gut health issues.

As part of the series, the Food for Beauty retreat, which takes place at the hotel’s brand new villa, Ríncon del Mar, explores the correlation between inner and outer beauty from a holistic perspective: featuring bespoke menus and cooking demonstrations delivered by the hotel’s new wellness chef; indepth consultations as led by the resident naturopath nutritionist to detect individual dietary requirements and sensitivities; new beauty treatments in collaboration with Votary and an array of outdoor wellness activities within the wider resort, such as hiking, Tibetan bowl sessions and aerial yoga.

This is a unique opportunity for transformative selfbetterment and rejuvenation through a nutritional lens.

BOOK IT: Doubles from €390. marbellaclub.com

GET TO KNOW YOUR GUT

MyGeneHub is an at-home DNA testing kit that will tell you how your body responds to certain foods groups. Using the results of your genetic analysis from a saliva sample, it reveals your individual nutritional needs so you can develop optimal eating habits.

4 From £220. mygenehub. co.uk

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UP FRONT

R E V I E W

DOCTOR, DOCTOR

Looking for a new relationship with your body? Bodydoctor knows best, says Claire Hughes

David ‘the Bodydoctor’ Marshall has transformed stars including Rachel Weisz and Sophie Dahl with his measured and achievable programmes

uncomfortable), combining disciplines from resistance training, pilates and cardio, and utilising a full range of movement as you would during any yoga session. In fact, he can’t bear to see the amount of exercise promises pedalled on the market by people with more of an eye on profit than really helping people feel their very best.

David is doing something right with his no nonsense approach – and it can happen quickly too.

Yes, if you sign up for David’s six-week programme and dedicate yourself to it, you really could lose three dress sizes (just ask Sophie D). His new partnership with John Bell & Croyden, pharmacists to the Queen on Wigmore Street, will help, as its in-house nutritionist will devise bespoke eating plans and supplements for those who want to get the best out of their time with David and his team. And if you want an intense blast, plus a dose of Vitamin D, David will be running seven to ten day programmes at some spectacular hotels worldwide.

‘It’s all about being the best you that you can possibly be, fulfilling your potential to live a healthy happy life, that’s why my mantra has always been... Stronger, slimmer, firmer, fitter.’

Isn’t that what we all want as we face the year ahead? It’s time to call the doctor.

One to one personal training sessions, £100.

020 7235 2211; bodydoctor.com n

PHOTOS: REX FEATURES

‘O

h God, oh God, oh God…’ You might find yourself praying/swearing a lot during a personal training session with David Marshall, aka the Bodydoctor, and the man responsible for the lithe, toned bodies of leading ladies such as Rachel Weisz, Lily Allen, and a host of Game of Thrones stars, plus the phenomenal metamorphosis of Sophie Dahl – remember when she dropped from a size 16 to a size 12 all those years ago? She had David to thank for that. His intense one-to-one classes take place in a white-walled, woodenfloored private gym (aka ‘the temple of fitness’) built in the crypt of St Peter’s Church on Eaton Square, so it really does feel like God might take notice of you as you do your 50th crunch: ‘go on, reach for those toes,’ he (David, not God) chuckles as you smile, sweating through gritted teeth.

David has been transforming the bodies (and minds – he prescribes just as much yoga, pilates, holistic therapy and good nutrition as weights and cardio) of men and women since 1994. His method?

Simplicity. ‘It’s about teaching people to exercise correctly and efficiently,’ he says. ‘To elongate the muscles and teach them to stay that way so you feel strong yet supple.’ And sensible, doable nutrition. ‘Eating the right foods at the right time in relation to when you exercise – because exercise is energy and food is fuel,’ he adds. ‘It’s not about diets and green juices but about eating natural, unprocessed foods.’

His coterie of trainers are all taught his unique, sequence-based method that promises no fads or funny stuff – but revolves around technique and the correct intensity so that you burn fat. Each exercise flows into the next, as it would in a yoga class rather than just a mismatched group of exercises that end up leaving your body bulky and 34 | COUNTRYANDTOWNHOUSE.CO.UK | February 2020

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VISIT US:

Design Centre East, Third Floor, Chelsea Harbour, London, SW10 0XF Harrods, Knightsbridge, London, SW1X 7XL

Jensen Beds.indd 1

jensen-beds.com/uk

16/12/2019 13:42

It’s time to tackle the climate crisis Nature must be defended What our planet needs is a lawyer ClientEarth is an environmental law charity.

We fight climate change, protect wildlife and tackle deforestation. We use law because it’s the first language of government and business.

We took the UK government to court over air pollution and won. We protect irreplaceable forests and vulnerable species.

Using the law is green for grown-ups

clientearth.org/donate ClientEarth is an environmental law charity, a company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales, company number 02863827, registered charity number 1053988, registered office 10 Queen Street Place, London EC4R 1BE

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24/10/2019 14:10 19/12/2019 10:13

ART CU LT U R E BOOKS PEOPLE

THE GUIDE

PHOTO: LINDER, UNTITLED, 1977 PHOTOMONTAGE

GIRL POWER Forget stuffy dons – right now Cambridge is all about directional female artists.

Linderism at Kettle’s Yard engages the five senses with photomontage, music and live performance. Artist Linder Sterling also explores the presence of Helen Ede, one of the gallery’s original founders. This thoughtprovoking afternoon would be thoroughly approved of by Cambridge’s most famous women. kettlesyard.co.uk

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THEATRE

LET’S GET PHYSICAL

Pioneering physical theatre company Frantic Assembly is turning 25, and touring the UK with a new show. With textbook boundary-pushing exploration into the human condition, I Think We Are Alone interrogates fragility, resilience and our need for love and forgiveness. 3 Feb to 16 May. franticassembly.co.uk

DON’T MISS

Art that imitates life.

By Sofia Tindall

Frantic Assembly push the boundaries of modern theatre

ART

THE SEA, THE SEA

It’s not all doom and gloom in the post-Christmas months.

Look through a different lens and you’ll discover they possess a beauty entirely of their own.

Melvyn Evans’ interpretation of Yorkshire’s bubbling harbour life, the Hitchen Stone and Sea Stack, is enchantingly optimistic. Drop into Yorkshire Sculpture Park for the pick-me-up. Until 23 Feb. ysp.org.uk

PHOTO & SCULPTURE

MEETING OF MINDS

Celebrated sculptor Henry Moore and photographer Bill Brandt first crossed paths in the chaotic times of the Second World War, sharing a keen interest in the lives of ordinary people. Now (in our own politically tumultuous times), a new exhibition at The Hepworth Wakefield reunites the works of these two artistic legends. 7 Feb to 31 May. hepworthwakefield.org

Two legends reunite at The Hepworth Wakefield

LIGHTS

ANCIENT HISTORY Wrap up warm for the Sarum Lights in Salisbury this February.

This stunning show will illuminate the Cathedral, narrating different parts of its 800-year history with light projections and soundscapes. Even queuing in the ancient, atmospheric cloisters promises to be an experience. 18–22 Feb. salisburycathedral.co.uk EXHIBITION

BLACK SHEEP If you think getting up in the dark to catch the tube is hard, imagine herding a flock of sheep.

Patricia MacKinnonDay’s investigation into the working process of four female shepherds, The Calling Sheds, combines replica sheds, sound pieces and a selection of objects. After showing at Tate Liverpool, the exhibitions are returning to all four different farms belonging to the shepherds, but keep an eye out – they’ll be touring the UK over the next year. tate.org.uk

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PHOTOS: KEHINDE WILEY, SAINT JEROME HEARING THE TRUMPET OF LAST JUDGMENT (2018)

COUNTRY LIFE

PHOTOS: HENRY MOORE, FAMILY GROUP (1944)

E V E N T S

THE GUIDE

THEATRE

FIRST STAGES

The National Theatre is bringing Chekhov’s iconic Three Sisters back to the stage – but not as you know it. Set against the searing backdrop of Nigeria on the brink of the Biafran Civil War, this bold take on a classic by Fuel Theatre is tipped to be a critic’s favourite. Until 19 Feb. fueltheatre.com

DON’T MISS

E V E N T S

TOWN LIFE

The boys vs the girls

Chekhov’s Three Sisters return to the stage

ART

PHOTOS: KEHINDE WILEY, SAINT JEROME HEARING THE TRUMPET OF LAST JUDGMENT (2018)

PHOTOS: HENRY MOORE, FAMILY GROUP (1944)

PAPER PLAY

Nigerian-American artist Kehinde Wiley weaves Morris’s famous wallpaper into the background of paintings that narrate The Yellow Wallpaper, an acclaimed feminist text by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. As the one-time friend of May Morris, the setting of the William Morris Gallery makes this visual retelling of Gilman’s story all the more captivating.

22 Feb to 25 May. wmgallery.org.uk

THEATRE

VINO VERSES The wonderfully entitled Love, Loss & Chianti meditates on grief, ecstasy, and all that is encompassed in the human experience of love – a subject matter made easier by adding a whole lot of wine into the mix. Spanning four years of the author’s life, and performed by Robert Bathurst and Rebecca Johnson, this is studio theatre at its best. Large glass of pinot noir optional.

25 Feb to 17 May. riversidestudios.co.uk

WELLNESS

NEW SPOT

A different type of wallflower

PHOTOGRAPHY

A MAN’S WORLD

What does it mean to be a man in the modern world? This is the question at the heart of a new series of photographs at the Barbican, exploring masculinity and social constructions of male identity. Perspective-shiftingly poignant, these different photographers are bound to leave you with some philosophical musings on masculinity.

20 Feb to 17 May. barbican.org.uk

Masculinity gets a makeover

Tube-up to King’s Cross to experience Coal Drops Yard – fast gaining a reputation as one of north London’s coolest concept spaces.

Samsung KX is running an year-long weekly programme of events, including everything from meditation classes to tea-making sessions.

The perfect antidote to the winter blues. coaldropsyard.com

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ORIGINAL, LIMITED-EDITION ART DECO POSTERS

Our central London gallery

All images and text copyright © Pullman Editions Ltd. 2020

View and buy online at w w w.pullmaneditions.com Pullman Ed Country and Town House ad.indd 1 Pullman Editions.indd 1

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PHOTO: ANDY WARHOL, DEBBIE HARRY (1980)PRIVATE COLLECTION OF PHYLLIS AND JEROME LYLE RAPPAPORT 1961 © 2019 THE ANDY WARHOL FOUNDATION FOR THE VISUAL ARTS, INC / ARTISTS RIGHTS SOCIETY (ARS), NEW YORK AND DACS, LONDON

THE GUIDE

3

6

5

DAYS OF CULTURE

If you normally hear about must-see exhibitions and plays only after they’ve sold out, read Ed Vaizey’s guide to the best shows in 2020 – and never experience FOMO again

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THE GUIDE

restoration of Charles II in 1660 through to Queen Anne’s death in 1714. And autumn heralds a new JMW Turner exhibition – appropriate in the year he appears on the new £20 note.

Astonishingly, the National Portrait Gallery will close for three years in June, in order to carry out a major £35.5m refurbishment, including a new entrance, so attending its two fantastic exhibitions in the first half of the year is an enjoyable way to say au revoir. A major showing of Cecil Beaton’s photographs, Bright Young Things, includes work from the 1920s, when he established himself as Vogue’s star photographer. It also features paintings from his circle of friends, such as Rex Whistler and Augustus John. Secondly, as with the Titian show, David Hockney: Drawing from Life reunites the artist’s drawings from all over the world for the first time in 20 years – including portraits of Celia Birtwell and his mother – in all about 150 works spanning 50 years.

As one door closes, another reopens. The Geffrye Museum returns this summer after an £18m refurbishment, which includes a new name. Since visitors couldn’t pronounce Geffrye, and had no idea what it was, the museum has been rebranded more prosaically as The Museum of the Home. Originally opened in 1914, this rebirth over a century later sees the museum double in size. As well as charting domesticity from 1600, it explores topical 21st century issues such as homelessness, immigration, mental health and the environment. And since its entrance is right opposite the hipsters’ gateway, Hoxton station, it could be the cool new venue for 2020.

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PHOTOS: © GIL LEFAUCONNIER; JACK ABSOLUTE FLIES AGAIN ILLUSTRATION BY THE RED DRESS. ART DIRECTION AND DESIGN BY NATIONAL THEATRE GRAPHIC DESIGN STUDIO; SISTER ACT. WHOOPI GOLDBERG ‘DELORIS VAN CARTIER’ AND JENNIFER SAUNDERS ‘MOTHER SUPERIOR’. PHOTO MATTHEW

FROM ABOVE: Benedetto Gennari, The Annunciation (1686) will show at Tate Britain’s Power and Illusion; Titian, Diana and Callisto (1556-9) reunites with five other Titian paintings after 460 years apart; Andy Warhol, Marilyn Diptych (1962)

PHOTOS: © THE NATIONAL GALLERY LONDON / THE NATIONAL GALLERIES OF SCOTLAND; THE RINGLING, SARASOTA, FLORIDA. BEQUEST OF JOHN RINGLING 1963; © 2019 THE ANDY WARHOL FOUNDATION FOR THE VISUAL ARTS, INC / ARTISTS RIGHT SOCIETY (ARS), NEW YORK AND DACS, LONDON

R

iches galore await art lovers as we slip quietly into 2020. While politicians are #GettingBrexitDone, you will have lots of time to feast on blockbuster art shows.

For the first time in 20 years Tate Modern is hosting an Andy Warhol exhibition. You can enjoy his iconic images of Marilyn Monroe and Campbell’s soup tins alongside lesser-known works such as the Latino drag queens from his Ladies and Gentlemen series, not exhibited for 30 years. Warhol is, of course, a perennial crowd pleaser and long after his death remains a potent influence on the pop culture he effectively spawned. It opens in March – expect queues around the block.

At the other end of the spectrum, also opening in March, the National Gallery will show Love, Desire, Death – six paintings by Titian. All commissioned in 1551 by the future King Philip of Spain, they depict classical myths taken from Ovid’s Metamorphoses. What’s extraordinary is that these six paintings have not been in the same room for almost half a millennium – they were last together in the 1580s. Two are coming from Boston and Madrid, but amazingly one will travel just a couple of miles, from London’s Wallace Collection. Under the terms of the Wallace bequest, Titian’s masterpiece was never supposed to leave the building – but a recent court judgment has ‘reinterpreted’ the will, meaning Perseus and Andromeda can now join their long-lost relatives, albeit temporarily.

Other traditional delights await. Tate Britain, the dowager aunt to Tate Modern’s with-it millennial, will have a major show of British Baroque art, Power and Illusion, covering the

PHOTOS: © GIL LEFAUCONNIER; JACK ABSOLUTE FLIES AGAIN ILLUSTRATION BY THE RED DRESS. ART DIRECTION AND DESIGN BY NATIONAL THEATRE GRAPHIC DESIGN STUDIO; SISTER ACT. WHOOPI GOLDBERG ‘DELORIS VAN CARTIER’ AND JENNIFER SAUNDERS ‘MOTHER SUPERIOR’. PHOTO MATTHEW MURPHY AND OLIVER ROSSER

PHOTOS: © THE NATIONAL GALLERY LONDON / THE NATIONAL GALLERIES OF SCOTLAND; THE RINGLING, SARASOTA, FLORIDA. BEQUEST OF JOHN RINGLING 1963; © 2019 THE ANDY WARHOL FOUNDATION FOR THE VISUAL ARTS, INC / ARTISTS RIGHT SOCIETY (ARS), NEW YORK AND DACS, LONDON

FROM ABOVE: JMW Turner, Rain Steam and Speed (1844) at Tate Britain; Electronic at the Design Museum celebrates rave culture; Jack Absolute Flies Again is a take on Sheridan’s The Rivals; catch Roger Allam in A Number; Whoopi Goldberg and Jennifer Saunders in just 39 shows of Sister Act

Another reopening to celebrate is that of the Story Museum in Oxford. Originally a virtual resource, it found physical premises in 2014 and doors open in April for a fully whizz-bang, immersive experience for all the family. The museum will present distinct narrative worlds, participatory installations and gallery spaces that encourage visitors of all ages to connect with stories. It’s supported by many of the UK’s leading children’s authors and illustrators, with patrons including Malorie Blackman, Philip Pullman, Michael Morpurgo, Chris Riddell and Cerrie Burnell. Highlights include the Whispering Wood, where trees talk, and the Enchanted Library: eight immersive rooms in which visitors can step inside an iconic children’s story – whether it’s Horrid Henry’s bedroom or moving between worlds in His Dark Materials.

The Design Museum in Kensington is under new management, recruiting Tim Marlow from the Royal Academy to take over from director Deyan Sudjic. In spring it will focus on the design of the dance floor – but think rave and techno, not Strictly. Evoking the experience of a being in a club, this Electronic exhibition will transport you through the people, art, design, technology and photography that have been capturing and shaping the electronic music landscape. You’ll travel to dance floors from Detroit to Chicago, and Paris to Berlin, as well as the UK’s own thriving scene. Lose yourself in a mesmerising 3D Kraftwerk experience and discover the stories behind the instruments that made it possible.

It’s even got an age rating – no one under 12.

Enough of museums. You’ll want to take in a few plays. One of London’s newest theatres, the Bridge, opened by ex-National Theatre duo ‘the two Nicks’ – Starr and Hytner – has some compelling shows this year, including Roger Allam in a new Caryl Churchill play, A Number, about genetically modified people.

There’s also La Belle Sauvage, a stage version of Philip Pullman’s The Book of Dust, in which there will be puppets; and Paula Vogel’s They Shoot Horses Don’t They?, co-directed by Marianne Elliot, in which there will be dancing – by the audience.

You have been warned.

The National Theatre programme doesn’t disappoint, either. In Jack Absolute Flies Again, Richard Bean adapts Sheridan’s The Rivals, set during the Battle of Britain (2020 is its 80th anniversary year). The lyricist, novelist, poet and playwright Kate Tempest – one of my favourites – will make her National Theatre debut in June with Paradise, a potent and dynamic reimagining of Philoctetes

by Sophocles. Lucy Kirkwood has a new play, The Welkin, which takes place in 1759 and stars Maxine Peake. And The Seven Streams of the River Ota will return home to the National, where it first played in 1996, to mark 75 years since the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima.

Pretty Woman: the Musical is coming to the Piccadilly Theatre from America, produced by singer/songwriter Bryan Adams. And Whoopi Goldberg stars alongside Jennifer Saunders in Sister Act at Hammersmith’s Eventim Appollo, for just 39 performances this summer.

Not to be missed – but given what else is happening, will you have the time? n February 2020 | COUNTRYANDTOWNHOUSE.CO.UK | 43

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Hanging up a painting of German’s finance minister in his local west London pub led to a raft of commissions from the Johnsons

A R T I S T ’ S

S T U D I O

CHRISTOS TSIMARIS

Caiti Grove pens a portrait of the painter to the politicians

W

olfgang Schäuble was Germany’s Finance minister for eight years until 2017, a period when Greece fell into financial crisis several times. ‘He’s very well-known over there,’ Christos tells me of his homeland, ‘and not in a good way.’ He painted the politician in oils on a large canvas, his body smeared and scratched into an almost abstract form, surrounded by ominous grey. He hung the picture in Ariadne’s Nectar, a Greek-run bar in North Kensington.

A few weeks later, a commission proposal arrived. It was from Ivo Dawnay, Rachel Johnson’s husband. Since then, Christos has painted almost the whole Johnson family, Rachel twice. ‘Ivo suggested I paint Boris, but he hasn’t seen it finished yet,’ he says simply. Certainly, there was no shortage of photographs to work from. ‘People say I’ve done the eyes too kind, but this is how I see him, so...’ – his voice trails off.

A wayward troublemaker at school, Christos was resolutely confident about getting into university 30 years ago. He was a talented volleyball player, a skill that would allow him to bypass the entrance exam to teach sport. Then abruptly, the rules changed – the golden ticket of sporting prowess didn’t count anymore. It left Christos out in the cold.

The aftermath was grim. He decided to go on holiday, ‘But I had no funds at all,’ he says quickly. ‘My father has a frame shop; it also sells paintings – bowls of fruit, mountains with donkeys and so on – so he commissioned me.’ Christos’ donkey pictures sold well so he travelled to Thessaloniki to present his work at the art school. He walked straight into a class with his paintings and a lecturer put them

up for criticism at the front of the room, as if he were a student. When he got in, with a new portfolio and a different, more abstract style, he found to his horror this commercial style the subject of cutting putdowns. ‘To really insult someone’s work they’d say, “It looks like it’s painted for a frame shop,” so I kept quiet about my father.’

When he graduated the inevitable call came: military service.

One month in, he requested a postponement and successfully wriggled out – an exhibition was waiting in London. A year later they called him back. He went straight to the military hospital on grounds of mental instability. ‘It wasn’t a complete lie, I had mild depression – and I knew it would get worse if I stayed.’

Over a two-week stretch, Cristos realised the most disturbed were mostly keen to return to combat. An idea formed. When the committee summoned him to ask what was wrong with him Christos replied, ‘Nothing.’ ‘Nothing? What are you doing here then?’ ‘I have no idea. I just want to return to my barracks, have my gun. I love my gun and just long to go back there.’ Fifteen minutes later he was on his way home.

His work now veers between photorealism and abstract – often in the same work, oils smudged and mixed to suggest mysterious layers of emotions and personal histories. A few months after meeting him, a post appears on his Instagram of a new painting – Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.

How will people perceive these paintings in the future?

It’s anyone’s guess. saatchiart.com n

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THE GUIDE

A R T

TALENT SPOTTERS

Unit London’s Joe Kennedy and Jonny Burt advise on supporting emerging talent

Bright One (2019)

by Les Rogers

ART NOT DESIGN Don’t buy art to match your furniture. The artwork is of primary importance, so always focus on that and not the surrounding space. Inspiration to buy should come from initial instinct when first viewing the artwork and not from its contextual frame.

This way you can ensure that the artwork is always able to stand alone. It should be the defining factor of your space not an entity defined by anything else. Always value the autonomy of the artwork.

Joe and Jonny founded Unit London in 2013 to promote emerging talent

TRUST YOUR OWN TASTE When you are selecting work to buy it is important to do so with your eyes, not your ears. Remember who you’re buying for and do not let your tastes be influenced by transient gossip and trends. It’s also key to think about what catches your eye first. After all, it’s often the most eye-catching thing that will make the strongest long-lasting impression on your mind. Art is an investment in your taste, so trust your instinct and take the plunge.

PHOTOS: COURTESY THE ARTISTS

BUY SMART

Shelf Space XIV (2018) by Jason Sims, Beyond Borders exhibition, 2019

NAMES TO KNOW Ryan Hewett, Aaron Johnson, Jason Sims, Les Rogers, Jake Wood-Evans

Make sure you buy from someone you trust.

Consider your relationship with the person or institution you are buying from. Try to think about who you have existing relationships with and how these relationships can progress through your mutual interest in art. Through a strong understanding of each other’s aims and interests, you can really begin to get a feel for each other’s boundaries. Once you have a relationship like this it provides a safe space for each party to discuss differences and plans for the future in a comfortable and friendly way.

GET TO KNOW THE ARTIST Find artists who are committed and original.

A good way to develop a thorough understanding of this would be to follow your favourite upcoming artists on social media. Keep an eye out for their new pieces and shows. Consider how their practice engages with themes pertinent to your passions and interests. Investing in the artwork can also be an investment in what an artist aims to represent and interrogate through their art.

WHERE TO LOOK Remember that you can find art in places other than a gallery. Graduate shows and art car boot fairs are great places to find beautiful work at a reasonable price. Sourcing art in these spaces presents an exciting opportunity to find upcoming artists. You never know when you’re going to stumble across the next big thing. n Unit London provides a unique platform for emerging talent, on the principle that art should be inclusive. theunitldn.com

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THE GUIDE

Letter writing made doubly elegant with Papier stationery

S P O R T S

THE OLYMPIAN

B

y now – and I’m only guessing here – the new year resolutions are already being dusted down and cherished only for their irrelevance. The gym membership has been used twice but probably not in the last fortnight, and the alcohol intake post-Christmas already nudging pre-holiday levels.

The same can probably be said for those other commitments made in good faith, if a little hastily. So, let me suggest one that you may not have thought about but one that I know can make a big and refreshing impact. Why not try sending one – just one – handwritten letter a week. In a world of emails and text messages, an old-fashioned envelope containing inked sentences and the subtle display of effort will set you apart.

And, as world leaders now also know, letters can be filed but also – if necessary – destroyed. They can’t be dredged from the technological deep for senate learnings. And, if you need any inspiration to release those creative juices, there are two books to immediately add to your library.

Simon Sebag Montefiore’s Written in History: Letters that Changed the World is a remarkable curation that brings to life the great historic characters that otherwise remain rooted flat-footed to the page. As Montefiore notes, letters allow us all to ‘eavesdrop by the keyholes of history’. And it’s a formidable bandwidth that serves from Elizabeth I to Leonard Cohen.

Likewise: Winston Churchill’s love letters to his wife Clementine in The Personal Letters of Winston and Clementine Churchill. Letters that captured his own mortality and vulnerability, from the trenches, to his lonely doom-laden political days, but in all Clementine is the unflinching centre of his affection. ‘I wish I could see you and kiss your sweet face,’ he writes from one war zone.

The power of a letter? A few days before London made its final tilt at bringing the Olympic Games home after a 64-year absence, my teams delivered 104 handwritten letters from me to the members of the International Olympic Committee that were eligible to vote on that momentous July day in 2005 in Singapore.

Each letter, about two pages long, had a different and personal paragraph relating to a trip or conversation during the bid journey of over two years. We won with a wafer-thin majority of four.

To this day the recipients still talk about them. Any successful campaign is, of course, a winning suffusion of ingredients.

But never overlook the impact of a letter.

And don’t park this resolution alongside the gym membership. n

PHOTOS: ©PAPIER.COM

Revive the lost art of letter writing, says Sebastian Coe

46 | COUNTRYANDTOWNHOUSE.CO.UK | February 2020

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From writing to music and comedy, Mark Stevenson uses many methods to make us sit up and take notice

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THE GUIDE

Mark Stevenson: the pragmatic optimist. By Charlotte Metcalf Portrait by ALEXANDRA DAO

M

ark Stevenson doesn’t do small talk. His conversation is on a big, bold scale, from saving the planet to his love and admiration for his wife, Caroline, whom he describes as ‘a beautiful, kind soul with no bullshit’.

Mark’s first book, An Optimist’s Tour of the Future, proved he is a writer capable of communicating complex scientific ideas, but the more recent We Do Things Differently cemented his reputation as a voice that needs heeding – advising organisations as diverse as Médecins Sans Frontières and Weatherbys Bank (‘the bank you go to if you think Coutts is a bit too chavvy for you,’ he quips).

Mark grew up in a Staffordshire village. He wanted to be a musician but his father, a sensible accounts clerk, persuaded him to study computing and business at Salford, where Mark admits he ‘gamed the system’, achieving a first-class degree while playing in the vibrant ‘Madchester’ scene. Moving to London, he became: ‘a brain for hire to fund the guitars’. ‘My life was mad,’ he recalls. ‘I’d Cottage or be in the European Central Bank in Frankfurt penthouse? talking to heads of security about cryptography I have developed slight vertigo and then I’d get on a plane, pick up my guitar since I became and play a gig at the Water Rats Theatre.’ a father, so probably a In 2004, while his band Clear was recording cottage. their second album, they split. Mark was also fired (by mutual consent) from his ‘soulless Country pub or Michelin star? corporate job’. He felt lost: ‘I’d spent most I love old men’s of my money on music and was renting a bedsit pubs with old men’s beer. in a grimy garret. At the same time my “normal” friends were complaining they’d built prisons for Dog or cat? themselves with their mortgages and kids and Cat for ease, dog for relationship.

I realised I was totally free. I could do whatever I wanted and decided it was to wage a war against Sharp suit or country casuals? denialism and cynicism. Across the board I saw Sharp suit – don’t a lack of engagement with the systemic and brutal mess about with problems we face and very little optimism and ‘casual’ slacks.

No one looks knowledge as to solving them.’ comfortable in The natural next step was – obviously – that stuff. to become a stand-up comedian. Yes, a standGardening or up comedian. ‘There was lots of knowledge theatre?

Theatre – out there but it was only being shared among anything by Tom us geeks,’ says Mark. ‘Comedy nails the truth Stoppard. and people work better when having fun.

So I thought I’d take all the major issues, like

IN BRIEF

gender inequality, the erosion of democracy or climate change, and turn them into routines. We laugh most at the truest things and once people have laughed at something, they can’t deny its veracity.’

After establishing a flourishing and viable career in comedy, Mark met a neighbour – a literary agent – at a local party. With his encouragement, Mark turned to longer-form writing: ‘I loved Michael Palin and Bill Bryson and thought I could use their models to communicate geeky ideas to a non-geeky audience’.

Two books later, Mark’s writing voice is louder but music and comedy still play a role. His current band, Quantum Pig, was nominated for a Prog Limelight Award in 2019 and they’re working on a second album, to be released later this year. Mark’s also rewriting Octopus Soup, the play he wrote with his friend Jack Milner, which will tour for second time in 2021. Oh – and he’s a father to two sons under four.

How does he manage to be such a productive polymath? (I ask him this on the day Britain’s great cultural polymath, Jonathan Miller, dies.)

‘Get out of your comfort zone and be curious,’ responds Mark, ‘because you can’t be creative in a silo. It’s why Silicon Valley turns out to be so boring. True innovation comes from people living at the margins and in the most broken places.’ We Do Things Differently charts Mark’s journey to visit all those ‘outsiders rebooting the world’, whether they’re an urban farmer in Detroit, a neighbourhood activist in Brazil or an ex-nightclub owner turned inspirational headmaster in Lincolnshire.

Mark and his wife also made a pact to involve each other in activities they wouldn’t choose alone. So Caroline ‘dragged’ Mark to see a contemporary dance version of Dracula, which made him view his own physicality differently. He embarked on a fitness regime that he’s determined will have him in better shape at 50 than he was at 25. This leads us on to chatting about his positive, can-do attitude and so I’m surprised when he says he considers himself ‘possibilistic’ rather than optimistic. ‘It’s like The Good, The Bad and The Ugly,’ Mark explains.

‘There are good, sustainable solutions but if we preserve the status quo and don’t use them it’ll be bad – end-of-civilization bad. The good is here and the bad is there and I see my job as transitioning good from here to there in a workable way. The ugly part is the bloodbath that will happen during the transition phase needed to save our world. I feel I’ve been in training 20 years for this moment.’

Mark’s greatest strength is harnessing every skill he possesses, including cracking jokes, to communicate those notoriously inconvenient truths in a fresh, accessible way that, he hopes (just about optimistically), might make us all sit up, listen and act before it’s too late. markstevenson.org n February 2020 | COUNTRYANDTOWNHOUSE.CO.UK | 49

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IRONS MAN Just married and with a clutch of great roles under his belt, self-styled ‘catastrophiser’ Max Irons tells Benji Wilson why he’s now happy at the prospect of homemaking Fashion director NICOLE SMALLWOOD Photographer DAVID GOLDMAN

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Jacker, Oliver Spencer.

T-shirt, Paul Smith.

Trousers, Acne at Selfridges. Boots, Russell & Bromley

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Leather shirt, Belstaff.

T-shirt, Sunspel.

Trousers, Lanvin

M ‘You pick up a paper these days and read things that a couple of years ago would have just seemed like a fantasy, politically and geopolitically. It’s an interesting time both for TV and politics’

ax Irons has always been, by his own admission, a bit of a worrier. In fact he has his own word for it: ‘I’m a catastrophiser.

As an actor you never quite know the trajectory of your life, so there’s a lot to worry about.’

For the moment, we’d say, Max can relax: things are looking up. The last few years have seen him in The Riot Club, Bitter Harvest, The Little Drummer Girl and Terminal. He’s just married his long-term girlfriend Sophie Pera, the Tatler fashion director he’d been dating for six years. And now comes the second season of Condor, a knuckle-gnaw US paranoid thriller with Max as the lead. He plays Joe Turner, a young CIA analyst who stumbles on a vast geopolitical plot and goes on the run, not knowing who he can trust. Joe just about survived season one and ended it, unsurprisingly, wanting nothing more to do with the CIA and their practices.

‘But then in season two he gets roped back in,’ says Max. ‘I can’t tell you that much about why, [Condor is a twists-and-turns TV drama where practically any information is a spoiler] but it’s a far more psychological game of cat and mouse than season one.’

For a ‘catastrophiser’, playing a role in which pretty much everyone is out to kill you, and the most outlandish conspiracy theories turn out to be true, might not be the best plan. ‘I know!’ agrees Max. ‘Sometimes it’s frightening how grounded in fact the show can be. We actually had a man on set for season two who was a CIA “advisor”, I guess you’d say – to fact-check the accuracy and plausibility of certain things. He was extraordinary.

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Jacket, Belstaff.

Trousers, Hackett.

Roll neck, Sunspel.

Boots, Christian Louboutin

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17/12/2019 11:20

Jacket, Oliver Spencer.

T-shirt, Paul Smith.

Trousers, Acne at Selfridges.

Boots, Russell & Bromley

54 | COUNTRYANDTOWNHOUSE.CO.UK | February 2020

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Jumper, Lanvin

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‘These days we’re overstimulated and overwhelmed. But it’s not how we’re really supposed to exist. I’ve just got married, I’ve been thinking about having children and I want to build a life closer to how we’re supposed to live, more naturally’ He ran the Africa division of the CIA. He was in the Middle East for a long period of time, and in Russia. He was equal parts fascinating and massively intimidating.’

Condor’s new season has a plot line that features Russian involvement in CIA business. Researching it just gave Max one more thing to think about.

‘I find all things going on in Russia currently are terrifying and fascinating. What they’re doing with the asymmetric warfare that they’re waging throughout the world… normal standards and practices have gone out the window. At this point, not that much is surprising. The rules of war are changing; it’s a new world in that regard.’

Though he’s politically engaged, he admits to being subject to the same outrage fatigue that has affected so much of modern politics in the age of Trump and Brexit. ‘You pick up a paper these days and read things that a couple of years ago would have just seemed like a fantasy, politically and geopolitically. I don’t know… it’s an interesting time both for TV and for politics.’

Robert Redford played the role of Joe Turner in the 1975 film, Three Days of the Condor. Those were big boots to fill. Not to mention big American boots.

‘I remember somebody saying they are looking for an American for this role because it is quintessentially an American part. I kept thinking, “Oh bugger, well that counts me out, right?” So there was a quiet satisfaction when, in fact, I landed it.’

He says that being an actor is as much about learning to cope with rejection as about the satisfaction of winning a big role. ‘It’s the ones that you really love that come along every now and then… they hurt when you don’t get them. But it’s so part and parcel of an actor’s life that you just learn to do the audition, send it off, have the meeting, walk away and then forget it. I try to develop a life outside of acting as much as possible and split my energies and my passions.’

Most recently life outside of acting has involved his 34th birthday (a weekend in Paris with Sophie), wedding prep (‘we both planned to elope, but then the minute you invite one person all bets are off until it’s 150 people’), and time spent on his beloved bike.

‘I know men talking about their bikes is boring but I am quite a big cyclist.

I tend to go on little trips as much as I can – go to nice places, take my bike and then ride up mountains and that kind of thing.’

There is no way at this point that the Lycra question can be avoided.

‘Yes, I’m afraid I do go fully Lycra-clad.

Race ready. It’s an unfortunate look.

I certainly don’t like hanging out with my mum when I’m wearing that gear.

Although my wife rather loves it, I’m not going to lie.

I like to think I make it look good!’

Home is currently in Willesden, north London, though he says he feels more comfortable in the countryside. Irons grew up in Oxfordshire and his parents, Sinéad Cusack and Jeremy Irons, have long had property in rural Ireland. So the countryside, it seems, is where the Irons-Peras will end up.

‘Why? Number one I’m pretty antisocial. London is an awfully social place. I don’t know, the countryside just speaks to me – a little bit of quiet and a little bit of nature, it always really has. It’s the same reason I go out on my bike, it’s just a way to get away from everything else.’

By everything else he means social media (he doesn’t do it) and the celebrity buzz that comes with being famous in his own right as well as the son of two famous, and still active, actors. ‘I think these days we’re overstimulated and overwhelmed for a variety of reasons.

But it’s not how we’re really supposed to exist. I’ve just got married, I’ve been thinking about having children, and I want to build a life that feels closer to how I think we’re supposed to live, more naturally. Unless you’ve got a shitload of money, it’s a hard thing to do in London.’

Marriage, as it so often does, has obviously led him to a degree of self-appraisal. ‘You know, it’s funny, I never put too much stock on marriage. I didn’t think it was a mark of dedication, a mark of devotion. I saw it more as a legal thing. But then as soon as I got engaged, all these questions and uncertainties that people in their early thirties have about their life, direction and purpose – all those questions that I didn’t even really know were there, but were – evaporated instantly.’

Now those pressing questions have been replaced with a tinge of optimism. ‘I don’t want to sound corny now – but there’s a sense of warmth, and hope and expectation at the prospect of a family and making a home myself. I don’t want to be saccharine, but I couldn’t be more excited about it.’

And the catastrophiser within? ‘Oh, there are plenty of other things in the world to catastrophise. I mean, just look at the news.’

Condor season two is out later this year.

n

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Jacket, Belstaff. Trousers, Paul Smith at Harvey Nichols. Jumper, Officine Generale at Mr Porter.

Boots, Russell & Bromley.

Helmet, Royal Enfield LOCATION With thanks to Kirtlington Park. kirtlingtonpark.co.uk Motorbike: Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 Twin in Glitter and Dust. royalenfield.com TEAM Photographer’s assistant: Erwann Petersen Fashion assistant: Dina Nagapetyants Grooming: Rebekah Lidstone at Frank Agency using Ren Skincare and Aveda UK STOCKISTS: PAGE 96

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ON LOCATION Behind the scenes of our cover shoot at Kirtlington Park

L

iving in the splendour of a Palladian country mansion may seem no more than a dream, but an exclusive stay at Kirtlington Park in Oxfordshire can be a very real experience.

For two years, Peter and Eleanor Buxton lovingly restored the building to create a delightfully warm interior behind a grand façade. On a limited basis, this special family house may be rented for short breaks and family occasions, as well as weddings and corporate events.

Or, for that matter, shooting a magazine cover story, as the C&TH fashion team did, whisking actor Max Irons away for the day. The location was so special that all we had to add was a Royal Enfield.

Just over an hour from London, and gloriously positioned in Capability Brown parkland – with a 25-mile view to the Chilterns – Kirtlington Park was built in 1742 for Sir James Dashwood. The architect, James Gibbs, designed the house and Dashwood commissioned the best craftsmen in the region to decorate the rooms.

The house remained in the Dashwood family until 1909. After it passed into the hands of Hubert Budgett in the 1920s, the entire dining room – plasterwork, fireplace, doors, paintings and floor – were shipped to the Metropolitan Museum in New York.

FROM ABOVE: The grand Palladian façade of Kirtlington Park made it the perfect shoot location

In 1971, Peter’s cousin, Christopher Buxton, bought Kirtlington as a property development and country home; he made various improvements and lived there with happy enthusiasm, entertaining among others, Prince Charles, Ivana Trump, Liz Brewer and Shirley Bassey. Darcey Bussell and her husband held their wedding reception in Kirtlington’s great hall.

‘The house embraces the thrum of activity and everyone loves the gentle seclusion of the grounds,’ says Peter. With many cultural and historical sights nearby, plus sporting events within an hour’s drive – not to mention Bicester Village within ten minutes and Kirtlington Park Polo Club across the parkland, there’s plenty to do.

Kirtlington Park is a fabulous place, in the heart of the UK, from which to experience the best of British country pursuits.

01869 350236; kirtlingtonpark. co.uk n

58 | COUNTRYANDTOWNHOUSE.CO.UK | February 2020

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19/12/2019 16:51

THREE SISTERS

United by their adored mother, these inspiring siblings have met loss and heartache with fierce creativity and renewed passion for life, finds Charlotte Metcalf Photography by ALEXANDRA DAO Make-up by RUUBY.COM

I

t was with shock and sadness that I learnt of Nell Gifford’s death in December because just two weeks earlier I had interviewed her with her sisters, Emma Bridgewater and Clover Stroud, at her Gloucestershire home, Fennells Farm.

I arrived on a sparkly winter day with grass crisp underfoot.

Though clearly tired, Nell looked radiant. The atmosphere was festive and happy, as the sisters looked forward to spending Christmas together. They were being interviewed and photographed together for the first time. No-one foresaw it was also to be the last, and in celebration of Nell’s life, I hope I have captured a sense of her adventurous, creative spirit and of the love between the three sisters, which tenderly enfolded the entire day.

Fennells Farm is also home to Giffords Circus so I begin with a tour of the outbuildings that house all the magical paraphernalia, from wagons to wigs. I feel I already know the sisters: I have taken my children to Giffords Circus for as long as I remember, Emma Bridgewater ceramics grace my kitchen shelves and I read The Wild Other, Clover’s memoir, with breathless admiration.

The sisters were devastated in 1991 when their mother Charlotte, aged 52, fell off a horse while hunting and went into a coma. Emma was 31, Nell 18 and Clover just 16. Though Charlotte emerged from the coma, she was never fully to recover and died in 2013.

The sisters naturally struggled with profound emotional distress and pain. Yet the accident galvanised rather than paralysed them. All have had children (Emma four, Nell twins and Clover five). Emma built her eponymous ceramics brand into a global success story. Clover ran away to Ireland with the gypsies, then worked in Texas as a cowgirl and rode in rodeos before turning to writing. Nell didn’t just run away and join a circus but started her own, Giffords Circus, which has become one of England’s most-loved summer events.

I start by asking which sister is most like Charlotte. ‘Clover,’ says Emma without hesitation. ‘Just like her in looks and character – so emotional and headstrong.’

Emma grew up largely in Oxford with her two younger siblings, Tom and Sophy, by Charlotte’s first husband, Adrian Bridgewater. After she separated from Adrian, Charlotte fell in love with Rick Stroud, a student at Oxford. In time they had Nell and Clover and moved to Minety in

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Wiltshire. Wherever home was, Charlotte created a happy – if chaotic and bohemian – haven.

‘Sitting round a big table with lots of family is really important for all of us,’ says Clover. ‘It never mattered how many people turned up as there always seemed to be vaguely enough food.

Mum was the opposite of Instagram. She would never pose or set out to be stylish.’

‘With Mum it always seemed effortless and easy,’ says Emma.

‘She never did anything for effect and would much rather be talking, riding or gardening than cleaning the house. If the girls cantered all over her garden and messed up the lawn she didn’t mind a bit. She instinctively built a life full of lunches, picnics and big messy breakfasts with her children at the centre. We all loved being in the amazing circus of a life she made.’

They collectively agree Minety was ‘bliss’, though conventional outsiders might not always have approved. ‘We were pretty much allowed to roam free,’ laughs Nell. ‘We were always outside on our ponies or driving them in a horse and cart,’ adds Clover. ‘We borrowed each other’s clothes and probably looked quite weird in corduroy trousers and stuff. We were like overgrown children – Mum was trying to keep our childhood going forever.’

In Nell’s house adjoining the circus buildings, we eat lunch in an inviting sunny room surrounded by flowering geraniums, a piano and an easel, on which stands Nell’s latest painting of a bull. ‘I always have a bull on the go at home,’ Nell laughs. ‘I love this room, it’s where we can all be creative together. My twins [aged nine] will be sketching or messing around making up music.’

We eat lentils, salads, freshly baked bread and homemade soup, served in a random selection of mismatched Emma Bridgewater bowls, all feeling very much like Charlotte’s legacy. ‘I’d say we were brought up by a hippy on lentils and homebaked brown bread,’ Emma says, ‘but that’s because Mum was interested in the impact of nutrition as someone who fundamentally cared about other people.’ During the ’80s Charlotte was a magistrate, interested in prison reform and young offenders.

I ask if they are constantly trying to recreate their mother’s world. Clover answers that her childhood home exists in a longlost, different dimension so she’s trying to find it rather than recreate it whereas Emma says she is trying to rebuild it in a way: ‘I’m always channelling Mum in everything,’ says Emma. ‘Our collective anger and anguish fires me along.’

‘When Mum had the accident we had no home to go back to and perhaps if we had done we wouldn’t all have done as much to create homes,’ says Nell. ‘The traumatic loss of continuity and home was the absolute defining moment of my life. Clover and I have always been looking for home.’

Despite signs of tiredness, about which Emma is touchingly concerned, Nell looks robust and is fulfilled by a phenomenal new surge of creativity. Having always sketched, she turned to painting, with encouragement from family friend and art consultant Amanda Lay and mentor Joe Avery, a fine artist and art teacher, who works with Giffords Circus. Nell’s paintings, vibrantly aflame with colour and movement, depicting horses and circus performers, can now be seen at Into a Land of Pure Magic, an exhibition at London’s Olympia Auctions. There will also be an online auction of her work.

CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE: The devoted sisters; Autumn

by Nell Gifford; Nell looking radiant despite her illness; A Land of Pure Magic by Nell; Fennells Farm; blooms in a Bridgewater jug; a shelf of mementos

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Nell’s passion for painting arose from copying a Picasso painting for the side of one of the circus caravans: ‘I found it quite easy so did another one and soon I was doing about two copies a day in the dark.’

‘It was extraordinary to watch you charging at being creative,’ Emma tells her. ‘You painted the whole of Picasso’s blue period in a fortnight. You said, “I can’t be thinking about my bad health.”

It was fascinating and amazing how you powered forward. Like Mum, you were utterly bold and unselfconscious.’ Says Nell, ‘It came from being ill, not drinking or having a social life. I have more time to paint too, in hospital and when the kids are with their dad [Toti Gifford, cofounder of the circus, from whom Nell is divorced]. I’ve learnt to channel my energy differently and combat stress with radio, incense and painting. I’ve done more than 60 paintings in a year – things turn around so fast in a circus that I’m used to working at a pace.’

I comment they all seem to charge at life furiously fast. They’ve all written books. Clover river-swims and rides a racehorse weekly.

Emma walks daily and makes elaborate quilts alongside her business. ‘I think we’re all really restless,’ says Clover, but when I ask where their wildness comes from, Nell demurs: ‘We’re not wild, we’re driven and on a constant quest.’

‘Nell’s right – it’s more than being simply wild,’ says Clover, ‘it’s about being bold and outward bound. I’ve always loved the people around horses: for Nell and I horses have always been a way into other cultures.’

Clover described her life with horses in The Wild Other and she says, ‘The book put a narrative round my life and helped me understand about how the trauma defined me.’ She’s just finished a new book about motherhood, published this month. ‘People are saying they’ve never read so far into sexual desire, dislike, discomfort. I’m communicating an extreme, difficult experience, which I hope will help others in a similar situation. I’ve found it very consoling and it’s made me feel less alone. With five children I can’t go off round the world, so writing in a deeply confessional way is very exciting and makes me feel fearless.’

It’s impossible not to admire the sisters’ collective resilient ability to overcome all life has thrown at them – death, divorce, separation, illness – with self-deprecating humour. Their talent and success is astonishing but it’s their knack for living and appetite for life that impress me most. Nell’s catchphrase for Giffords Circus is ‘Wilder and More Magical than Ever’ and it’s this zest for the unexpected and different, and the pursuit of a less humdrum, more enchanted reality, that unites and defines them. Ultimately it’s not Charlotte’s tragic accident and subsequent death that has shaped them, but her life. Their gloriously imperfect upbringing was a blueprint for how to live and to love, giving them a capacity for joy. They’ve all confronted grief to embrace life with vigorous individuality. How proud Charlotte would be of her three extraordinary daughters and of the lives they are living – and have lived.

Into a Land of Pure Magic will be at Olympia Auctions, 20–27 February, and the online auction will take place 10–28 February. Interested bidders will be able to register on the website from 1 February 2020. olympiaauctions.com n February 2020 | COUNTRYANDTOWNHOUSE.CO.UK | 63

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Bag a Carrie Bradshawstyle wardrobe by working the sample sale calendar

PHOTO: REX FEATURES

ELBOWS AT THE READY Why pay full price for designer clothing ever again?

Caroline Phillips joins the designer sample sale rush

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PHOTO: REX FEATURES

Y

ou can buy a new Jimmy Choo handbag for £130, a Belstaff parka for £150-£600 less than the RRP, or a Roland Mouret coat reduced by 85 per cent to £250. But this bargain world is accessible solely to those in the know. Luxury brands tell only a select few about the dedicated sample sale venues that aren’t in designer outlets and that typically discount by 50 to 75 per cent.

Hermès holds such sales in New York. Ditto Prada, which did its first sample sale this year.

Louboutin runs ‘private’ (invite only, via sample sale websites and/or the brand’s press, friends and family databases) sales in central London, but it’s easier for an elephant to wear stilettos than it is to gain access. In November Prada hosted its first (five-day!) London sample sale at The Box, Hackney.

Plus Showcase – the Piccadilly sample sale venue – recently staged Jimmy Choo’s first private sale in Birmingham. And Manchester’s joining the party.

The sample sale business is booming. ‘The fashion industry’s in crisis – due to economic gloom, fast fashion and overproduction – and shoppers are reaping the benefits,’ says Jamie Brown, CEO of fashion events website, Chicmi. Katie Holland, founder of Showcase, explains: ‘There’s more excess stock than ever to shift. But big brands don’t want to devalue their name by selling in TK Maxx.’

In London, The Music Room (a 3,800 sq/ft Mayfair event space) pioneered such events a decade ago. The Box started in 2017, followed by Showcase.

Now Arlettie – with its designer showroom look – has arrived in Fitzrovia, following 15 years in Paris representing an A-Z of top brands. Plus there are countless pop-ups, serving 1,400 sales annually.

Such sales used to be exclusive, private events for staff, press, friends and family – selling only press samples, prototypes and catwalk pieces.

Now the public gets invited (via sample sale websites) and there’s also overstock – former and current season – to snap up.

The events all have their own vibe. At La Perla you’ll find slinky model types trying lacy lingerie (bras for £35) in a communal changing area; the flowery brand Erdem blooms with Holland Park’s yummy mummies; and Hobbs is all elbows and heaving changing room.

Let me give you my insider tips. Be targeted in your shopping and ask yourself whether you’d have bought the item at full price (thereby

TOP SA MPLE SA LE STOPS

avoiding frenzied impulse buys.) The first day of the public sale lures devotees, brand obsessives and sample sale regulars. Go at the beginning for the greatest variety and the end for further discounts. Generally, stock is replenished throughout the sale.

Know your size in the brand and if you miss your favourite label, don’t despair: brands reappear in different venues seasonally. Only a quarter of shoppers are male, heading for Cifonelli suits (reduced from £3,000 to £500, with on-site tailors to do alterations), Paul Smith or Alexander McQueen.

Once you’re part of the sample sale pack you may be invited to private sales, which operate under the radar to preserve the brand’s upmarket image. If you get on a VIP list, you can access sale previews (VVIPs) or first hours (VIPs). Alternatively, sometimes you can book a time slot via a sample sale website (for Anya Hindmarch, say), to avoid the crowds.

Resell if you dare. At one Mulberry event, the brand’s Asian fans were nabbing around eight bags each. Arlettie limits multiple purchases and bars resellers from future sales. Each brand decides on the number of items permitted. ‘Stella McCartney, say, allows only one handbag,’ explains Holland.

The major drawback is that textile production contributes more to climate change than aviation and shipping combined. Obviously it’s better to make do and mend, or rent but at a sample sale you’re shopping a tad more ethically by buying excess and preventing waste. It’s preferable to brands burning unsold garments or sending them to landfill.

What are the other downsides? Queues can be huge, starting at 4am (Lazy Oaf) to four hours long (Monica Vinader), and rarely less than an hour (mid-morning’s often quieter). You need to negotiate crowds, especially for high street brands. Sizes may be limited. You could queue for half an hour to pay. There are no returns, so be eagle-eyed, especially as brands may be shifting lesser-quality samples, tired old stock, returns or even defective items, without flagging this.

I’ve inadvertently purchased two moth holes (plus a jumper) and a designer skirt that slid to my ankles on Regent Street. As for that sample sale ‘cashmere’ dressing gown… it turned out to be 50 per cent merino wool. Oh, and how about when the sales staff got the beachwear brand’s pricing wrong and added another 30 per cent at the till?

But it’s still worth it – for buying quality items in a slightly more ethical way, for less money.

Twenty-five years ago I purchased an Hermès jacket and Gucci biker boots in their ‘friends and family’ sales. I’m still wearing them. As price per wear, that works out less than Primark. n

Arlettie Luxury French company new to London. Brands include Dolce & Gabbana and Fendi. Lovely staff and central premises but wear a swimming cozzie as no changing room. Coveted VIP status – when you spend £10,000 a year – offers the richest pickings and civilised VVIP private previews in Fitzrovia and Paris. Or £50 a year buys you VIP access to opening days. arlettie.co.uk The Music Room From Hobbs and Reiss to Oscar de la Renta, Monica Vinader, Smythson and Richard James. The first dedicated venue and still a leader. themusicroom.co.uk The BOX Worth the schlep to Hackney (a ‘mini-Bicester’ with its Burberry and Nike outlets) for Christopher Kane and A.P.C. Individual changing rooms, decent mirror access and 28-year-old whizz Natalie Yaffe, ex Mr Porter, behind it. thebox-london.com Showcase From Temperley to Fabergé, plus many unpublicised, topend private sales. Communal changing room, £2 entrance fee (for charity). showcase.co

BEST W EBSITES Chicmi.com The world’s biggest fashion events site – a guide to everything sartorial in London, NYC, Toronto and LA. There’s a six-month waiting list for its VIP list (£12.99 pcm), which gets you into sale previews and exclusive events. If you pick just one site to follow, this should be it. aSample.co.uk Free to join, offers access to London’s sample sales from Rag & Bone to Sophie Hulme with one-hour slots booked online.

ExclusiveSampleSales.com Sales at 55 Baker Street and town halls. Pringle to MarieChantal. Can be a bun fight.

Curate-Sales.com Invitation-only in London and Manchester. Register online, free. Brands include Victoria Beckham and Phillip Lim.

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WINTER SALE

P R I C E M AT C H G U A R A N T E E D | I N T E R E S T F R E E C R E D I T | B I G G E S T S E L E C T I O N O N V I S P R I N G B E D S

andsotobed.co.uk | 0808 144 4343 Bridport ︱ Bristol ︱ Bury St Edmunds ︱ Chelmsford ︱ Cheltenham ︱ Glasgow ︱ Handcross ︱ Harrogate ︱ Hartley Wintney ︱ London, Chelsea London, Finchley Road ︱ London, Richmond ︱ London, West End ︱ Manchester ︱ Nottingham ︱ Oxford ︱ Tunbridge Wells ︱ Weybridge

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LIVING INTERIORS DESIGN

THE INSIDER STILL LIFE Who knew that in addition to Thomas Hardy and scrumpy, Dorset was home to family-owned lifestyle store Oggetto? A slice of country life on your table – its handthrown clay tableware is sturdy, cheerful and perfect for cheese and biscuits. oggetto.com

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THE INSIDER IN THE PINK The revival of Rococo shades, timeless pastels and plaster pinks are here to stay. Rose, eco-friendly paint made with natural ingredients by Edward Bulmer, £49.50 for 2.5 litres emulsion. edwardbulmerpaint.co.uk

TIGER TIGER

Lioness & Palms tiles by Balineum, midday or midnight colourway, from an Arts & Crafts wallpaper pattern by C.F.A. Voysey found in the V&A. £28.80 each. balineum.co.uk

I N T E R I O R S

DESIGN NOTES

Rococo pink and a jet black sink. By Carole Annett

PRINTS CHARMING Watermelon in blue dusk colourway, from Mimi Pickard’s new Jack collection. £76 p/m. mimipickard.com

HOME STORE

For over 20 years, The Hambledon, Winchester, has made its name selling beautiful things. A perfect Sunday meander store.

Match strike malette, £24.95. thehambledon.com

THE DARK SIDE

PLEASURE ZONE

A modern wing armchair featuring Ortigia, navy blue velvet and blue-stained ash

by Patricia Urquiola for Cassina, £3,588. cassina.com

PHOTOS: PETR KREJCI

JET Edwardian basin with chrome stand, (£2,068) and Claremont three-hole mixer with pop-up waste (£321). burlington bathrooms.com 70 | COUNTRYANDTOWNHOUSE.CO.UK | February 2020

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HIS DARK MATERIALS Zazo console table with oyster shell finish, £4,290, by Simon Orrell.

Seizo copper wallpaper, £74 per roll, from The Muse collection by Zoffany. simonorrelldesigns.com; stylelibrary.com

STATEMEN T F ROM THE F LOOR A RUG DRAWS ELEMENTS OF A ROOM TOGETHER

DUAL PROCESS

The Icons collection combines two dynamic design studios, Alexandra Champalimaud and Charles Burnand. The Tana bronze and alabaster pendant is made in London. £31,000. champalimauddesign.com; charlesburnand.com

SO SOPHIE

Sophie Paterson fell in love with the weathered limestone buildings and dusty olive groves of Brindisi, Italy. It inspired a new collection of 34 cushions with luxe trimming and matching fabrics. From £59. andrewmartin.co.uk

SOUNDS FISHY

Howe brass Campari floor lamp (£1,241) topped with a 16” shade in handmade Japanese coral tomato paper with salmon skin trim (£540). howelondon.com

CURIOUSER AND CURIOUSER Catch Steffen Dam’s Cabinet of Curiosities at the Collect fair. 27 Feb to 1 March. craftscouncil.org.uk 1 Jennifer Manners Malibu rug, £4,056. jennifermanners.co.uk

PHOTOS: PETR KREJCI

2 The Rug Company Radio City by Tim Gosling, £1,750 per sq/m. Exclusive to harrods.com 3 Glithero Botanical rug, from £15,817. manufacturecogolin.com 4 Sonya Winner Magic stepping stones runner, from £730. sonyawinner.com

ZEN AND NOW Ini Archibong ditched business school in favour of more creative ventures. His Gaea coffee table plays with the concepts of gravity and curiosity. Ini Archibong for Sé, £10,734. se-collections.com

5 Loomah Arid outdoor collection rug, £962 per sq/m. loomah.com

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THE INSIDER String System with plex wall panels, from £65. stringfurniture.com

David Hunt Lighting Pendant, from £210. davidhuntlighting.co.uk

Neptune Side table, £360. neptune.com Annie Sloan Chalk paint, from £5.95. anniesloan.com

Anthropologie Clock, from £58. anthropologie.com

T R E N D

OKA Cushion cover, £65. oka.com

SOOTHING SPACES ... and relax, says Sofia Tindall

Diptyque Candle, £47. net-a-porter.com

Roberts Radio Revival iStream3, £199. johnlewis.com

Are you exhausted from the rigmarole of Christmas?

The good news is that it’s finally time to slow down.

Feng shui your home with meditative, moodenhancing colours, sleek Scandi accents and soft, sumptuous materials to sink into a restorative snooze for the remainder of January (for full zen-mode, add a cashmere knit and cosy candle).

Mind The Gap Athena wallpaper, £150 for three rolls. mindtheg.com

Rose Uniacke Lamp, £3,120. roseuniacke.com

Jonathan Adler Chair, £2,595. jonathanadler.com

Schneid Carafe, £85. schneid.org

Bamford Porcelain vessels, £35. bamford.com

Ligne Roset Armchair, £1,512. ligne-roset.com

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F O C U S

SCREEN STARS

Max out on screen time with one of these artistic designs

1 Pearl Lowe’s guest bedroom features an old screen found in a local antique shop. Taken from her latest book, Faded Glamour. £19.99. pearllowe.co.uk 2 Interior designer Natalia Miyar, together with Frederick Wimsett’s theatrical artistry, created a bespoke screen for the master bedroom of a private house. nataliamiyar. com 3 Papillon screen by Tom Faulkner based on shapes between boulders at the Joshua Tree National Park. Finished in butterfly colour wave, standard or specialist finish, £10,000. tomfaulkner.com 4 Arabella Bassadone, of Maison Arabella, looked to the old heavens for her lacquer, timber-frame screen with mirror panels and bespoke Fromental paper. Screen Objet, £POA. maisonarabella.com February 2020 | COUNTRYANDTOWNHOUSE.CO.UK | 73

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THE INSIDER

C A S E

S T U D Y

THE MODERN CLASSIC Sophie Conran’s west London fixer-upper is looking fabulous at 30, finds Sofia Tindall

A

Sophie Conran’s home is a treasure trove of colourful art and furniture contrasted by understated original features of her stucco-fronted apartment

n eye for restoration must be embedded in Sophie Conran’s DNA. Having spent most of her childhood on the ‘building site’ of her parent’s project, a ‘falling-to-pieces’ old schoolhouse in the countryside, she was unperturbed by the challenge of updating a run-down pad in west London. ‘I loved seeing how they put it all back together and re-designed it, so it was second nature to me.’

Just before her 21st birthday, the English interior designer purchased her stucco-fronted apartment in Bayswater. ‘It had lost most of its original features, like the fireplaces and the cornices, which I wanted to have back straight away,’ and so she set about restoring it to its former glory.

Research was key in re-instating the building’s identity; for the oak floors she went with Walking on Wood and fell in love with traditional parquet flooring for the sitting room. Though restoring Georgian grandeur was a theme, scattered throughout you’ll still find Sophie’s colourful signatures; from the retro red plastic chairs around the dining table, to brightly-patterned wallpaper behind the stairs or a bold art print updating a stark white wall. The raspberry pink paint in the kitchen – a particular favourite – came from an unexpected source of inspiration, ‘It was my daughter Coco who had the idea to paint it bright pink. I was prepared to say yes and give it a go, and seven years later I still love it!’

Not every paint experiment has worked out so well: ‘I painted the sitting room a hideous yellow and blue – it was very ’80s but it was really quite disgusting.’ One of the biggest challenges of the project came from re-configuring the entire layout of the apartment when she purchased the two adjoining apartments and knocked them together. ‘I connected them all, converted the attic space into a bedroom and knocked through walls in the kitchen and sitting room,’ she says. The new layout opened up the space – maximising light so that it flows throughout, enhancing Sophie’s furniture and art finds and mellowing all of the touches that she’s lovingly put back in place over the years; the cornices, honeycoloured wooden flooring, and grand fireplaces.

True to her family name (her father, Sir Terence Conran founded interiors giant Habitat and brother’s Jasper and Sebastian are both designers), Sophie Conran’s take on a London townhouse is unique and striking; balancing oldschool elegance, modernity and, most importantly, a touch of fun. ‘I’ve been here for 30 years and I still love it,’ she says, ‘It’s where I bought up my children and my daughter Coco was born here. It’s a happy home that keeps evolving.’ n February 2020 | COUNTRYANDTOWNHOUSE.CO.UK | 75

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L E T U S C R E AT E YOU R D R E A M H O L I DAY S E RV I C E

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EAT DRINK ESCAPE

FOOD & TRAVEL U N I T E D

A R A B

E M I R A T E S

WILD ARABIA

PHOTO: ©BEAUTIFUL DESTINATIONS

Holly Rubenstein leaves behind the bright lights of 21st-century UAE for a slice of Bedouin life

There’s only one way to see the desert

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T BOOK IT Al Maha Bedouin suites from £1,427, per night, plus tax. al-maha.com Six Senses Zighy Bay pool villa from £667 per night. sixsenses.com

Watch wildlife from the comfort of the pool

ell a friend you’re going on holiday to the UAE and a specific vision will inevitably be conjured in their mind: towering futuristic skyscrapers, shimmering in the haze of the desert smog; lavish resorts with fountains, pools and water slides; decadent Friday brunches and beach club parties; sprawling malls heaving with designer shops; theme parks, fast cars and guaranteed sunshine.

These, of course, can be the ingredients for a perfect holiday. But not everything is shiny and new here. Leaving the bright lights of the city behind, you discover a landscape rich with culture. If you head to the great outdoors, the natural wonders of wild Arabia are nearer than you’d think.

Just 45 minutes from the city, the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve is the first national park of the UAE, set up to protect the delicate desert ecosystem and the fragile flora and fauna within it. Here, endless miles of sand dunes stretch in majestic waves, iridescent in dual tones of gold and peach due to their unusual mineral makeup (iron and silica, to be exact).

Hidden deep within it is Al Maha, a Luxury Collection Desert Resort & Spa. The only property here, it nestles among lush palm groves and feels a world away from the city. Forty-two tented suites, resembling an ancient Bedouin encampment, are lavishly decorated with exquisite handcrafted Arabian furnishings and Bedouin artefacts.

All have their own private pools and verandas that survey the desert beyond.

The resort’s mission is to bring the heritage and culture of the desert to a wider

audience, and we’re given the chance to experience archery, falconry, guided nature walks, desert safaris and wildlife drives (two outings each are included in the two-person room rate). It’s during one of the late afternoon 4x4 wildlife drives, as we twist and turn along the undulations of the dunes, that a herd of Arabian oryx congregates ahead.

What a privilege to see this rare breed of antelope – the national animal of the UAE – with its extraordinarily long horns and white fur that’s luminous against the sand. Our conservationist guide explains they were hunted to the brink of extinction from the 1940s to 1960s. But after being bred in captivity in the USA they were reintroduced to the desert in the late 1990s and now about 600 oryx roam freely in the reserve. It’s a sight to behold.

Owls, eagles and osprey fly above us, alongside colourful parakeets and doves, and at night the desert comes alive with wild foxes, hares, Ethiopian hedgehogs, lizards, geckos, sandfish and vipers. Back at the resort, native gazelles roam freely between the tents, and we watch them happily chomping on the vegetation by our pool as we laze in the sun. In fact, wherever you walk you’re sure to be joined by these gentle, big-eared, doe-eyed creatures.

From here, we drive one of the Arabian Gulf’s most spectacular routes, to the Musandam Peninsula – an enclave of Oman within the UAE. The peninsula occupies a spot on the Strait of Hormuz, a curve of water separating the UAE and Iran. It’s one of the least visited but most beautiful areas of Oman. (Be aware, though, that it’s more appropriate as an add-on to a trip to the UAE, rather than to Muscat.)

The region is often dubbed the ‘Norway of the Middle East’ due to its staggering sawtooth cliffs that plunge 2,000

PHOTOS: © GERRY O’LEARY

Bedouin pool suites at Al Maha provide a personal oasis in the desert

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FOOD & TRAVEL

metres into azure fjords. Of course, unlike Norway, the fjords here are balmy, only ever dropping to about 23 degrees.

The landscape is rather more arid too, with majestic grey mountains so inhospitable that some villages are only accessible by sea and the best way to explore is from the water on a traditional wooden dhow boat.

Our journey to Musandam begins with miles of desolate terracotta-hued desert and gradually morphs into the harsh sandy crags of the El-Hajar mountains. As we ascend a hair-raising 300 metres over a rocky peak, a view of Six Senses Zighy Bay unfurls below. It’s the only luxury hotel in the area, sitting on a two-mile stretch of creamy shoreline, lapped by a vivid turquoise sea. With villas designed to resemble indigenous Omani houses, built largely from local materials, it feels a million miles from the flashier offerings of Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Guests have two options for reaching the stretch of sand in front of the hotel below: while the sedate can zigzag down the mountain in a 4x4, the adventurous simply jump. That’s right – arrival by paraglider is the preferred mode of transport here, weather permitting. The exhilarating flight down is a bucket list experience, swooping on the air thermals for the ultimate bird’s eye panorama.

At the resort we charter a dhow and begin our cruise of the region’s dramatic fjords, stopping at remote fishing villages that are so well camouflaged they’re almost indistinguishable from the water. Most villagers are out on their own dhows, occasionally puttering past to attend to lobster pots and fishing nets. Our guide explains that the children on speedboats zipping past are actually on their way to school – the mountains where they live are too inhospitable to build roads, so this is the only way to reach the nearby city of Dibba and receive an education.

The route along the jagged coastline is at times rather bleak, almost martian in nature. But turning into the fjords I’m most struck by the region’s natural beauty. Sheltered by the cliffs, the waters become still and shimmer a rich aquamarine. The silence is only broken by the splash of seabirds plunging head first towards the shoals of mackerel. It’s prime territory for snorkelling, with the chance to see bottlenose dolphins, sea turtles, eagle rays and reef sharks.

Back on dry land, a fish eagle is perched on one of the crumbling honey-hued cliffs that frame the resort; he presides majestically over the guests in his dominion. The eagle was here long before man, and his presence is a clue to the wealth of natural history that still pervades the area – you just need to know where to find it. n FROM TOP: Al Maha recreates a Bedouin encampment; paragliding is the best way into Six Senses Zighy Bay, which, with its cultural grounding and understated design, feels miles from flashy Dubai

PHOTOS: © GERRY O’LEARY

THE REGION IS OFTEN DUBBED THE ‘NORWAY OF THE MIDDLE EAST’ DUE TO ITS STAGGERING SAWTOOTH CLIFFS THAT PLUNGE 2,000 METRES INTO AZURE FJORDS

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LORDS OF THE MANOR The Netherlands’ impressive castles and country houses have drawn visitors for centuries

D

utch castles and country houses have always been of interest to foreign visitors. One of the main reasons is that ownership was not restricted to royalty or nobility, unlike many other European countries in the 17th and 18th centuries. In the Netherlands, many citizens who became rich through trade (especially during the Dutch Golden Age) owned land and impressive country estates, including exotic horticultural collections.

Due to international trade contacts, seeds and cuttings from all over the world were available for subsequent propagation and export. Some European palace and castle gardens still contain trees and plants that originate from the Netherlands.

These are reasons why everyone, from nobility to scientists and celebrities, have honoured the Netherlands with a visit throughout history. They were amazed by and drew inspiration from the small but very rich country, where so many exotic plants were for sale and rich citizens lived as princes.

Paleis Het Loo in Apeldoorn and Paleis Soestdijk in Baarn were often destinations for European royals, because the Orange family were connected to numerous European royal houses through marriage.

Also important to note: Stadtholder William III of Orange ascended the English throne in 1689 and

FROM TOP: Kasteel de Haar; the historic; Mauritshuis is the home of Dutch Golden Age art; boating at Huygens’ Hofwijk

granted Dutch nobles English titles. One was Baron Godard van Reede, who was elevated to Earl of Athlone.

In his family property portfolio was House Middachten near Arnhem, which through inheritance has always remained in the family.

At Het Loo in Apeldoorn there was a constant throng of famous guests. The composer Franz Liszt visited the palace after he had been installed in 1871 as a member of the jury of a music prize for young musicians instituted by King William III. After the

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C&TH PARTNERSHIP

Second World War Winston Churchill stayed at Het Loo for some time as a guest of Queen Wilhelmina.

The Netherlands is not a large country, so land is scarce. This is one reason why the country estates here, unlike in Germany, for example, are often less extensive. Foreign visitors often find Dutch castles and country estates intimate and liveable. Paleis Het Loo is an exception. King Stadtholder William III of Orange converted this noble hunting lodge into a majestic palace, which had to impress every visitor and royal counterparts in other countries. Today the palace and its collection shows how different generations of the Orange line lived and worked there for 300 years.

Many noble estates can be found in the eastern provinces of the Netherlands. At Middachten Estate near Arnhem, the 25th generation of the owners is now taking care of the beautiful house and grounds. Besides a wonderful collection of art and objet d’art, the country’s second largest collection of family portraits can be found here. The house itself is decorated as was customary around 1900. In the part of the Netherlands where Middachten is located, there are numerous furnished castles and country houses.

As to who owns the most castles and country estates – the province of Gelderland or Utrecht – is a competitive matter. Both regions

FROM TOP: Huygens’ Hofwijk, built for 17th-century politician Constantijn Huygens; the magnificent gardens at Paleis Het Loo; inside Kasteel de Haar

boast very fine examples.

At Slot Zuylen the interiors consists of authentic furniture, paintings and utensils, while at Huis Doorn many objects have a connection to Berlin or Prussia. They were brought over by Emperor Wilhelm II who fled to Holland after his abdication.

Kasteel Groeneveld is a fine example of a country estate. Built by an Amsterdam merchant its hall is fully adorned with 18th-century wallpaper.

Here you can also see fine marble, wood carvings and stucco works by 18th-century artists Jan and Ignatius van Logteren. The father and son were sculptors and woodcarvers and also decorated many Amsterdam canal house interiors and exteriors. By marriage Kasteel de Haar became a property of the immeasurably rich de Rothschild family and their descendants are still involved in this large and fully furnished castle. The marriage of Baron Étienne van Zuylen van Nyevelt van de Haar and French Baroness Hélène de Rothschild has drawn the international jet set to visit this now museum castle. The Parisian family always welcomed their guests here during August, including Brigitte Bardot, Yves Saint Laurent, Coco Chanel, Maria Callas, Roger Moore, Joan Collins and many others. holland.com/hiddengems

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S O M E R S E T

LOCAL HERO

The Newt is at the vanguard of the self-sufficiency movement and has glorious gardens to boot. Sandy Carr welcomes a new Somerset superstar

W

hen we moved to Somerset 12 years ago, top of our must-see list was the garden at Hadspen House near Bruton. It was extra special to us because the Popes, authors of the gardening classic Colour

by Design, who created that legendary paradise, had been involved in the planting of our own new garden. Sandra Pope’s beloved roses scrambling through the neglected shrubberies had seduced us into buying our lovely, but decidedly down-at-heel old house.

But we were too late. Hadspen’s garden had been

FROM ABOVE: Hadspen House has been reincarnated with love and passion by Koos Bekker and his wife Karen Roos into The Newt, with the glorious gardens as a centrepiece

bulldozed months before. Who could have performed this act of horticultural vandalism and what would become of Hadspen now?

The ‘villain’ of the piece was Niall Hobhouse, son of Penelope Hobhouse, doyenne of British gardening. In The Country Gardener she had recorded her creation of another famous garden at Hadspen in the 1970s before the Popes’ 20-year tenure.

In fact, Niall also had a bold vision for the garden. He launched an architectural competition for an ultra-modern design but the project floundered among bitter arguments between architects and gardeners.

Bruised by the experience, in 2013 Niall sold what had been his family’s home for over 200 years, a Grade II* listed Georgian manor house with 372 acres of grounds and farmland, to South African entrepreneur Koos Bekker and his wife Karen Roos, thus initiating the next chapter in the long history of Hadspen.

At Babylonstoren in South Africa, Bekker and Roos had already created a visionary garden-plus-hotel estate that attracted ecstatic reviews for its skilled husbandry and imaginative planting. It is still the only RHS-partnered garden in Africa. They applied the same dedication and expertise, not to mention a multi-million-pound budget, to transform Hadspen and create what has become

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FOOD & TRAVEL a magnet for locals and visitors alike. Renamed The Newt in Somerset after the rare great crested newts that inhabit their ponds and lakes, the gardens opened in May last year followed by the hotel in August.

The underlying inspiration is clear: the traditional English country house at the heart of a working estate in a close symbiotic relationship. The Newt is pretty well selfsufficient already and will be more so. What is grown on the estate is prepared in the restaurants – the Garden Café and The Botanicals in the hotel. The potager garden currently grows upwards of 350 vegetables and fruit to be served up fresh or preserved pickled, dried, brewed and fermented.

A bakery provides breads and pastries, along with organic meats, charcuterie, artisan cheeses, honey and juices made on the estate or sourced locally. Exotic mushrooms come from the mushroom house, fresh eggs from special-breed hens clucking prettily in their enclosure. Bacon and hams are smoked on site from rare-breed pigs raised locally. Cyder (a refined beverage distinct from ‘cider’) is brewed in stateof-the-art stainless steel vats in the Cyder Barn. In time the deer park will supply venison. There is an infectious air of experimentation about the place, an exploration of limitless possibilities for future projects, especially evident in the enthusiasm of the unfailingly charming and knowledgeable staff. Almost all are recruited locally and they love their jobs.

As well as being a practical resource, the gardens are a pleasure-ground, masterminded by French landscape architect Patrice Taravella. The focus is the Parabola, whose curved brick walls had sheltered the gardens of Penelope Hobhouse and the Popes. Here it encompasses a labyrinthine planting of 460 apple trees: 267 varieties arranged by county. All are meticulously pruned, espaliered and fan-trained. Even the gooseberries are fan-trained. ‘They look better that way’, but they are also easier to pick – beauty and practicality working together.

Beyond the labyrinth you wander through horticultural history. The Cascades Garden showcases vibrant seasonal planting that pays homage to late Victorian carpetbedding. A stepped watercourse accommodates a family of bronze toads that spit jets of water if you get too close, to the screaming delight of passing children. Further on, a Gertrude Jekyll-inspired display of her favourite perennials surrounds the original gardener’s thatched cottage.

FROM ABOVE: There’s so much to explore at The Newt, from the spa to the Garden Cafe, the gardens themselves and the beautifully appointed accommodation

An elegant orangery nurtures palms and enormous cacti and succulents.

Hadspen House is now a warm and welcoming hotel. The honeycoloured Hadspen limestone that mellows its austere Georgian façade is still quarried locally and appears throughout the estate in new garden walls and structures like the threshing barn that admits visitors to the garden. The link between old and new feels thoughtful and harmonious.

The house provides 13 elegant bedrooms with 10 more in the original outbuildings, often quirkily converted.

In the Stables, for example, wooden animal stalls separate sleeping and living areas – rustic chic alongside hypermodern fittings. The main reception rooms retain the elegance and comfort that you would expect from a Georgian mansion but avoid the cliché of English country house style – no chintz sofas and velvet hangings here. Karen Roos once edited South African Elle Decoration and it shows.

Echoes of the old house – Hobhouse family portraits (on loan) on the drawing room walls, fitted mahogany bookcases in the library, wood panelling, and plaster ceilings – on the whole sit well alongside the work of ultracontemporary designers and craftspeople: Tom Dixon’s chandeliers, Sebastian Herkner’s tubular chairs, Frédérique Morrel’s faux animal trophies. Somehow it works.

A passion for sustainability rooted in the locality has entailed no concessions on comfort here. With its ambitious plans for the future, a garden museum, deer park, bee safaris, National Collection of crab apples and woodland playground just for starters, we are lucky in Somerset to have it on our doorstep.

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AFRICA

RULES OF THE WILD

There’s more to an African adventure than chasing the Big Five. We bring you the best safari encampments, coolest beach bum hang-outs and slickest city stopovers on the continent. Edited by Daisy Finer

BEST FOR

TENTED LUXURY

Tuludi, Okavango Delta, Botswana

BEST FOR

PRIVACY Cheetah Plains, Sabi Sands Private Game Reserve, South Africa It may be a safari lodge, but you’ll find no canvas or zips. Instead, there are three ultra-luxury safari houses sitting among warthogs, jewel-hued birds and willowy giraffes who drink at the sun-baked watering holes.

Each house – filled with carved travertine tables and contemporary South African art – has four bedrooms, a private pool, private chef, private spa therapist and personal host. But it’s not the exquisite design that’s most remarkable – it’s the fleet of near-silent, eco-friendly electric safari vehicles. Gone is the boisterous rumble of a heavy-duty 4x4; these jeeps allow you to crawl silently behind stalking leopards in the dead of night, and hear nothing but the sound of teeth on bone.

BOOK IT: From £4,775 per night for four, (cheetahplains.com). Return flights to Johannesburg with South African Airways, from £621. (flysaa.com)

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PHOTOS: © ADAM LETCH

Peeking out from behind towering termite mounds in the gamerich Khwai Private Reserve, you’ll find Tuludi. On land crisscrossed with leopard tracks and elephant footprints, the camp blends seamlessly with its woodland surroundings. But get close enough and you’ll see that this is a seriously good-looking safari spot. Seven palatial stilted tents (each over 100 sq/m) come with private decks (complete with plunge pools, claw foot bathtubs and cosy swinging seats hanging from gnarled mopane trees) as well as giraffe-high canvas ceilings and decor ranging from jacaranda-wood chandeliers to marble and gold bedside tables.

The multi-level communal spaces are set out treehouse-style, with a snug treetop library, al fresco lounge scattered with monkey-print Ardmore cushions and an eye-popping mosaic-tiled bar decorated with gleaming pangolins, ground hornbills and thirsty leopards.

You could simply sink into one of the squishy zebra-print sofas, iced gin and tonic in hand, and watch as elephants trudge across the surrounding wetlands; but if you head out on a game drive you’ll be rewarded with packs of rare wild dogs on the hunt, mighty bigmaned lions and all manner of bird life. Back at camp, settle in for a sundowner on the romantic private platform, watching as hippos grunt and bluster in the water, then tuck into a dinner of smoked salmon, tender beef and South African sauvignon blanc under the (shooting) stars, while the throaty calls of distant lions fill the air.

BOOK IT: Africa Exclusive offers three nights, from £2,196pp, (safari.co.uk). South African Airways flies from London to Maun via Johannesburg, from £1,138 return (flysaa.com)

FOOD & TRAVEL

Chikwenya, Mana Pools, Zimbabwe At the confluence of the Sapi and Zambezi Rivers, on the eastern fringe of Zimbabwe’s Mana Pools National Park, Chikwenya is part of Wilderness Safaris’ 50-strong portfolio of eco-camps spread throughout southern Africa. Set around a series of communal spaces including indoor-outdoor dining and lounge areas, a campfire and a perfectly positioned pool overlooking the grassy wildlife-scattered floodplains, Chikwenya comprises just seven tents – including two family suites with their own pools – that are generously spread along a wooden boardwalk that lines the river. Outside of activities like game drives, bush walks, birding and fishing, there is happily not much more to do than nap, read and indulge in the impressive brunch spreads, hearty suppers, afternoon tea and snack sessions.

BOOK IT: Wilderness Safaris offers doubles from £1,027 per person, per night, sharing. wilderness-safaris.com

BEST FOR LOUNGING AROUND

One&Only Nyungwe House, Rwanda

BEST FOR

MONKEY MAGIC

PHOTOS: © ADAM LETCH

Fundu Lagoon, Pemba Island, Zanzibar

This is a haven of tranquility in a relatively unexplored part of Rwanda. All villas and suites are decked out with woven African textiles and dazzling pops of contemporary art; they open up onto forest-facing balconies, giving prime views of the long-limbed colobus monkeys that sweep from tree to tree. Those in pursuit of Zen can rise early to perform sun salutations on the forest deck before surrendering to knotted-muscle-busting Intonga Amasatchi stick massages that use locally foraged ingredients in the oils. While there are gorillas in Volcanoes National Park, Nyungwe is the place for chimp trekking. Terrain is tough, but seeing family groups vocalise, play and crash through the canopy is more than worth it. Back at the House, food is exquisite. Overseen by executive chef Treasure, the ever-evolving menu features fresh tilapia from nearby Lake Kivu.

BOOK IT: Abercrombie & Kent offers three nights from £4,190pp full board, including excursions, flights and transfers. abercrombiekent.co.uk

BEST FOR DESERT ISLAND CHARM

This laid-back bolthole on the island of Pemba is real Robinson Crusoe territory. Its barefoot charm is spot-on if you are looking for somewhere to flop after a safari; to rest, relax, dive and dine in one of East Africa’s most romantic hotels. The 18 makuti-thatched tented rooms and suites are connected by wooden walkways and sandy paths, either along the wild and wonderful beach where the jungle touches the sand, or on the hillside for fantastic views of the ocean, and a cool breeze at night. Dine out on the daily fisherman’s catch and spectacular ocean views.

We loved that ‘all-inclusive’ also meant mangrove canoe safaris and village treks, beyond just the usual dining, drinks and snorkelling, and if you visit between August and November keep your eyes peeled for sightings of migrating humpback whales and the resident dolphin pods.

BOOK IT: Turqouise Holidays offers seven nights from £2,539pp allinclusive, including canoe safari and village trek, transfers and flights with Qatar Airways. turquoiseholidays.co.uk February 2020 | COUNTRYANDTOWNHOUSE.CO.UK | 85

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&Beyond Tengile River Lodge, South Africa This slick new lodge in Sabi Sand Game Reserve blends seamlessly with its surroundings. Nine wood-clad suites come with floor-toceiling windows facing the river, a private deck and dipping pool, and Insta-worthy bathroom. Days are bookended by game drives, where close-up encounters with wildlife are practically guaranteed: perhaps a pair of male lions snoozing on a dirt track, a herd of elephants playing in the reeds or a lone leopard feasting on its kill high up in a tree. In between, feast on delicious help-yourself lunches – bobotie spring rolls, aubergine fries, mango salsa – book in for a cooking class or shea butter massage in the spa. Stand-out touches include gin and tonics served in thick crystal-cut glasses under a 600-year-old sycamore fig at sunset and a boma barbecue with gospel singing.

BOOK IT: Mahlatini Luxury Travel offers four nights from £5,500pp, all inclusive, with international flights from London, road transfers and scheduled camp activities. mahlatini.com

BEST FOR

ECO POINTS Jao, Okavango Delta, Botswana When this forward-looking camp first opened 20 years ago it caused waves with its cutting-edge architecture based on a longhouse in Bali.

Now it has reopened after a radical rebuild with a new, sculptural central space in the tree canopy, five thatched suites and a pair of two-bedroom villas. The look is handcrafted chic, using raw, honest materials; outside, there’s a terrace with a lily pad-inspired swing seat and plunge pool. This is a water-based lodge so tranquil days are spent in slo-mo, exploring in a mokoro (traditional dug-out canoe) or taking a motorboat to Hunda Island for thrilling game drive sightings of lechwe, lions and elephants. It even has a gallery featuring African plant pressings, named after the owner’s botanist great-grandfather, and a real giraffe skeleton. This is the kind of camp where staying put and relaxing is as integral as the wildlife itself.

BOOK IT: Tracks Safaris offers two nights at Wilderness Safaris King’s Pool Camp and two nights at Jao Camp, from £4,375pp. trackssafaris.co.uk

BEST FOR

CRAFT CHIC

BEST FOR

CITY SPA

The Saxon, Johannesburg, South Africa This visually striking property with sweeping lawns, a lake-like infinity pool and tumbling bougainvillea is a haven amid the throb of Johannesburg. Proud of its rich heritage, the Saxon pays homage to its most famous resident, Nelson Mandela. For six months after he left prison, Mandela convalesced here. Decor is stylish with an indigenous twist. The food is zeitgeisty modern African meets Amelia Freer-style nutrition. A rooftop herb and vegetable garden supplies the three restaurants, which serve seasonal and inspired dishes. Try the Saxon vitaboost for breakfast: an anti-inflammatory hit of turmeric tonic with coconut water, pepper, lemon and honey.

And, unusually for a city hotel, the quality of the two-storey spa makes it a destination in itself. Truly holistic treatments take place under Himalayan salt crystal healing installations; therapists use intuitive touch. The Saxon represents the apogee of African luxury.

BOOK IT: Doubles from £473 per night. saxon.co.za

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FOOD & TRAVEL BEST FOR

BEACH BREAK Long Beach, Mauritius This island resort is a firm favourite with honeymooners and families alike, who are attracted to the long stretch of white silky sand on the north-east of the island; it’s no surprise where the resort got its name from.

The refreshingly modern, chic hotel has light, breezy sea view rooms.

Highlights include sunrise kayaking – it’s euphoric watching the sun rise above the waves as they break over the coral reef, and worth getting up at five o’clock to see it. Afterwards, you can glide down a secluded grass green path and find yourself in the private jungle bliss of the Cinq Mondes Spa and Wellness Retreat. For total body revitalisation, book in for the Udarabyangha detox treatment. This traditional Indian medicinal massage relaxes the core zones of the body and includes a full body massage and wrap. Retox after with a home-infused rum and marshmallow tasting – not the most natural of pairings, granted, but don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.

BOOK IT: Doubles from around £337 half-board. longbeachmauritius.com

Earth Lodge, Sabi Sabi, South Africa

BEST FOR

ANIMAL

One of Africa’s most respected safari destinations, Sabi Sabi’s unfenced location within Greater Kruger National Park more or less ensures you can tick off every animal, from elephant, rhino, hippo, lion and buffalo, to zebra, giraffe, wild dog, hyena, kudu, warthog and impala. The fact they all appear so casually unfazed by the presence of humans is testament to the reserve’s decades-long commitment to conservation, preserving an environment in which the animals feel unthreatened. The days follow a comfortable pattern, with morning and evening safaris fuelled by three extravagant meals and plenty of time to relax in between. The newly refurbished Earth Lodge – and its 13 suites, each with private pool – blends tactile, earthy elements with decadent touches. Elsewhere in the reserve, Selati and Little Bush Camp game lodges are smaller but no less sumptuous.

BOOK IT: From £1,207pp per night, including safaris, meals and transfers, but excluding flights. sabisandsgamereserve.com

SPOTTING

BEST FOR ECLECTIC The Twelve Apostles, Cape Town

DECOR

Owner Bea Tollman, now 89, styles everything herself and isn’t shy about indulging flourishes that might be ironed into submission elsewhere. In the bar, an ex-Nobu chef serves up tuna tartare and avocado rolls to patrons on plump leather sofas arranged on a leopard-print carpet. Outside, pink sunset light falls on guests clinking chilli and cucumber martinis. After rooibos-smoked ostrich, the bedrooms await with post-dessert pudding. Down the hall, eclecticism erupts – one four-poster bed is upholstered in a William Morris-style print while another, even more delightfully, is clad in mirrored glass. Outside, an enormous fig tree shades a poolside deck that looks down to the sea; another faces the mountains. A homely retreat at the edge of metropolitan life.

BOOK IT: Cox & Kings offers nine nights from £2,965 pp, including two nights’ at The Twelve Apostles and three nights at Bushmans Kloof, car hire and return flights to London. coxandkings.co.uk February 2020 | COUNTRYANDTOWNHOUSE.CO.UK | 87

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FOOD & TRAVEL

Londolozi Healing House, South Africa

BEST FOR SPIRITUAL SAFARI

At Londolozi, safari gets spiritual. Every game drive is a moving meditation as you tune into the rhythm of the land, the better to return to yourself. The owners of this private reserve, the Varty family, are boundless visionaries. As well as creating pitch-perfect stylish camps, they now offer a stellar tiny spa. At the Healing House, a glass box atop a wooden deck, tucked amid ancient ebony trees, you will never have felt more held, energetically. Traverse the continent for the massage alone, which answers forgotten pleas of your body and psyche. Intuitive, delicate yet profound, it is world class. Afterwards, sit spaced out and watch elephants plod past.

Or try the Biophony machine, which floors you with shamanic sounds and frequencies that act as a stun gun to your nervous system. Wordlessly, the staff track your emotional journey, just as the rangers track the animals outside. They run spectacular retreats and individual programmes for loss, as well as transformative experiences just for men. Come to acknowledge the wild call of your heart as you listen to the lions’ roar.

BOOK IT: Doubles from £800. londolozi.com

Bushmans Kloof Wilderness Reserve & Wellness Retreat, South Africa An enclave of fig trees and thatched cottages, this hotel’s bright gardens are surrounded by the Cederberg Mountains.

Zebra and eland nibble UNESCOdesignated fauna from the red rocks, then run away from 4x4s with their young trotting behind. Exhausted guests sit by the pools – they’ve come from safaris where alarms ring at 5am for high-adrenaline trips. Here there’s none of that – and be glad of it. Once rallied, guests cycle off to canoe, follow hiking trails into the mountains or trek with a guide to rock art sites, some of which are 10,000 years old. There are 16 rooms with vaulted bamboo ceilings over big iron beds. The spa uses rooibos-infused oils and a gazebo for treatments that’s open to the pinky rock formations.

BOOK IT: Cox & Kings offers nine nights from £2,965 pp, including two nights’ at The Twelve Apostles and three nights at Bushmans Kloof, car hire and return flights to London. coxandkings.co.uk n

BEST FOR

WILD WELLNESS

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K E N Y A

DOWN BY THE RIVER

Sam Kinchin-Smith finds there are pluses to missing the Great Migration

I

awake to the sound of kaleidoscopic birdsong, water flowing over rocks and hippos burping. If it was August or September, this stretch of the Mara river would be in the eye of a panting, stomping storm. Over a million wildebeest, zebra and Thomson’s gazelle would be congregating on one bank, with almost as many tourist Jeeps jostling on the other. Then a testy pioneer would break ranks and the great mass would follow, tumbling into water now frothing with opportunistic crocodiles.

But it’s November. And as with a football stadium on a Monday morning, there’s a slight sense of having missed the main event – of hearing the Great Migration’s last hurrah echoing in the breeze. Fortunately, where I’ve woken up is in one of Sanctuary Olonana’s magnificently refurbished suites, nestling in a curve of the river. As I pad up to the lodge for an early breakfast a few feet away

Out of season, Sanctuary Olonana offers a refreshing contrast to the usually competitive tourism here

from my semiaquatic new friends it occurs to me that this is the perfect base from which to explore the quieter miracles of the Maasai Mara.

Joseph Koyie, my bantering guide for today’s game drive to the Tanzanian border, also understands the spell that silence can cast in the savannah. When a parade of elephants crosses our path – and then to Joseph’s surprise as much his passengers’, we find one of the reserve’s last black rhinos, grazing with immense and melancholy dignity – nobody says a word for several wide-eyed minutes.

Later we drive into the bush for a barbecue supper under canvas, a gesture towards the traditional tented safari that Olonana’s glass and slate have left in the dust. Every mysterious croak and snapping twig outside registers with twice its usual weight. Then a chorus of shrieking shatters the silence; some local tribesmen have arrived to shock us into relieved laughter.

Olonana’s achievement is to have created a gentler kind of safari bliss without having lost sight of Kenya’s greatest gift to travellers: the forgotten headrush of genuine surprise.

Abercrombie & Kent offers one night at Giraffe Manor and three nights at Sanctuary Olonana all-inclusive, incl flights with British Airways. From £5,995 per person. abercrombiekent.co.uk n February 2020 | COUNTRYANDTOWNHOUSE.CO.UK | 89

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FOOD & TRAVEL

Q & A

THE BUCKET LIST Jamie Cullum is a country boy at heart, finds Holly Rubenstein

It doesn’t get better than Glastonbury

You’ve toured the world. Which performance location was the most memorable and why? It can

surely only come back to the main stage at Glastonbury Festival. I have been a gleeful attendee of the festival for many years and to play on that stage to a big and boisterous audience was a real moment for me.

Jamie Cullum Galloping along the Mexico coastline

Where was your happiest holiday? My wife and I went to

His tours have taken him to Japan many times

Mexico many years ago and it was the first time I’d ridden a horse.

We rode on an incredible beach and at a particular moment it started to rain. It was a magical memory that now feels almost unreal.

Where do you keep going back to? I have a longstanding love affair with Japan. I’ve been lucky enough to play there a lot as a musician and it is a place that holds endless fascination for me.

Touring the vast expanse of America in my 20s really gave me huge insight into how differently people interact with our world and how easy it is to write off other people’s beliefs as small minded. When you spend time in these faroff places, you actually see the context for others people’s lives and you have more empathy and understanding for their views and culture. Everybody has a story to tell.

Touring America in his 20s opened his eyes to different ways of life

PHOTOS: GETTY IMAGES

Where have you learned the most about yourself?

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COUNTRY OR TOWN HOUSE? I’M A COUNTRY BOY AT HEART. I NEED TREES. Childhood holidays to Cornwall mean fish and chips

What destination most reminds you of childhood holidays? Cornwall. We went to Looe

practically every year of my childhood. Same house, same fish and chip shop, same beach and the same brilliantly changeable weather.

Jamie needs trees

Tell us about a hidden gem? There’s an

What is your favourite city?

incredible music bar in Dalston called Brilliant Corners which will become your new favourite place the second you walk in.

I’m a country boy really but again, I’d have to take it to Spain – San Sebastián, Madrid or Barcelona.

We all know how rich the culture is, how good the food is – but it is the people that make it. The Spanish have a twinkle in their eye and, when it really matters, they can step back and not take life too seriously. It bleeds a real enthusiasm for life.

How about the best hotel you’ve stayed in?

George V in Paris. My wife took me once when she was asked along to a fashion show by Louis Vuitton. I actually felt like some kind of king.

Where do you always eat well? At my kitchen table! My wife is a fabulous cook. Failing that you can’t go wrong at The Wolseley.

Hiking in the Lake District

Spain has a real zest for life

What’s at the top of your bucket list? I would love to do a long hike in the PHOTOS: GETTY IMAGES

Lake District one day or some wild camping in the Peak District. I’ve also heard that Clos19 has some incredible experiences like a tour of Glenmorangie – as a passionate whisky drinker I am eyeing up one of those up too!

You can’t beat The Wolseley for breakfast

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THIS MON TH...

WATCH Food God – the new chef competition with Niklas Ekstedt, Heston Blumenthal and Carla Hall will have you hooked. channel4.com

BOOZY BAKERY

Adding wine improves anything, but Selin Kiazim and Laura Christie’s artisan turkish bakes are a hit to begin with. We’ll raise a glass to their new Oklava Bakery + Wine restaurant in Fitzrovia. oklava.co.uk

MARKET DE MODE

N E W S

GASTRO GOSSIP

For sourdough pizza, poke bowls and artisan coffee in Victoria or Fulham, the only place to go is Market Hall. Now it’s coming to Holles Street in the West End. Insider tip: ramen eggs at Angelo Sato’s Yatai are game-changing. markethalls.co.uk

Kitchen couture.

By Sofia Tindall

CHEF BATTLES

BUY Grind’s ultra eco-friendly compostable Nespresso pods, in a millennial pink tin. From £10. grind.co.uk

ECO-WARRIOR

Tom Hunt (pictured left) has long-extolled the virtues of going green with his Poco Tapas Bar in Bristol – now it’s won a spot in the Sustainable Restaurant Association’s top 20 ‘hall of fame’. Delicious food with a clear conscience. pocotapasbar.com

KITCHEN COUTURE Made in durable denim and cut with women’s shapes in mind, we love Bird Kitchen Clothing’s aprons.

Oh, and don’t forget the Japanese-inspired cross back, which evenly distributes weight. Toast’s Nicola RiddDavies collaborated with Vicky North on the design. birdkitchenclothing.co.uk

PHOTOS: ©JENNY ZARINS

BAKE Your own gluten-free garlic and rosemary focaccia with these foolproof kits.

From £2.99. davina steel.com

Here’s the best excuse we’ve heard in a while to be Highlands-bound: Chef Simon Attridge is hosting a series of immersive, one-off collaborations with rising chefs at Gleneagles. Paul Graham of Sonder features on 10 February. gleneagles.com

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FOOD & TRAVEL

R E C I P E

ROLL ON, SAUSAGE

FOODIE TA L ES

February calls for Shaun Searley’s comfort food

A

British shop institution: these can be cooled down, refrigerated and then reheated at a later date if you want your hard work to last a little bit longer. The presence of sausage meat rather than a sausage itself is, in our view, the key to a superior sausage roll. The crumbled meat almost melts into the pastry, creating a meaty viscosity that the whole sausage version can’t compete with. These make a delicious light supper with a bitter leaf salad and our mustard dressing.

METHOD

SAUSAGE ROLL INGREDIENTS MAKES 12 » » » » » » »

20g duck fat 35g shallot, diced 400g minced pork 30g breadcrumbs 6g Maldon salt 350g puff pastry 2 free-range organic egg yolks

» » » » » » »

SPICE MIX 10g fennel seeds 10g cumin seeds 10g coriander seeds 10g caraway seeds 10g black peppercorns 10g cayenne pepper 10g smoked paprika

Start by making the spice mix. Preheat the oven to 170°C. Mix all the spices together and spread them out on a baking tray. Toast in the oven for 5 minutes, then leave to cool. Blend using a spice grinder and store in an airtight container for up to two weeks.

For the sausage roll, heat the duck fat in a saucepan over a lowmedium heat, then add the shallots and sweat for 10 minutes – you don’t want them colouring. Now add 1 teaspoon of the spice mix and cook for a further 5 minutes before removing from the heat and leaving to cool. Meanwhile, mix the minced pork with the breadcrumbs and salt. When the shallots are cool, add them to the pork. Transfer the sausage mixture to a piping bag and cut a 10cm hole in the end. Leave to one side while you prepare the pastry. Roll out a rectangle of pastry to 70 x 20cm and pipe the meat down the centre of the pastry, working lengthways.

Brush the exposed pastry with the egg wash until it is tacky to touch, then flip one of the long sides of the pastry over to meet the other, enclosing the sausage. Keep the pastry as close to the meat as possible. Press the two edges together with your fingers to seal then crimp with a fork. Press and massage the sausage roll to form a consistent shape, then rest in the fridge for two hours. Preheat the oven to 195°C. Brush the whole roll with egg yolk and leave to dry then brush with more egg and cut into 10cm pieces. Season with Maldon salt and bake for 18–22 minutes, or until a probe stuck in the middle reads 70°c. n

SHAUN SEARLEY, HEAD CHEF OF THE QUALITY CHOP HOUSE What’s your food philosophy? Work with great suppliers, buy incredible ingredients and showcase them simply in a generous and abundant way.

What was the first dish you learned to cook? A roast, growing up my parents cooked one every Sunday without fail.

Most vivid childhood food memory?

The first time I was old enough to get in on the Saturday night steak dinners.

Favourite ingredient that is in season right now? Grouse, and game in general. The British game season is diverse and exciting.

Biggest mistake you’ve made in the kitchen? Years ago as a demi chef de partie I was put in charge of slow cooking three lambs’ worth off shoulders, bellies, necks and shanks. I took my eye of the ball and burnt the lot. Bad day…

Most memorable meal out? The Fat Duck, with my wife and two of our closest friends. We had the best time with the best food. Easily the most relaxed three Michelin-starred restaurant.

When was the last time you sent something back to the kitchen and why did you send it back? I don’t tend to send food back, i just leave angry and don’t go back.

When you’re not in the kitchen, where are you? Probably eating in other people’s restaurants.

What’s in your fridge right now?

Cheese, ham, yoghurts and last night’s leftover lamb shoulder. At the restaurant, we just had the most incredible red mullet arrive from our beloved fish supplier, Kernowsashimi.

Who would you most like to take out for dinner? Arnold Schwarzenegger. I’d probably take him on a food tour around London to all of my favourite places: Kiln, Black Axe Mangal, Berenjak and finish on a big ribeye here at Quality Chop.

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RESTAUR A NT REVIEWS

FORK & FIELD

SOHO, SO GOOD NEW POST-WORK HANGOUTS

Anastasia Bernhardt finds enlightenment at Hélène Darroze at The Connaught

SUSSEX The Gladwin Brothers are back at it again and no prizes for guessing which county this restaurant is celebrating – but celebrated in creative style it is. Sticking to their country roots, their philosophy is that ingredients that grow together are probably going to taste pretty good together. The dish to order is the hare and rainbow chard Wellington – inspired. Bravo, boys. sussex-restaurant.com

MANTECA If, like me, you were seemingly the only person in London to have missed Chris Leach’s pop-up at 10 Heddon Street, rejoice for a permanent site has opened on Great Malborough Street. Scoff pig’s head fritti with a Cocchi Amaro vermouth spritz before diving head-first into tonnarelli – a brown crab meat take on cacio e pepe.

This is the new Padella, people. mantecarestaurant.co.uk

PHOTOS: THE NUDGE

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ever interview a chef before you’ve eaten lunch. It’s torture. It’s 11.45am and I’m sat with Hélène Darroze at a beautiful bespoke pink marble chef’s table; ringside seats at her eponymous restaurant at The Connaught. Beneath a cobalt blue fresco by the artist Rochegaussen, she has embarked on a half-hour long soliloquy on the virtues of roast chicken and I am slavering at the chops like a Labrador with a lamb bone...

Fortunately, she took pity on me and invited me to dinner. When Hélène won her first Michelin star, she celebrated it by buying a pair of Louboutins. That’s the magic of Hélène, she’s one of the most decorated chefs – the only double Michelin-starred female chef patron in the UK – but she doesn’t feel the need to subscribe to that shouty Gordon Ramsay-style of leadership. Fans of Ratatouille (not the Provençal side dish but the Disney Pixar film featuring rats in a kitchen) might know that the indefatigable Colette was based on her, and a Barbie doll was recently modelled on her in attempt to mould the 11.5 inches of plastic into something altogether more inspiring.

The dining room’s new blush pink paint job is unabashedly feminine. Turning what was a heavy wood panelled boys’ club into a masterclass of French savoire-faire. It’s the sort of room where you can imagine the scandals and petty intrigues

of the French Enlightenment unfolding. The interior designer Nina Campbell once told me that the best way to make a space feel enticing is to paint the ceiling the same colour as the walls, an idea that interior architect Pierre Yovanovitch has executed here, sucking the austerity out of what is otherwise quite a formal setting.

Despite the new look, the menu remains obsessively driven by ingredients.

Standout dishes include sweetbread with a vadouvan emulsion (a French take on Masala) and Cornish crab prepared in the Basque way (txangurro), lifted with a citrusy kick from pomelo and lampong pepper. Sur la table, black pepper is swapped for espelette (a red, spicy variety) that transports me instantly back to a particularly happy holiday in the Basque country.

This is also home to my favourite dessert in London, a dish she brought with her from Alain Ducasse’s kitchen: rum baba literally drowned in Armagnac – you get to pick the vintage from the trolley – and which sums up this restaurant in its totality: decadently unapologetic.

Five courses from £120. the-connaught.co.uk

FOLIE Dreaming of summers in Portofino already? This as close to the Riviera as you’re going to get in Soho. We’re not talking the brash Bollinger-wielding kind of Riveria that you find these days in Nice and Saint-Tropez, but a throw-back to its 1970s heyday. Just the place for a simple but elegant Mediterranean supper in a retro setting. Excellent mid-week escapism. folie.london

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FOOD & DRINK

D R I N K

A DR IN K W ITH...

HAPPY HOUR Smoke signals, by Alice Lascelles

COCA-COLA SIGNATURE MIXERS SMOKY NOTES

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uffing on a fag might not be the glamorous activity it once was, but smoke is currently very much in vogue in the drinks department, with innovators using everything from heather smoke and toasted oak, to cigars and flaming rosemary to achieve that seductive smoulder. Perhaps one of these will light your fire.

STAUNING HEATHER PEATED WHISKY

PHOTOS: @ALICELASCELLES; ©PETER NEILL PHOTOGRAPHY

Many new-wave whisky makers are now experimenting with alternatives to peat smoke: the barley for this Danish single malt is dried with heather smoke, giving the resulting amber dram a delicate smoke that’s fresh and outdoors-y, rather than infernal. £112. thewhiskyexchange.com

IN OR OUT? STAYING IN

CHÊNE BLEU, HELOISE 2011

Chase the winter blues away with gorgeously intense, velvety red from the family-owned Chêne Bleu estate – currently one of the fastest-rising (and most glamorous) names in the southern Rhône. £59.67 for 75cl. justerinis.com

Coca-Cola got a crack team of bartenders on board to help develop this range of posh mixers, which includes Spicy Notes, Woody Notes, Herbal Notes and the oak-smoked Smoky Notes, a twist on the classic Coke recipe that cries out to be mixed with whisky or rum. Also good solo. £1.30. waitrose.com

CASONI AMAROTTO – THE GIBSON EDITION

Made from a blend of bitter herbs and smoked almonds, this Italian liqueur is amaretto with a manly twist. Marzipan and cherry stone sweetness meet leather and campfire char. Try it in a sour, add a dash to a Manhattan, or just sip it neat, on the rocks. £24.95. masterofmalt.com

RICK ASTLEY

1

Can you mix a cocktail? Rob our keyboard player is ‘The Master’. His Marmalade cocktail is amazing, so I just stick to making gin and tonic.

2

What’s in your fridge? Different Mikkeller beers. A bottle of champagne (just in case), and some Grande Ardéche Chardonnay.

3 4

What’s your guilty pleasure? Don’t understand the question.

What’s the most you’ve spent on a bottle of wine? Was it worth it? We just bought some super Tuscan red at a charity auction – I will let you know in a few of years.

5

If you could buy a drink for one person, who would it be?

Frank Sinatra – we would have a lock in at Mikkeller for a tasting and a sing song.

6

Do you have a favourite bar?

Obviously my own, the Mikkeller Bar, but Claridge’s Bar is pretty gorgeous.

7 8

Most overrated drink?

Champagne.

What would you drink if it was your last night on earth? I would ask my friend Peter to choose a good vintage for a bottle or two of Pingus.

Rick is touring the UK from 3 April. rickastley.co.uk

GOING OUT

UPSTAIRS AT RULES

Housed in the room where Edward VII used to dine (and who knows what else?) his mistress Lillie Langtry, this plush little cocktail bar is an oldie but a goodie – and now that head bartender Brian Silva is back in situ, it’s one of the best places in town for a Negroni. rules.co.uk February 2020 | COUNTRYANDTOWNHOUSE.CO.UK | 95

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STOCKISTS AIGLE aigle.com

CONNOLLY @ matchesfashion.com

HUNTER hunterboots.com

OLIVER SPENCER oliverspencer.co.uk

ALESSANDRA RICH alessandrarich.com

CROCKETT & JONES crockettandjones.com

LANVIN lanvin.com

OLIVIA VON HALLE oliviavonhalle.com

LE LABO lelabofragrances.com

OSMAN osmanlondon.com

LONGCHAMP longchamp.com

PAUL SMITH @ harveynichols.com; paulsmith.com

ARIAT ariat.com BAMFORD bamford.com BELSTAFF belstaff.com

FARLOWS farlows.co.uk FAVOURBROOK favourbrook.com GENTLE MONSTER gentlemonster.com

CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN christianlouboutin.com

GUANABANA @ matchesfashion.com

CHURCH’S @ matchesfashion.com

HACKETT hackett.com

MICHAEL KORS michaelkors.com MULBERRY mulberry.com OFFICINE GÉNÉRALE @ mrporter.com

ROYAL ENFIELD royalenfield.com RUSSELL & BROMLEY russellandbromley.com SUNSPEL sunspel.com

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PROPERTY

HOUSE OF THE MONTH Sell it to us in a sentence… Famous for being ‘Scotland’s most expensive house’, this superbly restored castle is only ten miles from Edinburgh.

Who built it? It was built in 1789 by acclaimed architect Robert Adam using the stone from Seton Palace. It was his final project in Scotland.

What is unique about it? It’s built on the site of Seton Palace, the favourite residence of Mary, Queen of Scots.

Does the property have a notable history? It was owned by the Wemyss family from the 18th century until 2003.

Best room in the house? The top-floor study, with its views over the Firth of Forth.

Who would we need to hire to maintain the estate? There is an outstanding estate manager who lives in one of the wings.

Seton Castle, Longniddry, East Lothian Price: £8m 13 bedrooms 5 bathrooms 18,196 sq/ft

Does it have any sporting rights? It has 13 acres so there is no shooting in the grounds but there is a lot of sport to be had close by. It is also on East Lothian’s ‘Golf Coast’ with many famous courses.

Where can we send the kids to school?

Loretto in Musselburgh is only four miles away. Belhaven Hill at Dunbar is one of Scotland’s best prep schools.

What are the neighbours like? The Seton Collegiate Church is next door. The present owners sometimes allow brides to use the castle driveway for their weddings. … So, what’s the downside? It is huge but the wings can be used separately by guests or tenants.

The current owner says… ‘We fell in love the first time we saw it. There is no other house in Scotland that compares.’

01312 473738; savills.com n

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L E T ’ S

M O V E

T O

HENLEYON-THAMES

A slice of river life but just an hour to London. What’s not to love about well-heeled Henley? asks Anna Tyzack FROM ABOVE: Henley Festival attracts names as big as Elton John; while the regatta is world famous, as much for its sense of occasion as the rowing itself

BEST FOR...

Date night The Crooked Billet is a rustic pub with a modern menu of local produce. thecrookedbillet. co.uk Shopping spree Henley’s eclectic indies include The Bell bookshop, Asquiths teddy bears and Jonkers rare books.

‘We have London buyers who come here after finding the Cotswolds too much of a trek,’ Christie-Miller says. ‘Henley is the perfect middle ground – I regularly drive to London for dinner in 45 minutes.’

There are other lures for Londoners: the excellent schools, for example. In Henley itself there are two renowned private junior schools with nurseries: St Mary’s and Rupert House, as well as Trinity C of E, an Ofsted ‘outstanding’ primary school. In the pretty village of Frieth, ten minutes away, there is another excellent primary, while local prep schools include Moulsford and Lambrook and senior schools Abingdon, The Oratory, Queen Anne’s Caversham, Eton, Radley, Wellington and Downe House.

London leavers, according to Alexander Risdon of Knight Frank, appreciate Henley’s safe streets, the open spaces of nearby Hambleden and the Chiltern Ridgeway – and the many country pubs. There are upmarket restaurants, too, such as Tom Kerridge’s Hand & Flowers and, in Henley, Shaun Dickens at The Boathouse

Curry night Spice Merchant, on the river at the Regatta finish line, is a modern Indian in a rusticframed building. spicemerchant group.com A walk to lunch Stroll from Henley to the Flower Pot inn at Aston (brakspear. co.uk) or to the Stag & Huntsman at Hambleden. thestagand huntsman.com A night away Hotel du Vin, in a former brewery near the river, has a permanent collection of art

by Chris Prewett. hotelduvin.com

PHOTOS: GETTY IMAGES; © CRISTIAN BARNETT

F

or those who can’t decide whether they want to be in London or the countryside, Henley-on-Thames could well be the perfect solution. The pretty Oxfordshire market town buzzes throughout the year with a weekly market, a Royal Regatta, two music festivals and a literary festival.

There is also a Waitrose, numerous good pubs and 15 cafés, one of which is Harrods’ new café outside London. Yet the surrounding hills and farmland are, according to Stephen Christie-Miller of Savills, the first proper countryside outside the capital. ‘Villages such as Stonor and Hambleden feel as if they’re in the middle of Devon,’ he says.

The fact that Crossrail will be arriving at nearby Twyford (15 minutes away) and Reading (20 minutes) within the next 18 months only adds to the appeal for those with a job in London. At present, the average rail commute from Henley to Bond Street takes an hour and a half; after Crossrail it will take 59 minutes via Henley station (or 47 minutes from Twyford). Meanwhile, Heathrow is just 25 minutes away, and High Wycombe, with the Chilterns Rail link into Marylebone, 20 minutes.

A decent coffee H Café is Harrod’s first outside London, serving tea, coffee and deli plates. harrods.com

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PROPERTY and private members’ club Phyllis Court on the river. ‘It’s so picturesque being by the Thames,’ Christie-Miller says. ‘The pace of life is slower but you’re only 35 miles from London.’

There is no doubt that buyers are homing in on Henley. Last year was a record for Savills; in October two houses sold for more than £10m, while average prices rose by up to ten per cent according to Rightmove. Mark Parkinson of Middleton Advisors estimates that London leavers pay a 20 per cent premium for a country house within striking distance of Henley compared to other local commuting spots such as Didcot Parkway. Farmhouses with pony paddocks near the picturesque local villages of Hambleden, Stonor, Nettlebed and Stoke Row cost between £2m and £3.5m, he says. ‘The villages around Henley are useful places – you don’t have to get in the car for a pint of milk,’ adds Christie-Miller. ‘And if you go for Shiplake or Wargrave there is also a station.’

In Henley itself, family houses are still cheaper than the equivalent in Barnes. A large family house with a sizeable garden on a prime street such as St Andrew’s Road or St Mark’s will cost between £1m and £1.5m, while smaller family houses within easy walking

distance of the station cost around £850,000.

Is there a danger that Crossrail will turn Henley into another overcrowded commuter belt town? Christie-Miller thinks not; the town is surrounded by large estates and the Chilterns, as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, is protected from a mass influx of commuters.

‘There aren’t enough chimney pots to go around,’ he says. ‘This keeps prices high and ensures the area remains unspoilt.’

The competition for homes around Henley is prompting those on lower budgets to take on building projects. Ryan Browne and his wife Laura spent three years searching for a ‘forever’ home, eventually settling on a two-bedroom cottage for £550,000 on the outskirts of Peppard Common, four miles west of Henley. They have since added two further bedrooms and a large live-in kitchen. ‘It was impossible to find anything within our budget,’ Ryan says. ‘The process was expensive and time-consuming, but I can’t see why we’d ever want to move.’

The Brownes, who moved from Battersea, still return to London for exhibitions and concerts – but not as frequently as they had anticipated.

They’ve found such a social scene around Peppard Common that when they do venture further afield it tends to be to a waterfront restaurant in Henley or to the shops in Marlowe.

This doesn’t mean, however, that they’ve lost touch with their London friends – far from it.

‘They come for Saturday dinner and stay the night or we’ll meet at a local pub and walk on Sunday,’ Laura says. They take a party of friends to Henley Royal Regatta and another to the ’80s Rewind Festival. ‘I think we’ve seen more of our good friends since we left town,’ she adds. ‘We were surprised at first but apparently this is what happens when you move to Henleyshire.’ n

PHOTOS: GETTY IMAGES; © CRISTIAN BARNETT

Tom Kerridge’s The Hand & Flowers is in neighbouring Marlow

Riverfront restaurants include Shaun Dickens at The Boathouse

FOR SA L E

BADGEMORE, £5.25m Badgemore Grange enjoys a mature and semi-secluded elevated setting, one mile from Henley town centre. The house was built in the 19th century with high ceilings and generous proportions. In the large gardens are a tennis court and pavilion and there is also a guest cottage, stabling and parking. savills.co.uk

HENLEY, £2.5m Denmark House is a charming Grade II-listed home set in an enviable location in the heart of the town. The flexible accommodation is light and airy, with a drawing room with high ceilings, a family room, kitchen and utility room and seven bedrooms. In the large gardens there is a loggia and pool. savills.co.uk

HENLEY, £1.975m Marsh Lock House is a period home one mile from Henley station, with glorious river views and a mooring on the Thames.

Following recent modernisation it has a sunny drawing room, a dance studio and gym as well as five bedrooms. It is approached via a shared private lane with the river garden, perfect for entertaining and boating. knightfrank.com

RUSSELLS WATER, £635,000 Rose Cottage has outstanding views over the Chilterns and characterful accommodation. There is a kitchen with woodburning stove, a sitting room and two bedrooms upstairs. The garden is the selling point: it has stunning views and direct access to the surrounding countryside. knightfrank.com

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PROPERTY

F I V E

O F

T H E

B E S T

HOME CINEMAS

You’ll want to turn off your phones for these screens, says Sofia Tindall

KENSINGTON, W8, £29.95m

This white stucco residence is as classic Kensington as it gets, set back from the street behind its own landscaped front garden. In addition to ten bedrooms, it has undergone remodelling to include a sub-basement home cinema with seating for up to 12 people and a wine cellar which can store 1,251 bottles – in case you’d like something to drink with your popcorn. The spectacular gardens of Holland Park and Hyde Park are both within walking distance. knightfrank.com

ST. AGNES, CORNWALL, £2m

Brynmawr Farm is a family home with a contemporary twist. Built from oak, granite and sandstone in 2015, this traditional-style Cornish farmhouse has a master suite with walk-in-wardrobe and en-suite bathroom, four additional bedrooms and a generous living space with sliding glass doors. The real highlight, though, is the huge home cinema (pictured right) with folding doors leading out to the courtyard gardens – perfect for snug evenings in. An annexe provides additional accommodation or a holiday rental. struttandparker.com

WESTMINSTER, SW1, from £1.6m Culture vultures will love the cinema room and Art Deco-inspired features of The Broadway development on the former site of New Scotland Yard. You’re spoilt for Sunday afternoon activities – with two beautifully landscaped sky gardens coming soon, plus a pool and personal training studio, and Westminster Abbey practically on the doorstep. thebroadwaylondon.com; northacre.com

TADLEY, HAMPSHIRE, £7.5m Ibworth House is a Regency-style country house set within beautifully landscaped gardens, parkland and pasture with views over the Hampshire downs. The eight-bedroom property is approached along a tree-lined driveway, and includes equestrian facilities, an oak-framed barn and separate cottage and staff annexe. In the basement there is a store room, wine room and home cinema. savills.com

BELGRAVIA, SW1, from £5.25m Formerly the site of the iconic British Army Barracks for 150 years, Chelsea Barracks is one of the most exciting new developments in Belgravia. With views across Royal Hospital Chelsea and Whistler Square, the development’s Garrison club downstairs includes a billiards room, whisky store, private resident’s lounge and sumptuous cinema. Townhouses and apartments both available. chelseabarracks.com

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TOM FAULKNER

KIT KEMP

TIM GOSLING

PANDORA SYKES

LORD SPENCER

TARA BERNERD

MARTIN HULBERT

NINA CAMPBELL

MARTYN LAWRENCE BULLARD

The

HOUSE GUEST

P O D C A S T

New to Country & Town House, The House Guest podcast – exclusive interviews with the biggest names from the world of design and decoration.

AVA I L A B L E O N B R I T I S H A I R WAY S I N A S S O C I AT I O N W I T H

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countryandtownhouse.co.uk

17/12/2019 15:03

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3 REDE PLACE , NOTTING HILL W2

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ompletely redeveloped to offer world class luxury and lateral living. Discreetly tucked away this contemporary gem offers the very best in modern day standards, with a gym, pool and private parking. This remarkable house has been meticulously designed offering flexible accommodation.

5 B E D R O O M S | 6 B AT H R O O M S | 4 R E C E P T I O N R O O M S | P R I VAT E G A R D E N | B A L C O N Y | S W I M M I N G P O O L P R I VAT E PA R K I N G | A R R A N G E D O V E R F I V E F L O O R S | F R E E H O L D | E P C B C O N V E N I E N T LY L O C AT E D I N T H E H E A R T O F N O T T I N G H I L L

Guide price ÂŁ20,000,000 Knight Frank Notting Hill caroline.foord@knightfrank.com 020 8166 5451

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knightfrank.co.uk

20/12/2019 12:28

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3 WINDSOR HOUSE , HIGHGATE N2

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double-fronted detached house located on a prestigious avenue in North West London. This home offers spectacular family accommodation with the additional benefit of full leisure facilities including indoor / outdoor pool and gym and a beautifully landscaped garden.

8 B E D R O O M S | 8 B AT H R O O M S | 5 R E C E P T I O N R O O M S | C I N E M A | S W I M M I N G P O O L S | G Y M G A R A G E | O F F S T R E E T PA R K I N G F O R 6 C A R S | L A R G E R E A R G A R D E N | W I N E C E L L A R | S TA F F A C C O M M O D AT I O N F R E E H O L D | E P C B | N E A R E S T U N D E R G R O U N D S TAT I O N I S E A S T F I N C H L E Y

Guide Price ÂŁ13,995,000 Knight Frank Hampstead craig.draper@knightfrank.com 020 7317 7955

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20/12/2019 12:28

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THURLOE SQUARE , KNIGHTSBRIDGE SW7

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Grade II listed house situated on one of London's most sought-after garden squares. The house has been extensively redeveloped, including the installation of a new four person passenger lift and air conditioning. The property also benefits from beautifully proportioned rooms and views over the garden square.

7 B E D R O O M S | 7 B AT H R O O M S | 6 R E C E P T I O N R O O M S | G Y M | M E D I A R O O M | O U T S I D E S PA C E C O M M U N A L GA R D E N AC C E S S | I N T E R N A L L I F T | F R E E H O L D | G R A D E I I L I ST E D I D E A L LY L O C AT E D C L O S E T O T H E T R A N S P O R T L I N K S O F S O U T H K E N S I N G T O N A N D K N I G H T S B R I D G E

Guide price ÂŁ13,950,000 Knight Frank Knightsbridge harry.dawes@knightfrank.com 020 3641 5930

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knightfrank.co.uk

20/12/2019 12:29

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PARKSIDE , WIMBLEDON VILLAGE SW19

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fabulous detached house that has been re-built and extended to a high standard behind the original period facade. Approached via a gated carriage driveway, this impressive property has magnificent proportions with a master bedroom suite that runs the entire width of the house, as well as a lovely terrace and garden to the rear.

7 B E D R O O M S | 9 B AT H R O O M S | 5 R E C E P T I O N R O O M S C I N E M A R O O M | G A R A G E | G A R D E N | A P P R O X I M AT E LY 1 1 ,7 8 4 S Q F T | F R E E H O L D | E P C B I D E A L LY L O C AT E D FA C I N G D I R E C T LY O N T O W I M B L E D O N C O M M O N

Guide price ÂŁ12,500,000 Knight Frank Wimbledon diana.wormal@knightfrank.com 020 8946 0026

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20/12/2019 12:29

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3 ARGYLL ROAD, KENSINGTON W8

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n elegant family house which is well located at the northern end of Argyll Road on the Phillimore Estate. The Phillimore Estate is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious residential locations in central London, perfectly located between Holland Park and Hyde Park.

6 B E D R O O M S | 5 B AT H R O O M S | 3 R E C E P T I O N R O O M S | O P E N - P L A N FA M I LY A C C O M M O D AT I O N P R I VAT E G A R D E N | F R E E H O L D | E P C D | A R G Y L L R O A D I S C O N V E N I E N T LY L O C AT E D C L O S E T O T H E W I D E VA R I E T Y O F R E S TA U R A N T S A N D S H O P S O F K E N S I N G T O N H I G H S T R E E T.

Guide price ÂŁ9,950,000 Knight Frank Kensington peter.bevan@knightfrank.com 020 3589 2698

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knightfrank.co.uk

20/12/2019 12:29

1 COLERIDGE GARDENS, CHELSEA SW10

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n exceptional duplex penthouse located in a prestigious development, with views over Chelsea and towards the City skyscrapers. Kings Chelsea development offers residents 24-hour security, concierge, underground parking and leisure facilities with extensive communal gardens.

6 B E D R O O M S | 5 B AT H R O O M S | 2 R E C E P T I O N R O O M S | R O O F T E R R A C E | C O M M U N A L G A R D E N L E I S U R E FA C I L I T I E S | C O N C I E R G E

Guide price ÂŁ8,000,000 Knight Frank Chelsea james.pace@knightfrank.com 020 7349 4302

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20/12/2019 12:29

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3 WELL ROAD, HAMPSTEAD NW3

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his newly built five bedroom home with private parking has been extended to approximately 4,295 sq ft for contemporary living .The house is located in the heart of Hampstead Village, close to a number of excellent state and private schools and the incredible Heath.

5 B E D R O O M S | 5 B AT H R O O M S | O P E N P L A N L I V I N G A R E A | S T U D Y H O M E G Y M | P R I VAT E PA R K I N G | R O O F T E R R A C E | F R E E H O L D | E P C E CLOSE TO THE MANY AMENITIES AND TRANSPORT LINKS OF HAMPSTEAD

Guide price £6,950,000 Knight Frank Hampstead craig.draper@knightfrank.com 0208 033 9000

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20/12/2019 12:29

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HOLLAND PARK VILLAS, KENSINGTON W8

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n immaculate lateral apartment across 2,370 sq ft of exceptional living and entertaining accommodation. Holland Park Villas offers five star hotel-style concierge services with 24 hour security and security lodge. Extensive amenities including club room, cinema, business suite, library, wine cellar and a catering kitchen.

3 B E D R O O M S | 3 B AT H R O O M S | R E C E P T I O N R O O M | C O N C I E R G E LIFT | SWIMMING POOL | GYM | COMMUNAL GARDEN L E A S E H O L D A P P R O X I M AT E LY 9 9 7 Y E A R S R E M A I N I N G | E P C E

Guide price ÂŁ6,950,000 Knight Frank Kensington jessica.bishop@knightfrank.com 020 3589 2698

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20/12/2019 12:29

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SOUTH TERRACE , SOUTH KENSINGTON SW7

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n elegant terraced family house in a sought after location with the benefit of a private garden and high ceilings throughout. The house is beautifully presented and optimised in its layout with a well-proportioned reception room with a balcony and a bright aspect. The property offers extensive family accommodation.

5 B E D R O O M S | 4 B AT H R O O M S | 3 R E C E P T I O N R O O M S | P R I VAT E G A R D E N | F R E E H O L D | E P C D I D E A L LY L O C AT E D F O R T R A N S P O R T L I N K S O F K N I G H T S B R I D G E A N D S O U T H K E N S I N G T O N

Guide price ÂŁ5,950,000 Knight Frank Knightsbridge harry.dawes@knightfrank.com 020 3641 5930

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LADBROKE GROVE , NOTTING HILL W11

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his recently rebuilt home is a truly exceptional reinterpretation of an elegant Notting Hill house. This thoroughly bespoke two bedroom home sits at the end of a stucco painted terrace located in a leafy green corner of two tree-lined avenues offering an east/west aspect and abundance of natural light.

2 B E D R O O M S | 2 B AT H R O O M S | 2 R E C E P T I O N R O O M S | P R I VAT E G A R D E N P R I VAT E PA R K I N G | A P P R O X I M AT E LY 1 , 5 9 2 S Q F T | F R E E H O L D | E P C E | I D E A L LY L O C AT E D N E A R T H E M A N Y A M E N I T I E S O F H O L L A N D PA R K A N D N O T T I N G H I L L

Guide price ÂŁ4,750,000 Knight Frank Notting Hill arthur.lintell@knightfrank.com 020 8166 5451

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20/12/2019 12:29

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BASKERVILLE ROAD, WANDSWORTH SW18

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spectacular family house on the Toast Rack with direct access to Wandsworth Common. The house is offered in immaculate condition throughout with the rare and added benefits of off street parking and an exceptionally long garden. The property also has permission for a 2,000 sq ft basement conversion.

5 B E D R O O M S | 3 B AT H R O O M S | 2 R E C E P T I O N R O O M S | 1 1 6 F T G A R D E N A P P R O X I M AT E LY 3 , 6 1 6 S Q F T | F R E E H O L D | E P C D C L O S E T O WA N D S W O R T H C O M M O N O V E R G R O U N D S TAT I O N

Guide price ÂŁ4,500,000 Knight Frank Wandsworth sam.sproston@knightfrank.com 020 3641 7731

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knightfrank.co.uk

20/12/2019 12:29

RECENTLY SOLD HOMES IN CHELSEA

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PAULTONS SQUARE, CHELSEA SW3

WEST TOWER, CHELSEA WATERFRONT SW10

DRAYTON GARDENS, CHELSEA SW10

This beautifully presented family home with private garden was sold within four weeks of coming to market with Knight Frank Chelsea.

After seeing this superb development set in the heart of London's most historic and sought after areas this outof-town buyer had to have it.

This substantial house on the prime Chelsea street was sold at competitive bidding after over 200 viewings. Call us today to find out how we can help you.

4 BEDROOMS | 2 BATHROOMS | GRADE II LISTED

4 BEDROOMS | 4 BATHROOMS | BALCONY

5 BEDROOMS | 3 BATHROOMS | GRADE II LISTED

Guide price £5,350,000

Guide price £4,807,000

Guide price £4,995,000

sarah.rose@knightfrank.com

antonia.lambert@knightfrank.com

sarah.rose@knightfrank.com

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GILSTON ROAD, CHELSEA SW10

SHREWSBURY HOUSE, CHELSEA SW3

ELM PARK ROAD, CHELSEA SW3

A new record price for an unmodernised house in 2019 was achieved for this exceptional house located in one of the most desirable streets in Chelsea.

This charming flat with rooftop views, was sold to an East London buyer looking to move to vibrant Old Chelsea.

This attractive semi-detached villa style property with adjoining mews house achieved multiple bids for our client.

4 BEDROOMS | 3 BATHROOMS | EPC D

2 BEDROOMS | BATHROOM | EPC C

5 BEDROOMS | 5 BATHROOMS | EPC G

Guide price £11,250,000

Guide price £1,100,000

Guide price £7,450,000

james.pace@knightfrank.com

robert.french@knightfrank.com

james.pace@knightfrank.com

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REDCLIFFE ROAD, CHELSEA SW10

CHEYNE WALK, CHELSEA SW3

GERTRUDE STREET, CHELSEA SW10

Located on a cherry tree-lined residential street this home was sold off market to a buyer who had fallen in love with the house 18 months previously.

This elegant apartment with open plan kitchen and reception room was sold off market to an international buyer close to guide price.

This family home with beautiful garden had been in the same ownership for over 40 years before we found the perfect buyer for them.

3 BEDROOMS | 2-3 BATHROOMS | EPC E

2 BEDROOMS | 2 BATHROOMS | EPC D

4 BEDROOMS | 2 BATHROOMS | EPC D

Guide price £3,950,000

Guide price £1,650,000

Guide price £3,000,000

sarah.rose@knightfrank.com

antonia.lambert@knightfrank.com

robert.french@knightfrank.com

If you are thinking of selling or letting your property, or would like some advice on the current market, please contact the Chelsea office on 020 7349 4302

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knightfrank.co.uk

20/12/2019 12:29

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KINGSWOOD AVENUE , QUEEN'S PARK NW6

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show-stopping, impressively finished period property with direct views over Queen's Park. This family home has been interior designed by Trilbey Gordon, and features a stylish mix of sumptuous materials and edgy finishes. Every detail has been meticulously thought out, creating a breathtaking finish.

4 B E D R O O M S | 3 - 4 B AT H R O O M S | 2 R E C E P T I O N R O O M S G A R D E N | E P C D | F R E E H O L D | I D E A L LY L O C AT E D C L O S E T O T H E T R A N S P O R T L I N K S O F Q U E E N ' S PA R K A N D B R O N D E S B U R Y PA R K

Guide price ÂŁ3,750,000 Knight Frank Queen's Park sarah.khalil@knightfrank.com 020 3815 3020

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knightfrank.co.uk

20/12/2019 12:29

HOMES FOR SALE IN WIMBLEDON SW19

1 1 B E R K E L EY P L AC E , W I M B L E D O N SW 1 9

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beautifully presented period house set within a quiet cul-de-sac in Wimbledon Village. The house offers generous entertaining space and benefits from a separate studio in the garden.

5 B E D R O O M S | 3 B AT H R O O M S | 2 R E C E P T I O N R O O M S A P P R O X I M AT E L Y 3 , 0 8 0 S Q F T | F R E E H O L D | E P C E | W I M B L E D O N T R A I N S TAT I O N U N D E R 1 M I L E AWAY

Guide price ÂŁ2,950,000 Knight Frank Wimbledon diana.wormal@knightfrank.com 020 8946 0026

1 2 C O T T E N H A M PA R K R OA D, W I M B L E D O N SW 1 9

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handsome family house offering the best of classic design with quality contemporary finishes. The kitchen is particularly impressive with direct access to the landscaped garden.

6 B E D R O O M S | 4 B AT H R O O M S | 3 R E C E P T I O N R O O M S | O F F - S T R E E T P A R K I N G A P P R O X I M AT E L Y 3 , 9 9 7 S Q F T | F R E E H O L D | E P C A | O V E R L O O K I N G P L AY I N G F I E L D S N E A R W I M B L E D O N C O M M O N

The guide price is available upon request Knight Frank Wimbledon diana.wormal@knightfrank.com 020 8946 0026

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WRENTHAM AVENUE , KENSAL RISE NW10

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spacious, end-of-terrace house with private, off street parking. This uniquely designed home features a striking facade and beautiful interiors. Situated in an enviable location, its far-reaching views over Tiverton Green and proximity to Queen's Park offer modern living in a tranquil location.

5 B E D R O O M S | 4 B AT H R O O M S | 3 R E C E P T I O N R O O M S | L A N D S C A P E D G A R D E N P R I VAT E PA R K I N G | F R E E H O L D | E P C E | I D E A L LY L O C AT E D F O R T H E T R A N S P O R T L I N K S O F K E N S A L R I S E A N D Q U E E N ' S PA R K

Guide price ÂŁ2,900,000 Knight Frank Queen's Park sarah.khalil@knightfrank.com 020 3815 3020

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THAMES QUAY, CHELSEA HARB OUR SW10

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his apartment benefits from two large terraces that provide stunning views over the river and the harbour. The property has been refurbished to a high standard and carefully thought out to maximise space with a semi-open plan kitchen as well as secure garage parking for two cars.

2 B E D R O O M S | 2 B AT H R O O M S | R E C E P T I O N R O O M C O N C I E R G E | P R E S T I G I O U S L O C AT I O N | A P P R O X I M AT E LY 1 , 3 0 2 S Q F T | L E A S E H O L D | E P C C C L O S E T O T H E S H O P S A N D R E S TA U R A N T S O F F U L H A M A N D C H E L S E A

Guide price ÂŁ1,995,000 Knight Frank Battersea & Riverside matt.smith@knightfrank.com 020 8115 2329

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ALBION RIVERISDE , BATTERSEA SW11

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his lateral apartment in an iconic development benefits from incredible river views towards Albert Bridge. The modern and contemporary interior is in superb condition and floor to ceiling windows throughout the apartment provide an abundance of natural light.

2 B E D R O O M S | 2 B AT H R O O M S | R E C E P T I O N R O O M | B A L C O N Y C O N C I E R G E | G Y M | S W I M M I N G P O O L | PA R K I N G | A P P R O X I M AT E LY 9 7 2 S Q F T | L E A S E H O L D | E P C B C L O S E T O T H E S H O P S A N D R E S TA U R A N T S O F K I N G ' S R O A D A N D C H E L S E A

Guide price ÂŁ1,895,000 Knight Frank Battersea & Riverside matt.smith@knightfrank.com 020 8115 2329

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FOXB OURNE ROAD, WANDSWORTH SW17

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superb renovated and extended family house located on the popular Heaver Estate. With elegant period features throughout, this property has a great balance of family accommodation and living space, as well as benefiting from a large garden.

5 B E D R O O M S | 3 B AT H R O O M S | 2 R E C E P T I O N R O O M S G A R D E N | P L AY R O O M | A P P R O X I M AT E LY 2 , 8 3 1 S Q F T | F R E E H O L D | E P C E B A L H A M U N D E R G R O U N D A N D O V E R G R O U N D S TAT I O N S A P P R O X I M AT E LY 0 . 5 M I L E S / 8 M I N U T E WA L K

Guide price ÂŁ1,795,000 Knight Frank Wandsworth toby.turnage@knightfrank.com 020 3641 7731

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LANCASTER ROAD, NOTTING HILL W11

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rare opportunity to acquire a spacious and beautifully interior designed apartment in the heart of Notting Hill. This immaculate flat is well-proportioned with large windows offering an abundance of natural light throughout the apartment.

2 B E D R O O M S | 3 B AT H R O O M S | 1 R E C E P T I O N R O O M | O F F I C E A R R A N G E D OV E R T WO F L O O R S | C H A R M I N G P E R I O D B U I L D I N G | S H A R E O F F R E E H O L D | E P C C I D E A L LY L O C AT E D N E A R B Y T O T H E V I B R A N T P O R T O B E L L O R O A D

Guide price ÂŁ1,695,000 Knight Frank Notting Hill chelsea.whelan@knightfrank.com 020 8166 5451

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20/12/2019 12:29

1 REDCLIFFE GARDENS, CHELSEA SW10

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two-bedroom apartment with wonderfully high ceilings, a high-end finish and fantastic entertaining space. Redcliffe Gardens is close to the many amenities of Fulham Road and Kings Road and has excellent transport connections to Central London and Heathrow airport.

2 B E D R O O M S | 2 B AT H R O O M S | 1 R E C E P T I O N R O O M | E P C C

Guide price ÂŁ1,250,000 Knight Frank Chelsea robert.french@knightfrank.com 020 8128 9743

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WALHAM GROVE , FULHAM SW6

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his exceptionally wide four-storey family home is set well back from the road and offers generous proportions. Located on one of Fulham's most desirable streets, the house has been meticulously rebuilt and fully furnished to an outstanding specification by Vitruvius & Company.

4 B E D R O O M S | 3 B AT H R O O M S | 2 R E C E P T I O N R O O M S S E PA R AT E A N N E X E | L A N D S C A P E D G A R D E N | A P P R O X I M AT E LY 2 , 6 2 6 S Q F T | F R E E H O L D | E P C C C L O S E T O T H E A M E N I T I E S A N D T R A N S P O R T L I N K S O F F U L H A M B R O A D WAY

Guide price available upon request Knight Frank Fulham nicola.federico@knightfrank.com 020 3544 0635

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1 BULLINGHAM MANSIONS, KENSINGTON W8

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third floor apartment in a sought-after and exceptionally quiet, gated development in prime Kensington. Bullingham Mansions is ideally located just off Kensington Church Street and benefits from the extensive range of shopping & transport facilities of both Kensington High Street and Notting Hill Gate.

2 B E D R O O M S | 2 B AT H R O O M S | R E C E P T I O N R O O M R E S I D E N T C A R E TA K E R | S H A R E O F F R E E H O L D | E P C E 0 . 4 M I L E S F R O M K E N S I N G T O N H I G H S T R E E T U N D E R G R O U N D S TAT I O N ( C I R C L E & D I S T R I C T L I N E S )

Guide price ÂŁ975,000 Knight Frank Kensington michael.sands@knightfrank.com 020 3589 2698

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CTH DPS Ad 12.19.qxp_Layout 1 17/12/2019 11:24 Page 1

Port Navas, Falmouth Constantine - 2 miles, Falmouth - 6 miles, Truro - 15 miles Contemporary creekside house on the Helford River Estuary. Long frontage to Port Navas Creek. 4 bedrooms, detached studio cottage.

2152 sqft, 2.25 acres, EPC - G Guide price ÂŁ1.5m

Maenporth, Falmouth Falmouth - 2.5 miles, Truro - 12 miles, Newquay Airport - 31 miles Beautiful, detached listed Georgian farmhouse a short walk from the coast. 5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, garaging and tennis court.

3394 sqft, 1.2 acres.

Guide price ÂŁ1.295

J O N AT H A N CUNLIFFE Jonathon Cunlifee.indd 2

jonathancunliffe.co.uk

17/12/2019 12:34

Lanner Moor, Mid Cornwall Falmouth 8 miles, Truro 8 miles.

Elegant Georgian country house with fabulous interior. 5 bedrooms, garaging, studio, swimming pool, stable block.

4031 sqft, 7.81 acres, EPC - F Guide price £1.25m

Budock Vean, Falmouth Falmouth 5 miles, Truro 14 miles.

Idyllic “New England” style house on Helford River. 3 bedrooms, private driveway and parking, private jetty/pontoon.

1206 sqft, 0.48 acres, EPC - F Guide price £850,000

J O N AT H A N jonathancunliffe.co.uk

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CUNLIFFE 17/12/2019 12:34

Fryerning Essex Wyatts Green, Essex Fryerning Essex

Guide Price £1,380,000 Guide Price £3,850,000 Guide Price £3,850,000 An impressive extended four double bedroom striking five double bedroom, reception Grade II AAstriking five double bedroom, fourfour reception Grade II detached family residence on a plot of in excess of listed period property thought to date backback 500 years. listed period property thought to date 500 years. three acres, located in the village of Wyatts Green This charming residence is originally thought to beto 3 be 3 charming residence is originally thought nearThis Brentwood with village and open countryside cottages, now providing a fantastic flow of interesting cottages, now providing a fantastic flow of interesting on your doorstep. Shenfield main line station and family living space over twowell floors.

The The andextensive extensive family space over two floors. is approx.

4.5 miles.

The living property is very 7.5 acre plot comprises formal grounds mixed 7.5 acre plot comprises formal grounds mixed presented and spacious with the added benefit of sympathetically with paddocks (benefitting fromfrom a paddock land to the with rear paddocks and an outbuilding/gym/ sympathetically (benefitting a second separate access), ponds and a substantial lake. office.

EPC separate C. second access), ponds and a substantial lake.

Numerous outbuildings, tennis court, double garage Numerous court, double garage and detachedoutbuildings, one bedroomtennis annexe.

Equestrian and detached one bedroom annexe. Equestrian potential.

EPC Exempt

potential. EPC Exempt

Country && Village ce 01277 Country VillageOffi Office 01245350614 397475

Country & Village Office 01245 397475

Fryerning Essex Fryerning, Essex Guide GuidePrice Price £3,850,000 £1,275,000 - £1,300,000

Fryerning Essex An imposing four double bedroom residenceGrade II A striking five double bedroom, four reception approached by a sweeping driveway, Guide Price £3,850,000 listed period property thoughtgravelled to date back 500 years. located on theresidence peripheryisof Ingatestone village This charming originally thought to be 3

A striking double bedroom, four reception Grade II with five its main rail station to London cottages, nowline providing a fantastic flow ofLiverpool interesting listedand period property thought to date back 500 years.

Street and excellent mainspace road links.

A beautiful extensive family living over two floors.

The This charming residence is originally thought to be family home offering ‘Annexe potential’, well 7.5 acre plot comprises formal grounds mixed 3 cottages, nowliving providing fantastic flow of interesting planned space, a sunny (benefitting conservatory, sympathetically with a paddocks from a master bedroom suite and a fabulous landscaped and extensive family living space over two floors. Thelake. second separate access), ponds and a substantial garden 0.6tennis ofgrounds ancourt, acre. mixed EPC C.garage 7.5 acre plot approaching comprises formal Numerous outbuildings, double sympathetically with paddocks from a and detached one bedroom(benefitting annexe. Equestrian potential.

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LAST WORD

TALES OF OUR TIME

‘Nothing changes until something moves,’ Michael Hayman ponders Einstein’s words of wisdom as the decade changes

E

instein was a master of the generalities of genius. One of his many gems was this: nothing happens until something moves.

The what ifs and the what to dos, the penury of indecision. And more often than not the choice to delay, dither and defer marked out our last decade as an age of noise rather than the much needed signal of direction.

Whether you were worried about Brexit, elections, or the state of the economy, there has been no shortage of big problems to furrow the most optimistic of brows.

It has been wisely said that life is what happens while you are busy making plans. And years planning contingencies and coping strategies taking us nowhere might well have been the epitaph of the last decade but for its final weeks.

One that started with the anxiousness of the financial crash has ended with a sudden sense of settlement.

And the speed of that resolution has been a seismic surprise.

The recent general election is a big move which opens up the prospect of

Stella Tennant, granddaughter of ‘Debo’ Devonshire, famous 1920s socialite

change, and that applies whether you love or loath the result.

So, hello to the twenties and the hopes of a new decade. Will it be roaring as it was a century ago or dispiritingly similar to the one we leave behind?

Einstein also contended that doing the same thing over again and expecting a different result was the definition of insanity.

Which begs the question what will you change if you want a different outcome?

A century ago was a very different time. Four years of total sacrifice in total war was to lead to a massive outpouring of energy and enthusiasm as many of those who felt lucky to be alive made it their mission to live.

Dark days were to follow, for sure. But in the dawn of this new decade there are lessons from the past, and again a choice.

Optimism and kindness are your gifts to give. And what a hallmark for this new decade they could be.

Positivity not pessimism drives progress. And that, as Einstein might have said (but didn’t), isn’t rocket science. n

TASTE Annaré – a coeliac’s gluten-free heaven nestled away in leafy East Horsley (annare.co.uk). LISTEN The Dropout. The story of Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos – you couldn’t make it up. The excellent film version, Bad Blood, has just been released on Apple. EXPERIENCE Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, a national treasure – I’ve just joined the advisory council so I am biased (rpo.co.uk). READ Promise at Dawn by Romain Gary – a beautiful autobiography. WATCH Bobby Kennedy for President (Netflix). The story of what might have been for America.

PHOTOS: SHUTTERSTOCK

TA L K ING POIN TS

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