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DECOR ATING & SHOPPING

BEAUTIFUL OLD HOMES

GARDEN ANTIQUES INSPIRATION & VINTAGE

RENOVATION & MAINTENANCE

PERIODLIVING BRITAIN’S BEST-SELLING PERIOD HOMES MAGAZINE

Vintage homes From an idyllic thatched cottage to a charming converted coach house

APRIL 2022

Cottagegardens Plant a romantic scheme abundant with joyful flowers

SHAKER KITCHENS Timeless spaces with handcrafted character

ELEGANT DINING ROOM INSPIRATION

GUIDE TO PERFECT HANGING BASKETS

ARTISAN DESIGNS Decorate with beautiful block-printed fabrics and wallpapers

Illustration Sarah Overs Photograph David Lloyd

Editor’s Letter

pring is finally here, bringing so much joy and optimism with brighter days, budding flowers and the dawn chorus.

If you find the reawakening of nature has inspired a renewed sense of vigour for improving your home and garden, then this issue is packed with ideas for bringing your dream to life.

One feature I particularly want to highlight this month is Creative Imprint (page 33), an exploration of the ancient craft of hand block printing, which is experiencing a renaissance thanks to a new generation of design talent. It’s an incredibly intricate process, and it can take days to produce a small amount of fabric or wallpaper, using as many as 200 printing blocks. It’s no wonder that many of the designs come with a high price tag, due to the labour involved. However, even when used in small doses, a beautiful block print really injects charm and originality into a room.

Period Living often celebrates the work of Arts and Crafts luminaries like William Morris, but if any group of artisans ever embodied true craftsmanship, it has to be the Shakers.

Originating in northern England, they moved to the US in the 18th century. The community was famous for its exceptionally well made, yet simply styled furniture, which along with chairs, tables and peg rails, included the panelled cabinet door style so ubiquitous in kitchens.

This issue, we offer advice and inspiration for recreating this iconic style – not just imitating that most popular of door fronts, but capturing core elements of the Shaker ethos (page 101).

If the delights of spring are encouraging you to get outside this month, then you will enjoy National Trust head gardener Rosie Fyles’ feature on cottage gardens, and why they were such a Victorian idyll (page 128). Not only were these romantic schemes bursting with flouncy, perfumed flowers, they also had to be productive spaces, with herbs and crops close at hand for food and medicine. It’s a garden style that many of us still aspire to capture today, so take a cue from the key plants and design elements.

Finally, this month you can bring a reminder of the garden indoors with our subscription offer (page 50). When you sign up, you will receive a free set of Emma Bridgewater cake tins, worth £42, featuring painterly tulips, sunflowers and dahlias. Enjoy the issue.

Melanie Griffiths Editor, Period Living

Period Living 3

Decorating & shopping

13

Homes

24

Journal

Sarah Druce has transformed an old stable block into a cosy, year-round retreat

We round up the latest interiors offerings and news

19

40

Easter treats Add seasonal cheer to your home with these delightful buys

21

Labour of love Having stumbled on the cottage of their dreams, Christina and Nigel Dickinson didn’t hesitate

Decorative plates

60

Update your tableware with these pretty patterned designs

33

A home for all seasons

The happy house Sarah Williamson-Jones extended and updated a country house to create her forever family home

Hand block printing We explore this time-honoured skill while looking to the printers reinvigorating the craft

53

22

Mixing it up Pearl Lowe shares her tips on combining textiles and patterns

134

Made in Britain We visit print designer Isla Middleton in the South Devon countryside that inspires her

141

Antiques journal Discover the latest antiques trends and hear collectors’ stories

145

Blue and white vases Discover the appeal of investing in these decorative ceramics

147

Dining room design

Explore Highclere We share highlights of the iconic home and star of Downton Abbey

Create an elegant space that gives guests a warm impression

71

Features

162

Decorate with lilac

Easter craft Have a crack at decorating your own pretty eggs

The myriad variations of this delicate pastel shade can inspire the most restful interiors

21 19

Cover Photograph Julia Currie Styling Pippa Blenkinsop and Karen Darlow

60 Period Living 7

128 Advice & inspiration

86

History of hallways

Gardens

78

Lee Bilson looks at the evolution of these transitional spaces

91

House journal Discover the latest products for improving your period home

93

Bathroom wall tiles Breathe new life into your bathroom with these pretty yet practical designs

98

Bathroom panelling ideas Try this decorating technique to create an elegant backdrop

101 111 113

117

Restore old paving Expert Roger Hunt advises on maintaining this essential feature

11

Springtime elegance

Garden journal

119

We share our readers’ letters and photographs

50

Subscription offer

Growing foxgloves Discover how to get the most out of these cottage garden essentials

125

Hanging baskets Learn how to plant stunning baskets and how to keep them looking their best

127

Wildlife ponds Find out why you should add a wildlife pond to your garden and where to start

128

91

Gardens in time National Trust head gardener Rosie Fyles reveals the secrets of Victorian cottage garden design

40

71 8 Period Living

Your journal

Subscribe to Period Living for just £43.50 and receive a free set of Emma Bridgewater cake tins worth £42

Products, workshops and places to inspire your plot

Thatched roofing Douglas Kent discusses the art of this historic roof covering

Regulars & offers

Sandhill Farm House is a glorious showcase of Rosemary Alexander’s gardening passion

Shaker kitchen ideas Bring this charming, timeless style to your home

119

Readers’ letters, projects and views on the magazine

STA R

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Last weekend, I fancied having a little dinner party so I decided to cook a three-course meal. I went with a French theme, using recipes from the February issue. We had Parisian onion soup, followed by confit of cod on ratatouille, and then my husband made a delicious Eton mess with tinned strawberries (which are delicious if you haven’t tried them).

Joanne from @tales_from_ the_croft on Instagram

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BON APPÉTIT

Feature Holly Reaney Illustration Sarah Overs Images (kitchen) Douglas Gibb; (houses) Roger Hunt

T VINTAGE REVIVAL

It’s often the details in magazine features that can spark imagination, provide motivation and offer the confidence to continue with building a home. In my case, page 67 of the February issue rekindled a memory.

Sharon and Gavin Hunt made kitchen drawers by reclaiming vintage crates. Forty years ago, I used these ‘potato boxes’ – they weren’t vintage then – to store fruit and vegetables when we moved into our farmhouse. It was derelict, our finances were minimal and we had no other place to store our vegetables.

Now, as we move into our retirement home, I will be sure to find a place for a ‘vintage’ crate. Gil Lester

This month’s star letter writer receives this beautiful Peonies morning coffee mug set, worth £41, from award-winning peony nursery Primrose Hall Peonies

HANDY COMPANION This week has been a slow one for us in terms of renovating as the cold weather has slowed progress on the roof and we’re waiting on deliveries to finish off projects indoors. We’ve taken some time to reread The Period Home Handbook.

Even though it’s now quite an old PL supplement, it is still really useful and full of tips.

Sam and Chris from @church_ hill_house on Instagram Get in touch: periodliving@futurenet.com

@periodlivingmagazine

@PeriodLivingMag

@period_living Period Living 11

This April, celebrate Easter and brighter spring days with seasonal tableware, pretty fabrics and craft-led designs

Feature Alice Humphrys

Little Daffodils large teacup and saucer, £38; small butter dish, £34; cereal bowl, £21; plates, from £14; ½ pint mug, £22; medium straight jug, £42; medium pasta bowl, £24; Bumblebee ½ pint mug, £22; plates, from £19; egg cups, £32 for a set of 3; cereal bowl, £21; Aconites small mug, £16, all Emma Bridgewater

SEASONAL CHEER

Spring is a time of transition – the weather warms up, the days are longer and brighter, and we can always rely on cheery yellow daffodils to help lift our spirits. This Easter, make the most of any rays of sunshine and create a no-fuss spring tablescape in the garden for brunch or afternoon tea.

Layer up linens and scatter jugs and cups filled with seasonal blooms. Emma Bridgewater’s jolly new Little Daffodils collection is the perfect celebration of spring and will chase away any winter blues. It includes plates, mugs, bowls, vases, jam jars, and even a hen on a nest. Team the designs with Emma’s Bumblebee collection for the perfect pairing.

Period Living 13

News

MADE TO LAST

Passionate about zero-waste living, sisters Olivia and Marnie Walker have launched a new lifestyle brand, Keep Candles, selling multi-use candles that double up as unique homeware products designed to be refilled or reused. The range includes candles set in ceramic egg cups, bowls and mugs, all handmade by a UK potter, and glassware that can be reused for drinks. All of the candles are hand poured and blended in the pair’s London home. For a clean burn, they only use natural wax (coconut and rapeseed), cotton wicks and pure essential oils. From £16.

Tall mug candle, £42

Bowl candle, £115

COUNTRY LIVING

Egg cup candle, £16

BRIGHT IDEA Established during lockdown, Hum London creates one-of-a-kind, handpainted cotton lampshades. From leopard prints and ginghams to swirls, squiggles and stripes, in a spectrum of rainbow colours, its eclectic designs can transform a simple space. Founders (and sisters) Ellie and Hermione Gee struggled to find the perfect shade to upgrade a standard lamp base, so they set to work designing their own and haven’t looked back. There are now 22 different designs in the range, plus they have already collaborated with the likes of Oka, as well as offering bespoke commissions. Prices start at £65 for wall lights and £78 for small table lamp shades.

English Garden is one of seven new fabric ranges from Prestigious Textiles for 2022, featuring sophisticated watercolour motifs of greenhouses and gardens in full bloom – think potting sheds, allotments and tinkering away in the garden on a sunny afternoon. The soft botanicals, trailing floral designs and seasonal fruit trees bring pops of colour in rosy pinks and vibrant greens, while the stripe and check weave fabrics enhance the quintessential country look.

This joyful new collection, with its conversational prints, is a true celebration of country living and will appeal to any hobby gardeners. Prices start at £25 per m.

CAPTURE THE COAST Two artists and friends, Imogen Bone and Jill Hudson, are known for their evocative studies of the Cornish Coast. Last summer they decided to walk the coastal path together, interpreting the landscape in their own different styles. The beautiful paintings can be seen in Walking Distance, a spring exhibition at The Byre Gallery on the Rame Peninsula, Cornwall, 2-24 April. They are also showcasing the exhibition online at thebyregallery.co.uk.

COLOURFUL COMBO

Large hanging wreath, £60; Oakridge table, £1,300; round bud vase in blue, £10; spindle back chair, £180, all Garden Trading

FLORAL DISPLAY

Looking to make your interior that bit more ‘festive’ this Easter?

Welcome spring into your home, and blur the boundaries between inside and outside, with a fabulous hanging wreath above your dining table. Repurpose your existing Christmas wreath and suspend it from the ceiling, or buy a ready-made hanging one from Garden Trading, from £38. To decorate, simply wrap with trailing ivy and add colour with a collection of seasonal flowers. Finish with Easter egg decorations and fairy lights for added twinkle.

16 Period Living

Roger Oates has collaborated with design studio A Rum Fellow to create its boldest and most colour-confident collection of flatweave rugs and runners to date. With colour and composition at its core, this bold and playful collection sees the introduction of a woven diamond design. ‘I wanted to find a way to introduce more pattern, so you’ll find the diamond at the heart of the collaboration,’ says Andy Guard, head of design at Roger Oates. Together the brands have reimagined traditional weaving and embroidery techniques and, with a careful placement of colour and the layering of patterns, they have created a contemporary and bold take on woven flooring. You’ll find four designs in 10 new kaleidoscopic colourways, with each design bringing individuality and flair to your home.

Prices start from £149.50 per m.

Shopping Emma Bridgewater mini Easter egg tins, £11.95 for a set of 4, Annabel James

Floral Easter wreath, from £39.99, Lights4fun

Bunny wooden egg holders, £16 for a set of 2, The White Company

Easter treats Celebrate the magic of spring and add seasonal cheer to your home with these delightful buys

Lepus the Hare star celestial creature decoration, £30, Bear Print Design

Little Daffodils hen, £80, Emma Bridgewater Your Garden assorted seeds, £1.95 per pack, Rex London

Indigo Geese in the Grass straight mug, £22, Susie Watson

Bouncing Bunnies Easter pot embroidery kit, £16.50, Poppy Treffry

Apostle simnel fruit cake, £32, Bettys

Spring Flowers card, £3, Hadley Paper Goods

Feature Alice Humphrys

Easter tree DIY kit, £35, Biscuiteers

Midnight Meadow ochre yellow cotton and velvet cushion, £65, Flora & Fauna

Period Living 19

Shopping

Fiskardo round tray, £32, Garden Trading

Hobyo hybrid dinner plate, £62, Seletti

Vintage display plate with birds and flowers, £200, Raj Tent Club

Decorative dinner plate in Azul, £28, Rose & Grey

Paloma dinner plate in black/ yellow, £30, Montes & Clark

Ray dessert plate in Tangerine, £21.99, Softstore

Feature Alice Humphrys

Azur shrimp side plate, £12.50, Oliver Bonas

Bamboo floral plate, £10, Brassica Mercantile

Renata dinner plate, £22, Anthropologie

Flora’s Folly plate, £30, Dog & Dome

Nova coupe plate, £16, Cotswold Grey

Swirly party dessert plate, £35, Pentreath & Hall

Newport dinner plate, £40, Jonathan Adler

Dinner is served

Update your tableware with a splash of colour and pretty patterned plates to create a feast for all the senses Period Living 21

Mixing it up Designer Pearl Lowe reveals how she creatively combines textiles and patterns, for a beautifully eclectic look etting the balance right when mixing patterns and prints is vital to a room’s success. As you may have seen from my Instagram (@pearllowe) I use lots of patterns and textures in the rooms I decorate. However, I do find that many of my clients struggle to mix patterns, so I have pulled together some tips and ideas based on my approach to decorating my own home in Somerset.

Firstly, take inspiration from the world around you.

I love drawing inspiration from hotel rooms that I stay in and the restaurant bathrooms that I visit. I always take lots of photos for reference and then search the web for fabrics, wallpapers and tiles to recreate the bits that I like.

I’m a big believer in walking into a room and letting the space speak to you with what it needs in terms of both colour and pattern. When I’m decorating a room, I tend

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to bring in a bundle of fabric from my travels and vintage stores, and then look at them to consider where they could work within a space.

There are no rules – have fun mixing it up. I love combining vintage and global styles; patterned wallpapers with ornate antique mirrors and feathers and flowers.

Once you have found some fabrics you like, it’s easy to get them made into lampshades, cushions, throws and tablecloths – let your love of a fabric or pattern lead you.

Approach each room with function in mind, and make it personal to the individual. For my daughter Betty’s room, I tend to opt for a pretty cottagecore style with wallpapers from Farrow & Ball and bedding from Coco & Wolf, who make the most heavenly sheets using Liberty fabric.

I often match my bedding with a fabric lampshade placed each side of the bed.

Cushions add another dimension, as do vintage eiderdowns. Trash Velvet has some amazing cushions, while Etsy and Hoarde Vintage sell beautiful eiderdowns. Alternatively search on Ebay; I use the key words ‘antique, silk, French, linen, vintage, lace’, and then let the beautiful things I find choose me!

Artwork on wallpapers adds yet more texture.

I have recently bought pieces from Zoe Grace and Sophia Langmead, whose strong messaging ensures my prettiest rooms still have a little edge.

When designing kitchens and bathrooms, I like to add texture with tiles. My favourites are Bert & May’s artisan tiles.

The handmade element and raw materials they use give a room soul and

depth. I also love to add an upholstered chair in all of my bathrooms to make a relaxed space and bring softness, which works well to offset the hardness of tiled surfaces.

Lastly, introduce texture to your garden with an assortment of cushions.

I tend to make covers from my favourite fabrics – which look even better once they have bleached out slightly in the summer sun.

I also invested in an Odd Limited garden swing sofa and added a wonderful handmade parasol from Sunbeam Jackie, to bring that texture outside as an extension of the inside.

Pearl Lowe’s new book, Faded Glamour by the Sea, is out 12 April, featuring her newly renovated 1940s seaside home. Order yours for £25 at pearllowe.co.uk

Pearl Lowe

Clockwise from top left: Designer Pearl Lowe; beautiful bedlinen from Coco & Wolf; Pearl layers up her Odd Limited garden swing sofa with cushions made from her favourite fabrics – when bleached in the sun, they add a vintage vibe; displaying a neon artwork against pretty floral wallpaper adds edge to a room; as

well as patterns, different textures can be layered to add interest – try mixing velvet with textural wools and furs, and lacy curtains; a heart-shaped cushion from Preen by Thornton Bregazzi adds a romantic touch; artisan tiles from Bert & May; if you find a fabric you love, then have it made into accessories such as lampshades

Period Living 23

A HOME FOR ALL SEASONS Channelling the style and luxury of her favourite holiday spots from around the world, Sarah Druce transformed an old stable block into a cosy, year-round retreat

Above: This view of the back of the stables shows its transformation.

Sarah opened up the rear, adding featherboard cladding, decks and French windows on two levels, with a pergola below. The roof has been retiled with salvaged tiles Right: The farmhouse table in the dining area came from Sarah’s old family home and works well with her relaxed mix of vintage and newer finds. The bentwood chairs are from Graham & Green and the old chapel chairs belonged to Sarah’s mother.

Sarah found the Welsh dresser base on Gumtree and restored it, adding a top made by the carpenter.

Her mother painted the landscapes 24 Period Living

displayed on the shelves. The white fretwork stool was Sarah’s grandmother’s, from India where she was born. The rug is from Ikea.

On the table are a tablecloth and napkins from Scarabee; a porcelain teapot, plates, cake stand and cups

by Gemma Wightman Ceramics; and a jug from Susie Watson Designs with tulips from Smith & Munson.

The frilled cushion (left) is from Vanessa Arbuthnott; seat pad (right)

by Susie Watson Designs; and ditsy floral cushion (back) from Poppy & Honesty. The painted glass jug (front) is by Petra Palumbo; rose cabbage plate by Birdie Fortescue; and the tall bouquet is from Arena Flowers

Image (right) styling Pippa Blenkinsop

Words Karen Darlow | Photographs Julia Currie

Converted Victorian Stables

sk Sarah Druce what inspired her most when she was redesigning her converted stables home and she’ll tell you it was the time she spent away from it. ‘I’ve travelled to some beautiful places all over the world and I always research where I stay. My surroundings are very important to me, whether at home or away,’ she says. ‘I’m always inspired by the different styles of houses and furnishings you find abroad. I’ve been on yoga retreats in Majorca, in amazing settings, and beach homes in South Africa, where I was born, but it’s more about the feeling I get from these special places than the specific designs.’ The renovation project gave Sarah the opportunity to bring her favourite global looks to this unique home in the Surrey Hills.

The stables have strong family connections too, and have been part of Sarah’s life for as long as she can remember. It was the original Victorian stable block and coach house to her former childhood home, and was converted for residential use in the 1980s. It was refurbished for Sarah’s grandmother and when she died the property was let to tenants until Sarah bought it from her father.

Two years ago, she decided the time had come for this piece of family history to be given a new lease of life. ‘The interiors suited my grandma, but I wanted to transform it,’ says Sarah. She lowered the ground-floor ceiling to give more head height for the master suite upstairs in the old hayloft. The back wall was next to go, and the only sections that remained untouched were the front and one side of the building. ‘The idea was that the front would retain its charm with its original stone walls. I kept the opening where the carriage and horse would have entered, but added beautiful French doors,’ explains Sarah. ‘At the back I’ve added featherboard cladding, which is typical of the area. You see it in barns and farmhouses all around here.’

The cladding may be rooted in the Surrey vernacular, but Sarah’s sights were set further afield when she added new outdoor decks running the full width of the property, and across both storeys. ‘I’ve lived in the US, Australia and South Africa and I wanted to replicate the best of their style of outdoor living back here,’ she says. ‘I’ve always wanted to live somewhere with a view, and 26 Period Living

the back of the house faces west, so you get these amazing sunsets in the evening and the sunrise in the morning through the trees.’ The idea was to bring more light into the home through multiple French doors and give the main living space and bedrooms access to the new decks.

The plan was ambitious and very well planned, but like all building projects there were unforeseen delays ahead. Seven months into the build, Covid struck and the UK went into lockdown. Rather than manage the project remotely from London, Sarah moved to Surrey earlier than planned and lived with her mother in the house next door. The construction team now consisted of just Sarah, managing the project, working socially distanced with her friend Ben doing the landscaping and painting the exteriors and Jed, a Tasmanian carpenter who was on a gap year and couldn’t get home. ‘Jed had been staying with Ben before lockdown so they were already in a bubble and were able to keep working,’ says Sarah. However, the builders stayed away and deliveries were hard to come by, so the next challenge was sourcing the materials needed while the whole country was busy with DIY. ‘I managed to order what I needed for the decking and get it built just before supplies ran out.’

Everything else had to be made from scratch or upcycled from salvaged materials. Luckily that fitted in well with Sarah’s vision for the reworked interiors. ‘I included as many natural materials as possible with some nice old stone, and I used wood in different ways, including a lot of reclaimed oak,’ says Sarah. She kept the palette to three shades of white throughout to keep a harmonious look.

Since her working hours are spent creating design concepts for brand experiences and fashion events, Sarah applied a similarly meticulous approach to the stables’ new look. ‘I put together moodboards for every room, and was specific about each item. I drew and designed everything that’s in here: from the wardrobes in the bedroom to the tall scaffolding plank cupboards in the living room that hide the TV. I also made the dresser from a sideboard I got on Ebay and got my carpenter to copy my mum’s Welsh dresser top.’

Sarah bought new sofas and beds from favourite brands, and invested in good light fittings to create a dramatic look. She also sourced things online and from car-boot sales. ‘I don’t want anything to look too finished or too perfect, and it’s good to have previously loved pieces. I will always look to reclaim or source vintage pieces when buying furniture… apart from beds!’ she says.

There were two things Sarah wanted to achieve with this renovation. She wanted the space to make you feel as though you were on holiday, but it had to work all year round. ‘Some of the homes I loved in South Africa and Australia are wonderful in summer, but in winter they’re just not fit for purpose,’ says Sarah. Now, with the wood-burner, rugs, warm wood panelling, and double glazing, the new-look stables are just as appealing in winter as they are in the summer when the sun bakes the decking and a breeze flows through the French doors.

THE STORY Owner Sarah Druce, creative director of a global production company, lives here. Sarah splits her time between this house and her home in Bath, running them as luxury holiday rentals (book a stay at The Coach House or Sarah’s new property in Bath, Abbey Street Townhouse, on boutique-retreats.co.uk) Property Converted stables and coach house in Surrey, dating from 1858, with three bedrooms and three bathrooms What she did Sarah spent 10 months renovating the property from top to bottom. She took the back off the house to open it up and added ground-floor and first-floor decks. She gave the exteriors a new look with featherboard cladding and added French doors to make the most of the uninterrupted views over the Surrey Hills

Above: To create a holiday ambience, Sarah designed a new outdoor living space Top right: Adding an upstairs deck gave the home a whole new dimension, and a sense of being right up in the treetops. Sarah bought the cast-iron plant stand at Newark Antiques Fair and the bistro table set is from The Shere Shop Rght: The windows in all of the property’s main rooms have been replaced with French doors leading to the decked area and pergola, built by Matt Truseler at Surrey Hills Carpentry & Oak Framing. Sarah added featherboard cladding, painted in Farrow & Ball’s Hardwick White.

Due to lockdown, Sarah had to source wood wherever she could to finish the project – the carpenter built the table and benches from offcuts of wood used elsewhere in the build Period Living 27

This page: The open-plan ground floor features a kitchen area with fitted cabinets and an island, designed

by Sarah and built by Handmade Kitchens of Christchurch. The cabinets are painted in Hardwick White by Farrow & Ball while the island is in Little Greene’s Tea with Florence. Sarah added vintage handles and topped them with Caesarstone Cloudburst Concrete honed composite worktops, making the edges double thickness so they look more substantial. The double oven and hob are from Smeg and the pendant lights were the originals from her mother’s home next door Opposite: Two sofas – a pale green one from Loaf and teal Bluebell design from Sofa.com – enclose the cosy living area. The full-height cupboard was built by carpenter Matt Truseler to Sarah’s design.

Sarah made the coffee table using a base bought on Gumtree, topped with scaffold planks. The colourful hand-block-printed cushion is from Capetown, and the tasselled throw is from Soho Home 28 Period Living

Converted Victorian Stables

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Converted Victorian Stables

Left: The ground-floor bedroom is in the original brick-built front of the stables and has its own patio.

Sarah added panelling across the wall behind the bed and painted it in Farrow & Ball’s Hardwick White.

She bought the bedspread in India, found the wooden chair secondhand and designed the side table and long ‘dressing table’ from wood she found in the garden. The bistro garden table set is from Ikea Above: The new master suite is on the first floor with French windows giving access to the upper deck.

Furnishings incorporate a mix of new purchases, bargain buys and family pieces, including Sarah’s mum’s antique Windsor chair. The cushions are from H&M Home and La Redoute, the rug is from Graham & Green and the linen curtains are from Zara Home. The radiators are from the Period Home Store. Sarah describes the bed from Loaf and lampshades from Cox & Cox as ‘special’ buys – luxury items that help to make the room unique Right: Sarah designed the en suite around the original arched coach house window. The stone sink, a gift from Sarah’s mother, is mounted on a reclaimed oak plinth and has been paired with Crosswater taps.

The limestone floor tiles are from Mandarin Stone Period Living 31

Decorating

Creativeimprint We explore the time-honoured skill of hand block printing and the artistry in creation, and look to a new generation of studio printers reinvigorating the craft Feature Kerryn Harper-Cuss

Rose & Fern by Jean Monro is a classic hand block print dating to 1859. Here the fabric has been used to upholster walls in an interior

by Gavin Houghton at the Turnell & Gigon showroom. It has also been used for curtains in Dumfries House. £340 per m at F&P Interiors Period Living 33

hythm, repetition, pressure and precision are fundamentals in the creation of almost all printed fabrics and wallpapers.

But pace of production can vary widely. High-tech, mechanised methods have dramatically enhanced speed and efficiency, and significantly reduced cost, yet the complex and age-old tradition of printing by hand continues to be championed by a number of heritage brands and there is a modest renaissance underway with a gentle swell in numbers of studio printers. As well as a desire to cherish the endangered art form, this is fuelled by a renewed appreciation for the merits of slow design and the joy that the imprint of the artisan can give to every home.

The simplest hand-blocked designs feature a single motif to create charming mono-colour prints, but designs can hugely increase in complexity.

Archival fabric patterns from the 18th and 19th century can require between 30 and 200 different blocks to apply layer upon layer of motif and colour. Where the latest digital ‘inkjet-style’ printing is computerised to create patterns by spraying precise jets of dyestuffs, hand block printing involves applying dye to the raised carvings on wood or lino blocks, which are then systematically pressed by hand onto cloth, working methodically from left to right, with drying time between each painterly layer of colour. It is little wonder then, that while digital printing can produce crisp, smart prints on fabric at around 60 metres per minute, it can take up to 10 days to hand block print 17 metres - or one average print table length – for the most intricate designs. While the former is monitored by machine for complete uniformity, the latter is more akin to a dexterous work of art, with the unique and almost imperceptible variations that result from the individual approach of each artisan.

The V&A believes that painting or applying colour to textiles dates back nearly 2,000 years.

Hand-blocked textiles are believed to have originated in East Asia, although it is in India where the artisan skill of hand block printing was most passionately adopted. It remains a national specialism, particularly in the regions of Rajasthan and Gujarat, where certain towns and villages, 34 Period Living

such as Bagru, are recognised for their distinctive local designs. Today, niche brands such as Les Indiennes, Pukka Print in association with Nicole Fabre, and Molly Mahon work with Indian artisans, who benefit from years of training and work freehand with incredible hand-eye co-ordination to bring their designs to life. In Britain, hand block printing on fabric and wallpaper reached its height of popularity in the 18th century. European methodology had a slightly less ‘organic’ approach.

Printing involved meticulously arranging complex pin positionings at the cloth edges to ensure perfect – or one might say ‘pin-point’ – accuracy when laying down each block in the repeat. Printing with the largest blocks also occasionally involved the use of swing arms to lift the heavy weights.

According to the V&A, until 1840 all wallpapers were produced by hand using the block-printing process, but this changed when the first patented wallpaper-printing machine went into production in Lancashire: ‘Production in Britain rose from around 1 million rolls in 1834 to nearly 9 million rolls in 1860.’ Thankfully rich archives and handblocked ranges are preserved by several highly respected textile brands including Jean Monro, Clarence House, Scalamandré, Hazelton House and Borderline, as well as restoration specialists such as Hamilton Weston and Allyson McDermott.

Today, although India and Thailand are the predominant locations for hand block printing, studio printers such as Galbraith & Paul in the US and Hugh Dunford Wood and Marthe Armitage in the UK have been among the most notable names keeping artisanal printing skills alive. Given that the British-based Heritage Crafts Association has placed hand block printing on its Red List of Endangered Crafts, it is wonderful to witness a gentle resurgence with a new generation. Some of this cohort - including Sarah Burns and Louisa Loakes - use wood blocks on cloth, following in the footsteps of British printers such as Phyllis Barron and Dorothy Larcher (a duo who worked predominantly in the 1920s and ’30s). Others including Louise Altman of Out of Bounds, Rachel Winsper of Winsper Design, Speronella Marsh at Hare’s Tale and Cameron Short and Janet Tristram at Bonfield Block Printers – prefer to use lino blocks or lino sheet, echoing the work of forebears such as Peggy Angus and Edward Bawden.

‘Like all handmade skills, small-scale crafts are struggling, and the same is true for block print as machine prints take more and more of the pie.

However, I think there is a global recognition that craft is key to good design and well-made, sustainable practice, and I see a wave of appreciation growing across India like it is here,’ says designer Molly Mahon, who is known for her passion in keeping the craft alive. ‘Crafted items are still undervalued, but there are an awful lot of people that care and the generation helping to protect it is getting younger. I couldn’t imagine not “doing” with my hands and I think that as humans this is inherent in us, so hopefully we won’t ever let the machines fully take over.’

Decorating

Left: Handprinted wallpaper from Marthe Armitage is created with hand-mixed paints and a 100-year-old litho offset printing press, which is hand-operated with a turning handle to roller an inked lino block onto paper. Here it is used to beautiful effect in a kitchen designed by Henriette von Stockhausen of VSP Interiors. The price for single-colour hand lino block prints by Marthe Armitage is £360 per roll, and £420 per roll for multi-coloured prints Below: Galbraith & Paul is a studiobased business in Philadelphia, USA. All of the fabrics are hand block printed in the studio, and the brand also offers wallpapers that use digital technology to translate the hand block-printed artwork to paper – this is the Sumi design in Curry. In the UK, Galbraith & Paul sell through Holland & Sherry in Chelsea Harbour.

Fabric prices start at £254 per m

36 Period Living

Image (Molly Mahon) Emma Lewis

Above: Scalamandré offers three handblocked fabric designs including Cumbria (shown), which features a stylised tree of life, foliage and flowers on 100 per cent linen, with four colour variations to choose from. Dating to 1922, the pattern is created using 138 blocks. £930.30 per m Above right: Molly Mahon’s Poppy design was created in response to the iconic poppy motif originally created by the Mughals.

Here it is shown in Mustard and Sky on Oyster, £187 per m, from the Greencombe collection, printed by Indian artisans Right: Louise Altman, a member of the Heritage Crafts Association, creates wallpaper with lino block, sometimes pressing the blocks by foot. Handprinted wallpaper costs £145 per roll Opposite: Morris & Co owns a significant archive of original wood blocks dating to the time of William Morris, and the company can still be commissioned to produce bespoke hand-block prints for special projects including the famous Willow Bough design. This digitally printed variation is Willow Bough in recoloured form; Ben Pentreath Queen’s Square collection for Morris & Co is £79 per roll

Decorating

Period Living 37

38 Period Living

Image (Kit Kemp) Simon Brown *Contact enquiries@evassociates.co.uk

Decorating

Left: Interior designer Kit Kemp is a keen proponent of artisanal skills and products.

Here in the Terrace Suite at Covent Garden Hotel, she has used hand-blocked fabric for sofa upholstery. The design is Tribute to John Fowler from Hazelton House, which comes in four colourations – each requiring 72 blocks and 18 block colours to create.

Priced £358 per m on 100 per cent linen.

Interior by Kit Kemp Design Studio Above: A selection of fabrics from Les Indiennes, hand block printed in India.

The Tulipe fabric is £134.40 per m, sourced in the UK via EV Associates* Above right: Sarah Burns creates singlecolour wood block-printed fabrics using natural plant-derived dyes, from £85 per m.

She takes inspiration from textile printing partners Phyllis Barron and Dorothy Larcher, who worked together in the 1920s and 1930s with similar methodology Right: Speronella Marsh of Hare’s Tail hand block prints onto vintage linens and tablecloths. Prices on application

LABOUR OF LOVE When Christina and Nigel Dickinson stumbled upon the thatched cottage of their dreams, they didn’t hesitate for a moment, even though there was lots of work that needed doing Words Jane Bowles | Photographs Colin Poole

With its palette of white, blues and natural tones, the coastal-themed open-plan living space has a light and airy feel. The turquoise metal dining chairs were bought at B&Q, and designed for use in the garden. Ian Mankin’s Vintage Stripe in Airforce is a similar fabric to that used for the tablecloth. The antique sideboard is one of Christina’s most treasured possessions. For similar wall lights, try Dowsing & Reynolds

40 Period Living

Thatched Cottage Renovation

Period Living 41

Christina felt that an unfitted kitchen would be more in keeping with the age of the house. The butcher’s block was bought at The Shambles in Ashburton and fits the space perfectly, while the rest of the cabinets were custom-made by a local carpenter.

The cooker is a Rangemaster Encore Deluxe and the antique kilim rug was bought at Piers Motley Auctions.

For similar cushions, try Linen Loft

Thatched Cottage Renovation White painted walls and beams, and a large floor-standing mirror help to enhance the sense of light and space in the dining area. Melody Maison’s extra-large white ornate floor mirror would create a similar effect. The walls are painted in White Clay by Earthborn Paints, which is used throughout the house

Period Living 43

easoned renovators Christina Dickinson and her husband Nigel weren’t actually looking for a long-term home when they happened upon a 17thcentury Grade II-listed thatched cottage in the heart of an idyllic East Devon village. ‘We’d just agreed the sale of our seaside apartment in Exmouth and wanted to move back to the country,’ says Christina. ‘We’d decided to move because we missed having a garden, and were hankering after the quieter pace of village life. I was enquiring about rentals at the local estate agents when this cottage caught my eye.’

Christina and Nigel viewed the property the following day and saw its potential, even though it needed a substantial amount of work, as well as a new thatched roof. ‘It hadn’t been redecorated since the 1990s and was looking rather dated,’ says Christina. ‘Despite the overgrown front garden, which made the cottage very dark, and the yellow and tangerine paintwork, we could see it was light and spacious, even with its beams and low ceilings. As soon as I saw the courtyard garden, I was smitten.’ There were several outbuildings, with space for a workshop and art studio - a must-have for Christina, who loves to paint.

The couple’s offer was accepted the same day.

The thatched cottage is the 14th property Christina and Nigel have renovated together, and they wasted no time in drawing up a schedule of the building work required. The couple decided a new kitchen and three new bathrooms were in order, and the cottage also needed rewiring and replumbing. ‘The very first thing we did was to have it all repainted white, to cheer ourselves up and make day-to-day living more bearable,’ says Christina. ‘We then began assembling a team of local builders and tradespeople.’

Once the electrics and plumbing had been restored to good order, the couple installed a new unfitted kitchen. ‘I didn’t think a fitted kitchen would look right in such an old house,’ explains Christina. ‘As soon as we’d agreed the purchase, I found an antique butcher’s block and large larder cupboard - luckily, they fitted perfectly.’

Christina painted the oak beams white to lighten the space and commissioned some classic Shaker cabinets, which were custom-built by 44 Period Living

a local carpenter. Next came the family bathroom and en-suite shower rooms. ‘There was layer upon layer of old tiles to be stripped away – it took days, but the transformation was amazing,’ says Christina, who prefers contemporary bathrooms, even in period properties.

One of the biggest challenges was replastering the cob walls in the oak-beamed snug. The couple couldn’t find a local plasterer experienced in heritage properties who was available within their timescale. Luckily, Nigel is very handy and managed to do it himself with help from Heritage Cob & Lime in Bideford. ‘They told us, “this house was built with love, mud, horsehair and straw.

Treat your cob with love and treat it gently”. They also taught us how to throw the cob plaster at the wall,’ says Christina. ‘It looks a bit like grey porridge when it first goes on. Once it turns white, you apply the next layer.’

As the building work neared completion and the new thatched roof took shape, Christina began planning the décor. ‘We’d owned a house in the South of France for ten years, and I was inspired to create a French look for the cottage,’ she says. She chose a palette of light blues, greys and neutrals, which works well with her collection of antique furniture, against the backdrop of white-painted walls. ‘I like to mix modern pieces with antiques, and I’m a big fan of contemporary lighting,’ says Christina, who hand-made the unusual light fitting in the sitting room out of willow branches and LED fairy lights.

The village’s colourful history was another source of inspiration for the décor. ‘Sir Walter Raleigh was born in this village – you can see the pew where he sat every Sunday in the local church,’ says Christina. ‘The cottage is one of the oldest houses in the village and I wanted to honour this by using antique furniture as much as possible. Antiques are usually far better made than modern pieces and have a zero carbon footprint, which is another huge advantage.

I prefer to decorate with antiques, as it’s a great way of safeguarding the planet.’

Now that the project is complete, Christina and Nigel are both delighted they made the move.

‘The cottage suits our lifestyle perfectly,’ says Christina. ‘It has such a cosy atmosphere when there’s just the two of us here. Yet there’s also plenty of space for when our three grown-up children - Simon, Becky and Jess - come to stay here with their partners. The village has such a fantastic community, which was exactly what we wanted. We feel so settled and we’d never dream of moving. I suppose you could say we have found our “forever home” at last.’

Thatched Cottage Renovation Left: Dating from the 17th century, the cottage is one of the oldest buildings in the village. The roof was rethatched by master thatcher Philip White, who also made the rooftop hares. The wooden window frames are painted in Parma Gray and the front door is painted in St Giles Blue, both by Farrow & Ball Below: Inspired by her years of living in France, Christina has decorated the courtyard garden in colourful Mediterranean style. The antique wirework planters were bought at The Shambles in Ashburton

THE STORY Owners Christina and Nigel Dickinson live here with their cockapoo Rufus. Christina, a former antiques dealer, now works as an interior designer and part-time artist. Nigel is retired and volunteers for a local charity Property Detached three-bedroom Grade II-listed thatched cottage, built around 1660 in an East Devon village. Outside is a courtyard garden with several outbuildings What they did The couple had the cottage rethatched and updated the wiring and plumbing. They also installed a new kitchen, family bathroom and two shower rooms, and renovated and redecorated throughout.

Two outbuildings were converted into Christina’s art studio and Nigel’s workshop

Period Living 45

Left: Whitewashed beams and a palette of soft neutrals create a cosy, welcoming ambience in the living area. Christina made the light fitting using willow branches and LED fairy lights. The striped Gower sofa is by DFS and the Gazco Stockton gas-fired stove was supplied by Rangemoors in Winkleigh. Over the fireplace hang three paintings by Christina’s friend Simon Hadley Attard, who is a professional artist Above right: A small wooden staircase leads from the snug up to a guest suite. This fireplace is also fitted with a Stockton gas-fired stove. Christina has collected the antique celadon vases over the years. For similar floor tiles, try the Piscola range by Topps Tiles Right: The painted cabinet contains Christina’s collection of antique and modern glassware. Gustavian sells similar Swedish-style display cabinets. The barley twist table and chair were antiques shop finds

Above: Christina enjoys collecting vintage and new cotton quilts, which she layers up in the guest room.

She even used one to upholster the panels on this French-style bed.

Oka sells similar faux-fur throws Above right: The seascape next to the mirror was painted jointly by Christina and her friend, local artist Tina Stokes, while the vintage chest of drawers adds a touch of French style. Doris Brixham in Devon sells similar driftwood mirrors Right: Denim blue and white décor continues the coastal theme in the second guest room. Christina bought the blue quilt at Forever England in Sidmouth, and found the cushions locally. She painted the picture above the bed jointly with Tina Stokes, whose work is sold through Marine House Gallery in Beer Opposite: The main bedroom has a distinctly French feel. Christina bought the quilted cotton bedspread at Forever England, and the Danish company Madam Stoltz makes similar round white linen cushions, available through Trouva. The French Bedroom Company is a good place to source similar French-style beds

48 Period Living

Thatched Cottage Renovation

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Period Living 51

Dining Rooms

Set to impress

Feature Pippa Blenkinsop

Create an elegant dining space that takes inspiration from the past and gives guests a warm impression when entertaining

SERENE BACKDROP If you’re looking for a new wall colour then take inspiration from nature and opt for a tranquil green shade. Calm and uplifting, mid-green hues, like Farrow & Ball’s Yeabridge Green, £52 for 2.5ltrs of Estate emulsion, are highly versatile and make a fantastic backdrop for displaying artwork and pairing with patterned linens and tableware – pinks and reds look particularly effective. Featured here is the Ilex tablecloth in Dusky Red, from £165, paired with Bel tableware also in Dusky Red, from £19 for a bowl, and Rosie wooden candlesticks in Pink and Sage Green, from £25 for small, all Birdie Fortescue.

hether used for hosting large gatherings or for more intimate family dinners, dining rooms should be inviting, relaxing spaces that have a timeless charm. However, it can be challenging to know where to start.

The key to creating a dining room with enduring appeal lies in marrying elements from the past with modern comforts to establish a scheme that perfectly meets your needs and reflects your personal tastes.

From walls, floors and window treatments to furniture, storage and lighting – not forgetting the all important finishing touches – there are multiple elements to consider with each playing their own part in creating a balanced and harmonious scheme.

If your dining room is reserved for special occasions, then it also presents the chance for you to go bold with your interior design – consider introducing brighter colours and intricate prints. ‘Dining rooms should make a statement and have wow-factor, being the perfect setting for a celebration,’ says Emma Deterding, founder of Kelling Designs.

Whether you’re looking to create an authentic dining room in keeping with your period home or just nod to the past with a stylish interior that blends old with new, there are lots of different ideas to help you to create the perfect scheme.

ALL DRESSED UP When it comes to window treatments, curtains and fabric blinds are guaranteed to bring a warm yet classic feel to a dining room and are a brilliant way to inject colour and pattern. ‘At Warner House, “more is more” and in almost every instance, we would advise that curtains should be full length: puddled for a traditional feel, or flush to the floor for a modern finish,’ advises Lee Clarke, director of Warner House. A beautiful design featuring deer, birds and foliage, which is inspired by the Chamba Rumals of the 17th century, this Balmoral fabric in Olive, £65 per m at Warner House, would make a fitting choice for a country home.

54 Period Living

Dining Rooms NATURAL BEAUTY Set the tone for a relaxed country scheme with a large wooden dining table teamed with upholstered benches.

In this stylish scheme by Sims Hilditch, the natural grain of the timber perfectly complements the rustic patina of stone floors. ‘When selecting furniture for our interiors, we opt for natural materials wherever possible,’ explains Louise Wicksteed, design director for Sims Hilditch.

Alongside seating, lighting is another vital element of creating the perfect dining space. ‘A statement chandelier in a dining room brings a certain elegance and gravitas, making it ideal for hosting more formal gatherings,’ adds Louise. This nature-inspired Oak Branch chandelier is £2,775 at Richard Taylor.

Image credit: Katya de Grunwald

EASTERN ELEGANCE For a sophisticated yet pretty backdrop, opt for a trailing floral wallpaper inspired by archive patterns. With a distinct nod to chinoiserie designs, this Massingberd Blossom paper in Mineral, £102 per roll from Little Greene, is a refreshed version of a print found in the historic Gunby Hall in Lincolnshire. ‘Chinoiserie-inspired wallpaper designs are a simple way of adding a touch of period grandeur into your interior,’ says Ruth Mottershead, creative director of Little Greene. ‘These rich and decorative designs were popular in the 18th century and work beautifully in older homes as well as in contemporary schemes.’

SITTING PRETTY Above right: For a subtle way to decorate with pattern, consider covering dining chairs with slip covers in elegant fabrics, such as Penny Morrison’s Gobi fabric in blue, £173.42 per m. This muted linen features a simple palm motif and brings a touch of pattern without dominating the space. Add further decorative interest with patterned plates, either hung from the wall or on the table. These dinner plates are from Penny Morrison’s Green Palm collection, which starts at £24.19 for a small side plate and goes up to £66 for a large plate.

ORIGINAL STYLE Left: It is the beautiful architectural features that give period homes their unique character, so try to preserve and highlight them wherever possible. When choosing colours for a period home or a traditional scheme, ‘try to think about the style of the room and the architectural interest that you might want to play with and accentuate,’ advises Patrick O’Donnell, brand ambassador at Farrow & Ball. A chic pastel pink with undertones of grey, Peignoir by Farrow & Ball, £52 for 2.5ltrs of Estate emulsion, brings a soft elegance to this Georgian dining room while also highlighting the decorative plasterwork.

Period Living 57

Images (above left) Helen Cathcart; (above right) Penny Morrison/Mike Garlick

LESS IS MORE Above left: For a scheme that stands the test of time you can’t go wrong by decorating in neutral tones and investing in a wellmade, solid wood dining table and chairs. When deciding on a table, take a cue from the shape and size of your space, as well as any architectural details. Circular dining tables bring elegance with their soft curves and are great for smaller rooms as they make it easy to move around the space – consider a pedestal design with a single central support that allows room for tucking chairs out of the way. For a similar table try Neptune’s Balmoral design, from £1,935 for a four-seater.

Alternatively, an extending rectangular or oval table is perfect for rooms with grander proportions and for squeezing in extra guests on special occasions.

THE ART OF DISPLAY Top right: Be sure to make a focal point of a dining table even when it’s not in use by creating a display of interesting objects and floral arrangements. In this design by Ben Pentreath, a Saarinen table laid with a collection of vintage Wedgwood silver candlesticks and a statement bouquet of electric viburnum, makes for the perfect resting display. The bespoke white gesso-framed Louis XVI chairs are covered in a bottle green French velvet, which perfectly complements the vintage glass candlesticks on the table and the Marianna Kennedy resin lamp bases on the dresser behind.

ANTIQUE CHARACTER Left: Whether it’s a dining table and chairs, a drinks cabinet, or sideboard for storing serveware, antique furniture is guaranteed to bring period character to a dining room. With elegant curves and ornate detailing, Gustavian-style pieces, such as this table and chairs from Lesley Blackford Antiques, are the perfect choice for an elegant and glamorous scheme. For a playful pop of colour, consider reupholstering the seats of the chairs, as has been done here with the velvet striped Savio Cassis fabric, £83 per m from Designers Guild.

Images (above left) Anna Stathaki; (above right) Jason Ingram; (below left) Malcolm Menzies

PRINTS CHARMING Above left: As spaces where we entertain guests and come together to celebrate, dining rooms lend themselves to bold decorative wallpapers. From authentic reprints of historic designs to papers based on contemporary original artwork, there’s a wealth of statement patterns from which to choose.

For this room, interior designer Katharine Paravicini chose a striking La Pannonie design in Bleu Pierre Frey, £168 per roll, which is a reproduction of an 18th-century wallpaper. The various blue tones of the wallpaper define the dining room scheme and are reflected in both the upholstered chairs and the painted table. The wallpaper’s pink floral detailing is also brought to life with a pair of modern lamps which tie the look together.

Advertorial

Back to basics

Above left: Sam’s father’s old TE20 Massey Ferguson in the wood store Above right: A closeup of the tractor seat that inspired the Tractor Seat barstool Left: Tractor Seat barstool with ash legs painted black and a pippy oak seat finished in the Natural colour, £420

Batheaston’s new Natural range of fine handmade furniture brings a minimalist, modern twist to its classic designs

T

he last two years have given us more time at home which, in turn, has led to an increased interest in home improvement.

Furniture has been a key factor as for the most part we’ve been sitting on or around it.

During the pandemic, Batheaston continued to craft furniture from its traditional core range of oak tables and ash chairs, but it also took the opportunity to embark on a new project, creating contemporary, alternative designs. It began with the Revival chair.

A simpler version of the traditional Windsor chair, the Revival sees the design being stripped back with a ‘less is more’ approach. ‘The Revival chair still prides itself on possessing the comfort of the Windsor, but the edges are straighter and there’s a lot less fuss when compared with the original,’ explains Sam Gill, designer at Batheaston.

Following on from the success of the Revival design, the experts at Batheaston continued creating, leading to the Natural range. ‘These new designs celebrate the simplicity in the base of the

piece and draw your eye to the character of the natural oak,’ says Sam. ‘One design that we’re particularly proud of is the Tractor Seat barstool.

My Father’s old TE20 Massey Ferguson tractor is usually parked at the end of the wood store, used for carting various bits back and forth.

It was inevitable that sooner or later the iconic shape of the seat would make its way into a design, be it intentional or not.’

The seat of the Tractor barstool is made from a solid lump of English pippy oak, which has been carved to shape and finished in a natural colourway, and the base is made from ash, sprayed in satin black. This minimal design lets the seat’s unique character speak for itself.

See Batheaston’s furniture being made to order in person, online at batheaston.co.uk or on Facebook or Instagram.

To speak to Sam, Miles or Julie (the furniture makers), call 01943 880622, or email sales@batheaston.co.uk.

To see both the core range and the new modern designs, visit batheaston.co.uk

Above: Modern shield top extendable table in oak, £2,261 Right: Revival Windsor armchairs in ash, £608

Period Li

The addition of a new wing in contrasting flint stone has given the house a striking new aspect.

It contains the kitchen and living space, with a master suite above.

The outdoor sofa and ottoman are from Garden Trading

Extended Country Home

THE HAPPY HOUSE From the moment she set foot in this country house in Wiltshire, Sarah Williamson-Jones knew it was the forever home she and her family had been looking for Words Sharon Parsons | Photographs Richard Gadsby

THE STORY Owners Sarah Williamson-Jones (pictured) owns Pod & Pip (podandpip.co.uk), a floristry and homeware business, and lives here with her surveyor husband, David, and two daughters, Tess 14, and Georgie, 11.

The family have a black Labrador called Minnie Property A five-bedroom 1920s country house surrounded by grazing fields and orchards, in Wiltshire What they did Sarah and David built a flint stone wing onto the house in 2018 to house a new kitchen and living space, with a master suite on the first floor.

They also reconfigured the layout, replaced windows and updated the wiring, heating and plumbing

lossoming apple trees in front of a half-hidden house intrigued Sarah and David Williamson-Jones.

‘We were living nearby and often drove past, but it was difficult to get more than a glimpse of the actual property,’says Sarah. When they did stop to take a proper look, the couple were so taken with the country house that they wrote to the owners explaining that should the house ever be sold, they would be interested.

‘We got a letter back from a lady who explained her mother lived there, but if things changed, she would get in touch. Ten months later, that’s exactly what happened,’ says Sarah.

The family went along to view the property and the moment they entered, they were sold.

‘We had no doubt this was the family house we’d been looking for,’ says Sarah. ‘It just felt right.’

But first, the family were vetted by the old lady herself, who was moving to a residential home after living in the house for almost 60 years.

‘She wanted to be absolutely sure we would love it just as much as she and her family had,’ recalls Sarah. ‘She was also a keen plantswoman, and when I told her that I, too, had a passion for flowers, we really clicked.’

By the time the family moved into the house just a few months later, ambitious plans were already in place. The main thrust of the work was to create a new flint stone wing for an expansive kitchen and living space, with a generous master suite above. There would also be an expanded entrance hall, and a gentle reconfiguration of the original layout to make the whole space feel more practical and cohesive.

‘Everywhere needed a complete overhaul – from new windows to wiring, heating and plumbing, and, of course, the décor,’ says Sarah.

‘That essentially meant living on a building site for several months, but we decided to tough it out.’ That proved to be an understatement when, in the winter of 2018, the dreaded Beast from the East arrived, bringing with it relentless blizzards and freezing temperatures. ‘We basically set up camp in the existing kitchen and the only heat came from the trusty old Aga.’ 62 Period Living

As the months went by, the new bones of the house started to take shape: most notably, alongside the imposing new wing, the expanded entrance hall was given an extra dimension by simply removing an interior wall separating it from the oak-panelled dining room. ‘The panelling is such a wonderful feature, we wanted it to be appreciated every day.’

Finally, Sarah was able to turn her attention to the décor. ‘I wanted it to be in tune with the original house, but with a few contemporary touches,’ she explains. ‘My aim was to make it feel calm and cohesive, with a few shots of pattern and colour to give it personality.’

This has been achieved with a subtle palette, classic patterns and tactile fabrics providing a cohesive backdrop. ‘I approach decorating schemes in the same way I arrange flowers – thinking primarily about colour and texture,’ says Sarah. ‘It’s the same principles.’

Antique finds, family heirlooms and treasured objects sit comfortably together, and Sarah has done her best to incorporate as many of the property’s original features as possible, from the old scullery sink, now in the utility room, to the servants’ bells in the hall. ‘We wanted to create a home with a nod to the past and those who lived here before. It was important to honour that heritage,’ says Sarah.

She and her family could not be more content.

‘We’ve put our own stamp on this house,’ she says, ‘but I think it has the same warm atmosphere we felt on the day we walked in. This is a happy house, and it’s a joy to live here.’

Extended Country Home

Above: The soft furnishings in the living room were made

by Lizzie King of Mio Interiors in Wilton, who helped Sarah to source various pieces. The fireplace is an ex-display model from The Fireplace Warehouse in Andover. Walls are painted in French Gray by Farrow & Ball, the sofas are from Long Eaton

and the ottoman has been reupholstered in Fermoie fabric Below: An original red-tiled floor adds character to the back hall, which is big enough to act as a study for David.

The table beneath the window is from Vintage Boathouse, and the curtains are made in a Moon check fabric

This space – originally the kitchen in the main house – is a cosy retreat for all the family. Favourite old chairs have been reupholstered to complement the scheme. Walls are painted in Oval Room Blue by Farrow & Ball, and the check curtain fabric is from Moon.

For a similar wood-burning stove, try the Stockton from Stovax

Extended Country Home The stunning oak-panelled dining room, with its worn oak floorboards, has been opened up on one side so it can be fully appreciated from the hallway. To ensure the room didn’t look too dark, Sarah chose dining chairs in a light fabric, sourced from Coach House, to lift the scheme. For similar light fittings, try Jim Lawrence

Extended Country Home Running the entire length of the new wing’s ground floor, the kitchen includes a separate walk-in larder and cooking space, dining and seating area. Bespoke Shaker-style cabinetry

by Thomas & Thomas is painted in Inchyra Blue by Farrow & Ball. The trio of lights is from Jim Lawrence, and the table and chairs are from Neptune

Above and left: Located in the new wing, the master bedroom has an indulgent feel. Two feature walls are papered in Arbutus by William Morris, while the custommade bed is framed by bedside tables from Mio Interiors. The

bedspread is from Oka, and the chaise longue is by Laura Ashley Below: In the en suite, bespoke cabinetry is painted in Card Room Green by Farrow & Ball.

Sanitaryware is from Wave Bathrooms in Salisbury

Decorating

LovelyPlilac Conjuring scenes of trailing wisteria and swathes of moorland heather, the myriad variations of this delicate pastel shade can inspire the most elegant and restful interiors

Feature Pippa Blenkinsop

SOFT TOUCH If you’re looking to bring delicate colour and warmth to a cool, north-facing room, consider a lilac paint with red undertones. Benjamin Moore’s African Violet, £27 for 0.94ltrs, would make for a calm and feminine bedroom scheme – finish the look by pairing with rustic accessories and neutral linens.

urple rooms are having a moment. With Pantone having recently announced ‘Very Peri’, a bold blue-violet, as its colour of the year for 2022, we’re seeing the shade popping up everywhere. While vivid violets and royal purples can be seen as daring choices, their softer-toned cousin lilac lends a soothing, gentle feel to a space, and can feel like a breath of fresh air.

‘Soft lilac has an inviting, friendly energy and is great for creating a relaxed feel within a home,’ says Francesca Wezel, founder of Francesca’s Paints.

‘Associated with sociability and open-mindedness, it helps make people feel at ease – perfect for communal areas. Lilac also has a slight feminine edge, which reinforces the feeling of comfortability.’

There are many colours that work well with lilac, but it depends on the pigment of the tone, explains Ruth Mottershead, creative director at Little Greene: ‘When selecting a complementary shade, consider the undertones and opt for neutrals with a pink or lilac undertone for a harmonious finish.’

‘Lilac works well with greys, as well as deep blues and pinks,’ adds fabric designer Sarah Hardaker. ‘Where a more warmtoned lilac is used, pair with fawns and creams, or contrast with a touch of olive green. Lilac is a lovely soft colour and perhaps more ambiguous than pinks, with the underlying blue tone enabling it to sit well with other blues, too.’

Feature Pippa Blenkinsop

SOOTHING HUES When searching for a tranquil and elegant shade for the kitchen, consider a soft lilac with warm grey undertones. Emulate the sophisticated design seen here, by painting cabinets in Little Greene’s Dolphin, £72 for 2.5ltrs of Intelligent eggshell, and pairing it with its Great Ormond St wallpaper, £110 per roll, which features a colourful parrot motif. Great Ormond St is a refreshed version of a print discovered in an early-18th-century London townhouse and is pictured here in the Signature colourway.

Decorating

ROMANTIC LAYERS Decorating with ditsy florals in myriad soft lilac tones across walls, upholstery and curtains is a great way to create a peaceful living room. If you are thinking about decorating in one colour, be sure to layer prints in different scales and textures to create depth and interest. Comprising an array of trailing floral designs celebrating the English countryside, Blendworth’s Mystical textile collection offers beautiful floral fabrics for a living room, from £37.50 to £97 per m.

NATURAL SELECTION A subdued purple with enough colour to still stamp personality on a space, this velvety Eggplant paint, £47 for 2.5ltrs of Active emulsion from Sanderson, makes a beautiful shade for a country living room, especially when paired with natural timber, an array of nature-inspired fabrics and textured weaves. Capturing the beauty of the natural world, Sanderson’s Elysian fabric, used here on curtains in the Fig colourway, £75 per m, showcases a painterly landscape, which really shines when set against plain purple walls.

Decorating COLOUR IMMERSION If you love lilac, why not be bold and embrace it on both the floor and the walls? After all, our homes should be filled with the colours and things we love and they should make us feel happy. Not only will using the same shade on the walls and floor make a statement, it can help make spaces feel bigger and more unified, too. This iSense Splendour Saxony carpet in Lilac is £34.99 per m2 at Carpetright. For a similar wall colour try Graham & Brown’s Balloon Flower paint, £46 for 2.5ltrs of matt emulsion.

PLAY WITH PAINT For a fun and contemporary twist on decorating a period home, consider coating the ceiling in a warm lilac and pairing it with an atmospheric warm red, as in this room with a ceiling in Lady Char’s Lilac and walls in Grenache, both £54 for 2.5ltrs of Pure Flat emulsion from Paint & Paper Library. Not only is paint a quick and easy way to make a statement, dividing the wall with bands of colour can help to make large living spaces feel cosier and more intimate. Furthermore, by painting the ceiling of this Georgian living room in a contrasting, lighter shade, it draws the eye upwards to the ornate original plasterwork.

The front woodland garden is Rosemary’s favourite area, especially in spring with the layered groundcovers, such as Helleborus foetidus and Trillium chloropetalum, under the emerging canopy of cherry blossom, amelanchier and magnolias, while the informality is contrasted with clipped accents

Gardens

SPRINGTIME ELEGANCE

Home to Rosemary Alexander, a doyenne of gardening, Sandhill Farm House in Sussex is a glorious showcase of her passion and expertise Words and photographs Leigh Clapp

osemary Alexander has been inspiring and educating gardeners for nearly 40 years through the renowned English Gardening School, with alumni including horticultural luminaries such as Cleve West, Jo Thompson and Rachel de Thame.

So it is no surprise to discover that the beautiful garden of her home, Sandhill Farm House in West Sussex, exemplifies her ethos of ‘marrying the practical with the romantic’.

The first woman to be elected a Fellow of the Society of Garden Designers, alongside her horticultural career, Rosemary has developed her own home gardens. Before Sandhill, she was the tenant for 11 years at Stoneacre, a 10-acre National Trust property near Maidstone in Kent, which she transformed and often used as a training ground for her students.

Sandhill is a more manageable size of just over an acre and the setting around the pretty 17thcentury farmhouse provided her with the perfect blank canvas. ‘When I first saw the garden at Sandhill, I realised that both the front garden and the rear garden had the potential of being turned into several different garden rooms, each with its own identity and planting,’ Rosemary recalls.

Drawing up a grid stemming from the house, she marked out different areas, each with their own character but flowing together; the design came first, followed by ideas for plantings. ‘Lines go on paper but the planting plans are in my head,’ she explains.

Stepping into the garden through an arch in the perimeter beech hedge, you encounter the rich tapestry of shrubs, herbaceous plants, bulbs and climbers within a framework of clipped accents that characterise the garden. A wide gravel path runs the length of the front garden to a pretty bench, with a step down into a woodland garden and a sunny terrace by the house.

‘Spring is probably the most exciting time in the front woodland garden, starting off with many different galanthus, followed by three different varieties of hamamelis, then by other early spring-flowering scented shrubs such as Daphne bholua ‘Jacqueline Postill’ and unusual bulbs including the dwarf Iris histrioides ‘Lady Beatrix Stanley’ and Narcissus ‘Pipit’,’ she says.

Other notable plants include graceful magnolias with long-lasting clear pink blooms, fragrant 80 Period Living

Corylopsis glabrescens, or winter hazel, along with an array of underplanting from bergenias, hellebores, pulmonarias, hostas and Brunnera macrophylla ‘Jack Frost’. ‘A shrub that stands out for most of the year is Cornus sanguinea ‘Midwinter Fire’. We cut back the leafy stems to about half their height in early May, which allows their leafless red stems to light up the front garden for the next year. Underplanted with snowdrops for early in the year, these are followed by the coppercoloured fern Dryopteris erythrosora, and for later in the year the purple-flowered Liriope muscari,’ Rosemary adds.

The wide path ushering visitors to the terrace and the front door is punctuated by neatly clipped box balls and a green and white themed border.

‘The planting in the entrance area needs to look good all year round. We use a heavy mulch in January, which sets off the topiarised structural shrubs – Phillyrea angustifolia and Taxus baccata ‘Fastigiata’ - backed up by a serpentine clipped low buxus hedge and clipped buxus balls, continued along the main path into the front garden terrace. Hellebores do well under the topiarised shrubs in this light shade and provide a spring backdrop for the white Narcissi triandrus ‘Thalia’ and Tulipa ‘Spring Green’, which we top up annually,’ Rosemary explains.

Moving up to the Mediterranean-themed sheltered terrace past sentinels of domed buxus, the eye is drawn to a carefully pruned wisteria adorning the house, giant euphorbias and containers of succulents.

In the north-facing back garden, once you bring your gaze down from the picturesque view of arable fields and the South Downs, the design includes a kitchen garden, dining terrace, borders and a lawn area. ‘The sunny and open rear garden comes into its own in the summer, so in spring we concentrate on the double borders on each side of the main path, using several hundred lily flowering tulips for impact, including ‘Ballerina’ and ‘Merlot’.

In the rear garden we use strategically placed pots for ongoing spring colour, which means we can change them according to fashion and whim,’ says Rosemary. ‘We use a double layer, planting the two layers quite close together, and recent combinations have been the early single deep scarlet Tulipa ‘Couleur Cardinal’ and deep velvety maroon ‘Queen of Night’. We repeat these tulips in the nearby rear borders to give continuity,’ she adds.

Overall interest flows from season to season and continues to be tweaked, with new plans always on the go. ‘The large leaf border at the end of the main path in the front garden has been an embarrassment for several years, so is now hosting the large-leafed exotic Eriobotrya japonica to be accompanied by the giant-leafed red rodgersia, Hosta ‘Sum and Substance’, cannas and dahlias to continue the interest into the autumn,’ she explains.

Rosemary’s energy and enthusiasm seem boundless, her joy in plants contagious, and she continues to put into practice what she teaches, inspiring visitors and students alike.

Gardens

KEY FACTS Character An informal plantswoman’s garden surrounding a 17th-century farmhouse in a sheltered valley, with beautiful vistas and defined garden rooms with micro-climate communities of plants Size One acre – half acre at front and half at back Aspect The front faces south-west and the back north-east Soil Thin sand to which has been added 70 tonnes of acidic top soil, mounded up with peat blocks and backfilled with soil Owner Rosemary Alexander, garden designer and founder and principal of The English Gardening School, since 2000 Open to visitors The garden is open from April to September in aid of the National Gardens Scheme (ngs.org.uk)

Clockwise from top left: Rosemary’s garden showcases her skills honed over a lifetime in horticulture; a sense of line and space is expertly demonstrated by placement of the clipped spheres on the gravel entrance; an attractive gothic metal bench draws the eye to the end of the path and is further delineated by seasonal plantings of colourful tulips; the planting ebbs and flows in a naturalistic style along a gravel path in the woodland area

Herbaceous borders with clipped photinia standards lend a more formal air to the back garden, which peaks with hot borders of grasses and dahlias through summer. Ballerina tulips line the path and are backed by columns of Rhamnus alaternus ‘Argenteovariegata’

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Gardens

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Above: An old painted seat beckons visitors to sit awhile and take in the beautiful spring vistas with the ribbons of colourful tulips standing proud against the late narcissi

Below: Rosemary plants several hundred lilyflowered tulips for impact.

Some of her favourites are the ‘Ballerina’ variety, which can be seen throughout the garden

Rosemary’s garden design tips O Scale and intimacy is important in design O Consider the rhythm and navigation

through a space O Take time to get to know your garden O Analyse your soil and conditions in different areas to choose the right plants O Take notes and photographs through the year to observe and recall for changes O To create a small woodland area, use a balance of one or two small deciduous flowering trees, such as Amelanchier lamarckii with groupings of early-flowering shrubs underplanted with seasonal perennials, such as Brunnera macrophylla ‘Jack Frost’ and Saxifraga umbrosa used as an edging for the paths

In the area GREAT DIXTER GARDEN & NURSERY, Rye, Sussex TN31

6PH – Garden writer Christopher Lloyd’s former home of which Rosemary Alexander is a trustee.

Many of the unusual plants at Sandhill were gifts from Great Dixter. greatdixter.co.uk PARHAM HOUSE & GARDENS, Pulborough, Sussex RH20 4HS – Elizabethan house with atmospheric borders. Open from 17 April on Weds, Thurs, Fri and Sun, 12-5pm. Entry (garden only) adult, £10, child £5. Tel: 01903 742021; parhaminsussex.co.uk SOUTHON PLANTS NURSERY, Lingfield RH7 6NP. New and unusual tender and hardy perennials. southon-plants.co.uk 84 Period Living

Advertorial Left: Three-bay annexe with weatherboarding Below left: Openplan kitchen/dining/ living area with

vaulted ceiling and oak trusses Below: There is plenty of room for a bedroom and an en suite, too

Room with a view Dreaming of more space? An Oakwrights annexe might be the perfect solution

or many of us, a lack of space is one of the main complaints about our homes. Whether you are searching for a peaceful home office, dream of a creative studio space, or are longing for a room to host friends and family, an elegant oak-frame annexe could be the perfect solution.

Utilising part of your garden to erect an annexe can transform the way you use your property.

By building in oak, your addition will be timeless and blend seamlessly into your garden’s surroundings.

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Building a new addition to your home may feel daunting. However, Oakwrights’ three-bay annexe makes the process simple. Using the three-bay design as a basis, you can tailor your annexe to reflect your own requirements.

You may want to feature lots of glazing to create an indoor/outdoor feel, ideal for enjoying your garden all year round. On the other hand, if you’re planning to use your annexe as a bedroom or office, you may prefer the sound and heat insulation that is provided by oak cladding or softwood weatherboarding.

Larger decisions, such as the number of bays and the floorplan, will also be influenced by both the intended purpose of your annexe and its siting. When discussing the possibilities with your design consultant, they will advise whether your future annexe will be likely to require planning permission or will fall under permitted development.

From here, the team at Oakwrights will design, manufacture and assemble your oak-frame annexe,

using industry-leading technology alongside traditional craftsmanship.

They will also provide you with all the elements to create a dry shell including joinery and rafters, studwork, oak eaves and verge, cladding and casement windows, and can supply and assemble the roof if required.

To discuss your future oak frame annexe, call 01432 353353 or visit oakwrights.co.uk/annexes

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CHANGING SPACES

Continuing his series exploring the history of the rooms we live in, conservation expert Lee Bilson looks at the design evolution of entrance halls

uthor Bill Bryson wrote, ‘No room has fallen further in history than the hall.’ A slight exaggeration perhaps, but the point made in his book At Home somewhat accurately conveys the history of the space. While the hall has been an integral part of the home throughout history, it has changed form several times, in line with fashions, and social and technological advancements.

In our earliest ‘hall houses’, the hall made up the entire home, but with the upward expansions of architecture it was eventually reduced to a humble space for hanging coats and wiping feet, while allowing access to more important rooms.

Yet hallways remain an integral and fascinating part of period homes, and can be fabulous spaces to display and convey our interests and tastes.

The hallway is far more than a mere vestibule.

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Passing through The history of the hallway is similar to that of the living room, arisen from the most prevalent form

of homes in the later medieval period. The hall house incorporated a large singular barn-like space, open to the rafters, in which all activities took place – living, eating, sleeping and entertaining – for servants and family alike. From this most basic of set-ups, came many of the principal living spaces we now know and recognise.

The open hall was composed with one end – the high end, home to the owner’s table, and to the other – the low end – the main door in the front elevation and a rear door leading to the outbuildings behind. In larger, more prosperous households, one of these outbuildings would have been a kitchen, placed away from the home out of the fear of fire.

It is easy to imagine the hall filled with smoke and cold draughts, so unsurprisingly one of the first developments included the addition of a screen at the low end, initially made of fabric then later wooden panelling. This created a passage between the two doors, known as the through or cross passage, and gave access to additional service rooms. These often consisted of the pantry for storing bread, and the buttery – not for butter, but for butts of wine and ale. This partitioned passage was the earliest space that we may now recognise as a hallway, although it would go on to evolve through various forms over history.

Images Brent Darby; Bridget Peirson; Mark Scott; James Merrell

Hallways

Design History

Right: The hallway of this Victorian country house offers a grand place to hang a hat, with its rich panelling and encaustic tiled floor Below, left to right: Original chequerboard tiles make a warm welcome in this cottage; exposed timbers create a light, open feel in this 16th-century farmhouse; the patina of age is celebrated in this Georgian townhouse; elaborate ceiling fretwork and moulding detail make a stunning feature in this elegant home

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With the desire for symmetry in Elizabethan and Jacobean design, the hall began to be turned through 90 degrees, running from front to back, with the entrance placed at the very centre of the elevation. Even in the grandest of homes the space was now reduced to a mere passage, although a generous one at that. This led visitors to a grand staircase that would take them to the principal rooms, which in larger homes were now being placed on the upper floor. Despite this innovation being very much the preserve of the wealthy, houses of all levels saw the decline of the hall as the principal room.

In more humble houses the ever-increasing use of chimneys led to the creation of hearth-passage and lobby entrance plans. That said, many older houses were regularly adapted to incorporate them, creating a lobby entrance where one would have originally entered the open hall.

Bringing in the light By the early 18th century, housing developments meant that terraced houses were more common and pretty much standardised, with staircases located at the back of the entrance hall, and fireplaces positioned in the party walls between each house. To one side of the hall would be the dining room, with the parlour behind.

The entrance passages of Queen Anne and Georgian homes were narrower affairs, more reminiscent of the passageways in medieval hall houses than the spaces of the Elizabethans.

As a result they were dark with little light, so in turn the period saw the development of fanlights, which helped to illuminate the now narrower hallways. A distinctive feature of the period, earlier fanlights tended to be rectangular and often quite chunky in construction. But as the skills of craftspeople developed and designers grew bolder, later examples were generally semi-circular with more intricate details formed using techniques with materials including lead, cast iron, copper, bronze and timber – all incorporating a range of decorative forms. Many Georgian fanlights are still in use to this day.

Embellished entrances Following swiftly on the coat tails of technology and economic booms, the hall was one of the most important areas in a Victorian home, as this was the first way – after the façade – of impressing visitors. Tiled floors were extremely common in a range of styles. The likes of Minton and Maw & Co made huge amounts of encaustic floor tiles to various designs, all detailed in extensive pattern books for clients to pick from.

Few homes avoided the fashion of tiled hallways.

As with other features and rooms of the period, mass-production in the first half of the 19th century allowed the middle classes to decorate their homes in nearly any way one could think of, but the hallway tended to be darker colours to manage the soot and grime that living in the 88 Period Living

industrial age brought. However, you don’t have to stick to the fashions of the day if you’re renovating as these spaces can certainly sing with brighter colours, bringing elaborate floor tiles to life.

A return to multipurpose The Edwardian hall was quite often similar in form to its Victorian predecessors, but many were much larger, offering a lovely movement through the space while still often incorporating the staircase. The hallways of this period took many forms, but the progressive small country houses looked for more economical use of space – this led to the creation of the living hall, where someone could read newspapers, play the piano, or simply chat with guests, not just to pass through in a purposeful fashion. The hallway was once again more than a mere passage to and from principal spaces, but was itself seen as a jewel to show off.

Front doors and porches adorned the façade, highlighting the space within and beckoning one into the home, meaning Edwardian halls are a delight to behold, be them in large country homes or in rows of terraced houses.

Modern proportions Given the generally larger plots of 20th-century homes, hallways could now be increased in size once more; this in turn allowed more feature staircases to be incorporated. Stairs with rightangled turns at the base, or half-landings experienced greater popularity, especially in the moderne styles.

Things to look out for…

O Fanlights were used widely in the Georgian

period, though sadly many have been removed by previous owners, or are in need of attention from a craftsperson. If you have an oddly plain or blanked-out overlight in an otherwise Georgian home, this suggests one has been removed. It’s always a lovely opportunity to reinstate some of the flair that might once have been there, and there are many companies that can help, such as Sambrook & Temperton, London Fanlights, and Recclesia Stained Glass.

O The tiled floors of the Victorian period are certainly something to treasure. From the middle of the 19th century geometric and encaustic tiled floors started to appear in municipal buildings, churches and Victorian villas. But as the fashion rose and mass-production improved, by the 1890s they had become an essential feature even in the most ordinary of Victorian terraced houses – sometimes you’ll even spot them outside on pathways leading to the front door. It’s a useful way to date a property or some of its styles.

However, all too often these tiles have become damaged, usually due to covering with modern floors, or previous poor repairs. While it is easy to carry out some minor repairs yourself, where larger areas have issues then you should contact a specialist like Craven Dunnill Jackfield, who still makes tiles in the traditional manner.

Images Richard Powers; Colin Poole; Brent Darby

Elizabethan evenness

Design History

Above: Fanlights were developed as a way to introduce light into dark, often narrow, hallways Above right: In the Edwardian era, the hallway was a space for reading, relaxing, and even for playing the piano Right: Your hallway can be a space to reflect your tastes and interests, and to set the tone for the rest of the interior

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LIGHTING THE WAY

With its swan neck and fluted glass shade, the Pimlico bathroom wall light in brass, £45 from Garden Trading, oozes Art Deco detailing. Why not buy two and position them either side of a mirror? Switch it on and off easily using the matching pull cord.

Feature Alice Humphrys

BESPOKE BEAUTY

Burbidge & Son’s sister company Kitchen Makers designs everything to customer specification, offering an array of bespoke storage options. Its handmade kitchen collections have now expanded and the classic styles can also be crafted to work anywhere around the home, providing storage solutions for other multi-functional CUPBOARD LOVE Once a staple in every kitchen, the humble larder cupboard is back in demand. The new Malvern larder, £775 from Next, is the perfect clutterbusting storage piece to give everything its own dedicated home.

Hide away dried foods, tins, bottles and jars, and make use of the handy countertop, which is large enough to hold small appliances such as a toaster or coffee maker. With its doors closed at the end of the day, your kitchen will look clean and tidy.

rooms such as hallways, boot rooms and utilities. The timber used is carefully sourced for its strength and sustainability, and all its carpentry is handmade in its UK workshop.

We love the timeless Shaker-style lines of the Haddon boot room, which would work equally well in a modern or traditional home. Haddon boot room in Mallard Green, from £10,000, Kitchen Makers.

BACK TO NATURE

Devon-based natural flooring specialist Fibre has joined forces with our sister brand Country Homes & Interiors to create The Contemporary Collection of wool carpets and rugs. Made from pure wool, there are seven colours all inspired by nature, from calming creams to warm ochres, gorgeous greys to bolder blues and sunny yellows. The carpets come as a broadloom in 4m and 5m widths or choose from a collection of rugs or runners with complementary borders.

Prices start at £81 per m2.

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Bathroom Tiles

MAKING A

splash

Breathe new life your bathroom or en suite with

hoosing wall tiles is an exciting and inspiring part of any bathroom design project. Available in an infinite array of colours, shapes and materials – from natural stone and porcelain to encaustic and glazed ceramic – they offer scope to create a look that is unique to your space.

Even a plain white tile can be used to create all manner of decorative effects when laid in creative configurations.

‘The important thing to remember when decorating your bathroom is that it can’t always be easily pulled out and remodelled without causing lots of disruption,’ says Joel Fry, designer at West One Bathrooms. ‘Therefore, try to base your decisions on the fact that you have to love this space for years to come – a timeless design provides longevity.’

It’s also worth noting that different areas have different needs. In a shower enclosure you will need tiles floor to ceiling, but elsewhere you may consider tiling to dado level or just as a splashback. Essentially the design you choose should offer ‘a balance between aesthetics and practicality,’ explains Damla Turgut, founder and creative director at Otto Tiles & Design. ‘The finish is dependent on whether your tiles will be laid on the wall or floor, and the look that you’re trying to achieve.’

Another factor that may influence your tile design is the size of your space. In a large master suite or family bathroom, using tiles of different shapes and scales can be used to create separate zones, while in small bathrooms or wet rooms, using the same tile throughout can give the illusion of space, too.

luxurious yet practical tiles

Feature Pippa Blenkinsop Image Studio Duggan/Mariell Lind Hansen

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Vintage appeal Above: Popular for more than a century, the trend for metro tiles shows no sign of abating. An endlessly versatile design, the tiles blend seamlessly into nearly any style of interior. Lay in a brick format for a traditional feel, or try a blocked pattern for a more contemporary look.

For a twist on tradition, vertical or

herringbone laying patterns would create an interesting feature wall in a bathroom.

On paper these sage-toned ceramic tiles are perfect for a country scheme, but they equally stand out in this more modern, eye-catching bathroom, designed by Studio Duggan for a London townhouse.

For a similar tile, try crackle glaze tiles in Sage, £36.97 per m2 at Tiles Direct.

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Right: Timeless and luxurious yet with a modern edge, this en suite design by Drummonds proves that white bathrooms needn’t be boring. ‘White tiles are a classic and enduring choice for bathroom walls. They come in an array of shapes, sizes and finishes and are a perfect counterpoint for more decorative elements such as patterned floor tiles, coloured sanitaryware and warm metal brassware,’ says James Lentaigne, creative director at Drummonds. ‘Paired with a border of black tiles, two different shapes of white tiles – square and rectangular – have been used to great effect in this bathroom to create design interest,’ he adds. The tiles are from Balineum. Drummonds’ fittings in an Antique Brushed Brass finish provide the perfect finishing touch to warm up the look, while its Single Locky vanity, from £4,860, enhances the feeling of vintage luxury.

Head turner Above: Add wow-factor to the bathroom with large-format stone-look tiles. Designed to replicate the unique texture and colouring of authentic onyx stone, these porcelain California tiles, £54.17 per m² from Ca’ Pietra, are both stylish and practical. Available in Jade (featured here), Pearl and Beige colourways with a gloss finish, they are guaranteed to bring a touch of luxury to your bathroom design.

Marvellous marble Right: If you’re looking to create a bathroom with spa-like sophistication, then marble is the perfect material. Possessing beautiful natural veining, marble bathroom tiles will bring texture and a timeless elegance to a bathroom while keeping the space feeling fresh and bright.

Using the same tile across the wall and the floor is a great way to make small bathrooms or wet rooms feel larger. Get the look of this bathroom with Fired Earth’s Bridgehampton collection, priced from £125 per m2.

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Image (below) James McDonald; (right) Drummonds/Darren Chung

Classic combination

Bathroom Tiles

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A new angle Right: If you have a bathroom with high ceilings, consider making a statement with tiles laid in a dynamic herringbone pattern, which will draw the eye upwards. Heavily glazed and featuring tonal variations, these ceramic Hoxton pink gloss tiles, £46.67 per m2 from Mandarin Stone, will bring texture, pattern and a vintage-industrial feel to bathroom walls.

Small beauty Above: Even the smallest spaces can possess a sense of spa-like luxury with a petite bath tub, like The Albion Bath Company’s Tubby Torre design, from £2,540. To enhance the restful feel of the space, small crackle glazed brick tiles in Woodsmoke Blue, £150 per m2 from Marlborough Tiles, are paired with painted walls in Silver Birch, £42 for 2.5ltrs of emulsion at Neptune.

Right: If you are looking for wall tiles for a shower area, then mosaics are a beautiful way of bringing delicate texture to the space. Here, West One Bathrooms’ scallop-shaped Zen mosaic tiles, £339.93 per m², offer a subtle variation in tone, which creates a shimmering ripple effect reminiscent of fish scales. Be sure to use a light grout to create a more seamless look – a dark grout will highlight individual tiles and as a result can make the space feel smaller.

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Image (far right) Polly Eltes

Gentle shimmer

Bathroom Tiles Best of both worlds Left: While natural marble tiles are beautiful and luxurious, they are heavy and expensive. Porcelain tiles, on the other hand, are generally lighter than marble, making them easier to fit, plus they are more cost effective. What’s more, porcelain tiles are easier to clean and maintain compared to marble tiles as natural stone is porous so will need periodic resealing. Emulating the beautiful veining of authentic marble, but with the durability and easy installation of porcelain, these Macchia Vecchia tiles, from £58.80 per m² at Lapicida, make a beautiful alternative to natural stone.

Mix and match Above: If you have a small bathroom, try creating a feature wall with an assortment of colourful patterned tiles, like Bert & May’s selection of encaustic designs, £5.25 each. Handmade in Spain using natural pigments, the tiles are available in an array of colours and patterns. Not only do they inject a fun splash of colour, but they also draw the eye and distract from the size of the room.

Colour pop Left: Bathrooms can run the risk of feeling clinical and cold, yet with so many intriguing and colourful tile designs available this needn’t be the case. For a head-turning dose of colour and pattern, try the new Cliq tiles in Hot Pink, £74.67 per m2 from Topps Tiles. For wow-factor you could use them wall-to-wall, or for a gentler approach, limit them to a single wall or behind a basin as a splashback.

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A charming alternative to tiles, bathroom panelling creates an elegant space for luxuriating istorically, wall panelling was a functional addition to the home, a way to insulate wattle-and-daub or solid brick or stone walls against the chill.

However, it quickly became a decorative feature, with carving and patterned layering coming to the fore.

Earlier panelling designs were made of dark wood, typically oak, and created

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the grandeur you would expect from a stately home.

However, this look does not suit more humble abodes, and if it does, it is unlikely to work in the bathroom.

Modern bathroom wall panelling is usually less ornate than historic examples, typically made from man-made boards such as MDF. ‘MDF is ideal for bathroom panelling as it does not expand and contract anywhere near

as much as softwood, so there is no need to redecorate every time the heating is switched on,’ says Jon Madeley, founder of The English Panelling Company. ‘It is crucial that you use a highquality board and that it is moisture resistant.’

Modern homeowners are typically drawn to wall panelling due to its aesthetic appeal, however this doesn’t diminish the

Senator freestanding bath, £4,620, BC Designs; cement tiles, £123 per m2, Otto Tiles; Closet stripe wallpaper in Sky Blue/Cream, £73 per roll, Farrow & Ball

CLASSIC LINES Tongue-and-groove wainscoting is a popular choice for bathrooms. Installed as individual panels, each plank features a small ‘tongue’ that slots into a corresponding ‘groove’ on the next plank. Tongue-and-groove panelling can be laid vertically or horizontally, and can create the illusion of more height or space in a room.

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If you are looking to exaggerate a bathroom’s length, opt for horizontally laid panels, while if you want to emphasise its height, vertical panels are a better option. For all panelling, it is important to remember that the wood needs to be primed and sealed, and installed with a suitable adhesive to prevent warping or rotting in the moist environment.

insulating properties that panelling also provides.

‘Bathroom panelling can be fixed to battens and the space between insulated (always incorporate a vapour barrier on the warm side). This may be particularly useful in an older house with solid walls as even 25mm of insulation can make a dramatic difference to the warmth of a room,’ continues Jon.

LUXURY LOOK Adding panelling to your bathroom offers a quick and affordable way to create a boutique hotel look.

Saving on wall coverings can give you the opportunity to splash out on the details that will really make the space sing, like this marble washstand in a bathroom designed

by Heidi Caillier. ‘Consider panelling that is going to complement the size and height of your room, and don’t be afraid to have fun with colours and styles. It doesn’t always have to be white or cream,’ says interior designer Georgia Zikas, founder of Georgia Zikas Design.

‘This is a great opportunity to have fun with a contrasting colour in your overall design scheme.’

Feature Holly Reaney Images (bottom second from left) Heidi Caillier; (top far right) Brent Darby; (bottom third from left) Polly Eltes

Putting up walls

Bathroom Panelling

The Double Locky vanity basin suite in Green Verde Guatemala marble and brass, from £7,330, Drummonds

PATTERN BURST When installed to dado height, panelling makes the perfect partner for decorative wallpapers as it enables you to enjoy a bold print without it overwhelming the space. ‘Wall panelling is a hot trend at the moment and it’s easy to see why – it is a modern, easy-to-care-for, stylish wall covering with a wide choice of different

styles and periods,’ says James Lentaigne, creative director at Drummonds. ‘Panelling is a simple and relatively inexpensive way to decorate and can be repainted for a different feel. From a practical point of view, it also has the benefit of hiding a multitude of sins – like uneven walls and unsightly pipework. It’s also much easier to install than bathroom tiles.’

PERFECTLY FRAMED Square panelling is another good choice for bathrooms, creating an elegant focal point. Unlike tongue and groove, it is best kept to one or two feature walls as if used on all four walls can feel overwhelming. Traditionally, square panelling was installed as wooden panels that would be attached to the wall; however, the look can equally be achieved by laying strips of timber in a square pattern on the wall for a fraction of the cost.

VINTAGE CHIC While not a traditional choice, bathroom panelling made from reclaimed wood is a great way to increase the sustainability credentials of your bathroom design. Opting for reclaimed wood is also a great way to achieve a more rustic look as each plank will feature its own unique worn patina.

Reclaimed wood can be sourced at salvage yards or can be purchased from companies such as Plaank or Eco Design Wood.

PERIOD DRAMA Don’t be afraid to mix different panelling styles – this is an especially effective technique for smaller spaces like bathrooms, and adds a charming sense of the design having evolved over time.

This scheme combines squared panelling on narrower walls to exaggerate their length, and vertical tongue-and-groove panelling on the longer walls to emphasise

the room’s height. The illusion continues with paint. While lighter colours are usually favoured in bathrooms, darker shades can create a cosy atmosphere, perfect for luxuriating. Paint panelling in a warm aubergine, like Farrow & Ball’s Brinjal, £56 for 2.5ltrs of Modern emulsion, then balance with a fresh neutral on the upper walls and ceiling to brighten the space and exaggerate the room’s height.

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Kitchen Design

SHAKING it up Discover how to bring the charm of Shaker style to your kitchen with timeless cabinetry, natural materials and simple, honest design Feature Holly Reaney

nstantly recognised by their timeless, uncomplicated designs featuring simple panelled doors and an abundance of natural materials, Shaker kitchens are ubiquitous in homes throughout the world.

A religious group who arrived in America from England in 1774, the Shakers created the style out of necessity and a desire for usefulness over trends.

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The group practised a belief that God was at the centre of everything, and nothing was beyond His reach or His eye. This thought is reflected throughout their designs: every element of the room must be beautiful and functional in equal measure.

Shaker kitchens are one of the most versatile designs, befitting every style of home, from modern apartments to period cottages.

Flawless minimalism Above: This Devol kitchen epitomises Shaker style. Nothing in the space is purely decorative, everything has a purpose – from the large glass bottle on the counter to the herbs growing on the windowsill. Pale cabinetry, with classic fielded doors, emphasises the room’s original features, drawing the eye to the rustic ceiling beams and the worn wooden floor. It is through these natural and architectural elements that the character of the space is achieved, rather than through ostentatious cabinetry design. Devol kitchens start at £12,000.

Period Living 101

Authentic charm Above: Shaker kitchens are renowned for their unfussy cabinetry, featuring clean lines and a simple recessed panel, which provides the perfect backdrop to define your own style. However, the beauty of Shaker cabinetry was not just superficial.

As they believed that God could see everything, even the back of a cupboard should look as good as the front. To reflect this craftsmanship, use solid wood kitchen cabinets constructed with strong dovetail joints for pieces that exude the Shaker ethos. This bespoke design is by Sustainable Kitchens, where prices start at £25,000.

Architectural beauty Right: With nature at its heart, your Shaker kitchen should celebrate the raw materials that were used to construct your home, so make a feature of any wooden ceiling beams and stonework. These elements can then be paired with other natural finishes, such as stone flooring, which is a beautiful complement to a Shaker kitchen, and is also highly practical. Alternatively, porcelain stone-effect tiles, like these Winchester white tiles, £39 per m2 from Quorn Stone, look just as great and will help to bring your Shaker-style kitchen to life.

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Kitchen Design

Quintessential style Above: Unpainted cabinets have fallen out of favour in recent years, yet they can bring warmth and character to a space that may otherwise feel cold and clinical. However, take care not to overwhelm the space with wood finishes – consider adding painted elements, and contrast tones and textures to

prevent the space looking homogenised, as in this design by Sims Hilditch. ‘Consider ways to bring interest to the kitchen with lighting, knobs and worktops. This way you will still have some personality in your space but keep true to the core of the Shaker aesthetic of clean lines and flat surfaces,’ says Georgia Zikas, founder of Georgia Zikas Design.

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Shaker design was informed by the belief that every item should have a place, so think hard about storage when planning your kitchen. This design by Scawton Sawmill combines a generous island with cupboards and drawers 104 Period Living

in various sizes to store all the essentials, while base cabinets house pan drawers, spice racks and concealed appliances. A plate rack and wooden mantelpiece add functional decoration, making an attractive display while offering practical space to store plates and bowls.

Image (above) Colin Poole

Neat and tidy

Kitchen Design

Natural warmth Above: Traditionally made from locally sourced wood, cabinetry would have been unpainted and unadorned - seeing the grain was an essential part of the furniture’s beauty. ‘Having a contrasting island brings warmth and helps establish it more as a piece of furniture in its own right,’ says Matt Podesta, co-founder and creative director at Huckleberry. ‘Another small detail is painting the knobs the same colour as the cabinets, or in the case of the island having them turned in the same oak.’ Huckleberry kitchens start at £30,000.

From the store cupboard Right: Pantries would have been an essential part of every Shaker kitchen, and while today they are becoming increasingly popular, not every kitchen has space to incorporate one. Tall cabinets that reach ceiling height can operate in the same way as a pantry, offering plenty of storage space, which will help you to achieve the same organised effect.

Martin Moore kitchen designs start from £45,000.

Kitchen Design

Floral flair Left: While authentic Shaker kitchens would have been minimalist, exuding rustic charm, modern Shaker kitchens give you the opportunity to be creative. Wallpaper and colour are great ways to give this classic style a new lease of life. Opting for a heritage-inspired print, like Sanderson’s Stapleton Park in Midnight/Gold, £89 per roll at Wallpaper Direct, imbues your home with vintage charm, and can be used to define the palette of your space. Consider drawing on the prominent shades for your cabinetry, then painting your island in a contrasting tone from the same palette to create interest without overwhelming the space.

This blue and yellow scheme creates a buoyant atmosphere that oozes the joys of spring.

Coming clean Right: Continue the ethos of Shaker kitchen design into other aspects of your space. ‘There is an increasing appreciation that a sink can make a huge difference to the overall look of the kitchen, so it’s important to get it right,’ says Jonathan Britton, brand manager at House of Rohl.

A highly practical Belfast or butler sink is the perfect companion to a Shaker-style kitchen. This pretty fluted Bowland design, from £662 at Shaws of Darwen, fits seamlessly into this colourful Shaker kitchen design by Devol.

French influence Left: With its recessed panelled cabinets, tall open shelving, and tongue-and-groove walls, this vibrant kitchen is rooted in Shaker style. However, framing the sunny yellow cabinetry with a darker edge introduces a French farmhouse vibe, drawing the eye without compromising the design’s simplicity. The range cooker is at the heart of this space, highlighted by a bespoke extractor fan cover that mirrors the effect of the base cabinetry. Hanging rustic pots adds a useful yet characterful feature, while a French wall sconce completes the look.

Right: A peg rail was an essential element of a Shaker home, and featured in nearly every room of the house, especially the kitchen. The rail itself would have been expertly handcrafted, and offered the perfect place to hang cookware, brooms and even chairs. In today’s kitchens, peg rails can ideally be used to display beautiful objects. Opt for stainless-steel or copper pans alongside bunches of dried herbs and pretty shopper bags, and remember that less in more.

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Images (top) Paul Massey; (bottom) Kasia Fiszer

Level pegging

Cottage industry Thatched roofs are one of the most evocative symbols of the British countryside. Douglas Kent gives an overview of this historic craft

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hatch was the dominant roof covering across much of the UK up to the late 19th century and remains a viable, sustainable material for many rural buildings. Straw has been used to thatch for centuries, although alternatives found include water reed, heather, bracken, bulrush, marram grass, flax – and even wood chips and potato stems!

Main thatching types LONG STRAW Seen in central,

southern and east England.

Roofs look shaggy, not cropped like the reed types, and eaves have hazel stitches.

WATER REED (NORFOLK REED)

Traditional in wetland areas.

Eaves generally overhang less than with straw roofs and surfaces appear uniform.

Ridges may be of sedge.

COMBED WHEAT REED (DEVON REED) Associated with the

West Country, this is actually straw laid like water reed.

Eaves are not dressed, but cut (so stalks have angled ends).

Image Brent Darby

Maintenance & repair The roof ridge will need renewing several times in between rethatching of the main coat, and is typically required every 10-15 years.

It also gives the opportunity to strip thatch around chimneys to reveal masonry defects that represent a fire risk. All junctions, including

flashings and mortar fillets, must be left watertight.

Localised areas of decay, such as channels worn where rainwater runoff concentrates, may be repaired with new thatch, along with damage caused by wind, birds or squirrels.

This can prolong the life of thatched roofs and avoid more costly replacement.

Netting may be used where thatch is prone to bird and squirrel damage. Moss, lichen and fungi do not have to be removed, however.

Rethatching Both straw and water reed roofs may perform well for at least 30 years but will eventually need rethatching when the fixings are near to the surface and open to water ingress. Rethatching of water reed usually entails stripping the existing roof back to the timbers. With straw, however, a new surface coat is usually fixed – or ‘sparred’ – over existing base coats, taking care to avoid a build-up of excessive thicknesses of thatch.

It is important not to strip roofs where rare medieval smoke-blackened thatch survives. Modern screw fixings are less damaging to ancient timberwork than metal crooks. Consult an architect, surveyor or engineer over any structural concerns before work starts.

Select a reputable thatcher working in the local tradition who does not automatically replace long straw with reed. Regional variations in thatching materials and styles have evolved over the centuries, so it is vital to perpetuate these, not only to retain local diversity but to avoid problems with durability.

Supply issues There are occasional shortages of materials, as with straw in 2020 after the poor harvest. In such times, consider timely, localised repair rather than complete rethatching to extend the life of a roof by several years.

Roofs with more extensive wear can be protected using a thin coat of combed wheat reed or long straw with surface fixings (known as a ‘rick coat’). While a thin rick coat might last about three years, a thicker coat may last up to ten.

A flush ridge might be considered rather than a raised block ridge. Flush ridges require less material, last as long as block ridges and were commonly the traditional ridge type.

Fire safety The most common cause of thatch fires is inappropriate installation, or irresponsible use of wood-burning stoves. Such is the level of

risk, there is now a trend towards removing woodburning stoves from thatched cottages and reinstating inglenook-type open fires. The presence of a wood-burning stove needs to be declared when seeking building insurance to avoid invalidating any claims.

Other fires in thatch are caused by unsuitable fuel or kindling, the blocking of flues by birds’ nests, and the ignition of tarry deposits due to inadequate cleaning of flues, chimneys, spark arrestors or bird guards.

Deep multi-layered thatch increases fire risk by hiding defective chimney stacks and reducing the height of the stack above the roof surface. This provides a shorter distance for embers exiting the top of the stack to fall before reaching the thatch. Options include raising the height of the stack or reducing excessive thicknesses of thatch (with listed building consent, where required).

Douglas Kent is technical and research director at the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB).

For further guidance on the care and repair of old homes visit spab.org.uk or call the free SPAB helpline on 020 7456 0916 (9.30am–12.30pm weekdays with support from Historic England).

Period Living 111

Renovation

Stepping stones

Discover how to restore or replace paving, to keep it looking its best and to ensure safety in the garden Feature Roger Hunt, author of Old House Handbook

aving is an essential part of a garden’s hard landscaping and, over time, brick, stone, cobbles and pebbles laid as paths and terraces will take on the patina of age. The surface may also become uneven due to ground movement, drainage problems or tree roots. These processes often add character and beauty, but cracked or failing paving can result in trip hazards and slippery surfaces, so maintenance is essential.

New or replacement paved driveways may require planning permission.

With listed buildings, permission might be needed to undertake landscape work; archaeological remains should also be

Image (bottom) Jonathan Buckley

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considered. Wherever possible, avoid laying hard surfaces close to buildings as they can trap moisture at the base of walls and cause damp problems.

How to repair ‘Garden paving is generally not that difficult to repair,’ says Richard Burrows of Williams & Burrow, a company specialising in heritage repair. He suggests finding a landscaper who has a conservation approach and is happy to repair, rather than lay new paving.

‘The first thing to think about is how much of the path needs to be reset and whether all the elements are there or if sections are missing and will need to be replaced.’ Richard

Above: Older paths are generally laid with traditional lime mortar, which allows for better drainage Left: A neat edge adjoining the lawn adds a contemporary touch to this paving at Whatley Manor in Malmesbury, while plants in the herbaceous border flop over the pathway for a romantic feel

Period Living 113

recommends researching before undertaking repairs to check on the availability of materials. ‘You can often find suitable reclaimed stone at salvage yards.’

Even if materials appear to be in good condition, it may also be necessary to buy extra when relaying a path, warns Neil Elliott of T. Caudwell, a supplier of reclaimed building materials.

‘You can end up with less than you started with due to breakages and the gaps between the original pieces.’

With brick, if one brick fails it doesn’t mean the whole path will fail, says David Armitage of the York Handmade Brick Company.

‘Trouble tends to occur if water sits on the bricks, especially if they’re soft, because of the action of frost, which causes them to disintegrate. It’s very important that brick paths have a bit of a slope so the water is shed efficiently.’

Before taking up brick or stone to start repairs, Richard advises recording the layout of the paving.

‘Take photographs and measurements and draw a plan, numbering each piece with chalk as you take it up; this will make it a lot easier to relay.’

‘When relaying paving you may have to work with the rise and fall of the ground, regularising 114 Period Living

it where necessary but retaining the character of the undulations. Tree roots can be challenging but, wherever possible, they shouldn’t be cut,’ says Richard. ‘If the path is wide enough, you can reset the paving and allow the roots to do their thing. You may find that some of the path is occupied by the tree root, but you can adjust the rise and fall of the paving to reduce the danger of it being a trip hazard by gently sloping it around the root.’

How to replace ‘Bricks used on a vertical plane as a wall behave very differently to those laid on a horizontal plane as paving, where they can become saturated,’ says Richard. ‘You’re probably best using a new brick; go to the manufacturer and ask their opinion.’

The most important point when choosing bricks for paving is durability, adds David. He suggests avoiding reclaimed bricks. ‘You can’t guarantee whether they’re suitable for paths, so use a brick designed for paving.’

Neil advises using wirecut bricks. ‘They’re hard and don’t absorb water.

A lot of people also use Victorian engineering bricks. With any reclaimed materials, always go and look at them. That way

you’ll know exactly what you’re getting. If you’re trying to match, take a sample and photographs.’

With stone, a good reclamation yard should supply paving that is fissure and fracture free. Neil explains that York stone comes in different grades: cathedral grade, A grade and B grade. ‘Cathedral is the smoothest and B grade is riven. A grade is in-between.

Most York stone comes in random flagstones, which can be anything from 250mm to one metre square and up to 120mm thick.’

Using edging to enclose a paved area will contain bricks or cobbles and lock them together to stop them from spreading. Edging can simply be formed with timber boards but David suggests either brick or purpose-made decorative edging. ‘It’s best to mortar it in so it can’t move.’

Richard says older paths are generally set in earth or lime mortar, allowing free drainage. ‘Cobbles are often bedded in the firmer subsoil below the organic matter that makes up the surface layer.’

Brick and stone paving is best laid on a 50mmdeep hardcore or crushed limestone base with dry sand laid on top, advises David. ‘Tamp this down with a vibrating “wacker” plate and lay the bricks on that. Then tamp them but be sure to lay something

down over the top such as a rubber mat or old carpet; you don’t want the steel plate directly on the bricks as they’re easily damaged.’

Similarly, Richard suggests laying a compacted hardcore base. ‘You can then bed your slabs on a hydraulic lime mortar bed.

The depth of the bed is dependent on the thickness of the paving because it can vary significantly. A 25mm bed is generally suitable.’

Useful contacts CHALK DOWN LIME – lime

materials. Tel: 01580 830092; chalkdownlime.co.uk COLEFORD BRICK & TILE

– bricks and pavers.

Tel: 01594 822160; colefordbrick.co.uk HADDONSTONE – cast-stone products. Tel: 01604 770711; haddonstone.com H. G. MATTHEWS – brick pavers. Tel: 01494 758212; hgmatthews.com SALVO – marketplace for architectural salvage. Tel: 01227 500485; salvoweb.com T. CAUDWELL – reclaimed brick and stone paving. Tel: 01622 746225; reclaimed bricksandyorkstone.co.uk TY-MAWR – range of lime materials. Tel: 01874 611350; lime.org.uk WILLIAMS & BURROW – heritage repair. Tel: 07432 117304; williamsandburrows.co.uk YORK HANDMADE BRICK COMPANY – landscaping

edging and bricks.

Tel: 01347 838881; yorkhandmade.co.uk Left: Old cobblestones are a charming choice, and can be found at reclamation yards. They need to be enclosed with edging to prevent them from spreading out over time

Images (top) David Parmiter; (bottom) Kasia Fiszer

Reclaimed roof tiles set on edge make for a characterful addition to a garden path

SPRING OPEN GARDENS

ON THE BOOKSHELF

Over 700 gardens will open for the National Garden Scheme this April – here’s our top three CHYGURNO, CORNWALL Discover southern hemisphere shrubs and exotics in a stepped cliffside garden overlooking the stunning Lamorna Cove. Open 23–24 April, 2pm–5pm.

BLACKLAND HOUSE, WILTSHIRE Varied garden, adjacent to the River Marden in Calne, with an abundance of gorgeous historic tulips and other unusual spring bulbs. Open Friday 22 April and Sunday 1 May, 2:30pm–4pm.

ARLEY HALL & GARDENS, CHESHIRE Eight acres of formal gardens in Northwich, packed full of horticultural history. There is a well-established arboretum and a woodland walk. Open Monday 11 April 10am–4:30pm.

Borde Hill House and Garden in West Sussex is renowned for its rare shrubs and trees. Discover the story of its spectacular design in Borde Hill Garden, A Plant Hunter’s Paradise,

by Vanessa Berridge (£40, Merrell Publishers). This beautiful book takes you on an immersive tour with year-round photography

by John Glover. Take in the many plant species not found anywhere else in Britain, and admire the formal gardens, wide lawn, and vast wooded areas with one of the country’s largest private collections of rare trees from around the world – it truly is a plantsman’s paradise.

WILDLIFE WATCH

Encourage as many feathered, fluffy and creepy crawly friends as you can to hang out in your garden this spring, to promote diversity and help control pests. The National Trust has curated a marvellous selection of bird feeders, bird baths, bug shelters and beehives – there’s even a hedgehog house. Entice them with a safe shelter, seeds and fresh water, and see who comes to visit. Priced from £6.

E N T R Y W A Y

E S S E N T I A L S

Feature Alice Humphrys

Create a handy landing station with these practical yet stylish buys

Exterior bracket light in galvanised silver, £315, Davey Lighting

Black Toast Walk with Purpose coir door mat, £20, Emma Bridgewater

Large Hambledon oak welly stand, £90, Garden Trading

Ashcroft rattan umbrella basket, £88, Neptune

Period Living 117

Gardens

The perfect fit

Foxgloves are cottage garden favourites and make an eye-catching addition to any border with their tall, tubular blooms – find out how to get the best out of them Words and photographs Leigh Clapp

For a pretty cottage mix it’s hard to beat rambling roses and stately delphiniums with spires of foxgloves happily mixing among the colourful and joyous medley. A dark painted wall adds a dramatic backdrop

‘Foxgloves are misunderstood as most gardeners think they are biennials. The species come true from seed while the biennials cross-pollinate.

Because of their ability to set seed easily, breeders can create wonderful hybrids that flower in their first year and continue to do so for a couple more years. Many set seed, but seldom recreate the parent they came from,’ explains Mary Baker.

When to plant

voking old-fashioned storybook charm, foxgloves are at home in woodlands, hedgerows and cottage gardens. Their late spring or early summer appearance is appreciated for the naturalistic impact they bring, adding height and forming self-perpetuating colonies.

‘There is a foxglove for almost any part of your garden, from the woodland shade to the hot sunny border,’ explains Mary Baker, who, with husband Terry, holds the national collection of digitalis at their Botanic Nursery and Gardens in Wiltshire.

‘Foxgloves give that height required early in the season in the cottage garden or mixed border,’ explains Rosy Hardy of Hardy’s Cottage Garden Plants in Hampshire.

Varieties of foxgloves You are sure to know our pink, white or apricot varieties of native Digitalis purpurea, which self-seed extensively, their spires of bell flowers swaying in the breeze popping up sometimes a bit too promiscuously in our gardens. However, with 24 species of foxgloves, around 40 cultivars, and a geographic range through central and southern Europe, there are more varieties to try than you may realise, with a host of different colours, shapes and sizes to choose from.

‘Over the years, breeding has brought in some new varieties that flower for a longer period with stronger colours,’ explains Rosy Hardy. These easy-to-grow tubular blooms are a valuable source of pollen and are especially attractive to longtongued bees. With a range of colours, from pinks and whites to apricots and yellows, drifts of foxgloves grace a wildlife-friendly garden.

Some foxgloves are hardy biennials, such as our two natives – purpurea and albiflora – which produce foliage and root growth in their first year, then flowering and setting seed in the next, before dying back. As they self-seed so freely, they can be thought of as short-lived perennials. Species foxgloves, on the other hand, are perennials, flower in July, and will last for three to five years.

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Plant foxgloves in spring when the soil is warm and moist, to encourage root growth. There is a greater choice of seed varieties through mail-order specialists. Seeds are best sown between January and May. Seed collected from the pods can be sown straight away, or kept in a cool dry place and sown in a tray to grow on and then plant out in spring.

You can also grow from plug plants and gardenready plants that will flower in the first year. The RHS doesn’t recommend autumn planting for young plug plants; instead keep them in their pots in a sheltered spot over winter and then plant out in spring. Foxgloves are poisonous to the touch so always wear gloves when handling plants or seeds.

Where to grow Foxgloves are one of the key plants of any woodland garden as they thrive in dappled shade under large trees and shrubs. However, there are some species that require full sun to do well, so you can find varieties to suit your chosen location. Whether planted in sun or shade, they will supply statuesque height to the back of borders, with their flower spikes growing from 30cm up to 2m or more.

‘Grow them in a group for best impact. The seed needs light to germinate, so choosing the correct variety for the area is important,’ says Mary Baker.

Foxgloves like good air circulation and not being overcrowded, and will grow in any well-drained, moist soil, rich in organic matter, although acidic soil with a pH under 6.0 is ideal. Avoid very dry or very wet soils. Taller foxgloves need protection from strong winds.

How to grow Growing foxgloves from seed is the most economical choice. You can scatter seeds directly in your garden but as they are so tiny you may get better success sowing them indoors on goodquality seed compost. Cover with the seeds with a little compost or vermiculite to keep them in place, pop in a propagator or polythene bag on a sunny windowsill and then into pots to grow on.

To get native foxgloves to self-seed around the garden, plant them two years in a row. For plug plants, pot on into individual pots, keep in a cool, frost-free spot, let them acclimatise and double in size then plant into the garden. Garden-ready plants are a bit larger and can be planted into pots to grow a little more or be planted straight into their garden position. Dig in some well-rotted compost before planting and then mulch over the surface. Space young plants 30-35cm apart so they can spread out their rosette of leaves.

Gardens

Above: The looseness and random self-seeding of drifts of different types of foxgloves, with frothy forget-me-nots and splashes of vibrant poppies, create a naturalistic garden display Right: Layers of delphiniums, tactile achillea and salvias provide a backdrop to rows of foxgloves for a more structured feel

continues Mary Baker. Water newly planted foxgloves for the first few months to help them spread their roots. Once they have established in their rich soil, they should only require watering in dry summer spells.

Deadhead some of the flowers to conserve the energy of the plant and improve longevity but leave some to set seed and create the next generation. Harvest some of the seed of your favourite biennial to increase your stock. To do this, cut the stem with the seed capsules, place in a large paper bag and, once dry, the seed will fall out and will be ready to pack and store.

Troubleshooting Foxgloves are generally trouble-free and easy to care for, although you may need to protect young plants from slugs and snails. If leaves are affected by fungal spots or powdery mildew, remove the diseased leaves or spray with a suitable fungicide.

Chlorosis, or leaf yellowing, is a sign of nutrient deficiency. Aphids can be an issue so try to keep a healthy garden with lots of natural predators.

Good planting companions

The pastel apricot shades of Digitalis ‘Sutton’s Apricot’ have such a soft, romantic hue that works charmingly with white and silver combinations, as here with the first cosmos and cynara foliage

‘Modern F1 hybrids can typically be recognised by the flowers produced all around the stem; these sorts usually flower for 2-3 years but their seed is rarely good. Some herbaceous varieties, such as Digitalis grandiflora and lutea, can be divided.

On the other hand, species foxgloves all come true from seed,’ explains Mary Baker.

Container growing Most foxgloves can be grown in large containers and there are also dwarf varieties available.

‘When growing foxgloves in containers, be sure to use a quality compost and ensure that you feed the plant regularly; you can do this either with a slow-release fertiliser or liquid feed. Do not let the plant get pot bound and do not overwater them.

Cutting back the spent flower stems encourages even more flower stems to grow,’ says Mary Baker.

A mature foxglove can reach up to 5 metres in height, so you will need a large container.

‘If you are planting foxgloves with other plants, make sure not to overcrowd them, as this could cause diseases like leaf spot. Foxgloves love humusrich soil so add some of the most decomposed matter from your compost bin to the potting material. Tall foxgloves may also need support to stop them being damaged by winds. Place your container in an area of the garden that is in full sun or part shade,’ says Adam Alexander, RHS horticulturalist at Wisley.

How to care for foxgloves ‘With the exception of a couple of rare species, foxgloves are hardy, so don’t mollycoddle them,’ 122 Period Living

These lovely flowers make a pleasing foil for old-fashioned roses, are at home with springflowering shrubs in borders or woodland clearings, and are attractive combined with summer bulbs, irises, hesperis and aquilegia.

‘Digitalis work well with alliums and geums to give a wonderful early summer display. The perennial forms are great for later in the season, some in shadier places mixing well with grasses and heleniums,’ says Rosy Hardy.

‘You can use foxgloves in many different styles of gardening. For a natural woodland-style planting in an area with dappled shade, I would combine them with Campanula rotundifolia, common harebell, and ferns such as Polystichum polyblepharum, Japanese tassel fern. For a sunnier spot of the garden, I recommend a spring cottagestyle planting. Foxgloves combined with peonies, roses and salvia will give you a show of flowers from late spring to autumn,’ says Adam Alexander.

Where to see and buy THE BETH CHATTO GARDENS AND NURSERY, Colchester

CO7 7DB – woodland and water gardens. Open daily.

Entry £8.45. Tel: 01206 822007; bethchatto.co.uk THE BOTANIC NURSERY & GARDENS, Atworth, Wiltshire SN12 8NU – home to national collection of digitalis, with seeds, plugs and plants available. Tel: 07850 328756; thebotanicnursery.co.uk HARDY’S COTTAGE GARDEN PLANTS, Whitchurch, Hants RG28 7FA – Award-winning nursery specialising in herbaceous perennials.

Tel: 01256 896533; hardysplants.co.uk RHS GARDEN WISLEY, Woking, Surrey GU23 6QB – Oakwood woodland planted with more than 1,500 new foxgloves in 2021 as a celebration of 200 years since the birth of RHS Wisley’s founder, George Fergusson. Entry adult £14.95, child £7.45.

Tel: 01483 224234; rhs.org.uk

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DIGITALIS FERRUGINEA - also known

DIGITALIS X MERTONENSIS – also known as

DIGITALIS PURPUREA ‘PAM’S CHOICE’

as rusty foxglove, flowers June to September

strawberry foxglove, perennial hybrid, flowers in late spring/early summer, strawberry shade

– one of the best cultivars, features tall, strong spires

DIGITALIS ‘GOLDCREST’ -

DIGITALIS ‘FOXLIGHT RUBY GLOW’ – hybrid,

DIGITALIS PURPUREA – quintessential

perennial, peachy-yellow, summer to autumn

summer long blooms, grows best in light shade

native foxglove, summer flowering, biennial

DIGIPLEXIS ‘FALCON FIRE’ – cross native DIGITALIS PURPUREA F. ALBIFLORA – white-flowered

DIGITALIS PURPUREA ‘SUGAR PLUM’

and Canary Island foxglove, long flowering period

– sturdy perennial, purple-white flowers from May to July

foxglove, flowers June to July, favourite of Gertrude Jekyll

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Bountiful baskets

Discover how to plant hanging baskets to create a beautiful garden feature that will endure until the end of summer lanting your own hanging baskets is one of the most enjoyable gardening tasks, as you get so much reward for such little effort.

Early spring is the ideal time to plant up the baskets.

However, as they need protection from cold nights and frost until late spring, a greenhouse or conservatory is needed to grow them on under cover. Otherwise, wait until all frosts have passed.

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Feature Melanie Griffiths; Images (top) Mark Scott; (bottom) Pelargonium for Europe

Choose your plants When planting containers and hanging baskets, many gardeners follow the rule of ‘thriller, filler, spiller’.

Start by choosing a statement ‘thriller’ plant, to act as a focal point. Good thriller plants for hanging baskets are pelargoniums, begonias, osteospermums, angelonia, argyranthemums, nicotiana and heliotrope.

Complement this with ‘filler’ plants that will create a foil for your thrillers.

Include some foliage such as purple-leaved heuchera, compact carex, silverleaved artemisia or purple sage. Good filler flowers are erigeron and nemesia.

Finally, choose ‘spiller’ plants that will trail over the sides. Ideal varieties are lobelia, bacopa, ivy, fuchsias, verbena and nasturtiums.

To make a simple, elegant statement, don’t be afraid to fill the basket with a single variety. Also think about the effect you want to create with colour – restricting your palette to one or two complementary shades

looks more sophisticated than a riot of colour.

For something different, you could grow your own mini kitchen garden in a hanging basket. Good crops to try are herbs, salad leaves, strawberries and tomatoes.

Basket types The most popular hanging basket type is a wire cage, although there are other options such as solid metal bowls, ceramic containers and willow baskets.

Planting a hanging basket is a good opportunity to get creative by upcycling a vintage enamel bowl, large tin, colander or birdcage.

Your hanging basket will need to be lined to hold the soil – you can either buy a ready-made liner of a natural fibre such as coir, or use moss to cover the inside of the cage, creating a layer 1.5cm thick. If you use a liner, consider cutting holes around the side, for plants to grow through.

Water reserves Once the basket is lined, you need to form a water reservoir in its base, to keep enough water in the soil for the plants to thrive.

Position a plant saucer – around half the basket’s diameter – in the bottom, or cut out a polythene circle.

It’s also a good idea to include a watering channel, to make watering easier.

Add a small flower pot in the centre of the basket and fill it with gravel or shingle.

Its rim should be just below that of the basket.

Above: Busy lizzies and lobelia create a pretty cottage garden feel in this hanging basket Right: Just using one star plant, like this trailing geranium, has an elegant effect

The right potting mix Use good multi-purpose compost, ideally peat-free, which is more sustainable.

You need to fill the basket around three quarters full.

For the optimum potting mix, add a handful of water-retaining granules to the compost. These have the ability to increase up to 400 times their size when wet, so they slowly release water as the plants need it.

Also mix in slow-release fertiliser granules so the plants have all the nutrients they need throughout the growing season.

Planting arrangement Before planting, practice by grouping the pots together.

Start with a central thriller plant, then position your trailing plants to cover the

side of the basket, and add filler plants around them.

How many plants you should use in a hanging basket depends on how vigorous your chosen varieties are. However, as they have a more limited time to shine, you can pack them in more closely than you would when planting in the ground. Carefully fill in around the root balls with more compost.

Give your hanging baskets a thorough initial watering, and then check daily to see if the soil is dry. If it feels moist, there is no need to water, as you don’t want them to become waterlogged.

Deadhead any spent flowers to keep your baskets blooming right to the end of summer.

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Sinkorswim No matter how big or small, adding a pond to your garden will prove invaluable for wildlife ater is a vital addition to the garden, enabling a wide range of wildlife to thrive. Yet, gardening is all about balance and building a pond with nature in mind will have a dramatic effect on the health of your plot, too. The birds who visit to drink and bathe in the shallows, or the newts and frogs that call your pond home, will also help to control slugs, snails and other garden pests, keeping them away from your vegetable plot, rose garden and flower borders.

The benefits of a wildlife pond are not just limited to the typical pondlife. ‘A water source will also significantly increase the number and the variety of pollinators in your garden’, explains Barry Chambers, founder of Garden Design Guru.

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Where to build You can build your pond anywhere in your garden; however, the optimum location would be one that

Feature Holly Reaney Images Getty Images

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receives four to six hours of sunlight a day. Remember, it is better to have a pond in a slightly less optimal location than to not have one at all.

Filling your pond The best option is to fill your pond with rainwater as it has a pH level that will support the largest range of plants and wildlife.

Before you begin building your pond, start collecting rainwater in water butts and then use this to fill your pond quickly and efficiently.

Alternatively, you can build your pond in autumn, letting it fill naturally over winter.

Use tap water as a last resort, and always make sure that it has stood for a few days to allow chemicals and nutrients (which can cause an increase in algae) to evaporate.

How deep should it be?

When it comes to building a wildlife pond, shallower is better. ‘A wildlife pond should have lots of shallow water – roughly 50 per cent shallows, and the deep area

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should not be more than 30cm,’ says Dr Jeremy Biggs, CEO at Fresh Water Habitats Trust. ‘Most garden ponds are too deep for their area: if you want a half-metre deep pond, or deeper, it needs to be much larger or you end up with very steep sides. It is important that you ensure that almost all pond slopes are shallow, at least less than 1:5 (12°) and preferably less than 1:20 (3°).’ These angles will ensure that any animals that accidentally find themselves in the pond are able to escape.

Attracting wildlife ‘Generally wildlife can “sniff out” water and you’ll find that animals and insects will just turn up,’ says Barry.

However, adding plants is a great way to make your pond more appealing. ‘Aim to cover around 50 per cent

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of your pond with plants as they keep the water cool and algae growth down,’ says Ness Amaral-Rogers, science communication executive at the RSPB. However, when selecting plants be sure to opt for a mix that offers protective habitats and food for insects, amphibians and mammals, as well as flowers that will provide food for pollinators.

That being said, make sure you avoid introducing any invasive species.

Also consider adding a fountain, as this will help to attract birds and frogs.

There are many different options from those with pumps that aerate the water to solar designs that float on the surface and recirculate the water below. If you are installing a pump, be sure it has an integrated ‘wildlife protection system’.

P L A N T S Watermint – purple summer blooms attract butterflies and other insects, while its fragrant leaves will help to repel flies

Frogbit – floating perennial, popular with caterpillars, which in turn attract frogs Myriophyllum – oxygenating plant that can grow above or below the water, provides great cover for aquatic wildlife

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Image National Trust/Andrew Butler

Complete with roses scrambling over the front door, Hardy’s Cottage in Dorset – childhood home of novelist and poet Thomas Hardy – is home to a quintessential cottage garden that combines simple beauty with productivity. Its charming abundance of roses, summer-flowering perennials and vegetables, all buzzing with life, are what many people imagine when they picture a cottage garden

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Gardens

GARDENS

in time

This month, National Trust head gardener Rosie Fyles looks at elements of Victorian cottage garden design, and explains how the planting ideas can inspire and be incorporated into our own home gardens Period Living 129

O No hierarchical approach to planting height,

and self-seeders encouraged.

O Hedges as the most common garden boundary.

O Many cottages had at least one piece of topiary: birds, teapots, cats, or geometrical designs such as simple cones or spirals.

Above: Rosie Fyles in the garden at Ham House

he classic imagery of a cottage garden is the quintessential Victorian-style watercolour of a garden scene. Often showing a thatched cottage, there will be abundant flowering borders with pollinators alighting on blooms, trees and shrubs adding a little structure and casting shade, and maybe the odd cabbage being picked, too. It’s a picture of the Victorian dream of a perfect rustic life.

‘A cottage garden is different things to different people: it represents layers and layers of garden history,’ explains Claire Masset, author of the National Trust’s Cottage Gardens: A Celebration of Britain’s Most Beautiful Cottage Gardens, with Advice on Making Your Own. ‘Universally, I think cottage gardens create a feeling of nostalgia: a longing for a lost past that perhaps did not exist. That doesn’t mean to say that they cannot be contemporary, too – cottage gardens work with nature and express a spirit of the place. It is also a very environmentally friendly way of gardening,’ adds Claire.

The hallmarks of a cottage garden The cottage garden approach is ‘slow gardening’; ‘allowing self-seeding to establish, editing the plant display and relying on plants that might be found on country roadsides, such as foxgloves and ferns, to self-colonise. It’s really the opposite of planting, in that you either leave a plant in that’s found its own way to you, or you take it out,’ explains Claire.

Key elements of a Victorian cottage garden were: O No clear layout or design; a sense of a garden developing naturally over time.

O Practicality before artistry – herbs would be grown by the kitchen door.

O Flower garden at fore and separate vegetable garden behind.

O A front path, usually mosaic tiles, running straight from the gate to the door.

O Growing space at a premium, so modest lawns and little paving.

O An abundance of plants joyfully crammed together with the emphasis on statement flowers rather than their foliage.

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Garden illustrations by Beatrix Potter often come to mind when we think of cottage gardens, and the author was inspired by the garden of her own home, Hill Top, in the Lake District.

Pete Tasker has been looking after Beatrix Potter’s garden at Hill Top for decades. ‘Beatrix Potter was a fantastic botanical illustrator and I use her images to guide me in how we look after her garden today,’ he explains. However, she was liberal with flowering periods: in her eyes everything could flower at the same time – daffodils, apple blossom, pinks…

‘I think of cottage gardens as being a complete mix, which might appear random but which are under loose, fluid control. Colours are pale and muted with an occasional splash of dark richness.

The plants that we rely on here are often “happy accidents”, joining us from the wild, while others are exactly as you would expect to find in a cottage garden: roses, trellised clematis, fruit trees. The key is to expect plants to come and go. If a plant doesn’t like your garden, get rid of it,’ Pete adds.

In a separate, contained space, they grow the famous Jemima Puddle-Duck rhubarb and soft fruits, legumes and onions. ‘We garden with nature, without pesticides, and avoid weedkillers.

Above right: Hollyhocks and anemones bloom freely by the door of Alfriston Clergy House, a picturesque early-15th-century hall house in East Sussex – the first building saved by the National Trust.

The mixed cottage garden, set out across a series of Arts-and-Craftsstyle ‘garden rooms’, is an inspiration; a heady mix of oldfashioned roses, sweet peas, medicinal herbs and a ‘tiny but beautiful’ orchard of old and rare apple varieties Right: The unpretentious, muchloved garden at Hill Top in Cumbria, once the home of Beatrix Potter.

The charming green gate looks onto the vegetable garden, where Jemima Puddle-Duck tried to hide her eggs in the rhubarb patch, and a beehive nestles in the bee bole, just as it did in Beatrix’s time Far right: A duck leads her ducklings along a path at Hill Top. In this small garden, Beatrix created – from scratch – a rustic haven of peace, which became the backdrop for many of her characters

Images (clockwise from top) National Trust Images/Marianne Majerus; National Trust Images/Paul Harris; National Trust Images/Val Corbett

Happy accidents and gardening with nature

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We leave seed-heads in borders and will delay clearing in autumn and winter so that we leave shelter for birds,’ Pete adds.

Potter herself acknowledged her ‘untidy’ garden. She favoured a naturalistic approach, saying: ‘It always seems too wet or too busy at the right time for digging over – consequently, I just let plants alone until they are ready to be divided.’

A typical cottage garden Complete with roses around the door, Hardy’s Cottage, the evocative Dorset birthplace of author Thomas Hardy, is a prime example of a stereotypical cottage garden.

When he was growing up, Hardy’s garden might have felt more like a builder’s yard, as that was his father and grandfather’s profession.

However, the essence of the garden he later created with his friend Hermann Lea, is summed up in ‘Domicilium’, one of Hardy’s first poems: ‘Red roses, lilacs and variegated box Are there in plenty, and such hardy flowers As flourish best untrained. Adjoining these Are herbs and esculents; and farther still A field; then cottages with trees, and last The distant hills and sky.’

Key plants for a cottage garden When choosing plants for your cottage garden, look for plants that are: HARDY (even if they might look delicate...)

SINGLE-FLOWERED – species or close to species, natural. Think daffodils, potentilla and hibiscus.

SWEET SCENTED – like lily-of-the-valley, columbines and sweetpeas.

ROMANTIC – roses, delphiniums, peonies, lilacs and dicentra all add romance to a cottage garden FOXGLOVES, FRUIT TREES, HOLLYHOCKS, PHLOX, SEDUMS, ROSES AND WELSH POPPIES are just some of the

plants that would chime perfectly with the feel of a cottage garden.

Cottage gardening is a genuinely accessible approach that anybody, anywhere, can make their own, whether in a rural location or urban; in a garden large or small.

The key things are lots and lots of plants, an abundance of flowering and as Claire Masset explains: ‘…a distinct lack of grandiosity… Even a patio or window box can become a little piece of cottage garden heaven. As William Robinson advised: “Just be good to your plot, make it fertile and let the flowers tell their story to the heart.”

It really is that simple.’

Cottage gardens to visit Caps Browning Smith looks after the garden at Hardy’s Cottage. ‘I would say that informal and dense planting would be the key characteristics of a cottage garden. Plants jammed in together, jostling for light and spilling over the paths. From plants that have arrived as cuttings from neighbours and as gifts from other gardens, there is no soil to be seen,’ she explains.

‘My favourite plants to include would be sedums, as they encourage bees; lady’s mantle, as the dew sits like diamonds on its leaves in the morning; and hollyhocks, as they flower for a long time and give the garden height,’ Caps adds.

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Please check online before travelling for up-to-date opening days and times as these change seasonally.

ALFRISTON CLERGY HOUSE, The Tye, Alfriston, East Sussex BN26 5TL. Mixed cottage garden with a series of rooms. Entry, adult £7, child £3.50.

Tel: 01323 871961; nationaltrust.org.uk HARDY’S COTTAGE, Higher Bockhampton, Dorset DT2 8QJ. A quintessential cottage garden. Entry, adult £8, child £4. Tel: 01305 262366; nationaltrust.org.uk HILL TOP, Near Sawrey, Hawkshead, Ambleside LA22 OLF. Beatrix Potter’s beloved cottage garden.

Entry, adult £14, child £7. Tel: 01539 436269; nationaltrust.org.uk

Image (left) National Trust Images/Chris Lacey; (top) National Trust Images Val Corbett; (right) National Trust Images/Marianne Majerus

Gardens

Far left: In summer, roses mingle happily with gooseberries, beans and sweetpeas in the garden at Hill Top; Left: Time seems to have stood still at Oakhurst Cottage, a small 16th-century cottage on the edge of Surrey woodland. Here, the simple cottage garden is filled with plants that were easily available to cottagers in the 1850s. Modern gardeners could happily create a similar garden with a modest budget and some resourcefulness Top: Deep borders line the slate path to Hill Top’s farmhouse. Beatrix Potter loved old-fashioned plants and took a highly liberated approach, encouraging self-seeders and letting plants flourish in cracks in the walls Right: The potager-style kitchen garden at Alfriston Clergy House features raised beds of globe artichokes, potatoes and chard jostling with poppies, sweetpeas and hardy geraniums Period Living 133

Nature’ s way

Print designer Isla Middleton takes inspiration from the surrounding countryside to create her intricate designs Words Heather Dixon | Photographs Mark Bolton

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Made in Britain

Opposite: Isla spends hours wandering through the local woods, where she forages for flora and fauna that inspire her intricate designs. The bluebells are particularly beautiful and feature in many of her ideas This image: Traveller’s Joy linocut design featuring hedgerow flowers and berries

hen Isla Middleton is short of inspiration she simply pulls on her walking boots, shrugs into her coat and heads out across the local countryside around Dartmoor armed with a camera, sketchbook and an open mind.

She will be looking for plant forms, flowers, colours and textures to hone and simplify into striking designs, which will be eventually transformed into her distinctive range of prints.

This attention to detail and passion for getting back to nature are key elements of Isla’s growing success as a print designer, along with using time-honoured printing skills and an eco-minded approach to her work. It may be labour intensive but the results, she says, are worth the effort.

‘I like to let designs evolve organically and create work that connects people to the natural world,’ she says. ‘Everything I do is inspired by nature and the countryside on my doorstep.’

Isla’s career may be in its early stages, but it started to take shape when she was a child, growing up in a large, lively, creative family in Herefordshire with artistic parents. Both her mum and dad went to art college and although they didn’t pursue artistic careers directly, they each maintained an active interest in their creative skills – her father in weaving and her mother in textiles.

‘I am one of seven children and we all have creative interests, like writing, music and drawing,’ says Isla. ‘We grew up with looms in the house – which Dad still uses from time to time - and we were always getting involved in something craft based.’

Isla attended one of the UK’s 29 Steiner schools, which promote creativity and exploration, followed by Hereford Art College, which hooked her into the exciting world of textile design.

‘I loved the course because it offered the freedom to explore using facilities that were readily available,’ says Isla. ‘I had a great tutor who was very encouraging, so I started experimenting with screen printing and different techniques.’

Realising it was something she wanted to pursue further, Isla moved on to Falmouth University, where she studied textile design, specialising in print.

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‘We were taught three disciplines: weave, mixed media and print. I was exploring different print processes, dying and digital printing. I loved the tactile elements of it all and the inspiration of being in a creative space. By the time I graduated in 2016 I had found my own style, but it was not until later that I focused and developed my printmaking skills.’

After uni Isla was selected for TexPrint, which led to exhibitions in London and Paris. Her beautiful designs were picked up by Sanderson and Zoffany, where she did a further two-week placement, and she started working for them both – as well as selling designs to White Stuff. Isla also took an art residency with Vanessa Arbuthnott.

But Isla always wanted to set up a business of her own and the opportunity came when she moved to South Devon, close to Dartmoor, in 2017.

She set up a website, contacted local print studios and tapped into the burgeoning market for artisan products and crafters’ skills. Here she had the countryside – the source of so many of her ideas – right on her doorstep and Isla was in her element.

‘I usually start with the inspiration for a design,’ she says. ‘I do plenty of drawing and tracing and then, when I arrive at a composition I am pleased with, I transfer it onto a lino block. I start by carving away the negative spaces – I don’t need many tools for this, it’s just a case of carefully removing the areas I don’t want and adding textures to create movement and depth – and once I’m happy with the carving I use a roller to cover the block with ink. Making mistakes is one of the exciting parts of the process because you learn how to incorporate them into the design and turn a negative into a positive.’

As well as being inspired by the local countryside, Isla is also a keen forager and gardener, and lots of her ideas come from the shapes and colours of plants, fruits and vegetables – to the point where she collaborated with her sister Bryony to produce a ‘Growing Through the Seasons’ calendar for 2022, featuring Isla’s hand-cut prints and Bryony’s words.

Looking ahead, Isla’s vision is to focus on greener methods of production, including hand printing and using vegetable-based, vegan inks on recycled paper for her range of cards, posters and notebooks. She is also keen to use more eco-friendly fabrics such as hemp and linen.

‘I am constantly connecting with nature, sketching ideas, photographing landscapes, and generally documenting ideas which may or may not find their way into my designs,’ says Isla.

‘I take some of those ideas and translate them into layouts, which become the basis of my prints.

I am planning to create a series of larger prints and eventually buy my own press to enable me to hand print editions. I am particularly keen to address the loss of biodiversity that we are facing within my work in whatever way I can, however small that may be, as well as encouraging people to grow their own food, forage and live more eco-conscious lives – whether this is through working with organisations or through my own design work.’

Made in Britain

Isla usually works from home but there are days when she migrates to her partner Ambrose’s barn, where he concentrates on wood working, to enjoy the rustic surroundings and immersion in the countryside.

The workshop stands in a field close to home – the ideal location for being able to collect flowers, leaves and foliage, which inspire Isla’s work.

She uses a series of carving tools to gradually remove the negative spaces around her design, before evenly applying ink to the lino block

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Top row, from left: Isla applies Prussian Blue ink onto an inking plate ready to be rolled out; the lino block has been covered with a thin layer of ink, highlighting the raised areas that will create the design and the areas that have been cut away – it is now ready to create the print; Isla uses a wooden Baron to apply pressure to transfer the print from block to paper Above left and right: She checks the quality of the finished print Left: Isla is perfectly at home surrounded by the tools of her trade, and favourite examples of her work

Feature Alice Roberton Images (dresser) Janice Issitt; (fabrics) Donna Flower Vintage Fabrics; (Little Grey Rabbit books) Alice Roberton

DRESSED FOR EASTER

It’s time to let in the spring sunshine and brighten up gloomy corners ready for Easter. What better way to celebrate the season than by filling wire-hung Victorian bottles with hand-picked posies, and planting up your favourite tureen, gravy jug or deep bowl with primulas? Using pops of pinks, yellows, whites and apricots, alongside vintage Easter cards depicting optimistic scenes, helps to lift dark antique wood – in this case an oak pot board dresser – and classic brown furniture. Visit Lineage London (Instagram @lineage_london) for tureens and Arthur Swallow Fairs’ events for bottles (asfairs.com).

TALKING SHOP A boutique of vintage and antique delights for the home and garden, family-run Belle Epoque in Surrey’s East Molesey offers regularly changing stock – from European furniture to decorative gardenalia, with a specialty in chandeliers.

Most of the furniture is restored in the on-site workshop, so pieces come in a good state of repair and are ready to use, while still retaining a great patina. Alongside its preloved offerings are ranges from local makers. (belleepoque.me.uk)

NOSTALGIC BOOKSHELF

Many will have had their childhood charmed by Little Grey Rabbit and her merry band of companions – Hare, Squirrel and Fuzzypeg to name but a few – or will have fond memories of reading one, or more, from the series of 37 titles to their children or grandchildren. Written by Alison Uttley, these perfectly formed stories of the social and domestic lives of ‘dressed animals’ were beautifully illustrated by Margaret Tempest between 1929 and 1965, with the last five books illustrated by Katherine Wigglesworth. Similar in style to Beatrix Potter, the books strike a chord of nostalgia all of their own and are popular with those dipping their toes into collecting children’s books. Typically ranging in price from £5 to £70 a book, they make for a very affordable collectible. ‘Little Grey Rabbit books are a wonderful addition to any book lover’s shelves and the charming stories and delicate illustrations make for a delightful read,’ says Emily Nolan at Country House Library. ‘I love how each story contains a simple, yet poignant, lesson for the reader.’

FUN OF THE FAIR Indulge in a spot of well-curated retail therapy at the Spring Vintage Bazaar, taking place Saturday 23 April at the Cheese & Grain in Somerset’s artisan town of Frome. Hosting some of the country’s finest dealers in vintage and antique textiles, decorative antiques and French brocante, as well as a hand-picked selection of designer makers, the event offers the perfect way to simultaneously support small businesses and unearth treasures for your home. (thevintagebazaar.co.uk) Period Living 141

MEET THE COLLECTOR ALLYS GRONOW, sentiment behind each LOVE TOKENS piece: was it gifted to

a loved one, was it to celebrate something, or perhaps it was a kind gesture towards someone in mourning? I love how each piece marks a deeply personal moment in time.

EXPLORE THE PAST Located in Bath’s pedestrianised Margaret’s Buildings and housed in a lovingly restored period building kitted out with breathtaking antique shop fittings, Berdoulat is all about quality design, ideas from the past and a simple way of life.

With an interior design studio focused on the restoration of period buildings at the back of the shop, delicious coffee and patisserie served in-house by Rye Bakery, and a range of traditionally made homeware products in the cellar, this is one of Bath’s best spots for pace slowing and interior inspiration. (berdoulat.co.uk) 142 Period Living

Why I collect: I adore sentimental jewellery and, to some degree, a love token is a simple and affordable version of this.

I’m fascinated by the

My collection highlight: There are a few pieces with which I could never part, and the ones that hold the most sentimental value to me have been engraved with ‘My Ghost’, ‘Yours Sincerely Most Cheerful’ and ‘To Violet 1919’. My collection highlight has to be the one engraved with ‘A.G. 1894’ as these are my own initials – it’s also 100 years before I was born.

Images (Berdoulat) Paul Whitbread

Clockwise from top left: A small fraction of Allys’ collection of love tokens, dating from 1800-1920; Allys holding one of her favourite pieces engraved with the wording ‘My Ghost’; a selection of highly detailed engraved love tokens; token engraved with the name Abdalla and the date 25 April 1903

What I collect: The history of the love token began in Britain in the 13th century, when old coins were bent and folded as a sign of a promise. Moving into the late 17th century, coins – smoothed flat on one or both sides – began to be engraved to reflect significant occasions such as birth, marriage and death. Hand-engraved with names, dates, pictorial scenes, symbols, initials or a sentimental message, they soon became a common token of love to be worn or kept safe as a memento.

The pieces in my collection date from 1800-1920.

How I collect: Since creating my antiques business No.4 Vintage (no4vintage.com), I have made contacts all around the world and some pieces in my collection are purchased from them.

Others are found at antiques fairs in the UK. It’s hard to keep track of exactly how many love tokens I have but it’s in the region of 400. Pieces can be picked up from £10-£200 depending on the kind of coin it is and the intricacy of the hand-engraving.

Antiques Focus

East meets west Discover the decorative appeal of blue and white vases and other ceramics suitable for displaying flowers, plus advice on investing

lue and white decorated ceramics originated in China during the Tang dynasty (618-907), but the style became widely used in Chinese porcelain in the 14th century when the cobalt pigment for the blue began to be imported from Persia.

In 1604, a Dutch ship captured a Portuguese vessel, which was returning from a voyage to China with a cargo of 100,000 pieces of blue and white porcelain; this led to the Dutch East India Company auctioning off the haul in Amsterdam.

Creating a new demand for this exotic ware, it prompted the East India companies to begin trading in porcelain.

When China started exporting blue and white ceramics, they quickly became coveted collectables in Europe and beyond, and between the 17th and 19th centuries they became an obsession; it is thought that blue and white ceramics are one of the most widely adopted and adapted styles of antique ever to exist.

The Brits were particularly enamoured, and in the late 1740s, English factories began to manufacture porcelain – it was English engraver Thomas Minton who created the famous ‘Blue Willow’ pattern in 1780, a design with a distinctly Eastern flavour. Many other countries put their own spin on this style, including delftware from the Netherlands – one of the iconic shapes still available today is the delft bud vase depicting windmills and floral patterning.

Transfer printing on china originated in 1751 when Irish engraver John Brooks applied to patent the invention, but it took several years for the leading English pottery companies to perfect this skill. First Worcester, then Wedgwood and Spode

Feature Alice Roberton

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refined the process and were able to apply transfer printing onto earthenware as well as finer china. As blue and white china became widely available it became more affordable, and today can be seen in museums and homes the world over.

‘These ceramics connect us with ancient times and I get huge joy from handling them,’ says Sue Norman, a leading specialist dealer in English transfer-printed pottery from 1790-1890. ‘The most important consideration when buying a vase is that it can hold water.

A few chips around the base or top edge are less important and mean you won’t pay top prices.’

Sue advises that you should expect to pay between £50 and £400, dependent on age and condition; though pieces c.19001950 can be very reasonable, and a mid-century delft bud vase could set you back a mere £18.

Justine Smiley-Jones, founder of The Vintage Pieces, sells affordable examples online.

‘There is something intrinsically calming about blue and white china, particularly when vases, or other pieces, are acquired in pairs or grouped together,’ she says. ‘Symmetrical placement of decorative pieces punctuates or frames interior features well – fireplaces being a good example.

Blue and white ginger jars, transferware chemist pots and jugs also make excellent vases.’

When it comes to collecting, there are endless options. ‘I collect all sorts, from ginger jars and vases to planters and plates, from the 1800s to modern pieces of Spode,’ says collector Natasha Redcliffe. ‘I think most collectors don’t have the money to invest in expensive antiques but enjoy emulating the look for less. This is absolutely possible with blue and white china, as a keen eye can seek out some real gems.’

Above: A display of Natasha Redcliffe’s blue and white collection Below: Historically, tulips were expensive flowers, so quintal vases like this c.1800 design, £285 at Sue Norman, showed them off (blueandwhitetransfer waresuenorman.com)

Bottom: Early-20th-century Gater Hall & Co Art Nouveau Flow Blue jug ‘Estelle’, £65; mid-century delft bud vase, £18; and a pair of Royal Cauldon Bristol Ironstone Willow ginger jars, £20 each, all from The Vintage Pieces (vintagepieces.co.uk)

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Exploring Heritage

Highclere castle

Feature Rachel Crow Images Courtesy of Highclere Castle

The seat of the Carnarvon family since the late 17th century, Highclere is steeped in history, and is also recognisable as the fictional home of the Crawley family in Downton Abbey

ith the imminent release of the new Downton Abbey film, the spotlight will once more be shone on Highclere Castle as it assumes the role of the fictional Crawley family seat. The popularity of the series and films have carved a special place in many people’s hearts for this stately home in the Hampshire countryside amid 1,000 acres of Capability Brown Arcadian parkland; yet with a history stretching back 1,300 years, Highclere has many real-life stories to tell, too.

Its current opulent Victorian incarnation, designed by Sir Charles Barry, which followed on

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from the Tudor, Elizabethan and Georgian designs, retains the warmth and welcome of a much-loved family home, despite its immense proportions – counting somewhere between 250 and 300 rooms. A tour will take you through many of the State Rooms familiar from Downton fame.

As well as the treasures indoors, there are many jewels to enjoy in its surroundings and gardens.

These include the enchanting Secret Garden with curving herbaceous borders and serpentine paths; the original Monk’s Garden; the Healing Herb Garden; wildflower meadows; beautiful orchards and 18th-century follies.

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The 8th Earl and Countess of Carnarvon took on the running of Highclere in 2001. Here, Lady Carnarvon discusses some of the key highlights of this beloved historic home My husband’s forebears have lived at Highclere since 1679. At the time we took over the care of the house in 2001, I asked the question, “what are we trying to look after, and how can we share that?” There is a complex web of things that we try to put across to reflect and respect all of the layers of history encapsulated in the house, and also show what it is to be a home.

The music room The music room’s baroque ceiling was painted

by Francis Hayman in the 1730s for the older L-shaped Elizabethan property. It was taken down and reinstalled in the symmetrical Georgian house, and then removed and installed again into the current Victorian castle. The walls are also hung with wonderful 16th-century Italian embroideries. The room contains Napoleon Bonaparte’s desk and chair from St Helena.

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Exploring Heritage

The saloon Known in Downton Abbey as the Great Hall, the saloon is the social heart of the home and an extraordinary room with a beautiful ceiling of leaded panes that allows the light to filter in.

It is where the Crawley family often gathers before dinner in front of the fire, and the oak staircase is famous as the location of Lady Mary’s wedding day. The excellent fireplace is built on top of the medieval hall fireplace that sat there before, and

under the floor are some extraordinary water wells.

The wall covering is hand-tooled and hand-gilded leather made in Cordoba, Spain, in 1631, so there are elements of the building fabric itself that are works of art. Beautiful paintings of my husband’s ancestors and others who have dined or lived at Highclere also hang on the walls. This, paired with the proportions of the arches, work together to create the great sense of space and time that always strikes me about the saloon.

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Exploring heritage

The library Many of the rooms are recognised around the world, and the library is one of the most famous, featuring in Downton Abbey as Lord Grantham’s study. It contains over 5,650 books, the earliest dating from the 16th century. The library is as much used by the family today as in the past and it is the focal meeting point for drinks and conversation after dinner.

It has a sense of learning over the ages, of beautiful books and bindings, and a sense of calm and peace which is much appreciated. It is always asking us ‘is this a work of art or a practical book?’ It asks us questions and reassures us at the same time.

In my new book, Seasons at Highclere (Century Publishing, £30), I look at the history of the gardens and grounds over the last 1,200 years, from the ancient woodlands and bluebells to the food we have grown here for centuries and how it comes into the dining room. We still live within the seasons today and I try to reflect the poetry of this beautiful world and why we are trying to look after our small part for future generations.

It starts in the garden in spring. We have probably planted over 150,000 bulbs in the last 15 years, with the help of Michael Lubbe who comes over from Holland. In the Wood of Goodwill, filled with trees given to me as presents, daffodils and narcissi are naturalised around the trees, and different varieties are scattered around the Walnut Walk of six trees to reflect that I am one of six sisters.

My project this winter was creating a garden in blue and white with beautiful views over the landscape, in memory of my mother-in-law.

I have a great gardening team of four, and if I have some time in the middle of the day and there aren’t visitors here, I’ll put on a pair of gloves and wellies and go and plant for a few hours. It is fantastic when visitors take pleasure from the garden, as that is the whole point of it.

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Highclere is open every day from 8-22 April, 30 April-3 May, 28-29 May, 10am-4pm.

Admission (including house, garden and Egyptian exhibition): adult £27.50, child £16.

For more visiting details and to book, visit highclerecastleshop.co.uk or call 01635 253210.

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SPRINGTIME CASTLE GUIDED TOURS: 5 March – 5 April.

Coinciding with the release of Downton Abbey: A New Era, this is a unique experience for a limited number of guests to enjoy a morning or afternoon tour of the Castle’s State Rooms, Gallery and bedrooms, together with a visit to the Egyptian Exhibition of tomb antiquities discovered by the 5th Earl of Carnarvon nearly a century ago, housed in the atmospheric cellars. This is followed by a tour of the garden with the head gardener, and a seasonal selection of food served in the Coach House. Tickets £125 per person.

LIVING IN A CASTLE: 7-13 May. Various ‘custodians’ of similar houses will throughout the week share their experiences of what it is like to steward such extraordinary family homes in talks held in the Saloon, following which guests will enjoy a guided tour of rooms and works of art, and stroll of the gardens at their leisure. Tickets £90 per person.

Image Alamy

Gardens

Craft

Eastermagic

ecorating eggs is a fun way to make a pretty seasonal centrepiece. Alternatively, use them as place settings for Easter lunch. If you don’t want to save your eggs for next year, you can hard boil the eggs and allow to cool. Otherwise, you need to hollow them out.

1. To hollow out an egg, insert a large pin into the top end to make a small hole. Then, make a hole in the bottom of the egg, pushing the pin right up to break the yolk, and wiggling it around to make a slightly larger hole than at the top.

2. Holding the egg over a bowl, gently blow through the top hole to force out the egg. When the shell feels empty, rinse it and immerse it in a bowl of warm water to wash the insides.

Allow the egg shell to completely dry before decorating.

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3. You can paint your eggs using watercolour, acrylic paint or emulsion. It’s best to decorate in two halves, placing the egg in an egg cup or carton to allow each half to dry. Use a thick brush for coverage, and a fine brush for detail work.

4. To make sparkly eggs, dip one half in glue, allow to drip off, then dip it in a pot of glitter. Place the egg in an egg cup or carton to dry, then repeat the process on the other side.

5. You can découpage eggs in decorative paper or fine fabric.

Cut out small pieces, then apply to the egg using PVA glue.

When finished, you can apply several layers of varnish to seal the design and make your egg last for future Easters.

6. Once dry, you can use glue to attach decorations such as stamps, flowers, pictures, buttons and fabric.

Styling Pippa Blenkinsop; Image Kasia Fiszer; Words Melanie Griffiths

Have a crack at decorating eggs with different designs, to make a delightful seasonal display

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