North June 2018 by Alistair Plant

Country

North Edition - June 2018

Artist: Steven Mcloughlin

A friend dropping in

The Lost Houses

of Derbyshire

Mackworth Castle

On the gin trail

Belper…

a thriving town MEETING THE CHEF AT

‘THE BOOT’

Steve Orme interviews

Jason Manford

www.countryimagesmagazine.co.uk • Your Complimentary Lifestyle Magazine • Est. 1994

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CountryImagesMagazine.co.uk | 3

Welcome to the June edition

Country

Unit 5 Keys Road, Alfreton, Derbyshire. DE55 7FQ Tel: 01773 830344 info@imagespublishing.co.uk www.countryimagesmagazine.co.uk Editor: Garry M Plant. Advertisement Executives: Lisa O’Reilly, Carol Wilson, Alison Gent, Mark Douthwaite. Editorial Features: Brian Spencer, Maxwell Craven, Steve Orme, Amanda Volley. Download the Country Images FREE APP from

June heralds the start of the holiday season and with it the chance to wander around in our area, and where better to start than the town of Belper with its bustling main streets. Travelling a little further south is Mackworth Castle, or you could opt for a lovely summers walk near Foolow. If you enjoy flowers, especially Rhododendrons, then Lea Gardens is the place for you and, on a summer’s day, it is unbeatable. Gin is very popular at the moment so this month Amanda Volley features Ambergate’s latest brewing success. Emporium this month features ideas on how to brighten up your hallway. We hope that you enjoy this issue.

“This product is printed on responsibly sourced paper and printed using only vegetable based inks” Images Publishing Limited is a totally independent publishing company and is not connected with any other newspaper group. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without written consent is strictly prohibited. The publishers do not accept responsibility for any views expressed, or statements made, in signed contributions or in those reproduced from any other source. No responsibility is borne for any errors made in any advertisement, or for claims made by any advertiser which are incorrect. The publishers reserve the right to refuse advertising deemed unsuitable for any reason. All material submitted is done so at the owner’s own risk and no responsibility is accepted by the publishers for its return. Copyright Images Publishing Limited, Unit 5, Keys Road, Alfreton, Derbyshire, DE55 7FQ. Origination by Images Publishing Limited 01773 830344

4 | CountryImagesMagazine.co.uk

The Country Images Team Get your walking boots on! Walk Derbyshire issues, 2, 3 and 4 are proving very popular as we see more people taking the time to enjoy the area in which we live. These publications can be ordered by visiting our website www.walkderbyshire.co.uk or our main website www.countryimagesmagazine.co.uk

Crossword Winners. Answer: Repton J Holmes, Mickleover. L Hunt, Kilburn. S Cox, Repton Walk book 4 is on its way to you all.

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L ea Rhododendron Gardens F

or a few short glorious weeks in early summer, the wooded hillside above the Derwent Valley at Lea is a blaze of colour. This is when Lea Rhododendron Gardens come into their own every year. Brian Spencer tells the story of one manâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vision that has been backed up by three generations of a devoted family. It was John Marsden-Smedley (1867-1959), owner of the John Smedley manufacturers of quality woollen knitwear who made his residence at Lea, rebuilding the farm house of Lea Green into a house echoing his position as the local squire. Today the house and its immediate grounds are used as a residential and day centre by Derbyshire County Council Education Department as an outdoor activity centre. Marsden-Smedley was a keen horticulturist, growing ďŹ&#x201A;owers, vegetables and fruit trees behind high sheltering walls. As the site was comparatively exposed at an altitude of around 1,000 feet (305m), to aid existing woodland, he planted masses of trees to act as wind-breaks. These trees were to become a useful addition in his soon to follow, love of rhododendrons and

8 | CountryImagesMagazine.co.uk

azaleas. In order to find the most suitable site for these plants more suited to the high sunny slopes of the Himalayas, Marsden-Smedley tried planting them in various sites around his estate; the remnants of these trials can still be seen dotted around woodland clearings. In 1935, at the age of sixty-eight and inspired by a visit to Bodnant Gardens in North Wales, together with one to the Rothschild familyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Exbury gardens in Hampshire, he decided to

develop his own rhododendron garden. One site in particular provided the ideal locality and became the present site of Lea Gardens. Surrounded by tall Scots pines, sycamore, yew, chestnut, oak and silver birch, some already there and others planted by Marsden-Smedley in order to create wind-breaks and provide shelter. Using a shallow hollow of an ancient quarry on the opposite side of the road surrounding the estate, skilled estate craftsmen used the abundant stone to build retaining walls, paths and beds for

the plants which were soon to follow. Soil was brought in from other parts of the estate in order to top up the naturally occurring sandy soil. Coal ash from the furnace at his woollen mill was also used to add to this topping-up process. It was during this work that several Roman quernstones were discovered (used for hand grinding ďŹ&#x201A;our). Apparently the garden is built on the site of a small quarry where a particularly fine-grained layer of grit-stone suitable for these stones can be found. CountryImagesMagazine.co.uk | 9

Wi th th e garden s layout complete, th e collection of rhododendrons and azaleas could follow.

Records from that time speak of purchases from all the major specialist growers throughout the British Isles. John Marsden-Smedley also decided to try to establish less-hardy varieties normally only successful in sheltered gardens on the west coast. To his delight he found that by careful planting in sheltered parts of the quarry-garden, they could survive the rigours of most Peak District winters. Many of his original specimens still ﬂourish, almost a century after their planting. Together, over 350 varieties of species and hybrid rhododendrons and azaleas were planted by him and had begun to establish themselves in the 2-acre (0.8 ha) site before his death in 1959 at the age of ninety-two.

10 | CountryImagesMagazine.co.uk

When the estate was divided and sold, the gardens were bought by Peter and Nancy Tye. They were joined by Joyce Colyer a year later, who came with her expertise as an estate manager for John Marsden-Colyer, also bringing her intimate knowledge of the gardens and their collection of colourful plants. Nancy Tye had an artistic ﬂair for rockery and garden design and it was she who created the alpine scree garden that complements the entrance to the rhododendron collection. The main garden was expanded under Peter and Nancy’s care by the introduction of new plants, ornamental shrubs and a small water garden. In

1960 the gardens were opened to the public and seven years later they built their attractive house overlooking the garden. The next generation to care for Lea Rhododendron Garden was Jonathan and Jenny Tye who retired from the Royal Air Force in 1980. Instead of ﬂying Vulcan bombers, Jonathan and Jenny expanded their inbred ﬂair for horticulture and increased the garden with new plantings. They were later joined by their son Peter, who specialises in the growing and marketing of rhododendrons. As plants begin to exceed their natural lifespan, they are gradually being replaced with new

plantings, using the opportunity to bring in unusual varieties. Exciting new hybrids such as the American kalmias below the house, and flamboyantly coloured Japanese yakusimanums collection blooming near the alpine scree garden; almost every colour in a kaleidoscopic spectrum is there, ranging from white, through yellow, orange, pink and bright red; blue is even featured when the exotic Himalayan meconopsis poppy comes into flower in the alpine garden. Backing them is the breathtaking azalea bed which must feature on countless amateur photographs. Paths meander up and down the sloping site, past massive orchid-like flowers of huge rhododendron bushes, where there is colour all around. While the best time to visit Lea Rhododendron Gardens is in mid-May to the end of June and often well into July – there is one variety aptly named Christmas Cheer whose tiny single-petalled flowers come into bloom in late December. With the opening of a tea room, Lea Gardens has become a popular attraction. Visited by plant lovers or those who simply want to enjoy the eye-catching display, it now covers about 4 acres (1.6 ha), planted with over 550 different varieties of rhododendrons and azaleas. Plant sales on site offer a wide range of the varieties which might have caught your eye as you wander round this idyllic place.

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01629 534333 www.robinmaycockbutchers.co.uk CountryImagesMagazine.co.uk | 11

Stunning fabrics perfect for your outdoor space from Vanessa Arbuthnott. For local stockists visit www.vanessaarbuthnott.co.uk or call 01285 831 437

Afternoons in the garden can be spent relaxing in style with the unique Hanging Nest Chair. Crafted in 100% recycled All-weather Rattan, the woven seat is fully weatherproof, UV and mould resistant ensuring it can be used for years to come. The chair is the perfect choice for gardens of all sizes and will be a sure hit with guests. For local stockists visit www.gardentrading.co.uk

Achieve a Scandi loft style with our Nadia doorstyle in Parchment Gloss with Durham Oak. Fitted furniture creating a modern and stylish space. For local stockists visit www.utopiagroup.com

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loor Factory in Derby are Derbyshire’s only Amtico One Exclusive Retailer. Here they explain why this type of flooring is so popular…

Classic or contemporary, bold or beautiful, there’s an Amtico floor for every room in your home. Built on a reputation of innovative manufacturing and precise craftmanship, this popular brand of luxury vinyl flooring seems to go from strength to strength. New colours, designs and product details

Amtico Decor Corona Azure 14 | CountryImagesMagazine.co.uk

are launched regularly which is why Amtico lead the way with each new home trend that comes and goes. Floor Factory are one of the largest flooring showrooms in Derbyshire showcasing hundreds of options of many different types of flooring. But as an Amtico One Exclusive Retailer, they have seen a huge trend develop for Amtico flooring in recent years, probably due to how robust, practical and stylish it is. They offer an Amtico design service that is exclusive to the area and people often travel from outside of the county to visit the showroom.

Amtico Form Rural Oak Parquet

Amtico Signature Brushed Oak in French Weave laying pattern

A huge design screen takes centre stage in the showroom offering you the chance to test out different designs, laying patterns and colours to give you inspiration. In-store design consultants will help you narrow down the thousands of options available to you. You can even take photos of your own project and upload these images onto the screen so you can visualise the flooring in your own room. The Amtico Signature range includes around 150 different colours that can be laid in over 30 different laying patterns. If you then go and add borders and motifs, (also available in any of the Signature colours) then you can see why this type of flooring can become a one of a kind, bespoke look for your home. The Amtico Form and Spacia ranges throw another 130 or so colours and designs into the mix. And to top it off, the brand new Decor range showcases the elegant and timeless look from the Victorian era with two new laying patterns and 6 colour pallets. Visit Floor Factory in Derby to experience the full range of Amtico products. Or call them to arrange a free design consultation.

Amtico Signature White Washed Wood in Castel Weave laying pattern

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Turn up the HEAT this Spring with Chesneys Barbecue/Outdoor Heaters from Kedleston Heating

ow that the chill of winter has gone and the sun is starting to peek through, it is time to think about dusting off those summer shoes and coming out of hibernation. Chesneys state of the art collection of barbecue/outdoor heaters is the perfect way to acclimatise to outdoor living this spring. The range, comprising four models, offers both cooking and heating solutions for the spring, summer and the autumn months. With HEAT, you not only get an ultimate barbecuing experience but once the cooking is finished, the party will continue long into the evening with arguably the best outdoor heating product on the market today. Celebrity chef James Martin fell in love with the concept of being able to cook and socialise around the fire afterwards “I love cooking on the HEAT barbecue. It provides a unique degree of temperature control, ease of use and variety of cooking modes that provides almost limitless opportunities for cooking different recipes. It’s very fast to light and emits very little smoke. Given the choice, I wouldn’t cook on any other barbecue.” Multiple cooking modes including grilling, chargrilling, smoking, roasting, baking and braising, low and slow cooking and pizza baking. After cooking it will self-clean once in heating mode.

With Chesneys HEAT: • It’s a healthier way to stay warm. Unlike a fire pit, it uses clean burn technology to burn logs which reduces harmful particulate emissions at a time when there is increasing concern over air pollution. • It’s environmentally friendly. Burning wood is a carbon neutral compared with gas patio heaters which emit significant volumes of CO2 and contribute to climate change.

KEDLESTON HEATING

• It’s an efficient, effective way to heat. Radiant heat is delivered from a sealed chamber, which means the burn rate and heat output can be governed by means of a simple control system. • It’s a beautiful way to heat. Every model in the HEAT collection has a large glass window that provides a generous view of the fire within. • It’s a clean way to heat. Chesneys award-winning wood stove technology means that there is no smoke emitted and no need for clothes, hair and eyes to suffer from the bonfire effect. • “The HEAT collection changes the way we use the outdoors, whether it’s a large garden or a roof terrace. I love the fact that it extends the time we can spend outside. Sitting around the fire late into the evening with a group of friends is one of life’s great pleasures.” James Martin

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34 Duffield Road, Five Lamps, Derby, DE1 3BH 16 | CountryImagesMagazine.co.uk

Reflections on Pollyanna Pickering

A Painter of the

Living World

ollyanna Pickering was a warm, caring, highly talented yet unassuming lady who reached the pinnacle of her career as a wildlife artist while achieving international respect for her passionate commitment to conservation.

She and Ken married in 1963, after Pollyanna had spent a further three years studying at the London Central School of Art. During her time at Rotherham art school, Pollyanna and Ken would travel out into the Peak District most weekends to sketch and In 1968, they moved to a cottage in Bakewell, a year before Pollyanna gave birth to their daughter Anna-Louise.

Shortly afterwards Pollyanna took the brave step of going freelance as a professional artist. Money was very tight, and couldn’t afford to have her pictures framed, and scoured jumble sales to buy frames, painting work to fit them. In 1971 Pollyanna signed with her first publisher, who produced a series of prints of pedigree dogs - and this proved to be the huge turning point

Pollyanna, who passed away recently following a short illness, was born in Leeds in 1942. From her earliest childhood, Pollyanna had paint, pencils and paper to hand. When she decided that she would like to go to art school to further her studies, she was summoned to the headmistress’s office with a portfolio of work. Her headmistress looked through the folder in silence, and slammed it shut with the immortal words “You’ll never make a living at that!” Fortunately Pollyanna’s parents had a little more faith in her abilities, and allowed her to attend Rotherham Art school – and at the end of her first year she won the coveted award for the most promising student. It was here Pollyanna met her husband - to - be, Ken Pickering, an industrial designer. CountryImagesMagazine.co.uk | 17

in her career. At the time there were no other open edition prints of domestic animals on the market and Pollyanna’s work was an instant hit. A series of over sixty studies of pedigree dogs and cats followed during the 1970’s, and for the first time Pollyanna’s work reached a wider audience, selling throughout the UK and Europe. In 1974 she accepted a commission to design her first ever Christmas cards for a charity – Oxfam. Sadly in 1979 just two years after moving into the home in the Derbyshire Dales, which Pollyanna and her daughter continued to share, Ken died, at the age of 41. He had been diagnosed with cancer before their marriage, but had been in remission for nearly fifteen years. Pollyanna nursed him throughout the final months of his illness. Ultimately his untimely death proved another turning point in Pollyanna’s career. She threw herself body and soul into her work, partly out of the economic necessity of bringing up a young daughter alone - and partly to help cope with the grief of losing her husband. Pollyanna subsequently signed with her current publishers Otter House, and working in close association with them has become the most published fine artist in the UK, with work selling in over 80 countries around the world. Practically every home in Britain will have enjoyed her art at some time in the form of a Christmas or greeting card, print or calendar. Pollyanna also found her original work gaining more and more acclaim, and in 1982 became accredited to her first London Gallery, the Tryon and Moorland. In 1983 her work was first accepted for display in the Royal Academy. In the same year she won her first major award - the prestigious Silver Palette Trophy. By the end of the decade Pollyanna was already firmly established as one of Europe’s leading wildlife artists, a remarkable achievement in a field which remains almost entirely male-dominated. Celebrity clients including David Bowie and John Hurt purchased work, and she was even commissioned to paint Her Majesty The Queen’s favourite racing pigeon! She could never have predicted the diverse opportunities her career would bring – she even became a familiar face on radio and television, filming documentaries for Channel 4 and BBC1 – and over the past five years she became a regular and much loved guest on the Create and Craft channel! Even during the earliest days of her career, her desire to paint animals from life lead her to visit wildlife hospitals to sketch the birds and animals they were looking after. She became more and more interested in the rescue and rehabilitation work they were doing, and this eventually lead to her establishing a wildlife sanctuary from her own home. Caring mainly for injured and orphaned birds of prey, she also rehabilitated 18 | CountryImagesMagazine.co.uk

foxes, hedgehogs, squirrels and other mammals. This close contact with the creatures in her care continues to be reﬂected in the realism and vitality of her work. In 1989 Pollyanna’s daughter Anna-Louise joined her mother to work in the business full-time. Originally standing in on a temporary basis to replace Pollyanna’s previous personal assistant who had left to set up her own business, AnnaLouise soon became thoroughly fascinated by and involved in the work, and this unique mother and daughter partnership continued to work and travel together. Pollyanna realised that if she wanted to capture the true character and beauty of the animals she was depicting, she would need to travel to paint

them in their natural habitats. Following her first journey into Kenya in 1986 she painted on every single continent. This in itself is surely a unique achievement – there cannot be many artists – especially women – who have packed their art materials and then sketched their chosen subject on each and every one of the seven continents. Accompanied by Anna-Louise, who acted as official photographer on their travels, Pollyanna camped in tents and igloos in the High Arctic in search of polar bears, journeyed by river boat through the forests of Borneo, and just last summer braved crocodile infested rivers in Brazil to sketch wild jaguars. The expeditions were not without their dangers. The intrepid duo found scorpions in their camp beds and tarantulas in their towels – they were charged by a wild tiger

International Award in the field of Wildlife Art at a celebration gala event in Canada - the Simon Combes award for Conservation through Artistic Excellence. Pollyanna never intended to retire, and had many future plans. Just 2 months ago she was trekking in the Sonoran Desert, sketching the wildlife for a scheduled one man exhibition in one of the most prestigious galleries in the USA. Expeditions were planned into Kenya, North America and even Outer Mongolia, where she hoped to find the snow leopards which had eluded her on previous treks into the Himalayas! Her energy and boundless enthusiasm for life remained undimmed – and she would have undoubtedly needed another lifetime to paint all the pictures she carried in her mind. Pollyanna remained passionate about wildlife and equally passionate about accurately interpreting her subjects. To the very end she was a champion of environmental conservation, both on the national and international stage, and an indefatigable campaigner for the welfare of endangered, sick and vulnerable creatures. The first prime minister of India Jahwarhal Nehru said “We live in a wonderful world full of beauty charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we travel with our eyes open.”Pollyanna truly travelled through life with her eyes open, her paintings capturing with ﬂawless detail the diverse beauty of a world that is wild, unspoiled and rich with life. Her artwork will stand alongside her conservation work as a continuing inspiration and her lasting legacy. You can make a donation to the Foundation in Pollyanna’s memory online at www.pollyannapickering.co.uk/foundation www.goldengiving.com/secure/donation/ the-pollyanna-pickering-foundation

in India, braved extreme temperatures as low as -60 in Siberia and faced huge venomous Komodo Dragons armed only with a forked stick! The time that Pollyanna spent with a sketch pad observing birds and animals in their natural environment brought a respect and understanding of their energy and individual character, which shone through in the timeless appeal of her completed paintings. This created a huge demand for her work from animal charities, and Pollyanna was always most pleased when her work could help support causes close to her heart. Over the years her designs have raised millions of pounds for charities at home and abroad. As Pollyanna became ever more involved in caring for wildlife, and in world wide conservation, she

also became more personally involved with the work of many charities. She was patron of more than thirty organisations, including The Born Free Foundation, Naturewatch and The Badger Trust. She established the Pollyanna Pickering Foundation which raises funds for Conservation, animal welfare and disaster relief internationally. The work of the Foundation will be continued by Anna-Louise and the board of trustees. Pollyanna received close to fifty awards and accolades for her work including three lifetime achievement awards, the most recent from America at the beginning of this year. She was awarded an honorary degree by the University of Derby, and in 2012 received the most prestigious CountryImagesMagazine.co.uk | 19

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22 | CountryImagesMagazine.co.uk

The Lost Houses

of Derbyshire by Maxwell Craven

Mackworth Castle

he stone shell of the gatehouse to site of the ancient seat of the Mackworth family is one of the most memorable sites in the County. Lying only a few hundred yards from the City boundary of Derby, it invariably excites interest from those who see it for the first time, and it has been drawn and painted numerous times by local artists as diverse as Frank Gresley and Ernest Townsend; it was also photographed at a very early date by the ubiquitous Richard Keene. Its picturesque qualities are enhanced by a row of early 18th century brick farm labourersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; cottages, originally thatched, attached to the right.

CountryImagesMagazine.co.uk | 23

The Lost Houses

of Derbyshire by Maxwell Craven The reason it is called Mackworth Castle is because the name is entirely colloquial, applied to the existing gatehouse simply because it commands a castle-like air in the lane leading through the still largely unspoilt village. Many people actually do not realise that it is merely a rather grand gatehouse behind which once stood the seat of the Mackworth family, although what it was actually called when standing is far from clear – probably ‘the hall’ or similar. In surviving documents it is merely referred to as a ‘capital mansion’ which is fairly typical Medieval legalese for a manor house.

Three ancient views of Mackworth Castle: an oil painting, an early photograph and at the bottom a lithograph.

What we see today is a two storey three bay Keuper Sandstone crenelated gatehouse with a central depressed arch with ogiform crocketting executed in relief and a hood-mould above it. There are stepped buttresses either side of the central opening and at the angles, an impost band and a cornice below the crenelated parapet which winds round the slender bartizans at the angles and is punctuated by a row of three gargoyle spout heads. The windows were originally traceried, vestiges of which survived by the bricking up of the outer pair. Yet there is neither roof, nor on the north side any wall at all, only two later brick lean-tos put up in the last couple of centuries in order to provide storage for the Regency farm house built behind. Originally there were side rooms with a twochamber lodging for the gate keeper above, the large room being furnished with a fireplace with a projecting hood, finials and a castellated chimney above. Beside the fireplace is a corbel upon which to place a lamp. Dr. Emery, Britain’s foremost expert on Medieval Country houses is of the opinion that originally there was a rear wall, and visible vestiges of a low pitched roof, their dismantling in the 17th century possibly explaining the appearance of tooled ashlar blocks similar to those still in the building in a lean-to added to the adjoining cottages and to be found elsewhere round about. A closely related gatehouse is that to Worksop Priory, also late 15th century which, although lacking the crenellations (it is today surmounted by what may be a 17th century gable and roof ) is of the same general scale, with similarly placed buttresses and windows, although an elaborate traceried shrine to the right of the door relates solely to its religious use. That fronting the North Yorkshire Meynell’s ancient castle at Whorlton is also comparable, although slightly earlier and simpler, with less ornamentation. Yet if this was a gatehouse, built in the third or

24 | CountryImagesMagazine.co.uk

fourth quarter of the fifteenth century (as its architecture clearly indicates) what happened to the house? A survey undertaken in 1900 identified two house platforms behind the gatehouse, but the reported position of these seems out of kilter with the extant building. More likely the distinct platform on which the present Castle Farm house rests is a more likely site. Here in 1888 some low rubble walling was found suggestive of a timber framed building on a rubble plinth. The inference is that there was a timber framed manor house and a group of the usual outbuildings on adjoining house platforms, raised up to cope with the occasional ﬂooding of the Markeaton Brook, nearby, just as the Medieval stable block of Tudor Markeaton Hall, demolished in 1754, had been. Mackworth family are recorded here at Mackworth from the first quarter of the 13th century. The first of the family to be called ‘de Mackworth’, Philip, was almost certainly a member of the family of Touchet of Markeaton, which included Mackworth, and he and several of his descendants were stewards to the Touchets, especially after they inherited the Barony of Audley of Heleigh, in Cheshire.

younger died, and Mackworth suddenly found himself unexpectedly possessed of a much larger landed estate in Rutland, and it became clear from surviving documents that he moved there quite soon afterwards. From that moment on, then, all thought of continuing work aggrandising his estate at Mackworth was put on hold – indefinitely as it turned out. He was indeed, appointed High Sheriff of Rutland in 1478, and died after 1481. The family continued at Empingham Hall until the Civil War when, impoverished by loyalty to their sovereign, the family, raided to a baronetcy

in 1619 had to sell up, explaining why the 5th Baronet was an apothecary in Huntingdon and why his cousin twice removed, Sir Henry 7th (and last) Bt., died penniless in the Charterhouse almshouse in London in 1803. Nevertheless, a distantly related branch living in Shropshire by the reign of Elizabeth, managed to work their way up, by being canny lawyers, talented entrepreneurs and by marrying heiresses, to landed estates of their own, centered upon Gnoll Castle in Glamorganshire (demolished in 1957), where Sir Herbert Mackworth was in 1776 also made a baronet, and whose descendant,

Images

Bathrooms, Kitchen & Bedrooms

Several younger sons were also parsons, one being vicar on Longford and another rector of Kirk Langley; a third became a Prebendary of Peterborough Cathedral and Dean of Lincoln. Thomas Mackworth was, on 1st August 1404 the recipient of the earliest datable grant of arms in Derbyshire being allowed, on the authority of his feudal lord, John Touchet, Lord Audley, a shield bearing the arms of Touchet and Audley divided vertically by a jagged line (called dancettée in heraldic jargon) and with a red chevron superimposed bearing gold fretwork.

However, at this stage Sir John Basings the

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This Tomas, a lawyer and twice MP for Derby, without doubt lived in the timber framed manor house, the vestiges of which were recorded over a century ago in the farmyard of Castle Farm. He also managed to marry an heiress, in Alice, daughter of Sir John Basings of Empingham and Normanton in Rutland and heiress of her childless brother, another Sir John. On Thomas’s death in 1447, he was succeeded by his son Henry, who also held land at Ash (Etwall) and Trusley. Probably in the 1450s, he is thought to have begun improving his estate at Mackworth, starting by erecting the grandiose gatehouse we can still enjoy today, no doubt leaving rebuilding the house itself in matching style (and no doubt of much increased size) until phase two.

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The Lost Houses

of Derbyshire by Maxwell Craven Sir Digby, 10th Bt. lives in Oxfordshire. Other descendants of the Mackworths include the Mackworths of Buntingsdale, Salop and the Mackworth-Praed family. Meanwhile, the Mackworths retained their estate in Derbyshire until 1655, when a demand for an enormous fine from the Parliamentary Committee for Compounding the estates of ‘delinquent’ persons (i.e. supporters of the King) prompted its sale. Ash went to Parliamentary supporter Sir Samuel Sleigh and the Mackworth estate was purchased by an opportunistic neighbour, Sir John Curzon, 1st Bt. of Kedleston for £1,300.

Three current views of Mackworth Castle

There is no record as to whether the old timber framed manor house survived, but it probably did, either divided as tenements or converted into a farmhouse, although the hearth tax assessment of 1670 offers no clue. Three farmhouses there then each had three taxable hearths, and any of them could have been a converted medieval manor house, a type notable for having very few hearths bar one in the great hall. If it did survive, it was probably demolished and replaced after the 1778 land rationalisation between 1st Lord Scarsdale, who had inherited it, and Francis Noel Clarke Mundy of Markeaton Hall, who received it. Mundy was a great improver, and probably built the present farm house behind the gatehouse. Certainly, all knowledge of the history of the ancient house was lost even by 1713, when all William Woolley could write was ‘…here is the remains of an old castle.’ It really is about the most lost of all lost houses in the County!

The ancient castle at Whorlton, North Yorkshire. 26 | CountryImagesMagazine.co.uk

Gatehouse at Worksop Priory

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Herston Console Table by Neptune Herston came about because we wanted to introduce honed marble to our occasional furniture. It’s a console table with an enormous amount of elegance and pleasing contrast – oak meets marble, rough meets smooth, and cool surfaces meet those that are warm. For local stockists visit www.neptune.com

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Chevin Golf Club, Duffield

hevin Golf Club has a beautiful and excellently maintained golf course in the village of Duffield. Opened in 1894, over the years it has become a landmark of Duffield where members and visitors alike can play golf on a course with magnificent views over Derbyshire countryside and can relax in the clubhouse in pleasant surroundings. Our Head Professional, Tim Stevens, is currently refurbishing his shop, and will be stocking major golf brands and offering club fitting so that the golfer can be sure he is investing in the right equipment for him or her. He will shortly have the latest teaching technology installed so that every level of golfer from the beginner or junior up to the elite golfer can benefit from first class tuition. Besides the regular men’s and ladies’ competitions there is an active mixed social golf section which run “more relaxed”

competitions throughout the year followed by a meal together in the clubhouse. There is a particularly strong ladies section at Chevin that welcomes any lady golfers new to the area or who wish to join a friendly and welcoming section. Ladies new to golf will also be warmly welcomed and encouraged to learn, improve and become part of this friendly and active section. This year for the first time we are holding our “OPEN GOLF WEEK” 18th August to 24th August. There will be different competitions each day which are open to any golfer with a current handicap. Full details from Manager, Andy Mellor, manager@chevingolf.co.uk or from the website www.chevingolf.co.uk or from the Professional shop. Chevin Golf Club invites new members and visitors alike to sample our course and our hospitality

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elper Coal Supplies sell top quality British stoves such as the Dunsley (illustrated), which is hand made in Yorkshire and considered by many to be the best around. Broseley, Esse, Parkray and Hunters are also on display along with a range of fireside accessories, flexible flue liners and fittings, twin wall flue liners,chimney pots and cowls. Belper Coal also now offer an installation service for their products. Visit Belper Coal Supplies, 3 Market Place, Belper .

Lester & Nix Diamond Anniversary

n the 30th May 1958, Lester & Nix Ltd opened its doors for the first time at number 19 King Street, Belper in what is now the Holland and Barrett store. Brian Nix, the founder, had worked as the manager of Tomlinsons further up King Street for 10 years before that momentous day, and there are still people around who remember him from those days. Although the name remains, the Lester family have not been involved in the business since the very early days, but Brian kept the name mainly to save on the cost of reprinting all the stationary and replacing the sign! The store started selling radios, record-players, radiograms, black and white televisions, washing machines, spin dryers and fridges, but Brian’s first love was selling records, and from then on and through the 1960s sold many thousands of Elvis and of course Beatles records, along with all the Top 20 singers and groups of the day. This was of course when records sold in shed-loads, particularly the Beatles, where in advance orders alone, a Beatle record could go to number 1 before anyone had even heard it! Heady days! The other thing which was of its time when Lester & Nix opened was television. In those days, televisions were comparatively expensive to buy, and they were unreliable, which is why rental took off. Nearly everyone who had a television back then rented it and at its height, the Lester & Nix service department had six vans on the road servicing television breakdowns in the home. Business boomed, and two more events were to happen over the years to continue that growth and demand for rentals; the advent of colour television in the late 1960s and the start of video recorders in the mid 1970s. Again, these were costly items to buy in relative terms, so many people rented them.

rental shop was spawned. The demand for this was so much that Lester and Nix occupied the shop next door (in what is now Kalico) as a stand-alone video rental shop, or “video club” which was open 12 hours a day, 7 days a week. Video rental was very popular in the 1980s and 1990s but by the end of the decade the market had saturated. In 1999 it was deemed video rental had had its day and despite closing that part of the business down, opened it up again as a white goods shop, retaining some of the video club staff to work there. At the same time it was decided to close the Matlock branch so the business could concentrate on building up the white goods side. As earlier mentioned, there was a lot of television service capacity to keep the rentals going. Along the way a separate service company was set up, Trade Services, which remains under the Lester & Nix umbrella. Service is all now under the one roof at King Street as a separate building is no longer needed. Televisions are no longer big, bulky and heavy, and they are a lot more reliable. And flatter! So, to the present day. High Streets have changed enormously over the last few years. The advent of shopping on the internet has had a huge impact and many electrical shops have sadly disappeared from the scene, but Lester & Nix are still going strong. Having built up the white goods side of the business and along with the marketing and buying power of Euronics group and a dedicated core of professional staff, they continue to go from strength to strength. Never a business to stand still they have adapted their skill set to now include built-in kitchen appliance installs, which at the moment is their biggest growth area. The store still stocks televisions, in the form of the latest flat OLED Ultra High Definition screens and an impressive array of large and small appliances. Washing machines, dishwashers, refrigeration, cookers, both built-in and free standing, vacuum cleaners, microwave ovens, kettles, irons, toasters and more. Believe it or not, record players have made a comeback. They do say what goes around comes around! So, call and see them soon at 11 – 13 King Street, Belper, tel: 01773 822828, www.lesterandnix.co.uk

11-13 KING STREET, BELPER | 01773 822828 www.lesterandnix.co.uk

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The original store was becoming overcrowded, so Lester & Nix bought the old Derbyshire Building Society branch in what is now Fleur the florists across the road at number 14, and opened it as a purely audio store selling music centres and hi-fi. The business had by now long since pulled out of the record business. By this time it had already opened shops in Matlock and Buxton and Stephen, Brian’s son had joined the business full time in 1974 following years of coming in on Saturdays and holidays. Although Brian sadly passed away after a long illness in 2002, Stephen is still there in what is now quite a different business from those heady early years. In the early 1980s the double fronted store they now occupy came up for sale and they decided to amalgamate the TV and video store and the audio store into one big store. Then, they were a “brown goods” only store, and when films became widely available on video tape, the advent of the video

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CountryImagesMagazine.co.uk | 37

Thomas Ryde & Son and Golden Charter Funeral Plans

s an independent family funeral director, our plans provide an easy way to organize your funeral arrangements with us, specify your wishes and take care of the costs in advance. It’s a thoughtful way to plan ahead and a chance to avoid the rising costs of funerals. What is a funeral plan? A funeral plan lets you pre-pay the cost of your funeral. You choose the funeral you want and fix the costs of the services in your plan at today’s prices. A plan can save your family worry and expense and help make things easier for your loved ones at a difficult time. Few people like to talk about their funeral. A funeral plan can make things easier for everyone — so that when the time comes everything will be taken care of and carried out to your wishes, relieving your family of the stress and financial worry they may otherwise have to face. Over the years we’ve learned that just as no two people are the same, no two funerals are either. The last thing we want is for you to feel pushed into choices you’re not happy with. We can take care of every aspect of your plan in a truly personal way and with a plan in place you’ll have the reassurance of knowing that your family will receive caring service and support from a local family business when it matters most. The Independent Way funeral plan that we offer lets you tailor the plan to your exact needs, a truly bespoke plan. Flexibility. If at the time of need you don’t require a particular item, we can reimburse you the fees for that item plus the amount it’s made in the trust. We can of course also add items that were not included in the original plan. Nothing is set in stone.

A Trusted Partnership Our funeral plans are provided by Golden Charter. Over 500,000 people in the UK have already trusted them with their funeral arrangements, so you can be sure your plan is in the best of hands. Payments for your funeral plan are paid into the Golden Charter Trust which is run by a Board of Trustees. The Trust is completely independent of Golden Charter the company. The Trustees are chosen for their skills and experience and safeguard the payments made by plan holders, which means we can guarantee our services included in your plan. Why planning ahead makes great financial sense Funeral costs are going up every year of course. You might be surprised to hear that, while the average cost of a funeral in 2004 was £1920, today it’s £3897. That’s an increase of 103% and well above inflation. At this rate, in another ten years the average cost of a funeral could be more than £7000. Nobody wants their family to face money worries in the future. With a funeral plan in place you fix the cost of the services in your plan at today’s prices. So no matter how much the cost of these services rise in the future, your family will have nothing more to pay, guaranteed. Choose how you would like to pay There are a number of ways to pay for your funeral plan. Payment in full by debit card, credit card or cheque; or by 12 monthly payments using direct debit at no extra charge or there are various payment options available for longer periods. Please contact us if you would like us to send you further information or if you would like to arrange a meeting at our premises or in your home without any obligation.

This Boutique

umpsuits are very flattering and are a lovely alternative to a dress, this gorgeous Roisin jumpsuit by Inwear is available at This Boutique and can be worn for a special occasion and are perfect for summer holidays. This Boutique, 2 King Street, Belper, Derbyshire. Tel;01773 824192 www.thisboutique.com.

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The Derby Less than 50 yards from the promenade

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monday to friday special b.b e.m £125.00 pp (min 2 in bedroom) with a £20 bar Voucher per room.

3 star AA

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Derby Hotel

CountryImagesMagazine.co.uk | 39

Jerry Howarth

The Derby Hotel, Blackpool

he Derby Hotel in Blackpool organises a taxi with door to door pick ups from the Belper and Ripley areas. The hosts, Ivan and Tim used to own and run The Bingorama social club in Belper, Derbyshire for 12 years. Prior to this Ivan was a chef in several of Derbyshireâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading restaurants, so as you can appreciate, home cooked food and hospitality are definitely on the menu. You will receive a warm welcome from The Derby in Blackpool which is situated on Derby Road, North Shore, Blackpool. Less than 50 yards from the promenade, with the North PierÂ only 750 yards away. They offer en-suite and standard rooms, arranged as family, double, twin and singles on a bed and breakfast basis. Evening meals are available through prior arrangement. The hotel is 3 star AA accommodation rated. Telephone: 01253 623708

Carpets

Vinyl

erry Howarth Pork Butchers is celebrating an amazing 120 years of continuous family business. Established in 1898, Jerry Howarth wholesale and retail pork butchers is a true family butcher, now run by the 4th and 5th generations of the family. All their pork is locally sourced and outdoor reared. Jerry Howarth, King Street,Belper are proud to still be serving the community after over 120 years.

Station Garage Belper

Service and MOT Centre

tation Garage Belper is affiliated to the Good Garage Scheme, which has been set up to inform and advise consumers. Each time a car is serviced they complete an industry standard service check list which is given to the customer and provides reassurance that the vehicle has received comprehensive attention. Visit Station Garage, Goods Road industrial Estate, Belper.

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Adult Day Care NEW TO DAY CARE?

Get your ﬁrst taster day at Milford House FREE* Looking for local, ﬂexible Day Care? Book your FREE taster at Milford House today. Day Care is the perfect way to:

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Great value for money at Haydn Stanley Furnishings

n leaving school in 1946 Haydn Stanley started work in a furniture factory. His training included French polishing and upholstery training together with making beds (feather beds, flock beds, overlays, fireside chairs and three piece suites etc.).

At the age of 18 Haydn then joined the RAF. for his national service for 2 years working in stock control. Having finished his national service Haydn went back into the furniture trade. He was asked if he could help in retail at one of the local firms with 10 shops and went to work in Alfreton. Having all the product knowledge sales soon increased! At this time in his life Haydn met his wife.Haydn soon progressed to Relief Manager for most of their shops and ended up as the manager in Matlock in 1962. Over the years Haydn has been to many factories looking at the latest technology and quality which on occasions has not been good. In 1982 Haydn purchased the shop and stock in Matlock. Haydn has also had the help of Jackie and Carl in the shop who have both also been in the trade a long time. Haydn Stanley Furnishings gives value for money, a personal service and prompt delivery.16 -18 Bank Road, Matlock, Derbyshire DE4 3NF Tel: 01629 583584

Expert knowledge – Quality Products – Precision installation – Great service We like to call this “the Kompass experience”.

or the last 25 years Steve Brown has worked for two of the largest window system producers in the country. The products that he has personally conceived will sell for more than 100 million pounds this year alone and there is every chance that one of his products is in your home right now. Having recently left the role of Product Director to set up his own business, supplying and installing directly to the home owner, Steve called his business ‘Kompass’ as he is the customers reference point. If you are shopping for glazing products for the first time, it can be very confusing, Steve will help you understand the product opportunities that are available to you. Material? Colour? Style? Glazing? this is your opportunity to personalise your home and add value to your property. He is not a sales man, Steve is a product and industry expert. “No hard sell, just information and collaboration”. Let me help you to achieve your dream home so that you can enjoy the experience without the worry. “If you choose to work with kompass you are dealing with a local company and you will receive a unique personal service that is totally unlike dealing with a larger company”. “I really hope that you choose kompass as your supplier and project partner”. Call 01773 843322 or email steve@kompasshome.co.uk to arrange a free consultation. www.kompasshome.co.uk

Haydn Stanley Furnishings

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16-18 Bank Road, Matlock, Derbyshire DE4 3NF Tel: 01629 583584 42 | CountryImagesMagazine.co.uk

a unique blend of style and service, from a Derbyshire based company, to help you complete your home Book an appointment

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Brands include: Conran, Hudson Reed, Kudos, Laura Ashley, Rak, Roper Rhodes, Ted Baker and many more. Brands include: Conran, Hudson Reed, Kudos, Laura Ashley, Rak, Roper Rhodes, Ted Baker and many more. CountryImagesMagazine.co.uk | 43

Enhance t beauty of y Visit our amazing new showroom to view the finest selection of Windows and Doors.

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‘Enhance the value and beauty of your home with real timber windows and doors’ Our collection of engineered timber windows and doors has been carefully and sensitively tailored to complement your home with styles and designs to suit both traditional and modern properties, offering unrivalled quality, beauty and performance.

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Solidor is the nation’s favourite manufacturer and supplier of composite doors. Fitted and installed via a nationwide network of approved installers, the extensive Solidor range of composite doors are widely admired for their stunning design, and unparalleled security.

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44 | CountryImagesMagazine.co.uk Winter Sale Ripley advert - country images.indd 1

“Absolutely delighted with our new sash windows from Derwent. The products are first class. The fitting team were brilliant, preparing each room with plastic sheeting before fitting. Outstanding service all round highly recommended.”

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Tel: 01773 747456 Email: info@derwentsashwindows.co.uk Web: www.derwentwindows.co.uk Showroom: The Old Church, 31 Nottingham Road, Ripley, Derbyshire, DE5 3AS Opening Times: Monday – Saturday 9:30am – 4:30pm CountryImagesMagazine.co.uk | 45

Derbyshire

Antiques & Collectibles by Maxwell Craven

Vintage Telephones

Ericson made GPO type 16 of c. 1900 in need of restoration and conversion: £250

hose of us over a certain age will know that, until 1984, when the GPO (Post office telephones) monopoly was broken up, one did not actually own one’s telephone, but rented it from the GPO along with associated installations. Thus there was very little choice over the type of telephone one could have. Collecting these instruments now is a relatively inexpensive hobby, with most types being available for under £50, although as usual condition is crucial and if an example has been adapted for modern plug in use, then the price is enhanced.

When I lived in my mews house in London in the late 1960s we had two lines – KNI[ghtsbridge] 1136 and 9226 - both equipped with rather sleek plastic ’phones in two-tone grey and plastic flexibly spiral cord. Yet when I got my first place in Derby, in Littleover, I inherited a hefty Bakelite job with a fabric coloured platted cord – much inferior to my way of thinking. This latter was a GPO type 332 introduced in 1937 (expect to pay between £20 and £80 depending on condition, but add £250-300 if originally supplied in cream). It had a ledge under the rest with a recess so you could carry it around – provided that you paid the GPO for an extra-long lead. In contrast, my London ’phones were (then) up-to-the-minute type 706 ones, which also had the option of a wall-mounted version, one of which we had. For these today expect to pay as low as £10 and up to £60, much depending on the colour. The letters on the dial were to enable one to dial London numbers: three letters (part of a name identifiable with a distinct area) plus four numbers a system converted to all number in 1970. Yet my earliest memories of telephones included various elderly relatives with ‘candle’ upright instruments, from which the earpiece hung from a metal bracket which opened and cut the line when the weight of the earpiece was removed or applied. The earliest of these were Bakelite and brass-mounted, called a type 150L dating from the early 1920s. Today, expect to pay £80-120 or double that if sold by a dealer. The ones I seem

A 1960s No. 706 ’phone for sale for £10 in original condition. 46 | CountryImagesMagazine.co.uk

to recall were a later modification eliding the brass mounts, although they had the refinement of a silver-coloured metal dialling ring for London subscribers with one’s ’phone number printed on a disc in the middle and covered by a bit of clear plastic. These can fetch £120 to £150 at auction, and the bell set alone can cost £25-30. These evolved after a while into the more compact type 162 which had its own bell incorporated, now selling for similar prices. For the purist, the 1890s Ericson-made GPO phones – very antediluvian in appearance and predominantly brass – were around until after the Great War and can fetch several hundred pounds. Yet by the 1950s most of my friends and relatives had the first type of prewar ’phone with a horizontally placed handset, set on a slim neck, again, so that it could be carted around, and called by collectors a ‘pyramid’ ’phone. This was a heavy-ish Bakelite instrument called a type 232L; again, it came with a dial-less version called a 232CB; both had a little drawer in the base in which to put one’s friend’s numbers. One was sold with a £80-120 estimate by Bamfords a year or two ago, although the pre-war ones (check base for approximate dating evidence) can make up to £225, and cream examples from £275, even more with bell set and drawer to base. They were introduced in the early 1930s and kept going into the 1950s, although the

Push button No. 756 from the mid-1970s

Red No 746 in one of seven colours available; this one was on offer for £55

Above: Classic Trimphone, c. 1969/70. £40 Far left: GPO No. 150L with bell set, was on sale recently for £195 Left top: GPO No. 121L wall ’phone sold at Bamfords for £140 in 2009. Left middle: GPO No., 232CB of 1930s vintage. Left bottom: Late 1930s GPO no. 332, this one was made in 1946. For sale reconditioned for £85.

type 332 was a later improvement, which continued to be supplied for years after the war – likely to cost £50-80 now, but a cream one might go to £300. In darkest Herefordshire, the cousins with whom I lived after my mother died had a wall-mounted exchange with a handle on the side of its timber body which one had to crank to put callers through to the appropriate extension on the estate; this was in service until at least 1970. I saw a similar one on sale at a fair for £130 recently.

There were also various later types with buttons on the top by the rest for business use, or for domestic premises with extensions, and larger, more complex office installations, too. All the types had wall-mounted variants, although the candlestick variant was just a wooden box with a black Bakelite speaking horn and with the earpiece hanging from the side of the box. Watching old black and white films offers a wonderful variety of these earlier types in use, should you be addicted to such entertainment!

By the time the writing was on the wall for the GPO monopoly, one could buy a variant of the type 706 (called a type 746: £35-60) which came in a dizzying variety of seven colours, or a type 756 which had a push-button dialling facility (£30-50). Indeed, the current craze in the 1970s was for the type 722 ‘Trimphone’, the first instrument to ring with a different sound to the then-familiar double ring: they produced a horrible chirruping noise, much imitated on TV gameshows. Rt. Hon. Anthony Wedgwood Benn (formerly 2nd Viscount Stansgate, briefly MP for Chesterfield and the then Postmaster-General) presented the first one to a subscriber in 1965, but it was not actually available until 1968. Incidentally, ‘Trimphone’ is an acronym: Tone Ringing Illuminated Model. These go for £30-40 nowadays, colour being important.

Once the 1983 Conservative Government had freed phone-users from the straitjacket of GPO (thence BT) control, one could buy a ’phone of one’s choice, plug it into the wall and off we go. The proliferation of types thenceforth rather clouds the waters from the collecting point of view, although almost all post-GPO types are to be had second hand for very little money.

There was also a lightweight version of the type 746 which looked more like the familiar US domestic ’phones of the era, but which never seems to have caught on – at least amongst those of my acquaintance but despite rarity, cheap to buy. Going back to the early days in the 1890s the telephones were subject to infinite slight variations, all of which came with a separate bell unit, usually attached to the wall nearby (a phenomenon which endured to some extent to around 1970), no dial and a crank attached to a magneto wherewith to raise the exchange. It was only when the type 150 came in that standardisation largely prevailed.

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CountryImagesMagazine.co.uk | 47

SPRING SALE PREMIER INTERIORS of Langley Mill

have a fabulous showroom in Langley Mill which has recently been fitted with six brand new kitchen displays. Premier Interiors offer a most professional service for their high quality fitted kitchens. Here is what their customers say:

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48 | CountryImagesMagazine.co.uk

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| 49

NO PERFECT FIT BLINDS Drilling Complete conservatories supplied and ﬁtted for…

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www.rfoproperties.co.uk 50 | CountryImagesMagazine.co.uk

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CountryImagesMagazine.co.uk | 51

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54 | CountryImagesMagazine.co.uk

FASTRACK BLINDS We have hundreds of window blinds to choose from including; roller blinds, vertical blinds, pleated blinds, Venetian blinds, conservatory blinds, Velux blinds, perfect fit blinds, awning and wooden shutters - all made to measure and installed to perfection!

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CountryImagesMagazine.co.uk | 55

Come and take a look around our show site At Cabin Master the emphasis is on quality. The quality of our buildings, quality of customer service and first class in-house installation teams is something that we are very proud of and has become the cornerstone of our business. Our sister company Arctic Cabins manufacture and install the highest quality BBQ Cabins ensuring you can cook & entertain in your garden 365 days a year, no matter the weather Find us at: The Rose Gardens 251 Toton Lane Stapleford Nottingham NG9 7JA Opening Hours 10am - 4pm 7 days a week Including May Bank Holidays

T: 0115 932 8888

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56 | CountryImagesMagazine.co.uk

Gardening June 2018 with Mark Smith

How time flies. This time last year I was all excited/nervous about designing my very first show garden and at the first RHS Chatsworth. What an amazing team we made with BBC Radio Derby. What we accomplished with no budget whatsoever and with only 3 weeks planning was incredible and put every other show garden there to shame. Still, I’m very busy this year with exciting things ahead; but more about that next month. Allotment or Vegetable Patch: • Check for signs of woolly aphid on fruit trees. • Protect strawberries from birds by covering them with netting. • Hang pheromone traps or bird feeders in apple and plum trees to control pests. • Water strawberries and gooseberries to help fruits to swell. • Stop cutting asparagus by the end of June to allow the ferns to form. • Feed fruit trees and bushes with liquid sulphate of potash, such as a tomato feed. • Feed tomato plants every time you water with a suitable fertiliser.

In the Greenhouse: • Paint greenhouse glazing with “Coolglass” to help with keeping temperatures down and reduce scorching to foliage. • Water tomatoes regularly to help prevent fruit splitting. • Try hanging sticky traps over plants to catch any whitefly. • Important to water growbags and pots regularly, sometimes daily if needed in very warm weather. • Take out side shoots of developing tomato plants • Liquid feed any planted up hanging baskets. • Place pots of tagetes (you will find them with the bedding plants) near greenhouse doors to deter whitefly. • If going on holiday this month, set up a watering area using a growbag tray and some capillary matting. General Garden Maintenance: • A great time to sow new lawns with grass seed. – remember to water well if we continue to get some sunny weather. • Feed the lawn with a suitable lawn fertiliser. • Lower the blades of lawn mowers. • Plant out container grown trees and shrubs remembering to water well if there is a lack of rain. • Cut back climbing plants that look straggly. • Turn over and refill compost heaps to help composting process. • Apply bark mulches around newly planted or

established trees and shrubs to retain moisture and help suppress weeds. • Look out for greenfly and blackfly developing on shrubs, perennials (mainly Lupins) and roses, spray with a pesticide. • Pick dead flowering heads of rhododendrons and azaleas. • Remove suckers from standard roses, ornamental and fruit trees with secateurs. To recreate your little bit of RHS Chatsworth, here are 3 plants you should include. Clematis: Clematis is a must have in the garden. Very versatile they can be grown in a pot, used as a screen, grown through trees or used as ground cover. The hybrid varieties such as “The President”, “Hagley Hybrid” or “Nelly Moser” have big dinner plate sized blooms. The species varieties such as “Tangutica” and “Alpine

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01773 607993 or 07778 200200 CountryImagesMagazine.co.uk | 57

Constance” have smaller flowers but masses of them. If you decide to grow one in a pot, pick a variety that grows no more than 6ft – Raymond Evison Clematis do a range that grows no more than 3 to 4ft which is perfect for a container. My personal favourites are “Rebecca” , “Ice Blue”, “Oh La La” ,“Cartmanni Early Sensation” (evergreen – winter flowering) and this year`s new addition at Chelsea Flower Show “Chelsea”, “Giselle” and “Samaritan Jo” If planting in the ground make sure the soil is well drained and the base of the Clematis is shaded by a shrub or a very thick layer of bark. Weigela Rubidor: There are many varieties of weigela but “Rubidor”

is by far my favourite with the vivid bright golden leaves that contrast well with the crimson flowers. Compact growing ideal for a container needs little care, but the old flowers need pruning back straight after flowering. Height 4ft, needs a sunny well drained position. Escallonia: Fantastic evergreen shrub with healthy looking, glossy leaves and either white, pink or red flowers. Will happily grow in sun or shade and in any type of soil. Prefers a slightly sheltered position – my personal favourite varieties are “Apple Blossom”, “Iveyii” and “Red Elf” but all varieties will make a great evergreen hedge if planted about 2ft apart.

Please keep contacting me with your gardening problems. If you can, please include a photo or as much detail as you can think of. garden.guru@hotmail.com or tel: 07817 651216 or search on Facebook Mark Smith – Garden Guru

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Enjoy the sunshine and reduce plastic waste. With summer just starting, we hope, what’s better than sitting outside and relaxing? TDP’s furniture, made from recycled plastic, will be ready and waiting, as it did not have to be stored away for the winter or be treated for the new season. In addition, you can be pleased that you are helping to solve the plastic waste problem. Last year we stopped over 200 Tonnes of plastic going to landfill by turning plastic waste into our stylish outdoor furniture. Just the one Dale bench, shown here, is made from over 24,500 waste bottle tops.

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Celebrity Interview Walk Diary Gallery Food & Drink

Steve Orme interviews

Jason Manford

e’s one of the biggest names on the comedy circuit, a regular on television, his ﬁrst album raced into the top ten and he’s also been making a name for himself in musical theatre.

ou could hardly say Jason Manford is muddling through – but that’s the theme of his new show which is selling out across the UK. He calls it Muddle Class. “We talk about the fact that life changes, we’re trying to make the best of it and we’re trying to muddle through life. We make mistakes, we improve on them and we do what we can. That’s what the show’s all about.

He got a job collecting glasses in a club when he was 17. One evening a performer didn’t arrive, so Jason stepped in to ﬁll the gap and his comedy career began to take oﬀ.

“It’s called Muddle Class because it’s a little bit about me but it’s also a little bit about a lot of the audience who turn up. “I’m in a situation where I’m from a working-class background but my kids are a bit middle class. And I don’t really feel that I’m in either of those camps any more. So I created the muddle class which is for people who are a bit of a muddle about where they are.” The cheeky, likeable Mancunian is hardly in a muddle about where he is. His current tour started off at 150 dates but has been extended until next April, allowing an extra 60,000 people to see him doing the job he loves. “It’s a big old tour but once you’ve written it you’d like everybody to see it,” he says. His ITV children’s show What Would Your Kid Do? in which parents are challenged to guess what their children will do in a variety of situations has been commissioned for a second series. And he is contracted to record another two albums for Decca. So how does he fit it all in? “I always have the kids’ holidays off. The tour looks longer than it is because I only do four nights a week. Then I have every fifth week off. It looks worse than it is. I’ve got very supportive people around me and a good family network. It just sort of works really.” Jason has five children, four with his first wife Catherine – they split in 2013 – and a daughter with his second wife, television producer Lucy Dyke who he married last year. Jason John Manford was born on 26 May 1981 in Salford, Greater Manchester. He comes from a family of singers but became interested in comedy after watching people like Peter Kay, Eddie Izzard and Johnny Vegas performing in comedy clubs. He got a job collecting glasses in a club when he was 17. One evening a performer didn’t arrive, so Jason stepped in to fill the gap and his comedy career began to take off. Soon afterwards he was crowned City Life North West

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Comedian of the Year. A nomination for the Perrier Award at the Edinburgh Festival in 2005 was followed by a guest appearance on the Channel 4 panel show, 8 Out Of 10 Cats. He replaced Dave Spikey as one of the team captains in 2007 and stayed on the show for the next four years. He took his live act to Dubai, Singapore and China as huge numbers of people hooked into his humour. How does he describe his brand of comedy? “I just think it’s funny. I try not to pigeonhole myself too much – other people do that. It’s warm, it’s inclusive, it’s never mean. It’s for grown-ups but I look out (at an audience) and there are people who’ve got their kids and parents with them.” Between tours Jason is always jotting things down as he recognises material which he will write into his next show. “It’s not difficult to write once you get started – getting started is the hardest part. You’re staring at a blank screen or a blank page. That’s the hardest point. But you get an idea of what you want to talk about and what you think is interesting. I start there really and then I start writing jokes.” On the tour Jason will return to the Royal Concert Hall in Nottingham after playing there in February and will also head over to Derby Arena. He’s looking forward to the Derby gig: “I’ve not done it before so I’m looking forward to seeing what that one’s like.” He says he enjoys East Midlands’ audiences: “They’re great fun. I’ve always included them on my tour. It’s nice to hang out there for a few days. Even when I was on the circuit I used to play Jongleurs or the comedy clubs, so I’ve always had a good time there.” Jason’s last tour, First World Problems, sold really well, as did the accompanying DVD. But he’s not sure whether a recording of Muddle Class will get into the shops. “We’re going to film it and see how the land lies. I don’t know if anyone buys DVDs any more, to be honest. First World Problems was four years ago. Since then with the rise of Netflix and Amazon the world has

changed, so we’ll just have to see.” Jason’s career has also changed in that time. He played impresario Leo Bloom in Mel Brooks’ wacky musical The Producers when it toured in 2015, took the role of Caractacus Potts in a tour of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and has acted in a couple of television dramas. Last year he released his first album A Different Stage, featuring some of his favourite show tunes, which was recorded with the Prague Symphony Orchestra. Does he have any preference for a particular brand of show business? “Stand-up’s always my proper job but I like entertaining people. Whether it’s telling jokes, singing a song or doing a tap dance, I’m fine with all of that. I love being on stage – it’s all I’ve ever known. It’s a lovely feeling making people laugh.” It’s far removed from some of the darker sides of his life. In 2010 he resigned as co-host of the BBC daily programme The One Show after tabloid newspapers published allegations that he exchanged explicit messages with fans on Twitter. And there was a claim that he had an indiscretion only five weeks before his second wedding with a woman who’d been to see one of his shows.

after the show, ‘oh, it’s really nice to hear somebody who’s also struggling and getting through’. Up to now, touch wood, everybody’s left and had lovely things to say about it and has had a good laugh. If you fancy laughing, come along.” * Muddle Class will be at the Royal Concert Hall on Thursday 21 June and Derby Arena on Saturday 24 November.

Last year he released his ﬁrst album A Diﬀerent Stage, featuring some of his favourite show tunes, which was recorded with the Prague Symphony Orchestra.

Now he says he doesn’t read what the papers write about him. “To be honest it doesn’t really bother me. Everyone’s got a job to do and if that’s what people choose to do as a job, then fine. As long as my kids aren’t hassled and my parents. It’s just a by-product of being successful in my job really. “I love hanging out with my kids – they’re the part of my life that I really cherish.” Then it’s back to talking about Muddle Class. It’s already been running for more than four months and Jason could hardly be happier with the reaction. “A lot of people have said to me CountryImagesMagazine.co.uk | 67

Foolow & Silly Dale

Useful Information Silly Dale

here are no records of any simpleton, either in Foolow or Silly Dale; both names come from Anglo Saxon English and have entirely different meanings than in today’s language. Foolow means multi-coloured hill, possibly a reference to nearby Eyam Edge. Silly is Old English for pretty, an apt description of this little-known dale, especially in late spring when the limestone-loving flowers are in full bloom.

The walk starts and finishes in Foolow, a village of light grey limestone cottages, arguably the most picturesque in the Peak District National Park. There is a bay-windowed manor house and the Bull’s Head offers an excellent menu to satisfy the hunger of the hardiest walker. Until 1888 when the tiny limestone church dedicated to St Hugh was opened, church-goers congregated around the ancient stone cross and its pagan bull-ring standing next to the duck pond.

The pond at Foolow

Until 1932 when pipes were laid, water was a problem in this upland village. Before then villagers had to collect water from a well a little way along the Hucklow Edge road above the village. Cattle enjoyed the convenience of the attractive duck pond on the village green and in celebration of the gift of water, village wells have been dressed since 1983 on the Saturday prior to the last Sunday in August. Starting from Foolow the walk climbs up to Hucklow Edge before turning west and descending to the neighbouring village of Great Hucklow. This village, clustered around its pub, the Queen Anne, is really a group of five interlinked hamlets where lead miners delving 600 feet beneath the ground, worked the riches of High Rake, following a series of inter-connected veins running north-westwards. Pack Horse teams once carried the ore together with Cheshire salt across the high limestone moorland, by trackways that can still be traced for miles. From 1938 until 1970, the playwright L du Garde Peach produced plays in the popular Playhouse theatre, based on an old barn in the village. Beyond Hucklow, the walk descends into Silly Dale and, on climbing out of it, crosses a series of green fields back to Foolow.

www.tramway.co.uk

3miles (5km) of easy walking along rural lanes, field paths and a flowery dale. Recommended map: Ordnance Survey 1:25000 scale Outdoor Leisure map The Peak District – White Peak Area Sheet 24. Refreshments: Bull’s Head (Foolow), Queen Anne (great Hucklow), pubs and cafes in Eyam. Public Transport: TM Travel 65 service from Sheffield and Calver Sough runs hourly Monday/Saturday and two hourly on Sunday. G&J Holmes/Hulleys 66 service between Buxton and Chesterfield runs two hourly from Chesterfield Monday/Saturday and three hourly on Sunday. Parking: roadside around Foolow village, but please do not block local access.

A Great Dayof events Outforfor the Family We have a range you to All enjoy throughout the year. Each event incorporates the Village scene, and trams from the – era including your Dog the day. appropriate or city of origin are run throughout EVENT: Sat 15th & Sun 16th July • VintageEDWARDIAN Trams Running Daily • 2018 Events Programme WWII HOME FRONT EVENT: Sat 12th & Sun 13th August Refurbished Depots • Exhibitions MODEL TRAM AND RAILWAY Sat 19th & Sun 20th August • New First World War EVENT: Commemorative Sculptures CLASSIC TRANSPORT GATHERING: Sun 27th & Trail Mon 28th August • Woodland Walk & Sculpture

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The Walk with Rambler Foolow and Silly Dale

The well that was once the only source of water for the village.

The village cross that hides the bull-ring-stone.

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• With your back to the duck pond in Foolow, take the road past the church and head towards Hucklow Edge. Follow this road for just under a mile. The old village well at the side of the road to your left is protected by a wall with a narrow stile to keep animals away from the one-time sole drinking water supply for Foolow, once a scarcity on these dry limestone uplands. Regrettably the water is now unfit for human consumption. • Just before the road begins to climb steeply and bears right towards Hucklow Edge, turn left and cross a stone stile in order to follow a wall-side path. Gliders from the Gliding Club behind the edge can usually be seen soaring gracefully on the upsweeping currents of air. Tree-lined hollows and rough ground uphill towards the edge indicate the position of abandoned lead-mining activity. • Joining a narrow lane turn left and follow it until it reaches a side road. Turn left along the road, following it below a belt of trees. • At the far end of the woods, turn left over a stile and follow waymarking arrows and splashes of paint down into the Grindlow section of Great Hucklow. • Bear left along the village road and then fork right towards the main road. • Cross the road diagonally left and right, then go to the left of a single bungalow. • Follow the narrow, walled track, down into Silly Dale. Surface water has not flowed down Silly Dale for at least 10,000 years, when catastrophic floods marked the end of the last Ice Age. Flowers growing along the dale include white meadow saxifrage, purple cranesbill and spotted orchids. • Turn left at the T-junction marking the dale end and cross over to the opposite side of the dale. Go to the left over a stile, and bear right and then half left, uphill. • Following stiles cross nine increasingly narrow fields as you near the village, all the way back into Foolow, entering the village by going past the Manor House in order to reach the duck pond. Foolow is built around a wide village green with the highly photogenic duck pond as its centre point. A fourteenth-century cross and a bullring-stone are on the far side of the pond. Better still is the Bull’s Head pub a few yards further along the Eyam road to your right

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Diary Of Events Royal Centre Nottingham & Concert Hall 0115 989 5555 www.trch.co.uk JUNE 1-2 Top Hat 2 The Magic Lantern Family Backstage Tour 1- 2 Dara O’Briain 4 - 9 Sherlock Holmes : The Final Curtain 5 Gareth Malone 6 Marti Pellow 8 The Shires 12-23 The Band 12 Jeff Beck 15 Elvis Costello & The Imposters 16 Classical Music - The Hallé 18 Drama Workshops with Phosphoros Theatre 21 Jason Manford: Muddle Class 22 Sheryl Crow 23 Rufus Wainwright 24 Musical Theatre Theatretrain presents Special Measures 26 Cirque Berserk 28 Classical Music - The Drivetime Concert 2018 JULY 2 - 7 Jul Titanic - The Musical 5-7 The Wedding Reception 7 The Magic Lantern Backstage Tour - July 2018 11-15 Gangsta Granny 13-14 Sarah Millican 17-18 Peppa Pig’s Adventure Derby Live. Box Office 01332 255800 www.derbylive.co.uk JUNE 2 The Adventures of Andy Kershaw 3 Youth Folk Sampler Day 3 The Big 1. Derby’s annual summer family fun day for all to enjoy. 5 Ey Up Mi Duck Race 2018 5 Professor Robert Winston 7-10 RHS Chatsworth Flower Show 7 Mark Beaumont 8 Tony Christie 9 Ey Up Mi Duck Race 2018 10 RAF Cosford Air Show 14-16 Return To The Forbidden Planet 14-16 The Tempest 15 The Devil Wears Prada Movie Night 16 Furthest from the Sea 2018 16 Spirit of Chellaston 16 Mamma Mia Movie Night 20-23 Five Blue Haired Ladies Sitting on a Green Park Bench 23 Silk Mill March, Rally & People’s Festival 24 Derbyshire County Show 2018 24 Strawberry Cream Tea 27-30 Grace - The Lighthouse Girl 28 Fastlove 29 Magic of Motown 30 to July 1 Race For Life and Pretty Muddy

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diary@imagespublishing.co.uk

JULY 1 Sarah Millican 4-7 Whodunnit?! 6 Schools’ Public Speaking Competition 7 Bubble Rush 8 The Derby Charity Classic Car and Retro 8 8 Razzle Dazzled 10 England vs New Zealand Derby Theatre Box Office 01332 59 39 39 www.derbytheatre.co.uk June 11-16 - Birdsong. In pre-war France, a young Englishman Stephen Wraysford embarks on a dangerous affair with the beautiful Isabelle Azaire that turns their world upside down. As the war breaks out over the idyll of his former life, Stephen must lead his men through the carnage of the Battle of the Somme and through the sprawling tunnels that lie deep underground. Faced with the unprecedented horror of the war Stephen clings to the memory of Isabelle as his world explodes around him. July 25 to August 2nd - Holiday A fun-filled show for under 5s and their families. Gabi and Jaz want to go on holiday, but Gabi and Jaz aren’t going on holiday. They have to stay at home instead. It’s not fair. What to do? We’ll play at going on holiday! Join Gabi and Jaz as they gather up their things, and with the magical power of their imaginations, head to the beach for an adventure - without leaving the comfort of their home. Buxton Opera House & PavilionArts Centre. 01298 72190 www.buxtonoperahouse.org JUNE 1All Saints Brass 1 Buxton Buzz Comedy Club - June 3 The Little Mix Experience 8 Killer Queen 10 Bla Bla Bla 12 The Royal Ballet - Swan Lake Ballet in Four Acts The Royal Ballet presents a new production of Tchaikovsky’s magnificent classical ballet, with additional choreography by Liam Scarlett and designs by John Macfarlane. Swan Lake has had a special role in the repertory of The Royal Ballet since 1934. This Season The Royal Ballet creates a new production with additional choreography by Artist in Residence Liam Scarlett. While remaining faithful to the Petipa-Ivanov text, Scarlett will bring fresh eyes to the staging of this classic ballet, in collaboration with his long-term designer John Macfarlane. 15 Dave Finnegan’s Commitments 17 Peak District Music Centres - string and

wind ensembles, big band and choir 19 Joss Naylor and Steve Chilton The Life and Times of a Fell Running Legend 21 Mark Anthony as Prince 21 Woody Mann - Among guitarists and critics, Woody Mann is considered a modern master. While the blues are his touchstone, he seems to draw inspiration from every direction with ease and grace. Pioneering guitar legend John Fahey said it well: “You can hear classical, jazz and blues approaches somehow converging into a single sparkling sound completely his own.” 23 Kinder Children’s Choirs of the High Peak In The Mood! JULY 6 Buxton International Festival to include: 7th Jesse Norman - Adam Smith: What He Thought and Why It Matters 7th Joanna MacGregor 7th John Suchet Verdi: The Man Revealed 7th Ashley Solomon - Father, Son & Godfather – Telemann, JS & CPE Bach 7th Eugenia Cheng The Art of Logic: How to Make Sense in a World that Doesn’t 7th Charles Maxtone-Smith Nottingham Playhouse 0115 941 9419 www.nottinghamplayhouse.co.uk JUNE 1-16 Shebeen Jamaican couple Pearl and George are helping Caribbean migrants to cut loose by hosting a forbidden party at their Shebeen. 25-27 David Badiel. Following a sold out run at London’s Menier Chocolate Factory and two critically-acclaimed West End runs, David Baddiel takes his Olivier-nominated one-man show to theatres nationwide. JULY 11 Mark Steel: Every Little Thing’s Gonna Be Alright Comedy: Mark Steel is back with a new show, guaranteed to make the world seem even more mental than it is Palace Theatre Mansfield www.mansfield.gov.uk/palacetheatre JUNE 5 Ugly Duckling Northern Ballet 10 Grumpy Old Women to the Rescue 16-17 Excelsior Dance 19,20 Hairspray 21 The Story of Guitar Heroes 23-24 Seasons 21 & 28 Shakespeare Rocks 27 Lee Nelson (Age PG) 29 to July 1 D@nce WorksDance School JULY 4-7 Made in Dagenham - The musical

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BABBACOMBE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 07-11 Jun (HB) £302 POOLE & THE JURASSIC COAST . . . . . . . . . . . 18-22 Jun (HB) £379 GREAT YARMOUTH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20-24 Jun (HB) £386 CORNWALL LOOE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25-29 Jun (HB) £392 BRIDLINGTON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Jun – 02 Jul (HB) £231 HAMPTON COURT FLOWER SHOW . . . . . . . . . . 07-08 Jul (HB) £168 SUNDERLAND TALL SHIPS FESTIVAL . . . . . . . 09-13 July (HB) £352 ROMANTIC JOURNEYS OF NORTHUMBRIA. . . . . 12-16 Jul (HB) £376 BOURNEMOUTH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-20 July (HB) £346 WALES PEMBROKESHIRE COAST & TENBY . . 16-20 Jul (HB) £352 LANCASHIRE COAST & COUNTRYSIDE . . . . . . 26-30 Jul (HB) £341 KENT WHITE CLIFFS COUNTRY . . . . . . . . . 30 Jul-03 Aug (HB) £441 YORKSHIRE RAIL & SAIL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Jul-03 Aug (HB) £400 WORLD WAR 2 NOSTALGIA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 03-06 Aug (HB) £305 ISLE OF WIGHT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 04-09 Aug (HB) £407 SUFFOLK COAST & COUNTRYSIDE . . . . . . . . . . . 06-10 Aug (HB) £370 SECRETS OF SURREY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 06-10 Aug (HB) £391 HIGHCLERE CASTLE, MALMESBURY & ROYAL WOOTTON BASSETT . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-13 Aug (HB) £305 THAMES TALES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-13 Aug (HB) £323 PORTSMOUTH & SOUTHSEA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-17 Aug (HB) £372 FROGMORE & CLARENCE HOUSE . . . . . . . . . 18-19 Aug (HB) £185 LAKE DISTRICT STEAM & CRUISE . . . . . . . . . . 20-24 Aug (HB) £399 PAIGNTON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21-25 Aug (HB) £360 BANK HOLIDAY MYSTERY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25-27 Aug (HB) £205 ROYAL SANDRINGHAM & THE ENGLISH SHIRES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27-31 Aug (HB) £358 DEVON DELIGHTS BIDEFORD . . . . . . . . . . . . 03-07 Sept (HB) £317 SCOTLAND ORKNEY ISLES & THE CASTLE OF MEY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .05-10 Sept (HB) £545 WALES LLANDUDNO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .06-10 Sept (HB) £360 CLASSICAL SPECTACULAR ROYAL ALBERT HALL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25-26 Nov (BB) £158 WARNERS LITTLECOTE HOUSE. . . . . . . . . . . . 17-21 Dec (HB) £249 TORQUAY SPECIAL OFFER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18-22 Feb 2019 (HB) £176

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CountryImagesMagazine.co.uk | 71

Diary Of Events Birdwatching for Beginners walks at Carsington Water. Bird Watching for Beginners – Sunday 3rd June 2018 10.00am If you want to see and hear, all the breeding summer warblers that have come to Carsington, June is a good time, with adults actively collecting food for the young. And nests everywhere. Foliage will soon make it harder to spot birds in the trees, so come and join the experts to help you identify and enjoy the birds even more. The next Beginners walk, which are held on the first Sunday of every month, is on Sunday 3rd June. Book by contacting Carsington or for more information, 01629 540696 or just drop in to reception. If you don’t want to miss the birds, binoculars are essential!! Future dates to slot in your diary app, July 1, August 5 and September 2nd. Little Chester Local History Group Thursday June 21st at 7.30pm in Chester Green Community Centre, Old Chester Road, Derby is our AGM followed by a talk by Joan D’Arcy entitled, ‘New views of Chester Green Past’. Admission non-members £2. For more information Tel.01332 363354. Little Chester Heritage Centre St. Paul’s Church, Mansfield Road,Derby. We are open on Sunday June 3rd 2-4pm when you can see a collection of original newspapers from the Napoleonic Wars to recent times. Read ‘Forces’ and other newspapers from the Two World Wars. Free admission. Refreshments available. for further informatio9n Tel. 01332 363354. Information Tel. 01332 559615. “Pentrich Revolution – The Aftermath” SATURDAY 9 JUNE 2018. The day will be preceded by two walks around Pentrich, one long and one short, arriving back at Pentrich Village Hall for the commencement of the day’s proceedings at 2pm. The day will consist of an exhibition with timed events of talks, a play, updating of progress of the group, a film, a quiz and a Q&A session. There will be books/merchandise on sale together with refreshments. There is no entry fee and there is free parking on site. For further information please contact the Secretary on valerie.mherbert@yahoo.co.uk or check our website at http://www.pentrichrevolution.org.uk. Pentrich Historical Society Pentrich Historical Society meet on the third Tuesday of each month from September to June at Pentrich Village Hall from 7.15 pm. £3 with light refreshments. Talks on various historical subjects. Derby RSPB Derby RSPB local group warmly invites you to join them on a free birdwatching walk at Goyt Valley Derbyshire on Sunday 3 June. We will be meeting in the main car park at 9.30am. This is by the Errwood Reservoir Dam, west side. GR SK 013757. This will be a walk along the valley looking for woodland birds such as Redstart and Wood

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diary@imagespublishing.co.uk

Warbler. Toilets in the adjacent car park. The walk will finish at about 12.30pm. More details on the RSPB Derby local group website www.rspb.org. uk/groups/derby Derby Wine Circle Friday 1st June – “9/11 – The Ripple Effect” Guest Speaker – Susan Cooke For more details Contact Julie@Thebelks.plus.com / 0115 9328217 Or Gilllian.wall@Ntlworld.com / 01332 551447 Allestree Flower Group Tuesday 19th June 2018 Flower demonstration by Lynne Sharpe Entitled ”Car Boot Collection” Time: 7.00 pm for 7.30 pm Venue: The Evergreen Hall, Cornhill, Allestree Admission: Members £3.00. Non- members £7.00 For further details telephone 01332 558540 Middleton by Wirksworth Open Gardens Saturday and Sunday 9th and 10th June 2018. Adults £3 for both days. Well-behaved children free. Over 30 gardens and quirky corners in a wide range of gardening styles in a hilly village. Refreshments available. Two pubs in the village. Two books of local walk guides available. Contact 01629 258471 Email: ann.stamper@hotmail.co.uk Darley Abbey Historical Group Friday 15 June 2018‘Mountain Rescue’ by John Mottram All meetings start at 7.30pm and are held in Darley Abbey Village Hall, Abbey Yard off New Road, Darley Abbey, DE22 1DS There is a charge of £1 for members of the Historical Group and £3 for visitors. For further information contact Maria Gibson on 01332 552837 To find out more about the Historical Group, take a look at their blog: https://darleyabbeyhistoricalgroup.wordpress. com/ Glebe Centre Crich. Friday June 22nd. - Ignite , the award winning a cappella ladies chorus are performing at Crich Glebe Field Centre 7.30 Appearing with them are popular ukulele band Ukuladies+1. (The +1 is called Simon!) The concert is in aid of CHIKs, a local charity supporting children in foster homes in Aduwa, Kenya. Tickets £10 including refreshments from Crich Glebe: 01773 857894, or from 01773 853722 or 01773 856212 Heanor Floral Art Group Demonstration by Andrew Lloyd entitled Joyous June. At The Wilmot Street Welfare Centre, Wilmot Street Heanor On Monday June 18th at 7 O’clock . Visitors £5 everyone welcome . For further details contact 01332 880179 Derbyshire Dales Woodcraft Club Meets in Wyaston village hall (DE6 2DR) on the first Saturday of each month from 10:00am to 2:00pm. We have a mixed programme of visiting demonstrators, hands-on sessions under

the guidance of more experienced members and a monthly competition. 2nd. June 2018 - its our Open Day! Come along and try your hand at woodturning, woodcarving, pyrography, scroll saw, marquetry or perhaps buy a unique item made by one of our experts. Free entry. Refreshments available. 7th. July 2018 - this is a hands-on meeting and visitors may come along and have a go at woodturning, woodcarving etc. under the guidance of an experienced member. For more information go to www.ddwc.co.uk where you can see reports with photos on previous meetings, including competition results, and read past newsletters. If you would like to know more about the club, email your query to info@ddwc. co.uk or phone James Sharpe on 01335 344933. Derby City Photographic Club Derby - Celebration of a City’ 3rd May to 28th July venue Deda, Chapel Street, Derby An exhibition of 40 framed photographs and an audio visual by members of Derby City Photographic Club celebrating Derby as it is now, 40 years after attaining City status. Showcasing its buildings, commerce, industry, sport and leisure. The exhibition is open Monday to Saturday 9am to 5pm and entry is free. For further information visit www.derbycitypc.co.uk

Departure Lounge festival returns for a sixth year at Derby Theatre Departure Lounge is celebrating its 6th anniversary this summer from Thursday 19 until Sunday 22 July, a fantastic summer festival of fresh and thrilling theatre with a bumper line-up of shows, workshops and talks, and a hub for fresh and innovative performance. Kicking off the Festival on Thursday 19 July will be East Meets West -The Human Search Engine, a free peer support session facilitated by Little Earthquake, a network that aims to reduce barriers and encourage collaboration between, and within the East and West Midlands’ independent theatremaking communities. This session guarantees to generate rapid answers to any burning questions and to offer valuable advice, an event which promises to leave artists, companies, practitioners and programmers inspired, provoked and nurtured...and ready for the rest of the Festival ahead!

Derbyshire County Show - TICKETS ON SALE NOW

Off the Derbyshire Beaten Track A series of half-day tours

Tickets are selling fast for this month’s Derbyshire County Show and Food Fayre, which will remain at its stunning new location in Spondon’s Locko Park. The 138th Derbyshire County Show will be held on Sunday June 24th and is expected to attract thousands of people from across the region by showcasing the very best that the county has to offer. The 2017 show was held at Locko Park, just off the A6096 in Spondon, for the first time in its history, to allow its previous home of Elvaston Showground to recover from flooding the previous year. The show was a huge success, with almost 11,000 people attending the event, which had expanded to include a food fayre with some of the county’s most passionate and committed producers. Organisers promise the event will be bigger and better than ever before with the return of a poultry show and a Kennel Club Dog Show, which will offer the chance to qualify for Crufts. One of the show’s annual highlights are the two performances from J C Balls’ Dancing Diggers, who astound audiences with their intricately choreographed routines to music such as Elevation by U2 and I Like the Way You Move by OutKast. Collectively weighing more than 80 tonnes, the diggers – owned by Ambergate-based company JC Balls, wiggle past each other with split-second precision. The vehicles perform ‘handstands’ in time to the music and create a ‘wedding arch’ for other machines to drive through. There will also be a Food Hall at this summer’s show where visitors can purchase delicious produce, much of it produced here in Derbyshire. As well as cheese and artisan bread, the Derbyshire County Show will also host the award-winning Nelson’s Gin. Their gin is currently on the shelves in Harrods and Waitrose. Tickets are available online by visiting derbyshirecountyshow.org.uk If you would like to be involved in the 2018 event please contact Show Secretary Anne James by emailing info@derbyshirecountyshow.org.uk For further information please contact Sarah Newton at Penguin PR on 07974 502 764 or email sarah@penguin.co.uk

DERBYSHIRE COUNTY SHOW & FOOD FAYRE

SUNDAY 24TH JUNE 2018

a 40 mile journey of discovery lead mines great & small Sir George Watt & the Delhi Durbar 1903 June, July & August The History behind Local Rose Gardens the stories of the people who originally bred the roses December Derbyshire & the '45: a Scotsman’s Tale The minibus leaves Ashbourne @ 1.30pm

Booking essential

phone: 01335 345239/07771667097 or email frances@franscript.co.uk For further information see www.offthederbyshirebeatentrack.co.uk

23rd - 24th June 2018

at Bakewell Showground DE45 1AW Event 10am til 5pm

LOCKO PARK, SPONDON DERBY DE7 4PQ Everything for a doggie fun filled day out suitable for the whole family.

Dogs Unleashed are bringing together the canine world with a huge variety of doggie disciplines. There will be competitions and displays, with all the events having a ‘have a go’ option allowing you to try for yourselves.

Book reduced tickets and camping online at

www.dogsunleashed.co.uk

J.C. Balls Digger Dance Pre-show Tickets

Show-day Tickets

Adults £10.00 Senior citizens £9.00; Children £7.00

Adults £13.00 Senior citizens £11.00; Children £8.00

Pre-show tickets available online or by writing to … Derbyshire County Show, 5 Willow Park Way, Aston on Trent, Derby DE72 2DF

For further information call 01332 793068 or visit our website www.derbyshirecountyshow.org.uk For credit or debit card facilities please see website

Prices

Online

On the gate

Adults Children 5 -12 Family (2 adults + 2 children)

£5.00 £3.50 £15.00

£6.50 £4.00 £18.00

Children under 5 and dogs are FREE

Onsite camping available

www.facebook.com/ultimutt.doggy.day

Tel: 01246 828980 Email: info@dogsunleashed.co.uk CountryImagesMagazine.co.uk | 73

Gallery... & Leisure

Step out for National Camping and Caravanning Week

From private tuition to friendly classes and full day workshops, artist Norma Gent has something to make your creativity flourish. Also available from her studio at New Lane Galleries, Alfreton are a selection of artworks, all originals, for sale. You can call or contact Norma on 01773 836907.

National Camping and Caravanning Week (NCCW) aims to get the British public engaged with camping and caravanning, and to raise the profile of this great hobby. If you’re not familiar with the event, NCCW is run each year by The Camping and Caravanning Club, to coincide with the late May Bank Holiday. Since the first event in 2001, the week has seen both world-firsts and records set. Activities have included the most people wearing paper crowns at any one time to celebrate NCCW 2012 which coincided with the Golden Jubilee and a camp out by the Club President, Julia Bradbury overnight on top of London’s O2 arena to start NCCW 2016. NCCW 2018 has a walking theme; readers of the Club magazine, Camping & Caravanning, have listed this as the top activity they enjoy when out touring. The Club is teaming up with the British Mountaineering

Council (BMC) on the Mend our Mountains campaign, http://mendmountains.thebmc.co.uk/. We’re encouraging everyone who values the hills, mountains and landscapes of Britain to club together in supporting the things we all use, from bridleways to paths and bridges which are all vital in shaping our experiences in the great outdoors.For inspiration on your next walk, why not have a look at The Camping and Caravanning Club’s list of suggested circular walks from Club Sites at www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk? Share a selfie of your walking adventures using #NCCW #thefriendlyclub and you could even receive a spot prize! The Club has some great camping and caravanning goodies to give away. To find out more and to enter the NCCW competition visit www.nccw.co.uk

Norma Gent Derbyshire Artist

◆ Pets, Portraits, Scenes, Still Life, Executive Caricatures, Victorian Life.

SPECIAL DAY WORKSHOP Saturday 14th July 2018

WATERCOLOUR CLASSES Tuesday mornings and evenings & every Thursday 9am - 10.45am St Thomas’s Community Centre Somercotes Framing Now Available

The Studio, No 2 The Galleries, New Lane, Alfreton.

01773 836907

The 87th

WEDNESDAY 8TH AUGUST 2018 A TRADITIONAL AGRICULTURAL SHOW WITH ENTERTAINMENT FOR EVERY MEMBER OF THE FAMILY The Rectory Fields, Ashover, Chesterﬁeld, Derbyshire S45 0BA 9.00AM UNTIL DUSK Telephone 01623 811545 E Mail ashovershow@aol.com www.ashovershow.co.uk ASHOVER AGRICULTURAL & HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY LTD WORKING IN AID OF THE ASHOVER SHOW

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A photograph of the renowned artist James Preston painting in his garden. James’ work (together with artists Colin Halliday and Phil Dyke) will be on show at an exhibition at Duffield Art Gallery. The opening evening will be on Thursday 21st June from 6 pm and the exhibition will run until 7th July (Open Thurs – Sat 10.30 am – 5 pm and Sundays 11 am to 3 pm). 3 – 5 Town Street, Duffield DE56 4EH

Duﬃeld Art Gallery 21st June - 7th July

Exhibition by top Derbyshire landscape artists: James Preston, Colin Halliday and Phil Dyke

‘Meet the Artists’

Thurs 21s June from 6 pm Drinks and Treats Open: Thurs to Sat 10.30-5pm & Sun 11-3pm

3-5 Town Street, Dufﬁeld DE56 4EH T: 01332 840845 M: 07432 524083 jill.underwood59@gmail.com www.dufﬁeldartgallery.co.uk

Tel: 01457 868011 glossopcaravans.co.uk E N D

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taste

derbyshire

It’s not just any old hooch Ten years ago, you would expect to ﬁnd one or two brands of gin on offer at the golf club and, if you were lucky, a slice of lemon from a jar.

Only a teetotal hermit could fail to notice gin is everywhere. There are gin parties, ginemas (gin and a film night), ginvent calendars and gin-flavoured spa treatments. Even Burton-on-Trent, the spiritual home of beer, hosted a Gin and Rum Festival in the market hall in May this year. It’s not just any old hooch. Ten years ago, you would expect to find one or two brands of gin on offer at the golf club and, if you were lucky, a slice of lemon from a jar. These days, the clubhouse is likely to have a gin menu featuring artisan and craft gins laced with exotic ingredients like buckthorn, loganberry and peppercorns. It all adds up to an industry which is worth £1.2 billion a year according to the Wine and Spirit Trade Association. Since gin shook off its Mother’s Ruin image, quaint cafes and farm shops are getting in on the act. Whereas the strongest thing on offer may once have been a cup of English Breakfast, The Apple Tree tea house, Ockbrook is offering gin tasting evenings hosted by a be-suited booze raconteur. Considering we are in the grip of a revolution, it is still a big surprise to find there is a new craft gin being produced in the Derbyshire woods. Shining Cliff Woods at Ambergate may be on the map with local ramblers and people who have a thing about bluebells, but it is completely unexpected to stumble across a ‘proper’ distillery business (as opposed to one man in his shed) occupying 11,000 square feet in the former Johnson & Nephew wire works in the woods. White Peak Distillery has risen from the ashes of the old wire industry thanks to one man – Max Vaughan of Quarndon – driven by his long-term dream to make whisky. But it was the hiring of a talented head distiller, Shaun Smith, which led Max to consider producing an artisan gin packed with flavours found in the local woodland. “If we put our name on the bottle, we have to be proud of it. We love being in the Peak District and the area around us and we wanted our gin to be an expression of this,” explains Max as he stands by the distillery gates through which you can glimpse acres of verdant woodland. 76 | CountryImagesMagazine.co.uk

Self-confessed ‘foodie’ journalist Amanda Volley showcases all that is great about food and drink in Derbyshire.

“Shaun had previously made a successful gin and he was determined to create something authentic and different. Shining Cliff gin was inspired by the flowers and herbs we found in the wood like rosehip, elderberry and Mayflower.” The pair spent many months in the wonderfully aromatic ‘research and development bunker’ where – with only a 30 litre still at his disposal - Shaun began to perfect the inaugural gin. “It meant lots of trips out and about the woods on my bike looking at the plants and the hedgerows to find things suitable for Shining Cliff gin,” Shaun recalls. “We had around ten styles of gin initially which we narrowed down to six, then to three that we were really happy with. We also discarded a few flavour combinations along the way. Like wild garlic, even though we have lots in the wood, we’ll never see a wild garlic or spruce needle gin coming to market.” The months of tinkering can be seen by counting the glass bottles on a large unit of pigeon holes; each contains single flavour distillations used while devising the prefect blend. The final Shining Cliff gin really is stunning testimony to all Shaun’s chemistry, if not alchemy skills and features 13 different flavourings or botanicals; many evocative of the woodland setting around the distillery. “We had a lot of positive feed-back on the gin – people even saying it’s the best they’ve tried which is a huge compliment,” Max adds. “Our goal was to make a gin which, like whisky, is good enough to be served neat. I call it a sipping gin. It’s got flavours of citrus so it doesn’t really need anything added except, perhaps, a slice of orange peel.” Shining Cliff gin may have gathered a loyal fan-base but it’s actually a delicious warm-up act to the star of the show. At the end of April Max and Shaun took delivery of 18 tonnes of barley; the first stage in the development of a single malt whisky. It will be the first ever commercially produced in Derbyshire. White Peak will be one of only 15 other distilleries making, or developing, whisky in England.

White Peak Distillery has risen from the ashes of the old wire industry thanks to Max Vaughan of Quarndon and head distiller, Shaun Smith.

Eventually

“It will be twelve months before the ﬁrst tasting and three years before it can be oﬃcially called whisky,” Max explains. “We’re currently inviting people to join our Temperance Club, so-called because they will have to wait. But their patience will be rewarded with a limited-edition bottle once a year for the next decade. In addition, the members’ names – 1876 of them in honour of the date of the factory opening - will be etched onto bricks and built into the distillery wall.”

Looking at the pictures of the dilapidated factory buildings, once used for maintenance and storage at the wire works, it’s clear the task has been a labour of love. As Max describes it – surrounded by the bespoke gleaming copper still built in Scotland and stainless steel-work made by Musk Engineering at Swadlincote – you can almost taste the light peaty, slightly ﬂoral malt which will be housed in bourbon casks shipped over from America and wine casks from Portugal. “I am a whisky fan,” says Max when asked why he is so passionate to develop a whisky when he has a ‘hit’ gin product on his hands. “My dad Barrie introduced me to whisky and to

the Scotch Whisky Society. It’s there I heard about a guy who worked behind the member’s bar who had started a small whisky distillery in Battersea. Something about this story really resonated with me. I did a lot of research over three years, visiting distilleries and talking to experts.” Max, an accountant by profession, may have thrashed out a good business plan on paper but he’s the first to admit he had very little else. “When I launched the business, in early 2016, I had no premises, partners, staff permits or consents, nowhere near enough funding and no track record in the drinks and spirits industry,” he explains. “I couldn’t bear the thought of looking back on my dream after twenty years of working for someone else.” Max, 48, realised he must get beyond the planning stage. “I’d been to a couple of funerals of guys around my age and it really focussed my mind,” he says. “There’s a saying that ‘now is as good a time as any’ and I’d reached my now. It also helped that my wife Claire was so supportive.” In January 2016, Max flew out to Texas to meet Chip Tate, founder of the Tate & Company Distillery; a self-confessed maverick who succeeded in putting his multi-award-winning brand of ‘Texas whisky’ in the forefront of the nation’s craft whisky boom. “We met on the business networking site Linkedin. We exchanged a few emails and he invited me to stay with him and his wife,” Max explained. “He gave me such good advice like ‘plan for success’. He told me to build a still with the biggest capacity

CountryImagesMagazine.co.uk | 77

our budget would allow. He’d made the mistake of playing safe by starting small and had to close the operation down for months in order to expand. But while capacity is important, we also agreed that you should never put productivity ahead of ﬂavour so our process remains low on automation – the valves and levers will be operated by hand.”

tree branch was immortalised in the rhyme Rock-aBye Baby.

Chip also encouraged Max to ﬁnd some backers. “I’d heard of a couple of entrepreneurs through mutual friends and asked if I could meet them for lunch in order to talk to them about the project,” Max says.

“We can make gin one week, rum the next, while the whisky matures in the barrel rooms,” Max explains.

“I didn’t ask for money, I asked for their thoughts. I made a presentation and they were really enthusiastic. I left the business plan with them asking for advice about any thing I’d missed. This was on the Friday. On the Sunday one of the guys rang to say he loved the plan, he thought I was the right person to develop it and, best of all, he wanted to invest.” Spurred on by this support, Max approached 17 friends and family members asking for an investment towards the seven-figure start-up. Incredibly, 15 agreed. “By May 2016, I’d found the site and I’d been in touch with a tutor on a distillery degree course who recommended Shaun. Finally, I was in a position to offer him a job,” Max says. “Shaun was working down south and I knew he was really keen to re-locate to the Peak District. He comes from Macclesfield but has a friend in Belper and, as keen cyclists, they’d been on bike rides through the woods. Like me, he was really inspired by working in such a unique location.” It’s easy to see why Max and Shaun are so passionate about their surroundings. Max was not only aware of the potential of harnessing the natural resources – he will use water from the River Derwent in his cooling processes – but he’s thrilled about regenerating every part of the massive industrial site. “In addition to installing new power supplies, we’ve had to replace a couple of leaking roofs but the large rooms with their high, beamed ceilings are perfect for housing the equipment. The store rooms alone can hold up to 1,000 whisky barrels per year.” Max explains. “We’ve also taken down partition walls to make a shop and tasting area. It’s where we’ll start our distillery tours. Thanks to the lay-out of the site, it’s easy for people to see what we’re doing here. Hopefully they’ll go away with an understanding of what goes into making our spirits.” Looking at the pictures of the dilapidated factory buildings, once used for maintenance and storage at the wire works, it’s clear the task has been a labour of love. “I’m really fired-up by the heritage of the site,” Max admits. “We’ve reclaimed and restored windows and even planned to turn an old compressor into a table by adding a glass top - I just couldn’t bear to take it to the scrap-yard.” The celebration of history can even be witnessed in the main still room. Max proudly reveals that the bespoke still has been named ‘Betty’ in honour of local wood-dweller Betty Kenny, whose habit of getting her baby to sleep in a cradle hanging from a 78 | CountryImagesMagazine.co.uk

Betty will be kept very much in business. When the whisky is set down to begin it’s graceful ageing process, Shaun and Max have plans to develop yet more artisan spirits which, like gin, do not need a period of time to age.

“We’ve also got plans to make absinthe using wormwood from the Swiss-French border where the liquor is traditionally made.” Throughout the interview, Max’s friends and family – some of them investors – keep popping in to check on developments and take photographs of a gleaming Betty. He’s grateful for the interest as, without a big publicity budget, he is going to be reliant on word of mouth and social media. So far, so good – the reaction to the gin with ‘laboratory’ style labels designed by interior designer wife Claire, has been overwhelmingly positive. On White Peak Distilleries’ social media page, one commentator described the Shining Cliff gin as ‘Smooth, mellow and flavoursome – it reminds me of the woods I see from my home in Ambergate.’ Max is confident his whisky will open to equally rave reviews.

The celebration of history can even be witnessed in the main still room. Max proudly reveals that the bespoke still has been named ‘Betty’ in honour of local wood-dweller Betty Kenny, whose habit of getting her baby to sleep in a cradle hanging from a tree branch was immortalised in the rhyme Rock-a-Bye Baby. But, for now at least, he’s playing the waiting game. “It’s taken years to get to this stage but it’s all part of the science, art and romance of whisky making,” Max says with a smile of contentment. “Getting to this point has been a seven day a week commitment but it will be worth it when we open the gates to our first visitors. We’re developing something for people who care about the provenance and tradition of their craft spirits. Hopefully people will want to come and see what we are all about. We’ll even offer to refill their bottles so our customers can enjoy a drink and do their bit for the environment.” As for the man whose love of whisky inspired all this passion, Max says dad Barrie is very proud of his son. “He couldn’t have been more supportive,” Max says. “I thought he’d say it was a crazy idea but he actually said I’d be crazy not to give it a go.” The distillery shop will be open from June 2018.

On the gin trail

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CountryImagesMagazine.co.uk | 79

An evening at the

Poet Castle

he demise of the local public house has been the subject of many newspaper articles; part of the ethos of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) believes well-run pubs, whether in rural or urban areas, play a critical social role in UK culture as the centres of community life. CAMRA believes that the British pub is a uniquely wonderful institution. The 50,000 or so which remain offer a rich variety of drinking and social environments and contribute significantly to the sum of the nation’s happiness. One of these unique institutions was our destination for a midweek contribution to our happiness; a Wednesday evening in the Poet and Castle on the Market Place in Codnor, Derbyshire. Our taxi dropped us off in the car park at the rear of the pub. One of the first things we spotted was the large outdoor seating area with its extensive views over the fields. Perfect for a family on a warm Summer afternoon.

The Poet and Castle is the 5th and latest pub to be owned by the Lincoln Green Brewing Company. The Company, started in 2012 by Anthony Hughes, takes its name from the colour of the woolen cloth associated with the legendary Robin Hood. What began in the garage of his home in Nottingham has grown to include a brewery in Hucknall and the 5 pubs; 4 in his home county of Nottinghamshire and The Poet and Castle in Derbyshire. The Company has a simple philosophy; they believe in ‘proper pubs’ and this is evident in the Poet and Castle. It’s a place with quiet corners. It has big comfy chairs in front of the log burner. It’s a meeting place for dog walkers. It’s somewhere to put the world to rights and for us, somewhere for a Wednesday evening meal. As the owners state ‘You know when you’ve entered a proper pub. It’s a sense, not a blueprint’. We were given a warm welcome by Clive, the manager who explained the Lincoln Green real ales on oﬀer. Their 4 main brews are called Marion, 80 | CountryImagesMagazine.co.uk

Hood, Archer and Tuck, names associated with the famous outlaw of Sherwood Forest. While Sue chatted to a group of friendly dog walkers I decide to sample the Hood; the bitter. This is a proper bitter; it’s complex ﬂavours and smooth ﬁnish are a reminder of how good ale used to taste and is a treat worth making a detour for.

leek and potato soup; a soup that can be served in all sorts of shapes and sizes: rustic, chilled and in this instance creamed. The Poet and Castle version is carefully seasoned and uses the whole leek giving it a deep ﬂavour. It’s ﬁnished with a swirl of cream to enhance the smooth presentation.

The food is pub grub and for that reason the menu does not run on for 4 or 5 pages. There are 4 starters to choose from: goats cheese and red onion flatbread, 2 homemade soups; tomato or leek and potato and mushrooms in a wine and garlic sauce served on toast. There are 7 main course meals which include 2 burgers (one venison and the other a veggie), fish and chips, a beef pie, ham and eggs and a red pepper tagliatelle; 4 of them are available in child portion sizes. We chose the mushrooms and a soup followed by the pie and fish and chips.

I decided to try the lighter, more delicately ﬂavoured Archer American pale ale with my homemade beef pie and its robust gravy made with their own porter; Tuck. The pie pastry was crisp, the triple cooked chips lived up to expectations and I could taste the ale in the tender beef pie ﬁlling.

Everything is freshly cooked. I placed our order with Clive at the bar. He made a note of it and dispatched it to the kitchen along with a glass of Marion light ale he had just pulled and added “That’s to make the beer batter for your haddock.” It doesn’t get more fresh than that. The mushrooms take centre stage in the generous starter. Sautéed mushrooms are served on toasted slices of baguette There’s just a hint of garlic in the creamy wine sauce but it doesn’t mask the delicate mushroom ﬂavour. Toasted baguette also accompanied the fresh

Susan’s fish was a fillet of haddock in a Marion beer batter. The white, flaky fish had cooked beautifully inside the crisp beer batter and again the triple cooked chips were delightful. It was served with mushy peas and a dish of tartar sauce. To round off the evening I sampled the Marion. This is a full bodied pale ale with a fresh, zingy aroma and comforting warm malt taste. Along with their real ale they also offer real cider, wines and spirits. There is lager, but not the mainstream brands. We came away with the impression that the Poet and Castle was in the great British tradition of proper pubs; a warm welcome, excellent beers and wines, good conversation and good old fashioned pub grub.

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A Hidden Gem of

Food & Drink T

urning the corner onto Boot Hill in Repton, the self-proclaimed capital of Mercia, I immediately thought “I should have arrived on a horse!” Everything seemed to be linked to the past and, in all honesty, I love that. The Boot, a 17th Century coaching Inn, is owned, managed and run by people with a fierce passion for what they do… and they’re very good at it. Rewarded for their success with a second AA Rosette in two years is testament to Chef Rob Taylor’s passion for food supported by his highly trained kitchen team who maintain that standard when he isn’t around. At front of house is Manager Rick Graham, who exudes the same enthusiasm for customer care. Drinking a cup of coffee chatting with Rob and Rick I could see that both are keen to keep pushing ‘The Boot’ forward with expansion of the team, more training and menu development. Chef Rob has his own allotment where he grows various things to take home and experiment with, creating new recipes and dishes which he can then introduce to the restaurant when he is satisfied. He is proud to be sourcing food from local suppliers including dry aged beef from Tori and Ben’s Farm Butchery in Melbourne where their sister business ‘Harpurs’ is situated. Rob and Rick have thoroughly enjoyed their three and a half year journey working in tandem and they have a good sense of humour too which I enjoyed. When you book a table it’s yours for the evening should you so wish. They both were quite adamant at this point that those who visit ‘The Boot’ should enjoy the experience from the high quality accommodation to their award -winning food.

In for a pint at ‘The Boot’. A highlight too of my visit was to enjoy a pint of beer produced from their own, on site brewery. As creatures of habit, a beer drinker will generally stick to what he knows. When faced with a bar full of pumps with beer names never seen before the mind gets very confused. Various areas of the country sport their own particular ales and tucked behind the ‘The Boot’ is the Boot Micro Brewery from which flows thousands of pints of the finest quality beers which are on sale at ‘The Boot’ Repton, ‘Harpur’s of Melbourne and The Dragon at Willington. Head Brewer Jon Archer took over the brewing just over a year ago. I asked Jon what his background was. He replied “33 years in IT”, I wasn’t expecting that. There’s obviously more to this tale and it transpired that he was an avid home brewer, a skill he developed to replicate brewing at a small commercial level. So, when the offer came from the owners of ‘The Boot’ at Repton, to manage and develop their micro brewery, it was an unmissable opportunity. Home brewing is an art this author never perfected and after two failed attempts and two bouts of illness after drinking it(!) I decided to leave it to the experts and stay firmly on the customer side of the bar. Jon explained the ins and outs of brewing to me and it’s a pretty straightforward process which becomes very complicated when trying to maintain consistency. I was taken aback by the control exercised over brewing a popular beer to maintain consistency and satisfy the regular ‘same pint’ drinker. Asking anyone how they like their beer will elicit numerous replies ‘hoppy, malty, fruity, strong, dark, pale” are among many of the responses, but how do you cater for that on the bar. Much can depend on type of hop, where it comes from, yeast used etc. John selects the finest hops from around the country and from abroad to blend them into great tasting beer.

Rob and Rick proudly display the latest AA Rosette award 82 | CountryImagesMagazine.co.uk

The latest brew ‘Willow’ was launched in April and, as a low alcohol light ale, is harder to brew because low alcohol beers can feel too thin so need building up, but to his credit it has gone really well and is proving extremely popular. I watched as Jon checked the progress of fermentation in stage for the latest batch of

Measured, tested and recorded to ensure the perfect pint. ‘Clod Hopper’ which gave me an insight to the accurate records needed to maintain consistency. Ten percent of this, so much of that, this specific temperature and much more. (The exact details are a secret though and not for my eyes!) This is recorded ready for the next batch. Jon shared with me his knowledge of how life works in the Boot brewery, from designing to creating a beer influenced by Jon’s skilled palette which is suitable for production. I smiled as he took me to see and taste a drink in its early stages of creation, of which the base ingredient was rhubarb. I love rhubarb crumble, but I’ve never drunk it! The first taste was quite pleasant and I thought maybe a good drink but then came the next tasting made with a different yeast which took it to a whole different level on

Rosette Award for Culinary Excellence

the taste buds. And that, as they say is the crux of the matter, the master brewer, in this case Jon, is using his skills and taste buds to create something everyone will love. Some of his great creations haven’t made it to front of house yet as they are still being developed. Passion and creativity rules everywhere at ‘The Boot’.

My day got even better at this point!

By now it was time for lunch and, having been shown the brewery I needed to sample some of the 13 ales! Obviously, that’s not practical so Jon just let me select one that I fancied from the bar. At this point I wished I had come on a horse because I could just have jumped on and said, “Home Trigger”. It seems to me that whatever your passion, you’re going to be very spoilt at ‘The Boot’, the gastronomic hidden gem capital of Mercia.

Gold Award for Accommodation

CountryImagesMagazine.co.uk | 83

Viva Restaurant

PASTA : STEAK : PIZZA : RISOTTO

ITALIAN RESTAURANT Open kitchen / Friendly atmosphere

PIZZA PASTA PORK STEAK SALAD RISOTTO CHICKEN SEAFOOD SIDES

iva restaurant is well situated in the middle of Matlock on Dale Road; being close to a car park just around the corner. We visited this restaurant and discovered an idyllic place to eat in and experience that special Italian dining cuisine at a very cost effective price… On entering the restaurant we immediately felt delighted that we had chosen this venue. Viva is a stylish, modern and glamorous restaurant which offers a traditional Italian and contemporary cuisine. We were greeted by a waitress and taken to our table. Looking around, the open kitchen is impressive and pristine; together with the carefully chosen wallpapers and sculptures it all creates a totally enjoyable different dining experience. We were struck by the hustle and bustle of the restaurant, even on a raining mid week evening the restaurant was busy. And soon we were to find out why... Having examined the extensive menu of traditional dishes my partner eventually (with the expert recommendation from our waitress) chose the Cozze al Vapore at £6.95. This delicious dish consisted of steamed mussels in a cream, lemon and garlic sauce. I went for the Funghi Dolcelatte priced at just £4.95. Also delicious – the button mushrooms were stuffed with the famous Italian Dolcelatte cheese, coated in breadcrumbs and then baked in the oven and served with ciabatta bread. For our main dishes, my partner chose the Filletto Pepe Verde at £19.95. His fillet steak was cooked to perfection and the flambéd sauce of black peppercorns, brandy, French mustard and cream beautifully complimented it. He really was enthusiastic and remarked that it was one of the best steaks he has ever had! The dish was served with a garnish and French fries. Equally looking too good to eat was my choice of pasta. I chose the traditional Salsa di Pollo at £11.25. This popular pasta dish consisted of diced chicken breast, mushrooms, onions, fresh herbs and a hint of pomodoro and garlic in a creamy sauce. All this was washed down with a glass of house red and a Peroni beer. The appetising substantial portions had completely filled us up and so to finish the evening off we just had a couple of coffees.

27-29 Dale Road, Matlock, Derbyshire DE4 3LT

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84 | CountryImagesMagazine.co.uk

In conclusion, all the dishes were dazzlingly presented and bursting with ﬂavour and nothing was too much trouble. It’s so good to have an Italian restaurant on ones doorstep that is excellent value for money and very aﬀordable. Children are welcomed at Viva and I noticed the kids menu; for £6.95 they can choose any pizza or pasta from the menu, just in a smaller size. A massive thank you to Saj and their team. We’ll be back very soon so watch this space.

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Complete Plastering

Directory RICHARD BOOTH UPHOLSTERY

*Re-Upholstery *Loose Covers *Bespoke *Wide selection of fabrics 1 New Road, Heage, Derbyshire

01773 853338

out our Ask ab

F 20% OF s r doo

All Plastering, Artex Cover-ups, Repair work, Drylining, Damp Prooﬁng (PCA Qualiﬁed) & Insurance work undertaken

We have over 20 years experience – you can be assured of quality work

All aspects of heating and plumbing including New Boilers • New Central Heating Service and Repairs • Landlord Certiﬁcates

COMPETITIVE PRICES • FULLY INSURED Fast, friendly, no mess, reliable services

Call Anthony for a free no obligation quote & advice

Tel: 01773 512209

or 07902 272541

209764

Worcester Bosch Accredited Installer Fully Insured Based in Dufﬁeld we are polite, friendly, clean and tidy

Please call 07974 314280 martynyoung.heating@sky.com www.martynyoungheating.com

New life for Old Kitchens!

• Chemical Free Rotary Cleaning • All Types of Flat Surfaces Est • Block Paving, 2004 Slabs, Decking • Printed Concrete • Resin Weather Sealing Tarmac Recolouring (Black or Red) • Free Quotations No job too big & Advice or small Any Genuine Find us on Quote Beaten! Facebook

Just replace the doors and worktops It’s so easy! Not only will a Dream Doors makeover save you £1000s, but you will not have to suffer the stress, upheaval and mess that comes with a traditional refit.

DREAM DOORS NEW LIFE FOR OLD KITCHENS

Call Steve for your FREE survey & quote on 01332 290600 Showroom Now open at 20 The Strand, Derby, DE1 1BE www.dreamdoors.co.uk

MPD

Painter & Decorator Free estimates Interior & Exterior decorating Friendly, clean & reliable service All work guaranteed Fully insured

Call Steve on

07510362809 / 01773 606503

M Scott Joiner

• All aspects of Internal & External Joinery • Staircases • Windows & Doors • Flooring & Skirting • Kitchens • Decking

Tel: 01773 602446 Mob: 07960 222298

Tel: Martin 01246 865537 or 07970 482956

www.premierpowercleaning.co.uk

All Aspects Of Plastering Re-Skimming • Dry Lining • Rendering • Artex Removal •Small Repairs to Full Renovations

Patrick O’Neill Plastering Tel: 0780 701 6747 or 01773 434258

JOHN’S SOFA STUDIO UPHOLSTERY RE-UPHOLSTERY REPAIRS All work carried out by our own skilled craftsmen with over 20 years of experience.

Clean Reliable Service

Home visits a pleasure for a Free Quotation for re-upholstery or furniture repair.

Free No Obligation Quotations

Mobile: 07960 849642

Grain Free Dog Food Food which promotes healthy well-being

Tel: 01773 856082

Healthy Pet

Naturals

Receive 10% off your first online order using discount code HPNCIP10 We want the best for our pets, which is why our grain free dog food contains fresh cuts of ‘human grade’ meat and absolutely NO hidden nasties. Our large selection of complete dry food is specifically created for a dog’s nutritional requirements. Find out more on our website or visit us in store for a free consultation. www.healthypetnaturals.co.uk | 222 Belper Road, Stanley Common DE7 6FT t: 0115 930 1257 | m: 07753 679689 | e: info@healthypetnaturals.co.uk Pictured is Brodie, one of Healthy Pet Naturals’ satisfied customers, enjoying the view over Smalley and the Derbyshire Dales.

96 | CountryImagesMagazine.co.uk

TRY THE ALL SEASON TYRE

Upgrade your car with an

• Tyres, Exhausts & Brakes • Performance • Top Brands at Low Prices • Repairs, Servicing & MOTs • Genuine Honest Advice & Value • Established 30 Years

In-car Multimedia Player

7.0” touch screen AV-Receiver with Bluetooth, DAB Radio and Smartphone Control for all popular makes • Bluetooth connectivity for wireless audio • Handsfree calls • Android Auto • Apple CarPlay • Easy smartphone operation. • DAB+ digital radio receiver • Streaming using Spotify Connect. • Voice control ensures the driver can keep their hands on the wheel.

Amber Tyres

Heage Road Industrial Estate, Ripley, DE5 3GH Telephone: 01773 742 507

NEED YOUR AIR CON CHECKING AND RE-GASSING? ✔ • MOT for cars and bikes ✔ • Air-con service & repairs ✔ ✔ • All makes and models • Servicing and repairs • Fuel injection engineers ✔ • French Car specialists since 1994 ✔

Car Electronics Derby Ltd

13, Ashbourne Road,Derby DE22 3FQ

automotive Ltd

01332 332546

www.carelecderby.co.uk @carelecderby

Tel: 01773 748333

19 Wellington Street, Ripley. book on-line at www.cxauto.co.uk

DKJ Ltd Sawmills Garage MONTHLY

from just £150.00 plus vat. Improve your vehicles performance and economy!

Tyres • Servicing – 24 hours Diagnostics • Air con re-gas Recovery – 24 hours Welding • 4 x 4’s , Vans, Cars Diesel Particulate Filter maintenance unblocking • Engine and gearbox repairs

MONTHLY

• • • • •

VEHICLE RE-MAPPING

REMINDER

27 Ripley Road, Sawmills, Nr Belper, DE56 2JQ 01773 689 072 or 07971 530 069

BOTTLED MILK in the following areas: Swanwick, Somercotes, Alfreton, Selston, Belper, Heage, Nether Heage, Crich, Fritchley, Lea and Holloway. Or collect here at Sawmills Garage.

‘FAMILY RUN BUSINESS’

KEEPING UP FAMILY TRADITIONS at DKJ Keeping up family traditions has been a priority in the life of Julie Hodgson, being in business for over 35 years. Nothing could be further apart than a doorstep milk delivery business and a garage, but none the less they are both here to see at Sawmills Garage!. Following on from her late father, Julie has made considerable changes to Sawmills Garage to accommodate almost every motorists needs with all work carried out by her son David, and Andrew a family friend of 27 years; together with part time help from older son Kenneth who has recently taken over some of the milk deliveries in Belper, Ambergate and Heage. From general servicing and repairs, clutch, gearbox and engine fitting to computer re-sets and diagnostic fault fi nding; you can also have tyres fitted, wheels balanced and aligned while you wait! Air conditioning these days is a must for most drivers and all repairs and re-gas are carried out here. Welding is another special service provided. The latest PRIORITY service is the modern DPF fi lter maintenance unblocking. These fi lters are very expensive to replace and it is a MUST for motorists doing short journeys to ensure preventive maintenance of the fi lters is regularly carried out. All this can be done by our experts. Don’t forget your vehicle’s health check from just £30 Please don’t hesitate to contact Julie or her team for any enquiries or advice you may need on 01773 689072 or 07971 530 069. A true family business for your motoring needs and Doorstep Milk Deliveries.

DKJ Ltd, Sawmills Garage, 27 Ripley Road, Sawmills, Nr Belper, DE56 2JQ

& most others

WHITE PEAKS GOLF TROLLEY REPAIRS Quality repairs by authorised service agent using genuine parts. Pick-Up & Drop-Off service at the following golf clubs… • Ormonde Fields Golf Club (workshop) • Cavendish Golf Club • Buxton & High Peak Golf Club • South Chesterﬁeld Golf Club • Sickleholme Golf Club • Erewash Valley Golf Club

Jaguar I-PACE has been named as a ‘Game Changer’ The Jaguar I-PACE has been named as a ‘Game Changer’ at the Autocar Awards 2018 for “defying conventions and turning the established order on its head”. The all-electric I-PACE is fitted with a state-of-the-art 90kWh Lithium-ion battery, two Jaguar-designed in-house motors and a bespoke aluminum structure for 0-62mph in 4.5 seconds and a range of 298 miles (WLTP). The Jaguar I-PACE is the electric vehicle drivers have been waiting for. Clean, smart and safe, the I-PACE delivers sustainable sports car performance, next-generation artificial intelligence (AI) technology and five-seat SUV practicality to place Jaguar at the forefront of the EV revolution.

JOHN WHITE

01773 528468 07970 288992

Ian Callum, Jaguar Director of Design said:“I’m extremely grateful to the team at Autocar for this ‘Game Changer’ award; it’s a fitting recognition of the years of hard work from our exceptionally talented team of engineers and designers. In the I-PACE, we’ve created something that looks like a Jaguar, drives like a Jaguar and exudes all the quality of Jaguar, but with one of the most advanced zero-emissions powertrains ever fitted to a production car. For us, it’s a sign of things to come, and the shining light in our future strategy – a game-changer through and through.” The new Jaguar I-PACE is available to order now from £63,495 (excluding government incentives) at www.jaguar.co.uk

DERBYSHIRE’S NO DERBYSHIRE’S NO1 1 INDEPENDENT LAND INDEPENDENT LANDROVER ROVERCENTRE CENTRE

Quality service without compromise.

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All servicing is carried out to the original

Affordable Affordable and competitive on all service and repair Air Conditioning work, oftenwith largeService savings Full and aircon labour and diagnostics on parts pricesservice available Affordable quoted by the Main Dealer

Full Workingschedules Facilities manufacturer’s Affordable and competitive on all Service and Modern, fully equipped 6 Full Working Facilities Repair work,Available often with large savings on parts an bay workshop employing fully Courtesy Cars Modern fully equipped 6 bay workshop employing prices quoted by theus Main Dealer While labour your vehicle is with skilled Land Rover trained fully skilled Land Rover trained technicians Courtesy Cars technicians you could take up Available the option Computer Diagnostics yourcourtesy vehicle is with us you could take up of oneWhile of our cars Autologic option of one our courtesy cars so you will Computer Diagnostics so youthewill never beof without Diagnostic Technology never(conditions be without transport (conditions apply) Autologic Diagnostic transport apply) Technology

WATER LANE • WIRKSWORTH • MATLOCK • DERBYSHIRE • DE4 4AA

Air Conditioning Service Full air-con and diagnostic service available 98 | CountryImagesMagazine.co.uk

CALL OUR SERVICE TEAM ON (01629) 822185 Web: DLS-UK.co.uk Email: sales@DLS-UK.co.uk

UNDERSTATED LUXURY • SUBLIME COMFORT • BEAUTIFUL DETAIL

Collins & Hayes Heath Medium Sofa

Beautiful lines, deep comfort and fine craftsmanship are intrinsic to every Collins & Hayes sofa. Our new Collins & Hayes collection is now in-store.

Furniture & Home Interiors Est. 1928 Hunters, Babington Lane, Derby. DE1 1SY t. 01332 349285 huntersfurniture.co.uk

Summer

SALE

Starts 16th June

UP TO 75% OFF IN OUR

SPRING SALE

* E T O 6 QU MATCE FHOR BRAND NEW NY LIK EN

A LIKE QUOTE

KITCH DISPLAYS

FREINEG *

FitIhTthTis advert w

PREMIER INTERIORS Quality Fitted Kitchens

T: 01773 252090 | W: premierinteriorsnottingham.co.uk Mon - Wed - 9am - 6pm | Thur - 9am - 7pm | Fri - 9am - 6pm Sat - 9am - 5.30pm | Sun - 10am - 4pm Showroom: 227 Station Road, Langley Mill, Nottinghamshire, NG16 4AD www.premierinteriorsnottingham.co.uk *Terms and conditions apply. *Not in conjunction with any other offer.