Derby August 2019 by Alistair Plant

COUNTRY

Derby Edition - August 2019

Steve Orme interviews

Julia Watson

Wirksworth Heritage Centre WIRKSWORTH FESTIVAL

Afternoon Tea on the

Ecclesbourne Valley Railway

IMAGES WALK Around Matlock Moor A Local Incident During The English Civil War Modern Collectibles

Cinema Posters Old Saint Helen’s House Derby

South of Derby

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HOT

August nights W ith plenty of shows taking place around the County we do hope that we have some hot August nights for sitting out and enjoying the late evening sunshine. This month we feature the Ashover show and Wirksworth Festival which attract thousands of visitors every year. Getting out and about is a definite theme this month to try something different. Dave and Sue took a train ride on the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway and enjoyed afternoon tea.

WALK

Brian strides out on Matlock Moor while Maxwell is firmly in the Derby City Centre exploring the history of Saint Helens House. Steve grasped the opportunity of interviewing Casualty actor Julia Watson who had popped into Derby to see her mum. At the northern tip of Amber valley sits the delightful village of Ashover and Brian gives us a potted history of this fascinating village.

Garry and Jane

Lets get walking. Walk Derbyshire 2,3,4 and 5 available on-line at www.walkderbyshire.co.uk

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Unit 5 Keys Road, Alfreton, Derbyshire. DE55 7FQ Tel: 01773 830344 info@imagespublishing.co.uk Editor: Garry M Plant. Advertisement Executives: Lisa O’Reilly, Carol Wilson, Lisa Johnson Editorial Features: Brian Spencer, Maxwell Craven, Steve Orme, Amanda Volley, David Clay. Each month we produce over 30,000 copies of Country Images Magazine, which are delivered into homes and stocked in over 70 outlets across Derbyshire & Nottinghamshire, read online at www.countryimagesmagazine.co.uk and downloaded from the Apple app store and Google Play. All editions are produced FREE to read and download.

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We hope that you enjoy this issue.

14 More walks with a difference - written from Rambler’s deep love and in-depth historical knowledge of this inspirational County.

Issue 5

Walk books 2-5 are still proving very popular but there’s a very limited supply of number two, so if you want to grab a copy, now is the time to do it.

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A Local Incident During The English Civil War

he Civil War brought tragedy to both countryside and town, none more so than in a quiet corner of the Derbyshire countryside.

Brian Spencer reports one small, but horrific event which occurred in the sleepy village of Ashover, near the head of the Amber Valley. The quiet village of Ashover sits amidst sunny fields near the head of the Amber Valley, a place of tranquillity, but during the Civil War it, like many other hamlets, did not escape the rigours of a conflict that divided the nation. During the reign of King James I relationships between the crown and parliament were far from easy, and when his son Charles I acceded the throne in 1625, things went from bad to worse. The kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s High Church views and ever increasing demands for war funds, provoked disputes with parliament, which were so severe that in 1630 the king dispensed with it all together and embarked on almost a decade of personal rule. For a time all was relatively stable, but Charlesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; lack of understanding and stubbornness led to the collapse of his authority, gradually, culminating in 1642 when the nation fell into a state of rebellion and civil war. Hard fought battles between parliamentary forces and those supporting the

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crown raged across the country for four years. Neither side could claim to have the upper hand, until a series of major strategic errors by the king led to the royalists suffering crushing defeats at Naseby, Langport, Bristol and finally at Oxford in May 1646. Supported only and on dictated terms by a Scottish army, the autocratic king refused to submit to the will of parliament and following a rumoured plot to assassinate him he escaped to Carisbrooke Castle on the Isle of Wight. Here he was held as a virtual prisoner until he was taken to London for trial and subsequent execution in 1648. History only records the major battles fought in the Civil War, but up and down the country minor scuďŹ&#x201E;es occurred as well as brutish events perpetrated by ill-disciplined troops from both armies. Ill-fed and poorly led, they acted like marauding hosts rampaging up and down the country and it was during this time that Ashover was to suffer not once but three times at the hands of both parliamentarian and royalist troops. Being then as it is now, in something of a backwater, the Rector of

All Saints Church, Ashover; scene of destruction by Roundhead troops.

Ashover, the Rev Immanuel Bourne tried to keep the village out of harm’s way by supporting neither side while appearing to support both. The war tended to be fought around major towns and cities with Chesterfield and Nottingham being the main garrisons for the conflicting armies. In order to protect the road west out of Chesterfield from incursions by roundhead soldiers of the parliamentary army, a detachment of fifty royalist dragoons were stationed at Eddlestow Hall on the far side of Slack Hill above Ashover. In keeping with the way armies were run at that time they had no provisions and depended on the ‘benevolence’ of whoever they were billeted with, in other words, by levying blackmail. As the owner of Edlestowe, Sir John Pershall was away, they had free run of the place, slaughtering all the stock of pigs, sheep and poultry and drinking his ale and wine in an orgy of high living. Bored by inactivity and well-oiled with Sir John’s wine and ale, a mob of drunken royalist dragoons descended on Ashover looking for more supplies. Stopping at the Crispin Inn next door to the church they were held at bay by the brave landlord Job Wall. He stood at the door refusing to let them in, telling them they had already had too much to drink. Severely outnumbered he was beaten up and thrown out of his own inn from where he could only watch while they literally drank the place dry. Full of bravado the royalists eventually moved out, rampaging around the village, going first to Eastwood Hall about half a mile away, the home of Rev Bourne.

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Here they demanded he pay them ten pounds for the King’s use, in other words themselves, otherwise they threatened to burn down his house, a threat they again made while extorting similar amounts from two other local notable families, the Dakyns and Hodgkinsons. Not content with this the mob continued round the district demanding smaller sums from miners and farmers in the locality. Hardly the bravest of troops, once the royalists heard that a strong force of roundheads was marching on Chesterfield under the command of Sir John Gell of Hopton Hall near Wirksworth, they quickly retreated to safer climes, leaving the village in comparative safety. But this was not to last. If the Reverent Bourne thought the deserting royalists were the end of his troubles he was sadly mistaken, for Ashover received a visit from a local parliamentarian named White of nearby Milltown, where he had been keeping a low profile while the king’s troops were on the rampage. Hearing that his opponents had been given money, he assembled his own scratch troop of dragoons and fronting the rector demanded that as the latter had been able to pay ten pounds to the royalists he could therefore give double that amount to the other cause. Poor old Immanuel was in a complete quandary and his threat to report White to his superiors was simply answered by the counterthreat that if the rector and all the others did not pay up, their cattle would be taken off them in part payment. Unable to face the loss of their animals, they submitted, thankful in Bourne’s words, ‘to see the back of such a nave’. With the next turn of the tide in the fortunes of war, the Earl of Newcastle took command of Chesterfield in the name of King Charles, so poor Immanuel switched sides yet again, only to find that once things were back in favour of parliament, he was on the wrong side

once more. Eventually the Civil War ended, petering out like a damp squib, leaving the country in a state of disorder. Parliament was in control and the country turned towards a puritanical form of religion. Following instructions given by the new rulers, the Rev Immanuel Bourne, Rector of Ashover, threw away his surplice and stopped praying for the king. Unfortunately this did not help dispel the impressions held by those in authority who thought that deep down, the Rev Immanuel Bourne was in fact still a supporter of the king and so in1646 came the blow he had been so anxious to avoid. A company of dragoons rode over from Wingfield Manor, armed with an official demand for possession of the Rev Bourne’s home, Eastwood Hall. Despite his pleas, the place was systematically wrecked by pickaxes, gun powder and light cannons. Not content with destroying his house, the puritanical roundheads moved on into Ashover where they entered the church and set about breaking the stained glass windows and making a bonfire of the prayer books and parish records, bringing an end to Ashover’s Civil War misfortunes. The ruins of Eastwood Hall can be seen on private land beside the Ashover to Littlemoor lane prior to where the lane climbs steeply through a belt of trees. Eddlestow Hall Farm is one of the largest properties in the district, with the farmhouse built on the footprint of the Jacobean Manor where the Royalist troops were billeted. The farm and its surrounding land is private and not open to the public. The Crispin Inn still stands almost unchanged since the seventeenth century, next to Ashover church; a plaque on its wall tells the story of brave landlord Jon Wall’s stand against the royalist dragoons.

Above left: The Crispin Inn Above: Eddlestow Hall Farm Right: The plaque on the wall of the Crispin Inn

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Old Saint Helen’s House Derby Old St. Helen’s House, as redrawn as a woodcut in the 1820s by Orlando Jewitt. [MC]

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ne often comes across houses – not always ancient ones – which have names carrying the suffix ‘Priory’ or similar. Very often, such houses were built on former monastic land or even adapted from monastic buildings, although it has to be admitted that sometimes the connection is spurious and the nomenclature arrived at quite vicariously. The present St. Helen’s House in Derby is a case in point. Thanks to the enterprise and dedication of Richard Blunt, this magnificent mansion of 1766-67 by Joseph Pickford, is not qualified as a subject for this series, being now again resplendent on King Street, although a decade ago one might have been forgiven for assuming it was well on the way to being so included.

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The name goes back to the existence of a lost parish church on a site almost opposite, dedicated to St. Helen. Such dedications, if traceable to the early 12th century and beyond as here, are usually taken to be ancient, possibly even late Roman in origin, the dedicatee being in this case the mother of the Emperor Constantine the Great and discoverer of the True Cross. This parish church, although likely of preconquest origin, is not thought to have been one of the six recorded in Domesday Book for, as Dr. David Roffe pointed out – when he was working with us at Derby Museum and with the former Derbyshire Museums Service in 1985 to re-evaluate the Derbyshire Domesday for the nonocentenary of the original – much more than one might imagine were omitted, mainly because they were free of the burden of tax payable to the Crown. This included some proprietory churches, especially in towns, which were often built by a landowner on his town property – his urban fee – as a personal holding.

Old St. Helen’s House as drawn by Sir William Gell from the upper windows of the New Inn, February 1792 [Exeter Archives]

Thus in c. 1135 a burgess of the burgh of Derby, one Tovi, or Towy, probably a man of Norse descent, gave property on King Street, then part of the spinal road passing through Derby from north to south, as a monastery, including a well called St. Helen’s. Within a decade, another grandee, Hugh de Derby, had given land at Little Derby, now Darley Abbey, for the foundation which had then transferred to its new site to become the largest monastic foundation in the county. This donation had the benefit of the support of the Earl of Derby. Thus the small foundation in King Street then became an oratory, a sort of outlier to the main monastic foundation, and by the reformation had become an hospital staffed by nuns. In 1538, it was dissolved with the main abbey in the second round of the dissolution, a move that must have placed many in the town and surrounding area into distress. These days, people forget that the monasteries were the original welfare state, providing mainly medical care both in-patient and external, hospitality for traveller, and educational services for children. All of these were furnished by the Abbey of Darley, and post-dissolution Derby School was formed to replace the latter function, albeit only nominally in continuous succession to the Abbey, until ‘comprehensivised’ in the 1960s and then losing its identity entirely in a move by the County Council thirty years ago. The site was sold in 1545 to an asset-stripper, William Berners (later Sir William) and part at least of the conventual buildings, thus secularised and described as a messuage (house outbuildings and grounds) rather than an hospital, was sold off at a profit. The site of St. Helen’s, apparently including the original church, adapted as an internal chapel, was sold to the powerful knightly family of

18 | www.countryimagesmagazine.co.uk

Alleyne FitzHerbert, 1st Lord St. Helen’s, miniature painted in 1835, by H. P. Bone. [Christies] Foljambe, of Walton Hall, near Chesterfield. They also had a substantial holding in Derby, just south west of the town on the far side of the Odd Brook, called rughedyche, today’s suburb of Rowditch which did not, it would seem include a residence. This later presence of the Foljambes may be reflected in the much earlier foundation of another chapel (or the original chapel re-dedicated), dedicated to St. John, within the Hospital of St. Helen, and endowed with Foljambe lands at Brampton by Chesterfield in the 1220s. It may be that Sir Godfrey Foljambe purchased Berners’s portion and united the holding, enabling him to build a house for the use of his family when in Derby. It is likely that St. Helen’s

Burdett’s map of Derby as revised in 1791 showing the footprint of Old St. Helen’s. [MC]

adapted, was used also by their bailiff for Rowditch and by the family when in Derby on official business, as grandees like the Foljambes were expected to serve as High Sheriff and perform other legal functions as well as looking after their business interest which, in the Foljambes’ case included both coal and lead. In other words, the site became their Derby town house. By the Jacobean period, a new two storey and attics house appears to have existed which had segmentally coped curved attic dormers both on the front and side elevations, with mullioned windows. The presumption is that this was built onto the north side of the existing (and surviving) conventual buildings. These latter were probably of stone, for monastic houses tended toward a more permanent, solid, if expensive, method of construction, although the domestic parts might have been timber framed. It is not clear if the Foljambe addition – probably the work of Sir Francis Foljambe, of Aldwark, 1st Baronet – was of brick or stone, but when the building was drawn in February 1792, the main block had lost its original fenestration and had been adapted as an artist’s studio for our most celebrated painter, Joseph Wright. Such alterations would have been far simpler to have been made in a brick building than stone.

1751 to William FitzHerbert of Tissington, who required a town house, being then Town Clerk of Derby. His second son, the eminent diplomat Alleyne FitzHerbert (died 1839) was born there in 1753. He must have had fond childhood memories of it, for he took St. Helen’s as his title when raised to an Irish peerage in 1792; Cdr. George Vancouver named the explosive Mt. St. Helen’s in Canada after him that year. Later, the house was sub-let until he succeeded as 6th Earl Ferrers in 1778, to Hon. Robert Shirley. Soon afterwards, William FitzHerbert’s son, Sir William FitzHerbert 1st Baronet, granted the painter Joseph Wright ARA a new sub-lease in April 1779. He it was who must have had the first floor removed and the windows altered to bring in north (actually NE) light, as recorded in the later picture.

Joseph Wright is said by his niece, who wrote a reminiscence of the artist’s life there at this time, to have stored his canvases in the former Chapel of the oratory which she says was panelled. The Wrights remained there and brought up their family until Hannah Wright died in 1790. The loss of his wife marked a sharp decline in Joseph’s health and in May 1793, he moved to a smaller house nearby, 27, Queen Street, formerly the home of his friend John Whitehurst FRS. On the death of freeholder Samuel Burton’s widow, the Burton holdings at St. Helens passed to Joseph Sikes of The Chauntry, Newark. The other part of the property, the two and a half acres of orchards to the south, had already descended to Derby’s radical Tory MP Daniel Parker Coke of The College. Meanwhile, Joseph Sikes had died in 1798

The grounds of the house included the King Street frontage at least up to Lodge Lane, which probably took its name from a gatehouse and lodging relating to the convent there. It also included orchards and gardens to the south beyond the present St. Helen’s Street stretching to the NW boundaries of the houses on the N. side of St. Mary’s Gate and the east boundaries of those in Willow Row. However, Sir Francis Foljambe – something of a spendthrift – in 1633 sold off some of the grounds before dying in 1640, when the remainder left the family, being sold to Francis Goodwin, third son of former Bailiff of Derby Francis Goodwin the elder (1548-1626). On his death aged 67 in 1660, the southern half of the property, known as Goodwin’s Orchard, passed to the second son, Thomas (1633-1699) whilst the northern portion, including Old St. Helens, passed to the third son, Samuel. Samuel seems to have removed the conventual buildings to the south and added a neat four bay two storey wing in Restoration style, but included a lancet doorcase, clearly a vestige of the old oratory, for the entrance. This was clearly henceforth the ‘polite’ part of the house. There were cross windows and a top balustrade hiding a flat roof. Samuel Goodwin died in 1717, when it all passed to his nephew Samuel Burton of Weston Underwood (d. 1750). On his death the house was let by his re-married widow in

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when the house and land were put up for sale as surplus to his heirs’ requirements.. Sir William Gell’s 1792 picture was copied by Orlando Jewitt for Stephen Glover’s various accounts of Derby, but he misunderstood what he could see, and turned the arched gables on the south side into semi-circular dormers in the 1660s wing, which was also very conveniently given a pitched roof for them to light; he also managed to lose the balustrading altogether. In 1798 William Lindley of Doncaster, an architect of some repute hired by the Sikes family, had written: “Another of my worthy employers (a gentleman in Lincolnshire) has recommended me to make a valuation of a large premises in the Town of Derby belonging to a Mr. Sykes (sic) of Newark,

and Mr. Cooke [Coke] of the former place; I am also to make [a] plan thereof to form a new street etc. so that the ground may be sold in separate lots for building upon.” He recommended the house be demolished, which was done in winter 1799; the materials were advertised for sale in early February 1800. The site was bought in April 1802 by spar turner Richard Brown, who proceeded to erect his marble works on the site, specially designed machines being driven by a Boulton & Watt 6 hp steam engine. Lindley’s “alley or footway” was indeed improved to form the street by Richard Brown who took over the site in 1800 and of which the Improvement Commissioners wrote 19 August 1815: “Messrs. Brown & Son having formed

a street from St. Helens to the Willow Row, which if laid open, will be a great public convenience.” The Commissioners therefore resolved to persuade the parish of St. Alkmund to “adopt” it and “place it in such a proper state of repair as [they] are willing to accept” after which they would undertake “the future repair of the footpaths in the street”. This clearly happened and it certainly appears on a map of 1802. Today it is, of course, St. Helen’s Street. The marble works continued until 1884, and was succeeded by a variety of users until becoming part of Smith’s clocks in 1993, being sold off in 1998. The oldest industrial building in Derby, it is about to be transformed into a care home. But of the ancient St. Helen’s, not a trace remains.

The original 1802 north range of the spar manufactory of Richard Brown, photographed in 1988 prior to the loss of the original cast iron framed windows. Note the proximity of the present St. Helen’s House. [M. Craven]

The remains of the marble works in September 2015, after Quaker Way had been put through part of the site in 2009. [M. Craven]

20 | www.countryimagesmagazine.co.uk

Individually designed kitchens at affordable prices

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FROM OUR FAMILY… …TO YOURS As a family run, independent business with over 30 years experience we pride ourselves on being able to provide a fully personalised and expert service which is unrivalled by larger retailers. Our extensive showroom boasts an impressive range of kitchens, worktops, bedrooms, tiles and accessories. Our team of highly experienced designers and installers are here to help with anything from replacing an appliance to a full kitchen or bedroom design and installation.

WHY CHOOSE HOLTAMS?…

• Best value for money • Free design and planning service • Quality 18mm colour co-ordinated cabinets • Extensive door styles to choose from • No pressure selling • Experienced friendly designers • Latest CAD 3D design software • Granite, solid surface and laminate worktops • Large car park

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www.countryimagesmagazine.co.uk | 23

Celebrating 30 years

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Unit 4, Hill Top Road, Amber Business Centre, Riddings, Derbyshire, DE55 4BR 24 | www.countryimagesmagazine.co.uk

s t e p r a C t t o i l l Welcome to E of Ashbourne

Welcome to the new Elliott carpets of Ashbourne Elliott carpets is a small family run business which has traded in Derbyshire and the surrounding area since 2002. Having recently taken over K&J carpets flooring Ltd, we have now expanded to Ashbourne. Here at Elliott carpets we pride ourselves on the traditional values of excellent customer service & the professional installation of our products, using our own team of trained and experienced fitters. As a premium retailer in quality carpets, rugs and hard flooring, we cater to both the domestic & commercial markets. Visit either our Matlock or Ashbourne showrooms where our friendly & knowledgeable staff will be able to show you all the latest products from the top manufacturers we deal with, such as Roger Oates, Amtico, Cavalier Carpets and many more. As well as our wide range of products for your floors we also supply and fit Ashley Wilde blinds. After browsing our products we have to offer, why not arrange a home visit. There we can measure up and bring any samples you may be interested in for you to choose from in the comfort of your own home.

45 Church St, Ashbourne DE6 1AJ. T: 01335 346211

42-44 Dale Road,Matlock DE4 3LT T: 01629 57580

www.elliottcarpets.com | sales@elliottcarpets.com Opening Hours: 9am - 5pm Monday to Saturday www.countryimagesmagazine.co.uk | 25

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am - 5.00pm MON - SAT 26 | www.countryimagesmagazine.co.uk

Modern Collectibles by Maxwell Craven

Cinema Posters

Gone with the Wind 1968 re-issue

ecently the original of the poster for the classic Carry-on film Carry on Cleo was offered for sale

at an anticipated four-figure sum. This caught my eye more for its anticipated price as for anything. Of course, the film, was memorable for Kenneth Williams as Caesar’s wonderful line, ‘Infamy, infamy – they’ve all got it in for me!’ and for us historians, the appearance of Hengist and Horsa (Kenneth Connor & Jim Dale, two ‘Britons’) was hilarious, these semi-legendary Saxon freebooters appearing 500 years ahead of their time!

The idea was inspired by the 20th Century Fox Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton Cleopatra epic of 1963 and the intention was to use the costumes and sets of the Hollywood epic film made at Pinewood Studios in England before that production moved to Rome and built new sets there. Carry On Cleo was therefore a glorious send-up of the epic. Of course, Hollywood is famous for its leaden sense of humour (to put a positive spin on it), especially where commercial interests were at stake. The original poster (the one for sale in June) by artist Tom Chantrell directly parodied the Hollywood version but was withdrawn from circulation after 20th Century Fox successfully brought a copyright infringement case against the distributor. This version was thus swiftly pulped leaving only a few originals out there, although you can get a reprint for a tenner. The second (replacement) version was not nearly so good, either.

This page, top to bottom: The pulped version of Carry on Cleo (1964) The substitute version of Carry on Cleo – a snip at £15 The poster for the original (Hollywood) Cleopatra 1963 A forgotten gem: Romanoff and Juliet (1961) 27 x 41 in, £28 The epitome of the spaghetti Western: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly (1966) 27 x 41 in., £495

An original of the Hollywood Cleopatra will set you back between £80 and £100 retail, the parody can go as high as £595 retail, whereas the revised Carry On Cleo poster comes in at £15, all of which sums up the range of prices cinema posters tend to command, although the fame or notoriety of the film counts, too as does the age. The standard later 20th century size is 27 x 40 inches. Intentional or not, many of the items being sold today as original posters, particularly through online auctions, do not meet the criteria used by most collectors to be deemed a collectable item. Often the word ‘original’ is misunderstood to mean ‘collectable’; however, there is a big difference. Posters strictly speaking are promotional aids produced by film studios for distribution directly to cinemas or distribution centres are considered to be legitimate ‘movie art’. They are generally printed domestically to where the film is released. They are designed, produced and distributed solely as advertising materials. Once they have been used for the purpose of advertising they are then returned or destroyed. This makes them harder to find, once a film has departed from the cinema, thus creating a very limited supply. Less collectable are posters deliberately printed for sale to collectors (nice paradox!), reprinted posters – £10-15 usually – and anniversary issues or limited editions released officially; I shall ignore TV and video posters, which are rather different again. Another complicating factor is that particularly ‘iconic’ (grossly overworked cliché) films had multiple releases, like Gone with the Wind released in 1939 which, since its original release, has been re-released in 1940, 1941, 1947, 1953, 1954, 1961, 1967, 1968, 1970, 1974, 1980 and 1998, each time with newer versions of the poster sometimes featured new or up-dated images. Thus a 1939 one recently went for £4,150 whereas a 1954 one made £120 and a 1998 one £15.

28 | www.countryimagesmagazine.co.uk

British classic The Dam Busters (1955) 27 x 40 ins £995 retail. Gone with the Wind, original version (1939) All illustrations are from private collections Posters vary in size (numerous small ones could be posted up on one billboard) and were usually delivered folded. Rolled up ones tend to be reproductions although even repros. themselves can be quite venerable! Collectors grade them from mint through near mint, very good, good, fair and poor. As with coins, only experience can enable you to grade them accurately. To provide an example: an original poster for the enjoyable spaghetti western The Good, The Bad & The Ugly (1966) 40 x 30 folded, mint, was sold recently for £390 retail; the re-release (1971) poster near mint £245 and the same, only fair £65.

not frame their specimens up, but keep them in map cabinets, or if folded in filing cabinets. The other day a pile of folded original came through Bamfords estimated at £40-60, but not including any very memorable titles, yet at a Jaguar antique fair at the former Railway School of Transport we saw another folded pile all at £30 each. Therein, of course the essential difference between auction and dealer prices.

Nevertheless, original artwork usually goes via auctions as well as original of ‘iconic’ titles. The place not to buy, unless you’re looking at very modest prices for posters of dubious authenticity, is on-line. With cinema posters, seeing for yourself and handling them is essential if you are after the real McCoy.

DERBYSHIRE HARDWOOD FLOORING

When you bear in mind the sheer number of films ever released to an unsuspecting public, you realise that there must be a lot of original poster out there, despite the return clause imposed by the studios on cinemas. Thus your favourite films are probably going to be the more popular ones, and thus with the added burden of demand, more expensive, yet going after niche ones and obscurities is a good idea.

But then, you might want to buy an old film poster just to put on the wall to brighten up your room, flat, apartment or house. In this case, a reprint should be fine and £20 or less should be about right. Serious collectors do

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e are specialists in hardwood flooring restoration and expertly fit or even just supply all types of wood flooring. Call us for a no obligation home consultation.

www.countryimagesmagazine.co.uk | 29

Teeming with rich history and thriving businesses

South of Derby

Swarkestone Nursery celebrates Summer with their annual

Summer Craft Fair August 17th-18th

elbourne Florist is situated in the heart of Melbourneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Market place. We are a unique flower shop. As well as stocking an extensive range of fresh cut flowers and plants for all occasions. We have a gallery of locally crafted art and gifts. These include floral water colour prints, pottery bird feeders, jewellery, soaps and candles and many more , all locally made.

eaturing over 50 stalls including: crafts, haberdashery, jewellery, food, coffee, and much more. Join us for a great day out with the family, enjoying delectable treats, live music and peruse all the amazing stalls. The Garden Restaurant is open to enjoy freshly prepared food, tea, coffee and cakes whilst enjoying the buzzing atmosphere that a summer fair brings. Your furry hound friends are permitted in the nursery area on a lead, just not in the temptation filled restaurant. Free entry and free parking.

Join us again later in the year for our Food and Drink Fair on the 12th and 13th October, and our Christmas Fair on the 16th and 17th November and also the 22nd, 23rd and 24th November. Swarkestone Nursery is an independent garden centre and nursery, owned and operated by the Jackson family. The Jacksons have been growing quality plants and vegetables locally for many generations.

30 | www.countryimagesmagazine.co.uk

Fred, Rachael and all the team welcome you to the fabulous new

Seven Wells PUB AND GRILL

Brand new bar area offering new cask ales, draft lagers, Pimms and a great selection of gin perfect for Summer! Beautiful extended outdoor patio area for summer dining outside.

Wednesdays - 2 for 1 Burgers (Selected Burgers Only) Friday - Fizz Up your Friday £9.99 Rise & Shine - Breakfast & Brunch Breakfast now being served daily from 9am- midday (children’s breakfast, vegetarian and vegan options available). Two Breakfasts for £9.99 including tea of coffee Breakfast with Fizz available to book on Saturdays and Sundays Fantastic Weekly Offers! Monday & Tuesdays - Premium Quality 8oz Rump Steak only £8.49 find us on Facebook

Seven Wells, Heage Lane, Etwall, Derbyshire DE65 6LS T: 01283 734551 E: 4869@greeneking.co.uk

AstlePaterson When trusted experience matters

Whether you are seeking advice for your business, or as an individual, we will ensure you receive the very best help. Our friendly experts are conveniently based in the heart of Burton upon Trent and can also offer appointments in Uttoxeter. “Continually striving for excellence, we aim to provide each client with a personal service that helps them achieve the best possible outcome. Most of our work comes from recommendations and repeat business, and have assisted generations of people with the right legal support”.

BUSINESS & COMMERCIAL . CONVEYANCING . FAMILY . LITIGATION . WILLS, INHERITANCE TAX & PROBATE . EMPLOYMENT

01283 531366 www.astlepaterson.co.uk

Clay House, 5 Horninglow Street Burton upon Trent Staffordshire DE14 1NG

Martin Astle

Solicitor | Head of Family & Divorce Notary Public | Director

www.countryimagesmagazine.co.uk | 31

DON’T MISS MELBOURNE FESTIVAL ART & ARCHITECTURE TRAIL

on Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th September 10am – 5pm.

elbourne Festival’s Art & Architecture Trail has become a key event on the Midlands Arts Calendar over the past 15 years. This year 150 artists will be in 70 houses, gardens, businesses and halls in the historic heart of Melbourne and South Derbyshire, everywhere from Melbourne Hall to tiny cottages. Whether your passion is for paintings or sculpture draws your eye, we have work to display inside or out in every medium from aluminium to zinc! Art to inspire you, art to intrigue you and art you want to take home! Each year there is a theme to the decoration around the Trail. Inspired by last year’s PopUp Poppies Melbourne’s crafters have sat and stitched this summer to decorate the village, flower power has come to Melbourne for the fifteenth Art & Architecture Trail. The theme for families is A RUMBLE IN THE JUNGLE. Hunt down artwork created by local children with Festival Artists. There are also three Busk stops with live music and fabulous food by local companies in the Food Court in Church Street, Food Fayre in Castle Street, Art Café at the Assembly Rooms and Melbourne’s fantastic restaurants, cafes and pubs. Highlights for 2019’s Festival Fringe events include Comedy night on Friday 13th September with Stephen Grant, Diane Spencer, Carl Jones and Compere Dave Byron. Hothouse Jazz are back on 21st September and the Festival ends on 18th October with The Dime Notes in Melbourne Parish Church – great jazz in a fantastic setting, a fitting end to the Festival!

32 | www.countryimagesmagazine.co.uk

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Open Tuesday – Saturday 10am – 4pm Sunday 1pm – 4pm

Unit 8, Melbourne Hall Visitors Centre, Melbourne, Derby DE73 8EN Tel: 01332 863547 or Mobile 07986 593 340 Email: peter.rose5@btopenworld.com

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Oﬀering Stylish Home Decor and Unique Home Accessories Stockists of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Hand Painted Furniture & commission painting services available

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Tel 01332 864224 or 07525 331 654 Melbourne Hall Visitors Centre, Blackwell Lane, Melbourne, Derbyshire DE73 1EN

Melbourne Florists

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Brand new spacious gymnastics academy All Ages & Abilities Beginners to Competitive Olympic standard equipment To register your interest or find out more…

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Teacher led quality day care for children from 12 weeks to 5 years in a stimulating environment where learning is fun. Teacher led pre-school for children 31/2 – 5 years • Home cooked food • Holiday clubs for children 4-11 years • Government Funded Sessions Available

OPEN 7.00am-6.00pm MONDAY – FRIDAY

Booking Now Being Taken 01332 862188 Castle Lane, Melbourne, Derby DE73 8JB

www.scallywagsnursery.com melbourne@scallywagsnursery.com www.countryimagesmagazine.co.uk | 33

Super Transformation at The Seven Wells Pub and Grill Etwall.

n July the 3rd the Seven Wells Pub & Grill opened it’s doors to a fabulous new look. Fred and Rachael Pruden have seen a brand new bar area offering a great new range of cask ales, draft lagers and a selection of gins perfect for summer. As well as the interior being refurbished the garden has seen an extension to the patio area with new garden furniture and parasols ready and waiting for some summer sunshine! The pub and grill has always been popular with dog walkers, and the new bar area is now dog friendly. Dogs are welcome whilst their owners have a bite to eat or a well deserved drink! Not to feel left out there is a new fully stocked dog station with water, treats, and a local dog walking map to take away, and towels to wipe those muddy paws! For those warm summer days the Seven Wells will also be serving Doggie Ice Cream! With an extensive menu and now also serving breakfast and brunch from 9am this popular hostelry is well worth a visit. Seven Wells Pub & Grill, Heage Lane, Etwall, Derbyshire DE65 6LS Telephone 01283 734551 for reservations.

Why you should make a Lasting Power of Attorney

o one likes to think about becoming incapable of making their own decisions, but incapacity can strike at any time through illness or accident. It can affect people of all ages, turning the world of the sufferer and their family upside down. Stroke-sufferers may be physically or mentally incapacitated, temporarily or permanently. This may mean that they are unable to deal with their personal and financial affairs like they used to and they need help from family. However, without having made a Lasting Power of Attorney, your family could be placed in a situation where they are unable to help without first having to make an application to the Court. In the meantime, they may not be able to access your funds to pay for expenses and bills, or make decisions about your medical treatment and care. To avoid the stress, delay and expense of a Court application, you should make a Lasting Power of Attorney now to ensure that the persons you trust can step into your shoes if you need help in the future. For further information and guidance, please do not hesitate to contact Astle Paterson on 01283 531366

Murray’s Funeral Directors, serving South Derbyshire and Derby

urray’s Family Funeral Directors established in 1999, which is owned and managed by Sue and David Barke has grown from one funeral home in Burton upon Trent, with their Findern office opening 2017, and recent expansions to Swadlincote at 1 Boardman Road, in South Derbyshire, and Barton Under Needwood, fulfilling their passion of offering exceptional service to the communities they serve from a base within the community in and around Derby, Derbyshire and Staffordshire. They offer both traditional and contemporary funerals and Prepayment Funeral Plans to suit all needs and pride themselves on the services they provide, 24 hours a day. Angela Bembridge who is based at Findern says, “looking after a loved one’s last wishes is an honour, taking care of the entire arrangements giving families the peace of mind needed at such a sensitive time”. Please feel free to pop along and meet Angela and look around the Findern office to see their fully equipped Chapel of Rest, quiet room and arranging rooms. Contact Findern on 01332 425022, Burton on 01283 562299, Swadlincote 01283 819933 and Barton on 01283 713714.

34 | www.countryimagesmagazine.co.uk

www.countryimagesmagazine.co.uk | 35

ocated on the waterfront at the picturesque Mercia Marina, Bluebird Fine Art Gallery offers a unique selection of artwork including original paintings, limited editions and various sculptures. Covering all genres from landscape, figurative, cityscapes to abstract art the gallery offers a diverse collection in a wonderful setting. With a warm welcome they encourage everyone to come along and enjoy viewing the artwork in this fabulous location, they strive to create a relaxed atmosphere and to offer their clients exceptional customer service, with art consultants always on hand to give help and advice.

beautiful original oil paintings featuring wild flower meadows. The second event on the 2nd November is with one of the UK’s most talked about artist JJ Adams, offering a wide selection of limited editions and original works from his unique digital artwork portfolio. Please contact the gallery for further details on 01283 204753.

The gallery will be hosting two further artists in attendance events before the end of the year, the first on the 21st September will be with the very talented Kimberley Harris who will be exhibiting a collection of her

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36 | www.countryimagesmagazine.co.uk

ew owners of Studio Home & Interiors in Melbourne Sarah Hill and Elaine Garratt are now stocking the amazing new range of uniquely handcrafted solid wood and resin serving boards and tables by local artisan James Saap @ Riverwood. The shop is also a stockist of Annie Sloan Chalk paint with lots of lovely ideas for the home, plus gifts including the gorgeous new Jellycat furry toy range. You can find this lovely shop located at Williams Yard, Derby Road, Melbourne, Derbyshire. Tel 01332 986363

We’re here for you in your time of need, day or night…

Murray’s

Independent Funeral Directors

NEW BRANCH NOW OPEN , 1 Boardman Road ys rb De te, co lin ad Sw 01283 819933

Come and arrange your pre payment plan or your loved one’s funeral in the tranquil setting of Findern village just a few minutes from Littleover and Mickleover. All your needs catered for by our qualified staff Pre-Payment plans designed to suit you Monumental Mason Service Available

25, Main Street, Findern, Derbyshire DE65 6AG Telephone 01332 425022 Also at 23, York Street, Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire DE14 2LX Telephone 01283 562299

www.murraysfunerals.co.uk

Featured Artists JJ Adams – Elvis and Marilyn Photobooth – Limited Edition of 95 on Paper Daniel Hooper – Willow – Limited Edition of 25 on Canvas Jonathan Truss – Mini Me – Limited Edition of 45 on Canvas

Work also available from: Richard Blunt, Leigh Lambert, Craig Davison, Alexander Millar, Kerry Darlington, Jack Vettriano, Darren Baker, Paul Horton, Carly Ashdown, Kimberley Harris, Pegasus, Paul James, Debbie Boon& Fletcher Sibthorpe.

Mercia Marina, Findern Lane, Willington, DE65 6DW Open: Monday - Saturday 10am -5pm. Sunday 10.30am -4.30pm. T: 01283 204753 info@bluebirdfineart.co.uk www.bluebirdfineart.co.uk

www.countryimagesmagazine.co.uk | 37

A Tourmet dining experience

here are good decisions and bad decisions. In 1812 Napoleon decided that invading Russia was a good idea, but it actually led to his demise and exile. So when we were invited to try a Tourmet dining experience (yes tourmet !) I thought is ‘This my Napoleon moment?’ Three pretty South Derbyshire towns, three country style pubs with restaurants, three courses of food and all in one evening. Now that’s what you call a gourmet, tourmet challenge. Saturday night and we embarked early evening on this, a dining review like no other. And what theme linked these three events? Each venue is owned and run by Bespoke Inns, a talented group of entrepreneurs in the catering industry. We began in Melbourne at Harpur’s, situated in the centre of Melbourne and built in the traditional dark red brick of the area about 150 years ago. Recently refurbished it’s style is light, modern and quirky with plenty of areas to just sit and enjoy a drink ( but more of that later).

carte menu and a more traditional bar menu and we chose a dish from each. My husband’s minted lamb pie sat on a bed of the smoothest mash potatoes, the meat was rich and deep in flavour and just fell apart. With a side dish of mixed summer vegetables, it was far from standard pub fayre.

We were booked in for 6:30pm and dined in the vaulted restaurant upstairs where after consideration we chose 4 ‘small plates’ to share tapas style. The menu has lovely variety and we enjoyed the small warm salmon tacos with honey and lime, lovely diced warm halloumi, spiced Bombay potatoes and chicken bites in a crispy corn coating with complementing dips. Unhurried, we chatted leisurely until it was time to move on to our next destination, The Boot Inn. A seventeenth century coaching inn in the pretty town of Repton, The Boot has recently under gone changes to expand the ever popular dining areas and now includes a spacious conservatory designed in keeping with the era of the building but with the Bespoke Inns signature contemporary style. There is both an a la

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The description of Cornish Hake was sheer poetry. Lightly pan fried its deep white flesh was moist and delicate, underneath were small muscles surrounded by the bright green of basil and courgette purée. I really loved the sweet young peas, beans and miniature grilled courgettes and scattering of grilled gnocchi. This restaurant rightly

deserves its food awards and is currently a national finalist in The Best Inn category – 2019 Great British Pub Awards On to our next venue and a short ride brought us to the Dragon at Willington. Set along the canal banks, the characterful pub was buzzing on this warm summer evening. We sat in the bay window to enjoy our desserts where to my surprise my husband ordered the Jamaican ginger pudding, but it was so moist and so light I was quite envious. However not having quite such a voracious appetite the raspberry sorbet with elderflower gin jelly was my choice. The granola added texture to the mouse, and it was great as a fresh way to end a meal. The beer also deserves a special mention. Bespoke own and brew their own quality beer at the Boot Brewery in Repton which each

inn has on tap, so we were assured of a good pint. The only problem was which one? In the end I decided on Boot bitter which at 4.3% went down nicely. Well as it says it’s “Good for The Sole”. I wish I’d have thought of that tag line. If you prefer something a bit stronger there’s Boot Beast at 6.6% and a variety of others in between. Strategic planning ensured that by the time we got to the Dragon for dessert I could have a coffee too. Over the past year The Boot Brewery has seen sales grow at a steady rate and is now looking to expand/move premises. More on that development next month. Glad to say Napoleon ended up on the beautiful island of St. Helena. We ended up having a truly great and memorable experience, enhanced by the friendly, efficient and helpful staff. A good decision… no, actually a great decision.

Award winning Head Chef, Rob Taylor, proudly creates dishes that follow nature and it’s season, giving ultimate taste and flavour.

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We produce our own Boot Beer, in a 6 barrel micro-brewing plant, offering a series of ales with exciting, dynamic tastes created by Head Brewer, Jon Archer.

The Boot is a traditional pub serving a selection of award-winning classic and contemporary dishes, fine wines and real ales that are hand-crafted in our micro-brewery.

We have 9 uniquely designed and furnished bedrooms offering luxury accommodation. Ideally situated for business and for touring the Derbyshire countryside.

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www.countryimagesmagazine.co.uk | 39

Wonderful Food, Attentive Staff and Attractive Decor

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CONSERVATORY UPGRADES CANOPIES & CARPORTS VERANDAS

Wirksworth Heritage Centre Brian Spencer takes a visit to Wirksworth Heritage Centre where amongst other things, he learns about his ancestors who lived in the town over five hundred years ago.

ucked away almost hidden at the top of the Ecclesbourne Valley; Wirksworth is one of those places where a visit will open the eyes of even the most jaded visitor.

Here is a town where its houses speak of a history marked not by decades, but by centuries; Georgian coaching houses and imposing one-time commercial buildings alongside Jacobean gentlemen’s residences, or tiny cottages half hidden within a maze of narrow alleys tell us that Wirksworth is a place where time has marched onwards without being frozen. This is a town where the past is forever with us, but rather than being a museum piece, it is vibrantly living in the twenty-first century. Change has happened, industries have come and gone, but rather than look depressed, Wirksworth is a place where life is for today.

tells in easy to follow displays within a modern setting, the story of what is once more a vibrant town. A short wander around its brightly lit rooms filling three floors brings to life in anecdote and reportage, the story of a place that fascinated HRH Prince Charles, Prince of Wales. At a high level luncheon at the Royal Albert Hall in 1985 he trumpeted the success of a rejuvenated town to a meeting of bewildered town planners and journalists. Many of them had no idea where Wirksworth was and had to delve in gazetteers and timetables before rushing north to see what had excited the prince so much.

The main reason for this change and the way it links its past to today, is summarised in the new(ish) Heritage Centre on St John Street, just a few yards down the road from the market place. It

The exhibition at the Heritage Centre shows how industries have come and gone, but rather than be blighted by it, Wirksworth has picked itself up and literally shaken off the dust before moving on to the next stage in its life. For such a small place, it has seen many changes; Lead mining was the first and for centuries the main source of employment. As far back as Roman times, it’s yet to be found headquarters of Lutudarum, oversaw the production of pigs (ingots) of lead destined to be made into water pipes or to cover the rooftops of Rome’s imperial palaces. Ingots carelessly lost then found along the way are marked Lut. as coming from Lutudarum and Ex. Arg. to confirm that the lead’s silver content had been removed. Lead mining went on throughout the centuries, controlled by a Barmote Court, the oldest legal system in existence which still meets in April every year to settle mining disputes.

Wirksworth Heritage Centre opening.

Credit: Chris Webb

Although quarrying, which later became the major industry for the area, had an almost disastrous effect upon the town, Wirksworth had a number of smaller industries, ranging from the ubiquitous cotton spinning, to hosiery knitwear silk weaving, and the little known, but important production of tapes. It is said that Wirksworth every year produced enough red tape www.countryimagesmagazine.co.uk | 41

to go twice round the world. Alongside this symbol of the legal system, everything from decorative ribbons to laces for Edwardian ladies’ corsets, boot laces and the fuse-bindings of Mill’s bombs used in the Great War were also made here. At least two authors had links with Wirksworth. Following a holiday here at the home of an aunt, Anne Elizabeth Evans, better known from her pen name George Eliot, used the town as the setting for Adam Bede. Haarlem Mill, one of the main tape producers where her uncle was manager became the prototype for Mill on the Floss – his tool chest is one of the Heritage Centre’s exhibits. With prosperity came the need for banks. In 1780 John Toplis and later Richard Arkwright, founded a bank to handle the wealth of the town’s prominent citizens: the notorious Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire was one of its early clients, but she was not over popular due to her uncontrollable gambling habits. The bank produced its own bank notes – quite a courageous act in its day; two printer’s plates for these notes are on display. The bank eventually became known as Lloyds Bank plc which flourishes to this day. The other author to use Wirksworth as his home was D.H Lawrence. For several years he lived with his German-born wife at Mountain Cottage above the Via Gellia. During the Great War, xenophobia put anyone not British under suspicion, insisting they frequently report to the police. At one time Freda being German was considered a spy, especially when she and Lawrence were spotted enjoying a walk along a Cornish clifftop. As a result they had to move back to the east Midlands, away from the sea and close to a police station.

Remains of the Old Cruck House, St John’s Street.

Aqueduct Cottage, Cromford Canal. 42 | www.countryimagesmagazine.co.uk

It was quarrying that almost destroyed Wirksworth, yet at the same time it became the catalyst which helped preserve many of the ancient buildings. The massive beds of limestone surrounding the town provided stone for everything from building material, to the 120,000 war grave-markers that

were made from a fine-grained stone found in Hopton Wood quarry between Middleton and Wirksworth.

Inside the Heritage Centre and Marsden’s Iron Mongers shop display. Credit: Chris Webb

What did almost destroy the lovely old market town, was a quarry a matter of yards from the town centre. Known locally as the ‘Big Hole’, daily it covered nearby houses with layers of dust, or worse by bombarding them with flying debris. As a result people began to abandon their homes, leaving historic houses to gradual decay. It was only when the quarry became uneconomical that those with an eye to the potential of the semi-derelict buildings decided to bring them back to life. Part of the exhibition shows how once tumble-down Jacobean houses were rejuvenated. Shops around the market place regained their Victorian ambience; one in particular, Mason’s iron mongers is commemorated by an almost bewildering display of stock it once sold. Like all bygone ironmongers its stock ranged from shot-gun cartridges to a sit-bath that looks more like an instrument of torture, rather than a source of comfort.

NEW! Heritage Centre Discover the story of Wirksworth Find out about famous characters... experience the dream cave... explore our collections... learn about lead... and our Roman and medieval roots. Looking for a present that’s a bit out of the ordinary? We can help with our great range of gifts, books, cards and locally made products. OPEN DAILY 9am to 4.30pm

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The result of all the hard work and fore-sight saving Wirksworth, now known as the Wirksworth Project, was the award of the prestigious Europa Nostra Medal. Not only did the project prompt the approval of HRH Prince Charles, but it also became the blue-print for other similar schemes for small town conservation schemes throughout the country. Children are well catered for at the Heritage Centre. Attractive hands on exhibits that include a jig-saw version of the woolly mammoth’s skeleton found by miners seeking lead in Dream Cave. Children can also imagine themselves scrambling through the same cave by following an indoor version winding its way inside the walls of the centre.

Left: Plaque decorating the wall of the Barmote Hall. Below: Marsden’s Iron Mongers shop display.

A side room is available for conference and study purposes. Our visit coincided with an exhibition and plans to restore Aqueduct Cottage, the ruined canal-keeper’s house at the junction of Cromford Canal and the Lea Bridge arm. Gradually over the years, this once lovely building has slowly fallen into ruin, but with care and enthusiasm, it can be brought back to life. A hanging plaque showing the Saxon wall carving known as t’owd man, an ancient lead miner, invites visitors to Wirksworth’s Heritage Centre. The bright and airy centre is converted from a small shop near the Memorial Gardens on St John Street. On three floors it has a shop and café at ground level, then two upper lift accessible floors devoted to displays with easy to follow information about the town’s history. The section on local names particularly interested me. My family name is Spencer, one of the oldest Wirksworth families, first recorded in Wills dating from as far back as 1473. I knew I had links with the area, but not that far back in time! OPENING TIMES Wirksworth Heritage Centre is open Tuesday to Sunday 10:30 am – 4:30 pm (open from 1:30 to 4:30 pm on Sunday) Telephone: 01629 825225 Web: www.wirksworthheritage.co.uk

Alison House Hotel

A georgian style house built by the Arkwright family and situated in the Derwent Valley

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Arkwright Family in the Derwent Valley World Heritage site. Set in seven acres of grounds, a peaceful setting with beautiful gardens and only a short walk from Cromford, and the cable cars and attractions of Matlock Bath. They have 15 en-suite bedrooms including doubles, family rooms, disabled access and de-luxe suites. There is also a bar, a lounge and a spacious, bright breakfast room and restaurant.

Alison House is a 15 bedroom hotel set in the derwent valley world heritage site. The licensed bar & restaurant serves both lunches and dinners with an emphasis on using locally sourced quality ingredients complimented by a reasonably priced comprehensive wine list. we are the perfect venue for parties, christenings and all celebrations, and licensed for civil ceremonies and weddings too. Tel: 01629 822211 www.alison-house-hotel.co.uk www.facebook.com/alisonhousehotelcromford

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The restaurant is open for dinner bookings to non residents too. They open Monday to Saturday, serving a traditional menu with a bit of a twist. The menu uses locally sourced produce and they’re pleased to announce their extensive new wine list supplied by John Hattersley Wines. Alison House Hotel is a great venue for family parties, anniversaries and celebrations. They are licensed for civil ceremonies and have had the opportunity to share the day and make it a success for many couples who have had their wedding at the hotel over the years. Alison House don’t offer traditional wedding packages, they cater for each couple, their individual wishes and budget. They help create a bespoke wedding every time, working closely with each couple and are guided by their requirements. It can be a formal dinner, a casual barbecue, or afternoon tea on the lawn. Alison House Hotel, Intake Lane, Cromford DE4 3RH 01629 822211

Wirksworth Heritage Centre cafe.

WIRKSWORTH FESTIVAL www.wirksworthfestival.co.uk

6-15 SEPTEMBER 2019

Wirksworth Festival sees this beautiful Derbyshire market town transform in to a gallery and performance venue every September. The Lost Suffragette By Olivia Smedley Date: Saturday 7th September 2019. Time: 7.00pm Venue: Heritage Centre

Venue: The Town Hall

Out On A Limb By Rachel Murray Date: Saturday 7th September 2019. Time: 6.00pm Venue: The Gothic Hall, Old Baptist Church, Coldwell Street, Wirksworth DE4 4FB

A Letter From Alice By Independence Dates: Wednesday 11th September 2019. Time: 7.30pm and 8.45pm (May Vary) Venue: The Town Hall Denim Date: Thursday 12th September 2019. Time: 8.00pm Venue: The Town Hall

Gig On The Roof Date: Sunday 8th September 2019. Time: 4 .00pm Venue: Market Place

Kyla Brox Date: Friday 13th September 2019. Time: 8.00pm Venue: The Town Hall

Silly Funny Boys By Sleeping Trees Theatre Date: Tuesday 10th September 2019. Time: 8.00pm

Spanish Guitar Music Through The Ages By Priestley Taylor Classical Guitar Duo Date: Friday 13th September

2019. Time: 7:30pm Venue: United Reformed Church

Date: Sunday 15th September 2019. Time: 7.30pm Venue: The Town Hall

Concert By Nottingham Chamber Wind Ensemble Date: Saturday 14th September 2019. Time: 7:30pm Venue: St Mary's Church

Roger Mcgough & Little Machine Date: Friday 20th September 2019. Time: 7.30pm Venue: The Town Hall

Ranagri Date: Saturday 14th September 2019. Time: 8.00pm Venue: The Town Hall

Rebel Sound Date: Saturday 21st September 2019. Time: 8.00pm Venue: The Maltings (Formerly The Parish Room)

Bubbles ‘N’ W(Rap) Date: Sunday 15th September 2019. Time: 1-5.00pm Community Celebration Here’s To Life By Mark Gwynne Jones, Souldeep, John Sanderson, Jumoke Fashola

Full description of events can be found on www.wirksworthfestival.co.uk/ events

www.countryimagesmagazine.co.uk | 45

Afternoon Tea on the

Ecclesbourne Valley Railway

e’ve dined on some memorable trains; breakfast on the Lake Shore Limited as it skirted the edge of Lake Erie on its route from New York to Chicago. Lunch at 190 miles per hour on one of the Frecciarossa trains between Naples and Florence and dinner on board the California Zepher as it made its long trek through the Rockies from the Pacific Ocean to our destination, Denver. So, I jumped at the opportunity for Susan and myself to expand our dining experiences with afternoon tea on the local Ecclesbourne Valley Railway. The line, which runs from Wirksworth to Duﬃeld, was closed to passenger traﬃc 70 years ago and to freight 40 years later. With

the help of volunteers the line has been reopened and buildings restored. Many years ago the original Wirksworth station building was demolished to make way for a mineral loading dock. That has now been removed and a new station building, on the site of the old one, is under construction; built with modern materials and thankfully, up to date facilities. Our journey started at the headquarters of the heritage railway center situated on Coldwell Street, Wirksworth, once the terminus of the old Duﬃeld Wirksworth Midland Railway branch line. We parked in the large car park attached to the station site and made ourselves known at the souvenir shop; it also doubles as the booking oﬃce. We were told that this afternoon’s service

46 | www.countryimagesmagazine.co.uk

would leave from platform 2. The luxury afternoon teas are pre-booked and served on the 14:10 service from Wirksworth to Duﬃeld. When the train arrived at platform 2 one of the many volunteers escorted us to our reserved compartment. The carriages are mid-20th century corridor style with opening top windows, brass door handles and a lot of polished woodwork. We could see that each compartment on the train was set for a party of 4. Tickets are sold in pairs and so, waiting for us in our compartment were 2 ladies we would be sharing the journey with: Barbara and Jane. The compartment is designed to seat 6 people. However, for the afternoon tea,

it’s restricted to 4. The table was decked out ready for the service: bright cutlery, china tea service, white table cloth and 4 glasses of buck’s fizz. We introduced ourselves and before the train had left the station all of us had started on the fizz! As the train moved slowly away from Wirksworth station service began. The tea included a varied selection of freshly made sandwiches including tuna, cheese and cucumber and ham served on the bottom plate of a traditional tiered china stand. The top layer contained 2 delicious fruit scones with jam and clotted cream, 2 moist slices of carrot cake and an apricot filled pastry. Our empty glasses were taken away and replaced with a pot of fresh tea and for a coffee drinker like me, a pot of fresh coffee; regular or decaffeinated. Throughout the journey we were asked if we’d like more tea or coffee. Although the journey is only a round trip of 18 miles we discovered a lot to chat about with our fellow travellers; who both had

railway connections. We stayed on the train in Duﬃeld for the return journey to Wirksworth. We finished the cakes and scones and were offered yet more tea and coffee. It had been a delightful experience. Afternoon tea at a leisurely pace; watching the countryside glide past. Nothing to do for almost 2 hours but enjoy the food, conversation and scenery. The experience includes a full day rover ticket so that guests can enjoy the freedom of the line on the day and explore the surrounding countryside. A comfortable way to explore is by leaving the train at Idridgehay and walking to Shottle to catch the next train or walking to Idridgehay from Shottle. You can also use the day ticket to start at Duﬃeld before the dining train and return there afterwards on the last train of the day. For the railway enthusiasts the locomotive hauling the train was a diesel BR Class 33 no. 33103, named Swordfish after the bi-plane not the predatory sea creature.

ABOVE: Buck’s Fizz and a railway view. BELOW: BR Class 33 Swordfish passing the new Wirksworth station.

Tuesday afternoons on board our travelling 1950s dining car from 18th June until 24th September

www.countryimagesmagazine.co.uk | 47

Gardening in August T

with Mark

Smith

Allotment or Vegetable Patch:

hanks to everyone who has been in touch to say how they enjoyed last month’s Gardening Feature.

It’s always a worry when you try something a little different. At the time of writing this I’m just back from The Belvior Flower & Garden Festival; it’s interesting how, from year to year, the focus on gardening changes. Currently the message is about well-being and the benefits of gardening to the mind and body; but all of the past messages are important. For example in the last few years it’s been about encouraging wildlife in to the garden. For me all the messages are one and the same. When you introduce wildlife into your patch not only is it beneficial to the mind it also is for the garden. I was asked at the show “Is it only buddleia I can plant to attract butterflies?” If you just plant buddleia (butterfly bush) the butterflies have only got food for the flowering period of the plant. There are so many great plants that flower from the end of February to the end of November which are a valuable food source. These include: verbena, buddleia, sedums, penstemens, leucanthemum, herbaceous lobelia, agapanthus, stoksia, Japanese anemone, crocosmia, potentilla, roses , summer flowering heathers, lavender, thyme, rosemary and many more. All of these will also encourage bees into the garden and attract hoverflies and lacewings, which eat aphid larvae.

· Once onion tops start to die down the plants can be lifted. · If ready, pick your plums now. Be careful how you handle them as they can bruise. · Use netting on autumn fruiting raspberries and blackberries to protect them from birds. · Pick early fruiting varieties of apples now. · Feed fruit trees and bushes with liquid sulphate of potash; such as a tomato feed. This will work quickly especially if the leaves are looking very yellow. · Buy onion sets now for autumn planting. · Water celery and other crops regularly in hot, dry weather. · Veg to sow now include Swedes, spring cabbages, and beetroot for leaves, winter lettuces, radishes, coriander, and Japanese onions. · Sow green manure in any bare spaces in your plot.

In the Greenhouse: · Pick off any lower leaves of tomatoes so air and light can reach the fruit and water regularly to help prevent fruit splitting or blossom end rot. · If it’s started to get warmer, look out for signs of red spider mite and treat with a systemic insecticide right away. · Thin out weaker looking bunches of indoor grapes. · Keep a look out for vine weevil beetles – usually

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Local professionals for your ornamental & amenity trees crawling across paths or around the bottom of pots. · If going on holiday this month, set up a watering area using a growbag tray and some capillary matting. · Water down the greenhouse floor each morning on hot days to increase humidity. · Open all vents and prop doors open on warm days to improve ventilation this will help reduce fungal problems. · Shade delicate plants on hot, sunny days to prevent scorch.

General Garden Maintenance: · Carry on feeding lawns with a suitable fertiliser and moss killer. · Keep mowing the lawn regularly, and with the heavy rain fall of last month remember to keep spiking and sanding the lawn. · Remember to water newly planted trees and shrubs well if there is a lack of rain. · Feed any established trees and shrubs with a suitable granular fertiliser. · Check roses for signs of black spot, take off leaves and treat with fungicide. Remember don’t compost any diseased leaves always put them in the garden waste bin. · Apply bark mulches around newly planted or established trees and shrubs to help suppress weeds. · Top up bird baths regularly with fresh water. · If available in your local garden centre or plant nursery, plant any spring flowering bulbs now. · After heavy rain some summer bedding will look very tired – dig these up and put them in your compost heap.

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Ceratostigma willmottianum ‘Forest Blue’

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Buddleia davidii ‘Adonis Blue’ Okay! Yes, another blue flowering plant, of course you can choose any colour but it’s important to try to encourage wildlife into the garden and with buddleia not only does this attract butterflies but also bees, hoverflies, ladybirds and lacewings. Buddleia `Adonis Blue` has a great true blue colour, elegant grey foliage and very compact growth. Best grown in full sun but also grows well in semi-shade in any type of soil. If you have a smaller garden, look out for “chip varieties” of buddleia which are smaller and compact growing.

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Another evergreen, blue flowering shrub with electric blue flowers on very compact growth – can be grown in a container in sun or part shade. One of my favourite plants because not only is it fantastic in flower but also this plant has one of the best Autumn leaf colours, `Forest Blue` is by far the best colour of flower, but willmottianum will be easier to find. Grows to about 3 to 4ft.

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IMAGES LEISURE TIME Celebrity Interview | Walk | Diary | Gallery | Food & Drink

Julia Watson in a stage production of My Family and Other Animals

“I learned to fire-eat amongst other things because I couldn’t sing, I couldn’t dance and I couldn’t play an instrument. So I thought if I learn to fire-eat I’ll have a skill that nobody else has.

Steve Orme interviews

Julia Watson www.countryimagesmagazine.co.uk | 55

ozing confidence, charm and charisma,

Julia Watson saunters around a church she’s known for many years, entertaining a rapt crowd with tales of her career and reciting some of literature’s greatest lines. It’s obvious that she was cut out to be on stage and it’s no surprise later when she tells me “I love acting”.

Julia joined Derby Shakespeare Theatre Company, working backstage and being cast in small roles before at the age of 16 she got the part of Juliet in Romeo and Juliet.

Brought up in Derby and introduced to the theatre at an early age, Julia is best known for playing Barbara “Baz” Wilder in the BBC medical drama Casualty, a role she returned to on a couple of occasions. But as she demonstrates when appearing at All Saints Church, Mackworth village, she’s a talented all-rounder who completely inhabits a character – including Margaret Thatcher who she played in a theatrical production in 2017. A couple of days later Julia spoke to me from her home in Barnes, south west London about how she loved her time with Derby Shakespeare Theatre Company, why she became a fire-eater and how questions were asked about Baz in Parliament after she was featured on the front page of the Sunday Times. She revealed that she wasn’t desperate to play Baz and told her agent she wasn’t sure if she wanted to be in a medical drama. Her agent replied: “Brenda Fricker and Derek Thompson are in it. You just do it. It’s going to be very high profile.” When talking about her career, Julia often uses the phrases “great fun” and “happy time”. That’s how she describes Casualty. “Originally it was only supposed to be 15 episodes. It’s extraordinary to think it’s still going. I did the first series and then I was offered something else and decided I didn’t want to stay. I was a junior doctor and junior doctors move on, so I would have had to move to another part of the hospital

and come back as a love interest with Charlie (Fairhead) and I didn’t want to do that.” Nine years later Julia was asked to return to the series and her relationship with Charlie grew. “I came back two or three times. It was a very happy time, actually. It was great fun to work on.” So how much of Julia was there in Baz? “In a sense those kind of parts on television are about personality acting, I always think. You’re cast for who you are. So of course there’s an element of you within that character. You just have to be careful not to say ‘I don’t think my character would do this’ because it’s actually not you. But there is a point when you’ve played her for so long you start to know her almost better than some of the scriptwriters because they don’t know the back story like you do. She was huge fun to play because in the first series she wasn’t very competent at her job. She was popping pills to keep going and getting drunk. “I ended up on the front page of the Sunday Times and there were questions asked in Parliament about how the NHS and a junior doctor could be portrayed in that way. But of course they’d done their research and it was all accurate. Charlie knew much more about everything than Baz did. And yet she was in charge of him. There were interesting hierarchies that the first series explored very well.” The storyline in which Baz had an affair with Charlie Fairhead provoked some strong reactions from viewers, including nasty letters disapproving of the way Baz behaved. “Charlie is a national treasure,” says Julia. “If Baz wasn’t treating Charlie very well I used to get it in the neck when I bumped into people. But I’d say ‘it’s not me, it’s a character’.” Eventually Julia left the series in 2004 when Baz was killed in a car crash. “I thought there was a limit to how many times I could come back,” she says. “We’d done everything. Charlie and I had been married, divorced, married to other people – there wasn’t really any further for the storyline to go.” She confesses it might have been a bad decision because the casting director of the spin-off series Holby City said if she hadn’t been killed, she could have worked on that programme. “But I never wanted to be a long-running character. I’ve always liked variety and to do stage as well as television. So I thought it was time to leave Casualty.” She also admits there was pressure from her husband, writer David Harsent, and her daughter Hannah to give up Casualty because they hardly

56 | www.countryimagesmagazine.co.uk

Julia Watson’s many stage roles have included (opposite page) Tosca’s Kiss, (left) Tennessee Williams’ A Lovely Sunday for Crewe Coeur and (below) Chekhov’s The Seagull. saw her as she was away filming in Bristol for ten months of the year. “Although I would have two days off a week, sometimes they weren’t concurrent, so I spent my life on the motorway just driving back and forth. David said ‘this just isn’t working – either you’re part of this family or you’re not’. By that time I was playing consultant head of department so I was in every episode. It became hard and I felt I was missing out on Hannah’s life. This profession is never easy when you’ve got children.” Julia Watson was born on 13 September 1953 in a small village in south Wales. Her father moved to Derby to work at Rolls-Royce when Julia was a baby. She says she had a very happy childhood. “We were perfectly placed. We were only 60 miles from Stratford. My father was passionate about Shakespeare so from the age of eight I saw virtually every play in every season. And there was lots of amateur theatre in Derby. There was lots to keep me occupied.” She joined Derby Shakespeare Theatre Company, working backstage and being cast in small roles before at the age of 16 she got the part of Juliet in Romeo and Juliet. “It was a very happy time. I loved my time at Derby Shakespeare Society. It was wonderful to be around people who were so passionate about theatre and about Shakespeare too. I learned a lot by watching. There were some wonderful actors like Jessica Clewes and (the late) Ken Pipes – great role models.” She was unable to get a grant to go to drama school, so she read drama at Exeter University. Three days before her finals she was in London auditioning for a couple of jobs and got one of them, helping to set up a community theatre in Byker, Newcastle upon Tyne. “It was a baptism of fire but I learned a lot,” says Julia. “I learned to fire-eat amongst other things because I couldn’t sing, I couldn’t dance and I couldn’t play an instrument so I wasn’t sure how useful I was to them in a community theatre. So I thought if I learn to fire-eat I’ll have a skill that nobody else has. I used it quite a lot over the years but I’ve decided my fire-eating days are now over.” Julia then joined the Roundabout theatre-ineducation company at Nottingham Playhouse. She was about 23. It was to be a turning point for her. “A couple of us were asked if we would take part in a main stage play, Bartholomew Fair by Ben Jonson. As soon as I got on that stage I went ‘oh, this is what I want to be, I want to be a stage actress’.” www.countryimagesmagazine.co.uk | 57

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IMAGES WALK with Rambler: Around Matlock Moor A short 4 mile (6.4km) easy walk along clear paths and a quiet upland road. One steady climb of 220ft (67m). Muddy sections near both farms and woodland passed along the way. RECOMMENDED MAP: Outdoor Leisure Map Sheet 24 The Peak District – White Peak Area. TRANSPORT: The X17 Chesterfield service leaves Matlock bus station (M&S) at ten minutes past every hour. REFRESHMENTS: Nothing en-route, but several pubs and cafes in and around Matlock town centre. CAR PARKING: Roadside opposite Highfields School on Lumsdale Road, or layby opposite Matlock Golf Club.

mysterious looking rock standing in the middle of one of the fair-ways. Maybe it was brought here by ancient people as a form of pagan ritual, or possibly by way of the last ice sheet to cover Derbyshire. All this is unknown, but it certainly adds an aura of mystery to the walk. While there is a right of way passing close to the stone, this footpath’s potentially dangerous way is avoided for safety reasons. The alternative in any case is arguably more attractive and only extends the walk by about a quarter of a mile.

ew houses are being built on either side of the Matlock/Chesterfield road, the A632 on the town side of Matlock Golf Club. With starter homes on one side of the road, and an estate of larger properties opposite, they are fulfilling at least part of Matlock’s obligations to build much needed homes within its boundaries. Despite this development, Matlock’s eastern built-up limits soon come to an end, with the golf club on one side of the Chesterfield road, and farmland filling the other. Backing all this is the long line of mature forestry trees stretching for a good four miles across the skyline on either side of Matlock Moor. This walk touches just one corner of the moor, following a route around the golf course on one side and crossing farmland on the opposite side of the A632. The walk pivots around a huge boulder, the Cuckoo Stone, a

Norma Gent Derbyshire Artist

The walk starts and finishes on the road beside Highfields School. Crossing the main Matlock/ Chesterfield road, it then follows a side road lined with properties before linking with an unsurfaced track. This is followed, past Sandy Lane Farm and an abandoned quarry hiding in mature trees,. Soon the walk makes a change in direction by leaving the track at a narrow wooden Pets, Portraits, Scenes, Still Life, Executive Caricatures, Victorian Life.

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gate. Here a footpath leads down to the upper reaches of Bentley Brook, a watercourse that once powered Matlock’s first industrial estate. Crossing the stream, the path climbs up to a second path and a right turn follows it all the way to the main road. This is crossed in order to reach the access to Wayside Farm and then field paths are used to reach a second farm whose name indicates its links with packhorse trains in time gone by. A quiet back lane runs between grazing on one side and mixed rhododendron and scrub woodland. At a sharp left-hand turn, the way is forward, past the remains of three of the many gritstone quarries once active around this Matlock hillside. A sharp descent leads down to the top of Lumsdale and the silted remains of the upper reservoir where the penned-up waters of Bentley Brook waited to power small mills in the lower valley. 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 is a selection of artworks, all originals, for sale. You can call or contact Norma on 01773 836907.

1. From the car park opposite Highfields School, walk up to the main road and turn left. (Or walk to this point if parking in the layby opposite Matlock Golf Club). 2. Cross over and follow the pavement for about 200 yards in order to reach Sandy Lane which will be on your right, pointing away from the main road. 3. Turn right along Sandy Lane and follow it until its surfaced part turns left.

6. When Cuckoostone House comes into view, go half right, leaving the access lane and go through a narrow wooden gate. 7. A walled path descends towards the golf course where the Cuckoostone stands proud. A right of way crosses the links at this point, but for safety’s sake it is not recommended without a hard hat! 8. Follow the gently descending path, through a muddy section as far as Bentley Brook. 9. Cross the stream by a footbridge and then at a stile to bear left to start the short climb up the opposite hillside.

As the name suggests, Packhorse Farm is on the line of an ancient way carrying salt into South Yorkshire, or lead ore to upland smelters. The farm would have doubled as a resting place for pack animals after their arduous climb out of the Derwent Valley.

11. Follow the rough lane for a little under a mile, high above the golf course on your right and the mature trees of Bottom Wood forestry plantation to your left. 12. Go through the gate next to a house and continue forwards, now along a surfaced way.

19. Follow the drive away from the farm as far as the crossing of minor upland lanes.

As you walk along Cuckoostone Lane, pause now and then to admire the view down the Derwent Valley. John Smedley’s Riber Castle dominates the near skyline with Crich Stand over to its left.

4. Continue forwards, climbing steadily uphill on a rough surfaced lane, going to the right with it on reaching Sandy Lane Farm. 5. Follow this now the highest part of the walk, for about half a mile between grazed fields on your right and rough woodland and long abandoned quarries to your left.

18. Beyond the second stile, bear slightly right towards a stile a finger post pointing back along the drive towards Packhorse Farm.

10. Go through a stile at the corner of a stone wall in order to climb steeply up to unmade Cuckoostone Lane, and turn right.

20. Turn sharp right and follow the arrowstraight lane for about half a mile, past two houses on your left and rhododendrons mixed with scrub woodland to the left and right.

13. On reaching the main road, turn left and follow the pavement for about 150 yards as far as a bus stop sign.

21. Where the lane makes a sharp ninety degree left hand turn, go forwards through a squeezer stile.

14. Cross over and go down the access lane to Wayside Farm.

22. Follow a heather-clad path around the remains of three long-abandoned quarries until the path begins to descend.

15. Skirting the farmyard, go through two adjacent field gates in order to follow the line of a dry-stone wall on your left.

23. Follow this frequently muddy path, steeply downhill, across the remains of a dam and the silted relic of the upper reservoir in the Lumsdale series of the ponds that once powered local industry.

16. Go through a stile at the end of the field and cross the next field. 17. Aim towards a stone house, passing it on your left and then go through a squeezer stile.

Highfields School is opposite, with your parked car conveniently to hand.

Follow a wall cut by two more stiles, with a ditch separating your path from a caravan site. A632 to Chesterfield A632

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Diary of Events diary@imagespublishing.co.uk Royal Centre Nottingham & Concert Hall 0115 989 5555 www.trch.co.uk JULY 27 The Magic Lantern Backstage Tour - Suitable for all ages, Ezekial Bone’s Magic Lantern Backstage Tour gives you the chance to explore behind the scenes at the Theatre Royal and Royal Concert Hall. You will discover how our shows are created, as well as finding out about the venue’s fascinating heritage. 30 to Aug 3 Wait Until Dark AUG 2 That’ll Be The Day 3 Trevor Horn 6-10 Murder With Love 9 - 10 The Magic Lantern Family Backstage 13-17 Anybody For Murder 14-15 Tabby McTat 17 - 25 Brainiac Detective Academy - Calling all Brainiacs! There has been a robbery at Brainiac HQ. Put your Brainiac Detective Badge on and help us solve the crime. This interactive, fully immersive 70-minute hands-on workshop led by the Brainiacs provides your young detectives with an opportunity to use real forensic techniques to discover clues and help solve a mystery. Come and become an official member of the Brainiac Academy! Designed for children aged 6 plus, adults are welcome to stay and watch (free of charge, no booking required) or you can leave youngsters in the capable hands of the Brainiacs whilst you enjoy a coffee at one of our bars, or catch up on your shopping in town. 20-24 Dangerous Obsession 28 to Sept 5 The Rocky Horror Show 31 Ben Nickless Variety Show SEPT 3-7 Musical Theatre Saturday Night Fever 8 Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone™ In Concert 9 John Finnemore’s Flying Visit 10-14 Cabaret Buxton Opera House & PavilionArts Centre. 01298 72190 www.buxtonoperahouse.org JULY

Buxton International Festival and Buxton Festival Fringe please check web site for full listing of events and venues.

27 The Yeoman of the Guard 27 HMS Pinafore 27 The Pirates of Penzance 29 Iolanthe( 2018) AUG 1-2 The Tiger Who Came to Tea 4 Rhythm of the Dance 9-10 Puttin’ on the Ritz 15 The Secret garden - Mary Lennox is a spoilt young child living in India with her parents. Her father is an important military general and her petulant mother treats Mary cruelly, showing her no love or affection. The only bright spot

in her life is the kind Officer Blake who tries to show Mary there is more to life than temper tantrums and contrariness. But then one day a mutiny strikes the Lennox household and an orphaned Mary is sent to England. She must go to Yorkshire - to Misselthwaite Manor, her uncle’s house. Mary begins to explore the grounds of the manor, meeting the grumpy but good-natured gardener Ben Weatherstaff and Martha’s animal-loving brother Dickon. He introduces her to a whole new world full of some very special animal friends and Mary eventually plucks up the courage to ask her uncle Mr Craven for a patch of land she might make her own. Mary starts out on an adventure to discover the truth, accompanied by all her new friends as she learns that friendship and selfbelief are the most important tools of all. 16 EastEndless 22-24 Grand Hotel The Musical 24-25 Horrible Histories: The Movie - Rotten Romans 25 The James Bond Concert Spectacular 25-29 Pavarotti SEPT 5 The South 6 Royal Northern College of Music Septentrion Duo Coffee Concert 6 Tommy The Album Live 6 Buxton Buzz Comedy Club - September 7 Buxton Live Acts Revue 8 Let’s Hang On 11 Monthly Make Workshop: Paper Flowers 11 The BIG Chris Barber Band 13 Whitney - Queen of the Night 14 Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel 15 The Johnny Cash Roadshow 17 A Luther Vandross Celebration 17 Buxton Adventure Festival Leo Dickinson & Eric Jones Patagonia - A Love Affair 18 Sir Ranulph Fiennes Living Dangerously Derby Live. Box Office 01332 255800 www.derbylive.co.uk JULY 24-27 Monsters, Myths and Mayhem 27 Floyd In The Flesh 30 to Aug 1 Superhero Picnic in the Park AUG 2-4 Dog Lovers Festival 2019 3 Derby Sound 5-10 Here Be Dragons! “The first thing to do when treating a poorly beastie is to calm it! The best way to calm it… is to tell it a story!” 11 Big Fun Run and Dog Jog Derby 19 Summer Musical Theatre Workshop 2019 24-25 British BMX Championships 2019 The British BMX Championships BMX race event open to riders holding a british cycling racing licence aged 4+yrs. 24 An Evening of Queen 25-26 Festival of Music and Flowers

60 | www.countryimagesmagazine.co.uk

SEPT 1 The Hannells Darley Park Concert 2019 An evening of classical music and fireworks – don’t forget your picnic! More 6 The Buzztones 8 Derby & Burton Hospitals Colour Run 10 Brian Cox Derby Theatre Box Office 01332 59 39 39 www.derbytheatre.co.uk AUGUST 26-27 Derby Youth Theatre: Influence 1- 10 Five 29-31 Grand Hotel: The Musical SEPT 7-28 One Man, Two Guvnors 9-15 Derby SignFest 2019 Nottingham Playhouse 0115 941 9419 www.nottinghamplayhouse.co.uk JULY 27 Sarah Keyworth: Dark Horse. You’ve seen her on Comedy Central, you’ve seen her on the BBC. Now see 2018 Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee and Nottingham-born rising star Sarah Keyworth’s debut hour AUG 16 Meet the Playwright 24 The Colour of Love - a celebration of mixedrace relationships in Nottinghamshire 1940s 28 24 The Colour of Love – a celebration of mixed race relationships in Nottinghamshire 1940s – 1970s 2 An Audience with Alex Kingston 31 Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street: Summer School SEPT 5 A Celebration of the Big Band Divas - BBC Big Band 7-8 Stand Up Comedy Palace Theatre Mansfield www.mansfield.gov.uk/palacetheatre Sept 3 Popular Classics 8 Guitar Heroes THE STORY OF GUITAR HEROES“If you like music and guitars you will LOVE this show!” We all love a bit of guitar wielding in a song -it’s iconic, soulful and –oh what a beautiful instrument! Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Brian May and Eddie Cochran are amongst many of those who have mastered this magnificent instrument and are covered in this all-out guitar fest! The Story of Guitar Heroes has been touring for a number of years in countless theatres across the UK and is making it’s way to becoming extremely popular; not only with guitar players and musicians of all abilities, but with people and families of all ages. Don’t miss out on this truly sensational night -you won’t be disappointed 9 Jasper Carrott’s Stand Up & Rock 11 The Drifters

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EUROPEAN COACHING SWITZERLAND SWISS CHOCOLATE TRAIN. . . . . . . .24-31 Aug (HB) £824 IRELAND BANTRY BAY & GULF STREAM COAST . . .22-28 Sept (HB) £625 SPAIN CANTABRIA & PICOS DE EUROPA . . . . . . . . . .08-15 Oct (HB) £596 FRANCE REIMS CHRISTMAS MARKET. . . . . . . . . . . . 01-04 Dec (BB) £347

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Website: www.slackscoaches.co.uk Email: enquiries@slackscoaches.co.uk www.countryimagesmagazine.co.uk | 61

Diary of Events diary@imagespublishing.co.uk Birdwatching for Beginners walks at Carsington Water. From now onwards the summer visitors will continue to arrive, swallows swifts and martins as well as hosts of warblers, plus there’s always a chance to see a passing Osprey. Why not join us on one of our free beginners walks held on the first Sunday of every month? Booking is advisable as numbers are limited, contact Carsington 0330 678 0701. Future date 4th August. Charity Art Sale & Auction Derbyshire Agricultural Chaplaincy is pleased to announce its 3rd annual charity art sale and auction. It will take place on Monday 29th July from 9.30am until 2pm at the Bakewell Agricultural Centre. The art sale and auction raises money for Macmillan Cancer Support and the Rural Agricultural Benevolent Institute (RABI). These two charities were chosen as they had supported a local family who had sadly lost a much loved wife and mum to cancer. The Derbyshire Agricultural Chaplaincy organised the successful first event which is now in its third year. The two featured artists this year are Lesley Griggs and Felicity Jackson, both local Derbyshire artists who are delighted to support this great event. More information can be found on the RAD website ruralactionderbyshire.org.uk/Event. Folk And Acoustic Music The Lion Hotel, Bridge Street, Belper is hosting an evening with the Derbyshire Volunteers on Thursday, 12 September at 8pm. It’s Derbyshire’s own big folk band playing jigs, reels and songs in the good old fashioned way with fifteen or so, musicians from the local folk scene playing an eclectic mix of instruments, concertinas, melodeons, keyboards, fiddles, percussion, guitars, bass, ukuleles and a brass section with a good few vocals thrown in for good measure, plus a few special guests. Admission is free with donations for local charities, gratefully received. The evening

promises to be a raite good Derbyshire do! So come and join us if you can. Loads of parking in Field Lane Car Park DE56 1DD. Heanor Floral Art Group August 19th flower demonstration by June Borrowdale from Worksop entitled Spread the Joy. 7oclock. Venue The Wilmot Street Welfare Centre, Heanor. Everyone welcome, visitors £5. For further details Telephone 01332-880179 . Hydrangea Derby Hydrangea Derby is the largest collection (834) of Hydrangeas in the UK and can be found near the Terrace Café in Darley Park, Derby. It is owned by Derby City Council but maintained by an enthusiastic and diverse group of volunteers and partner organisations. The Walled Garden is open now until late October for free public viewing and we invite you to our: Open Day Sunday, 4 August 2019 10.30am to 3pm. Free conducted tours of the collection at:11am and 2pm. Meet at the Terrace Café (no need to book) www. hydrangeaderby.co.uk Little Chester Heritage Centre St. Paul’s Church, Mansfield Road, Derby. On Sunday August 4th 2-4p.m. You would be very welcome to have a further inspection of our Arthur Barlow Collection, and hear a further talk about this remarkable man. Free admission. Refreshments available. For further information Tel. 01332 363354. Allestree Flower Group Tuesday 20th August 2019. Practice night and supper. 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 New Season at Music at Duffield The first concert of the new season is a piano recital by Maxim Kinasov on Saturday

A raite good Derbyshire do!

62 | www.countryimagesmagazine.co.uk

October 5th and the season continues with performances from Richard Jenkinson and Tom Corfield both of whom have strong local connections. Richard Jenkinson was a student at Ecclesbourne School and Tom Corfield spent many years as Assistant Organist at Derby Cathedral. All the concerts in this coming season will be held in St Alkmund’s Church, Duffield on Saturday evenings at 7.30 and season tickets are available. A season ticket enables the holder to attend all six concerts for the price of four and is great value. Pick up a brochure from Duffield Library or St Alkmund’s Church and apply before August 31st for an extra discount! Further details are available via our website www.musicatduffield.com. Spondon Historical Society Next meeting until September 9th.’ Details will be in September edition Derbyshire Dales Woodcraft Club 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. 3rd. August - this month we welcome professional woodturner Brian Cockerill from Oadby. 7th. September - this is a hands-on meeting. Come along and try a new craft. First visit and refreshments are free. For more information go to www.ddwc.co.uk or phone James Sharpe on 01335 344933. Wirksworth Heritage Centre July 10th explore Wirksworth’s architectural gems with our guide, followed by supper at our Webster’s Cafe 7 pm £12 per person – includes food. July 12th Open mic – come and join in or just listen 7pm free. July 13th Walk Around Wirksworth. Explore hidden Wirksworth with our guide 2pm, £4 per person. July 15th Stained Glass Windows of St Mary’s Church. See the wonderful windows of our parish church and discover their stories and meanings 7pm £7 per person. July 19th Challenge Night. An evening of puzzle type challenges with prizes to be won 7 pm. Teams of up to four £7 per person includes light refreshments – bar available. July 20th Afternoon Walk. Wirksworth from the skyline – guided longer walk 12.30pm £4 pre-booked sandwiches also available. July 27th Basic Woodwork Workshop. Pen making with the Derbyshire Dales Woodcraft Folk 10am £25 per person for ages 11+.

Grand Hotel - The Musical

Buxton Opera House Thursday 22 – Saturday 24 August

Present Company, now celebrating 30 years of performing at Buxton Opera House, revives the Tony Award winning 1989 musical Grand Hotel which, now in 2019, celebrates 30 years of thrilling audiences since the Broadway premiere of a run lasting more than 1,000 performances. Come to the Grand Hotel, Berlin, in 1928. Hearts are won, lives are lost or begun and the music never stops for a grand parade of guests and staff whose worlds briefly inter-twine. Among the eccentric hotel guests are: a cynical doctor, who observes all; a fading prima ballerina; a fatally ill Jewish bookkeeper, spending his final days in luxury; a baron, young, handsome, noble and broke; an honest businessman forced to turn crooked and a typist dreaming of Hollywood success.

One man. Two Guvnors.

Derby Theatre Saturday 7 September 2019 Saturday 28 September 2019

Richard Bean’s smash-hit comedy premieres in Derby for a limited run this Autumn. Directed by Sarah Brigham, featuring a side-splitting mix of slapstick comedy, farce and live music by a talented skiffle band, One Man, Two Guvnors is one great night out. After being fired from his skiffle band, Francis Henshall is skint and hungry. He manages to secure a new job as a minder for small time gangster Roscoe Crabbe. What Francis doesn’t know, is his new guvnor is really Roscoe’s sister Rachel in disguise, as her own dead brother, who has been killed by her boyfriend Stanley Stubbers. To further complicate things, Francis nabs a second job working for that very Stanley Stubbers who is hiding from the police. All Francis has to do is ensure his two guvnors don’t meet. What could go wrong?

Jasper Carrott's Stand Up & Rock Mansfield Palace Theatre 9 September, 19 September

Comedy Highfield Productions Ltd The 2019 tour will see the legendary Jasper Carrott back with a new stand up show alongside his musical compatriots, the Bev Bevan Band that have been ‘rockin’ audiences all over the world. As well as being Jasper's mate, Bev is founding member of The Move and ELO and has one of the finest band’s around with special guests including 60s star Geoff Turton from the Rockin’ Berries. This unique show gives the opportunity to see and hear great artistes belting out a night of classic songs and Jasper back where he belongs... making us laugh!

Prism starring Robert Lindsay

Theatre Royal Nottingham Monday 21 October - Saturday 26 October

Drama Following a sold-out run at London’s Hampstead Theatre. Don’t miss the astonishing true story of the man who made Hollywood’s greatest divas beautiful. Robert Lindsay is ‘magnetic’ (The Guardian), ‘perfect’ (The Times) and ‘glorious’ (Mail on Sunday) in Terry Johnson’s delightfully witty and poignant play based on the extraordinary life of double Oscar-winning cinematic master Jack Cardiff; ‘the man who made women look beautiful’ (Vanity Fair). The legendary Jack Cardiff has retired to the sleepy village of Denham, Buckinghamshire. His days of hard work – and play – on some of the most famous film sets in the world are now long behind him. Surrounded by memorabilia from a lifetime of ‘painting with light’, the writing of an autobiography should be an easy matter – were it not that Jack would now rather live in the past than remember it. www.countryimagesmagazine.co.uk | 63

and slides area.

2019 Ashover Show

he 88th Ashover Show will be held on Wednesday 14 August 2019. The Show is very proud of its reputation as one of the finest traditional agricultural shows in the country which regularly welcomes over 14,000 visitors. This year the Centre Ring will have entertainment throughout the day starting with the arrival of the President, Mr Fred Hall at 9.30am followed by the Barlow Red Barrows, The Guide Dogs for the Blind display, The Sheep Grand National, the very popular parade of hounds by the Four Shires Blood Hounds and The Barlow Hunt, the heavy horse classes, private driving, The Grand Parade, fancy dress and ending the day with the tug of war. The BSJA show jumping will take place in the Light Horse Rings with a viewing both from the Members enclosure and the new marquee gallery at the top of the ring. All our sections now have classes for the young people, something vital for the continuation of the Show. The Livestock Grand Parade will take place in the Centre Ring. Champion shire horses, cattle and sheep will parade around the ring with their colourful sashes and rosettes. The light horse section will run throughout the day. Championships from the local Ashover Riding Club will be held for horses and riders who have qualified at the club shows through the season, full details are on the Facebook page. The Vintage Tractor ring will showcase around 150 of the very best local vehicles along with a vintage car display, which is kindly put on by a local vintage owners club to create what is always a popular and stunning display. Visitors will be able to relax in the ‘Village Green’ area whilst listening to the Ashover Brass Band. The children can watch the traditional Punch and Judy Show or pay a visit to the popular rides

Mitech

The Horticulture Marquee is a must for visitors with its absolutely stunning displays which just get better every year, as does the appetising Ashover Marquee which will have over 30 of the very best of local food producers from around the area. A visit to the Craft Marquee is also not to be missed with over 50 exhibitors displaying the fantastic range of local talent on show. Out on the showground there will be trade stands, selling everything from farm machinery to bird tables, there really is something to interest everyone! When visitors have looked around they can simply sit and relax at one of the many and varied food outlets. Car parks surround the show ground and parking is free. For up to date information and all of the contact details plus class schedules, please visit www.ashovershow. co.uk. Advance tickets and programmes are available to purchase on line at a reduced price to those on the day and we very much look forward to seeing you. THE 88TH

ASHOVER SHOW

14 AUGUST NESDAY 2019 D E W A TRADITIONAL AGRICULTURAL SHOW FOR ALL OF THE FAMILY TO ENJOY The Rectory Fields, Ashover, Chesterﬁeld, Derbyshire S45 0BA 9.00AM UNTIL DUSK Telephone 01623 811545 ashovershow@aol.com www.ashovershow.co.uk ASHOVER AGRICULTURAL & HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY LTD WORKING IN AID OF THE ASHOVER SHOW

Automation & Manual

Nice

See us at the Chatsworth Country Fair Friday 30th August to Sunday 1st September

The Unit, Mount Pleasant, Derby Road, RipleyDE5 8NN T: 01773 570577 www.mitechjoinery.co.uk 64 | www.countryimagesmagazine.co.uk

Art classes for everyone. We Learn Create Inspire Unit 5, Darley Abbey Stables, off Abbey Yard, Darley Abbey, DE22 1DS Email: info@satidesign.co.uk Tel: 07387 276 733 www.satidesign.co.uk facebok @SatiDesignDerby

CREATE

Art Classes Darley Abbey

Our classes are designed to help students be creative and enjoy drawing while developing new skills and exploring new methods and mediums. We use a verity of mediums each week which include; watercolours, acrylics, oil pastels and colour pencils etc. All art material and tools are provided. We offer classes for all age groups Adults & Kids Classes Duration of each class Adults 3 hours / Kids 2 hours We’re located at Darley Abbey Stables offering our students a relaxed and comfortable setting. Email info@satidesign.co.uk for more information or to book a place!

August Events at Crich Tramway Village

f you want to encourage the children to experience the great outdoors, Crich Tramway Village offers a great family day out, where you can step back in time. We also welcome your dog! Historic trams run down a period street and out into the surrounding Derbyshire countryside, providing breathtaking views. Experience the fascinating Woodland Walk and Sculpture Trail, visit the Red Lion Pub and Tearooms, and explore the interesting exhibitions. The Workshop Viewing Gallery invites you to see our expert craftsmen maintain and refurbish the collection of vintage trams.

Unit 5, Darley Abbey Stables, Off Abbey Yard, Darley Abbey, DE22 1DS Email: info@satidesign.co.uk Tel: 07387 276 733 www.satidesign.co.uk

August brings a variety of events at Crich Tramway Village, with something for everyone. Craft activities, involving ‘Make-do-andMend’ in preparation for the World War II event will keep families busy between 5th and 9th August. Discovery Week from 12th to 16th August is a great opportunity for families to get involved with history and science-based fun activities. Horse Tram Day sees the return of Joseph, the popular Shire horse, to pull the Sheffield 15 horse tram between 11am and 4pm on Wednesday 14th August. Rides on the horse tram cost £1.00 per person. If you’re a model tram and railway fan, then Models Weekend is a must on Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th August. Marvel at the exhibitions of the models in the indoor exhibition areas. Woodland Week from 19th – 23rd August will play host to eco and wildlife-based activities for all the family to enjoy. The Classic Transport Gathering on Sunday 25th and Monday 26th August welcomes classic vehicles built prior to 1979. If you are interested in displaying a vehicle, you can download the booking form on the website: www.tramway.co.uk/whatson/classic-transport-gathering-3/ and return it by 2nd August. The month ends with ‘Back to School’ craft activities from 27th to 30th August, ensuring the children will be well prepared for the new school term. Visit the website for the full list of special events. Full priced tickets offer free return within 12 months (subject to opening dates and excluding World War II events). Open daily at 10am until Sunday 3rd November 2019. For more details, event and closing times 01773 854321 or visit www.tramway.co.uk. www.countryimagesmagazine.co.uk | 65

Food Festivals

ove over Glastonbury,

Y Not and Download, the hottest festivals in the UK this year are more likely to feature ciabatta than The Cure. While some hardy folk still enjoy wading through slippery mud and vegan jugglers at music festivals – everyone, and their Labrador, loves a food festival.

They are everywhere and so the headline acts have to be increasingly more-ish to stand-out (chicken wings and whisky weekender anyone?). On the day I decided to swan off to Ashbourne Food Fest’ – lured by a tasty line-up of the Cheddleton cheeses, giant sausage rolls and sweet chilli jam – I had to turn down my VIP pass to a man v doughnuts challenge at the Big Food Festival on Shipley Park. “Food festivals are such a great way to spend a weekend,” enthuses Lisa Wallace, owner of Ashbourne Bakehouse and organiser of the food fest’ held in Victoria Square as part of the Ashbourne Festival. “One of the reasons I wanted Ashbourne to have one is that I’m a food festival groupie myself - much to my husband’s dismay.” Lisa originally tried an on-line market selling food to a select group of local producers but, while the idea attracted hundreds of followers on social media, it only converted into a handful of customers. “I think people want to meet the people and hear the story behind the food,” Lisa said to explain why the real-life food festival was such an instant success when it launched last year. “Like me, I think food festival-goers are excited by new things but they also want to try before they buy. The festival is a lot of fun and I’m pleased to say all of the producers asked to come back next year. It’s good for the town because people come up and say ‘Oh wow – Ashbourne is so lovely’.”

A great way to spend a weekend

taste

derbyshire

A Colourful display on the stall belonging to The Pig Paddock, Ashbourne

66 | www.countryimagesmagazine.co.uk

While many of the UK’s food festivals are big productions featuring live cooking demonstrations, celebrity chefs and even pop-up cookery bookshops, Lisa was keen to keep Ashbourne’s ‘little and local’. “It was never about creating a profit stream, it’s a way of promoting great producers who don’t always have a shop window,” she says. “The stall-holders are chosen carefully so they complement each other. If someone buys my sour-dough bread I’ll recommend some Staffordshire cheese and a jar of Sarah Ball’s chutney from the neighbouring stalls. In fact, it’s a perfect blend of stalls if someone can get a complete meal – with drinks – from the festival complete with after-dinner chocolates and great coffee.” For details of the forthcoming Christmas foodie events, contact Lisa Wallace, Ashbourne Bakehouse, 29 Market Place, Ashbourne 01335 347206.

...from the Farm at Pilsley

‘Taste Derbyshire’ writer Amanda Volley was despatched with wicker basket in hand to the Ashbourne Food Fest’ to grill some of the stall-holders and ask the burning question ‘Have you got any free samples?’ Kniveton Cider Company It was seeing so many apples left to rot on the ground in and around Kniveton which sparked an idea in the mind of locals Kev Woolley, wife Hannah Barton and a group of their friends.

Kevin Woolley and Hannah Barton of Kniveton Cider Company and their products

“It was such a waste of drinkable apples,” Kev smiles in a way which lets you know he wasn’t thinking of pressing them into non-alcoholic juice. We all chipped in to buy the equipment to make 800 litres of cider. Trouble was, we gathered so many apples we couldn’t drink the lot and approached local pubs to see if they wanted the surplus.” That was the start of the commercial operation which saw the soon-to-be cider company double the production of their award-winning ciders (Never Mind the Hillocks, Four in a Corner, Wynnsum and OB1) every year. It was so successful Kev had to look for larger premises and – as the original friends dropped out – give up his job to work on cider production full-time. “I worked in pubs before I got a proper job. Ironically, I then had to give it up to work with booze again,” he laughs. Festivals and markets are how we like to retail it,” says Hannah who is the only woman on the board of SICA (Small Independent Cidermaker’s Association). “We now stock seven pubs but we still rely on friends and family for apples from their trees. In fact, we collect from trees just 500 metres from this very market stall…you can’t get more local than that.” Find out more about Kniveton Cider Company by visiting www.knivetoncider.co.uk

Cup and Saucer A passion for good tea and food festivals saw Gail Hannan having a lightbulb moment when she was made redundant after spending 15 years working in the social care sector. “I went to lots of food festivals and markets and, as a tea enthusiast, I didn’t see anyone doing any exciting loose-leaf tea blends,” says Gail, of North Wingfield. “I’d always wanted to be my own boss but it was my daughter Jess (28), who provided the push. She’s one of those annoying optimists who told me redundancy wasn’t an ending but an opportunity to pursue my dream – and she was right.” Although Gail is at pains to stress she doesn’t grow the tea – it’s a bit too chilly in North East Derbyshire – she perfects the blends by hand, often using fruit and flowers she has grown and dried. Gail Hannan, cup and saucer

“I’m forever coming up with ideas for blends,” Gail smiles when I survey shelves bursting with tea blends which helped her win Chesterfield Food Producer of the Year at last year’s food and drinks awards. The best part of what I do is taking those blends to food festivals and meeting people. Funnily enough, I thought I’d be mostly selling to older people but they’re the ones who say ‘I prefer Typhoo’ when I ask them to sample something like my ‘Roaring Rhubarb’ blend. Younger people are far more adventurous with tea.” As for tourists who visit Derbyshire food festivals, Gail says she can predict the teas which will end up in their pots. “Tourists loves the ones which are inspired by the Peak District like ‘Calm Castleton’,” she says. It’s made from Egyptian chamomile flowers so it’s perfect for helping people sleep and have dreams about pretty Derbyshire villages.” For information on Gail’s teas contact her by email cupandsaucerteas@gmail.com

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Cacoa Elora Whereas most people are content to simply devour chocolate, John Cowings devotes hours of his spare-time to the labour-intensive process of turning humble cacoa beans into fine quality chocolate bars and filled truﬄes. “It used to take around 30 hours to grind the beans as I only had a wooden board and a spatula,” he laughs. “Now I do it with a self-made winnowing contraption which has lots of tubes and a vacuum attached. It’s worth the effort as the first thing people say is ‘I have never tasted chocolate like it’.”

John Cowings, Cacoa Elora.

To scan John’s shelves is to take a tour of the world’s finest single source chocolate; from Bolivian Alto Beni (hints of prunes) to Peru Gran Chillique, which has notes of pineapple but, despite the name, no chilli. John fits his chocolate-making around his full-time council job and duties as a trade union representative. “I even use my Christmas holidays as a time to make chocolate,” he smiles. My weekends tend to be taken up with food festivals but I love them as people are always keen to hear the provenance of the chocolate. I think they’re amazed that beans grown on a tiny farm in St Vincent can end up as a bar of chocolate on sale at a festival in Ashbourne.” For more information about Cacoa Elora, contact John Cowings on 07712 171080

Azorie Blue It says everything about the quality of Adrianno Rose’s product when his coffee, roasted in Melbourne, is not only a favourite of racing driver Bruno Senna but also of his own dad Graham; a man who doesn’t like coffee. “Graham likes it because, as our saying goes, the coffee is ‘smoother than a tiger in a tuxedo’,” laughs proud mum Diana Rose. “He’s been going for 12 years now and it’s been so successful, it’s now his full-time business.” According to Diana, her son had the idea to develop the brand while working in sport’s marketing and hospitality; a job which often took him to motor racing events. Diana Rose, Azorie Blue.

“Adrianno often found he couldn’t get quality coffee and so he decided to make his own blend of espresso using Brazilian arabica beans,” she explains. “He started selling the coffee in select high-street retailers like Harvey Nichols but found it was more rewarding to sell direct to the public. He can often be booked for several events on a weekend and, since retiring, I’m happy to help out. I love chatting to people about the brand and, if I have any questions, Adrianno is at the end of the phone. He usually responds with ‘don’t stress, just enjoy it’.” To order on-line visit the website www.azorieblue.co.uk

Hogg Norton “People do strange things with our liqueurs like pouring them on ice cream but I prefer it neat,” laughs Adrian Hogg who, with partner Mike Norton, turned their passion for making fruity booze into a business four years ago. “We’d been making sloe gin but wanted to try to make a liqueur using traditional fruits. We’d take them to BBQs and people would try to buy it. We went from 25 litre demi-johns to a commercial operation making over 200 litres in steel vats.” Hogg Norton liqueurs take the form of ‘core’ flavours of spiced plum, strawberry, raspberry, mixed berry and blackberry and star anise, but the men are always looking to try something new.

Adrain Hogg, Hogg Norton.

“Mike’s currently growing gooseberries so we can start making a new blend after the harvest in November,” says Adrian whose business is based at Igmanthorpe Farm in North Chesterfield. “We’re always being invited to attend food fairs – like the posh one at Blenheim Palace – and customers always make a bee-line for us. Before they taste it, people assume it’s flavoured vodka or gin but say it’s something completely different and intoxicatingly good.” To find out more, email Adrian Hogg at adrian@hoggnorton.co.uk

68 | www.countryimagesmagazine.co.uk

Lisa Wallace, her business (Ashbourne Bakehouse) in Ashbourne and her stall at the fest’

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

ancy visiting a food festival this autumn? Here’s Taste Derbyshire’s guide to the best local events

AUGUST

Chesterfield Food & Drink Festival Queen’s Park, Boythorpe Road, Chesterfield August 2nd-4th

The promise of the biggest event yet – combining cooking demos and live music plus hot and cold food washed down with crafted beers and artisan gins. If that doesn’t get your pulse racing – get all aboard the ‘Playbus’.

For details email info@chesterfieldfoodanddrink.co.uk

Thornbridge Peakender

Bakewell Showground, Bakewell August 16th-18th

This claims to be one of the most unique food and drink festivals in the UK. It will bring together luminaries of the brewing world with stellar street food companies…and if you fancy a few nights under the stars, you can even book a posh tent for the weekend.

Visit www.peakender.co.uk SEPTEMBER

County Food and Drink Fair Calke Abbey, Ticknall September 1st

Sample the ﬁnest seasonal food from local producers in the grounds of one of the quirkiest National Trust homes.

For details visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk

beloved by builders – it’s all under the Grade II listed roof at The Roundhouse.

For details of both festivals, visit www.roundhouse-events.co.uk

The Great Peak District Fair and Buxton Beer Festival Pavilion Gardens, Buxton October 12th and 13th

You don’t have to be near the sea to enjoy food on the prom and a donkey ride; this festival has it all - including balloon modelling.

Free entry.

Oktoberfest

The National Brewery Centre, Horninglow Road, Burton-on-Trent October 18th and 19th

Visitors can expect oompah music, foot-stomping and loud singing – you have been warned.

Call 01283 532880 to book

Matlock Vegan Fair

Imperial Rooms, Matlock October 20th

The event will not only ‘celebrate the chickpea’, visitors can expect lots of stalls, a pop-up cafe and the promise of free samples.

For details of this and other vegan and vegetarian events visit www.veggies.org.uk

Etwall Food and Drink Fayre

King George V Playing Field, Portland Street, Etwall September 14th

Live cookery demonstrations and gymnastics – not at the same time – and 40 yummy trade stands.

£2 entry, 11am – 4.30pm.

Gin and Rum Festival The Roundhouse, Derby September 21st

With 60 different rums and 60 gins – the organisers suggest visitors bring their dancing shoes.

OCTOBER

The Great British Tea Festival The Roundhouse, Derby October 13th

Delicate white Japanese or strong to black tea

www.countryimagesmagazine.co.uk | 69

Country

app

it’s FREE to download today… and tomorrow… and the day after that too!! We go one better than a free trial, County Images app is always free to download, so get it now and read every Country Images Magazine on your smart phone or tablet today. Just another reason we’re Derbyshire’s best read lifestyle magazine!

or visit www.countryimagesmagazine.co.uk 70 | www.countryimagesmagazine.co.uk

Food & Drink

IMAGES RECIPE

Carrot, orange and walnut cake

Robin Maycock & Family NEW 2019

READY TO COOK RANGE

Famous for their fresh locally sourced meat, bakery and deli counter.

Set in beautiful Derbyshire countryside with free parking outside

HOLLOWAY VILLAGE BUTCHER Lea Shaw Road, Holloway, Nr Matlock, Derbyshire DE4 5AT 01629 534333 www.robinmaycockbutchers.co.uk

Specialising in a mixture of fantastic Italian dishes and more traditional English dishes.

LUNCHTIME MENU 2 courses £10.95 3 courses £12.95

Sunday Lunch served 12noon - 5pm 01773 825050 | Hopping Hill, Milford, Belper DE56 0RL www.newinnmilford.co.uk | bookings@thenewinn.net Open Monday to Saturday 12 noon – 9.30pm,

INGREDIENTS: 4 eggs 150g golden caster sugar 300ml sunflower oil 2 medium-large carrots, peeled and finely grated 300g wholemeal self-raising flour ½ tsp salt ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda 40g walnuts 20g sultanas Juice of one orange

FOR THE ICING (OPTIONAL) 125g unsalted butter, softened 250g cream cheese Finely grated zest of 1 orange (reserve some for decoration) 50g-100g icing sugar, or to taste, sieved A few walnuts

DIRECTIONS: 1. Preheat the oven to 180˚C/gas 4. Grease and line a 23cm diameter, spring form or loose bottomed cake tin. 2. Put the eggs and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Using a mixer, or electric beater, mix together for about 10 minutes, until pale, foamy and slightly thickened. Add the oil and beat for a couple of minutes more. 3. Combine the flour, salt and bicarbonate of soda then sieve them into the mixture, folding in lightly. Finally, combine the grated carrot, walnuts, sultanas and juice and zest of one orange Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 45-50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. 4. Leave in the tin to cool completely before turning out. 5. The cake is lovely just like this but, if you’d like to ice it, beat the soft butter and icing sugar in a bowl until smooth and fluffy, then beat in the cream cheese and orange zest and a little orange juice. Sweeten to taste with sieved icing sugar. Spread over the cake when cold, then decorate with the zest of an orange and walnuts. www.countryimagesmagazine.co.uk | 71

THE FREEDOM OF FLYING

light aircraft flying over Derbyshire gives you an unobstructed grandstand view of the fabulous natural environment in which we live. Experience the joy and excitement of flying, soaring above the beautiful Derbyshire countryside. Take a bird’s eye view of your favourite landmarks – maybe it’s Carsington Water reservoir, Dovedale, Froggatt Edge, Chatsworth House, Ladybower dams or your own home area. Taking hold of the flying controls, you can really experience the freedom of flying. Derby Aero Club offers a wide range of flying services including tuition for the private pilots licence. Flying from its home base at Derby Airfield, Egginton, the club caters for all ages. Recently a number of our younger students have achieved their first solo flight at the youngest legal age of 16.

14 carefully selected walks around Derbyshire ranging

WALK

from 3 to 9 miles

Walk Derbyshire 5 is available through selected outlets around the County.

nce - written 14 More walks with a differe in-depth historical from Rambler’s deep love and County. knowledge of this inspirational

£2.99

Why not come along to the airfield on a fine day and sit with a cup of tea, watching the aeroplanes come and go, or purchase a ‘trial lesson’ as a gift for someone special or even for yourself ? A trial flying lesson makes an ideal present, gift vouchers are available from the Derby Aero Club.

Issue 5

Derby Airfield is also the home of the Comet Racer restoration project. A team of volunteers are working hard restoring the Comet Racer G-ACSP that was originally flown by Amy Johnson and husband Jim Mollison in 1934, in the air race from England to Australia.

Buy the latest edition of Derbyshire’s favourite walking guide

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PJ CARS PRIVATE HIRE DERBY

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PJ Cars is one of the most established taxi firms in Derby, Derbyshire. Started in 1980, our business has gone from strength to strength over the years, growing from a single car to a fleet of more than 150 cars. Trust our experienced drivers to get you where you need to go. All drivers are qualified with a Level 2 NVQ in Road Passenger Vehicle Driving, licensed by the local authority, and DBS checked to an Enhanced level

Airport Transfers

Departing from Derby, we offer competitive prices for our superior airport transfer services, travelling to major airports across the country. Open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

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Service Station, Dairy House Road Derby, Derbyshire DE23 8HQ 72 | www.countryimagesmagazine.co.uk

info@pjcarsderby.co.uk Facebook Itunes Store Google Play

Coxbench Hall Residential Home www.coxbench-hall.co.uk

www.heritage-wood.co.uk Family run home providing quality care since 1984

A mix between nature, celebration and reflection A unique opportunity for you to dedicate a tree in memory of a lost loved one. Ashes may be buried beneath your tree.Â Trees can be dedicated to mark all of lifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s events and milestones.

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Hollington Lane, Ednaston, Ashbourne DE6 3AE

www.countryimagesmagazine.co.uk | 73

new adventure for La Vie En Rose this Summer we’re introducing unique lines for the ultimate range of gifts and cards. Stockists of Katie Loxton, Joma Jewellery and Five Dollar Shake Cards, with the addition of Big Green Tree’s natural skincare. Gist Jewellery, Gingko bespoke electronics, Bella Boo Bows, Clarissa’s Creations, Soap Flowers, Snow Goose, Laura Elizabeth Cards and Winter In Venice bath sets with every gift perfectly wrapped for you and all your loved ones. Instagram: @lavieenrosemelbourne. Facebook: @lavieenrosegifts. La Vie En Rose, 1 Derby Road, Melbourne, Derby DE73 8JR

ew Autumn wedding outfits by Glitz now arriving at Jillian Hart Fashions in sizes 12-24 and from £135.00. There is also a super range of hats, fascinators and matching accessories available for any special occasion. Visit Jillian Hart Fashions 40-44 Babington Lane , Derby Telephone 01332 347647

74 | www.countryimagesmagazine.co.uk

ith up to 70% off many well-known brands the Clarkes sale in Ripley and Belper is one not to be missed. Illustrated: A-line skirt crafted from cotton, with added stretch making it comfy. Clarkes of Ripley, Grosvenor Road, Ripley.

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Leading brands stocked in Ladies and Mens footwear visit our ladies fashion floor for and much more

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New Season - New Brands - New Look!

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Friendly personal service from assistants who care, in a truly independent store that’s big enough to stock the quality brands you want.

Footwear – Accessories Lingerie- Gifts Linens- Homewear Menswear & Coffee Shop. Joules White Stuff Seasalt Weird Fish Olsen

Tigi Mistral Pomodoro Soyaconcept Luca Vanucci

Viz a viz Joe Brown Barbour Espirt Superdry

8-18 Grosvenor Road, Ripley Tel: 01773 742151 Ladies Fashion at our Belper store includes Mistral, Esprit, Red Cuckoo, Luca Vanucci, Weird Fish and more 30-32 King Street, Belper, Telephone Tel: 01773 525358

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70% off Two ﬂoors of bargains Further Reductions in all departments You’ll be pleased to see our coffee shop!!

www.countryimagesmagazine.co.uk | 75

The Soap Co. is an ethical luxury brand that creates sophisticated cruelty-free body care products to nurture and care for your skin.

300ml £18 13 natural oils including healing sage, uplifting rosemary and stress relieving thyme provide the delicate herbal notes for our Wild Nettle & Sage hand lotion. It’s fresh scent is a true celebration of the great British countryside and has been crafted with natural, vegan and eco-certified ingredients. It is also enriched with antioxidants, sage oil, natural bee friendly borage and calendula botanicals and organic cocoa butter to nourish and protect your skin. Free from parabens, PEGs, synthetic fragrance, synthetic colour, mineral oils, TEA, petrochemicals, silicones, EDTA and artificial colours.

300ml £16 13 natural oils including healing sage, uplifting rosemary and stress relieving thyme provide delicate herbal notes to our Wild Nettle & Sage hand wash. Its fresh scent is a true celebration of the great British countryside and our hand wash is crafted with natural, vegan and eco-certified ingredients. Enriched with skin softening sugar esters from coconut oil, vitamins, sage oil and natural bee friendly botanicals it’s kind to your skin and the environment. Also free from SLS/SLES, PEGs, triclosan, synthetic colour, DEA, petrochemicals, silicones, EDTA, parabens and artificial colours. Now cleanliness is really one step closer to godliness!

400ml £22 13 natural oils including healing sage, uplifting rosemary and stress relieving thyme provide the delicate herbal notes for our Wild Nettle & Sage body lotion. A guaranteed hit for those that love herbs this rich body lotion absorbs quickly into the skin and is enriched with antioxidants, sage oil and bee friendly borage and calendula botanicals for soft and healthy glowing skin. Created with natural, vegan and ecocertified ingredients it also contains organic cocoa butter and sweet almond oil for total body happiness. Free from parabens, PEGs, synthetic fragrance, synthetic colour, mineral oils, TEA, petrochemicals, silicones, EDTA and artificial colours. For more information and to buy online visit www.thesoapco.org

Hand Lotion A really light, non greasy hand lotion which sinks into your skin straight away. A light fragrance too, perfect to keep by the kitchen sink. VP

Body Lotion This looks, feels and is ecofriendly. Smooth and easy to apply, the fragrance isn’t overpowering but delicate. Simply packaged, this product really impressed me. JP

76 | www.countryimagesmagazine.co.uk

Body Wash I found that this was easy to rinse off and didn’t leave my skin feeling dry. I also like the fact that there are no artificial ingredients. I felt that I really was using a product that was back to nature. CB

“A new career at 57? I didn’t think it was possible! Sheila Wheeler - Bluebird Care

If you would like to make a diﬀerence, consider joining our award-winning team! Please see website for further details

Bluebird Care Derbyshire Dales & Amber Valley 6 Bridge Street, Belper DE56 1AX 01773 880055 e: ambervalley@bluebirdcare.co.uk @BluebirdCareAmberValley www.bluebirdcare.co.uk/amber-valley

All Aspects Of Plastering

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Fires & Fireplaces, Stoves & Chimney Sweeping

Patrick O’Neill Plastering Tel: 0780 701 6747

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Call Tim for a FREE no obligation quote 01335 342563/07961488893

WINDOWS DOORS CONSERVATORIES FASCIAS & SOFFITS REPAIR WORK Head Office/Showroom 28 Church Street Ripley Derbyshire DE5 3BU

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Windows, Doors and Conservatories • Full Insurance Backed Guarantee • Shoot- Bolt Locking With Push Button (Autolock Handles as Standard) • High Security Internal Glazing Bead as Standard • A Rated Energy Efficient Windows As Standard • Hook Bolt Door Locks as Standard All kinds of repairs undertaken. Replacement Handles,Hinges and Door Furniture Including Double Glazing Repairs and Misted Up Glass Units No High Pressure Sales – Guaranteed • Each Quotation Attended by the Proprietor • Our own Fully Experienced Installers, No Sub-Contractors • 20 Years’ Experience in the Window Trade

78 | www.countryimagesmagazine.co.uk

DREAM DOORS NEW LIFE FOR OLD KITCHENS

Visit our Derbyshire showrooms or call to book your FREE survey and quote: 20 The Strand, Derby, DE1 1BE T: 01332 290600 197 Sheffield Road, Chesterfield, S41 7JQ T: 01246 221299 www.dreamdoors.co.uk

Made to measure Gates, Railings & Ironwork Phone NOW for your FREE on site quotation Fitting Service Available

The Area’s Favourite Window Company

Tel: 01773 747265 Mobile: 07967 419 504 Email: weatherseal01@live.co.uk

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.

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All gates come complete with brackets tofit to wall or existing post (posts not included)

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Phone 01773 745822 NOW

A Local Family Run Company

Motor Bike Frames, Garden Furniture Collection Service Available for a small charge

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We supply and install a large range of products WINDOWS & DOORS IN: - UPVC - ALUMINIUM - TIMBER TRIPLE GLAZING UPGRADE NOW AVAILABLE

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Win a Copy of Walk Derbyshire 2 We have ten copies to give away....

Country

12 13

18 21

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First correct entries drawn win the prize. Terms and conditions apply.

27 29

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Entries to reach us by August 18th

20 24

Just find the Derbyshire/Nottinghamshire village in the crosswordÂ and send your answer to: Crossword Comp. Country Images, Unit 5, Office Village, Keys Road, Alfreton, Derbys DE55 7FQ. Or email competitions@imagespublishing.co.uk

Across 1 Fire 4 Blown apart 9 Sign 10 Big house 12 Request 13 Opposite 16 Respond 18 Holding area 19 and fro! 20 negative 21 Problem base 23 Former 24 definition 27 Socialise 28 Commanding Officer 29 Worry 31 Ground breaking 34 Night before 35 Operation system 36 Curtain raiser 39 Choose 40 Full point 42 Head wear 44 Get own back 46 Man 47 Voice action 48 Kids bike 49 Soon Down: 1 Carnival 2 Thespian 3 Box in 5 Give in 6 Tomorrow 7 Wind 8 Hollow 11 Drink 14 Of the eye 15 Grimace 17 Accurate 22 Game letters 25 River 26 Atom 29 Main city 30 Necessity 32 Code 33 Bright 37 Join 38 City 41 Vehicle 43 Mesh 45 Weapon JULY WINNER: John Rutter, Derby. ANSWER: Harehill

www.countryimagesmagazine.co.uk | 79

An Impressive history

Toyota Land Cruiser An off-road pedigree With an off-road heritage spanning more than 65 years, Toyota land Cruiser retains its ability to combine outstanding quality, durability and reliability with amazing off-road performance and even greater levels of luxury, prestige and on-road comfort. In the toughest situations, Land Cruiser has a proven history of giving you the versatility and power you need without neglecting your comfort.

LAND CRUISER

4.9%APR

Ron Brooks Mansfield

TERRITORY S

Acorns, Oak Tree Lane Mansfield NG183HG 01623 240 054 ronbrooksmansfield.toyota.co.uk

Ron Brooks llkeston

Derby Road llkeston

DE75FH

01158820233 ronbrooksilkeston.toyota.co.uk

Model shown is Land Cruiser Icon 5 dr 2.8 D-4D Auto. Official fuel consumption figures in mpg (1/lOOkm): combined 27 .3 (10.3)-30.1 (9.36). Combined C02 201 g/km. Figures are provided for comparability purposes; only compare fuel consumption and C02 figures with other cars tested to the same technical procedures. These figures may not reflect real life driving results. Fuel consumption and C02 produced varies significantly depending on a number of factors, including the accessories fitted (postregistration), driving style, conditions, speed and vehicle load. All models and grades are certified according to the World Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP), which replaces the New European Driving Cycle test procedure (NEDC). All C02 figures quoted are NEDC equivalent. This means the C02 figures are based on the new WLTP test procedure but calculated (using a standard European calculation method) to allow comparison with the NEDC test procedure and will be used to calculate vehicle tax on first registration. All mpg figures quoted are full WLTP figures. More information can be found by visiting: www.vehicle-certification-agency.gov.uk/fcb/wltp.asp year

TOYOTA WARRANTY

Model shown is Land Cruiser Icon 5 dr 2.8 D-4D Auto at ÂŁ49,295 including optional metallic paint at ÂŁ700. Prices correct at time of being published. 5 year/100,000 mile manufacturer warranty. Terms and conditions apply. *4.9%APR Representative only available on new retail orders of Land Cruiser between 1st July 2019 and 30th September 2019 and registered and financed through Toyota Financial Services by 30th September 2019 on a 42 month AccessToyota (PCP) plan with 0%-35% deposit. Toyota Financial Services is a trading name of Toyota Financial Services (UK) PLC; registered office Great Burgh, Burgh Heath, Epsom, Surrey, KT18 SUZ. Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Indemnities may be required. Finance subject to status to over 18s. Other finance offers are available but cannot be used in conjunction with this offer. Offer may be varied or withdrawn at any time. 8,000 miles per annum, excess miles over contracted charged at 12p per mile. Toyota Centres are independent of Toyota Financial Services. Participating Toyota Centres. Affordable finance throughAccessToyota (PCP). Terms and conditions apply.

80 | www.countryimagesmagazine.co.uk

he Land Cruiser has impressed ever since it climbed Mount Fuji more than 60 years ago. Today, the new Land Cruiser is just as relentless with more advance on-and off-road technologies, more safety features and more powerful performance to tackle even the roughest terrain.The Land Cruiser is powered by a 2.8 l D-4D turbo diesel with a choice of manual or automatic transmission. The 2.8 D-4D engine features an electronically controlled, common-rail type fuel injection system that achieves higher pressure and more advanced injection pressure control. Available in automatic variant, the 2.8 D-4D engine can be combined with a 6-speed Super intelligent Electronically Controlled automatic transmission (6 Super ECT) which benefits from several control systems designed to improve both fuel economy and driving performance.

Versatile space Whether you’re exploring new territory or negotiating the urban jungle, Land Cruiser has the spacious cabin and versatility to match your needs. Choose between 5 or 7-seat options for a vehicle that adapts to changing conditions and individual requirements. On-board comfort Land Cruiser’s functionality, craftsmanship and attention to detail ensures a rewarding journey. On-board comfort has been enhanced and the Icon and Invincible models offer front-seat and rearpassenger ventilation and triple-zone automatic air conditioning.

Strength and purpose in every line The Land Cruiser further enhances its reputation with a new, more modern and robust exterior styling. Every line serves a clear purpose, starting with the bonnet which has been shaped to enhance downward visibility at the centre. The headlamps and grille cooling openings are positioned higher to maximise both protection and wading depth, while the new bi-tone dark grey & machined-face 19” alloy wheels (6-double-spoke) create a more dynamic profile. The rear now includes a redesigned lamp cluster with an

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto allows you to use useful features of your smartphone while driving Navigation

Use Apple maps, Google maps and Waze to navigate. Your maps are always up to date, destination can be entered by voice (Siri or Google Assistant) while driving, no postcode required. Destination can be prepared at home on your phone in advance and will then display on your new 7"-9" touchscreen radio display. Speed camera info and speed limit are displayed as well as traffic data

Music

Use Apple Music, Spotify, Google Play Music, Tidal and Internet radio apps and podcasts while driving. Control your existing playlists, albums, artists by voice or touchscreen

LED stop light. Towing your equipment, avoiding potholes, battling rain, snow and ice – no other SUV can offer the Land Cruiser’s unique combination of on-road dynamics and off-road performance. It is equipped with a Drive Mode Select System, an electronically modulated Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System (KDSS), which optimises the effect of the front and rear stabilisers for enhanced on-road performance - you are ready for whatever lies ahead!

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Apple CarPlay & Android Auto Use useful features of your smartphone while driving.

- NAVIGATION Use Apple maps, Google maps and Waze to navigate.

MUSIC

- Use Apple Music, Spotify, Google Play Music, Tidal and Internet radio apps and podcasts while driving.

- PHONE -

- Access your contacts, see your missed , recent and received calls or dial a number not in your phone by internet search,

- MESSAGES -

Respond to incoming messages by voice.

Phone

Access your contacts, see your missed, recent and received calls or dial a number not in your phone by internet search, simply say "Call Car Electronics Derby" and your phone will call us even when our number isn't saved in your phonebook

Messages

Respond to incoming messages by voice. Press on a message notification on your radio touchscreen to read it aloud through the speakers, then dictate back your response As this uses your phone, new features are added regularly. Some features we're expecting soon include calendar notifications to organise your day while driving and access to other notifications. Car Electronics, Ashbourne Road, Derby. Derby. www.carelecderby. co.uk

Car Electronics Derby Ltd

13, Ashbourne Road,Derby DE22 3FQ

01332 332546

www.carelecderby.co.uk @carelecderby

www.countryimagesmagazine.co.uk | 81

Mrs Tiggywinkle Needs You!!

verybody loves Beatrix Potter’s iconic character, Mrs Tiggywinkle the apron-donning hedgehog don’t they? It’s around this time of year that we really start to see them foraging for food in the late evening shadows, so I thought it would be a good moment to share ways in how you can help these fantastic British creatures. You shouldn’t ever see a hedgehog during daylight hours, they are a truly nocturnal mammal, so if you do see one it could be a clear sign that they’re in need of help. If you come across one whilst you’re in a car at the side of the road, it may well have been hit by a previous vehicle. Most of us don’t normally travel with carry boxes or containers in our cars – I do, but obviously it’s a matter of habit for me! – so it isn’t always easy to get them to a local rescue centre. Where possible though, do please make the extra effort to pick them up (using gloves to protect your hands from their prickly spines)

holding them around their tummies, and get them checked over. If you don’t know where the local wildlife rescues in our area are, you can contact us here at Saint Leonard Veterinary Centre, use Google, or even good old Yellow Pages – yell as it’s called now! Hedgehogs usually Hibernate from November or December through until March or April, although if we’re having a milder start to late autumn/ early winter ‘Hogs can remain active into December. Hedgehogs tend to have more than one “nesting” site and do move around between them as they hibernate, so you may see them out and about from time to time. During hibernation, ‘hogs drop their body temperatures to that of the outdoor weather, slowing their bodies’ functions right down to preserve energy; this is all fine and dandy, but it makes every day, normal activity impossible! Whilst they’re hibernating, hedgehogs use their built-up summer reserves of body fat as a fuel source, and it’s essential that they’re heavy and therefore fat enough to survive on their

veterinary centre.

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stores over winter. Tiggywinkles should weigh about 600g by early December; at this weight they should have enough fat accumulated to survive. If you see a ‘hog snuffling around and you’re not sure if it needs a bit of feeding up (more on that in a while), pick it up gently and pop it onto some kitchen scales. Those individuals that aren’t far off 600g will probably be fine with a little extra from yourselves and neighbours, but very underweight ones will need the help of wildlife centres so please get in touch with a suitable one.n the wild, Hedgehogs eat all manner of creepycrawlies, including ground Beetles, juicy Caterpillars, Worms and Slugs, making them popular with gardeners :-). During cold or dry spells these insects tend to be thin on the ground (no pun intended – although you have to admit that was good!). We’ve just had an exceptionally dry summer in 2018 so any hedgehogs in your area will benefit massively from a shallow dish of water and some food; meat-based, wet cat or dog food, specific hedgehog food or cat biscuits will be fine. If you’re lucky, you might get left one of their calling cards (a.k.a. poop) next to the dish to discover in the morning, by way of thanks. There is a common myth that hedgehogs love to slurp a dish of milk and eat bits of broken up bread, and I just want to categorically de-bunk this theory right now. Please don’t give them milk, ‘hogs are lactose intolerant; you’ll make them poorly and give them a case of the trots at the very least! Bread is a poor energy source, so they not only will fill up on it quickly, they won’t get much nutrition from it either. This is the time of year when we start to gather piles of wood, twigs and leaves for our Bonfire Night celebrations, and unfortunately these piles look like something akin to the Ritz Carlton Hotel to hedgehogs. Even small piles of garden debris collected for routine garden fires need checking before you set them ablaze. Every year there are cases of burned hedgehogs reported, and those that don’t get burned can inhale too much smoke to survive, so please take a couple of minutes to check before you strike your match!

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To those of you lucky enough to have the space, why not make a “’Hog Hotel” in your own garden? It doesn’t need to be anything fancy or professional enough to win an architecture award. If you fancy giving it a go, the Tiggywinkles website has a nifty guide that you can download and follow to make your own “Tiggy Towers”

DERBY & ALLESTREE PRACTICES 134-136 OSMASTON ROAD, DERBY, DE1 2RF, TEL: 01332 345119 367A DUFFIELD ROAD, ALLESTREE, DE22 2DN, TEL: 01332 553396

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In a nutshell, the shelter needs to be pretty much waterproof and with access big enough for the hedgehog, but not allow badgers or dogs in (the main predators of hedgehogs believe it or not!). Pop some soft hay or straw in, and some dry leaves that the prickly prince or princess can arrange to their own liking as they create their slumber palace. As always, if you do need advice about a hedgehog you’ve got, then give us a call here at SLVC. Until next time; stay safe, stay well, and be happy :-).

82 | www.countryimagesmagazine.co.uk

Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been in care for over 30 years and one thing remains the same. We deliver great care, from our family, to yours.

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