The Region’s Premium Publication Autumn 2016 | Issue 14 | £3.95
Steve Backshall As I see it...
Stan Bolt Timeless architecture
Bridget McCrum Her work past and present
Carinthia West Memories of Bowie and Jagger
PLUS
FOOD SPACE ESCAPE SCHOOL PROPERTY MANOR | Autumn 2016
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Gittisham, Devon
Very private location in one of East Devon’s most charming villages Honiton 4 miles, Exeter 14 miles, M5 motorway Cullompton (J28) 11 miles, Taunton 22 miles (all distances are approximate) Grade II listed thatched Victorian house with courtyard of outbuildings. 6 bedrooms, 2 en-suite, 3 reception rooms and conservatory. Garaging and walled garden. In all about 4.26 acres.
Offers in Excess of ÂŁ1,400,000 KnightFrank.co.uk/EXE130219 4
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To find out how we can help you please contact us. www.KnightFrank.co.uk/Exeter edward.clarkson@knightfrank.com
Salcombe Regis, Devon
Non-listed farmhouse with an award winning extension Sidmouth 5 miles, Sidbury 5 miles, Honiton 6 miles (London Waterloo 2 hours 45 minutes), Exeter 28 miles (London Paddington 2 hours) (all distances are approximate)
To find out how we can help you please contact us. www.KnightFrank.co.uk/Exeter edward.clarkson@knightfrank.com
Completely remodelled and refurbished farmhouse in a very rural location and yet only a short distance from the amenities of Sidmouth and the coast. Large open-plan living space, 4 further reception rooms, cinema and gym. 4 bedrooms, 2 en-suite and family bathroom. Outbuildings, garaging, stable block and extensive sporting facilities. In all about 48 acres. EPC: D.
KnightFrank.co.uk/EXE160232 MANOR | Autumn 2016
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Contents Autumn 2016
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PHOTO:STEVE RUSSELL STUDIOS
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Regulars 13 TOWN MOUSE, COUNTRY MOUSE Correspondence from across the divide
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MANOR CONFIDENTIAL Turner Locker Revival and Gaia Spa launch
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AS I SEE IT... TV adventurer and presenter Steve Backshall
Features 29 DANGEROUS SIGHTS
Renowned sculptor Bridget McCrum
Style & Beauty 14 TRENDS Coat desire and Believe in sleeves
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THE AUTUMN-WINTER PALETTE
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MY FEEL-GOOD REGIME
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THE STYLE SHOOT
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WEST OF EDEN
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THE BUSINESS
The extraordinary life of Carinthia West
Cornish clothing business Seasalt
Create a look for the coming seasons
Daiman Baker
Photographed by Thomas Hole
Photostory 35 BEHIND THE SCENES Welsh National Opera in rehearsal, captured by photographer Jimmy Swindells
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Culture 58 CLIFFHANGER The work of landscape painter Sarah Adams
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BRANCHING OUT Sculptor Jilly Sutton’s new solo exhibition
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SOUTH WEST MUST SEES... What’s on around the region
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WORTH MAKING THE TRIP FOR... Cultural highlights from the metropolis
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WORTH STAYING IN FOR... Quality time on your sofa
Food 94 EGGS IS EGGS
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We visit St Ewe Eggs in Cornwall
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FIFTEEN SCORES TEN Celebrating 10 years of Jamie Oliver’s restaurant in Cornwall, and the new tasting menu
103 CELEBRATING SIMPLE COOKING Recipes from Riverside Cottage chef Gill Meller’s new book
108 BITES Food news from across the peninsula
113 THE TABLE PROWLER ...dines out at Tremenheere Kitchen and The Wild Café, Bedurthan Steps Hotel
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148 MANOR school 141 SCHOOL NEWS IN BRIEF Truro High markswoman is on target for Team GB; Exeter School pupils visit Spitfire piloted by former pupil
Space 116 BOLT FROM THE BLUE Devon architect Stan Bolt
122 SCREEN WEST We take a look round the Newlyn Filmhouse
126 QUICK CHANGE Interior design solutions from Studio Sims Hilditch
128 SHOPPING FOR SPACE Lighten the mood
142 FRIENDS AND BULLIES In the second part of an exclusive new series Professor Ruth Merttens examines the issues affecting children’s happiness. This month she examines friendships and bullying
Property 147 THE BULLETIN A virtual reality property search - the future?
148 PROPERTY OF NOTE
Lower Washbourne Farm, Devon
Escape 132 ESCAPE TO THE COUNTRY How an Ashburton farm has been transformed in to a luxurious but laid-back place to stay
138 FEAST FOR THE MIND AND BODY We immerse ourselves in Boringdon Hall and the newly opened Gaia Spa
159 SNAPSHOT COMPARATIVE A selection of properties with land from the South West and London
Back page 162 BLACK BOOK Oyster Shack owner Chris Yandell shares some secrets...
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THE COVER Faux fur hat, Helen Moore, £70 Photographer: Thomas Hole; Stylist: Mimi Stott; Model: Annabeth Murphy-Thomas; Hair and make-up: Maddie Austin
© MANOR Publishing Ltd, 2016. MANOR Magazine is published by Manor Publishing Ltd, Registered office: MANOR Publishing Ltd, 12 Mannamead Road, Plymouth, Devon PL4 7AA. Registered in England No. 09264104 info@manormagazine.co.uk. Printed by Warners Midlands plc.
Welcome to The Arts Issue of MANOR. It is that point in the year when time spent outdoors diminishes as temperatures drop and days shorten, and we turn our minds more to man-made creations, in the form of visual and performance art. Take sculpture. In this issue, we feature two highly regarded South West sculptors, in an interview with Bridget McCrum, who is showing at Messum’s exciting new art space, Messum’s Wiltshire, and a preview of the forthcoming solo exhibition in Dartmouth by Jilly Sutton, that comprises some 30 works of art. Carinthia West has recently exhibited her own work in Penzance. A woman who found herself moving in celebrity circles and becoming a trusted friend of many of our most familiar cultural icons of the 70s and 80s – such as Bowie, Jagger, Rod Stewart and Carly Simon – West opens up her personal photo album and recounts the stories behind each of the pictures she’s taken. They reveal the relaxed intimacy West had with each of her subjects, which allowed her to show them as people rather than stars – an insight that’s denied us these days, where celebrity (seemingly and disappointingly worth much more than creativity) is hyper-controlled. Talking of perspectives often denied us, Jimmy Swindells takes us behind the scenes during rehearsals of the forthcoming production of Kiss Me, Kate at the Welsh National Opera. Jimmy, a commercial photographer and film-maker, has a particular interest in capturing the immense work behind popular cinema and theatre productions, the end product of which is three hours of performance perfection where the viewer has no concept of what went into it. We have a style shoot by Thomas Hole, who uses untamed forest as his backdrop to quite artistic effect. Then there is the art of space and how it interacts with its environment, as seen in the very best architecture, not least in the work of Stan Bolt, one of the most highly respected, standout architects in the South West throughout the last 23 years. Bolt, whose buildings pepper the region as contemporary works of art, timeless in their structure, has been a mentor for many young architects, themselves now RIBA award-winning. His legacy resides not just in the buildings he’s created, but in the architecture he continues to inspire. So this Arts Issue promises art – visual, performance and architectural – as well as a bumper Food section, which includes recipes from River Cottage chef Gill Meller’s new book Gather, an Escape section which informs us of two very different South West getaways and an all-important School section where Professor Merttens advises parents on how to boost their children’s happiness at school, with particular reference to friendships and bullying. An issue that is packed from cover to cover with fascinating content, we hope you enjoy every element, cosy with a hot drink and a roaring fire, until the next, our Christmas Issue. See you then!
Imogen Clements FOUNDER & PUBLISHING EDITOR
The views of the writers in MANOR Magazine are not necessarily those shared by the publisher. Unsolicited manuscripts, artwork or transparencies are accepted on the understanding that the publishers incur no liability for their storage or return. The contents of MANOR Magazine are fully protected by copyright and may not be reproduced without permission. By submitting material to MANOR Magazine, MANOR Magazine Ltd is automatically granted the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right and license to use, reproduce, edit, distribute and display such material (in whole or part) and/or to incorporate it in other works in any form, media, or technology now known or later developed for the full term of any rights that may exist in such content. The contributor acknowledges that material submitted may
be published in any publication or website produced or published by MANOR Publishing Ltd. The contributor agrees not to submit material where they do not own the copyright and where they have not obtained all necessary licenses and/or approvals from the rightful owner. With respect to any photographs submitted, the contributor confirms that all necessary model and property releases have been obtained from any clearly identifiable person appearing in any image, together with any other relevant consents required. Prices and details of services and products are genuinely believed to be correct at the time of going to press, but may change. Although every effort is made to maintain accuracy we regret we are unable to honour any incorrect prices or other details that may be printed.
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#yourwellnessnaturally
01752 344455 | www.gaiaboringdon.co.uk 12
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TOWN MOUSE, COUNTRY MOUSE Darling...
Sweetness...
I have been busy thinking of late. Here in the country, one finds opportunities to reflect – there are views devoid of people that hypnotise and a blissful absence of traffic or construction noise. It is easy to drift in the country and try to lay all those conundrums that have flummoxed generations before us to rest. Like, for example, the meaning of art. What is art? It is a perennial question that can cause quite heated debate, especially with regard to contemporary art. I mean, it has so many forms, doesn’t it, sweetie? There are unmade beds, urinals, piles of bricks, just as there are vigorous splashes on canvas or calm honed sculptures which invite touch as well as visual admiration. I remain perplexed. In the same vein, art versus craft? How are they different? I have always thought craft as art that is functional, such as a beautifully crafted utensil or item of clothing. Fashion, in that regard, would be craft, although I’m sure designers would rather it be seen as art. Is art, therefore, perceived to be better than craft? Where does craft end and become art, and vice versa? Perhaps you can enlighten me, darling, from your Notting Hill hallowed towers? After all, most art of any worth is holed up in private residences or adorning lawns where you are. Where I am, everyone (almost) is an artist (or craftsperson), whereas where you are, everyone is a collector, buying it up. Except, of course, all that is changing now that we’re all moving to the country. We now have sufficient impressive contemporary art galleries in the sticks to get our fix without having to hot foot it to the Smoke. Hauser & Wirth in Somerset, Messum’s and Roche Court in Wiltshire, and, of course, the Tate in St Ives, which is destined to grow considerably in the next year, something yours truly is particularly excited about. Soon, mark my words, every London fine art institution will have a country outpost. I keep telling you, sweetie, anyone who’s anyone these days is country bound.
I love how this country life has brought out the philosopher in you. Define art…that is a question which we will never all agree on. I would concur with you that the word ‘craft’ suffers as a noun, but less so as a verb, don’t you think? In this world of mass industrial production, to craft something is really rather good; it requires a certain skill, the product of which will be of high quality. But when I think of craft, the noun, I think of basket-weaving, collages and felt. Don’t ask me why, possibly something to do with school. I too have been immersed in matters profound that have gripped the nation’s consciousness like no other this year, namely all the Bs: Brexit, Brangelina and Bake Off. Goodness, the dinner party set up here talk of nothing else, and just lately, what with Berry staying with the Beeb (that letter has a peculiar newsworthiness, don’t you think?), Bake Off is winning on the debating circuits. And I know you will scoff about such trivia being worth a breath, but sweetie, after Brexit, goodness knows it’s good to have a change of tack. Plus, it allows us to contemplate the meaning of celebrity, public perception versus reality, and the brand that is the BBC – which, far from being obsolete and losing out to gaming and Netflix, seems to unleash an almost protective aggression in the most unrelenting private sector capitalists amongst us. Or is the whole Bake Off saga a triumph of perception over reality, too? One never really knows what goes on behind closed doors when negotiations are rife. You see, sweetness, we can take the seemingly simplistic, unimportant and quotidian and use it to stimulate intense and profound debate much like some of that modern art you reference. Maybe therein lies the answer…
WHAT’S COOL IN THE COUNTRY?
WHAT’S HOT IN THE SMOKE?
The Stable, the latest in that rather hip chain of pizza/cider restaurants, has just opened in Exeter. Delicious and, should you wish, gluten free and vegan, all washed down in a relaxed vibe. Hawksfield, Atlantic A39, between Padstow and Wadebridge, a hotbed of high taste and creativity. Beautiful homewares, vintage and modern, plants, fantastic coffee from Strong Aldolfo’s and art at The Circle Contemporary Gallery, mentioning just a few of its offerings.
Abstract Expressionism at the Royal Academy until 2 January 2017, featuring works by de Kooning, Pollock, Rothko and Joan Mitchell – a landmark exhibition that will awe with famous works shown together that you never usually see up close. CôBa – classy-looking industrial-spec King’s Cross joint serves up Australian-inspired Vietnamese cuisine to very high acclaim. It’s not expensive either. A must.
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Coat desire
Jacket, Next, £58
Jacket, Next, £160
Valentino AW16
There’s an obvious practical function to coats but with warmth, comes style. Your most prominent garment says a lot about you and there is an endless array of styles of outerwear to choose this season from depending on your taste, mood and occasion. What’s more, they can reveal a tantalising hint of the style that lingers beneath.
Hat Accessorize, £29
Coat, Hobbs, £349 Jacket, Zara, £59.99
Bobble hat, Accessorize, £17
Coat, Hobbs, £299 Earrings, Accessorize, £8
Coat, Next, £99 Skirt, Zara, £39.99
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Boots, Whistles, £195 Bangle, Jigsaw, £39
Christopher Kane AW16
trends
Faux fur hat, Helen Moore, £70
Faux fur jacket, Zara, £79.99
Puffa, Next, £69
Faux fur jacket, Marks and Spencer, £89
Puffa, River Island, £100
Leather gloves, Hobbs, £79
Boots, Hobbs, £289 Puffa, Phase Eight, £175
Faux fur jacket, Next, £89
Dress, Hobbs, £399
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Earrings, Accessorize
Believe in sleeves
Necklace, Hobbs, £35
Lela Rose AW16
The focus is on sleeves. No longer just arm warmers, there is much detail to be had in a sleeve and much they can add to an otherwise standard dress or top. From puff to slit to funnel there were sleeves of every variety on the winter 2016 catwalks, and they’ve translated in volume to the high street. Top, Marks and Spencer, £49.50 Top, Next, £32
Top, Marks and Spencer, £45
Skinny Jeans, Next, £45
Dress, Mint Velvet, £99 Jumper, Hobbs, £89
Shoes, Next,£65 Top, Miss Selfridge, £35
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Top, Mint Velvet, £69 Shoes, Next,£38
Top, LK Bennett, £135
Toga AW16
trends
Top, Zara,£29.99
Dress, Hobbs, £149 Dress, Zara,£49.99
Suede skirt, John Lewis,£99
Boots, Dune
Top, Hobbs, £89
Jilly Sutton
‘BRANCHING OUT’ Solo Exhibition of sculptures and wall mounted work. 14th October – 6th November 2016
Coombe Gallery 20 Foss Street Dartmouth Devon TQ6 9DR
01803 835 820 www.coombegallery.com ‘Bigger Elm Seed Pod’. Cast from woodcarving in Olive stone resin on Slate. Ltd. Ed. 2/9 H:66 x W:59 x D:9cms
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The autumn-winter palette As seasons change, Elouise Abbott presents you with key colour considerations for your make-up bag.
A
utumn and winter is the time of year I look forward to the most with regards to make-up trends. It’s the time of year when colours are richer and deeper, and make-up looks are just that little bit stronger. This year looks to be no exception, with the autumn-winter palette suggesting a wonderful forecast of understated warmth. Welcome cool blues, greys and purples; warm earth tones and rustic reds complemented with a splash of mustard or emerald green. So, if you are looking to update your make-up bag this season, here are some of my favourite choices for the ultimate opulent eye, or a deep smoky lip. With so many wonderful warm, welcoming tones, from potter’s clay to aurora red and dusty cedar, Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance Palette is packed with all the warmth you could need, from peach to pink to brick red – an absolute must for make-up bags everywhere. There are also ultra-modern neutral shades of warm taupe and sharkskin. Urban Decay and Gwen Stefani
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have collaborated to create an eyeshadow palette packed with beautiful browns, taupes, golds and pinks. Perfect for a classic eye: keep it soft and simple for the day, or smoke it out at night for a stronger look. With beautiful blue hues of riverside and airy blue keeping it cool this season, look no further than the Yves Saint Laurent couture palette for smoky eyes in Rive Gauche. This wonderful little compact has got the blues covered. Top tip: use the white in the tear duct for a dramatic highlight to brighten those eyes. Chanel les 4 hombres multi-effect Quadra eyeshadow, in Candeur Experience, has autumn in one stylish little black box. It comprises four shades of brown with just the right amount of shimmer to create a luxurious wash of earthy colour. Always on top of the make-up game, I’m in love with the Laura Mercier Caviar Stick eye colour in Peacock, which is a fabulous metallic green. Well on trend for shade Lush Meadow. Spicy Mustard is a hot shade and a touch of yellow
beauty or a splash of gold really sets off a purple or green. Dior Addict fluid shadow in Phoenix is a yellow gold liner shadow. Once again, apply to the tear duct or lower lash line to really make that eye pop. If you’re feeling brave, make way for the statement lipstick. This autumn, you will see much ‘smoky lip’. Not for the faint-hearted, dark lips are hot at the moment. I love Dior Addict lipstick, Hydra-gel core Mirror Shine in the shade Black Tie. A dark purple-red with an incredible glossy shine. Opt for a more traditional statement pout in MAC Retro Matte Liquid Lipcolour in Dance with Me, for a wonderful seasonal wash of deep, brick red. Now, the colour Bodacious… who knew a lilac shade would be so wonderful for lips? Stilla’s Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in Como is surprisingly flattering and perfect if you want to be a little bit different.
For cheeks, of the Illamasqua powder blushers, my go-to shades are Allure, which is a wonderful warm dusky shade, and Chased, which is a beautiful rose pink. Autumn and winter usually call for a seasonal refresh in the foundation department, but I have discovered Body Shop’s Shades Adjusting Drops, which come in lightening and darkening shades. You no longer need to throw out your foundation as your skin loses a little of its summer glow; simply add a drop of the lightening fluid to your foundation. If however you do want a foundation edit, a matte foundation with a little more coverage is best in the winter, try Smashbox Studio Skin for effortless application and a wonderful finish.
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Praa Sands, Cornwall
My feel-good regime Daiman Baker was born and raised in LA, went to law school in Dallas, business school in France and then moved to London in 2002 to start a career working in banks. He moved to Cornwall with his wife and two young children four years ago. He splits his time between London and Hayle. Spending four days a week in London is tiring, but my
wife and I have worked out that it’s actually quite good for us to have some time together and some time apart. Our children are a source of renewable amazement, joy, challenge and learning. Spending quality time with them is one of my greatest passions. Being apart from them during the week makes me appreciate our time together so much more. I can’t get enough of the ocean, of food and of time spent
find myself careening over the side of my surf board at Gwithian or Praa Sands. I am an absolute lover of music and try to pass on that love to the kids by both playing it to them and playing it for them. Luckily for me, my kids are young and so
they still appreciate the limited repertoire of my cello playing, often when they are in the bath (the acoustics in the bathroom can make even simple tunes sound quite grand).
connecting with family and friends. Life often feels like a study in contrasts: I really
appreciate being able to get out of my head and the swirl of to-dos, and simply enjoying the natural environment that’s on our doorstep. The thought of coming home to Cornwall each weekend helps push me through the work days in London. Coming home allows me to de-clutter my life, to be quiet and to reflect. I never tire of being underwater and hearing big waves detonate a few feet above my head. The deluge of
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The hardest part of my commute is saying goodbye to my family: I’m really aware that providing for them means
missing a good chunk of the kids’ childhoods. When we first moved down, I would take the overnight train up on Sunday and the 5pm train back down on Fridays. That soon turned into flying up from Newquay on Monday morning and flying home on either Thursday or Friday. Now, it is either driving to Exeter early on Monday morning for the 6.30am flight to London City airport with the return at 5.20pm on Thursday or Friday. I do prefer flying, partly because I can listen to podcasts when driving back and forth between home and Exeter.
I have a morning routine in London to kick-start my day:
I get up at 5.30am and I’m in the pool for a swim by 6.45am, then it’s a brisk 15-minute walk and at the desk by 8am. When I’m on the Tube, I often read my personal mantra: it helps me remember what’s really important in life. I love all sorts of ethnic cuisine, but sometimes my inner American creeps out and I find myself with a juicy
burger in hand (I love juicy burgers). Weekends see me in the kitchen flipping fluffy pancakes and serving them with loads of 100% maple syrup. I don’t care what Lyle’s says: there is no substitute for 100% maple syrup. Travelling gives me two buzzes: planning and imagining the trip, and then actually going. The anticipation is
almost as thrilling as the experience. Especially when I
am planning trips to Vegas to catch up with friends who still live in LA. And if I’m planning a family trip, it gives me the chance to look at the trip from a kid’s perspective – and who doesn’t enjoy being a kid again? A book I read recently called Die Empty really resonated with me. It is all about getting your life’s work done
before it’s all over, and focuses on how to live more deliberately. Because I shift between a bucolic life and one of deadlines and impatient bankers, living a more deliberate life has real benefit. This doesn’t mean planning everything out, but it does mean thinking things through more. I have a life coach who is also based in Hayle, and he’s helped me with approaching life with more focus (thanks to JP Eatock of Lizard Adventures). This actually helps me be more resilient, lowers my stress levels and helps me get more done.
LANGUISHING IN BATHROOM CABINET My moisturizer of choice is Palmer’s Cocoa Butter. I’m also partial to Nivea Sensitive Shave Gel. I keep one of each at home and at the flat in London because airport security likes to confiscate!
beautiful fused glass interior pieces, handmade at our cornwall studio. bespoke design service available. galleries at st ives, padstow, fowey, tintagel and launceston in cornwall, ripley in surrey and twickenham. www.jodowns.com
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The Turner Locker Barnfield Revival Sunday 18 September saw the 3rd Turner Locker Barnfield Revival in Exeter’s Georgian Barnfield Crescent. Commercial Property Agents & Consultants Turner Locker Barnfield have had offices since 1998 in the crescent, which makes the perfect venue and backdrop for a gathering of historic vehicles, civilian and military, with two, four or even three wheels dating from the 1920s through to the ‘swinging 60s’. Drivers, riders and guests don Vintage costumes, or simply dress with style, to saunter amongst the vehicles, picnic on the grass and converse to a Vintage sound track from the vocal trio the Siren Sisters, the syncopated jazz of the Night Owls and the Rockabilly sounds of the Delta 88s. Lemon Jelli and Good Game provided delicious food. Photos by Andrew Butler © andrewbutler.net
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confidential
MANOR | Autumn 2016 Exeter Manor Mag Ad.indd 1
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Gaia Spa opens in Plymouth On 8 September Diane Nettleton opened her Gaia Spa at Boringdon Hall, Plymouth, one of the largest new spas in the UK. The launch event was attended by some 300 guests, who were treated to a tour, Champagne and canapés and sample treatments. Attendees heard about Diane’s journey to build the spa and her holistic philosophy behind all it offers, and Susan Harmsworth MBE, founder of ESPA, gave a highly inspirational talk on wellness and the importance of the therapists. (Teaming with Wellness for Cancer, Gaia Spa is the first spa in the country to be cancer-aware, with all therapists trained accordingly.) Also in attendance were Edwina Ings-Chambers and Jo Fairley. Photos © Gaia Spa.
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confidential
The Kitchen Shop
Glass Gallery
The Food Shop
Devon Drinks
Explore and enjoy! Fashion & Beauty • Glass Gallery Kitchen Shop • Toy Shop Home Accessories • The Food Shop Devon Drinks • Craft Centre Stationery • Tog 24 • Big-Fire Venus Café and Takeaway Clay Workshop • Cranks Café Leather Workshop • Re-Store
Open 7 days per week, the shops can be found just 2 miles from Totnes. Shinners Bridge, Dartington, Totnes, Devon, TQ9 6TQ. Tel: 01803 847500 | Online shop: shopsatdartington.co.uk
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PHOTO: ADAM WHITE
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As I see it...
Wildlife TV presenter and adventurer Steve Backshall is a Renaissance man. A bibliophile who studied English and Theatre at Exeter University, he learned martial arts in Japan, travelled the world writing for Rough Guides and last month married Olympic champion rower Helen Glover in Cornwall. His Wild World Tour runs throughout October and November. Interview by Fiona McGowan I knew that my life was going to be defined by travel, by adventure, and the outdoors, but more than anything by wildlife. We grew up on a small farm on the edge of the Surrey Heath with an infinite amount of wild space and lots of rescue animals. But most instrumental to my life and career is that my parents worked for airlines and had free tickets to go pretty much anywhere on the globe. It showed me what an incredible world was out there to explore. My dream career was to work in a game reserve in Africa. On family trips to Africa, I’d spent time with game rangers and they seemed omnipotent – they knew everything about wildlife and nature. I looked at them and thought “That’s what I want to do.” It’s incredibly important that children have a sense of autonomy but we are living in a different world now. Children are much more homebound than they were. Technology offers many opportunities – there are apps that identify birdsong and animal species, that teach navigation and geo-caching, which allows an access to nature that didn’t exist ten years ago – but it’s essential that humans don’t distance themselves from nature. As a species, we have evolved for at least six million years in the outdoors, having active, challenging lives. If we lose that connection, we’re going to lose something that is deep in our psyche. I see it all the time: the look on a kid’s face when they canter down a beach on horseback; the first time they surf a wave; the first time they identify a bird correctly by its song. The excitement, the sparkle in their eyes, the enthusiasm, is something that cannot be illicited from a screen. I’m constantly learning, constantly studying, but I’m always surprised. I go back to places that I have filmed dozens of times, and I’ll see something new – that’s the beauty of the natural world. I live surrounded by books. I read up a lot before I go on a trip, and while I’m there. You have to, particularly if you’re doing wildlife programmes: you need to react to absolutely everything you see and have something to say about it, and it’s a massive challenge to keep on top of it when you’re bouncing backwards and forwards from one country to another. I started writing fiction about 12 years ago. I had an idea that had been bubbling – I’d never mentioned it to anyone, I thought they would just think I was nuts, but my publishers
liked it and asked me to write six novels. It was one of those deep intake of breath moments. But I’ve really enjoyed it. The thing about fiction is that you can only do it if you’re feeling inspired. It’s as if there’s a film playing in your head and you’re recording it, and it’s exciting. As the author, you genuinely don’t know what’s going to happen next. When I broke my back in a climbing accident it had a powerful psychological impact on me. I had the best part of five or six years in continual rehab, non-stop operations, really struggling physically and as a result, I’ll never have the nerve that I had before with climbing. When you’re a young man, you believe that you’re invincible – I suppose I discovered my own mortality. I am ceaselessly positive – it’s my greatest asset and most annoying habit. I’ve always been teased about the fact that everything I do is the ‘best ever’, but it’s genuine – it’s not forced or put on or anything. We can be trudging through a muddy swamp plagued by mosquitoes, midges and ticks and I’ve usually got a huge smile on my face. It’s just one of those lucky factors of my personality that I see the positive in everything. On the last expedition to Papua, in the western half of New Guinea, I rediscovered my excitement for anthropology. My first job was writing for Rough Guides in Indonesia. I spent over a year there – all in the most outlying, far-flung parts – and felt a genuine connection with the people. There are few places on the planet where you can see back in time – where we came from. You see things that are dramatically different but in many ways, exactly the same. It teaches you things – in Papua, old people are valued and children free to roam, everyone has far less connection to stuff, and far more free time to enjoy just being with each other. One human being can change the world. But only if they believe they can. We have to be optimistic that we can sort out our environmental crises. It is so paralysing to feel that as an individual there is nothing you can do about it. If you show people how it can be done, how it can be improved dramatically, collectively by each of our actions, then it gives them a reason to go out and make changes. I think that is incredibly important. That is a huge part of the message on my tour and every tour I’ve ever done. stevebackshall.com
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I
Ghafur in Kilkenny limestone
The garden is stunning but it is also a delight to see Bridget’s quietly stylish home, where she has lived since 1984. The walls are hung with a range of her own sculptural drawings in charcoal, as well as some of the work she admires from other artists. There is a painting by Mary Fedden, painted by the artist when she stayed at Bridget’s house on Gozo, near Malta (where, she says, the houses grow out of the ground). “That’s my garden. That’s me lying in the hammock, but I don’t have black hair, and she has moved the lighthouse to the other end of the garden. She always did that sort of thing. That’s what it’s about, isn’t it?” A charcoal print by David Nash (known for his sculptures made from black, charred wood) has just been delivered. Bridget says she is currently working on a big drawing in her studio. “It’s a flying bird a metre and a half wide. Bridget McCrum As I went on working, I MANOR | Autumn 2016
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PHOTO:JANE FITZGERALD
t is exciting to arrive at the sculptor Bridget McCrum’s home. Her seven-acre garden slopes steeply to the River Dart and each new vista shows one of her impressive sculptures. There is a stream, a pond, a wild flower meadow, a Japanese garden. Camellias, hydrangeas, rhododendrons and box have been thoughtfully planted. “Which comes first,” I wonder, “the careful layout of the garden or the sculptures?” Bridget tells me the garden was not planned around the sculptures. But she emphasises that placing sculptures needs to be done very carefully. “When you are putting two pieces together, it’s like making three bits of sculpture because the space between is just as important,” she says. “A long time ago, I made a pair of blades – they were called knife birds. They ended up in the piazza of Surrey University. When we were trying them out, we placed them up at the angle we thought they should be. Then I walked about 50m away and I walked all the way round very slowly. About two metres away, something was wrong; the shape died completely. It lost its life. When you walk round something it almost moves with you. I remember seeing a Henry Moore – the one at Dartington Hall – if you walk along, it is looking at you all the time. And that’s what sculpture should do.”
PHOTO:STEVE RUSSELL STUDIOS
Sculptor Bridget McCrum talks to Kay Dunbar about scale, spaces between, beautiful things and bite.
PHOTO: STEVE RUSSELL STUDIOS
From left to right, Stymphalian Birds, Crescent Birds, Knife Birds (in the distance). Bronze in editions of nine except the Knife Birds, which is an edition of six. They are drawn from the shapes of African tribal knives.
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A subject may appear to be soft and benign but still has an edge to it displaying the incongruity to be found in birds or beasts. realized my drawing had changed completely. I managed to do this huge thing with just three lines and shadows, and I realised that when the light is shining on the bird and it has a white background, there’s no need for a line at all. I couldn’t sleep, I was so excited.” But do the drawings act as an initial plan for the sculptures? Bridget explains she does not draw before she starts work on a sculpture, as she likes the element of the unexpected that accompanies most art – the challenge and the fun comes from the serendipity. “If I knew what was going to happen on the other side, the sculpture would never get made. I do, however, draw half way through to help sort out problems. I was at Art College where you did life drawing every day for two years and we studied anatomy. I don’t think that hurts.” It wasn’t until Bridget was in her forties that she started making sculptures. “If you start something in your forties, you don’t really have a lot of confidence. I’ve never really been part of the art world because I started too late. You have to come in from the outside. I was lucky that I met gallerist Vanessa Branson (Richard Branson’s sister) early on. One of the first exhibitions she did was with me in her basement, showing paintings and sculpture I had done during a field trip to Somalia.” One of Bridget’s early influences was fellow sculptor and old friend Elizabeth Frink who was at school with her in Exmouth. They were sent there at the beginning of the war to escape the Blitz. Bridget remembers drawing horses with her after prep and Elizabeth Frink drawing huge black knights in shining armour; the forerunners of the sculptures she was famous for later. It was Bridget’s husband Bobby who got one of her early pieces, The Bottom, cast for the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition. “When Bobby was asked what kind of finish he wanted he said ‘highly polished’ because he was in the navy. It turned into rather a successful bit of sculpture because from the front it is just three flat discs where the legs have been chopped off, and when you go round the back there it is! I liked the thrust of the hips. I had planned to do the whole torso but found I didn’t have enough stone. “At the show, the exhibitors can go in to the Royal Academy early to clean up their work. I was there cleaning up my sculpture when an elderly woman walked past and said, ‘Disgusting. Absolutely disgusting.’
It was The Bottom that provoked that response.” Elizabeth Frink saw The Bottom at the Summer Exhibition and commissioned her to do a bigger version. “Liz said, ‘You’ve got to go big’. Sometimes my large pieces are taken from smaller sculptures that I think would work at a different size. They do not stay the same because the proportions change with size and they evolve into different pieces. “When I was commissioned to make a sculpture for Rolls Royce, we had somebody who made polystyrene film sets enlarge it. But when you enlarge from the maquette, something that’s out by a tiny amount in the maquette is inches out on the enlarged piece. So we had to work on it for 22 hours over two days correcting it to get it right.” The final work is in stainless steel. Bridget’s pieces are cast by a foundry, Lockbund, north of Banbury, where she has worked for more than 40 years. “I make the larger pieces up there. We’ll do a cut out in MDF and I will correct that shape so we’ve got the outline perfect. They will then make the metal armature, and next it’s layered up with hessian dipped in plaster and wrapped around it. Then we begin building it up with plaster – at which point I become involved. Chop bits; make textures; have some bits smoothed; mess the whole thing up.” Artists who influence her work are Barbara Hepworth, Henry Moore and particularly Brancusi. “It’s his simple shapes. I was lent a book about the ancient artefacts of Slovenia and I saw this lying down wooden head. I looked at the name of the museum and it’s near where Brancusi lived. I get my ideas from the same sort of thing. I went to his studio in Paris and you could walk right through his workshops. Now you have to look at them through glass, but it’s identical to what it was originally.” Bridget’s journeys abroad have taken her to many different environments, working on archaeological sites and finding ancient pieces that have informed her work, creating a fusion of the old with the new. “Since childhood, I have been excited by ancient remains, fragments of carving and standing stones in lonely landscapes. My travels have taken me to many sites from different cultures around the Mediterranean, and the chance to work on archaeological surveys in Somalia during the early 80s increased my interest in small objects from the past. When I go to a museum, I always go to the bit where there are lots of little axe heads. They turn into birds very easily for me.” MANOR | Autumn 2016
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feature It is tempting to imagine that the beauty of her immediate surroundings in Devon can’t fail to shape her work, but she feels that the Devon countryside is almost too lush, that it doesn’t have a bite. “Beautiful things have a bite to them. Danger. Those birds (Crescent Birds) aren’t friendly. Not meant to be. Although the subject feels quite benign, it still has an edge to it. “I travelled to London by train when the Somerset Levels were flooded and it was a sunny day. It looked so beautiful, and yet it had done so much damage. That’s
when it struck me that beauty does have this side to it. Dangerous sights can be very beautiful. And the desert’s dangerous. You get lost; you’re stuck.” She is clearly attracted to a sense of danger in a landscape, and has a particular affinity with deserts. A subject may appear to be soft but still has a harshness to it, displaying the incongruity to be found in nature. Bridget has had several solo exhibitions at Messum’s Gallery in Cork Street, London and is currently showing at Messum’s Wiltshire in the exhibition Bronze and Stone (details below).
PHOTO: RUSSELL SACHS
MESSUM’S The name Messum is synonymous with fine art. David Messum, the son of a picture-restorer, set up his eponymous gallery in 1963, and from its base in Cork Street, Mayfair, has grown to be one of the most highly respected fine art galleries across the country. Johnny Messum, the eldest of David’s four sons, inherited his father’s passion for art and has followed him into the firm. Although very much involved in Messum’s Mayfair, Johnny is evolving the Messum’s name, both geographically and in art form. It hadn’t necessarily been his intention to do so, but the opportunity presented itself serendipitously, in the form of a medieval tithe barn in Tisbury, dated 1279, and said to be the largest thatched barn in the country (pictured above). Johnny, who lives nearby in Wiltshire, had admired the barn from afar, then heard it was to be repurposed into an events venue. He felt strongly that such a landmark building could be put to better use and approached the owner to suggest instead that he turn it into an arts centre, exhibiting the kind of quality that Messum’s is known for, as well as other forms of contemporary art, including dance works and soundscapes. He also felt such a venue would provide the perfect inspirational space for educational courses and workshops. The owner agreed and the transformation from agricultural barn to destination arts venue commenced in 2014. Following a great deal of work, and some considerable investment, it was
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completed in the summer of this year and opened to much acclaim on 24 September with the exhibition Bronze and Stone showcasing works from South West artists Dominic Welch, Bridget McCrum and Tim Harrisson. This exhibition runs until 5 November 2016, when renowned choreographer Russell Maliphant brings his latest dance work, Piece No 43, to Messum’s Wiltshire. Following that, there follows a group show featuring the figurative sculptors Sean Henry, Laurence Edwards and Brian Taylor, and then early next year, the barn will play host to a soundscape by Peter Wyer. What is interesting about Messum’s new initiative is its further recognition that there is a demand for contemporary art outside the traditional gallery confines of London or indeed any city. As more art loving professionals, assisted by broadband and better transport, drift from London to take up residence in the country, so high art in impressive venues, themselves works of art, moves with them. Citing Hauser & Wirth in Bruton, Roche Court in Grateley, and now Messum’s Wiltshire in Tisbury, all offer highly impressive spaces that are as much worth the visit as the art displayed within them. Bronze and Stone is showing until 5 November 2016 at Messum’s Wiltshire, The Barn, Place Farm, Court Street, Tisbury, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP3 6LW. messumswiltshire.com
Messum’s Wiltshire Place Farm, Court St, Tisbury, Salisbury Wiltshire SP3 6LW
messumswiltshire.com
Dominic Welch exhibiting with Bridget McCrum and Tim Harrisson until 5 November 2016 dominicwelch.co.uk Rising Form VI (bronze edition of five). Height 270cm MANOR | Autumn 2016 33
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Behind the scenes Photographer Jimmy Swindells spent an afternoon photographing the Welsh National Opera during rehearsals of Kiss Me, Kate. They were half way into rehearsals when he visited; lines and numbers were learnt, key pieces of set were being introduced. Expertly led by director Jo Davies, performances were fine tuned and nuanced, ways of maximising the humour and drama from the text and music were successfully discovered Kiss Me, Kate is on tour around the country until 10 December 2016. See wno.org.uk for details.
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“At times the production team were in stitches,” says Jimmy, “often entertained by the comedy stylings of Amelia Adams-Pearce. Even though the crew and production team had obviously experienced the show many times before in rehearsals, there were many times when you could tell that they were being entertained as if for the first time, often when a new direction or idea was being first realised and trialled before them. Their jobs seem pretty special to an outsider, going to work each day to watch top-level performers entertaining them. “The stamina of the performers was awe inspiring to witness, the scenes I got to watch were very physically demanding, involving acting, singing, dancing, lifts, fights and all repeated over and over again. The mental agility and professionalism of the performers was also incredible to see, as they were able to switch from one routine to another and jump back and forth within that routine with ease.”
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JIMMY SWINDELLS Jimmy Swindells is a photographer living in the South Hams, Devon. Alongside his fashion and commercial projects, Jimmy loves to focus on the challenge of capturing the unseen spectacle behind the scenes on set and backstage, which are all part of producing a film or live performance for an audience. He also creates images from the ground up of actors on set and in the studio for publicity shots. jimmyswindells.co.uk
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Carinthia West’s photographs from the 1970s, dug out of a box after many years, give a lens on stardom from a different era. Fiona McGowan meets a woman whose eye on the past keeps her grounded today. Pictures by Carinthia West.
M
ick Jagger is staring straight at you. Now I’ve got your attention, I’ll begin. In the 1970s, Carinthia West was a model and an actress. Having been spotted by an agent in Carnaby Street, she was thrust into a world of rock stars and actors. Her life became an endless whirl of travel and parties, hanging out with stupendously successful stars, but she never fully immersed herself into it. Neither a groupie (she was too successful and self confident in her own right), nor a bigname celebrity herself, she managed to avoid the darker side of fame. “I was blessed with a fair amount of common sense and good stamina,” says Carinthia, sipping her coffee in Penzance’s ‘PZ’ photography gallery next to an oversized portrait of Mick Jagger gazing languidly at the camera. “Although I’m not a prude, I never liked the
Ronnie Wood and Mick Jagger in Malibu
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drugs – I didn’t like the damage it did to people. I had friends who died of overdoses...” Carinthia is in some senses a natural reporter. She has a keen eye for composition and has been an avid diarist all her life. An only child, she grew up in a highly social, high-society world, where for much of the time she was treated like an adult. Her father was an army general and an aristocrat, whose family had an ancestral home in Warwickshire, while her mother’s family owned a yacht club, golf club and land in Bembridge on the Isle of Wight. Brought up by highly intellectual and artistic parents, she travelled from place to place and from school to school, always surrounded by influential and charismatic people from her parents’ social circle from JFK to Alan Bennett and Dudley Moore to Jonathan Miller, not to mention the military leaders and diplomats who were an intrinsic part of her father’s life.
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Carly Simon in Brooklyn
David Bowie on stage at Port Eliot
George Harrison in Australia
Carinthia West in London
Rod Stewart at a football match
Mick in Holland Park
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Helen Mirren
Anjelica Huston on Malibu Beach
Coming out of a childhood like this and launched as a debutante into a scene of sex, drugs and rock and roll would have required some stamina, so it was lucky that Carinthia was no guileless child. Perhaps in some way to create a protective barrier between her and the hedonistic world into which she was catapulted, she became attached to her Canon camera. It went everywhere with her: from the beach-homes of Hollywood stars to the sitting rooms of rock musicians. And it was in this way that the young actress found a new kind of diary. Unlike in today’s world of selfies and self promotion, there was a kind of innocence about celebrity in the 70s. Looking at Carinthia’s collection of images, there’s an honesty and unposed nature that can only be captured by someone who is close to the subject – she talks a lot about empathy in her work. It is this nature, one assumes, that led the likes of Mick Jagger, Ronnie Wood, Jenny Agutter and Angelica Huston to act as though the camera lens was just an extension of the friend who stood behind it. Surrounded as she was by the works of art that her mother collected almost obsessively – from Lowry to Peter Sedgley – she didn’t really rate her own photographs. They ended up consigned to a box of negatives, while Carinthia pursued her career in Hollywood, and modelling on the pages of glossy magazines. Spending the halcyon years of the 70s living in LA, it was her mother’s debilitating stroke that brought her back to London, and into a job working 52
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Ollie Brown and Julie Christie at the Malibu Colony
on the newly launched UK Marie Claire magazine. Another phase of her career began, and she found that she had a natural talent as a journalist, particularly as an interviewer. Her exposure to the world of fame and celebrity enabled her to relate to her subjects candidly and as a friend: “I never had a list of questions, I just got people to talk,” she explains. The magazines loved her easy intimacy with her subjects. Tatler, Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar all hankered for her work and, after years of being directed in movies and photo-shoots, she found she loved it, too. “Being a photographer and a writer – it took me where I wanted to go when I wanted to go. I’d had enough of waiting around for a week because some director couldn’t decide when to do the shoot.” Fame and celebrity is a theme that is paramount in Carinthia’s photography – her personal and up-close images so alluring in capturing people who hit stardom in a very different era. The naturalness of the images is particularly intriguing today, when celebrities are so selfaware, self-conscious and media-savvy. “I’ve seen fame at very close quarters,” she says. “The people that I know can handle it very well, because we were brought up in a time when fame didn’t represent what it represents now. Now, we’re all famous for five minutes – the reality shows, Instagram...We live in this terrifying age where so many people are so aggressively ego-orientated.” Carinthia has seen the likes of The Stones, David Bowie and Pink Floyd live through the glory years in their youth, and keep on
It’s such a fantastic thing to see a flock of geese fly overhead or a heron swoop down, or even a seagull. The house that I’ve bought in Cornwall is my absolute haven.
PHOTO: RICHARD YOUNG
going. “It’s not just about being fabulous, you know – they constantly work. Rod Stewart, Mick, you name it. They exercise, they keep at it. It does get harder as you get older. To keep fit and keep on top of things.” She has also lost many close friends in recent years – from David Bowie to Peregrine St Germains and L’Wren Scott. “You become very aware of your own mortality,” she says, showing me a photograph she took of Bowie and Peregrine looking relaxed among friends in the grounds of a country house. In spite of the starriness of her social circle (every other sentence is an unintentional name-drop: from David Gilmore inviting her to his recent concert in Pompeii to Neil Young throwing her 32nd birthday party at his beachside house in Malibu’s Zuma Beach), she is both grounded and straighttalking. Having just spent some time back in California, exhibiting her photographs, she is refreshingly outspoken on the subject of ageing: “I find it very tragic to see women having facelifts. I know it’s a personal choice but it makes me want to say ‘just face up to who you are! Keep yourself as well and healthy as you can. Don’t try and fight it – embrace it!’” Exuding positivity and confidence, she has no regrets about moving forward – last year, she relocated, lock, stock and barrel, from Notting Hill to Lelant in West Cornwall. Choosing a light, airy, modernist house designed by renowned local architect Barrie Briscoe, she has settled on the edge of an estuary: “It’s such a fantastic thing to see a flock of geese fly overhead or a heron swoop down, or even a seagull,” she says, her eyes lighting up. “The house that I’ve bought here is my absolute haven. To me, it’s just heaven.” In spite of dire warnings from friends in London and around the world, who were convinced that she would be lonely
and isolated, she told herself, ‘If you don’t do something now – in your later life – then you never will.’ Always drawn to the sea, since the long childhood holidays spent on the Isle of Wight, she was tired of urban life. “I left London because I don’t like living in big cities any more. I lived in LA for 10 years and then in London. I don’t like crowds, I don’t like noise, but I do like intellectual stimulation.” She gets plenty of that – if she’s not up visiting friends in London, she’s jetting around, from Copenhagen to Italy (“I’d move there in a heartbeat if I thought I could get over the bureaucracy”) and from Chicago to LA. But when she comes back to Cornwall, she has finally found an anchor. “One of the things I love about being here is that people are genuinely nice. I’ve met such charming, helpful people.” It seems as though Carinthia West has found the perfect life balance. She has a theory that we all have an ‘interior lake’ that is our true selves. “We all have a blueprint in our life. An internal lake of deep-seated beliefs and knowledge and questions. There are things that we don’t know about in our characters – probably even from babyhood.” It sounds as though she is describing the soul, and it is in Lelant that she finds the peace to connect with her soul. “Going back to the interior lake. You need at times to really draw from the well and allow things to happen in a quiet and peaceful way. You need time to reflect.” I imagine that a life lived in proximity to such intense, charismatic and often hedonistic characters would provide plenty of depth to that inner lake. I wonder if there may be an autobiography gestating on the edge of that peaceful Cornish bird sanctuary. carinthiawest.com
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Leigh, Neil and David Chadwick
The Business
Each month, Michelmores shines the spotlight on an inspiring South West business it works with, to uncover the real people behind the success. This month we meet Neil Chadwick, managing director of Cornwall born-and-bred fashion brand Seasalt. He reveals how the Chadwick family built up the business from scratch, which now employs over 700 people and sells women’s clothing and homewares in over 150 countries worldwide. Tell us about Seasalt Our company turned 35 in 2016. It all started in 1981 during a family holiday to Penzance when we walked into a shop to find some waterproof jackets. The shop was for sale at the time, owned by Mrs Strutt who was originally from Walsall where we lived. My family and Mrs Strutt got on like a house on fire − and within an hour had shaken hands on buying the business. Our shop, General Clothing Store, started out selling government surplus clothing and traditional workwear used by local fisherman, 54
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farmers and even well-known local artists. It was all about well-made practical clothing that captured Cornwall’s maritime and artistic heritage. How did you grow the business? In 2001 we had a decision to make as a family, after our dad passed away. We decided to grow the business, focusing on organically produced cotton clothing. We slowly developed our own collection, opened more stores in Cornwall, and were the first clothing brand to achieve Soil Association organic
promotional feature accreditation. Now my brothers Leigh and David, my wife Sophie and I, run the business alongside the amazing Seasalt team – some of whom have been on this journey with us from the start. We have around 40 shops across the UK and sell online and via catalogue to our loyal customers everywhere.
Do you see your business as a job or a lifestyle? It’s very much a family business, and as such, Seasalt is inevitably a major part of our lives. My wife Sophie designs a lot of our prints and textiles, so we are often talking colours, fabrics and designs day and night. I think it’s fair to say that we all love what we do. It is endlessly enjoyable.
What have the key moments of success been so far? From the outset we wanted to become one of the biggest employers in Cornwall. Seasalt now employs over 200 people at our Falmouth design studios and 500 more beyond that, many of whom are the very best at what they do. It’s also a great feeling when we’re out and about seeing women wearing our designs – it’s all down to our customers at the end of the day.
What do you do with any spare time? When I’m not in the office or in our shops you will find me walking my dog Pepe, painting, playing the piano and dancing – not necessarily in that order. Living near the sea, I also try to swim most days.
Do you have any advice for someone thinking of setting up their own venture? Getting the right balance of working ‘on’ the business, and working ‘in’ the business is really important. Achieving this balance is key, as is accepting your strengths and weaknesses and bringing in the right outside expertise when you need it. Also, it may sound obvious, but never forget the real reason why you are in existence – and remind yourself of that when bumps in the road appear. Seasalt exists to sell carefully designed, beautiful and useful clothes to real people – all inspired by Cornwall’s distinctive environment. Keep it simple.
What’s next for Seasalt? We’ve got some exciting plans for growth here and abroad over the coming years – but really it’s all about continuing to create beautifully made clothes, inspired by Cornwall.
What do you look for in new recruits? There is often an obvious energy and spirit our people possess, which really shines through – whether they are involved in design, logistics, IT, property, or customer service. Having a point of view is also a standout quality, because as a business we like to be challenged. It’s these new ideas that help us to truly innovate. What has been the biggest challenge along the way? Going into manufacturing for the first time is not straightforward and there’s a lot to learn! The amount of thought and different specialisms involved in creating a single garment should not be underestimated and it was a tough process to get to grips with at the start. 2008 was also a difficult time for us and others – the demand from our customers was there, but the wider business environment was challenging. Michelmores is a Top 100 law firm supporting individuals, businesses and institutions in the private wealth sector for over 125 years. “Michelmores is a powerhouse in the UK. They have invested both time and capital in the building of a strong team providing top quality private client work.” Judging panel, STEP Private Client Awards 2014
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Porsche recommends
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Official fuel economy figures for the Panamera 4S in l/100km (mpg): urban 10.2 – 10.1 (27.7 – 28.0), extra urban 6.8 – 6.7 – 42.2), combined 8.2 – 8.1 (34.4 – 34.9). CO2 emissions: 186 – 184 g/km. The mpg and CO2 figures quoted are sourced from official 56 (41.5 MANOR | Autumn 2016 EU‑regulated tests, are provided for comparability purposes and may not reflect your actual driving experience.
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Culture Sarah Adams | Jilly Sutton South West must sees | Worth making the trip for | Staying in
Sky Castle by Sue Davis ‘Resurgence’, Sue’s joint show with ceramics sculptor Anthony Fagin, will be at The Penwith Gallery in St Ives, 14 October – 12 November. penwithgallery.com
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PHOTO: MARIO BETELLA
The work of landscape painter Sarah Adams captures the North Cornwall coast in all its rugged, majestic beauty. Sharon Keene meets her in her Padstow studio ahead of her London exhibition.
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Tregurrian 2, oil on linen, 60 x 140 cm
S
arah Adams is drinking tea from a small brownware cup. Between us stands an antique cricket table, supporting a steel Indian tray and a plate of her favourite raspberry muffins. The teapot sports an unusual teacosy, also Indian. “It’s really a hat,” she tells me. “It was made of buffalo hair in a village and it still smells faintly of cow dung all these years later.” We’re in the lofty attic studio of her period townhouse anchored at the foot of a hilly terrace of pastel-painted cottages in Padstow’s old town. The brilliant white walls are only just visible between the scores of pencil drawings and crayon sketches. There are numerous small panelboard paintings too, and close to a dozen vast oil-on-linen works that dominate the room. It’s busy, every surface adorned. Even the floorboards are stained with splashes of
oil and glaze. Endeavour is evident in every direction. Sarah is a landscape painter, one who has found her subject recreating the fractured and breathtaking forms that the Atlantic waves have battered out from Cornwall’s majestic cliffs. She captures the romance and drama of deep, vaulted caverns, gravity-defying natural arches and curiously sea-sculpted stacks. The picture of Chapel Porth she’s been working on today is almost four-and-a-half feet wide by five feet tall. As with all her paintings, it’s one she started months ago, and after adding the finishing touches, it will be ready for the walls of the Mayfair gallery where she’ll be exhibiting in November, for the sixth time. My expectation was that she would be fighting off tiredness as we spoke. I knew before I arrived that 12hour working days, sometimes seven days a week, are the MANOR | Autumn 2016
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PHOTO: MARIO BETELLA
PHOTO: TAMAR SEABORN
Sarah Adams on location
norm as she builds to a big show. This year there’s been an added call on her time as she initiates Dab, her new Border collie pup, into studio life. But she’s happy to take a break and chat; she’s engaging, eloquent and relaxed. There’s not a hint of exhaustion. So I ask her first about her links to India. “My first trip was to visit friends, Indian students I’d met at the RCA,” she says. “I went back later, staying there for a few years. It gave me the opportunity to concentrate on painting full-time, as it was far cheaper to live there than in London. It was a very formative experience, which allowed me to explore new materials, colour and content. I finally returned with a number of six-foot canvasses rolled around a drainpipe.” Sarah’s extended stay in South India followed her BA and MA courses in Cheltenham and the Royal College of Art, taking her away for many years from the sea she knew as a girl growing up on Jersey. Her art foundation course, however, was in Falmouth. A move back to Cornwall in 2005 was the obvious choice for Sarah, and the North coast has become her main focus, with occasional forays to Penwith or the Roseland. “Being by the coast became the norm,” she reveals. “I find it hard to imagine living lost in the middle somewhere, without an edge to relate to.” She’s been represented by The Maas Gallery on Clifford Street, London, ever since her work caught the eye of the dealer Rupert Maas, the Antiques Roadshow’s fine art specialist. “It’s been the perfect collaboration for me – total freedom to make the work I want to do, and tremendous support, both during and between exhibitions. Maas 60
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Arch at Tregurrian, oil on linen, 120 x 120 cm
has invested so much time and effort into presenting my work with care,” says Sarah. Twenty new pictures, including a number of epic canvasses, for which she’s now well-known, will be presented. Many of them surround me today. They’re bold, mesmerising works of exceptional beauty; they’re undeniably dramatic, but not in the least bit ‘loud’. Instead, I find them calming and beguiling, the views out to sea through jagged ‘windows’ captivate. The vivid detail and meticulous artistry makes it easy to see why the Cornish bard Michael Williams wrote in August that “there is no other painter in the South West quite like Sarah Adams”. They are contemporary with more than a nod to abstraction; but it’s their synergy with British romantic landscape tradition that make them fit so well with the Victorian, Pre-Raphaelite and Romantic masters the Maas Gallery is known for. And having successfully exhibited there five times already, Sarah knows it’s a formula that works. “Although they specialise in 19th-century art, the gallery has represented a few contemporary artists in the past, but at the moment I am the only one,” she explains. Her working process is lengthy; she takes her time to intricately craft each painting, building oil paint in layers over many months. The technique emulates the uneven surfaces she’s depicting and enables beautiful kaleidoscopic pigments to show through into the final image. “In the early workings, I tend to use quite strong colour as an underglaze, which enhances the finished piece, peeping through in places. An oil painting has a laminated structure, and the pigment is held in suspension, allowing light to penetrate the surface and
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North Cornwall’s miles of rugged coastal margin feature incredible rainbowhued rocks. Rich geology, weather conditions and marine life blend to create an extensive and surprising combination of colours.
PHOTO: MARIO BETELLA
Betrothal Arch, oil on linen, 50 x 140 cm
make the colour glow. I build the surface up over as many as 30 sessions, allowing the paint to dry before working again, mostly with a palette knife, although I sometimes switch to brushes in the final stages.” Her studio work is only part of the story. She can spend close to half her time on site, drawing and painting the observational studies that plaster her studio. After fastidious research – poring over maps and satellite images, and studying the surfers’ digital bible Magic Seaweed for tide times – she goes off in search of her subject matter. This can entail working on time borrowed between the tides in sometimes forbidding hidden caves and remote coastal corners. I mention photography and she bristles. “Working from observation is key. It’s a rigorous, incremental activity in which each small part of the subject is carefully examined and noted down, and in the process, understood. Drawing the rocks and structures helps me to learn them, and visual memory is just as important as the sketches. I never work from photographs for that reason.” I detect more than a hint of Lara Croft in the way Sarah works on site: she’s accustomed to wading waist-deep through crystal rock pools, clambering over fallen rocks and boulders, and squeezing through crevasses into enchanting and wondrous caves, a small easel and sketchbooks strapped to her. Depending on her destination, she’ll sometimes need her kayak. Her ‘office spaces’ are often submerged for most of the year. If return visits are needed, it can mean a wait of several months before she has everything she needs to begin work on the final canvas. And if paintings of rocks and caves conjure images of
dark, uninspiring places, think again. North Cornwall’s miles of rugged coastal margin feature incredible rainbowhued rocks. Rich geology, weather conditions and marine life blend to create an extensive and surprising combination of colours, from bright orange sponges, pink corals, and emerald green algae, to earthy grey-green and mauve bedrocks, topped by rusty ochre cliffs. As she explains this, it’s clear why she has decided to make colour the cohesive theme of the new show. Unusually, a number of the new subjects can be easily reached on a low tide. “I’ve often walked the stretch of cliffs backing Watergate Bay, winding their way through Tregurrian to Whipsiderry, and made a mental note to return,” she says. “This series sees the realisation of that long-held intention.” It’s exactly two years since her last London exhibition and we’re in the final weeks leading up to the show. I call up Sarah’s page on the Maas website on my laptop. There’s a photo of a throng gathering in Clifford Street for her previous opening night. There’s clearly serious interest in her work. That must be reassuring, surely. “Put it this way,” she laughs. “Sea caves can be daunting, claustrophobic, even threatening, but working in them is nowhere near as nerve-wracking as the prospect of a private view!” . The exhibition ‘Sarah Adams’ is at The Maas Gallery, Clifford Street, London, 9-19 November. maasgallery.co.uk sarahadamspainting.co.uk
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Midsummer Night’s Dream, H:30 x W:50 x D:36 cm, bronze on slate Ed 2/9
Branching out October 2016 marks an extensive solo exhibition by renowned sculptor Jilly Sutton at Coombe Gallery, Dartmouth, and will comprise some 30 sculptures and wall-mounted works. Here, arts advisor and curator Andy Christian introduces the exhibition.
J
illy Sutton, sculptor, is based in Devon, where she lives on the River Dart. Inspired early on in her life by a period spent in Nigeria (where carvings and textiles are central art forms), she works mainly with wood, specifically locally felled trees. Sutton’s sculptures exist in private and public collections all over the world, sitting as comfortably as statement pieces in high-end hotels such as The Scarlet in Mawgan Porth, as they do in more traditional art institutions such as The National Portrait Gallery, where her wooden portrait of Poet Laureate Andrew Motion is in the permanent collection. Sutton’s new work finds beauty in those things that share proximity with her studio. Its open-air aspect welcomes the fly-through of swallows; the lap of the nearby tidal river brings the swirl of grey mullet to the shore line and crows hop belligerently across the lawn. 62
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Withies driven into the silt mark a channel to the shore; cormorants dive precipitously. On a mellow day, there is a sense of paradise, but the wind can drive up the river from the sea and cut through into the land. The temperate climate can be transformed by slaking rain and sleet. In this exhibition, Sutton has found the poetry between fish, boats and birds abstracting their willing forms into works which make it impossible to ignore their closely related shapes. The reeds which mark the shallows are precarious perches for birds as the river slides by. This interplay between the reeds reaching up to the light and casting shadows as they strike down below the river’s surface suggests a kind of grid. It’s as if we are reading graphic musical notation. References to fishing nets are also present and they add to this sense of underlying structure. Wood, either blasted by powdered beer-bottle glass, sawn or chiseled, remains her principal material. In two
culture dimensional works, thin conjoined planks are resistmasked and then subjected to the compressed force which erodes the unmasked areas, leaving proud islands of lines, flecks or lettering. This evisceration of the softer wood mirrors that of water-worn driftwood and the slowly ageing timber of bark-stripped fallen trees. In this exhibition of an eclectic collection of her work, Sutton has used some of the wood from the Monterey pine (Pinus Radiatus) which fell in the Tiltyard at Dartington Hall in 2014. The tree was severely damaged in the storms of 1987, but old age was probably the reason for its final crash to the ground. After making commissioned works for the Dartington Hall Trust, she has been able to use some of the timber to make a massive head and some smaller pieces. She seems to be able to empathise with the particular qualities of different woods and exploit their nature. Sutton is not a sculptor who follows the scars, the patches of rot or the wilful direction in each piece of timber, but she does acknowledge these. Her strong sense of form is imposed, but the particular character of each piece of material is welcomed. The human form continues to be a central part of her concern. Angels and stray wings and feathers are reminders of our airborne daemons, but the heads and torsos are those of us ground dwellers. They are our fellow mortals confined to the surface of the earth. These hold a deep sense of humanity; they speak of our aging, of our mortality and our fragility. Some of the angels in this exhibition are robust dancers, scarcely capable of celestial soaring. They imply a sense of ease with worldly pleasures and call up Matisse’s naked frolickers. Because much of her sculpture is monochromatic or restricted in tonal range, Jilly Sutton exploits angles, surfaces, and cut form to invoke in us an emotional response to her works. The heads gently imply mood and character; they forgo extreme expressions and they are the more powerful for it. Such an approach demands that we give them time to look, and time to absorb their temperaments. Here, too, is evidence of her preoccupation for using deep, flat matt ultra marine pigment, which holds an unfathomable depth. It is a celestial colour which seems to deny surfaces and sits in contrast to the naked or limed wood and patinated bronze of her other works. This exhibition also includes exploration of the forms of fruit and seed pods, direct prints of dead birds, Janus, theft, harlequins and slices of tree at midnight. Jilly Sutton’s sources also range well beyond her immediate environs; she has a quizzical eye and a restless mind, which, alongside her continuing curiosity, has given us an exhibition that stirs and delights.
Caught Mullet, H:128 x W:13 x D:4 cm, limed oak
Little Harle-queen, H:29 x W:20 x D:20 cm
‘Branching Out’ – Solo Exhibition of works by Jilly Sutton is showing at the Coombe Gallery, 20 Foss Street, Dartmouth TQ6 9DR, from 14 October- 6 November 2016. coombegallery.com
Jilly Sutton carvingTiltyard Lady
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South West must sees...
Cloud Sunlit Field by Danny Holmes-Adams
Let there be light Responses to the land and light form the focus of this collaborative exhibition by painters Danny Holmes-Adams and Clive Richards, combining the tradition of painting outside with a modern expression of colour. 12-18 November at Exeter Cathedral Chapter House. Free entry via the Cloister Garden. All are welcome to attend the exhibition launch on Friday 11 November, 5-9pm
Art fortnight Dartmouth Galleries Festival celebrates the town’s art scene with a lively programme of events, talks and fun engagements. Kicking off on Friday 14 October with a preview night (6-9pm), during which you can follow the trail map to get a taste of all the new exhibitions, the festival also sees Friday 21 October become Free Art Friday, when pieces of artwork will be placed around the town for you to find and take home. Look for clues on the Dartmouth Galleries Festival Facebook page as to where you might find the art‌ And for one week from Saturday 22, easels will pop-up around town with pens and paper attached, so you can draw a Dartmouth view or whatever takes your imagination. Gold Blossom by Jack Frame
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14-26 October at various venues around Dartmouth, South Devon. See dartmouthgalleriesfestival.co.uk for full event listings
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Art space
Until 9 March 2017 at Una St Ives, Laity Lane, Carbis Bay, Cornwall TR26 3HW. Opening times: 9am – 7pm Monday to Friday, 10am – 6pm Saturday, 10am – 3pm Sunday. unastives.co.uk, robertson-wardman.co.uk.
PHOTO: IAIN ROBERTSON
Abstract painter Iain Robertson, based at the historic Porthmeor Studios St Ives, is teaming up with Una St Ives to present a display of his paintings and prints selected by the artist to complement the space within the Spa and Una Kitchen Restaurant. Robertson has been exhibiting nationally and internationally for more than 30 years; for this show he has brought together a group of significant works, including paintings previously exhibited in The Bay of Islands New Zealand and Tate St Ives. Iain also works collaboratively with Master Printmakers; the prints for this exhibition were created with Kip Gresham at his print studio in Cambridge.
Orange Suns 2015, oil on canvas, 90x90cm
Opens
perfectly
27 OCT
hand-picked gifts
Onwards and upwards We are taught from a young age to aim high, to reach for the stars, to want more – more than our parents, more than the generations before us, to climb the social ladder. But as we surge forward, as we grapple for university places, promotions and flat-screen televisions, what are we leaving behind? Mobile is The Paper Birds’ second show in a trilogy about class in modern Britain. Made for audiences of up to eight people at a time, this is an intimate 40-minute theatre show, set in a caravan and based on interviews conducted in communities across the UK. 1-5 November at The Drum, Theatre Royal Plymouth. Tickets £9. theatreroyal.com
Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery Queen St, Exeter EX4 3RX Open Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm. Closed Mondays and bank holidays. MANOR | Autumn 2016
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Anthony Fagin
Rise again Sue Davis, an abstract painter, and Anthony Fagin, a ceramics sculptor, are Falmouth artists who share a common concern for the global environment. Their joint exhibition, ‘Resurgence’, takes as its central theme the regenerative power of the environment to recover from global despoliation, whether from natural processes or human overexploitation. Sue has been regenerating her old work into new, vibrant images that deny the formal edge of a two-dimensional picture. Following the notions posed in her book Abstraction Unbound, many of the works in this show are interactive. Anthony spent much of his career working in the field of environmental protection, and after retirement, he began giving expression to his concerns through ceramic sculpture, in particular the hand-building of large spheres depicting ‘worlds’. Notwithstanding the gravity of their message, the approach of both artists to their work is positive and life affirming. 14 October – 12 November at The Penwith Gallery, St Ives. Free. penwithgallery.com
Life through a lens
PHOTO: MARTHA, BY SIAN DAVEY
Unveil’d is a multi-location photography festival throughout Exeter featuring exhibitions, talks, workshops (many free, but booking essential), film screenings, music and a photobook fair. Venues include Exeter Phoenix, The Picturehouse and RAMM. At 35 New Bridge Street, Dodo Photo – Exeter’s only gallery and project space dedicated to photography – Sian Davey will be showing her new project, ‘Martha’, about her relationship with her teenage step-daughter. Davey says: “The exchange of looks between us, that complex reflected gaze, begins to shift as she tries to define her own sense of self, to decide who she is becoming. Though it is through the process of working together in this series so far, we have journeyed into each other’s psychological landscapes as we explore what our relationship means.” 20-23 October at various locations in Exeter. Check unveild.photography for full details.
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PHOTO: MATT AUSTIN
In Bed with My Brother’s We Are Ian
Autumn at the Bike Shed Theatre There’s lots of cracking stuff coming up at Exeter’s smallest theatre venue, but these two caused a storm at Edinburgh this summer and are definitely worth a look. In Bed with My Brother is the Bike Shed’s graduate company this year, and their show We Are Ian had audiences returning time and again at the Fringe. Based on the reminiscences of Ian, a committed clubber in the heyday of rave, the show is about music, letting go, making art and getting by. You will be dancing. 18-22 October.
Also nominated for a Total Theatre Award at the Fringe, FellSwoop Theatre’s Eurohouse sees two performers – one Greek, one French – dance and shout, cry and sing, agree and disagree, about life in the Eurohouse. A darkly comic look at the EU’s founding ideals and what got lost along the way.
Flights to over 30 destinations this summer for business or pleasure
10-12 November. Both shows are on at the Bike Shed Theatre, Fore Street, Exeter. £12 (£10), 2 for 1 on Tuesdays. bikeshedtheatre.co.uk
It’s Easy from Exeter
exeter-airport.co.uk MANOR | Autumn 2016
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Katharine Lightfoot exhibits new work in first solo exhibition for seven years One of Devon’s most renowned contemporary artists, Katharine Lightfoot has an exciting exhibition of new paintings showing at The Great Barn, Higher Ashton from 20 to 23 November. This will be her first solo show since Dover St, London in 2009. The show in the capital proved a great success, however the rural location in the Teign valley and stunning, large interior of the Great Barn more naturally complement Katharine’s large oil paintings and style. Inspired by the rugged beauty of Dartmoor, Katharine paints landscapes, cattle and other animals as well as seascapes of the South Hams coastline. Recently she has favoured bolder more contemporary colours but still retains the rough painterly style and depth of colour for which she has become well known. Katharine Lightfoot’s exhibition of new paintings, The Great Barn, Higher Ashton, Exeter EX6 7QP from 20-23 November 2016. katlightfoot.com Sheep and Sky, oil on canvas, 100 x 103 cm
Artworld celebrates a busy inaugural year in Falmouth Art World Gallery, the contemporary art gallery that moved to Church Street, Falmouth, in July 2015 from the Cotswolds, is celebrating a year that has exceeded all expectations. The two-floor exhibition space allows owners Chris and Ellie Ixer to display both the pool of South West artists that they represent, including Simon Wilde and Patrick Haughton, plus the extensive number of French artists – many of whom exhibit exclusively through the gallery – that the couple have spent the last 16 years discovering and developing, in particular Thomas Bossard (“People seem to love the humour in his
I’m Glad You Made It Simon Wilde
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Pleslin 36 Patrick Haughton
paintings,” Ellie reveals), and, of course, David Jamin, who has been with the gallery for 14 years. “Falmouth has proven to be the perfect location for us,” says Ellie. “This Cornish coastal town seems to be a location that draws many people who return again and again, therefore not suffering from quiet times. We have visitors all year round here, from near and far, not just private purchasers but a growing number of interior designers working on behalf of clients.” To discover the variety and range of works that have assured Art World Gallery a healthy following in such a short timescale, go to artworldltd.com
This Way Chaps Thomas Bossard
Mason to introduce solo show in home county Nigel Mason, a rising start of the contemporary art world, is showing at Castle Fine Art in Exeter’s Cathedral Yard from Saturday 12 November, and will be present in person to launch the exhibition from 1-4pm on that day. Nigel, 63, emerged onto the art scene when he entered IN:SIGHT 2015 – a campaign to nurture aspiring artists. Led by UK fine art publisher Washington Green, the campaign saw 20 finalists (whittled down from more than 400 entrants) display their work in Birmingham’s International Convention Centre as part of a month-long Summer Exhibition. Nigel was one of three artists to secure a publishing contract with Washington Green, and is now one of the company’s most popular original artists. Working in oil on canvas, Nigel paints a variety of landscapes, beach scenes, and figurative works inspired by his local area. Nigel Mason will be at Castle Fine Art, Exeter, 18 Cathedral Yard, EX1 1HB on Saturday 12 November, 1-4pm to launch his solo exhibition which will then run for a further week. castlegalleries.com Orange Juice
Katharine Lightfoot Exhibition of new paintings 20th-23rd November At The Great Barn Higher Ashton, Exeter, EX6 7QP 10am- 5.30pm For information about the exhibition: footlightkat@aol.com Tel: 01363 866351 For directions: www.thegreatbarndevon.co.uk www.katlightfoot.com MANOR | Autumn 2016
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Worth making the trip for...
Last chance to catch… As an artist, Björk constantly pushes the boundaries of what is possible in music, art and technology. Björk Digital is an immersive virtual reality exhibition resulting from the Icelandic icon’s collaborations with some of the finest visual artists and programmers in the world. The exhibition will include Black Lake, Björk’s film commissioned by New York’s Museum of Modern Art, in which the audience is treated to panoramic visuals and enveloped by a bespoke, cutting-edge surround-sound system. Filmed in the highlands of Iceland, the work was directed by the Los Angeles-based filmmaker Andrew Thomas Huang. Huang also collaborated with Björk on Stonemilker VR, a project that transports the viewer to a private performance of the first track from Björk’s critically acclaimed Vulnicura album. Shot on location on a remote, windswept beach in Iceland and viewable in full 360-degree VR, the viewer will be able to experience a one-to-one recital. There will also be never-before-seen work, including the custom-made musical instruments from Biophilia, an app created by Björk that explores music, nature and technology. A programme of the artist’s extensive video work will run alongside the exhibition, spanning her 24-year career, during which she has collaborated with film directors including the award-winning Spike Jonze, Michel Gondry, Nick Knight and Stephane Sedanaoui. Until 23 October at New Wing, Somerset House, The Strand WC2. £15/£12.50. somersethouse.org.uk
Call the cops
PHOTO: © SHERVIN LAINEZ
Under the name Joan as Police Woman, multi-instrumentalist singersongwriter Joan Wasser is a tour de force whose live shows are at once epic and intimate. A classically trained violinist, she has recorded and toured with Rufus Wainwright, Antony & The Johnsons and Lou Reed, and this latest collaboration, with Benjamin Lazar Davis, is an album, Let it Be You, that incorporates Central African Republic Pygmy people’s flute ostinatos as the basis for pop songs. 20 November at Thekla, The Grove, Bristol BS1. £16.50. theklabristol.co.uk 21 November at Heaven, Villiers St, London WC2. £18.50. heaven-live.co.uk
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Smile, please The King is dead, but who the hell cares? A strange new act has arrived at the Stokes Croft fair, a grotesque oasis of entertainment. Soon, everyone from the gutter rats to the new Queen has fallen for the handmade freak Grinpayne and his hideously beautiful face. But who is he really? And how did he come to be so marked? Together with an old man, a blind girl and a wolf, he has a story to tell… The Grinning Man is a new musical written by long-time Kneehigh collaborator Carl Grose, based on the Victor Hugo novel and cult silent movie The Man Who Laughs. Directed by Tom Morris (War Horse), it features an original score by Tim Phillips and Marc Teitler, and puppetry from Gyre and Gimble, the original puppeteers of War Horse. 13 October – 13 November at Bristol Old Vic. Tickets £9.50-£32. bristololdvic.org.uk
David Jamin “Soleil d’ Hiver” Oil on canvas 50x50cms
Patrick Cornee “Luxury Superdog” Oil on canvas 80x80cms
62 Church Street, Falmouth, Cornwall TR11 3DS 01326 219323 | 07913 848515 | info@artworldltd.com | www.artworldltd.com MANOR | Autumn 2016
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The secret sharer Sculptor and painter Henri Barande is one of the international art world’s most secretive artists, and this exhibition at Saatchi Gallery will be the first and only time to see his work exhibited in the UK in his lifetime. In a world where artists are defined by their renown, the price their works command and their celebrity status, Barande is that rare thing: an artist who makes art for its own sake, who chooses not to sell his work and who had never exhibited his work publicly, until now. Who knows – it could all be a giant hoax. You decide: the exhibition will consist of an installation of 45 canvases and 25 sculptures. Until 31 October at Saatchi Gallery, King’s Road SW3. saatchigallery.com
Watch the birdie In the age of the mobile phone, the camera as a stand-alone device is disappearing from sight. The Camera Exposed puts the instrument centre stage, with 120 photographs spanning the 19th-century to the present day. Until 5 March at Victoria & Albert Museum, Cromwell Road SW7. Free. vam.ac.uk
State of the nation
Until 22 October at Jerwood Theatre Downstairs, Royal Court Theatre, Sloane Square SW1. Tickets from £10. royalcourttheatre.com
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PHOTO: © VICTORIA AND ALBERT MUSEUM, LONDON
West Texas, 1862. Hero, a slave, is promised his freedom if he joins his master in the ranks of the Confederacy against the Union. The family he leaves behind debates whether to escape or await his return, and they fear that, for Hero, freedom is an empty promise that may come at a great cost. Pulitzer Prize winner Suzan-Lori Parks returns to the Royal Court with Father Comes Home from The Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3), directed by Jo Bonney, which received rave reviews when it premiered in New York. These are the first three of nine short plays that will follow one African-American family through generations up to the present day. John French and Daphne Abrams in a tailored suit, John French, 1957
culture Worth staying in for...
Dark reflections As the nights lengthen, we love nothing better than staring into the inky heart of the human condition, and nothing gives abyss quite like Charlie Brooker’s Black Mirror. As well as a bigger budget, Netflix – which snaffled the show from former host Channel 4 – has reportedly given makers Brooker and Annabel Jones creative carte blanche to terrify the bejesus out of us with their particular brand of tech-oriented dystopian drama. Season 3 of Black Mirror premieres on Netflix on 21 October.
Listen up The Poetry Archive is a not-for-profit organisation that makes and acquires recordings of poets from around the English-speaking world, and makes substantial excerpts from them freely available online. Hearing a poet reading his or her work is uniquely illuminating: writers have a special insight into their own work and, as listeners, we are taken to a deeper level of understanding by hearing how they speak it. Listen to Seamus Heaney reading ‘Death of a Naturalist’, hear him roll those sumptuous words around his mouth, and you’ll see those ‘jampotfuls of jellied specks’ like never before. And while much of the Poetry Archive’s resources are free to access (particularly the section featuring classic poems read by contemporary poets), the site is committed to supporting poets and their work, so some downloads incur a small fee. Worth every penny. poetryarchive.org
Box of delights Canadian poet Anne Carson’s work is always a heady brew of the experimental and the classical, pulling in her broad and varied passions and expertise to create pieces that illuminate the fragmentary yet connectedness of life. Float takes this concept further: presented as a series of 12 mini-books that can be read in any order, the work gathers lectures, poems, performance pieces and prose that combine to explore myth and memory, beauty and loss, all the while playing with the limits of language and form. Float is published by Jonathan Cape on 27 October.
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The style shoot There is something magical about woodland at this time of year. Branches still heavy with leaves, it’s alive with the abundance of wildlife it shelters within, but foliage is fast changing colour and trees beginning to shed. We wanted to find the wildest wood we could, with a fresh smell of earth and mulch from the rain, with immense and rotten fallen trunks, unkempt branches and burrows under foot. We wanted the woodland to envelope our model in the way fairytale forests do. We weren’t disappointed. PHOTOGRAPHS BY THOMAS HOLE STYLED BY MIMI STOTT 74
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Crushed velvet dress, Zara, £19.99
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Top, £29.99; military mini skirt, £49.99, both Zara
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Coat, Modern Rarity at John Lewis, £220; lace top, £29.99; tube skirt, £29.99, both Zara
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Photographer: Thomas Hole Stylist: Mimi Stott Model: Annabeth Murphy-Thomas from Select Hair and make-up: Maddie Austin Location: Dartmoor
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Make Morsø of your autumn.
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Food St Ewe Eggs | Fifteen Cornwall celebrates 10 years | Simple cooking with Gill Meller Bites, the latest news and events from across the region | The Table Prowler
PHOTO: LEO ZOLTAN
Daphne Lambert’s root vegetable kimchi. See page 112 for the recipe
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...but it’s not quite as simple as that, as Fiona McGowan discovers when she visits St Ewe Eggs near Truro in Cornwall. Photos by David Wheaton.
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food
Not only is it good for hens to have free range of movement, but their feed has an amazing impact on the yield and quality of the eggs.
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rom extra-large ideal for baking, to uber-high nutrient that boost your immune system and improve your brain power, award-winning producer St Ewe Eggs is breaking new ground to create eggs for every occasion. From Papua New Guinea to Patagonia and from Siberia to Sumatra, eggs are a staple of almost every society’s diet: a somewhat unexamined and underpraised cornerstone of nutrition. If eggs ever do hit the headlines, it is usually with negative stories. The salmonella scares of the 80s, or the cruel business of battery farms. Avian flu and cholesterol, allergies…the list goes on. Yet we still consume 33 million eggs a day in the UK alone. As anyone who has flirted with veganisim knows, the majority of manufactured foodstuffs contain egg in some form or other. Not to mention vaccines and medicines. Eggs are relatively cheap to buy, too. So the egg business is probably a pretty good industry to be in – it is unlikely to go off the boil, so to speak. When Rebecca Tonks’ dad decided to quit dairy farming and move over to eggs in the 1980s, he made a very wise choice. Having developed a passion for nutrition with his Jersey cattle feed, Richard Tonks quickly recognised that not only is it good for hens to have free range of movement, but that their feed has an amazing impact on the yield and quality of the eggs. Rebecca, who now runs St Ewe Eggs with her parents, and has three children of her own, was effectively born into the business. Ventonwyn Farm lies between Truro and St Austell, set in a peaceful Cornish landscape of open fields and clutches of trees dotting the horizon. The farm comprises several large fields and four long, low barns, which provide a haven to 14,000 Lohmann Browns hens. When
I arrive at the farm, the majority of them are out in the field, scratching about in the time-honoured fashion of chickens the world over. Approaching the fence for a better look, I create a ripple effect in the flock, and they all shuffle towards me, softly clucking and muttering. Their russet-brown feathers are glossy in the sunlight, and their wattles and combs a storybook red. “They’re very curious creatures,” grins Rebecca as she joins me at the gate. “I wouldn’t go into the field with those sandals on, though,” she adds, looking at my inappropriate footwear, “or they’ll start getting over-curious and have a bit of a peck.” Hens pecking at my toes are hardly a frightening proposition, but en masse? I look at the thousands of sharp little beaks and beady eyes, and curl my toes back into my sandals. The St Ewe chickens clearly have a good life. They live entirely free in their large fields, and have cosy barns with straw-lined laying boxes and wooden, single-tier perches. The barns are lit during the daytime and dark at night (the lights come on at 5am during the winter months, explains Rebecca, so the chickens exist on a permanent schedule of British Summer Time). The henhouses are heated on cold days and opened up to the breeze during warmer weather. It is an intriguing process, egg-farming. Chickens have a fairly long life: they are bought from a farm in Launceston at 16 weeks – although when Rebecca was growing up, the hens were all hand-reared on the farm. While hens can carry on laying for about seven years, “they lay as a commercial flock for 72-74 weeks,” says Rebecca, reeling off the stats with the ease of someone who knows the business inside and out. “The eggs get bigger as they get older – due to stretching. As the eggs are bigger, the shell quality is not strong enough to cope with the pressures of commercial MANOR | Autumn 2016
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The ‘Rich Yolk’ eggs are sold to high-end kitchens where the dishes conjured up have to look as good as they taste.
packing and shipping.” The hens continue to lay perfectly good eggs, though, and there are always plenty of takers for the hens that have reached the end of their supermarket-laying life. St Ewe Eggs has carved a strong niche: they are sold in ASDA, Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Ocado. The freerange egg marketplace, however, is a crowded space, so Rebecca is dedicated to ensuring that her family’s eggs are consistently popular. Thanks to her father Richard Tonks’ decades of experience, they are capitalising on the fact that different feeds produce different eggs. While I assume that happy, free-range chickens produce better eggs, Rebecca points out that free range chickens can actually have a more stressful existence than caged chickens. After all, battery hens exist in exactly the same conditions throughout their laying life. They never get scared by a buzzard or a seagull swooping down at them, so their eggs are very consistent in shape, size and quality. While it’s good from an ethical perspective for chickens to be RSPCAassured free-range, as St Ewe’s hens are, “In the end, the eggs are only as good as the feed,” Rebecca says. The chicken feed, distributed in the henhouse at the same times every day, helping to generate a consistent laying pattern, has been perfected by Richard Tonks and local supplier Lifton Mill to provide high energy, 96
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which gives top laying potential. The Hen Picked Eggs are the brand’s ‘best value’ eggs: they’re mixed weight, but still incredibly uniform in shape and colour. In the gleaming new sorting shed, I see how many eggs have to be discarded due to wrinkles and inconsistent shells. I pick up one which has a wobbly, rippled surface. What causes these anomalies? Rebecca explains that if chickens get a scare, there is an effect in the way the shell is produced. You might get a thin, corrugated shell on an over-large egg, or a speckled or half-tone shell which could be caused by the chicken getting too hot or having a scare. In the sorting and packing shed, Rebecca explains that the slightly erratic nature of free-range eggs means that, in order to supply enough of their extra large ‘Grand’ egg range, they have to bring in eggs from five other Westcountry farms, whose chickens are reared in the same environment and given the same high-quality feed. They are checked for flaws and selected for size using hi-tech sorting machines, light boxes (where any flaws in the yolk can be picked up), and by good, old-fashioned human eyes – the small team of cheery egg-selectors carefully handling and selecting the best of the lot. There are racks of egg cartons stacked almost to the ceiling. Rebecca ticks off the numbers of pallets on her fingers – doing some spectacular mental arithmetic
food gymnastics before resorting to her calculator. “We ship around 76,000 eggs a week.” I am most intrigued by the Boost the Roost eggs, sold in an eye-catching red box, emblazoned with nutrition catchwords like ‘Selenium’ and ‘DHA Omega 3’. The hens that lay these eggs are fed an enriched diet, says the box. The feed was developed initially because of a Tonks family ‘weak gene’ – a tendency towards pancreatitis. Rebecca and her parents found research that showed the natural antioxidant selenium could be an antidote to this potentially dangerous condition. Selenium – which is vital for physical and mental energy, the immune system, fertility and regulating the thyroid function – is often deficient in the UK diet. But the Tonkses discovered that, when fed to chickens, it is absorbed and deposited in the eggs. They then added spirulina to the feed: a wonder-nutrient found in algae which is high in the DHA Omega 3 fatty acids normally found in oily fish. Rebecca explains that adding spirulina extract is sustainable, as it’s harvested from algae rather than fish stocks. The eggs are checked rigorously to ensure that the feed is still having the same impact on the eggs: “We test them every 12 weeks to make sure they are still absorbing the nutrients,” says Rebecca, as we peek into the henhouse with its very healthy-looking chickens muttering away on their perches. Another bespoke egg is the ‘Rich Yolk’ egg. A large egg sold in golden yellow boxes, this is almost
exclusively designed for the catering industry – particularly high-end kitchens where the dishes conjured up have to look as good as they taste. To serve this market, St Ewe developed a feed that incorporates paprika (“You can’t put in too much, though, or it comes out slightly red,” says Rebecca) and marigold. Hotels, top chefs (Chris Eden at the Rosevine; Paul Ainsworth at No.6 and Rojano’s) and many London restaurants including Claridges are already major fans, and the orders keep on coming… As I walk away with a large tray of ‘wibbly wobbly’ eggs that are sold to locals who are unfazed by external appearances, I realise that, while eggs is eggs, it’s not quite as simple as all that. stewe.co.uk
OUR THANK YOU TO YOU FOR 10 YEARS OF FIFTEEN CORNWALL As a thank you to all our customers, register online for your
THANK YOU CODE
to receive a complimentary third or fourth course from our full lunch menu when you dine with us this Autumn. Lunch starts at £26 for 2 courses, £32 for 3 courses. Can be redeemed Monday - Saturday, 26 September 2016 - 22 October & 31 October - 17 December 2016 To register go to: www.fifteencornwall.co.uk/thankyou O N THE BEAC H, WATERGATE B AY, TR8 4A A , CORNWALL 01637 861000 MANOR | Autumn 2016
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PHOTO: BETH DRUCE
Octopus carpaccio with agretti and blood orange
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food
Fifteen Cornwall, Jamie Oliver’s five-star restaurant that trains and supports apprentices from deprived backgrounds, is now 10 years old. Fiona McGowan heads to Watergate Bay to discuss the past, the present and the future.
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good restaurant is pure theatre. Everything has to work together to create a performance that pleases an audience of many different tastes. Like the stage set, the decor is designed to draw you in and take you out of the everyday world you inhabit. The stage is your plate and the acting is done on your palate. A restaurant with a view will always have a leg-up in terms of winning over an audience. But of course, like any play, the backdrop is irrelevant if the action doesn’t match up. Fifteen Cornwall is blessed with one of the most distracting views in the region. Perched on the edge of the sandy sweep of Watergate Bay just north of Newquay, one whole side of the restaurant is a giant window. Go there at night, and the restaurant has to compensate for a great big, shiny wall of blackness. Go there in the afternoon or early evening (later in the summer months), and you will not be able to take your eyes off the moving theatre of the waves – and the extras playing out a ‘beach scene’ below you. Fifteen is ten years old this year – and one of those success stories that Cornwall loves to shout about. But, funnily enough, not everyone knows the nuts and bolts of the business. Founder Jamie Oliver, of course, is internationally famous. So a restaurant owned by him conjures images of his brand: his revamp of school dinners springs to mind; the many cooking shows; the recipe books that adorn the shelves of half the kitchens in the country. More recently, Jamie’s Italian restaurants have been springing up everywhere – there are more than 30 restaurants in the country (13 in London alone). Perhaps you remember his Jamie’s Kitchen programme from 2002 when Jamie was filmed training 15 disadvantaged youths for a Channel 4 documentary series and where the best trainees were offered jobs at Jamie’s Fifteen restaurant in London? Matthew Thornton is the chief executive of Fifteen Cornwall and clearly warms to telling the story of how that social enterprise concept migrated to the shores of North Cornwall. It was a fusion of two very driven individuals, he explains. Henry Ashworth, the middle son of the hoteliers MANOR | Autumn 2016
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Because of our sourcing policy, 80% of what we buy comes from Cornish producers. All the revenues are helping the local economy.
Jamie Oliver with some of the Fifteen Cornwall team
PHOTO: BETH DRUCE
Crab tortellini
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Winter seaside tagliarini
food who owned Watergate Bay Hotel, had been running Extreme Academy sports school and Beach Hut café on the beach. He was searching for a way to put something back into the community. Betty Hale worked in economic regeneration at Cornwall Council, and, inspired by watching Jamie’s Kitchen, she was determined to bring the concept to Cornwall. After a couple of years of correspondence with Jamie’s team, she finally brokered a meeting between Henry and Jamie in 2005. The wheels were in motion, and they gathered movers and shakers from all over Cornwall: from education, social enterprise, food producers, the Job Centre and hospitality; all forming a board with formidable – and diverse – experience. This became the Cornwall Food Foundation. CFF was given a huge boost by the European Social Fund (sadly, now off the menu), and an apprenticeship programme was put in place. Fifteen Cornwall was set up as a franchise, and now operates as one of very few top restaurants in the country (if not the world) that runs as a charity – all profits get sown back into the CFF, which provides support and runs the apprenticeship programme. Matthew Thornton has been at the helm for four years and injects a broad range of experience into the business. His biggest driver is the ‘social enterprise’ push: after leaving Cornwall as a roadie at the age of 18, he bounced between events management, high-end hospitality in London, and even banking, before finding his calling in the charity sector – working for nearly 20 years in social enterprise and social entrepreneurship. On arriving at Fifteen in 2012, he immediately leapt into action: “When I arrived, we made some investment decisions – we revamped the kitchens, we re-vamped the restaurant...” Now, he wants to build that side of the brand to bring more to the region. “In 2018, we plan to open a training restaurant cookery school.” The new concept is called the City Farm Project. It will be, he says, a ‘living village’, complete with a cookery school and training restaurant. They will be working with the Duchy Agricultural College to grow produce on-site. “So, seed-to-plate – not just training chefs, but making the connection back to the land.” It’s an exciting concept – and one that has got general manager Polly Dent fired up, too. Polly has been with Fifteen since its inception, and is now GM of the restaurant and CFF. As well as working on the plans for the City Farm, she oversees all of the social enterprise programmes. “I now work more closely with the apprentices and their progression within the kitchen. We have a community cooking programme running. We do a schools programme…” She’s charming, dynamic and straight talking – without a doubt the engine behind the personality of the restaurant. She’s particularly keen on the way that the restaurant feeds back into region. “We’ve nearly turned over half a million pounds in a month,” she says, “Not only does it go into the charity, a million pounds a year goes into
wages. That million is being spent down here in Cornwall and, because of our sourcing policy, 80% of what we buy comes from Cornish producers. So all the revenues are helping the local economy.” The apprentice scheme, of course, forms the heart of the charity. Every year, 15 apprentices are brought in to the kitchen. They come from difficult backgrounds, and yet, says Polly, the restaurant doesn’t scrimp on anything – from the service to the main performance on the palate. “We run a £65 tasting menu with a £50 wine package, and we don’t compromise at all for having apprentices who might be partially sighted, have mental health problems, ex-drug addicts, ex-cons – that’s not an excuse for us.” While it’s easy for her to say, it really needs to be tried and tested. I had to experience the show for myself. It was – from the point of view of journalistic integrity – irritatingly flawless. From the exquisite late-summer sunshine setting over great booming rollers, and the entertainment on the beach below (hotel guests playing volleyball, drinking Champagne and wobbling about on a slack-line) – to the very last morsel of chocolate pudding washed down with a lugubrious dessert wine, I don’t think the performance could have been improved. The waiting staff – the men dressed in jaunty navy shorts and short-sleeved shirts – were genuinely charming and knowledgeable: ready for a chat, happy to take the time to explain the dishes and flexible about dietary options. The sommelier was engaging and really could have sold anything – but needless to say, she was spot-on with the wine selections. Each course – a delicate crab tortelloni, a rich risotto and a meaty but gently flavoured John Dory – was accompanied by a palate-charming glass. The staff clearly enjoy their work: like actors who act because they love it, not just because it pays the bills – it actually shows. In an industry that is renowned for having a high turnover of transient workers, Polly says that Fifteen has exceptionally good retention. It is partly because she puts so much energy into growing the careers of her staff. Ellie, the sommelier, is a case in point. “She came to us as a waitress who liked a bit of wine,” smiles Polly. “Having had two babies and progressed within Fifteen, we gave her the opportunity to take the big job – and she just loves it. She’s still bringing up her kids, she’s still surfing with her husband, she’s still living her life, but she’s found a career that she utterly, utterly enjoys.” So whether she’s working to ensure that the apprentices are supported outside of work, or helping them to find work in restaurants around the region (80% of the apprentices are still chef-ing), or encouraging the restaurant staff to further their careers, Polly and her management team are devoted to making sure that Fifteen Cornwall is a great place to work. And a great place to eat. “The hospitality industry is what runs Cornwall,” she says, with feeling. “It’s what employs us, it’s what keeps us going through the winter. It’s so fundamentally important to keep the standards or even improve the standards.” . MANOR | Autumn 2016
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Fifteen Cornwall’s new tasting menu Fiona McGowan reports back on an array of small dishes whose wine pairings, to quote the menu, add ‘another layer of flavour’.
PHOTO: BETH DRUCE
Mozzarella di bufala
A frosty Perrier Jouet Champagne is a great way to start a meal in my book – not least when enhanced by the rich taste of crispy pork and tangy salsa verde. My Insalata course was burrata cheese – its springy mozzarella shell giving way to a creamy, whey-like interior, accompanied with sweet, juicy tomatoes and basil. The Pinot Grigio was just the right side of tart: the sort of icy cold wine that you might sip at the end of a long, hot day on the beach. Each of the portions are small, tapas-like. They deliver a big impact in terms of taste, however, while leaving room for the next. My Primi course was tortellini filled with Cornish crab and a topping of crispy breadcrumbs. I think it might have been my favourite dish: the succulent pasta packages bursting in the mouth with tasty crabmeat. My husband ordered a super-rich Carnaroli risotto – the fresh ‘Vignete Lugarara’ Gavi wine from Piedmont cut its unctuous taste perfectly. I tried to pace myself: although the dishes were small, and I avoided finishing each glass of wine, by the time my John Dory arrived, I worried that I might not have room. How wrong I was. The good-sized, meaty fillet was deliciously flavoured with chilli and 102
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mint, and accompanied by a juicy artichoke. The pièce de résistance of wines arrived with this course: the Ken Forrester ‘FMC’ Chenin Blanc from South Africa was quite possibly one of the finest glasses of white I have ever tasted. I am no connoisseur, but I could actually pick out different tastes: it’s obviously a dry wine, but has a sweetness combined with a woodiness that danced about with the minty, chilli fish on my palate. And finally – yes, there was still room – the chocolate caprese was delicious; satisfying in its almondy density. Not too sweet or sugary, it was also not in the slightest bit bitter. A Tuscan dessert wine the colour of honey (Vin Santo ‘Da Vinci’) was literally like the icing on the cake – marginally sweeter than the dessert itself, it edges towards being a sherry without the saccharine aftertaste. Setting, service, and content: a perfect meal and well recommended. Fifteen Cornwall’s five-course tasting menu is £65 per person with additional wine pairing at £55 per person. fifteencornwall.co.uk
food
Gather, from River Cottage chef Gill Meller, showcases 120 recipes inspired by the landscape in which he lives and works. Photos by Andrew Montgomery.
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n Gather, Gill Meller’s first book, there are chapters on foods from Moorland (game and herbs), Garden (tomatoes, salads, soft fruits), Farm (pork, dairy, honey), Field (rye, barley, wheat, oats), Seashore (crab, seaweed, oysters), Orchard (apples, pears, blackcurrants), Harbour (fish and seafood), and Woodland (mushrooms, damsons, blackberries). Over the next few pages we present a selection of recipes from Gill’s book to illustrate how you can deliver good, wholesome and delicious autumnal fare simply, without the need for obscure ingredients or complicated cooking. MANOR | Autumn 2016
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Barbecued little gems with cucumber, white beans and tahini Serves eight as a starter or four as a main “I adore cooking lettuce. Sometimes, I like to wilt it with chicken stock and plenty of black pepper, parsley and lovage. Sometimes, I fry wedges of small lettuce in butter and olive oil, with salty anchovies and lots of garlic, until its sugars caramelize, then I serve it with heaps of grated Parmesan cheese. And soup, I make soup a lot with lettuce. But, with their close, tight leaves, little gem lettuces are also perfect for cooking on the barbecue or chargrilling. You want to get the embers good and hot, to give some real colour to the cut face of the lettuce. The contrast in this warm salad comes from the fresh, cool crunch of cucumber. It’s all brought together with a beautiful, sort-of dressing, made from white beans, yoghurt and tahini.”
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and grated • 1 x 400g (14oz) tin of white beans, such as cannellini or butter beans • Juice and zest of 1 lemon • 2 tablespoons tahini • 4 tablespoons plain natural yoghurt • 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves • 4 little gem lettuces, halved, washed and patted dry • 1 medium or 2 small firm cucumbers, halved lengthways and cut into 1.5cm (5⁄8in) slices • 1 small bunch of chives, finely chopped and a few left whole • Salt and black pepper METHOD
Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a medium frying pan over a medium–high heat, then add the garlic. Fry for 25–30 seconds, until the garlic begins to soften, then add the white beans and lemon zest. Stir to combine and cook for 1–2 minutes more, until the white beans are warmed through. Now, stir in the tahini, yoghurt, lemon juice and parsley, along with 2–3 tablespoons of water. Cook for a further 1–2 minutes, until spoonable. If it’s too thick, add a little more water. Remove the pan from the heat. Light your barbecue. Season the little gem halves with salt and pepper, and drizzle them with 1 tablespoon of the oil. When your barbecue coals are glowing nice and hot, lay your little gem lettuce, cutsides down, onto the grill. Grill the lettuce for 5–10 minutes on each side – how long will depend upon the heat of your coals, but aim for the lettuce halves to soften, take on some colour, and caramelize; a little charring improves the dish. (Alternatively, cook on a preheated chargrill pan.) When the lettuce halves are ready, place them on a large serving platter cut-side up. Put the bean and tahini dressing back on the heat to warm through, and give it a final stir. Spoon it over the lettuce, making sure it trickles through and around the layers of leaves. Scatter over the prepared cucumber, sprinkle with the chopped chives, strew over the long chives, then drizzle over the remaining olive oil and season everything with salt and pepper. Serve the salad straight away.
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food Roast parsnips with blackberries, honey chicory and rye flakes Serves four “The last of autumn’s blackberries are ripe, salacious and full of flavour. Once all the berries are picked, the bramble retires back into the hedgerow, unnoticed and still for winter. It’s easy to forget then how productive this thorny weed really is. In this gorgeous, colourful salad, I tumble the berries through a tray of roasted early winter parsnips, where they burst in the hot honey and olive oil, and are cut through by the bitterness of red chicory. A scattering of rye flakes adds a nutty crunch, which I really love. This is a real River Cottage favourite.”
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4 parsnips, quartered lengthways and cored 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 2 heaped tablespoons rye flakes 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 1 tablespoon runny honey 1 tablespoon cider vinegar 2 or 3 thyme sprigs 2 or 3 rosemary sprigs About 100g (3½oz) blackberries 1 firm red chicory, leaves separated Salt and freshly ground black pepper
METHOD
Heat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Place the parsnip quarters in a large roasting tray. Combine the olive oil, rye flakes, Dijon mustard, honey and cider vinegar in a bowl and season generously with salt and pepper. Mix well, then pour mixture over the parsnips and tumble them to coat thoroughly. Tear over the thyme and rosemary, then place the roasting tray in the oven and roast the parsnips for 40–45 minutes, turning once or twice with a spatula, until they are tender in the middle and crisp and caramelized on the outside. Remove the parsnips from the oven, then scatter the blackberries and chicory leaves over them. Set aside to cool for 5–10 minutes, then serve as a warm salad with fresh bread, or as an accompaniment to good sausages, duck, or pork chops.
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Barley, squash and mushrooms with herb & crème fraîche dressing Serves four to six “This is an earthy, nutty and substantial salad, full of good textures and early autumn flavours. Barley is curious in that it never really overcooks in the way rice can. It retains its charming, slightly toothsome bite, which is just perfect with the buttery, sweet roasted squash and tender mushrooms. The dressing is full of fresh dill, a herb with a reassuring, familiar flavour that I like very much, particularly with mushrooms and grains.”
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250g (9oz) pearl barley 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil Zest and juice of 1 lemon 1 large butternut or crown prince squash 1 small bunch of sage, leaves picked 6–8 rosemary sprigs 1 small garlic bulb, cloves separated, skin on 4 or 5 large Portobello mushrooms or similar (about 300–400g/10½–14oz) 2 teaspoons sugar 2 teaspoons English or Dijon mustard 1 tablespoon cider vinegar 2–3 tablespoons crème fraîche 1 good bunch of dill fronds, finely chopped, plus extra for serving 1 bunch of flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked Salt and freshly ground black pepper
METHOD
Heat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Place the pearl barley in a medium pan, cover with water, and place on a medium heat. Simmer gently for 25–30 minutes, until the barley is tender with a slightly nutty bite. Drain and immediately dress with half the olive oil, the lemon zest and
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juice and a little salt. Set aside to cool. Place the squash on a board and cut it in half lengthways. Scoop out the seeds, then cut each half into 5 or 6 wedges and place them in a large roasting tray along with the sage leaves and rosemary sprigs, garlic cloves, the remaining olive oil and a generous seasoning of salt and black pepper. Cover the roasting tray with foil and place in the oven for 30–40 minutes, until soft. Meanwhile, slice the mushrooms into 3–4cm (1¼–1½in) slices. Take the roasting tray out of the oven, remove the foil and scatter the sliced mushrooms over and around it. Turn everything together carefully to avoid breaking up the squash, then return it, uncovered, to the oven and cook for a further 20 minutes, until the mushrooms are cooked and the squash has taken on some colour. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. To make the dressing, thoroughly combine the sugar, mustard and vinegar in a small bowl. Stir in the crème fraîche and the chopped dill, and season with salt and pepper, to taste. To serve, tumble the squash, mushrooms, herbs, garlic and all the juices in the roasting tray together with the barley. Scatter over the parsley leaves, spoon over the dressing, tumble again, then finish with a scattering of dill. Take to the table straight away.
food Cobnut, prune and chocolate tart Serves ten to twelve “This nutty, chocolatey pudding is a fine way to round off a good lunch or weekend supper. If you can’t find fresh cobnuts you can use hazelnuts instead.”
• 100g (3½oz) juicy stoned prunes, halved if large • 50g (1¾oz) dark chocolate drops, at least 70 per cent cocoa solids • 85g (3oz) shelled cobnuts or hazelnuts, roughly chopped • Oats, for sprinkling • 3 tablespoons apple brandy FOR THE PASTRY
• 90g (3¼oz) icing sugar • 340g (11¾oz) plain flour • 170g (5¾oz) butter, cubed and chilled, plus extra for greasing • 1 egg • 2 tablespoons iced water FOR THE BUTTERSCOTCH FILLING
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50g (1¾oz) golden caster sugar 1 small knob of butter 125ml (4fl oz) double cream Pinch of fine sea salt
FOR THE FRANGIPANE
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75g (2½oz) unsalted butter 75g (2½oz) golden caster sugar 2 eggs, beaten 75g (2½oz) ground hazelnuts
METHOD
First, make the pastry. Combine the icing sugar and plain flour in a medium bowl. Rub in the chilled butter cubes until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs (you can also do this in a food processor). Add in the egg and iced water, and stir through to combine. Tip out the dough and bring it together with your hands, kneading lightly to achieve a smooth finish. Wrap the pastry tightly in cling film and place it in the fridge to rest for at least 30 minutes. Heat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry until it is about 2mm (1⁄16in) thick.
Grease and flour a 25cm (10in) loose-bottomed tart tin, then lay over the pastry, tucking it into the corners and leaving an overhang. Line the pastry case with baking parchment and baking beans. Blind bake the tart case for 25 minutes, then remove the baking beans, trim the overhang, and return to the oven for 10 minutes, or until the base is just starting to colour. Remove and set aside. To make the butterscotch, place the sugar in a small heavy-based pan. Add 1 tablespoon of water and place the pan on a medium heat. Bring the sugar to a simmer, agitating the pan to help all the sugar dissolve and caramelize. When you have a nutty, golden colour, remove from the heat and, stirring continuously, add the butter followed by the cream. Mix for 1–2 minutes, until you have a smooth, even sauce. Season with a pinch of salt and allow to cool. For the frangipane, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and hazelnuts, and mix until combined. Spread the butterscotch over the base of the tart case, then spoon over the frangipane. Scatter over the prunes, chocolate drops and chopped cobnuts and finish with a sprinkling of oats. Bake in the oven for 12–15 minutes, or until just set. Remove the tart from the oven and allow to cool for 15–20 minutes before serving with cream or ice cream.
Gill Meller is a chef, food writer, author, food stylist and cookery teacher. He has been part of the River Cottage team for 11 years, working closely with Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. Gill appears regularly on Channel 4 series, cooking alongside Hugh, produces recipe videos for The River Cottage food tube channel and teaches at the River Cottage Cookery School. He has contributed to many of the River Cottage cookbooks and has written and contributed to The Guardian, Waitrose Food, Delicious, and BBC Countryfile magazine and Country Living. Gather is published by Quadrille, £25.
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Bites
Courgette kuku
Smoky quinoa stuffed peppers with sheep’s cheese
Channelling Veg Veg aficionados at Riverford have launched a new veg-obsessed recipe video channel on YouTube. With new recipe videos released each week, such as radicchio and bacon pasta, courgette kuku and kale, fruit and nut pilaf, the channel offers a whole gamut of creative ways to cook veg. The easy-to-follow recipes are demonstrated step-by-step in separate short videos. Couldn’t be simpler. Riverford founder Guy Watson says: “We want the channel to be a place to return whenever you need help or inspiration around vegetables, from broad beans and cardoons to squash and fennel, but not forgetting the humbler members of the veg tribe: we’ve been finding inventive ways with carrots and cabbages and cauliflowers for over 30 years. We want to share that enthusiasm.” Designed in collaboration with makers of Rick Stein’s TV programmes, Denham Productions, the new videos capture the pleasure that comes from handling proper veg in fine, homemade food that’s packed with flavour. riverford.co.uk/recipes
Salute to Sunday Start your Sunday morning with a refreshing, dynamic yoga class followed by a delicious brunch at Harry’s restaurant in Exeter. Yoga teacher Emma Jaulin, who runs the yoga brunches, says: “You will be spiraling your body around the mat, moving with ease, breathing and working up an appetite. You may find yourself challenged, we will play, and we will relax deeply. “After the class, Harry’s will serve up a delicious breakfast. Think smashed avo on sourdough, homemade granola, pancakes drizzled with maple syrup and more! “Yoga brunches provide an opportunity for you to take time for you, to immerse yourself into your yoga practice, to meet like-minded people, to enjoy good food and relax.” Yoga brunch at Harry’s restaurant is on 6 November 9.45am-12noon. emmajaulinyoga.com
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ON THE FESTIVAL TRAIL… Dartmouth Now in its 15th year, the Dartmouth Food Festival attracts more than 20,000 people to the South Devon harbour town each October. Described by The Telegraph as a ‘heady mix of celebrity chefs, parties, food markets, tasting shacks and demonstrations’, it’s no surprise that the festival is a landmark event on the culinary calendar. Visitors may browse/taste/indulge in a wide selection of sumptuous food and drink and buy direct from the growers, makers, bakers and brewers. Stands selling breads, cheeses, meats, drinks, wines, beers, chocolate, flapjack, cake, chutneys, oils and much more will be available from 10am each day. Tom Parker-Bowles, Mark Hicks, Simon Hulstone, Matt Norton, Mitch Tonks, Romy Gill and Matt Tebbutt, among many others, will be whipping up a storm in the festival kitchen, and wine writer Susy Atkins will be hosting drinks seminars at Browns Hotel. Eat Your Words – conversations with food writers, chefs and other experts including Dan Saladino from BBC’s Food Programme – continues this year with a nourishing programme of discussions and talks, many of which will be fuelled by delicious tastings. Dartmouth Food Festival 21-23 October dartmouthfoodfestival.com
Left to right, Mark Lobb, Wild Food Devon, Serin Aubrey, Dartmouth Fine Foods, Mitch Tonks from The Seahorse and Rockfish, and Dartmouth Food Festival Chair, Camilla Beloe
Padstow Nathan Outlaw has been confirmed to open this year’s Padstow Christmas Festival that will take place in early December. Now in its ninth year, Cornwall’s largest food festival takes place in the heart of Padstow. The volunteer-run event is known for its Christmas market, packed with more than 100 artisan crafts and food and drink producers from across the country. The two chef stages will feature demonstrations from Rick Stein, Mitch Tonks and Paul Ainsworth. Other culinary stars attending include Angela Hartnett, Michael Caines, Simon Hulstone, Clare Smyth, José Pizarro and Sat Bains. Check the Padstow Christmas Festival website for updates. Padstow Christmas Festival, 1-4 December. padstowchristmasfestival.co.uk
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Crimbo Crumble Cornish artisan confectioner Buttermilk is adding three festive flavours to its range. Mince Pie Crumbly Fudge, Cranberry and Orange Smooth Fudge, and Irish Cream Crumbly Fudge – all are available in Christmas-themed sharing boxes. Buttermilk is also launching a Christmas gift box: a delicious 18-piece selection of traditional festive fudge flavours including brandy butter, chocolate orange, and ginger. The confections will be available at Buttermilk’s Padstow and Port Isaac shops from mid-October and online. They will also be stocked in farms and delis nationwide. A small range of gluten free products is now also available. buttermilk.co.uk
… and crimping The Mince Pie Pasty from Warrens Bakery (which was so good it went viral) is back. Warrens Bakery blew UK and international audiences away with their trial run of the Mince Pie Pasty last December and now it is set to return. Master baker Jason Jobling says: “We wanted to give a Cornish twist to the traditional mince pie. This pasty is handmade using rough puff pastry and filled with specially selected mincemeat and vanilla custard. It’s crimped by hand in the same way we would a savoury pasty then glazed and topped with a cinnamon and sugar blend for extra crunch.” warrensbakery.co.uk
A Drink Named Horse Mixologist Ian Vasey from Bustopher Jones in Truro has shaken up a new cocktail menu featuring innovative drinks, as well as unequivocal classics from the first golden era of cocktails. The comprehensive menu is separated into chapters, making it easier to navigate for the indecisive drinker: Tang & Twang, Silky Sours, Giggle Water, High Spirits, Something for Dessert, Stone Cold Classics and 0% Proof. With more than 20 years’ experience in the hospitality sector, working and running cocktail bars, Ian’s concoctions look gorgeous and taste delicious – he uses high-quality house spirits, homemade bitters and tinctures to achieve a superior taste. Drinks are priced from £5 for non-alcoholic versions to £12 for pure spirit and liqueur cocktails. bustopherjones.co.uk
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A Drink Named Horse… Tarquin’s Cornish gin, homemade horseradish sauce, runny honey, fresh lemon, black pepper and Szechuan pepper tincture. Served with carpaccio of beef.
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Feasts and Gatherings Nancarrow, a working organic farm tucked into a hidden valley near Truro, has announced a programme of feasts and gatherings planned for autumn and Christmas. The farm, which is also known for food-focused weddings, runs communal feasts inspired by its rural surroundings. Nancarrow manager Steve Chamberlain, a member of the farming family who have looked after Nancarrow for nine generations, explains the ethos behind the events: “Family, friends, and farm workers have always eaten together around the kitchen table. Our feasts and gatherings are simply an extension of that hospitality and involve memorable food, to be shared and enjoyed, right in the heart of the farm.” Guests arrive to a welcome tipple and food from the grill, then they sit down to a three-course dinner made from the organic farm’s produce – its fruit orchards, kitchen garden, hedgerows and naturally reared cattle, sheep and pigs. Autumn feasts will be held on 28 October and 26 November. Festive gatherings are also planned for the evenings of 7, 9 and 16 December, with dinner B&B packages available. ADVERTISEMENT nancarrow.co.uk
Good Books The Star and Garter in Falmouth is a new entry into this year’s Good Food Guide. The recently overhauled pub overlooking the harbour has been a locals’ local in Falmouth since 1892. When owners Elliot and Becca Thompson opened their new business in summer 2015, they hired not one, but three chefs (no clues for guessing where their priorities lay). Elizabeth Carter, Waitrose Good Food Guide editor, says of the Star and Garter: “Still very much a pub where regulars can enjoy pints of local ale in the front bar, the restaurant is a relaxed affair, with unclothed tables and pictures of salty old sea dogs and noble 19th-century gents. Although there is plenty of fish (from local day boats), the main thrust is a butch, meaty ‘nose-to-tail’ approach - with much smoking and slow-cooking in the searing heat of the kitchen’s charcoal-fuelled Green Egg. At a test meal, a salad of warm, smoky, tender, chargrilled octopus with Pink Fir Apple potatoes, celery, capers and ’nduja had ‘punchy, assertive flavours’. Sweet-sharp roast Yorkshire rhubarb, rhubarb and buttermilk ice cream and ginger biscuits made a great finish.”
Tucked in to the Avon Valley, award winning restaurant, The Oyster Shack serves an array of mouth watering catch of the day seafood and shellfish depending on what has been landed daily. Winter and Christmas at The Shack is the cosiest time of year. Enjoy delicious winter warming classics such as fish pie, lobster thermidor and baked oysters. Offers from Mussel Mondays to a mouthwatering locals set menu for only £14 for 2 courses are not to be missed, keep up to date online. Call or email to book 01548 810 876 bigbury@oystershack.co.uk www.oystershack.co.uk
"A restaurant with heart." Tom Parker Bowles
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Signature dish PHOTO: LEO ZOLTAN
Chef and nutritionist Daphne Lambert founded Greencuisine Trust, a charity that brings alive the connections between soil, food and wellbeing through courses, programmes and retreats. Between 2011 and 2014, she worked alongside Romy Fraser at Trill Farm in East Devon. She now lives in Lewes but returns regularly to Trill, where she runs ‘Living Nutrition’ with Romy – a land-based nutrition food course. “I learnt from my father how a vibrant, living soil enabled plants to thrive. Years later, when I became a nutritionist, it became clear to me there was a parallel between the soil of the land supporting the health of plants and our gut flora – the soil of our body – supporting our health. The plant’s root system sits in soil as our gut micro-villi system sits in our own soil of gut flora. Both systems need to be full of micro-organisms that enable growth and vitality to flourish. “Our choice of food to eat plays a key part in supporting beneficial bacteria and one of the best foods to eat are lactofermented vegetables. These ferments are a good source of both pre-biotics, that provide food to nourish the good bacteria, and pro-biotics that add beneficial micro-organisms to the gut flora, thus helping to maintain health. “I remember my first adventures with fermenting, more than 25 years ago: the kitchen shelves were lined with jars full of vegetables, bubbling away; they were transforming into tangy-flavoured nourishing foods. “The warming spices of kimchi – ginger, garlic and chilli marry well with the abundant autumn and winter root crop harvest – make it a seasonal favourite of mine. Kimchi is a traditional Korean vegetable ferment generally eaten at every meal, in addition to the spices, fermented anchovy sauce and salted shrimps that are often added. Serve as a side, pile on top of soups and egg dishes, add to salads and stir into grain dishes such as buckwheat noodles and rice. The following is an adaptation of a recipe used on the Autumn Living Nutrition course held at Trill Farm.”
Root vegetable kimchi • • • • • • •
Brine made from 1 litre water and 4 tablespoons salt 3 medium turnips 3 medium carrots 1 medium celeriac 3 tablespoons fresh ginger root, grated 4 cloves garlic, chopped 2 chillies, chopped whole or with seeds removed – depending how hot you want the finished kimchi
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More fermenting recipes and preparations can be found in Daphne’s book Fermenting. Her new book Living Food – a Feast for Soil and Soul published by Unbound is a holistic nutritional guide and a food wisdom yearbook that underpins the work of the Greencuisine Trust.
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PHOTO: LEO ZOLTAN
Peel and finely slice the vegetables, place in a bowl, pour over the brine and leave overnight. Blend spices together into a paste. Drain the brine off the vegetables, reserving brine. Taste them for saltiness. You want them to taste salty, but not unpleasantly so. If they are too salty, give a quick rinse. If you cannot taste salt, sprinkle with a bit more. Layer 2cms of vegetables into a one-litre jar, then add a little of the spice mixture, cover with another layer of sliced vegetables and press down tightly to encourage the brine to rise. Repeat the layering until the jar is filled. If the vegetables are not covered when the jar is full, add some of the vegetable soak water to ensure the vegetables are under liquid. The fermentation process is anaerobic so the vegetables must remain submerged at all times. Weigh down (a jam jar filled with water works well) and leave uncovered in a warm place for about week to ferment. Once the bubbling ceases (and the exact length of time will depend on room temperature and the amount of salt used) fasten with a cover, but do not make it airtight, and store in a cool dark place. Once you start eating the kimchi, store in the fridge.
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The Table Prowler Tremenheere Kitchens, Tremenheere Sculpture Garden Sitting at the base of a low hill just outside Penzance is a modern sweep of a building that looks out to St Michael’s Mount and a glimmer of sea. Designed by renowned local architect Barrie Briscoe, the glass-sided, wood-clad structure has cavernous ceilings and swathes of high, white walls enlivened with big, bold artworks – a celebration of modern art that echoes the ethos of the sculpture garden beyond. In the winter months, a big woodburner glows cosily in the back corner. In spring and summer, the wide doors open to a terrace and wide stretch of lawn rising up a steep slope, at the top of which is an industrial-looking replica of the Acropolis, the pillars of which are designed to move in the breeze. We went on a sunny September day – the restaurant was packed and buzzing, inside and out. The service is friendly and the atmosphere is lively: families young and old, hip young couples and groups of walkers (Tremenheere is situated right next to St Michael’s Way). We ordered a selection of starters: the roast tomato and red pepper soup was thick, warming and filling – the swirl of basil oil giving it a great herby tang. The tortilla chips are homemade: crunchy and wafer-thin – dipped in a fresh salsa that is juicy and not too onion-y, and paired with a cucumber yoghurt, they were a favourite around the table. The place let itself down a little when it came to timing: we waited 45 minutes for our mains. My vegetarian board was adorned with chilli and mint falafels (moist and gently spicy),
lugubrious mushrooms, meaty slices of smoked aubergine, roasted veg, chunky artisan hummus and spicy flatbread with a hint of cumin and coriander. Our friends chose the beerbattered Cornish haddock with ultra-crunchy triple-cooked chips and mushy peas. The fish was tender and lush, and the batter was super-crispy (if a little oily). The locally sourced mussels went down a treat: the sauce of local cider, garlic and lemon cream was finger-licking good. The kids’ menus were appropriate, while not giving in on quality or class – mini fish and chips and the chunky Lentern’s sausages with new potatoes were wolfed down in minutes. The ‘seasonal veg’, less so. Dessert consists of cakes, ice creams and light puds, from gluten-free chocolate brownies to vanilla yoghurt parfait. The cakes are a big draw for the morning coffee/afternoon tea brigade, too. The restaurant is open for dinner on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, where you can expect to be treated to a fine à la carte menu. The gardens themselves are not to be missed. The contemporary sculptures are thoughtfully embedded into landscaped grounds of sub-tropical plants, ancient indigenous trees and a plethora of floral plantings. A great place to explore and work off the lunch. tremenheere.co.uk/kitchen Food 9 | Service 6 | Ambience 9 | Location 9
The Wild Café, Bedruthan Steps Hotel, Cornwall We (three women) had spent a morning in Bedruthan Steps’ highly renowned spa and arrived at the Wild Café relaxed and slightly sleepy, in a good way. Bedruthan Steps is a top-end family hotel providing the very best range of facilities to amuse children of all ages. What’s clever about it is that they do so such that children don’t disturb adults without offspring in tow. For example, we were seated in an adult-only area of the Wild Café that’s sectioned off (by a wall) from the main family restaurant. We had a window table and the view out to sea over Mawgan Porth is stunning in all its panorama. The tapas menu has been designed for spa users. It is a set vegetarian menu – there are no decisions to make, which was a relief in our soporific state, but there follows a word of warning (from me): be under no impression that this tapas lunch will be just nibbles, morsels to whet your appetite in the way that Spanish tapas dishes are. What we were served was a veritable feast. The first course comprised warm artisan bread and hummus with crudities – carrot and cucumber and chilli and herb-marinated olives. The bread was delicious, so much so that we polished it off smartly, wiping the plate of hummus clean in the process. Then came the second course: seasonal vegetable fritters with a yoghurt dip; spinach ricotta and nutmeg spring rolls; and Cornish Vegetable and artisan cheese tart, all with a colourful plate of salad comprising cauliflower, beans, broccoli and spinach amongst other ingredients.
It was all good and wholesome and, as always, when presented with a platter, one feels the need to try everything, and finish it. The vegetable fritters were particularly good, with a nutty taste and firm texture; the tart was warm – no soggy bottoms – with a light creamy cheese filling. I tried to eat half but found it impossible to leave the rest. On finishing we sat up, the three of us, and sighed a sigh of culinary appreciation then readied ourselves to pay and leave. The waitress was puzzled, “Don’t you want dessert? It comes with the meal.” Amazing how you can find room if you try. We were treated to three desserts: panna cotta; chocolate tart; and gluten-free chocolate cake. All were small portions but all packed a flavour punch and a lovely combination of textures. The panna cotta scored a ten from everyone, with the other desserts losing by a head. After a meal like this there are two things you can do – retire to your room and collapse in a siesta, or throw yourself into the waves and burn off the calories body boarding in winter seas (clad in a thick wetsuit). Alas, this was a day trip so we did neither, this time, but headed back east, spa-ed and fully sated. bedruthan.com Food 9 | Service 10 | Ambience 9 | Location 10
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An Arada stove has mystical powers. The restless flames mesmerise as they conjure up magical images. It will bewitch your guests, who will find themselves drawn to it, enchanted. You could tell them it’s the British engineering or the type of wood that keeps the fire dancing for hours. But let’s not break the spell.
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Space Stan Bolt’s South Devon architectural practice | Newlyn Filmhouse, Cornwall Shopping for space
PHOTO: NIGEL RIGDEN
O’Sullivan House, Salcombe, Devon stanboltarchitect.com
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Above and top right, The Green House, Newton Ferrers, Devon
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Stan Bolt’s architectural practice has been creating highly stylistic contemporary homes and extensions for over 20 years, and won countless RIBA awards. Fiona McGowan meets the owner, whose aesthetic soul is both avant-garde and embedded in his Westcountry surroundings. All photos by Nigel Rigden.
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od is in the detail. This expression has been attributed to 19th-century architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, and is beloved by designers and architects the world over. Because, well, it’s true. For even the most atheistic of us, the spirit and soul of a design is really found in the detail. From a chair to a great big palace, it is the small details that you don’t notice at first glance – creeping past the periphery of your gaze – that really lodge in your mind. And when you lie in the bath and stare at that wobbly tile or the bit of grout that is messy, those fine details can be like an irritating scab that you pick away at, often unconsciously. So when you’re designing a home, an extension, an interior revamp, you want someone who’s really conscious of the fine details; someone who empathises with the end user, and understands that a slightly off-level counter or the position of a window that doesn’t sit quite right will eventually drive someone to distraction. MANOR | Autumn 2016
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Low cost self-build, Colaton Raleigh, Devon
Talking to Devon-based architect Stan Bolt, it is clear that the details are right up there in the forefront of his mind. Every element of his work brings him back to the same refrain: when explaining that his practice will only take on projects where they are commissioned from concept to completion, or that he loves working on site as much as creating the initial drawings, it is because “Architecture really lives in the execution of the detail.” From the door jams to the window sills, he says, “the physical manifestation of the idea comes in through” (you guessed it) “the detail.” With the quality of work that Stan Bolt’s small practice has achieved, it’s also clear that it is this attitude that wins awards and accolades, but of course, we all know that the details can’t come into being without an exceptional imagination and understanding of how a building will work – aesthetically, geographically and spatially. Bolt specialises in ultra-contemporary new builds and seemingly incongruous modern extensions on traditional homes. The practice was set up in 1993, when the world of architecture was a very different space. Back then, before Grand Designs, before Wallpaper magazine, contemporary buildings were rare – especially in the West Country, where Stan set up his practice. A Devon boy himself, he came from a working class background and broke all sorts of moulds by deciding to become an architect. That drive led him to take his 118
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career by the horns – finding his way into a respected architectural practice in Oxfordshire, and then back down to Brixham in the early 90s. “After such a long time striving to become an architect, I was only really prepared to do the work that I wanted to do, which was the more challenging briefs and to work very closely with clients doing bespoke and inventive work. I wanted to make difficult sites work.” Back in those days, with a recession on, and very little appetite for modern designs, Bolt’s business grew organically – initially just creating extensions for friends in the local area. The designs were eye-catchingly left-field, and won him his first RIBA awards. Bolt was on the radar. Stan Bolt’s breakout work was a house that literally breaks out of a sea wall. Commissioned by the O’Sullivan family, the practice was tasked with building a holiday home on the edge of the harbour in Salcombe. It was no easy task. “We re-built the estuary sea wall and carved into the cliff face. All the materials for the site had to be brought by barge. It’s a project that literally grew out of the opportunities and constraints of the site.” Completed in 2000, and named after its owners – the creation ‘went viral’. In the days before the world wide web, that meant being featured in magazines and newspapers from the Sunday Times and the Observer to the RIBA Journal. It was a hit: sticking a building right into the rock cliff at the rear, and looming over the
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I have a constant desire to achieve this symbiotic relationship between architecture and landscape and people...
Kaywana Hall
stone harbour wall like a Martello tower, it managed to integrate the massy stoicism of the bulwark with deft contemporary design. The interior, needless to day, is all open spaces, glass and chrome; big, sill-less windows bringing in the natural artwork of the ocean, and glassfloored sections teetering over the water. The clients loved it, too. Among a string of commissions, where Bolt’s deft felt-pen drawings came to fruition as edgy extensions and non-standard properties, was another house for the O’Sullivans. This time, their home in Wiltshire. A thatched cottage that had outbuildings and shoddy extensions tacked on throughout its lifetime, Stan’s idea was to take it all back to its pre20th-century brick structure, and then create an addition that must have had traditionalist locals choking on their Earl Grey. To the rear of the property is a structure that is all sharp angles: a metal-and-glass, asymmetric odyssey of a building. Yet, explains Stan, in spite of its utter departure from the original building in aesthetic terms, “My philosophy was always to make the extension subservient to that cottage. So, whatever room you’re in, in the extension, you’ll always get a view back to the cottage. So, the external brickwork is exposed, or there’s a view of the thatched rooves through the rooflights.” Stan Bolt loves a challenge. With Kaywana Hall in Devon, the challenge was as much a personal and professional challenge as it was a design one. Kaywana was designed in the early 60s by renowned Devon architect Mervyn Seal. When the new owners of the property came to Stan, he realised he had to be very sensitive to the original design. Mervyn Seal created buildings that were strikingly contemporary, and his most famous design feature was the asymmetrical ‘butterfly roof ’. Relatively recently, his Corbusier-esque work has been officially recognised, and one of his buildings has been Grade II listed. Kaywana was Seal’s
home, so he had treated it a bit like a living sketch book – adding on more and more angular structures as the whimsy (or need) took him. Stan Bolt decided to strip the place right back to its original form. And just as important, he needed to upgrade its eco credentials: “Our clients were sitting in the dining room with their duffle coats on, and the open fire blazing. So we super-insulated it and gave it a lot more green features.” Removing many of the extensions and turning them into satellite structures revealed the delicious 60s lines once again. It also gave the owners the idea to run the place as an exclusive B&B – providing separate accommodation for guests, and a large, open-plan space in the central building for breakfasts. Opening up the interior was key, too, says Stan. “We got rid of the partitions: it was originally dining spaces and kitchen and living spaces and a series of bedrooms. We opened the whole place up and got rid of the divisions, so you could actually read the volume as one space.” Now 23 years old, the practice is established as one of the major go-to architects for contemporary builds in the South West. Stan ensures that he is still closely involved with each new project: from the conversion and extension of a granite cottage in Sennen Cove, to a one-off project in Rock and two homes in Dartmouth. Working in Devon and Cornwall, he says, is ceaselessly inspiring. “I have a constant desire to achieve this symbiotic relationship between architecture and landscape and people,” he says. While the buildings are often startlingly anachronistic, they are still embedded in their location: “It’s about context and trying to create a physical relationship between a building and a site. A raw, hand-in-glove relationship with the surroundings.” stanboltarchitect.com
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Intimidated by the thought of approaching an interior designer? With access to the best design minds and sourcing capability, Studio Sims Hilditch offers fast-track design transformations for those with smaller projects.
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common scenario: perhaps it’s a house or cottage that you’ve recently bought, or one that you’ve lived in for some time that may need refreshing. You may need help with paint colours; or your furniture looks dowdy and your fabrics are fading. What may be required is an interior design overhaul, not so much in the structure of the building, but the interior decoration within: the décor, soft furnishings and furniture. What do you do? The answer tends to be one of three: 1) Nothing. You ponder just how much time, effort and cost is required to do the job and with no idea where to start, procrastinate some more, becoming increasingly frustrated by the less than satisfactory status quo. 2) You spend days trawling the internet and buy dozens of magazines, then attempt to emulate the job a revered magazine stylist has done on a room that bears no resemblance to your own. As a result, you make costly mistakes, which you need to live with for some time thereafter. 3) You hire an interior designer as they have all the knowledge and experience of different spaces and aspects, and what works within them. Plus, they have all the furniture, fittings and suppliers at their fingertips, saving much time and effort. 120
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We would, I’m guessing, all opt for the third option were money no object. Yet hiring an interior designer is generally considered a luxury, for those jobs requiring major renovation and refurbishment, and only by those who can afford them. Or is it? These days, apparently not. Many interior designers are aware that there is an increasingly growing market for those looking for an interior design service but not on a grand scale, whereby structural work is a requirement. Studio Sims Hilditch is one such example. The sister company of Sims Hilditch, the highly regarded Cotswold interior design practice, Studio Sims Hilditch is a fast-track design service that promises the same level of expertise and confident design eye that Sims Hilditch is known for, but a more ‘ready-to-wear’ solution. It does this through a curated selection of furnishings that inspire a client, alongside furniture and fabrics, much of which is in stock or immediately accessible. This fast-track solution is a clever idea that is fundamentally different – refreshing the furniture, wall treatments and paint without reconfiguring the interior architecture, structural elements, wires or plumbing. Emma Sims Hilditch concurs, “The idea of commissioning an interior designer can be overwhelming, similarly so can the idea of attempting to do the job yourself. What we offer with Studio Sims Hilditch is a wonderful balance.”
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The Studio Sims Hilditch process is as follows: first, a member of the Sims Hilditch team will become your nominated designer. They will then visit the property to fully understand the brief, following which, based on the measurements of the rooms in question, they will create a decorative scheme showing the optimal placement of furniture in each space. They will present this alongside a mood board of furniture selected to work best for the client’s requirements, along with a fabric pack detailing the perfect combination of fabrics to make up the upholstery and soft furnishings within each room. To complete the look, the designer will then present the client with wall and floor finishes. A key advantage of this designer offering is that the process is a faster turnaround and can be attuned according to available budget and timelines. Studio Sims Hilditch offers complete transparency and trackability of costs by charging a flat design fee that is calculated from an agreed budget. A typical spend using this service generally falls between £30,000 and £100,000. For further information about Studio Sims Hilditch contact studio@simshilditch.com or call 01249 783 087 studiosimshilditch.com
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Newlyn in West Cornwall is home to a stylish arthouse cinema in a converted fish warehouse. Sean Vaardal discovers that the place is as much about conviviality as about the movies. Photos by Danny Parker.
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ith classic films like Michael Powell’s technicolour fantasy, The Thief of Baghdad, or Sam Peckinpah’s descent into savagery, Straw Dogs, Cornwall has burned itself onto our cinematic retina. Sadly, the far west peninsula’s relationship with the big screen has not always extended to the quality of its venues. Tired buildings; sticky carpets. Loos reminiscent of Trainspotting. But in Newlyn, a port more associated with haddock than Hitchcock, the unexpected has happened; a derelict fish warehouse has been transformed into a world class, state-of-the-art, luxury cinema. Working alongside renowned cinema architect Stefanie Fischer, the Newlyn Filmhouse has drawn inspiration
from its maritime setting. Entrance into the building is up a sweeping, steel-grid, illuminated gangway; a nod to the trawlers in the harbour. On the foyer wall, retained fishing industry relics: antique cold storage temperature gauges. In an understairs alcove, a set of vintage Berkel weighing scales, once brimming with freshly caught pilchards, are now adorned with chrysanthemums. The box office is a bland point-of-sale in most cinemas, but not at the Newlyn Filmhouse, where it has been given a vivid refresh with decorative CinemaScope movie lobby cards from the 1950s; and not a Slush Puppy machine or Iron Man cardboard cut-out in sight. Thoughtful details that serve a sumptuous two-screen environment to watch the best in World, American MANOR | Autumn 2016
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independent and critically acclaimed mainstream films, from the comfort of a velour-covered, premium armchair, or cocoon two-seater, if you and your date prefer. Intelligent auditorium seat pitch means there are no views of the back of someone’s head, either. People will always want to be taken into dark rooms and told stories, but Newlyn Filmhouse coowner Alastair Till explains: “For us, the inspiration wasn’t just about putting on great films, but creating as full an experience as possible for our customers.” At the top of the foyer steps, the Eathouse Café is the perfect antidote to the multiplex approach of throwing people out onto the streets while the credits are still rolling: “Our passion for cinema always extended to chatting with mates before or after the film,” continues Alastair. “So we want people to take their time and enjoy themselves. Meet for a drink, have some food, a slice of cake, a glass of wine, and maybe not see a film.” There are a few house rules: “We’re not selling popcorn, nuts or crisps. The sound of munching in the screens is an obvious bête noire for most movie lovers.” But can you take in a glass of wine? “Oh yes, we actively encourage that.” From lightbulb moment to grand opening, the Newlyn Filmhouse was a five-year project mainly taken up with trying to find the right venue. Nearly sites included a
The inspiration wasn’t just about putting on great films. We want people to take their time and enjoy themselves. Meet for a drink, have some food, a slice of cake, a glass of wine.”
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space disused chapel in Long Rock, but when the current building came up, its size and scale felt like the perfect match. “Newlyn wasn’t an obvious choice but that appealed to us because it’s still technically a working village and not too second-homey, and a place where we could attract people from further west like St Just and St Buryan. The reaction so far from local people has been extremely warm but also incredulous that it’s happened here!” During construction, the old building feel was preserved as much as possible; the tongue and groove timbre walling; the 100-year-old ceiling joists that were still in impeccable condition. The old front door of the fish processing plant was moved to the ticket office. At Europe’s top cinema trade show, CineEurope in Barcelona, seats were chosen for lumbar comfort and functional design. The armchair finally chosen was made by the same Paris-based manufacturer, Quinette, who refitted the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. In Screen One, its 80 seats are upholstered in plush-red pico fabric. In Screen Two, its 55 seats are covered in a contrasting ‘hound’s tooth’ print. In both auditoriums, films are relayed via razorsharp Barco DP2k8s digital projectors with punchy 7.1 Dolby Atmos sound systems. The all-round quality and attention to detail invites comparisons to beautiful cinemas like the Curzon
Mayfair or the bygone Minema in Knightsbridge, but this is by no means a London-transported operation. With the exception of Future Projections, who supplied and fitted the cinema equipment, everyone who worked on the project was local: “Our builder, Shaun Stevenson from Newlyn and his team, were integral to the success of the build,” continues Alastair. “His gung-ho enthusiasm carried us through.” The cinema’s grand entrance ramp and handmade brass guide rails were made by Dave Tidwell Metalworks in Penzance. All fresh produce in the café comes from within a half hour radius. Local suppliers include: Newlyn Fish Company, Real Cornish Crab Company, Vicky’s Bread, Bosavern Community Farm, McFaddens Butchers, Moomaid Ice Creams and Mounts Bay Dairy. An evolving selection of wines and spirits are sourced by wholesalers Scarlet Wines in Lelant. The Newlyn Filmhouse’s incongruous setting is a triumph of innovation over expectation. Across the street from the frothing Coombe River, the building cuts into a steep granite bank, whose exterior dimensions hardly seem capable of housing a tardis-like, two-screen cinema and spacious café, as well as stylish restrooms that conjure the Delbert Grady, ghostly butler scene from The Shining. Open to its natural environment, windows to the rear look out within
Inspirational designs for your home
Hems Studio, 86 Longbrook Street, Exeter, EX4 6AP Tel: 01392 435051 www.barcarchitects.com MANOR | Autumn 2016
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A local man came in and said he hadn’t been to the cinema in 22 years. He’s been here every other day. That’s the best thing that’s happened. We got him back.”
touching distance to the wild flora growing on the blue elvin rock face. Newlyn may seem an unlikely location for a filmhouse, but neighbouring jousting-themed restaurant The Meadowy was a cinema formerly known as The Gaiety. Built in 1905 during the silent era, its owner was the projectionist and his wife the piano player. It eventually closed in the late 1960s but one of Newlyn Filmhouse’s early tag lines was: “Bringing the cinema back to Newlyn.” There are a lot of people in Cornwall who love movies but for some reason or other had drifted away from the cinema. “A local man came in and said he hadn’t been to the cinema in 22 years. He’s been here every other day. That’s the best thing that’s happened,” says Alastair contentedly, “we got him back.” For its growing number of regulars, annual membership is £30, which includes two free tickets plus £1 off every subsequent ticket purchase and further 126
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discounts at the bar. With Newlyn Art Gallery within walking distance and The Exchange five minutes away in Penzance, people are starting to wake up to the cultural credentials of this often over-looked pocket of Cornwall. As well as the best in mainstream and alternative cinema, the Newlyn Filmhouse will be live streaming theatre, opera and ballet ‘event performances’. Festival and film nights are also planned, including new Cornish films like Bronco’s House, Tin and Brown Willy. “Local schools are approaching us about special screenings.” adds Alastair enthusiastically, “which indicates to me that we are a facility that can have another sort of purpose. We want people to come and see great films but we also want people to come in and just network; mothers meeting up for a coffee, a place to come and use your laptop. Cinemas should be meeting points at the heart of a community.” newlynfilmhouse.com
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Photo: Steve Taylor
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Escape Anrรกn, Ashburton | Boringdon Hall, Devon
Gaia Spa at Boringdon Hall boringdonhall.co.uk
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A farm in Ashburton has been transformed into Anrán, a luxurious, yet laid-back place to stay in the heart of Devon. Fiona McGowan meets owners Mike and Edwin, and their dog Gibson, for a tour of the estate. Photos by Edwin Ho.
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hat would you do with an old dairy farm, complete with silo and an array of tin shacks and barns? While many developers would pull the whole lot down and build a state-of-the-art country hotel, Mike Jowett and Edwin Ho decided to keep everything in place and transform it from the inside. Leaving behind their apartments in Paris’s Marais and in New York three years ago, they committed to a gargantuan task in the depths of Devon. Mike, with his shoulder-length blondy-grey hair and a deep tan, is a laid-back but thoroughly in-control host. Accompanied by their well-mannered labrador, Gibson (“He was a guide dog reject,” Mike explains), he strolls around the estate with the confidence of the lord of the manor – without actually lording it. There is clearly plenty of money here: it is evident not only in the exceptional standard of the conversion – inside and out – but in the plans for the future. A boardwalk here, the purchase of a field (“so you can walk to the pub without going on the road”), the impending conversion of another farm building into a pottery workshop (“it’s for the wife of our kitchen gardener - she’s going to teach ceramics here”), and turning the big silo into a glass-walled mezzanine bedroom. For guests, the drive up to Anrán can be off-putting: as I left in my careworn Mazda, I squeezed past a couple in a big, gleaming Merc. The hedgerows encroach in
the narrow lane and I could hear the branches dragging squeakily along my paintwork. The look of deep anxiety on the faces of the newcomers was a picture. I felt glad for them that they had only to turn a corner and find themselves in the oasis of the Anrán complex, where Mike will greet them with just the right balance of measured politeness and no-nonsense, down-to-earth directness. Originally from Bradford, Mike still has a mild Yorkshire burr to his voice. Edwin, busy on a fashion shoot in his photography studio on the edge of the large courtyard, hails from Singapore - his accent and demeanour making him seem far more boyish than his 40-something years. The couple have both had extraordinary – if not meteoric – success in their respective careers. Edwin, forced to leave school at 12, managed to find his way onto a graphic design course, and at a very young age became the Creative Director of Vogue Singapore and various other top glossies. Mike, who started off waiting tables at the Imperial Hotel in Torquay, became the world’s youngest Food and Beverage manager in a fivestar hotel at the tender age of 23. Their careers have led them all over the world – the hotel industry jettisoning Mike from the launch of Sun City in South Africa back in the early 80s, to eventually running a consultancy that advises on the establishment of five-star hotels around the globe. Anrán is a collectors’ haven – objets d’art and furniture have been sourced personally by Edwin and Mike from all over the world – a MANOR | Autumn 2016
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It’s not a commercial venture as such. We want to do things that we like and we feel we can be a part of.
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escape giant carved head from Indonesia sits on the floor in one of the bedrooms of the manor house, and a white lacquered four-poster comes from China… While the story of the men behind this project is fascinating, it is the collection of buildings and grounds that are most beguiling. Employing an army of workers (and probably helping the local South Hams economy exponentially), Mike and Edwin turned a collection of derelict stone buildings and timber barns into a retreat that manages to combine the sense of a five-star hotel with the ‘roll-up-your-sleeves’ feeling of a real farm. In the centre of the complex is a large, gated, gravelled courtyard, overlooked by the ‘Barns’: individual apartments with their own kitchens. At one corner is the old dairy room, now home to big refectory dining tables and a brushed-steel open kitchen. On the other side is Edwin’s studio. Next door is the handsome stone manor house, built in the early 19th-century. Like a traditional bed and breakfast, the manor has communal spaces which are decorated with eclectic art and furniture from all over the world: from traditional French armoirs to wing-back chairs and ancient Chinese paintings. The floorboards are lime-washed in the airy style of old French and Italian houses. Soft furnishings, rugs and carpets soften the vibe. It feels as though you have walked into someone’s country home. That is exactly what Mike and Edwin set out to do. Anrán is first and foremost their home. “It’s not a commercial venture as such,” Mike explains. “We want to do things that we like and we feel we can be a part of. We think, hang on a minute – do we really want a restaurant here once a week? No, we don’t, because it’s noisy.” They are a highly sociable couple, so their home is where they love to entertain their international tribe of friends. The grounds are as much a feature of this complex as anything else. Behind their private apartment is a modern-angular water feature tumbling down terraces that are home to an array of plants: from aromatics to grape-vines, not to mention rows of organic vegetables that are tended with scientific care by ex-Riverford Farm grower Jeremy Burnett. Fields surround the buildings, each with their own purpose and personality: from a small collection of pedigree pigs and clucky, russet-brown chickens, to orchards full of rosy apples (Mike and Edwin produce their own cider, and the apples are picked by the villagers every autumn). Yarsley Vaughan, the inhouse chef, is going to be taking on more of the animal husbandry in the future, says Mike. The manor house has its own heated pool tucked away in a landscaped garden that rolls down to a copse and tranquil pond. The pool house is typical of Anrán’s style. All breeze block and utilitarian design, it also sports a borehole pressure ultra-modern shower and a great big Picasso canvas hanging incongruously above the changing area. “We like the play on the modern with the raw. That’s our gig really,” comments Mike, as we go inside to sit in MANOR | Autumn 2016
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We like the play on the modern with the raw. That’s our gig really.
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the manor’s open-plan living-dining-kitchen area, with its wraparound windows overlooking the lush garden. Anrán takes ‘high-end’ and cleverly simplifies it. The outbuildings are case in point. As a venue for a wedding or party, it oozes quirky charm and off-beat concepts. From the giant glasshouse that’s like a miniature Crystal Palace – lined with pot plants and a life-size Buddha – to the rusty metal nissen hut, with its unlikely collection of shimmering chandeliers; and a huge fire-pit, surrounded by a nascent jungle of plants. Covered walkways connect the outbuildings to a little shop, where the Barn guests will soon be able to buy produce and delicious frozen meals cooked by the chef on site. Mike has a contact list of top chefs and caterers for self-catering guests who fancy being fed every now and again, and all the kitchens are supplied daily with breakfast baskets containing eggs, meats, croissant, bread, fresh fruit and all the other bits for a morning munch-up. Anrán is the culmination of both men’s careers and passions. There’s Mike’s experience setting up hotels all over the world: “I’ve been in the hotel business for 35 years, and I know the most important things are a great bathroom - very clean - a fantastic shower, great water pressure, great bed, great linen… and warmth. That’s it.” And there’s Edwin’s fastidious eye: “Edwin is very creative
– that’s what he brings to the table – people comment on how the place smells so beautiful. All of that fluffy stuff, he’s brilliant at that. He is very supportive,” Mike continues. “No matter what I am planning, we will meet together. In any relationship, you need two people. You need a partner who will say, no – that’s a stupid idea. That won’t work... You need the balance,” he explains. Add to that their passion for entertaining, and how they love to feel that they are in a home environment when they are travelling, and you get an experience that feels like an exceptionally high-end airbnb. In all of this – from the biomass boiler room to the far reaches of the orchard, and from the artfully decorated manor house sitting room to the gravelled internal courtyard – the most important thing is the conviviality. “I think that the essence of a life is about the people, about the entertaining, about the relationships,” muses Mike. They cater for people from every walk of life, whether it’s billionaires or people who’ve saved up for a special treat, everyone is treated with the same attitude. “I can be a little bit Basil Fawlty at times,” Mike smiles. I doubt it, somehow. The friendly, quirky exterior belies a highly efficient, well-oiled machine of hotelier perfection. anran.co.uk
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Steve Backshall As I see it...
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Bridget McCrum Her work past and present
Carinthia West Memories of Bowie and Jagger
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FOOD SPACE ESCAPE SCHOOL PROPERTY
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Harriet Mellor gets the full relaxation treatment at Boringdon Hall’s spectacular £6m Gaia Spa.
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s an ex-Londoner and rural South Devon dweller, I am constantly rooting for the regeneration of Plymouth, a city by the sea that has so many geographical and old architectural plus points it deserves a huge step up the destination ladder. Bit by bit, Plymouth’s unique aspects are being utilized, such as the beautifully repurposed Royal William Yard. However, until a few weeks ago, I’d never have put ‘Plymouth’ and ‘calming spa break’ in the same sentence, but then myself and The Man pulled up to check out Boringdon Hall and its brand-new £6m Gaia Spa, just off the A38 on the outskirts of the city. Boringdon Hall is a 16th-century Elizabethan Manor with such an illustrious past that Queen Elizabeth I and Sir Walter Raleigh were among its original guests. The place has existed as a hotel since the 1980s but has undergone a major overhaul by the Nettleton family, who bought it in 2011. The Nettletons are well qualified in the premium hotel sector, owning also The Fistral Beach Hotel and The Esplanade, both in Newquay. It should be noted that each hotel is very different –you’d never know they were related. Boringdon Hall boasts an array of perfectly preserved features that match much of its original period: flagstone floors, ornate ceilings, leaded mullion windows, oak
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panelling, beamed walls, tapestries, cosy nooks, hefty wooden doors, stone archways and steps. The hotel’s main bar and lounge is in the Great Hall, which has an enormous stone fireplace as its centrepiece, with King James I’s coat of arms above, and long Chesterfield-style sofas to sprawl along. If you crave seating with more intimacy, there are nooks and crannies offering other seating options, some classic sofas and others upholstered in brighter fabrics, with contemporary lighting blending in. Staff are welcoming and friendly. We ate in the Gallery, which is elevated above the Great Hall bar – an intimate setting that acts as a great vantage point from which to people-watch those hanging out below. The food at Boringdon is a great lure. After predinner Champagne in one of those nooks, we ate from the menu of award-winning Head Chef Scott Paton. I started with melt-in-the-mouth morsels of smoked pork belly with minted peas and parliament sauce, followed by poached and roasted monkfish tail, confit mushrooms, oxtail, smoked bacon and watercress. The pudding was mandarin, Tahitian vanilla and caramelised orange. The following day we experienced the hotel’s pièce de résistance. Through a stone arch you enter the magnificent three-storey Gaia Spa. In complete contrast to the period setting, this is another era, with a different vibe: light, bright, pale woods, matt-sheen metals and
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modern art. When the Nettleton family decided to divvy up their hospitality strengths and talents, Diane claimed the spa as her baby and went on a mission, travelling the globe and meeting spa specialists so she could pick out the best that existed in international spas and amalgamate it all in a luxurious destination spa that could deliver the ultimate in well-being, inside and out. It became a three-year, highly personal project in which she invested £6 million. What resulted is not your average bolt-on hotel spa, but more of a therapy centre, the only spa in the UK to be cancer-aware – all 30 of its therapists are trained in treating cancer patients or others with chronic conditions. So many spas turn away such patients, those who are likely to be most in need of a spa’s ability to relax the body and de-stress the mind. ‘Gaia’ means ‘Mother Nature’, and this is a philosophy applied throughout. My visit was on the cusp of early autumn, good time to enjoy the outside spaces: a wildflower meadow, yoga and meditation spaces plus areas for hanging and socialising. The general spa facilities alone are worth a day trip if not the full sleepover, including an infinity pool with an outdoor heated hydrotherapy swim-through area. I took my plunge at 8am, and blissfully had the facilities to myself. Amongst rising steam in gentle rain, my only companions were the singing birds. I tried to keep calm in such an environment but couldn’t help being excited by my choice of relaxation stations, hotfooting it between the crystal salt steam room (in dark granite, with a gleaming healing centrepiece), inhaling in the aromatherapy steam room (with its interchanging mood lights), the warming laconium and the herbal sauna. There are 12 therapy rooms and 30 therapists to deliver the treatments. I went for the Gaia Total Holistic Ritual, followed by a Jade facial and, after my experience, was led into the relaxation room with a pot of detoxing tea. This room is something to
behold: individual beds are separated by toile fabrics that hang from the staggeringly high ceiling and flutter atmospherically in the breeze. Diane has developed her own brand of Gaia products in natural packaging, including body balms and bath oils in either ‘Awakening’ or ‘Balancing’ formulas. For ESPA devotees, there is the full range of treatments and products. I ate lunch in the healthy Spatisserie, an airy space with a huge outside terrace that offers a menu very much in keeping with the Gaia and wellbeing theme. The night we stayed, there was almost no room at the inn. Boringdon was in big demand with a wedding booked in for the following day and many a romancing couple in occupancy. We stayed in one of the more modest Courtyard rooms in the ground level block. Recently refurbished, it’s a good-size bedroom in contemporary wood and neutral tones. I particularly liked the pot of Gaia Sleep Balm placed on the pillow of the kingsize bed. To up the luxe, the suites escalate to the very opulent Royal Suite, which has a Jacuzzi in a turret; the executive suites have their own private alfresco decked area and a heated hot tub, and there are four-poster rooms with roll-top free-standing baths. A word of advice: don’t be confused by the approach to Boringdon Hall. Sat Nav will take you through a residential housing estate and you’ll think you’re off track. Keep going. Just when you’re about to lose faith, you hit a drive that leads to this Grade I gem of a hotel, offering five-star comfort and a modern-day oasis in its quite astonishing spa. Calming Spa Break includes one night’s accommodation, with Spa breakfast in the Spatisserie, a la carte dinner and one Gaia Rituals treatment each from £379 per couple depending on which room type you opt for. boringdonhall.co.uk gaiaboringdon.co.uk
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WHAT MADE HER INVENTIVE? Our school isn’t just made for girls. It’s the making of them.
DISCOVERY MORNING SATURDAY 19 NOVEMBER
day ExEtEr Independent school for boys and School girls aged 7 – 18 Taster Events
For children considering entry to Exeter School in September 2017
Explore BAs, MAs and more in a range of subjects across art, design and digital media — from Fashion Media & Marketing to 3D Design Crafts.
OPEN DAYS 8 & 29 Oct
Voted top independent school in Devon in The Sunday Times Parent Power table
Book a place via the website exeterschool.org.uk @ExeterSchoolUK 01392 273679
An opportunity to enjoy a day of lessons and activities with pupils and staff to discover what Exeter School life is like. 140
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Visit and apply now plymouthart.ac.uk
Students shoot and style the BA (Hons) Fashion graduate collection lookbook
taking place in November 2016
Interested in creative study?
For teachers and parents of children studying in the South West Schools news in brief
Truro High markswoman is on target for Team GB TRURO HIGH Sixth Former Alice Wilson (pictured below) has been selected to compete with the Great Britain Talent Squad for rifle and pistol shooting. Following a host of national and international successes, the 16-yearold from Par will now attend monthly training sessions at the country’s premier shooting ground in Bisley, working with the top GB Olympic coaches and bringing the prospect of selection for the Great Britain Olympic Team even closer. It’s been an eventful year for the young markswoman, who has already won a gold medal at her first international shooting competition as part of the England team. Held over five days at Bisley, the Under 21 competition saw Alice, the youngest competitor in the championship, pitted against the top junior teams from Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Latvia, Denmark and South Africa. In September Alice will be defending her regional title as she takes on challengers of all ages and both sexes, at the South West regional finals competition in Okehampton. In October she will be competing in the Eley national individual finals and later this year will be competing in the Welsh national open championships.
Alice is on the lookout for sponsorship support as she drives towards her ultimate ambition of representing Team GB at the 2020 Olympic Games in Japan.
Exeter School pupils visit Spitfire piloted by former pupil FOR ELEVEN Year 11 and Sixth Form RAF Section Cadets and three Exeter School staff, the start of a new academic year came with the opportunity to experience the pilot’s view from the cockpit of two lovingly restored Spitfires at Exeter Airport. They watched the Boultbee Flight Academy two-seat Spitfire SM520 take off and land, piloted by past pupil Matt Jones (1987-1992), and were able to study closely the single seat Spitfire RR232 aptly named ‘City of Exeter’, which was built from a single rivet by Exeter based ‘Tool Care Hire’ owner Martin Philips. During the tour, the pupils heard about the significance of the aircraft and its design from pilots Mike and Tim, and the complex engineering of the restoration process, which took 15 years for each plane. At the end of the visit, the group of pupils met Matt and heard about his journey from Exeter School to flying Spitfires.
Matt Jones was a member of the RAF Section at Exeter School. Dr Simon Smale, the current Officer Commanding RAF Section, accompanied the pupils, together with Director of Alumni John Davidson who remembered the air experience flights in Chipmunks at Exeter Airfield which gave Matt his initial love of flying.
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The emotional wellbeing of their child at school is every parent’s number one priority. In the second of this three-part series, Professor Ruth Merttens looks at friendship issues and bullying.
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arents often say to me how hard it is that, while we can control so many aspects of our children’s life (fostering their interests, buying toys, reading to them, providing extra tuition), we can’t control their friendships. And these are arguably the most important factors in children’s contentment, and therefore in predicting achievement in life, as well as education. Some children find friendship hard, and almost 100% of children will have some friendship problems during their time at school. Sometimes an erstwhile ‘best friend’ drifts off, and finds other companions. Sometimes small groups develop from which a particular child is sometimes excluded. More exceptionally, there may be sustained bullying. Below are a few words of general advice, and some specific dos and don’ts. • DO try not to encourage too much dependence on one ‘best’ friend. It is good for children to have a friend 142
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they are close to, but, particularly with young children, these things can change quite fast. Friendships are often fairly fluid in a primary classroom, and a child who is very dependent on one friend is likely to prove too much of a restriction for that friend, who may want to inhabit a more open social scene. Hard though it is, a good policy is to support several friendships, especially with infant children who are still evolving as social beings. Invite several friends over, and help your child to interact in peer-group situations in the safety of their own home or a familiar setting, such as the local park. Don’t be tempted to relax in the notion that they have a friend, but encourage more than one, as well as, crucially, situations where they play as part of a small group of friends. • DON’T wade in defensively at the first sign of trouble! Things change fast at the age of seven, eight or nine and a child who your darling assures you they
school absolutely hate one day may be a bosom buddy next week. We do our children no favours at all if we fight all their emotional battles for them; they need to develop the skills to sort things out for themselves. And mostly they will! It is only when a situation persists, usually for several weeks, that it is important to intervene. • DO read ‘between the lines’. With older children, it is vital to hear what they cannot express, as well as what is overtly said, sometimes repeatedly. Is there someone that your child won’t talk about? Is there a context he or she is unhappy discussing? Try to get some perspective, i.e. looking for one or more different views. The ideal is to talk to other parents or children in the same year group – what do they think is going on? In addition, talk to the tutor. If there is a staff member you or your child get on with particularly well, try to talk specifically to them. You need a third-person standpoint so that you can make an assessment of how worried you should be. It may be an unpleasant hiccup, and, with support, your child will sort it out. Or it may be that there is a serious bullying issue and you need to act to prevent it getting out of hand*. • DON’T expect your child to necessarily have one set of friends all through school. Children develop at different rates, and change their interests, even their passions, as they grow. Someone who is wholly compatible at one stage may not be so a year later. Changing friends is hard; there are likely to be some tears. No-one can be fond of others and not be hurt, but this doesn’t mean that it is not worth making, having and keeping good friends. A parent’s role is to be there when it hurts, and to nurture the friendships that are working at that moment. An attitude of sympathetic confidence (it is sad, but you will be all right) does far more to develop a child’s long-term confidence than an aggressive approach of ‘my child is suffering and someone is to blame’. • DO put effort into supporting shared interests and common endeavours, especially with older children. Things that they do together especially in groups of three or four, help develop a sense of community. Sport is obviously one such context, but there are many others, including the sensible use of technology for ageappropriate games and activities. It is, of course, essential to monitor children’s use of technology, especially their interactions on social media. Make sure that you can – and do – access any chats or contacts that your child develops. Insist that the ubiquitous ipads or tablets are most often used in a shared space in your home.
At the end of the day, the most common reason why a child will become unhappy at school is to do with friendship groups. And this is, as we said at the start, the most difficult thing to sort out for them, especially as they get older. However, remember that you and their teachers are on the same side here. You both want the child to feel happy and safe at school, so that they can learn well, and do their best. Unhappy or unconfident children are less likely to succeed, so the school has every interest in helping you address any issues. Go and see a sympathetic person in the school. This may well mean starting with the child’s class teacher or form tutor, but it also may lead to your talking to another teacher who knows the situation better. But the conversations with staff at school are vital, and can be a big part of the solution. It is not reasonable to expect teachers to blame other children or to be able to wave a magic wand and make everything all right. But they can watch out, they can talk and listen to your child, and then take steps to change the context in ways that support them. If there is a persistent issue that seems intractable, and which just continues to make your child unhappy, then it may be that a fresh start at a new school is what is required. But this should always be a last resort, not just because of the inevitable disruption, but because the underlying message is one of failure: we didn’t manage to make it work. Although parents take great care to make it clear that this failure is not to be laid at the child’s door, they will, unconsciously or consciously, take it as theirs – at least in part. This means that some of the problems from the old school may be carried over into the new one – which is the last thing anyone wants. In the final part of Professor Ruth Merttens’ Happiness at School series, she provides advice to parents on what to do when the curriculum or teachers and other school staff seem to affect their child’s happiness at school. The previous part covered Starting School. If you’ve missed any part in this series and would like to access it, write to school@manormagazine.co.uk. *There are many websites and advice leaflets now which help with the issue of bullying, especially those which involve social media. Try bullying.co.uk/advice-for-parents/
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* Computer generated image
* Images of a previous Burrington Estates development
F IR ST PH AS E R E LE AS E A distinctive collection of 2-5 bedroom homes in the sought after location of Clyst St George, Exeter.
PRICES FROM ÂŁ250,000 Enquire today with our sales agents
t: +44 01392 875000
e: topsham@wilkinsongrant.co.uk
Homes of Distinction Outstanding Customer Service. 144 MANOR | Autumn 2016
Desirable Locations.
Innovative Homes.
Attention to Detail.
Property The Bulletin | Property of note: Lower Washbourne Barton, Devon Snapshot comparative
Little Efford Farm, Kingsbridge, Devon On the market with Stags. Guide price: ÂŁ1,980,000. See page 159 stags.co.uk
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NEAR NEWTON FERRERS, South Devon
â– Guide
Price ÂŁ895,000
A rare opportunity to acquire a high calibre property with delightful level gardens and paddock, within the Yealmpton, Newton Ferrers and Holbeton triangle, with panoramic views over the rolling South Hams countryside and Dartmoor beyond. EPC Rating C. Web Ref 94576 Magnificent views over surrounding countryside | paddocks and stables | approximately 3 acres For further details please contact our Prime Waterfront & Country House Department on 01548 855590 or 01752 873311
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property
The Bulletin House-hunting just got inside your head. Imogen Clements puts on her headset for a virtual-reality property search – and nearly crashes into a wall or two.
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o you want to relocate to the country? Proper country, that’s beyond commuter belt – which, these days, tends to extend to a radius of at least 100 miles from the capital. Yet, you work and can’t easily view the promising South West properties that pop up in your search. What do you do? You could engage a property finder, but that comes with a fee. You could take a week’s holiday in the desired region and trudge around endless properties, but you risk not warranting the journey. Alternatively, you could simply go nowhere, pop on a headset and view properties in the South West and dotted around the globe while you’re at it, virtually. As net migration from London to the shires shows no sign of slowing and the snapping up of prime London real estate by overseas buyers continues apace, estate agents are embracing technology to help them sell houses to those currently located some considerable distance from them. Strutt & Parker, for example, is providing its offices with headsets through which buyers in, for example, Exeter can ‘wander around’ a property in, for example, Dubai. Through such a device, they can check out the bedrooms, the ergonomics of each room, and the panoramic view from the balcony. The buyer simply puts on the headset, adjusts the focus and homes in (no pun intended) on a blue spot in the frame of vision to navigate from room to room. There are, on average, four blue spots positioned around each room and you can then turn left and right, giving you a full 360-degree sense of perspective. It’s slightly unnerving, and somewhat destabilising, as fixing on a blue spot will ‘move you’ (virtually) very fast to where that spot’s located in the room. So real is the experience you flinch thinking you’re about to crash into the wall, or side step to avoid coffee tables or anything else that may be in your path. You need to be standing up. There is an urge to sit down while looking through one of these headsets, but to see all around a property you need to physically turn around, or risk contorting your neck through 180 degrees, owl or Exorcist style. The no-need-to-travel benefit to prospective buyers of virtual-reality viewing is obvious. For sellers though, there could be a cost consideration. The technology is advanced. It uses a camera that photographs and scans each room from all angles to accurately measure scale. It takes a day to scan a property of approximately 4,500 square feet. At that point, the property is ready to view immediately in 3D, through any digital platfom. The virtual reality (headset) element takes a further day to install, which, I suggest to Strutt & Parker’s Head of Digital, Kevin Powell, makes it quite an expensive luxury for a seller to invest in. “I can’t put a price on it,” he replies, “because the cost will be something that the agent weighs up and factors in, according to the property in question.” I’m guessing
that what he means is that this is the kind of service recommended only for certain properties – high-end stock and/or the kind that is likely to attract a buyer from overseas, much of which is in London. For example, I viewed in virtual reality one of the twobedroom show homes in London’s recently repurposed TV Centre in Shepherd’s Bush. I could see the size of each room, the décor, and the proximity of traffic from the front window. Should you, though, want this service to sell your three-bed suburban semi, I’m assuming the price charged will be higher. It’s rather fun, though. Although the resolution isn’t high definition, you get to see the finer details of the home including the vendor’s taste in art, literature and soft furnishings. It’s easy to snoop using this device, but, I’m assured by Kevin, privacy and security are considered paramount. Anything that the vendor doesn’t want on show is removed prior to filming, such as highly valuable antiques or photos that could reveal their identity. Strutt & Parker isn’t the only agent with this technology. but as the service tends to be confined to top end properties, it is only certain agents who’ll invest in it. Is it proving popular? Richard Speedy, Exeter’s head of office, believes that VR is fast becoming the way people will view property, and for certain properties, the likes of Dubai and Shepherd’s Bush apartments, VR viewing is definitely helping sales. The preparatory time (and cost) will presumably be a deterrent for some. For sellers, it’s a case of weighing up the degree to which it could help or speed your sale. For me, Strutt & Parker’s 3D walkthrough provides as much information as the virtual-reality walk through and can be viewed direct from your laptop, tablet or any mobile platform. In other words, discreetly, while you’re ‘working’ in the office – which, let’s be honest, is where an awful lot of property hunting goes on. What’s more, you don’t have to put on the headset and stand up – somewhat conspicuous – or experience the near miss terror of speeding from room to room. But then I’m perhaps somewhat technophobic, not a gamer, more a traditional media kind of person. 3D viewing of a house via a screen I love, but virtual reality viewing… it takes a bit of getting used to. struttandparker.com/virtual-reality
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A seven-bedroom 17th-century stone farmhouse in South Hams offers not just the very best in family accommodation and endless potential but also exudes positive vibes and immense character, as Imogen Clements discovers.
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here’s an aspect to a building that you can’t get a sense of from the brochure, or even from a virtual reality walk-through (refer to The Bulletin). However extensive and well-angled the photos or detailed the description, only a visit to the house in person will allow you to truly ‘feel’ it; to get a sense of its aura, its vibe. We’ve all experienced it. A house is either a happy house with a good vibe, a cold house that harbours a weighty gloom, or simply a soulless shell that leaves you flat. Lower Washbourne Barton, a 17th-century, sevenbedroom stone farmhouse tucked away between Totnes and Dartmouth in the South Hams, is a happy house, evident not only from the feel of it on entering, but from the 18 very happy years Christie Gavin tells me they have spent there as a family since moving down from London. Older houses in particular, whether a figment of our imagination or real, seem to carry something with them, as if the lives that have taken place between their walls have left their mark and been to some extent absorbed into the fabric of the building. The Gavins are the latest in a long line of Lower Washbourne occupants. “The house has a large bell dated 1602,” reveals Christie, “and under the woodburner in the hallway there’s a priest’s hole with a tunnel that leads through to the stream in the garden. We closed it off when the children were young to prevent them climbing into it and getting stuck, but it’s there and conjures up all kinds of stories.” Walls may have ears, but if only they could talk and spill the secrets they hold… If you’re lucky, old houses have been restored and modernised carefully such that clues remain in its features, furnishings and artefacts; in this case, its secret tunnels and ancient bells. Another such feature in Lower Washbourne is the spectacular Doric staircase, “The previous owners bought the house from the local farmer, who used to keep his racehorse in 148
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property of note
The previous owners bought the house from the local farmer, who used to keep his racehorse in the hall.
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This home has clearly been central to family life to the point that it’s almost nurtured it.
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property of note the hall. No concerns whatsoever about a horse living in such proximity to a historic ornate staircase, which is another wonderful image. Why the staircase is there, we’re not really sure. People would simply add aspects to the house as it passed from hand to hand.” Lower Washbourne, with its fireplaces in every room, is apparently a great party house. The Gavins, on purchasing it, added their own small development. “When we bought the house, the previous owners had done the bulk of the structural work, overhauled the wiring etc. What we did was employ Carpenter Oak to convert a wing of the house into a two-storey oakframed extension. When we’d bought it the upstairs room of this wing was an immense ballroom and down stairs was simply used as a garage for parking.” This wing now comprises a large playroom downstairs, which was where the children spent most of their time right up until they left home, and above the playroom, a master bedroom and bathroom. This was completed 15 years ago and is as much as they’ve done to the property, beyond decorate and add bookcases, but there is plenty of additional developmental scope. “There is a barn,” says Christie, “which is big enough to convert into a three-bedroom holiday home, or an office or poolhouse. Also, the main house itself, because of its unique layout, could be easily split into two to create a granny or nanny annexe, or even a B&B. The opportunities with this house are endless. We haven’t done them because we haven’t needed to, but there is no reason why someone else couldn’t.” Christie talks about her home with fondness. “Outside, there’s a pretty front garden that’s a bit of a suntrap, then up the stairs from the kitchen, there’s a secret back garden where it’s quite lovely to eat outside – you look out over the old barn on a fine day, eating outside, it feels like you’re in Tuscany or France.” Of the house, there are memories of big parties, children’s milestones, friendly gatherings for drinks, bridge, and general socialising. It’s a house that invites conviviality, plus the Gavins have made plenty of friends in their time here. So why leave? “Oh, we’re only planning to move down the road to Blackawton. We’re both keen sailors and love it here. But it will be a wrench, particularly for my husband who adores the house.” Peter Gavin works most of the week in London, travelling to the capital from Totnes station, which is just 10 minutes away. He feels it’s a particularly special house, unique in the region, and will be sorry to leave. “I’m more ready,” Christie reveals, ”as the children have moved on and this house was central to a particular stage in our lives. We’re now both ready for the next stage. My husband will work less and we’ll travel more. Lower Washbourne is the kind of house that really needs to be lived in.” It’s as if the house needs the comfort of human patter. This home has clearly been central to family
life to the point that it’s almost nurtured it. Houses such as this, engendering such fondness, almost alive from the lives within, you can’t help but personify. So, with that in mind, Lower Washbourne Barton, unique property of note and warm jovial home set in pristine South Hams countryside, seeks new occupants to house, charm and entertain. Lower Washbourne Barton is on the market with Marchand Petit Totnes Office 01803 847979. It is priced at £1,395,000 marchandpetit.co.uk
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Tedburn St. Mary, Exeter A rare opportunity
Exeter City Centre 7.7 miles, Exeter St David’s 8.1 miles, Exeter Airport 16.2 miles (all distances are approximate) Substantial period property with over 13,000 sq ft of floor space in a fantastic rural setting. Outbuildings, a leisure complex, sweeping driveway and ample parking. Gardens and paddocks. EPC: G
Guide Price ÂŁ1,100,000 KnightFrank.co.uk/EXE140499 152
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To find out how we can help you please contact us. www.KnightFrank.co.uk/Exeter edward.khodabandehloo@knightfrank.com
Lanhydrock, Cornwall
An immaculate family home adjoining the Lanhydrock Estate Bodmin Parkway 2 miles (London Paddington 220 minutes), Truro 25 miles (all distances are approximate)
To find out how we can help you please contact us. www.KnightFrank.co.uk/Exeter christopher.bailey@knightfrank.com
Standing in a secluded, quiet position and surrounded by The Lanhydrock Estate, the house is not listed and has been painstakingly renovated. The gardens are spectacular. 4 reception rooms, 8 bedrooms, 2 bedroom cottage. Stone outbuildings and garages. EPC: E. In all about 2.68 acres.
Guide Price ÂŁ1,500,000 KnightFrank.co.uk/EXE140207 MANOR | Autumn 2016
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NEAR ASHBURTON, South Devon
â– Guide
Price ÂŁ1,250,000
A beautifully presented 5 bedroom country house surrounded by delightful grounds, together with detached 4 bedroom coach house and outbuilding with planning permission to convert to offices, garaging and workshop, with fabulous countryside views. EPC Rating E. Web Ref 94452 Set in 4 acres of gardens and grounds | excellent access to A38 | income potential For further details please contact our Prime Waterfront & Country House Department on 01548 855590 or 01803 847979
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BIGBURY, South Devon
â– Guide
Price ÂŁ1,395,000
Outstanding views - a magnificent newly renovated 5 bedroom detached house with character and style set in approximately 3 acres of beautiful South Hams countryside. Self contained annexe. Garaging. EPC Rating E. Web Ref 78904 Close proximity to beaches | 4,360 sq ft in total | private yet accessible location For further details please contact our Prime Waterfront & Country House Department on 01548 855590 or 01548 831163
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NEAR TOTNES, South Devon
■ Guide
Price £1,500,000
A wonderful character Grade II listed Devon farmhouse with a 3 bedroom barn with planning permission to renovate, American style barn with office and gym. Orangery. Set in beautiful grounds and woodland of approximately 40 acres, including river frontage with fishing rights. No EPC required. Web Ref 94014 Planning permission for leisure complex | superb views | outbuildings, garaging, stables and ménage For further details please contact our Prime Waterfront & Country House Department on 01548 855590 or 01803 847979
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property
Snapshot comparative A selection of properties with land from around the region and one in the capital.
East Devon
Southlands Farm, Honiton Guide price £1,250,000 A 17th-century Grade II listed residence with a wealth of character features, separate holiday cottage, outbuildings, stables and tennis court, set in 10.7 acres of formal gardens, terrace, orchard and paddocks. The versatile accommodation consists of five bedrooms on the first floor and a sitting room, dining room, kitchen/breakfast room and snug on the ground floor with views of the countryside beyond. humberts.com
Lee Barton Farm, St Keyne, Liskeard Guide price £800,000
Cornwall
Set in 22.7 acres of Cornish woodland with pastureland, lawned gardens and terrace, plus adjoining twobedroom holiday cottage, refurbished detached twobedroom cottage and outbuildings. Main house includes five bedrooms, farmhouse kitchen/breakfast room, family room, sitting room, dining room, utility room and cloakroom. For the eco-conscious, a biomass boiler provides heating to the house and attached cottage. stags.co.uk
South Devon
Little Efford Farm, Aveton Gifford, Kingsbridge Guide price £1,980,000 A Devon country house dating back to the late 1700s, set within 16 acres of land with a detached stone barn, outbuildings, stables, ponds, indoor swimming pool and expansive countryside views. The living accommodation comprises large hallway, 48ft drawing room, snooker/ dining room, sitting room, farmhouse kitchen, boot room, utility and five bedrooms, three of which have ensuite bath or shower rooms. stags.co.uk
Queensdale Road, Holland Park Guide price £4,950,000
London
A newly renovated four-bedroom family home with a 51ft rear garden. Set over four floors, the accommodation of approximately 2,700sq ft includes: kitchen/dining room, media room/fifth bedroom, garden room, utility room, study and drawing room. Conveniently located near the transport facilities of Holland Park Avenue and Notting Hill Gate, and close to the open spaces of Holland Park. struttandparker.com
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BLACK BOOK
Chris Yandell, owner of The Oyster Shack restaurant and the founder of artisan drinks brand Rocktails, shares secret pages from his black book…
I’m a South West boy. Born in Plymouth, I grew up in a lovely from the Gastrobus in Bantham, finishing our walk at South village in Cornwall called Harrowbarrow and moved to Bigbury, Milton Beach, where we love The Beach House for a proper Devon, 15 years ago. My restaurant The Oyster Shack is perched English breakfast overlooking the water. up the hill that runs off the Tidal Road in Bigbury. It’s such an We’re on the road a lot at the moment – our next idyllic part of the world and follows desination is London Fashion Week and the meander of The Avon River. For a launch event in Harrods. En route, moments of clarity, I’ll take a walk we’ll stop off at Ashburton Deli or along the coastal path that runs right Darts Farm to buy some great local through the area, it’s definitely a must produce for the journey. for any walking enthusiast. While we love to travel, there’s On a usual morning, you will nothing that compares to coming back find me at The Oyster Shack working home to Devon. Katie lived in London with our Head Chef, Andy, on new for 14 years, and I’ve lived in Bristol and menu ideas. We write the menu out in Los Angeles during my career, daily depending on what has been but there’s nowhere else like here – the The Oyster Shack, Bigbury landed by the fisherman in the early most stunning beaches on our doorstep, hours and what has been foraged or the rolling countryside, a real hub of is in season locally. Everything that likeminded food and drink businesses, we serve is sustainable and we work and fantastic producers around us, not to closely with local charities such as mention my very supportive parents who The Lobster Hatchery in Padstow, are always on hand to give us advice. which is well worth a visit, and The We’re in the process of buying a 17thFisherman’s Mission to support century cottage, so are on the look-out those that risk their lives daily. for interesting furnishings. If we’re not We recently hosted a pop-up rummaging around local antiques shops, Coastal walk from Bantham to South Milton restaurant at Port Eliot Festival. We you’ll find us at the fantastic lifestyle worked with Le Vignoble winery, café and furniture store Nkuku in based in the Royal William Yard, Harbetonford. They work with artisans Plymouth. Yannick of Le Vignoble is around the world to create some truly a friend of mine and when we get a beautiful pieces of handmade furniture. chance, we drop in to see him and try After work, when we can, we out his seasonal selection of wines. head over to Bigbury Beach with a We’ve also just hosted a pop-up oyster barbeque, some fresh local seafood, and and wine bar together at Ashburton enjoy our Rocktails from the Bean Food Festival, a lovely local day & Grind pop up. For a real treat, we Nkuku out for any foodie in the South West, head to Mitch Tonks’ restaurant, The but Ashburton is worth a visit at any Seahorse in Dartmouth. time of year, with its fantastic range As I’ve always been so busy running of independent shops, cafes, delis and businesses since a young age, I have artisan bakers. never managed to learn to surf properly. From lunch onwards you will I’m currently taking local lessons catch me running my other business, thanks to friends of ours, Louise and Rocktails, with my partner Katie. Tom. Louise owns Unwind Beauty in We create unique, artisan cocktail Bigbury, Katie pops there for treatments: blends – both alcohol and alcoholit’s all natural organic products. Bean & Grind free – to retail. We launched the At the crack of dawn, I’ll head to business a year ago and we’re now Discovery Surf School. Life for me is stocked in 50 stores nationwide. On my way to the office, I always about learning new skills. I’m one for quotes, and one of my pass The Lazy Cow in Modbury, and always stop for one of favourites is “never stop learning because life never stops teaching”. their mouth-watering pastries and an espresso. To take time out, we enjoy the beautiful coastal walk www.oystershack.co.uk between Bantham and South Milton. We start with a coffee www.rocktails.co.uk
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