The Region’s Premium Publication Spring 2018 | Issue 24 £4.50
TEDxExeter Ranked fourth globally
Alex Polizzi As I see it...
Hotel Tresanton Celebrating 20 years
Cradle to grave Education for life
CULTURE FOOD SPACE ESCAPE SCHOOL 1 PROPERTY
MANOR | Spring 2018
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MANOR | Spring 2018
MANOR | Spring 2018
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A MAGNIFICENT HOUSE ON THE BANKS OF THE RIVER DART
KINGSWEAR, DARTMOUTH, SOUTH DEVON
Dartmouth – across the River Dart; Totnes (mainline rail-link to London Paddington, 2 hours 50 minutes) – 12; Exeter – 31 (distances are approximate and in miles). A unique former boathouse with private slipway, running mooring and small foreshore beach. Four double bedrooms, three bathrooms, landscaped gardens and terraces. Garage with planning permission for conversion to studio flat with additional parking for two vehicles. The Boathouse is being offered for sale for the first time in 30 years. EPC = D Guide £2,500,000 Freehold 4
MANOR | Spring 2018
Savills South Hams Sarah-Jane Bingham-Chick sjchick@savills.com
01548 800462
ELIZABETHAN ELEGANCE SET IN ROLLING CORNISH COUNTRYSIDE
WEEK ST MARY, NEAR BUDE, NORTH CORNWALL
Savills Cornwall
Widemouth Bay – 5; Bude – 7.5; Port Isaac – 24; Dartmoor – 26; Bodmin Moor – 26; Bodmin Parkway (rail) – 24; (distances are approximate and in miles). Beautiful Grade II* Listed Elizabethan house set in just under six acres on a private lane overlooking rolling countryside, with outbuildings and a four bedroom detached cottage. Filled with character and interesting features, the house has been lovingly restored by the current owners and is very well-presented. The detailed restoration work strikes a fine balance between modern convenience and period charm. 2,306 sq ft. EPC = Exempt Guide £1,250,000 Freehold
David Jenkin david.jenkin@savills.com
01872 243200
MANOR | Spring 2018
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CHARMING DETACHED EDWARDIAN HOME WITH BREATH-TAKING PANORAMIC VIEWS
DARTMOUTH, SOUTH DEVON
Short walk to Dartmouth town centre, Blackpool Sands beach about – 3; Totnes (mainline rail-link to London) – 12 (distances are approximate and in miles). One of the finest vantage points of the River Dart Estuary, offering exceptional views across the river to Kingswear. 4 bedrooms, 2 reception rooms and conservatory. Private gardens with fantastic views, large studio/office and planning permission for parking bay and a lift. EPC = F Guide £895,000 Freehold 6
MANOR | Spring 2018
Savills South Hams Sarah-Jane Bingham-Chick sjchick@savills.com
01548 800462
A HANDSOME AND VERSATILE VICTORIAN RESIDENCE WITH OUTSTANDING SEA VIEWS
KYNANCE BAY, LIZARD VILLAGE, SOUTH CORNWALL
Landewednack Beach – 1; Kynance Cove – 2; Mullion – 5; Truro – 28 (distances are approximate and in miles). Kynance Bay House is a substantial Victorian property set in around an acre of gardens, situated on the southern edge of the most southerly village on the British mainland. The house itself retains many original features, with up to five bedrooms in the main house with two attached annexes offering highly versatile accommodation. 4,378 sq ft. EPC = F
Guide £1,000,000 Freehold
Savills Cornwall David Jenkin david.jenkin@savills.com
01872 243200
MANOR | Spring 2018
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MANOR | Spring 2018
Contents
Spring 2018
30
20
80 Regulars 19 TOWN MOUSE, COUNTRY MOUSE
34
What’s hot in the smoke; cool in the country
30
AS I SEE IT... Hotelier and TV presenter Alex Polizzi
Features 34 SPREAD THE WORD TEDxExeter founder Claire Kennedy
Style & Beauty 20 TRENDS
Key Spring Summer Looks 2018, oriental florals, lilac and lavender
26
FRESH START
52
LIFE-SAVER One woman’s fight to raise awareness of the plight of the Yezidi people
56
ROLL ON EQUALITY Entrepreneur Sam Farmer
Pick of the new season’s top products and trends
28
MY FEEL-GOOD REGIME Artist Naomi Hart
80
THE STYLE SHOOT Photographed by Remi Whiting
Photostory 41 WAX LYRICAL
Images from the workshop of a Dorset waxworker by Nick Bowring
MANOR | Spring 2018
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62 Culture 62 IN LIVING COLOUR
103
Artist Hilary Soper
66
SHOWING OUT Devon theatre company Burn the Curtain
70
EXPERIMENT, LIES AND ACTS OF REBELLION Dartington Live
73
SOUTH WEST MUST SEES... What’s on around the region
76
WORTH MAKING THE TRIP FOR... Cultural highlights from the metropolis and beyond
79
WORTH STAYING IN FOR... Quality time on your sofa
Food 94 MILK IT Trink Farm, Cornwall
100
WHAT LIES BENEATH
114 Space 114 GRAND REDESIGN Ellesmera Mill, Devon
Growing Underground
103
BITES
118
With La Fabrico, Exeter
Food news from across the peninsula
111
THE TABLE PROWLER ...dines out at Rick Stein, Porthleven and Bellanger, Islington, London
10
MANOR | Spring 2018
Q&A
120
SHOPPING FOR SPACE Eastern promise
Spring 2018 Escape 124 PICTURE PERFECT
Property 143 THE RELOCATOR Focus on Exmouth, Devon
Hotel Tresanton
128
SHAPED BY THE SEA Biarritz
MANOR school 133 SCHOOL NEWS IN BRIEF Truro High twins get England Lions call-up; Exeter School team in F1 Schools National final; Learning with LEGO at Shebbear College Prep School; West Buckland School’s Exmoor Run; British polar explorer Felicity Aston visits King’s College
135
LEARNING FROM CRADLE TO GRAVE Maintain an interest in your children’s education as well as their passions
146
PROPERTY OF NOTE
154
A PASSION FOR NORTH CORNWALL
Dodbrooke House, Kingsbridge, Devon
From Rock to Port Isaac
159
SNAPSHOT COMPARATIVE A selection of properties in the South West and London close to the water’s edge
Back Page 162 PRIZE DRAW Win a four-night stay for up to six people in an idyllic Cornish farmhouse
MANOR | Spring 2018
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MANOR | Spring 2018
Award-winning Spa
Devon Home
DARTMOOR FARMHOUSE Ashton House Design were initially invited to refurbish the Master Bedroom Suite. Two years later and they have worked their way through this characterful farmhouse on Dartmoor.
Dartmoor Cottage
31a East Street Ashburton Devon TQ13 7AQ 01364 653563 ashtonhousedesign.co.uk MANOR | Spring 2018
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is brought to you by PUBLISHING EDITOR
Imogen Clements
imogen@manormagazine.co.uk
COMMISSIONING EDITOR
Jane Fitzgerald
jane@manormagazine.co.uk
FEATURES EDITOR
Fiona McGowan
features@manormagazine.co.uk
ARTS EDITOR
Belinda Dillon belinda@manormagazine.co.uk
FOOD EDITOR
Anna Turns
anna@manormagazine.co.uk
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
Amy Tidy
amy@manormagazine.co.uk
PUBLISHING MANAGER
Emilie Wiggins
emilie@manormagazine.co.uk
ADVERTISING SALES
Jeni Smith
jeni@manormagazine.co.uk
CONTRIBUTORS
Professor Ruth Merttens, Liz Miller, Alex Green DESIGN
Eleanor Cashman, Guy Cracknell
THE COVER Earrings, £10, Next (pack of three) Photographer: Remy Whiting; Stylist: Mimi Stott; Hair and make-up: Maddie Austin; Model: Nanda Isaia from Select © MANOR Publishing Ltd, 2018. 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 Wyndeham Roche Ltd.
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MANOR | Spring 2018
Welcome to the Spring Issue, and third birthday issue, of MANOR! This, Issue 24 of MANOR, marks three years since we launched the title. We launched it because we (and by we, I mean a handful of us. MANOR is not part of a massive publishing group) felt there was room for a modern, aspirational magazine that showcased the multitude of amazing initiatives and talented individuals that the South West boasts. We felt only a premium magazine would do them justice, and wanted, with MANOR, to deliver the very best reader experience, which high-quality print can do so well. Judging by the positive feedback we’ve had from literally hundreds of you, it seems we’ve hit the mark; something that I’m immensely proud of the MANOR team for, as well as all those exceptional photographers and writers who have contributed to making MANOR what it is today. I am confident that this Spring Issue of MANOR will further exceed your expectations. It is beautiful to look at and immensely readable from cover to cover. Let’s start at the back. Professor Ruth Merttens is one of those writers I refer to as gold dust. Ruth is an expert in the field of education; she advises government on education policy, and trains teachers across the globe as well as throughout the UK. We have been very lucky to have Ruth as a columnist for MANOR School since we launched. As well as supremely well-qualified, she is extremely wise and writes like a dream. Regardless of how old you are, whether you have children or not, I implore you to read what Professor Ruth Merttens has written for this issue of MANOR, ‘Learning from cradle to grave’, on page 135. It is profound and important, and gives you an indication of just why she is so highly valued by the education sector here and internationally. Mother and daughter Polizzi feature in this issue. Alex Polizzi, the TV presenter known for her highly successful programmes, The Fixer and The Hotel Inspector, reclines on the MANOR ‘couch’ to reveal what she loves about TV vis-a-vis working in hospitality, where she spent 14 years. Olga Polizzi is the brains behind Hotel Tresanton, which she took on 20 years ago when it was in a state of disrepair and transformed it into an elegant perennial home from home for the majority who stay there. Belinda Dillon writes about Burn the Curtain, a unique promenade theatre company whose audience effectively becomes part of the show. Fiona McGowan meets Anne Norona, a cosmetic nurse in Penzance who, when she’s not tending to the cosmetic needs of her clients in Cornwall, is working in Lesvos with Yezidi – Kurdish refugees who have fled Iraq and heinous atrocities inflicted on their community by Islamic State. Then there is TED, specifically TEDxExeter. TEDx is the community by-product of TED, the organisation that, around the world, has created events in which experts and people offering unique insights give short inspirational talks to a seated audience, that then go on to be broadcast globally via the internet. TEDxExeter, launched in 2012 by Claire Kennedy, now ranks fourth in the world for talks with more than a million views via TED.com. It is a phenomenal achievement and we interview Claire in the run-up to the next TEDxExeter to discover just how she and her team have managed to create such a global impact in six years. Beyond this, there is an exploration of food grown underground and a day spent with abstract artist Hilary Soper, which together with the lavish Escape and Property sections and, of course, the now-famous Back Page Prize Draw – this time there’s the chance to win a four-night stay in Whimplestone, a beautiful house that sleeps six and is set in 50 acres on the banks of the River Tamar, Cornwall – make this Spring Issue one of our finest, in my mind. Three years on and as a team we’re always striving to make MANOR the very best it can be. We owe it to the region that this magazine seeks to champion, but to all those people, not just from the South West but everywhere, who at some point, have taken the trouble to open MANOR, and like what they see. For those who do, we have some exciting news over the page...
Imogen Clements FOUNDER & PUBLISHING EDITOR @ManorMagazine
@manormagazine
Sign up to the MANOR newsletter to receive special offers and see what’s coming up at manormagazine.co.uk/newsletter Subscribe to MANOR for a year for just £25. Visit manormagazine.co.uk/subscribe
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.
MANOR | Spring 2018
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Spring 2015 | Issue 1 |£3.95
Late Spring 2015 Issue 2 |£3.95
Let play commence
Early Summer 2015 Issue 3 |£3.95
High Summer 2015 Issue 4 |£3.95
It’s festival season! Win VIP tickets to Boardmasters
Street food; neat booze
The South West’s artisan distillers
Kathy Lette
a new magazine
on the couch
Be blown away... Henry Swanzy Honing perfection
Unique Home Stays Character in exclusivity
Bovey Castle
A Dartmoor icon reborn
for the city savvy who enjoy a slice of country
Simon Armitage Poet, troubadour
Look West
Rachel Johnson
MICHELIN STARS BEACH POLO PRIZE ARCHITECTURE PREMIUM PROPERTY
As I see it...
SAM THORNE on plans for TATE ST IVES on on s first or anic comes to RIVERFORD earn ho to e interestin at DARTMOOR ARTS
...and beyond
SIMON REEVE REN
Late Summer 2015 Issue 5 |£3.95
Autumn 2015 Issue 6 |£3.95
CARPENTER OAK Framed perfection
Michael Morpurgo
Safia Minney
Anthony Loyd
Tom Raffield
Design inspired by nature
Reflects on life and war
Mark Diacono
HELP YOUR CHILD AT HOME MANOR School exclusive
DEER PARK HOTEL Treetop luxury
PORTHMINSTER CAFÉ, ST IVES Kitchen gardening
Kevin Macdonald
Oscar-winning director goes small screen
The Wave Project Using surfing to help children
Andy Hughes
Photographer, social commentator
Michael J Austin
From comic books to fine art
Sandy Brown
The Temple at Sotheby’s ‘Beyond Limits’
ShelterBox
Aid and relief around the world
Caro
Eat, shop and sleep in Bruton
at work in Gidleigh Park
Cornwall’s Rogue Theatre
Late Winter 2015 Issue 8 |£3.95
The best story I ever wrote
Sir Tim Smit
After Eden
A caring town Help for the rural homeless
Crowdcube Digital disruptor, global pioneer – exclusive with founder Luke Lang
Gift guide Christmas all wrapped up
Festive food Packed hampers
Home fires burning Hearths and Hotpods
Private jets
Spa special Go get pampered
Family friendly holidays Is there such a thing?
Eat yourself happy It’s easier than you think
Flights of fancy
The Region’s Premium Publication Late Spring 2016 Issue 10 | £3.95
Spring 2016 Issue 9 | £3.95
Michael Caines
Away with the grey...
Green living, South West
Ethical fashion pioneer states how it is
FLOWER FARMER Amy Henshaw harvesting colour
THE SEAHORSE, DARTMOUTH Exclusive recipes
Winter 2015 Issue 7 | £3.95
Tom Kay
COOKERY SCHOOLS We test the region’s best
TRILL FARM Food for the soul
Eco-homes
Finisterre Exclusive with founder
A kitchen garden for all
ST TUDY INN, CORNWALL Seasonal delights
The Region’s Premium Publication Summer 2016 | Issue 11 | £3.95
The Region’s Premium Publication High Summer 2016 | Issue 12 | £3.95
We are
Ranulph Fiennes As I see it...
MANOR celebrates its first year with prizes to be won
The Black Farmer Best of British
Miranda Sawyer
Cheese & wine
Mid-life critical
The South West’s finest
Nathan Outlaw
Summer sushi
Seafood supremo
Cornish food pioneer
Chloe-Jasmine
by the pool
Spring in our step Chocolate
Deliciously ethical Cornish confections
Save our seas Surfers Against Sewage’s Hugo Tagholm’s mission
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MANOR | Spring 2018
Rosie Lowe
PLUS
CULTURE DESIGN FOOD ESCAPE SCHOOL PROPERTY
on the couch
Architects in the city
The Pig Hotel
comes to Devon
Plymouth’s building renaissance
Peter Randall-Page As I see it with the celebrated sculptor
Discarded to desirable Shining a light on an innovative Cornish designer
PLUS
CULTURE SPACE FOOD ESCAPE SCHOOL PROPERTY
PLUS
CULTURE FOOD SPACE ESCAPE SCHOOL PROPERTY
48 hours
...in Seville
The West’s best architecture Winners RIBA 2016
PLUS
CULTURE SPACE ESCAPE SCHOOL PROPERTY
M
ANOR was first published in March 2015 by a group of individuals who felt there was room for a high quality magazine that celebrated all that’s amazing about the South West. Judging by the response we’ve had, you agreed. Launched with barely enough money to pay for three issues, we have published 24, with no additional investment. After three years establishing MANOR as The Premium Regional magazine, we’re now in a position to grow it further and faster, and will be crowdfunding with Crowdcube.com, the leading equity crowdfunding platform, come the summer. If you’d like to be part of MANOR and are interested in receiving updates to find out more, please email invest@manormagazine.co.uk
The Region’s Premium Publication Early Autumn 2016 | Issue 13 | £3.95
The Region’s Premium Publication Autumn 2016 | Issue 14 | £3.95
The Region’s Premium Publication Winter 2016 | Issue 15 | £4.50
Chris Tarrant As I see it
On trend
Kate Humble As I see it...
Design duo
Siobhan and Mat Hayles
Steve Backshall As I see it...
Stan Bolt
Timeless architecture
Helen Moore
Michelin stars Stellar gifts
Win a trip
Something for everyone
to The Scillies
As I see it
The Countess of Devon
Her work past and present
Victoria Milligan
Carinthia West
Four years on
Memories of Bowie and Jagger
PLUS
FOOD SPACE ESCAPE SCHOOL PROPERTY
CULTURE FOOD SPACE ESCAPE SCHOOL PROPERTY
Where they’re shining
Bridget McCrum
PLUS
The Region’s Premium Publication
Unique portraits of Daniel Day-Lewis, Samuel L Jackson, Michael Palin and more
A taste of glamour
PLUS
Spring 2017 Issue 17 | £4.50
World-changing filmmaker
Cocktails
Spaceman
Architect Alex Michaelis
A-list stars
Franny Armstrong Acclaimed faux furrier
Autumn /winter style guide
The Region’s Premium Publication Late Winter 2017 | Issue 16 | £4.50
CULTURE FOOD SPACE ESCAPE SCHOOL PROPERTY
The Region’s Premium Publication Late Spring 2017 | Issue 18 | £4.50
Grand design
PLUS
MANOR | Winter 2016
Tom Raffield’s house
CULTURE FOOD SPACE ESCAPE SCHOOL PROPERTY
1
The Region’s Premium Publication Early Summer 2017 | Issue 19 | £4.50
MANOR | Late Winter 2017
1
The Region’s Premium Publication High Summer 2017 Issue 20 | £4.50
Fay Weldon As I see it
John Brown
Publishing pioneer
Kit Heath
A silver success story
Moor creativity
Charley Boorman
Unique portraits of Devon artisans
As I see it
Trelowarren
A Cornish estate diversifying
Angela Hartnett
Blooming marvels
As I see it
Landscape designers Isabel and Julian Bannerman
The region’s winning architecture
Coombeshead Farm
Liz Earle
A foodie’s haven
As I see it
The charm of Chile
PLUS
CULTURE FOOD SPACE ESCAPE SCHOOL PROPERTY
Travel adventures in South America
MANOR | Spring 2017
1
MANOR | Late Spring 2017
CULTURE FOOD SPACE ESCAPE SCHOOL PROPERTY
1
The Region’s Premium Publication Autumn 2017 Issue 22 | £4.50
The Region’s Premium Publication Early Autumn 2017 Issue 21 | £4.50
RIBA best of the South West 2017
Dune dining
Cornwall’s Hidden Hut
Win a cruise and stay break Sail to Santander
Luxury by the Caribbean
CULTURE FOOD SPACE ESCAPE SCHOOL PROPERTY
PLUS
Mexican magnificence
The Region’s Premium Publication Winter 2017 | Issue 23 £4.50
Natural swimming pools
The difference is clear
Salcombe
1 Quality connotations
MANOR | Early Summer 2017
As I see it
CULTURE FOOD SPACE ESCAPE SCHOOL PROPERTY
The Region’s Premium Publication Spring 2018 | Issue 24 £4.50
Gareth Malone
Soak up Bath
As I see it
Jessica Seaton, founder of Toast
Christmas city break
Shark encounters
Kudhva
Jaw-dropping photography
Frugi founders
Cornish hideaways
The organic children’s clothing company
Recipes
Of time and place
Harris Bugg
Landscape design fit for a princess
Autumn/Winter
Trends Guide
Win a designer chair and ottoman
Back Page Prize Draw
Beaford Arts Unseen images from 70’s Devon
Tate St Ives
The new gallery
TEDxExeter
Tremenheere
Ranked fourth globally
Art in the landscape
School Arts
Alex Polizzi
Showcasing pupils’ talent
As I see it...
Hotel Tresanton
Martin Clunes
Celebrating 20 years
As I see it
CULTURE FOOD SPACE ESCAPE SCHOOL 1 PROPERTY
MANOR | Early Autumn 2017
CULTURE FOOD SPACE ESCAPE SCHOOL PROPERTY
Phenomenal flora Photographs by Isabel Bannerman
Powderham Devon’s finest castle
CULTURE FOOD SPACE ESCAPE SCHOOL PROPERTY
Cradle to grave Education for life
CULTURE FOOD SPACE ESCAPE SCHOOL PROPERTY
MANOR | Spring 2018
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MIKE MARTIN ASSOCIATES The standard for living
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MANOR | Spring 2018
Tel: 07836 782801
www.mma.consulting
info@mma.consulting
TOWN MOUSE, COUNTRY MOUSE Darling... I’m sorry to tell you but my correspondence will be fleeting from here on. These days long correspondence just is not the thing – instead it’s Snapchat, tweet and SMS. Concise and to the point. We must not speak either, that simply is not done. Text, email, messenger. I fear for civilization that we may evolve into mute beings with oversized digits and an inability to make eye contact. But on the plus side, we have all perfected our photo smile thanks to incessant selfies, and perfect smiles can only be a good thing. Anyhow, before I start to witter on as I am wont, I shall get straight to the point and impart what I’m here to do, which is stuff that shouldn’t be missed. So without further ado:
Sweetness... I know. It is the way of the world. Once upon a time, people would keep and bundle up correspondence in the form of love letters or dispatches from the front, but what is there to bundle up for posterity in the 21st century? Hard drives, sweetie, that’s what, and where’s the romanticism in that? I want to see the return of handwriting! But, we move with the times and as such must be all punch and pith, and direct to the point. And so I fully understand the decision to forego the waffle and get to the point, and with that I too present some of those things that are front of mind right now here in the country:
WHAT’S HOT IN THE SMOKE?
WHAT’S COOL IN THE COUNTRY?
The Bridge Theatre is THE new hot spot. Opened by Nick Hytner, it is a privately funded theatre and boasts the most spectacular view over the Tower of London from the huge atrium (with food and drink by the wonderful St John’s Restaurant). Currently showing the amazing Julius Caesar starring Michelle Fairley, Ben Whishaw and David Morrissey.
The Leach Pottery is having its first selling exhibition of 2018 with ‘Reunion: Potters From The Time Of Bernard Leach’. This exhibition will showcase pots from working potters who apprenticed, trained, and worked during the time of Bernard Leach (1887-1979). From 24 March – 1 July, at The Leach Pottery, St Ives.
‘Votes for Women’ showing at the Museum of London marks a century since the passing of the 1918 Act giving women the right to vote. Features incredible stories and iconic objects from the vast suffragette collection. 2 February 2018 – 6 January 2019.
The Hidden Hut, Cornwall’s favourite secret restaurant that can be found nestling in the dunes near Portscatho, launch their first ever cookbook in May. The mouth waters.
London’s oldest railway station, London Bridge, reopened in January 2018 having been fully upgraded. Featuring 15 new extra-long platforms, it better connects passengers to The Shard, Borough Market and further afield.
Bride: The Wedding Show returns to Westpoint Exeter on 24-25 March. Tickets are £5 in advance and a must for anyone considering tying the knot in the foreseeable future.
‘Picasso 1932: Love, Fame, Tragedy’ is a journey throughout 1932 known as Picasso’s ‘year of wonders’. The exhibition takes visitors through each month showing 100 paintings, paper works and sculptures. Tate Modern, 8 March – 9 September.
The highly anticipated new IKEA store opens in Exeter on 1st May. It will be the retailer’s most sustainable store to date, and its 21st in the UK. Allen keys at the ready.
Roganic first opened in 2011 as a pop up for two years in Marylebone. Five years later it has returned as a permanent fixture. Highly rated experiential dining incorporating aspects of Simon Rogan’s two Michelin star restaurant in the Lake District, L’Enclume. To be experienced, but look to pay in excess of £40 a head.
Spring’s arrival will be celebrated to the full on 6 April in the heart of Exeter when Princesshay comes alive with a range of food offerings, live music, a beauty zone and stylist presenting key looks and capsule wardrobes for the season, as well as attractions for all the family.
MANOR | Spring 2018
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Key Spring Summer Looks 2018 From SS18 catwalks we pull out the key trends that the high street will be deferring to this season. Compiled by Amy Tidy. A MIDSUMMER NIGHTS DREAM
ORIENTAL FLORALS Bold florals are out in force. Japanese flower blossom prints were prevalent on many runways and give rise to quirky, imaginative accessorizing.
Go yellow – Be it egg yolk, mustard or buttercup, wear this colour and it will turn heads, like sunflowers turn to the sun.
Tibi
Jasper Conran
Jasper Conran
Antonio Marras
Dior
Max Mara
Tibi
Dior
White shirts and Breton stripes paired with tailored denim nods to a stylish St Tropez circa 1960.
MANOR | Spring 2018
Markus Lupfer
SUNNY SIDE UP
MED CHIC
20
Marques Almeida
Antonio Marras
Christopher Kane
Roksanda
Antonio Marras
Antonio Marras
Dior
Fairytale fabrics transparent and light, layered over silhouettes turn formal elegance into dreamy pulchritude.
trends
COLOUR BURST
SERIOUS STRIPES Stripes never really go away. This year they are even bigger and brighter.
Self Portrait
3.1 Phillip Lim
Jasper Conran
Emilia Wickstead
Akris
3.1 Phillip Lim
Peter Pilotto
Daks
Stella McCartney
Jasper Conran
Add more than just a splash of colour. Shades are postiviely kaleidoscopic. Any mix will do; clashing is impossible.
LILAC & LAVENDER
Altuzarra Maison Margiela
BELLS & WHISTLES Extra texture is everywhere in the form of feathers, ripples, embellishments and fringing. More is very much more here.
Tibi
Max Mara
Max Mara
Tibi
Erdem
Roksanda
Christopher Kane
Delicate and whimsical, hues of lilac and lavender are the colours of the season.
MANOR | Spring 2018
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Oriental florals
Markus Lupfer SS18
Florals are a perennial favourite for spring and summer. This year they are oriental-inspired prints in an array of sizes and colours. Keep it casual combining with denim and sneakers or opt for a darker print for the evening, accessorized creatively Japanese-style. Compiled by Amy Tidy.
Necklace, Oliver Bonas, £36
Earrings, Zara, £9.99
Bag, Zara, £29.99
Kimono, Zara, £39.99
Skirt, Marks & Spencer, £49.50
Blouse, Topshop, £30
Necklace, Next, £16 Dress, Marks & Spencer, £45
Trousers, Topshop, £65
Bag, Zara, £49.99 Shoes, Zara, £49.99 22
MANOR | Spring 2018
Shoes, Zara, £49.99
Self Portrait SS18
trends
Champagne pearl drop earrings, Orange Tree @ Darts Farm, £359
Kimono, Next, £34
Dress, Topshop, £49 Denim jacket, Topshop, £46
Blouse, Hobbs, £139
Bag, Zara, £39.99 Dress, Topshop, £49
Shoes, Topshop, £62
Sunglasses, Oliver Bonas, £45
Shirt, Zara, £25.99
Trainers, Hobbs, £119 MANOR | Spring 2018
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Necklace, Oliver Bonas, £34
Lilac and lavender
Max Mara SS18
Shades perfect for springtime, these subdued purples can work casually or formally and set off even the palest of complexions. Combined with silver, white and grey ensures paler lilacs pop. Compiled by Amy Tidy. Shirt, Whistles, £89
Trousers, Marks & Spencer, £49.50 Shirt, Hobbs, £99
Jumper, Marks & Spencer, £139 Cardholder, Oliver Bonas, £12
Sunglasses, Hobbs, £65
Shoes, Dune, £85
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Blazer, Hobbs, £199
Rucksack, Accesorize, £30
Mules, Hobbs, £139
Erdem SS18
trends
Earrings, Marks & Spencer, £9.50
Trench coat, Hobbs, £269
Earrings, Whistles, £39 Jumper, Topshop, £26
Dress, Whistles, £169 Scarf, Oliver Bonas, £28
Jumper, Next, £32
Sunglasses, Oliver Bonas, £55
Bag, Hobbs, £149
Bag, Laura Ashley, £35
Dress, Marks & Spencer, £59
Shoes, Sandro, Selfridges, £209
Jeans, Marks & Spencer, £25 MANOR | Spring 2018
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beauty
Fresh start
Spring is the ideal time to switch up your beauty routine. Make-up artist Elouise Abbott presents her pick of the season’s top products and trends.
A
beautiful, fresh, spring palette has arrived, and this season it starts with the base. While the warmer orange and red tones appear to be around for the long haul, we’re just seeing the budding of some wonderful blues, greens and all shades pastel. And if you struggle with a crisp, fine eyeliner, the good news is that the 90s revival makes way for chunky eyeliner and a smudged, smoky eye. Skin revival starts with a scrub. I’m in love with the multi-talented REN Micro Polish Cleanser. With a fabulous combination of amber powder, glycolic acid and papaya extract, this gentle foaming cleanser will remove dead skin cells while smoothing, refining and brightening the skin tone. Oskia London Get Up & Glow Serum is packed with a cocktail of hydrating and brightening minerals and vitamins, including vitamin E, zinc and hyaluronic acid just to name a few. Apply under moisturizer to ensure your skin is at its optimum level of hydration. As we leave winter behind, let’s abandon also the heavy, full-coverage foundation. The hydrating, antioxidant-rich formula of NARS Sheer Glow Foundation puts it firmly back in my kit for spring and summer. The coverage is sheer yet buildable. While Tom Ford puts chunky eyeliner back on the catwalk in an exciting spring/summer shake up, I’ve been making the most of the incredible multi-use Tom Ford Noir Absolute for Eyes gel eyeliner. Whatever your style – 90s grunge, clean flick or chunky liner – this product has got you covered. MAC Pastels eyeshadow palette has a selection of nine perfect shades, from soft pink to pale green and cool blues in both matt and shimmer. It’s everything you could need for a fresh pastel wash – try this little gem if you want to experiment and find your compatible shade of pale.
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I love a multi-tasker, so I was overjoyed to discover Lancôme My Parisian Pastels shimmer cube eyeshadows and highlighters cube. With its fun packaging and versatile selection of pinks, lilacs, creams and bronze (nine shades altogether), this product has been my go-to for everything from eyeshadow to highlighter, and even a shimmery blush. Perfect for a touch of radiance. Mermaid shades are everywhere these days, so why not on the eyes? The Make-up Forever Aqua Matic Eyeshadow in Diamond Light Turquoise is an easy-to-use waterproof, smudge-proof eye pencil. Use just one shade for a statement sweep of colour, or blend with the shade Iridescent Electric Blue or Iridescent Turquoise for extra mermaid depth. Love it or hate it, but it looks like glitter is here to stay. If you’re a glitter fiend, then keep it sustainable with EcoStardust biodegradable glitter – try the Unicorn blend for some lilac-silver sparkles. A natural wash of colour on the lip works best when teamed with pastel eyes. Luxurious, sheer and hydrating, Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Volupte Shine in the shade Nude Lavalliere is looking to be a spring and summer kit staple. If pastels aren’t your thing, and you’re more in favour of a statement lip, then fear not because the red lip is still leading the way in the glam pack. You can’t go wrong with MAC Retro Matte Liquid Lipcolour in the shade Fashion Legacy – a fire truck red longwearing matte lipstick. Keep it simple and work it with a clean neutral eyelid for a modern twist.
Saks appeal Six years since it launched, Exeter’s leading salon excels AWARD-WINNING It’s hard to believe it’s six years since Saks Exeter opened in Princesshay. In that time, the salon has won 13 separate awards, and been a regional finalist in the L’Oreal Colour Trophy awards four times. These awards recognise the salon’s service; its creative, relaxing ambience as well as the high quality of its styling.
90s SLEEK Healthy shine, beautiful colour and smooth waves – the killer-combo for 2018.
EXPERT TRAINING Every team member is trained by Saks and L’Oreal, and each has to qualify at Saks’ London Academy. This ensures that the team has a comprehensive knowledge of the very latest styling and colouring techniques.
LOB LIFE It Girl style. Longto-short or shortto-long. Choppy mid-length is the sensation that’s here to stay.
PHOTO: MATT AUSTIN
ALL THAT AND MORE 2018 The salon’s campaign for 2018 captures the essence of why women keep coming to Saks for the best of hair. Eleanor Wilson, owner of Saks Exeter says: “We’re not just about amazing hair, we really are ‘all that and more’ with our product range, loyalty schemes and a fantastic team. We’re proud to have an immensely loyal clientele, many of whom have been with us since we launched. Ultimately though, it all starts with our styling - here’s a taste of some of the styles customers can choose at Saks...”
PUSH BACK Red-carpet ready or festival chic – a messy chignon and a “haven’t tried, really” push back adds A-lister style.
To book an appointment call 01392 256999, email exeter@sakshair.co.uk or visit saks.co.uk/exeter. 2 Bampfylde Lane, Princesshay, Exeter EX1 1GQ
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Dartmoor PHOTO: NATHAN WHITTAKER
PHOTO: : STEVEN HAYWOOD FOR THE PRINCESSHAY SWIFT PROJECT
My feel-good regime Naomi Hart is an Exeter-based visual artist. She has travelled extensively, and much of her work explores themes around journeys and human interaction with nature. She is currently the Leverhulme Trust artist in residence at the University of Sheffield, working with the ice scientists in the Geography department. I live in Exeter, but I’m currently spending a lot of time in She fie For ten months, I get to be in the Geography
department at the University, and in the field alongside world-class scientists, looking at their research in Svalbard and Greenland and responding to it with art. The culmination of the residency is an exhibition in Sheffield and I’ve also been invited to speak and have a show at the Royal Geographical Society in London in March – exciting and terrifying in equal measure. I grew up in Africa, so I feel most at home in wide open spaces looking for wildlife, or by the sea. Despite
the warm climate of my childhood, I seem to have developed a love of cold water. I’m a cold weather wimp, but jumping into the sea or rivers when you almost instantly lose feeling in your fingers and toes is just the best feeling. It revitalises me – I get almost physical withdrawal symptoms when I haven’t been for a while. Just seeing everything from water-level and feeling that weightlessness is enough to boost my mood and it puts everything back in perspective. The feeling of my skin after getting out is also delicious. I love Dartmoor and swimming in the River Dart, and Budleigh Salterton on a mirror-calm summer’s morning is hard to beat. 28
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I also love walking and rock-scrambling, and for the last year I’ve managed to do half an hour of yoga and stretching every morning as soon as I get up, just to
get the blood flowing and the joints working. It has transformed the way I look at each day. The most important thing for my health is good sleep – not so easy to come by. I’m a bit of a stress-bunny and
generally take on too many things at once. Anyone who is freelance will know that dilemma of when to say ‘no’ – what if I never get offered anything again? Where is next month’s income coming from? And sometimes opportunities are just too good to turn down, even though there may be no money in them – like when I was invited to be expedition artist on a boat sailing from Cornwall to remote East Greenland in the High Arctic a couple of years ago. It was one of the most incredible experiences of my life, and I had to tell myself that some things are worth the sacrifice of not earning for a couple of months. I read a lot – mostly pop-science or travel writing. With
all my Arctic travel, I’m working my way through historical writing about Polar exploration, daunted by
the extreme conditions that people have lived through in order to further our knowledge of the world. I am trying to broaden my outlook with more novels, but I find so much in the real world that’s fascinating I sometimes wonder why we need to make anything up. I eat healthily and I love to cook. I find I don’t need as
PHOTO: DR ARWYN EDWARDS
much meat as I used to, and for environmental reasons I should probably give it up, but for now I try to buy locally and ethically produced food. Eating together or going out for a coffee or drink with friends in Exeter is important for feeling loved and talking over those issues that are bugging us. The Plant Cafe and Southernhay House Hotel in Exeter are both lovely little meeting places. Naomi at work on the ice naomi-hart.com
LANGUISHING IN MY BATHROOM CABINET I hardly wear make-up – a quick smudge of eyeshadow for a special occasion is about as far as it goes – and besides organic shampoo (I love Faith in Nature) and hand cream (generally something as simple and non-allergenic as E45 Cream, not very glamorous!), I don’t have a bathroom full of products. Nowadays I’ve started to react to traditional washing powders and I feel that we need to make as much effort as possible to help protect our fragile planet, so I go organic whenever I can.
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PHOTO: TWOFOUR / COLIN HUTTON
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As I see it...
Alex Polizzi, hotelier and TV presenter, comes from a long line of hoteliers. Her mother is Olga Polizzi of Hotel Endsleigh, Devon and Hotel Tresanton, Cornwall, her uncle Sir Rocco Forte and her grandfather, the late Lord Charles Forte. Alex has run and opened restaurants and hotels across the globe. She is known for her ‘fix-it’ TV programmes The Fixer and The Hotel Inspector, where she taps into her immense hospitality experience to help small businesses reach their full potential. I’d hate to be another crusading twit. I try very hard not to
pontificate about anything, because I think people, quite rightly, would say, “Why the hell should I listen to Alex Polizzi about anything?” – apart from the one thing that I really know about, which is the business that I’m in. I avoid politicising anything, partly because I don’t want to be rent-a-quote, and partly because I really protect my personal life. The more that you are out there saying x, y and z about a million things, then the wider a target you present to people.
up and chucked out. I needed four times as long to make the programme, but the realities of life collided with the exigencies of TV. Of course, it’s good to learn to see things in a different way, and it was much more rewarding than doing the things that I do so easily and naturally. Hopefully, five people benefited, but I don’t know that it’s made any difference. Then you suddenly think – you’ve got 20,000 people leaving the armed forces over the next few years, how are we going to deal with them? Who’s going to help them?
I try not to be gloomy. If you think about Korea and Trump
I think I kind of have spidey senses about who is going to make
and the death of books, you wouldn’t want to get out of bed in the morning. I’ve realised that we live in a society where the specialists survive and thrive. I’ve just done a restaurant show (Restaurant
Rescue), and it’s something that Oliver [Peyton] and I have really encouraged people to do… In the restaurant business, there are now places that just do pasta, or just do pizza – the great soaring enterprises with 10-page menus have gone under. My h s an an o n a a ery an fin the ho e antiwheat, anti-bread thing boring. In fact, I find clean eating so
boring. It’s a ridiculous First World obsession. Obviously, there are a few people who have terrible intolerances and allergies; that I understand. But we demonise food to such a degree, the idea of proportionality has gone out the window. I try to eat more healthily – more fruit and vegetables and not drinking alcohol as much as I’d like to, but I think most people understand that you don’t eat a burger for breakfast, lunch and dinner. One a week, however, ain’t going to kill you. I loved working in hospitality – it’s really fun, if you’re the kind o erson ho i es the chance to have yo r fin er in ots o different pies. But I spent 14 years of my life working every
Christmas, every Friday night, and in Hong Kong I worked six days a week. When I ran Hotel Endsleigh, I often worked seven days a week. Every high day and holiday – when everyone else is celebrating, you are working. So I love the flexibility that TV presenting gives me. I’m away three days of every week – and more than that if I’m doing a travel show – but I can take lots of time off at Christmas, at Easter, and in the summer holidays. I came from a working mother, and it’s really important that the children see that what I do is valuable and contributes to the family. Hire our Heroes [a TV show aimed at getting former soldiers back into civilian work] was one of the times when I’ve come up against my own inadequacies, very painfully. We had very
mixed results. One of the things that really upset me was that, in the whole of the UK, there’s only one dedicated treatment centre for alcohol and drug addiction for the exmilitary. When the wounded come back, they get patched
it or not on shows like The Hotel Inspector, partly because the hospitality industry tends to develop those skills due to your immense exposure to so many strangers every single day. But realistically, the balance sheet can tell me whether they can survive more than their personalities. You’ve got to appreciate the narrative behind the balance sheet – what it tells you about the business, where they’re succeeding and failing, and where they need to concentrate. I feel like it’s a big responsibility, what I do. One of the reasons
that The Hotel Inspector has endured is because people find it fascinating, the complete lack of self awareness in some of my clients. I try not to be brutal, I don’t purposefully wound anybody, but at the same time, we’ve got so little time together and if I’m going to make a change, I’ve got to be quite straightforward. I don’t have time to pussyfoot around. That’s the balance that I have to manage. m a ays fi htin ith my h s an he o ove s to move out of London. I understand that there are lots of negative
things about it. I’ve lived in Cornwall and Devon, and it was easy to drown myself in work there, but I don’t ride, I don’t own a dog. My countryside pursuit level is kind of nil. I don’t spend much time at Endsleigh, because I’ve sold my footage down there, and Mum [Olga Polizzi] goes and looks over the place. I’m a bit more involved at Hotel Tresanton in Cornwall, partly because we have a little cottage down there – so we spend all summer and Easter there. I’m desperate for the environment. I’m desperate about the
plastic in the sea; mercury in the ocean. Those are things that make me weep. I was brought up in fruitful Mediterranean Italy – in a land of plenty. You go to the Med now and there are no fish. You don’t have to read the statistics about the astonishing amount of plastic that we throw away, because all you have to do is go to the supermarket and extrapolate. I think it’s astonishing how great an impact the plastic bag tax has had. It just shows that you can change people’s habits quickly – if there’s a determination to do it. Alex Polizzi’s shows, Peyton and Polizzi’s Restaurant Rescue and The Hotel Inspector, air on Channel 5.
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Unique. From concept to finish, designed and built by Touch Design Group.
Bespoke kitchen 32
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touchdesigngroup.com Telephone: 01392 364269
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Kitchen Interiors | Furniture | Media Rooms | Dressing Rooms | Interior Doors | Staircases MANOR | Spring 2018
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Since its launch in 2012, TEDxExeter has attracted a committed following – tickets sell out in minutes – and millions of views worldwide. Imogen Clements meets Claire Kennedy, the volunteer who brought the power of TED to the city.
PHOTO: TEDxEXETER/MATT ROUND
Gill Hayes speaking at TEDxExeter 2017
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TEDxExeter talks have been viewed 17.7 million times and are ranked fourth in the world, no less, for talks having over a million views on TED.com Top 20 TEDx events with talks of over 1 million views on TED.com
PHOTO: TEDxEXETER/MATT ROUND
pring 2017, on the stage of Exeter’s Northcott Theatre, a young, dynamic mother of three relayed her story to a full house: “No one said, ‘the kind that suffers from depression.’ No one said, ‘the kind to attempt suicide,’ and yet, in the early hours of 13 March 2013, I got out of bed, left my sleeping family, drove to a nearby bridge and jumped.” Sitting at my desk a year later, watching Gill Hayes’s talk via my laptop, I was transfixed. During her 16-minute talk, we heard how, remarkably, she’d survived with just broken bones, how astonished she’d been by the out-pouring of love she’d received from her hospital bed, but more so, by the number of friends and people she knew who came to visit her and revealed their own torment; the depression that they too had suffered or were suffering, people whom she would never have suspected. Once recovered, that revelation gave her purpose to lift the veil, to openly discuss mental health and in doing so, help others not to plumb the depths of despair that she’d reached. Her story stayed with me; I felt compelled to discuss it with colleagues, family and friends, who in turn went on to look up Gill’s talk for themselves. It was a ripple effect, on a micro scale, but Gill has since been asked to write her story for the Sunday Times, she’s been invited into corporations to address staff on mental health, and worked with health professionals to deepen their understanding. From that talk she gave last year in Exeter, Gill has helped countless numbers of people, many of whom she will never know, and as her talk remains online, accessible to anyone, anywhere, she continues to do so ad infinitum. That is the power of TED. TED began in the US in 1984 when an architect and graphic designer named Richard Saul Wurman organized a conference around the convergence of technology, entertainment and design (TED). Demonstrations that featured at this first TED included an introduction to the ‘compact disc’ and a demonstration of 3D graphics from Lucas Film. But it nearly ended there. Despite an impressive line-up of speakers, the conference lost money and wasn’t embarked upon again for another six years. In the 1990s, things changed. The ticketed conferences began to generate a following and the range of subjects broadened to cover science, philosophy, music, and religion. By now in his mid-sixties, Wurman found a successor in the form of Chris Anderson, the founder of Future Publishing and a new media entrepreneur. Anderson had attended a TED conference and been highly inspired by the level and breadth of thinking. So much so, that he bought TED in 2001, made it nonprofit and created TEDGlobal, the sister conference held in locations around the world. In 2006 he broadcast the first TED Talks ( just six of them) online via TED.com. All talks were, and are, no longer than 18 minutes – long enough to be serious but short enough to hold people’s
Claire Kennedy speaking at the TEDxExeter launch event 2018 at Royal Albert Memorial Museum
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PHOTO: TEDxEXETER/BENJAMIN BORLEY
TEDxExeter stage at the Northcott Theatre
1984 TED is founded by Richard Saul Wurman as a ticketed conference. Makes a loss.
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1990 The second TED conference takes place and is a success. Leads to more.
2001 Chris Anderson acquires TED and makes it non-profitmaking.
feature attention, and go viral easily. Within three months, these six talks had notched up a million views. Twelve years later, the TED.com site hosts around 2,000 talks in over 100 different languages. They have garnered almost four billion views worldwide and the TED brand has given rise to a number of subsidiary TEDs: The TED Prize, TED Fellowship, TED-Ed (short films to teach educators), and possibly the most significant, TEDx. TEDx is effectively grassroots TED, in which local organizers – volunteers – are licensed to run their own conferences for the local community with the talks posted online via YouTube. Since 2009, when the TEDx Program was launched, there have been over 24,000 TEDx events around the world producing 100,000 talks. Claire Kennedy, a former refugee lawyer living in Exeter with her family, started TEDxExeter in 2012. “I was looking for a new challenge when a friend suggested we do it together. She was an adoption social worker, I a former refugee lawyer, and neither of us had much experience of this kind of thing. It was a very steep learning curve.” For this first TEDxExeter, they secured speakers who included Satish Kumar, the peace and environment activist, and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, and found a venue in Exeter’s Northcott Theatre. Chris Anderson himself came over and spoke. The event had sold out three months in advance. “We knew when we decided to do it that there wasn’t an ideas festival in Exeter, nothing that was really raw and cutting-edge, but we had no idea that there would be such a hunger for this – that really took us by surprise.” When her friend returned to full-time work, Claire built the volunteer team and ran with it. Six years later, TEDxExeter talks have been viewed 17.7 million times and are ranked fourth in the world, no less, for talks having over a million views on TED.com. That’s after Beacon St in Boston; Mid Atlantic in Washington; Sydney, then Exeter. The phenomenal achievement of TEDxExeter is down to Claire’s and her team’s assessment of today’s core
2006 The first TED Talks are broadcast online.
2009 TEDx is launched.
issues and their astute curation of fascinating and highly motivational speakers and events. “We’re inundated with applications to speak, but that’s not how we choose people. The speaker team consists of three of us – Sara, Tobit and myself. We consider the big challenges facing us all, research and identify those people whose work is making a real difference, and approach them. “It starts with a conversation – what’s the heart of the idea they wish to share? How would they bring it alive? Why are they the person to be presenting it, and why do we need to hear it? All of these conversations have to happen before we decide to confirm them as a speaker.” Each TEDxExeter has a theme. The theme this year is ‘connect’. “We’re living in an age where many communities are feeling more and more divided; loneliness is endemic despite us being wired 24/7 and digitally ‘connected’; and against this there is a backdrop of populist politics which risks dividing us further, rather than bringing us together. So this year we have chosen to focus on making connections and building bridges.” Speakers Claire and her team have gathered include Kate Garbers, a director of Unseen, a charity that provides safety and assistance to survivors of human trafficking and modern slavery. “You know, it’s all around us, we’re just not looking,” says Claire. There is Antony Painter from the RSA. “His talk is very much big picture thinking – how can we build cities that are inclusive, that have a greater quality of life, that allow people, all people, to truly flourish?” Bonya Ahmed, an American woman of Bengali descent and an award-winning secularist thinker, writer and campaigner, is coming. Bonya is the widow of Avijit Roy, a well-known writer and activist who was murdered when they were both attacked by Islamists during a book signing in Dhaka in 2015. “She’s incredibly brave, still bears scars from the machete attack, but she’s going to be talking about how, in a world where bad things happen, we need to think ‘why not me?’ rather than ‘why me?’. It’s that thought that motivates us to try to change things. I heard her on the BBC and was so inspired – you know, in this era of fake news, there are people who are bringing us a more
2012 TEDx launches in Exeter.
2018 TEDxExeter ranks fourth in the world for talks exceeding 1m views on TED.com.
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PHOTO: TEDxEXETER/MATT ROUND
TEDxExeter break
nuanced understanding of what’s going on in the world. I met her in New York, Madrid and then in London to work on her talk, and I’m really excited to have her as one of our speakers.” There will be 14 speakers and acts at TEDxExeter this year, spanning an immensely wide range of subjects. Months of preparation goes into ensuring the day runs smoothly. There is, after all, only one take. “We have a timeline, so now [two months prior to the event] we’re on some people’s fourth drafts of their talk; we’re into rehearsals, and we have a group rehearsal in London in a few weeks’ time. We offer our speakers coaching and support as they prepare so when they get onto that stage they have all the confidence they need to deliver their talk brilliantly. And that’s hard, because you’re not just presenting to the audience on the day, you’re presenting to potentially millions.” 38
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That they do, these speakers of all ages, all professions and all walks of life, comes down to the quality and dedication of her team of volunteers, insists Claire. “We can say to them, ‘look, we’re volunteers, we’re here not because we’re being paid; we’re here because we believe in the idea you want to share and its potential to make a positive difference. We want to help you make your talk the best that it can be.’ We have a reputation for that – for taking care and doing a lot of work with our speakers.” The full roster of speakers promises a highly varied and profoundly powerful day. Research that TEDxExeter carried our last year indicated that as many as 78% of those who came to attend the day’s talks were compelled to make positive changes to their lives as a result. “The ripple effects are endless, and we’ll never hear about most of them, but it’s great when we do! A single mum decided that she was going to do an MBA
feature
All talks are no longer than 18 minutes long enough to be serious but short enough to hold people’s attention, and go viral.
PHOTO: TEDxEXETER/MATT ROUND
TEDxExeter volunteers
and changed her life; young kids who’d never felt they wanted to study, come to the campus and leave wanting to go to university; people set up charities, write books, start volunteering. The only complaint we have is about ticketing – we need a bigger venue!” Claire laughs. Tickets to TEDxExeter 2018 sold out in minutes. In this world of digital technology, downloads and streaming, people still want to be there, to experience the talks live. “We could fill the Northcott many times over, no problem. We now live stream the talks from the Theatre to the University’s Alumni Auditorium, and this year we have live streams planned around the city at the Phoenix, the library and the RAMM. We have requests for live streaming from organisations across Devon – Devon County Council are going to live-stream the day into the council chamber, and Libraries Unlimited will stream into libraries across Devon. The livestream is freely available to anybody – if any school or workplace requests it then we make it available to them. Last year there were over 180 live streams that we know of in 69 countries around the world.” Ask Claire why it is that tickets sell out so fast and live streaming to organizations and institutions is so popular when we can all access the talks individually at home from the privacy of our own laptops, and she nods back to this year’s theme: “People want to be challenged and they don’t want to do that in isolation. They like to gather and want to connect, not necessarily only with like-minded people but with others who are interested.” The TED mission is to spread ‘ideas that change lives’. The challenge to Claire is to share those ideas as widely as possible on the day. Thanks to the generosity of sponsors, almost half of the 900 tickets were sold at concessionary rates to schools, students and community groups, something she is immensely proud of. After the day, once all is packed away and the 900 head home inspired, then begins the process of editing the filming of each talks, then uploading them for the wider world to access. You’d be forgiven for thinking in today’s climate of ‘fast’ media – Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat – that we no longer have an appetite for depth, story, words over pictures, substance over sound-bite. The success of TED proves that wrong. At four billion views it is, if anything, on the ascendance as, thanks to TEDx, more and more people discover it and are affected by the talks they hear. By giving democratised access to cutting-edge thinking, TED has the power to change the world for the better, in just 18 minutes.
PHOTO: TEDxEXETER/MATT ROUND
TEDxExeter will take place on 20 April 2018. The full list of speakers can be found at tedxexeter.com. To find out more about livestreaming opportunities please email Lorna@TEDxExeter.com
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Photographer Nick Bowring had heard about a waxworker who created wax masterpieces for collections around the world from a workshop in St Michael’s, Bridport. A while later, he went to meet someone there about renting a studio space, and it turned out to be the waxworker himself, Mike Wade. “Mike is a friendly chap,” says Nick, “and while I was there, he was happy to show me around his workshop. As a photographer, you’re always looking for something a little bit unusual to point your camera at, and Mike’s place was exactly that. “It was a bizarre and slightly unworldly space that was crammed to the rafters with wax limbs, heads and other body parts. His creations are so lifelike that you feel you’re sharing a room with an odd collection of celebrities. It was part Frankenstein’s laboratory, and part red carpet. “I just had to go back and take these pictures. But I’m not sure I’d like to spend the night there.” MANOR | Spring 2018
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NICK BOWRING Nick is a freelance photographer who returned to his native South West after working in agencies in London for 18 years. While there, he shot worms for a national gas company, and cab drivers for a West End theatre company. Never one to let the glamour go to his head, Nick moved to Dorset and now shoots portraits, fashion, interiors and food. nickbowring.co.uk
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cial fuelfigures economy figures for the XXXXXXX in mpg (l/100km): urban X.X -(17.2-17.4); X.X (X.X – Extra X.X), extra X.X(29.7-30.4); – X.X (X.X –Combined X.X), combined FuelOffi economy for the Cayenne Turbo in l/100km (mpg): Urban 16.4-16.2 Urbanurban 9.5-9.2 11.9-11.7 X.X –1X.X emissions – X.X). CO in 2g/km emissions: 272 - XXX 267 g/km. – XXX The g/km. fuelThe economy mpg and and CO CO figures figuresquoted quotedare aresourced sourcedfrom fromoffi offi cial cialEU-regulated EU-regulatedtests, test results, are (23.7-24. ) CO(X.X 2 2 2 are provided provided for forcompar comparability ability purposes purposesonly andand maymay notnot reflrefl ectect your your actual actual driving driving experience. experience.
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A Botox nurse in Truro and an aid worker in Lesvos, Anna Norona speaks to Fiona McGowan abour her fight to raise awareness of the suffering of the Yezidi people.
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nly a few hours’ flight from London, in northern Iraq, genocide has been taking place. Extermination. Rape. Kidnapping. Enslavement. Young girls being taken as slaves and bought and sold for a handful of dollars to be attacked and abused over and over again, day in, day out. Elderly people killed. Babies left to die of dehydration and the heat. The Yezidi people are an ancient civilisation – a non-Muslim group that once numbered in the millions, spread across the mountainous region of Sinjar in northern Iraq, practising their monotheistic religion and fighting hard to exist in an inhospitable landscape. The people have suffered genocides over centuries, with various Muslim groups intent on wiping out their culture. Only around 800,000 Yezidi remain. In the summer of 2014 came the most recent attack: the Kurdish Peshmerga forces, who had been protecting the Yezidi, demanded that they hand over all their weapons, claiming that they had no need for them. Then, 52
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Anne with children in Sherfadin camp on Sinjar mountain
without warning, the Peshmerga got in their trucks and abandoned them. Within hours, the Islamic State forces arrived, killing and capturing indiscriminately. The terrified Yezidi people ran for the hills. Thousands were killed or captured as they ran. Many more died – the babies, the elderly and disabled – up in the mountains without food, water or shelter in the scorching heat. Around 7,000 Yezidi were captured during that invasion, most of them young women and girls; the men were slaughtered. Today, nearly three years later, more than 3,000 remain in captivity. Those who survived the invasion walked for two weeks across the mountains to Syria and back into the safety of Kurdistan, where 360,000 remain today in camps. Others – carrying their babies and children, grieving the loss of their families, and terrified of being murdered, attacked, raped, taken as slaves – washed up, quite literally, on the island of Lesvos in Greece. The images of people crawling out of the sea, the stories of drownings, illness and near-starvation inundated the Western media. In those early days, people
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Yezidi children of the camps, many are fair or ginger-haired
Yezidi women greeting in the traditional way... four kisses!
Children of Sinjar mountain on a cold winter’s night inside their tent, with hats brought from England
The creation of Y.E.S and children of Khanke, near Duhok
all over the world wanted to help. Clothes and toiletries were collected. Extraordinary groups of volunteers used social media to organise and mobilise. In West Cornwall, some of the most proactive voluntary groups were set up, with a great impulse of solidarity and generosity. Clothes and bedding were collected in village halls and churches. Ships left Falmouth harbour loaded with aid. And in Penzance, a nurse called Anne Norona went on Facebook to find out if she could help. Within hours, she received a message from Hadia Aslam, a doctor on Lesvos: “Yes! Please help!” That message was to change her entire life – and the lives of many others. I am sitting in a cosmetic surgery clinic in a grand Georgian building in the heart of Truro. Sitting opposite me is Anne Norona, a practice nurse who administers Botox and other minor procedures to those wanting a beauty tweak. I’m struggling to assimilate the stories. The Botox nurse in Truro and the aid worker in Lesvos… How do the two come together? Anne has always had an altruistic, humanitarian nature, she says. Growing up in Penzance, she travelled a lot with her parents, and went to London to study nursing. Working as an intensive care nurse, she took a diploma in Tropical Diseases and went to work in Haiti for almost two years: “I always wanted to do aid work,” she says, her blue eyes lighting up. Returning to London, she married and had a son. When the marriage broke down, she moved back to Penzance to bring up her boy. With lower wages working as a nurse in Cornwall, Anne decided to become a private nurse practitioner, working in the cosmetic world: “I was single and I needed to survive,” she says, frankly. We return to the refugee crisis of 2015. Soon after enquiring into how she could help, Anne became the main recruiter of medics for the refugee situation in Lesvos. She describes how social media came into its own: “Two very smart volunteers, Zora O’Neill from New York and Ana Jorge from Norway, set up a Facebook platform called ‘Information Point for Lesvos Volunteers’, where we could all connect. It became a hub and an incredible underground movement that attracted like-minded volunteers from all over the world.” Taking time off from work, Anne went out to Lesvos, working as a volunteer nurse in a medical tent. It was a deeply affecting experience: “The volunteers and NGOs were dealing with 2,000 people a day coming into the island. That’s every single day, you had to find a blanket, new clothes, new shoes.” Anne’s voice cracks with emotion as the memories flood back. “These poor people, soaking wet, would be literally dumped at the bottom of the hill by a big NGO bus and left there… with a blanket! We’d go down and help them. There would be the elderly needing wheelchairs, babies… everyone was soaking wet. You’d take them up the hill. You’d get them a hot meal, you’d take the women and babies and kids into one warmed air tent. Oh my MANOR | Spring 2018
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The volunteers and NGOs in Lesvos were dealing with 2,000 people a day coming into the island. That’s every single day, you had to find a blanket, new clothes, new shoes. god – that was so stressful. You’ve got maybe 30 women and kids in a tent, all of them crying. You try and take clothes off one baby and it’s got six layers on. All soaking wet, including a nappy, and you’ve got another five babies to do...” It was in Lesvos that she first encountered the Yezidi. In the camps, she says, the Yezidi people were subject to abuse from other refugees. Some radical Muslims regard the Yezidi as infidels – the girls and women were threatened with rape and the men were attacked and verbally abused. Drawn to these quiet people who were vulnerable, even in the relative safety of a European camp, Anne was determined to help them – to get their story heard, to offer support. It wasn’t long before the borders between Turkey and Greece were slammed shut and thousands of refugees rushed away to the border with Macedonia. A city of tents grew up in an exposed field by the railway tracks of Idomeni. When Anne went out there, in March 2016, she was horrified. “It was like a zombie apocalypse,” she says. “You cannot imagine what it was like. There were 15,000 people in a field. Hardly any shelter anywhere, hardly any support. They had to queue for four hours for a pot noodle. Who do you help? You’re walking around thinking: ‘shit, I can’t take food because I would be swamped by 15,000 people’.” Anne saw how the Yezidi women and children, bullied by many of their fellow refugees, were afraid to join the line-up for food. She found a way to smuggle food in. “I would go in after midnight with a black scarf around my head and a massive rucksack full of about six stone of food, pretending to be a newly arrived refugee… I just looked down on the ground and got through the barbed wire and under trains and across the entire refugee camp with a couple of Yezidi refugees who met me.” Thinking about doing any sort of nursing, she said, was pointless: “You couldn’t take a blood pressure, these people were starving!” Thanks to social media, Anne Set up Yezidi Emergency Support (Y.E.S) in Iraq and collected a team of Yezidi doctors and key workers, and has since been to Iraq twice. She’s heading out again this month. Thanks to her team of consultant doctors, she offers online medical advice to people posting pictures of their ailments. Hearing a story of a family of 40 Yezidi women and children who had trekked hundreds of miles at night, hiding from Isis in the day, she crowdfunded 54
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A grandfather and his three-year-old granddaughter. Her mother was crushed by an aid crate the Americans dropped when Yezidis fled to the mountain from ISIS
Internally displaced, Yezidis have no option but life in a tent. This little girl is on Sinjar mountain.
An elderly lady living in a remote shack on Sinjar mountain
feature IMAGES FROM ANNE’S MOST RECENT VISIT TO IRAQ, FEBRUARY 2018
“With Christina Lamb (fourth from left), world chief correspondent of The Sunday Times, in Lalish.”
“Messing around in Barzan the barber’s shop. We funded its rebuilding when it burnt down.”
“Yezidis are the most affectionate, loving people I have ever met.”
£1,000 to buy them sewing machines and chickens. Seeing footage of children playing football with a milk bottle, she raised money to buy 70 footballs. As they were being distributed by one of her Yezidi contacts, the Kurdish camp controllers confiscated the balls and interrogated the man. “They live under oppression,” affirms Anne. “The Kurds are given huge amounts of money by the international community to look after the refugees and to give them employment. But there is 75% unemployment among the Yezidi.” One of the most traumatic things Anne has been exposed to is the young girls and women who have been taken as slaves by ISIS fighters. Those who have been subjected to enslavement are known simply as ‘survivors’. Human Rights lawyer Amal Clooney has been representing one survivor, Nadia Murad. She calls the genocide of the Yezidi “a bureaucracy of evil on an industrial scale”. Speaking to the UN in November, she read from the ISIS handbook detailing permissible acts on Yezidi people.: “‘Can you have intercourse with a girl who has not reached puberty? Answer: Yes.’ … ‘It is permissible to buy, sell or gift female slaves, for they are merely property.’” The UN has adopted a historical resolution to set up an investigation to collect evidence of ISIS crimes and to recognise the Yezidi genocide. Amal Clooney and her team are determined to keep pushing the UN to bring the rapists, killers and slave owners to trial. Meanwhile, Anne is supporting and helping to raise money for the Yezidis through her charity, Y.E.S. Collectively, people raise money in order to buy the girls back from smugglers – who connect with ISIS fighters selling girls on the dark web – and return them to their families. A few thousand pounds to take a nine-year-old girl back to her family… It’s hard not to cry when I listen to Anne speaking. ISIS may have officially been stopped, but for the refugees crowding the borders of their devastated lives, the terror and horror is not even close to ending. Anne is outraged that in the UK, not one Yezidi refugee has been offered sanctuary: “It is absolutely unacceptable. Even the five who have arrived illegally have not been given asylum. The Yezidi genocide is real, and they need help, or they will die out as a society. We should be doing all we can to help!” While high-profile figures like Amal Clooney are making waves in the international community, it’s the grassroots individuals who are paving the way to hope for the victims of genocide – from the countless Yezidi people who have guided groups of women and children to safety, to the Norwegian graphic designer and New York author who mobilised thousands of volunteers, and to the nurse from Penzance who became the Yezidi mouthpiece in the West. yezidiemergencysupport.com
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Sam Farmer tells Anna Turns why he set about creating unisex cosmetic products to challenge the gender stereotypes that big brands impose on teenagers. Photos by Matt Austin.
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hen Sam Farmer’s teenage daughter asked him to buy her some deodorant back in 2012, he was so shocked by what he saw on the supermarket shelves he decided to act. “Minx, tease, kiss me, play it sexy – these were the words written all over products that are aimed at teenage girls. I couldn’t believe it. And for boys, the labels said force, full control, adrenaline,” says Sam. “These are giving incredibly powerful messages to young people at a time when often they feel vulnerable and self-conscious – I knew I couldn’t bring something like that home.” Sam lives on a farm near Tiverton with his daughter Emily, son William and wife, the actress Caroline Quentin, who he first met while working as a runner on the set of Men Behaving Badly in 1998. “At home, Caroline and I always just use the same deodorant – why should it differ for boys and girls?” Taken aback by such sexually submissive messages for girls and the aggressive nature of wording on boys’ products, Sam felt compelled to change things and set about to disrupt the norm. “At adolescence, young people are developing psychologically, emotionally, and physically, and they’re using these products
on the most intimate parts of their bodies, in their bedrooms and bathrooms, so they can just go to school smelling ok without greasy hair or oily skin,” says Sam, 45, whose business concept hit him like a thunderbolt. “That day, I got home and I thought, I’m going to make one for my daughter that just says deodorant on it – it is what it is. I’ve got practical TV researcher skills, and I wanted to know everything about everything and then some, so I rang the Society of Cosmetic Sciences and asked how I could do this. I went on to meet formulators who suggested I get qualified and I spent an intense year studying for my Diploma in Cosmetic Science while the kids were at school. It was fantastic.” Fast forward five years: so far, Space.NK and Superdrug have stocked his unisex shampoo, conditioner, moisturiser, body wash, face wash and deodorant. Of course, a small, new brand of everyday essentials doesn’t have the multi-million-pound marketing budgets of Unilever or Proctor & Gamble, but that’s not deterring Sam. “As a brand, I just want to be the alternative, on the shelves between Impulse and Lynx, created specifically for young people.” MANOR | Spring 2018
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He believes that as consumers, we’re all so manipulated by branding. “Those teenage years are awkward and difficult; boys and girls are trying to navigate their way through that but also there’s the added problem of body odour or spots. And products don’t know the difference between boys’ hair and girls’ hair, for example – there’s an injustice to this segregation. I’m focusing on the scientific formulation of products that cannot differentiate between genders; it’s an impossibility for a moisturiser to know whether you are male or female.” After qualifying, Sam was embraced by the scientific community and now sits on the council of The Society of Cosmetic Pharmaceuticals, through which he actively promotes science in education. “As part of a committee called Scrub Up on Science, we go into schools and teach 11-16 year olds about a career in the sciences. We make cosmetic products with them and show them what they can use science to do. Boys and girls are both equally engaged and this may be the first time they’ve linked the products they use to a possible career in science. They’re often amazed by what they can do!” 58
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And Sam has taken the formulation of his own range very seriously indeed. “I made these products for my kids, I’m not going to put stuff in there that I don’t think is right – it’s difficult chemistry.” And it’s not been a straightforward journey, as he discovered so many misconceptions along the way. “Scientists don’t have a voice, the formulation is so often led by marketing demands and some ideas can often be misconstrued by the media.” He explains that parabens are in a lot of fruit and veg and our body metabolises them and screens them, but when some parabens got bad press, the industry moved away from the most effective, scientifically researched and safe preservative system ever made. “And the aluminium hydrochlorate in our deodorant is a salt, so the molecules are too big to be absorbed by our skin – we’re not at risk of bits of metal going into our bodies.” Sam adds: “I believe in peer-reviewed science, evidence and statistics. The chemists I worked with were shocked that no-one had ever said that to them before. Follow the science – it isn’t the ones that shout the loudest that should necessarily be heard. We aim to make the best products for teenagers.” As a result, foaming
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Perhaps I’m naïve – you wouldn’t bring out a new cosmetic product that makes no claims, has no marketing, and has no route to market. But I did it because of the injustice I saw on that day to my children.
agents haven’t been used in the face wash (they’re not great for oily teenage skin) and the oil-free moisturiser contains an ester of avocado that’s been proven to help reduce sebum production by 60%. Sam recalls the day his first delivery arrived on an articulated lorry and he had to find storage for 80,000 units of product manufactured in England that had all gone through challenge testing and toxicology. “Perhaps I’m naïve – you wouldn’t bring out a new cosmetic product that makes no claims, has no marketing, and has no route to market. But I did it because of the injustice I saw on that day to my children.” samfarmer.co
Sam Farmer
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MANOR | Spring 2018
Culture Hilary Soper | Burn the Curtain | Dartington Live South West must sees | Worth making the trip for | Staying in
Cobwebs of Time by Sue Davis Showing as part of ‘Curve’, 27 March – 7 April at Falmouth Poly Spring Gallery, 4 Church Street, Falmouth TR11 3EG. thepoly.org
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Weather, the sea, sunflowers, the garden‌ It’s subjects close to home that preoccupy the artist Hilary Soper, who tells Jane Fitzgerald about her process, collaboration and her love of alizarin crimson. Photos courtesy of Hilary Soper and Ysabel Winzar.
Blue vase by the window. Oil on canvas, 30 x 30cm
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culture
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first met Hilary Soper around ten years ago when she was exhibiting a series of paintings and prints following a trip to Antarctica. I had been struck by the luxuriance of her colours and the energy of her mark making. I remember she showed me the sketching kit – a tiny box of watercolours, a watersoluble pencil and a brush that held water – that she slipped into her pocket to record her observations of this unfamiliar and extraordinary terrain. Ten years on, I’m curious to learn the direction her work has taken, and I’ve arranged to meet Hilary at home in Slapton. On the morning of my visit, the air is still and a sweep of sea glistens silver beneath a heavy grey sky. Occasional shards of sunlight flash across the surface of the water. The sea, says Hilary, is a subject she never tires of. “I’ve lived by the water all my life and it’s important to me. I walk to the beach every day – just being there and absorbing it – sometimes sketching. Most of what I do is not from a sketch, it’s from my head, but the sketch is already in my head. I’m enjoying that much more intense look at things closer to home, that you see every day and you see in a different light every day. Now that I am not off to some far-flung place, I’m enjoying the sea in all its moods, the growing season and the weather.” She flicks through a fat A5 notebook filled with smudges of graphite, splashes of colour and handwritten notes. Like all this artist’s work, there is a sense of immediacy and urgency. “Last year I shared half a packet of sunflower seeds with my friend Ysabel Winzar and I decided to keep a sunflower record. It’s become a bit more of a diary. I always date entries and write something about them. I’m not very disciplined and I know that if I don’t keep doing, things just stop. Note taking keeps it flowing,” she says. “If I want to do some printmaking I just flick through this book and think ‘I remember that one, it was a wonderful blue sky or a silhouette.’ I don’t copy the sketches, I just remember what kind of atmosphere there was. I depart from reality.” Producing collaborative prints with artist Ysabel Winzar is a recent departure for Hilary, who clearly delights in not only the partnership, but the experimental and improvisational elements of the process. “This piece, for example,” she says, holding up a print titled Frost at the Garden Window. “I had printed an etching on a sheet of white paper and I hadn’t quite known where I was going to go with it. I gave it to Ysabel. She applied all these wonderful colours with monotype. Ysabel added the diamond dust. That’s some form of ground glass – Andy Warhol used it a lot. “It does something to the brain to see your work through someone else’s eyes,” Hilary explains. “I’m quite daring and impulsive and I never mind if it goes straight in the bin because you’ve learnt something in the process.” The ability to make colours sing in a painting is a rare one, so where does this instinct come from? She tells
me that her maternal grandfather, Frederick Colley, was a painter and restorer who repaired works in museums, galleries and private collections all over the Englishspeaking world. After he died from appendicitis on board ship in 1930 on his way back from Australia, crates filled with tubes of the finest oil paint and brushes were stored in the garage of her childhood home. “I was completely captivated by these tubes and these fantastic words like ‘viridian’, ‘gamboge’ and ‘alizarin crimson’ – words that I could hardly read. I would paint the chicken house or the fence using these pigments because I didn’t know any better. Painting made life a lot more colourful for me. I never knew my grandfather, but he was part of the fabric of growing up and he was an artist and it seemed like a good way to have a colourful life.” Hilary went on to study geography and conservation, and it wasn’t until some years later, when her younger child started school, that she took watercolour classes with Michael Honnor in Kingsbridge. Later, she showed her work at the Plymouth Society of Artists (PSA), and it was when Hilary was elected as a member of the PSA that she started to take herself as an artist more seriously. “I thought, this is what makes me tick so I do it.” She went on to become a founder member of Pressgang, a printmaking group established by Mike Glanville at Salcombe Art Club. For years, Hilary’s ambition was to go to the Antarctic, and in 2006 she was invited to be artist in residence aboard an expedition ship. “It was a much less trodden path than it is now. There is a fantastic scale of things and the colours… you’d think it would be white, but the blues and greens are extraordinary. There is something quite mind-blowing about seeing the kind of landscape that you’ve never experienced before. “Now, I feel I have been there and done that and I’m focused on the idea of seeing what is close and immediate to me – the sea in all its moods, the growing season and the weather…” As we walk up the garden, we pass a row of lanky, gone-to-seed sunflowers and a vegetable patch. The windows of her studio overlook the productive garden. Inside, paintings are propped against the wall as she is choosing works to exhibit at galleries in Totnes and Tiverton. A small canvas of a pot of flowers is among them. “This is a pot of anemones, but there weren’t any flowers there at the time. It all came from my head. Anemones – I had them in my mind’s eye. I was in my studio and there was a window, but it was not an assembled piece. Other paintings come from exactly the same stable, they just come from things I’ve had in my head over the years.” Next to this is a large, vigorous painting of a seascape (Storm Birds). Big, bold brushwork. Blues, pinks (alizarin crimson is a favourite) and a lot of white. “It’s all to do with a wave and the rocks and the energy,” Hilary reflects. “If I’m working on something I feel isn’t working, I’ll just get a colour that I think it might need and throw it at it. Literally throw a splash of colour and it will dribble all MANOR | Spring 2018
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Storm Birds. Oil on paper, 18 x19cm
I’m quite daring and impulsive and I never mind if it goes straight in the bin because you’ve learnt something in the process. Hilary Soper
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culture over the place. Then I’ll leave it or wipe bits of it off and that will invigorate my thoughts as to what it needs. “When I first started doing these quite big, colourful things, people said, ‘that’s really interesting because you always wear boring navy blue and no make-up. You are such a sort of not-colourful person in that sense.’ Perhaps that’s where it comes out for me.” I ask a friend, who has a Hilary Soper painting called Elements hanging on his kitchen wall, just what it is about her work that draws him: “Her paintings call you across a room,” he says. “But when you live with them, there can be something within the painting one finds unsettling. This is not a negative attribute, but just the opposite, this actually gives the painting more character, and makes you revisit more.” Hilary Soper will be exhibiting work at: Salcombe Art Club annual summer members’ show. Open daily. 30 March – 29 September. salcombeartclub.org.uk Pressgang Group Show, Birdwood House, Totnes, 20-26 May. pressgangprintmakers.org.uk hilarysoper.co.uk lanticgallery.co.uk thebowiegallery.co.uk
Sunflower sketches
Old Ice. 80 x 125cm, oil on canvas
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Devon theatre company Burn the Curtain take lesser-known texts and turn them into exhilarating immersive experiences out in the wilds of nature. Belinda Dillon gets ready to throw herself into their latest show, The Hunting of the Snark. Photos by Theo Moye.
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heatre is often described as a ‘shared’ experience: you sit in a darkened room together, agreeing to ignore the essential pretence of it all as lives, loves, joys and despair play out in front of you. If you’re at a ‘traditional’ play, you even manage to maintain this illusion during the 20-minute interval in the bar (or, if you’re a woman, queueing for the loo). You are sharing this unique event – no two nights are ever the same – with real people emoting mere feet away, but it still feels like a passive experience, all told. Is it really that different from watching TV? Not so the work of Devon theatre company Burn the Curtain. As the name suggests, its remit is very much tearing down the conventional hierarchy of presenter
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The Adventures of Don Quixote by Bicycle
and receiver, and putting the audience in the heart of the action – outside, in woodland and parkland, in the streets around the Barbican in London, along the cycle paths of North Devon… And it is an exhilarating experience. “I don’t like sitting down for too long, and I don’t engage in the same way in that situation,” says Joe Hancock, Burn the Curtain’s Artistic Director. “I find loads of conventional theatre confrontational – I don’t feel scared by it, but it’s a very controlling device. Some of the most important conversations I’ve had haven’t been across a table, face to face, they’ve been while sitting in a car going somewhere, barely looking at each other, or on a walk… there’s a shared sense of purpose that you don’t get in a conventional performance space where there’s a dividing line, a threshold that demands a certain way of interacting.” In a Burn the Curtain show, audience members are more than merely immersed, they have ‘roles’ – and deciding on and articulating what those might be is the first stage of the making process for Joe and his team. In The Adventures of Uncle Lubin, they were scientists; for The Adventures of Don Quixote by Bicycle, they were faithful
knights indulging their windmill-worrying guide; and in The Company of Wolves, they were hunters (who ran a five-mile route) or gatherers (who walked a three-mile circuit) trying to solve the mystery of a missing bride while encountering characters from Angela Carter’s short stories about female transgression. And for the new show, The Hunting of the Snark, they become the relatives of the original characters in Lewis Carroll’s nonsense rhyme. Some will be the baker’s family, some the banker’s, some will want to know what happened to the bonnet maker, the butcher, the beaver… The first iteration will take place in Haldon Forest, through which the audience will romp, following clues, picking up storylines and encountering characters; it’s as if nature itself becomes the stage, with the theatremakers holding out their hands and pulling us into the narrative as co-creators. “That’s one of the reasons we choose to adapt texts that people have an awareness of but don’t know really well, because it allows for more freedom,” says Joe. It also means they can expand or contract the story to respond to the outdoor spaces they’re so adept at inhabiting (they’ve worked for a long time with The Forestry Commission), as well as to play with audience reactions. It’s a very fluid, interactive process, and very satisfying as a participant. A few years ago, I saw The Company of Wolves. The runners and walkers encountered different aspects of the story at different times then came together for shared scenes. One of the great joys was running alongside and chatting about what we’d just seen, what it might mean: did you see this bit? What did that character tell you? The climax, as we all gathered in the dark in Riverside Valley Park, saw a pack of runners who had been corralled during the show and transformed into ‘wolves’ bearing down on us, red eyes searing the night. A little boy standing next to me grabbed my hand, because we’d been told that holding hands would save us… it was thrilling, scary, and completely immersive – and it remains one of my favourite nights ‘at the theatre’. Will Snark offer a similar experience? “Wolves had a sense of shared adventure, Don Quixote was about shared endeavour, but this new show is looking at the notion of cumulative knowledge, about how you rescue people,” explains Joe. While they’re certainly not devil-may-care about texts, they are liberal in their attitude to working with and around them, offering expansions and extrapolations. And within those spaces between what’s already known or expected, there’s room for the audience to really let their imaginations take over, to think themselves ‘into’ the characters, and to wonder what they’re trying to achieve. The original poem, in all its simplicity – “You could say it’s missing an ending, as if Carroll lost interest and wandered off,” says Joe – is merely a launching off point for myriad interpretations to take flight. “I like that different stories can exist in different mediums at the same time.” MANOR | Spring 2018
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The Company of Wolves, Longleat (top and above)
The Company of Wolves, Haldon Forest, Exeter
Audiences engage because they agree to it. Yes, it might be muddy, it might rain, but that’s shared by everyone, that’s the currency. 68
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A way they’re allowing for different experiences in this particular show is by introducing a custom-made app, Snarkhunter (created by Totnes-based WebToys), which people can engage with in their own time, to discover the original text and explore Haldon (and other Forestry Commission sites with which Burn the Curtain are collaborating). “We thought we could use the app to tell one half of the show, so people can engage with it whenever they like – follow the trail, find scenes, pick up stuff along the way…” Despite being one of the oldest forms of performance, promenade theatre is notoriously difficult to pull off, such is the intrinsic sense that you might be missing out on something that’s happening over there, in front of those other people. And some of the worst examples I’ve endured have simply involved being shuffled between set pieces, as the crowd around you grows increasingly disgruntled and tired. “You can’t take a bit of theatre designed for indoors and make it promenade just by making people walk between scenes,” says Joe. “You’ve broken that fourth wall, so you have to put the audience first, and to think
culture about who you’re presenting to very particularly. It’s such a fragile form, it doesn’t take much to break it, for one person to say they’re not going on for it to come to a halt. Audiences engage because they agree to it. Yes, it might be muddy, it might rain, but that’s shared by everyone, that’s the currency. There’s something very special about walking, talking, thinking about what you’ve just seen. You don’t get that in other mediums.” For Joe, working out in nature is not just about breaking convention; it’s also about demystifying the outdoors, giving people a sense of ownership and the opportunity to reconnect. “The woods where I grew up in East Devon, you’d go every evening, every weekend, riding your bike with your mates… now you can’t go there anymore,” he says. “I think that’s a real tragedy, that more and more bits of land are becoming inaccessible. I had a fifth birthday party in those woods, a scavenger hunt with gifts hanging on trees; I get the impression that sort of activity is much more limited these days. You see diagrams of the areas children know outside their doorsteps and see how much it’s shrinking, from something like a ten-mile radius in 1940, down to less than a mile now. How can you expect a generation to have an understanding of nature and have a relationship with it if you won’t let them go and use it?” Creating enduring shared memories in the natural landscape is one reason why Burn the Curtain’s shows are staunchly family-oriented and intergenerationally appealing. “The kids really get it,” says Joe, “perhaps because they haven’t built up the internal controls about behaviour, about what’s expected. And it’s a good discipline to think about how you might make a show that fits a different audience or is broad in its appeal without dumbing down. In a promenade show, very quickly the audience sort themselves out: the ones who are keen come to the front, the ones who want to watch go to the back; they work that out themselves, we’re not forcing them to participate or interact with us in a certain way.” That the show is having its premiere in Haldon Forest has a special resonance for Joe, who was a regular visitor
during his childhood. He also recalls an experience that might well have sown the seed for the work he makes today. In the mid 1980s, ‘The Beginner’s Way’ was created by artist and sculptor Jamie McCullough as a ‘treasure trail’ through the forest. Although deliberately unpublicised, it drew around 500,000 visitors during its seven-year lifespan, and you can still see remnants of it today. “There was a trail, drawbridges, a summerhouse in the valley, a wooden archway, diverted steams…” remembers Joe. “If you knew where a particular tree stump was, you could remove the top and get a candle out and float it down the stream. I was eight or nine years old, and a friend of the family took me in the rain to see it, and it was like being in Hobbit land. It’s all in the imagination, there’s no play to see, no performers, but the space is so inspiring that I never forgot it.” It’s one of those unique experiences that stayed with him; a little bit of imagination, some myths and magic – a bit like a Burn the Curtain show. One of my abiding memories of taking part in The Company of Wolves was that it offered a chance to be in the woods after dark, and to revel in it; to – literally – howl at the moon. Joe talks about it being a ‘personal journey’, a chance to find out something about oneself. And I found out that I like running in the dark, and it’s what I do now – before dawn, after sundown, I head out and relish the feeling of pelting through the night. My behaviour changed as a result of seeing that show. That’s quite a thing, and not something you can say about many theatre shows. The Hunting of the Snark is at Haldon Forest Park, Kennford, Exeter EX6 7XR on 5,6 and 7 April, then heads out on tour. Recommended minimum age 6. Adults £15, U18 £10, Family ticket also available. Tickets: boxoffice.forestry.gov.uk. You can download the free Snarkhunter app from Apple Appstore and Google Play. burnthecurtain.co.uk
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Space at Dartington
A new programme of live events exploring political and social issues is going down a storm at Dartington, writes Liz Miller.
D
artington Arts is returning to its radical roots this season, with a renewed focus on experimental performance and immersive theatre, reigniting the creative legacy of the estate. The programme, called Dartington Live, aims to explore contemporary political and social issues, and reach out to more diverse audiences as the Trust continues to implement change under its new management. Curated by applied theatre practitioner, Becca Gill, who works with Dartington director of arts, Amy Bere, the programme was enabled by a significant investment from the Trust to support and develop live performance. Becca’s starting point was to choose works that convey strong messages of social justice and inclusion, which are at the heart of the South Devon estate’s new philosophy, the ‘Many Sided Life’. In a freelance role, she had already implemented projects including Party in the Town, in nearby Totnes, and After Dark, that used previously hidden parts of the estate, and her now permanent post allows a deepening of these initial ideas. “A lot of work I’ve done previously has been about finding a new 70
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audience and trying new things. I see art as activism. When I started programming I was looking for work that is challenging and provocative and asking the big questions,” says Becca. Using her creative networks and travelling around the UK to see shows, particularly at the Edinburgh festival, Becca has put together a selection of 22 different events over the season, which started in November and runs until April. The long-term aim is for Dartington Live to fill most of the Trust’s autumn and spring performance schedule, complemented by the established Dartington International Summer School and Festival, which celebrates its 70th anniversary in 2018. In keeping with the current trend for experiential theatre, the programme features a number of immersive works, from the sold-out season debut, Lies, by Belgian company Ontroerend Goed, which saw the audience sitting around a large casino table, to creepy aural piece Séance, staged in a dark shipping container. “Lies is a very provocative piece of immersive theatre, which was a brilliant opener for us,” says Becca. “The audience became quite avaricious and it was a really
culture revealing show. It really got people into the centre of the experience in decision-making about money.” Interactive showgame The Money, by Exeter-based Kaleider, continued the financial theme, with the audience involved in collective decision-making about how to spend ticket money, which was also live-streamed on Facebook. The outcome of each show is different and there were some interesting interventions by audience members, according to Becca. The majority of work in Dartington Live involves the audience becoming involved in the experience, rather than passively viewing a spectacle on stage. “These are social experiment pieces and these themes run through the whole of the programme,” she says. Leading artists in the world of contemporary performance, and Dartington alumni, Lone Twin will in appear in April with a piece called Last Act of Rebellion, created to celebrate the duo’s 20th anniversary. The work sees founder members Gregg Whelan and Gary Winters interpret a series of movements choreographed by “the great and the good” of the international dance, theatre and performance scenes. These range from Richard Maxwell, director of the New York City Players, to Paris-based choreographer Ivana Muller. “We have a number of collaborators around the world and we sent them a playlist of songs we’ve been collecting since 1997, and they each chose a song that is special to them and made a piece of choreography,” says Gregg. Tunes picked from the list include Tom Petty’s American Girl, Jolene by Dolly Parton and tracks by The Beatles and Bruce Springsteen. “It’s this idea of one connection across time to bits of music… songs that might sound trite, but actually have depth and weight to them,” he says. Lone Twin was conceived at Dartington in 1997 by Gary, studying Visual Performance, and Gregg, studying Performance Writing. Gregg has since taught at Dartington and both are Honorary Fellows. “Dartington has a long and jewelled history with contemporary dance,” he says, but is careful to add: “We do this as two guys, we are not doing this as trained dancers.” It’s part of Lone Twin’s ethos to strip away labels from themselves and the public participating in their performances. From works such as The Boat Project, which oversaw the making of a sea-worthy vessel from donated wood, to 12-hours of line dancing in Ghost Dance, the pair have been described by The Guardian as “often more Laurel and Hardy than Gilbert and George”. Gregg anticipates laughter during this 90-minute piece, which despite not involving direct audience participation, might present a chance to dance at the beginning or end of show. A more completely immersive experience comes in the form of Séance, by Darkfield, which takes place in a pitch-dark shipping container positioned in the courtyard
of the Dartington estate. During the 15-minute event, the audience, wearing headphones, sit around a table with their hands placed on the surface and listen to a pre-recorded binaural sound track, effecting a 3D sonic immersion. Glen Neath, who co-founded Darkfield with David Rosenberg, says every participant experiences a difference reaction to the piece. “People are very unsure of what is real and what isn’t,” he explains. “This is a visceral experience and we are trying to keep the audience in the moment. We never set out to alarm and scare people, but we are exploring fear.” Darkfield’s first two pieces of work, Ring and Fiction, were similarly immersive, but toured a series of different venues, which meant Glen and David had little control over the environment. Designing a bespoke shipping container, together with the recorded binaural soundtrack, allows the same conditions for every performance. Part of Dartington Hall Trust’s new focus is to get more visitors onto the estate and there has been a very positive response from local communities so far, with an extra 8,000 people coming to events, according to Becca. The marketing of the Dartington Live programme has concentrated on nearby Torbay, one of the most deprived areas of the UK, yet a 20-minute drive, or one-hour bus ride, from the estate. Becca wants to develop more workshops for children from this area, and is planning to do outreach
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These are social experiment pieces and these themes run through the whole of the programme.
Séance by Darkfield
programmes for those who can’t easily access the estate. The Christmas show, The Girl with the Iron Claws, ran relaxed performances for those with learning or physical disabilities, as well as two captioned shows, and accessibility will continue to be at the heart of the offer. Part of Dartington’s operational overhaul has involved better use of existing buildings, which means Becca has been able to open up Studio 1 for regular performances
for the first time in many years. There are also a number of rehearsal spaces available that can allow work to be created and developed on the estate. Becca sees this as something that has great potential for the performance programme, particularly as artists are able to use accommodation on the estate. Dartington can, once again, become an incubator for creativity and excellence. “We can have more work being made and shown here and more premieres, we can also support more international companies,” she says. Lone Twin’s Last Act of Rebellion (left) was sparked as part of a previous programme at the estate, according to Gregg. “We developed a bit of this work in a residency at Dartington three years ago, so it’s good to bring it back,” he says. If the aims of this project are fulfilled, there should be a chance for other theatre producers and directors to use the facilities, and new work to flourish and grow from the reinvigorated artistic community. “We want this to be an inspiring and creative place for performers to work,” says Becca. Lone Twin, Last Act of Rebellion, 6-7 April, 8pm. £14. dartington.org
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culture South West must sees...
Out of the woods
PHOTO: THE ARTIST AND WILKINSON GALLERY, LONDON
‘My Back to Nature’ is a series of new paintings and drawings created by Turner Prize nominee George Shaw while in residence at the National Gallery as the Rootstein Hopkins Foundation Associate Artist. Based in a studio located in the heart of the Gallery, Shaw had unrestricted access to explore the collection out of hours at his leisure, draw from the pictures, observe the public, and find inspiration in great art for his own work. Inspired by the mythological woodland landscapes of artists including Titian and Poussin, these new works resonate with Shaw’s experience of walking in the forest near his hometown as a teenager, with the feeling that ‘something out of the ordinary’ could happen at any time there, away from the supervision of adults; he was interested in how their stories – often featuring violence, illicit sex and drunkenness – are not dissimilar to the way that people might behave in the woods today. This exhibition is accompanied by the loan of two of the works that inspired Shaw during his National Gallery residency, a rare opportunity to view works by Piero del Pollaiuolo and Nicolas Poussin outside London.
The Rude Screen by George Shaw, 2015-2016, enamel on canvas, 178.5 x 198cm
Until 8 April at Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Queen St, Exeter EX4 3RX. rammuseum.org.uk
Look within Encompassing new commissions, contemporary and modern artworks, and artefacts loaned by The Museum of Witchcraft in Boscastle, ‘Hummadruz’ explores overarching and infinite rhythms of nature, of folklore, of the occult, and how this becomes a lived system embodied by both artists and communities. Curated by Field Notes, the exhibition includes Silke Otto Knapp, Mary Beth Edelson, Ithell Colquhoun, Jill Smith (née Bruce), Susan MacWilliam, Monica Sjoo, Byzantia Harlow, Beth Emily Richards and Anne-Marie Watson. Until 2 June at Newlyn Art Gallery, New Road, Newlyn TR18 5PZ. newlynartgallery.co.uk
PHOTO: BRUCE LACEY
Fire Ritual at Uffington White Horse. Image courtesy Jill Smith
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From palette to plate Widely known as a ceramicist, Appledorebased artist Sandy Brown is also an accomplished painter. Using her bold and colourful large canvases as a backdrop, ‘Swisherama’ will see Sandy create a long banquet table laid with 20 of her flamboyant ceramic place settings, and she’ll collaborate with a top chef to produce a feast within the gallery. 23 March – 19 May at White Moose Gallery, Trinity St, Barnstaple EX32 8HX. whitemoose.co.uk Sandy Brown, Swisherama
Through the keyhole ‘Made to Commission’ pulls back the curtain to give an insight into how the craft commissioning process works. Each selected Devon Guild Member provides a glimpse of their personal commissioning journey with a selected client, with actual work alongside drawings, sketchbooks and digital images, bringing to life how they solve problems and interpret the brief to mutual success. 24 March – 7 May at Devon Guild of Craftsmen, Riverside Mill, Bovey Tracey, Devon TQ13 9AF. crafts.org.uk
Celia Smith working on one of her wire sculptures
The women’s room
PHOTO: TATE
Author of classic novels and texts, including the pioneering feminist treatise A Room of One’s Own, Virginia Woolf spent much of her childhood in St Ives. Featuring works by more than 70 artists, this new exhibition is led by her writing, which will act as a prism through which to explore feminist perspectives on landscape, domesticity and identity in modern and contemporary art. Dora Carrington 1893-1932, Spanish Landscape with Mountains c.1924. Oil paint on canvas, 559 x 667 x 21mm
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Until 29 April at Tate St Ives, Porthmeor Beach, St Ives, Cornwall TR26 1TG. £10.50 (free for members). tate.org.uk
culture
Mother, The Air Is Blue, The Air Is Dangerous
Last rites ‘What Remains’ is a solo exhibition bringing together a number of works by Tim Shaw, the acclaimed sculptor and Royal Academician. Drawn from personal experience, Shaw’s exhibition at The Exchange features two installations that address head-on the global presence and effect of terrorism and the pervasive sense of hidden powers having control over our lives. The larger-than-life, looming figures from Soul Snatcher Possession will be shown within the confines of an enclosed space, alongside Shaw’s immersive installation Mother, The Air Is Blue, The Air Is Dangerous. Until 12 May at The Exchange, Princes St, Penzance TR18 2NL.
AT WESTPOINT EXETER
24-25 MARCH 2018, 10am–4pm Spectacular choreographed fashion shows ! Live music Florists ! Wedding dresses ! Hair and beauty Bridesmaids’ dresses ! Jewellery ! Venues ! Photographers Cars ! Groomswear ! Cakes ! Champagne bar
the perfect show for planning your perfect day...
Tickets just £5 in advance*
www.bridetheweddingshow.co.uk
*Booking fee applies
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Worth making the trip for...
Let’s get this party started At the end of a house-warming party in Crouch End, only two people are left amid the detritus: new homeowner Laura and ‘friend of a friend’ Danny, who are seemingly poles apart – Laura is a corporate high-flier while Danny is still struggling to find his feet and currently lives with his mum. Beginning had a sell-out run at the National last year, and now transfers to the West End, so more people can share its poignant and insightful exploration of love, loneliness and fumbled flirting. Sam Troughton and Justine Mitchell give satisfying subtle performances as the awkward pair working out what this encounter might just be the start of… Until 24 March at The Ambassador’s Theatre, West Street, London WC2 9ND. £18-£69.50. theambassadorstheatre.co.uk
Capturing the body PHOTO: ESTATE OF FRANCIS BACON. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. DACS, LONDON
Capturing the sensuous, immediate and intense experience of life in paint, ‘All Too Human’ celebrates the painters in Britain who strove to represent human figures, their relationships and surroundings in the most intimate of ways. It features artists including Lucian Freud and Francis Bacon alongside rarely seen work from their contemporaries including Frank Auerbach and Paula Rego. Many of them lived or live in London, drawn to the multicultural capital from around the world. Three important works by Francis Bacon will be shown in the UK for the first time in at least three decades. The exhibition also shows how this spirit in painting was fostered by the previous generation, from Walter Sickert to David Bomberg, and how contemporary artists continue to express the tangible reality of life through paint. Francis Bacon, 1909-1992, Three Figures and Portrait 1975. Oil paint and pastel on canvas, 1981 x 1473mm
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Until 27 August at Tate Britain, Millbank, London SW1P 4RG. £19 (free for members). tate.org.uk
culture
Life through a lens
PHOTO: NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY, LONDON
‘Victorian Giants: The Birth of Art Photography’ brings together, for the first time, the works of four of the most celebrated figures in art photography: Lewis Carroll (1832–98), Julia Margaret Cameron (1815–79), Oscar Rejlander (1813–75) and Clementina Hawarden (1822-65). These four artists would come to embody the very best in photography of the Victorian era. Their experimental approach to picture-making and radical attitudes towards photography have informed artistic practice ever since. The exhibition features striking portraits of sitters such as Charles Darwin, Alice Liddell, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Thomas Carlyle, George Frederick Watts, Ellen Terry and Alfred, Lord Tennyson.
Alice Liddell by Lewis Carroll, 1858
Until 20 May at the National Portrait Gallery, St Martin’s Place, London WC2H 0HE. Tickets with donation: full price £12 (concessions £10.50), members free. npg.org.uk
“In collision with berg. Sinking Head down.”
Until 7 January 2019 at National Maritime Museum Cornwall, Discovery Quay, Falmouth TR11 3QY. Adults £12.95, under 18s £5. nmmc.co.uk for tickets and information.
PHOTO: CLAES-GÖRAN WETTERHOLM
‘Titanic Stories’, the National Maritime Museum Cornwall’s new exhibition, examines the stories of the sinking Titanic on 15 April 1912 and reviews many of the myths, controversies and assumptions that still remain around the historic event. Rare and never-seenbefore objects will be displayed and the stories of many survivors, victims and descendants of the disaster will be told, including those from Cornwall. There will also be a showcase of international cinema adaptions of the Titanic story, from the award-winning A Night to Remember, to a Nazi propaganda film, and iconic objects from the 1997 James Cameron film will feature, including one of Kate Winslet’s costumes and other props from the Oscar-winning production. The Museum has also commissioned a number of large-scale installation pieces to go on display, including an exact, life-size replica of Lifeboat 13. Unlike that fateful iceberg, this one promises to be unmissable.
Atlantic Cover368
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Secret histories ‘Under Cover: A Secret History of Cross-Dressers’ presents a rare selection of found, largely anonymous, photographs of men and women posing for the camera, using the apparel and gestures traditionally assigned to the ‘opposite sex’. Drawn from the extensive personal archives of filmmaker and photography collector Sébastien Lifshitz, this exhibition of amateur photographs from Europe and the US explores the surprisingly widespread practice of cross-dressing, through a century of private images. Dating from 1880 onwards, the photos are mostly of unnamed and unknown figures – the majority having been collected from flea markets, garage sales, junk shops and eBay, amongst other non-specialist spaces – and offer a candid view into the hidden worlds of individuals and groups that chose to defy gender conventions. Until 3 June at The Photographers’ Gallery, 16-18 Ramillies St, London W1F 7LW. tpg.org.uk
PHOTO: MARTINA AMATI
Liminal spaces
Under, 2015
Science, art, or somewhere in between? Wellcome Collection’s major spring exhibition, ‘Somewhere in Between: Four Collaborative Projects’, showcases the work of four contemporary artists and the scientists they collaborated with. Bringing together installations by Martina Amati, Daria Martin, Maria McKinney and John Walter, the exhibition will consider how artists can give shape to the human experience, provoking ideas about our senses, our sexual health, our bodies’ limitations and reflections on our food chain. The artists featured in the exhibition integrate current research from the fields of physiology, neuroscience, immunology and genetics in their work. In today’s often fragmented society, ‘Somewhere in Between’ will show how working together makes it possible to find solutions, challenge individual perspectives and find new ways of thinking. Until 27 August at Wellcome Collection, 183 Euston Rd, Kings Cross, London NW1 2BE. wellcomecollection.org
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culture Worth staying in for...
Roll up your sleeves… It’s the 24th century, and technological advancements have resulted in human consciousness being reduced to a data stream in a ‘stack’ – a disk that slots into the brain stem of a human body, meaning that an ‘identity’ can live on eternally, swapping bodies (or ‘sleeves’) as they wear out. Altered Carbon follows Takeshi Kovacs (Will Yun Lee), a ruthless mercenary who wakes up 300 years after his body is terminated to find the world much changed – including his body (new version played by Joel Kinnaman). And this new incarnation is given an unlikely option: he can spend the rest of his life behind bars or help solve the ‘murder’ of Earth’s wealthiest man… This is sci-fi on a grand scale, with lush visuals and a cranked-up narrative that can make your head spin, but it sure isn’t dull! Altered Carbon is streamin no
on et i
Pimp my vinyl Australian psychedelic rockers King Gizzard and the Wizard Lizard have made good on their promise to celebrate democracy and the DIY ethos by releasing their latest album, Polygondwanaland, in a free file format, allowing fans and indie labels to release their own copy with their own unique cover designs. Label designers have been able to let rip with their creative imaginations to match the wild, free-form aesthetic that makes King Gizzard such a joy to behold. Check out this version from Bristol’s Stolen Body Records – a stalwart of the independent music scene in the South West. Polygondwanaland is available from various labels, including stolenbodyrecords.co.uk.
Tell it to the mountain Ann and Wade live a mostly solitary life, their existence tied inexorably to the rugged and inhospitable landscape of northern Idaho. With her husband’s memory fading, Ann tries to piece together the truth of what happened to Wade’s first wife, Jenny, and their daughters, May and June. Told from multiple perspectives and flitting between different times, the narrative gradually reveals the impetus behind the mysterious and shocking act that closed one chapter of Wade’s life and created the potential for another to open. Emily Ruskovich’s debut novel is haunting and quietly tragic, the beautifully measured pace allowing details to emerge as if out of the very fabric of the landscape, as Ann tries desperately to hold on to the past just as the facts of it are slipping from Wade’s awareness. Idaho is out now in paperback, published by Chatto.
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The Style Shoot
MANOR’s Spring Style Shoot is in association with Next. Its summer range draws on many of the season’s trends: oriental florals, yellows and Mediterranean chic. As ever with Next, items are tailored to be easy yet so flattering to wear. PHOTOGRAPHS BY REMY WHITING STYLED BY MIMI STOTT HAIR AND MAKE-UP: MADDIE AUSTIN MODEL: NANDA ISAIA FROM SELECT
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Satin print jumpsuit, £70, Next; earrings, stylists own
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Printed kimono, £45; navy embellished top, £24; navy trousers, £22; blue leather belt, £12; shimmer sandals, £28, all Next
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Printed kimono, £45; navy embellished top, £24; navy trousers, £22, all Next
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Navy twist dress, £25; rose gold pendant necklace, £12; bracelet, £8.50; earrings, £10 (pack of three), all Next
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Ecru wide leg trousers, £45, Next; top, stylists own; earrings £10 (pack of three), Next
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Blush twill culottes, £35, Next; bronze cocoon cardigan, £28, Next; top, stylists own; blush buckle sandals, £36, Next; earrings, £10 (pack of three), Next; bracelet, £8.50, Next
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Gold top, £20, Next; navy tassel necklace, £12, Next; blue jeans, £26, Next; gold woven flats, £34, Next; earrings, stylists own
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Yellow sweater, £15; earrings, £10; navy jeans, £30; yellow shoes, £36, all Next
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Wallpaper from Little Greene. littlegreene.com Special thanks to Posh Paints, Godfrey, Short & Squire and The Fountain Hotel, all Okehampton, Devon
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Food
Trink Farm, Cornwall | Growing Underground Bites, the latest news and events from across the region Love your larder | Signature Dish | Food Pioneer | The Table Prowler
Dark Chocolate Seaside Egg by Chococo, Dorset. chococo.co.uk
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On a 500-acre plot near St Ives lie the lush green fields of Trink Farm, where Cornish dairy farmers Chris and Rachel Knowles produce rich, grass-fed, top-quality milk and sell it straight to the consumer. Words by Fiona McGowan. Photos by Lizzie Churchill.
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food
W
hile for the majority of people in the western world milk has long been a staple of life, it occasionally gets a bit of a bad rap among the health-food aficionados. Back in the 70s and 80s, the idea prevailed that consuming fat made you… well, fat. Health-conscious people began to choose semiskimmed or even skimmed milk, and turned their backs on butter and ‘full-fat’ cheeses. Until fairly recently, that is, when we started hearing about ‘good fats’ versus ‘bad fats’. Avocado, olive oil, seed oils: good. Animal fat, cream, butter: still bad. But now there’s another shift: fat doesn’t make you fat, sugar does! Carbs are the baddies! In the meantime, millions of people haven’t changed their diets at all – they have been eating a balanced diet with a moderation of fats, sugars, carbs, proteins and fruit and veg. If you consume too much, or if you don’t have a good balance, and you don’t exercise enough – yes, you will get fat! You will be at risk of heart disease and other afflictions of bad lifestyle. As a western woman, it is well-nigh impossible to avoid the onslaught of nutrition advice. Milk hasn’t just had a bad rap where fat is concerned – it’s also blamed for digestive problems. Our bodies, we are told, are not designed to drink the milk for calves. However, the statistics tell us that the majority of us are perfectly capable or digesting milk without adverse effects. It’s estimated that only 5% of the population are actually lactose intolerant (that is, do not possess the gut enzymes needed to break down the milk sugar, lactose). On the other hand, it has also been estimated that 20% of the population does have some issue with breaking down milk protein. And many people claim that milk produces gas, discomfort, diarrhoea and IBS symptoms. We all know that milk is good for you. Whole milk contains a mere 3.6% fats compared with 2% for semi skimmed. So, unless you are actively trying to reduce your cholesterol, or you have a tendency to drink multiple litres of milk a day, the ‘too much fat’ argument kind of falls flat. Milk contains protein, calcium and omega 3s, all catch-words for ‘healthy diet’. And the richer the milk, the more of the above it contains. However, the mass-produced, homogenised milk that you buy in shops and supermarkets may not be providing you with as much of the above nutrients as you might think. Which is where Cornish dairy farmers Rachel and Chris Knowles come in. Cornwall is ideally suited to dairy farming – it rains a lot, it doesn’t get too cold, and it gets lots of sunshine (yes, really). On a 500-acre plot near St Ives, with views southward towards St Michael’s Mount, are spread the lush green fields of Trink Farm. Owned by Chris Knowles’s family for generations, the farm is where he and his wife Rachel have been raising their three girls as well as a herd of 300 Jersey/Friesian milking cows MANOR | Spring 2018
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food since the 1990s. For years, Chris has been developing his passion for grass. Rachel chuckles as she sits outside the stylish wood-clad dairy building that has recently been extended. “Every time we go on a family walk, he’s picking blades of grass and studying it…” Chris grins, “I’m always interested in grass. We measure how fast it’s growing each week and plot it on a computer programme so that we can work out where to graze the cows next, and budget how much we’ve got for silage.” Breeding is a big deal for Chris, too: the smaller the breed ( Jerseys, for example), the more concentrated the milk – so you get more nutrients per pint than you do from the large, more commonly used, high-yield cows like Holsteins. Plus, he explains, great big cows can’t physically eat enough grass during the day to produce the requisite volume of milk, so they have to be given extra food. Choosing a blend of Jerseys and traditional Friesians has meant that, while they get a lower volume, Trink’s milk is richer, containing more buttermilk and protein per litre. And there are financial incentives for milk that contains more buttermilk and protein. All the dairy farms in the region, including Trink, sell their milk to a ‘pool’: their milk is taken away in a tanker and pasteurised (heated to kill bacteria) and homogenised (treated so that the cream doesn’t separate from the milk) with milk from all the other farms. This system reduces risk for farmers like Chris and Rachel, whose milk production is seasonal – two months of the year, just before they calve, their cattle are not milked at all. But Rachel had another idea. Back in the summer of 2016, she thought about selling their rich, grassfed, top-quality milk direct to the consumer. “I was frustrated that we had no connection with the consumer and people were asking how they could buy our milk. There is a great big rift between us and the end user,” she says. Chris adds: “The interesting part of it for me is that milk is such a basic staple product, and yet most people’s experience is very bland. The process that milk undergoes before it gets to the shelf changes it. Our milk is the natural product before it goes through those processes.” Waving his hand towards the fields, he says, “It is the product of those cows on that land, eating that grass. So it’s got its own distinctive taste.” With the bit between her teeth, Rachel applied for EU funding, and got a grant to build a dairy. Having grown up on a mixed farm, studied at agricultural college and helped to run Trink for 20 years, she wanted to put her knowledge into action. Because of the low volume she was using, Rachel chose an ‘inline’ pasteurising system that gently heats the milk as it circulates through a system of pipes – which, according to her research, is the best way to maintain the quality of the milk. While some other milk factories use in-line pasteurising (as opposed to ‘batch pasteurising’, where all the milk is put into one big vat and heated up), MANOR | Spring 2018
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Milk is such a basic staple product, and yet most people’s experience is very bland. The process that milk undergoes before it gets to the shelf changes it. Our milk is the natural product before it goes through those processes.
they pasteurise a lot more litres per minute at higher temperatures to give them a longer shelf life. Large milk producers also homogenise the milk – breaking down the fat molecules by forcing the milk through tiny tubes at high pressure – increasing the shelf-life and stopping the cream from rising to the top. While there’s no evidence that this process negatively affects the nutritional aspect of milk, Rachel says that it affects the overall taste: “homogenising is ‘denaturing’ the milk. Here, we’re not processing it, we are just pasteurising.” Of course, like anything produced on a smaller scale, Trink milk is a few pennies more per pint than your average shop-bought milk. “Our milk is more expensive,” Rachel explains, “because we’re not splitting the milk and removing the 98
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expensive bits like cream and butter and selling them separately – we are selling whole milk.” She then co-ordinated the project, developed the dairy, bought the equipment, and within a year of her light-bulb moment, milk was available to buy on the premises – seven days a week, 24 hours a day. “We’ve hit on this at a really good time,” says Rachel, enthusiastically. “People want whole, unprocessed food. And milk is not expensive.” The bulk of the farm’s milk is still being collected in tankers, but Rachel siphons off what she needs for the Trink Milk dairy, and local people come and buy the milk any time they please. Rachel is a novice when it comes to marketing, she confesses, and she hasn’t the time to attend farmers’
food markets and such, which means most of her trade comes from word of mouth. However, the interest has inevitably picked up. Local restaurant and deli, Scarlet Wines, has started buying Trink milk – citing its taste and frothability as key drivers. John Keast, Scarlet’s owner, admits that Trink milk is slightly more expensive than the homogenised milk he stocked previously, but raising the price of a cup of coffee by a few pence has covered the extra expense – and he claims the patrons love it. Hotels and restaurants in the area have begun to buy the milk, and local coffee roasters, Origin, have also bought in. Trink milk is even being used in a national barista competition in Bristol this month. Signing up with food distributors St Ives Foods and Lillie Brothers meant that Rachel can now take Trink milk out of the St Ives radius: “Using these distributers is part of our sustainable ethos. We don’t really want to put another van on the road…” Rachel and Chris are keen on the whole cyclical nature of milk, so the idea of bringing education into the mix is key. Rachel points to the big windows on the side of the dairy with its pristine pasteurising room and gleaming pipework and view into the milking parlour. “We encourage school visits,” she says. Thanks to the ‘clean entrance’ (no cows walk around the front of the dairy), it’s easy to bring people up without worrying
about health and safety issues, and the dairy has achieved a top-scoring 5 on the Food Hygiene rating. Rachel’s latest coup is getting local pre-schools to buy her milk. Every nursery in the UK has a provision for a set amount of milk, paid for by the government. A number of the local pre-primary schools have opted to use Trink milk, and now local primary schools are making enquiries. “It’s great link in the circle,” adds Chris. “The children get an opportunity to come out to the farm. They can see where it comes from, how it’s produced and then drink the milk. Sowing the little seed. That’s how it all works.” Rachel is gently nurturing the business, and the market seems to be ready. We’re becoming more focused on whole foods, more interested in the provenance of our animal-based products. Cows that graze in 500 acres of fields for 10 months of the year, milk that is produced and sold locally, and pasteurised using a gentle system – it ticks pretty much every box. Even the quiet progression of the business (Rachel is a fan of ‘Keep It Simple, Stupid’) is natural. It seems that word of mouth and “a bit of social media” might be enough to launch the drink-Trink milk wagon onto a bigger stage. trinkdairy.co.uk
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Steven Dring tells Anna Turns about his tunnel vision for a new way of growing salads and microherbs… underground.
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A
n agricultural revolution is underway, far from the rolling countryside of the West Country and a world away from tractors and fertilisers. Deep beneath the city of London, 35 metres below Clapham High Street in fact, Steven Dring has co-founded Growing Underground, a farm that completely challenges our traditional perception of farming. With a strong Westcountry twang – he grew up near Bristol – Steven explains that his ‘farm’ is based deep down in a World War Two air-raid shelter: “During the war, 8,000 people sheltered down here – it’s a big old tunnel that was built in the style of a tube tunnel so it could be converted into an express Northern Line, but that never happened.” His 500m2 growing area is part of a huge series of eight separate tunnels running from north to south London; every couple of minutes, the tubes rumble past
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I see no other way of feeding huge populations – it’s about embracing agricultural technology to see if we can sustainably intensify yields. above the HQ for the world’s first commercial underground producer of microgreens such as watercress, Thai basil, red vein sorrel, red amaranth, garlic chive and mizuna. “The beauty of microherbs is the intensity of the flavours; they taste phenomenal. You only need a tiny bit of micro-coriander to get that pop of flavour,” says Steven, who set up Growing Underground three years ago. “Microherbs and salads have gone from trendy in restaurants to becoming part of the fabric of our food, and now we’re selling them in supermarkets so it’s definitely more mainstream.” In London, where the pressure of an exponentially growing population is perhaps much more noticeable than in rural Devon and Cornwall, this idea isn’t so bonkers. Similar farming methods are widely used in Japan and China, and Singapore’s vertical farm Sky Greens, stacked high with veg, helps provide fresh food for a dense population in a nation with limited agricultural land. Closer to home, GroCycle is an urban farm turning waste coffee grounds into delicious gourmet oyster mushrooms in the heart of Exeter city. Extending the growing season with LED lights, and growing plants without soil, using hydroponic
mineral nutrient solutions, are both well-established farming methods, and translating this to a commercial scale underground for the first time opens up enormous potential. “I see no other way of feeding huge populations – it’s about embracing agricultural technology to see if we can sustainably intensify yields,” comments Steven. “There are a lot of challenges facing agriculture, we have a finite amount of agricultural land in the UK and globally and we have a huge growing population.” Down beneath the city of London, it’s more like an ultra-efficient lab – everything is controlled and monitored. There’s no risk of bad weather, pests or insects, so Steven is immediately eliminating problems that many farmers spend a lot of money trying to combat with chemicals. “We can also produce the product in the same time, at the same yields at the same consistency all year round, so we are not affected by adverse weather.” Most microherbs take between five to 10 days to grow, and underground in these conditions, production is predictable and busy all year round. When Steven and his co-founder Richard Ballard first cultivated their business plan, they looked at what
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There are plans for further expansion throughout 2018, all the while ensuring their business is carbon neutral, using only renewable energy and conserving water usage. the academics were saying: “Salads and herbs don’t weigh a lot, they don’t travel very well, plus they start to lose flavour and nutritional value as soon as they’re cut, so it made sense that these products could be grown in cities more easily. Plus, these products are usually grown in polytunnels or under glass, so our underground model frees up more farmland for arable land or grazing. “I’d always been entrepreneurial and we wanted to prove that investing in something sustainable could provide a return for investors,” explains Steven, “so we kept going with this idea until someone told us it wouldn’t work, and we’re still sat here waiting for someone to tell us we can’t do it! Now we’re supplying M&S, Ocado, Planet Organic, Farmdrop and Wholefoods, and we’re in talks with all the other big retailers.” And there are plans for further expansion throughout 2018, all the while ensuring their business is carbon neutral, using only renewable energy and conserving water usage (the hydroponics system uses 70% less water than traditional open-field farming). He’s also working closely with town planners and architects in London, looking at using spaces under new blocks of flats for growing food, and finding new ways to reintroduce gardens into cities of the future. Michel Roux Jr is an advisor to the company, and numerous celebrity chefs have visited the farm: “We’ve had a lot of Michelin stars through this place – Raymond Blanc, Claude Bosi, Michel Roux Snr, Clare Smyth, José Pizarro – chefs do like to get out of the kitchen and visit producers, and this farm is so accessible. They can just jump onto a Northern Line train after lunch service and be back in the kitchen in time for the evening shift.” Steven’s always welcomed school visits, too. “Some kids in London still think spaghetti grows on trees so there’s still an education gap between growing and food that we need to overcome. But kids love a bit of tech – you can almost control the farm on your phone, so we try to engage that generation and show them that farming isn’t all about standing in a cold field getting muddy!” growing-underground.com
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Eat with the Holistic Chef Irish chef Jamie Raftery brings his passion for nutrition to Topsham. With 18 years spent cooking alongside some of the world’s best chefs (Heston Blumenthal, Gordon Ramsay, Michael Caines, Marcus Wareing), Jamie has designed a five-course menu especially for his two-day pop-up at The Salutation Inn. Experience his creative cuisine inspired by macrobiotic and ayurvedic philosophies, paired with an expertly matched organic wine flight. 4-5 April. £85 per person. salutationtopsham.co.uk
Introducing Kalkar… Kalkar is one of Cornwall’s first scratch distilled rums, blended with singleorigin cold brew coffee by head distiller Tom Read. The single-origin coffee provides notes of fresh espresso and chocolate, while the Cornish rum adds fruit with hints of spice and a good bite to finish. Best served straight with a cube of ice, mixed with coconut water as a tall drink, as part of an espresso martini or poured over ice cream for delicious affogato. Kalkar (£35) is made by The Cornish Distilling Co. at Bude’s Norton Barton Artisan Food Village, the UK’s only artisan food village. Buy online (theartisanfoodvillage.com) or at The Eden Project, John’s Wines in St Ives or North Coast Wines in Bude.
Relishing ten years From her home above Gwynver Beach near Land’s End, Sarah Stanton-Nadin makes five delicious relishes, including chilli relish and cider apple relish, with her son Finn and husband John, and this year she is celebrating ten years of business. Sarah volunteers as a coastguard with Land’s End Cliff Rescue Team and co-runs Sennen Farmers’ Market to raise money for local charities, where she sells relish and cakes. “I started making the relish when I moved back to Gwynver to help my elderly grandmother and so was unable to work as an occupational therapist,” says Sarah, who was inspired to develop her own recipe for a vegan-friendly relish using the chilli, ginger, garlic and sweet flavours that she fell in love with while travelling in Thailand. sarahandfinns.com
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MANOR’s Easter bunny loves… ...Chocolarder’s new sea buckthorn and honey fondant egg Penryn-based Chocolarder’s new Easter egg is filled with a fondant made with black bees’ honey, Madagascan vanilla, unrefined sugars and a pinch of Cornish sea salt. The final unexpected ingredient is foraged sea buckthorn from the nearby coast. Chocolarder owner and founder Mike Longman – a former pastry chef who set up the company in 2012 – is a true innovator: “This is a far cry from the massproduced eggs that you see everywhere at this time of year. Having seen sea buckthorn growing along the Cornish coast and always wanting to make the most of the ingredients that surround us, I was keen to make the most of this mesmerising flavour. Mixing it with honey and vanilla has created a real showstopper and a fondant that is full of flavour but not too sweet. Not only that, but sea buckthorn is rich in vitamin C and
omega 7 and has been renowned for its health benefits for thousands of years.” The egg is packaged in a beautiful wooden slat presentation box, which is made from recycled materials and in turn is fully recyclable. Chocolarder strives to use as little packaging as possible while protecting the egg and keeping the flavour in prime condition. Mike is one of about 20 chocolatiers in the UK who buy in the raw organic cocoa beans and make chocolate from scratch. He adds, “We don’t use preservatives, bulking agents, substitutions or artificial shenanigans. Just the real deal from the bean to the chocolate. This is a genuine commitment to ethical transparency that extends to every aspect of the business.” The 140g Easter egg is £13.95. Available at Harrods, Fortnum & Mason, various farm shops and online from chocolarder.com
Pot luck Taor Morris runs Potluck Cornwall, a fun foodie club now in its sixth year with more than 400 members. She organises chat and eat nights around the county, masterclasses, foraging days and family cookery events. “Everyone is welcome – we are just a bunch of food nuts who like to make new friends, try new cuisines and establishments in the Duchy and have a good laugh,” says Taor. For the latest diary dates, visit potluckcornwall.co.uk
Ben comes to Exeter Ben’s Farm Shop brings its traditional butchery counter and organic fruit and veg to Exeter. Formerly known as Riverford Farm Shops, Ben’s Farm Shop specialises in bringing ethical and delicious food directly from farms and small producers to the customer via its shop at 57 Magdalen Road in St Leonard’s. “We’re a small business, deeply rooted in South Devon, but Exeter is the county town, so it feels right to have a shop there,” said owner Ben Watson, part of the family that has farmed at Riverford for more than 60 years. “Everything about it feels right – two farm shops, two town shops and the (Totnes) Wine & Tapas bar feels manageable by our team and serviceable from our own butchery and kitchen.” bensfarmshop.co.uk
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Fifteen revamped Under Head Chef Adam Banks, Jamie Oliver’s restaurant Fifteen Cornwall has been renovated. It now has a newly extended bar area with an all-day menu providing a drop-in opportunity for coffees, cocktails and antipasti as well as the usual menus at breakfast, lunch and dinner with which to enjoy the exceptional views across Watergate Bay. Since Adam’s arrival last May, Fifteen Cornwall has been refining its menus and creating new dishes to offer a variety of choice to its customers. The year began with a new lunch menu, comprising smaller and larger plates across vegetables and cheese, meat, fish and sweets. Up to 23 March, customers can experience the new lunch menu at Fifteen Cornwall for just £19. This includes three small dishes or one small and one large, plus a glass of recommended wine, all for £19. Available Monday – Saturday. fifteencornwall.co.uk
The School of Good Game Learn from the charcuterie masters and sign up to a venison butchery day with Topsham’s Good Game owner Steve Williams and head butcher Jake Williams. 3 April. 10am-4pm. £100 (includes lunch). good-game.co.uk
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Plymouth’s Drake Circus extends the menu
YO! Sushi
Drake Circus, the award-winning centre already known for quality style brands like Jack Wills, Joules, Cath Kidston, SkinnyDip London, Quiz and Superdry, has introduced new restaurants to offer shoppers food into the evening. Firstly, there is the highly popular Bill’s, loved for its rustic, vintage decor, easy breakfasts, relaxed dining and deli treats. Bill’s offers family fare from fresh burgers and slaw, to mezze and chicken Milanese, juices, cocktails or an ice cold pint. YO! Sushi, with its sushi conveyor belt, is offering diners every Monday 45 of YO! Sushi’s dishes for just £2.80 each, from classic rolls and sashimi to hot new dishes like Takoyaki octopus balls or Spicy Pepper Squid. There are also 11 other great eateries at the centre, including Starbucks, Spudulike, Burger King, American Fruity, Café Curva, Costa and Mr Pretzel offering a wide selection of food and drinks. To late-night shoppers and diners, Drake Circus offers a flat £4 parking fee after 4pm, until the car park closes at midnight. drakecircus.com
Bill’s
A big dal
PHOTO: JENNY CHANDLER
Bristol hosts the first British Dal Festival from 19-25 March, in association with 91 Ways, to celebrate dal and pulse dishes from around the world. Jenny Chandler, author of Pulse and United Nations European Pulse Ambassador in 2016, is creating an educational pack for schools to be distributed nationally. She says that cooking dal is magical: “a couple of handfuls of pulses cooked up with nothing more than water and a few spices delivers one of the most comforting, nutritious and economical dishes on earth.” She continues, “the British Dal Festival is a chance to share and celebrate recipes from all our communities, spreading the love for an affordable, healthy, sustainable and, above all, delicious dish.” Follow the Dal Trail around the city’s restaurants, join volunteers at Incredible Edible in planting lentils, peas and beans in Bristol’s Bearpit roundabout, and visit Bristol Farmers’ Market to see chefs demo how to cook different dal dishes, and meet the pioneering British pulse growers, Hodmedod. britishdalfestival.com
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Love your larder The Cornish Ketchup Company Hot, Heligan Harissa and Brown Sauce are the three newest condiments made with 100% natural ingredients by The Cornish Ketchup Company, set up by friends Kris Fleming and Chris Gordon when they got fed up with the lack of high-quality ketchup. cornishketchup.co.uk
The Citrus Spritz Rocktails’ new sparkling botanical blend, The Citrus Spritz, is made using a traditional copper pot steam distillation process to extract botanical flavours in small batches. The Citrus Spritz blends lemon zest with juniper berries along with base notes of grapefruit peel and a gentle aroma of lavender and basil. This sophisticated non-alcoholic alternative (£2.75, 250ml) is available at Dart’s Farm, Salcombe Gin distillery and Glazebrook House, various London outlets and online at specialitydrinks.com. rocktails.co.uk
Cornish Sea Salt Cornish Sea Salt has collaborated with the Cornish Seaweed Company to create Savoury Umami, a new salty seasoning made with hand-harvested wild seaweed. It has also built its own bespoke smoker to produce Sea Salt Smoked Flakes. The new range is now available nationwide in Sainsbury’s. cornishseasalt.co.uk
Small & Wild Small & Wild is a new herbal tea range created especially for children. Tea-loving mums Becky Coletto and Kate Towers set out to blend 100% natural herbal infusions to suit little taste buds. Ethically sourced, caffeine free, without any added sugar, the flavours include Happy Toucan Tea with rooibos, cinnamon and vanilla, and Snoozy Fox Tea with camomile, spearmint and lavender. smallandwild.com
Florence’s Larder Florence Templeton has launched a new range of infused salts and sugars, made using fresh herbs, spices and flowers, as a quick and easy solution to liven up meals. “Growing up on a farm on Exmoor, I was always cooking up concoctions in the kitchen with my mum, and I started really missing experimenting with flavours once I got busy working, so I developed this range,” explains Florence, who produces smoked paprika salt, basil salt, rosemary and sage salt, plus jars of sugars infused with rose, mint or lavender. The Florence’s Larder jars of sugars and salts can be used in cooking or baking (try making macarons with rose sugar) or can just be sprinkled onto a finished dish for a quick injection of flavour. florenceslarder.com
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Porthleven Food and Music Festival Now in its tenth year, this feast of food, drink and music runs over a full three-day weekend. The theme for 2018 is ‘Anti Plastic. Fantastic!’ so traders will be using non-plastic alternatives to single-use items such as cups. Visiting foodies can explore the town by following the festival’s treasure trail. 20-22 April. From 10am. Free (camping and some events ticketed). porthlevenfoodfestival.com
Welcome to Wheal Kitty
PHOTO: MAT ARNEY
Ben and Sam Quinn – the couple behind Woodfired Canteen – have opened their new Cornish HQ, Canteen, to the public, giving everyone a chance to sample their much-admired menus at Canteen at Wheal Kitty Workshops, St Agnes – a site they share with Cornish brands Finisterre, Walters Surf boards, and environmental charity Surfers Against Sewage. Open from 8.30am every weekday, Canteen is a prep kitchen and meeting space where visitors can grab a coffee and try a plate of Ben’s celebrated food. The team cooks up seasonal, wholesome menus for weddings and events; whatever they’re cooking at the time forms the daily menu at Canteen. Ben explains: “Canteen is the mothership of our business – it’s the place where boxes of fresh fruit and veg arrive daily to be prepped, where we generate ideas for events and menus, and where we meet our clients and collaborators.” Sam adds: “The day starts with a proper coffee and cinnamon buns courtesy of our friends at Da Bara Bakery. From breakfast onwards, freelancers drop in to work and meet – it’s a lively space with a great community feel.” T c in at nchtime or an fin o t more a o t the atest events at canteencornwall.com.
Purity Petal Barnstaple’s first vegan café offers a whopping 11 vegan milks and much more besides. Owner Maria Rose specialises in making delicious sugar-free, gluten-free vegan cakes as well as tagines, curries and nutritious salads. puritypetalcafe.co.uk
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Signature Dish Sue Quinn’s ricotta, asparagus and mint tartlets Dorset-based food writer Sue Quinn’s new book, Roasting Tray Magic, is packed with more than 70 deliciously simple one-dish recipes. “The lemon and mint makes these tartlets sing: they’re a perfect springtime lunch or starter when tender asparagus is in season and at its very best. Serve with a good mixed salad,” says Sue, who won Fortnum & Mason’s Online Food Writer award in 2016. Roasting Tray Magic by Sue Quinn (Quadrille £14.99). Photography: Faith Mason
Serves four Cooking time: 35 minutes INGREDIENTS
• • • • • • • • •
80g ricotta cheese 2 heaped tbsp finely grated Parmesan cheese 1 large egg, beaten Grated zest of half a lemon ½ tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling 1 tbsp chopped mint, plus extra for sprinkling Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 x 320g sheet of ready-rolled puff pastry or 320g block pastry (keep chilled until needed) 24 fine asparagus spears, trimmed to about 12cm
METHOD
PHOTO: FAITH MASON
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F and line a 30 x 20 x 5cm roasting tray with baking parchment. Beat the ricotta, Parmesan, two tablespoons of the beaten egg, the lemon zest, olive oil, mint and salt and pepper together in a bowl. Trim the pastry sheet, or roll out the block, into a 30 x 20cm rectangle. Cut in half crossways and lengthways to make four 10 x 15cm rectangles, and transfer to the prepared roasting tray. Mark a 1cm border around each pastry rectangle with the tines of a fork and brush the border with the remaining beaten egg. Prick inside the border with the fork. Divide the ricotta mixture between each tartlet and spread out inside the border. Top with the asparagus spears, drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle over more mint and salt. Bake for 25 minutes, or until puffed and golden. Serve immediately with a good mixed salad.
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Food Pioneer David Sheppy MASTER OF CIDER, SHEPPY’S CIDER I grew up in Somerset, surrounded by cider. My great,
Provenance is key at Sheppy’s. Somerset has a thriving
great, great grandfather, John Sheppy, picked and pressed apples on his farm in Congresbury in 1816. It wasn’t until a century later, in 1917, when the Sheppy family moved to Three Bridges Farm in Bradford-on-Tone, that growing apples and making cider became our core business. In the 1960s, my parents opened a small hut on the side of the road to draw people off the A38 to buy our cider, and that was the start of retail.
rural food and drink community with an established reputation for high-quality produce. We make proper cider, in Somerset, using traditional methods and skills that have been honed over 200 years. When we say we craft real premium cider, we mean it.
After leaving school at 17, all I wanted to do was drive tractors! I mucked in on the family farm – working
with the cattle and sheep and pruning in the orchards. As time passed, I developed a keen interest in cider making. I still champion the same methods that were used generations ago balanced with the very best of modern technology to create Sheppy’s award-winning cider. There is no secret recipe. Every drop is genuinely crafted
using Somerset-grown apples and naturally occurring yeasts. It’s simply about the experience and craftsmanship that has come from 200 years of knowledge and cider making, passed down through six generations of Masters of Cider. Our cider is truly artisan. It’s aimed at discerning
drinkers who understand what constitutes a quality cider. From the orchard to the bottle, I supervise every stage of the process, which produces our range of ciders. Nothing leaves the family farm in Somerset without my signature on it – it’s my personal guarantee of quality and provenance. Cider is synonymous with Somerset – it’s a beautiful county with some of the finest orchards in England. This is an important part of what makes Sheppy’s cider. We ferment our ciders using the naturally occurring yeast from apples picked from 90 acres of orchards here at the farm. It’s then matured in giant vats on the farm, many of which have been in the family for almost 100 years. Our centuries-old heritage, tradition and passion for cider making has been bought to life at our cider destination. At Sheppy’s House of Cider and Fine Food,
every room has been renovated, each with a nod to cider making – past and present. New life has been breathed into old apple-pressing rooms, and an oak vat has been converted into a unique outside venue. 110
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Go on a cider tour at Sheppy’s House of Cider and Fine Food: Three Bridges, Bradford-on-Tone, Taunton, Somerset TA4 1ER. 01823 461233. sheppyscider.com
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The Table Prowler Rick Stein, Porthleven The restaurant is right on the harbourfront in this small fishing town on the south-west coast of Cornwall. The view out of the long glass wall is probably fantastic in the light evenings, but when we visited on a wintry night, the restaurant was banked with blackness, albeit dotted with the occasional light from across the harbour. Even on a winter Saturday, it was very difficult to find parking in the very narrow streets close to the restaurant. Once we’d stepped in from the nose-rosing cold, the staff were warm and friendly, guiding us to our table; accommodating without being overbearing. Our fellow patrons, on the other hand, were a grumpy lot. Nobody seemed to be enjoying themselves and it made us a little worried that we’d be disappointed by the food. Not a bit of it. Our starters arrived swiftly. It’s good to the see that the menu is not exclusively seafoody, with a definite Asian touch to the choices. The chicken wings with chilli samal, mango, lime and coriander were meltingly tender, not overly sticky and sweet with a good chilli kick; while the amritsari sea bass in chickpea flour batter was basically tempura fish – with a gingery, curry-
ish tang. The waitress was great – guiding us through the menu (there’s a separate gluten-free menu), advising on wine (my husband chose a delicious glass of crisp Sauvignon Blanc for the starter, and a rich Argentinian Malbec for the main). Our mains were tasty and generous portions – a rib-eye steak with black pepper butter that was cooked to semi-blue perfection, as tender as you’d expect from renowned Launceston butcher Philip Warren. My deep-fried sea bass was massive: a big, crispy fish sitting on a bed of bok choy with a tangy chilli and oyster sauce. We shared a giant sticky toffee pudding that managed to be both light (the sponge) and absolutely drenched in heavy treacley sauce. The food was good, but not mindblowing, and perhaps not entirely fitting of the London-level prices: we’re not used to paying around £22 for a main with £3.50 sides and £8 for starters down in Kernow… rickstein.com/eat-with-us/porthleven/ Food 8 | Service 8 | Ambience 5 | Location 8 | Value 6
Bellanger, Islington, London We were going to a matinee performance at Sadler’s Wells, and looking to lunch prior. I was leaning towards French brasserie fare – not too filling and sufficiently refined for pre-theatre dining. We exited Angel tube and I immediately regretted it – why are tube stations such dumps? – but as we walked the hundred or so yards off the main road onto Islington High Street, suddenly everything was so much more North London chi-chi, with quaint independent shops and quirky cafes. We headed left onto Islington Green toward the branch of Côte Brasserie that we knew to be there, but were distracted by the slightly more stylish, substantial and busier French brasserie, Bellanger. Bellanger is not part of a chain, there is only this one. It is the latest contribution from Corbyn and King (they of The Wolseley and Brasserie Zedel), and looks to have stepped straight out of Paris – high ceilings, dark wood, brass fittings and a long zinc bar. We were seated on the upper-ground floor overlooking said bar, giving lots of scope to view people and the environment, and it felt rather civilized but relaxed. The service was polite and efficient, and the brunch menu was typical of the Alsace region with the odd German influence – Croques Monsieurs and Madames, avocado and poached egg on sourdough, hamburgers and schnitzels along with classic French staples: tartines, confit of duck and snails. For some reason I chose the healthy, meat-free option – avocado and superfoods salad; he the Eggs Benedict; and our children the Croque Monsieur and Madame respectively. The children’s food arrived and I realized I’d made a mistake. Sod
the salad, I wanted theirs. The croques were golden toasted squares of perfection encasing a thick slice of jambon blanc and melted gruyere; the Madame, of course, crowned with a fried egg. My salad was in fact highly appealing. It comprised chunks of avocado, nuts, beans, quinoa, bean shoots and leaves but what made it nicer still was the dressing. This, with the bread, is a good sign of the authenticity of a French restaurant. I have never managed to replicate the classic French salad dressing. It has that nutty sweetness that makes all salads divine. Obviously, I accompanied this supremely healthy superfood salad with a portion of chips, fried very much the French way – tasty with optimum salt and of good bite. I washed it down with a glass of Pinot Noir, and felt altogether sophisticated in this Montmartre slice of North London. The Eggs Benedict I’m told was good – there was also Eggs Portobello (mushroom) and Eggs Arlington (smoked salmon) and a fresh buttery hollandaise sauce – and off we went sated, but not stuffed, to the theatre. Bellanger was a lovely discovery, offering good French fare. It had the glamour of the Wolseley downsized to the quiet civilization of a Parisian corner brasserie. I loved the place and the food was brunch of the very best quality, coming to £60 for the four of us, to set us off for a culture-rich afternoon. bellanger.co.uk Food 9 | Service 9 | Ambience 9 | Location 7 | Value 8
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London showroom The Old Dairy, 66a Paddenswick Road, London W6 0UB Devon showroom Odhams Wharf, Topsham, Exeter EX3 0PD Cornwall showroom 24, The Roundhouse, Harbour Road, Par, Cornwall PL24 2BB
Space Ellesmera Mill, Devon | Q&A with La Fabrico, Exeter | Shopping for space
PHOTO: © UNIQUE HOME STAYS
The hot tub at Ellesmera Mill See page 114 uniquehomestays.com
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PHOTO: © UNIQUE HOME STAYS
T A family holiday home for 16 years, Ellesmera Mill has been refurbished to an exceptional standard by Siobhan Hayles. Fiona McGowan meets the client-designer duo behind the transformation.
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ucked away in a valley in South Devon are a series of centuries-old mill buildings, their stony flint walls abutting a single-track lane on one side and an urgent little river on the other. One of these buildings has recently been refurbished and added to the array of holiday homes on the books of top-end Unique Home Stays. That the accommodation is luxurious is a given, but there is something properly – well – unique about this property. Ellesmera Mill has been Tanya Bird’s family holiday home for 16 years. Bought when her three boys were still small – they are now pretty much grown: aged 17, 19 and 22 – Tanya thought it was high time to give some TLC back to the place that had given them so much fun and pleasure. With a high-powered job in finance, though, she couldn’t dedicate the full-time attention to the restoration. Pondering her options, she realised that listing her home-from-home as a holiday rental could justify the cost on the house, while still keeping the place as the family bolt-hole. Unique Home Stays’ interior designer Siobhan Hayles leapt at the chance to work on the house. With a background in the luxury holiday business – and having renovated and rented a few of her own properties – Siobhan has some pretty clear ideas of what needs doing to bring a place up to a gold standard. Meeting Tanya, she quickly realised that this owner did not want to just tart it up to rent it out. Tanya is passionate about Ellesmera Mill;
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PHOTO: © UNIQUE HOME STAYS PHOTO: © UNIQUE HOME STAYS
she wanted to keep it primarily as her country home, with the rental business as a useful second option. This immediately presented a more exciting picture for Siobhan – an owner who wanted to get involved in the decision-making, working alongside the interior designer, rather than dictating her desires. Right from the beginning, when Siobhan first presented mood boards for each room, client and designer became a close pair: asking advice of each other and shopping for fabrics, antiques and furnishings together. Tanya quickly developed a love of hunting out quirky pieces to furnish and decorate Ellesmera Mill. “It’s addictive,” she confesses, “foraging around and seeing what you find. It doesn’t even matter if you don’t find anything – it’s just the fun of looking.” The result is that almost every element of Ellesmera Mill has a story. As you step out of bed onto a Moroccan rug laced with giant black zig-zags, you might never guess its provenance. Towards the end of the nine-month project (“like gestating a baby,” jokes Siobhan), Tanya and Siobhan were under time pressure to get everything finished before Unique Home Stays listed the property. With her demanding job, Tanya could only free up one weekend. On Friday morning, she and Siobhan were sleuthing around in the famous Ardingly collectors’ fair, having left home at 5.30am – bundled up against the cold and rummaging through boxes with torches as the vendors were still unpacking. The next morning, Tanya was on a flight to Morocco, determined to find just the right rugs for the bedrooms. After trawling the souk, she found a rug that was perfect, but it was way too big – and she wanted two of them to go either side of the bed. The accommodating rug seller offered to cut the rug in two. With the time of her flight home fast approaching, Tanya returned to the rug seller – the rug wasn’t ready yet. Undaunted, he put Tanya on the back of his motorbike and roared through the souk to find the man who was frantically knotting the ends of the rugs. As soon as they were finished, Tanya and the rugs were piled on the back of the bike and raced back through Marrakesh in time to catch her flight. “It was really Indiana Jones-y,” laughs Tanya, clearly relishing the adventure. Ellesmera Mill has many attractive qualities – partly its location, less than a mile from the cliff-edged Blackpool Sands beach, and tucked away in a long river valley. “I fell in love with it the moment I saw it,” says Tanya, remembering her first visit in 2002. “I hadn’t even got to the garden and I thought – this is the one. It was an instantaneous heart decision.” The previous owners had restored the house some years before, preserving its cottagey charm. The walls remain lumpy and erratic, and the upstairs rooms maintain their cosy proportions. After years of use – with the boys bringing half the beach back up to the house, and a flood some years ago, it was ready for an upgrade. Siobhan’s technique with clients is to take them to the furnishings emporium at London’s Chelsea Harbour.
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AT L A N T I C H I G H W AY W A D E B R I D G E C O R N WA L L P L 2 7 7 L R MANOR | Spring 2018
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Every element of Ellesmera Mill has a story.
PHOTO: © UNIQUE HOME STAYS
PHOTO: SIOBHAN HAYLES
Before and after: Ellesmera Mill’s lean-to shed was transformed into a cosy den...
PHOTO: © UNIQUE HOME STAYS
PHOTO: SIOBHAN HAYLES
...and the old elm door reborn as a coffee table, enjoying pride of place in the sitting room
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PHOTO: © UNIQUE HOME STAYS
house. The incentive was to provide some elements that would appeal to her sons – “Their whole way of being is chopping wood and making fires,” she says. The addition of a cinema room – painted in a dark green, somewhere between bluebottle and olive – was also created with the boys in mind. Perhaps Siobhan’s pièce de résistance in terms of vision is the indoor-outdoor room in what was once a lean-to at the end of the house. One wall of the room is open to the elements; it’s furnished with sofas and chairs that they couldn’t re-upholster or weren’t right for the house. Rusty old circular saws and an ancient ladder were hung on the walls, and a wood-burner and rugs were added. “In England, sometimes in the height of summer, you can’t get outside, if it’s raining,” she says, “so you can have the fire on, a glass of wine. You can hear the rain, you can see the rain, because there’s no false wall.” Siobhan has now moved on to a new project with her dream team of builders and craftsmen, leaving behind a holiday rental that feels like home. And Tanya can enjoy the fruits of their labour – while continuing to feed her passion for seeking out quirky furnishings and fittings for her magical second home.
PHOTO: © UNIQUE HOME STAYS
siobhanhayles.com uniquehomestays.com
Tanya was immediately inspired, choosing statement fabrics immediately, and they became the cornerstones of many of the rooms. She and Siobhan decided to use some of the fabrics for giant headboards. Which was not without its problems. Working with the same team over the years has its benefits, says Siobhan. The builder’s experience working on high-end renovations in Devon properties enables her to find smart solutions. In this case, the builder mocked up the headboards and worked out if they could be jimmied up the narrow stairways into the rooms. Siobhan’s team enabled her to project-manage the work to the nth degree – something that Tanya really appreciated: “She was always about solutions, not problems – because when you’re busy, the last thing you want is someone ringing up and saying: we’ve hit a snag. She would get in touch saying, we did hit a problem, but this is the solution.” There are some glorious quirks to the house that Siobhan oversaw – from the ancient door that now has pride of place as a coffee table in the living room to the old, piebald cement mixer now serving as a planter for an olive tree. With a yen for conservation and preservation, Tanya was determined to re-use existing furniture where possible, re-upholstering her own chairs and adding a dilapidated antique Passemard Coste chair, upholstered in green velvet as a feature in the master bedroom. While the property already boasted a sauna, Tanya decided to add a wood-burning hot tub on the decking that Siobhan had created on the sloping lawn outside the
Inspirational Interiors • Floor & Wall Tiles • Handwoven World Rugs • Eco Paint • Bathrooms • Wood Flooring • Design & Installation
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Q&A Simon Pearce and Paul Greenslade are the sales directors of boutique tile showroom La Fabrico, Devon. They opened the showroom with director Jon King in 2017 to meet demand for premium stone, ceramic and porcelain tiles, which they source – often exclusively – from across the globe.
What was the main inspiration for creating La Fabrico?
Tiling done well can transform a space and dramatically increase a property’s value. We felt there was an opportunity to deliver high-quality tiling in both the range of tiles we offer and our level of service. Between the three of us we have the knowledge and experience to cover everything in our business, from concept right down to the most intricate of installations. We work well as a team, as our skills complement one other, and we each enjoy what we do. We chose the name La Fabrico because it has a Mediterranean feel and many of our tiles originate from Italy or Spain, two countries known for their creative and elaborate tiling heritage. What projects are you currently working on?
One of the most exciting projects we’re currently working on is the Hux Shard ( huxshard.uk). This is very much a ‘grand design’ on the outskirts of Exeter – an eye-catching eco-building that uses 118
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no concrete and produces more energy than it consumes. We’ve provided and installed the tiling throughout the building. What has een yo r most
fi in
advances in manufacturing and design, such as their famous large format Coverlam tiles that are as little as 3.5mm thick yet still manage to maintain the aesthetic of a porcelain tile.
roject
Sometimes it’s the basic jobs that give the greatest satisfaction. We had a local businessman that was in urgent need of tiles for a new venture he was working on. He had people moving in within a few days and desperately needed a bathroom fitted. We went in, measured up, delivered and the tiles were installed on the same day. It felt good to help him out – he was immensely relieved! What has been your most challenging project?
Just like the projects already mentioned, every project has its own distinct challenge, but probably the most challenging one so far was a major refurbishment of apartments in St Ives by Plymouth-based developer Templar Construction. There were various different batches for three different units, en-suites and bathrooms – we had to ensure every batch was accurate, with the right tiles in the precise numbers and delivered exactly on time for the tilers when they were on site. Who are your key suppliers?
One of our main suppliers is Grespania, which is known throughout the world for its innovative products and designs, as well as immense variety and range. It invests in continually being ahead of the curve and incorporating the very latest
What are the typical pitfalls that people make when ti in a s or oor
It’s a common mistake to cut corners, to not get expert advice and then get so far down the road that the whole project goes drastically wrong. Having incorrect specifications can be extremely expensive. Not using the right adhesive, not letting the screed dry out long enough, not putting up a baton to stop tiles sliding down the wall. These are all classic mistakes. That said, our website shows our full range of tiles, and all that’s needed to install them, if people are confident that they know what they’re doing. What are the current key trends out there for tiles?
Think BIG! Tiles are becoming works of art in their own right, something to look at and enjoy, not just a utilitarian surface; and with the trend towards bigger open-plan living spaces we’re seeing a demand for larger format tiles, which best complement those spaces. And the designs currently most popular with your clients…?
Large, decorative tiles delivering feature walls, and wood-effect tiled floors are proving very popular. lafabrico.com
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Eastern promise The Japanese philosophy of Wabi Sabi is influencing interiors. A colour palette made up of earthy neutrals and a splash of inky blue, this aesthetic emphasises the handmade and the artisan. Wood and stone prevails and the mind-set encourages us to appreciate things as they are and find beauty in the unconventional. Compiled by Amy Tidy.
Mirror, Sweetpea & Willow, £635
Next
Mini vases (set of three), Debenhams, £28
Cushions, Marks & Spencer, £29.50 each
Mug, Marks & Spencer, £6
Oyster ceramic cup, Jo & Co, £9.50 Lamp, Marks & Spencer, £99
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Oyster rice bowl, Jo & Co, £19.95
Bloomingville salad servers, Amara, £37
House Doctor table, Amara, £180
Floor lamp, Next, £120
space The White Company
Willow heart, Orange Tree @ Darts Farm, £13.50
Wooden pendant, Jasper Conran @ Debenhms, £125
House Doctor mirror, Amara, £65
House Doctor clock, Amara, £57
Menu vase, Amara, £119.95
Broste vase, Debenhams, £24
Lamp, Dunelm, £35
Bitossi Home hourglass, Amara, £34
Armchair, Home Sense, £129.99 Handwoven throw, Toast, £445
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Escape Hotel Tresanton, Cornwall | Biarritz, France
PHOTO: HOTEL TRESANTON
St Anthony Head and Lighthouse, as seen from Hotel Tresanton See page 122
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Painting of Hotel Tresanton showing The Beach Club
Celebrating its 20th year under the guiding hand of owner Olga Polizzi, Hotel Tresanton draws its guests back year after year. Imogen Clements samples its charms. Photos courtesy of Hotel Tresanton.
I
t was a ‘mad weather’ day when we arrived in St Mawes. Early February, the journey to this tuckedaway corner of southern Cornwall’s Roseland peninsular had thrown a crazy mix of bright blue skies, snow then hail at us and now menacing clouds hung over the horizon. Hotel Tresanton is easy to miss. Despite being a spacious hotel with 30 rooms, including four suites, it is set back off the road and tucked into the cliff. Accessed through a narrow doorway on the side of the little coastal road, its location means that the staff are primed for befuddled, drive-dazed guests. As we slowed the Transporter, muttering “is this it? This must be it”, attendants popped out from the hole in the wall to take our bags and re-park the vehicle in the hotel car park.
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escape The path off the road leads you up to the landscaped terrace where the hotel reception sits adjacent to the restaurant, whose wide French windows overlook the al fresco dining terrace for which Hotel Tresanton is famous. Tucked into the rock it may be, but this hotel is ingeniously designed fully exploit its enviable position overlooking the bay. The rooms and suites are spread over five buildings – two of which are cottages that can be booked in their entirety or for their individual rooms and suites – and every room has a sea view bar one, which has a garden. We were there as a family of four and shown to our own conjoined rooms on the first floor of the main hotel. That feeling of anticipation when you’re shown to your hotel room is like no other – you’re walking into a promise; a promise of relaxation and the opportunity to escape, transported to another world. Some hotels disappoint, some try too hard; Hotel Tresanton gets it just right. The epitome of refined hospitality, it boasts a relaxed elegance combined with a Mediterranean-esque warmth of service that makes it feel special but devoid of stuffiness. The effect is subconscious: “You don’t realise how good it is until you leave,” commented one guest on Trip Advisor. Each room has its own charm – quality linens and textiles, original works of art, the odd piece of choice furniture, along with additional bespoke touches such as the beautiful hand-stitched patterned bedspread that decorated our own. Karen Baxter, Hotel Tresanton’s manager, tells me how an unusually high proportion of guests come every year: “They have their favourite room, which for everyone seems different, and will book it as they leave to be absolutely certain that it’s available the following year.” Few hotels boast the loyalty and love that Hotel Tresanton seems to, and it’s treated by many as a home from home. Which makes sense when you consider the hotel’s history. Hotel Tresanton – ‘Tre’ is Cornish for homestead and ‘santon’ references St Anthony Head and Lighthouse, which can be seen come the evening blinking across the bay – was built in the 1940s by Jack Silley, a yachtsman and businessman, as a place where his sailing friends could stay. It became a club, The Roseland Club (which still exists today at Hotel Tresanton with a local membership); then swiftly developed into a successful hotel during the 50s and 60s. Following several changes of hands and a rush on hotel development in Cornwall over the 80s and 90s, Hotel Tresanton suffered a downturn and went into disrepair. In 2017, Olga Polizzi bought it, spent two years overhauling and redesigning it, opening it to the public in 2018. So 2018 marks the hotel’s 20th anniversary under Olga Polizzi, which she plans to celebrate in June. However, Hotel Tresanton is more than just another hotelier’s acquisition. Olga Polizzi is the daughter of the
The Beach Club
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View from the Terrace towards St Anthony Head and Lighthouse
The epitome of refined hospitality, it boasts a relaxed elegance combined with a Mediterranean-esque warmth of service that makes it feel special but devoid of stuffiness.
A family suite
The Snug
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late Lord Charles Forte, who built the phenomenally successful hotel group, Forte plc, from a humble milk bar he opened in 1934. When Charles Forte stepped back his son Rocco took over the business. Then in 1995, Forte plc suffered a hostile takeover by Granada forcing the family to sell, leaving Olga, and indeed the rest of the family, somewhat bruised by the experience. Olga’s brother, Rocco Forte, started over, creating the Rocco Forte Group, and making Olga Deputy Chairman and Design Director, but it was her husband, William Shawcross, who suggested she take on a project of her own and Hotel Tresanton – a struggling hotel that was situated a couple of doors down from the Shawcross family home in St Mawes – presented the perfect opportunity.
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Suite
Bedroom with view
The Restaurant
PHOTO: IMOGEN CLEMENTS
She bought it, spent two years completely overhauling and redesigning it, and succeeded in making it a perennial favourite of a well-informed, well-travelled, discerning clientele. The hotel was therefore a very personal project that could be credited with helping to restore Olga Polizzi’s faith in the sector she was born in to. Olga went on to buy Hotel Endsleigh in Devon in 2005, and transformed this in much the same vein to an elegant country house hotel, and which is now much sought-after by a similar type of clientele. Hotel Tresanton, therefore, has the aura of a home well loved. Rather than considering it a mission complete, its owner is forever looking for opportunities to make it even better. Case in point is The Beach Club. Two years ago, Olga re-acquired the garden that the previous owners had sold off in hard times and has created a three-tiered terrace from which to take coffee, sup cocktails or lounge while taking in the pristine view of the bay. The upper and lower levels are open to non-residents; the upper offers café tables and chairs, while the lower has a high bench and fixed stools from which to sit and stare out to sea. The middle tier (which is for residents only) is the relaxation deck, furnished with 18 loungers and blue-and-white cantilever umbrellas “to bring a little bit of Positano to St Mawes,” Karen remarks. There is a service hut and The Beach Club is fully licensed, allowing the hotel to serve house wines and spirits with light snacks and meals. “Come the spring,” Karen reveals, “we’ll open The Beach Club at 10am for coffees and pastries, light lunches and snacks from midday, then from 6-8pm we plan to have an oyster bar, where guests and visitors to the hotel can enjoy oysters and Champagne as the sun sets over the bay.” The Beach Club is the latest addition to Hotel Tresanton’s offering, and a fitting place to toast (with Champagne and oysters) its 20th birthday as an Olga Polizzi hotel. Back to that mad weather day in February... as is their wont, the children, having done several excited laps around our adjoined bedrooms, raced down to the harbour with father in tow to catch some crabbing before the day was done. I took a moment to the enjoy the tranquillity of our room before heading down to join them. The view from the window had been pretty, but as I walked the two minutes down the road to the harbour, I was awestruck by the most vibrant rainbow I’d ever seen (left). Complete from end to end it was spot-lit by the sinking sun and set off by dark clouds behind it. One end of it plunged into the harbour sea, which felt magically pertinent. St Mawes, when it comes to Cornish vistas, is pure gold, and Hotel Tresanton, in all that it does, artfully pays deference to that. Sea view double rooms at Hotel Tresanton start at £265 a night; family suites start at £505 a night. All inclusive of breakfast and VAT.
The Rainbow
tresanton.com
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PHOTO: BIARRITZ TOURISME
Port du Pecheur
A laid-back attitude and active lifestyle is la mode among the locals of Biarritz, and it’s played out in style against the backdrop of the Basque country’s dramatic coastline, writes Alex Green.
A
rriving in this glamorous city by the sea, we soon become aware that our slightly shabby and not entirely chic appearance could do with a bit of freshening up. It was to be expected, after an overnight ferry crossing from Plymouth, followed by a three-hour drive from Santander with two hyperactive young children in tow. Casting these worries aside and with the exciting prospect of our beachside apartment taking over, my partner Andrew and I are keen to unload our cargo and relax.
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We meet Hugo Mandine at the entrance to Coco Plage, right in the centre of Biarritz, opposite the Art Deco Casino on the edge of the Grande Plage. He hands over the keys and shows us around the luxury pad that will be our base for the next few days. Stylishly dressed, he’s the self-confessed ‘hipster’ of the agency Keyweek Luxury Holiday Homes, which has a portfolio of luxury villas and apartments all along La Côte des Basques. After giving us a few tips for the coolest places to eat, drink and be seen, Hugo’s about to hit the town. I almost
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PHOTO: KEYWEEK LUXURY HOMES
Apartment at Coco Plage
PHOTO: ALEX GREEN
Rocher de la Vierge
PHOTO: BIARRITZ TOURISME
wish we could join him, before being blown away by the beauty and history of the building – a night in suddenly becomes more appealing. This apartment was once the atelier of Coco Chanel – the woman responsible for releasing women from their corsets and introducing relaxed, sporty attire in comfortable jersey fabric. She opened one of her earliest boutiques here in 1915, her first real couture house where she championed nautical stripes, wide-legged trousers and espadrilles, a look that, a century on, remains a classic. As Coco predicted: “Fashion fades and only style remains.” The bedroom is a circular room on the second floor of a fairytale-like tower. I gaze out of the window at the rock stacks on the beach being battered by the full force of the Atlantic swell. At the opposite end of the beach is the iconic Hotel du Palais, which Napoléon III had built in the mid-19th century for the Spanish Empress Eugénie. With its pink blush façade reflected in the sand below, it’s the cherry on the cake beside the elegant turn-of-the-century architecture that lines the seafront. With the kids tucked up in bed, we spend the evening listening to the softening waves breaking on the beach. The sea’s gentle whisper lulls us to sleep. No wonder the Romans named the region Aquitaine, with the presence of water never far from sight or sound. The earliest inhabitants of the Basque country, which straddles the south-west corner of France and the north-east tip of Spain, were undoubtedly attracted by the fertile land at the foot of the Pyrenees and the plentiful supply of fish and seafood. They clearly thrived, creating a unique culture and the oldest language known in Europe, Euskara, which is still taught in some schools. Next morning, inspired by the people heading out for a run, I decide to join them. I follow the coast road as it winds its way in and out of rocky outcrops, across a sheltered beach where an elderly man is wading out for a swim, past the Port de Pecheurs and on to the Plage de la Côte des Basques, considered to be the home of surfing in Europe. Surfing was pioneered by a Californian film producer, Dick Zanuck, and screenwriter Peter Viertel, who first began riding the waves here during filming of The Sun also Rises, based on Hemingway’s novel. A year later, in 1957, he returned with friends and a trio of surf boards and introduced others to the sport, giving them the nickname ‘tontons surfeurs’ (surfing uncles). It’s thanks to them, and the natural formation of the waves on the edge of the Bay of Biscay, that surfing in Europe took hold. As I run in the pinkish yellow light of the early morning, the views all along the Basque coast inspire wonder. Chief among them is Le Rocher de la Vierge, a rocky outcrop of land carved by the sea and made accessible by a man-made bridge, with a statue of the Virgin Mary at its tip. From a precipice on top of a rock
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Stallholders proudly display the local produce, ranging from artisan brebis cheese made from sheep’s milk, Bayonne ham, espelette peppers and some of the best seafood in the world.
ALL PHOTOS: ALEX GREEN
Brebis cheese Miramar Thalassotherapy Spa.
Bar Basque
Cité de l’Ocean
arch, she stands tall and looks out at a poignant memorial to seafarers lost at sea – a pair of crosses on a lonely rock. To counter this and reward myself for my exertion, I spend a blissful couple of hours enjoying the healing qualities of the sea at the Miramar Thalassotherapy Spa. Swimming in the outdoor seawater pool, which overlooks the sea and the horizon, I feel revitalised, fully restored and ready to explore the family attractions of the city. Andrew sets out with his surf board to ride the worldclass waves, while I take our children Toby (6) and Charlotte (3) to The Aquarium. We find the best spot to see the seals being fed, away from the crowds gathered beside the pool, in the viewing room where they put on a playful underwater display.
Our tickets include a visit to the Cité de l’Ocean, a museum shaped in the form of a wave that presents an informative guide to the wonders of the ocean. While the simulated surf entertains the big kids, we explore inside a blue whale, the largest mammal on earth, and take a front row seat in the 3D cinema to swim with seahorses, giant squid and jellyfish sans sting. Back at the apartment, the children are entertained with a selection of English films to watch, while I leaf through a coffee table book of photographs by JacquesHenri Lartigue. His black and white prints of the elite at leisure in Biarritz in the early 20th century are fine examples of the earliest fashion photography and Coco Chanel was one of his muses.
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PHOTO: ALEX GREEN
One of the safe natural pools on the coast
We spend the next few days on the beaches, swimming in the natural pools that form at low tide and walking part of the Sentier Littoral, a long-distance walking route that links the towns and villages along La Côte des Basques. At Guéthary, once dubbed ‘the hippest village in France’, we take a seat at La Bar Basque for a spot of people- and wave-watching over aperitifs and tapas. We visit the market at Les Halles, where stallholders proudly display the local produce, ranging from artisan brebis cheese made from sheep’s milk, Bayonne ham, espelette peppers and some of the best seafood in the world – it’s open every day from 7am until 2pm. As the market closes, the workers and shoppers spill out into one of the lively restaurants that line the nearby streets. On our last day, thanks to Hugo’s recommendation, we eat at Chistera et Coquillages, where the crevettes à la plancha (giant prawns cooked simply on a hot stone) are a delight. Santé, we cheer – “to your health” – and we drink to that. The combination of great beaches, fabulous food and the Basque spirit of vitality and good health, all shaped by the sea, explains why this is the place where the French like to spend their holidays each year. We leave with a new-found joie de vivre that will certainly see us coming back for more. Coco Plage apartment starts from £130 per night for a minimum of four nights. keyweek.com Brittany Ferries run between Plymouth and Santander or Bilbao from March to December. brittany-ferries.co.uk For tourist information and events visit tourisme.biarritz.fr/ and france.fr
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For teachers and parents of children studying in the South West Schools news in brief
Truro High twins get England Lions call-up YEAR 9 SISTERS Katie and Lucy Day, from Penzance, impressed the national assessors and coaches at the UK Festival of Hockey, leading them both to represent their country on the pitch. Out of the country’s top 144 sportswomen, 24 were selected from regional teams to play for the UK Lions squad. The twins train with Penzance Hockey Club for two days every week alongside their national hockey commitments. The girls had played their first national indoor matches in London at the end of last year, and over the next twelve months will be competing in tournaments in Rotterdam, Belfast and Cardiff.
Exeter School team in F1 Schoo s ationa fina ASPIRATIONAL ENGINEERS from Exeter School won three prizes at the South West Regional Finals of the F1 in Schools Competition, with one team making it into the National Final at Silverstone. Exeter School entered three teams into the regional heat held at South Devon University Technical College. The F1 in Schools aerodynamic competition challenges pupils to participate in CAD design, making a CO2-powered vehicle using CNC milling and 3D printing. The Development Class was narrowly won by Team Ignis, who qualified for the National Finals at Silverstone in April. Team Neptune, also competing in the Development Class, won the Best Engineered Car prize and took second place. Team Dynamic Motion won the Judges’ Recommendation prize with the fastest time of 1.2 seconds over the 20m course. The teams would like to thank their sponsors for their generous support of this venture.
Learning with LEGO at Shebbear College Prep School SHEBBEAR COLLEGE Prep School, along with children from St Petroc’s School in Bude, enjoyed a day of constructive learning using Lego. The assembly hall was filled with thousands of pieces of Lego as the children worked on their creations. During the workshop, they were tasked with building a Lego town, making buildings, houses, farms, forests and boats. Some creations were lit up with bulbs, and trains moved along their tracks using battery connections. This is an example of how Shebbear College uses extra-curricular activities to enrich the children’s education and the result was very creative and impressive. MANOR | Spring 2018
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Schools news in brief
West Buckland School’s Exmoor Run SINCE 1859, the Exmoor Run has been held on the second-to-last day of every spring term at West Buckland school in North Devon. This year, the Exmoor Run will be taking place on 27 March. Described as the longest, toughest, school cross-country run in the country, the ‘Exmoor’ involves senior school pupils, from Year 8 upwards, walking up to eight miles out onto the moor to a remote start line, to then run up to 10 miles back across the steep and rugged countryside that the National Park has to offer. Younger runners can do a slightly shorter run if they wish. The run itself is no longer compulsory, but many of the pupils look forward to the challenge and are joined by parents and other members of the community.
West Buckland pupils on the Exmoor Run now...
...and then – nostalgic images from past Exmoor Runs
British polar explorer Felicity Aston visits King’s College FELICITY ASTON MBE visited King’s College recently as part of an educational lecture series. In 2012, Felicity became the first woman to ski alone across Antarctica. It was a journey of 1,744km, taking 59 days to complete, and gave her a place in the book of Guinness World Records. Felicity gave an account of her journey and spoke to pupils about living and working in the British Antarctic Survey on the Antarctic Peninsula. Felicity also unveiled a new painting in the school’s Geography Department, kindly donated by Mrs Bridget Baker, the wife of the late Mr Baker, a former Head of Geography at King’s College. The painting commemorates the arrival of the legendary Transglobe expedition in January 1980, during the first circumnavigation of the Earth on its polar axis. 134
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In the final part of her series for MANOR, Professor Ruth Merttens stresses the importance of maintaining an interest in your children’s education as well as their passions – no matter how old they are.
“T
he thing about being a parent is that it never stops!” My grandmother made this remark to me when we were expecting our very first child. I was 19 at the time and it rather scared me, although, being a natural optimist, I obviously failed to take on board the truly terrifying implications. Currently I have 11, soon to be 12, grandchildren to worry about and, on frequent occasions, to care for, and I’m constantly aware that my own Nana was right – it does never end. This is as true in relation to education as it is in relation to ‘bank-of-mum-and-dad’ and the inevitable free taxi service one winds up running. Children enter the world learning (the fashionable term is ‘set out on a learning curve’) and, if we’re lucky, we may exit this world still learning. They say that you learn something new every day, but I tend to think that
this doesn’t happen unless you want it to. As a baby turns into a toddler, it may seem as if they learn without the adults around them having to do anything to encourage this, but we know from all the available evidence that this isn’t so. The first three to four years of life may be even more influential in terms of long-term educational confidence and success than we’d previously suspected. The experiences and encouragement provided by parents, family and friends make all the difference. As this series of articles on Help Your Child have suggested, the process of making a difference and being a key support continues throughout a child’s school life and beyond. I suggest that we can tick off, on our five fingers, the ways in which, as parents, we support our child’s learning from infant to adult and, as a positive by-product, enrich our own learning journeys as well. MANOR | Spring 2018
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1. TALK
I
’ve written at length about the importance of speaking and listening. Whether it’s talking to a baby as if they can talk back, treating them as a conversational partner long before they’re able to reply, or whether it’s making the effort to stay up late and capitalise on the fact that your grumpy teenager only starts to open up and explain why school is currently a disaster at ten o’clock at night, the attention we give our children when we listen and speak to them is vital. it’s so depressing reading the statistics about the hours spent by adults on mobile phones or tablets, keeping up with emails, texts, What’s App, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and a host of other applications. The harsh fact is that these are hours that are no longer spent talking to and paying attention to our children. And we’re all to a greater or lesser extent guilty here, in that this technology, while enabling exciting new ways of communicating, especially with those at a distance, also takes up a truly phenomenal amount of our time. Babies and toddlers need to be talked to constantly in order to learn to speak themselves. Infants need to be encouraged and supported as they struggle to express feelings, tell stories and ask questions about things that interest them. Children between seven and 11 need to learn how to express opinions and provide explanations and they can only do this if such discourse is modelled for them on a daily basis as they take part in discussions and develop longer conversations. Adolescents often have to be encouraged to keep talking; to make the effort required to communicate how they’re feeling, to recount what’s happened and to describe rational or irrational concerns. And young adults still rely on their parents as sounding boards for ideas or plans, as trusted repositories of advice or experience and, less comfortably, as safe pairs of ears when they need to let off steam, have a rant about an unreasonable boss or complain of an unfair outcome. As a child or a grown-up, your parents’ attention is essentially the most valuable commodity available to you.
2. OFF BY HEART
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e need to acknowledge that memory is our short suit here in Blighty! In the 21st century, Chinese, Singaporean and Indian children may still learn chunks of history, verses from the Quran, mathematical facts or Hindu chants off by heart, but English children do not. Gone are the days when we routinely taught our children four or five prayers and several nursery rhymes before they started school. We no longer even have to memorise phone numbers – which of us adults can say with complete honesty that we know more than four mobile numbers off by heart? Technology does it for us. We’re not required to memorise place names on routes; the Satnav orchestrates the journey and ensures we get there. Who among us 136
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remembers appointments and birthdays without the aid of the online calendar and its useful prompts? Teachers work exceptionally hard these days to try to ensure that children memorise key facts in mathematics, dates in history, as well as stories, poems and even grammatical terms in English. But truthfully, it’s a real struggle; memorisation is no longer a part of daily life, and UK children tend to have poor memories. This is not the teachers’ fault – but it is very much their problem. Education depends on memory. Obviously it’s much, much more than that; memorisation is not learning a skill nor is it or acquiring an understanding. But memory is all too often a necessary pre-requisite for both these things. Children need to be able to learn things off by heart. Memory is like anything else: use it or lose it. It needs both training and exercise. Infants who learn songs and rhymes, who memorise their favourite chants and who’ve learned the family statistics – ages, addresses, names and histories – are so much better prepared to engage with education in its broadest sense. Juniors whose parents help them learn their tables, the number pairs to 100 (like 54 and 46) and the doubles to 25 are well placed to succeed in mathematical reasoning and calculation. Secondary pupils whose parents ask them to recount films, remember characters in novels and explain a piece of science are being given the foundations for developing the higher thinking skills they require for GCSE and beyond. But the need to keep the memory both exercised and trained does not end at seven nor at 11 nor even at 17 or 18 years of age; it’s a lifelong endeavour. When I reached the big five-oh, I observed that daily life was requiring me to remember fewer and fewer things. I decided that if I wanted to retain my good memory, then I needed to make a conscious effort to memorise. I resolved to learn a poem off by heart each month. This was not only an excellent decision in terms of the discipline of memory training, it was also intensely pleasurable. I love poetry and will still spend ages, too often late at night, choosing a poem to learn.
3. STORIES
T
he ability to narrate, to sequence events in a story, to recount an occasion or a set of happenings in an anecdote, is central to learning to read, to write and to comprehend texts. Reading provides not only a means of gaining information; it enables us to share, vicariously, in the experiences of others. Through reading, we begin to understand what it feels like to live through events in the past or in other places and to be in situations that are foreign to our own lives. It has been persuasively argued that the ability to empathise with the struggles of other people in a wide variety of diverse situations is central to the effective participation in, and operation of, a fair democracy.
school
Education is a lifelong endeavour; not just for those whose careers are bound up with the education system, but for us all, and most especially for those living and participating in an open democracy. We owe it to each other to be informed. However that may be, it’s certainly true that it’s through engaging with stories, written as well as oral and visual, that children develop their sympathy and the ability to put themselves into other people’s shoes, to see things from someone else’s point of view. This is essential if they are to be able to work successfully in collaboration with others and live in harmony with a variety of different people. However, it’s also a fact that stories are at the heart of learning not just to read but to write. Being able to sustain attention to a narrative, to comprehend a plot and predict what may happen next – these are all aspects of the higher literacy skills that schools are at pains to develop as children progress through the education system. Successive studies have shown that infants who have grown up in homes where anecdotes are recounted and listened to, where stories are read and told, where books are discussed and debated, have a massive advantage in education. As I’ve tried to stress, over and over again, it’s genuinely impossible to place too high a value on sharing and reading books when it comes to the educational and emotional benefits that accrue to children and adolescents. And once again, we may observe that these benefits continue throughout life. I continue to discuss books with my adult children. On a regular basis, I buy and send them books I’ve enjoyed or those I believe they’ll enjoy. Stories, both personal and read, form the substance of many conversations through which we are able to elaborate themes and discuss issues of intense emotional and personal significance to us. Stories enable us as adults to continue what we developed when these offspring were all young – namely, a means of engaging with difficult aspects of our lives together within a safe and less-contested context.
4. INTEREST
S
howing enthusiasm for one’s child’s interests, engaging in a very real sense with their passions and (often short-lived) obsessions, is one of the most important ways in which parents provide the best
possible grounding for their success at school. If a child is interested in something, they are likely to put effort into it. This means that they’ll start to acquire the allimportant ability to persevere, to ‘keep going when the going gets tough’. This is perhaps most evident when children are learning to read. My son would struggle and persist in reading a large book on snakes, which was well above his reading age, where he would give up after five minutes when sharing his short school scheme reading book. Many parents will empathise with this situation, having experienced it themselves. Generating enthusiasm for learning in one’s children is a classic example where children are totally inclined to ‘do as we do’ and not to ‘do as we say’. If we’re interested in and enthusiastic about their learning, then they’re very likely to be the same way. If we evidently place a high value on education – in all its guises and in its broadest sense – then they’ll place a similar value on what they do at school as well as on what they learn at home. Of course, some parts of school learning are less interesting or less appealing than others. Some aspects may even be downright boring. However, it’s often possible to see that these endeavours will lead to something worthwhile, such as acquiring a skill that’ll be useful in the future. And if your parents demonstrate that they themselves continue to be enthusiastic learners, then you’re likely to develop a similar attitude. Of course, during adolescence, many students do their level best to give the impression of a person who is totally disengaged from the education process. However, with patience, and the continuous drip-feeding of a counter-culture where learning is valued, such an attitude tends to gradually wither on the vine. It withers faster if there’s a shared enthusiasm that continues to play a part in that student’s life, which brings us back to the importance of encouraging our children’s passions and interests. As always, there’s no time limit on this. My adult children still have passions and interests and they still want their parents and siblings to share these: to discuss and listen, to debate and, on occasion, to participate. As MANOR | Spring 2018
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a result, as parents of adults, we not infrequently find ourselves going to see films, reading books, travelling to places and generally engaging in things that we would never have done if we’d been left to our own devices. This is occasionally either annoying or – worse – uncomfortable, but it’s never boring. Our children’s interests and obsessions have broadened our horizons and added whole swathes of excitement to our lives. We are and should be grateful. As I tell my long-suffering husband, you can sleep when you’re dead.
5. BELIEF
W
hat we believe about ourselves is very likely to frame what we can and cannot do, what we will or will not attempt, and, in short, what we become. Unfortunately, the same is true of our children. What we believe them capable of is all too likely to set the limits of what they’re capable of. Our own nervousness and hesitations will inevitably and inexorably transform themselves into the constraints preventing our children succeeding in certain aspects of education or life. Clearly we need to be rational, but sometimes faith in a possibility is more important. J.K. Rowling’s parents discouraged her from doing English at university because they didn’t believe she would ever make a living as an author. Rationally they were indubitably correct in their predictions. it’s exceptionally difficult – and unlikely – that one’s child will make a living as an author, just as it’s exceptionally unlikely that my Fred will ever play for Arsenal. However, encouraging his passion for football, allowing him to be part of various teams and to participate in all manner of spin-off and associated activities is a crucial part of showing him that I believe in him. I don’t necessarily believe that he’ll become a world-famous footballer, but I do believe in his potential to become the person that he wants to become. It’s just that I understand what he does not at the age of seven – namely, that becoming that person is a lifelong endeavour and is about one’s efforts and enthusiasms across many different aspects of life and, sadly, not just one! As children grow older, showing faith in them becomes a more demanding and a more difficult task. High expectations are essential, and yet we cannot be too ‘pushy’, forcing a child to engage in competitive activity of any type where they’re foreordained to lose. Such competitions may involve being top of the class or being the best-behaved student as well as having the fastest time in the swimming race. We have always to listen to that soft, quiet voice in our ear that questions our deeper motives: “Are you wanting this for them or for yourself?” However, it behoves us to make every effort to ensure that we don’t prevent them doing something that they’re more than capable of doing because we ourselves are overly protective or nervous. My 17-yearold son can travel safely to his university interview on 138
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his own, and I may not be helping him to grow into his university place by accompanying him. Showing faith in one’s older or adult children is a still more tricky business, as anyone who is genuinely trying to do this will attest. We’re only too aware that we cannot live their lives for them, and that they need to make their own mistakes. However, seeing them fall into a clear trap, or follow a course of action that will entirely predictably lead to unhappiness or danger, it’s impossible not to try to intervene. And too often such intervention has the very opposite effect from that intended. It is perhaps from the back seat that one can manifest the most faithfulness. Rather than pulling on the elbow of the driver (a procedure almost guaranteed to lead to an accident), it is both more effective and more positive to encourage any movements one observes that tend in the right direction and to simply keep quiet about those twists and turns which, to our minds, lead in dangerous or inadvisable directions. Hard though it is to accept, advice should only be given if actively sought. Unasked for, it almost always backfires. Being positive is so much more effective as a stimulus to action than being negative. I share with trainee teachers a fundamental truth about the classroom: “What you pay attention to, you will get more of.” So if you pay attention to bad behaviour, if you’re constantly commenting on it and drawing attention to it, then you’ll get more of it and not less. If you pay attention to good behaviour, if you notice it and give praise, you’ll get more of it. Contrary to what we might imagine, ignoring the bad behaviour to the maximum extent possible is an excellent strategy for getting rid of it. In the same way in our own domestic lives, we can guide behaviour and actions, especially as children get older, by giving support and praise for all those things that lead in the right direction and trying to ignore all those actions that we believe are harmful or potentially destructive. If these latter are the only ones we focus on, we are likely to get more of them. So showing someone who is struggling that you have every faith that they’ll come through this patch is one of the most important ways in which we can help them to progress. Believing that new starts are possible, knowing that anyone can change direction and believing that they may wish to are necessary precursors for making alternative futures happen.
SUMMARY
E
ducation is a lifelong endeavour; not just for those whose careers are bound up with the education system, but for us all, and most especially for those living and participating in an open democracy. We owe it to each other to be informed. We need to support each other in our learning journeys; this is of course especially pertinent when
school it comes to those for whom and to whom we are ultimately responsible – our children. The supportive techniques outlined above on the five fingers of our hand are critical. If we talk, memorise, share stories, encourage enthusiasms and believe in our children then they are more likely to flourish. Plus, our own learning will be extended and deepened. J.K. Rowling famously pointed out that there is a time limit on blaming your parents. I’m certain that this is true. We can all shift the blame for what we are becoming onto someone else, and parents are easy targets. But it will not do. There is indeed a time limit, and once we take hold of the steering wheel, we need to be responsible for the directions taken. When my children were little, we read to and with them as often as we could – which was undoubtedly not as often as we wanted to, but was, mercifully, often enough. We took an interest in their schoolwork but also in their passions and obsessions. And we undoubtedly made huge mistakes, acting in ways which in hindsight we realised were unhelpful at best. In this respect, many parents are the same. But the desire to support each and every one of their learning journeys has never left us. I hope it never will.
With this piece, Professor Ruth Merttens concludes her highly prized contributions to MANOR. For three years, Ruth, an expert in the field of education, has provided our readers with invaluable advice on how best to encourage children with their learning, from infants through to teenagers. All of her columns can be found in MANOR’s issue archive manormagazine.co.uk/issuearchive, which allows you to browse every back copy of the magazine. In September 2017, we published a MANOR School Special Supplement, which comprised nine chapters from Ruth’s series. Should you wish to purchase a copy please email school@manormagazine.co.uk.
The Region’s Early Autu Premium Publication mn 2017
by Professor
Ruth Mertt ens
The next issue of MANOR is The Design Issue, in which we are looking to publish examples of pupils’ design projects. Should you wish to submit your pupils’ work, please email school@manormagazine.co.uk with a high-res picture of the work; the name, year and school of the pupil, a short explanation of the task and why the work, in your view, deserves attention. A MANOR School Special Sup plement
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| School Special
1
Prime Waterfront & Country House
S O U T H H A M S’ L EAD I N G ESTATE AG EN T
Guide price
Stunning River Dart views - Dittisham
£1,650,000
An immaculately presented detached property with stunning River Dart views, in a south facing position in the heart of Dittisham. The property has been carefully maintained by the current owners with great style and character along with the beautifully maintained and landscaped gardens, which are a real delight. EPC Rating D.
Dartmouth 6 miles, Kingsbridge 14 miles, Totnes 9.5 miles
hotel 4 Bedrooms bathtub 3 Bathrooms furniture 5 Reception Rooms Web Ref: DAR160070
Prime Waterfront & Country House department: 01548 855590
DARTMOUTH 01803 839190
KINGSBRIDGE 01548 857588
MILLBROOK 01752 829000
MODBURY 01548 831163
NEWTON FERRERS 01752 873311
marchandpetit.co.uk 140
MANOR | Spring 2018
Dartmouth office: 01803 839190
SALCOMBE 01548 844473
TOTNES 01803 847979
PRIME WATERFRONT & COUNTRY HOUSE 01548 855590
Property The Relocator | Property of note: Dodbrooke House, Kingsbridge, Devon Snapshot comparative
The oak staircase in Dodbrooke House’s reception hall. Dodbrooke House is on the market with Marchand Petit. Guide price: £1,500,000. See page 146 marchandpetit.co.uk
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Prime Waterfront & Country House
S O U T H H A M S’ L EAD I N G ESTATE AG EN T
Guide price
Outstanding property with River Yealm views – Newton Ferrers
£1,500,000
A superbly presented detached village house which has undergone extensive re-modelling and renovation, with lovely long views across the River Yealm situated in the heart of the popular estuary village of Newton Ferrers within walking distance of local amenities and with beautiful gardens. EPC Rating C.
Plymouth 11 miles, A38 5 miles, Exeter 40 miles
hotel 5 Bedrooms bathtub 3 Bathrooms furniture 3 Reception Rooms Web Ref: NEW170095
Prime Waterfront & Country House department: 01548 855590
DARTMOUTH 01803 839190
KINGSBRIDGE 01548 857588
MILLBROOK 01752 829000
MODBURY 01548 831163
NEWTON FERRERS 01752 873311
marchandpetit.co.uk 142
MANOR | Spring 2018
Newton Ferrers: 01752 873311
SALCOMBE 01548 844473
TOTNES 01803 847979
PRIME WATERFRONT & COUNTRY HOUSE 01548 855590
property
The Relocator, with clipboard and dictaphone to hand, tours the South West on your behalf to get an on-the-ground insight on hotspots in the region to analyse their relocation potential. We do our research and talk to residents, businesses and estate agents to get the lowdown on…
EXMOUTH, DEVON
M5
Exmouth Quay
SOMERSET Exmouth is a port town, situated on the south-east coast of Devon where the River Exe meets the sea. With a sizeable population of just under 36,000, Exmouth is a 12-mile drive from Exeter and is renowned for its watersports – worldcompeting kite-surfers, the Bridge family, are from Exmouth and can regularly be seen training on the water – and its highly regarded range of seafood eateries.
A303
M5
DEVON
A30
DORSET
Exeter Airport A30
Sidmouth
Exeter
Exmouth
Dartmoor A38
Dartmouth
CORNWALL Plymouth
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AN ESTATE AGENT’S OPINION… Louise Glanville, Senior Negotiator at Knight Frank Exeter, discusses how the substantial population size results in a mix of ages and demographics within the town and, as a result, a strong residential community. “It’s a really vibrant town with lots going on; festivals in the park, theatre shows, a lot of good pubs and the seafront.” Louise goes on to reveal that there is a lot of exciting property development happening right now in Exmouth.
THE DEVELOPER’S PERSPECTIVE… Case in point: designs are currently being drawn up for a new watersports centre, which will change the face of the Exmouth waterfront. Managed by Grenadier Estates, the hub will showcase Exmouth’s elite watersports offering to its full potential. Peter Quincey, Director of Grenadier, explains the thinking behind the development: “The proposed watersports facility for Exmouth will provide training and changing facilities alongside an outdoor events space, eateries and six retail beach units. It is intended to enhance Exmouth’s waterfront, watersports heritage and leisure amenities. With its vast coastal landscapes and thriving local community, Exmouth provides the perfect location to develop this type of centre and venue.”
Cliff Cottage, Exmouth: on the market with Knight Frank for £1,500,000
WHAT THE SMALL BUSINESS OPERATOR SAYS… In keeping with its community spirit, businesses within Exmouth tend to work together to boost their growing economy. “There’s definitely a camaraderie in Exmouth, with local businesses supporting one another,” says Jane Walter, General Manager of the award-winning River Exe Café. The River Exe Café is not your average restaurant – in the form of a custom-built barge, it floats on the Exe Estuary and can only be accessed by boat. “From a restaurant’s perspective, people like to see that you are sourcing locally. The amazing thing for us is the abundance of ingredients available here in Exmouth. As we are based by the marina, we try to source as much local produce as we can.” Mitch Tonks, food writer and restauranteur of the award-winning Seahorse and Rockfish restaurants, made Exmouth the location for his most recent addition to the Rockfish family. “I think location for any fish restaurant is key. You want to see where the ingredients are coming from; our Exmouth restaurant overlooks one of the most beautiful estuaries in the world; there is a mussel farm not far away; plus many local fishing boats landing and a cracking fishmonger behind us.” Alongside managing the River Exe Café, Jane Walter has lived in Exmouth for the past ten years and emphasises how people’s work lives are changing. “There’s a growing number of people moving to 144
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Rockfish, Exmouth
PHOTO: TOM WADSWORTH
WHAT THE RESIDENT SAYS…
Badger Down, Exmouth: sold for £1,500,000 by Savills
property
There’s a growing number of people moving to Exmouth when their work is based in London. They’re coming for the lifestyle.”
Exmouth when their work is based in London. They’re coming for the lifestyle.” Exmouth resident Karen Cunningham-Smith grew up in Exmouth, then moved away for a few years before returning to the town. She explains how the public transport options make living in the town a lot easier: “The travel links are so easy, there is a half-hourly train service between Exmouth and Exeter, and there’s a really good bus service too, so people who work in the city find it easy to live here.” What makes Exmouth stand out for many, though, is the cycle path. “A few years back,” says Karen, “they put an excellent cycle path all the way from Exmouth into Exeter along the river – it’s flat and you don’t have to go on the road. It takes on average about 40 minutes, but if you’re fast then you could do it in 25.”
SCHOOLS AND EDUCATION… There are a number of highly regarded state primary schools within Exmouth, all rated good by Ofsted. In nearby Lympstone, there is the independent school St Peter’s and more independent schools in Exeter, including The Maynard and Exeter School.
TRAVEL AND GETTING AROUND… Travel links to and from Exmouth are fairly frequent and trains from London Paddington take just over two hours to get to Exeter with a change then required to take the Avocet line, running to and from Exmouth every half hour and taking 25 minutes. Exeter Airport takes less than half an hour to reach by car, with flights to London City Airport running twice a day.
THE AVERAGE PRICE OF PROPERTY… The average price of a four-bedroom house in the middle of Exmouth town is between £475k-£500k. A twobedroom apartment on the idyllic Exmouth Marina with a sea view would start at £500k, rising to £850k. Larger properties with more bedrooms and extensive water views can fetch in excess of £1.5m.
The Relocator’s verdict… Exmouth is clearly seen to have high potential. There are few places that offer easy access to Exeter, with its fast transport links to London, that are on the sea and also offer Olympic-standard watersports conditions. What clinches it for us, though, is the cycle route. Commuting to Exeter along the estuary… what could be better? There’s a lot of excitement right now about Exmouth and rightly so.
River Exe Café
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A former rectory in Kingsbridge, Dodbrooke House offers peace and seclusion yet close proximity to the bustle of this lively market town. Words by Imogen Clements. 146
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property of note
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t’s interesting, Kingsbridge doesn’t get anything like the column inches that nearby Salcombe commands, and yet it’s a town that has everything – sea, shops, schools, and a bustling high street. What it doesn’t have is a massive tourist influx each season. In that regard, it’s very much a primary residence town. Kingsbridge sits on the South Devon coast at the head of the Salcombe estuary in the South Hams. This area is considered one of outstanding natural beauty; you have easy access to the sea, as Kingsbridge is situated at the head of the estuary, as well as to green rolling hills that surround it; and the town is big enough to have a wide array of retail and eatery options, but not so big that every other door is a chain franchise. On the contrary, Kingsbridge is a middle-size market town that’s refreshingly independent, offering high-level designer operators on its high street and stockists such as Treyone Kitchens and Herring Shoes, as well as bistros that include the immensely popular Crab Shell Inn overlooking the quay, a cinema, leisure centre with pool, medical and community hospital. Essentially pretty much all that’s required to serve a multi-generational community. It also offers highly attractive properties. Case in point is Dodbrooke House, one of those rarities that combines space, light, tranquillity and convenience. A Georgian rectory, it is ten minutes’ walk from the heart of Kingsbridge, yet secluded, located down a private drive adjacent to the 15th century Grade I-listed St Thomas a Becket church. In close proximity to an excellent primary school, Kingsbridge Community Primary School, it is an attractive family home, with five bedrooms and large reception areas lit by wide bay windows. The house is accessed via the gravel drive at the rear and there is a large turning area where, along with the main house, sits a two-bedroom annexe, Dodbrooke Coach House, which offers scope for holiday letting, au pairs/nannies or as a granny flat. At the front of the main house there is a sweeping lawn in which stands an impressive beech MANOR | Spring 2018
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There are period ecclesiastical features throughout, including gothic windows, universal arched doorways and a striking barrel-vaulted ceiling in the master bedroom. tree along with an unusual tulip tree. According to the vendor, Nick Massey, the latter produces quite beautiful blooms, come the spring. The garden also boasts a magnolia tree with its own abundant white blooms, rhododendrons, camellias, and numerous but apparently very manageable shrubs and beds. The current owners bought the house in 2013, having been looking to downsize. Although Dodbrooke House didn’t quite meet the ‘downsize’ brief – there are very few for whom a five-bedroom house with twobedroom annexe would be a downsize – they fell in love with it at first sight. “There was work that needed doing throughout, but we both loved the fabric of the house,” recalls Nick, which compelled them to do the very best justice they could to it internally. “We hired a project manager in Mike Martin and through him amassed a great team. Of particular note was an extremely good husband and wife team in Gavin and Sarah Woodford, from Woodford Architects. Sarah went through the house from top to bottom and she applied a very simple colour scheme throughout, considering in detail the transition from one room to the next, and being highly respectful of the house’s original features.” Dodbrooke House is a Grade II listed late Georgian property built in 1834 with local hand-dressed stone. Formerly the rectory of the Parish of Dodbrooke, there are period ecclesiastical features throughout, including gothic windows, universal arched doorways and a striking barrel-vaulted ceiling in the master bedroom. “We didn’t need to do any structural work, nor want to. However, the original oak staircase was boxed in, in a rather bizarre fashion, so with the help Gavin Woodford, we opened it up and revealed the staircase to have it take centre stage in the hall. It’s quite wonderful.” Nick pulls out this as a star feature of the house, along with the numerous beautiful original fireplaces, then goes on to mention the special and unique door handles, high ceilings, the dry cellar that’s original to the house, which has a pool table and stores the family’s wine. But to tour Dodbrooke House, every room is styled to perfection, designed beautifully with an alluring mix of textures and an optimal degree of colour that never detracts from the sheer class of this home. “It is a welcoming house – everyone always says there’s a warm atmosphere to it. Within the context of Kingsbridge I can’t think of a lovelier family home,” says 148
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property of note
Nick. Which, of course, prompts the natural question: why is he selling? It wasn’t their intention, but life, as it often does, has intervened and for family reasons they’re having to put it on the market. The result being that whoever takes on Dodbrooke House, takes on a beautiful family home that’s newly renovated and ready to move into. A house such as this – secluded and private yet close to town, with excellent schools in close proximity and easy access to the estuary with its stunning scenery and sailing opportunities – would tick the boxes of pretty much every member of the family, even that of the surly teenager, who could set up home in their own adjacent Coach House. With five bedrooms and an additional two-bedroom cottage, Dodbrooke House is priced at £1.5m, and the next owner buys it safe in the knowledge that they will need to do little to it. It’s all been done, and very tastefully. It’s just a case of moving in, sitting back and enjoying it.
Dodbrooke House is on the market with Marchand Petit for £1,500,000. Tel: 01548 857 588 marchandpetit.co.uk
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A BEAUTIFULLY PRESENTED CONTEMPORARY BARN WITH VIEWS AND RIVER FRONTAGE
TAMAR VALLEY
Launceston – 4; Tavistock – 9; Plymouth – 23 (distances are approximate and in miles). Kellisryn is a stylish property, where architectural excellence and interior design combine perfectly with quality materials and contemporary flair. 4 bedrooms, well-proportioned living accommodation with many rooms enjoying charming views over the River Tamar and the Tamar valley. Extensive gardens, grounds and paddock, approximately 650ft of river frontage and outbuildings. In all about 4.6 acres. EPC = F Guide £725,000 Freehold 150
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Savills Exeter Edward Tallack edward.tallack@savills.com
01392 455755
BEACH CHIC; SURF, SEA AND SUNSETS
PERRAN BEACH DUNES, PERRANPORTH, NORTH COAST, CORNWALL A30 – 4.5; St Agnes – 5; Truro – 12; Cornwall Airport (Newquay) – 13.5 (distances are approximate and in miles). Enjoying a sensational position nestled on the edge of the dunes, Sea View Retreat has spectacular views over Perranporth beach and out to sea. With smart beach style interiors and up to four bedrooms with beach, sea and coastal views from most rooms taking advantage of this superb setting just moments from the beach. The south west facing garden and decking have a wonderful outlook enjoying stunning sunsets, there is parking for three cars and a convenient outdoor shower and red brick barbeque. EPC = D, 1,705 sq ft Guide £750,000 Freehold
Savills Cornwall Anna Sharp asharp@savills.com
01872 243200
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Prime Waterfront & Country House
S O U T H H A M S’ L EAD I N G ESTATE AG EN T
Guide price
Art deco inspired coastal home - Torquay
£1,395,000
A striking, art deco inspired detached coastal home with panoramic views over Thatcher Rock and Tor Bay. Built in 2007, this stunning contemporary property was architecturally designed to reflect the curves of an ocean liner with light and airy living space. EPC Rating C
Totnes 9 miles, Exeter 21 miles, Plymouth 30 miles
hotel 4 Bedrooms bathtub 4 Bathrooms furniture 3 Reception Rooms Web Ref: TOT170216
Prime Waterfront & Country House department: 01548 855590
DARTMOUTH 01803 839190
KINGSBRIDGE 01548 857588
MILLBROOK 01752 829000
MODBURY 01548 831163
NEWTON FERRERS 01752 873311
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Totnes office: 01803 847979
SALCOMBE 01548 844473
TOTNES 01803 847979
PRIME WATERFRONT & COUNTRY HOUSE 01548 855590
Prime Waterfront & Country House
S O U T H H A MS’ LEAD I NG ESTATE AG E NT
Guide price
Contemporary home with estuary views - Stoke Gabriel Kingsbridge 7 miles, Dartmouth 12 miles, A38 Devon Expressway 17 miles
hotel 4 Bedrooms bathtub 3 Bathrooms furniture 3 Reception Rooms
£1,000,000
A fabulous, architecturally designed high specification home enjoying superb river and country views. Extensively extended and modernised by the current owners, this is a rare opportunity to acquire a wonderfully light bright and spacious property in the heart of Stoke Gabriel with excellent amenities. EPC Rating B.
Web Ref: TOT170350
Prime Waterfront & Country House department: 01548 855590
DARTMOUTH 01803 839190
KINGSBRIDGE 01548 857588
MILLBROOK 01752 829000
MODBURY 01548 831163
NEWTON FERRERS 01752 873311
Totnes office: 01803 847979
SALCOMBE 01548 844473
TOTNES 01803 847979
PRIME WATERFRONT & COUNTRY HOUSE 01548 855590
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We take a closer look at four of the most enduring and desirable property locations in the South West with the help of specialist estate agency John Bray and Partners.
Rock, North Cornwall
I
t’s the stuff of dreams for many people: living in a community along North Cornwall’s craggy coastline, enjoying its striking history, famous destinations and contemporary reputation as a sunshine, cultural and cuisine hotspot. For many, this dream is becoming a reality with the help of one of the best-known and widely experienced estate agencies in the area covering Rock, Trebetherick, Polzeath and Port Isaac. John Bray & Partners began in 1971 and has grown hand-in-hand with North Cornwall’s emergence as one of the most desirable holiday locations in the UK, attracting the most discerning buyers into its community. The area has become more accessible in recent years thanks to much-improved road and rail links, the expanding Newquay airport, two local helipads, and a 154
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growing reputation for surfing, gourmet food, history and beautiful scenery. For an area of only five square miles, it certainly packs a punch! Now the agency believes it offers a unique service to complement all this: a team of over 30 who live locally with first hand knowledge of each bay, neighbourhood and road on its patch. The company has over 45 years experience in marketing, letting, planning and managing properties, and because it knows the area so well it enjoys the inside track on what is selling, who is buying and what the market is doing. It’s this passion for North Cornwall that has enabled John Bray to cement its position as market leader in this exclusive location. We asked John Bray sales director Josephine Ashby to tell us about the four stunning locations that make up this very special area of North Cornwall.
promotional feature Rock – Cornwall’s most famous property location
“Properties are high quality and premium priced, aimed at owner occupier and holiday home purchasers”, says Josephine. Homes include those ready to move into, others ripe for redevelopment – knock down and buildfrom-scratch is common on prime sites – plus a small number of contemporary new-builds. For buyers who want to make their acquisition work for them, Rock has a strong rental market too. There’s the customary nod to celebrity second homeowners and summer holidaymakers, drawn by the relaxed lifestyle, spa and restaurant facilities at the St
Enodoc Hotel, a world class golf club, as well as sailing and other water-sports that abound on the Camel Estuary. Just as well known is the foodie appeal - you’re just a short ferry ride from culinary stardust in the shape of Rick Stein’s and Paul Ainsworth’s restaurants over in Padstow. Less well known but treasured by locals are the beaches lining the estuary - especially the beautiful sand dunes. If you’re after the quiet life you don’t even have to go to Padstow thanks to Rock’s own deli, butcher, fish shop, bakery, pubs, garage and restaurants. “It’s a thriving community”, concludes Josephine.
FOR SALE: Treth House, Rock. Guide price: £2,500,000
Properties are high quality and premium priced, aimed at owner occupier and holiday home purchasers.
The North Cornwall stretch of the South West Coastal Path features some of the route’s most beautiful scenery
FOR SALE: Tregye, Rock. Guide price: £2,250,000
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FOR SALE: Chy an Brea, Trebetherick. Guide price: £2,250,000
Trebetherick – a unique village in the parish of St Minver
One of the most private villages in North Cornwall, Trebetherick takes in the beaches of Daymer Bay and Greenaway as well as St Enodoc Church. Daymer, a sheltered sandy beach for all seasons, is perfect for families with young children, who have been coming here for generations. The Greenaway is a smaller cove of sand and rocks, much beloved by locals and uncrowded even in the height of summer – both offering the prospect of great walking, swimming, kayaking as well as kite and wind-surfing on your doorstep. The pretty 12th Century St Enodoc church was once completely covered by the dunes but has been reclaimed and its location in the golf links is really quite unique. Sir John Betjeman, Poet Laureate, who penned many a poem about this beautiful area, lies in the graveyard at St Enodoc. Bar, restaurant and leisure facilities at The Point are close by, Trebetherick and Rock are a short 5 minute drive away and the St Moritz Hotel and Cowshed provides the ultimate in spa luxury. Plots are large, often with sea views and the style of building is usually traditional. “There are fewer opportunities to purchase property in this select location”, warns Josephine. Those that do emerge are often sold privately, so if a property does come onto the market it is often snapped up very quickly. If you want to combine a sense of privacy with the scope to create a unique home - then Daymer Bay, some six miles north of Wadebridge will be perfect for you. 156
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North Cornwall is a renowned area for watersports
promotional feature Polzeath – a coastal playground for all ages
FOR SALE: Kai Tak, Polzeath. Guide price: £2,950,000
This is where thrusting business people go at weekends to swap The Board for the board. It’s one of Cornwall’s great surfing havens, attracting young professionals because of its relaxed water-sports while families enjoy the sandy beach, surf vibe and friendly cafés. The area’s traditional past, symbolised by plenty of bungalows overlooking the bay, is giving way to more fashionable contemporary properties and funky conversions. There is everything here from buying a home outright to fractional ownership schemes. It’s developing a reputation for flamboyant Grand Designs statement properties harnessing the latest eco-build technology with beautiful design. The beach-side location offers plenty of scope for letting out a home during the summer months. With a West-facing beach, the view is second to none and will never go out of fashion. Head to Polzeath if you’re looking for one of the more youthful and fashionable destinations in North Cornwall, with facilities to match. Port saac an a thentic ict res
FOR SALE: The Milling Barn, Trebarwith. Guide price: £1,350,000
e fishin vi a e
This tiny port is quintessential North Cornwall with quaint cobbled streets, stone cottages and characterful pubs in the village itself and larger properties on the hilltop enjoying superb views out to sea. That’s not all: every other year it’s used as a location for TV’s Doc Martin, a show that has given this community of 750 permanent residents a global profile. That’s been good news for the local property scene: in addition to an improving sales market for holiday homes, the lettings market (to holiday makers and the production crew) is particularly good for up to five months of the year as well as winter short breaks. Away from the clapperboards, Port Isaac is developing a year-round character of its own as a cultural haven. It has a proud maritime heritage with a permanent fishing fleet and RNLI station and its surrounding natural landscape remains unchanged attracting families, walkers, artists and those in search of a slower pace of life. Local folk band The Fisherman’s Friends has won a national following while Nathan Outlaw’s fish restaurant, has two Michelin stars - not even Padstow has managed that... For a slice of real Cornwall, far reaching coastal views and exemplary food, head to Port Isaac. For further details on any of these areas or properties currently for sale in each of them, call John Bray on 01208 863206 for the Rock Office or 01208 880302 for the Port Isaac Office. johnbray.co.uk.
Port Isaac
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Snapshot comparative A selection of properties in the South West and London that are close to the water’s edge.
Treviades Barton, North Helford Guide price: £1,850,000
Cornwall
A stunning Grade II listed, six/seven-bedroom country house situated between Port Navas and Constantine on the north side of the Helford river, with far-reaching southerly views towards the Lizard Peninsula. Treviades Barton also has potential for separate guest accommodation with views of the river. The house is surrounded by extensive gardens, which have been well maintained and are home to a rose garden, vegetable garden and paddocks. savills.com
South Downs, Totnes Guide price: £1,875,000
Devon
Located on the edge of the peaceful village of Stoke Gabriel, showcasing scenic views of the River Dart, South Downs offers a quay and a landing stage from which to enjoy the river, with easy access to the sea. The property is highly spacious with six bedrooms, three of which are en-suite. If being so close to the water wasn’t enough, South Downs also has an impressive indoor swimming pool and Jacuzzi. marchandpetit.co.uk
The Mount, Manaccan Guide price: £595,000
Cornwall
A quaint detached cottage located on the water’s edge overlooking Carne Creek, just off the Helford River. This four-bedroom, Grade II listed property boasts a large family kitchen that overlooks the creek and is well appointed with an oil-fired Aga and underfloor heating beneath the slate floor. Standing amidst mature natural gardens, The Mount has the most picturesque views of the Cornish countryside. struttandparker.com
Varsity Row, Thames Bank Guide price: £1,850,000
London
An elegant four-bedroom Grade II listed Georgian riverside family home, Varsity Row is located in a conversation area towards the Chiswick Bridge and the end of the Thames Bank, which sits opposite the finish line for the Oxford/Cambridge boat race. This wellproportioned property is arranged over three floors and comprises an entrance hall, reception room, kitchen and dining room, garaging and a river-facing paved garden. savills.com
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The Region’s Premium Publication Early Autumn 2017 Issue 21 | £4.50
As I see it
Jessica Seaton, founder of Toast
Shark encounters
Jaw-dropping photography
Frugi founders
The organic children’s clothing company
Recipes
Of time and place
WHY READERS LOVE MANOR...
Harris Bugg
Landscape design fit for a princess
Autumn/Winter
Trends Guide
Win a designer chair and ottoman
Back Page Prize Draw
“Very impressed. Best magazine I have seen in the South West. Good mixed content and excellent photography” SHEILA T, WIGAN
CULTURE FOOD SPACE ESCAPE SCHOOL PROPERTY
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The Region’s Premium Publication Autumn 2017 Issue 22 | £4.50
WHY ADVERTISERS LOVE MANOR...
“Since we started advertising in MANOR we have found it a highly effective title. It’s a great source of enquiries but has also been widely admired by our vendors who are very impressed with the quality of the publication. The standard of journalism and photography is second to none in the region.”
Beaford Arts Unseen images from 70’s Devon
Tate St Ives
The new gallery
PRUNELLA MARTIN, DIRECTOR, MARCHAND PETIT
Tremenheere
Art in the landscape
School Arts
Showcasing pupils’ talent
“We’ve just received a really strong lead for an exciting project which we know came as a direct result of advertising in MANOR. Very pleased.”
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As I see it
CULTURE FOOD SPACE ESCAPE SCHOOL PROPERTY
CAROLINE SHORTT, BARC ARCHITECTS
‘In the last year we have received a lot of interest, in particular from interior designers, which we know came as a direct result from our advertising in MANOR. We couldn’t be happier.’ ELLIE IXER, ART WORLD GALLERY, FALMOUTH
“Really interesting articles, stunning and utterly beautiful photographs, but, most of all, it makes me so proud of my county.”
The Region’s Premium Publication Winter 2017 | Issue 23 £4.50
As I see it Gareth Malone
Soak up Bath Christmas city break
CHRISTOPHER BAILEY, HEAD OF NATIONAL WATERFRONT, KNIGHT FRANK
Kudhva Cornish hideaways
MANOR is available throughout the South West and sold on all major routes into the region: road, rail and air including at Paddington, Bristol Station and Airport, and City Airport, London. It is placed in the bedrooms of over 100 of the region’s most premium hotels and present in the most exclusive holiday cottages in the South West. Phenomenal flora Photographs by Isabel Bannerman
With a readership of approx. 100,000 affluent individuals and a 94% recommendation rate among readers, there is no better or more highly rated publication in the South West. To find out more about advertising in MANOR, please email advertising@manormagazine.co.uk or call 07887 556447 or 01392 690429
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Powderham Devon’s finest castle
CULTURE FOOD SPACE ESCAPE SCHOOL PROPERTY
marketplace
To advertise here please email advertising@manormagazine.co.uk or call 07887 556447 DESIGNER FLOORING
Bespoke, hand-crafted flooring by Aspen and Ash Aspen and Ash produces artisan, hand-crafted floors for those wishing to enhance the beauty of a space with a stunning wooden floor of genuine, lasting quality. Our designer floors use the finest quality, exclusive Tregothan Oak and Olive Ash as well as 90-year-old reclaimed Douglas Fir, engineered using traditional methods to offer unparalleled stability, finish and durability. From the forest to the floor, Aspen and Ash is committed to preserving historic woodland with all flooring cut, kiln dried and finished in Cornwall, delivered to anywhere in the UK.
New for 2018, is our line of handcrafted parquet and chevron flooring, created with both natural form and long-lasting function and laid to stand the test of time.
Aspen & Ash, Cardrew Business Park, Redruth, TR15 1SQ
www.aspenandash.co.uk / 01209 210753 INTERIOR DESIGN
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back page prize draw
a four-night stay for up to six people in this idyllic Cornish farmhouse
W
HOW TO ENTER To enter, go to manormagazine.co.uk/backpagecompetition. The Prize Draw closes at midnight on 25 May 2018 and the winner will be informed the very next day. TERMS AND CONDITIONS
The stay is for a maximum of six guests and this includes babes-in-arms and children; no pets are permitted. A damages deposit will be required by the prize winner, and will be fully refunded within four working days of the end of the holiday, should the booking terms and conditions be met. Unique Home Stays holds no responsibility for the unlikely event of the selected property being deemed unsuitable for guests, or should it be taken off their portfolio before the lot winner can take the holiday. The prize cannot be taken over peak season dates; July, August, Christmas, New Year, Easter, Half Terms, Public Holidays and is subject to availability. The holiday prize must be booked within three months of the winning date, and may only be redeemed within 12 months. The prize cannot be exchanged for a cash alternative; nor will any negotiations be entered regarding exchange of the prize. Full terms and conditions of the Prize Draw can be found at manormagazine.co.uk/backpagecompetition For Unique Home Stays booking terms and conditions, go to uniquehomestays.com/terms-conditions.asp
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ALL PHOTOS: Š UNIQUE HOME STAYS
himplestone is a luxury self-catering retreat, set in 50 private acres in the Tamar Valley on the Cornwall-Devon border. A pared-back yet beautifully lavish home, the farmhouse is positioned on the banks of the River Tamar within meadows of wildflowers. With much to do there is easy access to Cornwall’s extensive countryside, award-winning beaches, stately homes and gardens. In summer, guests can enjoy the natural swimming pool, whilst in winter it will be board games and roaring open fires. Unique Home Stays, in association with MANOR, is offering one lucky reader and up to five guests the chance to win a fournight short break (Monday-Friday), or three-night weekend stay, in this stunning private homestay.
www.michaelspiers.co.uk THE SOUTH WEST’S LEADING RETAILER OF FINE JEWELLERY AND WATCHES, INCLUDING:
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87 Queen Street, Exeter, EX4 3RP, Tel 01392 279994, Email websales@mortimersjewellers.co.uk 164
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