The Bath Magazine June 2012 by MC Publishing Limited

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THE MAGAZINE FOR THE CITY OF BATH

ISSUE 117 • JUNE 2012

FACE THE MUSIC The Naked Gardeners pick their musical crop

GOLDEN GIRL Bath’s Olympic star Amy Williams

WILDLIFE HAVEN

Inside Philippa Forrester’s riverside home

SUMMER LIVIN’ Festival fun, in and around Bath

ALL RISE

Get baking with The Thoughtful Bread Co BATH’S BEST LITTLE SHOPS 2012

www.thebathmagazine.co.uk

Our annual search lifts off

The very best of local writing, what’s on, arts, lifestyle, property and so much more in your guide to life and living in Bath

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KITCHENS BEDROOMS BATHROOMS STUDIES FREESTANDING

Tel: 01656 841 942 Visit our website to see more:

www.jeremydavies.co.uk

View examples of our work at

Mandarin Stone 15-16 Broad Street, Bath BA1 5LJ

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CONTENTS June:Layout 2 copy

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contents

2012 une J

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ZEITGEIST

Five ideas for things to do in June

BATH AT WORK This month’s portrait by photographer Neill Menneer is of city stonemason Tony Brown

TALK OF THE TOWN Love Food Festival’s Lorna Knapman shares her cultural diary

CITY OF CHAMPIONS Bath celebrates its Olympic connections

FACE THE MUSIC Mick Ringham talks to the Naked Gardeners about their passions

2O BEST BOUTIQUES A guide to the best of Bath’s stylish and independent little shops

Discover something old and something new in Normandy

BIGWIG Want to stop traffic? – carry a stick

44 CHANNEL HOPPING

FOOD & DRINK Bath’s Thoughtful bakers implore us to rise up and join the bread revolution

RESTAURANT REVIEW Sunday lunch at The Inn at Freshford

TASTY MORSELS When Mary Berry, Queen of Cakes, came to tea

DESIGNER STYLE We meet the original Fashion Bloodhound

SUMMER OF FUN Don’t miss out on the south west’s cultural calendar this summer

Seasonal flavours at Gascoyne Place

6 THEBATHMAGAZINE | JUNE 2012

CREATIVE BATH Meet the new homegrown bestsellers

WHAT’S ON This month’s cultural offering in Bath. From Shakespeare to farce, and from ballet to pop

DINING OUT

CITY OF FESTIVALS A paean of praise for Bath architecture

FAMILY FUN Child-friendly events this month

THE BODY BEAUTIFUL The latest products for hair and skin plus top tips on getting fit for summer

ART & EXHIBITIONS Who’s hanging what and where in June

INTERIORS A peek inside TV presenter Philippa Forrester’s riverside home

PROPERTY For the largest selection of beautiful homes in the Bath area

ON THE COVER Freya Cumming, Up. Up. Silkscreen and gold leaf. At Rostra & Rooksmoor Galleries, George Street, Bath

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ZEITGEIST Visit

things to do in June

Celebrate Amidst talk of gloom and doom, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee on 5 June shines like the sun coming out on a cloudy day. The Jubilee gives Britain a chance to do what we do best – throw a party. Get together with family, friends or neighbours and raise a glass – or a patriotic mug – in loyal toast. Join the crowds as Royal Victoria Park hosts a right royal knees-up, with live music from the Bath Philharmonia, local bands and the chance for people to picnic on the lawns. Headlining is an Abba tribute band, so the crowd is being invited to dress in Jubilee outfits from 1977. A Georgian stately home in Somerset is opening its doors to visitors for the first time in its history, for a few weeks only, from 12 June to 1 July. Ammerdown at Radstock, south of Bath, has been in the Jolliffe family since the 1790s and they are still in residence. This is Somerset’s only James Wyatt designed house and the gardens were laid out by Edwin Lutyens.

Displays will illustrate the furniture and other family possessions through the ages, including a moving letter from Hedworth Jolliffe after he took part in the Charge of the Light Brigade. A series of lecture lunches are also being held in the house. Visit: www.ammderdownhouse.co. uk to book tickets to see the house.

Enjoy

Debate For those who enjoy shouting their opinions at the radio or television, the chance to take part in a live debate in Bath should come as welcome news. The second in a series of public debates on the hot topics of the day is being held on Wednesday 13 June at 7pm at the Hilton Bath City Hotel, Walcot Street. The motion is: Great party! The monarchy is expensive unaccountable and irrelevant. Britain needs a democratic alternative. For the motion: Graham Smith, Republic's chief executive and B&NES councillor Sarah Bevan and against the motion: Jacques Arnold, former Conservative MP and author of The Royal Houses of Europe. The audience will be invited to take part and to vote at the end. There will be a bar after the debate. For more information, and to buy tickets, visit: www.debatebath.com

Tuck into tea on the lawn as Bath’s vintage crowd host a summer afternoon event, with retro fashion, music and shopping at The Royal Crescent on Sunday 24 June from noon. Mrs Stokes’ Tea Party – recently acclaimed in the national press – will be on hand, while there will be music and dancing to records played by Nick The Wind-up Merchant, a Vintage to Vogue styling suite and Artizan creating the hair looks will all help to get guests in the mood. Tickets, £8 from www.vintagetovoguebath.co.uk and at Vintage To Vogue shop, just off Milsom Street.

Out of town For generations visitors to Wells have watched the swans ringing the bell outside the Bishop’s Palace – official home to the Bishop of Bath and Wells – when they wanted to be fed. This summer England’s smallest city is celebrating its famous birds with a flock of individually decorated swan sculptures which will be displayed around the streets. Each one has been sponsored and in September all 60 will be gathered together before being auctioned to raise money for local charities.

8 THEBATHMAGAZINE | JUNE 2012

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EDITOR’Sletter

he arrival of the Olympic flame in Bath, and with it the first of the summer sun, seemed to put the city in party mood. As we joined the crowds on the streets to watch the runners go by the excitement was palpable. And having met some of those who were so proud to be asked to carry the torch, it was good to see so many people turn out to cheer them on. Now, with the launch of the biggest Bath festival of the year – the International Music Festival – and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations, the month of June looks set to continue in party mode. Here at The Bath Magazine, we’re dedicated to telling you what’s going on, which is why we provide a fairly comprehensive round-up of events in and around the city. Keep the magazine on your coffee table and use it to plan how you’ll spend your leisure time. But if you’re not inclined to get out and about we’ve also got some good reads this month. Mick Ringham talks to Ian and Barbara Pollard who have created a beautiful garden in Malmesbury, and who also happen to like gardening naked. Martin Phillips examines the phenomenal success of the Bath Spa University’s writing courses, which have produced a crop of successul authors, while Lindsey Harrad meets the team at Bath University who are working on the internet of everything – fascinating developments in the creation of the intelligent house. Neill Menneer’s portrait of the month is of stonemason Tony Brown, Andrew Swift explores a pretty corner of Somerset, with a walk around Compton Dando, while I strolled out to The Inn at Freshford in support of the great British pub. Hey, it’s a tough job . . .

Georgette McCready Editor All paper used to make this magazine is taken from good sustainable sources and we encourage our suppliers to join an accredited green scheme. Magazines are now fully recyclable. By recycling magazines, you can help to reduce waste and contribute to the six million tonnes of paper already recycled by the UK paper industry each year. Please recycle this magazine, but if you are not able to participate in a recycling scheme, then why not pass your magazine on to a friend or colleague.

THEBATHMAGAZINE Editor Email: Tel: Deputy Editor Email:

Georgette McCready georgette@thebathmagazine.co.uk 01225 424499 Samantha Ewart sam@thebathmagazine.co.uk

Editorial Assistant Email:

Rosie Parry rosie@thebathmagazine.co.uk

Production Manager Jeff Osborne Email: production@thebathmagazine.co.uk Commercial Production Catriona Stirling Email: cat@thebristolmagazine.co.uk Publisher Email:

Steve Miklos stevem@thebathmagazine.co.uk

Contact the Advertising Sales team on tel: 01225 424499 Advertising Sales Liz Grey Email: liz@thebathmagazine.co.uk Advertising Sales Email:

Kathy Williams kathy@thebathmagazine.co.uk

Advertising Sales Email:

Jodi Monelle jodi@thebathmagazine.co.uk

The Bath Magazine, The Bristol Magazine and West Country are published by MC Publishing Ltd and are completely independent of all other local publications.

WWW.THEBATHMAGAZINE.CO.UK

JUNE 2012 | THEBATHMAGAZINE 11

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TALKofthe TOWN

My Cultural Life

Book of the month Literary Walks in Bath by Andrew Swift and Kirsten Elliott Published by Akeman Press Paperback £15 Reviewed by Rosie Parry

o not be fooled by the simple title of this book, what’s inside is a dialogue that will take you by the hand and not let you go until you feel compelled to follow in the footsteps of some of Bath’s most famous, and lesser known, writers. It provides a detailed and rich social history of the last three centuries of Bath, with the almost soap opera-esque lives of the eminent authors acting as keys to unlock the deeper social and political issues of their eras. Each of the 11 chapters begins by focusing on a different writer’s story, featuring not only Jane Austen and Charles Dickens, but also Georgette Heyer, John Betjeman and Fanny Burney. It takes you out of your comfort zone of knowledge to discover other characters and social matters that are integral to the cultural history of Bath. You are

then guided step-bystep through a walk to visit sites across the city to bring their stories to life. The walks are peppered with anecdotes about the authors, allowing it to be read either as a companion on the move or as a series of essays with historical maps, photographs, quotes and illustrations. As you follow the walks, there is an in-depth running commentary about the history of the buildings and streets along the way. Bath-based writers and broadcasters Andrew Swift and Kirsten Elliott expertly raise the Georgian curtain of Bath in this book, allowing us a thorough tour of its backstage complete with rebels, disease and extortion as well as indulging in the glamour of its fashionable status, that is still celebrated today.

Down memory lane Bradford on Avon has gone back to the 1950s to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, by holding a shop window trail of old photographs as part of the celebrations for the decade that the monarch came to the throne. The trip down memory lane, which runs until 16 June, will see old photographs and advertisements displayed in 75 shops throughout the town. The photographs show the various trades in business in 1952 in each of those shops. Older residents in the town have been invited to share their memories of what shopping was like then, and these memories have been printed and run alongside the photos. In the 1950s there were five hairdressers in town and one of the last blacksmiths in west Wiltshire was plying his ancient trade in his forge by the bridge. Locals recall Christopher’s the chemist, which traded from 1863 to 1986, and the ladies frock shop Madame Soul. Some people have recalled the menfolk carrying their heavy

What are you reading? I’ve always got a good selection on the go. I’m currently reading I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith, Eradicating Ecocide by Polly Higgins and On the Future of Food by Prince Charles.

What’s on your MP3 player? All sorts – disco, funk, reggae, jazz, Northern Soul, breakbeat. Our Love Food DJ Paul Rowley keeps my iPod well stocked with some great mixes.

Which museum or gallery will you be visiting? I’ll be checking out the contemporary art on show in A World Away at Dyrham Park.

Your passions? What hobbies or interests will you be pursuing? radio batteries up the hill through town to get them recharged in the cycle shop. Sweet rationing ended in 1953 and food rationing in 1954. Supermarkets had yet to arrive and there were so many local shops that some residents never shopped outside their own home town.

A biking bonanza

2 Princes Buildings, George Street, Bath BA1 2ED Telephone: 01225 424499. Fax: 01225 426677 www.thebathmagazine.co.uk © MC Publishing Ltd 2012 Every month The Bath Magazine is circulated free to over 20,000 selected homes and businesses in Bath and the surrounding areas. A certificate of print and publisher’s statement are available on request. Disclaimer: Whilst every reasonable care is taken with all material submitted to The Bath Magazine, the publisher cannot accept responsibility for loss or damage to such material. Opinions expressed in articles are strictly those of the authors. This publication is copyright and may not be reproduced in any form either in part or whole without written permission from the publishers.

12 THEBATHMAGAZINE | JUNE 2012

We ask Lorna Knapman, founder of the Love Food Festivals what she’s doing in June

We are invited to get on our bikes on Saturday 9 June to join Bath Ales for the Biking Bonanza; a fun, family bike ride along the Bristol-Bath cycle path held to raise funds for Frenchay Hospital's afterburns unit children's support group, the FAB Club. Congregating at The Hop Pole, Bath, or Gardiner Haskins in Bristol, cyclists will make their way to the half-way point at the Bath Ales new head office, Hare House, from midday onward for entertainment and refreshments. Entry costs £12.50 for adults, while children under 16 can join the cycle ride for free, but must be accompanied by a fee-paying adult. Visit: www.bathales.com/about-us/bath-alesbiking-bonanza-2012 to sign-up.

I will be walking the dog, cooking lots, gardening, learning to climb with my son, fishing in Dorset and generally hanging out in the countryside as much as possible. Fresh air and space is essential to me.

Shopping habits? Where do you most enjoy spending your cash? Definitely local markets. I love spending my money on great local food, it’s so important to support local producers and independents. I love the community feel of the markets and love taking my son, he’s really up for trying new things and sees them as a day out.

Film or play? What will you be going to see this month? I’m looking forward to going to see Marley in the cinema, I don’t get to see many ‘grown-up’ films in the cinema, I’m much more likely to be found watching the latest Pixar animation with the boy. The next Love Food Festival is at Green Park Station, Bath, on Sunday 10 June. Twitter @lovefoodfest

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CITY OF CHAMPIONS Summer 2012 sees a celebration of Bath’s sporting heroes and heroines, with Olympians past inspiring works of art and Olympic hopefuls in the wings hoping for a place to compete at the historic London Games

Photographer: Merv Clingham: www.takingpictures.eu. Hair: Zac Fennell at Artizan Hair, www.artizan.co.uk. Twitter @zac_fennell/@artizan_hair Make up: Sophie Bee. Twitter @sophiebeemadeup Stylist: David Hill-Souch, www.shootdhsmodels.co.uk

TRANSFORMED: Bath’s own gold medal winner Amy Williams is given the gilded treatment by Zac Fennell of Artizan hair salon

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SPORTINGheroes

Golden girl

ICE MAIDEN: Amy Williams brought her gold medal back to show her home city of Bath after her victory in the 2010 Winter Olympics

When we saw Amy Williams carrying the Olympic torch in Somerset, featured on national TV and in the news, many a Bathonian felt proud. Amy, 29, retired last month from her sport of skeleton racing down icy slopes at death-defying speeds of up to 90mph, is a local girl. She went to Hayesfield and then Beechen Cliff schools, trained at the University of Bath and still lives in the city. She was the first individual Brit to win a gold at the Winter Olympics for 30 years and was honoured with an MBE. She is currently working on her career in broadcasting, following in the footsteps of other Olympians, including Sharron Davies and Colin Jackson. Given the nickname Curly-Wurly for her distinctive wavy hair, Amy was given a glamorous look for her photoshoot with photographer Merv Clingham and Zac Fennell at Artizan.

Where sport meets art

CONTRAST: Parade Gardens, where Carol Peace’s diver is forever poised to plunge, oblivious to the crowds sitting about in the sunshine

The city which raised Roger Bannister, the first man to break the four-minute mile, was hardly going to let the occasion of the UK hosting the Olympic Games pass by quietly. Four years ago, following the success of British athletes in the Beijing games the artistic plot was hatched to create public art with a sporting theme. As crowds turned out to cheer on the Bath Bullet, former sprinter Jason Gardener as he carried the Olympic torch past the Guildhall, his likeness was unveiled opposite the Theatre Royal. In SouthGate too, another Olympian from Bath, swimmer Mark Foster saw his physique preserved for posterity in stone. The Art at the Edge project can be enjoyed by all on a sculpture trail until 9 September. For athletes on a smaller scale, the Victorian Art Gallery is hosting a free exhibition of 30 bronze sculptures, THE BATH BULLET: Jason Gardener by artist Nikki which is on show until 1 July. Taylor can be seen beside the Theatre Royal

BODY BEAUTIFUL: above, sculptor Ben Dearnley with his recreation of Mark Foster’s torso. Left, Judo by Sophie Dickens is beside the Theatre Royal

WWW.THEBATHMAGAZINE.CO.UK

JUNE 2012 | THEBATHMAGAZINE 15

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NOTES ON A SMALL CITY By Bigwig

WEAK AT THE KNEES

igwig’s knee has been giving him gip. To my friends it’s a comedy affliction due to the knee’s habit of giving way at unexpected and inopportune moments. However, I have found that the use of a walking stick brings a status hitherto unknown to my good self. Bus drivers wait patiently until one is settled in the seat offered to one by polite schoolchildren or sympathetic persons twice one’s age. Traffic comes to a stop and allows one to cross the road exactly where one pleases. In fact, once I merely paused kerbside to have a think about where to go next and everything screeched to a halt. I felt obliged to cross even though I had had absolutely no intention of doing so. Keen observers would have spotted me crossing back only seconds later and put me down as a trouble maker. A stick however is rather like an umbrella when it stops raining. The moment the pain wears off it goes from being an essential piece of life-saving equipment to an annoying piece of wood. So far I have left my stick in a taxi, on a train, in several cafés, at home, at work and at the opera. Totally forgotten until the old knee gives a twinge, or suddenly does the collapsing thing. It’s then you start to realise how woefully the really infirm (as opposed to part-time charlatans such as myself) are catered for in our cities.

Our cherished conservation areas present many a problem. Where usually I mooch along admiring the ancient buildings and the quaint paving, now every wobbly cobble is a potential trip hazard. ‘No step access’ means a deviation of several hundred yards, and the ‘A’ boards outside little boutiques turn the pavements into a veritable slalom course. Worst of all are those supermarket cafés where the seating is fixed in position. If you are of a stout persuasion and your leg won’t quite do what you are telling it to do and you have a stick and several bags of shopping, it is quite possible to get stuck in these things. I know this for a fact! A variation is the rustic pub table where the bench seats are an integral part. I’ve experienced the indignity, when everyone else got up and left and I awkwardly tried to extricate myself from this hellish apology to the furniture industry, stick, knee and all, of being deposited in the shrubbery with the table and several empty glasses and crisp packets on top of me. There was a report on television which showed a clutch of these monstrosities bobbing off down the River Avon in the recent floods. Good, I thought.

once I merely paused kerbside to ❝ have a think about where to go next and everything screeched to a halt. I felt obliged to cross

❞

When my knee is playing up I have to use the disabled lift at work. This contraption is so slow that it actually gives me a few minutes on my own, nothing to disturb my thoughts. Nobody can get at me. A golden moment in my pathetic day. And it’s a lot less hazardous than that blooming spiral staircase that we thought was such a gas when it was first installed. Thus my twingeing knee has taught me that all the health and safety bumph we sometimes skim through really does have a point. Access for all is very important. The disabled lift isn’t just another cupboard. That coat hanger left on the floor could be lethal. Steps are my enemy and doors with spring closure are my nemesis. And my stick is my constant friend…except when I leave it on the bus. ■

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CITYgardens FACE theMUSIC

A MODERN ADAM & EVE Barbara and Ian Pollard, best known as The Naked Gardeners of Malmesbury talk to Mick Ringham about creating their own little piece of paradise and what music has the power to move them

hen the good people of the historic town of Malmesbury, heard that a couple of naturists had bought the 16th century Abbey House and gardens in the shadow of the Abbey ruins, no doubt there was a frisson of speculation about what the new owners would get up to. Would the overgrown gardens become a hotbed of unsuitable behaviour. At the time Ian and Barbara Pollard were described as a ‘middle 18 THEBATHMAGAZINE | JUNE 2012

aged hippie and his moll.’ But many of those former sceptics now see the Pollards as a latter day Adam and Eve creating their very own garden of Eden. They bought Abbey House in 1994 having moved from Hazelbury Manor in Wiltshire. Barbara takes up the story: “The moment we walked through the door, it was a case of love at first sight. The house which dates back in parts to 1265 has a fascinating history and just seemed to welcome us.” Ian adds: “I walked around the gardens which had been

AT ONE WITH NATURE: Ian and Barbara Pollard happily pose naked in the Abbey House gardens

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FACEtheMUSIC

GARDENER’S DELIGHT: left to right, Chuck Berry, Sweet Little Sixteen, ZZ Top, Gimme All Your Lovin’, The Beach Boys, God Only Knows

neglected for over 25 years. To say it was a challenge would probably be an understatement, nevertheless, we both knew at that moment we had found a wonderful home.” In previous lives Ian was a successful property developer, working chiefly in London, while Barbara was a teacher, later becoming a model. I asked the somewhat predictable question as to why they started to garden naked. Ian smiles: “I usually say, why not? However, I can honestly say it’s a truly beautiful experience on a warm summer’s day and of course offers a huge feeling of liberation. You are at one with your surroundings and in a curious way become almost part of the landscape.” The gardens now hold a clothes optional day for fellow naturists to enjoy, nevertheless, the majority of visitors to this unique and fascinating five acre site are conventionally dressed for the English weather, or as Barbara says, “two fine days and a thunder storm.” As Ian says: “We are the garden’s caretakers. It’s an on-going story, working for the enjoyment of future generations.” The couple have between them five children and three grandchildren. They work daily in the gardens and are always keeping an eye on the future. The grounds make a perfect venue for wedding receptions and this summer they will be offering small gothic themed dinner parties. Last year a visitor described the gardens as ‘an earthly Paradise’ and having spent a glorious afternoon there; I know exactly how they feel.

Barbara’s top five: ● The Beach Boys – God Only Knows I was a huge fan, and in particular of Brian Wilson. They had such wonderful harmonies. I also remember listening to Barbara Ann on my first record player in my bedroom of my parents’ home. The Beach Boys early recordings were all about joyous summer days on the beach and a lovely carefree attitude to life. ● Bee Gees – Saturday Night Fever This takes me back to my John Travolta period. I’ve always liked to dance and hearing this record gets me up and moving. The great thing about music is that it can instantly conjure up a time and place where you first heard the song and that stays with you forever. This track is as fresh today as when it was first recorded. ● ZZ Top – Gimme All Your Lovin’ People with busy work schedules find it difficult to listen to music. One place where you can is on those long car journeys. I would play this driving back from London down the M4; the wonderful sound of this self-effacing Texan band booming around the car. The powerful chords of heavy rock lift your spirits and make the journey go faster. ● Marvin Gaye – I Heard it Through the Grapevine This takes me back to my teenage years and those nights watching Top of the Pops on my parents’ black and white TV. At the time I was a huge fan of Tamla Motown – I still am. This is one of those defining records that I never seem to tire of. He was arguably one of the greatest soul singers of his generation and his music made an impression on so many of us. WWW.THEBATHMAGAZINE.CO.UK

● Glass Wing Pilot – Battle Scars All our children are receptive to the arts in one form or another, but I have to declare a personal interest here, as our 20-year-old son Rufus is the drummer with this Bristol band. They have just released an EP which this track is taken from and we wish him all the luck in the world with it.

it’s a truly beautiful experience on ❝ a warm summer’s day and, of course, offers a huge feeling of liberation

❞

Ian’s top five: ● John Lennon – Imagine I have to include this, chiefly because of the lyrics, also the song itself which went global. It was the start of a brave new world for Lennon after the Beatles split and is one of those life-changing records that will live on for decades. ● Whitney Houston – I Will Always Love You One of the great joys of life is to listen to the human voice and Whitney’s was filled with such purity and emotion. This record has perfect pitch coupled with a real intensity of feeling. I also admire Randy Crawford and many other female singers including Dolly Parton who originally wrote and recorded this beautiful song. ● Chuck Berry – Sweet Little Sixteen If I close my eyes, I can be transformed back to my childhood home in Cambridge. I would be listening to Radio Caroline and the raw and distinctive sound of rock’n roll. As a family we didn’t possess a large garden, but we did inherit a peach tree at the bottom of our plot and that just might have been the catalyst for my future love of gardening. ● The Beatles – Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band I chose the title track from this iconic Album because it’s a real show opener, in some respects a taster for the feast of music to come. There is so much going for this record – the artwork by Peter Blake, the production by George Martin and those four working class kids from Liverpool. The Beatles took us out of the monochrome of the 50s and into the bright new and colourful world of the 60s. ● Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody This always manages to put a Cheshire cat smile on my face. Every time I hear this record I visualise that particular sequence in the film Wayne’s World, where Mike Myers and the guys in the car are head banging to this track. It’s pop culture at it’s best and never fails to cheer me up and give me a boost of energy. ■ The Abbey House Gardens at Malmesbury, open daily, 11am to 5.30pm until 31 October. Read the story of how the Pollards restored Abbey House Gardens in The Naked Gardeners by Ian and Barbara Pollard, published by Papadakis in 2006. JUNE 2012 | THEBATHMAGAZINE 19

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BESTofBATH

BATH’s

LITTLE SHOPS

Following on from last year’s series, TBM has once again been exploring the streets of Bath to seek out all the best little shops that the city has to offer. In the first of a two part series, we have been on a whirlwind tour to rediscover all those little gems that are beacons of independence and offer something that little bit different

THERMAE BATH SPA Thermae Bath Spa has re-opened its main shop on Hot Bath Street and is offering a wide range of original spa, health and beauty products. Located just opposite the main spa building, the shop has a contemporary feel and is staffed by a dedicated team, who are on hand to provide expert advice for your skincare regime. It features Bath’s most extensive selection of the Pevonia range of health and beauty products, containing naturally sourced ingredients, alongside Thermae Bath Spa’s own products, including shampoo, body lotion and shower gel, all enhanced with Bath’s very own natural spring waters. For residents and visitors alike, there is a selection of spa gifts including massage oils, soft fleece robes, drawstring bags and spa candles. Spa vouchers are also available, which include full use of the open-air rooftop pool, the indoor Minerva Bath and the series of aroma steam rooms. Offering great value for money, there is a choice of seven spa packages, most of which combine a choice of spa treatments and tasty meals in the Springs Restaurant. Thermae Bath Spa Shop, 2 Hot Bath Street, Bath. Tel: 0844 888 0844. www.thermaebathspa.com

20 THEBATHMAGAZINE | JUNE 2012

BATH’s

best LITTLE SHOPS Above clockwise from top left: Scarlet Vintage; The Silver Shop; The Dressing Room; Thermae Bath Spa Shop; Oriental Rugs of Bath

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BESTofBATH THE SILVER SHOP This year The Silver Shop of Bath is celebrating its 60th anniversary, along with the Queen’s Jubilee. A favourite among locals and visitors alike for many years, The Silver Shop is entirely independent and run by a Bath family. The Silver Shop has been through a number of reincarnations, once being Bath’s best shop for Christmas decorations and at one point even selling toys and puppets. Now, in its 60th year, it stocks Bath’s largest selection of silver jewellery and a great choice of gifts from bronzes to picture frames, and clocks to pewterware. The store puts an emphasis on offering customers good value for money, carrying items ranging from £5 to £500. It is a lovely relaxed shop, with helpful and friendly staff and definitely worth a browse. The Silver Shop, 25 Union Passage, Bath. Tel: 01225 464 781. www.thesilvershop.eu.com

SCARLET VINTAGE Founder Debbie Colwell launched Scarlet Vintage in 2009 after 15 years spent hunting vintage pieces around the globe. Now, three years on, vintage aficionados, collectors, designers and celebrities all frequent this bijou boutique in order to delve into its diverse collection of clothes and accessories which span over 100 years of fashion history. Scarlet’s authentic and unique vintage clothing and accessories will help you create that 50’s Mad Men or 70’s Studio 54 look and ensure you won’t see it on anyone else. And of course there is fashion advice and help on hand, should you need any. However, if you can’t make it in person, you can now shop from the comfort of your sofa with Scarlet’s online store and follow on twitter/facebook for instant updates on what’s new in that day. Scarlet Vintage, 5 Queen Street, Bath. Tel: 01225 338 677. www.scarletvintage.co.uk

BATH’s ORIENTAL RUGS OF BATH

best

Since 1993, Oriental Rugs of Bath Ltd has been selling up-market, handmade rugs from Afghanistan, China, Iran, Pakistan and Turkey, from its shop at 15 Argyle Street, Bath, right next to the historic Pulteney Bridge. Recently the business has gone into partnership with two extraordinary operations that are bettering the welfare of artisan rug weavers in Afghanistan and India. The first is Afghan Action. More than 400 young men and women have received training in carpet weaving skills at their Karte Se site in Kabul since September 2005. They learn how to weave traditional handmade carpets and also take literacy and numeracy classes. The charity also provides on-site healthcare and a nourishing midday meal. In India, Jaipur Rugs Company, based in the beautiful capital of Rajasthan, has an extraordinary social venture business. It works with 30,000 independent handweavers throughout northern India, paying them well over the going rate, while providing them with health care, education and microfinance. Both these ventures supply the company with the most innovative, reasonably priced handmade rugs of both traditional and contemporary design.

LITTLE SHOPS

Oriental Rugs of Bath, 15 Argyle St, Bath. Tel: 01225 465 558. www.orientalrugsofbath.com

THE DRESSING ROOM Since opening in Bath in 1985, The Dressing Room has developed a reputation for professionalism, patience and fun. Situated just off Milsom Street, it is a charming boutique with a dedicated team of staff on hand to offer fitting advice, providing a service that ensures the very best fit and comfort for customers. In a world of online shopping the store prides itself on its personal service and the specialist knowledge of the team. The Dressing Room stocks a range of lingerie, beach and nightwear from some of the best names around the world, including Lise Charmel, Marie Jo, PrimaDonna, Aubade and Empreinte so there is bound to be something to suit customers of all ages and sizes. The Dressing Room, 7 Quiet Street, Bath. Tel: 01225 330 563. www.dressingroombath.com

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GRASSE

Luxury Items for Home and Garden | Truly Tempting Skincare A unique shopping experience with fresh style and approach 3 Argyle Street, Bath BA2 4BA 01225 444260 | www.grasse.me.uk

Gold & Platinum Studio

Beautifully crafted engagement rings, wedding rings and fine jewellery designed and traditionally handmade on the premises

19 N or t hum b er l an d P l ac e , B at h B A 1 5A R Tel: +44 (0)1225 462 300 www.goldandplatinumstudio.co.uk email: mike@goldandplatinumstudio.co.uk

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DESIGNER SAVVY Georgette McCready meets Grazziella Pinto, the young entrepreneur behind west country based online designer wear agency Fashion Bloodhound

hen a 23-year-old business studies graduate told her friends she was going to launch a company selling second-hand clothes and accessories they turned up their noses. They told Grazziella Pinto, who is from Willsbridge, that starting up her own business in a recession was crazy and that shoppers wouldn’t want to buy other people’s wardrobe mistakes online. Twelve months down the line and Grazzie’s online business, Fashion Bloodhound, selling only mint condition designerwear, has gone global. It’s had publicity in Vogue, the Daily Mail and Grazia and its customers include some of the country’s top fashion editors, along with a sprinkling of celebrity names keen to make some money from their barely-worn cast-offs. Vogue said: “Fashion Bloodhound is the place to buy and source second-hand designer wear, ” while Dragons’ Den member Theo Paphitis earmarked it on Twitter as a business to watch. Fashion Bloodhound’s database of women searching for their most desirable designer items currently stands at 20,000 and, during the time we take to have a coffee and a chat, Grazzie’s texts tell her she’s made another six sales from the website. Grazzie’s business model is as beautifully simple and effective as some of the items she sells. Women who have last season’s designer handbag lurking in their wardrobe and want the cash to justify buying this season’s bag, or those who have bought a one-off piece they’re never going to wear again simply contact Fashion Bloodhound and itemise what they’ve got to sell. Grazzie then gives them an idea of a price she can sell it for then she either picks it up or they send it to her. The Fashion Bloodhound staff of three, including Grazzie, then photograph the pieces and post them up on the website. Some items, particularly bags by Mulberry in the current favourite shades of buttery tan, sell within hours. There is even a waiting list in the Most Desired section of the website. Grazzie says: “I adore fashion. I’m always reading magazines to see what’s new and looking at what other people are wearing, so I’m so lucky that this is my job too. “I graduated with a first in business studies and people told me I should get a graduate job with someone else. But I come from a family where we work for ourselves and I wanted to work for me.” Grazzie keeps her overheads low by working from home and keeping her stock in storage nearby. She took on a pop-up shop in the centre of Bath just before Christmas and turned in a profit, seeing it as a good way to build up brand awareness and to meet her customers. “The women who buy and sell for us range from students and mums to very successful businesswomen,” she says, “It’s a really savvy way to get your wardrobe to work for you and I think what Fashion Bloodhound does chimes with the economic times. A lot of our customers come from the Bath and Bristol area, but they’re also from London and abroad too. This morning, for instance, I packed up an item to send to New Zealand.” Because Grazzie is a self-confessed fashionista she likes her customers to receive their purchases as if they were a gift, 24 THEBATHMAGAZINE | JUNE 2012

wrapped with tissue and ribbon and in a Fashion Bloodhound branded box or bag. Refunds are made if an item doesn’t fit. The online agency takes 40 per cent commission for its efforts, but Grazzie says women are happy to pay this as everything is taken care of. “Not everyone can be bothered with eBay, or taking their things along to a shop to sell. If they live in the Bristol or Bath area I can collect from them. I’ve even been invited to go through people’s wardrobes with them and help them sort things out. “We are very selective about what we take. It all has to be in pristine condition and I need to be satisfied that it will sell.” The list of designers that Fashion Bloodhound has stocked is comprehensive, from Chanel and Louboutin to Vivienne Westwood, Ghost and Ugg. Buyers range in age from 16 through to women in their 80s, all of them confident that they’re getting a coveted piece of designer wear at a fraction of the original sold price. You could say Grazzie’s online store is the ultimate in chic recycling. ■ Visit: www.fashionbloodhound.com

THE GIRL’S GOT TO HAVE IT: main picture, Myleene Klass with her Mulberry bag Inset, Fashion Bloodhound founder Grazzie Pinto

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ING T H LIG ALIST I SPEC

8 BATH STREET, FROME. TEL: 01 373473555 WWW.FIATLUX.CO.UK Union Jack Task Lamp - Original BTC

tina engell 29 belvedere, bath ba1 5hr 01225 443334

www.tinaengell.com

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bespoke jewellery shop

Bath’s Flooring Specialist

• Wide selection of quality carpets • Free measure & quotation • Knowledgeable staff • Skilled fitters • Leading brands

Free customer car park at side of store WALCOT I BATH BA1 5BX TEL: 01225 465 757

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SUMMERhighlights

Festivals Events THE SUMMER DIARY

Jools Holland and his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra at Sulis Soundtrack

JUNE ... CORSHAM SUMMER FESTIVAL 2012 THURSDAY 14 – SUNDAY 17 JUNE For a full programme of events and to book tickets, visit: www.poundarts.org.uk or tel: 01249 701628 Corsham High Street will be the host of four fantastic days of visual art, music, theatre and film. Street theatre includes south west-based theatre company, Two Destination Language, who will take audiences on a one-on-one 15 minute audio performance walk exploring the journey of their dreams. Jason Maverick’s highly energetic show is set almost entirely to music and combines mime and robotics with circus skills and tricks. There will be a centre stage in the Martingate Centre where local and national musicians will perform a great variety of music. Building on last year’s success, Transcoco will hold its second food and drink festival in partnership with Wiltshire Farmers’ Market. The vast range of stalls will tickle your tastebuds with a fantastic range of food and drink. Striking exhibitions will also feature during the festival as well as workshops for young people.

IFORD FESTIVAL SATURDAY 16 JUNE – SATURDAY 11 AUGUST Iford Manor, Iford, nr Bath. For tickets call the Theatre Royal Bath on tel: 01225 448844 or for further information, visit: www.ifordarts.co.uk The Iford Festival presents an eclectic and varied season of opera, concerts and picnic proms. Highlights include Handel’s Susanna in July and August, chosen by The Times opera critic Hilary Finch as her pick for 2012 and by The Sunday Times as a ‘book it now;’ the Cloister Concert Romantic Strings Sextets in June and the Picnic Prom Final Fling in August. 28 THEBATHMAGAZINE | JUNE 2012

FESTIVAL OF NATURE SATURDAY 16 & SUNDAY 17 JUNE Bristol Harbourside, Bristol. For further information, visit: www.biggreenweek.com The Festival of Nature is a celebration of the natural world and wildlife enthusiasts of all ages can explore, enjoy and get close to nature in the heart of the city. Throughout the weekend the festival site is packed with more than 150 organisations, these include: interactive exhibits from BBC Natural History, the National Trust, UWE, University of Bristol and Bristol Zoo Gardens; talks from BBC The One Show’s Mike Dilger, urban birder David Lindo and author Hugh Warwick; a festival market packed with local produce and sustainable goods; and new themed areas where you can watch bees in action or see the on-site rockpool.

RNAS YEOVILTON AIR DAY SATURDAY 23 JUNE Yeovilton, Somerset. To book tickets, tel: 08445 781781 or for further information, visit: www.yeoviltonairday.co.uk The Royal Navy air day is one of the south west’s largest one day events with a thrilling flying display. Air Day 2012 will commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Falklands Campaign with a flying and static display of fast jets, helicopters, historic warbirds, classic jets and formation aerobatic teams. It will culminate with the traditional commando assault demonstration. On the ground there is set to be a fun fair, helicopter pleasure flights, and trade stands.

WOMAD AT BRISTOL ZOO SATURDAY 30 JUNE Bristol Zoo Gardens, Clifton, Bristol. For more information and to book tickets tel: 0117 9747300 or visit: www.bristolzoo.org Music and dance from around the world will be

showcased at Bristol Zoo as it partners with world renowned music festival, WOMAD, for the second year running. You can enjoy two stages offering some of the best in world music, as well as children’s workshops, stalls and entertainment. And if that’s not enough, you can also visit a host of different animal species at home in the zoo as some of the animal houses will be kept open late. WOMAD at Bristol Zoo will also help raise money for endangered species in Southeast Asia.

FLAVOURS OF THE WEST SATURDAY 30 JUNE & SUNDAY 1 JULY Milsom Place, Milsom Street, Bath. For further information, visit: www.milsomplace.co.uk Top Bath chefs will stage a programme of free cookery demonstrations in the Octagon including Michelin-starred executive chef from five star Lucknam Park Hotel, Hywel Jones; Rachel Demuth, a Bath vegetarian restaurant owner; Duncan Glendinning, founder of the Thoughtful Bread Company; pub food from Charlie Dingley, and restaurateur Gordon Jones. There will also be a bake and cake zone for sweet-toothed foodie fans, cheese experts, delicious local cider and ale and Bath Beekeepers on hand with displays of bees, homemade honey, beeswax candles and honey cookies.

JULY ... KEYNSHAM MUSIC FESTIVAL SUNDAY 1 JULY Keynsham Memorial Park, Keynsham. Tickets from Keynsham Town Council on tel: 0117 9868683 or for further information, visit: www.keynshammusicfestival.co.uk Keynsham Music Festival is one of the south west’s best kept secrets; a delightful, small and relaxed music festival with an emphasis on

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SUMMERhighlights

The National Gardening Show

The Festival of British Eventing

WOMAD

Stourhead Picnic and Firework Display © Tom Dyke

everything local. Bands will perform on four stages, there will be a creative arena where professional artists give free workshops to children, interesting stalls, delicious locallysourced food, ales and ciders. Performances throughout the festival week include opera by candlelight and The Blue Notes jazz evening.

FROME FESTIVAL FRIDAY 6 – SUNDAY 15 JULY Frome, Somerset. To book tickets, tel: 01373 455420 or for further information and venues, visit: www.fromefestival.co.uk The Frome Festival is a true community event, involving many people from the local area and this year sees another packed programme. The arts events are at the heart of the festival but walks, talks and workshops covering a wide range of interests and activities are also on offer. The festival is host to some of the best artists and performers in their field including violinist Tamsin Waley-Cohen and Frome’s celebrated young saxophonist Josh Arcoleo. It is also a great year for comedy, with appearances by Mark Thomas, Phil Hammond and the North Sea Radio Orchestra appear as part of a terrific line up at Rook Lane Arts. Look out too for the new adaptation of John Fowles’ The Collector at the Merlin Theatre.

SHAKESPEARE LIVE MONDAY 9 – SATURDAY 14 JULY Lackham House, Lacock, Wiltshire. For more information and to book tickets, visit: www.shakespearelive.com Shakespeare Live presents Twelfth Night set in the delightful wooded English country gardens of Lackham House – a quintessentially English summer event. Bring your picnic and enjoy a fabulous evening of Shakespeare at a professional level and, on the Friday and Saturday gala nights, be entertained by a jazz WWW.THEBATHMAGAZINE.CO.UK

band, dancers and jugglers before the play begins. Twelfth Night is a play full of comedy and music; as genders cross and confusions abound, it is the shipwrecked stranger, Viola, who leads the characters to self-awareness and, for some, true love.

FESTIVAL OF BRITISH EVENTING FRIDAY 13 – SUNDAY 15 JULY Gatcombe Park, Minchinhampton, Stroud, Gloucestershire. To book tickets and for further information, visit: www.gatcombe-horse.co.uk The Festival of British Eventing is set in the spectacular grounds of Gatcombe Park, home to HRH The Princess Royal. It will take place two weeks early this year due to the Olympic Games in London. The festival incorporates the British Eventing Open Championships, one of the most coveted titles in the equestrian calendar; the Smith & Williamson British Intermediate Championship and the Dodson & Horrell British Novice Championship. As well as a weekend of top-class eventing there will be a shopping village, arena attractions and entertainment for all the family, including the Shetland pony grand national and dressage to music.

FOODIES FESTIVAL FRIDAY 13 – SUNDAY 15 JULY Bristol Harbourside, Bristol. For further information and to book tickets tel: 0844 995 1111 or visit: www.foodiesfestival.co.uk A showcase of culinary talent with some of the country’s top chefs at the Harbourside. You can brush up on your al fresco cookery skills with classes for those all important summer barbecues; cookery classes for budding young chefs; top chefs such as Saturday Kitchen star, Martin Blunos cooking signature dishes live; a city beach to relax on and, for film fans, a pop up cinema with tapas style taster dishes and drinks.

BATH GUITAR FESTIVAL FRIDAY 20 – FRIDAY 27 JULY Various venues across Bath. To book tickets or for further information, tel: 01225 463362 Europe’s number one guitar festival returns for its 19th extravaganza. Join hundreds of guitarists and six string fans for a week of exceptional concerts, workshops and masterclasses with leading international performers and tutors from around the globe.

BRISTOL HARBOUR FESTIVAL FRIDAY 20 – SUNDAY 22 JULY Bristol Harbourside and Queen Square, Bristol. Visit: www.bristolharbourfestival.co.uk In true harbour festival fashion there will be a vibrant mix of live performances, artists, musicians, dancers, circus acts, markets and street stalls. On the water hundreds of sailing vessels, from historic ships to pleasure yachts and harbour ferries, will provide a colourful backdrop to the annual celebration of Bristol’s maritime heritage.

SULIS SOUNDTRACK: FESTIVAL OF MUSIC AND SPORT SATURDAY 21 JULY Bath Racecourse, Lansdown, Bath. Tickets available from www.bathboxoffice.org.uk or visit: www.bathmusicplus.co.uk The Sulis Soundtrack Festival features a programme of international headliners including Jools Holland and his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra who recently sold out at the Royal Albert Hall in London, Vintage Trouble, the Matt Schofield Trio and The Skints as well as emerging bands. There will also be an all-day programme of sport activities for families; you can meet leading sportsmen and women and take part in every conceivable type of Olympic sport provided by clubs and coaches from across Bath and North East Somerset. JUNE 2012 | THEBATHMAGAZINE 29

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SUMMERhighlights Friday Night IlluminAir at the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta

WOMAD

Boutique camping at Treefest

STOURHEAD PICNIC AND FIREWORK DISPLAY SATURDAY 21 JULY Stourhead,Warminster, Wiltshire. To book tickets tel: 0844 249 1895 or for more information visit: www.nationalturst.org.uk/stourhead Gather family and friends, pack a picnic and experience the unspoiled beauty of the landscape gardens at Stourhead. Its classical temples will be illuminated by a spectacular firework display during the evening.

WOMAD AT CHARLTON PARK FRIDAY 27 – SUNDAY 29 JULY Charlton Park, Malmesbury, Wiltshire. To book tickets, tel: 0118 960 6060 or for further information, visit: www.womad.co.uk It’s WOMAD’s 30th birthday this year and the incredible international music, arts and dance festival is still growing. WOMAD held its first festival in 1982 at the Bath & West Showground and over the intervening 30 years the Peter Gabriel-fronted organisation has hosted festivals across the globe, from Sicily to Seattle, Adelaide to Abu Dhabi. Held for the sixth time at Charlton Park this year’s festival hosts hundreds of artists including South Africa’s Hugh Masekela and Jamaica’s Jimmy Cliff. There is set to be some fantastic mixing and matching of music, region specific styles will be given new interpretations by artists from around the world.

AUGUST ... BASHAM MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL SATURDAY 4 & SUNDAY 5 AUGUST Manor Farm, Melksham, Wiltshire. Tickets from www.bristolticketshop.co.uk or for more information, visit: www.bashamfestival.com This is a not-for-profit event with all proceeds 30 THEBATHMAGAZINE | JUNE 2012

going to the Dorothy House Hospice Care charity that supports around 700 families affected by cancer and motor neurone disease in Bath, North and West Wiltshire and parts of Somerset. The event promises to be a vibrant fusion of soul, bliss, laughter and music with a vast array of musicians and artists including: Paper Aeroplanes, Alonestar, The Bath Live Art project and Lady Nade and the Silhouettes. There will be a kids arena and workshops to keep the children entertained while you enjoy a drink at one of the themed bars, browse the stalls and eat some great food.

BRISTOL INTERNATIONAL BALLOON FIESTA THURSDAY 9 – SUNDAY 12 AUGUST Ashton Court, Bristol. For further information visit: www.bristolballoonfiesta.co.uk This is Europe’s largest annual hot air balloon event with more than 150 balloons lifting off at 6am and 6pm each day during this fantastic weekend. Nightglow ascents can be enjoyed on Thursday and Saturday evening and there will be more than 250 trade stands, caterers and a variety of entertainment. New for this year is Friday Night IlluminAir in which silence twister airplanes will perform a breathtaking display of aerobatics.

BATH FOLK FESTIVAL MONDAY 13 – SUNDAY 19 AUGUST Various venues across Bath. For further information and to book tickets, tel: 07881 646633 or visit: bathfolkfestival.org This exciting festival returns to Bath for the third year and is cited as one of the most exciting new folk festivals to emerge in the UK, drawing on a mix of internationally acclaimed acts and the wealth of local talent in the south west. It is a grass roots festival run by and for musicians and dancers who are passionate about the rich

cultures presented. This will be an opportunity to not only hear some great music but also an opportunity to learn music with the traditional music summer school. New for this year is the New Shoots competition to help encourage new music – first prize is a day of recording at Real World Studios in Box, Wiltshire.

TREEFEST SATURDAY 25 – MONDAY 27 AUGUST Westonbirt Arboretum, Tetbury, Gloucestershire. To book tickets and for further information visit: www.forestry.gov.uk/westonbirt-treefest Celebrate trees on a grand scale at this festival. There will be family activities to discover the intrepid world of plant hunting, more than 100 exhibitors and expert carvers take inspiration from fairytales and nature to create large wooden sculptures. Live music will ensure a festival atmosphere and local food producers and live cookery demonstrations from celebrity chefs will also entertain. This year Cotswold chef Rob Rees and Charlotte Pike from Go Free Foods will use local, fresh ingredients to create delicious dishes. You can also give traditional camping a miss this year and instead enjoy staying in a boutique tipi or yurt.

THE NATIONAL GARDENING SHOW FRIDAY 31 AUGUST – SUNDAY 2 SEPTEMBER The Royal Bath & West Showground, Shepton Mallet, Somerset. For further information visit: www.bathandwest.com/national-gardening The National Gardening Show is an ideal day out for gardening fans – it showcases the finest in autumn gardening, with lots of features that are unique to the show, advice from experts, and help on how to grow your own plants and vegetables. Whether you’re an experienced gardener or a complete beginner, you will enjoy this event.

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WHAT’Son THEATRE, DANCE & OP ERA – listed by venue

THE TIDES TURN

Volcano, Monday 11 – Saturday 16 June, 7.30pm; Thursday – Saturday, 8pm; matinees: Wednesday, Thursday & Saturday, 2.30pm Jenny Seagrove leads an all star cast in Noël Coward’s undiscovered masterpiece – Volcano. Recently widowed, Adela Shelly finds herself being wooed by the suave and charismatic Guy Littleton, a visitor to her elegant Caribbean house on the side of an island volcano. When Guy’s acid-tongued wife, Melissa, decides to fly in and see off Adela, she doesn’t count on Adela’s best friend, Ellen, also falling for Guy’s charms. As tensions begin to bubble under the surface, so does the volcano and the results are explosive. Written in 1956 this atmospheric drama gives a fascinating insight into the decadent, scandalridden Caribbean lifestyle.

Dancing in the Streets, Monday 18 – Saturday 23 June, 7.30pm; Friday, 5.30pm & 8.30pm; Saturday, 2.30pm & 7.30pm Experience the energy, the excitement and the emotion of Motown in this West End smash hit. Accompanied by an on-stage band and with dancing and costumes, this slick production recreates numerous great acts. Motown was a prominent force in breaking down barriers around the world and was responsible for producing some of the world’s most influential and enduring songs of the 20th century.

The Tempest at The Botanical Gardens, Bath

S h a k e s p e a re i n t h e P a r k

T h e a t re R o y a l

The Botanical Gardens, Royal Victoria Park, Bath. Tickets £7/£5 available on the gate from 6pm.

Sawclose, Bath. Box office tel: 01225 448844. www.theatreroyal.org.uk

The Tempest, Wednesday 27 – Saturday 30 June, 7pm; matinee: Saturday, 3pm

Educating Rita, Monday 4 – Saturday 9 June, 7.30pm; Thursday – Saturday, 8pm; matinees: Wednesday & Saturday, 2.30pm

Bath Drama and The Rondo Theatre Company unite once again to bring you a feast of open air Shakepseare. Director Darian Nelson presents the Bard’s final play, The Tempest with all its ingredients of love, comedy, treachery, revenge and magical spirits. All profits from the performances will be donated to Dorothy House Hospice, so bring a picnic and enjoy a wonderfully uplifting story.

T h e R o n d o T h e a t re Saint Saviour’s Road, Bath. Box office tel: 01225 463362 www.rondotheatre.co.uk

Fertility Objects, Wednesday 20 – Saturday 23 June, 7.30pm This play is the latest from new writing theatre company, Butterfly Psyche, and tells the story of three couples who have broken down on the road to parenthood. With a script by Bathbased playwright Alsion Farin and directed by The Rondo’s intern director Hannah Drake, this is a funny and touching play.

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Matthew Kelly and Claire Sweeney star in Educating Rita, hailed as one of the most iconic plays of recent times and this will be the first time in Bath for nearly 30 years. Educating Rita is the story of the relationship between a feisty Liverpudlian hairdresser and a jaded university professor. Rita has a passion for literature and is intent upon selfimprovement. Frank’s disillusionment with life has driven him to the bottle. As Rita grapples with the trials of education, Frank learns to believe in himself again. Matthew Kelly and Claire Sweeney star in Educating Rita © Catherine Ashmore

Dancing in the Streets

The Lady in the Van, Monday 25 – Saturday 30 June, 7.30pm; Thursday – Saturday, 8pm; matinees: Wednesday, Thursday & Saturday, 2.30pm Nichola McAuliffe stars in this comedy by Alan Bennett. When a decrepit Bedford van grinds to a halt opposite Alan Bennett’s house in Camden Town, little does the writer suspect that its next parking place will be his own garden where its evil-smelling occupant is to remain for a further 15 years. Alan Bennett uses his vivid observations to create a wonderfully funny play.

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WHAT’Son

T h e U s t in o v S t u d i o

Ballet Central

Monmouth Street, Bath. Box office tel: 01225 448844. www.theatreroyal.org.uk

Father’s Day

In The Next Room, Until Saturday 9 June, Monday – Saturday, 7.45pm; matinees: Thursday & Saturday, 2.30pm Showing as part of American season at the Ustinov, this is a provocative, funny, touching and entertaining story about sex, intimacy and equality based on historical fact. In a spa town near New York in the late 19th century enthusiasm for the new electric light bulb is spreading through the homes of the well-to-do citizens. Contains scenes of an adult nature.

J a c k d a w s O p er a Jackdaws Rose Garden, Jackdaws, Great Elm, Frome. Tickets on tel: 01373 812383 or email: music@jackdaws.org.

La Traviata, Saturday 7 July, 7pm Jackdaws, as part of the Frome Festival, brings you Verdi’s masterpiece performed outside in the Rose Garden by the Garden Opera Company. Guests are invited to bring a picnic and enjoy the garden from 6pm before the performance begins at 7pm.

T h e M i s s i o n T h e a t re 32 Corn Street, Bath. For ticket information contact the theatre on tel: 01225 428600 or visit: www.missiontheatre.co.uk

Made in Heaven, Saturday 30 June & Sunday 1 July, 7.45pm The Mark Bruce Company in association with the Tobacco Factory presents Made in Heaven, an intimate and atmospheric production with a cinematic quality. The work has no linear narrative but features a prairie girl who goes on a journey through a surreal landscape and meets a myriad of strange and vibrant characters. The production looks at our relationship with concepts of heaven and hell and our search for nirvana. Made in Heaven

Bombshells, Thursday 14 – Saturday 16 June, 7.30pm

Bath Road, Frome. Box office tel: 01373 465949 www.merlintheatre.co.uk

Ballet Central, Wednesday 13 June, 7.45pm An exciting programme of ballet, contemporary, jazz and narrative dance.

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✭ Celebrate on the day with a barbecue and beer in the garden at Dyrham Park near Bath. Gates open from 10am – 4pm. For further information, tel: 0117 9371330 or visit: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/dyrham-park.

Day Lunch at Ston Easton Park near Bath with a special Father’s Day menu. Dads can enjoy a three-course meal deal of favourites for £10 and if you’re both feeling full afterwards, you can walk it off with a stroll around the beautiful parklands and gardens. Sunday 17 June from noon, for further information tel: 01761 241631 or visit: www.stoneaston.co.uk

Shakespeare’s Othello, Thursday 21 & Friday 22 June, 7.30pm

M er l i n T h e a t r e

It’s a day to show your Father how much you care on Sunday 17 June so we’ve selected a few ways to help you do just that...

✭ Eat, drink and be merry at the Father’s

In unique, touching and unexpectedly funny monologues Joanna Murray-Smith has beautifully captured four very different modern women – the young mother, the baffled divorcee, the bride-to-be and the lonely widow. The production is accompanied by a three-course meal.

Othello’s promotion and decision to make Cassio his number two incenses Iago who plots revenge against the injustice. Othello’s secret marriage to Desdemona has enraged her father, Brabantio, a fact which Iago twists to his own advantage, while plotting to persuade Othello of Desdemona’s infidelity with Cassio. Tickets from Bath Box Office on tel: 01225 463362 or visit: www.bathboxoffice.org.uk.

The Bath Pageant of Motoring will be at Bath Racecourse

✭ The Bath Pageant of Motoring comes

O p e r a S u li s Woodchester Mansion, Woodchester Park, Stonehouse, Gloucestershire. Tickets on tel: 01453 861541 or 07969 225938 www.operasulis.co.uk

Opera at the Mansion, Saturday 7 July, doors open 5pm for performance at 7pm Opera Sulis, a professional vocal ensemble based in Bath, will perform for the first time at the mansion. The programme of opera highlights the history of the mansion including excerpts from Die Fledermaus, Macbeth, Don Giovanni, Faust and the Gilbert and Sullivan opera Ruddigore.

to Bath Racecourse in June so if your dad is a vintage, historic or classic car enthusiast this is a great day out for you to enjoy. Why not snap him behind the wheel in one of the super cars – rides are on offer. This is a charity event organised by The Rotary Club of Bath. Saturday 23, 11am – 5pm & Sunday 24 June, 10am – 4pm. For more information visit: www.bathpageantofmotoring.com

✭ Make the day a roaring success and treat him to a trip to Bristol Zoo Gardens in Clifton, Bristol – dads go free! Sunday 17 June. For further information tel: 0117 974 7300 or visit: www.bristolzoo.org.uk

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WHAT’Son M USI C – listed by date Vocal Works Gospel Choir, Sunday 3 June, 7.30pm Wiltshire Music Centre, Ashley Road, Bradford on Avon. Box office tel: 01225 860100 www.wiltshiremusic.org.uk Vocal Works Gospel Choir have put together a concert in the style of the MTV Unplugged TV series – the band will consist of a grand piano, acoustic bass and percussion. The repertoire will include gospel arrangements of tracks such as Let It Be, Many Rivers to Cross, Next To Me and Purple Rain.

Bath Philharmonia, Tuesday 5 June, 11am Royal Victoria Park, Marlborough Lane, Bath. For further information tel: 0870 2406783 The Bath Philharmonia will perform during the Queen’s Jubilee Picnic in the Park and will feature works from Elgar, Walton and Coates.

Joan Armatrading, Friday 8 June, 7.30pm The Forum, St James Parade, Bath. Tickets from the Bath Box office on tel: 01225 463362 or visit: www.bathboxoffice.org.uk Joan will perform Love and Affection among many other firm favourites and will also showcase songs from her new album.

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Karen Tweed, Thursday 14 June, 8pm The Rondo Theatre, St Saviours Road, Larkhill, Bath. Tickets from the Box office on tel: 01225 463362 or visit: www.rondotheatre.co.uk Karen Tweed tours with her solo accordion show having recently released her latest album Essentially Invisible to the Eye – entirely solo as a departure from her extensive collaborative work. Her music can be seen as songs or stories without words and her playing has been described as mercurial, soulful, effervescent and sensitive.

Opus Anglicanum, Saturday 23 June, 7.30pm Prior Park College, Ralph Allen Drive, Bath. Tickets from the Widcombe Association Box office on tel: 01225 332219 or visit: www.widcombeassociation.org.uk Opus Anglican, a group of five men singing unaccompanied and a narrator, present The Seeds of Love: Adventures in Collecting English Traditional Song and Dance. Arrangements of traditional folk song include works from Vaughan Williams, Butterworth, Sharp and Grainger and stories that evoke the wonder and excitement of the early 20th century collectors of English folk music.

A Handful of Singers, Saturday 30 June, 7.30pm John Wood Chapel, Prior Park College, Bath. Tickets on tel: 01225 311850 or visit: www.ahandfulofsingers.org A Handful of Singers, Bath’s highly acclaimed chamber choir of 20 voices, presents its musical celebration of Shakespeare. This summer will see performances of his work all over the country and the choir’s summer concert programme will feature settings of his songs and sonnets by Shearing, Three Shakespeare Songs by Vaughan Williams and also music in a lighter vein. The concert is taking place in the beautiful setting of Prior Park College and will be followed by drinks on the lawn. A Handful of Singers

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WHAT’Son OTH ER EVENTS – listed by date Super Saturday in Association with The Brandon Trust, Saturday 16 June Bath Racecourse, Lansdown, Bath. Tickets on tel: 01225 424609 or from The Brandon Trust on tel: 0117 9062918 The Brandon Trust which supports those with learning difficulties is sponsoring race day Super Saturday to fundraise. Tickets bought through the trust will be discounted and a donation given to the Bristol charity.

International Polo Test Match & Country Fair, Saturday 16 & Sunday 17 June Beaufort Polo Club, Westonbirt, Tetbury, Gloucestershire. For further information and to book tickets, tel: 01666 880510 or visit: www.beaufortpoloclub.co.uk A thrilling day of polo played at the highest standard in the Audi international test match of England vs. Commonwealth on Saturday. The country fair which runs alongside offers attractions such as dancing sheep, the Ben Long falconry display, morris dancers, Punch & Judy, bungee trampolines and more than 70 trade stands. A VIP ticket includes a stand seat, champagne reception, three-course gourmet wine and lunch, and English tea after the match.

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The Ascot Ladies Day Experience, Thursday 21 June, noon – 6pm

Ballet in the Park, Friday 20 & Saturday 21 July

Bath Racecourse, Lansdown, Bath. £50 per person. For further details tel: 01225 424609 or visit: www.bath-racecourse.co.uk Enjoy an afternoon at Bath Racecourse with delicious food and racing action screened live from Royal Ascot Ladies Day.

Ston Easton Park, near Bath. Tickets available from £115. To book tel: 01761 241631 or visit: www.stoneaston.co.uk An unforgettable evening of world class performance from The Covent Garden Dance Company with special guest star Elena Glurjidze from English National Ballet. The evening includes a Champagne reception, three-course gourmet supper and wine with nine performances throughout.

Midsummer Evening: A Bit of A Do, Friday 22 June, 7.30pm – 1am The Guildhall, High Street, Bath. Tickets £45 on tel: 07939621343 or 07939621747 or visit: www.frankieandblack.co.uk This is an evening of non-stop entertainment in the Guildhall Ballroom. Enjoy welcome drinks and canapés, a live solo performance, dance class, table buffet, bar, live band The Record Collection and a theatrical performance of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Dress up in your finest garb or fancy costume.

Mad Dash 5k, Sunday 1 July Bath Spa University Campus, Bath. For further information and to download your application form visit: www.foreverfriendsappeal.co.uk The Mad Dash 5k aims to raise money for the RUH, Bath Space for Cancer Care campaign. A great way to have fun and raise money.

Ballet in the Park

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Bath@Work Our series of photographic portraits by Neill Menneer shows Bath people at work

Tony Brown AP Memorials n my early years I lived just off Lansdown Road in a rather hidden little area called Wellington Place where I attended Christchurch Infants School. From there I went to Bathwick School and later, after a house move, was a pupil at Moorlands Junior School in Oldfield Park. From a very early age I was interested in art. I passed the exams in art which then enabled me to become a pupil at The Bath Arts Secondary School at Cranwell in Weston. I, like many of my friends who attended the art school admired it greatly. It was housed in a large manor house surrounded by lawns and trees, with an ornate fountain. The house is a little gem, with a lovely carved façade and a grand staircase inside that everyone who studied there will remember. I have always said that if I ever were to be lucky enough to win the Euro lottery I would buy the place – a big ‘if’ I know. Having always had a keen interest in sports, I have represented my schools in swimming and football, but the biggest love of mine since I was a teenager is badminton. I used to play for different local clubs in the Bath league. In earlier years the league had about six divisions, but sadly this has been reduced to one. I play regularly every week and cannot imagine for one moment throwing the towel in – not only that, it’s a very sociable game to play. A few times I have been with friends and family to play paintball, which is a great day out in nearby woodland. I call it men playing as boys being soldiers, I can only say that I am glad they are not real bullets. It’s a pity that the world’s differences couldn’t be settled on a paintball course. I for one would be buying up shares in Dulux. In 1972 I left the art school to serve as an apprentice to become a monumental mason at G Williams Bath. At the same time I studied the setting out and hand carving of Roman lettering at The Sydney Art College in Bath, where I won various awards in letter carving. In 1986 I started my own business, which has enabled me to follow my beliefs and love for my trade. I’ve recently started lecturing on a part time basis at the City of Bath College, to pass on my skills to the young and mature students learning about stone masonry. I have now set up my own school of lettering, Mynis, where students come and join me for a day in my workshop in Green Park Mews to be tutored in the art of letter carving in stone by hand. I moved into the workshop three years ago, it’s got a lot of history, having been built in 1798, and is a listed building. It’s so nice to be back here in Bath after years of operating from workshops in Keynsham and Timsbury, I feel as if I have really come home.

PORTRAIT: Neill Menneer at Spirit Photographic

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ARTSgardens &EXHIBITIONS CITY Julia Trickey, Leaves from trees in the Bath Botanical Gardens

POP UP EXHIBITION

Sam Onyechi, Bowl

Pop Up Gallery 7-9 Lower Borough Walls, Bath. Tel: 07580 801679 www.bathpopupgallery.co.uk

19 June – 31 July

▲ BATH SOCIETY OF BOTANICAL ARTISTS

WIDCOMBE ART TRAIL WEEKEND

Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution Queen Square, Bath. www.bsba.co.uk

This is the fifth show for some core members of a group of local artists who met as mature students at the City College of Bath, and the diversity of work has grown since more local artists have joined them. The artists believe in celebrating community and the environment which manifests itself in recycled and upcycled work on display. Exhibitors include Willa Ashworth, the creator of beautiful metalwork; Sam Onyechi, still an undergraduate who creates jewellery, lampshades, paintings and bowls using plastics and wires and Alexandra de Laszlo, formerly a psychotherapist and now a painter inspired by courage and resourcefulness.

9 June – 4 August In celebration of the 125th anniversary of the Bath Botanical Gardens this exhibition will include 80 paintings of plants in the gardens, produced by members of the Bath Society of Botanical Artists over the last two years.

EDUARDO CHILLIDA Adam Gallery 13 John Street, Bath. Tel: 01225 480406

1 – 15 June

Hilton Fine Art 5 Margarets Buildings, Bath. Tel: 01225 311311 www.hiltonfineart.com

Until 16 June An exhibition of prints from Howard Hodgkin, Kathryn Williams, John Eaves, Gillian Ayers, Celia Cook, Patrick Hughes, Sandra Blow, Gwyther Irwin, John Bellany, Joe Tilson and Craigie Aitchison. Kathryn Williams/John Eaves, Everything Will Be Ok

40 THEBATHMAGAZINE | JUNE 2012

Emma Taylor, Boxing Hares

Eduardo (1924 – 2002) is regarded as one of the 20th century’s great artists and his work is held in many important public collections worldwide. This exhibition showcases his outstanding graphic work. All the works are limited edition, hand signed prints including etchings, lithographs and silkscreens.

Various Venues Widcombe, Bath. Tel: 01225 315491 www.widcombeassociation.org.uk

23 & 24 June This will be Widcombe’s sixth art trail with a wide range of work by 45 artists on show and for sale at 13 venues including studios, homes and pubs. You will be welcomed by the artist who will discuss what they do. As well as work by fine artists and printmakers, there will be exhibitors of photography, sculpture, ceramics, jewellery and textiles. A map of the trail is available from many shops in Widcombe, in various galleries in Bath and from the website.

Eduardo Chillida, Homenaje a Sir Roland Penrose

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ARTS&EXHIBITIONS BRITISH ART & DESIGN

EMMA ROSE & EMMA CHAPMAN

Emma Rose, Himalayan Love Letter

Emma Jeffs, Silk Scarf

Gallery Nine 9b Margarets Buildings, Bath. Tel: 01225 319197 www.gallerynine.co.uk

Until 6 July

POSTCARDS FROM A SMALL ISLAND Beaux Arts 12-13 York Street, Bath. Tel: 01225 464850 www.beauxartsbath.co.uk

▲ The Studio at Knight’s Barn Knight’s Barn, Wellow, Bath. Tel: 01225 837809 www.emmaroseartworks.com www.emmachapmanjewels.com

▲

A mixed exhibition featuring the work of British artists and designers. Unique etched and patinated jewellery from Jenifer Wall; luxuriously wearable jewellery from Ruth Thomlinson; silk scarves from Emma Jeffs; and more.

Emma Chapman

29 & 30 June Artist Emma Rose and jewellery designer Emma Chapman showcase their work – glamourous, opulent jewellery echoing the romance of the East and beautiful semiabstract landscapes and seascapes.

RICHARD BUREL

CATHERINE BEALE, KEITH WISBEY & SALLY GARDINER

Until 16 June New sculpture from Pieter Vanden Daele and porcelain from Olen Hsu alongside work from Akash Bhatt, Andrew Crocker, Nathan Ford, Naomi Frears, Anna Gillespie, Sarah Gillespie, Ben Hartley, Mark Johnston, Bryan Pearce, David Tress, Jason Walker and Conor Walton.

Wheat Paddock Barn Gallery Freshford Lane, Freshford, Bath. Tel: 01225 832156 www.catherinebeale.com

9 & 10, 14 – 17 June

CORINNA BUTTON Bath Contemporary 35 Gay Street, Bath. Tel: 01225 461230 www.bathcontemporary.com

16 June – 7 July A solo exhibition by British painter and print maker Corinna Button. Often combining both media, Corinna’s work has been referred to as lyrical, evocative and intriguing. Textured and rich with layers, her images hold an energy and dynamism that draw the viewer in. Corinna is a member of the Royal Society of Painters and Printmakers and exhibits internationally.

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Richard Burel, Bric a Brac Walcot Street

Victoria Art Gallery By Pulteney Bridge, Bath. Tel: 01225 477233 www.victoriagal.org.uk

Nature is explored through a range of media in this tranquil setting. This is a collaboration between watercolourist Catherine Beale, photographer Keith Wisbey and ceramicist Sally Gardiner. Catherine’s landcapes contain increasingly imagined elements, Keith’s atmospheric black and white images and close-up colour photographs are drawn from the natural world, and Sally creates individually handbuilt farm, wild and domestic animals inspired by a life long interest in animals. The exhibition is showing on two weekends, including the Freshford Village Fete on Saturday 9 June.

Until 1 July Completely self-taught, Richard recreates Georgian streetscapes using a dazzling combination of collage and paint. The mixed media approach enables him to capture the bustle and charm of the local scene, including humorous observations and quirky occurrences that have either amused him or fired his imagination. All the paintings are for sale.

Catherine Beale, The Grove

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WEEKENDescape

HISTORY UNDER BLUE SKIES For the run-up to the anniversary of the D-Day landings in June Nichola Owen took her son to Normandy to explore this picturesque corner of Northern France

hich of us really knows what went on in June 6th 1944 on the beaches of Normandy? Not the kind of knowing as in: ‘The troops stopped the Nazis and saved us from Hitler’ – but really knowing what an incredible feat of valour and intelligence occurred in those dark days of the Second World War. Standing at the water’s edge on Omaha beach, I began to feel and understand that day. From the beach, looking back at the town of Arromanches you can see what those men in open boats faced as they arrived to storm the beaches. You can see how far they had to run, and how exposed they were. History is here under a clear blue sky. And there is a stillness that allows the place to speak for itself. It is pretty, and very poignant. Omaha Beach, 27 miles drive from the port of Caen, is six miles wide and overlooked by cliffs, making it exposed and treacherous to attack. At 6am on D-Day, more than 35,000 men and boy soldiers jumped from boats and waded through the water and charged up the beach, under intense fire, and fought what was to be the deadliest of battles. The beach, as beautiful as it is today, was mined with huge concrete ‘dragons teeth’ designed to take the base out of landing craft. These hulking monoliths stand ruthlessly reminding us of the cruel carnage waged here. We learned at the cliff side Omaha Memorial Museum (www.musee-memorial-omaha.com) that Rommel added his own spice to these by filling them with mines to give them extra bite. My son Luca was interested but not upset, so do not fear that your children will be negatively affected. But they will learn. General Bradley once said about Omaha: “Even now it brings pain to recall what happened there on 6 June 1944. I have returned many times to honour the valiant men who died on that beach. They should never be forgotten. Nor should those who lived to carry the day by the slimmest of margins. Every man who set food on Omaha Beach that day was a hero.” I have Horrible Histories, the BBC children’s show, to thank for our trip. The show has captured Luca’s imagination. He is mad for all things historical and especially anything related to World War II. It is a short ferry trip to Caen and quite a different experience to my last ferry trip when I was on a sixth form jolly and we were all in snow wash denim jackets, frosted lipstick and pointy shoes. It was pretty grotty. Not so today. We sailed overnight with Brittany Ferries, cosy in a spotless cabin. Arriving in the dark early hours and having to drive straight out of the ferry on to French roads is not the easiest start, but it helped my passengers wake up. ‘Keep right. Keep right! Mum, there is a car coming!’ The look on Luca’s face was the same one I saw on the French motorist as I reversed up a slip road. It is the 44 THEBATHMAGAZINE | JUNE 2012

look of fear. But you need a car to visit the beaches of Normandy and ferry travel gives you that option. We began with a trip to Caen Memorial Museum. (www.memorial-caen.fr/portailg) I recommend it for adults but we found other museums more child-friendly. In particular Luca enjoyed the Musée de la Batterie de Merville, MervilleFrancevillee Bataillon, (www.batterie-merville.com). Merveille was a German garrison so large that the English believed it to harbour very heavy guns. They were wrong. The night before DDay, the Brits dropped 400 tons of bombs on the site in readiness for foot soldiers to move in – but failed to damage a single bunker. Foot soldiers marched in and attacked the bunkers and decimated the garrison anyway. The museum allows the kids to have a run around and listen to an ear bashing re-enactment of the bombing accompanied by waxwork soldiers. I challenge you not to shed a tear at some of the films of war veterans. We stayed in an eco lodge at the Cerza game park (www.cerzasafarilodge.com) – who knew that Normandy had a safari park? It’s a treat to visit, charming and a bit old school, but what struck us was that the animals are bigger and more active than any we had seen before. Giraffes playing giraffe tag are a side-splitting sight. The funds are spent on the beasts and not on the signs, so if you want to know what the animals are or where they come from, treat yourselves to a guidebook. The lodges are set around the lake or watering hole and the animals rock up there all day. You can stand and admire them from your deck. Sweeter still were the family of wallabies living under our lodge. We met a family who stay in the park regularly, visiting each day while using it as a base to explore the area. Something I plan to do. I am sold on Normandy now. ■ Portsmouth to Caen with Brittany Ferries, visit: www.brittanyferries.co.uk. Tel: 0871 244 0744. Stay at Cerza Safari Park, www.cerza.com, or tel: 0231621576.

ON THE BEACHES: above, scene of the DDay landings, Asnelles Sur Mer Below: the young historian explores the rusting military hulks left on the sands since the Second World War

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FOODheroes

BREAD AND BUTTER STUFF From humble beginnings with a stall at Green Park Station, Bath’s Thoughtful Bread Company is taking the foodie world by storm. Founder Duncan Glendinning and head baker Patrick Ryan have a new book out to persuade more of us to rise up and bake

f you want to pick up one of the freshly baked loaves made by Bath’s Thoughtful Bread Company and sold from a stall in Green Park Station market you’ll have to get up early – but not as early as bakers Duncan Glendinning and Patrick Ryan who will have risen in the early hours to fire up their clay oven in Radstock to begin baking our daily bread. The proof of the pudding, so to speak, is in the bread itself. It’s simply delicious. No wonder the partners’ sourdough, cheese loaf, nettle and chive and other specialist breads fly off the Green Park stall. But the Thoughtful Bread ethos of ethical, sustainable baking reaches out way beyond its bakery door as it prepares to head a revolution in the way people bake, buy or eat bread. In their new book, Bread Revolution: Rise Up and Bake, Duncan and Patrick explain exactly how to make perfect bread at home. The book is packed with all kinds of recipes, from how to make those specialist loaves, to cheap, cheerful and creative ideas for feeding the family. Tuck into homemade calzone, stuffed with bacon and sausage or with goat’s cheese, pancetta and sweet onion relish, or turn out a batch of moreish Bath buns – all thanks to the easy to follow recipes in the book. Duncan, who is a graduate of the University of Bath, is passionate about using good seasonal ingredients that needn’t cost the earth – in both senses of the expression. He and Irish chef Patrick met in Fiji when Duncan was working there for an ecotourism project and the idea for the Thoughtful Bread Company was born.

For too long we’ve been victims ❝ of tasteless, anonymous, identically shaped characterless boring bread

❞

They have gone on to delight their growing army of customers, but also to win prizes for their food in the Taste of the West awards and to be short-listed for the BCE Environmental Leadershop awards. Duncan was also named as a Food Hero by those doyennes of British home cookery, the judges at Good Housekeeping magazine. Their mission to get us baking is a serious one. In the book’s introduction the pair make a rousing call to arms for us to go back to the centuries-old tradition of making our own bread. Here’s their attack on supermarket bread: “For too long, we have been victims of tasteless, anonymous, identically shaped, characterless boring bread . . . slices and bagged, clone-like forming an orderly queue on the shelves waiting to be taken home to bloat out and carb up another unsuspecting individual.” Because the business was founded on thrift – Duncan and Patrick scavenged as much as they could to open the bakery three years ago – they’re intent on showing us how we can make beautiful bread without it costing a lot of dough. (Writing this piece has made me realise how many bread-based phrases and expressions we use in every day life that are linked to this most essential foodstuff). “Crust to crust, we promise to reveal how every single morsel can be enjoyed,” they pledge. They have recipes that will make you reach for your apron, for instance, there’s an ingenious recipe for nettle and chive bread 46 THEBATHMAGAZINE | JUNE 2012

MEN ON A MISSION: above, the Thoughtful Bread stall at Green Park Station market, and, inset, Duncan Glendinning and Patrick Ryan enjoy foraging for free ingredients

that you can bake in a terracotta flowerpot. The nettles are gathered, wearing gloves, for free and add a great source of iron to the fragrant loaves. There’s even a recipe for making your own butter at home – all you need is double cream, a clean jam jar and cold water. It’s something your kids will want to have a go at and, as with the bread, there are no artificial ingredients, preservatives or other unseen nasties. You may have seen Duncan and Patrick on BBC2 in The Big Bread Experiment when they taught novice, and sometimes reluctant bakers, how to make bread and to market it to their local communities. Catch their enthusiasm by chatting to them, or their team at the Green Park Station stall, or dive into the pages of their book. As they point out, you only need four basic ingredients to make Real Bread – flour, yeast, water and salt. ■ Bread Revolution: Rise Up and Bake by Duncan Glendinning and Patrick is published by Murdoch Books, hardback £17.99.

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ere are many reasons to dine at the

IndIan FIne dInIng

What’s yours! Cocktails 2 for 1 6pm-7pm

The Mint Room Longmead Gospel Hall, Lower Bristol Road, Bath BA2 3EB 01225 446656 • www.themintroom.co.uk • Car parking available

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The Inn at Freshford The Hill, Freshford, BA2 7WG, tel: 01225 722250

REVIEW

PLEASURE IS YOUR DUTY

t is a truth universally acknowledged that if you take exercise you are allowed to eat exactly what you like afterwards, with no guilt attached. Which is why a pleasant morning’s walk stopping at a country pub for lunch, provides the ideal balance of duty and pleasure. We’ve always approached The Inn at Freshford on foot, having walked from Bradford on Avon, along the canal and past Avoncliff, to finish our walk across the meadows at the pub suitably ready for refreshment, but you can reach the pub from different directions. There is a leaflet called The Two Valleys walk, which will give you a three and a half mile round-walk, or you could arrive by car, winding your way through the narrow lanes of Freshford as the pub has a car park. The first thing you’ll notice on entering the bar is that this is still a proper pub. You don’t have to come dressed up, you can bring the kids, a grandparent and even a hound or two and you’ll feel at home. There’s a jar of bone treats for visiting pets and a sign which reads ‘If all else fails, hug the dog.’ Manager Mark Burchall (ex-Francis Hotel) and chef Peter Arrowsmith (ex-Combe Grove Manor) are a good double act for front-of-house and kitchen. Mark and his waiting team of young and friendly staff, make sure everyone is greeted. When the downstairs bar and restaurant area gets too busy there’s an overflow room upstairs, while there are tables in the gardens too. It’s a particularly good spot for watching the parties of walkers heading back and forth across the field footpath on the other side of the river. The Inn stocks a range of real ales, including the locally produced Box Steam Brewery range with delightful names such as Tunnel Vision and Derail Ale. But for our visit my walking companion rewarded himself with a pint of Pitchfork. He remarked that they keep their beers well at the Inn. Meanwhile, I enjoyed a glass of sauvignon blanc. You could just come for a sandwich or a snack, but if you’ve put in the effort walking, then a proper Sunday roast (£11.95) is what you deserve. But first, I fancied a special from the board – seasonal asparagus grilled with hollandaise sauce. This is the taste of summer on a plate, warm, buttery and delicious, the spears perfectly cooked. John tucked in to a hearty plate of

traditional devilled kidneys on toast with a poached egg, which he decided afterwards, would have been sufficient lunch alone. Starters are from around £4.95, while main courses are from £9.95. But we had seen the roast lunches and we were here for the full English Sunday experience. We’d even brought the crossword to tackle after we’d eaten. With rare, roast rib of beef and Yorkshire pud for him, and a massive piece of roast shoulder of lamb with salsa verde for me, both accompanied by good, crispy roast potatoes and vegetables including carrots, red cabbage and broccoli, we were glad we had set aside the time for a leisurely lunch. Some of the other dishes looked good, with a rather tasty venison with celeriac mash catching my eye, and a pie and mash also looking appealing. The portions were all ample enough to satisfy even the long distance walker.

Inset, the Inn serves lunches and an evening menu and Thursday nights are jazz nights Well behaved dogs are welcome

most Brits would like to buy a home near a ❝ pub, viewing the local, along with a church and a shop as the essential cornerstones of the community

❞

A recent survey found that most Brits would like to buy a home near a pub, viewing the local, along with a church and a shop, as the essential cornerstones of the community. But with pubs closing at the rate of a dozen a week at the moment, it’s our solemn duty to support our locals, particularly the country inns which provide us with such a quintessentially British experience. If you’ve got visitors from abroad, I urge you to put a country walk and a visit to a rural inn on their itinerary. As we lazily eyed up the solutions to two down and three across, I found space for a light and tangy lemon tart with a scoop of Marshfield vanilla ice cream. Puddings are from £4.95. And, as we emerged into the sunshine at this most delightful spot, it was all, we agreed, the ideal way to spend a Sunday. ■ GMc

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A WALKER’S OASIS: main picture, the Inn at Freshford looks out over the riverside meadows

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Bitesized news

■ The very affable, very charming M. Richard Bertinet will be making a personal appearance at Topping & Co bookshop in The Paragon, on Wednesday 13 June, to talk about his new book, Pastry. The French baker continues to go from strength to strength. He runs a successful cookery school in the city and has recently opened a bakery shop and cafe. Toppings is offering £10 off the price of the new book to people who pre-book £10 tickets for the evening, which begins at 7.45pm. ■ Some of the city’s best chefs will be holding free demonstrations of their art as part of the Flavours of the West foodie festival at Milsom Place over the weekend of 30 June and 1 July. The Octagon, just off Milsom Street, will become a food theatre, seating around 200 people. From 11am on the Saturday, when Hywel Jones, head chef at Lucknam Park Hotel, will be demonstrating the skills that show why he’s won a Michelin star, audiences will be treated to demos from Rachel Demuth, Charlie Digney of the King William pub, Nick Brodie of the Olive Tree at the Queensberry throughout the weekend. Look out for times on boards around the festival. ■ We’ve all heard of organic wine, but how many of us know what natural wine is? Bath pubs The King William and Garrick’s Head have started serving natural wines, in keeping with their ethos of fresh, locally and ethically produced offerings for customers. Small winemakers are turning away from modern, large scale production techniques in favour of a more holistic approach. This means that each barrel of wine is a unique, artisanal product, with distinctive flavours and a limited production run. The grapes are harvested by hand, an approach that follows through the production process. Once the grapes have made it to the winery they are manually crushed and fermentation is allowed to occur naturally with indigenous yeasts. To introduce these wines the King William will be holding a tasting evening at 7.30pm on Tuesday 19 June when they will guide people through the wines and offer some tasty food too. Attendance is by ticket. To book tickets, which are £10 email: info@kingwilliampub.com or tel: Emily on 01225 428 096.

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MARY QUEEN OF CAKES

oyenne of cake making and former Bath girl, Mary Berry paid a visit to her old home city as special guest at a reception marking the launch of Age UK Bath and North East Somerset. The food writer and judge of BBC Two’s The Great British Bake Off, joined the celebrations for the re-branding of one of the city’s leading charities which works with older people. Mary, who at 77 is an excellent role model, for mature women, was invited to cut a cake in Age UK colours made by Sarah Howe of Cutest Cakes. Brasserie Blanc provided the venue along with coffee and champagne. The event also included speeches by Janet Dabbs, who is chief executive of Age UK B&NES. She outlined the change in services offered by the charity. The Mayor of Bath, Bryan Chalker, was among the guests

GUEST OF HONOUR: Mary Berry cuts the cake to mark the launch of Age UK – and yes, she did check that the cake’s bottom wasn’t soggy

and supporters of the charity with representatives from business, health and social care and community groups. Local charity Age Concern Bath and North East Somerset has joined the Age UK federation following the merger of national Age Concern with Help the Aged.

Age UK Bath and North East Somerset Chief Executive Janet Dabbs said: “This was a huge honour for us. The switch to Age UK is a shift towards a more positive approach to later life and Mary represents exactly that. “We couldn’t have had a more appropriate guest.”

Country hotel in the city carries off top prize The Bath Priory Hotel has been named Best Small Hotel in a national competition. The hotel, which is owned by Andrew and Christina Brownsword, had already picked up gold awards in the south west awards and Taste of the West, before picking up the big prize in the Visit England Awards for Excellence. Some of England’s best tourism businesses competed in the awards and the winners were announced at an award ceremony held against the stylish backdrop of the Art Deco hotel Athena in Leicester. The Priory is an elegant English country house style hotel, with its collection of original artwork and award-winning dining, with head chef Sam Moody and executive chef Michael Caines MBE regularly picking up accolades for their cuisine. We’re a little bit proud too at The Bath Magazine as our knowledgable gardening writer Jane Moore, is the head gardener at the Priory. The grounds are beautifully planted and enjoyed SANCTUARY: the four acres of garden at The Priory are by locals and hotel guests. overseen by head gardener Jane Moore

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Local cheese loaf

The Thoughtful Bread Company’s Local Cheese Loaf is made using classic Cheddar made just down the road from Bath. As they say, ”it would be downright rude not to use this world famous cheese.” Makes two small (400g or 1lb) loaves

Ingredients: 500g (1lb 2oz) strong white bread flour 10g (2tsp) fine sea salt 10g (2tsp) golden caster sugar 100g (3½oz) grated strong local cheese 10g (2tsp) fresh yeast or 7g (1½tsp) dried or fast action yeast 300ml (10½ fluid oz) water

Method: 1. Combine the flour with the salt, sugar and grated cheese in a bowl and make a well in the centre. Crumble the yeast into the water and stir to dissolve. Pour the yeasted water into the well and bring together into a dough with your hands or using a spatula. 2. Turn the dough out on to a clean kitchen surface and knead for ten minutes or until you achieve the windowpane effect (when you hold the stretched dough up to the light and it’s thin enough to differentiate between light and dark). Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth and allow to prove for about 60 minutes or until it has doubled in size. 3. Turn the dough out on to a clean surface and knock it back, then allow it to rest for about five minutes. Divide the rested dough into two equal portions. Shape into two nice ball loaves and place on a baking tray, allowing enough space so that the loaves will not touch while proving. Cover them with a damp cloth and allow to prove for another 60 minutes. They should double in size. 4. Preheat the oven to 220C (425F/Gas 7) and put a roasting tray in the bottom. When ready to bake, place the loaves in the oven and steam by adding ice cubes or cold water to the tray. After about 15 minutes reduce the oven temperature to 190C (375F/Gas 5), as the cheese in the dough will naturally caramelise quite quickly. Continue baking for a further 15 to 20 minutes until golden and the base of the loaf sounds hollow when tapped.

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Enjoy the tranquillity of the Kennet and Avon Canal, on the oldest electric launch in existence.

REVIEW

FRONT ROW SEATS e’re spoilt in Bath for the number of independent restuarants and gastro pubs offering great food and service. One such venue is Gascoyne Place – part restaurant, part bar. The intimate candlelit tables with a view of the Theatre Royal ensured a romantic meal for two and gave my partner and I the sense of being at the cultural heart of Bath. A bottle of white Argentinian wine, La Linda Viognier, 2010, (£19.50 a bottle or £5, 175ml glass), was recommended by the waitress while we perused the wine list. We were pleased we accepted her choice, as it was light and crisp with notes of orchid and apricot. Starters ranged from £5.50 to £7.50, I enjoyed melt-in-the-mouth salmon with fennel remoulade and beetroot puree (£7) and my partner tucked in to potted salt beef with watercress pesto and toasted sourdough (£7.50), although the River Exe mussels served with west country cider and herb cream (£7.50) were also tempting as a choice among the starters. Gascoyne Place offers a contemporary British menu (despite its French name) which changes daily according to what head chef, Ross Shaw, has locally sourced. Main courses were between £11 and £20. My partner happily polished off his dish of succulent pork fillet, pork belly, black pudding and roasted new potatoes with a sweet parsnip puree (£14.50) and I enjoyed a tender rump of lamb with Boulangere potatoes and chorizo, served with a tomato and vegetable broth (£14). The portions were such that there was still room for pudding (which is always a plus for me) and we happily finished with a dark chocolate brownie with rum and raisin ice cream (£6.50) and a Bramley apple and pear compote with granola crumble and crème fraiche ice cream (£6.50). There is a pre-theatre menu served between 5.30pm and 7pm with two courses priced at £13.50 or three for £17 and live jazz every Sunday at Gascoyne Place. This is a peaceful haven to eat, drink and chat while watching this little corner of Bath go by. ■ RP Gascoyne Place, 1 Saw Close, Bath BA1 EY, tel: 01225 445854

Built in 1890, Lady Lena is believed to be the oldest electric launch in existence and still powered by electric. If you are looking for something truly memorable or unique, private charter of this magnificent historic boat is ideal for up to 10 people, year round. journey anywhere from Bath to the beautiful Limpley Stoke Valley • trips tailored to your own needs • complimentary glass of champagne on arrival • bring your own picnic or our caterer can provide • cream teas available to find out more about Lady Lena tel: Jenkyn: 07963 834828 Helen: 07791 511611 01225 834250

www.ladylena.co.uk

Tasting Room Café/Bar

Celebrate strawberry season To make the most of the British strawberry season chefs Rachel Demuth and Jo Ingleby from Bath’s Vegetarian Cookery School will be at Green Park Station as part of the Love Food Festival on Sunday 10 June. The two vegetarian pioneers will be showing visitors how to make three flavoured home-made syrups, to go with three lovely strawberry recipes. The food market will be stocked with local produce, including Womersley Food’s award-winning botanically enthused fruit vinegars, teas and tisanes by Sherston Tea and Bath’s very own Paxton and Whitfield. There will also be selection of homemade ice creams made from west country cream, cakes, fudge and sticky toffee puddings. The festival begins at 10.30am and will allow visitors all-day grazing, along with the chance to sample local ales and ciders, English bubbly, fruit wines, homemade lemonade and Venetian iced coffee. Enjoy some street food with Italian pizzas, Mission Burrito, hot dogs, goat curry and Jamaican jerk chicken, paella made with fresh Cornish fish, Thai coconut curries, fresh mackerel and the colourful Love Love Express, inspired by the vegetarian and vegan foods of Kolkata’s streets.

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Breakfast / Coffee / Tapas / Lunch Dinner / Wine Merchant / Wine Tasting 3 Tapas dishes for £10.00 1st Floor café bar serving outside terrace Sunday brunch from 10.30am Two course £11.95 Sunday lunch served from midday Pre-theatre Two courses from £11.95 Three courses for £14. Tuesday-Saturday 17.00 - 19.00hrs 6 Green Street, Bath BA1 2JY • 01225 483 070

www.tastingroom.co.uk

Book a Wine or Whisky tasting

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CREATIVEcity

CREATING THE WRITE STUFF A university course in Bath for aspiring novelists is spawning a series of successful published authors. Martin Phillips looks at the students who are writing themselves a bright future

spiring writers can become frustratingly accustomed to the plop of rejection letters landing on their doormats and often spend a lifetime seeking recognition of their creative labour through publication. But having seen her first ever attempt at writing at the age of 50 immediately long listed for the Orange Prize, Bath novelist Patricia Wastvedt’s latest book, The German Boy, has now been chosen by Sainsbury’s Book Club as its June Book of the Month and featured by WH Smith Travel shops as a recommended read. The German Boy begins in 1947 on a rain-swept Yorkshire platform where a woman waits to meet a German teenager dressed in threadbare remnants of a Hitler Youth uniform – the son of her dead sister. In part the book drew inspiration from letters to Paricia’s mother, Joyce, from German penfriends in the years immediately prior to the outbreak of war, the majority from 14-year-old Gerda Bohlig in Hamburg a member of the Hitler Youth. Fascinating historical documents in themselves, they bring to life the touching normality of life for an ordinary, happy teenager in pre-war Germany during that momentous time, but are interlaced with a sense of foreboding through absorbing glimpses of how Hitler insinuated himself into the lives of young Germans and the reverence with which he was held by them. Gerda’s letters are largely and happily preoccupied with those interests you might expect of a young teen. School features often, as do holidays with her family and she shows a particular interest in film stars of the era. She is a keen fan of Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald, along with a popular Austrian actor, Wolf Albach Retty. Her favourite is American actor Robert Taylor, star of the war-time weepie Waterloo Bridge: “I have nearly 30 pictures and nine postcards of him,” she writes, “they are hanging around my bed.” Many of her letters contain details of activities with “der

56 THEBATHMAGAZINE | JUNE 2012

Hitlerjugend”. She proudly announces that, when 14, she became a Deutsche Mädel in the Hitler Youth on the occasion of “our Fuhrer Adolph Hitler’s birthday on 20 April.” In another letter she replies to Joyce’s questions with a pencil drawing of herself in full uniform along with a description: “Our outfit consists of a blue skirt, a white blouse, tie knots and a climbing vest (brown) and in winter we wear brown mittens and a blue cap.” She also draws a picture of her insignia – a diamond shaped badge with a swastika at its centre. She spent two evenings with the Hitler Youth either doing gymnastics or “we discuss the life of the Fuhrer and do crafts.” In a letter dated 7 May 1938 she excitedly informs Joyce: “Yesterday our Fuhrer was in Hamburg and I have seen him. And we were all very happy.” Gerda’s most poignant letter is the penultimate dated 12 November 1938. “All Germans were glad as you,” she writes in her best schoolgirl English, “that there is not going to be a war, that peace had kept.” Then she cheerfully switches to discussing Disney’s film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. She refers to the Munich Agreement signed a month or so earlier, when war was to be averted by conceding to German demands to annexe the Sudetenland. As history now records, that optimism was short-lived. As Germany’s second city, Hamburg was subjected to bombing throughout the war but between 24 July and 3 August 1943 it was particularly hard hit, with more than half the city’s residential districts destroyed along with many public buildings. Gerda’s home was near the centre, west of Der Alster and a few kilometres north of the port – an area which would have borne the brunt of the destruction. Casualties from the bombing and the ensuing firestorm were estimated at 45,000 dead with a similar number injured. Tricia is a product of Bath Spa University’s acclaimed Creative Writing MA course. She wrote her first novel, The River while an undergraduate and, following completion of her Masters, became a tutor on the course, helping other aspiring novelists

HONING HER CRAFT: main picture, writer and tutor Patricia Wastvedt at the Bath Spa University’s Corsham Court campus Top right, the letters from a German penfriend at the outbreak of the Second World War to Tricia’s mother in the UK inspired her novel The German Boy

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hone their craft. The course has become pre-eminent in its field, producing a continuous stream of published writers. In recent years the course director, Richard Kerridge, has been able to announce an astonishing list of successes gained by current or former students. Since 2009 14 novels have been published, with two longlisted for the Man Booker Prize, three for the Orange, one for the Costa Prize and one for the Guardian First Book Award. The latest success story is Candida Harper, a graduate from the MA for writing for young people course, whose hard work and talent has been rewarded with two two-book deals with Simon & Shuster’s children’s section. The Disappeared, set in a future when children are institutionalised, will be published in February under the name CJ Harper, while another book, Have A Little Faith, is being brought out in May under the by-line Candy Harper. Other names from the Bath Spa who have gone on to success include Sally Nicholls, who won Waterstones’ Children’s Book of the Year in 2008 for Ways to Live Forever, and Gill Lewis, whose

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book Shy Hawk has been short-listed for various prizes. So what is it about the course that has made it so effective in producing publishable writers? As someone who rose through the ranks, Tricia is ideally placed to offer some comments. She said: “First and foremost I had a wonderfully supportive and encouraging tutor. I feel that the process of teaching via small workshops is incredibly effective. And the fact that the lecturers are themselves published writers as well as experienced tutors means that students benefit from a mix of theoretical teaching and very practical coaching.” The university also has an eye on the commercial aspects of writing, fostering close and long standing links with both agents and publishers. Each MA group produces an anthology each year containing extracts from all the students’ work which they formally launch at an event in London. And such is the reputation of the course for producing polished writers that it’s always well attended by both agents and publishers on the look-out for the next new writer to come out of the Bath Spa stable. ■

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CITYpeople

News in brief ■ Bath Racecourse has appointed Kate Cook as marketing & PR executive. She joins the team from tourist attraction Brunel’s ss Great Britain in Bristol. Kate, who lives in Bristol played a key role in the ss Great Britain’s 40th anniversary marketing campaign that saw record numbers visit the ship in 2010. Bath Racecourse’s general manager, Jo Hall, said: “I’m thrilled to welcome Kate on board, no doubt she will be a great addition to the team, and an invaluable asset in growing our racing and event businesses.” ■ Individuals and Bath businesses dug deep in their pockets to support a charity auction at Hall & Woodhouse which raised more than £14,500 for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust and The Lifetime Children’s Trust. The auction was organised by Fiona Masud, whose two year old daughter Saira-Jane has cystic fibrosis. Saira-Jane has received help and support from both the charities, which is what inspired her mother to organise this event. ■ Congratulations to Bath’s Mr Music, Grenville Jones, founder of the Golden Oldies singing charity, who was asked to represent the Big Lottery Jubilee People’s Millions at the Queen’s Jubilee Garden Party at Buckingham Palace. Grenville took with him Tessa Cox, who lives near Bath, as she has written a Jubilee song, Diamond Day, which Bath schoolchildren are learning. The pair were singled out for a chat with the Queen and Grenville said afterwards: “She was so gracious. What a huge honour.” ■ Dragons’ Den’s Theo Paphitis is the backing behind a new lingerie boutique which has opened in SouthGate, Bath. Boux Avenue, whose models include Strictly star and professional dancer Ola Jordan, pictured, is the 12th branch of the chain. Boux Avenue stocks underwear in sizes 8 to 20 and in bra sizes 30A to 40H. The shop also sells pyjamas, bikinis and accessories.

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COMMUNITY AWARDS: the judges for the Bath Building Society awards, including outgoing Mayor Bryan Chalker, Dick Jenkins, chief executive at Bath Building Society; Ralph Oswick and Nick Steel both of Widcombe

Building society at the heart of city If it weren’t for the community-minded businesses and private sponsors who lend money and support to all kinds of events in Bath, the rest of us wouldn’t be able to enjoy them. Bath Building Society is one such donor, which has launched its annual charity grant awards scheme. Local groups have until 11 June to submit their applications via www.bathbuildingsociety.co.uk for a share in the £5,000 pot. In addition to cash grants the building society gives away free hot air balloon flights which local charities and groups can then

raffle to raise more funds. Ralph Oswick, organiser of the community event, Widcombe Rising, said: “Widcombe Rising – which takes place on Sunday 17 June this year – is one of the biggest street parties; this family fun day in June fills our streets with fun, food and frolics and really brings the community together. This year’s theme is the Olympics.” He added that thanks to building society money Widcombe Rising will be able to have a children’s creative corner at this year’s event.

Property finders expand south west service Garrington Property Finders has joined forces with Bristol and Bath property expert Mark Gedye to serve clients in Bath, Somerset and Bristol. A new office in Bristol provides a comprehensive service to source, negotiate and secure residential properties for buyers in the area. The same level of service is offered to investors looking to develop their property portfolio in Bristol and Bath and those looking to rent in the area. Mark Gedye, who grew up in the west country, said: “With low levels of property entering the local

market, demand from buyers for property finding services has been steadily rising in the region over recent years. Property finding services are particularly beneficial to buyers from outside the area or overseas investors, but can also be of considerable value to local buyers who have equal pressures on their time and/or are frustrated with the progress they are making in their search to secure the property they want.” To find out more about Garrington, visit: www.garrington.co.uk or contact Mark Gedye directly on tel: 0117 214 0165.

Look out for lawyers in Lycra Training is underway for a team of cyclists from Bath solicitors Mogers who are tackling the Bike Bath challenge this month to raise money for charity. Bike Bath is a new cycling event and takes place over the weekend of 22-24 June, offering 30, 60 and 100 mile rides leaving from and returning to the centre of the city. The Queen Square-based team is taking part in the 30 and 60 mile rides as part of fund-raising for its chosen charity for 2012, the Bath Rugby Foundation. Steven Treharne, managing partner, said: “We’re taking part because it is good for team camaraderie, there are obvious health benefits to help counter our sedentary desk based work environment.

“We are used to operating at a high performance level in our day jobs but there is a real sense of achievement in training and completing challenging rides together bearing in mind we are all novice cyclists, we only started cycling this year. “There is a real buzz in the firm with many of us having dusted down our old bikes to participate.” Tom Webb, head of commercial team, added: “Not only has the training for the Bike Bath challenge allowed us to support our chosen local charity, The Bath Rugby Foundation, but it has also been a great team building exercise internally with up to ten of us heading out each week for training rides in what’s been dubbed internally as The Mogers Peloton.”

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ADV ERT OR I AL FEATURE

LEASEHOLD PROBLEMS? Robin Phillips, Head of Residential Property at Mowbray Woodwards Solicitors, talks about the potential complications which come with owning a leasehold property and how you can overcome them.

orking in Bath as a property solicitor, I see on a daily basis estate agents’ particulars of beautiful leasehold flats created from the conversion of Georgian listed buildings. Owning a leasehold property can however bring with it a number of difficulties. The main complaint is normally where the freehold of the building is owned by a third party who is not one of the leaseholders of the flats. This can lead to a number of problems with short leases, expensive management fees, lack of control of management of the building, outdated leases and disputes with the freeholder. Buying your freehold Buying the freehold of the building is a possible solution to these issues. As a leaseholder of a flat you have a statutory right to buy the freehold, together with other leaseholders, in a process known as Collective Enfranchisement. There are certain criteria that must be met before you can apply to the freeholder for purchase of the freehold and they are broadly as follows: • the flats are contained in a self-contained building or part of the building; • not more than 25% of the building is nonresidential; • two or more flats are held by qualifying leaseholders; • the total number of flats held by those leaseholders is not less than two thirds of the total number of flats; • participating leaseholders must be those of flats comprising not less than 50% of the total number of flats at the date of service of the notice. If you can satisfy the above criteria, then the matter can proceed by serving an initial notice on the freeholder. This starts a process, and timetable, where ultimately if no agreement can be reached, the matter can be resolved by a Leasehold Valuation Tribunal. Happily this is only for a minority of cases as the costs of pursuing matters before the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal usually exceed the sums in issue, and this encourages both sides to take a practical, economic view of the situation and settle the matter. You should always start off at the outset with a proper valuation from an experienced valuer so WWW.THEBATHMAGAZINE.CO.UK

that you can calculate the likely costs of the freehold and obtain an estimate as to the likely legal costs of pursuing matters. You will need to bear in mind that you will be liable for the reasonable costs of the freeholder (legal and valuation) in addition to your own.

discussions with the freeholder or by serving notice, or a combination of the both.

It is generally preferable to approach the freeholder on an informal basis and see if agreement can be reached prior to serving any initial notice. If you can reach an informal agreement it is usually a quicker and cheaper method of dealing with matters. There is no guarantee however that agreement can be reached, and you may just end up wasting time. Some freeholders have a policy of not entering into any discussions prior to an initial notice being served.

Whether you buy the freehold or extend your lease, the statutory process can be slow and expensive. You should always obtain specialist legal advice from a solicitor and valuer experienced in dealing with such matters to avoid some common pitfalls.

What are the benefits? Assuming that you are able to purchase the freehold either voluntarily or compulsorily one of the main benefits is that you are able to extend or modernise your lease. Short leases can be extended then to 999 year leases and obsolete leases can be modernised to make them saleable or mortgageable. Short leases will be less valuable, and some lenders will be hesitant to lend upon them as the period of unexpired lease gets shorter. This can be a problem when it comes to selling or remortgaging. An extended lease can also add value to your property.

Again if matters cannot be agreed then the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal can rule as a last resort, but this is only in a small number of cases.

At Mowbray Woodwards we have developed a specialism for dealing with such matters acting for freeholders and leaseholders, and we would be happy to talk to you individually or to a group of flat owners on a no obligation basis to help you decide whether it is a process that you wish to undertake. For further information please contact Robin Phillips, Head of Residential Property at Mowbray Woodwards Solicitors, on 01225 485700 or via email at arp@mowbraywoodwards.co.uk

If however you cannot get sufficient numbers of people to participate in a Collective Enfranchisement process, or for various reasons you are not interested in so doing then there is an alternative statutory right to extend your lease. Extending your lease If you are considering extending your lease, there are a number of legal requirements that must be met. The most significant are as follows:

Robin Phillips, Head of Residential Property at Mowbray Woodwards Solicitors

• you must hold property on a long lease; • the property must be a flat; • you must have owned the lease for a period of two years prior to the service of the notice. Exercising the right enables you to extend your lease by a further term of 90 years at a peppercorn rent. As with Collective Enfranchisement the matter can be initiated by

Mowbray Woodwards Solicitors, 3 Queen Square, Bath BA1 2HG www.mowbraywoodwards.co.uk JUNE 2012 | THEBATHMAGAZINE 59

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YOURfuture

Monahans Celebrate Success

Already it is a new tax year and Roger Perry of Monahans Financial Services Ltd pauses for breath to reflect on a very successful few months for the firm. The funds invested with Monahans Financial Services Ltd over the last 3 years have now passed the £100 million mark and we are managing this for our clients on our Wealth Management platform. This is a relatively new service and has grown rapidly as people recognise the impressive returns and low volatility it has provided compared to the FTSE 100 index. The use of highly diversified investment portfolios, constant monitoring of their performance by our investment committee and regular rebalancing have all played an import role in this success despite difficult market conditions. In addition to this, we have won a number of industry awards and nominations culminating in Gill Perry being presented with Technical Manager of the Year at the Money Marketing Financial Services awards in London and Laura Randall being honored with the Charity Champion award, at the prestigious Professional Adviser awards, for her fundraising activities for Monahans.

Getting back into employment or returning to work after redundancy, can be quite a daunting prospect. Here at Pitman Training Bath, we’re on hand to support YOU all the way. We offer:

These awards are a reflection of the quality of people we employ and ensure our clients receive the best service possible, along with advice that helps them to meet their financial objectives. If you would like a no obligation discussion about how Monahans Financial Services Ltd could help you to achieve more from your investments, call Roger Perry on (01225) 785570 or email him at roger.perry@monahans-fsl.co.uk

www.monahans-fsl.co.uk

■ flexible training you can fit around work and family commitments ■ confidence that you’re one step closer to your dream job or new career ■ the widely respected Pitman Training name on your CV ■ the skills in demand by local employers

Get the Pitman Advantage™

Thousands of people have successfully undertaken Pitman Training programmes; they’ve progressed their careers, raised their salaries and broadened their horizons as a result. Have a read and watch the videos on our website (Case Studies) to discover more about - Why Pitman Training is the best you can get. Monahans Financial Services Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.

60 THEBATHMAGAZINE | JUNE 2012

www.pitman-training.com

tel 01225 462 066

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BUSINESSmatters

ADV ERT OR I AL F EATURE

SURVIVING THE RECOVERY!

During the slow recovery we are expecting a wave of post recession insolvencies if past trends are repeated. It is important therefore to ensure that your business is fit enough to survive not just the recession but the recovery as well so it can take advantage of the potential increase in business when it comes. There are a number of things that can be done to ensure that you are well placed as we continue on the road to recovery.

e all know how hard it is in most cases to do business at the moment and with our experience of working with businesses of all shapes and sizes we witness the common issues that relate to unsuccessful and sometimes sadly, failed enterprises. Although we think that the world is a much different place to the last recession in the early nineties there will be lessons learnt from that period with the maintenance of low interest rates being the largest contrast and one of the main reasons that we have not had the number of property possessions or business failures as 20 years ago, when one insolvency practitioner was heard to quip that the main thing in common with the cases he was dealing with was a 7 Series BMW. Business is much more prudent now but it is still important to check that your business is not making any of the fundamental mistakes that do seem to be common in business casualties. As accountants we have a responsibility to keep our clients out of trouble and we need to be proactive as far as possible and clients must not think that they only need to see their accountant once a year with the annual report and accounts. Although we have no magic wand we do have experience of most of the problems facing clients and have the tools to offer advice and prepare figures or documents for banks or investors. We are able to stand back and take a dispassionate view of a business and suggest moves to improve prospects in the short and longer term. We list below a number of fundamental areas where attention may be needed: Records It is essential, even in good times, to have a robust and up to date record keeping system. This needs to record all the transactions and be balanced regularly. It will be the case that a large proportion of business failures will have WWW.THEBATHMAGAZINE.CO.UK

poor records. From those records will need to flow regular and accurate management accounts. It simply is not possible to always make the best business decisions based on ‘gut feel’. Forecasts These should be prepared using realistic data and assumptions and should be subjected to sensitivity analysis. They can then form a benchmark for comparison and even more importantly project cash flow requirements. For this last reason they need to be considered on a day to day basis with a rolling monthly forecast constantly updated.

and focus on for example the best margin business that gives the best profit and cash flow outcome. Look for unprofitable elements in the business and take action to deal with this. Communication with Funders Banks and other financial institutions do not like shocks and although one is reluctant to pass on any bad news it is better to do so as soon as it is recognised as it is unlikely to go away and it allows time to sort out a solution. Staff and business team Try and involve staff in cost cutting measures; do this both at the planning and execution stage. Staff can often see things at a different “hands on” angle and of course they are more likely to “buy into” changes where they have been involved from the outset. Marketing It is important to focus as much on marketing in recessionary times as in good times. Even though management’s mind might be on survival, it is those who can have an eye on marketing who will be best placed to take advantage of what business there is in quiet times.

Derek Swift and Mike Richardson Credit Control Regularly consider aged debtor lists and do not be afraid to take legal action once you have threatened to do so. Having said that it is important to ensure that customers understand your terms and conditions and that you politely but firmly apply them. Care should also be taken with new customers and credit checks need to be taken but be aware that some of these can be excessively negative these days. Understand the Business’ key financial measures Make sure that you and management understand which financial measures are critical and monitor them regularly. Take early action

Take early advice Finally, it goes without saying that the sooner issues are faced up to and advice taken, the better and we as accountants are best placed to help. If you would like to discuss any issues relating to your business please contact Derek, Jon or Mike on 01225 325580 or email info@richardsonswift.co.uk

www.richardsonswift.co.uk 11 Laura Place, Bath BA2 4BL. 01225 325 580 JUNE 2012 | THEBATHMAGAZINE 61

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IF YOUR FRIDGE COULD TALK Lindsey Harrad explores how the Internet of Things, being developed in Bath, enables household objects to improve our quality of life by sharing information and acting on it

magine walking through your front door after work to find the heating on to the perfect ambient temperature, your music already playing on the iPod, and the weekly grocery shop waiting for you – without any effort on your part. You go upstairs to find a hot bath already running, there’s a film ready to go on the TV, and the fridge has selected the perfect wine to go with tonight’s menu. This has been arranged by your house, in which your household machines ‘talk’ to each other and manage your home with little human intervention. The term Internet of Things was first used in 1999, and refers to the concept of inanimate objects being able to wirelessly communicate and share data. But if objects could talk, what would they say? Dr Rachid Hourizi, from the University of Bath, says: “We are interested in using the Internet of Things to make people’s lives easier. While the internet connects people via devices such as their computer, the Internet of Things allows objects to be connected directly to each other.” While it’s currently possible to arrange a grocery delivery online and arrive home to find it waiting for you, this still requires your initiative to order the correct foods and book the delivery. However, in the future, your fridge could talk to the milk carton, the carton reports itself empty, so the fridge orders milk – without involving you at all. The idea that an entire layer of household management could be taken off our hands is appealing, but isn’t there a danger in making our machines too intelligent? We’ve all seen how our personal connectivity has increased enormously by using social media – but are we going to see our fridges creating their own network and chatting with each other on ‘Fritter’ in the next few years? It’s easy to imagine what could go wrong with the scenario above. What happens if you’re going on holiday and the fridge orders milk you don’t need? Or you’re half an hour late from work and the bath floods the house? “The Internet of Things exists in the context of human activity,” says Rachid. “You will have programmed the fridge based on your own set of rules, it’s not generating instructions independently, so you can tell your fridge if you’re going on holiday. Or you can tell your house, which controls everything. Your car would also be part of the network, so the heating doesn’t come on until the car updates the house that you are 20 minutes from home.” The concept of a smart house is nothing new and already 62 THEBATHMAGAZINE | JUNE 2012

exists to some extent at the luxury end of the market. But while the Internet of Things clearly offers great potential in fun, luxury devices and services, the applications for improving human welfare are even more valuable, and a team in Bath is at the forefront of this research. Rachid, along with Dr Eamonn O’Neill, both researchers in the Computer Science department team at the University of Bath, are collaborating with commercial partners to explore the potential of the Internet of Things and determine the basis for creating a mechanism that could allow information to be safely and productively shared. The project has received £50,000 from the Technology Strategy Board (TSB), the UK’s innovation agency. Rachid explains: “What our team is focusing on is learning how to do things we can’t practically do right now – such as seamless data sharing between large organisations – because of problems such as the limitations of existing computer hardware and privacy issues.”

your fridge could talk to the milk carton, the ❝ carton reports itself empty so the fridge orders milk – without involving you at all ❞ “We are using an extreme weather event as an example, and discovering how the Met Office, the police and emergency services, councils and the public might share information more easily to manage an emergency situation.” So, if a heavy snowfall is predicted by the Met Office, the police could be updated in anticipation of a rise in road accidents, hospitals could be primed to expect more incidents, and councils could send out the gritters. This kind of information sharing already happens to some extent, but the team is looking at how data sharing could extend beyond local networks and create a larger infrastructure. “We don’t have an Internet of Things yet, we only have an idea of the Internet of Things,” says Rachid. “But we expect to see a gradual evolution of applications over the coming years and we need to design devices that allow people to do what they want to do, without handing over power or control to our machines and removing the very important element of human choice and spontaneity.” ■

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Is your mortgage lender following the trend? I Sara Whitbread, Senior Mortgage Consultant, Jelf Financial Planning

n recent months, mortgage conditions have worsened in the UK for millions of homeowners, as lenders hike the cost of mortgage repayments and tighten criteria for borrowers. Homeowners with interest-only mortgages – where the capital is only paid off at the end of the mortgage term – have been hit particularly hard following a clamp down on these types of deals by lenders and the Financial Services Authority. Many lenders are introducing stricter criteria over who can take out an interest-only loan with some lenders pulling out of the interest-only mortgage market altogether.

With the cost of mortgage funding increasing, now is a good time to see if you could be getting a better deal on your mortgage. In May, the UK's biggest mortgage lender, Halifax, raised its mortgage Standard Variable Rate (SVR) from 3.5% to 3.99%, stating that the rise was due to the higher cost of raising funds for mortgages from both savers and the financial markets. And, this is a worrying trend – recently other banks such as RBS, Clydesdale, Co-operative Bank and Bank of Ireland have also raised the SVR on several of their offerings. Obtaining a quick mortgage ‘health check’ needn’t be difficult or costly, but could make all the difference to the future of your finances. Why not contact your mortgage adviser for a review? Here are some points to consider: • Start looking before the end of your fixed-term Did you know you can arrange a remortgage up to four to six months before the end of your fixed-term period and book a new product up to six months in advance? So, if you’re coming towards the end of your fixedterm, start looking straight away. If you wait until the end of the deal, you will usually be put on your lender’s SVR, which could mean higher monthly repayments. • Start budgeting It is wise to begin budgeting when you start looking for a new mortgage. With the move away from interest only mortgages, your new deal might be more expensive than your current repayments or you may have to factor in exit fees and arrangement fees. Allowing for this in monthly expenditure as soon as possible, could ease financial pressure on family finances in the future. Don’t forget to incorporate any additional product costs in your budgeting, such as life insurance and contents insurance. • Get a broker A good mortgage broker will look at the whole of the market for you (not just a few companies that they are tied to) and offer you independent, impartial advice. They might be able to find you the best deals on offer and advise you of any exclusive deals, which you can’t get anywhere else. Jelf Financial Planning has its own team of specialist Mortgage Advisers, who can offer independent and impartial advice and are available to initially review your mortgage free of obligation. Any charges for our services will depend on your circumstances and the mortgage loan amount, and will be discussed and agreed with you at outset. If you would like to speak to an Adviser, please call Jelf Financial Planning’s Bath office on 01225 572000. Alternatively, please visit www.jelfgroup.com.

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OUT&ABOUT

A SNAPSHOT OF OLD ENGLAND Andrew Swift explores a little corner of Somerset and discovers a ruined tannery, a village church, pretty woods and a hidden lake – plus a country pub that serves food for weary walkers

he countryside south of Keynsham is surprisingly unspoilt and contains some superbly attractive villages. It is also criss-crossed by a network of wellmaintained and well-signposted footpaths. Yet, perhaps because of its proximity to Bath and Bristol, it is often overlooked by those happy to drive miles for a spot of country walking. This month’s walk is the perfect introduction to this little-known part of Somerset. Much of it follows old roads or tracks through ancient woodlands, along deep combes and across high plateaus. En route it takes in an old tucking mill and the ruins of a tannery built by monks from Keynsham Abbey. It also passes through Woollard, one of the smallest villages in Somerset, with, at its heart, a pile of stones salvaged from a medieval bridge swept away by floods in 1968. Woollard once had an inn as well, dating from the 15th century, but, although the building is still there, it is now a private house. There is an excellent pub, however – open all day – in Compton Dando, where the walk starts and ends. Compton Dando is 7.5 miles west of Bath. To get there, head out of town along the A4. At the Newton St Loe roundabout, turn onto the A39. After 2.5 miles, carry straight on at the traffic lights along a minor road to Compton Dando. Having parked your car, head along Church Lane, opposite the Compton Inn (ST646645). Follow the lane round to the right through the lych gate. Walk through the churchyard, cross a stile, go down a few steps, turn right past an old mill and then left alongside the mill pond. Go through a five-bar metal gate, carry on alongside the River Chew and cross a metal footbridge. Carry on across a field, through a kissing gate (KG) and straight up through the woods. Go through a KG at the top and bear right across the field. Cross a stile and turn left along a muddy lane (ST639649). After going down a dip, you’ll see where a stream has gouged a gorge alongside the lane. When you reach Woollard, turn left along the road and left at

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a T junction past the old Bell Inn. Cross the bridge over the Chew, with the remains of the old bridge beside it. A little further on, take a footpath on the right across a small footbridge (ST633644). Go through a KG and bear left through the meadow, alongside the fence. On the other side of the brook are the ruins of a tannery established by monks from Keynsham Abbey in the Middle Ages and closed in 1883.

at its heart a pile of stones ❝ salvaged from a medieval bridge swept away by floods ❞

Cross a footbridge over the brook and carry on up a green lane. What starts off as a hollow way with high banks eventually emerges, after climbing out of the valley, high on a ridge. Over to the right you can see Publow church, embowered in trees. Carry on past a large house, and, when you reach woodland, turn left through a KG into Lord’s Wood Conservation Area and follow the path straight ahead (ST631633). At a cross path carry straight on. The path winds downhill to where some logs have been laid across swampy ground, with a lake on the right. Bear right alongside the lake, before swinging round to the left. At a cross path, carry straight on up a steep hill (ST635632). When you reach a KG leading out of the woods, go through it and turn right. After crossing a footbridge over a small combe, climb up the steps on the other side, go through a metal KG and carry straight on with the fence on your right. Go through another KG and carry on. When you reach the end of the field turn left alongside the hedgerow (ST640626). When you reach the corner of the field, turn left for a few metres before going through a gateway. Turn right and then left, heading east alongside a fence. When you come to a large gap in the fence, go

STEP BACK IN TIME: main picture, the view down to Compton Dando village from the woods

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OUT&ABOUT

BRIGHT WATER: right, the lake among the trees

through it and carry on, with the fence on your left. Carry on round the edge of the field until you come to a KG leading onto a lane. Turn right along the lane. After 125 metres turn right, following a public footpath sign along a lane (ST647625). Go straight on through a gate and carry on through an orchard. Carry on through a KG, go through a metal gate and turn left. Turn right at the end of the field. Go through a KG and turn left and left again to double back on yourself alongside a lake. Carry straight on at the end of the lake. When you reach the lane, turn left (ST647623). After 100 metres turn right along a footpath and go through a gate. Turn right, follow the edge of the field round and down to a KG (ST650624). Go through it, down a flight of steps and straight on uphill. Carry on past an outdoor pursuit centre, and continue as the track bears downhill to the right. After the track swings round to the left, turn right up a footpath (ST655623). Follow the path uphill as it bears left along the edge of a field, out of the woods. When you reach the crest of the hill, carry on in the same direction along a broad path. When you reach the end of the field, look for a gap in the hedge a few metres along to the left and carry on along a footpath to a metal KG. Carry straight on through it and head downhill. Go through a KG and past a six-bar metal gate onto a lane and turn left (ST664626). Just before the end of the lane, turn right through a KG and follow the footpath sign to the right. After a few metres, cross a stile on the left with a permissive path waymark and continue down the path as it follows the course of a stream through several KGs for 1000 metres. When you come to a lane, turn left past the old tucking mill (ST657637). Go straight on through a gate and over a footbridge, and carry on alongside the stream. When the stream swings to the right, carry straight on uphill along a bridleway for 800 metres. At the road, turn left and walk back to Compton Dando. ■

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FURTHER INFORMATION ■ Length of walk: 7 miles ■ Map OS Explorer: 155 ■ Approximate time: 3½ hours ■ Refreshment breaks: The Compton Inn at Compton

Dando, open daily from noon. Food served. Visit: www.thecomptoninn.co.uk, tel: 01761 490321

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BUILT WITH PRIDE

As part of a national celebration of British architecture Bath is holding a week-long series of events, culminating in a bike ride which will offer cyclists a fresh look at the city’s landscape

GEORGIAN GEM: Somerset Place, Bath

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n a city of festivals it’s fitting that there should be a celebration of Bath’s architecture, which recognises the city’s World Heritage status and its unique range of buildings. The Love Architecture Festival, part of a national celebration organised by the Royal Institute of British Architects, is aimed at professionals and amateurs who share a passion for Bath’s architecture. From Saturday 16 to Monday 25 June (weekends and Mondays only) there’ll be an exhibition at the Building of Bath musuem at the Countess of Huntingdon’s Chapel, The Paragon, of sketches by architects, surveyors and students depicting their favourite piece of Bath architecture. Bath architects Donald Insall Associates, who have been helping to conserve the buildings of Bath for more than 20 years, will be holding an open office event, including the chance to ‘meet the architect’ at their Queen Square offices from Monday 18 to Saturday 23 June. On Tuesday 19 and Thursday 21 June, there’s the chance to join a guided tour of New Royal Baths and Cross Bath by Peter Carey and David Barnes, the conservation architects who were responsible for preserving the old alongside the new. They will give an insight into the history and development of the spa buildings of Bath. And one of the country’s leading conservation architects Sir Donald Insall will be giving an insight into his career and the conservation principles which he helped establish which guide the conservation of our historic cities in a talk at the Guildhall on Wednesday 20 June. The Architect Introduces is being held at the Little Theatre on Saturday 23 June, with a screening of the 1927 sci-fi film Metropolis with an introductory talk by George Ferguson and a post film talk by Peter Carey. The festival ends with the Big Bike Ride on Saturday 23 June from Victoria Park to Queen Square with discussions along the way about some of the great buildings along the route. For more details of all events visit: www.lovearchitecture.org. ■

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JUNE FUN: clockwise from left, enjoy the magic of theatre in Mr & Mrs Summerwing at the Theatre Royal Bath; get up close to creepy crawlies during National Insect Week at Bristol Zoo Gardens; be reading ready for school in September with the My Small World Toy Store book club; and you’re sure to become lost in the fantasy of A Midsummer Night’s Dream in the outdoor performance at Lacock Abbey in Wiltshire

THE JOY OF JUNE The city has plenty of events and activities on offer for all the family to enjoy this month; from Shakespeare to creepy crawlies and royal arts & crafts to a poetic circus. Use our guide to help plan quality time with your little ones

Fun theatre

Summer Shakespeare

The egg, Theatre Royal Bath, Sawclose, Bath. Box office tel: 01225 448844 www.theatreroyal.org.uk

Lacock Abbey, near Chippenham, Wiltshire. Booking essential on tel: 0844 249 1895 www.nationalturst.org.uk/lacock

Mr & Mrs Summerwing, Thursday 14 – Saturday 16 June; Thursday, 1.30pm; Friday 10am & 1.30pm; Saturday 11.30am & 3pm

A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Thursday 14 June, 6pm picnics for 7pm performance

Described as a poetic circus for children, this beautiful show has proved a big hit with younger audiences all over the world, mixing fantasy and surrealism with imaginative visuals and storytelling. It tells the story of the strange little world of animals that Mr and Mrs Sommerflügel find in their magic suitcase. For ages 2 – 5.

Reading ready My Small World Toy Store, Little Southgate, Bath. Tel: 01225 938338

My Small Book Club for Nearly Schoolers, Thursday 7 June, 10am – 10.45am My Small World’s monthly book club is for children who are heading to school in September. They handpick six books about starting school, read with the children and help them to prepare for school. The children are also sent home with an activity to do, designed to help the parents prepare as much as the children. The sessions will carry on until September but if you can’t make every one then you will be sent an email with the activity so you can download it and do it at home.

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Quantum Theatre presents naughty fairies, lovesick nobles and raucous workmen in one of Shakespeare’s best-loved plays. Bring a picnic, sit down and relax as you enjoy a romantic comedy with bellyfuls of laughs and favourite characters such as the mischevious Puck gracing the stage.

Family festival

Bookstart bear. Wear a party outfit or hat and bring your favourite picture book. Dads and Grandads especially welcome, as it will be fathers’ story week too.

Royal faces Victoria Art Gallery, Bridge Street, Bath. Booking essential on tel: 01225 477244 www.victoriagal.org.uk

Right Royal Portraits, Thursday 7 June, 10.30am – 12pm & 1.30pm – 3pm Create a self-portrait and turn yourself into royalty. For ages 3 – 11.

Insect zoo

In front of the Royal Crescent, Bath. For further information tel: 01225 424443

Bristol Zoo Gardens, Clifton, Bristol. Tel: 0117 974 7300 or visit: www.bristolzoo.org.uk

Love Bath Family Festival, Sunday 24 June, 12.30pm – 4pm

National Insect Week, Monday 25 June – Sunday 1 July, daily

An afternoon of fun and games for all ages including the Schools Torch Parade at 12.45pm.

Book birthday Royal Victoria Park, Marlborough Lane, Bath. Tel: 01225 394041

Bookstart’s 20th Birthday Party, Friday 15 June, from noon Celebrate the 20th birthday of Bookstart, the world-renowned early years reading programme in National Bookstart Week. Bring a picnic and join in with a very special rhyme-time led by the

For one week, Bristol Zoo Gardens will be celebrating insects of Britain and beyond. Bug enthusiasts will be taking along many different types of insects for inspection by little entomologists. Join the activities out on the lawn with creepy crawly face painting, colouring-in and temporary insect tattoos. Enter Bristol Zoo’s bug world and visit some of the most interesting characters in the invertebrate world – including giant stick insects, spiders, honeybees, butterflies, critically endangered snails, crabs, jellyfish and corals.

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THEBATHMAGAZINE THEBESTOFBATH PERFECTLYCOVERED BATHSBIGGESTMAGAZINE PERFECTLYDELIVERED TOADVERTISETEL: 01225 424499

Curtain UpTheatre School Summer schools in Bath For children 8 to 16 years w/c 23th July or 13th August Call Sarah for details 01761 239185 WWW.THEBATHMAGAZINE.CO.UK

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PETcorner

HAVING A BAD EAR DAY?

f your dog’s constantly shaking, scratching, or rubbing his head he may have a sore ear. Ear disease is annoying for both owner and pet alike since it causes a painful, irritating, itchy, malodorous ear. I’ve even had calls in the early hours of the morning by weary owners kept awake by their pet’s constant scratching. It’s no wonder that it is one of the most common complaints when seeking veterinary advice and also one of the most frustrating to treat. The external ear canal of a dog comes in a myriad of shapes and sizes due to decades of selective breeding. For the most part a dog’s ear canal is an L shaped tube lined with special epithelial (skin) cells that secrete a waxy material designed to protect the ear against moisture and infection. At the end of this tube is a fragile thin membrane protecting the middle ear called the tympanic membrane, commonly known as the ear drum. Problems will arise when this defensive barrier of the external ear is abnormal. Whether they are too narrow or very hairy, both conformational irregularities can block air flow and cause moisture retention. Underlying skin conditions such as allergies and over production of wax can also affect the defensive barrier. Occasionally active dogs will have a grass seed that can lodge into and migrate within the canal causing acute pain and inflammation Clinical signs in the majority of ear diseases manifest themselves as an inflamed, itchy, painful ear producing an abundance of malodorous dark brown wax. You may have seen your dog rubbing his head on the floor and shaking his head. Vigorous head shaking can even lead to an aural haematoma, a cushion of bloody fluid inside the ear flap caused by rupture of small blood vessels which will require draining by your vet. Occasionally chronic ear problems will cause thickening and stenosis of the canal eventually leading to deafness. Treatment is based on keeping the ear canal relatively wax free and dry. Secondary infections from yeast and bacteria soon set themselves up in the canal due to a change in pH and moisture retention so changing the canal to a more acidic environment with specific astringent cleaners, using antifungal, anti-bacterial topical medications, and ensuring adequate air flow are the suggested treatments. In severe cases gentle ear flushing under a general anaesthetic is warranted to remove debris deep inside the canal without compromising the ear drum. An important point to note is that ear problems can potentially return so owners must be vigilant with all medications and future monitoring for recurrence is essential. Foreign bodies such as grass seeds must be gently removed but seek veterinary help with these since the ear drum is a delicate structure and your vet will have special instruments to aid in visualizing and retrieving the material safely. Unfortunately a minority of ear diseases can lead to what is known as the “end stage” ear where exuberant infected tissue completely closes the canal. Most likely this ear is a constant source of pain and hearing loss is permanent. In these cases it is best to seek veterinary advice for a more permanent surgical solution. Because of the variety of ears found in dog breeds these unique problems exist and although it is frustrating for owners and vets alike, we know that with regular judicious cleaning using specialized ear medications especially in long-eared dogs, monitoring for signs of infection, and having prompt veterinary care we can control, if not cure this frustrating disease. After all, to avoid those bad ear days it only takes a few moments to lift up that flap and have a peek! If you have any questions, local vet Jenny Keen will be pleased to help and can be contacted on 01225 428921. All Bath Vet Group surgery contact details and further information are available at www.bathvetgroup.co.uk. 70 THEBATHMAGAZINE | JUNE 2012

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ADV ERT OR I AL F EATURE

WHY PRIVATE RETIREMENT LIVING WORKS Privately-owned ‘retirement’ property represents just 2% of the housing market for 65-year-olds contemplating a move in their later years.* But in other parts of the world, where the market is more mature, up to 10% of older people opt to live in a retirement community and the concept is now growing in popularity in the UK. More and more people are recognising that this not only works for them socially (and who doesn’t want to have an enjoyable and stimulating lifestyle in their later years?) but, in these times of austerity, it works financially too. Owning your own property in a retirement village, allows you to keep an investment in the residential property market, protect that capital from any asset testing if you require state-funded care and, most importantly, have access to care and support, on a “pay as you go” approach that is accessible and affordable. Retirement Villages Ltd has been building and managing this concept for 30 years. It is the UK’s oldest and largest provider of retirement villages with 13 operating villages and more than 1,500 residents, and it strongly believes this model is a viable and credible solution to owning property and maintaining a lifestyle in later years. The company recently acquired Avonpark Village in Limpley Stoke near Bath, and immediately invested over £1million on creating a new clubhouse and village refurbishment to bring the village in line with the rest of its impressive UK portfolio. Avonpark Village provides progressive living options for retirees aged 55-plus. But what makes private retirement living such an attractive option for this age group and their families, who will be keeping an eye on their parents’ wellbeing in their latter years?

Here are some key reasons to consider: • Average property values in a retirement village continue to track open market values. Your investment is therefore likely to perform just as your existing property would.

❝

owning your own property in a retirement village, allows you to keep an investment in the residential property market

❞

• Reselling a Retirement Villages’ property takes an average 90 days from instruction to reservation**. Retirement Villages, for example, currently sells an average two properties every week across the UK and has a dedicated sales team to progress each sale. • Your Retirement Village property is a home for life. Moving home in older age, and particularly moving into residential care can be a traumatic experience. With a range of care, catering and support available within the village, future needs can be supported without further major moves required. • There is evidence available from retirement village operators that living within this environment can enhance well-being, reduce hospital admissions and improve general fitness. The International Longevity Centre report: ‘Establishing the extra: in Extra Care’, Sept 2011, supports this thinking. * ‘Housing markets and independence in old age: expanding the opportunities’ – Prof M Ball, University of Reading, May 2011. ** Retirement Villages Ltd – sales records achieved during 2011.

Avonpark Village currently has properties available. Tel: 01225 722888 Visit: www.avonparkvillage.co.uk WWW.THEBATHMAGAZINE.CO.UK

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HEALTH&BEAUTY

Cellulite buster

ummer is just around the corner, which means it’s time to put away those cardigans and prepare to bring out shorts, t-shirts and bikinis. Everyone likes to be a bit tighter in the summertime, and if the thought of baring all fills you with dread then try the new Ultrasound Slimming treatment that promises a fast, effective and simple way to reduce body fat and cellulite. Ultrasound Slimming is a safe and effective walk-in-walk-out treatment that involves no surgery, no pain and no side effects. Targeting areas including the abdomen, sides, hips, buttocks, thighs and arms, the treatment works using short pulses of ultrasonic energy which causes fat cell membranes to break, allowing the liquid content to be released and processed by the kidneys and liver, and removed from the body with urine over a number of days after the treatment. The number of sessions

HOLIDAY ESSENTIALS... Use these products before you go on holiday and remember to pack them too, for total body confidence every day

Buff away dead skin cells to reveal smooth-looking skin using this Aqua Mirablis scrub block from Lush, £5.50 for 95g. It’s great for combating unsightly cellulite too

Refine and re-sculpt your body with the help of Almond Shaping Delight from L’Occitane, £34. This fresh gel-cream defines curves, for a body that looks more toned and shapely. Rich in powerful active ingredients, it acts in several ways to eliminate fat, improve skin firmness and visibly tighten and lift

Protect hair from sun and chlorine this summer with Evolve’s organic Protein Build shampoo (£9.99) and conditioner (£11.99). This intensely deep moisturising duo is designed to repair damaged hair and protect against colour fade. Especially for hair which is dry and damaged, the shampoo and conditioner contains organic wheat and almond proteins to deeply nourish the hair shaft to moisturise, strengthen and repair hair from within, smoothing each individual strand for a silky soft finish. Available from www.evolvebeauty.co.uk

72 THEBATHMAGAZINE | JUNE 2012

required depends on how many inches you want to lose. Noticeable results are often visible after between 6 to 8 sessions, where you can expect to see smoother, firmer skin, a reduction in cellulite and reduced levels of body fat. And in order to maximise results a healthy diet is recommended, along with some form of regular exercise suitable for your fitness level to encourage lymph flow and blood circulation, which supports the removal of fat cells from the body. Results can also be enhanced with a lymphatic drainage massage and when used in conjunction with a whole body vibration platform, these processes will stimulate circulation and aid the drainage of the areas treated. The treatment costs from £30 per session and is offered at a specialised clinic in Gay Street, Bath. To arrange a consultation tel: 0844 8005701 or email info@ultrasoundslimming.co.uk

BODY BEAUTIFUL Our top tips for prepping skin to bare alll as temperatures soar We all yearn for the perfect tan. But with safety warnings ringing in our ears, the only way to go from pale and uninteresting to bronzed goddess is to fake it. Harvey Nichols’ Lisa Piddington picks her favourite products for great results

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Perfect pins

Fake Bake Wash-off Instant Tan, £12; Soap & Glory Glow Getter, £10.50; Benefit Sunbeam complexion highlighter, £18.50; South Seas Tahitian Tan Mist, £20. All products are available from Beyond Beauty at Harvey Nichols Bristol

Follow these steps for beautiful legs that you’ll be proud to flash: 1. Get fuzz free: A hygienic and effective way of hair removal is waxing. Green Street House in Green Street offers 1/2 leg waxing from £20 using creamy tea-tree warm wax which provides a hygienic, fast and effective treatment. Results can last from 2-8 weeks – perfect if you’re going on holiday. Or for something more permanent, try laser hair removal at The Lifestyle Clinic in Chapel Row from £38. 2. Have a spray tan: Nothing says goddess more than bronzed legs in strappy heels. Applying sunless tanner via an airbrush gives perfectly even coverage with no rubbing in of lotion, and no streaks. The Orangery beauty clinic in Kingsmead Street offers a Su-Do tan spray of two day successive treatments for £50 which lasts a week to ten days. You can then visit the salon weekly to top up your tan. TIP: It’s really important to exfoliate well before a spray tan. Exfoliating removes all the dead skin cells so you are tanning fresh skin, this way the tan will fade evenly. 3. Moisturise: Apply body butter morning and evening for smooth, soft and nourished skin.

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JUNE 2012 | THEBATHMAGAZINE 73

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FIT&FABULOUS

Be a shimmering sensation Imagine the glow you get after a day at the beach – that’s the inspiration behind Bobbi Brown’s new Miami Collection. It’s about sunkissed skin and beautiful coral and nectar colours infused with gold. And to really get you into a summer state of mind, there’s even a beach fragrance to spritz on the go as well as a Shimmering Fragrance Oil.

Above, Long-wear Cream Shadow, £17; top right, Shimmering Fragrance Oil, £30; right, Treatment Lip Shine, £18, all available from Jolly’s, Milsom Street

DAYTIME: Givenchy’s Very Irrésistible Electric Rose is a gorgeously light floral eau de toilette with hints of zesty natural lemon – a perfect fragrance for long days in the sunshine. In a blend of femininity and style the decorative motif of silver roses electrifies the radiant glass bottle. Available from Jolly’s and Debenhams, £54.00 (75ml)

EVENING: More sensual and evocative for nights under the stars is Jo Malone London’s new Velvet Rose and Oud cologne, £95 (100ml). Rich and and intense, it combines Damask rose, smoky wood, clove and praline for a decadent scent that is delicious worn alone or layered with other Jo Malone scents. Available from Harvey Nichols, Bristol

74 THEBATHMAGAZINE | JUNE 2012

SKIN DEEP The latest health and beauty news and product reviews from Samantha Ewart

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For a subtle bronzed glow, try Rituals Sun Glow in Peach, £23.90 from Rituals, Cabot Circus, Bristol. This natural shimmer powder is perfect for a radiant blush or dazzling accent to your eyes

ON TREND: One of the biggest up and coming trends for Autumn 2012 showcased at London Fashion Week this spring was hairstyles of the First World War. The sheer, perfected styles of the women’s hair and the tailored, barbered cuts of the men’s are being seen on the catwalk and high street alike and the classic Black and White Wax, £4.99, offers the perfect solution to achieving the look. Their unchanged formula sculpts and styles hair leaving it controlled all day and with an ultra-glossy finish. Now in its 90th year, Black and White Wax has always been at the forefront of hair styling and now it’s back with a vengeance; creating the modern takes of this World War One Military Chic. Available from Boots

▲

THE SCENT OF SUMMER

GENTLY DOES IT: As the weather gets warmer, you may want to think about switching your heavy duty moisturiser for a lighter one. A classic favourite of ours is Decleor’s Hydra Floral Flower Nectar Moisturising Cream. Combined with an anti-pollution plant active this delicate cream harnesses flower extracts such as orange blossom and pansy to hydrate, relax and protect skin from daily exposure to leave a fresh, clean complexion. £39.80 from www.decleor.co.uk

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FOLLOW THAT COACH . . . If you’ve ever found the hardest part of taking exercise actually putting on the kit and leaving the house, then a personal trainer might be just the motivation you need, as Georgette McCready discovered

REVIEW

hen it comes to a stark choice of buying a whole set of clothes in a larger size, or losing some inches, the economically sensible thing to do is lose some weight. But, if like me, you’ve singularly failed to control the urge to snack or refrain from the good things in life, like roast potatoes or chocolate brownies, then the only option remaining is to get out there and burn some fat off. A decade ago I was running between 30 and 50 miles a month and taking part – albeit slowly – in half marathons and cross country races. It helped keep my weight down and gave me a great sense of wellbeing. But a few years ago I lost all motivation to run and whenever I attempted a few miles would struggle or end up walking. I was seriously talking about hanging up my running shoes for good when I met a young personal trainer in Bath who didn’t seem the type to shout at people in a way that put me off games at school. Chris Vick’s clientele includes middle aged women like me, keen to lose weight and tone up, along with a selection of seriously fit athletes working to improve their sports performance. If you’ve ever found the hardest part of taking exercise actually putting on the kit and leaving the house, then a personal trainer might work out as a better investment than joining a gym. You can book up for a series of sessions to fit in with your working day – Chris’s first clients meet him at 7am. And because you’ve booked and you know he’ll be waiting for you, you go. The first session is free, just to see how you get on. Chris offers a range of different sessions according to the individual’s need. In my case it was working on my running performance. In the first session I could barely manage to jog for more than 15 minutes and the exercise routine he put me through in a quiet corner of Royal Victoria Park really woke the old muscles up. We talked about goals and I rashly said I’d like to run a 10k race in five weeks’ time. He politely didn’t wince but decided that with a weekly hourlong session with him, plus some homework of runs done on my own, that this was achievable. Friends have asked me how Chris gets me to run faster and it sounds absurdly simple but it is effective. He runs ever so slightly faster than I would like, engages me in conversation and makes encouraging remarks. Within a fortnight I was able to run out along the towpath to The George at Bathampton and back to the Circus without walking any of the route. By the fourth week I was able to run five miles in 55 minutes and Chris was confident that on race day I’d better this performance. So, on Week 5 I took part in the Corsham 10k race. It wasn’t easy and frankly I could have done with Chris running just in front of me as my pace was pretty slow. But, hey, I did it and there were runners younger than me coming in behind me. After only five weeks I’m more toned, clothes fit better and, most importantly, I’m motivated to get out there and run. I’m now seriously contemplating training for a half marathon. Chris has started coaching a weekly mixed ability running group which meets on Thursdays for a 6pm start from outside Fitness First, James St West. Chris Vick, personal trainer, is based in Bath and works with clients in the gym, park or their own homes. Prices start at £30 per person an hour, if you train with a partner or friend, and packages are available. Visit: www.chrisvickpt.co.uk or tel: 07792 719004 to book a free consultation. ■ WWW.THEBATHMAGAZINE.CO.UK

JUNE 2012 | THEBATHMAGAZINE 75

PAUL ISAACS COLUMN JUNE:PIF Full Page

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TIPS FROM A TRAINER Our resident fitness and nutrition expert, Paul Isaacs, looks at how we can overcome our dread of exercise to kick-start a new fitness regime that really delivers results

wo of the key parts of my job are managing clients’ expectations and helping them to set achievable goals. Most of us are unrealistic when we set out to make changes to our fitness or nutrition patterns. Some of us simply don’t believe that we can ever make any significant progress and we get into the habit of using this defence mechanism to sabotage our chances of success, while some of us simply expect too much too soon. This too is normally unrealistic. We can all dig out old photographs of ourselves at the age of 21 and in the best shape of our lives as a benchmark for how we would like to look, but if we are now in our 40s or 50s, can we seriously expect to effectively recapture the same body shape of someone half our age? The truth is that we can ALL make significant progress, but the level of improvement in your fitness and body shape will be dependent on your commitment and effort. Many of us use the excuse that there simply isn’t time to exercise, that life gets in the way. Deep down, we all know that this is nonsense. We seem to have no trouble finding the time to meet friends for lunch or sitting in front of the TV. And it’s ever so easy to get into the habit of seeing our friends and peers getting themselves into great shape and saying ‘It’s OK for you, but I would never be able to stick to it.’ All of us can get into great shape (whether our aim is to lose or gain weight, or simply to tone up), even if it seems to represent a challenge of momentous proportions. It’s really important to remain focused on your goal(s) and not become disillusioned. One of the best ideas is to set yourself lots of short-term targets. For instance, rather than saying that you want to lose 10 kilos in time for the summer, it may be more realistic to say to yourself that you want to drop a dress or jeans size within the first 6 weeks of your fitness regime. Or perhaps you have a designer outfit that you bought a few years ago that’s been gathering dust on a hanger in the wardrobe as it doesn’t quite fit, but you still yearn for the day that you can fit back into it. Once this first target is reached and you realise just how great it feels to get there, it will give you the confidence and courage to set yourself further, attainable targets that can be reached within short-term time frames. This will make you realise that your hard work is all worthwhile and that it is producing a series of results, rather than feeling like a chore or a long slog with no end in sight. ■

For further information, contact Paul Isaacs on tel: 07712 454074 or visit: www.paulisaacspt.com 76 THEBATHMAGAZINE | JUNE 2012

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COUNTRYinteriors

AMONG FOODIE FRIENDS Food writer and self-confessed city girl Silvana de Soissons tells the story of how she fell in love with a country house ‘in the middle of nowhere’ – now the hub for a growing community of foodies

f home is where the heart is then my heart is right here. When I first set eyes on our house, on the northern most edge of the Marlborough Downs in Wiltshire, overlooking an escarpment that is covered with bluebells and wild garlic in spring, teasel and wild orchids in summer and snowdrops and holly bushes in winter, I knew that I had fallen. I, a city-loving, restaurant-going urbanite had fallen for a house in the middle of nowhere. The house had been neglected, run down and left to rack and ruin, needing eight months of a team of builders to renovate it and bring it back to life. Yet, even when faced with so many daunting problems and eye-watering bills, my husband, daughter and I were determined to bring the light back to this Georgian farmhouse and its garden. And so the work began: we cleaned and scrubbed and rewired, re-painted, re-pointed, re-plastered, re-furbished. We grew accustomed to the pile of estimates for every “re” word, lost sleep, cried, planted trees, dug flowerbeds, cut back shrubs and lit endless bonfires to burn decades of rubbish, overgrowth and debris. After ordering seemingly endless skips and doing truly awful jobs – like having the septic tank drained and putting in new fireplaces, we saw a glimmer of hope on the horizon. It is when you start ordering curtains, planting roses, hanging pictures and laying out your family china and cutlery that you know you are, finally, home. The still, small dawn chorus of calm that greets you the very first morning after the last of the rubble is removed, all machinery gone, all the paintwork dry, is the sweetest. And so there we were, ensconced in the home we had worked so hard to make our own, plotting to grow our own food, make preserves from the orchard and getting to know all the great artisanal food and drink makers of this beautiful county. My ambition has always been to work from home and to create a business from it. I am an Italian cook and a food writer. 78 THEBATHMAGAZINE | JUNE 2012

My kitchen-dining room is used to create food photo shoots for anything from magazine articles to advertisements and campaigns. Because of my love for vintage and retro accessories it is also sometimes used by craft or period home magazines. Fresh flowers are collected from the garden, lunches, tea-parties, picnics and dinners are created in the kitchen and then, when all the action is over, I write articles about the recipes, provenance and preparation of the work I did during the day. I decided to try to create a new form of media, one that was collaborative, co-operative and inclusive. In March 2011 I launched The Foodie Bugle an online magazine that featured food and drink artisans from all over the world, with no advertising and no references to diva chefs or wannabe television presenters. Above all, I wanted to create a forum, a collective hub where people could learn about all the different aspects and characters of the food and drink industry, from cookbook authors to supper clubs, cookery schools, farmers, growers, markets, designers and restaurants. Every month new writers from all over the world contribute their news and views, photographers send in advice to anyone wishing to start in the industry, foodies send in reports of their favourite food festivals and potters show us the plates and bowls that they fired in their kilns. My home is now referred to as Foodie Bugle Towers, the place where all these stories find a home and new, unpublished writers find their voice. The photos you see here were taken by Mark Bolton, www.markboltonphotography.co.uk, a keen allotment gardener from Bristol who also happens to be a much sought-after professional travel and lifestyle photographer. He introduced

COSY SUPPERS: mismatched chairs line up along tables in the big kitchen-dining room where Silvana entertains food writers, chefs, photographers and artisan food producers PICTURES: Mark Bolton

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THOUGHTFUL HOST: left to right, a well stocked drinks cupboard, a child’s room, and a pretty woodburner to take the chill off on cool evenings

me to Nicky Owen from White Rabbit Media, www.whiterabbitmedia.co.uk, and she included my home in her portfolio of locations for shoots and films. It has been so interesting meeting the people behind the camera, the stylists, photographers and publishers who come on these shoots. We begin the day with tea, coffee, cake and biscuits and they wander round the house looking to see where the light moves from sunrise to sunset, they walk around the garden to see what shots can be done outside, they organise their accessories and equipment in the different rooms, so that each shot is completely

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different. I always try to cook something warming and comforting for lunch: a garden soup or a hearty risotto, maybe even a casserole or a seasonal pasta dish. I quiz everyone over lunch to find out their favourite places to go out to eat, which farmers’ markets they prefer and whether they know anyone with a pretty kitchen garden that needs to be featured. By the time the shoot is finished, after tea and cake, I have so many more new contacts and friends. After decades of damp and dust, the Georgian farmhouse, in the middle of nowhere, is filled with industry and laughter once more. ■

JUNE 2012 | THEBATHMAGAZINE 79

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Home Time Situated in beautiful countryside just 6 miles from Bath and under a mile from the M4, Boniti is fast becoming the one-stop destination for all things interiors. Whether you are looking for stone and timber flooring, bespoke furniture or hand-crafted kitchens, Boniti has it covered. So why not make the most of the free parking and on-hand interior design advice, grab a coffee and have a look for yourself.

Stone Flooring Boniti offers over 400 stone options sourced from the UK and beyond. Our range includes applestone, limestone, basalt, granite, sandstone, travertine, slate and marble - for both indoors and out.

Our tried and tested suppliers have a comprehensive environment policy, sourcing all timber from FSC certified managed forests. All the hardwood flooring is fully air-dried before being kiln-dried and is stored in humidity controlled warehouses to minimise the acclimatisation required on site. We can offer various bespoke finishes to our engineered flooring range too.

Our flooring has been laid to display a wide selection of these options, helping our customers see the different finishes first hand and to get a feel of how the stone might look in their home.

Bespoke Furniture & Sofas

We can also provide samples for you to take home as well as advice on what stone might best suit your project and budget and how best to look after the stone once you've completed your project.

Crafted in our Bath workshop and made from a range of woods, our contemporary pieces often incorporate glass, stainless steel, or even LED lighting. Boniti Bespoke also launched its new range of handmade mirrors earlier this year.

Timber Flooring Boniti offers a full range of solid and engineered timber flooring including ash, maple, cherry, oak, jatoba, merbau and walnut. We insist on strict quality control on all our products.

80 THEBATHMAGAZINE | JUNE 2012

Our bespoke sofas are made in England using the finest hardwood frames and traditional methods for durability and comfort. Each piece is made to order, allowing you to choose dimensions, shape, legs, filling and fabric by Woodhouse & Law. We have a collection on show so you can see the craftsmanship and quality for yourself. Call now to book an appointment with our bespoke sofa specialist.

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ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE

Kitchens by Porter Robinson Porter Robinson Interiors have been offering a range of stunning hand-built fitted furniture for over two decades. Now, you can see the workmanship for yourself at Boniti. In addition to their own bespoke range of fitted furniture, hand-crafted in the UK, they also offer standard sized, hand-built furniture at highly competitive prices too. Patrick Porter, the design force behind Porter Robinson, prides himself on client empathy and being design-led - no two projects are ever the same. By absorbing the architectural features of your home, he designs to your individual requirements. So, your finished kitchen - be it contemporary or unashamedly traditional - will always be highly personalised and unquestionably stylish.

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Interior & Garden Design by Woodhouse & Law Interior and garden design team Woodhouse & Law are on hand should you need help with any project in the home or garden. As well as having an extensive range of fabrics and lighting at Boniti, Woodhouse & Law can help with a range of services from something as simple as making up cushions and curtains to a full interior or garden design. So, whether you are considering small home or garden improvements or larger scale changes, they'll deliver creative ideas in a relaxed and friendly way, with great client service. Dunsdon Barn, Dunsdown Lane, West Littleton SN14 8JA.

Tel: 01225 892 200

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JUNE 2012 | THEBATHMAGAZINE 81

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ADVERTISING SALES Good Basic + Great Commission = £ Excellent The Bristol Magazine. The Bath Magazine and West Country We currently produce two of the finest City magazines in the UK, and our new up-market county title West Country has had the most enthusiastic launch. Consequently we now have a superb opportunity for an advertising sales person to join our team. The ideal candidate will possess at least 6 months sales experience, preferably from a quality magazine publisher or similar sales environment. Well educated, well spoken, you will be highly personable, enjoy selling and possess the ambition and confidence needed to maintain existing clients and generate new business. As well as strong sales ability you will also need excellent office, administration, computer and organisational skills, and above all great customer service.

the west has just got better West Country is stocked by all good newsagents in the region, however why not have your magazine delivered directly for just; £15.00 (6 issues) or £30.00 (12 issues);

and make a saving of 25% To subscribe just send a cheque payable to MC Publishing Ltd 2 Princes Buildings, George Street, Bath BA1 2ED or Telephone 01225 424 499 for card payment

Subscription Form Mr/Mrs/Ms..................Forename ................................

Our magazines are regarded as the best in the marketplace, and as well as offering a long term career opportunity, success is always well rewarded. Please send your CV and covering letter to: Steve Miklos, The Bristol Magazine, MC Publishing Limited 2 Princes Buildings, George Street, Bath BA1 2ED email: director@thebristolmagazine.co.uk www. thebristolmagazine.co.uk

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COUNTRYhomes

TALES OF THE RIVER BANK Wildlife programme makers Charlie Hamilton-James and Philippa Forrester are selling the country home between Bristol and Bath where otters play outside the kitchen window and are taking their family on a new adventure

country house next to a river, with an orchard, an Aga and chickens clucking contentedly in their own bespoke hen house could quite accurately be described as the perfect Good Life scenario. TV presenter of science and nature programmes Philippa Forrester confesses: “Sometimes I did feel as if I was Felicity Kendal. I really enjoyed setting up the vegetable garden, growing food for the table and keeping hens. You really feel you’re shut away from the world.” She and wildlife photographer husband Charlie HamiltonJames also relished the chance to bring up their three sons in this idyllic spot at Bitton, between Bath and Bristol. The house beside the River Boyd and near a weir turned out to be one of the places where the almost extinct British otter began to recolonise and Philippa and Charlie were not only able to enjoy watching the otters at play from their kitchen window, but also to make a wildlife series, which went out as the very charming HalcYon River Diaries for BBC One. In it the family were seen enjoying the wildlife of the river, including kingfishers and rare dipper birds. British otters were virtually extinct 30 years ago, but as our rivers have got cleaner, they have begun to repopulate the river banks. The Hamilton-Jameses were privileged to be able to watch these graceful animals at play literally on their doorstep. Running their own TV production company, the couple need to be able to get to Bristol and London regularly, as well as reach the major airports on their way to foreign film locations. Now that Philippa has three children she spends more of her time producing and writing for television than she does presenting. As we speak Charlie is in Peru filming giant river otters for a BBC documentary, while she is at home. The family are selling the riverside house that they’ve lived in for 12 years and are in search of somewhere new. Philippa is also working on a new home-based project. She has been rifling through Charlie’s extensive collection of stills 86 THEBATHMAGAZINE | JUNE 2012

WATER’S EDGE: main picture, the house with its terrace overlooks the River Boyd Left, Charlie’s magical wildlife photos are being used for a series of eyecatching cushions designed by Philippa. They’re available to buy, visit: www.charliehamilton jones.co.uk

photographs taken of African and British wildlife. “The images make beautiful cushions,” she says, “and when I tested them at a sale in Kelston village hall they sold really well.” The African images – originally commissioned for National Geographic magazine – are in dramatic black and white, while Charlie’s own favourite, the emerald and blue kingfisher adorns cushions in all his colourful glory. Of their decision to up sticks and find a new family home, Phillipa says: “We’ve been very happy there, but we never intended to stay for ever and now we’re looking for a new adventure.” The riverside house originally started life as a pair of 16th century millworkers’ cottages, which Philippa and Charlie converted into one family home. Philippa is quick to point out that our forebearers knew more about building in dry places than modern housebuilders. Any overflow from the river is safely contained far from the house, which remains snug and dry even in the Noah’s Flood conditions we lived through recently. At the heart of the house is the big kitchen/breakfast room

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COUNTRYhomes

COTTAGE STYLE: left to right, the Chalon kitchen with its fire engine red Aga, Philippa, Charlie and friend, and a cosy corner of the sitting room

with its cosy red Aga and Chalon fitted cupboards and drawers, with an open fire. This leads through to the dining room, which in turn leads to the sitting room. The character of the old buildings has been retained, with beams and flagstone flooring. There’s a study in the main house and an office in a detached annexe, which also houses a guest suite of bedroom, kitchenette and shower room. In the main house, the master bedroom suite has a balcony which overlooks the river, as well as a bathroom with Jacuzzi bath, plus a sauna chamber and a dressing room. There are three more bedrooms along the corridor and two bathrooms. Time and time again as you wander through the house your eye is drawn to the windows, where all around are trees and greenery, and a mellow stone terrace beside the river. It all

conjures up pictures of happy childhood pastimes such as fishing for minnows, messing about in boats and living a carefree Wind in the Willows existence, watched over by parents who understand exactly when to step in with a helping hand, and when to allow the adventures to continue. The property has around five acres of land, with extensive lawns, a well dug vegetable plot, orchard and a tennis court. A picturesque summerhouse is currently used as a gym. The house will appeal to anyone, like the Hamilton-Jameses, who want to live the country life but need to be able to access the rest of the world without too much hassle. ■ Rivers House is on the market with Knight Frank for £1.6m. Tel: 01225 325999. Relocate to Bath is also using its network of househunters in the UK and abroad to look for a buyer.

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CITYgardening

AN URBAN OASIS A city garden packed with ferns, hostas and acers is an inspiration for other gardeners, as Jane Moore discovered during a tour of this intensively planted plot which is open to visitors this month

’ve lost count of the times I’ve heard a garden called ‘a hidden gem.’ At best the phrase is somewhat clichéd when it comes to describing gardens, at worst it’s often a misnomer when the garden is far from hidden and anything but a gem. But Stephen Brooks’ garden, tucked away only a few yards from the busy Royal United Hospital in Bath, wholly deserves to be described as such. Slipping through the gate at the side of the solid Victorian house, one might expect a nice, neat little garden of flower borders, lawn and perhaps some fruit and veg. Instead you find yourself standing on a raised terrace, leafy and lush with terracotta pots of myriad varieties of hosta. It’s easy to guess they’re one of Stephen’s favourite plants. “My garden is all about hostas, ferns and acers,” he says, pulling a weed out of a hosta pot reflectively. “They are my three favourite types of plants – I can’t imagine having a garden without them.” From the terrace you get a brilliant overview of the garden stretching out before you, literally beneath your feet as you stand some four feet higher than the rest of the garden. “I shifted a lot of soil around when I was building the garden,” laughs Stephen. “I wanted to widen the paved area next to the house – it wasn’t really big enough to sit out – and at the same time level out the rest of the garden.” His plan has paid off. Gazing out from the height of the terrace the garden seems to weave and twist among a great stand of black stemmed bamboo and a blue painted pergola towards a shady swing seat and a cluster of tree ferns. “I didn’t really have a master plan,” he says. “It just sort of evolved. It was such a boring garden before and I like the creative side of gardening. I’m always buying plants – I can’t help it – so I needed a good garden to put them in.” 88 THEBATHMAGAZINE | JUNE 2012

Everywhere you look there are textures and contrasts: the feathery fronds of ferns, brilliant purple reds of acer leaves and slate, stone and water. It’s a horticultural feast for the eyes – and that’s before you’ve even left the terrace. In fact Stephen and I chatted for 20 minutes, peering this way and that, pointing things out and talking about design, before we thought about moving into the garden proper. “I go to lots of shows every year – Malvern, Chelsea and so on – and I visit other Yellow Book gardens,” he says. “I find them quite inspirational – they’re full of ideas. I come away with little bits of the show gardens in my head – a few plants put together well or something interesting.” Look down and a large, serenely still Japanese-style pool lies directly beneath the terrace so you get a brilliant bird’s eye view of the fish meandering their way under the bridge as Stephen feeds them from the terrace. “The bridge is the only access into the rest of the garden,” explains Stephen. “I wanted to have to walk over the pond every time I went into the garden.” It does seem as if you’re stepping slightly into another world, away from the stone of house and terrace and into the leafiness of the garden. As well as bamboos and ferns there are grasses, and the magnificent cluster of tree ferns which are worth going to see in their own right. Stephen also has a taste for more ordinary plants such as hydrangeas and heucheras, not to mention little rock plants like sempervivum but blended with the more unusual plants these seem to take on a touch of the exotic too. There are benches and seating areas in sunny spots inviting you to sit and soak up the garden, while a shady wooden swing hanging from a branch of the yew makes a great photo. “Besides the yew trees, there are only two plants left from when I moved in 20 years ago,” says Stephen. “Only the

MANY SHADES OF GREEN: to reach the garden you have to cross a bridge over the pond

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LUSH: majestic tree ferns provide dappled shade Right, the tranquil waters of the pond with its lily pads

hydrangeas survived because I liked their bold foliage and big flowers and they still work even though the garden around has changed enormously.” It does all work beautifully. It’s hard to pin Stephen’s garden into a particular category but the closest is a Japanese-style with its bamboos, fish and Japanese acers. He has picked up influences and ideas from all sorts of gardening styles and has created a really wonderful garden full of character, interest and colour. But, you can see it for yourself this month, so why take my word for it. Weston Village Open Gardens, Sunday 10 June, 12-5pm. In aid of Friends of the RUH and other local charities. Entry, £5 on the day, £4 in advance available from local shops. There will be 15

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gardens open plus five courtyard gardens at the hospital. Teas and cakes, morris dancing and a harpist National Garden Scheme Weston Village Gardens, Saturday 30 June and Sunday 1 July, 1-5pm. Six gardens will be open in aid of various charities, entry £5. Teas and plant sales. Weston Village Flower Show, Saturday 1 September, All Saints Centre, from 2.30pm. ■ Jane Moore is the award-winning gardener at the Priory Hotel, Bath. Follow her on Twitter, @janethegardener or read her blog, www.janethegardener.wordpress.com

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TILE & TADELAKT LTD Tile, Natural Stone & Moroccan Polished Plaster High quality wall and floor coverings and installation of bathrooms, wet rooms, and obstruction free showers

Give your bathroom, shower or wet room a real wow factor

At Tile & Tadelakt we believe strongly that our success depends on your satisfaction. We use only quality materials and experienced, trusted trades people on all of our installations. That’s why all our installations come with a full 5 year guarantee. Tadelakt is one of the oldest wall finishes known, first practised by the Berbers some 4,000 years ago. Its beauty, strength, and versatility make it a unique alternative to tile and stone in all indoor areas, especially wet areas. Used in association with tile and stone it can be even more stunning. The real allure of Tadelakt is only truly appreciated to the touch, “soft as silk, yet hard as stone”, each installation is individually unique due to the hand crafting process of skilled artisans. Add to that its excellent eco-friendliness, its breathability and natural anti-fungal properties and you can start to see why its now becoming so popular in the most elegant households around the world. So if you are looking to install a new bathroom, or improve your existing one; or perhaps you would like to see some samples. Call today, and find out for yourself what the attraction is.

For a FREE, no obligation quote call 01373 466198 or 07752 825257

90 THEBATHMAGAZINE | JUNE 2012

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the directory Business to Business

to advertise in this section call 01225 424 499 Electricians

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A female run decorating, refurbishment, design and maintenance company Bath - Frome - West Wiltshire - North Somerset - Bristol

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• Project Management • Complete Refurbishment Painting and Decorating • Carpentry • Tiling Plumbing • Electrics • Design • Plastering Commercial • Free estimates

Not just a building firm. We will see your project through from start to finish and clean up afterwards. 01373 830423

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the directory

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Advertise your Business or Service in this space for as little as £80 per month. Every month, we reach more readers than any other magazine in Bath. TEL: 01225 424499 Advertising that keeps working

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JUNE 2012 | THEBATHMAGAZINE 93

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Property Finders Respond to Client Demand Despite quieter conditions in the national property market, buyers in the upper quartile of the Bath housing market have remained active in their search for the right property to purchase The City of Bath is blessed with a vibrant commercial heart, whilst maintaining its historic Roman roots and wonderful Georgian architecture, proudly deserving its status as a World Heritage Site. Surrounded by stunning and varied countryside, Bath remains a firm favourite with both existing local buyers and families relocating into the area, many of these being ExPats attracted by excellent schooling facilities and first class transport links to London and beyond. Bath and its surrounding villages offer a wealth of good quality housing with a selection of some of the finest period and modern properties to be found anywhere in the UK. Over recent years the competition to be first to hear of and secure the finest homes entering the Bath market has intensified, which has increased the trend of astute buyers turning to professional property finders in order to gain an advantage over their competition and ensure they are making well informed purchasing decisions. One such leading firm that operates in the South West is Garrington; a national business, which, in response to increasing demand, have recently expanded their local presence with the opening of an office in Bristol to complement their existing office in Exeter. During 2011 over 60% of the properties Garrington secured for clients nationally were off market, underlining the value an experienced property finder is able to offer a client. 94 THEBATHMAGAZINE | JUNE 2012

The Bristol office is headed by well regarded local property expert Mark Gedye. Mark will work closely with Rod Tabor of the Exeter office who has, for over 10 years, managed the South West region for Garrington. The addition of a second South West office will ensure that Garrington can cover the region even more efficiently and clients will continue to receive expertise and knowledge of the local areas, all supported by the backing of an established national organisation. Mark is no stranger to the local prime property market having previously worked for a number of years for another well regarded local property finding agent. During this time Mark has built up an extensive and valuable network of contacts, all of which helps in providing the most complete service to clients looking for that special property. Speaking of his appointment Mark Gedye said: "having seen at first hand the increasing number of buyers using property finders, I am delighted to have joined such a progressive and well respected firm. The team and I are looking forward to a busy summer market and being able to assist our clients in finding their perfect home.” Rod Tabor commented: "I am delighted to welcome Mark on board and following a busy and successful 2011, I am anticipating the demand for our services to continue during the rest of this year.”

With a combined experience of over 30 years in the property market, Mark and Rod have an unrivalled knowledge of both town and country property. This experience combined with a reputation for finding unique 'off market' property, helps make the Garrington property finding service a very appealing one.

Mark Gedye and Rod Tabor of Garrington

For further information on Garrington contact Mark Gedye on +44 (0)117 214 0165 or email info@garrington.co.uk or visit our website www.garrington.co.uk

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PROPERTYin FOCUS

et in an idyllic location, in a popular village on the southern edge of Bath and within easy reach of the city centre this is a very impressive five bedroom detached family home constructed by the current owners to a very high standard to be both sustainable and ecologically friendly. Most of the property has been sourced from the reclaimed stone from the nursery buildings which once occupied the site. The property offers light, airy and spacious accommodation which comprises of an entrance hall with galleried landing, a cloakroom, a large and stylish sitting room with contemporary wood burning stove, a snug/home cinema room, a large dining room, an exceptional kitchen/breakfast room with many integrated appliances, two large cellars, and utility room. Upstairs there is a master bedroom with dressing room and en suite bathroom, two further bedrooms, both with en suites, and two double bedrooms. There’s a superb family bathroom, contemporary and luxurious. Further benefits include underfloor heating throughout and Oak double glazed windows and doors. Outside is an attractive area of formal gardens, a raised lawn and patio area leading onto the balcony (also accessible from the sitting room) from which you can enjoy breathtaking and far reaching views over miles of rolling countryside. The gardens extend into a further four acres of land which include wild meadows, an orchard with a great variety of fruit trees, a pond and many mature trees. To the front, a sweeping drive leads to the property and there’s plenty of parking space. For full particulars and to arrange a viewing contact the Bath selling agents; Pritchards.

ENGLISHCOMBE, BATH Price: £1,500,000 • Great village location, amazing views • Occupying five acres in total • Five bedrooms, three en suite • Large impressive kitchen • Luxury family bathroom • Snug/ home cinema • Storage cellars • Gardens, meadows and productive orchard

Pritchards, 11 Quiet Street, Bath. Tel: 01225 466225

WWW.THEBATHMAGAZINE.CO.UK

JUNE 2012 | THEBATHMAGAZINE 95

pritchard-partners.co.uk

Weston Lane

Summerfield Road

A spacious detached house with large west facing gardens quietly tucked away on the sought after western fringes of the City with flexible accommodation.

An immaculately presented 3 double bedroom detached house within easy walking distance of St Stephens School. Benefitting from a self contained 1 bedroom studio apt & lg decked sun terrace with stunning views.

5 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms (1 en suite), living room, study/family room, dining room, kitchen/ breakfast room, office, utility and cloakroom. Large attractive gardens principally facing west. Driveway parking for several vehicles. Approx floor area: 1605 sq ft/149 sq m.

Entrance hall with cloakroom off, sitting room, kitchen/diner, conservatory, 3 bedrooms - 1 en suite and bathroom. Good sized gardens. Garage and driveway parking. (1801 sq ft/167.3 sq m).

Price: £775,000

Price: £650,000

Midford Road

Morris Close

An individual detached family home built in 1939, set in approximately 0.37 of an acre just south of Bath. Approx floor area: 1595 sq ft/148.2 sq m.

An outstanding semi detached modern property set east of Bath with the most spectacular far reaching views.

Living room, family room, kitchen/diner, utility/study, office/occasional bedroom four at ground floor level. 3 further bedrooms, 1 en suite & family bathroom. Off-road parking for 5 cars. Large mature garden, south west facing at rear.

Living room with balcony, extensive kitchen/diner, family room, utility, bed 4/study, master bedroom with en suite shower room, 1 further double bedroom and 1 single bedroom, 2 shower rooms and a family bathroom. Externally there are two off road parking spaces to the front and gardens to the front and rear. Total approx floor area: 2141 sq ft/198.9 sq m.

Price: £634,500

Price: £595,000 11 Quiet Street, Bath BA1 2LB

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pritchard-partners.co.uk

Marksbury

Farrington Gurney

An immaculate 4 bedroom detached house offered in show-home condition and occupying a corner plot approaching approx 1/5 acre, which enjoys wonderful countryside views to the side.

A fine detached house offering spacious and particularly flexible accommodation in the heart of a popular village 14 miles south west of Bath, currently arranged as a house & annexe.

2 receptions, superb conservatory, utility, kitchen/breakfast room, master bedroom en suite & 3 further bedrooms. Lg double garage & ample parking and lovely level gardens. Int area: 1877 sq ft/174.4 sq m.

Sitting room, 4 bedrooms, bathroom, kitchen/dining room, utility room & cloakroom. One bedroom annexe. Delightful gardens. Ample driveway parking. Approx floor area: 1880 sq ft/174.7 sq m.

Price: £465,000

Price: £445,000

Foxcombe Road

Charlton

A most attractive bay-fronted four bedroom end of terrace family home offering light and airy accommodation over 3 floors.

A substantial 4 bedroom single storey property. Village location near to Midsomer Norton and within 30 mins (13.5m) to Bath. Enjoys lovely countryside views.

3 reception rooms, modern kitchen with large utility room off, en suite master bedroom and large attic room. Private well enclosed gardens to the side and rear. Total approx floor area: 1725 sq ft/160.2 sq m.

Price: £440,000

Kitchen/diner, utility, cloakroom, sitting room, music room/study, snug/sitting 2, 4 bedrooms & bathroom - 1 en suite. Garage (ideal for conversion subj to consents).Walled south facing garden. Total approx floor area:1806 sq ft/167.7 sq m.

Price: £399,000 11 Quiet Street, Bath BA1 2LB

PRITCHARDS June.indd 2

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Bath Office Sales. 01225 459817 bath@hamptons-int.com Beyond your expectations www.hamptons.co.uk

Holt, Wiltshire

Guide Price £1.6m

A handsome Grade II Listed period farmhouse with an elegant façade of random stone and situated 6 Bedrooms within five acres of beautiful gardens and paddocks. This six bedroom family home is full of features and 3 Receptions benefits from a classic ‘Smallbone’ kitchen and a wonderful drawing room with an impressive inglenook 3 Bathrooms stone fireplace whilst a variety of outbuildings offer plenty of practical storage areas and stabling. Period Farmhouse Appoximate gross sq.ft. 2937

5 Acres Stables and Outbuildings

Bath Office 01225 459817 bath@hamptons-int.com

The pianist Yonty Solomon (1937-2008) once said that there are no such things as pianos – only Steinways; for us, there are no such things as estate agents - only Hamptons. Following past experience of dealing with Hamptons, we would not wish to approach any other estate agent. Bath Seller

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Bath Office Sales. 01225 459817 bath@hamptons-int.com Beyond your expectations www.hamptons.co.uk

Compton Dando, Somerset A fine county house situated in an elevated position enjoying far reaching views over the fields of Compton Dando. This home has been beautifully refurbished and offers spacious accommodation enhanced by fine features including solid oak beams and full height glazed windows leading directly out to the two acre garden; with a handmade kitchen, three smart bathrooms and the top of the range heating services, this is a wonderful family home. Appoximate gross sq.ft. 3051

Guide Price £1.3m 5 Bedrooms 4 Receptions Detached Village Home Beautifully Presented 2 Acre Garden Far Reaching Views

Bath Office 01225 459817 bath@hamptons-int.com

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Bath Office Lettings. 01225 445646 bath@hamptons-int.com Beyond your expectations www.hamptons.co.uk

3 & 4 The Stoneyard, Walcot, Bath Two contemporary properties situated beside the river just off trendy Walcot Street with garage parking and 2/3 bedrooms. Each stunning home has a superb open plan reception room and kitchen, decked terrace, two bedrooms and mezzanine bedroom/study. Built with the very latest green credentials and available fully, part or unfurnished. No. 3 approximately 1400 sq ft, No. 4 approximately 1169 sq ft. Available Now.

£3250 & £3000 pcm Master Bedroom, ensuite & terrace. Second bedroom & shower room. Third mezzanine bedroom/study with wet room Open plan living space & kitchen Elevated deck with views Garage

Hamptons Office 01225 445646 bathlettings@hamptons-int.com

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■ Underleigh, Oakhill This generous seven-bedroom Victorian home is in an enviable position, close to the centre of the village and yet tucked away and backing onto fields. It’s set in three and a half acres of gardens and paddock and has outbuildings for stabling. There is also a separate self-contained apartment. Price: £1.5m. Contact Carter Jonas, tel: 01225 747250

■ Hedgemead Park, Walcot This has to be one of Bath’s best kept secret corners – an old cottage with a south facing terrace and surrounded by trees, and yet literally a few minutes’ stagger from Waitrose. The curiously spelled 1 Gloster Villas is a double fronted 18th century three bedroom cottage, unusually arranged upside down so the bedrooms are downstairs and the large open-plan living space enjoys the aspect from the first floor. The terrace is large enough to have some pots planted up and accommodate table and chairs for balmy summer evenings outside. Price: £375,000. Contact: Tim Bennett & Associates, tel: 01225 325857

■ The Old Parlour, Oakhill A barn conversion at Oakhill, The Old Parlour, stands in eight acres, and is perfectly placed to enjoy the rolling Somerset countryside in summer. The five bedroom home was painstakingly converted by its current owners. It’s so substantial that part of the house is used as a B & B to provide an additional income. The country farmhouse kitchen is a generous size and has an oil fired Aga, oak beams and matching kitchen units with granite work tops. The sitting room has a Jetmaster open fire and oak floor. That room leads into the study and beyond that is the master bedroom. In the other wing of the barn there are three more bedrooms all with en suite bathrooms. Outside there’s a pretty walled garden beyond which is the gravelled area for parking for several vehicles and attached double garage. At the back of the house there’s a large garden complete with a pond that’s rich in wildlife. The garden also enjoys views over surrounding farmland and Harridge wood. There is also the option to buy a further approx 11.5 acres of pasture land. Price: £950,000. Contact: Whitfield Nash, tel: 01225 480444

102 THEBATHMAGAZINE | JUNE 2012

■ Northend, Bath This is a lovely rural spot to spend summer, with the sound of birdsong and a south facing garden, and yet Bath city centre is just three miles away. The end of terrace Victorian cottage has been sympathetically kitted out, with a woodburning stove, polished floors and a fourth bedroom tucked cleverly into the roof space. The cottage also has a useful cellar, a garage and a paved sun terrace to enjoy sunny days. Price £375,000. Contact: Whiteley Helyar, tel: 01225 447544

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W NE

Winsley, £385,000

Holt, £395,000

Comfortable cottage set in the “old part” of this popular village. Three beds, 2 good receptions, kitchen breakfast room, 2 bathrooms. Beams and fireplaces, lovely enclosed garden & parking. Good walks and pub!

Exquisitely restored cottage hidden away in Holt. Four bedrooms, double aspect sitting room, fashionably large kitchen diner. Two bathrooms & utility. Wealth of character features. Pretty gardens. No chain.

W NE

Wingfield, £585,000

Beckington, £199,950

Impeccably presented and renovated home in the grounds of Wingfield House. Fabulously huge lounge. Kitchen diner, 2 beds, 2 bathrooms. Private gardens c. 1 acre, double garage & drive. Magical. No chain.

A real project in this beautiful village. Handsome cottage with 3 bedrooms over 3 floors. Lounge and kitchen. Long garden at the rear. Lots of opportunity & potential for the right buyer. No Chain.

LD SO

Beckington, £249,950

Bradford-on-Avon, £525,000

SOLD - SIMILAR REQUIRED. The quintessential cottage in the heart of this popular village. Two bedrooms. Lounge and kitchen. Serenely presented. Period features. Courtyard garden at the rear.

SOLD - SIMILAR REQUIRED. An individual, non estate, detached family home at the end of a long private drive. 4 beds, 2 bathrooms, 3 receptions, kitchen/diner. Double garage. Enclosed gardens.

☎ 01225 866747 27 Market Street, Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire, BA15 1LL email: info@jeremyjenkins.co.uk • website: www.jeremyjenkins.co.uk

Milsom Apartments A choice of three beautiful one bedroom apartments in a recently refurbished Grade II listed building located at the heart of Bath city centre, in the very chic Milsom Place. Overlooking an attractive tree lined courtyard the apartments are a stone’e throw from some of Bath’s best restaurants and shops.

Reside Bath | 24 Barton Street Bath BA1 1HG | T 01225 445 777 | E info@residebath.co.uk | W www.residebath.co.uk

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Fidelis

Forester Court

£242,500

A Stunning and Surprisingly Spacious Contemporary Apartment Nestling on the Banks of the River Avon

Cottage and New Build Opportunity, Wellow, near Bath

OIEO £400,000

Opportunity to purchase an existing 2 Bedroom Cottage in the very Desirable Village of Wellow near Bath with Planning Permission to Build a 3 Bedroom Dwelling. The cottage and plot are to be sold as 1 lot only

www.fidelisproperties.co.uk

01225 421000

134 Wells Road, Bear Flat, Bath BA2 3AH Fidelis June.indd 1

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Fidelis

Mount Road

£395,000

A Stunning 4 Bedroom Home Beautifully Appointed Throughout with Feature Galleried Landing and Large Garden

SA L

Bathwick Street

£220,000

www.fidelisproperties.co.uk

01225 421000

134 Wells Road, Bear Flat, Bath BA2 3AH Fidelis June.indd 2

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1 Hayes Place, Bear Flat, Bath BA2 4QW.

k Mar r o l y a N

01225 422 224 WELLSWAY £595,000 GUIDE PRICE Charming and most individual semi-detached home dating from the late Victorian period with 1920s and 1980s improvements. Brilliant reception and bedroom sizes, leafy views and glorious gardens of approximately 1/3 acre. Hallway, sitting room, dining room, study/bedroom 4, kitchen/dining room, utility room, downstairs cloakroom, 2 conservatories, 3 large double bedrooms (one with en-suite bathroom) and family bathroom. Large gardens and double garage. Approximate gross internal floor area: 2,400 square feet / 223 square metres.

SHAKESPEARE AVENUE £465,000 A beautifully finished and classic Edwardian family home, fusing turn of the century character with contemporary chic in this exceptionally sought after and leafy neighbourhood. A stunning family home – early viewing essential. Entrance vestibule, hallway, sitting room, family room, kitchen/breakfast room, cloakroom, 4 bedrooms, bathroom and shower room. Southerly gardens. Gas central heating. No onward chain. Approximate gross internal floor area: 1,455 square feet / 135 square metres.

www.mark-naylor.com

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1 Hayes Place, Bear Flat, Bath BA2 4QW.

k Mar r o l y a N

01225 422 224 WESTON £465,000 Executive style, modern semi-detached home featuring fabulous corner plot gardens, generous accommodation and a superior and most sought after cul-de-sac location. Hallway, sitting room, dining room, conservatory, kitchen/breakfast room, cloakroom, 4 bedrooms and bathroom. Integral garage. Large ‘corner plot’ gardens. Approximate gross internal floor area: 1,375 square feet / 128 square metres.

CLEEVEDALE ROAD £399,950 Fantastic, extended semi offering a gentle and tucked away position in this most desirable of Combe Down’s cul-de-sacs. Mature level gardens and good off-street parking a bonus. Vestibule, hallway, sitting room, dining room, study, kitchen, utility/cloakroom, conservatory, 4 bedrooms and bathroom. Generous gardens and excellent parking. Double glazing and gas central heating. Approximate gross internal floor area: 1,360 square feet / 126 square metres.

www.mark-naylor.com

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Tel: 01225 904 904

The Estate Agents People Recommend 1 Harrington Place, Bath BA1 1HF

www.wentworthestateagents.com

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Perrymead, Widcombe

Offers In Excess £800,000

An extremely rare opportunity to acquire a four storey semi detached home with stunning panoramic views of the City, in need of complete renovation set in the ever popular, quiet location of Perrymead. Extensive Accommodation • Sought After Location • Complete Renovation Project • Large Private Gardens • Parking & Garaging • Abundance of Original Features • Great Investment • Scope For Improvement • No Chain

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Combe Park, Bath

Offers In Excess £750,000

An unusual opportunity to acquire a four storey Victorian Villa situated in the ever popular Combe Park area of Weston Village. Beautifully Presented Interior • Spacious Reception Rooms • 3135 Sq Ft of Accommodation • Utility Room • Original Features • Six Bedrooms • Three Modern Bathrooms • Two Kitchens • Professionally Landscaped Gardens • Driveway Parking & Garage • Great Location • Close To Local Amenities & Schools

Standerwick, Frome

Offers In Excess £750,000

High Court House is a most impressive detached country house set in grounds of up to 1.6 acres in the hamlet of Standerwick, which lies approximately 13 miles south of Bath, with far reaching views towards Salisbury Plain. Master bedroom with en-suite • Four double bedrooms • Three reception rooms • Beautifully appointed interior • Extensive landscaped gardens • Stunning far reaching views • Car port & double garage • Stable yard, menage & paddock

01225 904 904 •-www.wentworthestateagents.com WENTWORTH The Estate Agents People Recommend rightmove

.co.uk

hunter french estate agents, valuers and surveyors

Corsham Office: 01249 715775 Bath Office: 01225 444454 Devizes: 01380 722784 e: info@hunterfrench.co.uk • www.hunterfrench.co.uk Hunter French June.indd 1

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Rivers Street

This five storey house is the height of Georgian elegance but when the present vendor purchased it, it was in a very dilapidated state. Over ten years the house was restored to its original style and grace that now enhances the comforts required for modern living.The high ceilings, generously sized rooms and large windows that flood the house with clear natural light, create a home with a warm and welcoming ambience. The house has a wide choice of reception rooms but to walk into the sophisticated drawing room, particularly on a dull day, immediately lifts the spirits.This room can be one large space ideal for entertaining or with the dividing doors closed a snug family retreat. The large kitchen on the lower ground floor is a focal point for daily living and a very sociable area where the family can both eat and relax and presently there is an office and bathroom here. However the space in the house is extremely adaptable and uses can be changed according to need.The top floor is a two bed separate apartment and the perfect location for teenagers or guests to be independent. The south facing garden is planted and paved to create a very labour light space for relaxation and al fresco dining on the patio. Bath is a World Heritage site and with its distinctive and spectacular architecture, history, theatre and many other cultural activities is a unique and vibrant city in which to live. Number 47 has the advantage of being in pleasing River Street in the heart of the city and so within walking distance to the centre.With an urban view and the glorious Somerset countryside just beyond, the house has an excellent location. Bristol is approximately thirteen miles away, the train journey from London is ninety minutes and it is only a short drive to the M4/M5 motorways. 47 River Street provides a superb and refined, but easily managed life style in an enchanting home and location that will be sorely missed by the present owner.

BATH

Grade II Listed, 4/5 Bedrooms, 4 Reception Rooms, Two Bathrooms, Kitchen/Breakfast Room, South Facing Garden

Contact: 01225 320032

£1,200,000

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Prince Hill House Prince Hill House is situated on the edge of the village of Worton, a charming village found approximately 4 miles from the market town of Devizes. Worton has a Public House, thriving primary school and a Church. A large array of boutique shops, supermarkets, banks, building societies, bars and restaurants can be found at nearby Devizes. There is also weekly market and regular farmers market.The historic cities of Bath and Salisbury are less than 25 miles away. Bristol Airport is within 45 minutes drive and Heathrow Airport can be reached via the M4 approximately 80 miles. London is easily accessible via British Rail from nearby Chippenham station. Prince Hill House is located in a beautiful location, with incredible sites of historic interest nearby. Remodelled in the early twentieth century, this handsome Grade II listed house has substantial accommodation.The principal accommodation is arranged on two floors with further attic rooms

and cellarage providing useful additions. The property has some impressive well proportioned rooms and a magnificent reception hall with oak staircase and galleried landing.

In the grounds are two semi detached cottages, various outbuildings including two stable blocks, a (music) studio and garages.The grounds include formal gardens of about 3 acres with the remainder being predominantly paddocks and grazing. In total approximately 13 acres (to be verified).

WORTON, DEVIZES 10 Bedrooms, 6 Receptions, 3 Bathroom, Kitchen/Breakfast Room, Conservatory, Cellars, 5 Attic Rooms, Self Contained Annexe, 2 Semi Detached Cottages, Garden and grounds of approximately 13 Acres

Contact: 01225 320032

£1,950.000

Great Pulteney Street

Offers in Excess of £435,000

Georgian apartment | Two bedrooms | Lift Access | Extremely well presented | Off road parking | Viewing highly recommended A stunning second floor Georgian apartment (with lift access) located in prime location and affording nine windows overlooking Great Pulteney Street and Laura fountain. This apartment is likely to generate considerable interest and early viewing is therefore highly recommended.

Westfield House, Bloomfield Road

Offers in Excess of £420,000

Grade II listed | Georgian garden apartment | Spacious accommodation | Beautiful communal gardens | Private terraces | Super views | Garage and parking This Grade II Georgian garden apartment offers spacious accommodation with delightful gardens and private terraces. The property boasts some impressive views across the city. We believe this property will attract a great deal of interest.

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Lansdown

Offers in Excess of £360,000

Victorian apartment | Sought after address | Spacious accommodation | Stunning views | Large balcony | Off road parking | Communal gardens A rare opportunity to purchase a spacious upper ground floor Victorian apartment built in 1863, in a sought after residential area with stunning views across the city to the Mendips’. The property requires some upgrading and refurbishment and we expect a great deal of interest.

Camden Crescent

Offers in Excess of £270,000

Ground floor apartment | Crescent location | Fabulous views | Period features | Communal garden | Parking space This super ground floor apartment is situated in one of Bath’s famous crescents and offers some truly magnificent views across the City and the countryside beyond. This apartment offers some lovely features and early viewing is highly recommended.

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Carter Jonas June Sales.indd 1

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The Property People Offices throughout the UK including 5 in London

NR. BATH

Lower Hamswell

Guide Price £1,500,000

An idyllically situated south facing small farm with development potential and beautiful views over the surrounding countryside. 3 reception rooms, Kitchen/breakfast room, Cellar, 4 bedrooms, 2 bath/shower rooms, Traditional barns with consent for 2 dwellings, Range of modern farmbuildings, Pasture land with no pubic rights of way and good riding out. Approximately 73 acres.

Bath 01225 747250

bath@carterjonas.co.uk

BATH

Crescent Gardens Guide Price £695,000 A fine 6 bedroom Victorian end of terrace property with flexible accommodation and parking, currently run as a successful guest house within level walking distance of the city centre. (Approximately 1,993 sq ft / 185.15 sq m)

Bath 01225 747250 bath@carterjonas.co.uk

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carterjonas.co.uk

BATH

Sion Hill

Guide Price £500,000

A beautifully renovated ground floor two bedroom apartment that opens out onto splendid communal south facing gardens with commanding views of the city, across to Prior Park and offering a spacious and light accommodation, off street parking and a garage within this prestigious building. (Approximately 1,114 sq ft / 103.49 sq m)

Bath 01225 747250

bath@carterjonas.co.uk

BATH

Mount Beacon

Guide Price £395,000

An attractive 3 bedroom period cottage with a beautiful garden in a popular residential location on the upper slopes of Lansdown overlooking the city centre and opposite St. Stephens Primary School. (Approximately 968.30 sq ft / 90 sq m)

Bath 01225 747250 bath@carterjonas.co.uk

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The Property People Offices throughout the UK including 5 in London

NORTH OF BATH

Lower Hamswell

£4,250 pcm Offered Furnished

Superb, detached period family home, nestling in superb rural surroundings approx. 4 miles north of Bath. Two reception rooms, stunning kitchen/dining room, utility room, galleried office, playroom/3rd reception room, 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms. One acre of garden and double garage and parking.

Bath 01225 747250 sharon.hunter@carterjonas.co.uk

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Crisp Cowley Ralph Allen’s Town House York Street Bath BA1 1NQ 01225 789333

www.crispcowley.co.uk

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Crisp Cowley Ralph Allen’s Town House York Street Bath BA1 1NQ 01225 789333

www.crispcowley.co.uk

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Crisp Cowley Ralph Allen’s Town House York Street Bath BA1 1NQ 01225 789333

www.crispcowley.co.uk

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Crisp Cowley Ralph Allen’s Town House York Street Bath BA1 1NQ 01225 789333

www.crispcowley.co.uk

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