The Bath Magazine June 2015

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ISSUE 153 • JUNE 2015

THE MAGAZINE FOR THE CITY OF BATH

www.thebathmag.co.uk

£3.95 where sold

LIDO LIFE CLEVELAND POOLS 200TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS

INTRODUCING THE HOLE IN THE WALL: A TRIBUTE TO THE CITY’S FOODIE LEGEND

BATH@WORK EXCLUSIVE: WE CHAT WITH BATH’S FIRST LADY

THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT: EGG THEATRE IN THE SPOTLIGHT

HOME STYLE: ON SOURCING SALVAGE & UPCYCLING

T H E C I T Y ’ S F I N E S T M O N T H LY G U I D E T O L I F E A N D L I V I N G I N B AT H

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THE | CONTENTS

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84 38 80 54 8

5 THINGS TO DO Our suggestions for June in Bath

38 ART EXHIBITIONS Visit the city’s galleries and studios

10 MY BATH

44 CITY ARCHIVE

12 GUEST COLUMNIST

46 THE DELICIOUS GUIDE

Cycling enthusiast Nick Rearden

Stephen Curtis muses on the Avon

14 BATH AT WORK Neill Menneer photographs the doyenne of city society, Lady Margaret

18 REGENCY LIDO Bath’s Cleveland Pools at 200

22 1815 AND ALL THAT Examining Waterloo’s impact on Bath

24 ORIGINAL DRAMA Kilter Theatre in the spotlight

28 WHAT’S ON Literally dozens of things to do in June

36 LOVE, DEATH & ART Meet Bath artist Catherine Phelps

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Getting prepared for some sun

80 BEST FOOT FORWARD

Remembering The Hole in the Wall

We salute the city’s tastiest eateries

54 FACE THE MUSIC Foodie Bugle’s Silvana de Soissons

56 SIX OF THE BEST Places for bargain feasting

Corsham Walking Festival

82 THE WALK Andrew Swift explores the By Brook

84 CELEBRATE SALVAGE Designer Clair Strong on upcycling

86 GARDENING Visit the Bishop’s Palace in Wells

57 SUMMER WINE

91 PROPERTY

Angela Mount’s South African picks

Beautiful homes to buy or rent

68 FAMILY FUN Out and about with the children

71 COMPETITION

WIN

Win £320 of Le Toy Van kitchenware from My Small World

72 YOUTH THEATRE Profile of Bath’s golden egg

Even more great content online: thebathmag.co.uk 4 TheBATHMagazine

74 HEALTH & BEAUTY

Follow us on Twitter @thebathmagazine

ON THE COVER

Illustration by Bath artist Catherine Phelps for Cleveland Pools Trust. You can buy this poster from The Framing Workshop, Walcot Street

Like us on Facebook.com/ TheBathMagazine

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A

s the longest day of the year approaches it’s time to get out of the house and enjoy the great outdoors. Our June issue is carefully and generously packed, like the most tempting picnic hamper, with treats to entice you to sally forth and have some fun.

This year is the 200th anniversary of the founding of the open air swimming baths at Bathwick, and if you’ve never visited the beautiful but faded charms of the Cleveland Pools, I exhort you to do so – they’ll be open for an anniversary party on Saturday 4 July, tickets are on sale now. You can read, on Page 18, about all the hard work that’s going on to restore the baths so we can arrive by ferry along the River Avon, alight on the riverbank and enjoy a swim in them as generations before us did. We also talked to Bath artist Catherine Phelps, the woman who created the stylish poster art for Cleveland Pools, which she’s kindly allowed us to use as our June cover.

And while we were looking back at 1815, when the Cleveland Pools first opened, I got caught up in examining the impact the Battle of Waterloo had on the country, and Bath in particular. It’s hard to imagine now, but there was a very real threat then that we would be ruled by the French leader Napoleon. A new exhibition at the Herschel Museum will provide visitors with food for thought.

Speaking of food . . . Bath may only be a small city, but as someone remarked the other day, its inhabitants and its visitors seem to spend much of their time drinking coffee in its cafés and eating out at its numerous restaurants and pubs. We salute one of the tireless entrepreneurs, Silvana de Soissons who runs The Foodie Bugle in Margarets Buildings, in our regular Face the Music feature, and celebrate the city’s smorgasbord of eateries with our very own Delicious Guide.

You know that there are two people you never see in the same room together? Thespian Ralph Oswick, one of the founders of Bath’s Natural Theatre Company, and Lady Margaret. Funny that. But photographer Neill Menneer, who seems to know everyone in Bath, has somehow got these two together. Take a look at his brilliant double portrait on Page 14.

There are more talented people celebrated in this issue. Melissa Blease talks to Kate Cross, artistic director at the egg theatre, about the tremendous impact that this youth and children’s theatre has had on the young people of Bath in its first ten years of existence – and its ambitious plans for the future. Long may it continue to entertain, involve and liberate future generations. Also inspirational are Oliver and Caroline, the duo who run Kilter Theatre, touring the country from their Bath home and taking theatre out of its comfort zone and into unlikely venues including cemeteries, allotments and cyclepaths.

Find out more about this original and creative partnership and where you can see them in action this summer, on Page 24.

We’ve all been hearing a lot about Poldark-and-handsome, as the BBC drama has been dubbed, and that the Wiltshire market town Corsham stood in for Cornwall during the shooting of the series.

Those ingenious people who organise the Corsham Walking Festival, which takes place this month, have even added a Poldark trail to their programme of Brunel, quarries and other themed walks. Have a look at some of the stories behind the walks, Page 80, or set out on Andrew Swift’s specially commissioned walk along the beautiful By Brook Valley between Corsham and Box, on Page 82.

There’s lot more besides in our summer picnic hamper of goodies, so pull up a deckchair, or roll yourself into a hammock, and tuck in.

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.

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JUNE 2015

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Cycle It’s really time we all got our old, neglected bikes out of the shed and prepared them for going back on the road, to make the most of the long summer days.

For inspiration you might join the crowds – 10,000 are expected on the day – for the exciting final leg of the national Pearl Izuma cycle race which arrives in Royal Victoria Park at around 7.30pm on Thursday 11 June. That finale, after five weeks of racing round the country, will be preceeded by a day of local races and bike-based activity in the city park.

The Julian House Bike Workshop is supporting the Big Bike Revival campaign, which is aimed at lapsed cyclists who have a machine but have stopped using it. It may need a basic repair or something a little more specialist help to fix.

There’ll be free drop-in workshop, for advice on matters such as puncture repairs, at the Julian House Corn Street bike workshop on Saturday 30 May and 6 June, from noon to 4pm – where bike safety checks will be given, along with basic repairs. The mobile Dr Bike workshop will be at City of Bath College on Wednesday 3 June, 10am to 2pm – with free advice and basic repairs. Or you can book your bike in at the Julian House workshop and commission a professional service.

On Sunday 21 June, which happens to be Father’s Day, the Rotary Club of Keynsham is holding a cycle challenge for the whole family at the Odd Down cycle track in Bath from 1pm. This promises to be a fun day out. Take your bike (there’s also a chance to show off your vintage bike) and join the pedal-in.

Proceeds to Prostate Cancer UK.

Explore There are many treasures of Bath that are unseen, whether it be because they’re under our feet or in private ownership, or held in storage in our museums and galleries. But once in a while, we get the chance to view some of this hidden hoard. This month Bath and North East Somerset Council is running a series of guided tours of the local history store on the Upper Bristol Road. The St John’s history store will be open on Saturday 13 June for tours of the store, which includes equipment dating from Victorian times when it was used in Bath’s spas. Tours will run at 11am, noon, 1pm and 14pm. To book a place tel: 01225 477773, but we’re told, drop-ins are possible. The event is part of Adult Learners’ Week 2015.

Visit

Enjoy As we go to press the Bath Fringe Festival is in full swing and it continues to amuse, amaze and delight us until Sunday 7 June. There are loads of events on for children during half-term week plus theatre, comedy and lots of live music right up until 7 June. Highlights include Bill Smarme on 3 June, a comedy evening in Widcombe on 4 June, a concert by Bath’s best buskers on 5 June, and a whole weekend of fun and thoughtfulness in Walcot over the weekend 6/7 June. We exhort you to pick up a programme or go online and find something to tickle your fancy: bathfringe.co.uk.

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The whole city’s being encouraged to get behind the Cleveland Pools restoration project to bring the country’s oldest lido, or open air swimming pool back to life for swimmers to enjoy. As part of its 200th anniversary celebrations and fundraising the trust has commissioned this peepthrough board by Bath artist Catherine Phelps.

If you see it, please have your picture taken and Tweet it with #clevelandpools. It will be outside Abbey Chambers tourist information office on Sunday 14 June from 11am to 4pm, and other places to be arranged. See our feature about Cleveland Pools and the restoration project on Page 18.

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TV presenter and gardener Toby Buckland is gathering together a crop of horticultural experts to join his garden festival at Bowood House and Gardens in Wiltshire on Friday 5 and Saturday 6 June. Roy Lancaster, Anne Swithinbank and our very own columnist Jane Moore will be joined by small specialist nurseries and growers, including this floral pair, Sara Willman of My Flower Patch and Saffron DoddsSmith of Bath Flowers. There’ll be children’s activities and the chance to talk about careers in horticulture, along with food and drink and live music. Sounds like a great day out. For tickets visit: tobygardenfest.co.uk.

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THE CITY THE BUZZ

My BATH We asked Nick Rearden account manager for Raleigh Cycles what he’ll be doing this month

Escape Former Olympic swimmer and motivational speaker Sharron Davies is backing the annual Kennel Break Challenge to raise money for Bath Cats and Dogs Home. This year’s event is on Friday 12 June and it’s still not too late to take part. The challenge is to volunteer to be locked in a kennel with only your laptop, your phone and your ingenuity to raise £1,000 as fast as possible. Most people (with a little homework ahead of time) are released within an hour. The charity, based at Claverton in Bath, needs £1.4m to keep open. To take part in the Kennel Challenge call Zena Jones on 01225 787335.

Awards Before you turn away and say that Bath is already awash with awards, can we point out at the newly launched Bath Independent Awards are just that – independent. They’ve been set up by friends Sarah Harris and Erica Pease, pictured, who both work at Komedia, in response, they say, for the need in the city for a set of awards judged by Bathonions to celebrate the diverse, original, creative, hard-working independents of all sectors. The ceremony will be held on 16 September and, the pair say, it’s not going to be a black tie do but a party. Businesses are invited to nominate themselves now. There are all sorts of categories, from B&B to food producer, even to best business dog of the year. Erica and Sarah stress this is a nonprofit making project, done purely for the love of Bath. Nominate yourself: independentbath.blogspot.co.uk/p/theaward-categories.html or visit Bath Independent Awards’ Facebook for more.

Twitterati 10 TheBATHMagazine

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What brought you to Bath?

Initially it was the Bath triathlon, back when the swim started by Pulteney Weir. My wife Heidi and I lived in London and visited to compete for weekends over several years, often saying “Wouldn’t it be amazing to live here?” but never actually thinking it would happen. Then in 1999 we had the good luck to be offered the Bang & Olufsen TV and audio franchise when it was on Argyle Street and we jumped at the chance. I’m an account manager for Raleigh Cycles in Nottingham but I live in Odd Down next to the new cycle circuit. We have over 200 stockists and I visit about 80 of them in Somerset, Wiltshire, Dorset, Devon and Cornwall to make sure they know what’s coming up and generally help owners with their business priorities.

What are you reading?

Well, I have Ian McEwan’s Atonement by my bed but I’ve not been able to open it for perhaps eight years, having made the mistake of watching the film first. I’m not in a book club but I’m kind of a book club groupie in that my friend Bob Mytton gives me recommendations so I’m currently reading The Circle by Dave Eggers.

Plus, I read every cycling-related book that comes out and rely on Ed Scotland at Mr B’s Emporium of Reading Delights for anything that’s published on the subject.

What is on your MP3 player?

I have music on my iPhone but I never listen to it that way, prefering to enjoy it at home on proper loudspeakers. My taste is pretty varied from teenage-era Pink Floyd to Italian opera to the latest from Elbow. Listening to Gilles Peterson on BBC 6 Music is a Saturday afternoon institution in our house.

Which café or restaurant takes your fancy?

Goodness, where do you start in Bath? For ‘fancy’ it would have to be The Bath Priory where we celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary with the family. For a romantic dinner it would be Hudson’s at the top of Walcot Street and for ‘casual’, upstairs at the Raven on Queen Street that has the most amazing Pieminister pies, along with Abbey Ales brewed in Bath. My favourite café is Made by Ben just up the road from John’s Bikes on Walcot Street.

Which museum or gallery will you be visiting?

I’m a huge fan of the Victoria Art Gallery on the corner opposite Pulteney Bridge. Despite being slap-bang in the centre of the city I’d guess that less than 1% of the tourists who visit and hardly many more locals know it is there. The Bath

Society of Artists is holding its annual show until 27 June and you get in free if you have a B&NES Discovery Card. I’ll be looking out for paintings by my talented cycling buddy Francis Moseley.

What hobbies or interests will you be pursuing?

Cycling is my big sport and hobby, with both my wife and son also actively involved with regular weekend rides with the Velo Club Walcot. The boy races at Odd Down Circuit and nearby Castle Combe but the missus and I organise more sedate rides named Easyriders from the Orange Grove at 9am every Sunday.

We’ll typically cycle 30 – 40 miles out into the countryside and stop for coffee and cake, our favourite being The Glove Factory at Holt.

What local outdoor activity or event will you be doing or visiting?

It’s all happening for cyclists this coming month in Bath, with the Pearl Izumi Tour Series taking over the centre of the city on Thursday 11 June for top professional racing including Team Raleigh. Plus there will be racing for amateur categories on the circuit that takes in the cobbles along the Royal Crescent, which should be entertaining for spectators. My son Luke is hoping to race, a welcome break after finishing his GCSEs at Beechen Cliff. And then there’s the regular highlight of Bath’s cycling year, the BikeBath rides from the Recreation Ground on 25 July.

There are 25, 50 and 80 mile options that head out into the Wiltshire countryside and feature great rest and recuperation feed stops.

Film or play?

I love the Little Theatre Cinema and check the schedules for the retrospective films they show. On Wednesday 1 July they’re showing Carmen live from the English National Opera.

At Raleigh we’re all very excited because DEKA our latest stockist on Henry Street is holding a public subscription to raise the finance to open a much-heralded coffee bar. £100 buys a VIP card entitling you to free coffee and a discount. The offer closes on 14 June and needless to say I’m signed up. See wearedeka.com for info.

We’re following @WeWantPlates. Because modern society is divided between those who are filled with joy at cocktails served in jam jars, chips in tiny shopping trolleys, or burgers on slate roof tiles, and those who think that food should be served not on a plank of driftwood but on an old-fashioned plate. You can have your say. This crusade has 45,000 followers already.

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CITY | BUSINESS

THE | COLUMNIST

OUR RIVER’S DARK AND MURKY SECRETS Stephen Curtis IS A WRITER LIVING IN BATH. HIS BOOK, A WONDERFUL PIECE OF WORK IS AVAILABLE FROM AMAZON AND LOCAL BOOKSHOPS

S

everal years ago, I dashed off a cod classical comedy for a Greek night at our local amateur theatre club, Bath Drama. The play was entitled The Girl from Argos; the heroine was called Kallipygia, the hero, Tridias. I gave the latter a very poetical speech invoking our local river as the ‘beer-dark Avon’, alluding, very learnedly, to Homer’s ‘winedark sea’. He had to solve the riddle of the Sphinx before crossing the water by the perilous Destructor Bridge to claim his bride.

Actually the Avon is a good deal less transparent nowadays than any beer you would care to drink – otherwise how could it have hidden for so long the enormous quantities of junk that were recently reported to have been taken out of it? If I were writing my play now, I might think that ‘car-worn’ or ‘trolley-tormented’ or ‘totter-friendly’ were more appropriate epithets. I wonder if it was some special configuration of the currents and the access points that resulted in all that scrap metal fetching up in the stretch of river near where the Destructor Bridge used to be, or whether the whole of the urban Avon is a kind of underwater theme park for a punk subaqua society.

Early this May my wife and I walked the river between Twerton and the Churchill Bridge. We were half-hoping to see a monumental pile of debris, perhaps shaped by a local sculptor or scrap artist into a giant figure with headlamps for eyes called the Avon Spectre or the Devil of the South.

But no. The rubbish has gone. The Destructor Bridge has gone too, of course, to be melted down into machine parts or fridge magnets or whatever.

The other bridges are desperately drab. Should Bath gets its own ‘banana bridge’ perhaps? The new riverside flats look raw and relentlessly cuboid.

The towpath on the northern bank is now fenced off for a good deal of its length, but one still feels it needs large fluorescent signs that say ‘Remember those that love you. Please, please do not walk this way if you are p****d out of your head!’

That bank, nevertheless, was rank with cow parsley and hawthorn and tendrils of sticky weed and the occasional flower, as the sidewalk to any suburban stream should be. The river is a work in progress – for us and, I suppose you could say, for nature too, as the seasons move round. The south bank along by the new flats is a building site, but somewhere, no doubt, the trees and shrubs and grass are already growing that will be parachuted in to turn it, in fairly short order, into an Arcadian scene.

We famously live in a Georgian city. I wonder if any Georgianness rubs off on us, its inhabitants. Are we at all imbued with Georgian sensibilities and values through daily intercourse with classical buildings that embody elegance, rationality and restraint? It probably accords completely with Georgian practice to throw all your rubbish into the water that washes the shores of the place where you live. Perhaps the dredger will one day haul out a miraculously preserved sedan chair instead of a Ford sedan. But let’s hope we take in some more elevated influences too: restraint, rationality and balance that can live in harmony with natural vigour, so that if the south bank ends up possibly manicured within an inch of its life, the north bank will be left with some dirt under its fingernails in the form of the cow parsley, the sticky weed, and the odd rat – not to mention, emerging from behind a screen of leaves, the unexpected view now and then of the fag end of a terrace or crescent, of a children’s playground or someone’s back garden.

And if the Avon gets a cleaner bed to lie in and its waters become a tad more limpid, then all the poetical folk of Bath may be able to adopt as their motto these lines, originally written for the Thames by Sir John Denham, which so beautifully exemplify the elegant restraint that they praise: ‘Oh could I flow like thee, and make thy stream My great example as it is my theme!

Though deep yet clear, though gentle yet not dull; Strong without rage, without o’erflowing full.’ n

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BATH @ WORK

Our series of photographic portraits by Neill Menneer shows Bath people at work. View a gallery of Bath@Work subjects at: thebathmag.co.uk

Ralph Oswick & Lady Margaret

I

came to Bath in 1969 (some claim it was 1970) A friend was involved in Natural Theatre, part of the newly-formed Arts Workshop, so I joined him for a few weeks. I was a mortuary attendant in Chelmsford at the time, so working in an ‘alternative’ arts environment seemed terribly exciting!

On the train down a very grand old lady informed me that in Bath one should stay at Pratt’s Hotel because they always gave one two towels in one’s room. She pronounced it ‘Prett’s’ and I am pretty sure she was the seed that would one day blossom into my alter-ego Lady Margaret.

Little did she know that I would be dossing on my mate’s floor with no towels. And little did I know that I would stay with the company for 45 years and be awarded the Mayor’s Long Service Medal.

What was different about the Naturals?

The Arts Workshop had very little in the way of premises, so performances took place in any available space such as pubs, shop windows, youth clubs and above all in the street. Several members had art school backgrounds so the work tended to be very visual. It wasn’t political as such and we rather loathed the agitprop style prevalent at the time. But it was both accessible and surreal and often changed the audience’s perceptions of familiar spaces. Or at least that was what we said in Arts Council grant applications.

Basically it was funny and mischievous and appealed to Mr and Mrs Ordinary everywhere, and unlike your average street theatre, production values were as high as any stage show.

We soon graduated to become a British Council flagship company, representing the best of British humour worldwide.

Worldwide really does mean worldwide with the Naturals. The current tally of countries visited is 86, if you count Guernsey and Jersey as two separate countries!

Lady Margaret Like most of Naturals personas, her ladyship is based on real people, most notably that woman on the train. Part of her also came from a character in a Women’s Institute murder mystery we discovered which was about six ladies living in a seedy hotel in the Royal Crescent (!) She is now much more famous than me, has had an audience with the President of Costa Rica, led the Queen’s Jubilee procession down the Mall and had her own series on Radio 4. I’ve retired from the Naturals, but Lady M won’t lie down, though she is intending to go into semi-retirement for a year or so until her new knee has bedded in.

The cuts A couple of years ago the Arts Council was obliged to make swingeing cuts to long-established groups such as ours. The Naturals went from a subsidy of around £170k per year to zero.

But unlike some of our peers we refused to close and have worked very hard to get back to a break-even situation.

With the recession receding and the books balanced, the future is looking pretty bright for the new look, slimmed down company. n

PORTRAIT: Neill Menneer at Spirit Photographic.

Visit: capturethespirit.co.uk, tel: 01225 483151.

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CITY | @PLAY

CASH SPLASH FOR POOLS We’re being invited to help celebrate the 200th anniversary of the founding of Bath’s open air swimming pools – and to help fund the day when the Cleveland Pools can re-open to swimmers

T

his summer sees a series of events in and about Bath’s Georgian open air swimming pools, as a celebration of their 200th anniversary and to raise money to have them re-open for swimmers to enjoy.

The Cleveland Pools is the country’s only surviving Georgian lido and because of its site, screened by trees and houses in Bathwick, on the banks of the River Avon, there are still people in the city who don’t know it is there. But thanks to a team of tireless volunteers the pools, which have for years lain disused and derelict, are to be restored.

From 2015 until 2017 a series of events has been planned to celebrate the founding of the pools by a group of Georgian gentlemen who enjoyed naked bathing in what was originally a private members’ club.

Mary Sabrina Stacey, advisor to the Cleveland Pools Trust explains what is happening on the restoration project: “The Cleveland Pools Trust – in partnership with the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Prince’s Regeneration Trust, English Heritage and Bath and North East Somerset Council – is finally making headway with its campaign to restore the Grade II baths and reclaim them for outdoor swimming.

In July 2014 the trust received a development phase grant offer from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) of £366,200 towards the £505,291 anticipated cost of developing its proposals to restore the historic site as a community swimming facility. The balance of funding required includes £106,000 from Bath & North East Somerset Council, the owner of the site.

The development phase grant is to pay for the costs of developing a fully detailed design for which we must obtain planning and listed building consent.

The final scheme which must also include a refined and sustainable business plan, and proposals to show how we will interpret the history and significance of the site to different user groups, is scheduled for submission back to the HLF in a stage II application in the summer of next year 2016. If successful the stage II application should release an additional £3.77m of HLF funding to complete the scheme.

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But to achieve HLF approval the trust’s application must demonstrate that the proposal has community support, a viable business plan, and can be delivered within budget. The trust must also raise a further £500,000 of partnership funding towards the project cost estimated to be £4.27m.

We are keen to hear from anyone who has ideas or wishes to help us raise funds.

In January 2015 a project director, Christopher Heath, was appointed.

Christopher’s initial role is to help coordinate the work of the trustees and select and appoint the specialist professionals required: project manager, design team (architect, engineers etc), business planning, interpretation, conservation and education consultants.

We anticipate that the design team

CLEAN LIVING: a poster promoting the joys of swimming at Cleveland Pools Copyright: Souter and Stanley

should start to generate various design options around the end of this year to early spring 2016.

It’s our intention to present the options that look most viable and realistic to the public and various user groups, for comment, as soon as they become available. We will be seeking everyone’s feedback on what they like and dislike about the options, to help us select a final design that we can be confident is financially viable, sustainable into the future without the need for continuing grant support, and which appeals to the widest cross section of the community, the site being primarily for use as an affordable open air swimming pool.

The characters and event involved during the pools’ long history tell a fascinating history. The project began

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CITY | @PLAY

SPECIAL PLACE: main picture, Cleveland Pools as they are now awaiting restoration Far right, pictures from the vintage swimwear fashion show taken by photographer, Marc Aitken (London Fashion Week photographer)

with an advertisement in the Bath Chronicle newspaper on 20th July 1815 asking for subscriptions from those gentlemen wishing ‘... Wto provide a place in connection with the River, where those who swim and those who do not will be alike accommodated.’

Contributions poured in and the riverfed pool and buildings were constructed and opened for swimming (for men) within two years.

Inset, the poster designed by Catherine Phelps

In 1827 a ladies pool was added. For decades the formerly-named Cleveland Pleasure Pools were a favourite summer destination of generations of people from Bath and beyond. By 1861 this glorious open-air venue had become so popular that the Victorians added a children’s upper pool.

Now we are identifying those folk who swam in the pools more recently, collecting photos and stories of the pools’ past. These can be seen on the website.

There are many ways to volunteer for the Cleveland Pools Trust. We now advertise volunteer vacancies on the website. We have had wonderful involvement of students from Bath Spa University.”

The Bath Magazine is a supporter of the Cleveland Pools restoration project.

We staged a fashion shoot using the pools as a backdrop last year and we are proud to use Bath artist Catherine Phelp’s poster design as our cover this month.

You can buy the poster from The Framing Workshop in Walcot Street.

Visit: clevelandpools.org.uk. n

Join in the poolside fun this summer A vintage swimwear fashion show, featuring bathing costumes as worn over the last 200 years, was just one of the events planned to mark Cleveland Pools’ anniversary. Pool Trust member Paul Simons donned a stripey bathing suit to compere the show which took place at Green Park Station. Richard Wyatt of Bath’s Virtual Museum opened the show, which was organised by Jenny Brown, of Bath Spa University. The models were students from Bath Spa Uni and Ralph Allen Sixth Form.

As part of Bath International Music Festival an outdoor concert was held with the Red Note Ensemble.

The next big event is a familyorientated Party at the Pools on Saturday 4 July, from 11am until 3pm.

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Sponsored by Savills estate agents, the party will include a performance by children, directed by Petra Schofield of Magic Penny Productions, music from the Bath Spa Band, a barbecue and refreshments, stalls and things for children to do, plus a performance by the Natural Theatre’s Young People’s Company.

There won’t be swimming, but it is hoped that by then the jetty will be built so visitors can arrive in style by boat on the Avon, jumping on board at Pulteney Bridge. Alternatively you can arrive on foot after a stroll from the city centre.

The trust is also collecting people’s memories of swimming at the pools.

Tickets: £4/£2 children, from the Bath Box Office tel: 01225 463362.

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CITY | SHOPPING

Summer STYLE

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2 Princes Buildings, George Street, Bath BA1 2ED Telephone: 01225 424499. Fax: 01225 426677 www.thebathmag.co.uk © MC Publishing Ltd 2015 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.

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CITY | ARCHIVE

THE ECHOES OF 1815

The Battle of Waterloo, fought in June 200 years ago this month, had a big impact on the British people.

A new exhibition at Bath’s Herschel Museum invites us to consider this epoch defining event

Y

ou might think that there was little connection between us today and Waterloo than an Abba Eurovision hit song, a bridge and a mainline station in London. But, it’s fascinating to uncover the story of the Battle of Waterloo, won by the British on 18 June 1815 – and to examine its impact on the people of Bath at the time. The Herschel Museum in New King Street, Georgian home of astronomer William and his sister Caroline, has been chosen to host a sixmonth long exhibition because Herschel once met Napoleon.

THE BATTLE Waterloo was fought near Brussels and marked the end of the Napoleonic Wars, which, with the French Revolutionary Wars, had rumbled on for over 20 years.

Napoleon Bonaparte, who had been exiled in Elba, had returned to power in March 1815. He was the great Bogeyman that British parents threatened their children with, while they themselves secretly feared that the French would cross the Channel and invade – with Napoleon ruling as a dictator.

In the early summer of 1815 the allies prepared to invade France. Napoleon and his army marched into Belgium against Wellington’s combined army of British, Dutch, Belgian, and German forces and Marshal Blücher’s Prussian army. The French defeated Blücher at Ligny on 16 June, while Wellington withdrew his force of 68,000 from Quatre-Bras to Waterloo. Napoleon then attacked Wellington’s position with 72,000 troops, putting in three waves of assaults. The delayed start to the attack allowed the Prussians time to reach the 22 THEBATHMAGAZINE

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battlefield, where they eventually deployed 45,000 troops. Towards sunset, a last French attack failed. The French retreated, pursued by the Prussians. There was a terrible loss of life on both sides, with casualties of around 50,000.

HOW BATH TOOK THE VICTORY In Bath, as in much of the rest of the country, news of the British victory took several days to get through. When it did there were dinners and parties to celebrate, as well as a gala concert and a firework display in Sydney Gardens.

The Duke of Wellington was a popular hero, both as a soldier and leader of men, but also because of his charm with women. Famously he and his wife did not get on and he was seen out and about with other women. Here in Newbridge, Bath, Wellington is said to have had Apsley House built for his mistress. Today it’s a 12 bedroom hotel and each of the rooms bears the names of his battles, apart from the biggest room which is the Wellington suite.

The Waterloo battlefield was a scene of carnage, but quickly the scavengers moved in and stripped the dead not only of their valuables, but even pulled the teeth from the dead. Sets of dentures, made from the teeth of largely young, previously fit and healthy soldiers, were advertised for sale in Bath newspapers and Waterloo teeth, as they were known, were a popular commodity back home, where tooth decay was common.

Less gruesome were the sale of Wellington rings, fashioned with the likeness of the Duke himself.

Quite a tourist industry grew up from the battle site. The romantic poets Wordsworth, Shelley and Byron all visited Belgium and brought artefacts home.

LEGACIES OF THE PAST: left to right, dresses from 1815 as seen at Bath’s Fashion Museum, the poster for the Herschel Museum exhibition, Waterloo and the March of Science, and the Iron Duke himself, Arthur Wellesley

NAPOLEON AND HERSCHEL William Herschel admired Napoleon and in August 1802 he and his wife Mary, were granted an audience with him, when Napoleon was serving as consul in Paris. Herschel’s diary records the encounter, which began in the gardens of Malmaison. The Empress Josephine, described by Herschel as ‘a very elegant lady’ and their daughter were also present. Napoleon impressed Herschel with opinions on subjects from the construction of the heavens to canal navigation, the English police and the licence given to the English newspapers.

They also talked about horse breeding, all while tucking into ice cream.

WATERLOO’S LEGACY The Herschel Museum in New King Street runs its exhibition, Waterloo and the March of Science from 18 June until 14 December.

The BRSLI in Queen Square has a few items from Waterloo, but sadly is unable to show them at the moment. This small collection comprises; the breast and back plates of a French Cuirass (armour), with blade marks on it, two cannon balls from the battlefield, and a military sash worn at the battle by assistant surgeon Stewart Chisholm of the Ordnance Medical Department.

BRSLI also has a commemorative medallion depicting a horseback figure with the epithet Prince of Waterloo (a victory title in Dutch and Belgian nobility for the Duke of Wellington).

Elsewhere in the city you can find Waterloo Buildings in Twerton and Wellington Buildings in Weston.

There are also epitaphs on memorials to old soldiers in Bath Abbey, although these tend to reference the French wars rather than Waterloo specifically. n

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TAKING THEATRE OUT

Bath based Kilter Theatre puts on shows in unlikely places – from cemeteries to cycle paths – and are embedded with several city institutions. Georgette McCready talked to them about their inspiration

W

e all know that there are some amazingly creative people in Bath but a theatre company which persuades its audience to get on their bikes and follow them as they put on a mobile show, is surely out in front in terms of originality.

I first met Olly and Caroline of Bathbased Kilter Theatre at the Larmer Tree Festival where in their guise as Mrs Penny Black and Great Aunt Sofya they were welcoming visitors to a mobile postal sorting office. Here, you could try your hand at using an old-fashioned manual typewriter, compose – and post – a postcard, or marvel over the pigeonholes, old maps and other postal ephemera. People of all generations were absorbed by the experience, and began chatting with each other. On leaving the sorting office it was clear they’d had fun.

Oliver Langdon and Caroline Garland, both trained actors, had been working on various projects which involved a lot of touring. They wanted to settle somewhere, so came to Bath where in 2007 they formed Kilter. The pair have gone from strength to strength, engaging audiences in as unlikely venues as allotments, a cemetery and the Bristol to Bath cycle path.

Caroline says of that experience: “That was great fun, Olly had a trailer on his bike with a cellist sitting playing and the action took place along the way. Our audience cycled along with us.

“I think people like what we do because it’s so intimate and they feel they’ve joined a secret club. They talked afterwards about how they’d always remember the woman running through 24 THEBATHMAGAZINE

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the trees, or the glade where Olly pulled over and everyone stopped to take tea.”

Because Kilter is so good at conveying a sense of fun and play, audiences get caught up in that while being invited to consider more serious issues. The environment and sustainability is important to the pair (who are a couple in reality and have a baby son together) and so they’re always delighted when people act on what they’ve seen.

“One family saw our show Rooted that we did at the allotments and told us that they’d been thinking about where their food came from and had stopped using supermarkets as a result,” says Olly. “We invited people to plant seeds during the show and some returned to harvest what they’d planted, which was nice. There’s even a gooseberry bush still flourishing, which our audience planted.”

The play The Last Post and mobile sorting office were inspired by Caroline’s passion for letter writing, and that has proved popular with audience members enthusiastically entering into penpal friendships by postcard and letter.

Community is also very important to Kilter, who like the fact that they’re presenting theatre in a very direct way, outside the contraints of a traditional building. I learn that the retro mobile sorting office is in fact a converted Luton van, which the couple lovingly transformed over one summer, gathering stamps, furniture and maps from other people’s junk – “we love doing that!” enthuses Caroline – and borrowing authentic items from the Bath Postal Museum, such as the posties’ wall clock which has the loudest alarm you’ve ever heard, guaranteed to get even the sleepiest postie out of bed.

The company of two takes on musicians and other performers as and when they need them. A recent Bath & North East Somerset Council sponsored project recently saw Olly working with schoolchildren from some of the least privileged neighbourhoods, creating song lyrics. The children wrote in praise of things and people that are normally overlooked, or unsung, and their work was then offered to an adult choir to sing back to them – which the young creatives found immensely satisfying.

The finished Unsung pieces were sung at the Holburne Museum on the opening night of the Bath Music Festival.

Kilter is also currently the artist-in-

ORIGINAL: main picture, Kilter Theatre deliver theatre to unlikely places Inset, Oliver Langdon and Caroline Garland, seen here as the Kamioneers Top, in their lovingly created retro sorting office – opposite, a cunningly disguised Luton van

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CREATIVE | CITY

residence at ICIA at Bath Spa University.

Kilter’s next project is in the development stage and will be a commission for the egg theatre’s free range festival in Bath.

“We have a lot of ideas,” says Caroline, “and we spend a long time researching and paring down.”

They can’t reveal much about the new production except that it will feature live music, be lyrical in nature and one of the musical instruments is likely to be an ancient pedal organ they picked up for 99p on Ebay.

Kilter is currently raising funds to do some maintenance work on the van ready for its outings this summer.

Caroline says: “The steps need fixing, the audience area needs some tlc, we need to employ a carpenter and an electrician, Mrs Black needs a new wig, and Great Aunt Sofya needs new glasses, among other things. So we are asking for donations – the prize is an exclusive invitation to a secret sherry shindig in the retro-chic Mobile Sorting Office Emporium of Delights.”

Find out more about Kilter Theatre or book them for a private occasion, party or festival visit: kiltertheatre.org, follow them on Twitter @kiltertheatre and Kilter Theatre on Facebook.

For all bookings contact Lucy at kiltertlp@gmail.com for enquiries. n

WHERE TO SEE KILTER 7 June: Unsung, Singing Day at Victoria Hall, Radstock. Come and sing our unsung songs written by local children.

13 June: The Last Post, Blue Sky Festival, Corsham. Two performances of the award winning play. Booking essential.

July 5 July: The Last Post, Secret Sherry Shindig. A fundraising celebration for donors. For your invitation contact olly@kiltertheatre.org 11 July: Unsung, Midsomer Norton Community Day. The town sings it's new unsung town anthem for the first time.

18 July: The Last Post, Snow Hill. Visit the Mobile Sorting Office, write a postcard and have tea with The Great Aunts.

18 July: The Green Roofs, Snow Hill. A revival of Kilter’s 2011-13 songs written by the residents about Snow Hill & London Road.

20 – 27 July: Luna Lina. As part of the egg's Free Range season, theatrical experiments around town for Kilter's play in development

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BATH PHILHARMONIA WEDNESDAY, 17 JUNE, THE FORUM, 7:30PM

NICOLA BENEDETTI Smetana - The Moldau Korngold - Violin Concerto v Dvorák - Symphony No. 8

“….thrilling to hear and watch…a truly risk-taking performance.”

The Times

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Tickets: £28/24/20/18 (£10 unreserved) Available at the Bath Box Office 01225 463362, www.bathboxoffice.org.uk or by phone & online through Ticketline 08448 889991, www.bathforum.co.uk JUNE 2015

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WHAT’S ON in June EVENTS ARE LISTED IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER

Snow White on Ice

EXHIBITION: BATH AND THE NILE EXPLORERS Sunday 31 May – Saturday 27 June (Mon – Friday 7am – 10pm, Sat 8am – 6pm, Sunday 8.30am-9pm) n Springfield centre, Beechfield Road, Corsham SN13 9DN Exploring the background to the Nile Duel, a debate planned in Bath in September 1864, between Victorian explorers, bitter rivals John Hanning Speke and Richard Francis Burton, to settle their conflicting accounts of the source of the Nile... a debate which never took place. Speke died on the Neston Park estate, Atworth on September 15, 1864. Exhibition arranged by Bath Royal Literary & Scientific Institution in partnership with Corsham Area Heritage group.

DIE FLEDERMAUS Monday 1 June – Saturday 6 June, times vary n Theatre Royal, Sawclose, Bath The Casa Rosa Opera Company returns to Bath with a sparkling witty comedy, beautifully staged in flamboyant costume made from the 1875 designs. Tickets from £18.50. Tel: 01225 448844.

Also at the Theatre Royal this month SNOW WHITE ON ICE Tuesday 9 – Saturday 13 June, times vary The Russian Ice Stars bring their dazzling skating skills to the stage, which is transformed into a winter wonderland for this show. It also stars Rustie Lee, of TV:AM fame, as the fairy tale reporter.

BEST TOUR OF BATH WITH SONGS Kenneth Cranham

David Suchet

Chris Barber

Small Worlds

Tuesday 9 June, 6.30pm n Bath Abbey Presented by Bath Abbey’s Schools’ Singing Programme and Bath Primary Schools’ Arts Festival. The world premiere of the New Best Tour of Bath with Songs (music by Thomas Hewitt Jones, lyrics by Paul Williamson). The evening begins with a performance of Handel’s Zadok the Priest sung by a choir of 350 local primary school children before the audience is then taken on a magical journey of the wonders of Bath through the ages in song. Accompanied by King Bladud’s New Best Bath Chamber Orchestra, Craig Bissex (baritone) and Shean Bowers (conductor). Ideal for families and young children. Tickets £8 adult, £6 under 16, via Bath Box Office 01225 463362, visit: boxoffice@bathfestivals.org.uk THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST Monday 15 – Saturday 20 June, times vary Oscar Wilde’s comedy of manners is a staple of Theatre Royal audiences, but this production comes with a twist as the immortal lines of Lady Bracknell will be uttered by Poirot star David Suchet.

THE FATHER Monday 22 – Saturday 27 June, times vary The Ustinov’s autumn production of this new translation won five star reviews in the national press and actor Kenneth Cranham heads the cast for this re-visitation to the main theatre. He appears alongside Claire Skinner (best known for Outnumbered) and Colin Tierney.

SMALL WORLDS DOLLSHOUSE EXHIBITION Until 8 November n The Brownsword Gallery, No 1 Royal Crescent, Bath A collection of historic dollshouses and furniture. Free with admission to the museum. Adults £9, concessions £7, children £4.

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BATH SPA UNIVERSITY END OF YEAR SHOW Wednesday 3 June, 7pm n Komedia, Westgate Street, Bath A night of live music from the final year commercial music students from the university. Expect an impressive and varied night out. All for just £1 on the door.

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Also at Komedia this month LIVEWIRE AC/DC TRIBUTE ACT Friday 19 June, 7.30pm A unique tribute to one of rock’s loudest acts, covering the Ben Scott and Brian Johnson eras.

LET’S DANCE: HUEY MORGAN Friday 19 June, 11pm The Fun Lovin’ Criminal turned Radio6 DJ hosts a party that’s a mix of funk, soul and disco. He’ll be supported by Lionel Richtea and Asian Hawk. Komedia’s regular club nights attract crowds of all ages.

POLLY AND THE BILLETS DOUX SUPPORT: LADY NADE Friday 5 June, 7.30pm n Chapel Arts Centre, Lower Borough Walls, Bath BA1 1QR This popular blues band has featured in The Word magazine’s Best New Music, and been championed by Bob Harris on Radio2. Festival appearances include Glastonbury, the Big Chill, The Secret Garden Party, and Cambridge Folk. Bristol singer/songwriter, Lady Nade, is a well-respected performer of her own smoky, sultry and beautiful music.

Tickets: £10, tel: 01225 461700, visit: chapelarts.org.

Also at Chapel Arts this month SINGER/SONGWRITER MCMAHON Sunday 7 June, 7.30pm McMahon is a Cork born singer songwriter who has toured with Tom Jones, Imelda May, Toploader, Gavin James, Foy Vance and Matt Cardle. Tickets: £8 (£10 on the door).

PETER KNIGHT’S GIGSPANNER Sunday 14 June, 7.30pm Gigspanner’s new album Layers of Ages sees the band blowing the dust from traditional music and song to reveal authentic moments of originality and beauty. Fiddle player Peter Knight (ex Steeleye Span) is joined by Roger Fleck on guitar and Vincent Salzfaas on percussion.Tickets: £13.50 (£15 on the door).

THE FABULOUS KAZ HAWKINS AND BAND OF MEN Friday 19 June, 7.30pm Kaz Hawkins is now established as one the biggest performers to come out of Northern Ireland, winning awards including joint winner of the Rising Star category for Blues and Soul magazine 2014. Tickets: £12 (£14 on the door).

NOVATO DANCE COMPANY: ELEVATE Thursday 4 – Saturday 6 June, 7.30pm n Mission Theatre, Corn Street, Bath BA1 1UF Contemporary dance company brings a show filled with energy for a dynamic performance that will appeal to all ages. Tickets: £7/£5 concessions. Tel: 01225 463362 or visit: bathboxoffice.org.uk.

Also at the Mission this month POSTCARDS FROM THE SEASIDE Thursday 11 – Saturday 13 June 7.30pm MadCap Theatre Productions return with a new musical set in 1940 against the backdrop of the Homefront at the time of the Dunkirk evacuation. Tickets: £12/£10 concessions SIMPLY SOWETO ENCHA Wednesday 24 – Saturday 27 June 7pm Another popular act returning to The Mission this five-strong troop of singers and dancers perform original material alongside traditional African music. They will also be running inspirational workshops. Visit: eventbrite.com.

BATH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Sunday 7 June, 7.30pm n Wiltshire Music Centre, Ashley Rd, Bradford-on-Avon BA15 1DZ Two of the most famous love stories told through music. Wagner’s Prelude from Tristan and Isolde and excerpts from Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet. Tickets: £22. Tel: 01225 860100.

Also at Wiltshire Music Centre this month THE BIG CHRIS BARBER BAND Saturday 20 June, 7.30pm A band that stands out as one of the finest of its kind anywhere in the world, playing everything from New Orleans jazz to Ellington. Barber’s trombone playing is legendary. Tickets: £24/£12 under 18s.

MARTIN SIMPSON WITH ANDY CUTTING AND NANCY KERR Saturday 20 June, 7.30pm Three giants of modern folk music join each other on stage. Tickets: £19.50/£9.50 under 18s.

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WHAT’S | ON

RAPSCALLION THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS A PIECE OF CAKE AND TRANSYLVANIAN BLUES Friday 5 – Sunday 7 June, 7.30pm ■ The Gallery at St James Wine Vaults, Bath Two fast-paced comedy plays by two new writers. In Piece of Cake, Margaret takes action. When husband Bob gets home, he’s a mite concerned about the banker she’s got tied up in the living-room.

Transylvanian Blues is a contemporary take on the Dracula story. Jani, Koti and Csaba are racing across the continent to get to England by nightfall – or the customs officer could be in for a nasty surprise. Tickets: £6 at the door.

PURCELL’S DIDO AND AENEAS Saturday 6 June, 6pm (picnic from 4pm) ■ Freshford Village Hall, Freshford Sunday 7 June, 6pm ■ Midsomer Norton Town Hall Bath Cantata Group in its diamond jubilee year joins forces with The Bath Consort in two semi-staged productions of Henry Purcell’s first opera. Tickets £15 (including a glass of fizz) from Sharps and Flats Music Shop, Orange Grove, Bath, BA1 1LP, tel: 01225 469655.

Corset making workshop at the American Museum

Capella Nova at Lacock

WORKSHOP: VICTORIAN CORSETS Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 June, 10am – 4pm ■ The American Museum, Claverton, Bath Join Lisa Keating, bridal wear designer, and learn to design, cut and make a fitted, steel-boned Victorian corset. Based on historic patterns, these corsets can be worn as outer or under garments. Booking essential: £150 for both days, £50 materials, tel: 01225 820868.

Also at the museum this month WORKSHOP: PLANNING A BETTER FUNERAL Saturday 13 June, 10.30am – 2.30pm Inspired by Hatched, Matched, Dispatched— and Patched! Paula Rainey Crofts (Good Funerals Lifetime Achievement Award 2013) and Dee Ryding (Celebrant of the Year 2014) host an uplifting, contemplative workshop exploring alternative funerals, including a screening of the film Beyond Goodbye. £30, tel: 01225 820868.

TALK: COWBOYS AND CAMERAMEN - THE ROMANTIC PAST OF THE EARLY WESTERN Saturday 13 June, 7.30pm Film historian Kevin Brownlow explores rare extracts from early Westerns. With live piano accompaniment from Stephen Horne, Kevin will show rare silent movie clips. £10 BATH OPERA SUMMER CONCERT Saturday 20 June, 5pm picnics, concert 7.30pm indoors Following last year’s sell-out show, Bath Opera performs works by American composers in the run-up to Independence Day. £12

Opera at Iford

Widcombe Street Party

OPEN GARDEN: WIDCOMBE Friday 19 June 11am – 4pm ■ The Dell, Church Lane, Widcombe BA2 6BD One of Bath’s hidden gems is this garden with its natural spring and specimen planting, originally laid out in the 1960s by botanist Professor Leonard Broadbent. Entry £3.50, with funds going to Bath based charity Ethiopiad. Cakes and teas will be on sale and visitors can enjoy the spring water too.

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IFORD ARTS SEASON: THE MASKED BALL From Saturday 6 June, gardens open from 6pm ■ Iford Manor near Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire From the Iford Arts Opera comes this new production of Un Ballo in Maschera, sung in English. Tim Nelson, winner of the Opera Europa International Directing Prize, directs for the run of seven shows at this heavenly spot. Tickets are hard to get, but it’s an experience to remember.

From £113, tel: 01225 448844 or 01225 868124.

Also at Iford this month IFORD YOUNG ARTISTS CONCERT Sunday 7 June, gardens open from 6.15pm Iford music director Oliver Gooch has put together this showcase of young singers. These are the stars of the future. Tickets: £30.

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CHROMA FOLK TALES Sunday 14 June, 7.30pm Violin, cello and accordion combine to bring folk tales to musical life, presented by this acclaimed trio. Tickets: £30.

LANSDOWN OPEN GARDENS Sunday 7 June 2 – 5.30pm n Lansdown, Bath The gardens: The Cott and St. Stephen’s House, Richmond Lane; 5 Mount Beacon; Kimbolton House; 2 Mount Beacon; 18 Springfield Place and Northcote, Lansdown Road. Tickets £5 (children free) on the day from the gardens, St Stephen’s Church Centre and St. Stephens’s Millennium Green, Richmond Road. Tea and cakes in St Stephen’s Church Centre. Plant sale on the Millennium Green. In aid of the Millennium Green. Visit: millenniumgreen.org.uk.

WIDCOMBE STREET PARTY Sunday 7 June, noon – 7.30pm n Widcombe, Bath The good people of Widcombe know how to party. There’ll be music, comedy, fun and games for all ages.

BATH IN OLD AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHS; THE CITY AND ITS SETTING FROM THE AIR Wednesday 10 June, 6.30pm n The Museum of Bath Architecture, the Paragon, Bath John Branston reveals a recently discovered collection of aerial photographs of Bath and explores what they reveal about the development of the city.

(In partnership with Bath In Time).

Pic: courtesy of Bath In Time. Tickets £5 on the door.

IN AN ENGLISH COUNTRY GARDEN Saturday 13 June 7.30pm n St Cyriac’s Church, Lacock, SN15 2LB Bath choir Cappella Nova presents an evening of English songs and poetry during Lacock flower festival, in aid of Dorothy House Hospice Care and the Friends of Lacock Church. Tickets: £10, £1 under-16s, tel: 07811 379299, or visit: cappellanova.org.uk.

THE WROUGHTON LECTURE: MAGNA CARTA AND THE FIGHT FOR FREEDOM BY CHRISTOPHER LLOYD Tuesday 16 June, drinks from 6.45pm, lecture 7.15pm n The Wroughton Theatre at King Edward’s School, Bath King Edward’s School marks the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta, with a lecture by world history author, Christopher Lloyd, one of a series of lectures sponsored by former headmaster, Dr John Wroughton. Tickets: minimum donation £8.50/£4.50 concessions.

Proceeds to the King Edward’s Bursary Fund. Tel: 01225 820357, or email: development@kesbath.com.

BATH CHORAL SOCIETY: MUSIC FOR A SUMMER’S AFTERNOON Saturday 20 June, 3pm n Prior Park College chapel, Ralph Allen Drive, Bath BA2 5AH An afternoon of music by Bach, Rachmaninov, Sibelius, Grieg, Nystedt and Part, which evoke images of the wide open Steppes and the vast canvases of the Arctic Circle. The choir will be conducted by Will Dawes. Proceeds to Julian House and Hospice South West. Tickets tel: 01225 425621 or 07951 885102 or visit:bath-choral-society.org.uk.

A HANDFUL OF SINGERS Saturday 20 June, 7.30pm n St Luke’s Church, Hatfield Road, Bath, BA2 2BD Following the release of its first CD centred on music by great American and European composers, A Handful of Singers, Bath’s acclaimed chamber choir, returns to America for some more inspirational and beautiful music. The programme will also include Continued Page 32 >> WWW.THEBATHMAG.CO.UK

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WHAT’S | ON lighter choral items, and a variety of solo and ensemble pieces. Tickets tel: 01225 463362, visit: bathboxoffice.org.uk choir 01225 311773, or visit: ahandfulofsingers.org WELLOW OPEN GARDENS Saturday 20 June, 2pm – 5pm n Wellow, Somerset A variety of gardens will be open to visitors to raise funds for the restoration of St Julian’s church. Enjoy home-made cakes as the Friends of St Julian’s will be serving teas in the church. £5 for adults. Accompanied children free.

CITY OF BRISTOL CHOIR CHARITY CONCERT Saturday 20 June, 7.30pm n The Colston Hall, Bristol A gala concert in aid of Bristol Children’s Hospital, and celebrating the 70th birthday of conductor and composer John Rutter, who will conduct a choir of over 250 singers in a performance of his Mass of the Children with the Bristol Ensemble. Singers from Exultate Singers and City of Bristol Choir, will be performing alongside Bristol Youth Choir and choristers from Westbury-on-Trym Church.

Some of the singers in Bristol Youth Choir owe their lives to the children’s hospital. The programme also includes Zadok the Priest and Jonathan Dove’s There was a Child, conducted

by David Ogden. Tickets: £20 to £40 (£10 under 18s) tel: 0844 887 1500 or visit: colstonhall.org.

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atmospheric surroundings. The 15th century tithe barn, used as a location for the BBC’s Wolf Hall is “the perfect home for a brooding, melancholic Hamlet” according to director Simon Blacksell. Enjoy a picnic before curtain up. Wine, hot drinks and cakes will be on sale.

Tickets £12/£10 concessions, tel: 01225 860100, or visit: wiltshiremusic.org.uk.

American GI re-enactment at Chalke Valley History Festival in Wiltshire THE GUITAR CIRCLE Saturday 20 June, 7.30pm n St James Wine Vaults, St James Street, Bath, BA1 2TW Exciting and original acoustic guitar music drawn from three recent CD releases by www.theguitarcircle.com/artists.php. Topping the bill is The Flamenco Thief who is mid-way through his second world tour. Acoustic duet Fight & Flight play guitar music with a contemporary feel. Tickets £6 or £10 with CD. HAMLET Wednesday 24 – Saturday 27 June n The Tithe Barn, Barton’s Farm, Bradfordon-Avon The award winning Bradfordians company presents its annual summer classic in

CHALKE VALLEY HISTORY FESTIVAL Monday 22 – Sunday 28 June n Manor Farm, Ebbesborne Wake, Nr Salisbury SP5 5JH The Daily Mail Chalke Valley History Festival is the largest festival dedicated to history in the UK. There’ll be talks, demonstrations and live action from periods of history including the English Civil War, a Spitfire and Hurricane, plus the chance to visit a replica First World War trench. For full details visit: cvhf.org.uk.

BATH BACH CHOIR Saturday 27 June, 7.30pm St Mary’s Church, Bathwick Bath Bach Choir has invited Chorale Darius Milhaud from Bath’s French twin Aix-enProvence to join in a concert. The two choirs will sing Fauré's Requiem and the French choir will perform works by Palestrina, Gounod and Saint-Saens. Nigel Perrin, celebrating 25 years as director of Bath Bach Choir, will conduct the Fauré Requiem.

Tickets: £10, child £5, tel: 01225 463 362, visit: bathboxoffice.org.uk.

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OPEN GARDENS Sunday 28 June, 2pm – 5.30pm n Stanton Prior, Somerset Nine private gardens and a shepherd’s hut will be open to visitors. Homemade cream teas, local produce and bric-a-brac sale. In aid of St Lawrence Church and Stanton Prior village hall.

Follow the signs in the village. £5 for all nine gardens (under 16s).

Open air opera at Prior Park

WHAT’S | ON

KINGSDOWN GOLF CLUB OPEN WEEK 29 June – 4 July n Kingsdown Golf Club, Kingsdown nr Bathford SN13 8BS An open competition (ie open to non members as well as members) every day at one of the country’s oldest golf courses. Tel: 01225 743472 for details.

PLANNING AHEAD LA TRAVIATA Thursday 9 July, gates open 5.30pm n Prior Park College grounds, Bath Pack a most elegant picnic to make the most of the beautiful surroundings where The Garden Opera Company will perform Verdi’s La Traviata al fresco, and in English. Tickets: £35, under 16s, £20, tel: 01225 354656. Proceeds to the Julian House charity which works with homeless and vulnerable men and women.

Outdoor Shakespeare from this long-established group viewed from the comfort of the tiered covered stand. This energetic, funny and thought-provoking production is set in 1913 at the height of the Suffragette movement.

Tickets, visit: shakespearelive.com, tel: 07780 938107; £15 (£10 children / NUS students) except for Saturday gala (£20 / £15).

Groundling places also available.

SHAKESPEARE LIVE PRESENTS:THE TAMING OF THE SHREW Monday 6 – Saturday 11 July; times vary n Lackham House, Lacock, SN15 2NY

SPANDAU BALLET AND SPECIAL GUEST JAMES WALSH Saturday 11 July n Westonbirt Arboretum, near Tetbury, Glos.

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Spandau Ballet sold over 25 million records and scored numerous multi-platinum albums. The New Romantics established themselves as one of the super-groups of the 80s with classic hits such as: To Cut A Long Story Short, Chant No. 1 (I Don’t Need This Pressure On), Lifeline, Gold and True. Tickets £46.50 (plus £4.65 booking fee) tel 03000 680400 or buy online: forestry.gov.uk/music.

RAY DAVIES Saturday 8 August n The grounds of Glastonbury Abbey Ray Davies, stellar British singer-songwriter and former lead singer with the Kinks, is the star of this year’s Extravaganza. He’ll be supported by current chart hit country duo The Strokes and by Joan Armatrading. Tickets: £35 adult and £20 (children six to 16), or £40 adult, £25 children on the day. The evening will end with fireworks. Visit: glastonburyabbey.com/Extravaganza2015.

ROUSING MUSIC TO RAISE THE SPIRITS Saturday 12 September, 7.30pm n Bath Abbey This concert to raise the spirits and the profile and funds of two charities, the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association and Combat Stress, with music played on the Abbey organ

by Jennifer Bate and music provided by the Band of Her Majesty's Royal Marines from Lympstone. Tickets from £10 to £33, tel: 01225 463362 or visit: supportingukforcesandfamilies.co.uk

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DAYS | OUT

MIDSUMMER MEADOWS

The Wild Britain movement is intent on restoring and protecting our wildflower meadows and grasslands – enjoy a summer’s day out in someone else’s creation or make your own haven for bees and butterflies at home

W

e are very lucky in Bath to still be able to stroll through rolling countryside where wildflowers thrive. If you head out on the popular Bath Skyline walk at this time of year you will be able to enjoy a variety of flowers, from cow parsley and herb Robert to cranesbill, red campion, daisies, clover and even orchids in the hills and valleys around the city.

You might find it hard, surrounded by all this glory to believe, but Britain has lost a staggering 97% of its hay meadows and wild grasslands since the 1930s – a loss caused by factors including intensive farming, pesticides and extensive buildings.

But the last few years has seen a wild Britain movement spring up as tenaciously as a buddleia, or butterfly bush, flourishing on a building site. And we can join it, either by visiting other people’s wild gardens, or by creating our own havens for different native species, whatever the size of our plot.

Tania Pascoe, who had a career in corporate sustainability, recalls growing up in Somerset and spending summers surrounded by an abundance of cowslips and buttercups. Now, with a daughter of her own, she’d like her child to experience the same butterfly chasing pleasures that she enjoyed. This inspired her to set out on a pilgrimage to explore some of Britain’s wild places in order to share them with others.

The result is her book Wild Garden Weekends, a county by county guide to wild gardens, with places to eat and stay along the way. Tania’s hand-picked selection includes camping in a traditional orchard in Cornwall, farmhouse B&Bs and rented country cottages. She took tea in secret walled gardens, had lunch made from vegetables that had only hours before been growing in beds just feet away and explored the paths less travelled to share these destinations.

There are plenty in the south west, but here are some highlights: GOREN FARM, DEVON If we get fine weather this month, this Devon farm will be a heavenly spot to visit during its NGS open evenings, when the sun-warmed hay meadows will give off a heady scent. The meadows of the farm have never been ploughed and are used only for hay and wildflowers. It’s like stepping straight back into a preindustrial past. If you wanted to spend a weekend in Devon, with one foot in the past, you could rent the 15th century cottage Blackpool Mill, which overlooks a tiny cove. It has no telephone or 34 TheBATHMagazine

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television and provides a great base to explore the local fauna.

GREENCOMBE, SOMERSET This secret garden, which contains the largest champion holly in Britain as well as four national collections, is open daily in the afternoons until the end of July. Its wild enchantment has been enhanced over 50 years of careful tending by plantswoman Joan Loraine.

CRANBORNE MANOR, DORSET Visitors delight in the juxtaposition of wildflower meadows and formal gardens at Cranborne, a garden that was largely laid out in the 17th century. ‘Large bronze statues seem to float in floral seas,’ writes Pascoe. The house is not open but the Old Potting Shed tea room is. The gardens are open on Wednesdays.

HEALE HOUSE, WILTSHIRE A most romantic garden, combining a waterside stretch, scented towers of sweet peas and cascading roses with walks of long grass and orchids. A cosy tea room serves cake and soup. Open Wednesday to Sunday. l Wild Garden Weekends by Tania Pascoe, published by WildThingsPublishing.com, £16.99, is available from all good bookshops.

Also championing the wild Britain movement is the Wiltshire family-run business, Meadow in My Garden which

LET IT GROW: main picture, Elizabeth Frink’s In Memoriam statue appears to float above the flowers at Cranborne Manor Top right, free range children in a meadow at Goren Farm unploughed for generations Right, Meadow in my Garden sells wildflower seeds for all kinds of soil

primarily sells wildflower, bee-friendly seeds and seedbombs (ideal for a spot of guerilla gardening). They’re out and about at shows throughout the south west. Meet them at The Frome Independent town-wide street market on Sunday 7 June. They’re very knowledgable and friendly too. Whether you have an acre or two, or just a corner of a suburban garden, it is possible to create a wildflower meadow. Meadow in My Garden also sells online. n

READER DISCOUNT

Readers of The Bath Magazine can enjoy 25% off the price of Wild Garden Weekends, with free UK delivery (£12.75 instead of £16.99). Visit: wildthingspublishing.com and enter Wild Garden Weekends as the coupon code.

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Reflecting Beauty Spring Jewels & Art Show

Showcasing Emma Chapman - designer of exotic gemstone jewellery using ancient couture techniques and Emma Rose - artist of acclaimed landscapes reflecting the aesthetic of Wabi-Sabi

4th-6th June

Open • Thursday-Saturday 10am-5pm Private View • Thursday 4th 6-7.30pm

Unique and original Jewels and Paintings direct from Designer and Artist

Emma Rose Artworks • 78 Walcot Street • Bath • BA1 5BD (upstairs in the Bath Sofa & Curtain Company)

www.emmachapmanjewels.com www.emmaroseartworks.com

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ARTIST | PROFILE

SHRINES WITHOUT GODS

Bath artist Catherine Phelps is inviting us to think about fate, luck and faith in a piece of street art. Georgette McCready finds out more about her varied career

A

rt is a form of communication, but some artists are so direct with their messages that they immediately engage the viewer. Bathonian Catherine Phelps is a mistress of communication, whether she’s creating publicity material for an event or getting us, her audience, to think about love, death and faith.

You may already be familiar with Catherine’s work. She won the Fringe Art Bath Open public vote prize in last year’s festival and has produced an eyecatching poster for the Cleveland Pools which is raising money for its restoration campaign.

Catherine has combined a career as a graphic designer and illustrator with that of an artist. She was one of the artists chosen to decorate an egg for the Egg Theatre egg hunt this year, is an associate art of 44AD gallery and she showed her work at the Bath Society of Artists summer exhibition at the Victoria Art Gallery last year and at the Royal West of England in Bristol.

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Involving ideas of faith, curiosity, bad luck, which carries the ideas of the performance off the street and into the home

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She tells how it all began, after leaving school in Bath and studying history of art. “My first album cover, Sell Me a God, in 1989 was basically a photo of what was on my shelves at the time for the local band Eat. They were signed by the record label Fiction in London.”

The young Catherine took her collage up to the record label offices in London, where – like a scene from a film – her talent was spotted and she was offered a job, which led to her working on album covers for bands as diverse as The Cure, Manfred Manns Earthband and The Rebel MC. She worked there until computerisation made her role 36 THEBATHMAGAZINE

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redundant, so she learned Spanish and moved to Madrid, where she met her future husband and forged a career as an illustrator, running her own design business.

After a couple of decades family duties brought her full circle back to Bath, where she now works from her home studio, surrounded by found objects that catch the imagination. We will shortly be able to enjoy two very different exhibitions from Catherine.

As part of Bath Fringe Festival she’ll be taking part in the Love and Death themed show at Walcot chapel.

On Sunday 7 June she will take her mobile blessing station with its shrine, Just in Case out on to the streets. Here she will be meeting passers-by and inviting them to consider ideas of belief and freedom. The shrine is deliberately constructed to evoke the Roman Catholic shrines that are carried through the streets of Spain, particularly the glorious Burial of the Sardines rites, but without using any religious iconography.

A short ceremony will take place, as Catherine explains: “We’ll be playing on ideas of superstitious habit, ritual, repetition, faith and the eternal human need for there to be something more beyond the known, (so moving in its pathetic hopefulness and the desire for

mystery).

“When completed the member of the public is congratulated on their new state of being and will choose a written message with strict instructions only to open it when they get home. This starts an internal debate involving ideas of faith, curiosity, bad luck, which carries the ideas of the performance off the street and into the home.”

In Freshford, from 6 – 14 June, Catherine is curating an exhibition in Wheat Paddock Barn. Lost and Found includes the work of eight artists who work with found objects. The line-up comprises; Tom Buchanan, Tamsin

HUMAN NEED: main picture, Just in Case, Catherine Phelps’ non religious portable shrine, and inset, the artist in her Bath studio

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ARTIST | PROFILE

Girvan, Robert Lee, Mark Olive, Catherine Phelps Graeme Hobbs, Lily Rigby and Ali Holloway.

This show is a departure for the gallery which usually shows figurative and abstract paintings, it has a humorous mix of media with an emphasis on storytelling and the weaving of mystery and poetry from discarded objects.

Catherine says of the lost and found theme: “In the house of our memories images and ideas rattle around in a kaleidoscopic cascade that shifts with each new turn. Souvenirs of lost childhood – a lead toy, a plastic watch –

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can sit beside a wooden handle worn through years of labour; a fragment of a tea cup pulled from a stream has its own damaged beauty and keeps the secrets of a summer afternoon in someone’s else’s life. A human life is a history of imperfection, damage and loss that found objects perfectly symbolise. We seek to repair, save and collect, clawing back fragments of the lives of others in an attempt to catalogue and memorialise. This show dramatises that impulse.”

The Bath band Eat has recently reformed for gigs in London and are playing weekenders this autumn. n

GET THE MESSAGE: left to right, poster campaigns designed by Catherine in Madrid, and a collage of shared art for the Lost and Found collective show in Freshford this month

Lost and Found exhibition: June 6 – 14. Open 11am - 6pm daily, Wheat Paddock Barn, Freshford Lane, Freshford, Nr Bath, BA2 7UR (reached through the playground from Freshford Village Hall /Galleries shop car park) The mobile blessing station is part of the Love and Death event at Walcot on Sunday 7 June as part of the FAB Bath festival. Tel: 01225 722 686.

To see more of Catherine’s work visit: catherinephelps.com, or on Twitter @catherinepetra. To buy the poster she designed for the Clevelands Pools, used as our cover, contact Meltone Framers, tel: 01225 461510 or the Framing Workshop, tel: 01225 482748

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ART | EXHIBITIONS

ART FOR MIDSUMMER

Enjoy the longest days of the year with a visit to one of the city’s public and private galleries

RICK KIRBY 29 May – 20 June The gallery is undergoing its most logistically challenging exhibition to date, housing a collection of new work by international sculptor Rick Kirby, which is set to dominate the building’s Georgian architecture. As Kirby’s first solo gallery exhibition, the aim is to create tensions between architectural space and sculptural presence. The installation will be physically demanding, with some of the works so large that they will have to be assembled on site. Gallery director Bridget Sterling also hopes to challenge the space and how visitors perceive it. With painting being the

predominant anchor for most of the gallery’s exhibition programme, a purely sculptural installation will create a stir. Standing with quiet poise, Kirby’s pieces have a watchful and theatrical presence. In this first solo exhibition of gallery works his steel sculptures, which elegantly describe the contours of the human form, range up to 2.5 metres in height in a truly monumental installation.

Dramatically sited in the gardens and homes of many private collectors, his work can also be found in publicly commissioned sites across the UK most notably outside the Houses of Parliament in London and on the banks of the Thames in Putney.

Witness by Allan Martin

A sea gipsy fishing on the Andaman Sea by Cat Vinton

LANE HOUSE ARTS 5 Nelson Place East Bath BA1 5DA Tel: 07767 498403 Visit: lanehousearts.co.uk ALLAN MARTIN: THESE DARK WOODS and other work Until the end of July These fine subtle paintings seek something unknown, unsettling, yet familiar and seductive. He often works in almost monochromatic hues, but a recent shift to work in colour, as can be seen in this piece, explores some of the same themes.

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The Three Graces by Rob Kirby

BATH CONTEMPORARY 35 Gay Street, Bath BA1 2NT Email: gallery@bathcontemporary.com Visit: bathcontemporary.com Tel: 01225 461230 Opening times: 10am – 5pm, Mon – Sat

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TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR The courtyard at Lacock Abbey, Lacock, Wiltshire 5 June – 12 July, daily 10.30am – 5.30pm An exhibition of images from the Travel Photographer of the Year (TPOTY) awards – which attracted thousands of people when it went on show in London last year – are to go on show in an outdoor exhibition at Lacock Abbey, Wiltshire, the birthplace of photography. The photographs in the exhibition offer a glimpse into our magnificent and poignant world. From sweeping landscapes to bustling city scenes, from a lion on the hunt to a snow monkey having a relaxed bath in Japan and some fascinating moments of human life, these images will take people on a journey around the world. These award-winning photographs, submitted by amateur and professional photographers who beat entrants from almost 100 countries in 2013, drew some 37,000 visitors when they were displayed in London last summer. This year the National Trust team at Lacock closed the courtyard to vehicles, making it a more relaxing and enjoyable space for visitors. TPOTY will be the first event held here. National Trust members and under 5s go free. For more information please call 01249 730459 or visit nationaltrust.org.uk/lacock.

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ART | EXHIBITIONS UNIVERSITY OF BATH Galleries 1, 2, and 3 The Edge, University of Bath, Claverton Down BA2 7AY Until Sunday 31 May, Mon-Sat 10am-5pm Free admission, all welcome

VICTORIA ART GALLERY

By Pulteney Bridge, Bath Open Tuesday – Saturday, 10am – 5pm, Sundays, 1.30pm – 5pm Tel: 01225 477233.

BATH SOCIETY OF ARTISTS SUMMER EXHIBITION Until 27 June The Bath and North East Somerset Councilrun summer exhibition is a box of delights, with more than 300 paintings, drawings, prints and sculptures, all for sale. This annual show is one of the great summer traditions in Bath, where locals and visitors peruse the works on show and then pick their own favourites, to fill in a card and vote for the people’s choice.

THE HOLBURNE MUSEUM Great Pulteney Street, Bath

Minuet 1 & 2 by Fiona Robinson QUERCUS 1 Queen Street, Bath BA1 1HE Open: Tues – Sat, 10am –6pm, Sundays, 10am – 4pm ORCHESTRATED MARKS 6 June – 4 July Featuring works on paper by Fiona Robinson, prints by Andrew Vass, jewellery

by Jessica Turrell and Beatwoven textiles, this show looks at how artists use their chosen process of mark making as a means of articulating space and time. Looking at drawing as a tool for exploring processes, more than a means of representation, this group show includes ceramics, jewellery, printmaking, textiles and works on paper.

SOUND AND VISION Until 30 August Quercus has also curated an exhibition of paintings by Bath artist Richard J S Young at Gascoyne Place, you can see these in the three main dining rooms of the restaurant in Saw Close.

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CANALETTO: CELEBRATING BRITAIN 27 June – 4 October When the Venetian painter Antonio Canal arrived in London in 1746, Britain was booming. During his nine-year stay, the artist captured the latest achievements of British

architecture and engineering. Including loans from Compton Verney, The National Trust, The British Museum, Royal Collection Trust and Tate this exhibition also features Canaletto’s British contemporaries and a review of John Wood’s architecture in Bath. TicketS £8.50.

Enjoy Canaletto-inspired lunch in the museum’s Garden Café plus an exhibition ticket for £13.95.

BEAUX ARTS 12 – 13 York Street, Bath BA1 1NG Tel: 01225 464850 Until 20 June SUMMER SHOW John Behan RHA is an Irish sculptor of established international stature. His works are political, historical, archaeological, yet deal with human themes both universal and recognisable. Peter Haslam Fox is a young artist who aims to rejuvenate the neglected medium of watercolour through a style which owes more to the techniques and characteristics of Chinese painting and calligraphy than to more fastidious or traditional ‘works on paper’.

Wiltshire artist Fenella Elms transforms porcelain into flowing textures and rhythmic structures. The work plays on the connection of similar parts and the interaction that comes through placement in formation. Indiscernibly shifting components build a co-operative body.

Oar Ghost Boat by John Behan

The Open Window by Barry Paine

ALAN COTTON: CONTOURS IN COLOUR Tuesday 30 June 30 – Saturday 12 September, Monday to Saturday 10am – 5pm To celebrate the opening of The Edge, the University has invited Alan Cotton to have the first summer exhibition which will be a retrospective spanning the decades with works from various collections. The irrepressible optimism of Alan Cotton’s art cannot fail to lift the spirits. The blast of colours confronting the viewer is invigorating and the deep perspective of his landscapes seem to entice the onlooker into the picture. Visit: icia.org.uk.

The work comes alive, responsive to light and active with movement.”

Sun Kim’s porcelain and stoneware vessels reflect her interest in architecture, particularly the spaces and volumes within buildings.

Having been brought up in different cultures, Korean, American, Brazilian, she came to London to work with Edmund de Waal.

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nick cudworth gallery

T H E

FROM BLUES TO ROCK AND ROLL 2 - 30 JUNE

An exhibition of 9 heads of Blues singers which, when hung together make up a square, filling one complete wall of the gallery.

Also on exhibit are several paintings from the Still Life in Rock and Roll series.

5 London Street (top end of Walcot Street), Bath BA1 5BU tel 01225 445221 / 07968 047639 gallery@nickcudworth.com www.nickcudworth.com

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G A L L E R Y own art Memb

art_gallery_uk

artgallery.co.uk

(26” x 37” £2250)

John Lee Hooker – Original oil on linen – 40 x 40 cms. Also prints

Andrew Mcneile Jones – Original Oil Painting - Framed

A R T

er Gal

lery

ArtGallery.co.uk

Spencer House, 34 Long Street, Tetbury, Gloucestershire GL8 8AQ Tues-Sat. 9.30-5pm. Tel: 01666 505152 help@artgallery.co.uk

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ART | EXHIBITIONS ROSTRA GALLERY George Street, Bath Tel: 01225 448121

Elmore James by Nick Cudworth NICK CUDWORTH GALLERY London St, top of Walcot Street, Bath.

Tel: 01225 445221, visit: nickcudworth.com FROM BLUES TO ROCK AND ROLL 2 – 30 June Following on from Bath’s celebrated Music Festival Nick is exhibiting a series of nine square paintings of heads of blues singers which, when hung together, make up a square filling one complete wall in the gallery. Also on exhibit will be several paintings from the Still Life in Rock and Roll series. The inspiration for the work comes from Nick’s love of the blues, also his early career as a piano player with the rock and roll band Siren in the 60s.

THE HOLBURNE MUSEUM Great Pulteney Street, Bath Murmuration: a new work by Laura Ellen Bacon 27 June to 4 October Sculptor Laura Ellen Bacon will transform the façade and interior of the museum with a unique installation of Somerset willow. The work will be an undulating curvaceous form inspired by flocks of starlings in flight.

ROCK PAPER SCISSORS 20 June – 6 July From fairy-tale sculpture to delicate papercuts this exhibition delves into the world of the handmade masters. Dorienne Carmel makes stoneware sculptures inspired by Alice in Wonderland. Adele Zaslawska brings colour and life back into old china as she reinvents them into quirky mosaics. Helen Burgess uses vintage maps and travel guides to present sculptural geo-historic collections of the local area and Naomi Greaves produces unique etchings and paper sculptures. Papercut artist Rebecca Coles will be displaying her exquisite hand cut butterfly pieces.

Birds and Bees by Adele Zaslawska

HILTON FINE ART 5 Margarets Buildings, Bath BA1 2LP Open Tuesdays to Saturdays 10am – 5.30pm Tel: 01225 311311 EN PLEIN AIR Until 20 June Five acclaimed en plein air painters: Bo Hilton, Ken Howard, Arthur Neal, Martin Yeoman and Paul Wadsworth.

Painting from life is a pursuit unlike any other painting technique. It challenges artists to concentrate completely on the information in front of them. Their senses absorb it Beach barbecues by Bo Hilton all, from sight to sound, from temperature to and rugged moorlands, teeming hedgerows and atmosphere, and they then channel these expansive coastlines, these artists articulate the feelings into their vision in paint. From wild beauty and variety of the great outdoors.

Sea Fever by Emma Rose EMMA ROSE Upstairs at The Bath Sofa and Curtain Shop, 78 Walcot Street, Bath Open Mon – Sat, 10am – 5pm Tel: 01224 424424 Visit: emmaroseartworks.com FLAMING JUNE Throughout June Glorious paintings of sea, sand, sky along with gardens and views of Bath. An alchemy of indian inks on acrylics achieves an unusual luminosity.

2 – 4 June REFLECTING BEAUTY with award winning Jaipur based Emma Chapman Jewels, designer of gemstone jewellery using techniques which glow alongside paintings with jewel like colours.

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Lewisian Gneiss Urns by Moyra Stewart DAVID SIMON CONTEMPORARY 3 – 4 Bartlett Street, Bath BA1 2QZ Tel: 01225 460189 Visit: davidsimoncontemporary.com Mon – Sat 10am – 6pm, Sunday afternoons MOYRA STEWART: NAKED RAKU 13 June – 4 July Moyra Stewart explores the ways in which human beings embrace the external influences in their lives. Using elements of the natural world as a metaphor for our growth and change, she reconciles the collision between our interior world and its external context through her responses to the way landscape is shaped by nature.

Early Morning Alium Chrine by Gill Morgan ART AT THE HEART OF THE RUH Main Corridor Gallery, Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust, Combe Park, Bath BA1 3NG Open daily 8am – 8pm ARENA AND LANDSCAPE COLLECTIVE UK GROUP Until 10 July The Arena exhibition is in conjunction with LCUK (Landscape Collective UK) Group, an inaugural exhibition of unique and award winning landscape photography. LCUK consists of 13 landscape photographers who meet every two months to show and discuss their work.

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CITY | ARCHIVE

A REVOLUTION IN THE KITCHEN The Hole in the Wall under the ownership of inspired chef George Perry-Smith helped spark a revolution in the way the British dined out. Historian Catherine Pitt looks back at its glory days

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A LEGEND IN HIS OWN LUNCHTIME: inset, a cartoon shows the genial George PerrySmith at work Above, outside the restaurant in George Street, as seen in 1971

His restaurant, in the cellars of 16 George Street, opened in 1952. David Taylor, who worked at The Hole from 1953-1955, remembers a rather chaotic environment, but one filled with love and passion for good food and great service. Perry-Smith brought to life David’s colourful recipes, adding his own twist as the years went by.

Perry-Smith did away with the traditional set dining hours, allowing the public to choose when they came and ate. The restaurant was decorated with local pottery and art. As you walked in a large table stood with a single pot in the centre. Here, Taylor says, was where you were to leave your worries behind you. This unique, laissez-faire approach, combined with a plethora of good food,

PICTURES: courtesy of Bath in Time: bathintime.co.uk, an online library of historic images of Bath

was in such contrast to the formality of the 1950s that word spread and brought Perry-Smith many accolades and awards. It was his imagination, generosity of spirit and talent that set The Hole in the Wall apart.

He said: “That the food should be the best I took for granted, and that the house should be as open, welcoming, unexpected and attractive as I should like my own home to be.”

The extensive menus, handwritten every day, are a wonder to behold even

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The best loved restaurant Britain has had since the war and probably the most influential THE GOOD FOOD GUIDE (1973)

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scoffier had The Savoy, Robert Carrier had Hintlesham Hall, Raymond Blanc had Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons; in Bath, George Perry-Smith had The Hole in the Wall. In today’s pantheon of chefs, Perry-Smith has been largely forgotten, yet he had a seminal influence on the development of modern British cooking and British restaurants.

George Perry-Smith was a very modest, self-deprecating man, who would have shied away from the celebrity fuelled status held by so many chefs and restauranteurs today. He didn’t write a multi-million pound selling cookbook, nor feature in his own TV programme. Yet he inspired chefs and food writers such as Joyce Molyneaux, Stephen Markwick, Jane Grigson, and Keith Floyd. Twelve years after his death we have just the memories of people who worked with him and those who dined at The Hole in the Wall.

Before Delia, Nigella and Jamie, there was George.

It is difficult for anyone under the age of 60 to comprehend what life was truly like in post-war Britain. After the bleak and dark years of austerity and the strain of rationing, there blossomed a time in the late 1950s and 1960s of plenty. This economic upturn began to be reflected in all aspects of society, but especially in the restaurant scene.

Although some “exotic” foods, such as curry or goulash, were not unknown, most of the population would have never experienced these dishes. The few restaurants that did exist in the 1950s were in hotels, where typically meat and two veg was sold. Service would have been efficient but lacking warmth. The chefs, mostly catering college trained, would be hidden away in the kitchens, turning out the classic Cordon Bleu style food to rote.

One could say that in the 1950s the stars aligned to create a fortuitous moment for the evolution of British food. Elizabeth David, who despairing of the food on offer in post-war Britain, wrote the seminal cookbook in 1950.

Her A Book of Mediterranean Food became an inspiration for many emerging cooks and restauranteurs, George Perry-Smith included.

Perry-Smith was one of a few gifted amateur cooks and restauranteurs to emerge in this decade. He was a teacher by profession, and was set to take up a post at Kingswood School in Bath when he decided instead to create something truly extraordinary – The Hole in the Wall restaurant.

today. In one menu, dated 28 April 1955, a year after rationing had ended, there are listed three soups, three egg dishes, 12 cold starters, two fish dishes and five main dishes including paella and lamb ‘Greek fashion’. Main dishes were listed as ‘usually’ and ‘sometimes’,

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reflecting not only the seasonality of produce but also the fluid nature of the cooking. As Perry-Smith himself said: “We wanted free will and variety both for ourselves and for our guests and for seasonal and shopping changes.”

Perry-Smith introduced a new way of dining. As well as table service there was the cold buffet table for people to help themselves. This is the main abiding memory of those who worked and dined at The Hole in the Wall. Tom Jaine, Perry-Smith’s stepson, recalls the table groaning with terrines, pies, charcuterie, salads and pates, all prepared fresh daily.

This buffet style of dining inspired Michael Milburn who worked at The Hole in 1968 and 1969 He credits Perry-Smith’s novel idea for his successful restaurants at places such The Pump Rooms in Bath and the V&A in London.

Today we can obtain food from all around the world simply from our local supermarket, but this wasn’t the case in 1950s Britain. Everything had to be cooked from fresh, refrigerators were a rarity; and the chefs had to be imaginative with leftovers.

Tom Jaine recalls fish bought from either Broadhurst’s fishmongers in Bath or from London, and meat direct from Bartlett’s Butchers. The bread was baked locally, and Perry-Smith even created his own version of a French baguette. David Taylor recalls ordering what was considered more exotic ingredients then, like aubergines, red and green peppers and courgettes, from Covent Garden Market in London.

Yoghurt – virtually unknown in post-war Britain – was obtained from one single branch of United Dairies in Bath and olive oil had to be specially ordered in.

“Sitting at George’s table was a joyous privilege . . . everything was done properly with the finest ingredients from start to finish.” (wrote Tamasin Day-Lewis) When eventually The Hole obtained a licence, wine was supplied

by Avery’s of Bristol, but before that Tom Jaine recalls that a member of staff would head out to the local pub or off licence if alcohol was requested.

The open kitchen was another innovation. Not just a hatch, by the 1960s the restaurant’s kitchen was fully open, with dining tables set around. Barriers between diners and staff were broken down. Tom recalls PerrySmith’s democratic attitude to staff. There was no hierarchy. He insisted staff helped each other out.

Perry-Smith was often seen with his sleeves rolled up, apron on, welcoming and serving guests and then heading off to cook.

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THEY CAME TO BATH: top, Princess Margaret and Lord Snowden (in Parade Gardens, 1962), below, Yehudi Menuhin, Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev (at the Theatre Royal 1964), and actor Michael Caine

Another revolutionary aspect of The Hole was that it was inclusive. Everyone was welcome, although dining there was neither cheap nor as expensive as contemporary London restaurants.

Perry-Smith relied on the well-off retired people of Bath, tourists, plus the annual influx of Bath Festival’s artists, musicians, and their followers.

Customers could find themselves seated with Dame Margot Fonteyn on one side and Michael Caine on another, but no one batted an eyelid. Even Egon Ronay had to be turned away once because the

restaurant was fully booked. Princess Margaret made many visits to Bath during this time and it is said that she and Lord Snowden dined here too, while guests of their friend Jeremy Fry who owned Widcombe Manor.

Perry-Smith sold The Hole in the Wall in 1972 after becoming disillusioned with its growing fame. Yet, his enthusiasm, talent and generosity inspired a generation of chefs who worked with him. They in turn have inspired others and his influence is still reflected in many restaurants today.

Ali Golden, head chef at The Circus in Bath is a student of Joyce Molyneaux’s, as is Bath Ales retail director, and the brains behind Graze restaurant, Robin Cooling. Stephen Hill who worked at The Hole, later went on to run Popjoy’s, Homewood House, and The Olive Tree in Bath. His son, Tom Hill now runs The Pig hotels in Hampshire and Somerset. All of these people advocate Perry-Smith’s principle of fresh seasonal produce prepared and presented well.

David Taylor says that Perry-Smith’s spirit and influence can be seen today “in any restaurant that is very caring and has a love of producing excellent food. You can taste love if food has been produced with it.”

As written on one of Perry-Smith’s own menus from 1968, is the old adage: “Kissing don’t last, cookery do!” n

JOYCE MOLYNEUX ON THE HOLE IN THE WALL Talking to the Daily Telegraph, the former head chef at The Carved Angel in Dartmouth spoke about her time in Bath: ‘I answered a job in The Lady and went to work for George Perry-Smith at the Hole in the Wall in Bath. That was very different, a revelation. We served French onion soup and grilled Dover sole and ricotta al caffe.

I’d read one of Elizabeth David's books but I’d never seen any of the dishes she wrote about until I went to work there, things like salade niçoise, piperade, quiche, risotto and fish soup. When it came out, George gave me a copy of her

French Provincial Cooking, and it’s been re-bound many, many times because I still cook from it. Old recipes like those have an awful lot to teach us.

Cooks should never forget the old recipes. Her recipe for saddle of hare in a cream sauce is a real treat. Once a year I have a hare and I prep it myself. It’s a very satisfying thing to do.

Perry-Smith’s attitude to running restaurants was that you came and did some cooking and some time front of house.

If you worked front of house and had free time you came into the kitchen and helped out, and likewise those of us in the kitchen delivered dishes to the tables.’

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THE US DELICIO GUIDE This month’s feature is a rather special treat.

The Bath Magazine has been unashamedly treating itself to uncover the very best gastronomic gems which celebrate the diverse culinary culture on offer in Bath. Read it, tweet it, but most of all eat it...

THE CIRCUS CAFÉ & RESTAURANT

YAMMO!

34 Brock Street, Bath BA1 2LN Tel: 01225 466020 Online: thecircuscafeandrestaurant.co.uk Let’s start our Delicious guide right here: Small, very busy, much admired, family-run restaurant. The Circus Restaurant is one of Bath’s sparkling culinary gems, serving seasonal, locally sourced, freshly cooked, English food. It has a carefully chosen wine list, and the exceptionally welcoming and charming staff all radiate enthusiasm for working there. Set in a fine Georgian house in a prime position – between The Circus and The Royal Crescent, you will find sensible and honest prices, and you’ll leave feeling that you will want to return very soon. Voted number four in the United Kingdom in The Times 20 Secret Restaurants That Foodies Love. Open Monday to Saturday - 10am to midnight (Closed Sunday). Booking is advised.

66 Walcot Street Bath BA1 5BD Tel: 01225 938328 Online: yammo.co.uk For a welcome that’s as warm as the Neapolitan sunshine, pop into this friendly, independent on Walcot Street. The restaurant may be small but it’s made a big impression since it opened a couple of years ago, winning local and national awards for its food and its service.

Enjoy hearty, homemade Italian food at its best, from classic pizzas and hamburgers to fresh seafood and veggie dishes such as aubergine balls with pine nuts. Yammo! – which means ‘Let’s go!’ in Dani’s native Neapolitan dialect – prides itself on using the finest ingredients, many of them locally sourced and on making as much as possible inhouse, like the pizza dough which is made daily to a secret recipe and won the Margherita category in last year’s Pizza Chef of the Year contest in London. Yammo has a relaxed atmosphere, making it popular with families as well as couples and groups of friends. It also runs an award-winning takeaway service.

HENNY & JOE’S CHAI Try it at: PicNic Coffee, The Forum Café, Jacobs Coffee House.

Buy it at: Visit the stall at The Bath Artisan Market, Green Park Station. Second Sunday of every month.

Online: hennyandjoes.co.uk

Henny & Joe’s produces the most delicious Chai syrup for perfect Chai lattés and reviving Chai teas. Hand created here in Bath, their recipe is a blend of aromatic spices – cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, allspice, vanilla, star anise, nutmeg, fennel seed, mixed spice, sugar, water and nothing else. Free from caffeine, and all other additives, it makes the perfect hot drink – sweet and very satisfying but the healthier option too. Being a syrup Henny and Joe’s Chai is also proving extremely versatile. The city’s cake makers are using Chai as an ingredient in baking, while mixologists (independent spirits) are adding real depth to cocktails. For a taste try a Henny and Joe’s at one of the city’s great coffee shops, PicNic Coffee, The Forum Café, Jacobs coffee house, or buy a bottle direct from them at the Bath Artisan Market at Green Park Station. And…once you’re hooked… you can order online at: hennyandjoes.co.uk

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RAPHAEL Gascoyne House, Upper Borough Walls, Bath BA1 1RN Online :raphaelrestaurant.co.uk Tel: 01225 480042

TASTING ROOM Wine Shop / Café / Bar 6 Green Street, Bath BA1 2JY Tel: 01225 483070 Online: tastingroom.co.uk Tasting Room will be celebrating four years in June since relocating into the city centre from Larkhall – replacing one community with another on moving to Green Street in 2011.

What has changed in those four years? Well, still foremost a wine merchant, importing direct from small producers, but having also branched out into the spirits side of the business, with a great selection of gins, whiskies, rums and many more unusual spirits, it was voted Independent Spirit Retailer of the Year 2014 in a national competition. Upstairs is a café in the daytime which turns into a convivial wine bar in the evenings, serving great food to complement the wines picked from the shop. Also available are a series of tasting flights in the café bar – choose from tasting gins, whiskies, wine, Champagne or port for a great alternative to a night out without the need for a minimum number or pre-booking. The wine bar offers the opportunity of 2-for-1 on wine, Champagne, whisky or gin of the week between 4 and 7pm, Thursday to Saturday. It’s always worth calling in for a little quality treat.

Extremely well located within immediate sight of the Theatre Royal, this charming European restaurant has become a firm favourite in Bath. With candlelit tables and soft lighting, Raphael prides itself on creating a unique, relaxed atmosphere in which you can enjoy superb wines to complement the beautifully created menus.

Raphael has built an enviable reputation based on delivering exceptional French and Italian regional dishes, enhanced by the best of British-style accompaniments.

Made from the finest, locally sourced ingredients, and incorporating delicious wine and cream based sauces, every dish crafted by Raphael’s highly-skilled chef and his team has been created from a special blend of recipes and flavours. Whether you choose the ever-changing a la carte menu, set lunch menus, the latest chef specials, or from the excellent pre-theatre menus, the taste will always be exquisitely that of Raphael.

With its delightfully comfortable and charming sophistication you are assured of an exceptional dining experience at Raphael.

LE BISTROT PIERRE 4A Princes Buildings, George Street, Bath BA1 2ED Tel:01225 321840 Online: lebistrotpierre.co.uk Discover great value provincial French cooking with the eagerly awaited opening of Le Bistrot Pierre in George Street. All dishes are to be freshly prepared every day by their chefs, using a mix of artisan produce and carefully sourced ingredients. The menu features much-loved French classics including steak-frites, boeuf bourguignon and crème brûlée, and some lighter options such as the delicious salade de betterave et chèvre – a salad of honey roasted beetroot with goats’ cheese and candied walnuts.

There’s something for everyone. The lunch time prix fixe menu is set to be popular, offering great bistrot dishes at good value – one course being £8.95, two courses £10.95 and three courses for £12.95. Freshly baked French baguette with Lescure butter and seasonal vegetables with the main dishes are served complimentary. For something a little special the bistrot will be regularly hosting events. Soirée Gastronomique evenings have proven extremely popular at Le Bistrot Pierre’s other restaurants and are set to win praise here with six courses of provincial cooking for £22.95. Great, fun evenings that offer the perfect opportunity to try some superbly cooked regional French dishes. Bistrot Pierre will be open daily for lunch and dinner, and watch out for its weekend breakfasts too.

BLUE QUAILS DELI 7 Bridge Street, Bath BA2 4AS Tel: 01225 338885 Online: bluequailsdeli.com Blue Quails is a stylish little deli/café owned and run by husband and wife team Peter and Glenda Botes. Peter, the chef has a great passion for interesting fresh, tasty food – he caters for all foodies, and vegetarians are definitely included. Blue Quails’ credo is ‘small place, big heart offering friendly service and wonderful food.’ From breakfast through to tea time Blue Quails is a popular choice with locals and tourists alike. Start the day with a great full English, or tuck into eggs Benedict or scrambled egg and smoked salmon.

International street food, changing daily, is on offer for lunch, with choices like Palestinian, Italian or Turkish frittatas, South African bobotie, all served with a good selection of fresh, colourful salads. You’ll find six different soups daily, a great selection of award-winning pies and made-to-order artisan sandwiches. Amazing cakes, a great selection of smaller sweet bites all to be enjoyed with Lavazza coffee, infused teas, or hot chocolate – which has been named as the best hot chocolate in Bath. Blue Quails boasts many awards since opening its doors in 2012, Best Café 2014, Best Café/Deli’ 2013, Best Retailer 2013 to name a few. And now it’s in our Delicious Guide too.

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MARTINI RESTAURANT 8-9 George Street, Bath BA1 2EH Tel: 01225 460818 Online: martinirestaurant.co.uk The Italian restaurant run by Italians.

Located at the top end of Bath, Martini is surprisingly large inside, with several different size rooms that make it perfect for large parties, families or an intimate meal for two. Run by Nunzio, Franco and chef Luigi, this lively establishment has the cheerful bustle of a busy restaurant but having that warmth and friendliness that can only achieved by being established over many years. Judging by the familiar greetings from staff, many customers are regulars – what better testament can a restaurant have to the quality of its food and service? The menu is full of regional specialities, with plenty of choice for vegetarians. A large variety of fresh fish is delivered daily and alongside the traditional favorites of pizza & pasta. A good tip is to save a little room as a delicious range of homemade desserts is particularly hard to resist. Wash it down with one (or two bottles) from a fine selection of regional Italian wine vintages.

From Monday to Friday, the very popular ‘expresso’ lunch and pre-theatre menus offer two courses for £9.95 and three for £11.95. Exceptional service and a warm ambience perfectly complement the wonderful choice of food and wine on offer – all the ingredients needed for a great meal out.

Vino Vino 5-6 Seven Dials, Bath BA1 1EN Tel: 01225 312341 Online: vinovinowinebar.co.uk Vino Vino is Bath's newest, and judging by first impressions set to rapidly become our most fashionable and popular wine and cocktail Bar. Conveniently located next to Theatre Royal, (and perfect for the soon to open Sawclose Casino) it’s the ideal place to enjoy a glass or two while enjoying a night out. And if you are feeling hungry then do not resist the temptation to sample some of the truly delicious Bar Plates, Artisan Boards, salads and desserts that are freshly prepared, of superb quality and all served continental-style. Vino Vino, is a very welcome new addition to Bath’s ever growing classy and cosmopolitan wine, dine and cocktail scene.

CLOISTERS Bailbrook House Hotel, Eveleigh Avenue, London Road West, Bath BA1 7DJ Tel: 01225 855100 Online: bailbrookhouse.co.uk Cloisters Restaurant at Bailbrook House Hotel has just picked up two prestigious and much coveted AA Rosettes for the quality of its food and service. The hotel was completely refurbished in 2013 and ever since has been winning awards and making friends, building up a fine reputation for really great food, a splendid wine list, and superb service. The restaurant itself is an architectural gem, set in the basement, with a honey-mellowed, Bath Stone, vaulted ceiling, it opens out into the cloisters overlooking the beautiful grounds, and is possibly one of the chicest spa city dining rooms to be found. The seasonal A La Carte menu is particularly well conceived for fine dining, but the dinner Table d’ hote menu offers a brilliant option for those on a budget.

Bailbrook House is on the up, up, up, and there’s quite a buzz around the place. If you have not been for a while then it deserves a visit.

THE OLIVE TREE Queensberry Hotel, Russel Street, Bath BA1 2QF Tel: 01225 447928 Online: olivetreetbath.co.uk Proud to be one of Bath's longest established independent restaurants, The 3 AA Rosette Olive Tree, nestled in the basement of The Queensberry Hotel continues to receive rapturous praise from guests and locals alike. This contemporary British restaurant offers deformalised fine dining under the direction of award winning Head Chef, Chris Cleghorn, from the heart of the West Country.

Chris honed his superior cooking skills as the protégé of a trio of world-renowned Michelin Star chefs, (Heston Blumenthal, Michael Caines and Adam Simmonds), and is tipped for a star himself by The Times’ Tom Chesshyre.

Using a combination of classical flavours with modern cooking techniques, Chris creates his own unique style, crafting menus that showcase the very best of British. Only the finest seasonal ingredients from the highest quality local artisan producers are selected, which helped The Olive Tree win Gold in the 2014 Taste of The West Awards. With good food comes good wine – The Olive Tree’s wine list brings together an eclectic balance of the traditional and the new, the serious and the fun. As a result accolades include the prestigious ‘AA England and overall Wine Award 2014/2015’ at the AA Hospitality Awards. The Olive Tree recently underwent a complete refurbishment that has just re-opened on 19th May, including a new state of the art kitchen. Embracing the quirkiness of the hotel and Old Q Bar, the new look restaurant has a warm, opulent feel, bringing a relaxed elegance that complements the quality and style of food.

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CASANIS 4 Saville Row, Bath BA1 2QP Tel: 01225 780055 Online: casanis.co.uk As recommended in The Michelin Guide, Hardens and The Good Food Guide, and many more, Casanis is an award winning family run Bistro set in a beautiful Georgian building with a delightful courtyard garden, on one of the prettiest lanes in Bath. It's quietly chic, where you can turn up in jeans or a cocktail dress, trainers or Manolos and still feel right at home. It oozes intimate Gallic charm with starched linen on your table, lavender sprigs by your napkin and gentle French music playing in the background. Sunday Times writer AA Gill describes Casanis as "One of the three best classic French Restaurants" with recommendations from Fred Mawer in The Telegraph as "An utterly reliable little French restaurant". With its low lighting, Provençal antiques and discreet and efficient service Casanis has established itself as the home of French cooking in quintessentially English Bath. Informal, relaxed and serving rustic but stylish Provençal cuisine, the brilliant chef Laurent Couvreur (pictured) offers such simple but stylish dishes as Feuillete de Champignons, Soupe de Poissons, Ravioles d’Escargot, Ballotine de Lapin and Crème Brûlée à la Lavande. Winners: Metro Good Food Awards and Bath Good Food Awards and an absolute must inclusion for our Delicious Guide to Bath 2015.

LA PERLA 12A North Parade, Bath BA2 4AL Tel: 01225 463626 Online: la-perla.co.uk Welcome to La Perla Restaurante Y Tapas, a small Spanish corner right in your neighborhood. Tapas is an Andalucian mentality, an Iberian way of life. The art of living simply without pretense is the essence of Tapeo. The key to it all is simplicity and pure ingredients, shockingly delicious because of the minimal process. "Vamos de tapeo", "vamos a tapear ". - Tapear means to hang out, sharing a moment along with bites of food.

A verb even exists for the art of the tapas lifestyle. It is joyful, it is casual, it is an improvisation.

How many of you really know what Spanish food is all about? Tapas and sangria might be holiday staples but when looking for somewhere for dinner, Spanish food doesn't seem to be the first thing that springs to mind. La Perla has changed all that, and in doing so has leaped right to the top of the list of must-visit places in Bath. From start to finish, you're sure to enjoy unparalleled tapas, paella and sangria. At La Perla they celebrate the romance of real Iberian dining, they absolutely love what they do and openly invite everyone to come along and discover this newfangled taste of Spain

CIAO CIAO

GREEN PARK BRASSERIE

Beau Nash House, Sawclose, Bath BA1 1EU Tel: 01225 330033 Online: ciaociaoristorante.co.uk

Green Park Station, Bath BA1 1JB Tel: 01225 338565 Online: greenparkbrasserie.com

The Diners’ Choice Winner in 2015, Ciao Ciao offers fine Italian dining, Sicilian-influenced with a contemporary twist. Located within the beautiful and historic Beau Nash House, right next to Bath Theatre Royal. Ciao Ciao’s Restaurant Manager, Gianluca Rizzo, has brought together a team that between them boast an impeccable portfolio of skills and experience drawn from an extensive range of world-leading Michelin-starred restaurants the result being that they can deliver fantastic, creative Italian dishes at affordable prices.

Gianluca says: “We are continually creating new and exciting Italian dishes for diners to enjoy and pride ourselves on using the finest, local ingredients wherever possible.” It is the high levels of creativity, combined with an extensive cellar of first-class wines, all personally selected by Gianluca, plus the warm welcome you receive the second you step inside their beautiful restaurant that sets Ciao Ciao apart from the rest. A first-class dining experience awaits.

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Green Park Brasserie is an independent restaurant, bar and café serving great, locally sourced food and drink in a relaxed and friendly style, in a superb setting with extensive outside terraces.

Affectionately known as The Braz it has 4 evenings a week of free, live jazz to accompany dinner or drinks, Wednesday, Thursday evenings from 7.30, Friday and Saturday evenings from 8.30.

Main Courses on the Fixed Price Lunch and Early Diner Menus are just £9, and they offer a Lunch and an Evening menu. There’s a well balanced and great value wine list, and draught beers from Butcombe, Honey’s Midford Cider plus a full range of spirits. To kick off a fun evening, their Happy Hour runs from 5pm to 7pm with 2 for 1 on cocktails, Butcombe and Amstel at £2.50 per pint and a bottle of Prosecco for just £16. Talented chefs cook good quality food to order, all charmingly served by lovely staff. The Braz also has an elegant, flexible function venue upstairs, (www.bathfunctionrooms.com), which can serve up to 100 diners or 140 for a party. Many of the city’s workers will testify that their Christmas Dinner and Disco nights are always amazing.

And, if you’re driving in to dine... there is 90 minutes free parking during the day and without time limit in the evening.

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CHAPEL ARTS CAFÉ

THE KING WILLIAM

St James Memorial Hall, Bath, BA1 1QR Tel: 01225 461700 Online: chapelarts.org

36 Thomas Street, Bath BA1 5NN Tel: 01225 428096 Online: kingwilliampub.com Situated just fifteen minutes walk from Bath’s Abbey, the King William is a destination for lovers of good pubs and great food. The kitchen is open everyday for lunch and dinner and it’s a good idea to book as this cosy little Georgian eatery is a favourite for locals and visitors alike.

The bar is well stocked with locally brewed cask ales, over thirty craft beers, Somerset ciders and an extensive and excellent wine list. Coffee is freshly ground and tea is served in warmed pots. Cooking at the King William is about respect for the amazing ingredients, menus are and always have been, seasonal, local and fresh and at £15 for three courses, the weekday lunch offer is not to be missed.

Two first floor dining rooms offer a more intimate setting for private dining, special occasions or as one of Bath’s most romantic dinner venues.

Now in its tenth year the King William continues as it began, a showcase of quality produce from Somerset and the south west.

THE CHEQUERS Chapel Arts Café is an independently owned café located in the heart of Bath that aims to offer a unique experience with homemade, tasty vegetarian food, excellent drinks, and great service in an artisan setting.

Their delicious vegetarian cuisine is made from scratch, on the premises, and made specifically to order. Their food has been awarded several times and they want their food to be dangerously irresistible and that is why they believe in high quality without compromise. At Chapel Arts Café simple and tasty food is at their heart and so you’ll find flatbreads, salads, soups and snacks so full of flavour you’d forget they’re hearty and delicious.

They also serve home-made meringues, cakes, cheese scones and polenta cake! With this great homemade food, all you need to do is choose whether you’ll eat in or take it out and enjoy at your desk or one of the local parks.

50 Rivers Street, Bath BA1 2QA Tel: 01225 360017 Online: thechequersbath.com The Chequers is a beautifully appointed gastro pub that has been serving visitors to Bath since 1776. Situated on Rivers Street, a short walk from The Circus and The Royal Crescent, it is a firm favourite with Bathonians and visitors to Bath alike.

The menu is creative and inventive, with a nod towards the pub’s heritage from well-executed classic British dishes. It currently holds two AA rosettes for its cooking and is featured in The Michelin Guide. Head Chef Leigh Evans is the holder of a coveted industry ‘Acorn’ award - the catering industry’s Oscars for rising culinary superstars (previous winners include Marcus Wareing, Jason Atherton & Marco Pierre White). Menu items include a starter of beautiful beetroot compression with celery, pear, goat’s cheese, caraway & candied walnuts, a sumptuous main of hay ashed corn fed chicken with liver parfait, onion textures, smoked dauphinoise & rhubarb, and a tempting dessert of burnt passion fruit custard, mango & passion fruit flavours with homemade coconut ice cream. They have an impressive & accessible list of well-kept wines and serve local ales and ciders. Add in a generous dollop of friendly & professional service and you can see why it’s such a popular destination.

THE HARE & HOUNDS Lansdown Road, Bath BA1 5TJ Tel: 01225 482682 Online: hareandhoundsbath.com The Hare & Hounds enjoys a stunning location high on Lansdown Hill with glorious views over the Bath countryside.

Open from 8:30am every day for breakfast, The Hare & Hounds serves home cooked seasonal food all day, every day.

The smart interior features wooden floors, panels, tables and chairs - and of course most importantly the food is very much at the heart of this beautiful restaurant. You might start with pan-roasted scallops with confit garlic puree, cockles & bacon, followed by roasted rump of lamb with French beans, peas, asparagus, minted new potatoes & cashew nut sauce vierge. A Cointreau chocolate brownie makes a tempting finale. On summer days, customers can enjoy lunch on the large terrace; on winter evenings, the open fire creates a cosy atmosphere and the attentive but relaxed service really shines.

There’s a separate menu for children and large garden that’s a big draw in the summertime. The Hare & Hounds sits only a mile from town but feels like a world away in beautiful countryside. Its location is perfect for visitors heading to or from the M4 motorway to the north of Bath. Go there for the views but stay for the friendly service and fabulous food.

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GREEN PARK STATION

METROPOLITAN CAFE Upstairs at Bloomsbury 15 New Bond Street, Bath BA1 1BA Tel: 01225 482680 If you can get a window seat in the first floor cafe over the stylish Bloomsbury shop at the corner of Milsom Street and New Bond Street, right in the heart of the city, you’ll be in one of the best positions for people watching in all of Bath. The Metropolitan is a great place to pop into for a quick cup of Illy coffee, or to visit for a break from shopping to sample one of its delicious homemade cakes. It’s also good for lunch with family or friends, always offering friendly, calm service. Sometimes it’s hard to find places that deal with different dietary requirements, but this vegetarian eaterie offers a wide range of sandwiches, salads, soup and other meat-free dishes and will happily cater for vegans, or for those who are gluten or dairy free. The cafe also offers award-winning chutneys and freshly made bread from its own bakery.

THE GARRICK’S HEAD 7-8 Saint John’s Place, Bath BA1 1ET Online: garricksheadpub.com Tel: 01225 318368 Former home to Beau Nash, the Garrick’s Head is a grand building with stately proportions. Open everyday from noon onwards, lunch and dinner are served in the bar, on the terrace or in the dining room. Menus are full of fresh seasonal ingredients and the style is modern British. The bar menu features pub classics prepared with respect and using the best regional ingredients, while the pre-theatre and a la carte menus are more fine dining in style.

With a reputation for its well kept ales and ciders the Garrick’s also has a comprehensive wine and spirits list, with over 20 wines by the glass and 50 whiskies. Outside the terrace catches early afternoon and late evening sun and is the perfect location to sit back, watch the hustle and bustle of Bath go by and enjoy a bite to eat or a glass of something delicious from the bar.

Green Park Road, Bath BA1 1JB Online: greenparkstation.com Tel: 01225 787910 Green Park Station is home to some of the most popular monthly markets in the South West, and an array of independent shops, cafes and restaurants.

Alongside Green Park Brasserie, the regular markets have a growing street food scene. With a variety of delicious hot and cold food available, including vegetarian, vegan and dairy/gluten free options, there really is something for everyone. You can visit the Thai Hut for sizzling BBQ skewers and creamy vegetable curry, The Express Café for incredible lamb and mint burgers, and Beyond the Kale for toasted sweet chilli and falafel wraps. As if that wasn’t enough, the station is now a weekly home to The Pizza Bike, a start-up venture from Angel Ganev who makes handmade pizzas in a wood fired oven on the back on a push bike! Bath Farmers’ Market provides ingredients for budding chefs everywhere by hand-picking a unique collection of traders providing fresh organic produce from within 40 miles of Bath.

THE MARLBOROUGH TAVERN 35 Marlborough Buildings, Bath BA1 2LY Tel: 01225 423731 Online: marlborough-tavern.com Located a stone’s throw from The Royal Crescent, The Marlborough Tavern combines the atmosphere of a local pub with the food quality of a top restaurant, making it a firm favourite for locals and visitors to Bath alike.

The menu is essentially English in character, and uses local produce to create great tasting, simple dishes where the quality of the produce speaks for itself. The Marlborough has held 2 AA rosettes for food quality since 2009, and the pub features in both The Good Food Guide & Michelin Guide. Sundays are especially busy, with groups of friends and families enjoying the friendly pub atmosphere and legendary roasts.

The Marlborough Tavern’s reputation for good food is matched by the service: friendly and attentive without ever being intrusive. The wine list is extensive, as is the selection of local ales – and the bar staff mix a mean cocktail too. Outside, The Marlborough boasts what is arguably Bath’s finest pub garden – a walled courtyard space that’s just perfect for summertime lunching and drinking with good friends.

WWW.THEBATHMAG.CO.UK

THE DELICIOUS GUIDE Look out for our special window sticker, which we have issued to all our Delicious entries listed here.

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FOOD | NEWS

Titbits

■ Marshfield Bakery director Chris Smith and sales director Ben White, pictured, have both been shortlisted in the Institute of Directors (IoD) South West Director Awards.

The pair have seen sales of the company’s private label and own brand tray bakes, cakes and biscuits rise to nearly £3m with an increase in profit to £270k, driven by manufacturing efficiency improvements and new business development. Products can be found on the shelves of most major UK multiple retailers and are available internationally.

Chris is the current regional holder of the Director of the Year title. Work has started on an 80% extension to the existing manufacturing site which will see a further £400,000 investment in new plant, creating an additional 15 jobs with a further ten by the end of 2016.

Chris aims to more than double turnover to £8m by 2019, supported by licensed manufacture of product in the USA by mid 2016. Ben, who is the son of the baker’s founders and has worked for the business since 2003, has supported this growth. They join other shortlisted candidates from Bristol and Gloucester. The regional winners will be announced on Wednesday 17 June at Bordeaux Quay, Bristol and will go on to compete for the national awards in the autumn.

■ British grown flowers are just as special as locally grown fruit and vegetables, as more consumers consider the idea of flower miles as well as food miles. Florist Grace of Young Blooms is hosting a Best of British Summer Flowers workshop at Newton Farm Shop on Thursday 18 June, from 2pm to 4pm. Learn how to transform an assortment of locally grown, British summer flowers into a sweet-scented ‘compote’ arrangement.

Places are £42.50, to include cream tea. To book tel: 01225 873707 or email rozgolding@newtonfarmfoods.co.uk.

PHOTOGRAPHER’S SMOKIN’ LENS

VISCERAL VISION: Bath photographer Mark Benham captured this scene at a food stall during a medieval festival in Obidos, Portugal

Photographer Mark Benham, who lives in Bath, visited last year’s exhibition of images for the Pink Lady Food Photography of the Year when it was shown in the city and liked what he saw. He vowed then to enter this year’s competition, and is now delighted that his image won the Food for Celebration category.

Mark used to work for The Idea Works in Bath, before setting out with his camera to travel.

On his return he set up Shout Design, but has more recently been drawn back abroad,

particularly to Portugal where he has been taking pictures for a book he’s working on.

This shot was taken among the street food stalls during a medieval festival in Obidos, where a chef was absorbed in fanning the coals beneath the meat to get the heat going.

Mark was one of more than 6,000 photographers from 56 countries to enter the competition. You can see more entries at: pinkladyfoodphotographeroftheyear.com, or more of Mark’s work at: markbenham.co.uk.

WHERE IT’S ALWAYS GIN O’CLOCK

The traders of Queen Street, Bath are hosting an afternoonlong street party on Saturday 13 June in celebration of World Gin Day. Qfeast is themed around distilling and brewing with Queen Street featuring The Canary Gin Bar and The Raven Pub as Gin Lane and Beer Street. Food

and drink stalls will be set up along and there’ll be guest gin distillers, beer and cider makers, barbecue, cream teas, music, art and games – such as the traditional bash the gin rat. The Bath Gin Company will be celebrating the opening of its own distillery beneath The Canary Gin Bar.

A pop-up sociable supper event is being staged at the Bell on Saturday 6 June, from 7pm, organised by We speak food, a small non-profit organisation, with a vision to bring people together with food. Guests will be invited to make a minimum donation of £10 for the Rosetta Foundation, which brings language volunteers from all around the world. Their mission is to relieve poverty, support healthcare, develop education and

promote justice through equal access to information and knowledge across the languages of the world. Access to information is severely restricted for millions around the world. Visit: therosettafoundation.org.

Bath Food Cycle is to donate food for the supper. The menu includes dishes from the Balkans, North Africa and England. To book email: wespeakfood@gmail.com.

A Classic Restaurant with absolute Indian atmosphere British Curry Awards 2014 English Curry Awards 2014 Best in Britain Awards (BIBA) 2014

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AWARD

Connoisseurs choice for 35 Years.

WINNER

Open Daily.

4 Argyle Steet, Bath BA2 4BA Tel. 01225 466833 / 464758 www. Rajpoot.com

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Face the Music June.qxp_Layout 1 20/05/2015 13:05 Page 1

FACE | THE MUSIC

A RAY OF ITALIAN SUNSHINE

Mick Ringham talks to Silvana de Soissons, food blogger, cook and founder of The Foodie Bugle, which has made its home in Bath

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way from the high street and a world away from the mass produced is the local delicatessen, its shelves groaning with delicious goodies, from cheese and cake to local honey and the plumpest olives. Such a place, a veritable hamper of delights is The Foodie Bugle in Margaret’s Buildings, where owner Silvana de Soissons can be found, making sure her growing band of loyal customers gets its daily Easy Jose coffee and its supplies of fresh-as-a-daisy seasonal veg.

Silvana’s ancestors were northern Italian pioneers and she was born and grew up in Zimbabwe, then Rhodesia.

Her parents grew sugar cane and market garden produce and they travelled between Eritrea to Senegal cultivating business. But growing up in this region at the time was dangerous, with the frequentent coups d’état and wars, and so her parents decided that the young Silvana needed a proper British education. Leaving behind the avocados and guavas in the family’s sun-drenched African garden the young Silvana was sent to a girls’ boarding school in Hampshire and, on leaving school, went on to read economics at university in Bath.

This was where her love for the city began. She says: “I remember so well my professor telling us students on our graduation that wherever we go in the world we would never find anywhere better to work than Bath.”

It was while at university and to help pay the bills, that Silvana began working in restaurants and wine bars including The Hole in the Wall, Clarets and The Moon and Sixpence. The jobs were lowly and minimally paid.

Washing up, scrubbing potatoes and getting shouted at was at that time par for the course, but the experience strengthened her work ethic and taught her a lot about people, business and importantly, food.

When Silvana’s parents came to visit or whenever she had saved enough money she would eat at Woods or The Beaujolais, witnessing at first hand the other side of the restaurant industry from the customer’s perspective. Vowing one day that she would have her own grocery shop and café Silvana returned home and stayed with her parents who by this time had severed their connections with South Africa and were living back in their native Italy.

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PASSIONATE ABOUT FOOD: Silvana de Soissons outside her deli and café in Margaret’s Buildings

Italian dishes, working and learning all she could about seasonal and sustainable produce. “My mother was a true inspiration. All her side of the family were cooks and chefs, she has always been a great cook and homemaker and now at the age of 80 she is still cooking the most delicious meals.”

After a few years Silvana made the decision to return to Bath. She set up a private catering business, worked as a food writer for various magazines and became a cookery school teacher. Not content with this busy work schedule she started her first food blog, The Foodie Bugle, which went on to win the

Guild of Food Writers Media Award.

The blog became a print magazine and eventually an online shop and finally in its latest incarnation. She passionately believes that in order to become a good cook you must first become a good shopper, visiting farmers’ markets and small independent delicatessens.

As well as selling fresh local produce and beautiful but strictly useful objects for the house, such as tea towels and picnic rugs, The Foodie Bugle also holds tasting events and supper clubs, celebrating ‘cooking the season’. Silvana says her mission is to sell and serve simple, local food that is grown and produced by artisan people who love

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FACE | THE MUSIC

SILVANA’S CHOICES: Edvard Grieg – Wedding Day at Troldhaugen

Everything But the Girl – Each and Everyone They were a brand new band when I arrived at Bath University and this record would be playing in the pubs and cafes all over the city. This song was an immediate hit and I always associate it with being in Bath, being happy, young, free and single. I wore my hair short and had lots of black eye make-up. I truly felt the world was my oyster.

Dinah Washington – What a Difference a Day Makes

This is such an evocative piece of piano music – it makes you stop and listen. It was written to commemorate his silver wedding anniversary. Strangely enough his summer villa just outside of Bergen was also called Troldhaugen. Obviously the piece was very personal to him but as for me, well it’s just a beautiful and haunting piece of music that I never tire of hearing.

This lady is the voice that I listen to most frequently when I am cooking. The lyrics are as clear as a whistle and she can sing like no one else. When you start a business every single day makes a difference. I always like to have a positive attitude to work and that helps create energy to get on with the job I love.

Sydney Carter – Lord of the Dance

My daughter Mariella has had an enormous influence on what I listen to and she is so skilled at finding musicians whose music I love. Stornoway are an amazing Scottish band and great song writers. This particular track makes me sing along and dance – which embarrasses her hugely.

Before I was sent away to an English school I went to an all girls’ school in Salisbury in Rhodesia. The headmistress was a tweed-wearing Oxford graduate with a formidable stare and a love of Latin and ancient Greek. She put the fear of God into all us girls, except at hymn singing when she would tap her feet and swing her hips. This hymn is beautiful to listen to and reminds me of her every time I hear it.

Gianni Morandi – In ginocchio da te

Stornoway – Zorbing

Supertramp – It’s Raining Again This records chorus really lifts me if I ever get down. It’s such a catchy, brainsticking tune. Running your own business is the hardest thing imaginable

LYRICAL: left to right, Gianni Morandi In ginocchio da te, Stornoway Zorbing, Dinah Washington What a Difference a Day Makes

with so many challenges almost on a daily basis. The lines ‘C’mon you little fighter, no need to get uptighter’ are a salve for the soul.

George Handel – Water Music Three suites of pure pleasure that makes one feel you are floating out on the River Avon through the waterways around this wonderful city and beyond.

After a hard day’s work, a cool glass of wine and a simple supper, there’s nothing to beat a helping of Handel, a perfect recipe for relaxation.

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After a hard day’s work, a cool glass of wine and a simple supper, there’s nothing to beat a helping of Handel

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what they do. I ask her what part music plays in her busy life. “My husband plays the trumpet and my daughter keeps me up to speed on the latest trends. As for me, I cook to music every day; I genuinely think the two go beautifully together.” Well, as Shakespeare wrote: “If music be the food of love . . .”

Aaron Copland – Appalachian Spring The build up of the movements on this remind me of an epic pioneer landscape.

Much of the music was based on the Shaker song Simple Gifts. I have always been inspired by Shaker simplicity and their classic uniformity of design. That’s probably why I love this.

Visit: thefoodiebugleshop.com, blog: thefoodiebugle.com Tel:01225 31566 The Foodie Bugle, 7 Margaret’s Buildings, Bath BA 2LP. n

He provided the soundtrack of my childhood and that of all Italian girls growing up during the 60s and 70s.

Growing up in the colonial outback meant that you became super-Italian and I listened to music all day long. I have to confess that I have been in love with Gianni Morandi for most of my life – he is so dishy and has a lovely smile.

John Barry – theme from Out of Africa He is such a talented composer. This track gave the film its own distinctive musical language and every time I hear it I think of my African childhood and those wide open spaces, the bright blue skies and the limitless sense of power of nature. There is also a feeling of melancholy that underlines the music that hits my heart and that ‘what if’ question of what if I had stayed on in that amazing country and not left.

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The Diner’s Digest SIX OF THE BEST

Bargain feasts

If you shop around you can find some tasty gourmet deals in Bath as Melissa Blease found out on a wallet-testing challenge

BATH PRIORY

So this is a feature on bargain feasts and we’re sending you to what’s probably Bath’s finest fine dining experience? Are we wise? Sending you to the sublime setting of beautifully planted gardens overseen by award-winning gardener (and Bath Magazine columnist) Jane Moore and featuring a kitchen overseen by Michelinstarred superchef Sam Moody. Yes, that’s exactly what we’re doing. When you get there, you can indulge in a two/three course lunch (£22.50/£27.50 weekdays; £30 for three courses at weekends), and you’re going to be astounded at just how much bang you get for your buck. At the time of writing, you could be sampling delights such as Cornish pollock tartare or salted Huntsham Farm Longhorn beef to start, followed by crispy shoulder of local lamb and an iced dark chocolate parfait to finish. And if the weather is right, you could be enjoying your repast on the terrace overlooking those gorgeous gardens. Bargain bliss indeed.

Bath Priory, Weston Road, Bath BA1 2XT Tel: 01225 331922; web: thebathpriory.co.uk

MARLBOROUGH TAVERN

There are pubs, then there are pubs. And then there’s the Marlborough Tavern, where friendly familiarity blends seamlessly with a fresh, smart outlook on all fronts, from décor to ambience to price. The kitchen thrums to a faultless modern British beat, flaunting twists and turns on classic themes made from largely locally sourced ingredients that boast a perfect pedigree. The set lunch menu (two courses for £12; three for £15) is always fantastic value for money, especially if you opt for the seasonal fish that floated into the kitchen mere hours before you take to your table. There be no dragons lurking behind the classic menu selection either, where the price tag for familiar favourites such as fish and chips or a boisterous burger starts at £10.95. Cheers!

Marlborough Tavern, 35 Marlborough Buildings, Bath BA1 2LY Tel: 01225 423731; web: marlborough-tavern.com

THE SHRUBBERY AT CITY OF BATH COLLEGE

Bargain hunters and inquisitive gourmets will be amazed (and doubtless intrigued) by the quality and the price of the Fine Dining dinner events and the everyday lunches at City of Bath College Catering Department’s Shrubbery restaurant. During term time, all dishes are prepared, cooked and served by students as part of their training in catering or hospitality. To mark the end of this year’s academic timetable, the special Summer Gourmet Dinner event on Thursday 18 June brings several courses devised from strictly seasonal ingredients together in one tasteful celebratory banquet for £22.50 a head (although previous dining events such as Hungarian, Caribbean or Italian themed dinners have started at £17.50). Meanwhile, on

non-party days, you can grab a splendid, threecourse lunch for just £8.50 Remember, you’re supporting the superchefs of the future while you’re treating yourself to that upper-crust, bargain feast. What’s not to love? It’s time to go back to school...

The Shrubbery at City of Bath College, Avon Street, Bath BA1 1UP Tel: 01225 328502; web: www.citybathcoll.ac.uk

HUDSON STEAKHOUSE

This chic eaterie might be slightly off the well-trodden tracks closer to the city centre, but somehow this Richard (Firehouse Rotisserie; Cafe Lucca) Fenton brainchild gains extra cool points for that very fact.

Discover a relaxing, open-plan bar at street level (the cocktails, by the way, are spectacular) and a stylish diner upstairs, where upmarket versions on a classic Californian theme arrive in beautifully presented, distinctly non-British (ie. generous) portions. It's a winning formula that's been keeping Bath’s carnivores very happy for a decade, and delighted this very magazine’s Lady Editor when she reviewed the Hudson last issue. Despite plenty of attention-grabbing options on the menu, wellsourced, well-hung steaks are undoubtedly the kitchen’s primary superstars, and you'd be forgiven for correctly assuming that quality of the standard on offer doesn’t come cheap. However, the fact that you can grab an 8ozs Flat Iron steak accompanied by perfect frites and a glass of house wine for just £15.95 between 5 and 7pm Monday to Friday makes the Hudson an affordable treat.

Hudson Steakhouse, 14 London Street, Bath BA1 5BU Tel: 01225 332323; web: hudsonsteakhouse.co.uk

GASCOYNE PLACE

By the time you read this, it’s likely that an army of bulldozers, scaffolders and construction workers will have started redeveloping what shall henceforth be known (to locals, at least) as Casino Plaza, complete with shiny new eateries.

But Gascoyne Place has been the cornerstone of Saw Close since long before the casino gamble started. A fusion of contemporary zeitgeist and medieval history dictates the ambience: a Grade II listed Georgian building featuring a subterranean lounge, cosy snug, brasserie-style mezzanine and elegant first floor supper rooms.

Although pre-theatre/early dining menus proliferate in the locale (we are, after all, practically on the doorstep of the Theatre Royal), GPs represents good value for money for the quality on offer: expect bold flavours, stylish presentation and vibrant pairings to bring locally-sourced ingredients to life on the plate for £14.50 for 2-courses (three for £19) between 5.30-7pm on weekdays.

Gascoyne Place, 1 Saw Close, Bath BA1 1EY Tel: 01225 445854; web: www.gascoyneplace.co.uk

SALATHAI & THE THAI HUT A firm favourite with locals and tourists alike, this restaurant offers a cafe/canteen feel by day and a more intimate atmosphere at night, and specialises in a wide range of classic Thai dishes, including seafood/vegetarian options.

The two course lunch/early dinner set menus are amazing value at £8.95/£10.95 respectively. But should you, like the Lady Ed and I on several occasions, prefer to choose your own time slot, you’ll find that a huge portion of freshly cooked beef Phad Thai (or duck massamam, or prawn penang, or Thai green chicken curry – you get the idea) and a

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large glass of house wine won’t drain your financial resources by more than a tenner.

While we’re putting Asian food to the walletfriendly test, you can satisfy those urges at the tiny-but-tantalising Thai Hut in Green Park Station, where a super-friendly cook rustles up huge portions of Thai classics while you watch and wait. It’s around £5 or £6 per dish. Sawadee indeed!

Salathai, 14-15 Pierrepont Street, BA1 1LA Tel: 01225 484663; web: salathai-bath.co.uk Thai Hut, Green Park Station, Bath BA1 1JB greenparkstation.com.

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THE WINE COLUMN Angela Mount, wine and food critic returns from a trip to South Africa to share some of the gems she discovered

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ack in the spring I was lucky enough to escape the cold and damp of Britain to spend a week in glorious 30 degree sunshine in the Cape vineyards. The panoramic vistas, the landscape, the luminosity, and the unique delineation of the mountain ranges that loom above many of the vineyards, make this one of the most beautiful wine regions in the world.

Even more mesmerising is the passion, and the constant evolution of the South African wine industry. Sales of South African wine are riding high in the UK, with new respect for their quality and image, from established grape varieties to new trends. Every time I visit I discover something new.

I spent time with the undisputed King of Chenin, the charismatic Ken Forrester, at his estate in Stellenbosch. The last grapes were coming in, and Ken is hugely excited about the 2015 vintage, which is potentially one of the best for decades, so watch out for the new wines later this year.

If you haven’t tried South African wines for a while, or if you’re stuck with views from a few years ago, it’s a different picture today.

Ken Forrester FMC Chenin Blanc 2012 (GWW £24.50) Ken’s flagship white is on top form now, opening up beautifully. It’s a gloriously rich, yet elegant and textured white, full of heady, exotic, pink grapefruit, marmalade and honeysuckle scents and flavours, yet with a thoroughbred restraint, and delightfully precise freshness on the finish. I loved Ken’s quote about what he strives to do in his winemaking: ‘any clown can make a big wine; I’m trying to make wines that can both play rugby and ballet dance.’

Well this one certainly can. Great with roast pork with apricot stuffing, chicken with rich, creamy sauces, and spicy tagines.

Strandveld First Sighting Sauvignon Blanc 2013 (GWW £11.95) Miles away from the heat of Stellenbosch, is one of the country’s most exciting, new discoveries for wine, Elim. This cool and windswept region is close to Cape Agulhas, the southern tip of Africa, where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans divide. The colder-climate loving Pinot Noir and Sauvignon blanc thrive here, and the wines are tauter, more European in character.

Strandveld is the most southerly winery.

This wine is as crisp as newly-fallen snow, with the flavour of gooseberries, freshly squeezed lime, and the scents of fresh herbs. If you prefer French styles of Sauvignon to the New World ones, you might enjoy this. Try this with seafood, goats cheese salad, or this season’s fresh asparagus.

Meinert Painters Ink Pinotage 2012 (GWW £11.95) Just outside Stellenbosch, nestles one of the most magical, exquisitely beautiful valleys of them all, Devon Valley. Visit in the autumn, and filigree mists hang over the hills. It’s a tranquil, peaceful place, and one where Martin Meinert, chose to buy land and create his own magic. This wine is named in homage to Martin’s family business of master printers, and is a Pinotage unlike many others. Do try this beauty – made with love and care, which this one is, Pinotage can produce some gloriously scented reds. Rich, opulent, and velvety smooth, it opens up with sweetly-perfumed, ripe raspberry, black cherry and strawberry fruit, with hints of dark chocolate and a sumptuous finish.

Perfect for summer barbecues and Sunday roast.

Ken Forrester The Renegade Shiraz Grenache 2011 ( GWW £11.95) Another Forrester favourite of mine. When I asked Ken about the name, he said ‘ it doesn’t play by the rules – everyone makes cabernet and merlot. This climate is similar to the Rhone, why not make a Rhone-style wine?’

So we have a blend of classic Rhone grapes mingled to produce a rich, slightly wild, voluptuous red, packed with ripe plums, black cherries, licorice, spice, a hint of toast and mocha and a dusting of black pepper and spice. Fabulous for barbecues, herb-spiced lamb, spicy Indian dishes, or a platter of charcuterie and cheese.

All of the above, plus a mixed case can be ordered through our website. Enjoy a 10% Great Western Wine discount by entering the code on Angela’s wine column. Visit: thebathmag.co.uk

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CITY | BUSINESS

News in brief

n Pupils past and present greeted Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex, when he visited King Edward’s School in Bath to open a new £3m building at the the Senior School. The new Wessex Building, designed by BBA Architects, houses a library, dining room and a third floor activity space. During his visit headmaster Martin Boden, took the Earl on a tour of the school, where he enjoyed short displays of drama, creative writing and music. The Earl is pictured unveiling the plaque with a dramatic flourish which was greatly enjoyed. n Bath law firm Mowbray Woodwards has made two new appointments at its Queen Square offices.

Annette Campbell joins as a solicitor from Veale Wasbrough Vizards in Bristol. She has extensive Annette Campbell, David Whitworth, experience in head of private client and Gemma Buxton assisting with wills, estate and trust administration, inheritance tax planning and advising on Lasting Powers of Attorney, Court of Protection matters and mental capacity issues. She has returned to Bath to help grow the private client business.

Gemma Buxton has been appointed as a paralegal and will provide administrative support to the team as she continues her studies to become a qualified legal executive n John PA Davies, who has been acting chief executive for seven months at Dorothy House Hospice Care has been appointed permanently to the post.

John was unanimously chosen by the Board of John PA Davies, chief executive Trustees and at Dorothy House Hospice Care staff to lead the hospice, which serves the people of Bath and the surrounding towns and villages. John said: “To be appointed to the role of chief executive of Dorothy House is the highlight of my career and an immense privilege. I have been very touched by the care, support and consideration shown by all to me over these last seven months.”

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THE MOVERS AND SHAKERS

SHINE ON: Award winning Bath jeweller Nicholas Wylde has been given a rare opportunity to showcase his work at one of London’s most exclusive department stores. The Wylde Flower Diamond® pop-up shop opened on 5 May and closes on 1 June at Fenwick in Bond Street. Nicholas celebrated 25 years in business by creating the Wylde Flower Diamond® and has been named as one of the Hot 100 jewellers in the country.

FILM MAKERS COMPETITION: Ashley Pharaoh, the man who wrote Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes, will join the panel of judges at the live final of the Bath Film Festival annual IMDb Script to Screen awards this month. Five scripts have been shortlisted and will be read by actors, giving the audience, at the event on Tuesday 16 June from 6.30pm at Komedia, the opportunity to be part of the judging process.

The winner receives £5,000 cash plus £2,000 of kit from Visual Impact to help them make their film this summer. Tickets: £7 and there will be the chance to question the judges, who include Olivia Hetreed, writer of the screen adaptation of Wuthering Heights and The Girl with the Pearl Earring. Find out more at: bathfilmfestival.org.uk.

SIXTH FORM OPPORTUNITIES: Brislington based St Brendan’s College has opened a new 10 classroom teaching block and Glass House Café. The £1.3m building will provide extra teaching and social space for the 1,750 sixth form students who attend the college.

CELEBRATING A CENTURY: Bath furniture business TR Hayes, marking 100 years of trading in the city, hosted a reception beside the historic waters of the Roman Baths with staff, dignitaries and valued customers. Among those present was Lesley Pring, pictured with Derek

and Margaret Hayes and their son Richard. Mr Pring is a veteran of D-Day and was met with a round of applause by the assembled company.

Derek Hayes has also been celebrating 25 years since the founding of The Minerva Furnishers Guild, a furniture buying group. He was chairman of Minerva for 23 years and more recently was made life president and honoured at a dinner in Telford.

LOCAL LENDER: Bath Building Society has announced its annual results are at record levels again for 2014. The society’s assets rose by 2.5% to £279.4m, from £272.5m on the previous year. It showed a 14.3% increase in its reserves from £21m to £24m year on year, and pre-tax profits increased by 37.4% to £3.8m in 2014. The society’s mortgage book has increased to a record high of £218.9m with gross mortgage lending at £37.4m. Dick Jenkins, chief executive said: “The market remains stacked against savers although the Government has given them a break with promised tax cuts in the recent budget. The society continues to be committed to offering its best rates to existing savers. We have generated real interest through our innovative approach to lending to this group and our commitment to helping people in Bath and further afield to buy homes.”

UNIVERSITY CREATIVE HUB: OPEN TO ALL The Earl of Wessex, Prince Edward, was invited to Bath University in his role as University Chancellor, to open a new four-storey building; the Edge.There were some 200 guests at the opening ceremony which featured a panel debate with eminent speakers, covering the relationship between arts, leadership and management, and a piano recital by Joanna MacGregor.

The Edge comprises a 220seat theatre, performance studio, rehearsal studios, three galleries and a café. It is home to the School of Management’s education training suite, which hosts short courses, master classes, speaker events and seminars.

University of Bath ViceChancellor, Professor Dame Glynis Breakwell, said: “Bringing the creative arts and

OPEN TO ALL: The Edge the study of management together under one roof is a new departure for Bath and is unique among UK universities, arts organisations and business schools.” n The Bath School of Art and Design Undergraduate Degree Show transforms Bath Spa University’s Sion Hill Campus into an exhibition space this month as students who are about to graduate after three

years’ study show their work.

Work of graduates from courses in contemporary arts practice, creative arts, fashion design, fine art, graphic communications, photography, textiles for fashion and interiors and 3D design, will be on display.

The show will be open daily at Sion Hill from Saturday 6 June – Sunday 14 June.

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www.richardsonswift.co.uk 11 Laura Place, Bath BA2 4BL • 01225 325 580 JUNE 2015

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Bath Spa University is currently looking for people within the Bath area to become homestay hosts forinternational students.

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For further information and application form please visit our website http://www.bathspa.ac.uk/university-life/ accommodation/becoming-a-homestay-host or contact Student Housing Services on 01225 875843 or email accommodation@bathspa.ac.uk.

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A DV E RTO R I A L F E ATURE

With GCSE’s ahead I felt worried for him

Like any parent I want to see my children succeed in life. I knew they were fit & healthy and far from unintelligent, yet they didn’t seem to be keeping up at school.

As both of my boys were failing academically I knew I needed to get help for them before they started their GCSE’s.

So once I’d discovered the Alison Lawson program I was very keen to get started on it straight away.

By Carol Green

A

t a Parent-Teacher consultation we were told not to worry that our child didn’t excel in reading and writing, instead they’d encourage what he was interested in and hope the rest would follow. This wasn’t the answer, I knew they could do better.

BACKGROUND Aidan, 14, was a fairly self-centred child at home – always thought of himself first, was dissatisfied, with poor concentration, being restless and never living for the moment. He always wanted to know what was happening next, started many “jobs” and never finished any, leaving a trail of untidiness behind him. At school he was obviously pleasant, but lacked self-confidence and if his writing was messy enough, his teacher wouldn’t be able to read it to see if there were any spelling mistakes! He 64 TheBATHMagazine

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always had the excuse that he had to rush or he wouldn’t be able to keep up with the others.

With the start of GCSEs looming I felt worried

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What? Is that the end?

That was millions easier and I’ve never finished a SATS paper before!”

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for him. Sterling, his brother aged 11, was quite different, so laid back and lethargic about life he used to drive the rest of us crazy! Again, he’d start most projects with great intentions

and never finished them. His reading was poor – he would miss words out, add words that weren’t there and misread ‘his’ instead of ‘this’.

He was also the most chronic phonetic speller.

He had been labelled as dyslexic and had oneto-one at school a few hours a week. Basically though, his happy-go-lucky attitude got him through, but I couldn’t understand why his quick wittedness didn’t seem to be getting onto paper.

HOW EYE CORRECTION HELPS I feared for both boys, because although they had strong points practically, learning academically was frustratingly hard work which was fast becoming a negative downhill spiral with neither boys really reading books, only looking at comics. I had heard, from my sister-in-law, of an eye therapy treatment called The Alison Lawson program. She explained

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A DV E RTO R I A L F E AT U R E

that if the muscles in both eyes were not working together then incorrect messages were being sent to the brain. The brain in turn couldn’t interpret them properly. We applied for an initial assessment to see if the therapists could help. Sterling proved to have very poor eye sight from the tests – not the sort that glasses help – in fact, one of a 46 year old. Plus he really struggled with three-dimensional vision and reading in general. Tests showed that Aidan’s eye coordination was not such an issue, but the Alison Lawson Centre felt they could help him with concentration, confidence and accuracy.

Seeing as this treatment is non-invasive we felt that there was nothing to lose. I was very keen to start treatment before Sterling had his Year Six SATS and Aidan started GCSEs. So, with our positive hats on, the boys and I travelled two and a half hours to the Alison Lawson Centre, each day for 2 weeks. It was quite a commitment, but as parents we were determined to make this succeed. We supported all homework and encouraged them every step of the way. Yes, it did take time, but seriously, what is two weeks of work, if you can set your child up for life?

TREATMENT TIME The boys were really amenable to the treatment and we made it quite clear to them that it was

DID IT AFFECT EXAM GRADES? I had saved Sterling’s practice SATS paper for after the treatment. He gave me the usual grief about homework, but after settling down, in the required time, he turned over the last page and exclaimed: “What? Is that the end? That was millions easier and I’ve never finished a SATS

paper before!” His teachers knew nothing of him having the Alison Lawson treatment and accused him of someone else doing his work! At the end of the first week back at school he was awarded Star of the Week.

At the next Parents Consultations, more than one teacher told us that Aidan had been nowhere near his predicted grades from Year Seven and then had suddenly made an impressive jump and made up time. To Aidan’s surprise he came top in his class with 81% in science.

Sterling also did well in his SATS and reached required levels for his age. Three weeks after treatment he started senior school and on the first day he said: “Mum, I’ve been put in the brainy groups!”

This treatment does…

Read the rest of Aidan & Sterling’s story online.

Aidan and Sterling for their own good. Strangely enough it was Sterling that we initially enquired about the treatment for, yet it was Aidan that showed almost immediate results. Over the next few days though he probably didn’t realise it, his character changed – for the better! He became relaxed, less stressed and we saw he had a good sense of humour that hadn’t shown itself much before. The treatment released some tension, which put him in a better frame of mind for learning. As soon as he went back to school he started making comments like: “I can remember more words when copying”, “reading aloud in literacy is easier” and “typing is loads easier but I don’t know why”.

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The quick & effective Alison Lawson treatment, which is appropriate from age 5, has been used for over 20 years. The team have had first-hand experience in giving numerous children a brand new start in life with the Alison Lawson therapy and have a burning desire to pass these benefits to so many others, as they are seeing parents and teachers astounded over and over again.

Contact us at admin@dyslexia-treatment.co.uk or on 01935 403260 www.alisonlawson.com

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Pampered Paws Home Boarding Holidays For Dogs Home from Home Care for your dog while you are away. So you can relax and enjoy your holiday while your dog is having a holiday too.

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Bath’s Premier Removals Company Thomas Firbank Removals and Storage is a family run business that offers a personal and business service of the highest quality. For seventeen years we have ensured that all of our clients enjoy a stress free move and a great deal of our business is generated by referrals from satisfied customers.

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FAMILY | EVENTS

Midsummer fun for all ages out and about Entertainment goes free range for June with a roving theatre festival, trails to follow and fun on the farm

CRACKED: STUDENT TAKEOVER Tuesday 2 – Thursday 4 June, check the egg website for daily schedules n The egg theatre, Sawclose, Bath The theatre is being taken over by 16 – 25-yearolds, who will be entertaining with music, comedy, dance, drama and the spoken word.

Daily pass: £3, or £12 for the whole Cracked Festival. Tel: 01225 823409 or visit: theatreroyal.org.uk/the-egg Also at the egg this month THE BOCKETY WORLD OF HENRY AND BUCKET Friday 5 – Saturday 6 June, times vary Barnstorm Theatre presents a tale of two best friends, in what Irish Theatre magazine called ‘a stand-out piece of children’s theatre’. Suitable for age four and over.

HOME Sunday 7 – Tuesday 9 June, times vary One of Italy’s most acclaimed theatre companies presents a work for under fives. It’s all about home.

FREE RANGE POP-UP THEATRE FESTIVAL Saturday 27 June – 31 July times vary Look out for all kinds of theatrical happenings popping up in unlikely places. It will challenge young audiences to play with weather, search for the stars and save the planet. See the egg website for show details.

FRESH AIR FAYRE Saturday 6 June, 10am – 3pm n Royal Avenue, Royal Victoria Park, Bath The avenue will be closed to traffic and families are invited to bring their bikes to this free event organised by Bath & North East Somerset Council, with the aim of encouraging more of us to take environmentally friendly forms of transport. There will be some to try on the day.

The Handlebards

DUNKERTON FAIR AND DOG SHOW Saturday 6 June, 2pm n Dunkerton village Family fun to be had at this popular traditional village fair, and you can take the family pooch to enter into the dog show. There’ll be stalls, games, a bar, hot dogs, teas, children’s races, duck race, and an egg-throwing competition.

ALCHEMISTS PICNIC Saturday 6 June, noon – 5pm n The Courts National Trust gardens, Holt, Wiltshire BA14 6RK 68 TheBATHMagazine

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A new family discovery trail is being unveiled at Bath Skyline this April. The National Trust has devised a two-mile circular walk for families around Claverton Down. There are a number of activity stations to look out for along the way, geocaches to find, a woodland play area, and fairy doors hidden in the trees.

Download the map from: nationaltrust.org.uk/bath-skyline.

Get out and make friends Families are invited to bring a picnic, a rug and activities such as cards, sketchpads or cameras and enjoy a laidback afternoon in these beautiful gardens. There’ll be the chance to catch the Handlebards theatre group in rehearsal and listen to bluesy acoustic music from The Second Sons. Usual admission price.

BLUE SKY FESTIVAL 11 – 14 June, 10am – 4pm n Pound Arts, Pound Pill, Corsham, Wiltshire Design a piece of festival bunting and add it to the Blue Sky Bunting Challenge to try and wrap the arts centre in homemade bunting. All ages.

Free, self-led activity, suggested donation £3.

For more information: 01249 701628 or visit: blueskyfestival.org.uk.

Also at Blue Sky Festival FAMILY ART TRAIL Pick up a trail sheet from the arts centre (open 10am-5pm) and set out on an interactive trail around Corsham. You can also download the trail from: blueskyfestival.org.uk. Free, self-led activity, suggested donation £3 THE INGENIOUS GENTLEMAN DON QUIXOTE OF LA MANCHA Friday 12 June, 7.30pm at The Pound A hilariously inventive adventure of immense proportions. Two feisty señoritas and a downtrodden Englishman take on Don Quixote’s quest accompanied by an otherworldly guitarist. Age guidance 14+ £12 (£11 concessions) SOUTHSIDE FAMILY FUN DAY Saturday 13 June, 11am – 2pm n Bath City Farm, Kelston View, Bath BA2 1NW Stalls including; face painting, bric a brac, jewellery making, hair braiding, cake stall and arts and crafts activities for kids. DJ, BBQ and bouncy castle. No need to book. This is the community farm’s 20th anniversary and visitors are always welcome, Monday – Saturday, from 9am to 5pm.

TAKE A WALK Whenever you choose n Claverton Down, Bath

WACKY INVENTIONS TRAIL 1 – 30 June 2015, 10:30am to 5:30pm n Lacock Abbey National Trust owned, Fox Talbot Museum and village Fox Talbot lived in Lacock Abbey and created the first photographic negative. His invention changed the way we looked at the world. Some people must have thought he was daft to try to capture an image, but he proved them wrong.

Free with normal admission price.

THE FESTIVAL OF NATURE Saturday 27 June Sydney Gardens, Bath, time to be confirmed A free day of fun celebrating wildlife in the heart of the city. Local and national environmental organisations will offer a showcase of the natural world with interactive exhibitions and inspirational activities. Visitors are encouraged to get stuck in exploring the surprises the natural world has to offer and discover the wildlife on their doorstep.

Bath Skyline KEYNSHAM MUSIC FESTIVAL Monday 29 June – Sunday 5 July n Various venues in Keynsham At the time of going to press the full programme had not been finalised, but make a note to check out what’s happening for this, the 18th annual festival. Most of the events are free and this is a real family and community event. Visit: keynshammusicfestival.co.uk for more details.

PLANNING AHEAD THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE Tuesday 7 – Saturday 11 July, 7.30pm (matinee Saturday 2.30pm) n The Mission Theatre, Corn Street, Bath Next Stage Theatre Company and Next Stage Youth present CS Lewis’ magical tale of four children who find themselves transported to another world. Escape to Narnia and enjoy this absorbing piece of theatre. Tickets: £12/£10 concessions. Tel: 01225 428600. n

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CITY | CULTURE

MAKING THEIR OWN MUSIC The Museum of East Asian Art has created a new programme, working with young and old, and inspired by ancient artefacts from its collection

O

ne Bath museum has come up with an innovative way of getting involved with the community outside its galleries, by inviting people to make their own versions of precious items in the collection. Thanks to the creative input of artist Caitlin Shepard, a whole series of new projects has been created with the Museum of East Asian Art at its heart, providing inspiration.

And so it has come about that a group of children at Bath City Farm have tried their hand at making Banraku puppets, while a workshop of pensioners from Age UK happily rose to the challenge of creating, a guqin, one of China’s oldest traditional instruments.

The museum, which is run as an educational charity, has a long tradition of hosting family-friendly events at its Bennett Street premises, including the annual Chinese new year celebrations with dressing up, dancing and creative workshops. But this year the museum has launched a new community engagement programme, which saw more than 100 people from four different groups taking part in creative workshops, with the aim of having fun and making things.

The four diverse groups of people were: Bath Area Play Project, Bath Ethnic Minority Senior Citizens Association (BEMSCA), Bath City Farm and Bath Age UK. Funding came from Arts Council UK. Caitlin, who has eight years’ experience working in community arts in Bristol, London and Wales, did extensive research to find out the sorts of groups and activities that they might enjoy. She explored the museum’s most recent exhibition, which was devoted to music in China over the centuries, and was inspired by an ancient stringed instrument, a guqin, and invited members of Bath Age UK and BEMSCA to attend workshops at the museum.

She was delighted with the participants’ enthusiasm and teamwork as they designed, made and decorated their guqins. The finished results were strung and will go on display in the new exhibition alongside an antique version of a guqin.

She said: “What’s exciting is that you can play the guqin that the group made, it has a lovely authentic sound.”

An expert in guqin playing will attend the opening ceremony, which the workshop participants and their families will also be invited to attend.

Thoughtfully, Caitlin plans to ensure anyone from the groups who can’t make the exhibition opening on Saturday 13 70 THEBATHMAGAZINE

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June, will be able to attend it without paying the usual admission fee.

Also to go on show in the Connecting Communities through Asian Culture exhibition, will be a couple of rarely seen East Asian puppets, usually kept in the museum’s storage. These will go alongside puppets made by children at the Bath City Farm in Twerton. Caitlin is also creating soundscapes, which are prerecorded voices and other sounds, to add to the exhibition.

She said it had been rewarding to work with artists Synnove Fredericks and Cori Bona to run the workshops for the various age groups.

“As you can see from the photo of one of the participants, with his knee up on the table, the group clearly engaged with their work. It was great to see so much teamwork and to hear the chatter going on.”

Caitlin added that it was important for community work to find groups of people who might otherwise be susceptible to being lonely, isolated or deprived of cultural activity in their lives.

Despite being a wealthy city, Bath still has areas where the young, the elderly and the disabled face daily challenges.

The museum always welcomes the chance to work with different groups and different generations. n

MAKING MUSIC: from top right, clockwise;Dr Cheng Yo, who will play the guqin at the opening of the exhibition; a dancing figure from the 1st century is one of the inspirational pieces from the Museum of East Asian art; Mr Lee tests the newly built guqin for sound, while participants in the instrument making workshop are absorbed in their tasks

MUSEUM PROGRAMME FOR MIDSUMMER The Museum of East Asian Art in Bennett Street, Bath is open Tuesday to Saturday, 10am – 5pm and Sunday from noon to 5pm. Admission: £5/£4 concessions. The museum also has a shop selling East Asian decorative items, starting at pocket money prices.

Forthcoming events: l Sunday 7 June, noon – 5pm, annual tsunami fundraising day, all welcome. Come and learm about Japanese culture and take part in activities including origami, kimono wearing and the tea ceremony. l Connecting Communities through Asian Culture exhibition opens Saturday 13 and runs until 15 November. It can be found in the ground floor gallery at the museum. l Friday 26 June, adult origami workshop, 6pm – 7pm. Learn the basics of origami, including how to make a paper sheep, to represent this year’s Chinese zodiac sign. £6, to include materials.

For more information visit: meaa.org.uk or tel: 01225 464640.

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FAMILY | BATH

MY SMALL WORLD CELEBRATES 10 YEARS

Bath’s fabulous toy store, My Small World is celebrating its 10th birthday this month and as a special treat is offering a complete set of Honeybake Play Kitchenware to one very lucky little reader

I

t seems the merest blink of an eye since My Small World toy store opened its doors to what has become arguably the most well regarded and best loved – by parents and children – toy shop in the south west.

Amazing to think, then, that this award winning gem in Little Southgate celebrates its 10th birthday this month. A decade that’s seen a lot of Bath families flowing (and growing) in and out of its doors.

My Small World has come a long way from its humble (and nervous) beginnings.

Dawn Burden, the shop’s creator and codirector, recalls those very first steps for the infant business: “I remember very clearly sitting in the empty shop in the Podium, the day we signed our lease, looking at bare walls and trying to imagine how the shop would look when it was full of toys, and wondering if we were absolutely mad to be embarking on this adventure, with no real business experience and no retail knowledge either.

“But, we were armed with a very strong sense of what it is like to be parents of young children, and the sort of amazing toys and service we wanted for our children, and I think this has stood us in very good stead throughout the years. We don’t always do things like the big boys, but there are sometimes huge advantages in that, and since we’ve opened we’ve tailored what we sell and how we do things based on the suggestions of our amazing customers.”

From superb party bag fillers to heirloom gifts, My Small World is always filled to the brim with extraordinary toys, many of which you won’t find elsewhere.

The shop has also made a name for itself with quirky and heart-felt events such as the now famous Champagne and Tissues event, which happens every September as parents who have dropped their children off at school for the very, very first time enjoy Champagne, tissues and hugs in the store.

Add in film nights, authors events, book

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clubs, play table extravaganzas and toy launches and you have in our midst a vibrant and wonder-filled emporium which has justifiably earnt itself a place as one of Bath’s most loved stores. n My Small World, 18 Little Southgate, Bath BA1 1AS is open 9.30am to 5pm, Monday to Saturday, 11am to 4pm Sunday.

Tel: 01225 938338.

WIN! A COMPLETE SET OF HONEYBAKE PLAY KITCHENWARE FROM LE TOY VAN, WORTH £320 To celebrate this momentous occasion, My Small World has put together an incredible prize to give to one lucky budding Jamie Oliver or Mary Berry – a complete set of Honeybake Play Kitchenware from Le Toy Van, worth £320.

Email your answer with your name, address and contact number to: competitions@thebathmagazine.co.uk, making sure to write My Small World Competition in the subject line.

Deadline for entries: Thursday 30 June. All email submissions will be sent to My Small World to select the prize winner. Our standard terms and conditions apply.

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THEATRE | PROFILE

THE CHILDREN’S CHAMPION Kate Cross director of the egg theatre in Bath, celebrating its tenth anniversary this year, talks to Melissa Blease about creating theatre that gives children a voice

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FOR AND BY CHILDREN: top left, professional theatre companies entertain children with antics that quite often contain underlying serious messages Top right, the cast of last year’s Robin Hood, the Storm on the Lawn annual youth theatre project Left, Kate Cross, director at the egg theatre in Bath Such fondness strongly endures for the egg, now so firmly placed at the heart of life in Bath that’s it hard to remember a time when it wasn’t there.

But for Kate, who started working at the Theatre Royal on a freelance basis in 1998, she can clearly remember how hard she worked to put her plans for the egg into place.

“The Theatre Royal’s director Danny Moar was always very keen on the idea of developing our work with children.

But I’m not sure if he was bargaining for something as huge as the egg when he announced one day that the TRB Board was keen to undertake a dedicated fundraising campaign, making the Education Department a key focus of the initiative. I seized on that opportunity in a moment of great clarity (I’ve not been as lucid since that day!) and explained how difficult it was to work with children in isolated spaces scattered around the city.

“I explained how having the work of the department lurking in the last few pages of the theatre’s brochure only

attracted the children of those who already come to the theatre, so attracting new young audiences was virtually impossible. But mainly I explained how the practice of playing children’s shows on top of grown-up shows on Saturday afternoons was horribly compromising on the quality of the art.

“A few months later we appointed a consultant and a team of young consultants who between them undertook a feasibility process and created the vision, while my inspiration came from all directions: seeing amazing children’s theatres in Scandinavia, Holland, Canada and Belgium and visiting arts cafés and children’s museums in the States, all the while engaging with the theatre sector on the subject of quality, quality, quality.”

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children watching open mouthed as a story hits right into the core of their life experience

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T

he next generation have a champion in Kate Cross, director of the acclaimed egg theatre which this month celebrates ten years of theatre for and by children. She not only cares about young people but has actively and tirelessly worked to enhance their lives: “Children don’t make money. Outside of TV and Disney, they’re just not a lucrative market. They don’t have a voice, so they don’t make the choice; hence, we are ever their advocates in a world that will always try to silence them, herd them, tell them what to like, cosset them, overprotect them and under-resource them.”

The strength of feeling woven into that collection of sentences is, to say the least, intensely moving. Ten years ago the egg opened its doors to families of Bath, gifting them with a 124-seater, egg-shaped auditorium, a vibrant family-friendly cafe, a spacious rooftop rehearsal room and several flexible workshop spaces, all specifically dedicated to young people including excluded pupils, disadvantaged children, curriculum-based projects with schools and communities and school leavers in search of career opportunities.

Ambitious? Yes – and unique to the UK outside London, too.

“The opening of the egg was my dream come true,” Kate recalls. “I’d literally watched it being built [in the former Robins Cinema, adjacent to the Theatre Royal], brick by brick. The day I walked into the café after the floor had been laid, I cried; that was the point at which the dream I’d worked so hard to create became palpable. And when we opened, I had to pinch myself – there was so much love in the room.”

The egg runs a year-round programme of shows and events for youngsters from babies through to young adults, operates outreach projects with schools across the region and is home to the Theatre Royal’s acclaimed Young People’s Theatre, which produces several productions each year.

But what challenges does it face at the start of its second decade? Kate makes a hugely emotive subject simple: “Our challenge is to inform the general public that children have taste that should be

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THEATRE | PROFILE

EMPOWERING: enthusiastic young participants take over the egg

allowed to develop. But all too often, families and schools are so stretched for time and money that they find it hard to justify a theatre trip or a workshop.

We’re trying to alter that perception.

“Children are not all the same. They are skilful. They have intelligence that adults do not have. They are interesting.

Children matter, not because of who they will become, but because of who they are now.”

WWW.THEBATHMAG.CO.UK

In ten years where might we be? “I’d love to see a version of the National Theatre and the egg all rolled into one, here in Bath,” says Kate. “But we must never lose our uniquely local feel: the babies crawling over the café floor; the mums feeding their babies while meeting up with friends; the young people discovering skills, passions, new friends; children watching open mouthed as a story hits right into the core of their life

experience and disarms them with its empathy. When I watch a play I either want to laugh like a drain, weep like a baby or think like hell. The holy grail of all brilliant theatre is when all three are embodied in one play.

Only the best theatre makers can achieve this. I want every play at the egg to do this. Every single play. And I’m working on it . . . truly I am.”

I asked Kate for her pick of the summer season: “I’m really excited about our first ever free range festival, spreading the love around north east Somerset by putting on shows in outdoor and indoor spaces around the region.

There’ll be a garden party in the grounds of The Paragon School for early years and their families, and this year's Storm on the Lawn production at Prior Park College (19 – 23 August) is a newly-commissioned musical The Teacup Poisoner, guaranteed to be a spectacular open air event. There are also so many other great initiatives for children, young people and families that gives me hope for the future of children’s rights.

There’s currently an initiative to get the city crowned as a Unicef Child Friendly City – we should all be proud of that.”n the egg, Theatre Royal Bath, Saw Close, Bath BA1 1ET Tel: 01225 823409;

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HEALTH & BEAUTY

Here comes the

SUN

HOW TO LOOK COOL WHEN THINGS ARE HOTTING UP

BOLD AND BRIGHT: it’s all about strong pops of colour for nails this summer – these vibrant shades look great against tanned skin. Butter London nail lacquers, £12 from Boots. Top, butterfly clips, £6, Accessorize

TAKE COVER

tuning into this season’s Summer of Love hippy vibe is a collection of beautiful, light and floaty cover-ups on sale at Green Street House in Green Street, Bath. The beauty salon has an array of holiday wear, including jewellery and scarves by Pranella, decorative sandals

by Aspiga, sheer kaftans by Echo and Genesha, from £25 and a whole rainbow of nail polish to finish your beach to bar ensemble

SKIN DEEP: left to right, Eve Lom Radiance Perfected Tinted Moisturiser – Linen 5 (SPF15), £48, Space NK, Creme de la Mer Gradual Tan Face and Body, £65, Jollys, Benefit Sunbeam bronze highlighter, £19.50, Debenhams

INVITATION TO EXPLORE THE PATH TO PILATES We’ve all got friends who swear that their Pilates sessions help keep them supple and lithe – but what if we’re nervous about attending a class for the first time? The Osteopathy & Pilates Studio, between Broad Street and Walcot Street in Bath, is holding an open afternoon on Saturday 20 June, noon till 4pm for people to come and find out for themselves what Pilates is all about. There’ll be free trial classes, free sports massage, a teachers’ demonstration, drinks and nibbles, plus opportunities to chat to the practitioners. But places are limited, so you will need to book, email: enquiries@bathpilates.co.uk. The studio offers a range of matwork and equipment Pilates classes, individual Pilates sessions, osteopathic treatment and sports massage. Whatever your fitness level, they will offer personal attention.

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TREAT YOURSELF: age is no barrier to picking up clothes and accessories . . . as this selection proves. Floral sunglasses, £4.99, New Look, wedge sandals, Dune, £65, right, stripey skirt, £55 and top, £35, Oasis, sunglasses, £15, top, £28, and matching shorts, £22.50 from Marks & Spencer

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B A T H

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• Email: info@gkhealth.co.uk • Tel: 0333 332 1491 JUNE 2015

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COSMETIC CONTOUR

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STRUT AND STROLL The market town of Corsham this month holds its second annual walking festival. We pick some of the highlights, which include following in the footsteps of Isambard Kingdom Brunel and the BBC’s Poldark

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SING FOR YOUR SUPPER A two-mile early evening stroll sets out from the Pound Arts Centre (6pm Friday 12 June) to explore Corsham Court Park, the church and historic almshouses – all accompanied by a 80 THEBATHMAGAZINE

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claim. It’s not known whether Speke’s death was an accident or suicide. Speke’s claim was eventually proved to be correct. The stone is quite unassuming, but there is a bigger, more elaborate monument to Speke in Kensington Gardens in London.

WILDFLOWER WALK

minstrel with a guitar who will sing as he goes. There is an optional supper and communal singing afterwards at the almshouses.

EXPLORER AND MEDIEVAL PILGRIMS This circular walk of eight miles (Saturday 13 June, 9.30am) includes a guided visit to the tiny pilgrims’ chapel at Chapel Plaister and a visit to the fields at Wadswick where there is a stone monument to explorer Captain John Speke, who discovered Lake Victoria and led expeditions to the source of the River Nile. Peke met a tragic end, shot by his own gun the very day before he was due to take part in a public debate about the source of the Nile. Speke claimed the source was the Rippon Falls, an outflow from Lake Victoria in east Africa but his view was contested by Sir Richard Burton, another explorer, who argued that Speke didn’t have conclusive evidence for his

KINGS OF CORSHAM: main picture, one of Corsham’s peacocks Above, Corsham Court

It is possible to identify up to 30 different kinds of wildflower on spring and summer walks in the Box area, but we’re sure you’ll find more – and what’s more be able to identify them accurately – on this guided botanical adventure to Hazelbury Common.

(Saturday 13 June, from 2pm at Neston Primary School, covering three and a half miles.)

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You couldn’t really have a celebration of Corsham without a nod in the direction of the engineer who made such a lasting impact on the landscape

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he best known walkers in the Wiltshire market town of Corsham are its distinctive peacocks, who strut up and down the High Street among the shoppers as if they own the place. But this month the birds will be joined by dozens of boot-wearing walkers enjoying scenes around the town as part of the second annual Corsham Walking Festival.

In a programme of some two dozen guided walks over the weekend of 12 – 14 June, locals and vistors will explore the area’s history as well as its urban and rural landscape. Themes range from God’s Wonderful Railway and the routes taken by medieveal pilgrims, to a contemporary romp through TV-land to see where, and how, Corsham stood in for Cornwall in the BBC’s recent successful Poldark series.

The festival will be launched at 1.45pm on Friday 12 June at the Pound Arts Centre, appropriately, by explorer David Hempleman-Adams who lives in Box and knows the area well. The routes range in distance from less than a mile to a 15-mile hike from Corsham out to Castle Combe and back, following the rural footpaths over hills and into valleys. We’ve picked some of the highlights.

HIDDEN QUARRIES The Box Hill mines and quarries are a constant source of interest to locals and visitors. Expert Martin Burton, who has a wealth of knowledge about their history, will be leading a 7½ mile circular walk taking in Box Common, with views across the magnificent By

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FESTIVAL | SUMMER

BLUE SKIES OVER WILTSHIRE Folk singer Cara Dillon and comedian Mark Watson and a series of free workshops are all lined up for Corsham’s Blue Sky Festival, which runs from Thursday 11 to Sunday 14 June. Thanks to support from the Arts Council, local councils and businesses Hunter French and Heywood Prep School, events will take place at the Pound Arts Centre, the newly extended Springfield centre and around the town.

Cara Dillon

Brook Valley. He will accompany this with an hour long talk about the history of stone mining in the area. This walk is on Saturday 13 June.

GOD’S WONDERFUL RAILWAY: BRUNEL AND BOX TUNNEL You couldn’t really have a celebration of Corsham without a nod in the direction of the engineer who made such a lasting impact on the landscape, by building a railway line through the countryside and overseeing the considerable feat of creating the Box Tunnel, still used daily by mainline trains. This walk is on the Saturday and relies on people making their own way home afterwards, beginning as it does in Corsham and descending into Box. It will include an informative talk on Brunel, the tunnel and GWR, taking in 6½ miles along the way.

THE POLDARK EFFECT The festival includes a walk called Court and Capability and will explore the places in town where Poldark was filmed. We understand this will include photos taken during filming, so those taking part can see in detail how the modern world was screened out and disguised for the period drama.

FOLLOW IN THEIR FOOTSTEPS: main picture, Aidan Turner, star of the BBC’s Poldark, filming in Corsham when the town stood in for Cornwall Top, Corsham Folly – not a ruin but built deliberately to shield Corsham Court from prying eyes Above left, Corsham’s historic almshouses date back to the 17th century

Some of the walks in the Corsham Walking Festival have already sold out, but that doesn’t mean you should be deterred from visiting the town. Last year Corsham was awarded Walkers and Welcome status, as part of a national network of towns and villages which actively encourage walkers by sharing information about routes in the area and by keeping footpaths clear and well signposted.

To find your own walks visit mapmywalk.com, theaa.com/walks or wiltshirelaf.org.uk, or simply visit Corsham Tourist Information Centre in the High Street and have a chat about the distance you’d like to cover, or areas of special interest. There are also various walking groups in the Corsham area including Cotswold Voluntary Wardens, Get Wiltshire Walking, West Wilts Ramblers and Corsham Wanderers – all of them welcome newcomers.

Dog owners should note that although Corsham Court’s parkland is free to visit, their animals should be kept on a lead as sheep are grazing here, and even the best behaved dog can be tempted to chase sheep. Dogs are only welcome on guided walks where it specifies that they are permitted. ■

To find out more about Corsham Walking Festival (12 – 14 June) visit: corshamforwalking.org.uk, or pick up a festival leaflet in the town. To book places visit: poundarts.org.uk or tel: 01249 701628 or in person at the Pound Arts Centre, Pound Pill, Corsham, Wiltshire SN13 9HX

WWW.THEBATHMAG.CO.UK

Some, like Cara Dillon’s concert and Mark Watson’s show, have entry by paid tickets, while others are free.

Families are invited to take part in a photo challenge by following a trail, while youngsters get the chance to try African drumming and flag making. Children from the town and surrounding villages will be putting on performances of music and drama, while local artists will be opening up their studios. On Saturday 14 June a repair cafe is being held from 2pm at The Pound.

If you’ve got something, whether it be a pair of jeans with a hole in the knee or a bike with wonky handlebars, take it along and experts will teach you how to fix it.

Mark Watson

Find out more about Blue Sky Festival at: blueskyfestival.org.uk or via the paper programme.

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WALKING BY THE BY Andrew Swift has devised a circular ten-mile walk between Corsham and Box to coincide with Corsham Walking Festival this month

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o coincide with the Corsham Walking Festival, this walk is an introduction to the varied and fascinating countryside to be found around one of Wiltshire’s best-preserved small towns.

Starting at the Methuen Arms in Corsham High Street, it sets off past former quarries and a country manor.

Then, after a lunchtime stop at a country pub, it heads down to follow the valley of the By Brook and explore hidden woods on the return leg.

Cross beside the Methuen Arms (ST871702) and head along Station Road. After this swings right past Station Road Garage, you will see a footbridge over the railway on your left. The station lay to the east of the bridge, with the goods yard to the west. Carry on and, when the road bears right, carry on along a cul de sac signposted to Wastfield. The houses on your right stand on the site of gasworks, while on the left an aqueduct carries a stream across the line. At a road, cross and carry on along a tree-lined lane – but not before a diversion onto the bridge to see the line snaking away to the east portal of Box Tunnel.

After 900m, just after passing 17th century Pockeredge Farm on the right, bear left along a footpath across the top of the tunnel (ST857694). Carry on across four stiles, go through a gap in a wall, turn left and then right along a road. After 30m, look for a footpath sign on your right and turn left along what 82 THEBATHMAGAZINE

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HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY: main picture, the view across Box in the By Brook valley Inset, left, the 17th century Pockeredge Farm Right, Weavern Farm, last lived in during the 1920s looks like a private drive (ST856690).

Carry straight on across a slab stile and follow the footpath as it bears left and right into a housing estate. Look for a yellow arrow on a fence and follow it up steps on the right. At the top, when the path forks, bear left and carry on in the same direction, high above houses built in former quarries on either side.

Follow the path as it drops down to a cul de sac and bear right at a T junction.

Follow the road as it swings left, but when it swings right, carry straight on along a path to a road. Turn left and then right beside an old stone building along a lane.

After 125m, when the lane swings left, carry on along a path to the right of the gate ahead (ST853686). Carry on across a lane, with a spoil heap high above you on the right. After 250m, just before coming to a wood on the left, turn sharp left along a path by a broken-down gate (ST848686). Follow it along the edge of the field, with the wood on your right, before bearing right past a house and carrying on along a drive for 700m.

At the road, cross and continue along a bridleway a few metres to the left (ST841683). Carry on for 550m, bear right at the end towards the gates of Hazelbury Manor, and left along a rough track before you reach them. Ignore a bridleway branching left, cross a stile by a gate and carry on between fences.

Cross a stile at the end and bear right along a footpath with views across to Colerne and down to Box. After 400m, bear left at a T junction (ST833686). After a few metres, bear right to follow a path through woods, with a wall on your right and old quarries below you on the left. When you reach a road, turn right along it. The large spoil heap – now an adventure playground – you pass on the right was formed when Box Tunnel was excavated.

Turn left at the crossroads, past a creeper-covered building which was used as an inn by navvies building the tunnel.

After 100m turn left along a footpath by Berry Cottage (ST837692). After bearing right when the path forks, you will see a garden created in a quarry on your right.

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THE | WALK Carry on, bearing right past a row of quarrymen’s cottages, to the Quarrymans Arms, open all day, with food served till three, and all day on Sunday.

Head down steps in the far corner of the pub car park and continue down a steep path. Turn right along a rough track and bear right along a lane. After 120m, just before a junction, bear left across a stone stile. Cross the main road to a bus stop which stands on the site of the Rising Sun pub, destroyed in 1957 by a gas explosion which killed the landlord, his wife and four-year-old son. Cross a stile, carry on downhill, and, after crossing another stile, continue down a lane to cross the By Brook at Drewett’s Mill. Turn right and, after 120m, cross a stile on the right (ST831700) to carry on alongside the By Brook for 800m. At a lane, bear right past Widdenhill Farm, continue past turnings to right and left, and, when you come to a gate ahead, turn left. At a rough track, bear right past an impressive barn. Just beyond it, bear right through a gateway following a footpath sign (ST836711). Carry on in the same direction for 600m, and after heading downhill, go through a stile into woodland owned by the Woodland Trust (ST840716).

Carry on down a holloway and, after crossing a bridge, you will see the ruins of Weavern Farm, last occupied in the 1920s, to your left. Go through a handgate, bear right across a brook and

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follow a track winding uphill. After going through a handgate into Hungerford Wood, continue past a crosspath a few metres on, but, after the track curves right, turn left down a holloway by a stone which may, because of its characteristic hole, have been placed here to ward off witches (ST844715). Just after the track levels out and crosses a brook, follow a footpath sign across a stile on the right and head steeply uphill. Carry on across a stile, but, when you come to a horse chestnut, turn left along a track (ST850712), with Pickwick Lodge to your right. Cross a stile by a gate, carry on in the same direction. Continue through a gate, following a lane past Hillsgreen Lodge. When you come to the

THE NAVVIES’REST: The former Tunnel Inn, frequented by men when they were building Box Tunnel

gate of Church Farm, follow the lane right. At the main road, turn right, cross to the Hare & Hounds and head along Pickwick Road to return to the Methuen Arms.

Some steep and muddy sections; numerous stiles, livestock in fields by the

By Brook. n

FACT FILE ■ Length of walk: 10 miles ■ Time of walk: five hours ■ Map: OS Explorer 156 ■ Refreshments: The Quarryman’s Arms, Box Hill Common, tel: 01225 743569, or there is a wide choice of places in

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INTERIOR | TRENDS

LOVED THE 2ND TIME AROUND Bath interior designer Clair Strong offers advice on sourcing and buying salvage

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ecycling and upcycling have become buzzwords of the ecofriendly movement, but it goes far beyond separating the cardboard from the plastic and trying your hand at painting old furniture. For decades a few devoted individuals have been lovingly collecting and restoring all kinds of architectural features... Now everyone is at it!

Architectural salvage is hugely popular in the interiors world at the moment. Anything can be salvaged; tiles, flooring, glass panels, furniture, lighting, decorative features (mirrors etc), bath tubs and sinks. Even the tiny inconsequential things in a house; light switches, kitchen taps and plug sockets can be reclaimed and restored. Items are taken from abandoned warehouses, churches and other historic buildings and given a new lease of life in modern homes, restaurants and shops. It’s a wonderful way to preserve beautiful items that may have otherwise been relegated to the tip.

Salvage is popular for a number of reasons – it’s not all about environmental concerns. From a design perspective, you can find some real gems. Unique items made using materials not available now.

People are keen to decorate their homes in a way that’s personal and owning something no one else has, or is in scarce supply, is a foolproof way to achieve that. The beauty of salvage is that it’s often a one-off.

Reclaimed items have the kind of time-worn charm and character you can’t find anywhere else. They have history, they tell a story and they bring it to life in your home.

From a purely practical perspective the items have been made to last. The skill and craftsmanship that went into making these things is very apparent, even today.

Older items were generally made in smaller batches to a much higher quality, thus you can depend on them to give you a lifetime of joy. They may even become a family heirloom.

CLAIR’S FINDS

Retrouvius Reclamation and Design – based in London, this small but excellent salvage warehouse has been operating for more than 20 years. It’s run by architects and design enthusiasts with an excellent eye for quality and quirky.

Retrouvious.com.

Visit: NW10 5NS

RESOURCE-FULL

English Salvage – one of the largest design and architectural resources in the UK, English Salvage supply architects, designers and the movie industry, as well as homeowners. Their customers include English Heritage, Disney and Jamie Oliver restaurants. This extensive yard is based in Leominster, Herefordshire.

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INTERIOR | TRENDS

WORKS OF ART

Fallen Furniture – now for something a little different; Wiltshire based Fallen Furniture uses reclaimed aircraft parts to design and build beautiful pieces of art and furniture. The rescued aircraft parts are lovingly and painstakingly polished and paired with glass, wood, metal and textiles to create unique products. fallenfurniture.com. Lights also in Felix lighting, Bartlett St, Bath

KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN

Locally to Bath there are lots of car boot sales, furniture and vintage fairs, house clearances and antique shops worth checking out. There’s the regular antiques and vintage market at Green Park Station on Sundays and the auction house Aldridges of Bath holds regular sales. Within easy reach by car, there’s Wells Reclamation; the oldest yard of its kind in the UK. Frome Reclamation is another must-visit for eager salvage finders and there’s also Bristol’s brilliant yard in Southville.

WWW.THEBATHMAG.CO.UK

RESTORED & RELOVED

Designoza – A purely online retailer of authentic, original and (if necessary) restored furniture. Their selection of furniture and accessories span the breadth of the 20th century and include things like Art Deco drinks cabinets and post-war bakelite lamps.

Designoza.com

TIPS FOR BUYING AND WORKING WITH SALVAGE Buying and working with salvage is not like buying any other products, so bear these tips in mind: • Don’t be afraid to ask lots of questions; where it came from, if it can be used for your intended purpose and so on.

• Try to see the item in person before handing over cash. If this isn’t possible, check the listings and photographs carefully. Can you get a refund if the item is not what it seems?

• Work only with builders who have used salvage before – specialist techniques may be required to fit your items.

• If you are buying multiple objects, ask for a discount. It is perfectly acceptable to haggle.

• Use retailers who have signed up to the Salvo Code; a code of conduct designed to give confidence to buyers.

• And most importantly; enjoy the process! Salvaging is much like a treasure hunt and you’re likely to find some rare gems.

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CITY | GARDENING

DIVINE INTERLUDE

Jane Moore spends some uplifting hours seeking inspiration at the Bishop’s Palace in Wells

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ROMANTIC RUINS Before James started to make his mark on them, the gardens really began to take shape as we know them today in the mid-19th century. By this time the Great Hall was already in a state of decay but the then bishop, who was a keen follower of the picturesque gardening style of follies and romantic ruins, had the inspired idea to hasten the ruination of the hall by completely removing the south wall, leaving tumbledown walls with elegant medieval windows open to frame the sky and trees. Specimen trees such as ginkgo, mulberry and catalpa soften the stone yet add to the architecture of the space and James has also planted more tender shrubs and perennials which appreciate the shelter of the walls.

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like eriobotrya, euphorbia and tetrapanax,” says James. “They’ve thrived in the shelter although the wind can sometimes be turbulent around these walls.”

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SHELTERED SPOT: protected by the medieval walls of the Great Hall ceanothus and euphorbia thrive

It has a moat to rival that of any medieval castle, complete with swans, drawbridge and portcullis

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ou can’t escape the pull of the water in Wells.

Everywhere you go in this smallest of cities it seems there is water, and nowhere more so that at the Bishop’s Palace, the heart and soul of the ancient city and its very raison d’être. In the 14 acres of gardens surrounding the Palace are the Well Pools – the source of water from which Wells takes its name – four great “pots” within the silt which surge up some 40-odd gallons of water per second. It’s hard to imagine that these tranquil pools are such forces of nature but they do make for some interesting planting in the gardens.

“It’s great to have the opportunity to plant lots of damp loving plants,” explains head gardener James Cross. “It makes for a looser, less formal planting style around the Well Pools than elsewhere in the garden.”

Arriving at the Bishop’s palace you’re immediately struck by its long and important history: the great gateway, the lofty buildings and, of course, the moat.

“Ooh it’s got a moat!” my normally quite reserved assistant Anna positively gushed as we arrived. And yes, it has a moat to rival that of any medieval castle, complete with swans, drawbridge and portcullis. Once inside, however, it’s the garden that takes your attention and that’s down to James and his efforts over the past 12 years.

“When I arrived it was best described as a blank canvas,” says James. “The grounds were well maintained but there were hardly any borders to speak of, just mown grass.”

MAJESTIC TREES With 14 acres to play with it’s no wonder there are a number of wonderful specimen trees including the dramatic black walnut on the croquet lawn, those already mentioned in the Great Hall garden and many others in the outer gardens around the Well Pools including a magnificent flowering cherry, a

handkerchief tree or davidia and a foxglove tree or paulownia in the arboretum. This is a young but established arboretum which was planted in 1977 to commemorate the Queen’s Silver Jubilee and it adds a lovely wild element to the garden, especially as it’s under planted with wild flowers.

SERENE POOLS These Well Pools are perhaps my favourite part of the garden as the pools are linked with the gardens embracing them flowing smoothly around the moat with wide, sinuous borders planted with things that love having their feet wet like rodgersia, astilbe, iris and troillus, the lovely globe flower.

PAUSE FOR THOUGHT Tucked away behind sheltering hedges lies the newest addition to the garden – a dramatically modern Garden of Reflection was created only two years

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CITY | GARDENING

on the estate and will be celebrating gardening throughout the Cotswolds, including nurseries, garden essentials and, of course, food. Speakers include a high-profile list of the best known and popular garden personalities including Toby himself, horticulturist Roy Lancaster and your own correspondent Jane Moore.

INSPIRATIONAL PLANTING: the gardens in late summer, a riot of hot colour and soothing greens

ago. Leading through the stained glass window borders you come to a central white rotunda, which offers a place of calm and meditation, set within a woodland of silver, white and pink stemmed birches.

wonderful greenhouse adjoining the existing allotments. It’s already a hub for talks and demonstrations and provides a space for volunteer and community groups to come and learn new skills.

COMMUNITY SPIRIT The Community Garden is a thriving area of the palace gardens. Formerly a derelict space it is now home to vegetable, fruit and flower beds and a Victorian-style greenhouse. This garden is only four years old and makes a great space for community events with its

GARDEN FESTIVALS IN JUNE Toby Buckland’s Garden Festival at Bowood House, Wiltshire, Friday 5 and Saturday 6 June.

Toby Buckland, horticulturist, writer, and TV presenter is hosting a new twoday gardening event at Bowood. The new festival is the first event of its kind

WWW.THEBATHMAG.CO.UK

The Bishop’s Palace Garden Festival Wells, Saturday 20 – Wednesday 24 June Four days of tours, talks and demos from experts and VIPs; rare plants, garden essentials, market stalls, games, family fun and floral design. The festival will be opened by Alan Titchmarsh, who will also be giving a talk and planting a tree in the gardens. Talks will also be given by some of the top names in UK gardening including Bob Flowerdew, Christine Walkden, Troy Scott-Smith, Charles Dowding, Stephen Lacey and Alan Power.

Sunday 21 June is Family Day with games, competitions, activities and a theatre performance of The Secret Garden on offer. n Jane Moore is the award-winning head gardener at the Bath Priory. She writes regularly for the Telegraph and can be followed on Twitter @janethegardener.

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Venetian style panels run along the side of the house, the clean lines of the battens have a smart, contemporary feel, allowing light through but also a degree of privacy at the same time.

JACKSONS FENCING News, topical treats and more... Venetian style fencing in stylish modern garden

H

ere are some amazing photos, sent in by a very creative and clever Jacksons customer, Stephen Martin. They show his stylish and very modern garden. At first glance it looks like Stephen has used our Venetian fence panels to create this lovely split level outdoor area, complete with raised artificial lawns, timber decks and stunning fence panels that surround the garden and give it a contemporary and chic feeling.

I am impressed at how cleverly he has managed to use our timber to create his own version of the Jacksons Venetian panels, especially the way he has managed to make sloping panels that follow the line of the original brick walls, that are the boundary to his garden. There's even a neat pedestrian side gate to match, not shown here - but to see more of Stephen’s photos and see the complete list of Jacksons timbers he used, go to your dedicated page: www.jacksonsfencing.co.uk/bathlocal where you can find a link to his customer project story.

If you are anything like me and creating your own fence is beyond you, then you can always go for the much easier option and buy the Venetian panels, posts and gates to match from Jacksons, you can find links to those on the page too – there are even handy installation instructions there as well for you to download, so don’t be deterred!

Many thanks to Stephen Martin for sharing this project with us.

Summer is traditionally the season for shows of all sorts, be they equestrian, agricultural or gardening. So if you are visiting any of those types of shows this year, do check to see if we are there and visit us on our stand. Ones we are definitely at are: Royal Windsor, Hickstead, the Cheshire Show, Bath and West and Kent County Show and, of course , RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show.

Check out our events page on the website for other shows we are attending. louise@jacksons-fencing.co.uk

Win tickets to RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show

To celebrate our presence at RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower show we are having a free prize draw to win pairs of tickets to the show. The free prize draw will run from the beginning of April until 15th June 2015.

Winners will get a pair of tickets and will receive a goody bag when they drop by the Jacksons show garden when visiting the show. For full details and how to enter please go to your dedicated web page:

www.jacksons-fencing.co.uk/bathlocal

www.jacksons-fencing.co.uk/bathlocal or call 0800 4084754 to talk to your local Jacksons Fencing Centre. louise@jacksons-fencing.co.uk

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the directory

to advertise in this section call 01225 424 499

Electricians

Health, Beauty & Wellbeing

Mindfulness For Stress, Anxiety & the Pressures of Life

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Introductory Workshops Mindfulness Eight Week Course Individual 1:1 Training at Work

07739 827186

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House & Home

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RHS Silver Medal winner 2012 • Award winning Garden Design • • Expert planting • • All aspects of Garden Construction •

Holly Woodward (MBAcC, Reg Nurse) is an experienced fertility acupuncturist, having worked for leading fertility expert Zita West.

• Attention to detail • Reliability of service • • Highly experienced •

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For more information, please visit:

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Health, Beauty & Wellbeing

www.bretthardylandscape.co.uk

Aromatherapy Deep Tissue Massage Japanese Cosmo Facelift Reflexology/Facial reflexology

New courses throughout the Year

www.mindfulnessbath.co.uk

Mob: 07967 078 058 Tel: 01225 789990

Holistic Treatments for Wellbeing

07787870841 / 01225445605

Check out the website

Gardening

KEIKO KISHIMOTO

Call Holly on 07759 684552 Address: The Practice Rooms, 26 Upper Borough Walls.

Situated above ‘Lush’.

E: holly.woodward@yahoo.co.uk W: www.hollywoodward.co.uk

Health, Beauty & Wellbeing Alison Heather Sutton

The Life Crafting Programme Create a life you love Improve Your Relationships Increase Your Happiness Find Peace Of Mind

FREE TRIAL Rising damp protection with NO BUILDING WORK involved:

- an alternative to traditional methods - electronically - active reverse osmosis - suitable for any size or type of building, especially period properties

www.damp-protection.co.uk Tel 02070609554

www.alisonheathersutton.co.uk 07713 626673

The Practice Rooms, Bath BA1 1RH

Advertise your Business in this space for as little as £55 per month and get 2 FREE.

TEL: 01225 424499 Advertising that keeps working

WWW.THEBATHMAG.CO.UK

JUNE 2015

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PROPERTY | THINKING

Our Hot List of Famous Bath Residents Past and Present

By Peter Greatorex, Managing Director of The Apartment Company.

H

ave you heard that John Cleese is house hunting in Bath at the moment? Describing it as the ‘most beautiful city’ he's ever been to, he is now searching for a rural home for his wife to keep goats in; no kidding! Several years ago he owned an apartment in our very own iconic Royal Crescent, but has now decided to leave his self-imposed tax exile in Monaco, and move back to Bath; his first choice. He also told a Liberal Democrat rally recently: “I love the people here, everyone is so nice to you in the shops, some of the shop assistants have been working in the same shop for 30 years, and the service is really personal, with that particular Somerset sense of humour, I love the humour here.”

So this got us thinking about other famous Bath residents and whether you’re aware of the following:

Bath residents of the past: Jane Austen | 1775 - 1817 From 1801 to 1806 Jane Austen called Bath her home. Novels Northanger Abbey and Persuasion were both set here and a permanent exhibition to the world-renown author can be found at The Jane Austen Centre on Gay Street. Bath even holds its very own Jane Austen Festival each September, where you can celebrate all things Austen alongside other enthusiasts.

Mary Shelley | 1797 - 1851 At just 20 years of age, Mary Shelley completed her world famous Frankenstein at 5 Abbey Church Yard, Bath in 1816.

Sir Isaac Pitman | 1813 - 1897 Born in Wiltshire, Sir Isaac Pitman was an English educator and inventor of the shorthand system. Living for a time in Royal Crescent, he also has a memorial plaque on the north wall of Bath Abbey, which reads: “His aims were steadfast, his mind original, his work prodigious, the achievement world-wide. His life was ordered in service to God and duty to man.”

As you can see, Bath is such a diverse city; attracting an array of celebrities from all over the world and all walks of life. So whether you’re brushing up on your Bath history or considering moving to our wonderful city, please get in touch today.

The Apartment Company Tel: 01225 303870.

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PROPERTY | HOMEPAGE

B

uchanan House is situated at the very heart of Lansdown with excellent access to Kingswood, The Royal High and St Stephen’s schools. The house was designed by the current owner and constructed within the past three years to extremely high standards. The versatile accommodation is flooded with light and is designed to make the most of the spectacular far reaching views to the rear. The well fitted kitchen with larder and the dining room lead directly into the rear garden and there is also a large family room, study and two bedrooms at garden floor level. On the ground floor the galleried reception room leads to a beautifully sleek sitting room with a contemporary fireplace and viewing balcony. The first floor houses the principal bedroom, also with a its viewing balcony and a dressing room and en suite shower room. There are a further three bedrooms and a bathroom at this level. The contemporary design incorporates an Intelligent Home system including CAT 5 wiring and integrated speakers as well as zoned gas fired underfloor heating. There are beautifully landscaped gardens to the rear of the house, an integral double garage and secure driveway parking for several vehicles. Buchanan House is an extremely stylish, spacious and individual family home and is being brought to market by agents Pritchards.

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

WWW.THEBATHMAG.CO.UK

BUCHANAN HOUSE RICHMOND ROAD LANSDOWN • Six bedrooms • Contemporary high quality finish • Intelligent Home system • Beautiful gardens with views • Terraced dining areas • Sought after location • Walking distance to City Centre

Price: £1,750,000 JUNE 2015

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pritchards-bath.co.uk

Kingsdown An outstanding period home in the most idyllic setting with one of the finest panoramic views towards Bath and beyond. Newly thatched, this is an enchanting family home and its first view has a most memorable impact. Video available online.

• 5 bedrooms (2 en suite), 2 cloakrooms, family bathroom • 3 wonderful reception rooms • Large double garage/carport with room above (annexe potential subject to the nec consents). Ample driveway parking & further carport, outbuildings & store • Stunning grounds of 1 acre • 4 miles to Bath. Bus services & village amenities within easy reach • House 2,796 sq.ft. (260 sq.m.) Garage/ room above 732 sq ft/69 sq m. (Distance & measurements approximate)

Price: £1,999,000

Combe Down A spacious 5 bedroom detached property occupying a large level plot in the popular area of Combe Down, with substantial parking and garaging.

• 5 bedrooms, 2 reception rooms • Kitchen/dining room opening onto garden • Large level rear garden • No onward chain • Internal floor area approximately 2641 sq.ft (245.3 sq.m) • EPC rating F

Price: £795,000 11 Quiet Street, Bath BA1 2LB

Tel: 01225 466 225

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pritchards-bath.co.uk

Bradford On Avon A beautiful detached stone built house full of period features with self contained annexe. Peaceful country setting with breathtaking views.

• Master bedroom suite with bathroom & shower & 2 further double bedrooms • Spacious Summer House providing self contained accommodation or home office • Attractive south east facing garden & walled courtyard. Parking for 4/5 vehicles • Close to Bradford on Avon amenities • Approx floor area 1674 sq.ft/155.51 sq m.

Price: £750,000

Oakhill Nr Wells A distinctive, sypathetically converted house forming part of a superb Grade II Listed development retaining a great deal of charm in the heart of this popular village.

• 5 bedrooms, bathroom & 2 en suite shower rooms • Impressive living/dining room incorporating well fitted kitchen • Enclosed private garden • Parking for 2 cars • Wonderful communal facilities including gardens, gym & indoor swimming pool • 16 miles south-west of Bath • Total approximate floor area 1,728 sq.ft. (160.5 sq.m.)

Price: £495,000 11 Quiet Street, Bath BA1 2LB

Tel: 01225 466 225

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Beyond your expectations www.hamptons.co.uk

Bath Office

Lettings 01225 458546 | Sales. 01225 459817

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Cavendish Lodge, Lansdown A contemporary and spacious two double bedroom apartment, situated on the first floor of a prestigious and exclusive gated development on the lower slopes of Lansdown, with secure off-street parking, beautiful communal gardens and within a short walk of Bath city centre.

Rent: ÂŁ2,000 pcm* gated entrance | beautiful communal gardens | allocated off street parking | entrance hall | light and spacious living room | open plan dining room | contemporary fitted kitchen | cloakroom | 2 double bedrooms | fitted wardrobes | 2 en-suite bathrooms | store room Reside Bath | 24 Barton Street Bath BA1 1HG | T 01225 445 777 | E info@residebath.co.uk | W www.residebath.co.uk

*An administration fee of ÂŁ420.00 inc. VAT applies.

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Four cottages fresh to the spring market – enjoy!

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Townsend Cottage, Box. £450,000

Wharf Cottage, Avoncliff. £365,000

Well located in the heart of Box and stuffed full of character! We find good accommodation over three floors offering four bedrooms, family bathroom & ensuite! The ground floor has a good lounge dining room with fireplace, kitchen breakfast room, study area, another reception & cloakroom too. The lovely garden is just along a path with a large patio overlooking the lawn & fruit trees.

A pretty period cottage full of character right on the Kennett & Avon Canal.

Super open plan kitchen/diner with Rayburn, sitting room with fireplace & second reception room/study & conservatory. Upstairs are two double bedrooms, master with ensuite plus a further bedroom/dressing room & bathroom. Pretty cottage garden with sheds, stores & parking space.

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Steam Mill Cottages, Box. £180,000

Hollyhocks, Bradford-on-Avon. £295,000

Set just off the Market Place bang in the middle of sought after Box with access to the excellent village amenities. This two bedroom cottage has a pretty front garden running down to the Hazelbrook stream babbling blissfully away! The ground floor has a sitting room and kitchen. The cottage is approached on foot only. This one requires modernization & is priced accordingly.

Splendidly pretty cottage set just off the ever popular Winsley Road with access to the town centre’s excellent amenities and locally to the co-op & Castle pub!

Two double bedrooms & bathroom upstairs. Downstairs is a comfortable sitting room with fireplace and the kitchen breakfast room. The sunny garden enjoys a south facing aspect. A real bonus is the private parking! No chain.

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

nTheMarket.com TM

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fidelisinbath.co.uk GUILDPROPERTY.CO.UK

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£315,000

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£237,500

Oldfield Lane

Grosvenor Bridge Road

An Individual 3 Bedroom Detached Bungalow with Garage and Ample Parking in a Desirable Location

A Two Bedroom First Floor Flat Overlooking the River Avon – Decorated to a Very High Standard

Kitchen | Conservatory | Living Room | Bathroom | Garage | Garden | EPC Rating D

Living Room with Amazing Views of River Avon | Two Double Bedrooms | Well Equipped Kitchen | Bathroom | Balcony Overlooking Gardens | Gas Central Heating | Easy Access to City Centre | EPC Rating D

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£280,000

£295,000

Oolite Road

Stirtingale Avenue

3 Bedroom End Terrace in Need of Modernisation Offered for Sale with No Onward Chain

A Classic Three Bedroom Family Home Nestled in a Small Cul-de-Sac with Lovely Views

Living Room | Dining Room | Lean-to | Kitchen | 3 Bedrooms | Bathroom | Tandem Car Port | Large Level Gardens | EPC Rating C

Living Room | Kitchen/Dining Room | Cloakroom | Three Bedrooms | Bathroom | Deck and Good Size Garden | Garage | Off Road Parking | Planning Consent for a Ground Floor Extension | EPC Rating D

Proud sponsors of Beechen Cliff School Fidelis June.indd 1

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Fidelis

01225 421000

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£1,650 pcm

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£945 pcm

Beckford Gardens

Lansdown Grove

Lovely Detached and Extended 3 Bedroom Family Home Enjoying a Favourable Location in Bathwick close to Bathwick Primary School and King Edward’s School

Stunning First Floor 2 Bedroom Apartment in the Sought After Location of Lansdown on the Northern Side of the City Within Walking Distance of the City Centre

Hallway | Living Room | Shower Room | Kitchen | 3 Bedrooms | Reception/ Dining area | Utility Room | Conservatory | Family Friendly Garden | EPC Rating D | Agency Fees Apply

Hallway | Living/Dining Room | Master Bedroom | Single Bedroom/Study | Kitchen | Bathroom | EPC Rating B | Agency Fees Apply

T E L

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£1,475 pcm

£2,000 pcm

Entry Hill

Perrymead

Spacious Family Home in Desirable Location

An Exceptional Four Bedroom Property in a Highly Sought After Location

Large Versatile Living Space | Modern Kitchen/Breakfast Room Extension | Sun Room Overlooking the Garden | 3 Good Size Bedrooms Including Attic Room with En-Suite| Family Size Bathroom | Gas Central Heating | Double Glazing | Large Garden with Lawn, Raised Patio, Sun House, Play House and Decking Area | EPC Rating D | Agency Fees Apply

Large Living/Dining Room | Good Size Well Equipped Kitchen/Breakfast Room | Four Double Bedrooms - Master with En-suite | Family Size Bathroom | GCH | Log Burner | Garage | Extensive Gardens | EPC Rating C | Agency Fees Apply

Thinking of Selling or Letting in 2015?

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Beyond your expectations www.hamptons.co.uk

Bath Office

Sales. 01225 459817 | Lettings 01225 458546

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Upton S cudamore, W iltshire

www.oldrectory.me

A magnificent former rectory, restored to its original splendour, set in a quiet edge of village location. The impressive formal reception rooms offer superb entertaining spaces, combined with comfortable family accommodation, seven bedrooms and also ample home office potential. The outstanding leisure complex includes a 12m indoor swimming pool, gym and games room. EPC: F

OIRO £1,950,000 Freehold • • • • • •

7 Bedrooms, 6 Bathrooms 6 Reception Rooms Former Rectory Unique Architectural Features Indoor Pool and Leisure Complex One Acre Mature Gardens

Bath City - 18 miles. Bristol Airport - 38 miles. Westbury Station - 3 miles (London Paddington 90 minutes). All distances/times approximate

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Bath 'Regency' style house built in 1989 of Bath stone in quiet location in desirable village of Bathampton. Comprising four reception rooms, four bedrooms, master en-suite, double garage, parking, conservatory, lovely gardens.Its striking entrance hall is central to the property and there is an immediate impact of brightness and welcome; an atmosphere which permeates throughout. Stairs lead to a sunny, galleried landing which, in turn, opens onto a small terrace, a lovely spot for a morning cup of tea while enjoying its gentle outlook. The Grange has hosted many parties, with the flexible layout of the house being perfect for welcoming guests to stay and, when necessary, connecting doors are opened wide providing a wonderful flow and enabling large numbers guests to mingle comfortably in the light and airy space.

Guests can easily spill out from the house onto the large terrace; another space for

relaxed dining and to relish the wonderful garden. Sitting here, it is obvious the amount of love and care which is given to this beautiful space which abounds with charm and colour throughout the seasons. The garden is walled with traditional stone, all enhancing such delights as the pergola, water features and mature trees. There is also a greenhouse and a potting shed.

Although gently tucked away there is easy access to the village store, post office, pharmacy, doctors’ surgery and hairdressers and also a highly rated primary school and excellent pubs.

Walking from the house through local meadows alongside the River Avon is a delight, as is walking into Bath along the towpath of the Kennet and Avon Canal.

A truly spectacular home in an outstanding location with everything required being more or less on its doorstep.

BATHAMPTON FOUR RECEPTION ROOMS • UTILITY ROOM • FOUR BEDROOMS, MASTER EN-SUITE • DOUBLE GARAGE • PARKING • GARDENS • EPC RATING D

Contact: 01225 320032

Price: £1,300,000

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North Stoke This charming, Grade II listed stone-built property, which has some unique ecclesiastical features and has been extended and refurbished to an extremely high standard, is located in the quiet hamlet of North Stoke. The versatile accommodation includes four bedrooms and three reception rooms, a detached double garage with a guest suite above, a variety of outbuildings, including a former monk’s chapel.

Felicity says: “It originated as a toll house, which was constructed for monks from Bath Abbey at the beginning of the 16th century so they could collect money from pilgrims to fund the abbey’s rebuilding.There is a carved crucifix on the exterior, some stone mullion windows internally and externally, stained glass, and a separate tiny chapel in the garden from the original abbey. We loved the setting and its location; it’s along a no-through road

in a small hamlet, it gives the feel of living in rural France. There are fantastic walks and views in every direction. Yet it’s within 10 minutes’ drive of the centre of Bath, and approximately half an hour from both Bristol city centre and Bristol airport.”

"We completely refurbished the house, and we constructed a wood and glass breakfast room with a canopied roofline. In addition, there’s a guest suite over the wooden cabin, which comprises a living room-cum-kitchenette, a bedroom and a shower room.”

“We also redesigned the south facing one acre garden,” adds Felicity, “which is more formal near the house with box hedges and traditional cottage garden plants.We will really miss the tranquillity and seclusion of this lovely place, which is so steeped in history.”

PRIORY HOUSE CHARMING GRADE TWO LISTED HOME • FOUR BEDROOM / THREE RECEPTION ROOMS • SMALL HAMLET LOCATION CLOSE TO BATH • DETACHED DOUBLE GARAGE WITH GUEST SUITE ABOVE • FANTASTIC SETTING • SOUTH FACING GARDEN

Contact: 01225 320032

Price: £950,000

Edward Street

OIEO £585,000

Grade II listed | Georgian | Garden apartment | Newly refurbished | Two double bedrooms | Exclusive use of storage vaults | Private entrance | Rear garden A rare opportunity to purchase an exquisite newly refurbished garden apartment arranged over two floors with its own private entrance. The apartment offers several unique aspects including: private courtyard, extensive storage and permits holiday lets. The accommodation which has been finished to a high specification comprises: entrance hall that leads to the sitting room, fully fitted kitchen, utility room, master bedroom with an en-suite, cloakroom, and on the lower ground floor the second bedroom and shower room.

Great Pulteney Street

OIEO £500,000

Grade I listed | Georgian | Second floor apartment | Two double bedrooms | Newly refurbished | Luxury bathroom | Period features | Private storage cupboard We are delighted to market this stunning second floor apartment in one of Bath’s most prestigious locations that is Great Pulteney Street. When entering the apartment there is an entrance hall, a large sitting room boasting two large sash windows, stunning period features including a feature marble fireplace. You will then find a separate fully fitted kitchen, master bedroom, second bedroom and a luxury Jack and Jill bathroom, with underfloor heating and a built in audio system.

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Brompton House

OIEO ÂŁ475,000

Grade II listed | Period property | First floor | Beautifully presented | Two bedrooms | Lovely views | Communal garden | Private parking spaces Brompton House is an attractive Grade II listed property located in the heart of Bath, whilst incorporating quiet and secluded surroundings. The apartment comprises: large sitting room with a feature fireplace, fully fitted kitchen with space for a dining table, two double bedrooms and a family bathroom. This stunning apartment, is expected to generate a considerable amount of interest, especially with the rare advantage of a charming well maintained communal garden, two private parking spaces plus visitors parking.

Camden Crescent

OIEO ÂŁ400,000

Grade I listed | Georgian | Ground floor apartment | Two double bedrooms | Two en-suites | Beautifully presented | Rear patio | Highly recommended A superb ground floor apartment, located in the sought after location which is Camden Crescent. The apartment comprises: large entrance hall, sitting room, modern kitchen, two double bedrooms both with an ensuite, with one bedroom leading to a paved patio. Offering far reaching views over the City of Bath and the surrounding areas, period features, outside space and luxury living, this apartment is definitely one not to miss!

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Grosvenor Place

OIEO ÂŁ295,000

Grade I listed | Georgian | Lower ground floor | Stylish kitchen | Two bedrooms | Spacious rooms | Original working shutters | Short walk to the City Centre A truly stunning Georgian apartment located in the Eastern outskirts of the city. The apartment occupies the lower ground floor and comprises: large entrance hall, sitting room with dining area and two large sash windows to rear plus a period fireplace, modern fitted kitchen, two double bedrooms and a bathroom. A one off generous apartment with an abundance of light, which will simply be snapped up. Early viewing is highly recommended.

Upper East Hayes

OIEO ÂŁ265,000

Grade II listed | Period | Modern kitchen | Two bedrooms | Spacious and bright | Private front door | Generous storage | Highly recommended A superb and unique ground floor apartment located a short walk from the City Centre. The property boasts spacious accommodation in a quiet setting.

When entering the apartment, you will find a large kitchen with ample storage and space for a dining table, to the right of the kitchen is the sitting room, boasting an abundance of light and a lovely feature fireplace. With its generous room sizes, and the rare advantage of its own private front door, this apartment is definitely one not to miss!

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Royal Crescent

£1,650 pcm St James Street

Three double bedrooms | No pets | Suit professional couple/sharers |

£1,550 pcm Cavendish Crescent

Three bedrooms | Gas fired central heating | No pets | Not suitable for

Stunning views | Unfurnished | Agency Fees £350.00 + VAT | Available Now small children | Unfurnished | Agency fees £350 + vat | Available Now

£1,400 pcm

Two double bedrooms | Courtyard area | Council Tax Band D | No Pets | Suit Professional couple | Furnished | Agency fees £350+vat | Available Now

Situated in the sought after location we are offering a superb three Well presented and conveniently located three bedroomed Upper Luxury furnished two bedroom garden apartment in the most bedroom apartment on the second and upper floor.

Maisonette close to St James Square. desirable area of Cavendish Crescent.

Brock Street

£1,275 pcm Brock Street

First floor apartment | Council Tax Band D | Two bedrooms | Arranged over two floors | Furnished | Agency fees £350 + vat | Available 4th August 2015

£995 pcm Russel Street

Georgian apartment | First floor | Two bedrooms | Central location | No pets | Unfurnished | Agency fees £350 + vat | Available Mid July 2014

£975 pcm

Council Tax Band C | No Pets | Parking: Central zone permit | Prime location | Unfurnished | Agency fees £350 + vat | Available June 19th 2015

Spectacular two bedroom apartment in a much sought after central A unique first floor two bedroom apartment close to the City Centre.

An elegant one bedroom apartment with views and a luxury shower

location close to all amenities.

room.

Gay Street

£895 pcm Connaught Mansions

Courtyard garden | City centre location | Newly decorated throughout | Suit

£875 pcm

Prestigious address | Short walk to the City Centre | Double bedroom | Bicycle

Portland Place

£850 pcm

Fabulous location | Georgian apartment | Central location | Two good bedrooms |

store | No pets | Furnished | Agency fees £350 + vat | Available 19th June 2015

Suit professional person/couple | Unfurnished | Agency fees £350 + vat | Available now

Luxury and spacious apartment benefitting from a pretty paved A beautifully presented top floor apartment with the rare advantage

A delightful two bedroom Georgian apartment in much favoured location

courtyard area.

with lovely period features.

professional person or couple | Furnished | Agency fees £350 + vat | Available Now

The Apartment Company June.indd 4

of lift access.

18/05/2015 11:14

Weston Road A simply exquisite Grade II listed Regency townhouse providing in excess of 4,000 sq. ft. of accommodation with the added benefit of a converted Coach House and parking

| entrance hall | inner hall | drawing room | dining room | study | kitchen/breakfast room | utility room | 2 cloakrooms | master bedroom | 5 further bedrooms (1 en suite) | family bathroom | shower room | vault | converted two-storey coach house: sitting room, gym and cloakroom | beautiful gardens | parking | Guide Price: £1,950,000 Crisp Cowley Ralph Allen’s Town House York Street Bath BA1 1NQ 01225 789333

www.crispcowley.co.uk

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18/05/2015 11:05

Rode A stunning Grade II* listed country house set in the heart of the delightful village of Rode

| entrance hall | drawing room | dining room | kitchen | pantry | utility | bathroom | master bedroom with en suite bathroom | 5 further bedrooms | family bathroom | terrace | gardens (approximately 0.48 acres) | The Folly | parking | Guide Price: ÂŁ1,600,000

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

www.crispcowley.co.uk

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18/05/2015 11:05

Royal Crescent An exceptional opportunity to purchase a quite exquisite first floor apartment situated in this highly desirable location

| drawing room | dining room/kitchen breakfast room | bedroom with en suite shower room | Offers in excess of £875,000

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

www.crispcowley.co.uk

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18/05/2015 11:05

Trudoxhill A delightfully situated Somerset Farmhouse set in approximately 1.75 acres

| flexible dual family accommodation | entrance hallway | sitting room | large dining room | kitchen | utility and storage rooms | 4 generous bedrooms | bathroom | connecting annexe with 41’2” reception/family room, 2 large bedrooms and additional bathroom | driveway with plenty of parking | stone outbuilding used for storage | approximately 1.75 acres of land with pretty gardens and stream | surrounded by attractive countryside | Guide Price: £760,000 Crisp Cowley Ralph Allen’s Town House York Street Bath BA1 1NQ 01225 789333

www.crispcowley.co.uk

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18/05/2015 11:06

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