The Bath Magazine August 2022

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ISSUE 234 | AUGUST 2022 | thebathmag.co.uk | £3.95 where sold

P L U S S O M U C H M O R E I N T H E C I T Y ’ S B I G G E S T G U I D E T O L I V I N G I N B AT H

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Contents 5 THINGS

August 2022

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Great things to look forward to this month

CITYIST

A TALE OF GLEANING

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10 THE QUIET OF THE RIVER

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CITY NEWS

A ROMAN CONNECTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

REFLECTIONS ON ROONEY

Emma Clegg asks the new Roman Baths and Pump Room Manager, Amanda Hart, about her plans for the city’s precious Ancient Scheduled Monument

Daisy Game contemplates the word ‘millennial’ and the likeability of unlikeable characters in the novels of Sally Rooney

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Our monthly guide to what’s happening in and around the city

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Dan Merrett explains how Bathscape is helping to celebrate the rich local landscape

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Consider some styling tips and ideas from professional interiors practitioners

NATURAL BLOOMS

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HOT PROPERTY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 The finest homes to buy or rent

To admire, inspire and delight – here’s our monthly round-up of artistic goings-on

More content and updates discover: thebathmag.co.uk

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Elly West explains the benefits of dedicating part of your garden to growing cut flowers

Leah Hausman, co-director of James Lapine’s Into the Woods, talks about a life in stage musicals and working with Terry Gilliam

THE GREEN CITY

THE WALK

INTERIOR SOLUTIONS 24

ARTS AND EXHIBITIONS

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Andrew Swift finds a Cotswold walk in Wiltshire

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CONJURING UP NEW WORLDS

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Business stories and updates

Emma Clegg deliberates about Netflix’s new film of Jane Austen’s Persuasion and decides that nobody needs to go to prison

WHAT’S ON

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Writer and photographer Jane Gifford remembers the spreading water meadows and bustling river banks on the River Avon at Batheaston

Richard Wyatt explains why our World Heritage City needs a Heritage Tsar

THE ART OF PERSUASION

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Samantha Williamson explains how the Avon Gleaning Network has collected almost 12 tonnes of surplus fruit and vegetables

We meet line-dancer and rower Clair Ponting, and gather together some lifestyle news from the city

NOTES ON A SMALL CITY

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ON THE COVER

The swallow on the cover represents If Opera’s La rondine, by Puccini, which is coming to Belcombe Court in Bradford on Avon on 26 August; ifopera.com

Follow us on Instagram @thebathmagazine

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FROM THE EDITOR

B

ath is associated with its historic architecture, but is also known for its luxurious natural landscape that is enmeshed within the structure of the city.

Ahead of their September walking festival, on page 46 Dan Merrett takes stock of how the charity Bathscape helps to celebrate the local landscape – from improving the management of local woodlands to ‘wild day’ activities for local families. There are more green vibes as we uncover the work of the Avon Gleaning Network on page 48, who help tackle issues of food waste and get people outdoors into the fields and engaging with the food system.

We also keep track of what’s happening on stage and screen. A new revival of James Lapine’s Into the Woods launches at the Theatre Royal Bath on 10 August – Melissa Blease talks to co-director Leah Hausman on page 32 and discovers that this musical extravaganza is populated with fairy tale characters, from Sleeping Beauty, Jack and the Beanstalk to the Brothers Grimm. And on page 22 I digest and evaluate Netflix’s recent film Persuasion – much of which was filmed in Bath – and its boisterously scathing reviews, and just maybe ‘persuade’ you to give it a try, if only to enjoy Cosmo Jarvis’ s ‘good gaze’ as Captain Wentworth.

There is a new face at the Roman Baths. Her name is Amanda Hart and she knows everything you could know about archaeology and curatorship, which is a good thing because she’s the Roman Baths and Pump Room Manager. It’s a big monument to manage, but she’s also got plenty of development ideas about new stories that can be told at the Roman Baths. See my interview with Amanda on page 18.

Daisy Game defends Sally Rooney against her Naysayers as she contemplates the likeability of unlikeable characters in Rooney’s bestselling books and TV adaptations on page 56. And we have some practical ideas on page 66 about how to give new energy to your interior.

This August, why not do something splendid? We have plenty of ideas...

Emma Clegg, Editor

Summer at the Holburne August events at the Holburne Museum include The Holburne Summer Holiday Art Camps from 1–10 August. These provide a fun day of creativity for children, delivered by experienced artists. All activities are inspired by wonderful objects and stories from the Museum collection as well as its temporary exhibitions. Art Camps take place at The Holburne Museum, 9am-4pm.

Tickets £42 (children aged 6–11 yrs). holburne.org The Holburne also has a Mozart Recital on 18 August where keyboard artist Nathaniel Mander will play some of Mozart’s most appealing and enchanting sonatas and variations on the Schantz fortepiano, acquired by the Holburne in 1983. This is a rare opportunity to hear the fortepiano come to life. Tickets £20, doors open at 6 TheBATHMagazine

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2 Princes Buildings, George Street, Bath BA1 2ED; 01225 424499 www.thebathmag.co.uk Editor Emma Clegg 01225 424592 emma@thebathmagazine.co.uk Financial Director Jane Miklos jane@thebathmagazine.co.uk Assistant Editor/Web Editor Daisy Game daisy@thebathmagazine.co.uk Production Manager Jeff Osborne production@thebathmagazine.co.uk Advertising Sales Liz Grey liz@thebathmagazine.co.uk To advertise tel: 01225 424499 Publisher Steve Miklos steve@thebathmagazine.co.uk

Contact us at thebathmag.co.uk Follow us on Twitter @thebathmagazine and Instagram @thebathmagazine The Bath Magazine and The Bristol Magazine are published by MC Publishing Ltd. We are independent of all other local publications.

The Bath Magazine is delivered free, every month, to more than 15,000 residential addresses as well as businesses throughout Bath and the surrounding area.

We also have special distribution units in many of Bath’s supermarkets

© MC Publishing Ltd 2022

7pm, the concert will begin at 7.30pm. holburne.org And you can enjoy some open-air theatrics in the gardens of the Holburne as the Garden Theatre Festival returns. With productions including Wind in the Willows

by Calf2Cow, Twelfth Night by the Three Inch Fools and The Rascally Diner by LASTheatre, head along to sip a beer and relax on your rolled out blanket. gardentheatrefest.co.uk

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.

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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ZEITGEIST

THINGS TO DO IN AUGUST Visit the countryside The popular annual Wiltshire Game and Country Fair is back with its usual blend of family and countryside entertainment.

Watch exciting displays in the two action packed main arenas, browse trade stands and ‘Have a Go’ at clay shooting, archery, paintball – and more. Plus, there’s plenty of food and drink in the show’s food courts, as well as live jazz and folk music to enjoy.

The fair will take place on Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 August, 10am-6pm, at Bowood House and Gardens. Tickets available from livingheritagecountryshows.com/tickets or ring 01283 820548

Get crafty Shoot for the stars Join If Opera on Sunday 28 August for a special bank holiday treat at Belcombe Court in Bradford on Avon.

Families can explore the gardens and kids can get creative in a prop-making workshop, before heading over to the Saddlespan theatre for If Opera’s family show, The Man in the Moon. Join Ellie and the Man in the Moon on a whistle-stop journey through space and time: from the Stone Age to the swinging sixties – and forwards to the future. Ideal for children aged 5 and upwards. Tickets available from ifopera.com

Watch some classic cinema

Book your tickets Valley Fest, the best-tasting music festival in the south west, will take place alongside Chew Valley Lake, near Bristol, between 4–7 August. Travis, Clean Bandit, Faithless (DJ set), Roni Size with Dynamite MC, Kosheen and The Craig Charles Funk and Soul Club will headline. There will also be food from Josh and Holly Eggleton, Rob Howell of Root, and many more – plus a family friendly area, spa area, and new ‘regeneration’ area to showcase all things regenerative: from food, farming, gardening, beauty and drinks. Expect hedge-to-hedge Somerset sparkle with a spectacular soundtrack and magnificent menu. Tickets (£170 plus booking fee) available from valleyfest.co.uk Image credit: Ania Shrimpton

This summer, The American Museum & Gardens is holding a series of outdoor cinema events in its amphitheatre. On Saturday 27 August, there will be a screening of Dirty Dancing; Sunday 28 August brings Back to the Future to the gardens, and on Monday 29 August, outdoor cinema goers will get to see Ferris Beuller’s Day Off on the big screen once again. For an evening of classic American family cinema and American-inspired food, drink and popcorn – surrounded by the unique and beautiful gardens – visit americanmuseum.org to book. Doors at 6.30pm, films start at 8pm.

There’s a bumper schedule of activities for families to enjoy over the summer holidays at the Roman Baths, Fashion Museum and Victoria Art Gallery. Find out about Roman life at the Roman Baths and make a laurel wreath to take home at the Caesar’s Secrets event (Roman Baths, 8–12 August); arrange summer flower posies at the Fashion Museum (16 August); create your own artwork inspired by artist Mary Fedden at the Victoria Art Gallery (various dates July through August) – and much more. Admission to the Roman Baths, Fashion Museum and Victoria Art Gallery is free for Bath and North East Somerset residents, but it is advisable to book your free tickets in advance. beta.bathnes.gov.uk

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The cityist MY BATH

NEWS BITES

THE BUZZ

HUNTING FOR JUNIOR JOURNALISTS How would you like to meet your favourite authors face-to-face and go backstage at Europe’s largest kids’ book festival? How would you like the chance to ask authors and illustrators questions about their work?

Bath Festivals are looking for three talented young people to win places as Junior Journalists at this year’s festival.

There are three age groups in the competition: 7–9, 9–11 and 12 and over.

If you are 9 before 1 September 2022, you qualify for the 9–11 age category, if your ninth birthday is after 1 September 2022, you should enter the 7–9 age group.

To enter, simply write a review of your favourite book in no more than 200 words and why you would recommend it.

Send your entries to: info@bathfestivals.org.uk by the deadline of Wednesday 31 August and don’t forget to include your name, age, address and email contact. You’ll also need to be available with an adult (someone 18 or older) for the weekend of 24–25 September and/or the weekend of 1–2 October to attend Bath Children’s Literature Festival.

The three chosen Junior Journalists will join the team for the festival. They’ll get to wear a Junior Journalist lanyard, to attend a number of events, report on those events and to go behind the scenes to meet the visiting authors. Reports by Junior Journalists will be posted on the festival website. Plus there will be a bundle of free books to take home at the end of the festival. bathfestivals.org.uk/childrens-literature

The Junior Journalists in 2021

Clair Ponting Clair Ponting has lived in Bath all her life and started work at the age of 16 at Denning & Co. Chartered Accountants in Queen Square.

She works at the Bristol Law Society, teaches rowing as a volunteer and also takes a line dancing class in Bath Where do you live in Bath?

I live in Upper Weston, just a mile from the heart of Weston Village. My parents moved here in 1976. I love the fact that the Village was mentioned in the Doomsday book with all the history surrounding it.

What memories do you have of your childhood in Bath?

Dad worked for a Bath removal company, and Mum worked part-time. I’m an only child and my parents didn’t have much spare cash, so I couldn’t have the latest fashions or toys, but it made me value and cherish things. My fondest, and earliest, memory was visiting my maternal grandparents’ sweet shop in Combe Down village. Dad was a human satnav and luckily some of this has rubbed off on me – how to be respectful and talk to people and most importantly, how to make a great cup of tea!

What is your background and training?

I went to Oldfield Girls’ School and wasn’t sure what career I wanted, but one of my options was typing, which I excelled at.

When I sat my GCSEs, I had already secured a place on a YTS (the forerunner to the modern apprenticeship) and a job at Denning & Co Chartered Accountants based in Queen Square. I left school on 19 June 1989 and started work the following day, aged 16. I will forever be grateful to my first boss for giving me the opportunity. I stayed at Dennings for 10 years before changing direction and becoming a Legal Secretary/PA/paralegal.

What brought you to your current career?

I didn’t so much choose my current career as it chose me. In 2008 during the recession I was made redundant, and for the first time I had to look beyond Bath for work. The redundancy unsettled me, as did the sudden death of my father, and I moved jobs frequently, often temping or taking contract work. That changed in November 2014, when I joined Bristol Law Society (BLS). I’ve never worked so hard in my life but also never felt I belonged anywhere more. I can truly say this is my dream and forever job!

Have you ever felt tempted to leave Bath?

A few times, at crossroads in my life. I usually go to Bordeaux, my second home, to

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think and work out a new pathway. I was lucky to do the Bristol Bordeaux Exchange at school when I was 14 and I’m still in contact with my exchange family, 35 years on!

Who is your favourite historical person associated with the city and why?

William Harbutt, inventor of plasticine, who lived in Belvedere before building his factory in Bathampton. In the 1960s, Dad was in the Retained Fire Service and told me stories of the fires at the factory. The factory has long gone, replaced by housing.

Tell us about your line dancing The step class I attended switched to line dancing in 1996. After six months, I was asked to learn how to teach because I had an aptitude for it. I’ve been teaching ever since; dancing makes me feel alive. My class at Ascension Church Hall started over 13 years ago. The class ethos is of laughter, friendship and exercise rather than high achievement, and we also try to support charity events.

Anyone is welcome.

How did you become a rowing coach?

My involvement in rowing started 17 years ago supporting my partner who was a rower.

When we parted I joined Avon County Rowing Club as a beginner in July 2007.

I qualified as a coach in April 2017 and specialise in teaching adult beginners.

In 2018, I was honoured as my club named a boat after me and I was awarded regional volunteer of the year by British Rowing. In 2019, my beginners won 12 out of 16 races at Warwick Regatta winning the Victor Ludorum Cup. I was so proud of them; they had been rowing just five months. I’m passionate about the sport and it gives me an immense sense of achievement to see someone progress and develop. It is a voluntary position, but it means as much to me as my career.

What motto do you live your life by?

My father used to say, “I only want to help” and we laughed at him. As I’m getting older, I can understand what he meant! ■ Best Foot Forward Line Dancing: bestfootforward.dance@yahoo.co.uk Avon County Rowing Club: avoncountyrowingclub.org.uk/learn-and-join

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The cityist NEWS BITES MORE AMBITIOUS VISION URGED The Bath Preservation Trust (BPT) is calling on B&NES Council to look beyond its plans for Milsom Street and develop a “city-wide masterplan”. Bath Preservation Trust says it welcomes the Milsom Street Masterplan, but is calling on B&NES to come up with a longterm strategy for the whole city.

CEO of BPT, Alex Sherman, says: “Developing a vision for one part of the city highlights the more pressing requirement for a strategy for the whole of Bath. We need more integration with a vision for the future of Bath as a whole, including city-wide public realm, transport and movement, commercial vision and sustainability. That vision does not currently exist, and it needs to.”

Another of the observations BPT makes about the Milsom Quarter plan is its disproportionate emphasis on fashion-led renewal. The retail industry is fragile with little evidence that consumers are returning to the High Street in the numbers necessary to facilitate significant growth.

BPT is also concerned that the long-term vision for Bath City Centre fails to protect the character of historic Walcot Street.

The Cattlemarket site deserves development that responds to the character of Walcot and protects views to Bathampton Down. BPT also suggests that B&NES is missing a huge opportunity to lead on sustainability. Given that a high percentage of property within the masterplan area is within the Council’s ownership this is a significant opportunity for B&NES to lead by example to facilitate and undertake sustainability retrofits, switch from gas to electric, and introduce micro-renewables. This approach is required if Bath is to reach net zero by 2030. Targets won’t be met unless B&NES take direct climate action for its own buildings and land. bathpreservation-trust.org.uk

FIND OUT ABOUT BATH STONE The Museum of Bath Stone is holding an open day on Sunday 18 September, as part of the national Heritage Open Days, which present opportunities for the public to visit cultural, heritage and arts organisations which are not usually open.

Go along and discover how the City of Bath was built from beneath, the story of the Combe Down Stone Mines, and the evidence left behind by Georgian quarrymen, among other fascinating stories about Bath stone.

The museum will be open from 10am–4pm on the Sunday and visitors are welcome to pop along and have a look at what is going on, including a variety of exhibitions and publications.

The Museum of Bath Stone is always looking for new trustees and volunteers so come along if you would like to find out more. museumofbathstone.org An image of graffiti in the stone mines https://www.museumofbathstone.org/ 12 TheBATHMagazine

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POST OFFICE PODCAST Following on from the publication of The Great Post Office Trial, Nick Wallis has launched a podcast, Investigating the Post Office Scandal, alongside Rebecca Thomson, the journalist who broke the story in 2009.

The podcast will investigate unanswered questions about the scandal, which saw over 700 former sub-postmasters and postal workers prosecuted for theft and false accounting using faulty IT evidence from the Horizon accounting system between 2000 and 2014. Over 70 convictions have been overturned so far, with the scandal described as the greatest miscarriage of justice in UK history.

The pair will also cover the ongoing public inquiry once hearings resume in September, with the goal of charting developments and speaking to those involved. "There are so many questions still to be answered, and we hope to cover the inquiry regularly and speak to those who know the story inside out," says Thomson. "We want to explore the potential long-term implications, talk about new angles to the story, and ensure each stage of the inquiry process is talked about as widely as possible."

Nick Wallis has covered the story since 2011 and published The Great Post Office Trial in 2021. Rebecca Thomson broke the story while a reporter at Computer Weekly in 2009. Listen to the Podcast on podcasts.apple.com and buy The Great Post Office Trial from bathpublishing.com

LOCAL AUTHOR SPREADS HAPPINESS Author and illustrator Tessa Yates will deliver a reading of her latest picture book Geoffrey Finds a Bike, as part of the Bath Children’s Literature Festival line-up. Tessa’s book follows a threesome of cycling giraffes – who must learn how best to share just the one bike – and considers how we can stay happy, even when things go wrong. Event attendees will also have the opportunity to create their own Happy Book.

Tessa is the founder of The Happy Book Company, where she has published three picture books about choosing happiness. In fact every time she faces a challenge to her happiness, she makes a book about it. (You can see more of the illustrator’s work on her Instagram account (@happybooklady). The reading will take place at the Bath Children’s Literature Festival’s Happiness Hub; the Hub – at the egg theatre on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 September, from 10am to 4pm both days – is a free drop-in for families with children of all ages, and will offer its young visitors a place to to read, relax and chat. There will also be organisations on hand to give young people tips and tricks on keeping their heads healthy and happy. bathfestivals.org.uk/childrens-literature

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WIN FOR MAYOR’S GUIDES The Mayor’s Guides have once again been awarded the Travellers’ Choice accolade by Tripadvisor. This is only awarded to organisations that receive consistently excellent reviews from their customers, and puts them in the top 10% of organisations on Tripadvisor.

The Mayor’s Guides offer daily general interest walks at 10.30am and 2pm from Sunday to Friday, 10.30am on Saturday and 6pm on Thursday. Pulteney Estate Walks take place on Tuesday and Thursday at 11am.

A special programme of Summer Walks in Bath in August includes Destruction & Preservation in 20th Century Bath – Buildings Lost and Saved (8 August); Bath Rocks –

IN CONVERSATION EVENTS

Geology in the City (12 and 31 August); Walking in the Footsteps of Ralph Allen (17 August) and Victoria Park: Gates, Avenues and Gardens (24 and 31 August).

All walks are free; general interest walks don’t require booking; Summer Walks need to be booked on the website: bathguides.org.uk

Don’t miss out on Fane’s live ‘in conversation’ events coming to Bath Pavilion and Bath Forum this autumn.

Events include Graham Norton discussing his latest novel, Forever Home, on 10 October and an evening with Lucy Worsley, as she delves into the fascinating life of the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, on 13 October. Richard E. Grant reflects on love and loss to celebrate his new book A Pocketful of Happiness on 4 November and Gardeners’ World presenter Adam Frost shares advice and amusing stories from a lifetime in the garden on 15 October. fane.co.uk/whats-on

SKYDIVE FOR YOUR LOCAL HOSPITAL Join RUHX’s Skydive Day on Sunday 21 August for a pure adrenaline rush and do something extra extraordinary for the Royal United Hospitals. You’ll be strapped securely to your tandem instructor to take the leap 13,000ft from a plane, and experience an exhilarating freefall of over 40 seconds before your instructor deploys the main parachute for a gentle, controlled landing at Netheravon Airfield, Wiltshire.

Sign up today, ruhx.org.uk

NATURE IN URBAN SPACES

APPRECIATING GOOD OPERA If Opera are back in the beautiful grounds of Belcombe Court in Bradford on Avon this August and September, which offers the perfect backdrop for their operas, picnic prom and family show.

The productions include La rondine by Giacomo Puccini (sung in Italian with English surtitles) on 26, 29 August and 1 and 3 September; double bill Rita (sung in English) and Il segreto di Susanna (sung in

Italian with English surtitles) on 27 and 31 August; Dido and Aeneas on 17 September (at Holy Trinity Church, Bradford on Avon); The Clare Teal Seven Picnic Prom on 19 August; and The Man in the Moon in association with Charles Court Opera on 28 August. Apart from Dido and Aeneas, performances will take place in If Opera’s fully enclosed Saddlespan theatre with raked seating at Belcombe Court. ifopera.com

Meinir WynRoberts plays Magda in La rondine

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The Bath-based landscape architect behind Singapore’s iconic Supertrees and the current Tower of London Superbloom display is calling for more city spaces to be turned over to nature in order to boost biodiversity, tourism and wellbeing.

Gardens by the Bay recently celebrated its 10th anniversary in Singapore, and Andrew Grant RDI – founder of landscape architecture practice Grant Associates – believes that it is more important than ever before for biodiversity-rich green spaces to be intentionally cultivated in order to combat the climate emergency.

“Gardens by the Bay demonstrates the possibility of using landscapes, plants and nature to create powerful places where people can come together and be inspired," says Andrew. “Its success shows how, as landscape architects, we can positively influence and transform cityscapes into areas that add more value to people and planet.” grant-associates.uk.com

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CITY | NOTEBOOK

THE WHS VISION NOTES ON A SMALL CIT Y

Richard Wyatt

Columnist Richard Wyatt feels that our World Heritage City is often let down by the way it is presented, particularly relating to rubbish disposal, and suggests a Heritage Tsar to ensure the city and its assets are seen at their best

I

t’s been good to watch tourists returning to enjoy the delights of our World Heritage City.

Just to remind you, we have a double inscription from UNESCO – an agency of the United Nations that promotes culture. The first, granted in 1987, was for our architecture, archaeology, social history and setting. The other, given more recently, celebrates our thermal waters and our place as one of the Great Spas of Europe.

No other European city – apart from Venice – has the whole of its central area covered with such a distinction. It’s an international status, always regarded as a big PLUS when it comes to attracting overseas visitors.

I see from next January that day trippers to ‘La Serenissima’ (Venice) are going to have to pay to get in! You avoid a fee if you stay overnight in the Lagoon. It’s a tourist tax of course, and something Bath has been mulling over for years. We have a similar problem in that many arrive early in the day by coach, visit the Roman Baths, get a ‘selfie’ in front of the Royal Crescent and then are whisked off to Stonehenge. We need to encourage our visitors, who are still a major source of revenue and a mainstay of the local economy, to stay for longer.

As café and restaurant tables and chairs spill over into the road to replace cars on our inner city streets, the pressure grows with increased rubbish and the left-overs from our visiting bird population, who want to join in the outdoor eating feast.

During fine weather, it’s extra revenue for hardpressed businesses, but am I alone in seeing ever more of these multi-coloured giant wheelie bins gathered in pretty obvious clumps around the city?

They are not easy to hide and our ancient architectural infrastructure and narrow streets ‘take no prisoners’ when it comes to camouflaging their presence. Agreeing on a standard, less-obtrusive

colour might be a good start in trying to lessen a necessary ‘evil.’

With more and more upper floors in the ‘High Street’ being converted into flats there is also the issue of people not knowing how to deal with their refuse. Too many black bags end up on the street and, because they have food scraps in them, are pecked to pieces by hungry gulls.

I know it’s a question of money, when it comes to the efforts of a financially stressed local authority, but with what resources we do have, bins should be emptied before the tourists arrive to take their pictures. The photo here I took at 9.30 in the morning in front of the Royal Crescent. Every bin along the path was the same.

So how does our World Heritage European twin deal with its waste? Venice does a daily door-todoor collection service, but they also have centralised disposal points for rubbish and, being a city afloat, these hubs are boats moored at various places throughout the canal system.

Here in the UK, Edinburgh – our Georgian ‘sister’ city – is opting for communal rubbish hubs too, but these would simply be lines of large ‘wheelies’ strategically placed around its 18th-century New Town. Already there is uproar in the Scottish capital about how dreadful these would look and how they might threaten the city’s World Heritage status.

How do we sort out our collection services for both private and commercial waste? Maybe it’s an issue that could be taken on board by a new and independent Heritage Tsar. One of the biggest bees under my bonnet is the fact that the city’s historical fabric – its architecture and urban/rural setting – is not guarded by someone who is aware of the sensitivity of Bath’s World Heritage status and how best to utilise and enhance that in terms of tourism.

Someone who would keep an eye on all things affecting our heritage assets. Apart from rubbish, they could speed up repairs where vehicular accidents or graffiti has damaged or disfigured historic fabric. Scan planning applications, inspect ‘photo opportunity’ areas to keep them looking spruce and maybe even look at how we can best deal with the aerial bombardments from our feathered residents who make their homes on the urban version of a cliff: a city roof.

We are such a clever species. We can explore Mars by robot and devise telescopes powerful enough to look back to the creation of the universe.

Surely, coming up with a less obvious and more fitting way of containing our city waste is not beyond the bounds of such inventive minds? n Richard Wyatt runs the Bath Newseum: bathnewseum.com

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An excerpt from the Statement of Bath's Outstanding Universal Value adopted by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in June 2013: Bath exemplifies the 18th century move [...] towards the idea of planting buildings and cities in the landscape to achieve picturesque views and forms [...] Bath’s urban and landscape spaces are created by the buildings that enclose them, providing a series of interlinked spaces that flow organically, and that visually (and at times physically) draw in the green surrounding countryside to create a distinctive garden city feel...

“The city’s historical fabric is not guarded by someone who is aware of ... Bath’s World Heritage status”

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CITY | INTERVIEW

A Roman connection

There’s a new face at the Roman Baths and it’s not a Roman character in costume – it’s museum curator, Amanda Hart.

Fortunately she’s a fount of knowledge about archaeological collections and all things Roman and as the innovative Archway Project has reached its final stages, she has plenty more ideas to make the site relevant to all types of visitor, says Emma Clegg

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manda Hart started her new role as Roman Baths and Pump Room Manager in January this year. Talking about her first day at the Baths, she says: “I arrived early – it was a very cold, frosty morning but there was beautiful sunshine. I came down to the Baths and the waters were steaming. And there is something quite spiritual and magical about that.

“I’m obviously not the only one who thinks this, because people from the Mesolithic period [about 10,000 to 8,000 BC] thought the same and they put flint artefacts into the spring water as offerings to their revered spiritual being, and that has continued ever since. So we have this consistent connection with this spiritual place – and you feel that when you are here.”

The Sacred Spring with its warm, mineral-rich waters has risen for thousands of years at the heart of the site of the Roman Baths, which may possibly have been a Celtic centre of worship. The Romans later dedicated the site to Sulis Minerva, the goddess of wisdom, and built a temple in 60–70 AD in the first few decades of Roman Britain. This led to the development of the small Roman urban settlement known as Aquae Sulis around the site, with the Great Bath with its ornate columns at the centrepiece of the complex. The Roman Baths, designed for public bathing, were used until the end of Roman rule in Britain in the 5th century AD. The spring is now housed in 18thcentury buildings, designed by architects John Wood the Elder and Younger, and includes the Victorian expansion of the Baths complex.

The City of Bath has been a World Heritage Site since 1987 and the Roman remains are one of the principal reasons the city has this ranking. In 2019 the Baths & Pump Room had a record-breaking year for visitors, welcoming 1,325,085 people. Despite being closed for 138 days due to the pandemic in 2020, the site was that year named as the 32nd most-visited attraction in the UK. Most recently the Roman Baths has been voted number one in the UK and number eight in the world by Trip Advisor, so interest seems in no danger of flagging.

So what does Amanda bring to the management of such an ancient and beloved site? Well, it would be hard to source a more ideal post-holder. With a university background in archaeology specialising in Mediterranean prehistory and a Masters with a focus on Archaeological Curatorship, before coming to the Roman Baths Amanda was for 10 years the director of the Corinium Museum in Cirencester. For the last six years she led a major transformation there, in the redevelopment of the museum’s prehistoric and early Roman galleries, which saw a redisplay of material and the

The Minerva Room, part of the Roman Baths Clore Learning Centre

introduction of newly acquired artefacts, doubling the number of objects on display. “That was very exciting because the galleries hadn’t changed for more than 25 years, and there was an awful lot in storage that hadn’t been accessible to the public, so we were able to interpret that and get it out on display,” says Amanda.

“Corinium is essentially a Roman museum – although it has other amazing collections as well – so I’d been working with Roman collections for over 20 years and moving to the Roman Baths just seemed like the logical step.

“Of course the level of operations here is on a much larger scale.

What sets it apart most is that this is an ancient scheduled monument. At Corinium I was only dealing with the collections; here it’s the monument, and I’m learning very quickly about managing an ancient scheduled monument and all that that entails.

It’s a huge responsibility as well as an absolute privilege.

“In terms of the whole operation, there are several departments here that take care of different aspects of running the Roman Baths – there is a whole commercial team that look after events, the catering, the retail, for example, as well as a marketing department. There were only a few of us at Corinium where I was much more handson; whereas here I’m involved in the day-to-day running at a more strategic level.”

Museums have transitioned from a place of assumed knowledge with curators interpreting the past as fact, to a role that is more about co-curation Amanda joined the Baths towards the last stages of the Archway Project – which included the creation of a World Heritage Centre; the Roman Baths Clore Learning Centre for school and community groups; an Investigation Zone set among real Roman remains; and the opening of new areas of the Roman Baths including a Roman gym and laconicum (a type of sauna).

“The Archway Project is a game-changer for us, because previously there was a very small education space on site, but no additional facilities. So these amazing dedicated spaces are inspirational spaces for learning. They don’t look like a classroom environment – in fact one of the learning spaces looks almost like a Roman theatre. Then we have this whole underground Investigation Zone, which is unique in the country. It’s hands on archeology so the children are interacting with the archeology in a practical way.”

Amanda explains that there has been a real shift in perspective in the museum sector over the last few years, accelerated by Covid, and this has had an impact on the Roman Baths: “Previously there has been this acceptance that because the Roman Baths is such an international tourist destination, we don’t have the same pressures as other museums, in that we can just open our doors and we know that people will come. But there was a change in emphasis when the international tourism market dropped off during Covid because we needed to find a way of engaging with our local audiences. That new direction was key, because we needed to become more relevant to our local community – and that idea is embedded in the background that I come from. The Roman Baths are amazing; there isn’t another hot springs in the UK with the same temperatures as the Bath springs

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– hot water at a temperature of 46°C rises here at the rate of 1,170,000 litres every day – and I think it’s important that our communities feel part of that heritage.

“Museums have also transitioned from a place of assumed knowledge with curators interpreting the past as fact, to a role that is more about co-curation – understanding that when people visit they bring with them their own background knowledge and experience – and this leads to a much better all-round interpretation of a site or collection.

The Baths have refreshed their visitor offerings regularly over the years – including the innovative audio guides introduced in 2005 which are now available in 12 different languages, and the costumed Roman characters that have wandered around the site since 2012, based on real people who lived and worked at Aquae Sulis 2000 years ago. Amanda tells me that if she talks to any one of these Roman figures they always answer in character, thereby providing an immersive experience at its best. “An immersive experience brings

your experience of the past to life,” says Amanda. “People want to feel something now: they want to have an emotional response to a site and an object. The way museums are trying to respond to that is to become more relevant and to tap into current issues and how that impacts on the stories that we tell. Personally I think the Roman Baths need to be better at that. That is one of the things that I am looking to do.”

“I am the first woman curator on the site from a long line of male curators and I think that influence changes interpretation, so there are more stories we can tell. One of my plans is to look at the role of women in Roman society. There is also an opportunity to look at disability – many Romans would have been coming here to bathe in the waters for health reasons and I’m interested in exploring that. Then there is the potential of tapping into multi-cultural Roman Britain – there has been a lot of work done on that in recent years, and Aquae Sulis was a site that people would have been coming to from all over the Roman Empire. There is so much potential there.” n 2020 2010 THEBATHMAG.CO.UK THEBATHMAG.CO.UK THEBATHMAG.CO.UK AUGUST 2022 || jAnUAry | nOVeMber

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FILM | REVIEW

Persuading you into Persuasion

All photographs Nick Wall/Netflix © 2022

Dakota Johnson as Anne Elliot, Richard E. Grant as Sir Walter Elliot, and Yolanda Kettle as Elizabeth Elliot

Netflix’s film of Persuasion has been roundly criticised from all quarters. Emma Clegg enjoys the crits as much as the film itself and urges you to use one hour and 49 minutes of your life to see if you agree

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etflix’s new film adaptation of Jane Austen’s Persuasion, released last month, has not had the admiring reviews it must have sought. “Everyone involved should be in prison,” declares Deborah Ross of The Spectator; “It feels like the movie thinks you’re too stupid to understand Jane Austen on your own”, says Constance Grady of Vox.com; and Stuart Heritage of The Guardian comments, “there’s something so aggressively obnoxious about the way that Persuasion cribs from Fleabag that it feels like the death of something.”

Reading reviews like this (as we did with relish, following anything Austen related with fanatical absorption) only serves to make you

Cosmo Jarvis as Captain Frederick Wentworth

Dakota Johnson as Anne Elliot

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This filmic experience takes you away from reality as you follow a hazy, atmospheric journey to marital bliss want to watch it even more, and these reviews must in truth have upped the viewing figures significantly.

The story of Persuasion tells of an unconforming woman with modern sensibilities, Anne Elliot (Dakota Johnson), who lives with her snobby and self-absorbed family on the brink of bankruptcy. When Frederick Wentworth (Cosmo Jarvis) – The Dashing One she once sent away – crashes back into her life eight years later, Anne must choose between putting the past behind her or listening to her heart when it comes to second chances.

British theatre director Carrie Cracknell makes her feature directorial debut with what Netflix describes as “a modern, subversive take on Jane Austen’s Persuasion, a story of second chances and the pressures women faced in Regency-era England.”

Cracknell explains: “We wanted to adapt this story with a version of Anne who’s incredibly contemporary, strident, and funny. Someone who messes up, gets herself into awkward situations, and gets things wrong. We wanted to take the spirit of the original character and drag her into the current day. We wanted to honour the tropes and traditions of Jane Austen while making the characters more diverse, current, and emotionally available, where people could really see themselves in the characters.” Executive Producer Elizabeth Cantillon says, “It’s the perfect combination of sincere emotion with a vein of sneaky, subversive humour.”

The reviews challenge with outrage the results of this approach. It’s certainly true that the Fleabag influence is strident; it’s valid to question why use an Austen story when it’s stripped so bare it becomes a timeless romance; and I can understand why history buffs and J.A. devotees feel outraged at such a flattened version of this sacred Regency story.

Regency conventions are either unfollowed or loosened, fashions are relaxed, uniforms unworn, hair is minimally styled, often windswept and waistlines are lowered from the normal Empire lines of the period.

What you have is a gentle, timeless story about love, how we make our choices, and how those are influenced by society and those around us, with the direct voice of the character in your ear, set within some sumptuously attractive landscapes and interiors, from urban chic to distressed country.

And yet I found the film highly amusing and rather raw and beautiful in its scenography and soft, anti-bright green/blue/teal choice of colours.

I’d say it’s like a gentle visual and conversational poem of a woman’s experience of love. It blows away the detail and leaves you with a distilled, soft-at-the-edges, evasive essence. I was carried along by it, helped considerably by the humour.

Each role is a mere cameo. Richard E. Grant as Anne’s self-important, narcissistic, spendthrift father Sir Walter Elliot is a case in point, and yet

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Nikki Amuka-Bird as Lady Russell and Dakota Johnson as Anne Elliot – filmed in Bath Street

he was uproarious as he rails against the reality of his diminishing pecuniary situation and parades around his pillared corridors, the walls of which are plastered with portraits of himself. Anne’s sisters Mary (Mia McKenna-Bruce) and Elizabeth (Yolanda Kettle) are also extreme comic caracatures in their self-absorption and one-dimensionality, but it’s all a riot and serves to focus on Anne who is more liberal and sophisticated (of course, she is the heroine), although a way sparkier and more wine-loving version of Jane Austen’s subdued heroine.

Indeed the downing of wine from the bottle at Anne’s lowest points did feel a step too far. Constance Grady judges this harshly as “the mannerisms of the heroine of a mid-tier ’90s rom-com, weeping in the bathtub, weeping into copious amounts of red wine, weeping as she pratfalls into accidentally pouring gravy over her head.” Wentworth fares no better: “As played by Cosmo Jarvis, Wentworth is shy, brooding, and vague; a Darcy cyborg without the specificity. He gives good gaze, but no evidence of anything behind it.” He does indeed give good gaze and I love him for it.

Netflix makes no bones about the influence of Fleabag and Enola Holmes, but the critics are dismissive of this jumping-on-thebandwagon subversion and find the ‘breaking the fourth wall’ style Lydia Rose Bewley as Penelope Clay, Richard E. Grant as Sir Walter Elliot, Dakota Johnson as Anne Elliot, Yolanda Kettle as Elizabeth Elliot

with Anne’s wry, intimate asides to camera overly dominating. I don’t feel offended by this because it shakes things up and breaks down the stalwart conventions of historic adaptations.

You’ll like the film, as long as you aren’t pedantic about historical accuracy or the novels of Jane Austen; don’t need a layered, intellectual plot to sit through a one hour and 49 minutes film; and are happy to see Anne and Wentworth lying in long grass at the edge of a cliff in close embrace having achieved their romantic dreams, none the wiser about the reasons one suits the other.

I must say that Bath fares well. First of all it’s easy to identify the Bath bit because there is an extended period in ‘BATH’, identified in super large white capitals across the screen. We recognise The Royal Crescent, The Guildhall, the colonnades on Bath Street where Primark’s windows were reinvented as a haberdasher and milliners, Gravel Walk, and in front of the Stall Street side of the Roman Baths, which was styled as an inn (I ask you).

The mistake that’s been made in this film’s critical evaluation is overthinking all the things it’s not doing or has rejected, and not focusing on the things it gets right. Those include a hugely entertaining collection of parody characters; a work that knocks back details beyond all expectations, creating a new otherworldly art form; a magnificent colour palette; resonant cinematography across interiors and landscape (credit to cinematographer Joe Anderson); the shrinking of an Austen story that takes away many of the more irritating period frenzies of her books; and a filmic experience that removes you from reality as you follow a hazy, atmospheric journey to marital bliss. What’s wrong with that?

OK, the characters are cardboard-cut-out simple, like personalities in a children’s story with Anne as the narrator, but this results in a bravely pared, amusing, uncomplicated romantic film about a love that’s both unreal and as relevant today as it was in the Regency period.

The review headline quotes do need to roll at the end of the film, because just as the reviews don’t work without the film, the drama itself cranks up several notches after devouring them. “It may be the longest one hour and 49 minutes of your life”, warns Deborah Ross. But how will you know unless you try? n THEBATHMAG.CO.UK

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LOCAL | EVENTS

What’s on in August

Julie, Madly, Deeply, part of the Garden Theatre Festival

MUSIC AT GREEN PARK BRASSERIE n Green Park Brasserie, Green Park, Bath Enjoy live jazz/funk/soul/swing at Green Park Brasserie on Weds and Thurs from 6.30– 8.45pm and Fri and Sat from 6.30–9.45pm.

Music includes dynamic duos, modern trios and a Hot Club style quintet. The kitchen will be open from 5–10pm Weds–Fri, and 12–10pm on Sat, serving local produce. greenparkbrasserie.com GENTLE YOGA IN THE GARDENS Thursdays, 6–7pm n American Museum & Gardens, Claverton Manor, Bath In partnership with Bath YMCA yoga experts, the museum offers wellbeing sessions in a beautiful setting, listening to the sounds of nature. £10 per session. americanmuseum.org CHILDREN’S YOGA Saturdays, 11–11.45am n American Museum & Gardens, Claverton Manor, Bath Children (ages 4+) can enjoy the uplifting surroundings of the gardens with classes designed to introduce yoga and mindfulness around a story or a theme, ending with relaxation. £7.50 per session. americanmuseum.org AUGUST LATES AT THE ABBEY Thursdays throughout August (4, 8, 18, 25 August), 6.30–9.15pm n Bath Abbey This is the perfect chance to visit Bath Abbey after hours and enjoy the music and culture that local performers and artists have to offer. There will be live music from 7–9pm,

The Herschel 200 Exhibition at the Herschel Museum of Astronomy

Tower Tours (at an additional cost) and a bar to purchase drinks. This year there will also be artwork on display by local artists.

Tickets are available from the website. bathabbey.org SUMMER SUNDAYS Sundays throughout August n Various locations Take part in the events running on Sundays throughout the summer, including King Arthur at the Garden Theatre Festival on 7 August; Circus Antics Stilt Walkers on 14 August; and the Redland Wind Band on 28 August. Find out more at: welcometobath.co.uk/summer-sundays FREE FAMILY TRAIL Throughout August n Holburne Museum, Bath Explore the Holburne grounds and Sydney Gardens through David Hockney’s eyes. Pick up a beautiful trail from outside the museum entrance. holburne.org THE TEMPEST Until 6 August, 7.30pm and matinees n Ustinov Theatre, Saw Close, Bath Deborah Warner opens her inaugural season as Artistic Director of the Ustinov Studio with an epic new production of The Tempest. Nicholas Woodeson as Prospero and Dickie Beau as Ariel lead a stellar company of actors. Tickets from £24.50. theatreroyal.org.uk THE GARDEN THEATRE FESTIVAL Until 13 August n Gardens at the Holburne Museum, Bath This year’s festival will be your chance

Torchlit Summer Evenings at the Roman Baths

to make fantastic memories in the magical gardens of the museum. Featuring superb performances, music and comedy from renowned companies such as The Three Inch Fools, The Handlebards, Peoples’ String Foundation and Bath’s very own Calf2Cow. Includes an outdoor garden bar and BBQ, or bring your own picnic.

See the full programme at gardentheatrefest.co.uk BLACK SWAN ARTS OPEN 2022 Until 11 September n Black Swan Arts, 2 Bridge Street, Frome This year’s Open Show features cuttingedge work from established art practitioners through to avant-garde young graduates. 190 artworks are on display covering a variety of mediums, including drawing, painting, printmaking, textiles, photography, sculpture, ceramics and video. Every piece is for sale, with a top price set at £1,000 to encourage collectors and first-time buyers. blackswanarts.org.uk THE HERSCHEL 200 EXHIBITION Until 31 December n The Herschel Museum of Astronomy, 19 New King Street, Bath To commemorate the bicentenary of the death of astronomer William Herschel (1738–1822), Bath Preservation Trust is hosting a major exhibition to highlight the important contributions he made to our understanding of space. This exhibition, organised in partnership with the Royal Astronomical Society and the Herschel family, will reveal the family’s remarkable story through original artefacts. herschelmuseum.org.uk Continued page 26

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Blood Wedding at the Egg

HATCHING THE PAST: AMERICAN DINOSAUR EXPLORERS Until 31 December n The American Museum & Gardens, Claverton Down Take a rare and exciting look at the life of dinosaurs through their eggs, nests and embryos. A captivating experience for all ages, Hatching the Past invites visitors to touch real dinosaur bones and reconstructed nests, dig for eggs in the interactive dig pits, and view animated video presentations. This fully multi-media experience helps give credence to long debated theories that dinosaurs and birds are closely related. americanmuseum.org THE REALLY BIG CHORUS & BATH PHILHARMONIA CONCERT 6 August, 6.30–7.30pm n Bath Abbey A monumental choral concert of musical illumination and deep humanity based in the glory of Bath Abbey. As one of America’s best loved modern composers, Lauridsen bases Lux Aeterna (1942) on references to light from sacred Latin texts. Haydn’s Harmoniemesse (1802) is full of infectious positivity and joy. The Really Big Chorus is the ultimate community choir, drawn from other smaller choirs and thousands of individual singers. Under 18s go free with a paying adult. £10. bathboxoffice.org.uk JUDGES TALK – HOW TO VALUE ART 10 August, 6.30–8.30pm n Black Swan Arts, 2 Bridge Street, Frome Join organisers and judges of the Black Swan Arts Open 2022 to discuss this challenging, baffling and often contentious issue. Limited places available, pre-booking essential. £10. eventbrite.co.uk; blackswanarts.org.uk FAMILY CREATIVITY 10 and 12 August, 10.30am–12.30pm n Holburne Museum, Bath Designed for families to enjoy creative making together, these 2-hour sessions will be led by Chrissie and Esther from Skylarks Creativity. Expect beautiful materials and inspiring activities (and even some singing!). £15 adult and up to 2 children (4 years +) holburne.org 26 TheBATHMagazine

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Hayden Lloyd at Komedia

Long for the Coast at Chapel Arts

PHAEDRA AND MINOTAUR 12–23 August, 7.30pm n Ustinov Studio, Saw Close, Bath Following the success of Deborah Warner’s production of Phaedra and Minotaur at the Royal Opera House in 2020, music director Richard Hetherington and Olivier award nominee Christine Rice will re-imagine the piece in a piano version, specially developed for the intimate spaces of the Ustinov Studio. Tickets £36.50/£24.50 discounts; theatreroyal.org.uk

HAYDEN LLOYD & THE SINGLE SOUNDS ‘IN MY SOUL’ EP LAUNCH 19 August, 6pm n Electric Bar, Komedia, Bath Hayden Lloyd is a young guitarist and singer/songwriter from the Bath area. He is influenced by blues and rock musicians such as Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Philip Sayce and Eric Gales. His music is a combination of blues, rock and funk alongside a vast list of genres. £6. komedia.co.uk/bath

LUKE DE-SCISCIO LIVE IN SESSION 14 August, 2–4pm n Komedia, Bath Luke De-Sciscio “found his song-writing voice the old-fashioned way: by writing (and mostly not releasing) dozens upon dozens of folk songs, spread out across a decade, often while living on a boat with no electricity or heat.” says NPR. A free event in Komedia Bath’s Electric Bar. All ages are welcome and food and drink will be available. komedia.co.uk/bath

LONG FOR THE COAST 19 August, 8–10.30pm n Chapel Arts, Lower Borough Walls Long For The Coast is Jamie and Sophie Gould (with their full band). With a combination of sincere lyrics and beautiful harmonies, they sing stories about social change, spiritual adventures, and close friends lost and found. They’ve been championed by the BBC Radio 6 Music as well as playing at Nozstock, Greenbelt and Shambala festivals. Tickets £12. chapelarts.org

INTO THE WOODS 17 August – 10 September, 7.30pm, plus matinees n Theatre Royal, Bath This imaginative and delightfully playful new production of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s Into the Woods sees a worldclass creative team led by iconic stage and film director Terry Gilliam and co-director and choreographer Leah Hausman. Tickets from £27; theatreroyal.org.uk MOZART RECITAL 18 August, 7–8.30pm n Holburne Museum, Bath The Schantz fortepiano, acquired in 1983, is one of the highlights of the Holburne’s collection – it was made in Vienna around 1795, and is exceptionally rare.

Internationally respected keyboard artist Nathaniel Mander will play some of Mozart’s most appealing and enchanting sonatas and variations on the Schantz this summer. £20. holburne.org

BLOOD WEDDING 25–28 August, 2pm and 7pm n The Egg, Saw Close, Bath In the dry heat of the Andalucian sun a bride decides between love and duty, unleashing the wrath of ancient feuds set to tear her community apart. The TRB Theatre School Summer Company returns in signature bold style with Lorca’s epic tale of intimate fractured lives hurtling desperately towards the inevitable. Tickets £10, age 12 plus. theatreroyal.org.uk GARDEN GROOVES 26 August, doors 5.30pm, music from 7pm n American Museum & Gardens, Claverton Manor, Bath Head to the spectacular gardens for a summer’s evening of mellow music. Top local artists will entertain while you enjoy the stunning views across the Limpley Stoke valley, featuring a blend of jazz, folk and bluegrass music. Sip on an American inspired cocktail or two, enjoy a picnic on the lawn or pre-order an American-inspired hamper.

Tickets from £12.50. americanmuseum.org Continued page 30

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LOCAL | EVENTS

Black Swan Arts Open 2022, Villain by Malcolm Ashman

Late nights at the Abbey on Thursdays in August

Black Swan Arts Open 2022, intaglio print by Alessandra Alexandroff

HARLEM RHYTHM CATS 26 August, 6–9pm n Green Park Brasserie, Green Park, Bath This will be a big evening of alfresco dancing, live music, cocktails, fizz and more at Green Park Brasserie. The kitchen will be open from 5–10pm, serving local produce. greenparkbrasserie.com ROCKNEY – A TRIBUTE TO THE MUSIC OF CHAS & DAVE 26 August, 8–10.30pm n Chapel Arts, Lower Borough Walls The feelgood show of the year! Rockney brings to the stage the best loved songs of the legendary Chas and Dave and reminds us all of their extraordinary ability to get any party started with their seamless medleys of songs from the decades. Tickets from £17. chapelarts.org RSCM’S SING JOYFULLY! A CHORAL CELEBRATION 27 August, 7pm n St Mary’s Church, Bathwick The Royal School of Church Music (RSCM)’s week-long summer training course for choristers aged 8–21 takes place in Bath every year. This showcase concert is a new part of the course for 2022, and in a varied programme of classic choral music, celebrates the achievement of the nearly 100 young

people from across the UK and beyond who are participating this year. Led by RSCM’s Director, Hugh Morris, the evening promises to be a joyful and uplifting occasion – not to be missed. £15. bathboxoffice.org.uk/whatson/sing-joyfully-a-choral-celebration WILD WONDER AT WESTONBIRT 27–29 August, 9am–5pm n Westonbirt, The National Arboretum, Tetbury GL8 8QS Wild Wonder at Westonbirt is a new children’s book festival dedicated to nature, animals, and the outdoors. This 3-day event for families features some of the UK’s most famous children’s book authors, illustrators, wildlife presenters and storytellers. Includes authors Michael Morpurgo, Waterstones Children’s Laureate Cressida Cowell, and Wild Child author and young naturalist Dara McAnulty. Young bookworms can come and meet their favourite authors and take part in activities, all surrounding stories set in and around nature. forestryengland.uk/westonbirt/wild-wonder TORCHLIT SUMMER EVENINGS AT THE ROMAN BATHS Until 31 August n Roman Baths The Roman Baths will stay open until 10pm until 31 August, offering visitors a chance to

enjoy the special atmosphere around the torchlit Great Bath. Last admission at 9pm.

There will be a pop-up bar beside the Great Bath selling champagne, sparkling wine and soft drinks. The museum will stay open late so that visitors can look around the fascinating displays about life in Roman Bath, long after the usual closing time.

Admission is free for Bath & North East Somerset residents, and you can book your free tickets on the Roman Baths website. romanbaths.co.uk/torchlit

IF OPERA 2022 From 26 August n Belcombe Court Bradford on Avon and Holy Trinity Church, Church Street, Bradford on Avon If Opera’s productions this summer include operas, a picnic prom and family show. August highlights include La rondine by Giacomo Puccini, a double bill of Rita by Gaetano Donizetti and Il segreto di Susanna by Ermanno Wolf-Ferrar and the Picnic Prom with The Clare Teal Seven. Call Bath Box Office: 01225 463362 or visit ifopera.com

LOOKING AHEAD LECTURE: GARY BEST ON ‘SLAVERY EXPLORED’ 1 September, 10.30am n The Pavilion, North Parade Road, Bath After studying history at Exeter College, Oxford, Gary became a teacher ending his career as headmaster. He is an internationally recognised authority on early Methodist history, was Warden at the New Room (John Wesley’s Chapel) in Bristol and was responsible for creating its new Visitor Centre and its awardwinning Museum. He is a published author of five historical novels, including his 2020 book Slavery and Bristol. Free for members, £2 suggested donation for non-members. u3ainbath.org.uk

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WAG WALK 2022 4 September, 9.30am start n Bath Cats and Dogs Home, Claverton, Bath, BA2 7AZ Join in the Wag Walk sponsored dog walk, open to all with or without dogs. Starts and finishes at Bath Cats and Dogs Home and features the stunning National Trust Bath Skyline with breath-taking views over the city. Two- or five-mile routes to choose from, followed by goodie bags, refreshments and activities to enjoy on the field. Entry £15pp or free for 16 years and under. bcdh.org.uk/wagwalk

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ARTS | THEATRE

THIS PAGE AND OPPOSITE: Terry Gilliam and Leah Hausman in rehearsal with the Into the Woods cast

Conjuring up new worlds

There’s a new revival of James Lapine’s Into the Woods coming to Theatre Royal Bath. Melissa Blease chats to co-director Leah Hausman and finds out what it’s like to work with Terry Gilliam in musical extravaganza land. Photos by Marc Brenner

C

inderella, Sleeping Beauty, Jack and his beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, two princes... and a witch.

Stephen Sondheim, the Brothers Grimm... and legendary director, writer and librettist James Lapine. Actions and consequences, morality, parenting, nightmares, dreams, wish fulfilment and responsibility, all laden with multiple metaphors as an enchanted story unfolds, told through the inquisitive eyes of a young girl playing with a Victorian toy theatre...

Welcome to the complex world that is Stephen Sondheim’s 1987 musical extravaganza Into The Woods, the latest revival of which is coming to the Theatre Royal Bath in August, co-directed this time around by iconic stage and film director Terry Gilliam in partnership with globally acclaimed choreographer/movement director Leah Hausman.

“For sure, there are lots of strange things happening when you join us on our journey Into The Woods!” Leah laughs. “But if we, as directors, even begin to try to explain why they happen, we’d ruin it – you just have to let those things happen, and that’s what I hope we’ve done.”

As to how, exactly, Leah and Terry got to do what they’ve done, let’s start at their very beginning (which is, after all, where all the very best fairy tales start).

Leah originally trained in dance and drama in New York City and at the École Jacques Lecoq in Paris before relocating to the UK some 36 years ago. She went on to work for theatre and opera companies including English National Opera, the Royal Shakespeare Company, Complicité, the National Theatre and The Old Vic, and directed major opera revivals for international opera houses around the world. Her recent productions as Associate Director and Movement Director include collaborations with the Dutch National Opera, Opera Nationale De Paris, The Metropolitan Opera, Chicago Lyric Opera, San Francisco Opera and Scottish Opera – and today, here she is, doing her magic to a Stephen Sondheim beat. So when and where did her collaboration with Terry Gilliam begin?

“Basically, the English National Opera team thought Terry and I might make a good connection,” says Leah. “Like me, Terry loves the orchestra and adores imaginative music against which you have to find theatrical solutions. We both know the stage, and understand staging, and all the ‘understanding staging’ shenanigans that you have to know about in order to do the job. From our very first

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meeting, all I can say is that it was just incredibly easy! It was never a job interview, it was just the two of us talking, and laughing a lot.

We immediately shared many similar references; Terry’s older than me, but not that much older. He was born in Minnesota and I lived in Minneapolis for, like, a gazillion years. I have to confess, though, that when I first met him, I didn’t know a lot of his work! I knew some of the famous films that he had made, but I wasn’t 100% familiar. But I felt like I had certain skills that he didn’t have, and he was so quick to pick up what was needed. I hesitate to call myself a director, because I come from that collective, theatrical tradition where making theatre is a hugely collaborative event based on the people that you work with, who are all thinking and doing really interesting things – and Terry was definitely one of those people”.

On the one hand, it’s a morality tale...

But equally, there’s a message around the beautiful sense of a coming together of humanity Oh Leah, whether you give yourself a job title or not, you must bring something intrinsically unique to the Terry Gilliam party?

“Well, he’s an exquisite director, but I guess I bring that sense of how to really move the masses, move the groups, use the actors, to his work,” she concurs, under pressure. “I’m one of the many branches of the nice little team that he’s built around him. Anyway! The opera house put us together and it was immediately clear, right from those very first moments, that he and I were going to have a ball.”

Since the pair established their connection, Gilliam and Hausman have worked extensively on multiple productions starting with The Damnation of Faust and Benvenuto Cellini for English National Opera (2010/2014 respectively). So how come Sondheim, and fairy tales, and their voyage Into The Woods?

“I grew up with Sondheim,” says Leah. “I lived in New York at a time when his musicals were really, really big news, and Sondheim was part of the New York theatre world fabric. And the funny thing is, Terry and I both saw an early production of Into The Woods in

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London, before we knew each other, and we both loved it – and I mean, loved it! In fact, that was the show that really turned me on to Sondheim, and the memory of it was looming over us when we were thinking about doing this production; we thought, nobody could do it better than that one, so what are we going to do?”

So... what did they do? “I think, above all, this production of Into The Woods is very Terry! There’s something about the visual world that he conjures up that only he can do,” she says, again stepping out of the spotlight that I’m so keen to shine on her. “But we both love humour, and I suppose that sense of – well, I hesitate to use the words ‘vaudeville’ and ‘slapstick’ because they can have some strange connotations. But when vaudeville and slapstick are done in the spirit of what Sondheim has written, there’s nothing better – it’s just pure delight. At the same time, though, Into The Woods definitely has a very dark message, a very dark element. The genius of it is that James Lapine’s text leaves a space for you to interpret it in your own way.”

For those of us who aren’t familiar with the show, how would Leah ‘sell it’ to us? “Oh, it’s an easy sell” she says. “Above all, it’s a great night out, with great songs! And it’s charming, and funny, and heart-rending – it offers up so much. On the one hand, it’s a morality tale in as much as your actions have an effect on other people. But equally, there’s a message around the beautiful sense of a coming together of humanity, in that we’re all better off as a community that works together than when we are disparate, working as individuals.

But we can’t actually play theatrically to either or both of those

themes directly because everyone who sees the show will hear and see something different. Our job is to get the storytelling done as clearly as we believe we possibly can, and then the message is just – well, whatever the message is, to you. But I think that one of the great things about what Terry and I have done is that there’s nothing revolutionary going on in this production; we’ve made a piece of theatre that takes some very odd, unexpected turns for the audience, and that’s all that makes it ours. We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel with anything about the production, but it definitely has its own flavour, with a touch of the surreal and a touch of the absurd in the mix too. Oh, and I hope it’s a little bit scary as well!”

Talking to Leah, it quickly becomes clear that theatre-making is genuinely, honestly the force that drives, steers and directs her whole life. Am I right?

“Oh totally, yes!” she readily responds. “I’m a person who doesn’t have a huge number of hobbies – like, for me, the pandemic was all about oh, okay, what do I do now if I don’t do what I do? Because I really do love what I do, which means that my hobby is my work, which is beautiful in the sense that I am so very, very lucky to be able to be in a profession and work as much as I do doing something that I love. I love music first and foremost, and movement to music is – well, my world. And they both come together in perfect harmony with Into The Woods.” n Into The Woods, Theatre Royal Bath, 10 August – 17 September. theatreroyal.org.uk/event/into-the-wood

In rehearsal, left to right: Julian Bleach, Nicola Hughes, Rhashan Stone and Lauren Conroy

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In pursuit of learning

It may be a long time since you last set foot in a classroom, but it’s never too late to pick up a new hobby or interest.

Open up the possibilities with some of these ideas for adult courses, clubs and activities

BATH AQUAGLASS

SANITY STUDIOS

Glassmaking is a wonderfully challenging experience – some might say life-changing. At Bath Aqua Glass we offer a range of opportunities to enjoy the magic of molten glass. Whether it’s blowing your breath into your own bauble, having chosen your preferred colours ,or working on the hot floor with professional glass-blowers to design and make your own pieces.

Group activities can be booked with the addition of refreshments for you and your friend’s birthday, reunion and pre-wedding groups can gather round our making tables with prosecco and cupcakes, crafting your own mosaic heart hanging.

Sanity Studios is a space dedicated to clay and community.

During the week it’s open as The Sanctuary, a members’ club for women and femme NB persons to find some peace under the bustling city of Bath. As a Sanctuary member you can learn how to create beautiful pottery in space where you can truly find friendship and support from like-minded people.

On weekends there are a while host of super-fun private pottery workshops. From romantic date nights for two, to wild pottery parties for up to 20 people. Whatever your vibes, we’ve got you covered.

• Book online @ bathaquaglass.com

• Spring Gardens Road, Bathwick, Bath BA2 6PW; sanitystudios.co.uk

THE MAKERSHED

LOVE 2 LEARN AT BATH COLLEGE

The Makershed mission is to provide space for making and learning for everyone, no matter their level of experience, and to be as creative as possible. You’ll receive a friendly welcome by the team of talented tutors who offer a vast range of skill sets, knowledge and experience to teach students. Based in their workshop spaces at St Paul’s Learning Centre they run a huge range of courses and workshops including woodwork with hand or power tools, upholstery, sharpening, wood finishing, wood carving, fabric weaving, lino printing, fabric dyeing, sewing and pallet wood workshops. You can choose from daytime, evening and weekend courses. Book now for the autumn/winter terms via their website.

If you have always wanted to learn a new skill but haven’t had the opportunity, a Love2Learn parttime leisure course at Bath College is just what you need. All courses are timetabled to fit around your existing commitments, so you can learn in the evenings, at the weekend or even for a week in the school holidays. The college offers a wide range of art and design courses in traditional disciplines such as creative writing, printmaking, printed textiles, ceramics and sculpture as well as creativity courses in cake decorating, floristry, contemporary embroidery, and sewing: zero waste fashion. If you would like to brush up on your language skills or learn a new language from scratch, there are courses at different levels in French, German, Italian and Spanish.

• St. Paul's Learning Centre, 94 Grosvenor Road, Bristol BS2 8XJ 07599 670365; themakershedbristol.co.uk

• All courses and many more can be found at bathcollege.ac.uk; for all enquiries call 01225 328720

Image by Cat McCabe

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ART | EXHIBITIONS

ARTS AND EXHIBITIONS David Simon Contemporary 37 High Street, Castle Cary BA7 7AW

The Holburne Museum, Great Pulteney Street, Bath

Kit Andrews: The Cornish Potter 2 July – 30 August

Love Life: David Hockney’s Drawings, until 18 September Hockney’s drawings in the late 1960s and 1970s show his extraordinary power of observation and skill in using tiny, mundane details to help capture a situation.

Marvellous Makers, Wondrous Worlds: Raised Embroidery from the 17th Century until 11 September A show of the exceptional raised and 17th-century embroideries from the museum’s collection – a jewel-like show allowing visitors to look closely at these exceptional objects. holburne.org

Beyond Beastly: Creatures Natural and Imagined Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution (BRLSI), 16–18 Queen Square, Bath, until 1 October

Experimenting with a variety of vase and bottleforms, Kit Andrews’ work uses pitfiring and smoke-firing techniques, creating beautifully balanced forms in stoneware clay.

Margaret Lovell: Leaves of Bronze 2 July – 30 August A retrospective exhibition of sculpture in bronze relating to the theme of leaf and blade forms, for which Margaret Lovell is internationally renowned.

Ossie Clark in a Fairisle Sweater, by David Hockney, 1970 Coloured pencil on paper 43.18 x 35.56 cm © David Hockney. Photo credit: Fabrice Giber

As new continents were explored, a rich array of extraordinary new animals and plants were formally described. Here were creatures quite as weird as the ones in medieval pictures, but now they were being illustrated in vivid and accurate detail.

Come and meet some familiar fantastical creatures (and quite a few natural ones) extracted from the pages of the historic books and boxes of specimens in Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution Collections. brlsi.org

Songs of Nature: Painting and Collage by Hiroko Sherwin 44AD Artspace, 4 Abbey Street, Bath 9–21 August Hiroko Sherwin used to watch rice paper being made by hand in Japan, where he grew up. Many of his works are painted on rice paper as well as on Western paper and canvas. He also makes collages by dyeing rice paper. While loving colour, Sherwin recently rediscovered the world of black and white, the Japanese legacy of sumi-ink painting on rice paper. Black has many shades while white is the ultimate colour, he explains.

44ad.net

Trees in Autumn by Horoko Sherwin

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Marine Flow 2 by Margaret Lovell

Beaux Arts Bath 12–13 York Street Bath, until 27 August Beaux Arts latest exhibition sees new work by award-winning artist Ashraf Hanna. Born in 1967 in El Minia, Egypt, he currently resides and works from his studio in Pembrokeshire, West Wales. Hanna’s work is represented in prestigious collections such as the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Fitzwilliam Museum and National Museum of Wales. The walls of the gallery are adorned by selected gallery artists, including Laurie Steen, Kate Sherman, David Tress, Harriet Porter, Nathan Ford, And Mark Johnston. beauxartsbath.co.uk Black bowl with chartreuse interior by Ashraf Hanna

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Ma San Auction In Bath

SPECIALISTS IN ORIENTAL WORKS OF ART A Chinese Yaozhou ‘Four Fish’ Bowl, Song Dynasty.

SOLD £2080 incl. premium

A Chinese Famille Rose Porcelian Tile, 19th Century SOLD £4680 incl. premium

A pair of Chinese Famille Verte Porcelain Jardinieres, 19/20th Century.

SOLD £2340 incl. premium Chinese Ceramics to include a Double Gourd ‘Iron-spot’ Ewer, blue and white Pouring Bowl and Pilgrim Flask Ewer.

SOLD £13,000 incl. premium

Free ns atio g valu cceptin s a t Now signmen con r future fo les! sa

A Sino Tibetan Hand-Painted Wooden Sideboard, 20th Century.

SOLD £650 incl. premium

Free valuations and home visits • Over 30 years experience • Competitive commission rates Direct contacts in Hong Kong and China • Sales every month 2 Princes Buildings, George Street, Bath BA1 2ED Tel: 01225 318587

www.masanauction.com

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ART | EXHIBITIONS Shades of Green Central Corridor, The Royal United Hospital, Combe Park, Bath, until 8 August

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In Celebration of the Arts – All Things Floral, 165 Newbridge Hill, Bath 3–4 September, 10am–5pm

Dreaming The Land by Fiona McIntyre Dreaming The Land by Fiona McIntyre at the Sidney Nolan Trust, Presteigne Until 1 October In Dreaming The Land, artist Fiona McIntyre expresses an imagined landscape inspired by a synergy of objects and place which she discovered during her recent residency at the Sidney NolanTrust in the border-town of Presteigne, Radnorshire.

Fiona is represented by local art advisory Sandra Higgins Art in conjunction with the Sidney Nolan Trust, and as such Sandra is able to offer a personal insight into the exhibition and arrange visits to The Rodd to view the exhibition. For more information, contact sandra@sandrahiggins.com sandrahiggins.art

Artists and sculptors come together to exhibit their dynamic art, sculpture and craft in a house and award-winning garden in Newbridge. The exhibition showcases the work of Mary Allen, Joy Branscombe, Elizabeth Evans, Hayley Jones and Jessica Palmer. Pieces of sculpture, art and plants are for sale and cakes, scones and light lunches will be served on the terrace.

Opening in conjunction with the National Garden Scheme, money raised will go to nursing charities supported by the NGS, to The Peggy Dodd Centre in Combe Down and to Serve Africa which is providing education, vocational training and medical support to internally displaced Ugandan refugees.

Image by Jessica Palmer

Corsican Pine by John Ball

Shades of Green at the Royal United Hospital, curated by Sandra Higgins, has been extended until 8 August. Visitors, staff and patients have all remarked how the artwork gracing the walls of the main corridor lifts everyone’s spirits. The show is open from 8am–8pm daily, and all works are available to purchase, with a percentage of sales going to ‘Art at the Heart’, the charity which supports the hospital with an art and design programme to stimulate healing and well-being and create an uplifting environment. Contact Sandra at sandra@sandrahiggins.com for more information or to arrange a time for a guided curatorial tour. sandrahiggins.art

COMING SOON

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BAT OUT OF HEAVEN… Eager bidding from the first lot to the last ensured that Lawrences recorded a host of high prices in Lawrences Summer Fine Jewellery auction.

A collection of pocket watches realised £16,775 with the top price being paid for an 18ct gold half hunting cased watch by Daniel Desbois, 1908. A silver cased pocket chronometer by Thomas Earnshaw, fitted with the Earnshaw Spring Detent escapement, dated from c.1800 and doubled hopes of £5000 to tick up a winning bid of £11,250.

Precious stones commanded consistently good prices: a diamond bow brooch made £5500; an Edwardian emerald and diamond ring made £7500; and a Georgian diamond flowerhead brooch with a central diamond measuring just under 9mm made £11,875. A long necklace or sautoir of seed pearls and diamonds made £6000 against an estimate of £2000-3000.

A historical revival pearl and portrait miniature necklace set with three Royal portraits and in a fitted case by D. S. Lavender of London made £8125 but the sale’s top price was paid for a Victorian diamond brooch in the form of a bat, set with old-cut and rose-cut diamonds.

Just 6cm wide, this attracted fierce online bidding and no fewer than a dozen telephone bidders. In the bright sunshine of a perfect summer day, this bejewelled creature of the night flew to a remarkable £20,000.

One-of-a-kind

A full team of specialists are available to advise and assist with FREE valuations: IN PERSON | AT HOME | ONLINE | EMAIL | PHONE | WHATSAPP Please contact their team if you would like to sell in their auctions to include: Silver | Vertu | Jewellery | Watches | 19th/20th Century Design | Oriental Works of Art | Ceramics | Pictures | Furniture | Clocks | Rugs | Militaria | Coins Medals | Collectors | Sporting | Textiles | Automobilia | Motoring | Literature Historic Cycling | Wine | Spirits | Books | Maps | Manuscripts | Photography

Lawrences

28 & 31 Brock Street, Bath, BA1 2LN 01225 461483 | info@beaunashbath.com www.beaunashbath.com beaunashbath

AUCTIONEERS The Linen Yard, South Street, Crewkerne, Somerset TA18 8AB.

lawrences.co.uk

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ART | EXHIBITIONS

Float II by Helyne Jennings

Summer Exhibition Gallery Nine, 9B Margaret's Buildings, Bath, until 31 August Gallery Nine’s exhibition showcases five exciting artists. Celia Dowson works in ceramics and cast glass. Her work reflects the colours, the changing light, and mystery of the natural world. Inspired by classic oriental ceramics Robyn Hardyman’s contemporary porcelain vessels are thrown thinly on the wheel.

Charmian Harris creates jewellery in gold, silver, precious and semi-precious stones.

Artist and jeweller Helyne Jennings uses mixed media on paper and fabric to create tiny earrings through to large-scale wall pieces. Her husband Trevor Jennings is a sculptor who works with a variety of metals to create sculptural pieces. galleryninebath.com

Hardy’s Wessex – the landscapes that inspired a writer, Wiltshire Museum, 41 Long Street, Devizes SN10 1NS, until 30 October

A major exhibition exploring the life and work of Thomas Hardy, and the landscapes that shaped his view of the world. A short journey from Stonehenge, one of the most iconic prehistoric monuments in the world, this exhibition will explore how Hardy’s writing merged his present with the past. Within this ancient landscape, old beliefs died hard and Hardy’s plots are set against a background of superstition.

Hardy’s Wessex exhibition is also at the Dorset Museum, The Salisbury Museum and the Poole Museum

Hardy felt that these past ways of life were important, helping us understand ourselves and our relationship with the environment.

Includes the largest collection of Hardy objects displayed at one time. wiltshiremuseum.org.uk

Art in the Library: Kate Davies, Penny Ives and Nadine Wickenden, Bath Central Library, 19–23 The Podium, Northgate Street, Bath 2 August – 8 September

Kate Davies, Penny Ives, and Nadine Wickenden are three local illustrator/ artists who are showing their creative work in the Bath Central Library exhibition space.

The three artists became friends through South West Illustrators. Their experience is varied – including design, children’s book illustration, architectural illustration and jigsaw illustration, but one thing they all share is a love of character and whimsy. Penny has created a little dialogue between ‘Miss Austen and the Penguin’; Kate Davies’ watercolours show Bath populated by ‘The Bath Bunns’ – and Nadine Wickenden has crafted delightful 3D papier-mâché characters.

Prints, cards and other items will be available for sale. wiltshiremuseum.org.uk

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Mary Fedden: Simple Pleasures Victoria Art Gallery, Bath, until 16 October Mary Fedden (1915–2012) is known as a colourist who celebrated her favourite places, things and people in joyous compositions that delight the eye as much as the mind. This exhibition explores her life and work, from her childhood and young adulthood in Bristol, to her marriage with artist Julian Trevelyan and their decades working in adjoining studios at Durham Wharf on the Thames. Over 110 paintings and works on paper are featured, covering all periods of Fedden’s career, drawn from both private and public collections across the UK. There will be guided tours of the exhibition on Fridays at 1.30pm–2pm. These are included in the ticket price. victoriagal.org.uk Gallery Cat 1989

David Ringsell: Contemporary Art Prints and Paintings of Classic Bath Architecture “I aim to present a contemporary perspective on some familiar places.

I often focus on the darker side of Bath architecture; peeling paint and stained stonework.”

David’s work is being exhibited at The Artery Art Café in Richmond Place; at The Claremont Pub, 5 Claremont Road, Bath; and at The Old Crown Pub, Weston, Bath.

Custom prints are available online in a range of sizes – see the website: real-images.com Image: Inside Out, A2 framed giclée print by David Ringsell, showing the evening sun reflecting off the windows at the back of the London Road.

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Do Manners Matter?

DUNCAN CAMPBELL Antique silver specialist

It depends who’s asking Navigating the treacherous waters of dining etiquette has long been a British obsession. The jeopardy involved in picking up the correct fork is a well worn cliche in film and literature.

Silver eating utensils are some of the principal players in the angst drenched theatre of ‘Good Table Manners’, and must have felt like implements of torture to uncertain guests already squirming with embarrassment.

The remnants of our ancestors’ dining rooms tell the background story of what they thought were good manners and how usage turns first into good manners and then sometimes gets corrupted into brutal snobbery.

These days it would be comical to turn up at someone’s house at dinner time with a fork and spoon in your top pocket, but before about 1700 it was quite the thing to do. Nobody ‘set the table’ until into the 18th century and even then you were lucky if you got more than one spoon & fork per place setting.

By 1800, the nation’s dining arrangements were pretty well established. A polite table would be laid with a soup spoon, a large knife and fork and then, after the first course had been cleared, a smaller spoon and fork for dessert. This habit was so deeply embedded that any deviation from the norm was a social minefield.

Fish knives and forks for example, initially an American idea, were considered a clear sign of ‘new money’ because ‘old money’ families had been brought up to eat fish with 2 table forks.

In the same way, round bowl soup spoons were once sneered at as a trans-atlantic affectation. Gradually these protocols change. Since most families these days don’t keep a team of footmen on hand for mealtimes, laying out silverware for more than one course is allowable even in the grandest homes.

If you find all this is just too maddening, there is only one rule of table that really matters, if your guests feel comfortable, your manners are good. n beaunashbath.com; 01225 334234

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FOOD | & | DRINK

FOOD & DRINK NEWS NEW PICNIC OFFERING Francis Hotel has created a picnic hamper with glassware, crockery and a picnic rug so that guests can have a picnic at their leisure. The menu includes a selection of cheeses, charcuterie, a sumptuous baguette with a range of fillings and a bottle of water.

Strawberries and cream for dessert will give explorers a burst of energy as they continue to discover Bath. The team at Boho Marché are happy add or change any of the food items according to preference. francishotel.com

FOUR AWARDS FOR CHATLEY FARM Chatley Farm Brownies based near Norton St Phillip have won four Gold Taste of The West Awards 2022. The award winning flavours are Dark Chocolate Raspberry & Gin (gold), Rum & Raisin Chocolate (gold), Biscoff Chocolate (silver) and Rich Chocolate Mini Egg (silver). Handmade at Chatley Farm by creator and professional chef, Jo Pobjoy and her team, the win is the second year

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running for the brand, which has been established since 2002 and has been online since September 2020. chatleyfarmbrownies.co.uk

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BEER MAGIC AT THE RACES Bath Racecourse is holding two Beer Festival Racedays on the weekend of 10 and 11 September, so you can enjoy making the most of the longer days before the autumn temperatures take hold, with a day at the races. Make it a family day out that everyone will enjoy, or go along with your friends.

There’ll be at least seven exciting live horse races to watch and delicious food and drink available to enjoy. It’s a really special and unique day out that everyone will love.

Bath Racecourse, Lansdown, Bath bath-racecourse.co.uk

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Cocktail masterclass

By Johnny Hunt Bar manager at Hudson Steakhouse

STEAKHOUSE

Delicious Prime Dry Aged Steaks

WEST SIDE For a drink that contains Irish whisky and Polish vodka, this drink strikes a true West Country note, hence the name. Fans of cider will love this one.

The inclusion of Somerset Cider Brandy really brings the drink home, but Calvados will also work, just as most bourbon will work in place of Irish, avoid Scotch though as the peat, for me at least, unbalances the drink.

• • • • •

25ml Irish whisky 25ml Zubrowka vodka 50ml good quality cloudy apple juice 15ml lime juice, freshly squeezed 10ml Somerset Cider Brandy or Calvados

Method Shake all the ingredients over ice and double-strain into a coupe, martini glass, or serve over ice in a tall glass.

SILVER BUCKLE This one is both a nod to our owner, Richard Fenton, who first introduced me to the drink, and always orders it. Build the drink as you would a mojito, replacing the rum with silver tequila and the soda with ginger ale.

• • • • •

50ml Don Julio blanco tequila 4 lime wedges 6 mint leaves 2 white sugar cubes ginger ale

Method 1. In a tall glass, muddle 3 lime wedges, the 6 mint leaves and the sugar cubes until the cubes have broken down (you can add a splash of ginger ale to help with this) and the lime wedges have released their juice.

2. Fill glass with crushed ice and add the tequila.

3. Give the drink a good stir, add another scoop of crushed ice, and top up with ginger ale. Garnish with the remaining lime wedge and a mint sprig.

Want to watch Johnny in action?

Last month we popped along to make a smooth and relaxed reel of Johnny mixing up some chilled pre-dinner drinks at the Hudson. Scan the QR code to enjoy on our YouTube channel

Voted one of the best five steakhouses in the UK 01225 33 23 23 14 London Road, Bath, BA1 5BU www.hudsonsteakhouse.co.uk

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FOOD | REVIEW

Bath Pizza Co 6 Green Park Station, Bath BA1 1JB; tel: 01225 588886; bathpizzaco.com

Everyone loves a pizza and you can always rely on a freshly made one – with gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan options – to eat in a chilled out atmosphere at the Bath Pizza Co, says Emma Clegg

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Expect the best because the Bath Pizza Co landed second place in the UK rankings after competing at the National Pizza Awards

reen Park Brasserie in the old Green Park Railway Station is a veritable institution, serving since 1992 a fusion of French-inspired and modern British cuisine that also absorbs food inspiration from across the world. The launch of sister business the Bath Pizza Company in 2016 was a development that embodied the food fusion theme, with a wood-built centre of operations in Green Park that focused on the Italian pizza, a food made with dough, tomato sauce, cheese, and toppings that’s now beloved across the world.

This casual dining pizza place – seating up to 150 on tables on heated terraces – offers not only delicious-tasting pizzas, but live music and entertainment within the scenic station architecture. (Don’t miss the Harlem Rhythm Cats at Bath Pizza Co on Friday 26 August, from 6–9pm for a big evening of alfresco dancing, live music, cocktails, fizz and more.)

Everything is freshly made to order. On the menu are a selection of classics including Pepperoni, Hawaiian, Ham and Mushroom, American Hot, Tuna and Capers, Chicken and Pesto, and Meat Feast. And an impressive selection of vegetarian and vegan pizzas, ranging from Truffle and Goat’s Cheese with a white base, Tiger Margherita with a Sesame Tiger crust and Spinaci, with ricotta, spinach and artichoke, and you can also choose gluten-free dough.

If you want a more personalised pizza, then you can also create your own for £12.95, starting with a classic Margherita and adding three ingredients of your choice (or more for £2 each).

Expect the best because the Bath Pizza Co landed second place in the UK rankings after competing at the National Pizza Awards at the end of last year, for which head chef Jonah Pole in the Cook-Off produced their signature Spinaci with a Cheeky Egg oozing from the middle. That’s going to be my choice next time! n The Bath Pizza Co is open from 12–10pm, Monday to Sunday

Weekend eating at Green Park Brasserie with Brunch and Bottomless Brunch menus

PLUS

Head along to the Bath Pizza Co’s sister company, Green Park Brasserie to enjoy some Brunch and Bottomless Brunch menus. You’ll find relaxed vibes, sunny terraces and possibly more Prosecco than north east Italy. You can unwind and soak up Green Park Brasserie’s Bottomless brunch every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 11am onwards.

With a selection of unlimited drinks (bottomless option) alongside the brunch menu, guests can enjoy the Brasserie’s unique setting, unrivalled hospitality and a selection of brunch classics. Max table sizes of six.

Book your table at greenparkbrasserie.com.

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CITY LANDSCAPE

Escape to the Bathscape Bath has its world-renowned architectural and historic attractions, but it also has a luxurious natural landscape setting that’s integrated into the design of the city. Ahead of their September walking festival, Dan Merrett explains how Bathscape is helping to celebrate the rich local landscape and find ways of enhancing our experience of it

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he recently opened Bath World Heritage Centre in York Street highlights to visitors the attributes of Outstanding Universal Value that were considered as being of such importance by UNESCO as to award the City of Bath its World Heritage Site status. Alongside the Roman and Georgian assets stands the city’s natural landscape setting. Given Bath’s remarkable historical value it is perhaps easy to overlook just how unusual it is for a city to have such a stunning natural setting, especially one that is so integrated into the design of the city, but it is something that the Bathscape scheme is keen to celebrate.

Bathscape is a partnership of 12 organisations who came together with a shared interest in the city’s landscape setting and, led by Bath & North East Somerset Council, acquired funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to deliver a programme of projects running to autumn 2024 to enhance the natural heritage and encourage people to explore it.

The projects range from improving the management of the local woodlands and meadows, to ‘wild day’ activities for local families experiencing challenging situations. We are responsible for the city’s annual Bathscape Walking Festival, with a programme of over 70 free guided walks running over a packed fortnight each September, as well as for improvements to, and waymarking of, the paths that form the Circuit of Bath, the route taken by the Julian House charity fundraising event which closes the September festival.

We believe in the importance of Bath as a ‘landscape city’, where the buildings and infrastructure are balanced by the natural landscape and sense of nature, with that landscape being a defining feature of the city

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and valued by residents and visitors. In Bath we are incredibly fortunate that such a significant proportion of the surrounding hills and valleys is publicly accessible, and we have an abundance of green space just a short walk from our doorsteps, something which became even more important during the recent lockdowns. This therapeutic value of the local landscape has been recognised since Georgian times when patients were encouraged to take the spa waters in the morning followed by

In Bath we are incredibly fortunate that such a significant proportion of the surrounding hills and valleys is publicly accessible brisk exercise on foot or by horse in the afternoon. Today we build on that tradition providing weekly ‘green prescription’ sessions for people referred by their GP or who themselves choose outdoor activities as an alternative to additional medication to improve their mental and physical health.

Our hills and valleys are also incredibly rich in wildlife, in history and archaeology and of course in their beauty, and we want to see that grow. Each summer we harvest wildflower seed from the National Trust’s meadows on the eastern slopes to sow new meadows

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Panorama from Claverton Down

Volunteer teams help keep the paths open

elsewhere in the city, we provide a free advisory service for local owners of species-rich grasslands and woodlands along with small grants for habitat improvements, and our volunteer groups are out each week planting trees, improving paths, and embarking on other conservation tasks.

People are at the heart of the Bathscape scheme. As well as the 12 organisations that form the Bathscape board (see note) we work with dozens of groups and individuals in the area with an interest in the landscape, whether that is amateur archaeologists, local residents’ groups, conservation volunteers or interested individuals willing to give time to research the rich social history. We provide a wide programme of free training and events, work with local schools on outdoor education and through our monthly podcast bring to life some of the extraordinary heritage of the area. While we are small in terms of staff numbers (just two full-time and one part-time post) we are supported by a legion of volunteers as well as by our partner organisations.

So why not get out and enjoy the Bathscape? From a calming stroll along the canal or the river to a hike up one of the many hills to take in the views. There are meadows and woodlands, hidden valleys, and hilltops with bronze age burial mounds. Even in the centre of the city peregrine falcons, rare horseshoe bats and otters can be found. And if

you don’t know where to start then why not join one of our free walks or activities? We want to see more people out enjoying the countryside, and whether it is a short family walk or a long country ramble our September walking festival has something for everyone.

More about the landscape and our activities, including a map of the area’s heritage and selected walks can be found on our website (bathscape.co.uk) while those interested in taking part can contact us on info@bathscape.co.uk. And I can strongly recommend listening in to our monthly ‘Bathscape Footprints’ podcasts on the area’s heritage which can be found at footprints.captivate.fm. n

The Bathscape Landscape Partnership board members are: B&NES Council, Avon Wildlife Trust, National Trust, Cotswolds National Landscape, Bath Natural History Society, The Woodland Trust, Wessex Water, Visit Bath, University of Bath, Bath Preservation Trust and The Federation of Bath’s Residents’ Associations The Bathscape Walking Festival runs from 10–25 September, culminating in the Circuit of Bath sponsored walk for Julian House on 25 September.. bathscape.co.uk/walking-festival

The Bathscape Walking Festival

Breathtaking views

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CITY | AGRICULTURE

Join the Glean team

The 21st century has seen the resurrection of gleaning – the age-old practice of harvesting unwanted crops. We spoke to the coordinator of the Bath branch of the Avon Gleaning Network, Samantha Williamson, who, along with other local volunteers, has collected almost 12 tonnes of surplus fruit and vegetables that would have gone to waste…

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leaning: the act of collecting leftover crops from farmers’ fields after they have been commercially harvested or from land where it is not economically profitable to harvest. Under the blazing sun or cool grey skies, volunteers around the country have been rescuing tonnes of surplus food from their local farms, redistributing them to local food banks and charitable projects. Their aim: to help reduce food waste and alleviate food insecurity in the UK. Research from UK campaign group Feedback, which works to regenerate nature by transforming the food system, found that up to 16% of a farmer’s crop is wasted before it has even left the field, with much more never being harvested at all. While this is often due to a range of factors that are beyond a farmer’s control – such as produce not being the right shape or size for supermarkets, or even inaccurate forecasting by retailers on how much produce they will buy, leaving farmers with excess crop that can’t be harvested without losing money – billions of meals go to waste each year.

The practice of agricultural gleaning is an ancient one. Historical records show that it has been in existence for at least 4,000 years.

The Old Testament commanded Hebrew farmers to leave a portion of their crops unharvested and allow neighbours to pick what was left for themselves and their families. Gleaning came to an end in the late

18th century when a court case ruled in favour of private property rights and landowners began to restrict access to fields. Today, however, as 9.5 million tonnes of food are thrown away in a single year and 7 million people struggle to afford to eat, it is clear that gleaning is needed as much as it ever was.

With that in mind, Feedback launched its Gleaning Network project in 2012. Seven years later, after working with 60 farmers, 3,000 volunteers and numerous charities to salvage over 500 tonnes of food, Feedback began to train community groups across the country to run gleaning activities in their local area.

The campaign group initially supported the newly formed networks with a £2,000 grant, which allowed over 20 teams to evolve into well-oiled machines.

In Bath our local group is the Avon Gleaning Network (previously the Bath Gleaning Network) – founded by Nick Haigh in September 2020, the Bath branch is headed up by Samantha Williamson. With over 700 hours of volunteer time, the Avon Gleaning Network has saved nearly 12 tonnes of food from 16 farms across the Avon and Somerset region. Some 28 charitable food projects, including Fareshare, Stokes Croft Food Project and Secret Soup Society, have received fresh produce that would have otherwise gone to waste.

“I started volunteering with Avon Gleaning Network in the summer of 2021 after reading an article about a project in Los Angeles, USA

The Avon Gleaning Network has saved nearly 12 tonnes of food from 16 farms across the Avon and Somerset region

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where they rescued fruits from trees in the city and redistributed them to local citizens,” says Samantha. My local group was in Bristol and I h ‘ got in touch with Nick Haigh who was running that group for advice on how to start my own network around Bath. We decided to join forces and expand the existing network.”

Feedback’s gleaning network has not only helped tackle issues of food waste in the UK, but it has given volunteers the opportunity to engage with the food system hands-on. “Food waste is a huge issue in the UK and gleaning, while not the ultimate solution, is a great way to alleviate this problem, also getting people outdoors into the fields which has great mental and physical health benefits. Gleaning also increases awareness of our food systems, where food comes from, and the problem of food waste. It connects like-minded people, which builds a stronger and more resilient community,” explains Samantha.

Although the Avon Gleaning Network goes from strength to strength, it relies heavily on volunteers to help drive the campaign into a national movement. “We’re calling out for more coordinators and volunteers to help build on the work of our members,” says Sam. “We’re also looking to connect with more local growers in the Avon and Somerset area to help save tonnes of food from going to waste.”

“The amount of time that I work for the Network varies from 3–5 hours per week to in peak harvesting season upwards of 15 hours a week. Our volunteers can dedicate as much or as little time as they have, whether they attend every glean or just a couple a year, we appreciate it all!”

Ultimately, this ancient tradition has transformed into a dynamic opportunity to tackle food waste and security in our communities – its potential is vast.

Get in touch at: avongleaning.org.uk. Follow Avon Gleaning Network on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook: @avongleaning

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CITY | MEMORIES

LOOKING BACK AT...

The River Avon at Batheaston

Writer and photographer Jane Gifford remembers the life that swarmed around the River Avon at Batheaston just 30 years ago. This precious spot is now safeguarded from future development, but it’s in a modern reincarnation, a world away from the spreading water meadows and bustling river banks of recent history. Photographs by Jane Gifford

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loved the quiet of the River Avon at Batheaston. The solace of the river gliding slowly by soothed away any troubles. You seldom passed a soul on the river-side path. The view was constantly changing, as the mist rose and fell in the valley.

A kingfisher often flashed by in shades of vivid blue and red.

You might see one perched on a fishing post over-looking the water.

The river-banks were riddled with holes, nesting sites for these water birds and for the swallows and swifts, which swooped and banked in the skies. Occasionally, a grass snake swam across the water. Moorhens hid amongst the reeds. Water-voles, too. Cows came down to the shallows to drink. There was no formal path on the water-meadow side, but local anglers would find a sheltered spot to dream away the day beneath their umbrellas.

The river swarmed with life. Dragonflies, mayflies and damselflies dried their wings in my garden. Wildflowers lined the river-banks.

Teasels, bullrushes, purple-loosestrife and water lilies were commonplace, evening primroses, water-rushes and king-cups. The banks were lined with trees, especially willows, which showed the marks of centuries of management. They were regularly cut down above the heads of the cattle (pollarded) and the poles which grew back were harvested to make hurdles or use for fuel. Hurdles shored up the river banks to stop erosion. Alders were festooned with golden catkins in spring, unusual for being deciduous and bearing cones.

I was then compiling a book, The Celtic Wisdom of Trees. I drove all over Ireland looking for aspen trees, only to spot some on the river bank directly below my bedroom window. Their autumn leaves shone yellow and burnt orange. The aspens have been felled now. The wildflowers ploughed into the soil. In their place, boggy ground and pointed railings. Householders now have their view across the river.

In winter and early spring, the river regularly burst its banks, spreading out over the water-meadows, only to recede again, leaving behind its cargo of rich alluvial mud. The pasture has been saved, but the water-meadows are sadly lost. The river has been straightened, the sides banked up. The muddy footpath is eroded and the shallows

The river swarmed with life. Dragonflies, mayflies and damselflies dried their wings in my garden Willow and alder on the misty riverbank in summer, with the water meadows beyond

Willow (Salix alba) with ducks in winter

gone. Sheep have replaced the cows. The sky is now virtually devoid of chattering swallows and swifts. The lapwings, herons and dragonflies have gone. Most of the trees, too. The fritillaries on the water-meadows at Cricklade are a rare reminder of how it once was.

Batheaston is now the ‘paddle-boarding centre’ of Bath. We have gained a café and lost a post office. The view across the meadows from the opposite bank has been interrupted by a wide tarmac path which leads into town, ‘The Green Corridor’. This is an undeniably popular route, teeming with walkers, dogs and bicycles – all funnelled across the water by the new bridge. ‘The Bridge over the River Kwai’ locals dubbed it. The rowers have been joined by canoeists and wild swimmers.

Those who did not know the river only 30 years ago still love this spot for its accessibility. The National Trust intend to replant the missing trees and save some of the land from further development.

Wildlife and anglers have been replaced by joggers, bicycles and dogs.

The Green Corridor is proving popular. But I miss the peace of the river. I miss my favourite local walk and finding a space in the riverside car park. I miss the earth underfoot and the centuries of history in the trees. n Jane Gifford is a writer and photographer specialising in travel, garden, wildlife and environmental issues. janegifford.net nationaltrust.org.uk/bathampton-meadows

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Aspen (Populus tremula) on the riverbank, in late summer

South of Bath Alliance dps.qxp_Layout 1 20/07/2022 15:45 Page 1

HELP SAVE SOUTH STOKE PLATEAU The South of Bath is under threat!

300 plus homes are proposed for the South Stoke Plateau, this is in addition to the 171 now being built.

This exceeds any prior plans.

More houses mean more traffic, noise, light pollution and the loss of trees and wildlife.

Help Protect our plateau This importants part of the Cotswold Landscape is on the dege of Bath World Heritate Site, acclaimed for its history and green surroundings.

You are needed!

We need more, not less, green spaces. If we all act together, we can save this special place.

A natural habitat Skylarks nest on the plateau and sing in the Spring and Summer. If their habitat is built on, they will be gone forever.

Find out how you can make a difference and regsiter your support at: www.soba.org.uk

DEADLINE F OR OBJECTIONS TH 7 AUG

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ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE

Bath’s World Heritage Setting is under threat South Stoke Plateau is a beautiful component of the Cotswold Landscape and forms part of the Setting of the Bath World Heritage Site. It is under threat from a proposal to build over 500 houses.

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ross the Midford Road from the Cross Keys pub in Combe Down, go through the stile behind the bus stop and you will be on the edge of the South Stoke Plateau. You will also be standing on the Wansdyke, an ancient earthwork that runs along the entire northern edge of the plateau and a Scheduled Ancient Monument. Look south west across the open fields and you can see where developers are hoping to build an estate of over 500 houses.

The plateau is a key part of the Cotswold landscape, arable land subdivided by dry stone walls, and is part of the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It extends south towards the village of South Stoke and the steep slopes of the Cam Brook Valley. South Stoke is little changed from the 1950s when Nikolaus Pevsner, the famous architectural historian, described it as: “The happy sight of a village still entirely un-suburbanised, though only two miles from the main station of a city”.

The plateau is widely used for walking by locals and visitors. On a spring morning you can hear skylarks singing high overhead. On a summer evening flocks of swifts can be seen feeding over the fields. At night, bats, including the very rare greater-horseshoe bat, feed along the southern edge of the plateau coming out from their roosts in Sulis Manor and its outbuildings.

Sulis Manor and the gardens have been under threat of demolition to make way for new houses

To reach this proposed development a road would be built in front of Sulis Manor. This would mean removing over 70 trees and demolishing outbuildings where seven different species of bats roost. All the traffic from these houses would have to arrive and leave via Combe Hay Lane, already a bottleneck, on to the Odd Down Park and Ride roundabout before joining the queues at the top of the Wellsway to get in to Bath. The south of Bath already has major issues with traffic, and this is before the impact following completion of the houses on the western plateau and the 700 houses at Mulberry Park. And all of this is at conflict with the current Bath Climate and Ecological Emergency.

171 houses are being built on the western plateau and inside the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and there are plans to extend this development across the whole plateau

Walk west across the plateau and past Sulis Manor built in the Arts & Crafts style, and you come across something very different. You will find a massive building site on what was once green fields. The land was sold by the Hignett Family Trust to the developers Countryside Properties in April 2021 for £19.8 million. 171 houses are now being built there in a development known as Sulis Down, ironically named after what has been destroyed.

The plans do not stop at this. The Hignett Family Trust have now submitted plans to build another 300 houses on the eastern fields. It would put an estate of houses that goes right up to the edge of the South Stoke Conservation Area. The ‘entirely un-suburbanised’ quality of South Stoke that Pevsner praised, would be destroyed forever. Skylarks would be lost from the entire plateau. ‘The green setting of the city in a hollow in the hills’, one of the key seven guiding principles that denote Bath’s status as a UNESCO World Heritage City, would be compromised.

In the past three years B&NES has delivered 3,100 new houses, exceeding their house building target by 84%, and achieving this by building almost entirely on brownfield land. In addition, there are still other brownfield sites like the former Bath Press site on Lower Bristol Road which is in the pipeline for development.

Access to green space is critical for us all. The last two demanding years particularly have taught us how important open landscape is for our health and well-being. We do not need to build on green fields to provide new homes, particularly if they remain unaffordable to first-time buyers.

Too often we look back and think – how did they allow that to happen? Well now the responsibility falls on us. The South Stoke Plateau is a special place to be protected for future generations. It must not be destroyed. We must fight to save it before it is too late, and we must do so now. You can make your objections by writing to B&NES about this planning application. For more information, help and advice on how to object please visit the South of Bath Alliance web site at www.soba.org.uk.

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CITY | NEWS

CIT Y NEWS

FOURTH YEAR RECOGNITION FOR MOGERS

BOOM BATTLE BAR

Situated in Kingsmead Leisure Complex, Boom Battle Bar is a competitive entertainment bar. The interactive sports entertainment bar is the first for Bath, stepping away from the classic nightlife experience and offering brilliant sporting experiences such as axe throwing, electric darts, nine-hole crazy golf, table tennis and much more. If you’re looking for ways to spice up your night out and want a bar experience that offers more than the classic pint and music, then you need to visit this new and exciting adventure bar that offers an extensive list of crazy activities.

It’s not just the quirky activities – there is also an array of cocktails, drinks and food supplied by expert bar staff.

To find out more call 01225 634001 or visit the website to book boombattlebar.com/bath

Private Client Partner, David Hill has been recognised by the prestigious Chambers High Net Worth Guide for the fourth year in a row. Published every July, Chambers independently researches lawyers across the UK by interviewing clients and accessing the quality of work and then ranking the top performing lawyers in its High Net Worth Guide.

In the guide, clients of Private Client Partner, David Hill state he “shows great empathy for delicate and personal situations,” adding “He is very supportive, friendly, and will go the extra mile to explain complex issues in straightforward ways.”

David's practice includes estate and succession planning.

Professional advisers interviewed for the Guide say: "From a personal observation David relates well to his clients and expresses himself to them in a comprehensive and fully understandable way and that’s why we work alongside him." mogersdrewett.com

STONE KING STRENGTHENS ITS TEAMS Bath-headquartered law firm Stone King has strengthened two key teams with new paralegal appointments.

Firstly the firm’s Private Client Property team has welcomed Zoya Ustado as a paralegal. Paralegal Lucie Green has also joined the firm’s Crime team.

Stone King operates nationally with offices in Bath, Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge, Leeds and London. The firm has built a reputation for excellence among both private and commercial clients. stoneking.co.uk

L to R: Lucie Green and Zoya Ustado

PUNCTURE-PROOF TYRES Gecko Rubber has launched a Kickstarter campaign to scale up the manufacturing of their new 100% puncture-proof, 100% recyclable bicycle tyres. Over one million tonnes of tyres and inner tubes are discarded each year, and with limited recycling options, the majority end up in landfill. With Gecko Airless Tyres punctures will become a thing of the past and tyres can be recycled at the end of their natural life. Using a patented two-stage rubber moulding technology, Gecko Rubber have optimised their formulation to maximise performance, reduce rolling resistance, and compete with pneumatic tyres. Suitable for bicycles and e-bikes, the tyres are easy to install, grip in wet and dry conditions and are extremely durable. geckorubber.com

Discover the world class companies in Bath and what makes them unlimited..

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ocl A C C O U N TA N C Y

141 Englishcombe Lane, Bath BA2 2EL Tel: 01225 445507

www.oclaccountancy.com

Investment properties: Capital gains tax relief for capital expenditure Gains made on the sale of second homes (e.g. buy-to-let properties or holiday lets) are subject to Capital Gains Tax. The gain is calculated by deducting the original cost of the property from the sale proceeds as well as capital expenditure incurred on the property during ownership.

Capital expenditure would include the cost of building or acquiring the property, enhancing the value of the property and the incidental cost of acquiring or disposing of it.

Incidental costs include: - fees for the professional services of surveyors, valuers, auctioneers, accountants, agents and legal advisers - the costs of transfer or conveyance - stamp duty land tax - the costs of advertising to find a buyer - any costs reasonably incurred in making a valuation or apportionment for the purposes of the CGT computation.

Fees paid to professional advisors are only allowable for CGT purposes where they relate directly to the acquisition or disposal. Accountancy fees relating to the disclosure of the property disposal to HMRC, are not directly related to the disposal itself and therefore not allowable.

While the property is owned, money spent on enhancing the property could be an allowable deduction for CGT purposes. This could be an extension, loft conversion, full renovation or upgrade of a bathroom or kitchen for example.

The expenditure must be incurred for the purpose of enhancing the asset and must also be reflected in the state of the asset at the time of its disposal.

The cost of an extension would only be allowable if the extension is still there when the property is sold.

A distinction must be drawn between improvement expenditure and repairs. A repair maintains the current state of a property whereas enhancement improves the property. Repair costs are not deductible for CGT purposes.

In all cases it is important to keep a record of all work done to the property (with invoices) along with the purchase and sale completion statements so that you do not miss out on any possible CGT relief!

Where CGT is payable, a CGT return now needs to be completed and submitted to HMRC within 60 days of completion.

For tax saving tips contact us – call Marie Sheldrake, Matt Bryant or Samantha Taylor on 01225 445507

Call Marie Sheldrake, Matt Bryant or Samantha Taylor on 01225 445507 to arrange a no-obligation meeting

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BOOKS | FROM PAGE TO SCREEN

Reflections on Rooney

Sally Rooney’s novels are loved by some, loathed by others; after the recent Conversations with Friends television adaptation of Rooney’s book, Daisy Game contemplates the term ‘millennial’ – and the likeability of unlikeable characters

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irst there was a girl (Marianne); then then there was a boy (Connell); then there was novel concerning said girl and boy; then there was a TV programme – and then, there was a pandemic.

And so it was that on a cold, dreary week in Lockdown 1.0, the first episode of Normal People (based on Sally Rooney’s novel) aired – and the Sally Rooney Cult was born. YouTube videos, blog posts, and Spotify playlists – all in celebration of Sally and her coming-of-age bestseller-turned-TVphenomenon – sprung up in the show’s wake; Tumblr threads unwound, Twitter trails grew. There were even Instagram accounts set up with the express intention of paying homage to 1) the thin metal chain worn by the rather dashing Connell / Paul Mescal (@connelschain, for the rightfully curious) and 2) Marianne / Daisy Edgar Jones’ perfect hairstyle, ‘@mariannesbangs’.

But Rooney wasn’t a total crowd-pleaser.

Many attributed Normal People’s success to ‘Lockdown Loneliness’: deprived of all flirtation/touch, it’s little wonder that we all fawned over Rooney’s teenage-to-twenties romance; the novelist, the sceptics concluded, had simply received a cosmic shove onto the 2020 cultural scene.

Even before her runaway TV success, Rooney proved divisive. Shortly after her first novel, Conversations with Friends (2017), was published, the critical world honoured (/shackled: discuss) Rooney with ‘the first great millennial novelist’ title. For said millennials, this was a pretty thrilling concept: “Our very own novelist!”, cried the babes of ’81–’96: “Somebody who fills the pages of her books with text messages, dating apps and complicated sex!” For others – let’s call them the Rooney Naysayers – the ‘M’ word alone was enough

Sasha Lane as Bobbi (left) and Alison Oliver as Frances (right) in Conversations With Friends (2022) Image credit: BBC/Element Pictures/Enda Bowe

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to inspire a quick jog for the hills. And as for the stories themselves – let’s not even go there.

One of The Naysayers’ main bugbears has to do with the likeability of Rooney’s characters – or, as the RN’s suggest, the lack thereof. They’re not wrong: Rooney’s young people do tend to be pretty spiky and selfabsorbed; petulant and neurotic. They think, and think again, and then overthink – and then overthink some more. They do the wrong thing more often that the right, and are just as likely to treat one another poorly as they are to treat one another well; they sleep with married men, think judgemental thoughts, and allow pride to cloud judgement.

Rooney doesn’t create monsters; she simply peels back that tight, polite, façade that we’re all so fond of wearing So, no – Rooney doesn’t go in for The Wholly Good Girl/Guy; but I think there’s something rather lovely about her celebration of youth’s less pretty parts.

Rooney doesn’t create monsters; she simply peels back that tight, polite, façade that we’re all so fond of wearing – even when we’re alone, looking in the bathroom mirror.

Her characters (and by extension, her readers) are laid bare, bright and true.

So – that’s on (dis)likeability. The second argument thrown by The Naysayers goes

something along the lines of “But nothing ever happens? Rooney would literally write an entire chapter about buying a loaf of bread in Sainsburys?”.What do we care, the argument continues, that Marianne decided to pour herself a glass of orange juice, or that, when Connell takes a sip of his own drink,“the beer is cold but the glass is room temperature”. Isn’t it all rather banal? All rather slow? Well, yes – and no: in my books (pun intended) that’s a fairly blinkered take on things. Because for every glass of orange juice, Rooney gives us a brilliant, startlingly truthful glimpse into her characters' interior lives: we learn about Connell’s depression (Normal People), Frances’ endometriosis (Conversations with Friends), and Alice’s anxiety (Beautiful World, Where are You).

We are let in on the character’s most intimate thoughts one moment, only to be booted firmly back out into the observationalperiphery the next. Which, to me, is Rooney’s rather brilliant way of mimicking the fluctuations through which our relationships move ‘IRL’ (i.e., ‘in real life’).

At times we are so close to those that we love, we feel that we’re almost inside them: we breathe – and think – as one. But at others, we are forced to watch from afar: left to hazard a guess at that person’s feelings through their silence – or their fridge raid.

Novels are magic: they allow you escape the world you know, and to visit those that you don’t. But my favourite books don’t take me so far from home. They validate my own experience of things: make me feel like that thought I had, or that thing I did, wasn’t so untoward after all. They don’t allow me respite from reality, but instead root me more firmly and comfortably within it – however messy that reality might be. n Sally Rooney’s novels are available in all good bookstores

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Nesting Arrangements

What is nesting?

For anyone who has recently watched BBC’s The Split you may be familiar with the term ‘nesting’ (also known as ‘bird-nesting’).

It is an arrangement whereby upon separation, parents take it in turns to stay in one property (usually the family home) to care for the children, rather than the children moving between two separate homes. The concept gets its name from birds nesting, whereby they keep their chicks safe in a nest and take turns to fly in and out to care for them.

Generally, this is a short-term option at the early stages of a separation and reserved for parents where there is a great deal of trust and co-operation.

It can create a smoother transition period for the children and reduce the disruption to their lives, retaining routine and familiarity in the initial stages whilst coming to terms with and adapting to their parents’ separation.

Is nesting right for our family?

No ‘one size fits all’ when it comes to families. For this to be a viable option, parents must be amicable as parental conflict is likely to unhinge any prospect of the arrangement working. Both parents must fully buy in to pursuing this as an option.

Nesting is a very child-focussed concept and parents will need to consider all the implications of what this entails. For example – are there any concerns about privacy and personal belongings remaining at the family home.

There also needs to be consideration of financial implications of nesting.

For example, renting or buying an albeit smaller second property as well as retaining the family home may not be an option. Equally being able to stay with friends/relatives when not caring for the children at the family home may not be feasible.

RECEIVE THE BATH MAGAZINE BY POST AND NEVER MISS OUT We deliver to over 15,000 addresses every month, and there’s plenty of pick up points around town. But if you live outside our distribution area or would like us to send a copy to friends or family, we offer a magazine mailing service.

Make sure you never miss an issue... all 12 issues from just £33*

I am interested in nesting, what should I do?

We would always recommend speaking with a legal professional to help you decide if nesting is the right option for you and your family. Assuming you do wish to pursue this option, it is advisable for an agreement to be drawn up to set out clear ground rules and responsibilities from the beginning - from new partners staying over to who stocks the fridge.

If you have any questions please get in touch with Family Paralegal Laura Somoza on 01225 750002 or email laura.somoza@mogersdrewett.com.

We are here to help.

ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTIONS FROM JUST £33* SUBSCRIBE ONLINE AT www.thebathmag.co.uk/subscribe or call: 01225 424 499

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EDUCATION

EDUCATION NEWS MILLFIELD SKIER SELECTED Millfield skier George Black has been selected for the Great Britain Snowsport Alpine squad for the 2022–2023 season.

Lower Sixth student George, who races in slalom and giant slalom, gained his place following a string of performances, culminating in a strong showing at the British Ski Championships in Tignes, France. George finished as the third overall skier, and as the highest ranked U18 and U21 competitor. The budding sportsman has represented Team GB at both the U14 and U16 age groups. George, 17, grew up in the French Alps, began skiing at the age of three and joined Meribel Ski Club at the age of seven. millfieldschool.com

NETBALL SUCCESS

Team Bath’s Imogen Allison is playing in the England Netball squad for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, which runs until 8 August.

Mid-courter Allison, who captained the Haines Watts-sponsored Blue & Gold to a bronze medal during the 2022 Vitality Superleague season, replaced Beth Cobden, who had to withdraw through injury. Allison, who has represented England in all age groups, is the third member of Team Bath’s 2022 Superleague squad to be selected for the host nation and defending champions, joining fellow University of Bath graduate Sophie Drakeford-Lewis and Layla Guscoth. Visit teambath.com/Birmingham-2022 for details of who to watch and when. teambath.com/tennis

SING JOYFULLY IN BATHWICK The Royal School of Church Music (RSCM)’s week-long summer training course for choristers aged 8–21 takes place in Bath again this year, after a break of two years. There is also a showcase concert, Sing Joyfully! A Choral Celebration, on 27 August, which is a new part of the course for 2022. In a varied programme of classic choral music, the training course celebrates the achievement of nearly 100 young people from across the UK and beyond who are participating this year. Led by RSCM’s Director, Hugh Morris, the evening promises to be a joyful and uplifting occasion.

Sing Joyfully! A Choral Celebration is on 27 August at 7pm at St Mary’s Church, Bathwick. Tickets from: bathboxoffice.org.uk

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Successful, well-established year-round language school in the centre of Bath requires

HOMESTAY HOSTS IN BATH to host both short-term and long-term students.

We teach adults and teenagers, and need both single and twin-room accommodation.

For further details, including rates of payment, please contact our Student Services Manager:

Sarah Wringer Kaplan International Languages Bath, 5 Trim Street, Bath, BA1 1HB Direct Line (01225) 448840 Email: sarah.wringer@kaplan.com

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the orangery clinic l a s e r

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a e s t h e t i c s

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About our clinic The Orangery is an independent beauty and aesthetic clinic established for over 30 years.

We are the experts in skin health, aesthetics and advanced beauty treatments in Bath.

An oasis of calm, we pride ourselves on delivering excellent customer service from our small, friendly, professional team.

Now located at No1 Argyle Street, just over Pulteney Bridge with light, airy treatment rooms backing onto the river, the ambience of our clinic is the perfect backdrop to the new and inspirational clinical treatments we offer.

No.1 Argyle Street, Bath BA2 4BA Tel: 01225 466851 Email: theorangeryclinic@gmail.com the_orangery_clinic www.theorangerylaserandbeautybath.co.uk

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Suzannah

Meet the Team

Suzannah is the founder of The Orangery Clinic which she set up over 30 years ago.

Suzannah and the team strive to create a clinic offering one of a kind service, to deliver the best in customer care and to be known for being the ultimate professionals, enhancing the inner beauty and confidence of their clients and to promote self worth.

Suzannah is a highly qualified aesthetician specialising in advanced beauty treatments to include ELECTROLYSIS for permanent hair reduction, CRYOTHERAPY to treat SKIN TAGS, SUN SPOTS, AGE SPOTS and WARTS as well as DERMAPEN skin needling treatments, WOW FACIAL a five stage facial treatment, transforming skin health with lasting results and MICRODERMABRASION. Come and experience a friendly atmosphere where you will feel pampered and listened to, exceeding your expectations and keep you coming back for more.

Hannah Hannah is the beauty and skin care specialist here at The Orangery and has worked within the beauty industry for nearly ten years. Hannah has gone on to train with some of the best skincare professionals to be able to offer sought after treatments including FACIAL SCULPTING MASSAGE and the BUCCAL FACIAL. With her wealth of knowledge and experience in treating the skin she is able to analyse and treat the skin effectively knowing that there is usually an internal connection to the skin concerns.

Hannah works alongside skincare brands ENVIRON and GUINOT offering a range of their FACIALS and SKINCARE LINES as well as all the other beauty treatments including NAIL TREATMENTS, LASH TREATMENTS, WAXING and THREADING. Enjoy healthy, beautiful skin, no matter what your age.

Philippa Philippa is a lifestyle and nutrition coach with over 15 years experience in clinical practice. Through FUNCTIONAL TESTING and a PERSONALISED NUTRITIONAL PROGRAMME she will guide and motivate you to make sense of what you need to do to make positive, permanent changes to your health. OPTIMISING YOUR PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH WILL HELP YOU FEEL MORE ENERGISED AND CONFIDENT, RELAXED AND CENTRED, LOSE UNWANTED WEIGHT AND RESTORE THE GLOW OF HEALTHY SKIN. She specialises in restoring gut health and digestion, allowing your body to fully utilise the nutrients in your food to increase your vitality and reduce systemic inflammation, which encourages chronic health conditions. Having personally understood the challenges that the menopause can bring, Philippa has worked on her own health to find approaches that will help you MAINTAIN, OR RECOVER YOUR HEALTH THROUGH COMPREHENSIVE FULL MIND AND BODY PLANS. Take back control of your life.

Victoria

Victoria has worked within Health and Beauty since 2005. Starting her career in Personal Fitness Training, Nutrition and Sports Massage, Victoria then went on to do a degree in Psychology, with a dissertation in Motivation for Wellbeing Behaviours. On joining The Orangery, Victoria has since qualified in AESTHETIC BODY TREATMENTS and IPL HAIR REMOVAL, SKIN REJUVENATION AND THREAD VEIN TREATMENTS. Victoria has a passion for helping people look and feel their healthiest and most rejuvenated. Body treatments include LPG ENDERMOLOGY FOR CELLULITE AND LYMPH DRAINAGE, VELASHAPE FOR TIGHTENING AND TONING AND HIFU FOR BODY SCULPTING. All treatments are supported by her knowledge of health and fitness through diet and exercise.

With Victorias comprehensive experience of body health and beauty, you really can look and feel more youthful and energised.

Imogen Imogen, founder of I-ology, is based at The Orangery Clinic. Specialising in treatments by leading brands such as NOUVEAU LVL, HD BROWS AND SCULPT, she is also fully trained by Natural Enhancement and offers SEMI-PERMANENT MAKEUP FOR EYEBROWS, EYES AND LIPS. Imogen has a keen eye for detail and is very passionate about enhancing your natural beauty using subtle definition and semipermanent makeup techniques. Properly shaped eyebrows will frame your face, creating a more youthful appearance and help you feel the best version of you.

Imogen is renowned for being ahead of her game with the latest treatments, delivering a bespoke experience and fulfilling each of her clients personal needs.

So whether you lead an active life, experience hair loss or struggle to apply even consistent makeup, I-ology is perfect for you.

Aesthetics Non surgical facial rejuvenation PERFORMED BY OUR HIGHLY QUALIFIED AND EXPERIENCED DR believing in natural looking results. Our aim is to provide the highest level of expertise for both men and women by way of DERMAL FILLERS to revitalise your face and restore volume loss, LIP ENHANCEMENT, WRINKLE TREATMENTS, PROFHILO, and NON SURGICAL SKIN TIGHTENING AND LIFTING TREATMENTS FOR FACE, EYES AND NECK using the most advanced technology available giving immediate results.

We provide a free of charge in-depth consultation and recommended treatment plan for each individual client as no two people are the same.

For many people the younger they look the better they feel, age is an unstoppable process but we can help with our vast range of treatments for face, eyes and neck.

Lets get you booked in

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JOIN OUR DISTRIBUTION TEAM – PART TIME DELIVERY JOBS IN BATH Every Month, usually the last week of the month, we deliver copies of The Bath Magazine directly to select residential areas across the city. The Bath Magazine is one of the best things our readers receive through their letterbox.

Jaime Brain Dip CDT RCS (Eng) GDC 142490

Kevin Milne BDS

Jaime and Kevin can help you regain your confidence and your smile by offering:

NEW TEETH WHITENING • Free Consultation • New Dentures Direct • • Denture Repairs • BOOK YOUR FREE CONSULTATION ON

01225 311 681

27 Walcot Buildings (Weymouth Street), Bath, BA1 6AD

www.jbdentureclinic.co.uk

We currently have a few areas that have become available and can offer a minimum of 5 hours work for individuals looking for a little work. Depending on the area – the average number of magazines is around 500. Each area takes around 5 – 8 hours to complete.

The magazines can be quite bulky, so you will need to be fit and active as well as trustworthy, and very reliable.

You will need to have use of a car, and a mobile phone.

You will also be based in or very near Bath.

We currently pay £9.50 per hour – which is taxable depending on circumstances – and we do include ‘drive time’ Additionally – we are always interested in hearing from husband and wife, or family.

Sorry no children.

CALL STEVE on 01225 424499 or email:

steve@thebathmagazine.co.uk

Discover our newsletter Stay well informed. Stay well entertained.

Our weekly newsletter, is specially curated mini-guide to help you get the best of your time in Bath.

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Put back pain behind you Back pain or nerve pain affecting the arms or legs can affect anyone at any time of life, bringing misery to sufferers and seriously affecting their quality of life. Here, Nuffield Health Bristol Hospital offers advice on how to solve your spinal problems.

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ffecting over 80 percent of us at some stage in our lives, back pain is the most common cause of absence from work in the UK. It could be the result of a slipped disc, arthritis of the spinal joints, repeated minor stresses, bone deterioration, or an injury. However, by reducing the stresses and strains on the spine during daily activities, the risk of developing back pain or limb pain from spinal nerve compression can be lessened. Therefore, it is important to be constantly aware of maintaining a good posture, both at home and at work.

Daily spinal health checklist: • Be aware of your posture and ensure your spine is straight and well-balanced.

• Take time to improve core muscle tone, and set aside a few minutes each day for tensing exercises of your stomach, pelvic and back muscles.

• Good exercises for back muscles include swimming, walking, cycling and gentle keep-fit.

• Maintain a good body weight to avoid unnecessary strain on your spinal joints.

• Remember to use correct lifting techniques and distribute the weight evenly while carrying.

• Don’t bend when you could kneel or squat, and never stoop or bend over for prolonged periods, especially for lifting.

• If bending over or sitting for a long time, gently stretch backwards when standing up.

• Avoid sit ups, double leg lifts, and touching toes.

• Always warm up and stretch before sport, and cool down and stretch afterwards.

Many spinal problems can be prevented and some can be self-treated. However, when the symptoms do not settle, or worsen, then professional help and advice may be needed.

Patients with persistent or progressive symptoms can benefit from a specialist assessment and diagnostic spinal MRI scanning with a view to offering physiotherapy, injection therapy, and pain management.

Mr Mark Nowell, a Consultant Spinal Neurosurgeon at Nuffield Health Bristol Hospital, explains: “Degenerative changes to the spine are very common, and present in almost all adults. If a nerve is compressed, this can cause pain in the arm or leg. In the majority of cases, symptoms are mild or improve with conservative measures. This includes medication, physiotherapy, injection treatments, and education on core strengthening exercise and injury avoidance.

“Occasionally symptoms are severe, have a profound effect on quality of life, and do not respond to non-surgical treatments. In these patients, spinal surgery may provide the best route to pain relief and return to normal life.

If we are confident that a compressed nerve is the pain generator, targeted microsurgical decompression of this nerve within an appropriate timeframe has excellent results, with greater than 80% success rate. Duration of symptoms is important, however – a recent study has shown that surgery has lower success rates if the nerve pain lasted over a year, so seeking treatment quickly after first developing symptoms could make a significant difference to a patient’s overall recovery.”

The spinal team at Nuffield Health Bristol Hospital provides comprehensive assessment and treatment for a range of spinal conditions, taking a multidisciplinary approach to ensure they find the right treatment pathway for each individual patient.

In addition to Mr Nowell (pictured), also available for consultation are fellow Consultant Neurosurgeons Mr Nitin Patel, Mr Nik Patel and Mr Neil Barua, and Consultant Orthopaedic Spinal Surgeons Mr Ian Harding, Mr Stephen Morris and Mr Michael Katsimihas.

The team also includes specialist Consultants in Pain Medicine, Dr Gareth Greenslade and Dr Gaurav Chhabra, who offer non-surgical treatments, along with physiotherapists, radiologists and specialist nurses who ensure a smooth diagnosis and recovery.

If you’ve been suffering from back or neck pain and would like to book an appointment with one of our specialist Spinal Consultant Surgeons at Nuffield Health Bristol Hospital, call 0117 911 6062, or visit our website: www.nuffieldhealth.com/hospitals/bristol.

Nuffield Health Bristol Hospital 3 Clifton Hill, Bristol BS8 1BN nuffieldhealth.com/hospitals/bristol

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THE | WALK

A Wiltshire Cotswolds walk

Andrew Swift walks from the picturesque village of Biddestone, taking in ducks, pigs, a ruined fulling mill, a church once sacked by Parliamentary soldiers, packhorse trails, hidden valleys and dark woods

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iddestone is one of the most picturesque villages in Wiltshire, yet, despite being only a couple of miles from Castle Combe, gets only a fraction of its visitors. Much of it is ranged around one of the finest greens in England, where a reedy pond, loud with ducks, is overlooked by a 17th-century farmhouse with a gazebo perched on its garden wall.

Nestling alongside it is the resolutely traditional White Horse, while, on the far side of the green, grand houses are set back between rows of cottages, all built – and tiled – with local stone.

Biddestone is also the starting point for an exploration of one of the most glorious – and at times strangest – parts of Wiltshire, where packhorse trails wind along hidden valleys and climb through dark woods.

To get to the starting point, head east from Bath along the A4 for 10 miles, and, after passing Pickwick, turn left at traffic lights following a sign for Biddestone. When you reach the village, there should be parking just past the White Horse on the Green (although not on the grass) (ST844736: SN14 7DG). If there isn’t, carry on and turn left into Church Road.

The walk starts by heading along Church Road, where the Church of St Nicholas boasts a remarkable medieval bell turret. Inside, the church is a delight, low-roofed, with box pews and a gallery. Carry on along The Butts, where the run of splendid buildings continues with 18th-century Mountjoy Farm and thatched cottages.

When the road swings left to Hartham, carry straight on along Weavern Lane, with blackberries ripening in the hedgerows and a rich variety of plants in the verges.

After 1100m, as the land starts dropping gently downhill, the views ahead, down the By Brook Valley to Bath, open up. After another 750m, when the lane divides, take the left fork to carry straight on (ST849718). Go through a gate as the lane, growing ever rougher, continues downhill for 225m, before coming to another fork, just before some impressive log piles Turn left to head steeply downhill, continuing over a cross track and heading into woodland. At the bottom, carry on along the bridleway, ignoring a footpath on the left. Soon the track starts curving uphill, its high banks indicating that it was once a packhorse trail.

When it meets another track by a large stone, turn right downhill (ST844715). After 125m, cross another track and carry straight on through a gate to emerge into a glorious hidden valley. After another 300m, when you come to a couple of gates – a farm gate and a handgate – in the valley bottom, don’t go through either but turn right The Green at Biddestone

The By Brook near Slaughterford

alongside the fence to follow an almost imperceptible track which becomes clearer as it enters the woods (ST842717).

This narrow, rutted bridleway – which appears on old maps as a wide packhorse trail – climbs to a gate leading back onto Weavern Lane, along which you turn left. In contrast to the section you walked along earlier, the next 1300m is heavily rutted and notoriously muddy, even in the dry season.

Eventually, however, after passing a farm turning on the right, tarmac returns. Another 250m further on, when a lane swings in from the right, carry straight on, and, after 300m, turn down a byway on the left (ST843737).

This leads through Chapps Mill, originally a fulling mill, which was converted to produce paper in 1790, and, apart from a hiatus between 1805 and 1827, continued to do so until 1994. Some of the buildings are now home to a variety of studios and workshops, but parts of the site remain derelict.

Follow byway signs to the right and then left through the site, and, on leaving it, turn right, following a Heritage Trail waymark. Turn right at a T junction, cross the By Brook and turn left.

This is the village of Slaughterford, so called, it was once believed, because King Alfred scored a victory over Danish forces here. Today, however, its name is thought to have had a less violent genesis, as ‘sloe-tree ford’.

After 75m, when the lane swings right. carry straight on along a footpath into Rag Mill Wood. To the left of the path is a dried-up leat, leading to the ruins of Rag Mill. This was a fulling mill until 1890, when it was converted to process rags for paper-making at Chapps Mill. It was demolished in 1964, although the remains of an overshot waterwheel and a boiler can still be seen in the undergrowth. Just Dropping down to the

By Brook Valley

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THE | WALK before you come to a sty housing the pigs which now roam the site, look to your right to see the chimney of Slaughterford Brewery across the field. It closed in 1939.

Continue over a footbridge, carry straight on through a field with the brook on your right and follow another footbridge across Slaughterford Gate (ST837738). Bear left across a field, cross a stile at the end, carry on through two more fields, cross another footbridge and head for a gate by the houses ahead.

Go through the gate and turn right along a busy lane for 250m, before turning right past the White Hart Inn (ST841748). After crossing a bridge, turn right along a single track lane with no passing places, leading steeply uphill through dense woods. Although this high-banked packhorse trail has been tarmacked, no other concessions have been made to modern transport, and, not surprisingly, few vehicles use it. If you should encounter one, however, you will need to lean into the bank to let it pass.

After 500m, the lane emerges from the woods and starts dropping downhill – heading towards the brewery chimney. At the end, follow steps up to the stile straight ahead (ST839741). Head diagonally across a field to the left of the churchyard wall and go through a gate into the churchyard.

The stark simplicity of St Nicholas’s church is explained by a plaque which records that, after having lain in ruins for about 200 years, it was rebuilt in 1823. It doesn’t tell you that it was in ruins after being sacked by Parliamentary soldiers in 1649, or that, until it was rebuilt, parishioners had to worship at Biddestone, where the gallery was built to segregate them from the rest of the congregation.

Leaving the church, continue across the field, go through a gate and – after a quick look to the left to see some of the most picturesquely situated cottages in Wiltshire – turn right. After passing the Old Brewery – its chimney largely hidden at the back of older buildings – carry on uphill as the lane swings right past a phone box. Continue straight on past the stile you crossed earlier, beyond which lies Manor

FACT FILE Starting point: The Green, Biddestone (ST844736: SN14 7DG) Length of walk: 8 miles Approximate time: 4 hours Pubs: White Horse, Biddestone SN14 7DG; White Hart, Ford SN14 8RP Public toilets: Church Road, Biddestone Map: OS Explorer 142 & 143 Level of challenge: Mostly on quiet lanes or well-maintained footpaths, although with one rough and muddy stretch and a short section along a busy lane.

Map: OS Explorer 156

Farm, built in 1753, but with a medieval barn to the north.

Carry on along the lane – ignoring two side lanes branching off to the left – and, after 2500m you will reach the outskirts of Biddestone. When you come to a T junction, turn right – by the evocatively named Old Cider House – to follow Cuttle Lane back to the starting point. n Many more walks can be found in Andrew Swift’s Country Walks from Bath, published by Akeman Press; akemanpress.com.

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CITY | INTERIORS

Interior details: tips and ideas You want to infuse your interior with a fresh perspective, but familiarity in this case breeds a complete lack of ideas. So why not consider some styling tricks from professional designers? Here are eight transformative tips – encompassing various budgets – from some of our local specialists

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CITY | INTERIORS

Clair Strong, Clair Strong Design clairstrong.co.uk Painting alcoves I love the transformative power of a tin of paint. We tend to shy away from bright colours in our homes, but a child’s room is the perfect place to explore fun interior design ideas. Here, we built in a bed with alcove shelving. I then painted the alcoves in bright colours to showcase books, toys and treasured objects. You can paint the alcoves in more subtle colours for a prettier effect or use blackboard paint if you want to give your children somewhere to be creative. You could also use wallpaper, which is is a great way to give personality to a child’s room. Many design companies have wallpaper and fabric in the same design for a coordinated look.

Painting a bath panel Painting the side of your bath can transform the whole look of your bathroom. If you have a built-in bath, it’s easy to repaint the bath panel using an oil based eggshell paint. Choose a dark colour like Farrow & Ball Railings to contrast with an all-white bathroom for an industrial look or go for a bright colour to make your bath a stand-out feature. I think this works especially well with freestanding baths which are a design feature in themselves. Here this enamel bath has been painted with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint® in Provence and finished with Matt Lacquer to make it waterproof.

The ombre walls really make it zing.

Image credit: Annie Sloan

Louisa Morgan, Mandarin Stone mandarinstone.com Image credit: Clair Strong Interior Design

Use slim mosaics for kitchen wall tiles Gilding old picture frames

Image credit: Annie Sloan

I have an art background and love to collect artwork from art fairs and flea markets. A simple postcard or sketch can look wonderful if it is framed beautifully with a carefully chosen mount. I use The Bath Framer on London Road for big pieces, but I also scour markets for old frames which I paint and gild to transform them. Gilding Wax is a brilliant product for adding that antique look to an old frame. Simply paint your frame and the wax on top to give an aged effect. For a more traditional look, try gilding with loose or transfer leaf – brass, silver or copper all look wonderful. You can also use gold leaf on furniture, candlesticks and tiles.

If you’re on the hunt for kitchen wall tiles, look no further than Mandarin Stone’s Iggy porcelain mosaic collection. Shown here in sage gloss colour way, these slim ‘finger’ mosaic tiles add instant character wherever they’re used, creating a wonderfully tactile surface with their grid-like formation. Perfect for kitchens and bathrooms, the soft-green hue will lift any space, no matter how small or dark, while the unique glaze helps to capitalise on natural light. Here, they’ve been paired with a worktop in Troy honed marble.

Image credit: Mandarin Stone

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CITY | INTERIORS

Combine patterned and plain tiles

Cushions

If you’re looking to create a bathroom that oozes style and character but still feels light, airy and modern, this bathroom design ticks all the boxes. Combining two tiles from Mandarin Stone’s brand new 2022 collection, the striking Violetta Nouveau marble effect porcelain has been used in its matt finish on the floor and gloss on the walls.

The Zellige 2022 White Gloss ceramic tiles sit above at just above half height, continuing the fresh white feel, but the tactile surface texture creates a more authentic feel. A contemporary wall-hung vanity keeps the floor space free and makes the bathroom feel larger.

I often upgrade cushions by changing the infills to feather pads that are two inches larger than the cushion cover. This gives a plumper, more indulgent look and feel. Complement this with a large cosy blanket and it would be hard not to want to sink in, kick back and relax!

Image credit: Mandarin Stone

Groupings Lots of little objects and pictures dotted around a room can feel cluttered. But grouping your treasured items together gives them a more purposeful point of interest. As a rule of thumb, I curate objects together by colour, shape or function. I tend to place the largest item first, then add the other objects around this. Using a large tray is a great way of keeping small items together and creating interesting vignettes on a coffee table or sideboard.

Leaving plenty of ‘breathing space’ around the overall display will allow it to be appreciated all the more. n

Catriona Archer, Catriona Archer Interiors catrionaarcher.com Mirrors Of all the interior design and styling tricks I use, mirrors must surely be one of my favourites. They are so versatile and create such a dramatic transformation to any space. Adding mirrors to the back of a bookshelf or cabinet brings interest, light and depth. Or if this is a push too far, upcycling a simple wooden tray with a made-to-measure mirror tile creates a stylish display point for any room. Madeto-measure mirror is simple to order from Roman Glass (romanglass.co.uk).

I recently repurposed a large mirror into a bath panel. It was trimmed to size and glued onto a marine ply backing.

The result was a modern bathroom detail that doubled the perceived floor space of the small bathroom.

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Red House Farm, Broughton Gifford

A collection of six beautifully designed homes ranging from two to four bedrooms, including five bungalows and one detached house.

01225 791155 | ashford-homes.co.uk |

THE

KI TC HEN PAR TNER S DESIGN STUDIO

www.thekitchenpartners.co.uk 102 Whiteladies Road, Clifton, Bristol BS8 2QY 01179 466433

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Gardening - Aug.qxp_Layout 1 21/07/2022 11:05 Page 1

GARDENING

Main picture: a bouquet of pink peonies Right, frorm top: snapdragons, poppies and zinnia flowers

Natural blooms

Elly West explains the benefits of dedicating part of your garden to growing cut flowers – she advises finding a sunny spot for your flower patch and and treating it like you would a vegetable plot

T

here aren’t many people who don’t enjoy a vase of fresh flowers, providing colour, fragrance and a slice of summer. One of the many joys of this time of year is the opportunity to pick armfuls of flowers to brighten up the home. These ‘free’ pickings are so much more satisfying than choosing a bunch of often imported, over-priced blooms wrapped in cellophane from the supermarket.

A visit to any allotment site is proof in point. Alongside the rows of beans and potatoes, there will be multitudes of blowsy dahlias, sunflowers, sweet peas and more, grown for cutting.

The concept of growing flowers amongst the vegetables is nothing new. Traditional cottage gardens from the 18th century onwards used every inch of space to grow flowers, food crops, fruits and herbs, all jostling for space in a happy medley of colour. The emphasis was on practicality and space was at a premium in terms of providing sustenance to support a family. These were essentially gardens of selfsufficiency for the rural poor.

But it’s a romantic ideal that persists today. Many of my clients asking for a new garden design aspire to the cottage garden, albeit a modern version – an informal, apparently artless style, with traditional planting that includes roses, lavender, foxgloves and peonies. Borders can include space for cutting material, but I’ve also found more and more clients are asking for areas that can specifically 72 TheBATHMagazine

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be used to grow flowers for cutting, often in raised beds or tucked away with the produce, and I’m always happy to oblige.

If you have the space, there are big advantages to dedicating part of your garden just to growing cut flowers. You’ll avoid depleting your flower beds, and you don’t need to think too hard about what will go well with what in terms of shapes, colours and sizes. Treat your flower patch like you would a vegetable plot and plant or sow in rows or blocks. Taller plants will need support, and if you’re not worried about the appearance of the bed, simple canes and string will probably suffice to stop plants flopping.

Choose a spot that gets plenty of sun, and improve the soil so that it’s fertile and weed free. Organic compost or well-rotted horse manure will improve the structure and help to retain moisture. Raised beds are a good option as you can fill them with quality topsoil improved with organic matter, and they’re easy to maintain.

When choosing plants to grow, there aren’t really any limits.

Evergreen shrubs and those grown for their interesting stems, such as corkscrew hazel and colourful dogwood, will provide invaluable pickings in winter and early spring. Pittosporum and Eucalyptus gunnii produce ornamental foliage all year round. Bulbs will also extend the season with daffodils, hyacinths and tulips in spring, followed by lilies, crocosmias, gladioli and dahlias through summer and into autumn.

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GARDENING The bulk of your cutting garden, though, is likely to be annuals sown from seed. These require the least financial outlay and many can be sown directly into the soil where you want them to flower. Look out for those labelled as ‘hardy annuals’, which include sunflowers, nigella, cornflowers, poppies, marigolds and sweet peas. Half-hardy annuals require a little more work as they’ll need starting off under cover in early spring in a greenhouse or on a sunny window sill.

Nicotiana, cosmos, snapdragons, phlox and zinnias fall into this category. Then there are perennials that die back in winter and reemerge in spring each year, such as peonies, delphiniums, aquilegia, echinops and asters.

Take time to plan, and you can have constant colour to bring indoors for the best part of a year. Maximise your space by taking the time to work out how many plants you can squeeze into each row or block. Successional sowings of seed, planting every two or three weeks, will keep the flowers coming, and cutting your flowers will also keep them producing more and more blooms. Never leave dead flowers on the plants as this will halt their flower production and they’ll shut down for the season as they turn to seed. Dead flowers will also attract pests and diseases, so cutting also increases the health of your plot. It’s a win-win situation.

When harvesting your flowers, you can increase their vase life by taking them in the morning or evening and avoiding the heat of the day. Have a clean bucket of cool water ready to put them in. Cut the flower stems at an angle to increase the water uptake. Put your flowers in a cool shaded place until you’re ready to arrange them, and keep the water topped up once they are indoors. A tablespoon of sugar added will also make your flowers last longer, while a spoonful of white wine vinegar will inhibit bacteria growth and help stop the water turning green. Change the water regularly and recut the stems each time. n

PLANT OF THE MONTH: DAHLIAS These showy, exuberant flowers have had a relatively recent resurgence in popularity, and will light up the late-summer border. They are perfect for cutting, with flowers in all different colours, sizes and shapes held on long stems. The more you cut them, the more flowers they’ll produce. Many have a hot, tropical vibe that combines well with lush foliage plants such as cannas and ornamental grasses. They’ll also look great alongside other late-flowering, daisy-headed blooms such as rudbeckias and heleniums.

Dahlias grow from bulb-like structures known as tubers that are not fully hardy, so will generally need lifting and storing over winter to protect them from frost, unless they are in a very sheltered position. They can then be potted back up in April and planted back out in the ground in May when no more frosts are forecast. Most prefer rich, well-drained soil in full sun, but the more compact varieties are also well suited to pots, which can then be placed in a greenhouse over winter.

• ellyswellies.co.uk

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THE BATH DIRECTORY - AUGUST 2022.qxp_Layout 31 21/07/2022 11:06 Page 1

the directory

to advertise in this section call 01225 424 499 House & Home

Electricians

Chauffeur/Private Hire

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WINDOW CLEANING

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Jewellery

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Nigel Dando 11 Pulteney Bridge, Bath BA2 4AY Tel/Fax: 01225 464013 www.nigeldando.co.uk

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IS AVAILABLE TO PICK UP FOR FREE AT

Cobb Farr PIF (1).qxp_PIF Full Page 22/07/2022 13:55 Page 1

PROPERTY | HOMEPAGE

“Sion Hill Place named one of the top 6 residential streets in UK.” The Times 2019.

The property is an absolute hidden gem of pure Georgian elegance. Beautifully designed

by John Pinch the Elder in 1818, this property holds all the immeasurable features associated with its Grade I listing and being part of a World Heritage city.

It is documented that No.1 Sion Hill Place is considerably larger than the rest of the terrace. The property was remodelled and extended in the 1930s when the front facade of a John Wood the Elder designed house c.1738 from Chippenham was rebuilt, stone by stone, on to the west flank of the building to create Summerhill Mansion and No.1. The building’s interior was remodelled for Ernest Cook in 1936, grandson of travel entrepreneur Thomas Cook, when the new staircase, doors and flooring were added.

Many items were refurbished from Chesterfield House, Westminster, which was once the former London town house residence of the Royal Princess Mary. Currently undergoing an extensive restoration and refurbishment programme, this most desirable of addresses will soon be coming to market as 2 duplex apartments, 2 apartments and 1 penthouse suite. A rare opportunity to truly make an apartment your own and be a part of the history of this beautiful building. For a limited time the development has an opportunity for a buyer to choose and specify their own kitchen colours, worktop finishes, appliance specification and floor finishes.

A viewing is strongly recommended by the sole agent Cobb Farr.

Sion Hill Place, Bath • Grade I double fronted listed building • Extensively restored and refurbished • 3 bedrooms with en-suites • Stunning drawing room with bay window • Bespoke kitchen and dining room • Lift

OIEO £2,250,000

Cobb Farr, 35 Brock Street, The Circus, Bath; Tel: 01225 333332

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Cobb Farr August.qxp_Layout 1 20/07/2022 15:48 Page 1

Northampton Street, Bath Guide Price £1,200,000

A handsome, comprehensively refurbished Grade II listed town house, offering flexible accommodation with a wealth of period detail and quality contemporary finishes, located in a quiet and sought after residential area, adjacent to St James Square and within 10 mins walk of Bath city centre.

• • •

4/5 bedrooms, 3 bath and shower rooms, 2/3 reception

rooms

Contemporary well-appointed kitchen

Original Bath stone cantilevered staircase

01225 333332 | 01225 866111

Cobb Farr August.qxp_Layout 1 20/07/2022 15:48 Page 2

The Circus, Bath

Guide Price £2,000,000

A rare opportunity to acquire a magnificent ground and first floor Grade I listed 3 bedroom garden maisonette, retaining a wealth of period features, along with a spacious one bedroom courtyard apartment and a private parking space, in need of some cosmetic updating and located in Bath’s finest landmark residential address.

• • •

•

Architecturally significant and highly sought-after

residential address

3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, kitchen, dining room

Private walled garden and sun terraces and gardeners WC

Large self-contained one bedroom courtyard apartment

01225 333332 | 01225 866111

Peter Greatorex fp August.qxp_Layout 1 22/07/2022 13:50 Page 1

September guide to styling your home for sale

A

s the weeks pass by and September approaches, it is a new start in many ways, and also a time when many people in Bath decide to move home. There are signs that the property market may be cooling this autumn, yet the July House Price Index from Rightmove highlights what we continue to find locally. The number of properties on the market is 40% down on June 2019’s levels and buyer demand is up 26%. Should the market start to cool or not, it is essential you do everything you can to ensure your home is perfectly presented. For essential tips, follow our September back to school guide to styling your home for sale.

Preparation is the key No matter the size of your home, your belongings expand to fill it: every inch of storage is utilised, and you will no doubt have a wealth of stuff that you no longer need. Having a good sort out is critical, not only because this makes your move so much easier but also because it aids you to style your home, as you will have less clutter.

There is no underestimating how big a job this can be, and we recommend that no cupboard or room is left unturned; that way you are creating a strong foundation ready for next step.

Don’t give them chills You know your home best, but when is the last time you really took a look– and not through those rose-tinted glasses. Every property has wear and tear, but what your eyes may blinker, buyers will home in on with a vengeance and become curious what other flaws they may find. Go through your home with a fine-tooth comb, upgrade the décor where needed, get those neglected DIY jobs finally finished, and give everywhere a deep clean. This way, when potential buyers are viewing your home they won’t be living with chills and feelings of disappointment.

Functionality is important Over the last couple of years, because of the pandemic, we have asked our homes to work harder than ever; rooms have had to be multifunctional to meet the demands of family life. Working from home is the norm for many, and having that private and yet functional room as an office is extremely important. Think about all the rooms in your home: what is their function and are they demonstrating this to a buyer? Multifunctional spaces may work for you, but focus on one aspect and present the room in that way without clutter, as not to confuses buyers.

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Always add greenery Whether a small apartment with a terrace or a grand Georgian home with a stunning formal garden, any outside space is considered an additional room of your property and should be treated as such.

Greenery of any kind adds warmth and life, which is why you need to spend time to ensure that your outside space is looking as equally well presented as your inside. The recent high temperatures may have caused some damage to your garden; therefore, see what you can repair over the summer and add new seasonal plants for September that will ensure that it is popping with colour.

The small things can make the biggest difference There are two big mistakes sellers make when styling their homes.

The first is to tidy it within an inch of its life so that it’s devoid of any personality and welcome. Presenting your property for sale is about creating a lifestyle that buyers can’t wait to move into, and if what they see is sterile, it makes it hard for their hearts to connect.

Secondly, sellers can also go to the opposite extreme and over stage their properties, to the point where it starts to feel cluttered again – less is more when it comes to styling. A few key pieces in each room will make the biggest difference and help buyers to see how they can make it their home.

If you’re thinking of selling an apartment or a unique home in Bath, contact our teams at The Apartment Company or Peter Greatorex Unique Homes for a successful September sale.

®

01225 471144 | www.theapartmentcompany.co.uk

T: 01225 904999 | www.petergreatorex.co.uk

Wentworth August.qxp_Layout 2 21/07/2022 15:21 Page 1

Kelston, Bath | Offers in excess of £1,400,000 A beautifully presented Grade II listed barn conversion situated to the west of Bath, in the desirable village of Kelston. This fabulous four bedroom family home offers approximately 2878 sq ft of flexible, spacious accommodation along with gardens, parking and far reaching views.

Approximately 2878 Sq Ft of accommodation ￭ Spacious open plan kitchen/dining sitting room ￭ Utility Room ￭ Four double bedrooms Three bathrooms ￭ Gym, garden office & store ￭ Private parking, gardens & stunning views ￭ EPC Rating C

25 Monmouth St, Bath BA1 2AP

T: 01225 904 904 for a free valuation www.wentworthea.com

®

R FO LE SA

George Street

R FO LE SA

O.I.E.O

£360,000

Grade ll listed · Georgian · Top floor apartment · Two double bedrooms · City centre location · Great views · No chain · EPC C rating · Approx. 724 Sq. Ft.

LD S O STC

Portland Place

O.I.E.O

£550,000

R FO LE SA

£575,000

Penthouse · Open Plan with triple aspect windows · Lift access to all floors · Communal gardens and terraces · Secure garage with allocated space · River views · City Centre · No chain · EPC C rating · Approx. 891 Sq. Ft.

Paragon

O.I.E.O

£450,000

O.I.E.O

£280,000

Grade ll listed · Georgian · Top floor apartment · One bedroom · Beautiful views · Spacious bedroom · Central location · EPC C rating · Approx. 596 Sq. Ft.

01225 471 14 4

Frankcom House

Bladud Buildings

O.I.E.O

£350,000

Holiday lets allowed · Georgian · Grade ll listed · Spacious double bedroom · Good decorative order · Central location · Close to local amenities · Share of Freehold · Private garden · EPC D rating · Approx. 614 Sq. Ft.

LD S O STC

R FO LE SA

Detached Victorian mansion apartment · Ground floor with private entrance · Reception hallway · Two double bedrooms · Village location · Canal walks close at hand · Lovely views · EPC D rating · Approx. 747 Sq. Ft.

SALES

O.I.E.O

LD S O STC

Georgian · Grade ll · Two double bedrooms · Stunning reception room · First floor apartment · Close to local amenities · No chain · EPC C rating · Approx. 1087 Sq. Ft.

Druids Garth

Northanger Court

R FO LE SA

Cleveland Place West

O.I.E.O

£280,000

Georgian · Grade ll listed · Top floor apartment · Two bedrooms · Central location · No onward chain · Share of freehold · EPC C rating · Approx. 530 Sq. Ft.

R FO LE SA

O.I.E.O

£450,000

Top floor apartment · Three spacious bedrooms · Balcony · Beautiful communal gardens · Garage · Off-street parking · Peaceful location · Short level walk to city centre · EPC D rating · Approx. 983 Sq. Ft.

The Empire

O.I.E.O

£625,000

Two double bedrooms · Master bedroom with ensuite · Communal garden · Fitness suite · Cinema room · Billiard room · Views over the weir · Lift access · City Centre location · Exclusive allocated parking bay and guest parking · EPC C rating · Approx. 1079 Sq. Ft.

LETTINGS

01225 303 870

sales@theapartmentcompany.co.uk

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0

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®

T D LE EE R G A

Edward Street

T D LE EE R G A

£2,000 pcm

Grade ll listed · Georgian · Three spacious bedrooms · Close to city centre · Converted vaults · Private front door · Private courtyard · Approx. 1494 Sq. Ft. · Council Band D · EPC Rating D

TO

LE

Lower Bristol Road

TO

£2,100 pcm

Unfurnished · No more than 2 professional sharers · Three large double bedrooms · Two luxury bathrooms · Parking - On street permit · No pets · Sorry no students · Available 22nd August 2022 · Council Tax Band E

T D LE EE R G A

Victoria Bridge Court

£1,550 pcm

Furnished or Unfurnished · Two bedrooms (1 double 1 single) · Sorry no students · Close to the city centre · One allocated parking space · VIDEO VIEWING AVAILABLE · Available 1st August 2022 · EPC Rating E

T

Marlborough Buildings

T D LE EE R G A

LE

Brassknocker Hill

TO

£1,450 pcm

Unfurnished · Two double bedrooms with ensuite · Gas central heating · Fabulous views · Spectacular location · Private allocated parking spaces · Council tax band D · EPC Rating C · Available 27th August 2022

Unfurnished · Two bedrooms (one double one single) · Delightful communal gardens · One allocated parking space · Close to all local amenities · Sorry no pets · EPC Rating C · Council tax band D · Available 27th August 2022

St Georges place

£1,500 pcm

Fully furnished and equipped - Immaculate · Two double bedrooms · Bathroom and ensuite bathroom · Underfloor heating · Allocated parking for 2 cars · New carpets & flooring throughout · Council Tax Band C · EPC Rating C

T

T D LE EE R G A

£1,450 pcm

Warminster Road

LE

T

Russel Street

£1,500 pcm

Two double bedrooms · En-Suite & separate bathroom · Light and spacious - Furnished · Postgraduate students considered · Minimum 12 month tenancy · Council Tax Band A · EPC Rating D

T D LE EE R G A

£1,450 pcm

Unfurnished · Two double bedrooms · Sorry students not considered · Easy access to Bristol · EPC Rating C · Modern and stylish (Zone 6 Parking Permit available) · Available for initial 12 month tenancy · Available 26th August 2022

Alfred Street

£1,300 pcm

Furnished · Two double bedrooms · Two stylish bathrooms · Top floor apartment · Sorry no students · Council tax band C · Permit Parking · EPC Rating E · Available 5th August 2022

www.theapartmentcompany.co.uk

Peter Greatorex dps August.qxp_Layout 1 20/07/2022 15:49 Page 1

Clifton, Bristol - OIEO £3,250,000 A most impressive Victorian freehold property in the heart of Clifton with 5 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, 4 reception rooms and spread over 4 floors. The property is set back from Pembroke Road and offers off-street parking for several vehicles and private gardens to the rear. EPC rating TBC

Peter Greatorex Unique Homes 01225 904999

www.petergreatorex.co.uk Peter Greatorex Managing Director

Sharon Clesham Head of Sales

Peter Greatorex dps August.qxp_Layout 1 20/07/2022 15:49 Page 2

Corston, Bath - OIEO £1,600,000 An elegant Bath stone, Georgian style, detached family home on the edge of the village of Corston with 4 bedrooms, 3 reception rooms, 2 bath/shower rooms and a separate self-contained coach house, a studio 'pod' in the garden, double garage and stables. 4.5 acres. Freehold. EPC rating D

Peter Greatorex Unique Homes 01225 904999

www.petergreatorex.co.uk Peter Greatorex Managing Director

Sharon Clesham Head of Sales

Mallory fp.qxp_Layout 1 18/07/2022 17:09 Page 1