The Bath Magazine November 2011

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£3.00 where sold

THEBATHMAGAZINE ISSUE 110 • NOVEMBER 2011

THE MAGAZINE FOR THE CITY OF BATH www.thebathmagazine.co.uk

ALEX LOVELL

Presents her top 10

MOZARTFEST

Lights

Celebrating 20 years with a feast of classics

MUMMERS RETURN Reciting times in Bath

FANTASIC THE HOLBURNE GETS ILLUMINATED

CHOCS AWAY

From raw Cacao to Curlywurly stretching in Frome

Gardening with colour

TOWN COUNTRY PROPERTY

and

POPPY APPEAL

Premium Property in and around Bath

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

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contents

2011 66

34 26

12 8

86

TALK OF THE TOWN

36

The run-up to Christmas in Bath

11

FACE THE MUSIC Points West presenter Alex Lovell talks about her love of romantic music

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42

WEEKEND BREAK Gently does it in Guernsey

48

LIGHTING UP TIME We preview an illuminating installation that’s coming to the Holburne

FOUNDING FATHER

PEOPLE & PLACES More reasons to be proud of Bath

50

PRINCE’S TRUST

A CUT ABOVE Say halo to the new Saints hair salon

78

Time to pay a little respect to Ralph Allen

Room service with a smile

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75

The latest exhibitions in the galleries

40

BIGWIG

FOR ART’S SAKE

OUT & ABOUT Find out more about the history of Mells with Andrew Swift’s country walk

86

BRIGHT & BLOWSY Jane Moore sings the praises of the poppy

92

PROPERTY The pick of the finest homes in and around Bath

Charity to host a unique art auction in city

18

COMPETITION The winner will be wined and dined in Bristol - with shopping vouchers too

20

PARTY FASHION

54

Where to take the children in November

61

WHAT’S ON From ballet to David Essex, and Rhydian to Bach – there’s something for all tastes in Bath this month

33

MOZARTFEST Be first in the queue for our 2for1 ticket offer to hear the Hallé Orchestra

34

UNCONVENTIONAL Mummers chose Bath for their international gathering

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NOVEMBER 2011

FOOD & DRINK Wine tasting, bagels and other delicious delights in our foodie section

Look your best for the festive season

26

FAMILY FUN

66

RAW POWER Have you discovered the pleasure of grown-up chocolate yet? Meet the Bath chocolatiers who are cocao-crazy

68

RESTAURANT REVIEW Sampling the divine tasting menu at the Lime restaurant, Homewood Park

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FIT & FABULOUS Stay beautiful this autumn

ON THE COVER Light touch: artist Bruce Munro brings his magic to the darkness with a new installation at the Holburne Museum

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EDITOR’Sletter

I

t may be dark and gloomy November outside, but here at The Bath Magazine we’re a shiny beacon of welcoming warmth and light – in short here to remind you of the good things in life. Like dressing up and going out. We’ve got inspiration for party fashion and sparkly jewellery, and in our What’s On pages lots of suggestions for events to dress up for and attend in and around Bath.

We’ve teamed up with the Mozartfest for an exclusive ticket offer of two for the price of one for the historic appearance of the world famous Hallé Orchestra in Bath – its first since 1953 – and promising a classic programme of favourite pieces. Writer Paul Fisher explains why he’s not ashamed to be donning a painted sheet and taking to the city’s streets as part of the ancient but peculiar art of mumming, while historian Dr Cathryn Spence has the story of Ralph Allen’s romantic retreat and argues the case for restoring this great father of Bath’s mausoleum.

If chocolate has the power to always lift your spirits you’ll enjoy Lindsey Harrad’s feature on raw chocolate and the west country chocolatiers who are pioneering its sophisticated flavour. And, for another excuse to dress up, there’s incredibly fine dining to be had at the country house hotel Homewood Park, just a few miles from the city centre.

But for those of you who prefer to stay at home, this month’s issue is also a good read. The cheery smile of Points West presenter Alex Lovell as she picks her favourite pieces of music in our regular Face the Music column should warm the cockles of your heart, while gardening writer Jane Moore will have you turning to the seed catalogues to plan next year’s colourful flower borders. And Lauren O’Donoghue has something else for us to look forward to, with news of what’s happening at next spring’s Bath Fashion Festival.

During these chilly, autumnal days, I like to think you’ll find something to brighten your month within our pages.

R O O M

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

THEBATHMAGAZINE Editor Email: Tel:

Georgette McCready georgette@thebathmagazine.co.uk 01225 424499

Deputy Editor Email:

Samantha Ewart sam@thebathmagazine.co.uk

Contributors

Jane Moore, Mick Ringham, Lindsey Harrad, Andrew Swift, Paul Fisher, Cathryn Spence, Lauren O’Donoghue

Production Manager Jeff Osborne Email: production@thebathmagazine.co.uk Publisher Email:

Steve Miklos stevem@thebathmagazine.co.uk

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

Kathy Williams kathy@thebathmagazine.co.uk

Advertising Sales Email:

Jodi Monelle jodi@thebathmagazine.co.uk

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

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P A R I S

7 Quiet Street Bath BA1 2JU Telephone: 01225 330563 email: thedressingroom@btconnect.com THE FINEST IN LINGERIE, BEACH & NIGHTWEAR NOVEMBER 2011

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TALKofthe TOWN

My Cultural Life

BOOK OF THE MONTH Charles Dickens: A Life by Claire Tomalin Published by Penguin, £30 Reviewed by Robyn Drury of Topping & Company

Few lives are as colourful as that of Charles Dickens and, in her stunning new biography, Claire Tomalin renders his story with all the thrilling elegance of one of Dickens’ own novels.

Meticulously researched and endlessly revealing as one would expect from this eminent writer, Tomalin’s book traces the author’s life from his youth, through his troubled teenage years in London, all the way through to his North American tours as a highly successful novelist, and does so with wit, warmth and great understanding of her very complex subject. This book anticipates the 2012 bicentennial celebration of Dickens’ birth, and, as well as being one of the most acclaimed biographies of the year, will also be one of the most important books published on the author in this very busy period for Dickens scholarship.

A beautifully produced and elegantly written book, Charles Dickens: A Life, is an essential biography for all bookshelves.

This month we ask Sir David Bell, chairman of Bath Mozartfest and non-executive chairman of The Economist What’s on your MP3 player?

Music, lights and laughter

T

he frenzy that is the festive season officially kicks off in Bath with the ritual of the switching on of the Christmas lights, which this year is being carried out by actor, comedian and Bath resident John Cleese.

Celebrations on Thursday 17 November begin at 5pm with an eclectic mix of musical talent, including X Factor contender Lascel Wood. To get you in the mood there’ll be a few rousing carols from the Stocking Tops singers, and the Bath Rugby team will be on hand to ensure musical merriment. Festivities continue on Thursday 24 November with the opening of Bath’s Christmas market. There will be 130 chalets lining the streets around the Abbey, selling everything from traditional wooden toys to Bollywood decorations. The market has ben extended to run until 11 December. Last year’s market attracted 300,000 visitors.

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NEWS IN BRIEF Lighting up city’s skies The traditional fireworks display put on every November 5 at the Recreation Ground, is being enhanced this year as students from the university pool their resources with the Rotary Club of Bath for a joint spectacular. As ever, the city’s own independent building society, BIBS is sponsoring the event. Tickets, which are £5, are available from BIBS offices, Bath Rugby offices or on the gate.

A proud musical heritage The history of live music in Bath’s historic Pump Rooms is being celebrated with the launch of a new book, The Pump Room Orchestra, Bath: Three Centuries of Music and Social History, written by Robert and Nicola Hyman. Robert has been a violinist with the Pump Room Trio for 18 years and he and his wife, Nicola, have spent five years researching the book.

£50,000 donated to Africa

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An anonymous donor has quietly dropped an envelope containing a £50,000 donation to help the victims of famine in east Africa in to the letterbox of Bath Abbey Rectory. The money has gone to Kenya to pay for lorries and food to transport supplies to families.

Visit by the queen of crime PD James is making a rare personal appearance, coming to St Swithin’s Church, Walcot on 22 November to talk about her new book, Death Comes to Pemberley. How fitting that a Jane Austen murder mystery should be launched in the church where Austen used to worship.

Tickets from Topping & Co, tel: 01225 428111.

It’s panto time – oh yes it is...

Tickets are now on sale for this year’s pantomime at the Theatre Royal Bath.

Dick Whittington opens on December 15.

Lots of Mozart (and, I have to confess, some early Peter Sellers comedy sketches, but I keep that quiet)

What book are you reading?

Story of a Secret State by Jan Karski, just re issued as a Penguin Classic. It was first published in 1944 and is by a very brave Pole who alerted the West to the true nature of what the Nazis were doing in Poland – and was only partly believed. My ‘book of the year’ though has to be AD Miller’s Man Booker Prize shortlisted first book Snowdrops (I have to declare a personal interest, he’s my son-in-law, but it is a great novel).

Which café or restaurant takes your fancy?

Visiting new ones is one of the many joys of being in Bath. I think our favourite, though, is The Circus.

Your passions? What hobbies or interests will you be pursuing?

Arsenal is a passion, if not a very healthy one at present; and Italy and all things Italian. My wife and I have just been to Burma, a remarkable country, and want to learn more about this region so we will be visiting the Museum of East Asian Art.

Film or play? What will you be going to see this month?

I’m much looking forward to the Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan’s new production White at Sadlers Wells.

Bath Mozartfest runs from Friday 11 to Saturday 19 November. I marvel each year at the big names that artistic director, Amelia Freedman, lures to Bath. This year’s 20th anniversary programme is particularly special. Visit: ww.bathmozartfest.org.uk.

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TALKofthe TOWN

Fashion festival launch

I

t may have been the lure of Buck’s Fizz and bacon baps that tempted a large gathering of retailers and media to Hall&Woodhouse for the breakfast-time launch of Bath in Fashion 2012, writes Lauren O’Donoghue – or was it the promise of next spring’s event being bigger and better than ever?

The 2012 festival, which will run from Sunday 25 March to Saturday 31 March, will see some of fashion’s biggest names feature on the programme – which in turn could even bring some of the fashion media’s biggest names down the M4 from London to Bath. Two of the fashion industry’s most influential designers will be speaking about their work: milliner Stephen Jones and shoe designer Manolo Blahnik, who has famously adopted the city as his home and declared his love of Bath.

Other highlights will include; a vintage fair in Green Park, workshops by textile artist Karen Nicol and Julian Roberts, catwalk shows organized by London expert John Walford, talks by Italian design guru Matteo Alessi and plenty of fashion shows. The Fashion Museum’s Rosemary Harden is putting together an exhibition of sportswear over the years and Italian Vogue editor at large, Hamish Bowles will select the Dress of the Year.

It’s not just all about frivolous frocks, as the festival, like so many others, brings the valuable commodity of visitors to the city.

Recognising this, Bath in Fashion has the backing of the Bath Business Improvement District and Bath & North East Somerset Council. High street fashion, designer labels and independent boutiques will work together. The designer show will take place at the Holburne Museum and the high street show will be staged at the Guildhall. For more information visit: www.bathinfashion.co.uk

The romance of Italy The gardens of Italy are some of the most romantic in the world – and the most inspiring too. This beautiful traveller’s guide celebrates more than 120 of the finest Italian gardens open to the public. Its author, historian and biographer Kirsty McLeod and photographer Primrose Bell will be talking about the book at the Guildhall, Bath from 6pm on Tuesday 15 November. The event is being held in conjunction with Mr B’s Emporium. Tickets are £5, to include a glass of wine, from Bath Box Office, tel: 01225 463362 or visit: www.bathboxoffice.org.uk. The book would make an ideal Christmas present for a gardener who dreams and aspires.

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Tel: 01225 309039 Fax: 01225 863961 www.ortondesign.com Repairs • Commissions • Antique Restoration

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NOTES ON A SMALL CITY

By Bigwig

YOU RANG

for room SERVICE SIR?

B

igwig recently stayed in a hotel that offered the services of a butler on every floor. I can remember Soviet hotels in the Eastern Bloc that had a nosey old battleaxe of a concierge on the landings spying on your every move, so I was a little bit wary of summoning my personal Jeeves to run a bath or polish my shoes to (quote) ‘military standards’. I limited my requests to a pot of tea and a morning newspaper, just to give the fellow something to do.

In my view privacy is all important when staying in a hotel. Indeed, a colleague with the same opinion once left a hefty tip for a housekeeper who remained completely invisible throughout his three week stay in one particular establishment. Not that his room wasn’t attended to. Every time he came back from breakfast, the room was immaculately made-up. Not once did he set eyes on the he or she responsible.

my peace was disturbed by the ❝ landlord entering the room unannounced carrying a ladder and a bucket of emulsion

❞

Unlike another place where my semi-naked pal was grabbing a few more minutes’ shut-eye one morning when he awoke to find the cleaning lady looking down at him and asking, ‘So, when ARE you getting up?’

Similarly, in a German hotel we were completely defenceless against the pink nylon-clad harridan who burst uninvited into our rooms at an unearthly hour every morning, thrusting a beast of a vacuum cleaner before her with a blood-curdling cry of ‘Machina! Machina!’

Head down, she would vacuum violently, bashing into furniture like a maniac and chucking the dirty linen into the corridor, finally leaving with an almighty slam of the door, the whole operation having taken less than a minute.

On the other hand, discretion amongst the cleaning staff can lead to embarrassment. I once came back from breakfast to find the maid giving my room the once-over. ‘Morning ‘ I said. ‘Morning sir’ came the reply. I retired to the balcony with a cold drink from the mini-bar, where I was pleased to see she had taken down my laundry and folded it neatly. I sat down, put my feet up on the rail and admired the view, waiting for her to finish. About 15 minutes later having done the bathroom, folded back the coverlet and replaced the towels, she made as if to leave. ‘Excuse me sir’ she said politely, ‘but you do know this isn’t your room, don’t you?’

Contrast this with a hotel in Sheffield where my peace was disturbed by the landlord entering my room unannounced carrying a ladder and a bucket of emulsion paint. He proceeded to redecorate the room around me (I was in bed, incidentally). When I remonstrated, weakly I must admit, his answer was it had to be done and now was as good a time as any! And no, I wasn’t given any choice over the colour scheme.

The hotel with the butlers stated in the brochure that your ‘man’ could accompany you to the park with a picnic hamper and champagne, cook you a candle-lit dinner and even go gift shopping for ‘that special person’ (the latter presumably only if they weren’t so special that you could be bothered to go yourself).

I wasn’t all that keen on the décor in the room, which was all Regency striped wallpaper and flouncy curtains. I wonder had I asked nicely, would Jeeves have come in and redecorated to my taste? After I had got up of course. ■

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CITY FACEgardens theMUSIC

THE GOOD NEWS girl Mick Ringham talks to Points West presenter Alex Lovell about her acting career, how she got her break into television and her taste in romantic music

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FACEtheMUSIC

A MUSICAL JOURNEY: left to right, Martin Fry of ABC, Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour in Somewhere In Time, and The Stranglers

A

lex Lovell has a ‘can-do’ attitude which has enabled her to follow a varied career in television that so many people aspire to. She grew up in North Yorkshire, moving south at the age of 18 and joining the Rose Bruford College of drama in London. She then launched her career as a theatre actor, playing various roles and touring, including a sixmonth run in Frankfurt in Blood Brothers.

She entered the competitive world of television, via Fun Song Factory on children’s TV, which in turn led her to the Disney Channel where she co-presented Playhouse Disney with Dave Benson Phillips. She says: “We enjoyed a great working relationship and the programme became very successful, in fact we filmed all over the world, which was wonderful.”

New horizons beckoned and Alex had a spell tackling the challenges of live television presenting on a shopping channel.

Her acting career continued playing in TV dramas and on stage, including panto. However, her talent for live television was realised, when she became the host of Channel 5’s daily quiz show Brainteaser. She takes up the story: “It was while working on Brainteaser and Deal or No Deal, which were both produced in Bristol that I began to fall in love with the west country. I applied for a job as presenter for BBC’s Points West and after two interviews was lucky enough to join the team in 2005 – I was so excited.”

I asked her what she thinks makes a good TV presenter. She laughs: “Where do you want me to start? It would be too easy for me to say ‘just be natural’, however I’m a great believer in making viewers feel comfortable.” She has great respect for her colleagues and the incredible team effort that takes place every day to make the whole programme come together.

When we started to talk about her favourite music she admits to being a bit of a romantic and to having had a crush on the singers Martin Fry and Nik Kershaw – defending herself with,“But I was a teenager at the time!” So when the cameras are turned off how does Alex relax? “I put music on in the car and drive back to my home in south Gloucestershire and to Gavin my lovely husband.” Now, that’s the kind of good news we all like to hear.

Alex’s top ten: ● Rachmaninov – Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini This has been my favourite piece of music for as long as I can remember. It was used for a film called Somewhere in Time starring Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour. I saw it when I was very young and it was extremely romantic and took my breath away. Also my older sister decided to leave home for London and as my parents and I drove away, having settled her into her new life, this music came on the car radio – we were all in bits. ● Lou Reed and various other artists – Perfect Day It was the Children in Need song in 1997. That song raised over £2 million. To this day it’s difficult to enjoy it without doing an impression of a few of the contributors, like Tom Jones and Heather Small. ● Michael Buble – Feeling Good This was the first dance on our wedding day. We knew there was WWW.THEBATHMAGAZINE.CO.UK

no middle ground – it was a case of either do very little or go for it in a big way. Well I expect you can guess which one I opted for. It surprised all our guests, particularly when Gavin executed an amazing knee slide – to rapturous applause. ● Gary Newman – Music for Chameleons This song appeals to my slightly geeky side. It’s the part of me that’s buried in my copy of Focus magazine once a month.

However, it’s also the track I associate with the genius of Steve Coogan’s alter ego Alan Partridge and his urge to play air guitar at home in his famous ‘static caravan’. ● The Stranglers – Golden Brown It doesn’t matter how many times I hear this number, it’s just so beautiful and never dates. It’s been played so much since 1981 you’d think people would be reaching for the off button when they hear it, but they don’t. Certainly I turn the volume up and immerse myself in it. Who’d have thought the sound of a harpsichord with a waltzing rhythm would be a timeless classic! ● Beach Boys – God Only Knows It’s a classic number anyway but I particularly love the moment it’s featured in the film Love Actually. It accompanies the final scene when loved ones are reunited at an airport arrivals lounge.

It’s a sequence of joyful moments but I find them enormously moving. Sometimes we build a resistance to the testing times of our lives and it’s actually the precious and happy moments that tip us over the emotional edge – when someone tells you they love you or a friend surprises you with a gesture of appreciation and your lip starts to wobble... ● Baz Luhrmann – Everybody’s Free (to Wear Sunscreen) I loved this song the moment I heard it and still listen to it today.

It reminds me of the important things in life and I’ve shared it with many a friend-in-need. The mellow backing track accompanies the meandering lessons in life that are spoken throughout. It’s a long track, so there’s a lot crammed in, however the lyrics are truly wonderful and inspirational. ● Will Ferrell – Afternoon Delight I am unable to listen to this song without laughing. This version was featured in the film Anchorman, which was a spoof following a news team in San Diego during the 70s. At one point, the team bursts into a spontaneous and harmonious rendition of this fabulous number. Could you imagine that on Points West? ● ABC – The Look of Love A couple of years ago, we ran a series called Front of House, featuring acts that were in the west country that week. On one occasion, Martin Fry, the lead singer of ABC came into the studio. It was an exciting moment as his picture adorned my bedroom wall as a teenager. He didn’t disappoint any of us including my producer (she was wearing extra lip gloss). He was sweet, charming and self-effacing. ● Nat King Cole – When I Fall in Love I chose this song for my loving and beautiful mum. There’s also a deeper reason. My darling dad died at the beginning of this year and left a huge chasm in our lives. My parents had been married for 53 years and while mum has to cope with the loss most directly, she has embraced life in every respect. She has the love and support of her three children and friends and is showing an incredible commitment to life. I am so very proud of her. ■ NOVEMBER 2011

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CITYculture

Bath Film Festival Over the last 21 years the Bath Film Festival has established itself as one of the city’s most successful annual events. This year in true coming of age style the festival will host even more talent, diversity and exclusive previews than ever before.

Adding to the festivities is the 75th birthday of patron and acclaimed director Ken Loach, pictured. In honour of this milestone the festival will be screening a selection of his ground-breaking films.

Other cinematic highlights include: Shame (UK preview) Steve McQueen’s second film stars Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan as a brother and sister living in New York each battling their own disturbing addictions.

Producer Iain Canning will be available for a Q&A session after the screening.

SHEER MAGIC: Bruce Munro’s Field of Light, above, which will be in Bath from this month

LIGHTING UP AT THE HOLBURNE Carey Millington: Shame

The Deep Blue Sea (UK preview) Terence Rattigan’s acclaimed play has been given a new lease of life in the hands of director Terence Davies. Staring Rachel Weisz.

Coriolanus (preview) An updated twist on the Shakesperian tragedy. A military man impatient with political life expects to be handed power based on his skills as a soldier. Directed by Ralph Fiennes and featuring a stellar cast including Gerard Butler, Ralph Fiennes and Vanessa Redgrave.

Bash Street (UK preview) Gritty drama set in Chippenham starring local residents. Bash Street will be shown alongside a short film about Jamie’s Farm, a local charity that runs programmes for inner city kids.

Post Mortem (Bath debut) Chilean film set in 1973 taking an oblique look at the anti-Allende coup through the eyes of a morgue attendant. Local director Sergio Leon who fled from Chile in 1973 will share his experiences.

This year’s festival will run from 10 – 19 November. For further information visit: www.bathfilmfestival.org.uk or call Bath Festivals Box Office: 01225 463362

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A

ll eyes will be on the Holburne Museum this month as it hosts a remarkable art installation which promises to lighten up the city’s darkest days and grab viewers’ attention.

Artist Bruce Munro is bringing his internationally acclaimed Field of Light to Bath for the winter. It consists of 6,000 twinkling fibre optic lights which will spread out from behind the museum’s new extension into the darkness of Sydney Gardens. The viewer, whether outside in the building, or looking through the glass from inside, will be presented with a fairytale effect of thousands of lights.

Bath’s own version of the Northern Lights, which opens on Saturday 26 November, will be lit daily from 4pm to 7pm and will be free for all to see. It is a sight with universal appeal. Even the tiniest baby will be mesmerised by the spectacle, while we adults will be charmed by the changing colour and the contrast between light and the British winter darkness.

Bruce Munro first created the Field of Light in Star Turn

the Australian desert and two years ago installed it at the Eden Project in Cornwall. He has also exhibited it at the Victoria & Albert Museum and protected the Field of Light as a trademark name.

The lighting artist is also bringing his Star Turn installation to the Holburne for just one day, on 21 December to raise money for the Help for Heroes charity.

This energy-efficient piece uses no electricity whatsoever, relying instead on someone pedalling a static bicycle to power the lights, which then spin through the air like a cross between a garden hose sprinkler and a fairground ride. A dawn to dusk sponsored ride is being staged, with volunteers sought to ride the bike for an hour at a time in return for sponsorship which will go towards helping warinjured servicemen and women. ■ Field of Light runs from 26 November to 8 January, at the Holburne Museum, daily from 4pm to 7pm. The spectacle is free.

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WIN... a luxury Christmas shopping day

C

hristmas is fast approaching and Bristol’s Quakers Friars has a fantastic treat all wrapped up for one lucky reader. To start the festive season in style, it is offering you the chance to win a day of indulgent pampering, eating, and shopping at the south west’s most stylish fashion and dining destination. The prize includes: a Sanctuary Spa Therapies treatment, lunch for two at Piccolino and a £200 Cabot Circus gift card, valid at all stores, bars and restaurants in Cabot Circus and Quakers Friars.

The historic Quakers Friars at Cabot Circus boasts some of the most coveted brands in the area, many of which are not available anywhere else in the south west, including Harvey Nichols, which offers iconic names such as Christian Louboutin, Alexander McQueen and Marc Jacobs. It is also home to a number of delicious dining options that will please even the serious foodie, including Brasserie Blanc, Carluccio’s and Piccolino.

Sanctuary Spa, which is also based in Quakers Friars, is just one of three of its kind outside London. The spa offers luxurious treatments which combine relaxation, pampering and rejuvenation with progressive techniques and technologies. The winner will receive a new Sanctuary Spa Therapies treatment – where following an initial wellbeing consultation, a tailor-made therapeutic treatment provides the ultimate benefits to the mind and body.

After being pampered, the winner will be treated to a delicious lunch for two at Piccolino, located near Harvey Nichols. The restaurant brings a true taste of Italy to the heart of the city with a menu that combines an array of classic and modern dishes, all prepared and made in the open kitchen. You can even start with a cocktail at the stylish bar.

And what better way to finish the day than to have a £200 gift card to spend? Whether you’re looking for the perfect present or that designer dress you’ve had your eye on for the Christmas party, the gift card is redeemable at all 120 stores, bars and restaurants, including House of Fraser, Reiss, French Connection, Ted Baker, The White Company and Links of London.

For your chance to win this fabulous prize, just answer the following question:

How many stores are there in Cabot Circus?

Email your answer, along with your name, address and telephone number to competitions@thebathmagazine.co.uk with Quakers Friars Competition in the subject line by Friday 25 November. ■ Terms & Conditions: The Sanctuary Spa prize consists of a Therapies treatment worth £70 only.

Bookings at Sanctuary Spa are all subject to availability. The Piccolino prize consists of a meal and drinks for two up to the value of £60, and is redeemable between 12pm – 6pm. Bookings at Piccolino are subject to availability. For further information about Cabot Circus and Quakers Friars visit: www.cabotcircus.com 18 THEBATHMAGAZINE

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CITYstyle

Strike a pose Harvey Nichols has some striking party wear pieces on offer including this dress with a sheer polka dot panel by Stella McCartney, £1245, that has taken the fashion world by storm.

Celebrities can’t get enough of it – perhaps it’s the flattering shape that defines curves whilst giving the illusion of a slimmer figure?

SHOW OFF: Above, walk tall in these Christian Louboutin bow-front slingbacks, £545; and left, add bling to a bland outfit with the Alexander McQueen skull ring, £180, both from Harvey Nichols, Bristol

TIME TO

celebrate ▲

Get into the party spirit with fabulous fashion pieces guaranteed to add glitz and glamour to any occasion

SLINKY & CHIC: Unlimited Wings Maxi Dress, £299 from Hobbs

▲ SUBTLE SPARKLE: The perfect piece for celebrating Christmas at home is this sequin-front Merino sweater, £115 from The White Company

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Aspinal of London’s little black box clutch bag, £395, is the ultimate party accessory and Bobbi Brown’s dinky Party-to-go Palette £32 is it’s perfect companion. The mini palette contains three eye shadows, two lip colours and a mini lip gloss – everything you need for a night out

Joseph Ribkoff has designed some gorgeous dresses for all shapes and sizes to look and feel great in this season. You can find a selection of styles at Definition, Broad Street, Bath

DAZZLING: this Pillette dress, £210 from Karen Millen is great for any dancefloor diva

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TRULYgifted ROCKING IT: Swarovski Poison pendant emulates a rough-cut crystal only polished on one side, combining a rugged look with the sophisticated sparkle that epitomises Swarovski.

Fabulous, 16 Southgate Place, Southgate, Bath. www.fabulouscollections.co.uk

FAIRGROUND ATTRACTION: Carousel takes its inspiration from the Victorian era, when the magic of the fairground came to town. Statement vintage style rich in a kaleidoscope of deep and opulent colour, £75, from Azendi, St Lawrence Street, Southgate, Bath. www.azendi.com

A THING OF BEAUTY: 9ct yellow gold opal aquamarine and diamond ring, £705, designed by Bath jeweller Jody Cory, 4 Abbey Churchyard, Bath.

Tel: 01225 460072 www.jodycory.co.uk

ALL THAT GLITTERS

SHOW HER A GOOD TIME: ladies diamond set Bulova watch, £329, from a range at Orton Jewellery, 6 Market Street, Bradford on Avon.

Tel: 01225 309039

Dip into Bath’s jewellery box and buy a gift that will be treasured for years

SHOW HIM A GOOD TIME: Montblanc TimeWalker Chronograph Automatic, 43 mm stainless steel watch with black dial and red-gold plated hands and numerals, automatic movement with chronograph function, date display, sapphire crystal case back, black alligator-skin strap. £3,225 Mallory, 1 - 5 Bridge Street, Bath.

Tel: 01225 788800 www.mallory-jewellers.com

BEAUTIFUL BY DESIGN: This ring was specially created in the Mallory workshop for a 5.30 carat sapphire and circled by ten diamonds weighing 1.65 carats. £16,500 Mallory, 1 - 5 Bridge Street, Bath. Tel: 01225 788800 www.mallory-jewellers.com

SPARKLING CREATIONS: bespoke fine quality jewellery; Mike Parsons designs and makes er own The Gold & Platinum Studio ions for special occasions. , wedding rings and one-off commiss from cufflinks to engagement rings polished while you wait ntage of having your favourite rings Call in for a free quote and take adva 01225 462300.

Tel: .

Northumberland Place, Bath Gold & Platinum Studio Ltd. 19, .uk www.goldandplatinumstudio.co

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ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE

Chocolate Festival at Milsom Place

GET GIFTED with

Milsom Place sets a Chrismassy scene with a superb range of gift ideas, thoughtful presents and an indulgent chocolate festival

Cath Kidston

MILSOM PLACE

Christmas Spirits at Vom Fass

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timer to the latest designs in sleek stainless steel. Colour and humour combine in many Alessi items like the parrot sommelier corkscrew designed by Alessandro Mendini and funky cico egg cups.

Cath Kidston has a timeless appeal for every age group. Teens are spoilt with cases for their laptops and mobile phones. Emma Ragdoll and the Ballerina Musical Jewellery Box are best for girly girls and their Grannies will be delighted too with a country rose zip up wallet or Provence Rose DAB Roberts Radio.

Quadri also carry a fabulous range of jewellery and watches; for ladies a Michel Herbelin French watch on a stainless steel bracelet is a classic design with a contemporary twist, while Jacob Jenson titanium and steel watches shout Danish design. New this year is Catherine Zoraida’s collection of modern jewellery featuring delightful seahorses and dragonflies and affordable Marlene Hounam British designed silver heart pendants and Alessi at Quadri earrings.

ulti tasking Mums on a mission and Dads dashing through their present list can head straight for Milsom Place in Bath with confidence, knowing that they will be able to find gorgeous gifts with time to spare for a delicious lunch around the courtyards.

Vom Fass has a unique collection of delicious liquid gifts with gorgeous seasonal goodies like Gingerbread Cream Liqueur. Customise a gift in a Christmas Tree shaped bottle or spoil a special friend with their Advent calendar with attitude - a shot for every day of the month.

Having doubled in size this year, Quadri can showcase its superb range of Alessi home wares. From classic pieces like the iconic Michael Graves kettle and kitchen

The beautiful boudoir boutique that is Hannah Dulcie is a fast track to feminine charm with their gorgeous lingerie. Mimi Holliday Crème Brulee bras and Meringue Teddy are sweet treats indeed, other labels include Stella McCartney, Princesse Tam.Tam and La Perla.

LUMA combine ethical credentials with must have home wares.

Their gift range includes candles by True Grace and Olivia, hand spun 100 per cent wool shawls in shades of violet, tomato red and cobalt blue. Photo frames created from recycled wood in Cape Town and brushes from Sweden stem from community projects.

CHOCOLATE FESTIVAL 3rd DECEMBER In the courtyards of Milsom Place.

Chocoholics of all ages should make a date to visit Milsom Place’s annual Chocolate Festival on 3rd December, 10.00am – 5.00pm. It’s the perfect opportunity to bag irresistible Christmas presents from some of the country’s most inventive chocolatiers.

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Luma

MILSOM PLACE, BATH for details of promotions and events visit

www.mils ompla c e .c o.uk Tel: 01225 789040 NOVEMBER 2011

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WHAT’Son THEATRE, DANCE & OP ERA – list ed by v enue

SWAN song

Moscow City Ballet presents Swan Lake at the Theatre Royal

T he atr e R oya l Sawclose, Bath. Box office tel: 01225 448844. www.theatreroyal.org.uk

End of the Rainbow, Monday 7 – Saturday 12 November, Monday – Wednesday, 7.30pm; Thursday – Saturday, 8pm; matinees: Wednesday & Saturday, 2.30pm It’s December 1968 and Judy Garland is about to make her comeback, again. In a London hotel room with her young new fiancé at her side, Garland battles with a tornado of drugs and alcohol as she undertakes an exhausting series of concerts to try and reclaim her crown as the greatest talent of her generation. Olivier Award-winning Tracie Bennett took the West End by storm as Judy Garland in End Of The Rainbow which has been receiving five star reviews and nightly standing ovations. With a breathtaking performance by Tracie, supported by a six piece on-stage band, the production features Garland’s most memorable songs.

Steven Berkoff stars in One Man, Sunday 13 – Tuesday 15 October, 7.30pm One of the UK’s most provocative and influential actors presents two short plays: Tell-tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe, adapted by Steven Berkoff and Dog by Steven Berkoff.

Edgar Allan Poe’s gothic tale of horror is told by a man who stands alone in the spotlight, protesting sanity while he explains how he systematically went about killing and dismembering a neighbour who offended him, and how his perfect crime went astray. Dog is the hilarious day in the life of a football hooligan and his pit bull terrier, Roy. 26 THEBATHMAGAZINE

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Moscow City Ballet: Swan Lake, Wednesday 16 & Thursday 17 November, Wednesday, 7.30pm; Thursday, 2.30pm & 7.30pm Moscow City Ballet features Moscow’s best young dancers, outstanding principals and soloists accompanied by the dynamic vitality of a live orchestra. One of the great romantic stories, Swan Lake is filled with drama and exquisite choreography. When Siegfried, a dashing young prince, falls in love with Odette, the beautiful Queen of the Swans, the sorcerer Von Rothbart is determined to use his evil magic to thwart their happiness.

Accompanied by Tchaikovsky’s sweeping score, this is a truly breathtaking production of a timeless classic.

Moscow City Ballet: The Nutcracker, Friday 18 – Sunday 20 November, Friday, 7.30pm; Saturday, 2.30pm & 7.30pm; Sunday, 3pm Tchaikovsky’s rousing score, sumptuous sets and fabulous costumes make this glorious production of The Nutcracker a visual feast of pure make-believe. Favourite characters like the Mouse King, the Nutcracker Prince and the Doll help bring Drosselmeyer’s strange and magical world to life for little Clara.

The Nutcracker

All the Fun of the Fair, Monday 21 – Saturday 26 November, Monday – Wednesday, 7.30pm; Thursday – Saturday, 8pm; matinees: Wednesday, Thursday & Saturday, 2.30pm Following a record breaking West End season at the Garrick Theatre, David Essex and Boogie Nights creator Jon Conway invite you to a rollercoaster ride of a musical, underscored by David Essex hits. Inspired by his album All The Fun Of The Fair, David plays funfair owner Levi Lee, recently widowed and father of a rebellious teenage son.

Dodgems and motorbikes, crafty cons and candy floss, fairground horses and fights, along with romance and rock and roll combine into an exhilarating musical, but danger and mysticism lurk in the future, as predicted by the gypsy fortune teller who is in love with Levi.

Beauty and the Beast, Wednesday 30 November – Sunday 4 December, Wednesday – Saturday, 7.30pm; matinees: Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday & Sunday, 2.30pm Bath Light Operatic Group celebrates its Diamond Anniversary by presenting one of the most popular and enchantingly romantic stories ever told in Disney’s musical. Based on the Academy Award winning animated feature, the stage version of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast will transport audiences to the heart of life in a lovely French town. This tale as old as time is filled with spectacular costumes and dazzling scenery, and promises to be an enchanting and unforgettable show for all the family.

T h e U s t in o v S t u d i o Monmouth Street, Bath. Box office tel: 01225 448844. www.theatreroyal.org.uk

The Phoenix of Madrid, Until Friday 23 December, contact theatre for times A comedy by Calderon De La Barca. Don Pedro has it all – high position, wealth, a beautiful family – and enjoys the good life in the heart of the Spanish capital. But he faces a challenge – it is time to marry off his daughters. An hilarious comedy that reaches out effortlessly across the centuries. This is the first time that The Phoenix Of Madrid will have been seen by a British audience.

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WHAT’Son THEATRE, DANCE & OP ERA – c ontinue d Iphigenia, Until Tuesday 20 December, contact theatre for times The Greek fleet bound for Troy is becalmed.

For the sake of a wind, Agamemnon, leader of the Greek forces, is persuaded that he must sacrifice his daughter Iphigenia. But as the priest raises his knife to slit the child’s throat, the goddess Diana spirits her away.

Clytemnestra, Agamemnon’s wife, believing her beloved daughter to be dead, slays her husband in revenge on his return from the Trojan wars. Their son, Orestes, avenges his father’s death by killing his mother. Years later, as Iphigenia, a prisoner of the temple of Diana, looks across the sea to Athens, longing to return home, her brother Orestes arrives to rescue her. This is the first time German playwright Goethe’s Iphigenia will have been seen by a British audience.

The Surprise of Love, Wednesday 9 November – Thursday 22 December, contact theatre for times The beautiful Marquise has been left a widow tragically young. The handsome chevalier has been deserted by the love of his life who has decided to take holy orders. Both have sworn never to lose their hearts again. Neither had reckoned with the surprise of love. This will be the first time Marivaux’s The Surprise of Love will have been seen by a British audience.

Marivaux was the most important French playwright of the 18th century. Considered by his contemporaries as 'the doctor of the human heart', he wrote many comedies for the Comedie-Francaise and the Comedie-Italienne in Paris.

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

Cold Comfort Farm, Wednesday 9 – Saturday 12 November, 7.30pm Flora Poste arrives at Cold Comfort Farm to be met by the dysfunctional and slightly mad Starkadder family who she’s related to. As Aunt Ada Doom recovers upstairs from whatever it was she saw in the woodshed, Flora sets about righting wrongs and solving family problems in this wonderfully eccentric and hilarious period comedy. The Vicar of Dibley meets Jeeves and Wooster.

Grimm and Grimmer, Wednesday 16 November, 8pm It’s 1806 and cold, dark and snowing. Brothers Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm and their beloved sister, Lotte travel into deepest Bavaria. They are assembling what will become the greatest collection of fairy tales ever published.

But now reality and fantasy are colliding and the family Grimm find themselves trapped in a twisted fantasy world of their own fairy tales.

Having previously thrilled audiences with hit shows Is That A Bolt In Your Neck? and You

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Don’t Need To Know That!, Gonzo Moose is back with a comedy fairy tale adventure bursting with absurd jokes and magical illusion.

The Real Thing, Tuesday 22 – Saturday 26 November, 7.30pm

Flare Path has all the ingredients of a great play – the tense wartime setting, the bombers flying overhead, the romantic love triangle, and the knowledge that it was actually penned in 1941, when the fate of Britain was as yet unknown. Mike Taylor’s production has been meticulously researched to ensure that everything is right for the period – so prepare to be transported back to a weekend at the Falcon Hotel, refuge of the local RAF officers, in the dark days of 1941.

Henry is an aging playwright with a gift for penning intelligent but rather empty scripts.

His latest work is a moderate success and he’s feeling reckless, extravagant, famous and in love – but not with his wife. He’s fallen for Annie, who’s married to the star of the play and suddenly Henry’s preconceived notions of love are turned upside down. Tom Stoppard’s The Real Thing combines his trademark razorsharp wit with touching language about the nature of love. Moving, startlingly funny and accompanied by a sing-along 60’s soundtrack, Next Stage’s in-the-round production of this play will reach out to anyone who has realised that the course of true love never did run smooth.

A Warning to the Curious: Two Ghost Stories by MR James, Wednesday 30 November, 8pm

Central United Reformed Church, Grove Street, Bath. Tickets from tel: 01225 858112

Flare path, Wednesday 23 – Saturday 26 November, 8pm

Nunkie Theatre Company return to the Rondo with another thrilling one man show based on two classic ghost stories by MR James. Lost Hearts was among the first stories the author wrote and it offers one of his most memorable villains, the predatory scholar Mr Abney. It is paired here with James’s most poignant work: A Warning to the Curious, in which a young archaeologist is haunted and hunted by the guardian of an ancient treasure.

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

The Elephant Man, Wednesday 9 – saturday 12 November, 7.30pm Abandoned, alone, a freak show attraction deemed a public indecency, John Merrick is infamous in Victorian England due to the extreme deformity of his body. Then an ambitious young doctor admits him to a prestigious London hospital and over the years Merrick is changed from an obscene and pitiful freak to the witty favourite of the aristocracy. Platform 8 follow its sell-out productions of The Ghost Train and The Diary of Anne Frank with this extraordinary, sensitive play which won all the major awards on Broadway when first produced, including a Tony for Best Play. Don’t miss this electric, heart-rending true story of courage, heroism and inner beauty.

T he Tov e y Ha ll

When We are Married, Wednesday 30 November – Saturday 3 December, 7.30pm Set in 1908, JB Priestley’s When We Are Married is a brilliantly characterised comedy.

Three middle aged couples have come together to celebrate their silver weddings, all married on the same day at the same chapel. But they are in for a shock...

I C I A A r t s T h e a t re University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath.

Box office tel: 01225 386777

Bgroup: The Lessening of Difference, Saturday 12 November, 7.30pm Co-commissioned

by ICIA, Ben Wright creates his most ambitious work to date in an exciting new collaboration with author David Charles Manners reflecting on the concept of intimacy.

Practice, Saturday 26 November, 7.30pm Practice is a platform giving artists and audiences the opportunity to test and see new and innovative contemporary performance and dance in development.

7 Day Drunk, Saturday 19 November, 7.30pm From the Total Theatre Award winning creator of Sex Idiot (Seen at ICIA earlier this year), comes a hilarious and moving new one-woman show investigating the historical links between artists and mind-enhancing drugs.

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WHAT’Son M U SI C – li s t e d b y d a t e

The Badke Quartet will be performing at the Michael Tippett Centre

Bristol Musical Youth Productions, Bath Male Choir and Lee Mead, Saturday 5 November, 7.30pm

Mendip Male Voice Choir, Thursday 24 November, 6.30pm & 7.30pm

Bath Forum. Tickets from bath Box Office on tel: 01225 463362 Music man Grenville Jones presents a show featuring songs performed by members of the Bristol Musical Youth Productions, Bath Male Choir and Lee Mead.

Abbey Green, Bath.

Bath Christmas Market will again get off to a jolly start with the help of Mendip Male Voice Choir, who will be singing seasonal music in the early evening of opening night.The 70strong choir, will be giving the first public performance of its 2012 Christmas set, embracing carols and seasonal songs familiar and unfamiliar.

Isobel Buchanan and Stephen Varcoe with the Bath Bach Choir, Saturday 5 November, 7.30pm Bath Abbey. Tickets from Bath Box Office on tel: 01225 463362 Opera sensation Isobel Buchanan and distinguished baritone Stephen Varcoe are the soloists for the City of Bath Bach Choir’s performance of Howard Goodall’s Eternal Light – a requiem for the living. The programme also features 15-year-old cellist Gabrielle Yuen, who will play the solo in Svyati by John Tavener. Proceeds will be offered to the Royal British Legion and Help for Heroes Personnel Recovery Centre.

Kiku Day: Shakuhachi, Thursday 17 November, 8pm The Holburne Museum, Bath. Box office tel: 01225 386777 Kiku Day specialises in jinashi shakuhachi; a bamboo flute closely associated with Japanese meditative practice. This solo performance will feature traditional and contemporary works for the instrument.

The Badke Quartet, Wednesday 23 November, 7.30pm The Michael Tippett Centre, Bath Spa University. Tickets from the Bath Festivals Box Office on tel: 01225 463362 This energetic and vibrant young string quartet comes to Bath with a programme that includes pieces by Haydn and Shostakovich.

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A Rachmaninov Retrospective, Saturday 26 November, 7.30pm Holburne Museum, Bath. Tickets from Bath Box Office on tel: 01225 463362 www.bathboxoffice.org.uk Continuing in the concert series looking at Rachmaninov’s music, pianist Maria Angel Garcia explores the influence of Chopin on Rachmaninov as well as presenting music from the Latin nations.

Songs From the Belle Epoque, Wednesday 30 November, 7.30pm Michael Tippett Centre, Bath Spa University.

Tickets from the Bath Festivals Box Office on tel: 01225 463362 www.michaeltippettcentre.org Local operatic star Isobel Buchanan performs late 19th century European music of poetic songs with flowing melodies.

A Handful of Singers, Saturday 3 December, 7.30pm St Swithun’s Parish Church, Bathford. Tickets from tel: 01225 311773 or visit: www.ahandfulofsingers.org Directed by its award-winning conductor Christopher Finch, one of Bath’s leading chamber choirs, A Handful of Singers, presents music for Advent. The concert includes Britten’s Ceremony of Carols with harp,

Chilcott’s new composition On Christmas Night and popular music and carols.

Celebrating 15 Years of Bach at Marshfield, Saturday 10 December, 7.30pm St Mary’s Church, Marshfield. Tickets from Bath Box Office on tel: 01225 463362 and on the door This year’s Bach cantata is Schwingt freudig euch empor – uplifting Advent music for chorus, orchestra and soloists including Marshfield’s very own Anthony Nowlan.

Opening the programme will be Mozart’s inspired Sinfonia Concertante for violin, viola and orchestra, featuring two young soloists who have already embarked on promising professional careers. The Apollo Ensemble contributes two pieces for string orchestra, while the Marshfield Bach Singers add a seasonal touch with Rutter’s Nativity Carol and Handel’s For unto us a child is born.

Mince pies and mulled wine round off this festive evening in Marshfield’s historic church.

Grenville Jones’ Big Christmas Show, Saturday 10 December Bath Forum. Tickets from Bath Box Office on tel: 01225 463362 The man who wowed X Factor viewers with his superb baritone voice, Rhydian Roberts, will be performing in this Christmas show alongside the 100 voices of the Bath Chorus and the Stockingtops.

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WHAT’Son O T H E R E V E N T S – l i s te d by date

The Footman James Classic Vehicle Restoration Show & Auction

Footman James Classic Vehicle Restoration Show & Auction, Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 November, 9.30am – 4pm The Royal Bath & West Showground, Shepton Mallet. Tickets £8 on the door or in advance from www.bccsl.co.uk The 11th Footman James Classic Vehicle Restoration Show & Auction will feature display and demonstration stands from clubs, traders and restorers as well as an auction by Charterhouse Auctions of Sherborne. There will be a classic car park featuring stunning cars not always seen at shows.

The Bath Charities Annual Fair, Saturday 5 November, 10am – 2pm The Guildhall, Bath.

The nine local members of the Bath Charities Annual Fair are again working together to bring another well loved annual event to the Guildhall. The local charities involved are: Cats Protection, Cleveland Pools Trust, Kaposvar Twinning Association, Bath City Farm, Life Pregnancy Centre, Mercy in Action, Research Institute for The Care of Older People, Action On Hearing Loss Bath Workshop and Church of St Mary at Bathwick. Browse and buy from the myriad of treasures on offer – perfect for Christmas gifts.

There will also be a prize draw at 2pm.

Christmas Craft Fair, Saturday 12 November, 10am – 5.30pm St Matthew’s, Widcombe Hill, Bath.

Admission free.

Over 30 local artists and craftspeople will be offering a wide range of work for sale including textiles, ceramics, jewellery, glass, cards and more. Come and meet the makers, buy some individual Christmas presents and enjoy some refreshments.

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Comedy Cavern, Wednesday 16 November, 7.30pm Burdall’s Yard, Anglo Terrace, Bath. Tickets £5 on the door.

Bath’s longest running weekly comedy club has found a new home at Burdall’s Yard. Jonny Awsum, Mickey Sharma, Chris Norton Walker and Rowan Crabtree will be providing a lot of laughs for the opening night.

Theatre Workshop: Performance Making for Idiots, Sunday 20 November, 11am – 4.30pm ICIA Arts Theatre, University of Bath. Cost: £22 from the box office on tel: 01225 386777 The queen of the autobiographical show Bryony Kimmings takes you on a journey through her own devising techniques, using your own stories as fuel for work. From concept to costume and the inevitable fretting to fully fledged pieces, it’s a whistle-stop tour for the fearless.

Christmas Flower Workshop & Lunch, Tuesday 22 November, 10.30am The Bath Priory, Weston Road, Bath. £75 per person, book on tel: 01225 331922 Meet local florist Jo Shipp from Flowers by Passion and enjoy the opportunity to learn about the art of preparing the perfect Christmas wreath for your home. With fresh festive flowers supplied by Jo, you can prepare an arrangement to take home. Includes a twocourse lunch with wine.

An Evening with Paul Martin, Friday 25 November, 7.30pm St Michael’s Church, Bath. Tickets £15 to include a glass of wine. Book on tel: 01225 721480 An evening with Paul Martin, the popular TV presenter of Flog It! and Britain’s Hidden

Christmas Flower Workshop at The Bath Priory

Heritage. The event, in aid of Dorothy House Hospice Care, will include a chance to have small, portable items valued by local antiques experts.

Henning Wehn’s German Christmas Do, Thursday 1 December, 8pm Widcombe Social Club, Widcombe Hill, Bath.

Tickets £10 from Brown Paper Tickets or Bath Box Office on tel: 01225 463362 or visit: www.bathcomedy.com A chance to catch Henning’s new stand-up show and Christmas special outside London.

In addition to his show, there will be renditions of Germany’s favourite Christmas carols.

The Vintage & Handmade Christmas Fair, Saturday 3 December, 10am – 3pm Chipping Sodbury Town Hall, South Gloucestershire. Free admission.

Over 48 stalls of fine vintage homewares, jewellery, toys, textiles, brocante, millinery and unique handmade items will be on offer along with the popular vintage tea room.

Christmas Fair, Saturday 3 December, 10am – 2pm King Edward’s School, Bath.

There will be a wide variety of items for sale from specialist retails in the region including jewellery, artwork, cookware, candles, bags, wine, cheese and much more. And while you browse there will be games and activities for children as well as Santa’s grotto.

Artisan Market, Sunday 4 December, 11am – 4pm St Catherine’s Hill, Frome.

A blend of independent designer makers, artisans and food producers will be selling a wide range of locally made produce – the perfect place to find a special Christmas gift.

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Bath Historic Buildings Wedding Exhibition Bath Assembly Rooms, Bennett Street, Bath, Somerset BA1 2QH

6TH NOVEMBER 11.00am – 3.00pm Fashion Shows 12pm & 2pm £2 admission or FREE for one person with this advert.

Tel: 01202 741650 e: tammy@weddingdaze.co.uk www.weddingdaze.co.uk

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Wedding Daze

Directory

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MOZARTfest

ALL EARS

are on Bath 20TH FESTIVAL: The Emerson String Quartet, main picture, will open the Mozartfest, while pianist Imogen Cooper will play at The Forum in the final concert with the Hallé Orchestra

A

s the leaves fall and the days get ever shorter the thoughts of classical music lovers turn not to winter, but to the annual musical feast that is the Bath Mozartfest.

This internationally acclaimed nine-day celebration of great music brings some of the biggest and starriest names in the musical firmament to the city, not to mention audiences from this country and abroad.

This year Bath Mozartfest is celebrating a significant anniversary: 20 increasingly successful years of music making of the highest quality, with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart at its heart and set against the backdrop of our stunning city. And the festival’s much respected artistic director, Amelia Freedman, has surpassed herself with a programme featuring some of the world’s best known musicians, including Alfred Brendel, Imogen Cooper and Stephen Isserlis, to drop just a few big names.

Dvorak’s much-loved and deeply ❝ evocative From the New World symphony will provide the resounding finale

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Appropriately, the 2011 Mozartfest will open with the music of Mozart played by America’s leading String Quartet, the Emersons. Fine chamber music has always been central to this festival and other chamber highlights will include two concerts from the Quatuor Mosaïques, plus the British violin star Daniel Hope and his regular musical partner pianist Sebastian Knauer, who together will pay homage to the great 19th century violinist Joseph Joachim.

Steven Isserlis, with pianist Dénes Várjon, will explore the riches of the cello repertoire from Beethoven to Brahms, and the wonderful Nash Ensemble – the group that Amelia Freedman founded when she was still a student – will take a break from their new residency at the Wigmore Hall to play in Bath again.

There is always one concert in the inspirational setting of Bath Abbey, and this year the world renowned singers and players of The Sixteen will perform music by two of the masters of the Baroque period, Handel and Purcell.

The Cardinall’s Musick, directed by Andrew Carwood, will take their audience on Mozart’s Pilgrimage, tracing the roots of the composer’s style back to the music of the Renaissance and Baroque periods through works by Allegri, J S and J C Bach and Palestrina. This outstanding vocal consort has won four Gramophone Awards, including the 2010 Recording of the Year, and will need no introduction to fans of early music.

Although now retired from the concert platform Alfred

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Brendel continues to give entertaining and thought-provoking lectures which he illustrates from the keyboard. At Bath’s Guildhall on Saturday 12 November he will be addressing the question Does classical music have to be entirely serious?

If you are time-poor, or perhaps just looking for a gentle introduction to classical music, then the series of one-hour Monday to Thursday 1pm lunchtime concerts given by talented young artists starting out on international careers are for you.

The Olivier Ensemble; Sitkovetsky Trio; pianist Grace Francis and the Elias String Quartet will provide a mid-day shot of calm and culture to help you through the working week.

Finally, Bath Mozartfest 2011 will end on a high note with a big orchestral concert in the extraordinary Art Deco Forum.

This year’s closing concert will see conductor Sir Mark Elder bring his famous Hallé orchestra to Bath for the first time since the Queen’s Coronation celebrations in 1953. Music from Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream will, a trifle unseasonally, opens the concert, then Imogen Cooper will return to play Mozart’s Piano Concerto No 18. Dvořák’s much-loved and deeply evocative From the New World symphony will provide the resounding finale to this very special 20th anniversary Bath Mozartfest.

The Bath Mozartfest was made possible by the AM Purnell Charitable Trust, created at the bequest of Mrs Mary Purnell in memory of her son Mark. It remains entirely privately funded and is indebted to its generous sponsors and individual supporters. ■ Tickets are available from Bath Box Office, tel: 01225 463362, prices £10 to £35. Or visit www.bathmozartfest.org.uk.

READER OFFER The Bath Magazine & Bath Mozartfest are delighted to have joined forces for this treat of a reader offer: The Hallé orchestra, with Sir Mark Elder conductor and Imogen Cooper piano on Saturday 19 November, 7.30pm at The Forum Sir Charles Hallé was invited to settle in Bath in 1848 but chose Manchester instead, where he founded the famous orchestra which still bears his name. Big Mistake we Bathonians think. Still, this world-famous orchestra is at last coming to our city – its first visit since 1953. Even at Bath’s biggest venue, The Forum, this event is a certain sell-out, so we feel fortunate to have secured 20 pairs of £16 tickets for our 2for1 Reader Offer.

The first 20 Bath Magazine readers to book via Bath Box Office on 01225 463362 quoting BathMag Offer2 will secure their seats.

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MUMMER’S

the word As the mummers of the world descend on Bath this month, Paul Fisher explains why you’re going to see St George out on the city streets

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n comes I. Again. In comes I, a slightly embarrassed middle-aged bloke in face paint and dressed in a white sheet overlaid with a red cross. For these past two New Year’s and St George’s days, I’ve come from Widcombe pretending to be St George. Some might say it’s a tradition. The younger me would have called it a travesty but then the older me gets to kill the dragon and kiss the heroine. Street theatre can be fun.

I like to think the Widcombe Mummers (plus, no doubt, other local sides from Weston and Marshfield) are part of a new liberal-minded English nationalism that is pinching St George and broader ideas of Englishness back from the bare-bellied right. Perhaps our repeating performances and stock phrases from the locker room of folk memory suggest that local and national pride isn’t necessarily something reserved for nutters.

There are still bigger arguments than these, because tradition demands that when people of a folkish bent get together there are fiercely mild disputes on origins and meanings. We can now say with certainty that mumming dates back to medieval times/the 19th century/Christmas 2006 and that it is old French for mime or old German for disguise or modern English for a reversion to aesthetic infancy. The dressing up box gets opened.

The hero (not always Our Esteemed Patron Saint) sometimes kills and is sometimes killed by a Turkish Knight or a Bold Slasher or a pantomime dragon. In comes a quack doctor who resurrects the corpse after a dispute over the fee. Good defeats evil and year after year after year, the Widcombe Mummers’ skilful team of script-writers makes room within the narrative framework for safe jokes about seagull poo, the Southgate Centre and the local council.

All of which is a preamble to the selling line of this piece and the reason I’m writing it for nothing. I’m really here to What Ho! the Mummers Unconvention, which runs from Thursday 17 to Sunday 20 November. Doc Rowe, folklorist extraordinaire, gets things going at the Chapel Arts Centre on Thursday evening. On the Friday, a symposium at Bath Spa University will do the modern job of putting mumming into historic and international contexts. Thereafter, events centre on the Widcombe Social Club and St Matthew’s Church where Saturday workshops feature: a children’s group led by Norma Mills; sword fighting tuition from Jonathan Howell, actor and fight director at the Bristol Old Vic; Mark Langley, a Bath Spa drama lecturer, will teach how to shout in public; someone else important will teach the art of making a rag coat. And all will culminate in rapidly devised performances.

A traditional rule for life is to try everything once, except for mumming.

Other rules are not to dress as a saint or ever to say ‘What Ho! What Ho!’ Or to use exclamation marks. The Mummers Unconvention is! a chance to break the rules, to kill dragons with wooden swords and maybe to kiss!! a total stranger. ■ More details from Stephen Rowley on 01453 763181 or online at www.mummersunconvention.com 34 THEBATHMAGAZINE

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ARTISTS&EXHIBITIONS EXHIBITION: RAW ELEMENTS

Ione Parkin

Peter Hayes Gallery 2 Cleveland Bridge, Bath Tel: 01225 466215 Peter Randall-Page

13 – 20 November

▲ THE BATH ART AFFAIR The Octagon and venues around the city Milsom Place, Bath. www.bathgalleriesgroup.com

11 – 20 November Following the hugely successful charity auction in July, the Bath Galleries Group is holding the second annual Bath Art Affair this month. The nine-day celebration of art will bring together the galleries of the city as they host a broad selection of special exhibitions, live music, street parties, talks and symposiums all co-ordinated from the hub of the fair at The Octagon Chapel where gallery guides, art trail advice, catalogues and maps will be available for those wishing to make the most of the affair. Guest artist, internationally-renowned sculptor, Peter Randall-Page who studied at the Bath Academy of Art and is now represented in the Tate and British Museum, will also host a solo show at The Octagon featuring his renowned works in bronze alongside a selection of drawings and prints.

EXHIBITION: KEVIN HUGHES RWA Gallery Nine 9b Margaret’s Buildings, Bath.

Tel: 01225 319197 www.gallerynine.co.uk

12 November – 24 December An exhibition of new paintings, watercolours and pastels, by Kevin Hughes. Born in 1947, he studied at Reading University then worked in London as an illustrator for several years before moving to the west country. For the past 25 years he has concentrated on painting mostly in watercolours and occasionally pastel. Landscapes, buildings and interiors are favourite subjects and his work is known for its quality of light and atmosphere.

A member of The Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolour, he has won numerous awards and his work is held in many public and private collections.

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EXHIBITION: MIXED WORK

Beaux Arts 12 – 13 York Street, Bath. Tel: 01225 464850 www.beauxartsbath.co.uk

Until 15 November Anthony Scott brings his wonderful mythologically inspired bronze sculptures to Beaux Arts for his fourth solo show in Bath.

The body of work includes dogs, horses, a crow, and a marvellous bull – all derived from the shape-changing characters in Irish legend.

Also, Wales’ popular landscape artist David Tress exhibits his wonderfully vibrant landscapes.

▲ David Tress

A rare chance to see the collaborative exhibition of three of Bath’s most internationally renowned artists as part of the Bath Art Affair. The show celebrates the beauty of the raw elements of nature. Peter Hayes is a ceramicist who established his studio nearly 30 years ago after extensive travels to Africa and Asia. Peter’s interest in erosion and change through time and nature is recorded in each piece. Ben Dearnley’s work is an exploration of the figure. The narrative he creates fuses techniques of the sculpture masters with the best natural materials through a contemporary approach. Ione Parkin RWA, painter and printmaker, is interested in landscape and in her arresting abstract works, she draws on her own experience of varied environments, including volcanic terrain, glaciers and rock surfaces.

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ANDREW SCHUMANN Recent Works EXHIBITION Saturday November 19th until Saturday December 10th

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ARTS&EXHIBITIONS EXHIBITION: CHRISTMAS COLLECTION Time and Space Gallery The Avenue, Combe Down, Bath.

Tel: 01225 830301

Throughout November There is always something fresh to be seen at the gallery and this month is no different. There is a new collection of affordable creations from local artists working in ceramics, silver jewellery, prints and fabrics as well as fine art in oils, watercolours and pastels.

Richard Cartwright, On a Pale Street

▲ EXHIBITION: L’ALLIANCE – PAINTINGS BY MICHAEL G. CLARK

EXHIBITION: RICHARD CARTWRIGHT – HOW FAR IS HEAVEN? Adam Gallery 13 John Street, Bath. Tel: 01225 480406

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

Venetia Osborne, Alexandra Park

EXHIBITION: BONNIE HELEN HAWKINS

26 November – 16 December Richard Cartwright’s subjects include landscapes, nocturnes, interiors and nudes. Although taken from reality, his images transcend their original place into a mysterious world. Dreamlike figures sometimes feature in his scenes, buildings are distorted, dimensions are shortened and the perspective is varied. Richard works in oil and pastel and has a unique feeling for colour and atmosphere, which help to make his work unusual and captivating. Usually painting after midnight, he finds that once darkness encroaches “you can see beyond the world’s hemisphere to the stars billions of miles away.” Many of his paintings depict this light, or the turning towards this light. Richard studied at Goldsmith’s College School of Art and he lives and works in Bristol.

EXHIBITION: ANDREW SCHUMANN – WANDERING AND WONDERING Larkhall Fine Art 10 Margaret’s Buildings, Bath.

Tel: 01225 444480 www.larkhall.com

19 November – 10 December An exhibition of work by Andrew Schumann, painter and sculptor. His constructions explore the themes of the mystery of life as seen in the paradoxical relationship of geometry and precision juxtaposed to nature and disorder. Schumann contemplates the idea of chaotic symmetry and seeks answers to man’s desire to comprehend it.

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11 – 27 November An exhibition of work by renowned Scottish artist Michael G Clark focusing on the relationship between the artist, France and Scotland and also his connection with Bath. His paintings are a celebration of life linking the significant pleasures of everyday activities to their surroundings. This solo show of new paintings evoke memories of holidays in France and Michael’s ongoing love affair with Paris, combined with his passion for the moody skies and gentle landscapes of Scotland.

▲

Michael G Clark, Market Day, Tulette

Bonnie Helen Hawkins, Ambition & Youth

The Octagon Milsom Place, Bath.

Until 5 November Known for her exuberant use of colour in landscapes, seascapes and abstracts, Bonnie has always tried to create art that demands attention. In this her new collection of paintings she has explored the human relationship with animals. Bonnie says: “We have an affinity with animals that is prehistoric, they are our other selves, in mythology they are monsters, gods, heroes and helpers. I have taken my visual inspiration from cave paintings, as well as contemporary culture, collective memory, music, poetry various writers, and my shoe collection.” Bonnie’s new work will be on show at The Octagon.

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ARTS&EXHIBITIONS EXHIBITION: BANA – NEW VIEW

EXHIBITION: PAUL WADSWORTH – GARDEN CARNIVAL

EXHIBTION: NARRATIVE THREAD

Walcot Chapel Walcot Street, Bath. www.banaarts.co.uk

22 – 28 November Bath Area Network for Artists’ annual exhibition presents new work by its members. Including paintings, prints, sculpture and works in glass, New View demonstrates the range, diversity and expertise of the artists that BANA represents.

Committed to developing art and art practice, BANA is a network of practicing artists working together to provide support, advocacy and the promotion of art activities.

EXHIBITION: MUNGO POWNEY Edgar Modern Bartlett Street, Bath.

Tel: 01225 443746 www.edgarmodern.com

4 – 16 November A new collection of paintings depicting French provincial landscapes, nudes and still life. All rich in texture, subject, and Mungos much admired use of colour.

▲

Paul Wadsworth, Golden Wings

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

Until 19 November A solo exhibition of work by artist Paul Wadsworth. Paul’s paintings are wonderfully playful in their use of colour and texture.

Inspired by his travels in the Middle East, his work sometimes references religious iconography and symbolism but is primarily an adventure in paint.

Bath Artists Studios Comfortable Place, Bath. www.bathartistsstudios.co.uk

3 – 6 November An exhibition in which the artists, Ian and Maggie Hunter, play with ideas about time and story: the thread that weaves a connection between past, present and future.

EXHIBTION: MUDSLINGERS

Jane Gibson

Bay Tree Gallery St Margaret’s Street, Bradford-onAvon. Tel: 01225 864918

26 November – 11 December An exhibition if work from the newly formed group of innovative potters who are showing their original and very individual work together for the first time together. This includes functional and domestic ware, sculpture and wall pieces.

EXHIBITION: WENDY MCMURDO – CHILDHOOD, FANTASY & PLAY ICIA Art Spaces 1,2 &3 University of Bath.

Until 16 December

Mungo Powney, Large Nude

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Wendy McMurdo’s photographs explore the psychological world of the child, expressed through play.

Specially selected from her past 15 years’ work, this comprehensive exhibition includes many pieces never before exhibited in the UK.

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IF YOU SEEK HIS monument as an appeal is launched to repair Ralph Allen’s mausoleum Cathryn Spence tells the story of one of Bath’s great city fathers’ little known romantic retreat in Claverton

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recent survey of the Church of St Mary the Virgin in Claverton has revealed that Ralph Allen’s (1693-1764) mausoleum is in desperate need of conservation. Most Bathonians know of Allen’s postal service rags-to-riches tale, his prominence in local politics and supremacy of Bath’s stone quarries. Equally, most Bathonians would associate Allen with his grand advertisement to the qualities of Bath’s oolithic limestone – Prior Park; so why is his mausoleum in Claverton?

In 1758, Allen purchased Claverton Manor – not the property that now houses the American Museum in Britain, but the old manor possibly designed by John of Padua, who also worked in Bradford-on-Avon, and built for Sir Edward Hungerford in around 1588. Some sources suggest the architect was Robert Smythson, but neither architectural style nor historic evidence supports this exalted claim.

Claverton Down, through which ❝ Allen’s road passed was notorious for highwaymen especially at the top of Brassknocker Hill

❞

The manor, which included the house, the church, extensive land and vineyards was purchased by Sir William Bassett in 1608 and remained in his family for almost a century. In his Natural History of Wiltshire, the 17th century antiquarian John Aubrey, declared that Bassett “hath made the best vineyard” in all England at Claverton. It was during the Bassett’s ownership that a cannon ball was notoriously shot across the River Avon from near Warleigh Manor, passing through the outer wall of the manor and lodging in the chimneybreast, apparently just missing the Bassett family as they sat down to eat. The shot was fired as part of the Civil War in1643 when there was a small skirmish in 40 THEBATHMAGAZINE

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the area prior to the large Battle of Lansdown on 5th July. At least three Parliamentarians and one Royalist soldier were killed; their remains were buried in the grounds of St Mary’s Church.

By 1701 the estate was owned by Richard Holder, a relative of Allen’s second wife Elizabeth; however, a dispute between Holder and his son Robert saw it sold to Dr William Skrine in 1714. Just as Allen’s marriage to Elizabeth saw them take on her family home of Bathampton Manor in 1742, so the purchase of Claverton can be seen as a forthright decision to reinstate the Holder family’s manorial standing. Allen, of course, had no ancestral claim to being a Lord of any manor, but with Elizabeth he could legitimately adopt that personae and not be seen to be “getting above his station” – a socially damaging misdemeanor in the 18th century.

Unlike the fantastically modern and public Prior Park, Claverton provided a romantic haven for Allen. The parish was small, rural and historic. Allen’s friend, the poet Alexander Pope, is said to have contentedly sought contemplative solitude in the grounds of St Mary’s. The rector Richard Graves became a close associate of Allen’s and, like Pope, enjoyed his patronage. Allen continued to live at Prior Park, although he visited Claverton weekly and built a tree-lined road to link his two properties, including the The Avenue that now leads to the university campus.

Claverton Down, through which Allen’s road passed, was notorious for highwaymen, especially at the top of Brassknocker Hill, where coaches and carriages had to make the sharp turn to go down the steep hill. Robbers took advantage as the vehicles slowed to make the manoeuvre. The area was also popular with duellists; Richard Beau Nash, Master of Ceremonies, had banned duelling in the centre of Bath at the beginning of the 1700s, but that did not stop people challenging each other to defend an honour. Claverton Down was far enough away from Bath’s judiciary, but still within easy reach for a covert meeting. It was this notoriety that Jane Austen played on in Northanger Abbey when John Thorpe takes Catherine Morland for a drive to

QUIET SOLITUDE: Ralph Allen’s tomb in St Mary’s churchyard is now in need of urgent repairs

PICTURE: Dan Brown

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RETREAT: left to right, Claverton Manor, a portrait of Ralph Allen, and his tomb photographed in the early days of photography PICTURES: courtesy of Bath in Time, www.bathintime.co.uk

Claverton Down. Despite its questionable reputation, however, Allen obviously felt a deep attachment to the area.

Allen’s clerk of works, Richard Jones, recorded in his unpublished autobiography that he visited the churchyard with Allen shortly before he died to pick out a spot for his “vault and monument”. Allen requested in a codicil to his will that he desired “to be buried as privately and decently as possible, without pomp, in the churchyard at Claverton.” Allen died on 29 June 1764, he was 71. His mausoleum, designed by Jones with its dramatic pyramidal roof, and three-arched sides enclosed by iron railings, is certainly modest for a man of Allen’s means, but equally conveys the message that Allen was a leading figure of the Augustan Age with its purposeful Roman derivatives.

The mausoleum was last repaired in the 1960s with the help of the Bath Preservation Trust and the Bath and Portland Stone Group. It was Alderman Major Adrian Hopkins who first made the public aware of the deplorable condition the tomb was in; and

it is his daughter, Ann Hopkins-Clarke, who is one of the instigators of this latest fundraising campaign. The amount required is £40,000, but this will also include an endowment to secure the future of the mausoleum. It is only fair that we should cherish the last resting place of the man that played such a significant part in creating Bath’s Georgian heritage, an aspect many of us rely on for our livelihoods. ■ Fundraising for Ralph Allen’s Mausoleum will be launched at the American Museum in Britain on Tuesday 1 November. Dr. Cathryn Spence will be giving an illustrated talk: Without Pomp!: Ralph Allen’s Romantic Haven at Claverton, followed by an assessment of the conservation work required by architect George Chedburn. The evening will commence at 6pm with a welcome drink, the lecture at 6.45pm. The event is free of charge but there will be a collection in aid of fundraising. To secure a place e-mail your name and contact details to: cathrynspence@ymail.com

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WEEKENDbreak

AN ISLAND sojourn Flights from Bristol open up the Channel Islands for short breaks. Georgette McCready explores Guernsey where English and French cultures live in harmony

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hen you’ve just got a couple of days to spend away, an island is the ideal destination as one’s natural instinct to dash about and try and see everything is curbed by the size of the land and the sea surrounding it. And Guernsey, at just nine miles by three, is easily accessible and contained for a short break. The get-away-from-it-all feeling begins at Bristol Airport when you climb aboard am Aurigny airline twinpropellor plane, rather like a large bus inside, and are transported in less than an hour to Guernsey, just off the French coast.

To take the strain off I’ve got a few suggestions of my own of things to do and see during a short trip to this Channel Island.

The best travel tip I can offer – and best value – is the £1 bus ride on the coastal bus which circumnavigates the island. It takes less than two hours and you can get off at any stop that takes your fancy (although you will have to pay another £1 to catch another bus). On sunny days you’ll find sandy beaches you’ll want to visit, while in colder weather there’s the majesty of the waves whipping across the rocks.

I particularly like the way the French and English cultures are in such close contact. Everyone speaks English and in St Peter Port there’s a Marks & Spencer, but the letterboxes are royal blue and the telephone boxes are the same style as our mainland ones, but painted yellow. As you travel around you can play the game of guessing whether the next house is going to be named in French or English. The Laurels’ neighbour could be Beau Rivage, while The Witterings lives alongside Les Hirondelles.

The island is a good place for walkers, with walking festivals held in September and, from May 5 in 2012, offering a programme of guided, themed walks. We took an afternoon stroll from St Peter Port along the coastal path for a couple of miles to the Fermain Valley Hotel. Along the way we passed a couple of sea-filled bathing pools, some great sea views, and an 18th century fort, which was also used during the Second World War. As the Channel Islands were the only part of Britain occupied by the Nazis during the war you can imagine that there is much interest from visitors and historians in this time. The St Peter Port town museum offers only a tiny display on this most traumatic 42 THEBATHMAGAZINE

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period in the island’s history. A better picture can be got from walking along the harbourside reading the plaques in memory of those who lost their lives during the occupation, and by visiting the German Occupation Museum, a rather eerie place which gives you an idea of what those five years of enemy occupation did to the local population.

Guernsey is a good place for dining out. St Peter Port has numerous bars, cafés and restaurants all within walking distance of each other. You can’t beat a fresh crabmeat sandwich with a chilled glass of French wine on a sunny day, watching the boats go by.

Visitors of a certain age may be wondering what happened to the island’s thriving tomato and fruit growing industry.

Everywhere you see huge greenhouses, neglected and weed-filled, their frames sagging. The answer, our taxi driver tells us, lies with the European Union which moved the goalposts and, in subsidising other countries, cost Guernsey its tomato crop.

Nonetheless, this is a beautiful island, largely unspoiled, and retains a gentle, old-fashioned air about it. ■

TIME TO EXPLORE: main picture, the coastal path around Guernsey offers contrasting scenery, top, Dix Neuf is a popular place to eat in St Peter Port, and diners enjoying the sunshine and the view on the terrace at the Fermain Valley Hotel

READER OFFER November sees the launch of Guernsey’s newest cocktail bar and dining rooms at the four star Fermain Valley Hotel. The Rock Garden offers the chance to wine and dine in beautiful surroundings. Fermain Valley has a special offer for the winter, with a two night break to include return flights from Bristol to Guernsey, two nights B & B and a £25 voucher to spend in The Rock Garden. That leaves another night to enjoy the wide variety of restaurants on the island or Fermain Valley’s two rosette Valley restaurant.

Rates from £212 per person, complimentary room upgrade subject to availability. Offer available 4 November to 31 March excluding Christmas, New Year & Valentine’s. (The Rock Garden open Tuesdays to Saturdays).

For more information tel: 01481 213570 or visit: www.fermainvalley.com

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BUSINESSnews

Outstanding newcomers join stalwarts for city business awards Bath Racecourse, as part of its 200th anniversary year, hosted the Bath Business Awards, held to recognise the achievement of organisations large and small.

Derek Hayes, part of the furniture store dynasty TR Hayes, was presented with a lifetime achievement award, while The Royal High School won the longstanding business award for its years of contribution to the city.

Other winners were: CircleBath Hospital for customer service, Oppen architects for business innovation, Ashman Jones vets for start-up business, while the winner of the independent retailer of the

year was Freshford’s Galleries Shop and Café. David Kelly, aged 24, of web design and marketing business Storm, was named young business person, while twins Jake and Shane Xu, who run Xcetera Media won small business of the year. Richard Longhurst, founder of adult goods firm Lovehoney, won business person of the year.

In the final for the business of the year, engineering firm Rotork was the overall winner, heading a shortlist of Picochip, Gradwell Dot Com and Lovehoney.

The awards were co-hosted by The Bath Chronicle and presented PUBLIC RECOGNITION: the winners of the 2011 Bath Business Awards collect their

by Jamie Breese.

News in brief ■ Bath firm Withy King has been named among the best law firms in the south west by the Legal 500, achieving first-tier rankings in four categories. The firm’s clinical negligence, personal injury, employment and racing and bloodstock teams have all achieved top-tier rankings in the latest edition of Legal 500 – an authoritative reference guide to the UK’s best lawyers and firms.

■ Bath has been making the most of links with Bristol firm Solarsense, with three solar PV installations, at Oldfield Park Surgery, Bath University and St Philip and St James’ Church. The church and Solarsense have worked together on charity projects for orphanages in Uganda and India. The solar panels on Bath University roof will generate enough to power four houses. A rising wave of buildings are taking advantage of the Feed in Tariff (FiT) – a financial incentive scheme designed to encourage the uptake of renewable energy.

Payments are index-linked.

winning certificates

Speakers aim to inspire teenagers

LATEST BUZZ

Invitation to trade in Aix Bath’s twin city in France is inviting local traders to sell their wares in the Aix-en-Provence Christmas Market in the last week of November.

All kinds of retailers and artisans are welcome from 25 to 30 November and host families have offered to put up English stall-holders in their own homes. Anyone interested can email the Twinning Association in Aix: jumelages.aix@wanadoo.fr

BATH BUSINESS news & views

A round up of achievements and events from the city’s business community

Local sixth form students will be given the opportunity to take part in the first TEDxYouth@Bath event this month, hosted by the egg theatre. TEDxYouth is part of non-profit organisation TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) an annual conference where some of the world’s most influential speakers are invited to talk.

On 17 November the Bath event will see prominent local figures from a diverse range of disciplines speak to school students at what is already an over-subscribed event. The speakers include; musician Midge Ure, Bafta winner Ben Please, young social entrepreneur and founder of Jamie’s Farm Jamie Feilden and adventurer Dave Cornthwaite.

Prior to the event students will be asked to think of ”an idea worth sharing” that they would consider voicing in a three minute slot.

There will also be the chance for budding entertainers to show off their skills in the 18 minute performance slots, and creative types to showcase art and photography.

Because so many teenagers applied to take part organisers have opted to stream the conference live so no one misses out. Follow TEDxYouth@Bath on Twitter or visit the website at www.tedxyouthbath.com.

Leaders bring their expertise to link students to the commercial world Two Bath businessmen have become governors at City of Bath College, more than 20 years after one of them was a student there.

Former business studies student Philip Marshall, now a partner with Carter Jonas, has joined Andrew Peters, owner of the Green Park Brasserie, on the board of governors.

Philip, who took a business studies course in the 1980s, said: “A lot of things I learnt on that course are still relevant in my work today.”

It was through a work placement on the course with property firm Crisp Cowley that Philip got his break in the property industry.

“I did a few weeks work experience with them and, when it was finished, I wrote to thank them.

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LEADERS: Andrew Peters, Philip Marshall and college principal Matt Atkinson

They then wrote back offering me a place with them once I’d finished the course.”

Philip was to stay with the firm for the next 20 years – rising to become managing director.

He said: “There are lots of young people who choose not to go to university and instead are seeking out practical, vocational skills. The college has a key role to play in training these young people.”

Andrew Peters said: “I’ve always been interested in business and finance and with four children you realise how important a good education is. I’m hopeful that I’ll be able to give the college a good perspective on how the private sector sees the world of business and the important role that small businesses have to play in the local economy.”

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BUSINESSnews

Hospital emergency service gets a boost Newborn babies who have been parted from their mothers because they need to be in a special care baby unit in a separate hospital are being helped by a motorcycle courier service which is bringing them fresh breast milk that they need to thrive.

The service is part of a nationwide charity called Bloodbikes which ferries blood samples, medical notes, scans and X-rays outof-hours to hospitals across Somerset. And the charity was given a recent boost thanks to the fundraising efforts of a Bath security firm, BWS Security Systems.

Chris Jenkins and his team at BWS have arranged track days and other events to raise money for Bloodbikes, which has been able to

Las Vegas evening

buy a new emergency bike to boost its services.

Mike Burns, of Bloodbikes, said: “We have been overwhelmed with Chris’s enthusiasm to help and as a result of his fund-raising were able to purchase the latest emergency motorcycle several weeks before Southmead opened its milk bank.”

He explained that babies who are premature or unwell are being given breast milk, often by other other mums whose own babies had benefited from the service and who wanted to give something back to help other families.

GENEROUS: Chris Jenkins and the BWS team with the latest For more information Bloodbikes, visit: addition to the Bloodbikes fleet of motorbikes www.bloodbikes.co.uk.

LATEST BUZZ

Buy a gift to help charity

Bath-based public relations agency Geometry PR celebrated ten years in business by hosting a Las Vegas fundraising event which raised £4,632 for the Bath Rugby Foundation, a charity which enhances the lives of young people through sport.

The evening, held at Bath Rugby, saw 140 guests enjoying dinner and a casino. Linda Donaldson, MD at Geometry PR, said: “For several years we have adopted the Bath Rugby Foundation as our corporate charity and spend time each year raising funds.”

Geometry PR’s clients include Bath Building Society, Bath Business Improvement District and Bath Tourism Plus. To find out more about Bath Rugby Foundation contact Jimmy Deane on, tel: 01225 325200.

Crisp Cowley, Bath estate agents is opening its office in the Abbey Churchyard on Thursday 24 November to offer drinks and nibbles and a gift sale to raise funds for The Neem Tree Trust. The charity raises money for a school for disabled boys and a leprosy hospital in Tamil Nadu, India.

The pupils and patients design greetings cards and make items such as soaps and bags which are then sold to raise more funds. To reflect the Indian theme, the walls of the offices will be adorned with Bollywood style paintings which Charles Everritt from Crisp Cowley has collected.

BATH BUSINESS news & views

A round up of achievements and events from the city’s business community

Beautiful brides flock to unique boutique

The founders of west country bridal boutique Carina Baverstock are celebrating the business’s first celebrity wedding and are looking to expand their venture further.

Carina Baverstock, who is in partnership with Lucy Hayward-Rodgers, dressed former Pans People dancer Dee-Dee Wilde for her wedding to musician Henry Marsh at the Royal Crescent Hotel for a glittering occasion with a smattering of starry guests.

The bride wore a blush pink halter neck satin gown by designer David Fielden.

Brides from all over the west visit the Bradford-on-Avon boutique to try on gowns by a range of designers, incuding Suzanne Neville, Jenny Packham and Matthew Williamson. Jenny Packham is making a personal appearance at the Silver Street boutique on December 17 – space is limited so booking is essential.

The boutique is also celebrating being nominated as best bridal boutique in the UK for the Perfect Wedding magazine awards.

Carina said: “In our wildest dreams we could not have imagined the success the boutique has achieved in its first year of opening its doors. Our reputation for outstanding gowns, both in quality and uniqueness, seems to have spread, with brides coming from London, France, Brussels and even Dubai.”

National recognition for Matthew the money management man Bath independent financial advisor (IFA), Matthew Rich has returned triumphant from the Money Management Awards in London after being named Inheritance Tax Planner of the Year and coming runner up in the Cautious Investment Planner category.

Matthew, who offer specialist advice in the Financial Times and The Independent newspapers, said: “It’s so rewarding to have my work validated by leading members of the financial planning industry, especially against such stiff competition.”

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planners in the UK. Matthew is a specialist in inheritance tax planning and cautious investment planning. Company director, Alan Seward said: “As a company we are delighted that Matthew has received these awards. This demonstrates his ability in advising clients in these complex areas.

Matt is so highly qualified and is a real expert in his field, which is why he’s getting such amazing national recognition. Bath’s lucky to have him.”

The Money Management Awards are the highlight of the IFA calendar and took place during a black tie dinner at the Dorchester Hotel.

A HAPPY MAN: Matthew Rich, centre

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A DVERTOR IA L FEAT U R E

“Breaking up is hard to do - 10 tips for surviving divorce”

By Richard Sharp, Sharp Family Law - Bath Divorce Solicitors. www.sharpfamilylaw.com Richard Sharp of Sharp Family Law helps separating and divorcing clients, who want to avoid prolonged conflict, to reach solutions that work for them and their families

A

s the daylight hours grow shorter and the nights close in, married life for some also becomes a dark place. The reasons are various - the stresses and strains generated by the approaching Christmas and New Year holidays piled on top of already severe problems in a marriage can lead to thoughts of “I need to get out of here”. A New Year often brings with it plans for divorce - closing the door on the past year and a previous chapter and pushing forward towards a fresh start in life.

Whatever their reason, during the next coming months someone you know may decide to start down the difficult path of divorce and experience one of the most stressful periods in their life. If so, you may want to share with then the following tips on how to improve their chances of a better divorce and move on from it.

Encourage them to:

process you choose for your divorce can impact you and your family for the rest of your life.

3.Think about what additional professional support will be needed.

9. Take care of yourself.

Divorce is a very stressful experience. Work out at the gym, connect with family and friends, take the class or enjoy the hobby, to release that stress

Every divorce involves three intertwined components: financial, emotional and legal. A good family lawyer should be an expert in one, possibly two and should be able to help you find the right financial expert, counsellor, divorce coach or divorce support group.

10. Be patient.

4. Think about where you want to be when you are divorced.

The decisions made during divorce can be lifelong. Make sure that you are well prepared

Do you want to stay in your home? Will you need to go back to work? Will you need training to get a new job? Spend some time contemplating your future and what it could look like. Find out what is really important to you.

For more detailed information on Collaborative Practice contact Richard Sharp on 01225 448 995 or email him at richard@sharpfamilylaw.com for a free copy of the booklet “Divorce and Separation: Choosing the right process for you” produced

by Resolution: first for family law

Whether it’s caused by waiting for your spouse to respond, or a delay due to a court calendar, divorce can have its own timetable. Pushing or pulling frequently escalates financial and emotional costs

5. Be honest.

1. Make sure that all the options have been considered before embarking on a divorce.

• Would it help them to meet with a marriage counselor?

• Might a family mediator be able to facilitate a meeting with their spouse?

• How about using an approach like collaborative practice that concentrates on resolving disputes respectfully without going to court?

• Is the traditional path, via a divorce lawyer, the right one for them?

Each of these options has its own advantages and disadvantages, and a lesser-known alternative may suit their situation better than the conventional court led divorce route.

2. Choose their Legal Representative carefully.

Ask relatives, friends, and colleagues, to recommend a solicitor. Ensure that they fit your style and personality. Your Solicitor should listen carefully to your goals and educate you on your options for divorce including the consequences and costs of each. It may or may not have been your decision to separate, divorce or end a relationship, but the decisions you make on the WWW.THEBATHMAGAZINE.CO.UK

Don’t try to hide money, over-estimate the value of your house or underestimate the value of pensions, etc. It will only delay the progress of the divorce and makes it more expensive.

6. Get to know your financial situation.

You will need to know what financial assets you have, any debts, monthly income and outgoings and any financial commitments. Make sure you have the papers about them. Try and treat the financial aspects as a business decision.

7. Keep the children out of it.

Children of all ages find the break-up of their parents’ marriage painful and confusing. Don’t compound that by putting them in the middle, arguing in front of them, using them as a sounding board, bad-mouthing about the other parent to them, or making them in any way part of the divorce. They should not feel that they have to take sides.

8. Look at the Big Picture.

The devil is in the detail. Arguments over kettles and toasters devour costs and cause unnecessary emotional damage. It’s easy to get caught up in the trivial that make little real difference in later life. Remember what is most important to you.

sharp F A M I LY L A W Sharp Family Law: Helping clients to reach solutions 3, Miles’s Buildings, George Street, BATH, BA1 2QS, UK email: richard@sharpfamilylaw.com: m: 07798606740 t: 01225 448955 website: www.sharpfamilylaw.com blog: www.familylawcollaborativedivorce.co.uk NOVEMBER 2011

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CITYnews

Estate agent highlights importance of images Bath-based The Apartment Company ran an unusual competition for its clients to highlight the importance of taking professional photographs to help market a property.

The prize draw in the summer to win a Panasonic Lumix hybrid camera, was won by Gemma Cole, a vendor whose apartment was subsequently sold by the company.

So successful was the competition that the promotion is being repeated, with a deadline of 22 December for customers

WINNER: Peter Greatorex MD of The Apartment Company with Gemma Cole

wishing to use The Apartment Company’s services. Peter

A Bathonian at 100 ■ This month, as we mark Remembrance Day, Bathonian Jim Harper, pictured, will be celebrating his 100th birthday, having been born on the significant date of 11 November in 1911. Mr Harper, who has been a resident of the St John’s Hospital almshouses for 11 years, is writing his life story. He left school at 14 to work in a grocers and later worked as an engineer, until retiring in 1978. His photographic portrait, along with those of other St John’s residents, may form a national exhibition next year. Throughout his life he has always enjoyed learning new skills.

He took up teaching the clarinet after his retirement, played the organ in churches and still supports Bath City Football Club, although his health prevents him from attending games.

Greatorex, managing director, said: “Our complimentary photography service has been extremely successful at acheiving sales in both our Bath and Bristol offices.”

He said using professional photography skills could really enhance a property’s chances of gaining viewings, and subsequently attracting a buyer.

The Apartment Company can be contacted tel: 0117 900 1617 or visit: www/theapartmentcompany. co.uk.

LATEST BUZZ

Making choices at 16 plus Many Bath parents and teenagers spend hours debating where the young students should spend their sixth form. It’s always a good idea to go and have a look before you commit, and Ralph Allen School at Claverton Down is giving boys and girls the chance to find out more on Thursday 3 November at an open evening from 5.30pm. The mixed sex sixth form’s facilities include soft drinks and snacks machines, a sound system and the chance to enjoy reduced rate membership at the nearby Sulis Club with its gym and sports facilities. Senior staff will be on hand that evening to discuss courses and options.

BATH PEOPLE

news & views

Having a ball ■ Tickets have gone on sale for The Silver Charity Ball at the Bath Pavilion on Saturday 17 December being held to raise funds for the Dorothy House Hospice charity. The organisers, friends Wendy Clark and Paula Cottell, aim to raise £20,000 from the event. The theme is a black tie event with a shot of silver. Guests at the £65 ticket ball will enjoy a three course dinner, dancing to the band Vegas and the chance to bid for items in a charity auction, compered by BBC presenters Imogen Sellers and Ali Vowles. To buy tickets call Wendy, tel: 07775 336 175 or Paula, tel: 07774 988 993. The event is sponsored by Ford Fuel Oil, with donations from Frome Signs and Bloomsbury.

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Ethically-sourced gems Everyone’s heard of blood diamonds, but we may not be aware that platinum, gold and many gemstones can still be mined in shocking conditions and for pitiful wages.

Bath jewellery maker Philip James is aiming by 2012 to be able to reassure his customers that his pieces are ethically sourced. The Northumberland Place artisan jewelllery shop sells Philip James’ work alongside Ti2 titanium rings from Bradford-on-Avon, Kokkino’s droplet and cluster kiln-fired necklaces and Fran Barker’s peacock gemstone rings. Pictured is the bespoke Vine ring, £800.

PICTURE: Bertrand Vessier

Launch of a club with a difference The Opium bar in Bath was the venue for the first Private Vintage Club night, organised by Hannah Dulcie lingerie and Scarlet Vintage.

Models from ShootDHS agency took to the runways for a series of shows in designer lingerie and a range of vintage clothes, while guests were served by waiters from Buttlers offering Champagne and mini cream cakes.

Artizan of Bath did the hair styling, while make-up was by Sophie Bea and Lucie Aitchison.

There was a real party atmosphere, and with at least six photographers snapping away, there was an added buzz to the occasion. Everyone went home with a goodie bag and the question on their lips: “When’s the next Private Vintage Club night?”

Brownsword group buys four hotels

Andrew Brownsword and his Abode group of hotels, which owns the Bath Priory Hotel, has added to his portfolio by buying four more hotels.

The Bath Priory Ltd, which owns Gidleigh Park and Syndey House, Chelsea, as well as the Bath hotel, is joined by Amberley Castle in Arundel, Sussex, and Gloucestershire hotels Lower Slaughter Manor, Washbourne Court and Buckland Manor.

Nick Halliday, managing director of Abode, has been appointed chief executive of the enlarged group.

Andrew Brownsword said of the acquisitions: “I am very proud to be the custodian of these four new hotels which will, over the next few years, be redirected and refurbished to the highest standards in comfort and hsopitality under the Brownsword Hotels umbrella.”

TAXmatters

ADVERTORIAL FEATURE

“It’s all about

you...”

we sell…we value…we market…your business

R

ichardson Swift announces the launch of its new corporate finance division – Richardson Swift Corporate LLP. We aim to keep close to our clients and potential clients, contributing to their organisations, lending our expertise at strategic and tactical levels, and building close partnerships with all. After careful investigation we’ve decided to bring our information to you by developing our new corporate finance division.

The new division will focus on providing specialist services to SME corporate entities in the UK. The new division is being headed up

by Mike Wilband and Nikki Jeakings who both have extensive experience within Corporate Finance both commercially and within professional services environments.

team take a flexible approach to ensure that each client receives the service and attention that matches their needs.

Our selling process is tailored to a client’s specific requirements; there is no place for an ‘off the shelf’ valuation or sales and marketing process. With over 20 years of experience between them Mike and Nikki have the knowledge, skills and understanding of the corporate finance environment to be able to provide clients with the support and advice they need at a time when they need it.

Since its foundation, Richardson Swift has successfully developed as a Professional Advisory Service Group, providing tailor made services to a broad client base comprising primarily of private individuals, entrepreneurs and their companies.

Richardson Swift has successfully completed their own acquisition within the past 12 months and now with the development of this new division they are looking to the future and their ongoing, continuing growth.

As a firm the new corporate finance division supports our business objective – to deliver cost effective, market sensitive service and advice. We achieve this by looking carefully at every client’s individual requirements and circumstances before making considered, appropriate recommendations.

Richardson Swift Corporate has been developed with these same values and objectives.

Mike Wilband

Our new division offers simple services valuing, marketing and selling businesses. Our services are offered by specialist accountants, marketers and business owners all with the client at the centre of everything we do.

This fresh approach allows us to develop close relationships, we believe that each business we work alongside is unique and subsequently has requirements that reflect this uniqueness. The WWW.THEBATHMAGAZINE

Richards & Swift November.indd 1

Our approach has always been to ‘think outside the box’, solving clients’ problems by applying proven expertise with creativity and innovation.

We recommend the right solution, rather than the most obvious or profitable; the same theory rests behind Richardson Swift Corporate, understanding the business and their owners is paramount throughout all of our relationships.

Our dedicated team of professionals is solely committed to the delivery of this service and has gained considerable experience working with a wide range of organisations across many industries. In addition we have developed an extensive national network of professional contacts, such as banks, solicitors and investors which we can refer you to as appropriate.

Nikki Jeakings

We are here to help you through every element of the sale of your business or guide you through getting the right investment from the right investor for your business.

Mike Wilband Corporate Finance T| 01225 325580 E | mjw@richardsonswift.co.uk Please contact Mike Wilband (mw@richardsonswift.co.uk) or Nikki Jeakings (nj@richardsonswift.co.uk)at Richardson Swift or your usual contact on 01225 325580 if you wish to discuss Corporate Finance.

www.richardsonswift.co.uk 11 Laura Place, Bath BA2 4BL 01225 325 580 NOVEMBER 2011

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CITYculture

ART under S

ome of the art world’s biggest names have given pieces of work to a unique auction taking place in Bath in December.

Internationally acclaimed artist Sir Peter Blake and Prince Charles are among those so concerned about the plight of many young people in Britain that they have promised to donate pieces which will be sold to raise funds for The Prince’s Trust charity.

Some artists are creating work specifically with the Bath auction in mind.

It is hoped that the 25 works coming under the auctioneer’s hammer at the Evening of Art in the Assembly Rooms, Bath, on Wednesday 7 December, will raise at least £50,000.

There are an estimated one million young people who have been dubbed the NEET generation, because they are not in education, employment or training. The Prince’s Trust is dedicated to helping 13 to 30-year-olds who have struggled at

the hammer school or need help getting training and employment.

The Prince’s Trust will help 50,000 young people across the country this year – for which more than £50m will be needed.

Local artist Ben Dearnley is creating a one-off sculpture for the auction, with stone kindly donated by The Bath Stone Group.

Ben, whose studio is in central Bath, is involved with creating sculptures of athletes for the Olympics next year.

To find out more about the December auction contact Beth Sutherland, fundraising manager, tel: 0117 943 4948.

There are other ways to support The Prince’s Trust, by volunteering to mentor a young person or by teaming up with work colleagues to collectively raise funds. Avon and Somerset Police recently raised £25,000 for the charity in this way. ■ To support The Prince’s Trust visit www.princestrust.org.uk/support_us.aspx

COLLECTABLE: Nigel Clears The Pool by Anita Klein, and The Gift by sculptor Ben Dearnley

How the Princeʼs Trust helped me turn my life around A student at City of Bath College who turned her life around with support from The Prince’s Trust is in line for an award.

Arunee Mackay, 26, has been nominated for the Smith & Williamson Young Ambassador of the Year award at The Prince’s Trust and L’Oréal Paris Celebrate Success ceremony to be held in Bristol on Monday 28 November.

The awards honour the achievements of disadvantaged young people supported by The Trust who have succeeded against the odds and had a positive impact on their local community.

Arunee knows what it’s like to hit rock bottom – but now, thanks to her fighting spirit and help from The Prince’s Trust, she feels on top of the world. Her downward spiral started when she ran away from home at 15 and ended up living on the streets.

“I was bullied at school and no one understood me. When you’re young you think you know it all and nothing can touch you. Of

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course I was wrong and had to learn the hard way. I didn’t have any money so was forced to do things I shouldn’t have done – like shoplifting for clothes and food. I also took drugs and that’s when things get really bad – you look tired all the time and no one wants to know you.”

However, she was determined to turn her life around. She returned to live with her parents and made the effort not to slip back into her old habits. Then she had a baby and began to want to earn money to support them both: “But I struggled to find anything. My mum saw something about The Prince’s Trust in the paper. I wasn’t sure, but they invited me on a course for young people and it was really useful.”

Since then Arunee has successfully completed its Get Into Youth Work course and become a Young Ambassador for the Trust, inspiring other young people to get the support they need

to turn their lives around. She is studying at City of Bath College to gain qualifications which will help her to realise her ambition of working in the Probation Service.

“Even at my lowest point, I always used to look forward to meeting my probation officer because they encouraged me to be positive and not to slip back down. I would love to help others in that way because I’ve been there and know what it’s like. When I look back, I can’t believe how far I’ve come. I’m juggling being a mum with going to college and doing volunteer work. It’s all so exciting and I can’t wait to find out what’s next.”

Mike Lea, managing director of Smith & Williamson, said: “The Smith & Williamson Young Ambassador of the Year Award celebrates the courage and determination of a young person who has turned their life around.

It is a privilege to be able to support this and we congratulate Arunee.”

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YOURfuture

Inheritance Tax...

THE OPTIONAL TAX!

Inheritance Tax (IHT) is levied on a transfer of assets to other people or Trusts and Simon Ewings of Monahans Financial Services Ltd explains more.

Are we looking for you? local families for local children Could you foster a young person from the Bath and North East Somerset area?

We are looking for people with child care experience, the ability to work in partnership with others and plenty of time and energy, to become foster carers.

Carers receive an excellent support and training package, as well as a competitive allowance.

We are particularly looking for people able to care for young people for weekend breaks (perhaps every 4-6 weeks), plus three weeks during the year; to give their long term carers a break. We are especially keen to hear from people able to offer respite care for groups of brothers and sisters.

I

HT is most commonly paid in respect of an individual's estate on death, however it is often perceived as a voluntary tax because with careful planning, it is possible to reduce or remove any liability.

The Tax Liability When you die, the size of your taxable estate is calculated as the total value of all of your possessions and assets, including cash, property and investments, less any available exemptions and reliefs. If the taxable estate exceeds the ‘nil rate band’ of £325,000 then the excess is taxed at 40%.

Any unused ‘nil rate band’ may be transferred between spouses or civil partners following the death of the surviving spouse or partner, potentially doubling the nil rate band for the survivor to £650,000.

Inheritance Tax is a complex subject and to ensure you pay no more than necessary, Monahans will be holding a free seminar were we will answer some of the questions most frequently asked and where there will be an opportunity to discuss individual issues on a one to one basis. Taking place at the Masonic Hall, Orchard Street in Bath on the evening of 23rd November, contact Clare Way at 01225 785520 or by emailing marketing@monahans.co.uk to book a place.

www.monahans-fsl.co.uk

“Becoming a foster carer has been a huge challenge but is immensely rewarding and satisfying in ways that I hadn’t anticipated”

For find out more, call The Family Placement Team on 01225 394949 or email fpt_duty@bathnes.gov.uk www.bathnes.gov.uk WWW.THEBATHMAGAZINE.CO.UK

Monahans Financial Services Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.

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‘We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give’.

Sir Winston Churchill

The 2011 Poppy Appeal.

Please remember to give.

The Hollies Care Centre, Dursley

www.poppy.org

• A purpose built Care Home offering the highest standards of Nursing Care and retirement living • Luxury hotel style accommodation, with all bedrooms having en-suite wet rooms, lovely views, sat T.V. broadband internet and many other convenient adaptations • Independent family run with a highly trained, friendly team of staff • Wholesome home cooked food using fresh home-grown produce • Wide range of daily activities with our own minibus for accompanied outings

For more information: Contact Gill Lee 01453 541400 Or visit our website: www.littlecombepark.com 52 THEBATHMAGAZINE

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• Short Respite Care service available (Christmas bookings now being taken) and a new Day Care service is also available • Other in-house services on offer include: Hairdressing, Physiotherapy, Chiropody, visiting Beautician, Newspapers and periodicals • We are conveniently located for easy access to surrounding towns such as Bristol, Bath, Cheltenham, Gloucester and Cirencester

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FAMILYfun

es at inated tre m lu il e h it t gh tive spir es f Walk throu e h t g in nd et Westonbirt a

Get los t in th e dark and gigg forest les in L of frig it hts t l e Red Rid at the ing Hoo egg d

INTO THE WOODS...

There’s lots going on this month that will make perfect days and evenings out for kids and adults alike.

From fireworks and theatre to music and nature, we have bath’s family fun wrapped up

Illuminated trees

Westonbirt Arboretum, near Tetbury. Admission: £9 adults, £5 children and £8 concessions. www.forestry.gov.uk

Enchanted Christmas, 25 November – 18 December, every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 5pm – 8.30pm The spectacular annual Enchanted Christmas event returns to Westonbirt this month, thrilling winter visitors with the one-mile illuminated trail through the trees.

Family-friendly theatre

The egg, Theatre Royal Bath, Sawclose, Bath.

Box office tel: 01225 448844 www.theatreroyal.org.uk

Stig of the Dump, Friday 4 & Saturday 5 November, Friday, 10am & 1pm; Saturday 11.30am & 3pm Join Stig and Barney on their magical adventure through puppetry and performance. The retelling of this classic story by Mike Kenny will captivate, inspire and excite everyone aged 8+.

Dance Please, Saturday 12 – Tuesday 15 November, Saturday & Sunday, 11.30am & 3pm; Monday & Tuesday, 10am & 1pm Enter a digital world of magical animations and spectacular sounds.

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Red Riding Hood, Friday 18 – Saturday 19 November, Friday, 10am & 1pm; Saturday, 11.30am & 3pm A re-telling of the classic girl-and-the-wolf tale.

Exquisite visuals blend with pantomime-style silliness and spooky moments to create an enchanting piece of theatre.

Robin and the Big Freeze, Wednesday 23 – Saturday 26 November, Wednesday _ Friday, 10am & 1pm; Saturday, 11.30am & 3pm A festive feast of a show with fantastic puppets, live music, and birdwatching for everyone who is going away for Christmas or staying at home.

Family concert

Get creative

The Holburne Museum, Bath.

Tel: 01225 466 669

Christmas Art Club (5-11 years), Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 November, 11am – 1.30pm and 2pm – 4.30pm Leave your children at the Holburne to enjoy the wonders of making Christmas crafts.

Get close to nature

Slimbridge Wetland Centre, Gloucestershire. Tel: 01453 891900 www.wwt.org.uk

Reptile Encounters, Friday 13 November, 11.30am – 4pm

Wiltshire Music Centre, Bradford-on-Avon. Box office tel: 01225 860100 www.wiltshiremusic.org.uk

Get close to and handle lizards, snakes and tarantulas. Not for the squeamish!

Discover India and its Music, Sunday 30 November, 3pm

Bristol Zoo Gardens, Clifton, Bristol.

Tel: 0117 974 7300 www.bristolzoo.org.uk

Learn about Indian music and culture and discover the enchanting sounds of tabla, sitar, dholak and harmonium at this fun and interactive event. With award-winning musician and composer Kuljit Bhamra, you will learn to clap some new rhythms and identify the different kinds of Indian music. Then you can take a look at these fascinating instruments and try playing some of them yourself.

Fireworks

Bangless Bonfire Nights, Friday 4 & Saturday 5 November, 4pm – 5.30pm Two evenings of unique, family-friendly entertainment for Bonfire Night. Be entertained by an enchanting display of low-noise fireworks.

Tickets are limited so advance booking is essential. Adult £5, child £4, family £15.

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Give your child a Christmas present that will last a lifetime Sing, dance and act your way through the most exciting time of your life!!

Curtain Up Theatre Schools

01761 239185 www.curtainup.biz WWW.THEBATHMAGAZINE.CO.UK

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At Beechen Cliff, we value the Sixth Form very highly indeed. We see it as the ‘Flagship’ of the School, setting the appropriate tone, particularly in academic terms, and offering an example which will inspire younger pupils in all areas of School life. Academically, our pedigree is excellent. Pass rates at A level are 99% and 60% of these are at grade ‘A’ or ‘B’, with 10% achieving the new A* grade.

Approximately 80 students each year gain university places, the vast majority of these as their first choice of course. There are 27 Advanced level courses available with additional courses offered at Hayesfield and Ralph Allen schools.

Life in the Sixth form extends well beyond the classroom. Sport, of course, is legendary and here there are excellent opportunities for all abilities. In addition, there are numerous cultural opportunities – theatre visits, music, debating, drama and public speaking. The School is represented annually at the International Model United Nations.

Outdoor education is an outstanding feature of the School, with recent Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award expeditions to Corsica, Pyrenees and Morocco. Teams walk the Ten Tors, the Three Peaks Challenge and the Centurion Challenge. An international perspective is increasingly offered, with linguists taking part in Work Experience placements in the target country and a biennial project at the School of Hope in South Africa.

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BEECHEN CLIFF SCHOOL Headmaster: A Davies

Boys 11—16 1160 pupils Popular Co-Educational Sixth Form of 300 “The sixth form provision is outstanding” Ofsted 2011

6th Form Prospective Parents’ Evening Wednesday 9th November at 7pm Subject Information Evening Tuesday 15th November At 6pm Alexandra Park, Bath BA2 4RE Telephone: 01225 480466 Email: headmaster@beechencliff.org.uk

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Design, Quality and Innovation

Multi-temperature wine cabinets Superb conditions for fine wines

COOPERS 13/15 Walcot Street, Bath (Opposite Waitrose)

01225 311811 Range Cookers • Ovens • Hobs • Dish Washers • Washing Machines Tumble Dryers • Vacuum Cleaners • Fridge Freezers • Wine Chillers

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FOOD&DRINK

Add some sparkle to THE TINSEL Kate Robinson of Great Western Wine offers some timely advice on which wines to choose so you and your guests enjoy a harmonious Christmas A TOAST TO THE FUTURE: when choosing the right wines for a party opt for simple, fruit driven styles that don’t need food to be enjoyed

A

s the season to be merry approaches it’s time to restock the wine rack ready for the party season.

However, walking into your local wine merchant can be daunting due to the vast range of wines on offer, and selecting the perfect bottle can seem like a difficult task. This guide will ensure you are well equipped for all your seasonal needs from the perfect wines for drinks parties to the ideal wines for the Christmas table.

The first item on everyone’s list is fizz, the essential celebratory drink for parties and Christmas Day. There are so many options to suit all tastes and budgets. Champagne is the classic choice but it is worth looking closer to home with so many excellent, award winning English sparkling wines available. England’s exceptional answer to Champagne, for example, is Camel Valley’s Brut from Cornwall (£22.50).

Alternatively, with the economic climate the way it is, a more wallet-friendly option would be Prosecco (such as Puggeri’s Prosecco Brut, Argeo, £11.75), perfect for parties as its lighter style is a real crowd-pleaser.

Choosing the right white and red for a party is easy, the wines need to be simple, fruit driven styles that do not need food to be enjoyed. For whites it is best to stick to light, crisp styles such as a Chilean Sauvignon Blanc and for the red a soft, supple variety like a New World Merlot or a blend from Southern France.

Now on to the big day itself and the perfect match to roast turkey with all the trimmings.

The white will need to hold its own against the strong flavours of the food; a creamy Bourgogne Blanc (Chardonnay from Burgundy in France) with a good zip of acidity would be perfect.

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For the red, a rich and elegant Pinot Noir from Burgundy or New Zealand is the ideal partner.

Finally, the dessert wine – a must to finish off a very special Christmas Day meal. Finding the perfect match with the sweetness and richness of Christmas pudding can be tricky but you can’t go wrong with a decent Sauternes or a deliciously sticky fortified Muscat from Australia.

This will hopefully give you a few ideas, but with such a variety of interesting wines from all over the world available it is best to pop into your local merchant and draw on their expertise.

the perfect match for ❝the Finding sweetness and richness of Christmas pudding can be tricky

❞

Great Western Wine will be hosting a series of Christmas themed tastings on the first three weekends of December free of charge. Visit: www.greatwesternwine.co.uk/events for further details.

The GWW Annual Portfolio Tasting is at The Assembly Rooms Bath, Thursday 10 November from 6pm to 9pm.

This is a great opportunity to try lots of the new and exciting wines added to the Great Western Wine portfolio over the last year, alongside many old favourites. Guests will also get the chance to meet some of GWW’s favourite wine producers. Held in the glorious surroundings of the Bath Assembly Rooms, and with over 100 wines to taste, early booking is recommended. Tickets cost £20: www.greatwesternwine/events or call 01225 322810. ■ NOVEMBER 2011

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Everything has its SEASON.

So does Bath….

Terrines and Pates for Christmas, Cookery Demonstration Saturday 12th November 10.30am including a light lunch £18 tickets on sale

SEASONS at The Toll Gate Inn, Holt for village veg….artisan breads.… home-made cakes….ripe cheeses….fresh fish daily (and to order)….pies, pates and ‘traiteur’ delicacies from the pub kitchens.

SEASONS – the’ deli on the doorstep’ – at The Tollgate Inn, Ham Green, Holt Nr Bradford on Avon. (01225 782326) open Tuesdays to Saturdays 9.30am to 5.30pm, and Sundays 10am to 3pm

'Bath’s only modern Italian Kitchen, with spectacular views of the weir'

Open Monday-Friday: lunch (12.00-2.30) and dinner (6.00-10.30) • Saturday: 12-11pm Sundays: private funtions and all Bath rugby home fixtures Located between The Recreation Ground and The Weir.

Telephone: (01225)424800.

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Brugada Bar is the new premier cocktail bar. One of Bath’s top destinations for a stylish & sophisticated night out.

Glass of wine and cheese plattter for 2 £9.99 between 5 - 6pm.

2 cocktails and cheesecake portion to share £14.99 all evening.

Open 5pm - 12pm Thursday - Saturday

IDEAL FOR PRIVATE PARTIES CHRISTMAS BOOKINGS BEING TAKEN For more info call us or send us an email.

| Brugada Bar | 1 John Street | Bath BA1 2JL | Tel: 01225 333323 info@brugadabar.co.uk | www.brugadabar.co.uk

Est. 1980

®

Highly recommended by food Guides and critics Recipient of

for four consecutive years as the best in South West and one of the 10 best in Britain OPEN DAILY including Holidays 12-2.30pm and 6pm to 11pm • Friday and Saturday till 11.30pm SPECIAL LUNCH £8.25 - (Monday to Friday)

4 Argyle Street, Bath BA2 4BA www.rajpoot.com Tel: 01225 466833 / 464758 • www.rajpoot.com

Food for thought...

Every month The Bath Magazine is perfectly delivered to over 24,000 homes in over 1500 streets in Bath and throughout 31 neighbouring villages, That’s a lot of readers who will eat out regularly.

Tell them your dish of the day.

Advertise in The Bath Magazine and feed 1000’s • Telephone 01225 424499

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FOOD&DRINK

An all-round healthy lunch The owner of one of Bath’s most popular suppliers of lunch has come up with a way of keeping his customers satisfied – by offering them the chance to pre-order and pay online, to save them standing in line.

Michael Healy, who runs The Whole Bagel in Upper Borough Walls, ensures that each bagel is tailor-made, filled to order, right down to whether the customer wants salt and pepper, but he is also aware that people don’t have very long at lunch-time. Now fans of the The Whole Bagel can buy their lunch online, be given an order number and simply pick up their lunch when they’re ready.

As Bath’s only bagel shop, its customers like the fact that they are gluten free, don’t contain any preservatives or cholesterol and are very low in fat. Despite all this it’s interesting to learn that Michael’s catering career began as a pastry chef, honing his skills at the Royal Crescent Hotel, also enjoying a spell in the

record industry. Originally a northern lad, Michael has a long and happy association with Bath, he plans find bigger premises for his four-year-old business.

He says: “It’s a great place, Upper Borough Walls, as we’re all independents and we work together.

But the shop is very small and I’d like somewhere larger in the city centre.”

The Whole Bagel pays close attention to being visually pleasing as well as providing tasty food. The unusual transparent tubes which hang from the ceiling are used for storing the freshly baked bagels and were designed by a friend of Michael’s and are space-saving and stylish too.

A new menu has some new fillings, including a gourmet range: French brie, pear, proscuitto, walnuts and balsamic dressing; rosemary and garlic chicken with aubergine and courgette, smoked salmon, avocado, horseradish, lemon yogurt dressing and a free range egg florentine.

Michelin man Chef Gus Ashenford, currently Michelin star holder for 15 years and joint owner, with Will Baber, of The Tasting Room in Green Street, is temporarily leaving his kitchen at the Five North Restaurant in Winchcombe, Gloucestershire for one evening to prepare a gourmet dinner for Bath diners.

The dinner, on Monday 14 November, will consist of seven courses, each matched by the ideal wine.

Tickets are £70 a head from The Tasting Room, tel: 01225 483070.

HEALTHY TREAT: Michael Healy, left, with some of his team at The Whole Bagel, which is now offering wraps, gluten free bread and foccacio as well as a choice of six different bagel flavours

TASTE and the

TABLE Morsels from Bath’s food & drink scene

A new crown Congratulations to the Rajpoot restaurant which has added another trophy to its already full trophy cabinet, by being named the Best Indian Restaurant in the south west at the Asian Curry Awards 2011. The awards were held at a gala dinner at the Royal Lancaster Hotel was presented by Sky News broadcaster and presenter Lukwesa Burak and attended by dignitaries, Minister, Lords, MP’s, Community and media personalities.

Ahmed Chowdhury the owner of Rajpoot says: “This is yet another endorsement of Rajpoot which was established 31 years ago. Credit goes to my staff and our customers.”

Judges select the best of Bath for food awards It was a case of ‘it’s a tough job but someone’s got to do it’ for the judges of the first ever Bath Good Food awards, who spent three months visiting and dining in Bath’s restaurants, cafés and bars in search of the best places to eat and drink in the city.

The winners were announced at an award ceremony at the Guildhall, hosted by organisers The Pig Guide and Guide2Bath.com, and compered by Angela Mount, wine expert, who is best known for having her tastebuds insured for £10 million by her former employer Somerfield.

Saville Row French restaurant Casanis was awarded the prize for best restaurant.

Chef/owner Laurent Couvreur won praise for his take on classic and modern French cuisine.

The Marlborough Tavern was picked as the best place in Bath for alfresco dining, while its sister establishment, The Chequers, won the category for best Sunday lunch.

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Casanis Restaurant

Sam Moody, head chef at the Priory Hotel’s restaurant won the best chef award for his ‘faultless and impressive cooking’. One judge

said of one of the dishes they’d sampled: “The langoustine cannelloni was sublime in texture and flavour.”

Demuths picked up two prizes, for best vegetarian restaurant and for the People’s Choice award. Head chef Richard Buckley was singled out for creating delicious meat-free food. Giraffe won for best family-friendly venue and Jika Jika won the best sandwich award.

The panel of judges included: Guardian food and wine writer Fiona Beckett; award-winning baker Richard Bertinet; founder of Cupboard Love Preserves Silvana Tann and founder of the Love Food Festivals, Lorna Knapman.

Bernard Aherne, of Guide2Bath.com, came up with the idea of the Bath Good Food awards and said: “Bath possesses something truly special and we wanted to celebrate these gastronomic delights and recognise the value that all our top restaurants and eateries bring to the city.”

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FOOD&DRINK

RAW pleasure Lindsey Harrad investigates the tantalising rumours about a new chocolate product that might actually be good for you

Y

ou may think that a completely guilt-free chocolate product exists only in a chocoholic’s fantasies, but with the explosion of interest in natural, artisanproduced food, chocolate is the latest product to get the back-to-basics treatment and there’s growing interest in the health benefits of raw chocolate.

Today’s artisan raw chocolate makers aim to strike a balance between preserving the natural goodness of cacao, while producing chocolate products that are still palatable to the modern chocolate connoisseur.

Anna Middleton is a Bristol-based nutritionist who produces a range of raw chocolates and cakes free from gluten, dairy and refined sugars, often with added superfoods and medicinal herbs to increase the nutrient content. She says: “Raw chocolate is part of the raw food movement, in which food is not heated above 42-45C, and this could include any type of food, from vegetables to dairy products. Above this temperature, enzymes that help with important metabolic processes in the body – such as digestion and recovering from illness – start to break down, so raw food preserves these beneficial enzymes. But you don’t have to eat 100 per cent raw food to benefit, it’s all about enjoying a balanced diet.”

In normal commercial chocolate production, the cacao bean is roasted at high temperature to extract the cocoa butter and produce cocoa powder, which are blended together to create the lusciously smooth melt-in-the-mouth texture that makes chocolate so irresistible. “For raw chocolate, the butter is extracted from the cacao bean at a lower temperature, and is then gently melted and combined with the cocoa powder, which achieves the same smooth texture but retains much higher quantities of healthy nutrients,” explains Anna.

In most mass-produced brands, additives such as dried milk, white sugar, and artificial sweeteners cancel out the benefits. A good quality raw chocolate made with cold-pressed cocoa butter contains greater quantities of healthy fats and beneficial minerals such as magnesium, sulphur, iron and B vitamins, plus what Anna describes as “a bliss chemical that is only found in chocolate and cannabis!” and tryptophan, which the brain uses 66 THEBATHMAGAZINE

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to make serotonin, the body’s own natural euphoria drug.

Entrepreneurs Bryony Rees and Dominique Gage recently founded the Bath Raw Chocolate Company to develop a range of products inspired by their twin passions for health food and chocolate. Dominique says: “We love chocolate and had become dissatisfied with the processed sugary products on the market and decided to set about making our own. We experimented and eventually produced what we believe is the perfect pure, raw chocolate.”

“As we researched the benefits of cacao we couldn’t believe people would cook the goodness out of their chocolate and discovered that it could be enjoyed in a healthy way with more flavour and taste,” explains Bryony. “Our product is free of refined sugar and is vegan, and we also add natural and complementary flavours to our chocolate, including cherries, rose and orange.”

But what does plain, raw chocolate actually taste like? Anyone who loves the intensity of good quality dark chocolate will

We love chocolate and had ❝ become dissatisfied with the processed sugary products on the market

❞

appreciate the distinctive, complex flavour of raw chocolate. If you’d like to try before you buy, the second annual Lip Smacking Chocolate Festival in Frome in November will feature a number of raw chocolate producers, alongside more traditional chocolate makers, with everything from brownies to bread, ice cream, truffles, jams and hot chocolate drinks.

Jo Harrington, festival organiser, says: “Our exhibitors share a true passion for their products and they love to meet their customers and talk about chocolate all day. The festival offers access to small artisan producers using conventional and raw chocolate, who all use high quality ingredients and are

PERFECTLY PURE: left, one of Anna Middleton’s cakes made with raw chocolate, and right, a dark chocolate and raspberry cupcake, one of the goodies displayed at last year’s Chocolate Festival in Frome

PICTURES: James Green and Angela Saxbee

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FOOD&DRINK

LIP SMACKING: left to right, hot chocolate made using raw chocolate, centre, Bryony Rees and Dominique Gage from the Bath Raw Chocolate Company, and cupcakes decorated with cherries and lavender flowers

fantastically creative with their products.”

This year’s festival will enable visitors to sample a variety of chocolate-based goodies, buy treats and gifts, and learn more about chocolate making with free demonstrations and workshops, including a talk on raw chocolate. Crafty types will enjoy making their own origami box to fill with truffles, while foodies can pick up a raw chocolate making kit to take home.

Added extras include Curlywurly stretching, a fancy dress competition for under 12s, chocolate massages, and lots more chocolate-related fun.

Sadly, even raw chocolate isn’t an entirely guilt-less pleasure, but if you are watching your waistline, Jo recommends a sensory chocolate experience instead. “The chocolate massages at the festival are absolutely lovely, a really delicious treat with no calories.”

Sounds like fun, although some might say it’s a waste of perfectly good chocolate…

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The Lip Smacking Chocolate Festival is on Sunday 20 November, 10am – 4pm, at the Cheese & Grain, Market Yard, Frome. Admission £2, children under 12 free. Visit: www.lipsmacking.co.uk. Anna Middleton’s raw chocolate products and raw food philosophies can be found at: www.annamiddleton.com.

Anna will also be exhibiting at the festival. Bath Raw Chocolate will be exhibiting at Frome Chocolate Festival, and its products are available from Harvest, Walcot Street, Bath, or from Frome Wholefoods, Cheap Street, Frome. Visit: www.bathrawchocolate.com.

Milsom Place in Bath is hosting its annual Chocolate Festival on 3 December from 10am. Award winning chocolatiers will be on hand with samples and special gift presentations.

This year the mouth-watering line up includes chocolate treats from Damian Allsop, Rococo, Baruzzo, Chococo, Philip Maes Fine Chocolates, and James Chocolates. ■

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Lime at Homewood Park Abbey Lane, Hinton Charterhouse, Bath BA2 7TB. Tel: 01225 723731

REVIEW

CAUSE

for celebration

D

on’t spend your money on fireworks this Bonfire Night, you’ll get more thrills and ‘oos and aahs’ by splashing out instead on a display of culinary magic that will leave you impressed and satisfied too. Daniel Maudsley is the young chef at Lime Restaurant, Homewood Park, who is just the man to rise to this challenge.

Dan may be a shy guy but his food speaks volumes for itself.

You find yourself tasting, sampling different flavours and textures and wondering ‘how does he do that?’ He presides over the kitchen brigade at the Lime restaurant in this delightful country house hotel just six miles from the centre of Bath.

As we arrived for dinner at Homewood Park the rain was lashing down on a dark, throughly gloomy autumnal evening, but we were ushered from taxi to the warmth of the entrance hall under an umbrella and no sooner were we through the door than the magic words: “Champagne before dinner?” were uttered.

“Always,” I replied, rapidly thinking of excuses of what we might be celebrating.

Each course was greeted with ❝ appreciative exclamations of delight and finished with sighs of pleasure

❞

Settled by a roaring log fire, surrounded by a very Farrow & Ball muted but elegant colour scheme, big cushions plumped on sofas, this is just the kind of English interior that makes you want to reach for a Brontë novel and hunker down among the lamps and candles. Dan and his team thoughtfully provided us with a little dish of tasty canapés to whet our appetites.

We were privileged indeed to enjoy one of Dan’s tasting menus at the Lime restaurant. Each course was greeted with appreciative exclamations of delight and finished with sighs of pleasure. And with each course the well-prepared and very personable waiter described each dish’s component parts and brought a glass of 68 THEBATHMAGAZINE

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wine to complement each plate.

The culinary fireworks began quietly enough, with a soft, warm cauliflower and walnut foam in a glass, perfectly and lightly representing the flavours of the season. We helped ourselves to homemade breads, also warm and delicious.

After that came as pretty as a picture, a painter’s palette of seafood, with a glass of chilled Chablis. Smoked mussels, a tiny spoonful of perky crab, a couple of delicately plump prawns and a dreamy ceviche of scallop, all decorated with a splash of pea puree and transluscent pearls of salmon caviare.

If you like the sound of what we’ve had so far, I can guarantee you’ll be wowed by the duck confit and celeriac remoulade that followed, and by the subsequent lamb selection of slices of loin served with carrot, sweet potato and a small parcel of melt-in-themouth braised lamb shank with a perfectly velvety glass of French Chateau Beaumont. That is a seriously good red wine which I have made a note to seek out again.

This sounds like a lot of food it was all executed with such a light, deft hand, at no point did we feel overwhelmed. The fish course was a fillet of wild bass, crispy outside and soft inside, served on truffle infused potato, with courgette and broccoli.

We could have had a pudding – Dan’s coffee creme brulee and hazelnut purée sounded tempting, while a licorice parfait was intriguing. But we decided to test the cheeseboard, which is always a good barometer for restaurant quality. He didn’t disappoint. Five cheeses, including a gorgeous Exmoor blue, a goat’s cheese and a pungent Stinking Bishop. In a twist on the traditional fruit cake and cheese combo, the board was accompanied by thin slices of dark walnut and prune bread. A tawny glass of ten-year-old vintage port put the victor’s crown on this astonishing dinner.

We had enjoyed our Champagne before dinner and now we knew what we were celebrating – a fine talent in the Homewood kitchens. The Lime restaurant has a New Year’s Eve dinner menu and entertainment which would be a perfect way to see in the new year, especially if you also stayed the night and enjoyed a dip GMc in the spa pool before embarking on 2012. ■

EASY ON THE EYE: head chef at the Lime restaurant at Homewood Park, Daniel Maudsley ensures everything leaves his kitchen looking good

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FIT&FABULOUS

Fresh-faced

Left: Diorskin Forever Flawless Perfection Fusion Wear foundation, available in nine shades, £29.50 from House of Fraser, John Lewis and Harvey Nichols; right: Simple Kind to Skin Vital Vitamin Foaming Cleanser, available form Superdrug

■ That most challenging, and yet little discussed time in a middle aged woman’s life – the menopause– is the subject of a series of talks hosted by private hospital CircleBath this month.

The four talks will focus on different aspects of the menopause, covering areas including HRT, the pelvic floor and common symptoms. The talks, at the Peasedown St John hospital, are open to all, with a suggested charge of £10 per evening. They are: Friday 4 November, HRT, Friend or Foe; Thursday 10 November, the Pelvic Floor, Use it or Lose it; Thursday 17 November, Sex and the Menopause, and on Thursday 24 November, The Menopause – A Summary. For more details or to reserve a place, contact tel: 0808 188 1880.

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A selection of tried and tested health and beauty products that we love

One for the men... British band Superdry has launched its first premium fragrance collection: Dry

by Superdry, featuring a unique trio of scents each with a strong, authentic identity. Dry is a rich, aromatic woody fragrance and comes in classically masculine packaging with a dark suede wrap. Double Dry is a fresh and zingy fragrance that is packaged in Superdry’s iconic style. Dry Oil is a sweet fragrance that combines vanilla and musks and its black hawk plaid outer packaging is synonymous with Superdry’s classic look. There’s a fragrance for every man, whatever their age and style. Each weighted glass bottle has a removable aged leather wrap and comes in a structured box, making it a perfect gift

▲

■ If you are tired of spending lots of money on expensive skin care and beauty products, why not learn how to make your own? Anna Christensen offers workshops in central Bath where you can learn how to make natural skin are and cosmetic products. It’s really easy and one you know how, you can do it yourself at home. All ingredients are supplied and you can take home what you make. Half day weekend courses cost £49 and can be booked through Anna on tel: 07811 956685. Gift vouchers for the course are also available and make a lovely unique Christmas gift. For further information visit: www.annachristensen

SKIN DEEP ▲

NEWS IN BRIEF

Now that frosty winter days are upon us, it’s time to ditch the fake tan and embrace the pureskinned English rose look. And the trick to achieving this is keep it simple and natural. Start by prepping the base by creating fresh, healthy looking skin – take time to cleanse, tone and moisturise. Try Simple’s kind to skin range – it’s gentle on the skin and packed full of vitamins to nourish and hydrate. For a flawless and radiant complexion, try Diorskin Forever foundation. This new long-wearing fluid foundation has a delicate, soft texture that melts into the skin instantly providing a perfect complexion throughout the day, with an SPF of 25 to defend against the elements and keep skin looking healthy and young.

Next, apply soft shades to eyes, cheeks and lips and keep brows natural and tidy – dab a little Vaseline on to them and comb through with a brow brush to keep unruly hairs at bay. Now you’re ready to to don your winter coat and woolies and show off your natural beauty.

Perfect for evening elegance, the new fragrance by Tom Ford, Violet Blonde, is feminine, opulent and sensual.

Floral yet rich, it oozes classic glamour and sophistication.

You’ll feel a million dollars wearing it.

Available from House of Fraser and John Lewis, £60, 50ml If you’re wanting to find a unique Christmas gift for a teenage girl this year, look no further than luxury cosmetics brand Berkeley Square which has just launched its chic London W1 collection. Taking inspiration from famous London landmarks, the collection includes a selection of lovely bathing and beauty products. The W1 Red Carpet Glow shimmering body lotion is perfect for fabulous fashionistas – it has a delicious cherry scent and gives instant sparkle. All sets cost £7.95 from www.bsquare.co.uk

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A fantastic Winter offer from JENNIFER LUCKHAM

BeautyClinic

Enjoy any of the following body treatments at 1/2 PRICE during the months of November and January Special Price Now

1hr Full body massage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £22.50 11/4hr Aromatherapy massage . . . . . . . . . £26.50 11/2hr Thalgo Indoceane body wrap . . . £34.00 1hr Thalgo seaweed wrap

. . . . . . . . . . . . . £27.50

11/2hr Clarins Pro-advanced body treatment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £40.00 1hr Reflexology

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £22.50

32 MONMOUTH STREET • BATH TEL: 01225 428741 THIS OFFER IS FOR APPOINTMENTS TAKEN DURING NOVEMBER AND JANUARY

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f

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ad

Saints Hair Boutique, 18 Upper Floors, Union Street, Bath BA1 1RS (above tie rack)

Tel: 01225 466707 email: saintshairboutique@hotmail.co.uk

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CITYfitness ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE

COUNT DOWN

Lose Weight Effectively With Hypnotherapy

to Christmas Personal Trainer Paul Isaacs pledges that he can get you in shape for that little black party dress – if you start working out with him soon

‘Being guided to think about things in a new, different way was unexpected but delightful... thank you for all your wonderful help.’

- Weight Control Client, Weston Bath

For your free consultation call

W

e all know what we can look forward to in January. That postfestive fear of stepping on to the scales. That lingering, lumpish feeling after numerous second helpings of roast potatoes and Christmas pudding, days of leftovers and cakes. Do you suffer from a mysterious inability to stop helping yourself to just one more chocolate from the box? And then another?

Well according to personal trainer Paul Isaacs, who is recently returned to his native Bath after working with private clients in sun-kissed Marbella, you should do something to address this pattern now, not in January. That way you can enjoy Christmas smug in the knowledge that your body is prepared for the challenges posed by limitless offerings of mince pies and mulled wine. And you’ll adjust your mindset so you’re

We understand that clients can have ❝ good days as well as bad days ❞ ready to take them on in a more sensible way.

Unlike most personal trainers, Paul doesn’t work in a gym. Instead, he comes to your home or workplace, saving you the trouble of travelling after a busy day or when it’s cold outside. It’s not just convenient. It’s also great for those of us who prefer to exercise in private, or just with a partner.

Paul has worked with some big names, but says: “I couldn’t possibly tell you who, but having worked with celebrity clients in Marbella, who preferred not to go public with their fitness regimes, I’ve developed amazing techniques that don’t require treadmills, rowers or the dreaded cross trainers. Machines really aren’t necessary for toning and shaping and besides, they can be pretty boring.”

Since physical fitness and body shape generally go hand in hand, Paul’s also proud to be the south west’s only supplier of an upmarket range of delicious, calorie-counted foods that – like him – come direct to your door. So whether you want to lose or gain a few pounds, you won’t find yourself planning menus, weighing and measuring portions or shopping for special ingredients.

If this sounds like the way forward for you – or if you fancy treating someone else to a tailored Christmas health plan – give Paul Isaacs a call on 01225 290588 or 07712 454 074 to arrange a free fitness appraisal, or visit www.paulisaacspt.com for more details. ■ 74 THEBATHMAGAZINE

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01225 484938 Phil Mattingly LHA E.Hyp Registered Hypnotherapist www.philmattingly.com

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HEAVENLY HAIR

Samantha Ewart visits Bath’s newest salon for a spruce up in time for the festive season

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s invitations to Christmas parties start dropping through the door, you may be thinking of ways that you can look your best for the season of glitz, glamour and celebration. If you fancy a change of style or a bit of a spruce up, nothing better says party than a new hair do.

And the place to go for beautiful tresses is Saints in Union Street. Recently opened by hairdressing sisters Becky and Hayley, it’s a boutique hair salon with a relaxed ambience. Soothing background music, pastel and berrycoloured walls and stylish decor creates a space where you know you’ll be pampered to perfection.

After a consultation to determine what look would suit me best, I was made comfortable with a drink and magazines for inspiration. All the stylists have a wealth of experience and are happy to make suggestions for a restyle or change of colour if you so wish. Whatever you’re after, you’ll feel in very safe hands at Saints.

For a head-turning touch of glamour, experienced colourist Hayley suggested a half head of bright, bold blonde highlights for me – as she explains, platinum shades and ash tones are the most flattering on very fair skin like mine and really give hair a winter lift. For medium skin tones Hayley suggests keeping it a little warmer with golden tones and if you have dark skin, go for dark blonde tones this season.

After all the foils had been applied and whilst I waited for the highlights to lift, I was taken to The Beauty Room on the top floor of the salon for a full French Manicure with professional beauty therapist Monika. Using specialist care products from Nailtiques she shaped my nails, conditioned the cuticles and skillfully applied the delicately tinted polishes for an elegant and natural look. Time goes by so much quicker when you’ve got something to do while the foils are on your head – it’s great that you can choose to have a treatment while you wait – not a lot of salons in Bath can offer this.

The Beauty Room has a long list of treatments on offer including Thalgo facials, massage, waxing, nail extensions and Thalgo body wraps. All treatments take place in a secluded space of tranquility and you’ll always be welcomed with a friendly and cheery demeanor.

Leaving The Beauty Room with gorgeous nails I was taken downstairs to have my hair rinsed and an intensive conditioning treatment put on. The salon uses the amazing (it really is!) Moroccan Oil treatments which have taken the hair care industry by storm. The Moroccan Oil products contain argan oil which is rich in anti-oxidants so naturally renews cell structure, helps increase hair’s elasticity and restores shine to dull, lifeless hair.

I was so impressed with the result of the treatment and the condition of my hair afterwards that I even bought one of the products to take home with me and now it’s one of my beauty essentials wherever I go.

My highlighted hair looked great and Becky finished off with a cut and style. She gave my split ends a good trim and added some layers and a sweeping side fringe to complete the look – classic but with a bit of an edge.

To style, Becky used Evo products which smell delicious and even better, are sulphate, paraben, propylene and glycol free, so they’re really kind to the hair. Thankfully, she didn’t roughly blow dry my hair and reach for the straighteners; Becky very neatly blow dried, carefully styling as she went along so the final look was full of volume and life and not horribly slick to my head.

I was absolutely thrilled with the new look and together with my manicured nails I really did feel great and in the mood to party. ■ For a complimentary consultation, pop into Saints Hair Boutique, 18 Upper Floors, Union Street, Bath. Or to book an appointment, contact tel: 01225 466707. Prices start from £55 for a half head of highlights and £25 for a cut and blow dry.

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ADVERTORIAL FEATURE

10 years younger... and then some More than 200,000 people choose to have cosmetic surgery every year in the UK, however, for almost all who go under the knife it is a decision that is not taken lightly.

We speak to one woman about her experience.

F

or Debbie Newport, a business woman from Bath, having a face, brow and eyelid lift has been a lifechanging experience.

Years of feeling self-conscious about her appearance had left the 50 year old lacking confidence. She explains how the decision to go under the knife has transformed how she feels about herself and how the only thing she regrets is not doing it sooner: “Surgery is something I had considered on and off from about the age of 25. I had always looked older than my friends but it was seven years ago when I started to feel increasingly unhappy about my appearance.

“My family knew that I was uncomfortable with my looks, particularly around my eyes.

I used to hide behind my hair and try not to make eye contact with people because I didn’t want them to see how old I looked.

“I tried fillers and Botox in the past but it didn’t give me the result I wanted. It was only a temporary improvement and I worried about the long-term impact of putting these substances into my body.

“In the end my daughter called a number of different hospitals to find out more about the cosmetic surgery procedures available. She was so inspired after her chat with Michele, the Cosmetic Surgery Nurse at CircleBath that she decided to book me in for a free consultation.

“I was nervous at that first meeting, but Michele and Gillian, the Specialist Nurses, really put me at ease. They talked me through the different aspects of surgery, the recovery process and gave me an idea of costs. It felt like a really positive step forward for me so I booked in to meet with one of the Surgeons to discuss the best options.

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Circle Health.indd 1

“I had always assumed that it was a facelift that I needed, however the surgeon, Mr James McDiarmid explained after listening to me talk about the areas I was especially uncomfortable with, that to create the effect I was hoping for I might need to consider an upper and lower eyelid lift as well as a brow lift.

“The Surgeon was great, I didn’t feel any pressure to make a decision nor even to actually have the surgery. He gave me a lot of confidence about what was achievable.

“I’m so glad now that I did it and I felt really comfortable with the advice and attention I was given by all of the hospital’s team. I never aspired to look 30 again, I just wanted to look my age, rather than years older than that and I feel this is exactly the result which has been achieved.

“The staff were wonderful and staying at the hospital for a few days was a real treat – in fact, I even made sure I wasn’t discharged until the afternoon on my last day so I could have lunch before I left because the food was so good.

“I wanted a natural result and that’s exactly what I got and I couldn’t be happier. Never mind looking 10 years younger, I feel like I’ve regained some of the vitality I had in my 20s which is even better. My family are delighted to have the old me back.”

Debbie had the following: Facelift A procedure which tightens and smoothes slackened and loose facial and neck skin Upper & Lower eyelid lift Removal of excess skin from around the eyes to correct drooping upper eyelids and lower eyelid bags to give a more alert appearance Endoscopic brow lift Lifts the skin of the forehead to reposition the eyebrows, giving a more youthful look CircleBath’s Cosmetic Surgery Unit is run by some of the country’s leading Consultant Surgeons: Mr Dominic Ayers, Dr Judy Evans, Mr James McDiarmid, Mr Nigel Mercer and Mr Richard Sutton.

To find out more about any cosmetic surgery procedures or to arrange a free initial consultation with CircleBath’s Specialist Nurses contact Michele Phillips or Gillian Jones on 07514286578 or 01761 422222, email michele.phillips@circlebath.co.uk, or visit www.circlebath.com

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OUT&ABOUT

ILLUSTRIOUS AND industrious Andrew Swift explores the village of Mells, which holds a unique place in British 21st century history

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or a small village on the edge of the Mendips, Mells holds more than a few surprises. Not only is it packed with fascinating buildings; a hidden valley on the edge of the village is home to one of the most remarkable former industrial sites in the country. The village has also played a part in some of the most momentous events of the 20th century, while the memory of the First World War is kept alive by some remarkable memorials. It is also the perfect choice for a leisurely autumnal walk.

You can either drive to Mells or take an hourly bus from Bath.

If driving, park in Selwood Street opposite the Talbot Inn. Head west along the street until you reach a pair of gateposts surmounted by dogs. Designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, these form the entrance to Mells Manor, home of the 3rd Earl of Oxford and Asquith. The dogs are talbots, which featured on the crest of the Horner family who once owned the manor.

Turn left and walk alongside the high wall of the rectory. After passing several thatched cottages, you come to Poyntz House, built by a 17th century clothier. Beyond it, the village lock-up, built in 1728, looks across to a tufa-stone grotto that once housed a drinking trough.

Turn right beside the lock up. When the gravel track swings right, carry straight on before turning left down a packhorse route. Turn right at the bottom past the Reading Room – once The Bell Inn – and alongside the mill race. When you reach the road, turn left over the Mells River (crossing the road before doing so to avoid a blind corner). On your right are the gates to Mells Park, built by Lutyens but out of sight at the end of the drive. In the run-up to the end of apartheid, secret talks between the South African government and the ANC were held here.

Today, game shoots are held on the estate.

Follow the road round to the left, before turning left over the river. When the road forks, bear right for 75 metres before turning right along a footpath. After recrossing the river head straight on up a footpath and turn left at the road. After passing a row of 17th century almshouses on the right, cross the river once more to reach Woodlands End, where six roads converge. The triangular shelter was designed by Lutyens in 1908 as a memorial to a member of the Horner family. Turn right, cross the road and 78 THEBATHMAGAZINE

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bear left along a level road past Mullions and Wadbury Farmhouse.

Carry on for 250 metres before turning right to follow a bridleway alongside the Mells River. Although this steep-sided valley is now an idyllic spot, for centuries it was an industrial powerhouse. In 1744, James Fussell took over a disused mill in the valley to make edge tools. The company prospered; five more factories opened and, by the early nineteenth century, it was exporting scythes, billhooks and other agricultural hardware to America and Europe.

In the run-up to the end of ❝ apartheid secret talks between the South African government and the ANC were held here

❞

A little way along the valley are the remains of Fussell’s Upper Works, built around 1800, with an impressive sluice gate still in situ. After Fussell’s ceased production in the 1890s, the works became a water-powered sawmill. According to an inscription on a stone, the buildings were repaired by Long Bros as late as 1952.

The impressive cascade you pass as you continue along the valley is the outfall from Whatley Quarry, one of the largest in the country. Its output approaches four million tonnes a year and it has long been the focus of environmental protests. Industry may be a picturesque legacy in this sylvan valley, but a few hundred metres to the south it is still a burning issue.

The Upper Works are a mere taster for the Lower Works further down the valley. This is one of the most evocative and dramatic industrial sites anywhere, its impact enhanced by the lack of interpretation panels, warning signs or fenced-off areas.

For this reason, if you do decide to wander off the path, you need to take extreme care – crumbling masonry, hidden trenches, steps leading nowhere and rusting machinery are a potentially lethal combination. This is where James Fussell established his first iron works in 1744. At its peak over 250 men worked here, but it has

AT YOUR OWN RISK: the ruins of the Lower Works in the woods can be explored by the adventurous – free from any Keep Out signs, but crumbling in places, and above left; the Horner monument in the church.

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OUT&ABOUT

SET IN STONE: left to right, the bridleway, the village lock-up in Mells, and part of the disused ironworks where hundreds of men once worked

lain derelict for over a century and now the only sound is that of the rushing water that once powered this industrial complex.

Another ironworks further downstream has been converted to a private house and is very much out of bounds, so turn and retrace your steps along the valley.

When you reach the road, head back to the village, passing the post office and café, and carry straight on uphill. The war memorial at the top was also designed by Lutyens. Turn left along Selwood Street, past the tithe barn and the entrance to the walled garden (where there is another café), before turning right into New Street. This dates from around 1470 when Abbot Selwood of Glastonbury began laying out a network of streets here. This, however, was the only one built.

If you turn right on entering the churchyard, you will see a collection of graves that reads like a Who’s Who of the 20th century. Asquiths lie interred alongside Bonham-Carters; a little further along are the graves of Monsignor Ronald Knox and Siegfried Sassoon, while over in the far corner is the Lutyensdesigned tomb of Reginald McKenna, a cabinet minister who

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lived at Mells Court. Lutyens also laid out the avenue of yew trees north of the church.

On entering the church, you are confronted by an equestrian statue by Sir Alfred Munnings, a memorial to Edward Horner who was killed in France in 1917. The wooden crosses that marked the war graves of Edward Horner and Raymond Asquith, the son of the prime minister, can also be seen.

From here it is a short walk back along New Street to your car or the bus stop. ■

FURTHER INFORMATION ■

Length of walk: 4 miles

■

Facilities: Mells Café, open daily until 5pm.

Walled Garden, open daily until 5pm, Talbot Inn

■

Map: OS Explorer 142

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ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE

Sometimes, the traditional approach

works perfectly.

L

ooking at the current kitchen Industry, you could be lead to believe that everyone has fallen in love with the modern look.

The temptation to go down that road can be found everywhere. And we do them too.

But here is the traditional alternative, and it still works!

Handmade solid oak doors, stained in a light finish.

It perfectly suits that Victorian house it was designed for, and with so many special features, there was storage for everything.

Especially all those cookery books. Well done Jamie.

The design was built around symmetry, and every piece looks balanced within the room.

As the client said, “We wouldn’t change anything”

Tel: 01225 312003 22 Hensley Road, Bath www.bathkitchencompany.co.uk 80 THEBATHMAGAZINE

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Reduce your Electricity Bill with the Solar Power People!

Bath’s award winning Ace Energy are the leading suppliers of solar power. Recently they have installed solar at Bath City Farm as well as a number of city centre homes. With the average electricity bill being around £600 yearly, installing solar on your roof can reduce that bill by up to 50% and provide home owners and landlords with a healthy profit. This is due to the new Feed-In Tariff scheme which pays premium rates for power generated from solar power Bath households on the scheme are now earning over £850 every year. The tax free, inflation-proof payouts are designed to protect the UK from ever-rising energy prices and help lower carbon emissions. You may have noticed an increase in the amount of Bath roofs proudly showing off their solar panels recently and according to Alan Seviour Ace Energy’s MD, Solar has never been more popular.

With interest rates at an all time low investment savvy householders are looking for alternative ways to earn money and solar power offers that.

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CITYgardens

POPPY appeal Poppies resonate as a poignant symbol of Remembrance Day, but they also make great plants for the garden, says Jane Moore

E

verywhere you look this month you’ll see swathes of poppies around and about. Not real ones, of course, but the simple paper poppies that symbolise the loss of so many lives in so many wars right up to the present day. The poppy became the symbol of remembrance after the First World War. The fields of Flanders in Belgium were the battleground of some of the bloodiest fighting and shelling of the war. Hundreds of thousands died; the rural landscape of fields and farms was completely devastated, becoming a vision of hell where men from both sides fought and died. But each year, with the coming of the summer, the tiny dormant seeds germinated filling those barren, bleak fields with a mass of scarlet poppies. It’s impossible to imagine the effect the sight of those flowers had on those who still fought.

The poppies grew indiscriminately on the mutilated earth, on the graves of those killed, providing a wreath for the dead but also perhaps breathing hope into those still alive.

Native poppies Even now there is a poignant simplicity and honesty about this symbol. A field of them is a rare but breathtaking sight these days, but you still see pockets of them all over the countryside in early summer. With its papery scarlet petals, the annual poppy is probably one of the few flowers that everyone knows. It’s such an uncomplicated little flower and will grow anywhere without the least trouble and there are some lovely varieties.

Mother of Pearl is gorgeously muted with shades of pale grey, rose and soft mauve with dark centres while Shirley mixtures are more vibrant. If you’re after a good scarlet then you can’t beat the native wild poppy or the lovely Ladybird with black splodges at the base of the petals.

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precious about planting them carefully as they won’t thank you for it. I often throw seeds of poppies and cornflowers around our rose bushes to fill in gaps but they also do a good job in the border when you’re waiting for shrubs and new plantings to fill out. If you get a chance collect the seeds later on for sowing next year, or simply leave them to seed about.

It’s such an uncomplicated little ❝ flower and will grow anywhere without the least trouble ❞ Exotic foreigners While the native poppies are good for drifts of colour at only a foot or so (30-50cm) tall, the opium poppies, Papaver somniferum, are far more majestic and stately. These work well dotted individually among annuals and perennials and grow to about 2 to 3 feet (60-90cm) in height. With their lush, blue-grey leaves and large pepper-pot seed heads they also look great when they’re not in flower and we still have a few heads left in the garden for winter interest. So, although it’s an annual plant you do get a long show for your efforts.

It’s best to buy a named variety if you want a particular look or colour scheme as the wild ones will hybridise freely and you can end up with some odd reddish shades. On the whole selfseeded opium poppies tend towards a rather attractive dusky mauve, often with crinkled or frilled petals. I tend to let them seed themselves about as they will with abandon and simply weed them out where they’re not wanted. For somewhere special I would choose White Cloud with its mass of double, pure white petals or the deeply dark double Black Peony.

SCARLET FIELDS: artist Claude Monet who painted the poppy fields of France said: “I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers”

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CITYgardens

A touch of the Orient For a good show year after year without the bother of sowing each time you need oriental poppies which are robust and longlived perennials.

These show-stoppers have the largest flowers and plenty of them and will flower reliably and bulk up beautifully as long as they’re happy with the soil and situation you give them. They need a lovely sun-worshippers spot with a rich deep fertile soil, so add plenty of garden compost when planting.

Partner them with grasses and other perennials to provide plenty of interest when the poppies have had their moment because they aren’t long-lasting as flowers go. But what they lack in longevity they make up for in sheer flower power so expect a brief burst of brilliance in early summer just when you need the garden to zing. Their huge flowers and clear colours are eye

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catching even if you only have the one clump. In a substantial planting the blood red Beauty of Livermere with huge silken petals and brilliant seed-heads and the glowing coral pink Mrs Perry can blast the garden into summer in no uncertain terms.

For those among you with a more restrained eye for colour, there are some beautiful pure whites such as Perry’s White and warm oranges like Allegro which will provide a more subtle show.

And for many gardeners the classic favourite Patty’s Plum is the one poppy they wouldn’t be without. It’s one of those plants that seems to go well with just about anything, with its dusky purple, tissue paper petals reminiscent of the faded grandeur of damask silks. Old-fashioned elegance at its best. ■ Jane Moore is the award-winning head gardener at the Bath Priory.

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PETcorner

Planning to purchase a Pooch?

I

look back with fond childhood memories of various expeditions with my dad to get out of my mother’s hair for a few hours. One of these trips was indeed fruitful as we came back, much to my mother’s dismay, with an eight week old puppy. I remember visiting the local pet shop as if it were a sweet shop, filled with goodies that my sister and I weren’t allowed under any circumstances to take home. However on this particular day my dad must have had a lapse in concentration and we returned with Rusty, a brindle wiry Cairn terrier whom we knew very little about except that he was the most robust pup of the litter. For the next fourteen years my mother would affectionately claim that Rusty was the bane of her life and he gave us endless fodder for misbehaving dog stories amongst friends and family.

Since we had to live with the mistake of choosing an inappropriate dog for our family it seems ironic that years later I find myself frequently advising would-be pet owners about choosing the right dog to match their lifestyle. Before embarking on one of the most important decisions in your life, and I mean this with sincerity, keep a few things in mind: When choosing a dog it’s very important to consider the breed.

Nowadays there are so many different breeds to choose from with very distinctive characteristics that you need to do some homework first to ascertain what you want from your dog, whether it is companionship, a guardian, or a “working pet”.

Define your lifestyle. Some breeds are definitely activity oriented such as border collies or spaniels so they need plenty of exercise. I call these breeds “dogs with jobs”. Boredom is their nemesis so when prolonged periods of boredom set in many behavioural problems will occur. Lap dogs such as Chihuahuas and Yorkshire terriers need special attention too. These breeds generally thrive with one person as their sole carer. They may be fussy eaters and difficult to please without their owners. Kennelling them will present potential problems. Then there are other breeds that require regular grooming like the Bichon Frise or Saluki. This is fine if you fantasize about being a hairdresser and have the time to do it but it can also be frustrating, not to mention expensive if you don’t keep up with their maintenance. Also remember that some breeds will shed hair so watch out with your designer sofa.

I haven’t touched on the importance of health problems that every pure bred dog can potentially suffer with. I don’t think there is a breed of dog that exists without a particular health related ailment. By doing your homework you can save yourself a lot of grief if you plan ahead for these medical issues. For example when buying a puppy from a reputable breeder you should be able to find out about their parentage along with any quantitative tests for potential eye or hip problems in the family lineage.

Consider that certain breeds have problems such as allergies, breathing, or heart defects. High maintenance dogs will require forward planning such as getting reliable pet insurance to pre-empt any health ailments. Also keep in mind that once you get that puppy you need to budget for the cost of general maintenance such as vaccines, worming, and food and see how your vet can help with this. At Bath Vet Group we offer a popular and great value preventative health care plan covering all these necessary treatments in addition to discounts on food, neutering and dentistry to help new puppy owners.

I know that these things may sound obvious but take it from a person who has lived with Rusty our Cairn terrier. Even though he gave us moments of great joy and I look upon those years fondly, in reality the frustration of keeping him was an ongoing concern. Perhaps we would have been better off with a hamster. If only we had known!

THEBATHMAGAZINE We deliver to over 20,000 addresses every month. But if you live outside our distribution area or would like us to send a copy to friends or family then we are able to offer a mailing service for only £15.00 (6 issues) or £25.00 Euro zone; £30.00 (12 issues) or £50.00 Euro zone World Zone 1 £95.00 World Zone 2 £120.00 To subscribe just send a cheque payable to MC Publishing Ltd 2 Princes Buildings, Bath BA1 2ED or Telephone 01225 424 499 for card payment

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If you have any questions, local vet Jenny Keen will be pleased to help and can be contacted on 01225 428921. All Bath Vet Group surgery contact details and further information are available at www.bathvetgroup.co.uk.

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Stretch Out! Feel more Flexible Monthly Classes: New Oriel Hall, Bath To join a class please contact David:

07815 60 60 51

Email: david.james230@yahoo.com

to advertise in the directory call Jodi on 01225 424 499

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SWIM+SMILE Strain–free swimming with the Shaw Method – based on the Alexander Technique.

Individual lessons for adults in peaceful pools. Improve your stroke or learn another.

www.swimandsmile.co.uk trisha@swimandsmile.co.uk Trisha 01225 480970

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PROPERTYin FOCUS

CHELSFIELD HOUSE SION ROAD BATH

Price: ÂŁ2,500,000

C

helsfield House is a modern fusion of classic style, technology and sustainability. Originally built in 1965, the property has been completely remodelled, renovated and refurbished into a warm and inviting 21st century family home in the Italianate style. The quality of design is carried throughout the interior of the house with solid oak parquet flooring downstairs and oak doors throughout. Meticulous attention has been paid to the detail and finish with fixtures and fitting of the highest specification. The house has been designed with energy efficiency and environmental impact in mind which incorporate exciting new technologies and energy saving measures. The spacious and light accommodation on the ground floor comprises a large entrance hall with a welcoming log fire, contemporary kitchen/breakfast room, comfortable sitting room with a large open fire, dining room, media room which houses the control centre for the home automation system, a second fully fitted kitchen, large study and a cloakroom. Upstairs there are five double bedrooms. The master suite has a large bathroom and dressing room and bedrooms two and three both have en suite shower rooms. There is a large modern family bathroom and a sun balcony with south facing views across Bath. The inbuilt technology includes solar panels, external air heat source pump, heat exchange unit, photovoltaic panels, rainwater harvester, motion sensored heating in some rooms and argon filled K Glass double glazing. Outside there are beautifully landscaped gardens, a double garage and ample courtyard parking for several vehicles. To the rear of the property there is a summer house which is fully incorporated into the home automation system and therefore provides an ideal workspace, gym or studio. Adjoining this is a garden store/workshop. Chelsfield House is an intriguing mix of the traditional and ultra contemporary and a viewing is essential to appreciate the unique features on offer. Agents are Pritchards.

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

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pritchard-partners.co.uk

Wick

Lansdown Place West

A spacious and particularly well presented detached family house, enjoying fine views.

A wonderful garden maisonette on the ground and lower ground floors of this Grade II Listed building.

Bedroom with en suite dressing area and shower room, 4 further bedrooms and bathroom, 3 reception rooms, kitchen/breakfast room, large play/games room, conservatory, utility & cloakroom. Large gardens. Timber home office and gym. Ample parking.

Approx. internal area: 2576 sq ft / 239.3 sq m.

Kitchen/dining room, drawing room, utility, 3 bedrooms – 1 en suite, family bathroom.

Courtyard. Delightful 100 ft garden. Large garage/coach house (with planning permission to rebuild adding extra accommodation above - drawings available). Lower level accommodation avail to develop (subj to nec. consents). Approx gross int. floor area: 212.65 sq m/2289 sq ft.

Price: £795,000

Price: £695,000

Purlewent Drive

Widcombe

On the market for the 1st time in 27 years this fine detached house enjoys pleasant open views in a peaceful cul-de-sac on the popular western fringes of the City.

A most elegant Grade II Listed town house set in a quiet location within a few minutes’ walk of the City Centre and station.

5 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms (one en suite) spacious reception hall, sitting room, study/dining room, garden room, kitchen/breakfast room and cloakroom. Double glazing. Gas fired heating.

Good sized attractive south facing gardens. Garage and driveway parking for several cars.

Approx floor area 1950 sq ft/181.5 sq m.

Sitting room opening through to dining room and kitchen, first floor drawing room. Three double bedrooms, shower room and family bathroom. Pretty gardens to the front and rear.

Total approx. floor area: 1497 sq ft / 139.1 sq m.

Guide Price: £650,000

Price: £635,000 11 Quiet Street, Bath BA1 2LB

PRITCHARDS Nov.indd 2

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■ Week Farm, Combe Hay Popular theory has it that Bath’s wealthiest don’t actually live in the city itself, but out in the hills and valleys of Combe Hay just a couple of miles away but deep in the Somerset countryside. Properties with land of the size of the Week Farm estate rarely come on the market and it will be interesting to see where buyers will come from to view. The farmhouse itself is a good size, with six bedrooms and accommodation which includes a drawing room, sitting room, library and separate dining room as well as the spacious family kitchen/breakfast room with its flagstone floor and big range. Large open fires in several rooms add a cheery glow in winter too.

Despite being in the same family since 1964, the house has been kept up to date, having been refurbished in 2000 and in 2004, providing such luxuries as underfloor heating. One of the great stories that’s been passed down is that Charles II stayed at the farm for a week in 1651 while he was on the run from Oliver Cromwell. Whatever the veracity of that claim there’s no denying this is an idyllic spot. A large stone terrace looks out over trees and fields and a pottager garden provides fruit, vegetables and herbs. Across the old farmyard is an original barn which could be converted into a games room. Two other barns are used for business and there are two three bedroom homes on the estate too. There is an option to farm the 102 acres, or to let them out. Clay pigeon and game shooting are also available on the estate. a walk in the country to the Price: £4.5m, with land and cottages, £2.85m without. warmth of a real fire Contact: Knight Frank, tel: 01225 325999

A HOUSE in the

COUNTRY Come home from welcoming

■ Church House, Dunkerton ‘And stands the clock at ten to three, and is there honey still for tea?’ – Rupert Brooke’s poetry comes to mind when visiting this peaceful spot in a hamlet a few miles south of Bath. The old stone house stands in delightful gardens and tea may be taken on the lawn, screened from the neighbouring churchyard by mature trees. The property dates back to the 16th century, retaining old features including beams and exposed stone walls.

There’s a large and impressive drawing room with open fires at both ends and this room in turn opens out into the dining room, which has French doors on to the terrace. The kitchen is well fitted, with an Aga and a breakfast island. Church House has six bedrooms, three bathrooms and outbuildings which could be put to any number of uses, given planning permission.

Those delightful gardens extend to around an acre.

Price: £1.15m Contact: Knight Frank, tel: 01225 325999

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■ Haywards Cottage, Leigh on Mendip Parts of this cottage go back to before the English Civil War and it takes its name from the Hayward, who was a parish officer in charge of fences and stray animals. The three bedroom cottage includes beams and a big kitchen through dining room. The original inglenook fireplace has been kitted out with a multi-fuel stove, which will belt out heat on even the coldest days. Haywards Cottage also has a sumptuous bathroom, complete with rolltop bath and overhead shower. Outside there are sunny extensive gardens with lawns, a greenhouse and vegetable plot. Price: £237,950 Contact: Tim Bennett tel: 01225 325857

■ Quarry Close Winsley

Hunker down for winter in front of a woodburning stove. This cosy one bedroom cottage, with its old stone fire surround and stove, would make an ideal lovenest, with a sitting room, extension housing a dining room, kitchen and first floor bedroom and bathroom. There is a garden and two parking places. Being on the edge of Winsley, there are fine country walks in the area – excellent places to gather fallen wood for that fire.

Price: £199,950 Contact: Jeremy Jenkins, 01225 866747

■ West Hill House, Combe Hay They’ve devised an ingenious way of making sure their logs are bone dry, by stacking them behind the woodburning stove in the sitting room of this mellow stone family home in Combe Hay. Sunlight pours into this pretty four bedroom house, which dates back in parts to 1660. West Hill House has been beautifully looked after, retaining its old beams and stone walls.

The gardens at the back have been left landscaped, ready for the new owner to put their mark on. And what better place to plan the planting than sitting in the conservatory in the sunshine.

Price: £1.25m Contact: Crisp Cowley, tel: 01225 789333

■ Old School House, Marshfield There is something very baronial about the big sitting room in this converted schoolhouse, right down to the coat of arms and motto carved above the fireplace at one end. A sympathetic conversion done in 2006 has made this two/three bedroom house very comfortable. As well as that 28 foot long sitting room there’s a dining room and a well fitted modern kitchen and a ground floor cloakroom. The two main bedrooms are on the first floor, as is the bathroom with a freestanding roll-top bath. The third bedroom, or study, is on the ground floor. In keeping with the age of the building it has been fitted with Victorian style radiators. A path leads round the back to a pretty walled garden.

Price: £675,000 Contact: Pritchards, tel: 01225 466225

■ Bean Hill Barn, Witham Friary You can just picture yourself coming in from a cold, bracing walk in the Somerset countryside, pulling off boots and warming your toes by the magnificent stone fireplace in this barn conversion. With a handy alcove for keeping logs dry, this 42 foot long reception room has space for as many comfy sofas as the family needs to sprawl on. Bean Hill Barn is a tastefully converted set of farm buildings which could be used for any number of home or work projects. The high ceiling is carried through to the kitchen, where there’s a pleasing juxtaposition of contemporary, blue and stainless steel units with the old wooden beams and rough stone walls. There are four bedrooms, the master suite being another generous sized space. One of the greatest assets of this country home is the setting. Across the lawns and gardens and over a low stone wall there are far-reaching views across the countryside. Witham Friary is a small village near Frome, with a pub. The towns of Frome and Bruton are within easy driving distance, while Bath is 22 miles away.

Price: £1.5m Contact: Carter Jonas, tel: 01225 747250

WWW.THEBATHMAGAZINE.CO.UK

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Bath Office Sales. 01225 312244 bath@hamptons-int.com Beyond your expectations www.hamptons.co.uk

Upper Wraxall, Wiltshire A handsome detached family home built just a few years ago creating a modern yet traditional style home in a truly delightful setting within the highly sought after hamlet, Upper Wraxall, with its own duck pond and set amidst some of the most unspoilt and stunning countryside. The property, which is approached via a five bar gate leading to a gravel drive and detached double garage, boasts a large garden, mainly laid to lawn, with a pretty summer house providing a wonderful summer dining room. Approximately 2435 sq.ft.

Guide Price ÂŁ875,000 4 bedrooms 3 receptions Recently built Stylish accommodation Large garden Popular hamlet

Hamptons Office 01225 312244 bath@hamptons-int.com

Reassuringly Professional. Surprisingly Dynamic.

Hamptons International won the Best for Innovation award at the 2010 Estate Agency of the Year Awards in association with The Sunday Times and The Times, recognising its innovative marketing approach and launch of the Hamptons International app for iPhone and iPad. Call us to find out how we can use our market-leading approach to help you.

Hamptons Sales November.indd 1

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Bath Office Sales. 01225 312244 bath@hamptons-int.com Beyond your expectations www.hamptons.co.uk

Bloomfield Avenue, Bath

Guide Price £715,000

An imposing four bedroom Victorian home situated in a commanding position, overlooking the much sought after Bloomfield Avenue complete with lawn tennis courts.

Approximately 2250 sq.ft.

Upper Wraxall, Wiltshire

Guide Price £615,000

An attractive period cottage, which has been extended over the generations to create a wonderful village home with spacious and versatile accommodation.

Approximately 1775 sq.ft..

Reassuringly Professional. Surprisingly Dynamic.

Hamptons International won the Best for Innovation award at the 2010 Estate Agency of the Year Awards in association with The Sunday Times and The Times, recognising its innovative marketing approach and launch of the Hamptons International app for iPhone and iPad. Call us to find out how we can use our market-leading approach to help you.

Hamptons Sales November.indd 2

26/10/2011 11:02

Bath Office Lettings. 01225 312244 bath@hamptons-int.com Beyond your expectations www.hamptons.co.uk

W TIO N E UC R ST IN

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Evercreech, Somerset

£3000 pcm

A handsome 6 bedroom detached period farm house in a private rural location approached via a long driveway and in idyllic Somerset countryside. Large farmhouse kitchen, boot room, 3 reception rooms, garden, ample parking, stables and options to rent land for horses. Available from December, long lets welcome.

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West Littleton, Wiltshire

£5500 pcm

An exceptional 5 bedroom detached Barn conversion with stunning views set in a rural location, approx 3 miles from the M4. Large breakfast kitchen, open plan and galleried reception rooms, 4 bathrooms, landscaped gardens, parking, paddock and stables. Available from December.

Hamptons Office 01225 445646 bathlettings@hamptons-int.com

Reassuringly Professional. Surprisingly Dynamic.

Hamptons International won the Best for Innovation award at the 2010 Estate Agency of the Year Awards in association with The Sunday Times and The Times, recognising its innovative marketing approach and launch of the Hamptons International app for iPhone and iPad. Call us to find out how we can use our market-leading approach to help you.

Hamptons Letting November.indd 1

26/10/2011 13:17

Equus House, Lansdown entrance hall | double height living room and dining area | double height window | private balcony | breathtaking panoramic views | contemporary fitted kitchen | central island | granite work surfaces | integrated stainless steel appliances | 2 large double bedrooms | contemporary en-suite bathroom | family bathroom | mezzanine study / guest bedroom | gated off street parking | unfurnished

Rent; No.7 ÂŁ2,750 pcm & No.8 ÂŁ2,995 pcm A choice of two stunning and very exclusive apartments situated in a new development located in an elevated position on Lansdown with breathtaking southerly views over Salisbury Valley. Both apartments have a spacious and striking double height living area with a private balcony, an open plan contemporary kitchen, two good sized double bedrooms, two bathrooms and a raised mezzanine study / guest bedroom.

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

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Weston ÂŁ1350pcm

Beautiful fully furnished detached home in a quiet Weston location.

There is lots of space with a large bright kitchen/diner, study and an enormous lounge. Upstairs are 2 double and 2 good single bedrooms a family bathroom and shower wet room. This is a lovely family home available immediately.

Southdown ÂŁ1250pcm

Bigger than it looks! Lovely unfurnished 5 bed semi with downstairs lounge, dining room, kitchen and big conservatory. Upstairs there are 4 double bedrooms and 1 single with 2 bathrooms. Attractive rear garden, garage and driveway parking for 2 cars.

Available late November.

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Weston ÂŁ1350pcm

Beautiful fully furnished detached home in a quiet Weston location.

There is lots of space with a large bright kitchen/diner, study and an enormous lounge. Upstairs are 2 double and 2 good single bedrooms a family bathroom and shower wet room. This is a lovely family home available immediately.

Southdown ÂŁ1250pcm

Bigger than it looks! Lovely unfurnished 5 bed semi with downstairs lounge, dining room, kitchen and big conservatory. Upstairs there are 4 double bedrooms and 1 single with 2 bathrooms. Attractive rear garden, garage and driveway parking for 2 cars.

Available late November.

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NOVEMBER 2011

Wildoak NOVEMBER.indd 1

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Milton Avenue

ÂŁ459,950

A particularly handsome fine family home offering substantial accommodation spread over 3 floors.

Offered for sale with scope for improvement and no onward chain. This lovely period home embraces many traditional features and is located in the ever popular Poets Corner close to Alexandra Park and local amenities at Bear Flat.

Entrance Porch | Hall | Sitting Room | Dining Room | Kitchen/Breakfast Room | 5 Bedrooms | Bathroom | Tandem Garage | Convenient for Local Schools | Within walking distance of the city centre and Bath Spa Station | Offered for sale Chain Free.

134 Wells Road, Bear Flat, Bath, BA2 3AH Telephone: 01225 421000

www.fidelisproperties.co.uk

Fidelis Nov.indd 1

Fidelis

26/10/2011 10:57

Southstoke Lane

£1800 PCM Timsbury

LET AGREED IN OCTOBER

Price £825 PCM

LET AGREED IN OCTOBER

LANDLORDS - Maximise your marketing potential November Offer* FREE Valuation • FREE Professional photography • FREE EPC • FREE Floor plan *Applies to first 10 instructions only.

Devonshire Villas

£795 PCM Tunley

LET AGREED IN OCTOBER

£1250 PCM

LET AGREED IN OCTOBER

134 Wells Road, Bear Flat, Bath, BA2 3AH Telephone: 01225 421000

www.fidelisproperties.co.uk

Fidelis Nov.indd 2

Fidelis

26/10/2011 10:58

The Property People Offices throughout the UK including 5 in London

BATHFORD

An outstanding Georgian house set in glorious gardens

Guide Price £2,500,000

Reception Hall • Drawing Room • Dining Room • Kitchen • Sitting Room • Study • Utility Rooms • Cloakroom • Wine Cellar • Master Bedroom (en suite bathroom) • Guest Bedroom (en suite shower room) • 6 Further Bedrooms • Bathroom • Shower Room • Guest Annexe • Garage • Workshop • Wood Store • Garden Shed • Tennis Court • Gravel driveway • Landscaped gardens • (Approximately 6,103 sq ft / 566.97 sq m)

Bath 01225 747250 david.mackenzie@carterjonas.co.uk London Country Department 020 7493 0676 jasper.feilding@carterjonas.co.uk

Carter Jonas November.indd 1

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carterjonas.co.uk

brockham end

Lansdown

ÂŁ1200 - ÂŁ1400 pcm Offered Unfurnished

3 Mews-style Apartments just to the north of the City Centre and in an extremely convenient location for access to the M4, junction 18.

Garden apartment with 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms First Floor duplex apartment with 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms First Floor duplex apartment with 3 bedrooms, bathroom and balcony All have allocated parking behind gated entrance and marvellous westerly views.

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

Carter Jonas November.indd 2

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Courtyard Apartment Cavendish Place is a Grade I listed property in a sought after location on the northern slopes of the city centre.

With a west facing aspect, the property offers tranquil uninterrupted views of Victoria Park and the countryside beyond, yet the property is only a few minutes walk from the centre of Bath.

The ground floor apartment has accommodation comprising of a spacious sitting/dining room, stylish kitchen with breakfast bar, fitted appliances and black granite work top. Two double bedrooms [1 en-suite] with large floor to ceiling fitted

wardrobes and a luxury shower room.

‘The main room never fails to impress guests. The grand proportions of the room, the intricate cornicing and the working shutters are often talking points. The room is a wonderful place to relax in the evening while gazing out through the two enormous picture windows watching the sun set” explains the current owner.

The apartment boasts the rare advantage of outdoor space..

The paved courtyard has a sunny southern aspect and is shrouded by colourful trees, including a mature Japanese Acer.

Cavendish Place, Bath 2 BEDROOMS * SITTING/DINING ROOM * SHOWER ROOM * KITCHEN/BREAKFAST ROOM * EN-SUITE BATHROOM * COURTYARD GARDEN

Contact: Bath: 01225 320032

OIEO £650,000

Fine & Country 36 Gay Street, Bath BA1 2NT Fine & Country Homes Nov.indd 1

26/10/2011 11:00

Castle Combe The present owners were relocating to this area and fell in love with the picturesque village, reputed to be one of the prettiest in England. They were therefore delighted to discover this cleverly renovated, stone built barn, which had been part of an original malthouse, set in the centre of the village, but beautifully tucked away on a private plot of land.

A large door leads into the bright and welcoming hall and through into the kitchen, all fitted with limestone flooring.

The flexible living space has an easy flow throughout, with

doors which lead from the dining area out onto a lovely sunny, private patio which is perfect for outside dining while enjoying the views. The walled garden is on different levels and full of interest and colour.

In addition, there is a self contained 1 bedroom cottage which is perfect for guests, or for an independent living family member.

It is very pleasant to stroll around the delightful village of Castle Combe which boasts two excellent pubs, a Michelin starred restaurant.

Malthouse Barn SOUGHT AFTER VILLAGE SETTING * CONVERTED BARN & SEPARATE 1 BED COTTAGE * 4 BEDROOMS [1 EN-SUITE] * 2 RECEPTION * KITCHEN * UTILITY * FAMILY BATHROOM * PRIVATE GARDEN * AMPLE PARKING

Contact: Bath: 01225 320032

ÂŁ895,000

Call 01225 320032 bath@fineandcountry.com Fine & Country Homes Nov.indd 2

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Duke Street

Offers in Excess of £310,000

Georgian Apartment | Spacious living | Very central location | Two bedrooms | Communal garden | Viewing advised

This two bedroom Georgian apartment is located in a very central location close to Parade Gardens and not too far from the Abbey. This is a stunning property in wonderful location and early viewing is highly recommended.

The Apartment Company Nov.indd 1

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Lambridge House

Offers in Excess of £310,000

Unique Georgian property | Two bedrooms | Off street parking | Extensive communal grounds A unique apartment in an imposing Georgian property situated within stunning grounds.

Horstmann Close

Offers in Excess of £245,000

Well presented | Modern Apartment | Two bedrooms | Two bathrooms | Allocated parking | Lift

Tucked away in a sought after location this stylish second floor, two bedroom apartment.

Vane Street

Offers in Excess of £215,000

Georgian apartment | Central location | Two bedrooms | Residents Parking | Views of the City

Spacious top floor two bedroom apartment just off Great Pulteney Street.

The Apartment Company Nov.indd 2

26/10/2011 11:11

Widcombe An imposing and substantial late Victorian bay fronted town house. Ideal family occupation together with a separate self contained flat for income or dependant relative | reception halls | sitting room | dining room | breakfast room/kitchen | snug/study | utility | 7 bedrooms | 3 bathrooms (1 en suite) | cloakroom | en suite shower | garden apartment: spacious open plan living area, kitchen, double bedroom, en suite shower, sep wc | established gardens | residents’ parking | Offers in excess of £795,000

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

www.crispcowley.co.uk

Crisp Cowley November.indd 1

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Wellow Spectacular Grade II listed Granary barn conversion with many innovative features. Superb blend of historic building and contemporary living | entrance hall | 32’ x 35’ drawing room | large kitchen | garden reception room | 4 double bedrooms | 3 bathrooms/shower room | cloakroom | garden | grounds | potential ménage/paddock | In all, approximately 2.43 acres | Guide Price: £1,500,000

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

www.crispcowley.co.uk

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Lansdown Lovingly restored and extended unfurnished 4 double bed detached family house with commanding views over Charlcombe and Solsbury Hill | hall | sitting room | kitchen/dining room | utility | study | shower room | 4 double bedrooms (1 en suite) | family bathroom | parking | gardens with terrace and bbq | family let | ÂŁ2,950 pcm

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

www.crispcowley.co.uk

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Bradford on Avon On the western outskirts of this popular Wiltshire town, an imposing and substantial Grade II listed detached barn with spacious and versatile accommodation | living room approximately 32’ x 25’ | breakfast room/kitchen | utility | 5 bedrooms | wet room and en suites | large gardens | parking | gas ch | offered furnished or unfurnished | available now | £2,450 pcm

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

www.crispcowley.co.uk

Crisp Cowley November.indd 4

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KnightFrank.co.uk

St. James’ Square, Bath

Guide Price £295,000

A top floor apartment situated on one of Bath’s most desirable Squares Communal entrance hall, private entrance hall, 1 reception room, kitchen. 2 double bedrooms, bathroom. Approximately 644 sq ft.

Residents’ parking.

KnightFrank.co.uk Bath 01225 325 999 bath@knightfrank.com

Knight Frank November.indd 1

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KnightFrank.co.uk

Connaught Mansions, Bath

Guide Price £415,000

A delightful two bedroom apartment in one of Bath’s most prestigious address Hall, sitting room, Mark Wilkinson kitchen, 2 bedrooms, bathroom. Approximately 736 sq ft.

Private parking space.

KnightFrank.co.uk Bath 01225 325 999 bath@knightfrank.com

Knight Frank November.indd 2

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KnightFrank.co.uk

Limpley Stoke, Bath

Guide Price £895,000

An intriguing detached house set in delightful grounds Entrance hall, 3 reception rooms, kitchen, breakfast room, utility room, study. Master bedroom suite, 4 further bedrooms, 2 bathrooms. Approximately 2,283 sq ft.

Garaging. Gardens and grounds of approximately 1 acre.

KnightFrank.co.uk Bath 01225 325 999 bath@knightfrank.com

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