An insight into The Bertinet Kitchen Cookery School with Richard Bertinet and chef Sat Bains
Emma Clegg samples Manja Manja’s ‘playfully Italian’ plates 60
Joe Short captures Bijan with a crowd of cardboard tubes
Author and teacher Catherine Bruton talks to Emma Clegg ahead of her masterclass at The Bath Children’s Lit Fest
68
Writer,
Chris Stephens, director of
Intimate
Research the offerings of schools and colleges in our region
From lipstick to perfume, discover the very latest products
90
Andrew Swift takes a walk in Wells, England’s smallest city 94
Daniel McCabe profiles his recommended interiors magazines
100 GARDENS
Jessica Stokes revels in this month’s cutting garden
FROM THE EDITOR
We have some outstanding images for you. Take the one on the cover, a piece called Pride by artist Paula Rego from her series The Seven Deadly Sins. Part of the Uncanny Visions exhibition at the Holburne, it has been aptly described as “a cross between Miss Haversham and Marie Antoinette”. See page 44. There are also some amazing photographic images showing animal behaviour in the wild, all on display in Unforgettable Behaviour, the forthcoming exhibition at The American Museum & Gardens (see page 48, and one of our favourites below!). We were delighted to chat to Richard Bertinet and discover more about the range of courses available at The Bertinet Kitchen Cookery School, offered by himself and by visiting chefs. What’s more, he introduced us to Sat Bains, a Nottingham-based chef specialising in heart-heathly food who is visiting this month for a Lunch and Learn workshop at the cookery school. See page 52.
The Bath Children’s Literature Festival (27 September –6 October) has an array of authors, illustrators, storytellers and poets visiting Bath, and one of them, local teacher and writer Catherine Bruton, told me about her book Bird Boy. This tells the story of a boy who rescues and cares for an osprey with a broken wing, which allows his own wounds to heal. Catherine is running a creative writing masterclass workshop on 5 October focusing on stories about animals (see page 64). Another sharing her story is writer and director Emma Howlett. Emma grew up in Bath and is bringing the production of her own play, Her Green Hell –a survival story set in the Peruvian Rainforest –to the Ustinov.
September also brings talk of schools and we have delivered thoroughly, with an extensive directory of schools and colleges to guide you through the options in our region. See page 68.
Here’s to some unforgettable experiences this month.
The Bath Magazine 2 Princes Buildings, George Street, Bath BA1 2ED; 01225 424499 www.thebathmag.co.uk
Editor Emma Clegg 01225 424592; emma@thebathmagazine.co.uk
Publisher Steve Miklos steve@thebathmagazine.co.uk
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Emma Clegg, Editor
A Miracle of Monarchs by Axel Gomille, Germany, 2010, showing monarch butterflies migrating south through North America, from the Unforgettable Behaviour exhibition at the American Museum & Gardens
Wool is…
• Naturally insulating
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City updates
ASTRONAUT TALK
British astronaut Tim Peake is starting a new tour Astronauts: The Quest To Explore Space, coming to Bath on 6 September, which will bring the awe and wonder of space travel past, present and future to venues this autumn, celebrating the incredible achievements and historic human endeavour of space exploration.
Tim made history in 2015 when he became the first British astronaut to visit the International Space Station (ISS), where he spent six months living and working in space. And now he’s looking forward to a potential return to space, as part of a commercially sponsored, UK mission which could see him travel back to the ISS.
“The prospect of an all-UK mission is a hugely exciting opportunity for science and technology companies, and for education and outreach,” Tim says. “The impact of my ESA mission in 2015 was reaching and engaging with 2 million school children, and with potentially four Brits going to the ISS together we can do even more.
“This would showcase some of the cutting-edge science that the UK is involved in, in areas such as AI, quantum technology, biological engineering, advanced manufacturing and more. But more importantly, it’s a new realm of collaboration and cooperation with our international partners in a post-Brexit environment.”
These are momentous times for the space industry. While a moonwalk is on the cards for the Artemis 3 crew in 2026, and work is ongoing towards a crewed mission to Mars, some of the most exciting work will have impacts much closer to home in the coming years.
“We have occupied the ISS for over 20 years now – and it is essentially a giant science lab”, Tim explains. “But we’re getting more specialist in the science taking place there. There is more targeted pharmaceutical research as companies realise the potential. For example, growing protein crystals in space for motor neurone and Parkinson’s diseases could lead to much better treatments.
“There are attempts to grow human tissue and organs such as a heart on Earth, using
BATH WELCOMES ARLO & JACOB
Makers of handcrafted British furniture, Arlo & Jacob are opening a showroom in Bath at number 3 Broad Street. The small modern family business has its roots in the East Midlands, where they make their range of stylish sofas, chairs, footstools, and tables. They already have nine showrooms in the UK, including in London and Bristol. Here shoppers encounter furniture to suit every style, made for modern living and built to endure. Styles range from more traditional to thoroughly contemporary, and each piece can be tailored to taste, with modular designs available for an adaptable offering. Customers are free to browse endless fabrics, from house staples to designer options at price points to suit every budget. They’re also encouraged to explore design details like hand-turned hardwood legs made by a talented Derbyshire craftsman. Through creating inspiring spaces with a team of design experts on-hand Arlo & Jacob are able to offer the best possible service and style guidance. arloandjacob.com
bio ink and 3D printers. The problem is that small structures collapse due to gravity and need some sort of scaffolding. But in space, you can 3D print human organs more easily, because there is no gravity causing them to collapse in on themselves.
“It sounds like the wildest science fiction, but it really is science fact and it’s where we are at right now. And that’s when space research starts to mean something very real for people on Earth.
The event in Bath at The Forum is fully booked (fane.co.uk/tim-peake), but you can see a full version of Tim Peake’s perspective on the importance of space research at thebathmagazine.co.uk/timpeake-why-space-matters.
MINDFUL RUNNING
The Mindful Running Project, based in Bath, believes that running (and walking) is about more than just physical health. Its goal is to help people experience the psychological benefits of being physically active.
Health professionals often rightly suggest exercise as a means to help manage symptoms of anxiety and depression. However, if you are struggling, it can be a big ask to find the self-motivation to exercise.
This is where the Mindful Running Project can help. While running is the primary approach, three other evidence-based methods are incorporated to help generate positive wellbeing; nature, community and mental resilience building.
A number of weekly group running sessions are offered on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, along with 1-to-1 sessions and mental resilience building resources. All sessions are conducted outside and are followed by a chance to talk with other members over a coffee.
See mindfulrunningproject.co.uk to find out more and book your free taster session.
AVICII AUCTION TO BENEFIT GOOD CAUSES
Tim ‘Avicii’ Bergling was one of our time’s most celebrated and beloved musical visionaries, and his legacy is ever evolving. Stockholm’s Auktionsverk is presenting The Avicii Collection – a charity auction. On 1 October at 2pm UK time 267 lots of Tim Bergling’s personal items will go under the hammer in Stockholm (and online). No reserve, no commission.
All proceeds from the charity auction will benefit the Tim Bergling Foundation in its work for the mental health and wellbeing of young people. “It is with great pride and humility that we take on this unique and special charity auction. We are honoured to support such an impactful cause. We have 350 years of experience passing on the artefacts of some of history’s most prominent cultural figures and consider it a privilege,” says Cecilia Gave, CEO of Stockholms Auktionsverk.
The auction will be published in full on 6 September at auctionet.com; auktionsverket.com
SEIZE THE PLEASURE AT THE JANE AUSTEN FESTIVAL
The Jane Austen Festival in Bath, from 13–22 September, is the largest and longest running Jane Austen festival – and the 10-day programme of events attracts over 3500 people.
The Grand Regency Costumed Promenade on 14 September will fill the streets of the city with over 500 people in Regency dress. A Whole Campful of Soldiers on 15 September brings His Majesty’s 33rd Regiment of Foot with authentic drill displays, music and talks presenting life at war. Tuesday 17 September offers a Turban-Making Workshop, or maybe you fancy a game of croquet at The Rec?
All this and more, including an 18th-century public breakfast, dance and singing workshops, guided walks, costumed balls, theatrical performances, ghost walks, stargazing events, murder mysteries and literary talks. janeausten.co.uk/pages/festival-home-page
THE MAN BEHIND THE TUBE MAP
The Natural Theatre Company are staging a new play in London based on the man behind the iconic Tube map.
For many of us, the London Underground is purely functional. But to Harry Beck, this web of geography became an obsession – a fascination with the creation of the perfect Tube map. How did Beck create the iconic diagram of today, and at what cost? To understand you need to meet Harry, and his wife Nora.
The production of The Truth About Harry Beck takes a glimpse inside a journey of passion, a wife’s dedication and the living breathing network of the tunnels and train tracks in our capital. Embrace your inner transport enthusiast through a mash up of real-life accounts, uncovered anecdotes and seemingly unconnected facts (…with a peppering of fictitious characters).
Join The Natural Theatre Company as they take you on a whimsical whirlwind of fact through the worlds of design, transport, modern history…and an addiction to getting it right. This brand-new production is in London Transport Museum’s on-site Cubic Theatre on 17–18 September and 20 September –10 November. ltmuseum.co.uk/theatre; naturaltheatre.co.uk
RODD & GUNN IN NEW BOND STREET
Rodd & Gunn New Zealand has opened its first Bath menswear store at 25 New Bond Street.
Immersing customers into relaxed refinement with styles that are odes to nature, Rodd & Gunn continue to bring New Zealand to the world. The opening of the Bath location marks a prestigious milestone during a year of substantial global growth, having just opened flagship stores in Manhattan, US, Toronto, Canada and in Edinburgh.
Rodd & Gunn opens its Bath store with the launch of their Autumn/Winter 24/25 collection, Beyond the Horizon. The collection showcases chunky woollen NZ ZQRX merino knits, signature outerwear, Italian fabric blazers, pure Italian cotton Oxford shirts, and clean-cut chinos. Each piece is thoughtfully crafted in classic blues, cappuccino camel browns, earthy moss greens, and accented with pastel yellows and cream tones, embodying the rugged elegance of their heritage landscape. roddandgunn.com/uk
5 things to do
Revel in books
Some of the biggest and best-loved names in the world of children’s books will be heading to Bath this autumn for the Bath Children’s Literature Festival. There is a programme of more than 80 events with visitors including Michael Rosen, Cressida Cowell, Rob Biddulph, Harry Hill, Andy Day, Jacqueline Wilson, Ben Miller, Robin Stevens and Liz Pichon.
The Festival will run from Friday 27 September to Sunday 6 October. thebathfestival.org.uk
Be uplifted
Feed your soul and experience the stunning works of Howard Goodall’s Eternal Light in concert from this exceptional group of musicians. Performed by members of The Fulltone Orchestra and Cantiamo Choir, with soloists Amelia Jones (Soprano) and Chris Why (Tenor). 28 September, 7.30pm, Bath Abbey. Tickets: from £16.50. bathboxoffice.org.uk
Watch a zany musical comedy
Diva Opera, Monkton Combe School, and The MASIC Foundation present Rossini’s The Barber of Seville in the Chapel at Monkton Combe School, near Bath, on Saturday 28 September. MASIC is a charity that supports women across the UK who have suffered lifechanging birth injuries. All of Diva Opera’s works are presented in spectacular period costume and sung in their original language. Tickets: adults £90 and under 18s £30. masic.org.uk
To book contact Mike Keighley, or his PA Suzanne (Mike is an old Monktonian, past Governor and President of MASIC). Tel: 01564 741865; keighleycolo@btinternet.com
If you are setting out on your wedding planning journey, a wedding showcase event is the best place to start. Take a tour of the ceremony rooms within the iconic Guildhall building in Bath and meet with local suppliers including florists, photographers and local venues licensed for ceremonies. The event is also a perfect opportunity for those with a ceremony booked already to see the space, visualise your day and meet your
Join Miles Morgan Travel in Bath on 12 September at 2.30pm, when David Chidley will be hosting an afternoon event showcasing all that Hurtigruten has to offer. Their unique product offers Norwegian Coastal Voyages and Expedition Cruises, The original Norwegian cruise company also offers a Northern Lights promise. Availability is limited so reserve your space by emailing bath@milesmorgantravel.co.uk or call 01225 486 800.
Miles Morgan Travel, 8-9 New Bond Street Place, Bath
Bath profile
Dave Mason was a TV journalist and presenter, working for HTV, ITN, GMTV, and was the voice that launched Somerset’s first commercial radio station in 1989. He owns a media training business and presents a slot on Radio Bath.
How long have you lived in Bath? Almost 20 years. We live in Odd Down, which is ideal for getting to the countryside quickly, has great schools nearby and a lovely community.
Where are you from originally and when did you first move here? I’m from Somerton, Somerset. I used to visit Bath in my early twenties to watch bands play in Moles Club, during my first radio presenting job at Orchard FM. I suspect during a late night trip to the kebab house, aged 22, I thought; “One day, somehow, I am going to settle here, have a family...” Eventually, via Wales, Nottingham, Manchester, Liverpool and 10 years in London, we did. I bought a flat here in 2005 to escape London, when I was doing shift work at GMTV. I had a crazy, hardcore producing job and needed a haven to unwind.
You have worked in broadcasting in radio and TV for more than 30 years. Why was this the right career for you? I talked too much in class, so presenting seemed a good alternative when my lack of maths and physics prowess closed the door on becoming a cameraman. As a kid I was obsessed by the idea of getting into local radio or TV, and maybe having a shot at the big time on Radio 1. I always went to the Radio 1 Roadshows in Devon and used to rock up at the Royal Bath and West Show to see the HTV West stand. In 1999, through sheer persistence, I became a presenter at HTV alongside some of the faces I’d grown up with. A year later I got a job at BBC Radio 1! Nowadays, I commit half a day (2–5pm) on Friday to presenting on community station Radio Bath.
More recently you have specialised in media training with your business Mentor Media Training. Why did you decide to move in this direction? Leaving ITV breakfast to go freelance forced me to consider more of a portfolio career. I continued with reporter/producer shifts with ITV News, Bristol and ITN in London, but also began doing military and NATO media training around the world. Following a spell with several
settled
appointed Head of
a well-established
In 2019, I bought the business just before the pandemic! We’re celebrating our 25th anniversary this year.
You wrote the book, Handling the Media in Good Times & Bad. Techniques for this must have changed significantly in the time you have been in the industry. Interestingly, some methods have developed for us over the last ten years with much of the wider media landscape centred around social, so we’ve adapted to that with an additional business. Mostly, techniques around authenticity and having something interesting to say haven’t changed at all. When someone on one of our courses combines several of our techniques, it’s a potent mix and very rewarding to see them perform confidently.
Tell us about the new platform Splutter that you have introduced. We have two businesses: one which trains people and provides communication consultancy for reputation and crisis, and a training platform which simulates any kind of social media. Splutter can run crisis or messaging workshops for clients who need to coach teams in handling complaints, and exercises for social media crises or tone of voice. It’s a revolutionary tool.
What do you like to do at the weekends? My wife and daughter share my passion for music and food and Bath seems to have a different festival each week, so we love indulging that. A perfect day or evening would be a gig, dinner at one of Bath’s superb restaurants and a pint afterwards in The Raven.
What gets you up in the morning? I’m pretty terrible first thing, but I always look forward to meeting a room full of interesting people that I can support with growing more confident in public speaking situations.
Tell us about your love of music. I play a lot of new stuff as well as my classic ‘live’ sessions on Radio Bath. I’ve loved Shed Seven and Kasabian’s new work because they have unashamedly embraced pop/rock; former Stranglers singer Paul Roberts’ album for its light and shade (where Bowie meets Billy Idol); and Shaznay Lewis from All Saints has dropped a cracking album. mentormediatraining.co.uk; splutter.training
corporate media coaching firms, I
on Mentor,
family business in Bristol, being
Training in 2014.
DAVE MASON
Naturals blog... by Cabin Crew
Our latest personal blog from the Natural Theatre Company is from Cabin Crew. The tone is bright, cheerful and crowd-pleasing, and the underlying conviction is that every setback is surmountable.
How are you today? Welcome to Natural Airways, the best way to get around the world.
We are now opening for boarding at Gate 7. Can everyone who has paid way-over-the-odds for early boarding please stand to the left of the normal people? Please make sure you look really smug and don’t catch the eye of anyone who has to wait a little longer… that will be a bit embarrassing for all of us.
Can I just check that your cabin bag weighs slightly less than a feather and is the size of a Sylvanian Families’ suitcase? Your bag looks a little big, but I can take your duty-free shopping out of the bag and we can keep it up front with Candice. By the end of the flight, Candice might be a little drunk and smelling of the lovely Chanel you have bought… but it will save you £149.50 in excess baggage.
Now please do walk down along the ramp to the funny sticky-outy corridor thing that wobbles dangerously as you enter the cabin. When you get on the plane I will also be there to welcome you aboard. Or maybe it is someone different? I mean, you wouldn’t know because we all look the same.
I have been working as a flight attendant for nearly 23 years. I do miss the times in the past when we tried to give the very best service to everyone. These days its more about trying to shoe-horn tall people into seats that are designed for five year olds. All adults now have to have their knees under their chests, and that is before they have adopted the brace position.
I like to uphold all of the great values of service that I learned when I was training. My favourite way to make someone feel a bit special is to bump them up to Business Class. Not that there is any business class on most of our flights anymore. So instead, I move my favourite passengers away from the couple that haven’t used deodorant for six months, or away from the single flier who won’t stop talking.
“Can I just check that your cabin bag weighs slightly less than a feather? and is the size of a Sylvanian Families’ suitcase?”
I have had some training in massage and essential oils, which is very useful to relax the passengers. For instance, customers can feel a bit tense when security humiliates them because their contact lens fluid is a suspected terror threat. Or they might be very stressed by the price of a ham and cheese panini in the café. That’s when a little amateur shiatsu can come in useful. They say I have healing hands.
I am an expert at the safety routine. As I do each move, I imagine I am a dancer on Taylor Swift’s Eras tour. But I do take it very seriously. The safety announcements, not Taylor Swift.
Once we are in the air and everyone’s ears have popped, I hand out the earphones that only intermittently work in the left ear. I also distribute the special neck pillows that will deflate somewhere over the English Channel.
I used to love giving out the meals for free. Everyone would get a tiny knife and fork, a nuclear-hot foil wrapped ‘roast’ (steamed) dinner, a tiny glass of water, a blueberry cheesecake, a chocolate biscuit, a bread roll with runny butter and one other unidentifiable item of food. We always made sure there was enough food that it would temporarily fit on the distribution tray, but as you started to eat it there was no way it could fit on the little table. The seats were also scientifically designed so that you would jab your neighbour in the ribs while eating your mashed potato, even if you were holding all your limbs as close as possible to your body, making it impossible to get anything in your mouth.
Oh those were the days of good service.
Well if you see me around, have a chat and I will see if I can get you extra legroom and some back copies of the in-flight magazine. Happy holidays! n
naturaltheatre.co.uk
The new women’s collection from Jigsaw provides modern classics and timeless shapes to bring stylish, bold comfort to your wardrobe. Here, we asked Natasha Musson, known as the Secret Stylist, to choose her favourite pieces. Natasha will be running a style event at Jigsaw on 14 September (11am–4pm), offering professional style tips. Jigsaw, 4 Old Bond Street, Bath
Crossbody Bag. £175s
Molten Loop Leather Necklace. £95,
Striped. Textured, T-shirt, £750
Keshi Pearl. Drop Earring, £55.,
Linnie Flat Pointed0 Ballerina Shoes, £110,
Oakley Heeled. Mule, £150
Tyne Wide Leg, Cropped Jean, £950
Wool Maxi City Coat, in chocolate,. £3850,
Soft Gauzy Knit. Poncho Jumper 0 £120.
Soft Gauzy Knit, Scarf, £80,
Leather Pleat. Midi Skirt. £350.
What’s on
MUSIC AT GREEN PARK BRASSERIE
n Green Park Brasserie, Green Park Road
Enjoy live jazz/funk/soul/swing at Green Park Brasserie on Weds and Thurs from 6.30–8.45pm and Fri and Sat from 6.30–9.45pm. Music includes dynamic duos, modern trios and a Hot Club style quintet. You can also watch the world go by with 2 for £15 cocktails 7 days a week on the 2 terraces located at the old railway station. greenparkbrasserie.com
PANE
E VINO SUPPER CLUBS
n Pane e Vino, 5/6 St James Street, Bath
Pane e Vino is open every Saturday evening for intimate and delicious candlelit dinners. Chef Darix prepares three-course set menus priced according on what's on offer –including coffee and limoncello, prices can range between £34–£45 per person. Book by calling 01225 698063 as the dining room only seats 22 people. For more information and menus follow Instagram @panevinobath, or pop in for a chat.
LISTENING IN ON HITLER’S PLANS
5 September, 10.30am–11.30am
n The Pavilion, North Parade Road
Lecture by Dr Helen Fry, the foremost authority on the ‘secret listener’ who worked at special eavesdropping sites operated by British Intelligence during WWII. Her groundbreaking research has shed light on one of the greatest intelligence deceptions of the war: the bugging of Hitler’s generals at Trent Park in North London. Doors open at 9.45am for coffee. Free for members, and a donation of £2 for non-members. u3ainbath.uk
JO LOVES POMELO-THEMED AFTERNOON TEA AND TAPAS SCENT EXPERIENCE
5 September 1pm–4pm
n The Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa, 16 Royal Crescent, Bath
To celebrate the launch of a new range of in-room products and partnership with Jo Loves, The Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa is hosting a Pomelo-themed afternoon tea and tapas scent experience. Hosted by a Jo Loves perfume expert, and including afternoon tea and a Pomelo-themed cocktail. Tickets £95 per person. royalcrescent.co.uk
IFORD SUPPER CLUB:
SIX-COURSE TASTING MENU
6 September and 20 September, 6.45pm–10pm
n Iford Manor, Iford, Bradford-on-Avon Book a table for a fantastic foodie experience, with expertly crafted food and drink largely sourced and made on the Iford Manor Estate and live accompaniment from a jazz pianist. Optional paired wine flight available. £65pp (tasting menu, welcome drink, tea and coffee and live music). ifordmanor.digitickets.co.uk
BATHSCAPE WALKING FESTIVAL
6–22 September
n Various locations
From a Box Heritage Trail and Nordic Walking to an Urban Tree Walk and exploring Sensory Smallcombe, there’s no excuse not to take on some local walks this month. bathscape.co.uk/walking-festival
NO.1 CREATORS CLUB: CREATIVE COLLAGE
7 September, 10am–12pm
n No.1 Royal Crescent, 1 Royal Crescent Get inspired by the beautiful buildings of Bath, and create a layered paint and collage artwork exploring the geometry and forms of Bath architecture. Led by artist Taryn Thomas, the session will explore the history behind the city’s design and introduce collage, painting and observational skills in a relaxed and creative environment. Suitable for ages 8-14. £10 per child/£9 concession. no1royalcrescent.org.uk
MEDIEVAL FALCONRY DAY
7 September, 9.30am-5.30pm
n The Bishop’s Palace, Wells
Held on the south lawn against the stunning backdrop of the medieval Great Hall, specialist falconry firm Raptorcare will be entertaining crowds with a day of fantastic flying displays and beautiful birds. Displays at 12pm and 3pm Event included with standard admission. The Bishop’s Palace & Gardens is open daily. bishopspalace.org.uk
ALDRIDGE’S OF BATH AUCTION
10 September, 10am (viewing Sat 7 Sept) n Online
Fine art and antiques sale, including silver, jewellery, ceramics and glass, oil paintings, watercolours and prints, European and Asian works-of-art, clocks, rugs, antique and later furniture and furnishings. aldridgesofbath.com
THE GRIEF OPERA: LOVE GOES ON
10 September, 7.15pm
n Burdall’s Yard, Anglo Terrace, Bath
The most emotional show you will see this year premiers in Bath on Suicide Prevention Day. Follows the death of Nigel Linacre’s son George by suicide and a journey to the deepest love, where jazz helps handle the toughest moments. With international opera star Neil Latchman and rock star Keri Farish. Band leader: Vladimir Miller. Strings lead: Sara Stagg. eventbrite.co.uk; thegriefopera.org
Medieval Falconry Day at The Bishop’s Palace
EL MISTICO AT KOMEDIA
17 September, 7.30pm n Komedia, 22–23 Westgate Street, Bath
The Poldark Show presents the mesmerising and spellbinding El Mistico, featuring Poldark and Angus Baskerville, bringing magic, mind reading and comedy hypnosis to Bath, as part of the UK tour. Magician and mind reader Angus Baskerville opens the show with his sleight of hand trickery and impossible predictions. Cabaret and master stage hypnotist, Poldark will then offer immersive experiences, demonstrations of hypnotic phenomena and fun comedy. Ages 14+. Tickets from £18.90. komediabath.co.uk
STITCHING4ALL SHOW
19–21 September, 10am–5pm n Bath & West Showground, Shepton Mallet BA4 6NS
As well as top fabric and haberdashery supplies and craft traders, the show is brimming with over 100 sewing workshops including embroidery, dress-making,
BATH & COUNTY CLUB EVENTS IN SEPTEMBER
SUNDAY CARVERY
8 September, 12.30pm for 1pm £25.
TALK & 2-COURSE SUPPER
10 September, 6pm for 6.30pm
Talk: Bath & the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley 1924–2024. £25.
FILM EVENING & INTERVAL SUPPER
13 September, 5.30pm for 6pm Film: The Wizard of Oz. £18.
BATTLE OF BRITAIN DINNER
20 September, 6.30pm for 7pm
Three courses plus port. Black Tie. £42.
TALK, COFFEE & PASTRIES
27 September, 11am
Life as an Expat: a world of opportunity by Kate Seeley. £15.
SUNDAY CARVERY
27 September, 12.30pm for 1pm £25.
Event venue: Queens Parade,Bath BA1 2NJ. To book, email secretary@bathandcountyclub.com or telephone 01225 423732.
crochet, knitting and felting. There is also a textile and quilt exhibition with displays quilting groups. Plus a mini catwalk called ‘Strutt Your Stuff’ where makers and visitors wear and show their own dress-making and fashion creations. Asmaa, the current winner of BBC’s Great British Sewing Bee, will be dropping into the workshops and chatting with visitors. Tickets £11/£10/concessions free (book in advance to receive £2 off price). craft4crafters.co.uk
THE GLENN MILLER ORCHESTRA
21 September, 7.30pm
n Wiltshire Music Centre, Ashley Road, Bradford-on-Avon
Swing back to the 1940s with a showstopping musical celebration of big band leader, Glenn Miller. This very special Season Launch concert features the same line-up devised by Glenn, alongside jazz band, The Uptown Hall Gang and vocalists the Moonlight Serenaders. Performing classic arrangements of Glenn’s wartime hits, like In the Mood, Moonlight Serenade and Tuxedo Junction. Tickets £28/£15. wiltshiremusic.org.uk
BAKA BEYOND
21 September, 8pm-10.30pm
n Chapel Arts, St James’s Memorial Hall, Lower Borough Walls, Bath
For over 30 years, Baka Beyond has blended African and Celtic music into an electrifying mix that bridges cultures and spreads joy. Moved by the spirit of the Baka Pygmies of Cameroon during a visit to the rainforest, Martin Cradick and Su Hart wanted to share it with the world. Tickets £15/£17.50. chapelarts.org
IF PRISON WALLS COULD SPEAK 23 September, 7pm n Bath Abbey
A performance that tells the true story of Petr Jasek, a Czech national and Christian
bath film society programme
On 13 September Bath Film Society is showing 1976 (Chile, 2022), an engrossing suspense drama-thriller about an elegant and prosperous woman being drawn into Chile’s anti-Pinochet resistance in 1976. Manuela Martelli’s unnerving debut feature presents a blistering portrait of the ways in which the regime realised its culture of intimidation and fear. Also showing on 27 September is Manon des Sources (France), directed by Claude Berri.
bath film society screenings are held at bath royal literary and scientific institution, 16–18 Queen square at 7.30pm on every second friday. members can enjoy a drink from 7pm before the film.Visit the bath film society website, or email for more information: bathfilmsociety.org.uk; membership secretary: mail@bathfilmsociety.org.uk
aid worker who, in 2015, was imprisoned in Sudan for his work aiding and assisting the persecuted church. The play tours in partnership with Release International and tells Petr’s story through innovative holographic live cinema. Each audience member will be provided with wireless headphones that take the immersive sound design to the next level. Written and performed by Artless Theatre Company. bathboxoffice.org.uk
EARLY YEARS FUN: COLOURFUL FLAGS
23 September, 9.30am/11am n Bath Abbey
Experienced facilitator Holly Dabbs leads this interactive sessions exploring the Abbey. Drama, singing, crafting and story time activities are included. Children aged 2-4 years and their carer: 9.30am–10.30am and their carer. Maximum number: 10.
Children aged 0-2 years and their carer: 11am–12pm. Maximum number: 10. eventbrite.co.uk
Continued page 28 ➲
Stitching4All Show
1976 with Aline Küppenheim as Carmen
AquAsAnA in the Rooftop pool
25 September, 8am
n Thermae Bath Spa, Hot Bath Street, Bath
Explore mind, body and soul with teacher Bex Bridgford for a morning of Aquasana in the Rooftop Pool followed by a Thermae Welcome two-hour spa session. Aquasana includes classic yoga postures combined with gentle tai chi and invigorating karate moves in the spa’s mineral-enriched waters.
LOOKING AHEAD
design foR living
2–5 October, 7.30pm
The Rondo Theatre, Bath, BA1 6RT n In Noel Coward’s 1932 comedy Design for Living, directed by Gill Morrell for Bath Drama, Gilda, Leo and Otto grapple with their complicated three-way relationship. From ‘love among the artists’ on the left bank in Paris, via the challenges of artistic and social success in London, to the glamour of a penthouse in New York, the three main characters ricochet off the people around them as they try to find some kind of liveable equilibrium. Tickets £14/£12. ticketsource.co.uk; rondotheatre.co.uk
the iMpoRtAnCe of the gut
3 October, 10.30am–11.30am
n The Pavilion, North Parade Road
Lecture by Dr Graham Cope, a medical scientist who specialises in healthcare issues such as antibiotic resistance, ‘guts’ and inflammation. Doors open at 9.45am for coffee. Free for members, and a donation of £2 for non-members. u3ainbath.uk
shine on
4–26 October, Monday to Saturday, 6.30pm n Bath Abbey
A spectacular Son-et-Lumiere experience transforming the internal space of Bath Abbey. This new immersive light show has been created by award winning artistic collaboration ‘Luxmuralis’, Peter Walker (sculptor) and David Harper (composer). This show includes loud sounds, music and moving and flashing images throughout the experience, as well as bright lights and areas of darkness within the Abbey. Suitable for all ages. Tickets £10/£5/under 5s free of charge. bathboxoffice.org.uk
This class harnesses the healing properties of the waters, leaving you feeling cleansed, rejuvenated and grounded. £50. eventbrite.co.uk
wellbeing pop-up At studio 22
27–29 September
n Studio 22, New Bond Street, Bath
Do you know someone who needs a wellbeing boost? Visit Studio 22 and explore small gifts that will make a big difference.
tuRneR veRsus ConstAble: the gReAt bRitish pAint off 7 October, 11.30am–12.30pm n Widcombe Social Club, Widcombe Hill, Bath (in person or online)
This is the story of the epic rivalry between the two giants of British art, J.M.W. Turner and John Constable. As unlike in background and temperament as their paintings were in style, these two creative geniuses transformed the art of landscape. The subject also provides an overview of the British art world during the 19th century. Lecturer Nicola Moorby. Tickets £10/£7. Email bath@theartssociety.org to book. theartssocietybath.com
bAth Young MusiCiAn of the YeAR 2024
8 October, 7.30pm
n The Pump Room, Bath Bath Young Musician of the Year returns with a group of highly talented young local musicians promising an evening of outstanding performances. The MidSomerset Festival takes pride in knowing that many competitors over the years have gone on to enjoy successful musical careers. The five young performers taking part are: Edward Blackwall: flute; Indira Pandit: cello; Katie Shepperdson: soprano;
Hosted by youth charities Mentoring Plus and Off The Record, this weekend pop-up shop will be selling The Bath 5k Map encouraging wellbeing walks in nature, plus wellbeing gifts. Every purchase will help both charities support young people in B&NES. mentoringplus.net
Jacob Wells-Luttrell: guitar; Hester Wiltshire: violin. midsomersetfestival.org
AARon AZundA AKugbo & bAth philhARMoniA
9 October, 7.30pm
n The Forum, Bath
Join Bath Philharmonia to celebrate the opening of their 25th season in a big and brassy concert featuring the brilliant and ultra-cool trumpeter Aaron Azunda Akgubo performing Joseph Haydn’s Trumpet Concerto. Bath Philharmonia performs Jean Sibelius’ fifth symphony; a towering orchestral work including an overwhelming finale inspired by a flock of swans in full flight. bathboxoffice.org.uk
diCK And Angel
19 October, 7.30pm
n Bath Forum
Spend an entertaining evening with the stars of Channel 4’s Escape to the Chateau, Dick and Angel Strawbridge. Millions of viewers been enthralled by the adventures of retired Lieutenant Colonel, engineer and chef, Dick, and his entrepreneur and designer wife, Angel. The pair are heading back out on the road, sharing more of the adventures, challenges and successes of building and living their Chateau dream. This interactive show will also shine the spotlight on the audience. fane.co.uk n
Aaron Azunda Akugbo
Shine On at Bath Abbey
Page turners
Here are a selection of books recently published, or about to be, with themes ranging from a feminist memoir to a dystopian novel –including one that profiles the big characters of Bath from King Edgar to Jeremy Fry.
Rescued legends
Author, artist and art historian, renaissance woman and Somerset local Amy Jeffs believes legends of Saints should get the same attention we devote to mythology. Her book Saints: A new legendary of heroes, humans and magic (published on 12 September) offers a rich, strange web of lost stories that tell us much about our past. From resurrected geese, eels biting attacker’s genitals, a leaf that turns into a boat and dragons to dog-headed men, griffin eggs, battles with Vikings and talking disembodied heads, our ancestors knew these unruly stories. Amy examines the legends and the window they offer us into politics, economics, society and the medieval mind. Quercus, £30.
Amy will be talking about her new book at Bath Elim Church with Mr B’s Emporium on 17 September at 7pm. Tickets from mrbsemporium.com
Dystopian climate change novel
Even as the world ends, a family can still tear itself apart. Alice Fox is only six when her parents uproot her and their family to escape Britain’s disintegrating cities. However, the seeds of their destruction have already been sown and travel north with them.
In the Scottish Highlands, Alice will learn the skills she needs to survive this dangerous new world. But no matter how hard they try to escape it, the world outside draws its noose ever tighter around them.
Celebrating Bath’s past and present
Following on from the History Makers of Bath Exhibition held alongside Bath Abbey in 2014, an illustrated book of the same name is being published on 24 September to pay tribute to Bath’s unsung heroes.
The History Makers of Bath outdoor exhibition was a major innovative exhibition celebrating the great men and women of the city. A number of large display panels profiled a series of creative and inspiring images, together with information relating to famous or infamous characters of Bath.
Each history maker has made a lasting impression on Bath and its surroundings. The book, written by Angela Calvert-Jones –which will feature figures including King Edgar, Admiral Arthur Phillip RN, Richard Sheridan, William Harbutt, Arnold Ridley, Jeremy Fry and William Friese-Greene –is an important celebration of Bath’s past, present and its aspirations for the future.
Sales of the book will support Focus Counselling (focusbath.com). History Makers of Bath, £14.99, from Harry’s Bookshop in Moorland Road, The Silver Shop in Union Passage and Bath Abbey bookshop.
A moving feminist memoir
Bath-based author Neil J. Cook understood early that writing was the only way to explore other worlds, remake history or peer into the future. He studied literature at university and worked for many years in advertising. It was starting a family that gave him the motivation to write something of greater consequence. Nuncle is his first novel. The Book Guild Publishing, £8.99
And Still We March by local author Marisa Bate is an intimate family memoir and perceptive dissection of the last fifty years of feminist struggle. Marisa’s urgent work retraces the footsteps of her mother in the 1970s –as she travelled on a Greyhound bus from New York City across the Midwest –in an attempt to discover how the fight for women's rights got derailed.
At the heart of the book is the story of Marisa’s journey to discover more about her mother, the hurdles she faced and her staggering resilience.
Marisa has built a respected and trusted name as a feminist journalist and is the author of The Periodic Table of Feminism (Ebury, 2018).
Published by HQ, £10.99
Staging a vision
A new production at the Ustinov tells the real-life story of a teenager who was the only survivor of an air crash in the Peruvian Rainforest in the 1970s. Emma Clegg talks to writer and director Emma Howlett, who cut her theatrical teeth in Bath at the Egg’s youth theatre.
movement of bodies. I use the same technique for a classic Shakespeare play or with an intense physical piece that I’ve written. I heavily rely on my instinct for movement on stage, which is totally rooted in my work as a dancer.”
Emma’s approach also involves close collaboration with both the actors and with her creative team. Her latest production is an experimental departure from Anton Chekhov’s Three Sisters, called Sisters Three. It was performed at the Edinburgh Fringe this year, also features actor Sophie Keen, as well as her standard creative team, set designer Ellie Wintour, lighting designer Ed Saunders and composer and sound designer Sarah Spencer. Emma describes this as ‘a creative collective’.
This production extracts the three sisters from Chekhov’s play and throws them into the lives of other sister trios through time and literature, to explore the trope they occupy. “The idea is what, beneath the surface of the Chekhov, are those three women really looking for, and what does it mean to discover different versions of their own lives? Also how sisterhood maybe hampers agency, or is a consolation for not getting what you want. I only wrote this version in June, so it will change a great deal when we transfer it to London next year.”
Emma explains that her method of staging through movement is especially useful in a one-person show, of which she has directed two in the last year – Her Green Hell and a production of George Brant’s Grounded at The Bridge Theatre, Brussels. “A one-person show is quite a different landscape to plot than even a two-person show, because when you add just one more performer on stage you are halving the number of lines an actor has. And you are giving them someone to feed off and support them all the way through. So in a solo piece, the relationship between me and the actor is much closer and slightly more codependent. That’s where the movement really helps because it gives them something to hold on to in the piece.
“The performer needs to build a ‘breaking fourth wall’ connection to an audience very early on. They need to find that connection very quickly and maintain it, but they must fulfil what the piece needs of them – it’s a really difficult thing to do.”
Having Her Green Hell playing in her home city of Bath is emotional
for Emma: “It’s such a lovely homecoming having my work in the city, because it’s where my directorial inspiration began and where my career had its first seeds planted.”
And what are Emma’s thoughts on her creative destination? “When I went to university I thought I wanted to be an actor, or something very worthy like a human rights barrister, but when I started directing I knew I had found what I was best at. I’d love to think that I'm still managing to serve humanity with my work, making art that allows people to think about their lives in a new way, or that provides some escape.”
Her Green Hell, 24–28 September, Ustinov Studio, 7.30pm. Tickets £20/£16; theatreroyal.org.uk.
Grounded, Bridge Theatre, Brussels
Sisters Three, performed at the Edinburgh Fringe
Emma Howlett
REPAIRS AND REMODELLING
Playing a blinder
Britain’s oldest dance company Rambert presents Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby, written for the stage by Peaky Blinders’ creator Steven Knight. The show, which comes to Bristol Hippodrome 24-28 September, has been choreographed and directed by Rambert’s Artistic Director Benoit Swan Pouffer. Steven Knight tells us about this reimagining of the story…
Opening in the trenches of Flanders, a personal story unfolds in post-war industrial Birmingham as the Shelby family navigate the decisions that determine their fate and Tommy is intoxicated by mysterious newcomer, Grace. While Tommy is building his empire, Grace is operating as an undercover agent for Special Branch on a mission to get close to the heart of Tommy’s gang.
As the story unfolds, hearts are broken, and revenge is sought. This spectacular dramatisation and breathtaking dance is heightened by a live on-stage band performing specially commissioned music by Roman GianArthur and iconic Peaky tracks from Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, Radiohead, Anna Calvi, The Last Shadow Puppets, Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club.
How did you become connected with Rambert?
It was a gradual process because someone at the BBC suggested that we meet when we talked about doing a 12-minute dance piece as part of a Peaky Blinders festival. Rambert were brought on, and it was brilliant.
I was writing series five of Peaky Blinders at the time and so I wrote a scene where Tommy Shelby invites Rambert to his house, because in the 1930s Rambert used to tour the country and do shows to bring dance to the people. In Peaky Blinders, the music, the way people move and the way they dress is really important so it really lends itself to dance.
Rambert’s Artistic Director Benoit Swan Pouffer and I noted that we
could create a full show together. I was shocked when the company asked me to write it, but I imagined the set and the stage and wrote what I thought would be good for that.
Benoit and I started working together and it began to snowball. We brought in some great collaborators and got really good music for it. I saw the show in rehearsals and couldn’t believe how great it was. I first saw it performed to an audience in Birmingham and it raised the roof with standing ovations, and now it’s going all over the place.
How does the work of Rambert make you feel?
I didn’t realise how direct the relationship between dance and the audience is. I work with dialogue and plot within scenes where people act the roles, whereas in dance it feels more subtle in the execution but more direct in the effect. An interaction between two people can be very stylised but you get to see that very quickly, and the music continues to amplify that.
How did you meet both inspirations and visions during the collaboration process of making the work?
I wrote the script as though it was a long script without dialogue, with slight inclusion of narration. I started off with WWI and soldiers coming out of a tunnel, and imagined how they would look and move, while thinking about how that would make them feel too. The way I tend to write is quite instinctive so I just wrote it imagining it through dance
and music. I wrote it almost like a dream rather than a script. It felt dreamlike, not forcing the imagination, but writing what comes to you.
How did it feel trusting another creative with the keys to Peaky Blinders?
When there’s somebody as good as Benoit, it’s a relief. It’s like giving the script to a good director as you know they are going to take what you’ve done and enhance it. I’m a firm believer in doing things that you haven’t done before otherwise it’s boring, so the idea of telling people that Peaky Blinders will be presented through dance is great.
Do you think you learnt anything from Benoit or Rambert, and the art of storytelling?
Yes. I think it teaches you that sometimes words cause a jam. Instead you can present something quite quickly in dance, and it teaches you the power of a look. The thing about dance is that all of us are experts in it because we all live our lives in a dance. For example, if someone walks into a room - you can tell if they are in a good or bad mood because of their body language. Dance takes that and puts it to music.
How did you come to decide that there would be a live band on stage?
The music is central to the TV series and music is the stepping stone between the TV series and the dance piece too. Roman GianArthur, who did the score, absolutely got what Peaky Blinders was about. It isn’t exactly a particular style of music as it can be folk or heavy metal, but it does need to have a certain swagger or a certain attitude to it. In terms of the style of music, and in the words of Cillian Murphy: “There is music that is Peaky, and there is music that isn’t Peaky. You can’t always define it but you can tell when you hear it.”
Is it exciting to be bringing in a new audience?
It really is, and it is one of the reasons why we decided to do it. I’m proud that Peaky Blinders isn’t high brow or of a particular class - it’s a cross section of people from different backgrounds, so it appeals to different people too. People may not always walk through a door marked ‘dance’ but they may walk through a door marked ‘Peaky Blinders’, so you can connect with new audiences by welcoming them through that setting.
Saying that, the BBC’s most popular TV show across all demographics is Strictly Come Dancing, so audiences love watching people dance. It isn’t like it’s restricted to certain people of a level of education or income, as people have been dancing for 10,000+ years.
Isn’t it great that something like this can work, and it challenges the idea that there are these rigid barriers between class and entertainment?
Do you think Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby is an accessible show?
Absolutely. It’s very accessible. The story is clear and we aren’t planning on baffling people. We are being as clear as we can about what’s going on and that, in itself, is quite mysterious.
It ties into what Rambert’s original remit was in the ’20 sand ’30s of taking dance to working class people who love dance. That doesn’t come with a clause of being patronising but I think this show does that in the true spirit of Rambert. For me, you’re getting to see what human beings can do; the way the dancers move and the way they interact, as they throw themselves into it. It’s incredible that you can see human bodies pushing themselves to the limit to tell a story –it’s brilliant.
What do you want audiences to feel when they engage with the dance theatre show?
It’s a live experience and that’s one of the things that I really like about it as, in comparison, television isn’t a communal experience. What tends to happen is that people watch Peaky Blinders, and then they get on social media so the communal experience happens on screens.
If you get people in a room together, all in the same space listening and watching to the same things, it’s just totally different. For me, it’s more satisfying because audiences get their reactions out of their system.
If you go into a room and watch the work, and you hear the music, and you are part of a standing ovation, you have a beginning, middleand end to that experience. You can then take it out into the cold and talk about that together. n
Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby is at Bristol Hippodrome from 24-28 September; tickets available from atgtickets.com/bristol
Rambert dance company performing Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby
Photographs by Johan Persson
Arts & exhibitions
The Holburne Museum, Great Pulteney Street, Bath
Uncanny Visions: Paula Rego and Francisco de Goya, 7 September –5 January 2025
The Holburne presents a major exhibition exploring the notion of the uncanny in the work of Francisco de Goya y Lucientes (1746–1828) and Paula Rego (1935–2022).
Henry Moore in Miniature, Until 8 Sept
Includes over 60 of Henry Moore’s works that can fit in the hand, with works from the 1920s to the 1980s.
holburne.org
Bath Contemporary Artists’ Fair, Sunday 8 September 10am–5pm Green Park Station, Green Park Road, Bath
The award-winning monthly Bath Contemporary Artists’ Fair (BCAF) is committed to bringing the best of contemporary art to the heart of Bath. It has created a regular space where artists can network, share ideas, connect with the public, and where the public can connect with art. Visitors can see the works of local artists and admire fine art, photography, sculpture, textiles, ceramics and much more, all under the vaulted glass roof of Green Park Station. For updates and exhibiting artists visit the website: bcaf.co.uk
Melanie Goemans, Jaejun Lee, Christopher Marvell and Kate Sherman, 7 September - 5 October, Beaux Arts, 12-13 York Street, Bath
With Rugby starting up again at the Rec, September sees Beaux Arts kick off the season showcasing four talented artists, including rising star ceramicist Jaejun Lee.
The walls of the gallery will be adorned by two arboreally-orientated painters, Cambridgeshirebased Melanie Goemans and Sussex artist Kate Sherman. Both sets of work reflect a strong affinity with local woodlands and landscape. Bronze sculptures are by the redoubtable Christopher Marvell.Open Monday to Saturday 10am–5pm, and by appointment. beauxartsbath.co.uk
The Ethical Entomologist by artist Caroline Rudge, 6–21 September, Willow and Gallery @ No 56, High Street, Corsham SN13 0HR
This month Caroline Rudge is filling the window of Willow and Gallery @ No 56 with her Lepidoptera prints. Caroline has been working on a printmaking project to document 100 species of butterflies and moths. She uses discarded tetrapak cartons, drawing into them using a drypoint technique. Also on display are Caroline’s ‘Ethical Entomology’ pieces, made up of reproduction prints on paper of her Lepidoptera paintings, which are cut out, folded and pinned to mimic genuine entomology specimens. Open Weds to Sat 10am–5pm (or by appointment). willowuk.com
Somerset Art Weeks, 21 September –6 October, various locations
Visit the annual Somerset Art Weeks event, where artists across the county exhibit their work in a series of free exhibitions. This year’s theme is Landscape: Flux and Flow. Artists of every medium, from painting to performance, will be joining the festival to form part of this celebration of Somerset’s exciting creative voices in over 100 group exhibitions and events. Find out more by going to the SAW website at somersetartworks.org.uk
Ceramics by Sharon Bradford and painting by Neil Jones
Little Miss Muffet, etching and aquatint, Paula Rego, 1989
Painting by Ema Kidson
Flared Vessel, medium, porcelain, Jajeun Lee
States of Being: an exhibition by Sara King, 10-15 September, 44AD Gallery, Abbey Street, Bath
Sara King is a figurative artist who has always been fascinated by human form, and works as a sculptor and painter. This exhibition explores the idea of identity, change, growth and how we become the complex individuals that we all are. Each piece is connected but stands alone. Sara creates work as a sculptor in a variety of media including bronze, clay, cement fondue and metals, while in two dimensions she uses paint, ink, bleach and charcoal. Open from 12pm-6pm. sara-king.co.uk
New Works by Karen Keogh, Gallery Nine, 9B Margaret's Buildings, Bath
Batheaston Art Trail 28–29 September
The Batheaston Art Trail has become a regular event in the west country arts calendar, offering art and craft lovers great days out in an English valley community. You’ll find painters, ceramicists, illustrators, graphic designers, textile artists, sculptors, jewellers and printers, displaying work in their studios as well as in shared venues including the Batheaston New Village Hall and St John the Baptist Church. The art trail also celebrates Batheaston’s connection with the suffragette movement, with signature bunting and a display of suffragette memorabilia in St John the Baptist Church.
The event is supported by the community group Grow Batheaston, and details of the trail as well as all the artists involved, along with a downloadable map, can be found at growbatheaston.co.uk
Gallery Nine is this month showcasing new works by Karen Keogh. The artist’s three-plate colour etchings are primarily concerned with exploring a landscape or cityscape. Karen makes visual sense of a scene by finding natural patterns, and using a combination of warm and cool colours she creates visual depth, with intense colour helping to represent mood, light and space. Karen regularly shows at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition and her work is held in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford; The University of Aberystwyth print collection; the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge; and the Parliamentary Art Collection. gallerynine.co.uk
Benedict Brain at sandrahiggins.art
Benedict Brain is a Bath-based photographer and an award-winning journalist and author. “I use photography to uncover the hidden beauty of the banal and liminal places that often go unnoticed.”
Benedict will be giving a talk, The Art of Seeing, at BRLSI on Wednesday 11 September, from 7.30pm–9pm. Visit brlsi/whatson/the-art-of-seeing/ for tickets. To view Benedict’s photography, visit the online gallery or contact Sandra to arrange a private view.
sandrahiggins.art; sandra@sandrahiggins.com
Wadi Rum, Jordan, 2023
North Parade Road, Bath, BA2 4EU
Bringing together over 70 of the most innovative and exciting professional independent artists from all over the country from Scotland to Cornwall (with many from the south west), the Bath Art Fair is the perfect setting for customers to discover new original art. All artists are happy to explain their inspirations and processes and discuss commissions – visitors enjoy meeting the artists and find an emotional connection with their work.
Tickets £6 online, £7 on the door. bathartfair.co.uk
Bath Art Fair, 14 & 15 September, Bath Pavilion,
Essence by Sarah King
Honest Dill, original cyanotype by Piu Bose
Artwork by Jocelyn Horsfall
Combe Down Art Trail, Saturday 7 & Sunday 8 September Combe Down, Bath
Combe Down Art Trail this year is a bumper year with 44 artists taking part, including many new to the trail. As well as paintings, prints, photography and ceramics there are sculptures, wire and wooden animals, pottery, jewellery, box art and textiles. This year visitors can have a portrait photo taken, watch demos of stone carving, 'gravity painted' watercolour and collage and enjoy refreshments including lunch at the Peggy Dodd Centre.
There are venues throughout the village, with artists at the Community Centre, Museum of Bath Stone and Peggy Dodd Centre, as well as in their own studios and homes in the village. The street gallery on railings and in windows shows off artwork created by Combe Down schoolchildren and toddlers.
Combe Down Art Trail aims to encourage art across the community and to do as much as possible to protect the environment by reusing and recycling the red and green lanterns, venue numbers and arrows along the route. cdarttrail.com
A Quiet Corner by Shay Parsons
Rooted in the Landscape: Paintings from Catherine Beale’s new book 'Capturing Light’, 3–5 October, Packhorse Bath, Old School Hill, South Stoke, Bath BA2 7DJ
Catherine Beale’s new collection of luminous paintings are truly rooted in the landscape. Depicting windswept groves, to ancient individual trees that mark the passage of time, her works are also preoccupied with dramatic optical light effects. Water glitters and sunbeams filter through mists, all captured in her unique ‘gravity painted’ swirling watercolours.
Catherine’s watercolours are ‘gravity-painted’ on artboard and wooden panels “creating visible collisions and surprising tributaries across their surface.” These rigid surfaces faithfully record the semiabstract marks of paint puddles, drips, back runs and watermarks, revealing the naturally beautiful passage of water through paint. Catherine combines this with punches of colour straight from the tube, a legacy of her years as an oil painter. catherinebeale.com
WMirrors are Artwork
CYNTHIA WIHARDJA
Beau Nash Antiques, Bath
hen faced with the choice of decorating a wall with a mirror or artwork, it’s important to recognize that a mirror can be a form of art in itself. This perspective can help resolve the dilemma by appreciating the artistic and historical value that mirrors bring to a space.
Craftsmanship and Frame Design: Mirrors are not just functional objects; they are often crafted with a high degree of artistry. The frame of a mirror can be a work of art, showcasing intricate designs, carvings, and materials. Antique mirrors, in particular, are prized for their handcrafted frames, which may feature detailed woodwork, gilding, or other decorative elements that reflect the era in which they were made. Such frames can add a touch of elegance and history to any room, making the mirror a focal point of the decor.
Historical Significance: Many mirrors have a rich history, which can add depth and character to your home. For instance, a vintage or antique mirror may have been part of a grand estate or a historic home, carrying with it stories from the past. The craftsmanship of older mirrors often reflects the artistic trends and materials of their time, offering a glimpse into history. Owning such a piece allows you to bring a part of that history into your living space, creating a unique and storied atmosphere.
Foxed Glass and Patina: The glass itself can also tell a story. Over time, old mirrors often develop a characteristic known as “foxing,” where the glass shows signs of aging, such as spots or a slightly tarnished appearance. This patina can enhance the mirror’s charm and authenticity, providing a sense of antiquity and depth that new mirrors lack. Foxed glass can evoke a nostalgic feeling, making the mirror not just a decorative piece, but a conversation starter.
Mirrors as Artistic Elements: Just like artwork, mirrors can be chosen to complement your home’s style and your personal taste. A mirror with a baroque frame can add drama and opulence, while a minimalist, frameless mirror can enhance a modern aesthetic. Mirrors can also be strategically placed to reflect and amplify other elements of your decor, such as artwork, creating a cohesive and dynamic visual experience.
So when deciding between a mirror and artwork, consider the artistic merit of the mirror itself. Its craftsmanship, historical significance, and unique characteristics can make it a valuable and meaningful addition to your home decor. A well-chosen mirror can be just as expressive and enriching as any piece of artwork, adding both beauty and history to your space. n
The work of artists Paula Rego and Francisco de Goya both focus on the wonderful, bizarre, and frightening aspects of human experience. They lived in different eras, but their inspirations were in tune, as a new exhibition at the Holburne illustrates.
Imaginehavingacreativeconnectionwithsomeonewholivedtwo centuriesbeforeyou.That’swhathappenedwithartistsPaulaRego (1935-2022)andFranciscodeGoya(1746-1828).Thisassociation isbeingrecognisedinanewexhibitionattheHolburne,opening attheendofthismonth,Uncanny Visions: Paula Rego and Francisco de Goya, exploringthedistinctivethreadsofthedarkandunsettlingin bothartists’work.
Goya’s work. It’s not just a common interest or tone – she’s actually looking at his work.”
With Rego originating from Portugal and Goya from Spain, they have an Iberian background in common, and also some dark aspects to their lives that would have influenced their artwork. “Rego had problems with mental health and battled with depression throughout her life and I suspect that this background encouraged the opening up of a different perspective for both of them.”
Chris continues, “A lot of Rego’s work is also about being a woman in a patriarchal society –she grew up in Portugal under a fascist regime where politics in general and gender politics were very backward and repressive by contemporary standards. Her work, though, was more abstract than specifically political.”
Goya became deaf in his late twenties, and he was affected deeply by the wars and revolutions in his lifetime and was tormented by a dread of old age and fear of madness. “Goya became quite surreal in some of his imagery, clearly coming from a genuinely dark place inside, and it’s the same with Paula. And the uncanny in their work rides through the surrealist idea of using the unconscious in unexpected juxtapositions.”
The exhibition also profiles two of the Seven Deadly Sins created by Rego in three-dimensional form. “We have these two wonderful largerthan-life size pieces focusing on gluttony and pride. Pride is a rather wonderful kind of 18th-century, Goya-esque scene, a silver gray, figure just like Queen Charlotte in Bridgerton, and she will be sitting in our picture gallery. The other is Gluttony, showing a big-bodied woman apparently devouring her children, which is a direct Goya reference to his painting Satan Devouring his Son. And you can recognise a malicious kind of joy in portraying these awful human qualities.”
These two artists lived two centuries apart and yet were closely allied in their visions. Adding an extra interconnected strand to the exhibition is a group of Goya etchings, from different portfolios, that Rego owned herself, some of which were in her bedroom when she died. Perhaps this is the most moving acknowledgement of Goya’s influence on Rego and of the intensity of their shared artistic vocabulary.
Uncanny Visions: Paula Rego and Francisco de Goya, Holburne Museum, 27 September – 5 January 2025; holburne.org
Auctionet is a treasure trove for those looking to add unique and original pieces to their home decor. With a vast selection of mid-century and antique items sourced from the UK, Scandinavian and European auction houses, it offers something for every taste. Whether you’re in search of iconic designer furniture, like chairs, tables, and lighting fixtures, or looking for a distinctive antique cabinet to be a conversation piece, Auctionet provides access to an array of high-quality, curated items that aren’t always easy to find in mainstream UK markets.
What makes Auctionet particularly appealing is its community-driven nature, connecting buyers directly with auction houses and dealers across the continent. This not only ensures the authenticity and quality of the items but also opens up the possibility of discovering rare, one-of-a-kind pieces that can truly elevate any interior. For fans of period pieces and unique home decor, browsing Auctionet can easily become an enjoyable and fruitful pastime, possibly leading to a new passion for collecting and decorating with vintage and antique items.
Whether you’re searching for something specific or simply exploring out of curiosity, Auctionet is a fantastic resource for finding that perfect piece to enhance your home.
auctionet.com
Animal magic
Coming to The American Museum & Gardens are 39 striking photographs with a wildlife theme. Here are intimate portraits of moments in time in the lives of creatures from mountain gorillas to deep-sea majid spider crabs.
The American Museum & Gardens is the first museum in the UK to host Unforgettable Behaviour, a specially curated exhibition celebrating exciting animal behaviour photography from the Natural History Museum’s popular and world-renowned Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. This global show was previously hosted by The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington, USA, and opens in Bath on 28 September.
The exhibition showcases 39 powerful photographs from previous Wildlife Photographer of the Year collections, displaying some of the most incredible animal behaviour moments ever captured on camera. The photos show an extraordinary range of surprising, and often deeply moving, acts by animals. They have been chosen to allow visitors to connect with animals they might never otherwise see, and to inspire everyone to care about the world around us.
The collection includes the works of several American photographers, with a total of 17 countries represented, and 35 award-
winning photographers. US photographer, Karine Aigner’s winning photograph for Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2022 – the remarkable shot of a buzzing ball of cactus bees spinning over the hot sand in Texas – will be on display.
At the American Museum & Gardens, the Unforgettable Behaviour exhibition will feature a range of creative family activities and invitations to play, as well as a Young Person’s Wildlife Photography competition open to all. Finalists will be put on display in the exhibition gallery for the public to vote for the winner.
In partnership with Bath Natural History Society, the American Museum & Gardens will be inviting families to a special Day of Nature on 22 September, one week before the exhibition opens, with activities all about the wildlife on the estate.
Unforgettable Behaviour, American Museum & Gardens, 28 September –31 December; americanmuseum.org
The Dance Stand, Todd Gustafson, USA, 2006
With around four million lesser flamingos to choose from, Todd’s problem was ‘where to stop and how to compose a picture that wasn’t just a mass of pink.’ Arriving at Lake Nakuru, Kenya, just before dawn, he chose a spot where the rising sun would hit the lake’s edge. The collective noun for flamingos is a stand, and this is the stand that caught Todd’s eye. Males group together, arching their necks and ruffling feathers to impress a female. Others may join the dance, and the circling and swirling stand can swell to the hundreds. As the sun rose, this group huddled in anticipation, illuminated by a beautiful soft light, their curved bills poised.
Respect, Igor Shpilenok, Russia, 2009
In the winter of 2007–2008, Igor spent five months as a ranger in the Kronotsky Nature Reserve in the Russian Far East, taking his cat, Ryska, with him for company. She immediately staked out her territory and set to work showing the local foxes who was boss. Each day, the foxes came looking for food, even peering through the window of Igor’s cabin. Ryska was having none of it. With her impressive weaponry of sharp claws and teeth, ‘she soon earned respect from them –and from me,’ says Igor, ‘living up to her name, which means little lynx in Russian.’
Sizing Up
Klaus Tamm, Germany 2012
A scattering of gecko droppings on the sunny veranda of Klaus’s vacation apartment near Etang Salé-les-Hauts on the island of Réunion had attracted some unusual-looking insects. They were neriid long-legged flies. Klaus settled down with his camera to watch as they interacted. ‘Every so often, a couple of males would engage in a kind of combat dance that involved spinning around each other,’ he says. ‘They would finish by stretching up to their full length of half an inch (one and a half centimeters), then pushing with their mouthparts, shoulders and forelegs until one gained height, before flying away or mating with nearby females. I was so impressed by the harmony in the dance that I ended up photographing them for several hours.’
Twin Hope, Diana Rebman, USA, 2013
The hike to the mountain gorillas was particularly arduous. ‘What made all the physical effort worth it was to see the mother with her two babies,’ says Diana. The mother was a natural with her six-month-old infants, nursing them while feeding herself. When the silverback leader of the group chased her from a nettle patch, she moved on. ‘In this picture, she is still tense from the encounter,’ recalls Diana, ‘and continues to glance across at him. Her twins, in the comfort of their mother’s strong arms, appear blissfully ignorant.’ Their future remains uncertain. Mountain gorillas are endangered, threatened by habitat loss, poaching, disease and warring rebel factions active in their range.
The Paper Clip Suitor, Tim Laman, USA, 2011
Male great bowerbirds are famous for collecting random items to tempt a prospective mate. Living in northern Australia, they accumulate materials as diverse as pebbles, snail shells, vertebrae, rifle shells, CDs and, in this instance, a pink paper clip. The males will also boost their haul by stealing from each other. After enticing a female to enter his bower –a bivouac of twigs –a male will choose one of his prized decorations and strut back and forth in front of the entrance, showing off to her. ‘This,’ Tim says, ‘is the female’s view from inside the bower, with the eager male, midstrut, peering back at her.’
One night, Udayan camped near a nesting colony of gharials on the banks of the Chambal River. There were two groups, each with more than 100 hatchlings. Before daybreak, he hid behind rocks beside the babies. ‘I could hear little grunting sounds,’ says Udayan. ‘A large female surfaced near the shore, checking on her charges. Some of the hatchlings swam to her and climbed onto her head.’ Gharials were once found in rivers all over the Indian subcontinent. Today, ‘the Chambal River is the gharial’s last stronghold,’ says Udayan, ‘but is threatened by illegal sand-mining and fishing’.
Beached bears, Howie Garber, USA, 2003
Polar bears are usually solitary, but this gray whale corpse on the coast of the Chukchi Sea, northern Alaska, hosted an unusual aggregation –adult males, at least one female, subadults, yearlings and cubs. Another 30 or so bears waited their turn. These and many other bears were stranded far from the ice and their main prey of seals, as the sea ice had retreated a record distance from the coast. This scene shows the negative impact of global warming. Although carrion can prevent starvation in times of no ice, these huge bears still need their specialized diet of fat-rich seals for at least half the year.
The Woodland Walk at the American Museum & Gardens
The Unforgettable Behaviour exhibition is opening in the same year as a new woodland walk, celebrating nature, which opened in July.
When American Museum founders, Dallas Pratt and John Judkyn, bought the Claverton estate, they also bought woodland adjoining the property. They wanted to protect this important wildlife habitat and preserve a greenbelt on the edge of Bath. The new Woodland Walk takes you along an 820m path into woodland filled with nature and loved by bats, birds, deer and more. It takes about 30 minutes to walk – longer if you take time to rest and reflect – with sloped and flat areas over the natural terrain along the peaceful valley. On the path, you will find panels highlighting different things to see in the woodland, comparisons with American forests, as well as quotes from American nature poetry.
The new path has been finished with wood chippings and log seats created from the museum’s Woodland Management Plan work, a key part of its environmental sustainability initiatives. Many spaces have been carpeted with a wildflower seed mix. One of the stars of the new Woodland Walk is an ancient oak tree that’s over 600 years old.
Mother’s Little Headful, Udayan Rao Pawar, India, 2013
Heartfelt food
One is a baker and cookery school owner, one a chef restaurateur, but they both stand for the same thing in their approach to food – fresh, natural and unprocessed. We chat to Richard Bertinet and Sat Bains.
Richard Bertinet came to this country in 1988. He knew there was a strong tradition of home baking in the UK, but when he arrived he was surprised to find that very few people were baking bread – it was not part of people’s baking habits.
Thirty years later, things have changed dramatically, with artisan bakeries commonplace, offering freshly baked bread ranging from white bloomer and multigrain to ciabatta and sourdough. Now it is very cool to bake from every age.
Richard has undoubtedly played a part in this bread revolution. Having worked in bakeries since he was 14 in his native Brittany, after moving to the UK in the late 1980s he worked as a pastry chef and head chef and then as operations director with the Novelli Group of restaurants in London. He set up his consultancy business the Dough Co in 2000, in 2004 he moved to Bath and the following year opened The Bertinet Kitchen Cookery School in St Andrew’s Terrace, at the same time as publishing his first hugely successful book Dough. He later set up The Bertinet Bakery as part of his mission to produce artisan bread for as wide an audience as possible. “My dream when I came to England was to relaunch sliced bread in this country – because sliced bread in the UK was not what I was used to in France”, says Richard.
The Bertinet brand of sliced sourdough was made with just three ingredients – flour, sea salt and water – and his bread achieved nationwide listings with both Waitrose and Pret à Manger before
Richard sold the bakery to The Bread Factory in 2019.
In the years since, he has been writing books, appearing on TV and developing The Bertinet Kitchen Cookery School. “The cookery school is what I love: I love teaching, I love the variety of people coming in, I love passing on knowledge” he says.
Bread-making and pastry are some of the many staple courses offered, encompassing single day to five day courses, as well as individual days on themes such as patisserie, pies, croissant, viennoiserie and many more.
“The cookery school is what I love: I love teaching, I love the variety of people coming in, I love passing on knowledge”
A high percentage of the bookings at the cookery school are from international visitors. Richard explains, “On every class we run, we have a great variety of people. Wonderful different cultures, different languages, different nationalities. I love it when we first meet in a group and ask about each other’s lives. Wherever in the world our visitors are from, our guests takeaway new found skills and new friends too.”
As well as many masterclasses with Richard, The Bertinet Kitchen Cookery School welcomes many guest chefs from Italian classes taught by Valentina Harris, Indian feasting with Amandip Uppal and Japanese Cooking with Tim Anderson. They also run classes with chefs who own restaurants, so you can come and cook with Nathan Outlaw, Angela Hartnett, Clare Smyth, Jose Pizzaro and Mark Hix, although you have to be quick off the mark to book a place on one of these masterclasses.
A recent addition to The Bertinet Kitchen Cookery School roster of classes is the Lunch and Learn series that chef Sat Bains is coming to Bath for in September. He will be demonstrating a recipe, answering questions before everyone shares lunch.
“We love running classes with someone who is really passionate about their subject where they prepare a dish and talk about their life. A fabulous experience”, says Richard.
Right: Dough (2005/£18.99) and Pastry (2014/£30) are just two of Richard’s best-selling books
Sat Bains, who is coming to The Bertinet Kitchen Cookery School this month, is a double Michelin star, Nottingham-based chef. Raised in Derby, Sat’s food story has seen him work in Raymond Blanc’s Le Petit Blanc in Oxford as well as in London’s L’Escargot before returning to the Midlands to work in Nottingham, winning the prestigious Roux Scholarship in 1999. His Restaurant Sat Bains with Rooms, located in an industrial estate just outside Nottingham, won a Michelin star in 2003, and a second in 2011.
“It’s so convenient to buy ready meals, and the only way to compete is by cleverly cooking your own food to make it delicious”
Sat’s book Eat to Your Heart’s Content, published earlier this year, was written after he suffered a sudden heart attack in 2020, in his early fifties. Sat survived what was described as a “widow-maker heart attack”, one of the deadliest where the heart becomes completely blocked. After an emergency operation and 10 days in hospital, Sat was discharged, weighing 17kg lighter than when he arrived, knowing that he needed to overhaul his diet and lifestyle.
“I have a degenerative heart condition – and there is not much I can do about it apart from look after myself”, says Sat. “I’m just happy and lucky to be here, but there are things I’ve got to do to stay here.”
During recovery, Sat worked with his friend and nutritionist Dr Neil Williams, who helped him formulate a revised diet to help maintain his heart health. Having always prided himself on the flavour of his food, Sat was not willing to sacrifice this on account of his new hearthealthy diet. The recipes in the book are made up of those he devised,
focusing on lean protein, a mix of legumes, good fats such as avocado, nuts and olive oil, and vegetables and fruits.
“Think about the epidemic of obesity we are dealing with and the resulting medical issues – it’s all coming from fast food and processed foods. It’s so convenient to go and buy ready meals, and the only way to compete is by cleverly cooking your own food to make sure it’s delicious. The flavours achieved in the recipes in the book are about using high-quality, fresh ingredients and combining this with the use of seasonings and spices, or by adding a tiny splash of soy or seaweed or dashi, which reduce salt and fat and still give a massive burst of flavour”, says Sat.
The philosophy in the chef’s own diet and in his book is to ‘eat the rainbow’. “The idea is to get as much colour, texture and flavour in your diet as possible because it’s good for your gut biome. It creates an ecosystem, just like a rainforest or a coral reef, full of diverse things, and that is what our gut needs – so you get your nutrient-dense alliums, your sulphurous vegetables, your beautiful proteins and your olive oil and nuts and berries, all natural ingredients.
“What we’re trying to do is make people realise that when they cook good simple, natural recipes, the flavour is so much better than what they can buy from the shop. Cooking in this way is almost like falling back in love with cooking again.”
Richard and Sat met on James Martin’s Saturday Morning ITV show at the end of 2023. They made an immediate alliance and Richard asked the Nottingham chef to come and demonstrate his heart-healthy food in Bath. There was no hesitation from Sat: “I love sharing knowledge, preparing dishes and talking about food. It’s one of those obsessions in life for both of us and we’re very lucky in our field, both Richard and I, because we spend every day doing something we love.”
Sat Bains Restaurant and Rooms: restaurantsatbains.com
Lunch and Learn with Sat Bains, at The Bertinet Kitchen Cookery School is on 20 September. You can also sign up to the cookery school newsletter to find out about and book future courses. thebertinetkitchen.com
Right: Dishes at Sat Bains’ Lunch and Learn workshop will include Sat-Shuka baked eggs with stewed leeks and chilli, one of Sat’s favourite salads of triple-layered tomato, onion, fennel and basil, Sat’s fishcakes filled with natural smoked cod and a chicken meatballs dish with butter beans and lemon (see right).
Right: Sat Bains’ book Eat to Your Heart’s Content, £26, Kyle Books (octopusbooks.co.uk)
Photography by Jodi Hinds
Photography by Jodi Hinds
Recipe by Sat Bains
‘Sat-Shuka’ baked eggs with stewed leeks and chilli
2
I have this a couple of times a month as a brunch, and I find that the more you make it, the more confident you become, then you can start experimenting with switching in different vegetables and spices. My wife Amanda’s favourite vegetable is leek and her best ever dish is a French classic called
Ingredients
• 50ml (2fl oz) extra virgin olive oil
• 50g (2oz) butter
• 200g (7oz) leeks, finely sliced, washed and drained
• 1 teaspoon toasted cumin seeds
• 100g (31 2 oz) baby spinach
• 4 large organic eggs, cracked individually into small bowls or cups
• 1 ⁄ 2 teaspoon chilli flakes
• Flaked sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Equipment
18cm x 8cm (7in x 3in) casserole pot
étuvée of leeks, which is basically braised leeks that are sliced very thinly and cooked with a splash of water and a knob of butter in a pan with a lid on, so this dish was inspired by that. You can add kale, pak choi or any other greens you like to replace the spinach.
Method
1 Pour the olive oil and butter into the casserole pot and place on a medium heat. Add the leeks and the cumin seeds and season with salt and pepper, then cover with the lid and cook until the leeks are soft.
2 Remove the lid and add the spinach, then stir over the heat untl wilted. Make a well in the mix and gently drop in the eggs one by one. Replace the lid and cook for 3-5 minutes or until the eggs are gently cooked - you want to make sure these are soft-poached.
3 Remove the lid and season the eggs with salt and pepper and sprinkle over the chilli flakes.
Nutrition notes
Like other members of the onion family, leeks are packed with nutrients and contain high amounts of flavonoid antioxidants, minerals and vitamins. They are a particularly good source of kaempferol, a polyphenol antioxidant that, in some laboratory studies, has been shown to support our cardiovascular system by protecting the lining of our blood vessels. The elongated stem of the leek is also an excellent source of soluble and insoluble fibre, making this vegetable a great choice to improve gut health and support the community of good bugs in our guts.
This recipe is extracted from Eat to Your Heart’s Content by Sat Bains (Kyle Books, £26). Octopusbooks.co.uk
Sat Bains Restaurant and Rooms: restaurantsatbains.com
Photography by Jodi Hinds
Summer sippin’spritz
Recommendations by
Tom Bleathman
from the Great Wine Company
As summer draws to a close, there’s no better way to savour the season’s final moments than with a glass of wine. The Great Wine Company has you covered, with a fantastic selection of summery wines to help enjoy the last of the lighter evenings. Here are my three standout options. Discover more at greatwine.co.uk
Known as ‘The King Of Chenin’ in South Africa, Ken Forrester’s reputation for the grape variety is worldrenowned. His old Vine chenin reserve 2023 is bursting with dried apricot and pineapple, hints of vanilla and some typical Chenin honey notes with a long-lasting finish. This wine is currently part of the South African promotion at GWC which runs throughout September.
£18.85–£16.60
Saint-Roch are a fifthgeneration family estate based in the heart of the Roussillon. Brand new to GWC, the winery offers a fantastic range of wines which are excellent value for money. The Saintroch corbarol rosé 2023 is no exception, it is wonderfully light with gorgeous notes of pear juice and raspberries. This fresh style is perfect as an aperitif or a great accompaniment for light salad dishes.
£13.30
One of the icon wineries of Sicily, Planeta produce exceptional, organic wines using a range of native varieties and the planeta frappato Vittoria 2023 highlights their brilliance. A beautiful light ruby red colour in the glass, it’s packed full of cranberries, strawberries and raspberries, finishing on a slightly smoky note. Great summer sipping. £19.95
Step back in time for tea at the GainSborouGh bath Spa hotel
Calling all Regency-era obsessives, fans of Jane Austen, Bridgerton devotees and all those curious to learn more about local history… The Gainsborough Bath Spa has launched an afternoon tea that celebrates the south west city’s heritage in a way like no other.
With so many afternoon tea offerings around, it can be tricky to find a completely new experience that doesn’t feel gimmicky and retains a refined approach, but The Gainsborough Brasserie strikes gold with its History & Heritage Afternoon Tea – served daily from 3pm until 5pm (an ideal way to round off an indulgent day spent relaxing at its Spa Village, perhaps…).
This unique experience lets you sample delicious treats while enjoying captivating stories that offer a fascinating glimpse into Bath's past. Expect fresh finger sandwiches, home-baked scones with Devonshire clotted cream and homemade preserves, a selection of delicate pastries and cakes and nine carefully sourced global teas to choose from (we picked the special Gainsborough Bath Spa Blend of Assam and Darjeeling from India). As well as all the quintessential elements of a British afternoon tea, the chefs also prepare warm savoury snacks inspired by tea-growing countries and paying homage to the owning brand YTL Hotels’ Asian roots: a bamboo steamer basket conceals treats like crispy Malay curry puffs, spiced barbecue chicken pies and prawn sesame toast.
While you’re tucking into your delectable nibbles, the immersive experience gets underway, with characters dressed in their finery paying tables a visit to share their knowledge on all kinds of historical topics. Let’s not give too much away, so you can find out for yourselves, but as a teaser we learnt about the 10,000-year-old minerals that supercharge Bath’s thermal waters, the complex but fascinating fan language used by debutantes during their season in the city, and how afternoon tea as we know it came to be.
The History & Heritage Afternoon Tea is priced at £40 per person/£75 for two, but Champagne upgrades are also available (from £59) if you’re looking to add a little sparkle to your experience, including one specially selected by the hotel’s sommelier.
thegainsboroughbathspa.co.uk
Manja Manja
There’s a new ‘playfully’ Italian eating experience in George Street and it brings a vibrant menu of small plates developed with the help of authentic Italian family recipes. Emma Clegg pays a visit and discovers a liking for pizzetta.
When you have fond memories of being served up steaming bowls of pasta by your Italian grandmother as children, and you have some of those warming and delicious family recipes in your possession, you have a ready-made home culinary repertoire to impress your visitors. Take this a stage further, as brothers Mike and Matthew Lisanti have done, and you can create a restaurant to showcase those coveted Italian family dishes and share them with others. Manja Manja is the result. (Although the brothers do say that their Italian aunts were reluctant to relinquish the recipes, and had to be persuaded by being plied with glasses of wine!).
This family business offers a menu that it describes as ‘playfully Italian’, drawing from the classic roots of the country’s cuisine and layering it with modern interpretations. The restaurant clearly takes pride in the process of cooking fresh, high-quality food, with every ingredient, apart from the charcuterie, made on site, including the pasta.
After entering the expansive interior you first encounter the wine bar, incorporating the location’s original elaborate mahogany bank counter, which then opens out into a series of separate dining areas (offering around 85 covers), decorated in multiple warming shades of orange, apricot, peach and pale sunshine.
The wine offering is significant and impressive. The main wine list, developed by general manager Jessie Warlow and Kate Selley of wine wholesaler and importer Enotria and Co, consists mainly of classic Italian and French wines (we sampled the 2021 Cerasuolo di Vittoria
Organic, Planeta, Italy). The guest wine list on the board behind the bar specialises in the wines of independent companies, featuring bottles of wine with characterful, distinctive palates from small vineries in countries including Georgia, Spain, France, Portugal, Sicily and South Africa. The Ori Marani Rosé from Georgia, for example, including the flavours of hibiscus and rhubarb, only ever produced 800 bottles.
“The dishes are designed around plates for sharing, with groupings for cicchetti, pizzetta, sharing boards and bowls and sides”
Of the owner/director brothers, Matthew is the food expert, and was for five years head chef of their other, much-loved, food destination, Circus Restaurant in Brock Street. Matthew and head chef Fraser Scott have developed the Manja Manja menu together. The dishes are designed around plates for sharing, with groupings for cicchetti (small plates), pizzetta (small pizza), sharing boards, sharing bowls and sides, with plates not necessarily all arriving at the same time.
We were advised to select between two and three dishes per person, depending on how hungry we were. Our multi-sharing selection consisted of Glazed Lamb Sausage, Camellia Bean and Pomegranate (£12); Flat Iron Steak, Umami Fava Bean Glaze, Cabbage Crudo (£12); Salt Cod Croquettes, Roasted Garlic and Red Pepper Jam (£10); Burrata, Fermented Carrot, Honey and Pistachio (£8); Beetroot, Radicchio, Walnuts and Blood Orange (£7); and Goat’s Cheese, Roasted Grape Walnut Dressing Pizzetta (£9).
Any recipe with four sets of double letters is bound to be impressive and the Beetroot, Radicchio, Walnuts and Blood Orange Salad
certainly was, with its colourful and refreshing combination of golden and red beetroots, juicy blood orange segments, green radicchio and walnuts. I’d not encountered pizzetta before, but I’m now a dedicated fan – at least of Manja Manja’s – with the sourdough base providing a light, crusty foundation for its tasty bed of goat’s cheese and green grape. The Salt Cod Croquettes topped with glistening baked tomatoes, the tender and delicious mini slices of flat iron steak, the creamy burrata with carrot, and the Glazed Lamb Sausage were all superb as part of our communal melange. Other menu choices included sharing charcuterie meat or cheese boards served with a selection of pickles, chutneys and bread and sharing bowls with pasta options featuring risotto, casarecce and lasagne.
We finished with more Italian character (and an unwillingness to share) with the Affogato with Madagascan Vanilla and Espresso and Tiramisu, Coffee Caramel and Chocolate Salami (the latter made with chocolate truffle with nuts).
The menu is deliberately simple, and caters for vegetarian, vegan, dairy-free and gluten free. The service was attentive, friendly and efficient and the atmosphere was warm and wholesome with an upmarket casual vibe. There is a high chance of us returning to experiment further with the Italian small plates experience…
Open Monday – Sunday 12pm–3pm and 5pm–11pm. Manja Manja, 8–9 George Street, Bath BA1 2EH; manjamanja.co.uk
Portrait of Bath
Bijan, part of Slowly Downward’s team who produce artwork as screen prints
Bijan is one of a small team based in Bath producing prints for the British artist and writer Stanley Donwood. Stanley has won two Grammy’s for his artwork for Radiohead. He also has created the album artwork for Atoms For Peace and The Smile. For the last twenty years he has created the artwork for Glastonbury Festival. He has also published books of short stories and memoirs.
The Bell in Bath was where Bijan and Stanley met over 25 years ago when Stanley was sharing an office with one of Bijan’s friends when he was working on Radiohead’s early material.
The limited-edition screen prints are hand-printed in their studio in Bath and then carefully packaged and dispatched to clients all over the world.
Main photograph by Joe Short, an award-winning photographer based in Bath. Assisted by Barney Thomas. joeshort.com
Stanley Donwood’s charity work Reflected Light, 2024
Bath business
LOCAL BUSINESS AND COMMUNITY ORGANISATION UPDATES
RUHX, OFFICIAL CHARITY OF THE RUH BATH, TURNS 25
RUHX, the official NHS charity of the Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust, is celebrating a quarter of a century.
Thanks to the generous support of fundraisers and donors, the RUHX has made countless improvements to the RUH Bath in that time, resulting in better facilities for patients and their loved ones, more green spaces, and ultimately, more lives saved.
Liz is a Specialty Doctor in Stroke and Medicine and she started at the RUH in September 1999, the same month RUHX was born. Liz originally came from Australia for a
Bath Rugby is not just about the matches –there are special hospitality packages too. These are about forging relationships, getting closer to the players, making memories, excitement and laughter.
This season, in association with The 10s, Bath Rugby has completely rebranded The 10s Suite (formerly known as The 1st Office Suite) to bring a fresh look, feel and vibe to the room. Based on the club’s illustrious history of outstanding fly-halves, the suite will pay homage to the likes of Stuart Barnes, Mike Catt, Butch James, Olly Barkley and current fly-half, Finn Russell.
In the suite, which accommodates up to 10 guests, you will be treated to player visits plus a special appearance from Johann van Graan’s Player of the Match. You’ll also get all the intel ahead of the game with insights into pre-match training, thoughts on the opposition and score predictions. Plus an exceptional three-course meal and complimentary drinks. To book email: hospitality@bathrugby.com. bathrugby.com/the-10s-suite
six-month term in the Emergency Department. She found the department so wonderful and the people so lovely that she decided to stay, and has witnessed the many changes. Liz remembers 2002 as the beginning of the new A&E building refurbishment. She recalls, “The new space was so much bigger than before, going from a twobedded high care area to six high care beds and four resuscitation beds.” By improving Liz’s work area, her job was made easier and patient turnaround improved. In 2007, RUHX completed the fundraiser for the second CT scanner. Liz says, “This made a huge difference in our ability to quickly diagnose and treat
trauma and stroke patients.”
From the completion of the Dyson Cancer Centre this year to the planting of bulbs in the well-being garden, each impact makes a difference. A donation to RUHX charity not only helps staff with their day-to-day operations but also supports the overall wellbeing and effectiveness of the hospital.
Visit ruhx.org.uk
LIBRARY OFFERS POP-UP ENERGY ADVICE
Residents wanting to reduce their bills or insulate their homes will be able to get guidance from trained energy experts at a monthly pop-up event in Bath.
Starting from 5 September, staff from the Centre for Sustainable Energy (CSE) will be manning a stall outside Bath Central Library on the first Thursday of every month. The Centre for Sustainable Energy, based in Bristol, is a national charity supporting people and organisations across the UK to tackle the climate emergency and end the suffering caused by cold homes. Its Home Energy Team provides residents in B&NES with free, local and impartial energy advice. Residents can also get help managing their gas and electricity bills and find out about any financial assistance available. Residents on low incomes can find out if they are eligible for energy related home improvement grant schemes. cse.org.uk
A new menu has landed as the Bath Pizza Co and Green Park Brasserie menus join together. The options include classics from burgers, steaks, pastas, salads and small and big plates, perfect for sharing or grazing year round, alongside the offerings from the Bath Pizzas Co kitchen and their world-class pizza. Favourites on the new menu include Grilled Chicken Skewers with masala spice, mint yogurt, mixed pepper salad, mango chutney, and Mac & Four Cheese with truffle mushrooms, Somerset Cheddar, Stilton, mozzarella and parmesan, and Hot Honey Buffalo Wings with blue cheese sauce.
In other news, the new secret bar and kitchen from Bath Pizza Co opens on 13 September. Hidden in the old loft space of the historic Green Park Station, you’ll find
this funky new bar tucked behind the red curtain, available for exclusive use for groups of 50–90, seven days a week. Now taking bookings for Christmas groups.
See bathpizzaco.com/upstairs greenparkbrasserie.com
NEW MENU AND A SECRET BAR
BATH RUGBY’S 10S’ SUITE
Tel: 01225 445507
Families being hit with shock IHT bills double
A freedom of information (FOI) request to HMRC reveals the number of people paying inheritance tax (IHT) on gifts made before death is rising sharply Gifts of any amount can be gifted at any time, but if the giftee passes away within seven years of the person receiving it the gift becomes taxable, and it could be added to the value of the estate for IHT.
In 2011/12 the total amount of estates ending up having to pay IHT for this reason was 590, rising steadily until 2020/21 when there were 1300 estates affected. Not only this but the amount of IHT collected has more than doubled in this time, from £101m to £256m.
The average each estate paid in 2020/21 is £25,000 more than ten years prior, paying £196,923 each.
This data suggests that some significant shock tax bills are being delivered to people. Those who receive generous gifts from older relatives need to be aware that they could be liable for a big tax charge if that relative dies within seven years of making the gift.
It is also possible that the number of families and the volume of IHT bills could mean more families are making lifetime gifts ‘in an effort to reduce the size of their estate as IHT becomes more of a burden’.
The nil rate is currently £325,000 and has been since 2009, while the residential NRB is £175,000, which has been frozen since 2020, with these freezes in place more families are realising the value of their estates is surpassing these figures, leading them to reduce the size of their estates.
It is predicted that more than 7% of all estates will be dragged into paying IHT by 2032/33, while the most recent figure shows just 4.4% were impacted by the tax in 2021/22.
However, data HMRC supplied through an FOI stated that 45% of people who had made large gifts were aware of the tax rules when gifting large amounts of money while alive. Additionally, just one quarter stated that they had a good awareness on the subject of IHT.
A significant point to take away from this for those planning the transfer of their assets to the next generation is that it can be quite tricky to make lifetime gifts that are 100% safe from IHT and it’s often worthwhile seeking expert advice. Anyone receiving a big gift from an elderly relative might want to assess the tax situation before they either spend it all or invest it into something illiquid (i.e. not quickly converted to cash) like a property.
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Writing stories: are you a plotter or a panther?
We all remember that motivating teacher at school who made the classroom experience fun. Emma Clegg talks to one of these, teacher and writer Catherine Bruton, who is a master of capturing young hearts with stories.
My first ever teaching job was in Otjikondo Primary School in the rural north of Namibia, south west Africa. That’s where I became a writer, and it’s where I became a teacher – I became both at the same time, because the two are interconnected.”
The school that gave Catherine Bruton her first teaching role was set up for refugees and asylum seekers after the Namibian War of Independence: “My eyes were opened to a whole different world, and some of the themes I discovered there do run through my work. I think that experience is pretty central to who I am. Africa was stunning and terrifying in equal measure. The culture, the children, the wildlife, the landscape, the loneliness, the isolation – they were oppressive and yet inspiring, they stunned me, forcing me to question almost every single thing about myself and the world. I remember reading my students Roald Dahl stories, and that was opening up their own world as well. My desire now, I suppose, is to make sure that books can be this window onto the world for young people.”
VISITING SCHOOLS
Catherine Bruton loves to meet readers through author visits to schools, book groups or libraries and is happy to be contacted by schools if they would like her to do a workshop, which she offers at no charge to local schools because she’s so passionate about promoting reading and writing among children. Contact Catherine through her website: catherinebruton.com
Catherine has worked as a senior school English teacher and writer ever since, and the interdependence between the two is evident: “I’m constantly inspired by my students and it’s just an absolute privilege to be the person who introduces young people to the stories that open their eyes, make them ask questions about the world, make them confront difficult topics, and make them think about themselves. The books that you encounter when you’re at that key age actually really shape who you are. But also, I think the sort of things they’re interested in often really inform what I write about.”
Catherine has written a dizzying number of books for children, and the themes all address difficult issues. We Can Be Heroes (2011, nominated for the Carnegie Medal) is about a character whose father was killed in the 9/11 attacks in New York; I Predict a Riot (2014) was inspired by the London riots; No Ballet Shoes in Syria (2019) tells the story of a girl seeking asylum with her family. Another Twist in the Tail (2020) and Following Frankenstein (2021), both Victorian adventures, deal with life experiences and ideas that matter to children.
“Bird Boy is a book about healing through nature, and about coming back from some difficult places”
In the case of Following Frankenstein, “It was inspired by lots of texts that I love teaching, but also it’s a book about embracing diversity and the need for kids to respond urgently to Black Lives Matter and Me Too and how they champion alternative gender identities. Young people can really push us as adults, I think, to make us think about the world in different ways. They do that to me all time.”
Her latest book, Bird Boy, published earlier this year, tells the story of Will who is sent to stay with his uncle in the Lake District after the death of his mother. There he discovers an osprey’s nest and when one of the chicks is knocked out of the nest, Will is determined to save her.
“Bird Boy is very much about is my response to the spike in mental health issues that we’re seeing amongst young people, and their openness to talk about that, as well as the need, perhaps, to give them a vocabulary to be able to articulate complex emotions that they’re going through. It’s a book about healing through nature, and about coming back from some difficult places. It’s the relationship between Will and Whitetip the osprey and it is in helping Whitetip to heal that Will is able to heal too.”
Her latest book was conceived around the experience of a friend of Catherine’s who works for Wiltshire Wildlife Trust. She was responsible for this incredible project, using nature therapy with traumatised children and unaccompanied minors, and she put me on the track of exploring how beneficial nature can be for children struggling with mental health conditions.”
The book No Ballet Shoes in Syria is described by Catherine as being written as part of the immigration ‘crisis’, but then she corrects herself immediately: “Even that term presents immigration as a problem, and I wanted to get them to look beyond those labels of refugee and asylum seeker – and that’s what I know that texts can do. I hope my books don’t tell children what to think, but make them stop and think.”
Catherine taught my son English for GCSE, so I can attest that she is a dynamic, resourceful and endlessly inspirational teacher. He was carried along by her energy, her ideas, her enabling positivity, and her absolute conviction in his ability, and under her tutelage he even ended up falling a little in love with poetry. So when she takes her Masterclass workshop at the Children’s Literature Festival on 5 October at The Forum, expect (whatever your age) to be enraptured by a whirligig of energy and enthusiasm.
The theme of the workshop, based around Bird Boy, is the telling of animal stories. “Some of the greatest books that we all love from childhood and from adult life are about relationships with animals, from Kes to Watership Down and Warhorse, and I think that relationship between animals and humans, and particularly children, is really important. And giving children an opportunity to be able to tell their own stories is part of getting to know who you are and working
through complex things. I’m really passionate about helping young people to find their own voices. And I think education sometimes can be so focused on grades, and for SATs requirements such as fronted adverbials and subjunctives, that it just seems to be the death of creativity.”
Creativity will be at large in the workshop on 5 October. “This workshop always brings fantastic results”, says Catherine. So they will be writing from the perspective of an animal, but it will be an encounter between an animal and a human, and exploring that unique relationship. It is going to be structured around seven stages of telling a story, and they’ll write each stage in a little burst. I like getting those at my workshops to write in really small bursts, without crossing out, without looking back, just letting the pen move across the page. It’s good to get rid of the internal editor in your head that can be so critical and destructive and just see what comes out. Because that will often free them from the anxiety that kids can sometimes experience around writing.”
In terms of her own writing style Catherine admits that she works best when she has a tight plan, but that’s not a fail-safe approach. “I’m quite disciplined in the way that I write. But sometimes you write something and then you have to rip it all up and start replotting. Every writer is different, but I think some people are plotters and some are panthers – I definitely write better when I plot, but sometimes it just doesn’t work like that. I think possibly the books that I’ve written that are dealing with bigger topics have meant that I haven’t always been able to fix the plan. The crucial thing is that while I might confront my readers with some really big, complex realities, the key thing is that I want to offer hope at the end of my books.”
Creative Writing Masterclass with Catherine Bruton, Saturday 5 October, 3.30pm-5pm, Bath Forum
Bath Children’s Literature Festival, 27 September – 6 October
Both weekends of the festival will be filled with interactive events with the chance to hear your favourite authors and illustrators talking about the stories you love. The Schools Programme during the week will also be hosting some top names, with children from 44 schools in B&NES, Bristol, Somerset and Wiltshire taking part. More than 1,000 free tickets have been given to children in state schools and every single child who attends the Schools Programme with a free ticket will be given a free book.
Other masterclasses at the festival include Jasminder Bilan on 29 September, Liz Flanagan on 29 September, Emma Carroll on 5 October and illustrator Chris Mould on 6 October.
bathfestivals.org.uk/childrens-literature
BRLSI Academy of Imagination
Find out about BRLSI’s new youth education programme, which is offering an outreach programme for schools, community events and school holiday activities.
Acultural hub and educational charity based in the centre of Bath, BRLSI is known for its programme of public lectures and its historic and scientific collections of treasures. Now celebrating its 200th year, BRLSI has announced the launch of the Academy of Imagination which is designed to appeal to the younger generation.
Founded and generously funded by honorary member and former fashion designer Cindy Beadman, with additional support from the National Lottery Players, the Academy of Imagination will engage children and families in BRLSI’s collections and participate in new activities designed to provoke curiosity, encourage participation, and engage the imagination of younger generations.
The new Academy of Imagination youth education programme has three main offerings:
v A school’s outreach programme, initially focused on underserved areas in Bath and North East Somerset (BANES).
v Community events such as ‘BRLSI’s Brilliant Discovery Weekend’, where nearly 6000 people came together in the sunshine to enjoy a wealth of free family fun.
v School holiday activities focused on using the extensive BRLSI collections to inform and educate children through play.
BRLSI is a place where sciences and the arts combine in a fun and engaging way and it houses amazing treasures from around the world. If you have dropped in over the holidays, you’ll have seen how well the collections, which include fossils and dinosaur bones, lend themselves to family activities. This summer children got to name a Jurassic crocodile, curate their own mini-museum and create and take home a 200-year-old optical illusion, the Thaumatrope.
BRLSI has been busy putting together a range of science and crafting activities for children based around its exhibition The World Revealed, finishing on 12 October, and on the way is the relaunched Bath Taps into Science, a packed weekend on 18–19 October of fun experiments for all young scientists. Next spring also brings Brilliantly Engineered, when the best of the south west’s engineering talent will deliver a range of workshops in conjunction with the James Dyson Foundation.
BRLSI’s new learning and engagement officer, Becky Thoburn, is working with local schools to implement fun-focused educational programmes based on palaeontology and the natural sciences. Pilot studies are in development in conjunction with headteachers from local schools, whilst local KS2 children will get to co-curate Discovery Loan Boxes for schools in BANES to borrow in 2025.
Find out more at brlsi.org/about-us/families/
THE COLLEGE FOR ALL STUDENTS
Bath Academy
Bath Academy is a small, friendly independent Sixth Form college that offers personalised tuition in small classes. The college environment is diverse, inclusive, and nonselective with a focused aim - to give personal attention to individual students. This is central and foremost to our academic vision. We believe that taking the time to get to know students and adapting to their individual learning styles leads to effective teaching, better learning, and a positive day-to-day community experience. This makes Bath Academy educationally distinctive and appeals to students of all levels of ability. The college offers a wide range of academic subjects for A-Level, Resit courses, GCSE, and Revision courses. Bath Academy is committed to helping each and every one of its students reach their full potential and incorporates a tailored enrichment and student development programme in order to achieve this.
www. bathacademy.co.uk
MESSAGES
MESSAGES FROM THE HEAD
Mr Tim D Markall, Headteacher of Beechen Cliff School
Beechen Cliff is a high achieving state day and boarding school for boys in Years 7-11 with a large, vibrant, academic mixed Sixth Form.
Our vision is to enable our pupils and students to achieve their aspirations and become wellrounded, confident and compassionate individuals who go on to live fulfilled lives and make a positive contribution to society.
We are committed to providing an exceptional, all-round education both in terms of high academic standards and an incredible range of extra-curricular opportunities.
We have high expectations of our pupils in terms of their learning, conduct and appearance and encourage all to take advantage of the opportunities available to them at school.
Our pupils benefit from high quality teaching and pastoral care through working with a committed, experienced and caring team of staff, which leads to examination results above the national average and successful progression to the next stage of education.
We also aim to develop character and an understanding of values with much of our work based around our Core Values of aspiration, compassion, independence and respect. www.beechencliff.org.uk
FROM THE HEAD
Mr Philip White, Headteacher of Hayesfield School:
Choosing the right school for your daughter is a big decision. You want your daughter to be taught in a nurturing environment where she feels both valued and challenged. A school where excellence is encouraged and she is supported to reach her full potential. That school is Hayesfield Girls’ School. Hayesfield provides an inspirational environment where girls achieve the highest academic standards and develop their own sense of identity and enjoy freedom from stereotyping. Our vision is to develop the ‘whole student’. Academic success is only achieved when our students feel nurtured, encouraged and self-confident. We encourage all our students to take on leadership roles and participate in a wide range of extra-curricular opportunities. At Hayesfield our focus is on providing the best resources, support and guidance to help every young woman who joins us to grow and achieve beyond her expectations. We look forward to welcoming you to our school. www.hayesfield.com
King Edward’s School
A FAMILY OF THREE SCHOOLS
Through an outstanding all-round education, KES pupils acquire the tools and the confidence to flourish and be happy today and to be ready for whatever the future may hold.
We explore with our pupils, helping them to find their voice, fostering a sense of adventure, curiosity, resilience and ambition, encouraging them to do their best in all things and nurturing kindness, compassion and a sense of responsibility for others and for the world around them. www.kesbath.com
Principal of the Kingswood Foundation, Mr Andrew Gordon-Brown:
What I believe sets Kingswood apart and makes us a distinctive school, is the quality of our pastoral care. The central value at our school is love, and this is the reason why caring for each individual is our number one priority. There is a hardwired and longstanding commitment from our incredible team of teaching and support staff to ensure that each pupil feels loved and valued and cared for. This forms the basis of each young person’s sense of self-worth and selfconfidence and the foundation that allows them to learn, to build friendships and to find and develop their talents.
Our vision is to offer a holistic, well-rounded and modern education that transforms lives; for young people to leave us with great exam results, but just as importantly with the personal qualities, the character, the life philosophy to go on and lead meaningful lives in the service of others.
www.kingswood.bath.sch.uk
ABOUT WHAT WE DO
Monkton Combe School
What is different about Monkton? Aside from the stunning views, outstanding academic exam results and passionate teachers which many schools boast, Monkton focuses on the journey of each individual in a way that is tangibly different. As pioneers in pastoral tracking, Monkton holds true to the belief that self-discovery is the key to success; not only do happy children learn but they also explore their strengths and weaknesses, develop resilience and face challenges with greater strength. The school believes in the power of failure of taking on challenges, accepting this will mean you get some things wrong and become better people because of that. No writing, no booklet, no website will ever capture something so hard to describe; you have to come and meet them yourselves.
www.monktoncombeschool.com
Millfield Prep School
Millfield Prep School was recently named the Best Sports School in the country for the 10th time in 11 years by School Sport Magazine and last year received a double excellent inspection rating, the highest possible. The co-educational day and boarding school for ages 2-13 is set in 200 acres of Somerset countryside, supported by state-of-the-art facilities including an equestrian centre, 25 metre swimming pool, golf courses, science centre, music halls and numerous sports pitches. The school offers access to unrivalled opportunities and aims to ensure that every child can discover their brilliance across all aspects of school life.
Open Days on Saturday 5 October 2024 and 1 March 2025. Book online at millfieldschool.com/admissions/open-days
ABOUT OUR SCHOOL
Oldfield School
Oldfield School is a successful, high attaining 11-18 mixed comprehensive with 1250 students which provides an exceptional education in an environment that challenges all students and fosters ambition. Students have respect for themselves, each other and their school and are well-prepared to face the world as compassionate, confident and resilient young people. The school’s mission is to inspire, to learn and to succeed. Oldfield has a reputation locally and in the wider community for academic excellence and the quality of pastoral care and support. The school has a comprehensive intake which reflects the diversity of the local community. The most recent Ofsted inspection was in January 2020, when the school was judged to be good in all areas. A feature of the inspection report was the inclusive nature of the school and the sense of community felt by staff and students. The school has a successful and popular Sixth Form of 190 students and offers a wide range of A Level courses and opportunities for sixth form students and all faculties offer A Level courses.
www.oldfieldschool.com
Paragon School
The Bath based Paragon School offers outstanding independent education for boys and girls aged 3-11 years. Situated in 8 acres of woodland, lawns and playgrounds in a beautiful Georgian country house and converted stables, the school offers a wonderful environment for learning and adventure both inside and out of the classroom.
Rosie Allen, Head of school since 2020 says: "The Paragon journey is one of limitless discovery. Each child enjoys a fully immersive educational experience, rooted in our school values of Kindness, Compassion, Honesty, Self-Belief and Aspiration, whilst exploring and developing their attributes as learners. Adventures are wide and varied, centering on the beauty and joy of childhood alongside preparation for the world beyond. Pupils blossom and grow as individuals who feel they have something to offer wherever they may be. Our approach goes well beyond simply seeking academic success. Instead, this comes as a biproduct of each child focusing on their own growth."
Onward journeys are to Prior Park College and other independent and state schools, with a high number of scholarships and awards offered to Year 6 pupils each year.
Visit www.paragonschool.co.uk or call: 01225 310 837 (term time only). Next Open Morning is Friday 22nd September.
Prior Park College
Great schools, like Prior Park, help students to explore who they are and find the adult they wish to be. Prior Park provides an outstanding, rounded education for each of its 600 students and encourages them to embrace all the opportunities on offer in an environment where they are known, valued and cared for. Students emerge from Prior Park with a character that is well-rounded, and an academic profile that allows them to take the next step in life with confidence – whatever that step might be. Visit priorparkcollege.com or call 01225 835353 for further details or to arrange a visit. Main Open Morning: 4 October 2024. www.priorparkcollege.com
EXPLORE PRIOR PARK
Open Evening 26th September 6pm - 8.30pm
Open Morning 1st October 6pm - 8.30pm
Sixth Form Open Evening 6th November 5.30pm - 8pm
Royal High School
Unique within the Girls’ Day School Trust (GDST) family of schools, Royal High School Bath is an independent day and boarding school for girls aged 3-18 with all the power of a GDST education.
GDST schools are pioneers in, and shapers of the future of girls’ education.
Our teachers inspire each girl, with a strong focus on developing the skills, knowledge and character your child needs for the future. Royal High School Bath students benefit from all that GDST offers combined with an approach where every child is known and can flourish. Every voice is heard and every opinion matters.
We have a strong history of specialising in girls' only education; our pastoral care is exceptional and all our lessons and extra-curricular programmes have been tailored to the way that girls learn and develop.
The balance of a nurturing but challenging environment is the key to our students testing themselves and growing in confidence. We help girls be the best that they can be, and provide the springboard they need to develop a fearlessness for life – our students leave ready for the world’s challenges and equipped with skills for their future – set to make their mark on the world.
www.royalhighbath.gdst.net
St Gregory’s
Catholic College
“After a year as Headteacher at St Gregory's Catholic College, I can confidently say this is an exceptional community,” reflects Melissa George.
“Our school truly embodies the concept of ‘family’ – it’s a lived reality I have the privilege to nurture every day. At St Gregory's Catholic College we are dedicated to educating the whole person – academically, personally, and spiritually. This holistic approach shapes our students into well-rounded, reflective individuals ready to make their mark on society.
The atmosphere here is a unique blend of calm focus and vibrant creativity, providing an ideal environment for both students and staff to thrive. As we look to the future, I’m excited to build upon our strong foundation of success. We’re not just maintaining excellence; we’re constantly seeking ways to enhance the educational experience for every member of our school family, especially with our unwavering focus on developing a whole school approach to literacy and oracy and mental health and wellbeing.
This past year has reinforced my belief in our community’s extraordinary potential and I’m more committed than ever to leading St Gregory's Catholic College towards even greater achievements.”
www.st-gregorys.org.uk
MESSAGE FROM THE HEAD
MESSAGES FROM THE HEAD
Mrs Clare England, Headteacher of St Mark’s School
Stonar School
ACHIEVE WITH JOY
I am delighted to have been appointed as Headteacher at this key stage in the significant journey of improvement that St Mark’s and the MSNP (Midsomer Norton Schools’ Partnership) trust have undertaken. I plan to build on this solid foundation as our school continues on its improvement journey. The curriculum at St Mark’s is designed to fulfil the school’s vision to inspire students to achieve their goals and be a force for good both in school and the world beyond. Academic and vocational qualifications are the cornerstone of educational success at St Mark’s and we have a curriculum offer that enables learners at all levels to achieve their personal best. We create young adults ready for the world of work, possessing the skills and personal qualities to become healthy, resilient individuals, ready to lead fulfilling lives as valued members of society. St Mark’s has an outstanding reputation for supporting students through their educational journey and providing them with the encouragement and support that they need to excel.
www.st-marks.org.uk
Stonar is a co-educational, day and boarding school (ages 2-18), delivering an excellent, nurturing education that yields fantastic results. Set in 80 acres of rural grounds, with 460 pupils, Stonar is an environment where our happy pupils succeed. We believe that joy is the catalyst for extraordinary achievement. This approach to education ensures that Stonar pupils not only excel academically but also develop into well-rounded, confident individuals, who are prepared to make a positive impact on and shape the world. You don't have to be a rider to come to Stonar but the school is renowned for its Equestrian Centre. With stabling for over 70 horses and ponies we offer an unequalled equestrian curriculum to suit complete beginners, through to experienced competitive riders. www.stonarschool.com
Successful, well-established year-round language school in the centre of Bath requires HOMESTAY HOSTS IN BATH
to host both short-term and long-term students. We teach adults and teenagers, and need both single and twin-room accommodation.
For further details, including rates of payment, please contact our Student Services Manager:
Sarah Wringer Kaplan International Languages Bath, 5 Trim Street, Bath, BA1 1HB
Direct Line (01225) 448840
Email: sarah.wringer@kaplan.com
Alastair Tighe, Head Master, Wells Cathedral School:
“Wells is a familyorientated coeducational boarding and day school for 2-18 year olds, which provides an allround education alongside worldclass Specialist Music and Chorister training. Their vision is to inspire every individual pupil to nurture their talents in a vibrant, creative, spiritual and stimulating environment to become a responsible global citizen.
The school provides an encouraging and ambitious education for every child based on their underlying values of Creativity, Aspiration, Responsibility and Endeavour (CARE).
Their strategic vision is driven by the school motto: ‘Esto Quod Es’. This has been the motto since at least the 19th century when the school was re-founded. The adopted translation ‘Be what you are’ succinctly and powerfully represents the school’s belief in the individuality of each pupil. The school is very conscious that pupils discover who they are and equip all of them with the ability to enjoy a lifetime of discovery. The journey begins here at Wells”. www.wells.cathedral.school
Our schools in Bath are better together
At this time of year many parents are looking to find the right secondary school for their child. In Bath, you have many choices of schools ‐ both state and private. There is also a family of secondary schools in Bath that work together so that every young person can experience an excellent education.
Beechen Cliff School, Hayesfield Girls’ School and St Mark’s School are all proud to be part of the Midsomer Norton Schools Partnership (MNSP), a multi‐academy trust of over 30 schools with around 15,000 pupils on roll. The Trust’s strength is how it celebrates each school’s individual character, while offering support and challenge.
The Bath Hub enables the three schools to work closely together and share a common goal ‐ to ensure that every child in the city has access to an excellent secondary education. The schools are now entering their fourth year of collaboration, with students from all three schools enjoying opportunities to work and enjoy extra‐curricular activities together.
Behind the scenes, leaders at the schools work together to ensure all learners look forward to coming to school and achieve highly. Teachers across the three schools share high quality teaching strategies that meet the needs of all learners in all schools. This collegiate support has ensured all three school’s most recent Ofsted inspections were graded a secure ‘Good’. Parents are advised to read the Ofsted Reports to find out more about what makes each school unique.
Last summer, students in all schools sat GCSE and A Level examinations. Combined results for students across the three schools
was signi similar set of outstanding outcomes this summer.
We are pleased to welcome Clare England, who has been appointed the new Headteacher of St Mark’s School in Larkhall. You can meet Mrs England at the St Mark’s Open Evening in September, where she will be pleased to also show you around the school site and share with you her vision for the future of her school. Mr Tim Markall, Headteacher at Beechen Cliff and Mr Philip White, Headteacher at Hayesfield also warmly welcome prospective parents to their Open Events.
To find out more about our schools and how we work together, please come to the Open Events, as detailed in each school’s website. We look forward to meeting you there.
From left to right: Philip White, Headteacher Hayesfield, Clare England, Headteacher St Mark’s and Tim Markall, Headteacher Beechen Cliff
A School to Thrive in
We would like to welcome you to St Mark’s School. Set in picturesque grounds on the outskirts of Bath, St Mark’s is a smaller than average sized mixed secondary school but our smaller size doesn’t limit what we can offer. I am delighted to have been appointed as Headteacher of St Mark’s as it continues on a very exciting school improvement journey. We are an OFSTED “Good” provider and I plan to build on this solid foundation.
The culture and ethos of St Mark’s is driven by the values of Resilience, Aspiration and Community. A focus on these values, through a broad and balanced curriculum, allows our young people to quickly establish themselves and develop their true identities in a setting where the staff know every child and value their contributions in the school and wider community. At the end of their time at St Mark’s, our students are well equipped to go out into the ever changing world and to be citizens of which St Mark’s, and you, can be proud.
St Mark’s School is a member of the Midsomer Norton Schools’ Partnership (MNSP). We continue to build on our successes and progress
as a member of the partnership and benefit from the sharing of expertise and resources from within the partnership schools. St Mark’s School works most closely with Hayesfield Girls’ School and Beechen Cliff, as part of the Bath Hub. All three schools share good practice so that students achieve their aspirations and personal growth and have an excellent experience of secondary school.
St Mark’s is a caring school that welcomes newcomers to our community. I know that the staff and students of St Mark’s share my pride in the school and I am sure that, when you visit us, you will understand why.
Open Evening
17th September 2024, 6:30 – 8:30pm Presentation at 6:15pm Doors open from 6:00pm Tours from 6:45-8:30pm
Open Mornings
27th September 2024, 9:00-11:00 am Welcome at 9:00am
St Mark’s School, Bay Tree Road, Bath, BA1 6ND 01225 312661
Info@st-marks.org.uk
TLooking back on education
Education, education, education is the endless refrain of all governments nowadays, because we all understand that investing in the teaching and training of the younger generation gives enormous ballast to our effectiveness as a nation. This was not always the overriding perspective. Emma Clegg takes a look back at the origin of schooling and considers how so many children in history had no formal education at all.
A good child and a bad child (wearing dunce cap with ass’s ears) in a schoolroom, 1828
The Industrial Revolution (1760-1840) changed the learning landscape dramatically because there was now a driving need to produce capable workers for factories and manufacturing plants. This saw education becoming more inclusive, along with an emphasis on training new teachers to create more literate citizens and the establishment of training schools.
Female education at this time leant towards practical training for a woman’s future domestic role, taking cookery or piano classes and needlework. Mary Wollstonecraft, herself educated in a poor school, published the book A Vindication of the Rights of Woman in 1792, asserting that both men and women had inalienable rights to life, liberty, work, education, and happiness. This established the roots of equal rights and opened up the idea of equality in many women’s minds. It wasn’t until 1975 that the Sex Discrimination Act came into force, banning discrimination on the basis of sex or marital status in employment, education and training.
“It’s sobering to realise that education was not compulsory within statefunded schools until the 1880s”
In 1870, the government took responsibility for schooling in Britain and in 1880 the Education Act made school attendance compulsory for all children aged five to ten. However, as school wasn’t free for all, many parents continued to send their children to work. In 1891 school fees were abolished and in 1899 the age at which children could leave school was raised to 12 – this would rise again to 14 in 1918, 15 in 1947, 16 in 1973 and 18 in 2015.
It’s sobering to realise that education was not compulsory within statefunded schools for all children in the UK until the 1880s. So a great many young people before then did not have access to schooling. For those able to attend school, the regime was strict and the school day long, and teaching was monotonous with children sitting in rows in silence, copying down scripts from the blackboard. Punishments included the cane, beating with a leather strap, the dunce’s hat and writing ‘lines’.
The early 20th century saw the development of mass education in Britain. State primary schools and local secondary schools were brought under the control of local councils in 1902, and in 1906 the new Liberal government, wanting to show that they were the party of working people, introduced school dinners and medical checks for pupils.
The Education Act in 1944 made secondary education free and compulsory up to the age of 15 (later raised to 16). This included the Tripartite System adopted in 1947, consisting of grammar schools, secondary modern schools and secondary technical schools. The controversy over this system and the comprehensive school proposals favoured by some in the Labour Party as more egalitarian continued for decades. In 1988 the Education Reform Act brought changes aimed at creating a ‘market’ in education with schools competing with each other for pupils. This was when the National Curriculum was introduced, making it compulsory for schools to teach certain subjects and syllabuses.
All these changes to the provision of education have meant that children’s experience of learning in the UK has varied dramatically according to their social class, their sex and the era they lived in. The modern learning landscape sees state and private schools using an educational system that is open and responsive to the rights and needs
of individual pupils –including support for students with special educational needs and disabilities –and the use of mainstream teaching methods informed by up-to-date educational psychology.
The digital revolution, starting in the late 20th century, saw personal computers, the internet and digital technologies transforming classrooms. The rise of educational technology (EdTech) saw the provision of access to an extensive array of educational resources, often available free of charge, and self-directed, flexible learning opportunities –and these are constantly developing. Digital tools and multimedia resources – from whiteboards to educational apps and VR simulations – have also made learning experiences more interactive and captivating. Such tools also cater for diverse learning styles, enabling greater engagement and effective learning among students.
Schools also have a growing emphasis on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education to prepare students for a technology-driven world. STEAM (including the Arts) education is also recognising the importance of creativity and innovation.
So the digital revolution over the last half century has had a definitive impact on education in the same way as the introduction of the printing press in the 1470s and changes driven by the Industrial Revolution from 1760 to 1840. The rise and the endlessly shape-shifting advancement of digital know-how, including the educational possibilities of artificial intelligence (AI), gives educators and learners more access to effective and engaging education resources. This has provided an extra dynamic to the need and the responsibility to provide our young people with the skills they need for the future. n
Combe DownSchool,circa 1900
Engraving showing girls during their cookery lessons, from Catherine Buckton's Food and Home Cookery (1890)
Image below and opposite top from the Akeman Press Archive
SIMPLE ACTS OF KINDNESS WITH MENTORING PLUS
Every week, volunteers from Bath & North East Somerset are changing young people’s lives through Mentoring Plus’s awardwinning Volunteer Mentoring programme. With over 200 young people supported every year, we explore how the simple act of giving just 2 hours a week can make a world of difference to both mentees and their mentors.
Now in its 26th year, the key to Mentoring Plus’s Volunteer Mentoring Programme's success is its positive, playful, and child-led approach. Young people aged 7-25 are matched with a trained volunteer mentor for up to 12 months. With constant support from a skilled practitioner and a weekly allowance, mentoring pairs explore the local community, engaging in fun activities.
Although every mentee faces challenges at school, at home, or with their well-being, mentors are not counsellors or problemsolvers. They are positive role models who provide undivided attention and encouragement, helping mentees explore their interests, whether that’s sport, cooking, or board games. For a young person, having a mentor who chooses to be there and support them makes all the difference
Volunteer mentors make an incredible impact in just 1-2 hours a week. A recent report revealed that after mentoring, 90% of mentees improved communication, 86% increased their confidence and self-esteem, and 81% felt safer. However, demand for the programme is at an all-time high. Now, more than ever, Mentoring Plus needs kind-hearted adults seeking a fulfilling and flexible volunteer role to join them.
Offering inspiration to potential volunteers, are mentee Daniella* and volunteer mentor Richard*, who have shared their story of mentoring.
Daniella’s Story (Mentee)
When I was 14 years old, life was difficult. I was low and spent most of my time alone. My school noticed I was struggling and referred me to the Volunteer Mentoring Programme.
After my practitioner got to know me, I started meeting my mentor. Because I was into reading, we would read a book together in our sessions. We also did other things like cooking, going to the cinema, and learning crafts.
Before mentoring, I couldn’t see the skills that I had, but now I do. I know how to make things happen for myself and how to talk about my feelings. Life doesn’t feel rubbish anymore. I feel more confident and happier.
I’m now part of the Mentoring Plus Youth Reps Group, organising activities that help other young people. I would really like to become a mentor or even one day take over my practitioner’s job!
Richard’s Story (Mentor)
I’ve been a volunteer mentor on and off for eight years. I’ve learnt that mentoring isn’t about fixing a young person, but being someone who can be young at heart, show genuine interest, and be trusted. It’s about showing a young person how their future could be different.
It can take a few sessions to establish a connection, but you know you’re making a difference when your mentee finally asks about you or greets you with a big smile. These small changes may not seem like much, but for kids struggling with poor mental health or difficulties at home, they mean a lot.
It’s a privilege to be there for a young person at a difficult time in their life and be someone they can trust when perhaps they don’t have anyone else.
*Not their real names
JUST 2 HOURS A WEEK OF YOUR TIME COULD CHANGE A YOUNG LIFE
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Jaime Brain & Kevin Milne Denture experts
Beauty notebook
New releases and treats with that luxurious, feel-good factor...
CHANEL
31 LE ROUGE, 12 new luminous matte shades
JO MALONE LONDON
Hinoki & Cedarwood Cologne Intense
This new possess an intensely fresh and distinctive scent which is inspired by the grounding presence of the hinoki tree, experienced through the Japanese ritual of forest bathing. 50ml/£112 jomalone.co.uk
AESOP Eleos Aromatique Hand Balm
An intensely hydrating balm enriched with skin-softening botanical butters and oils. Ideal for weather-wearied, dry or distressed hands.
75ml/ £27 aesop.com
THE ORDINARY new body care range
The Ordinary Lab is constantly listening to feedback on their product offerings, and after being asked so many times if a product can “also be used on the body,” it just made sense to formulate body care products that encourage people to treat their body’s skin the same way they treat their face. Prices start at £11.70, explore the range at theordinary.com
The 12 shades of the 31 LE ROUGE collection, ranging from garnet to fuchsia and brown to crimson, are vibrant reflections of Gabrielle Chanel's memories. Inspired by the mirrored staircase at Rue Cambon, the refillable case is made entirely made from glass and metal - a treasured object and keepsake - you simply buy another refill. Now the 12 shades are available in matte lipsticks as well as the original satin. £140 chanel.com
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Rediscover your creativity with the innovative Fragrance Paintbrush™, featuring a Pomelo gel formula that holds Jo Loves' beach-inspired fragrance and dries in seconds, offering a reusable design with refillable cartridges for a sustainable scent experience. 2 x 7ml/£42 joloves.com
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Sunset Hour Eau De Parfum
As a blazing sun dips into the Indian Ocean, the scent of fragrant native fruit pervades the languorous evening breeze. A heavenly elixir of citrus and spicy delights awaits, giving way to a deliciously gourmand and sensuous floral heart. Best served at sunset hour. 100ml. £138.00 harveynichols.com
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Let’s take it from the top. Whisky from the barrel on the rocks. Toes start tap-tapping to a melody of raspberry and bergamot. Now for the bass line: ambrox, oak, cedarwood and smoke. Will you take another glass? 110ml/£175penhaligons.com
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Wells: a place apart
On the far side of the Mendips, a 20-mile drive or a leisurely bus journey from Bath, lies Wells, England’s smallest city. Andrew Swift makes it the subject of his September walk, encountering everything from swans to an arboretum.
Wells has been immortalised twice, by Elizabeth Goudge in her classic 1935 novel, City of Bells, and in the 2007 film Hot Fuzz. It is a telling juxtaposition for a place which, while the rest of the world has moved resolutely on, has ploughed a somewhat different furrow.
Medieval Wells was the largest town in Somerset. In the 17th century it had more accommodation for travellers than Bath, and it remained a major coaching centre until the early 19th century. But the railway age passed Wells by – save for a single-track line that came late and closed early – and Wells settled down to life in the quiet lane.
The jewel in Wells’ crown is the cathedral, which Simon Jenkins hailed as the finest in England. Its west front holds a great collection
of medieval sculpture, telling the story of the universe from the Creation to the Second Coming. Inside, the columns are topped by less elevated subjects, such as a man with toothache or the cautionary tale of the fate of two grape stealers. Most striking is the serene beauty of the cathedral’s uncluttered interior, enhanced by the scissor arches which close the view down the nave. It is a place to take in slowly –exploring the cloisters, climbing worn steps to the chapter house, and marvelling at the medieval stained glass.
Other cathedrals may be more imposing, but only at Wells has the medieval precinct survived largely intact, enclosed within a wall which shuts out the noisy town. On the north side a narrow archway leads into Vicars’ Close, the best preserved medieval street in England, dating from the early 14th century. Further
along, in the medieval Chancellor’s House, is Wells Museum, showcasing the eclectic collection of its founder, the caving pioneer Herbert Balch. South of the cathedral lies the Bishop’s Palace, home to the Bishop of Bath & Wells and surrounded by a moat on which swans serenely glide.
There are also hidden treasures in the town beyond, where water flows in rills along the streets and millstreams run beneath the pavements along which this month’s walk leads. Starting outside the west front of the cathedral, head south through Penniless Porch archway known into the Market Place. Head towards the far end and continue along the High Street past City News, supplier of Cornettos to the constabulary in Hot Fuzz
Opposite the King’s Head turn left along Guard House Lane. The Guard House on the
The Combe
The moat surrounding the Bishop’s Palace
Wells Cathedral, the west front
right is said to have housed French prisoners during the Napoleonic Wars. On the left at the end is one of Wells’ quirkiest buildings –Somerset Cottages – built by a local craftsman called William Halliday in 1888.
Turn right and after 100m turn right along Mill Street. The millstream, a little way along on the right, fed the corn mill opposite. Turn left at the end and follow the pavement as it curves left along Broad Street. At the end, look across to the estate agent’s on the corner where a ghost sign for a post office survives above the door. Facing it is a redbrick Georgian terrace, where the end building had to be triangular to accommodate the older building next to it.
Cross and head north along Queen Street, at the end of which is the City Arms, a 16thcentury building which housed the city gaol until 1800. Turn left, cross into St Cuthbert’s churchyard (venue for the Hot Fuzz fete), and, after passing the church, follow the path as it heads diagonally to a gate on the far side.
Turn right along Chamberlain Street to retrace Sergeant Angel’s ride on horseback, fully armed, to exact vengeance. At the end, follow the road as it curves left along New Street, and at the mini-roundabout bear left again. At the main road, cross the pedestrian lights ahead and bear right to follow the main
road as it curves north.
After crossing the end of the Old Bristol Road, turn left through a gate a few metres further on, with a sign ‘Private Garden … No Entry after Dark’. This is the Combe, an eightacre arboretum laid out in the 18th century, providing an oasis of peace on the city’s edge.
After leaving through the same gate, cross the main road and head along College Road. After 250m, when the road forks, carry straight on. After another 125m, turn right along The Liberty. When you come to pedestrian lights, cross to go through an archway and down steps to emerge in Vicars’ Close. Go through an archway at the far end and turn left. The Rib, on your right, dating from the 14th century, was the childhood home of Elizabeth Goudge.
Cross at the pedestrian lights, carry on and turn right along Tor Street. After 200m, (just before the end of the 30mph zone) turn right past a gate and continue alongside a wall, which soon ends to reveal the moat of the Bishop’s Palace. Carry on by the moat, but, when it curves right, carry straight on for another 125m, passing the 15th-century Bishop’s Barn before turning right through a gate leading into the park featured in the Hot Fuzz swan chase. After passing the bowling
club turn right past a row of London Planes. Turn left at the end and follow the moat round to the drawbridge of the Bishop’s Palace where hangs a bell rung by the swans at feeding time. Head out through the Bishop’s Eye Gatehouse into the Market Place. At the far end of the Market Place turn right along Sadler Street past the Swan Inn, and turn right again through Brown’s Gate to return to the starting point. n
Andrew Swift has written books such as On Foot in Bath: Fifteen Walks around a World Heritage City (akemanpress.com).
Facilities: You’ll be spoilt for choice with tea shops, pubs, cafés, and independent shops
Places to visit:
• Wells Museum is open Tues–Sat 10am–4pm; wellsmuseum.org.uk
• Bishop’s Palace; bishopspalace.org.uk
• Wells Cathedral; wellscathedral.org.uk
• The Combe, which is open daily until the end of October.
Length of walk: 3 miles; one busy road crossing
Interiors wishlist
New season inspo to get you in the mood for mists and mellow fruitfulness
Back to the grind SMEG Coffee Machine with Grinder
Prepare authentic espresso, cappuccino and lattes from the comfort of your own home with the SMEG EGF03 espresso machine. Using freshly ground coffee to bring out your inner barista, you can prepare coffee at the correct temperature and pressure for brewing the perfect cup of Joe. For SMEG coffee machines and many more top quality kitchen must haves, visit: Coopers Home Appliances, 13/15 Walcot Street, Bath. coopershomeappliances.com
Shop the unusual Sky Candle Stick Holder by Tillius
Fresh and elegant, the sky candle stick holder from Tillius pairs beautifully with other glass candle sticks. Play around by having different shades of glass and heights of candle stick to add a real show stopping centre piece in your home. 11cms high, £6.99. Find them at Tillius, 4-5 Pulteney Bridge, Bath. tillius.co.uk
Sink into something more comfortable – Arlo & Jacob
This month we welcome luxury furniture store Arlo & Jacob to Bath as they open their Broad Street showroom. There’s a fantastic selection of styles and fabrics to choose from so you’re sure to find the perfect combination to suit your style and space. Shown here: Agatha large sofa in Lupine Apricot natural/sustainable linen fabric. arloandjacob.com
Gypsophila Wallpaper - Paprika & Gold by
Clarrisa Hulse
The Gypsophila Wallpaper features sprays of elegant seedheads screen printed in gold metallic onto mica fibrous paper. The result is a beautiful botanical wallpaper with a lovely tactile texture. Clarissa spotted the bouquet that inspired this design at Blackshed flower farm in Dorset, and it still hangs from her studio ceiling in London today. clarissahulse.com
Anthropologie Parker Monogram Mug
The Parker Monogram Mug merges personal style with everyday usability, offering a personalised touch to your coffee or tea time with its modern geometric print. £12. Visit the Anthropologie store in Bath at 1-4 New Bond Street, Bath BA1 1BE. anthropologie UK
R W KNIGHT & SON Celebrating 50 years
R W Knight & Son is celebrating its 50th year anniversary in business this year. Established in 1974, the family run company has sold over 42,000 stoves and fires from the same family farm at Marshfield, near Bath, some of which buildings date back to the 16th century.
Richard (Dick) Knight was the founder of the business which all started when he purchased a Jøtul stove in 1974 having seen the stove in a leaflet written in Norwegian! The stove came at the perfect timing, Dutch Elm Disease was reaching new heights, as was the oil crisis and campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (split wood not atoms). The new stove completely changed draughty Castle Farm and completely cured the constant smoke-filled room which resulted from previous heating solution an open fire.
Reporters from a farming magazine also experienced the new wood stove, having thawed out in front of the log burner one winters day, and were so impressed that they published an article and photo of Richard’s wife Mary in front of the woodburning stove. The article prompted some 40 letters a day from people interested in the stove.
Some 50 years later the business Richard established expanded and grown. Not only do they continue to sell Jøtul stoves (founded in 1853) but also includes other leading manufacturers. Charnwood stoves, who also celebrated their 50th anniversary recently and manufacture on the Isle of Wight, and Stovax Gazco based at Exeter (founded 1981) who produce the country’s largest range of gas, electric and woodburning stoves and fires are amongst the brands on display.
government legislation for air cleanliness, which is why they sell Jøtul, Charnwood and Stovax products.
Today the showroom displays over 100 woodburning, gas and electric appliances from key leading manufacturers, complemented by an extensive collection of fireside accessories covering everything you could need for your stove or fireplace and a selection of outdoor heating and cooking products.
Unfortunately, Richard passed away earlier this year, but he checked on the business daily up to a week before his death.
As part of the businesses 50th anniversary celebrations the Knight family held open days for the public and introduced into the showroom newly launched intelligent wood burners. The Scan 67, a brand owned by Jøtul was one new addition. The wood stove showcases ground-breaking technology Zensoric, a new air control innovation which ensures the stove burns optimally at all times and even tells you when to reload wood, helping you save on running costs. R W Knight & Son also introduced the Charnwood Skye E700 which has a useful app and microprocessor built into the stove, the business is one of the first retailers to showcase this new stove. These newly launched intelligent stoves ensure you get the cleanest, highest efficiency burn.
As well as introducing customers to new technology and developments the team held a wonderful evening party where they paid homage to the first Jotul stove bought by its founder with a stunning cake in the shape of the original F100 Jøtul wood stove. Local singer and fire performers Labyrinth Circus provided the entertaining and some 300 people attended the celebrations.
Richard’s son Henry now runs Knight’s stoves along with the third generation of the family, Miriam. They have full confidence in the products sold and know they will benefit customers and give many years of reliable service. Woodburning is a carbon neutral, renewable source of heating. The business is keen to promote the advancements in the woodburning industry with appliances that go beyond
Here’s to another 50 years!
If you would like to visit Knight Stoves, they can be found in the original location, Castle Farm located just outside the village of Marshfield, which is just off Bath junction 18 of the M4.
Page-turning interiors
With the number of independent, insightful and highly creative magazines increasing, there are now a dizzying selection on the shelves of Magalleria. Daniel McCabe describes the best of the shop’s interiors publications...
New things are happening in interior design publishing, or so it seems to us. We’ve encountered many more amateur and professional designers post-pandemic and their requirements are much more varied than in the past. Fortunately new magazines are being assembled all the time and at Magalleria we’ve found it difficult to turn away every new release and almost without noticing we’ve acquired well over 70 different titles. At the same time publishers recognise that this type of magazine is a resource buyers now keep rather than ditch after reading. Accordingly they publish less often – usually quarterly or biannually – while pushing the production quality to new heights. So here’s a quick rundown of titles we rate highly.
Among the more traditional titles we would have to include 91 Magazine, a typical but fresh ‘get the look’ biannual popular with people keen to create bright, airy, uncluttered but not unrealistically minimal homes. Everything you see is achievable with a a modest budget, a spark of imagination and a serviceable skillset. Milk Decoration is a French quarterly that offers a step up with more professional content based around a roster of unfamiliar but impressive European designers and creatives working in smaller settings. In the same category and also from France but wholly original in its way is Sloft, a compact magazine focused on compact spaces – not tiny houses or caravans, please note, but urban flats and apartments where imaginative space reconfigurations and architectural tweaks have usefully maximised the area available. Each showcased property is helpfully accompanied by a floor plan and while it’s devised for those of us living and dealing with the issues of more bijou dwellings, this little biannual is understandably popular with builders and architects.
It can be difficult to find that spark of design inspiration in the daily familiar and many people are looking for something more exotic. Attitude is an undeservedly obscure Portuguese quarterly that searches out high-end homes that look genuinely lived-in, spaces that feel strongly personalised by their owners. The magazine itself might not be as sleek or polished as the others mentioned here, but it speaks directly to those looking to make brave decorative choices. Manera celebrates professional interior design in Spain and Latin America. Stylistically it veers all over the place, jamming in everything from the absurdly kitsch to the brutally minimal, but almost every page of this quarterly survey sings with true flair and individuality. Last mention in this category goes to Cabana, a now-monumental tome from Italy packed with the most glorious and uplifting examples of period interior design, leaning heavily on the 18th century. While truly transporting, Cabana can be mined almost endlessly for the details we rarely see in much modern-day repro – not only bricks, tiles, wallpaper and textiles but notes and flourishes from forgotten colours, glazes and eye-popping surface patterns.
Sometimes we have a real curiosity about how other people actually live, rather than accepting staged scenarios of perfect, having-it-all lifestyles. Apartamento is a Spanish magazine that interviews interesting achievers from outside the mainstream who open their frequently untidy and eccentrically furnished homes for us. Hello! magazine it is not, but everything all makes perfect sense when toured with the owners. Obviously not everyone owns their own home or has a landlord who will let them take a property apart, and many of us might want to rage against conformity around aspiration, lifestyle and design matters. Concerns around disenfranchisement and limits to self-expression are addressed by a new British biannual called Ton. It’s very glossy, but any suggestion of affluence ends there. All content is generated by creatively inclined, self-sufficient occupants who are more likely to make the things that furnish their homes than to buy them – things that say ‘this is me’ rather than ‘this is mine’. This links to Scenery, arguably the most talkedabout interiors magazine of the moment. Unlike Ton, this is a biannual less concerned with outlier creatives and more interested in moving away from musings on standard living room/bedroom/kitchen/ bathroom
design considerations and towards a concept of home as a sphere containing more undefinable, atmospheric and vibe-driven zones where meaningful or cherished objects rule attention. They argue that the magazine is about 'the details of the spaces that colour our lives, and the curiosities that we collect along the way. The places we choose to spend our time, and why we choose to spend our time in them.’
We’ll close with a clutch of titles that operate at the most ambitious end of the spectrum. Openhouse is the most popular of these, a Spanish biannual that treats art, design, architecture and culture as a whole, showcased with highly individual contemporary homes charmingly described by owners who reflect on values such as tradition, nature and identity. We love the elegant Ark Journal, a biannual from Denmark that similarly views art, architecture and design as in interplay rather than
existing in silos. Ark is steeped in Scandinavian aesthetics but keen on its ongoing development, with a lot of discussion around innovative materials, manufacturing ethics and the like. Our truly heavyweight title – weighing in at well over 3 kilos – is The Local Project, an Australian architecture and interior design triannual showcasing the vitality of the domestic industry in Australia, New Zealand and, lately, North America. Featuring so much spectacular architectural and building derring-do, one might think TLP is of greatest interest to professionals, but these volumes are so superbly shot and presented that it seems everyone wants to have them on their shelves. Which I imagine, after 15 releases, are now groaning. n
We specialise in design, manufacture and installation of bespoke kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms, home studies and media cabinetry.
E: enquiries@skyinteriors.co.uk
T: 01225 707372
Kai Kristiansen - HJN Mobler 1970
Horner Roberts
horner roberts are a growing team of cabinet makers situated in Warminster, Wiltshire. We are specialist cabinet makers, joiners and furniture makers.
The company was started in 1979 by richard horner who retired 10 years ago, since then master cabinet maker Paul roberts has taken over the running of the business.
We have grown steadily and at present have a team of 5 skilled cabinet makers and our own installation team.
We work closely with our own clients and with various architects all over the south west of england and beyond.
We design, manufacture and install bespoke kitchens, bedrooms, studies, dressing rooms, utility rooms as well as one off pieces of beautiful furniture. www.horner-roberts.co.uk
First-class cabins
Thinking about creating additional space in your garden? Here are two examples of garden structures provided by local specialists Garden Affairs –a mini garden office and a self-contained living space for generating extra income.
Mini-garden office
This commission for a mini-office came from Karen, a garden designer with a passion for plants and organic and sustainable gardening. Having previously worked from her living room, the new wooden garden room gives her a dedicated work place within her small city garden.
The client, who chose Garden Affairs’ Mini Garden Office (1.8m x 2.4m) liked the contemporary style of long windows and double glazing, allowing plenty of light, the fact that it is insulated for all-year-round use, and has secure locks. The small size was important because Karen’s garden is only 4.5m x 13m and already had a shed and wood store. The height of the office also had to fit within planning restrictions as it was to be placed close to the boundary.
Karen’s garden design expertise meant that she was able to redesign the rest of the garden around the new office, creating a rill, new shaped borders and a patio to maximise the space. She loves the fact that the office is surrounded by plants and especially likes working there in the summer with the door open. As an organic garden designer and environmentalist, Karen was delighted to see that within a year solitary bees were using the gaps between the wood horizontals as their home.
The office space houses Karen’s drawing board and computer so that she has everything organised and to hand. The further benefit is that the house is not cluttered with work and being based in the separate office allows her to be more focused and not distracted by household chores.
Karen says, "What I love most about my garden office is that its my
space –and the dog’s of course as she loves to join me in the office! I call it my ‘Cube’ and being a plants person I had to plant up on the roof as well. It is also a space where clients can see where I work and create their gardens. In my office I feel connected with the environment and when the door is open I am only a few feet away from visiting birds!”
Garden annexe
In search of an additional source of income, Sue reached out to Garden Affairs with the intention of setting up a log cabin mobile home as an Airbnb at her home in Frome. She wanted to create a warm and cosy cabin-style building with amenities for overnight stays and an outdoor seating area to allow her to rent the space out.
The result was the multi-room Log Cabin (7m x 3.5m), to which Sue requested the addition of a two-metre canopy to give protection from the elements. She decided to leave the building untreated and stain it herself, and asked for the windows and doors to be painted a dusty grey at the factory. The unit was delivered and installed in just over a week.
The family made use of the annexe even before listing the property on Airbnb because during a house renovation, Sue’s four teens stayed in the cabin to avoid the disturbance of the construction. Sue then turned her attention to furnishing the annexe. She wanted to ensure that her guests would have all the comforts they needed during their stay and the centrepiece was a large, luxurious bed with high-quality linens and pillows. Sue painted the interior walls in a light colour to fill the space
Above: The mini office means that everything related to the business is to hand
Left: Karen loves being surrounded by greenery when working in her garden office
with reflective light and the ceilings were left unpainted to emphasise the rustic log
aesthetic.
The bathroom has a Velux skylight in the roof, strategically placed to allow natural light to enter, creating a bright and airy atmosphere. This is particularly beneficial in a bathroom, as it helps to prevent the build up of moisture and odours. The skylight also eliminates the need for additional windows or fixtures.
The compact footprint of sleeping area, kitchenette, bathroom and garden allows a selfcontained space with its own entrance and outdoor area. From offering temporary lodging for family to generating income, this offers flexibility beyond a fixed extension.
Garden Affairs have distributed and installed garden buildings across the UK for over 20 years, and offer a quality product and an efficient, stress-free process from start to finish. The company gives clients the freedom to be as involved as they want (or not!) in the process, from order to installation, and are always there to give advice during the build.
Visit the Garden Affairs showroom at Trowbridge Garden Centre, 288 Frome Road, Trowbridge BA14 0DT;gardenaffairs.co.uk
The spiral cantilevered staircase that Dr Amy Frost believes was inspired by the interior of a nautilus shell
cabin
This page, from left: the log cabin with its two-metre canopy; the living and kitchen area; and the bedroom
The cutting garden
September is a time of harvest, with apples, plums and berries ripening ready for collection. The colours in the flower garden are still vibrant, but it’s also time to start planning your growth action for next spring, says Jessica Stokes.
September in the cutting garden takes a new pace, and although it begins to slow, it is anything but dull. Dahlias in jewel tones sit happily beside grasses which are having their moment. You find some dahlias in dinner plate styles, others in cactus varieties, or the lily flowering kind which invite bees into their centres. Vivid greens have faded to golds, rusts and honeyed tones. Fruits are ripening on trees, apples and even damsons are ready to harvest. Asters are autumn’s daisies, and heleniums (sneezeweed) appear in caramels and ruby-reds, filling the borders. Lunaria (honesty) seed heads are drying on the plants and have lustrous, shimmering-likethe-moon seed pods. There are still jobs in the cutting garden to be done in September, and there are flowers yet to appear.
Chrysanthemums are my choice flower for this time of year. They will ‘out-flower’ the dahlias and give you colour right into the depths of autumn, even into early winter. Most chrysanthemums are perennial, but the florist cultivars are tender and need to be protected from the frost, either by transplanting them back inside when the temperature drops or by growing them under cover in a greenhouse or polytunnel in order to survive. They have made a resurgence in recent years, perhaps because they are available in a broader spectrum of colours. Rather than the garish lime greens or neon shades, which you might associate with chrysanthemums, they are now available in the most appealing velvety tones, which make them look almost like sea corals, not flowers at all. They come in single and double flowers, but my favourite are the spider varieties which have petals that look like unfurling fireworks against the bleak autumn skies. I particularly like Chrysanthemum ‘Tula purple’, C. ‘Avignon pink’, C. ‘Pip salmon’, C. ‘Tula improved’, C. ‘Smokey purple’ and C. ‘Tula carmella’. All of these work beautifully as cut flowers. They are also easy to propagate by taking cuttings from plants.
In order to start growing your own chrysanthemums, I recommend that you buy them as rooted cuttings in the spring, and then pot them up. You must keep them in a cold frame or under cover until the risk of frost has passed. They can then be planted out into your garden. The plants will need to be fed and watered on a regular basis using a tomato or seaweed feed, in order to have those incredible flowers come autumn. It is also worth noting that plants will need staking, with a simple cane and tied in with string as they grow.
Preparing for next year
September is a good time to sow hardy annual seed –this will ensure that you have early flowers, six weeks ahead of those that are sown in spring. You can now directly sow scabious, Calendula (pot marigold), Centaurea (cornflower), Ammi Majus (Queen Anne’s lace) and various poppies.
Now is also a good time to start organising and even planting your spring bulbs, such as daffodils, Muscari (grape hyacinth), hyacinth,
HeleniumLunaria (honesty)
Chrysanthemums
Scilla (bluebells), crocus, anemone and Chionodoxa (glory of the snow). Plant the builbs either directly, straight into the ground, or use the ‘bulb lasagne’ method, of layering bulbs and corms into pots/containers. This will give plants plenty of time to put on good growth and flower promptly, come spring. Hold off planting tulip bulbs until November because of the risk of fungal disease such as tulip fire (Botrytis tulipae), which can occur if planted into warmer soil and will result in damaging your tulips and creating a ‘blighted’ appearance on the flowers and leaves.
As you are deadheading perennials and annuals, consider collecting them in order to gather their seed for propagation. Plants such as scabious, cosmos and marigold, which will begin to die off, are easy to gather seed from. Keep them in a cool and dry place until it is time to sow them. I let them dry on the plant, remove their seed heads, shake them out and allow them to dry further, then place them in tiny labelled envelopes or tracing paper packages until their time comes. This will save you money and allow you to increase your plant stocks.
It’s also time to prune any climbing or rambling roses in your garden, which will or should now have finished flowering. Tie in any new shoots for formative roses, and cut back to the base any old, diseased or woody growth. Ensure your roses have enough space and light to grow and flourish disease free. Clear any leaves from the base of the plants to avoid the spread of disease.
By continuously deadheading plants such as dahlias, geranium, cosmos etc, you are spurring the plant back into action, and encouraging the continual production of flowers. When plants are allowed to go to seed,
they are completing their flower’s lifecycle. By regular deadheading and spur pruning, weeding around your plants, followed by a seaweed or tomato feed, you are enabling flowers to keep producing and growing, giving your garden and your flower vases colour, well into autumn. n
Jessica Stokes, gardener and sustainable floral designs. Instagram: #_flowerandland; flowerandland.com
Flower and Land
Thoughtful, curated and seasonal wedding flowers
Jess Stokes: floral designer and garden writer
www.flowerandland.com
flowerandland@gmail.com 07850 518858
West Woodlands is a delightful hamlet situated on the outskirts of Frome and close to Longleat and Stourhead Estates. Lavender Stable is one of three properties within this farm development and it is a converted barn with an extension having 3 bedrooms, the master having an ensuite shower room a further bathroom, separate laundry area and an open plan living/kitchen/dining area. The property has the benefit of a good size level garden to the rear and is accessed via fully glazed bifold doors creating a beautiful inside out living. The property has underfloor heating throughout. To the front of the property there is ample parking with areas for further planting.
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Cobb Farr, 35 Brock Street, The Circus, Bath; Tel: 01225 333332 37 Market Street, Bradford on Avon; Tel: 01225 866111
West Woodlands, Frome, Somerset
•3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms
•Open plan living/dining/kitchen space
•Peaceful location, large garden
•Ample parking
•Potential to purchase additional land
Price: £550,000
Woolley Green, Bradford on Avon
£1,595,000
A stunning and exceptionally unique property set in walled gardens with gated driveway, parking, opportunity to have generous annex/work space – all finished to an exacting standard with high quality materials.
• 4313 sq ft total accommodation
• 3 bedroom detached property with ancillary byre accommodation
• Situated on the outskirts of the town
• Private level gardens and gated driveway
Circus Mews, Bath
£975,000
An attractive and generously proportioned 2 bedroom reversed living mews house, tucked away quietly in a private gated courtyard and positioned in a fine residential location behind The Kings Circus, with a single garage and small private courtyard.
• 2 generous bedrooms with 2x ensuites
• Open plan kitchen/dining room
• Large drawing room
• Single garage, small private courtyard
• Communal cobbled gated courtyard
01225 333332 | 01225 866111
Steeple Ashton, Wiltshire
Leigh Road, Bradford on Avon
Hassle-free later-living in the heart of Bath
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