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ISSUE 140 • MAY 2014 £3.00 where sold
PIZZaArs’ CinATBaO
e th 25 y E xpre s s a P izz
THE MAGAZINE FOR THE CITY OF BATH
FRO C K‘ N ’ RO LL H ighli g hts of
Bat h in F ashion
A E B E H T o t EAT in e d wi th l ive mu s ic
p laces to
DRUMMINidG UP
f or
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Ha l f t er m f u n
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MUSICAtL ASSEMBLY Bath unes up i t s a n nu a l pa r t y f or
G N I N U T E F IN A v iat i on
ng i n signs e r d u l T coo o t in
C A ro l Co o p e r
F A CI N G T HE M US I C C ho
os e s he r Tracks
KEY, CHAN G Bath s fines ES t Properti e s on sho w
P LU S C R A F T Y B U S I N E S S : A V I S I T T O T H E M A K E R Y
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CONTENTS
May
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www.thebathmag.co.uk
2014
@ thebathmagazine
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IT’S FESTIVAL TIME
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Five things you won’t want to miss
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THE CITYIST One month, one magazine, one city . . .
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THE JET PLANE MEN Beautiful objects from redundant aircraft
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MRS STOKES Our columnist roams the city in search of the lesser bearded hipster
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BATH IN FASHION Highlights of this month’s frock-fest
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38 40
MEET THE ARTISTS ART & EXHIBITIONS
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SPRING GARDENS 18th century pleasure ground now an overlooked shadow of its former self
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28 DATES FOR YOUR DIARY Our comprehensive What’s On guide
32 COMPETITION
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36 GREAT WAR TRIBUTES We prepare to mark the anniversary
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EAT TO THE BEAT Melissa Blease’s top six places to dine and listen to live music
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HALF TERM FUN Ideas to keep the family amused
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SCHOOL REPORT News from the classroom
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THE WALK Head for the beautiful beech woods
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HEALTH & BEAUTY The plait makes a stylish comeback
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CREATIVE CITY The artists making unique pieces
SOMETHING TO RELY ON 82
GARDENING Jane Moore visits Hanham Court
FOOD HEROES MOVERS AND SHAKERS A round-up of city news and views
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THE BOOKS PAGE Topping & Company pick some good reads
Bath’s original Pizza Express still delivers
Silvana Tann meets goat’s cheese maker Mary Holbrook and her herd
W IN
Win a family ticket to the Royal Bath and West Show
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TASTY MORSELS Beyond the Kale, the new healthy kid on the block
BATH AT WORK Neill Menneer’s portrait of the month
The latest from our galleries and museums
MUSICAL MEDLEY A four-page special on the summer festivals and concerts in and around Bath
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Follow the trail throughout May
FACE THE MUSIC Carol Cooper, make-up artist to the stars, picks her favourite top ten
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ON A MISSION Theatre celebrates 20th birthday
THE MAKERY MOVES New creative hub for crafts and textiles
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HOT PROPERTY Find your next home in the city or country
Cover picture: courtesy of Shutterstock
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LIGHTING SPECIALIST 8 BATH STREET, FROME. TEL: 01 373473555 WWW.FIATLUX.CO.UK
Unikko 50th Anniversary fabric designed for Marimekko by Maija Isola & Kristina Isola.
Crafting beautiful homes In and around Bath
01225 791155
ashford-homes.co.uk 6 THEBATHMAGAZINE
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Absolutely stunning!!
S annon F U R N I T U R E LT D
68 Walcot Street Bath BA1 5BD 01225 424222
www.shannon-uk.com
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EDITOR’Sletter
M
ay is the month for merrymaking in Bath on a grand scale, as the city’s all-year round festival season hits its peak. The flowerbeds are in full bloom in our parks and the welcome mat is laid out for the millions who come to visit the best little city in England. And if the sun shines on them and they don’t get fined for driving through a bus gate or over Pulteney Bridge, I’m sure they’ll go away with favourable impressions of a city which offers such a rich cultural experience. One of the newcomers to the festival circuit, Bath in Fashion, gets into its elegant stride from 3 May, with a series of catwalk shows, talks and other happenings, some with serious intent, others delightfully frivolous and pleasurable. And as Bath in Fashion sashays off stage on Sunday 11 May we’re invited to put on our party hats on again and join in the Bath International Music Festival, the grand Daddy of all Bath festivals. The festival begins in traditional style with the free Party in the City on Friday 16 May, when there’ll be dozens of live music shows at venues around Bath. Sadly this year there’ll be no free firework show over the city skies to herald the start of the festival, but perhaps given these straitened times, many will see this as a financially sound decision. You might want to tell the dog too, who will no doubt welcome the news that his nerves can be left unfrayed until Bonfire Night. With the music festival in full swing it’s time to bring on its zany younger sister, the Bath Fringe Festival which opens with another free party on Friday 23 May at the glittering Spiegeltent on the famous Recreation ground in central Bath. There can be fewer more pleasant ways to spend an early summer evening than sitting in the sunshine outside the Spiegeltent, gazing across at the Abbey, listening to music and watching children play. Do pick up a fringe programme, there really is something for everyone this year. Have you checked out our website yet (www.thebathmag.co.uk) where you can listen to the music chosen by our Face the Music subjects each month? Carol Cooper, make-up artist for television and film, is our May interviewee, and she’s picked some classic sounds which you can listen to online, including Bath’s own Solsbury Hill by Peter Gabriel. There’s much, much more in our marvellous May issue. Our esteemed garden writer Jane Moore paid a visit to Hanham Court where she was inspired by the borders, and we’ve picked some other open gardens to visit. We’ve also found lots of things for you to do with the children in the half-term holidays and there are five sets of family tickets to be won to spend the day at the popular Royal Bath and West Show. We’ve juiced with Beyond the Kale at Green Park Station and been to find out more about how the clever Tucker brothers at Fallen Furniture turn unwanted airplane parts into desirable objects for the home. In these pages you’ll also find art, theatre, music, comedy, history, books, food and drink – all laid out for your amusement. May the fun be with you.
Georgette McCready Editor All paper used to make this magazine is taken from good sustainable sources and we encourage our suppliers to join an accredited green scheme. Magazines are now fully recyclable. By recycling magazines, you can help to reduce waste and contribute to the six million tonnes of paper already recycled by the UK paper industry each year. Please recycle this magazine, but if you are not able to participate in a recycling scheme, then why not pass your magazine on to a friend or colleague.
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ZEITGEIST Dress What influences us in what we wear is one of the big questions we’re asked to consider as this month’s Bath in Fashion events begin from Saturday 3 May. There’ll be catwalk shows, talks and exhibitions, but a good place to begin would be at Bath’s Fashion Museum, where the latest Dress of the Year has gone on show. Influential fashion blogger Susanna Lau picked this pink and lace dress by British designer Christopher Kane. The dress is embellished with cut-out white machine-made lace panels to which are affixed hundreds of tiny pink diamantes. Strips of black duct tape complete the garment. As always, the Dress of the Year provides a good talking point. Follow Susie on Twitter @stylebubble.
Look Bath’s empty shops will be transformed into free art galleries for us to enjoy as dozens of artists display their work as part of the Fringe Arts Bath Festival, which runs from Friday 23 May to Sunday 8 June. Call in to the FAB HQ in the old Officers Club shop in Stall Street to find out more. Among the 35 events taking place there’s the Bath Photomarathon on Saturday 3 May in which people will be challenged to take 20 photos of different aspects of Bath. Find out more at www.FringeArtsBath.co.uk or on Twitter @FringeArtsBath.
Wander
5
things to do in
Celebrate x2 There are two key dates for your diary this month – Friday 16 May which sees Bath hosting its annual Party in the City free evening of live music to launch the Bath International Music Festival, and Friday 23 May which marks the launch of the annual Bath Fringe Festival with a party in the Spiegeltent on the Rec. The Party in the City begins at 5.30pm on 16 May and continues through the evening with bands, singing and dancing in the city’s public spaces, including at the Roman Baths, Parade Gardens and Green Park Station, as well as venues as diverse as The Bell, Milsom Place, Number 1 Royal Crescent and the Cross Baths. See www.bathfestivals.org.uk for full listings. Fast forward to Friday 23 May and the Spiegeltent is hosting a free gig from 6pm of Zimbabwean music and dance from the band Siyaya. Find out more at: www.bathfringe.co.uk
Discover If you were a tourist with just one day to spend exploring Bath, it would be easy to leave thinking that the city’s heritage was largely established on wealth and privilege. But there lies a distinctly less-salubrious history beneath Bath’s pristine petticoats – stories that offer a fascinating insight into how the real people of Bath lived, worked and thought. Bath’s Natural Theatre Company and local charity
Developing Health and Independence have collaborated to produce Out of the Shadows, a promenade theatre event, which is part of the Bath Fringe Festival, offers an opportunity to stroll through Bath’s down-to-earth heritage and see the city in a new light. As the walk progresses, players will present thoughtprovoking scenes from the Roman, medieval, Georgian, and Victorian eras plus the 1960s. The event concludes with an opportunity for
Some people view them as an invasive foreign pest, but whether welcome or not, the sight of a group of rhododendron bushes in full flower is nature at her most flamboyant and colourful. This month there are two places not far from Bath where we can enjoy spectacular displays of rhododendrons. Westonbirt Arboretum near Tetbury has swathes of beautiful woodland to wander in and some great stretches of brightly coloured rhododendrons too. Or you could head out to the Bowood House estate near Calne, which has just won the Historic Houses Association Garden of the Year award 2014. There are over 60 acres of rhododendrons, camellias and azaleas to explore during a flowering season which lasts around six weeks from the end of April. You can pay admission to the Bowood house and grounds (which include an absolutely fabulous adventure playground for children, a lake, some romantic follies and a grotto with a child-thrilling dark tunnel) or just pay to see the Rhododendron Walk (£6.75 adults, £6.25 senior citizens, under 12s enter free).
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participants to learn how the DHI charity challenges social exclusion by supporting individuals to escape the cycle of poverty, achieve their potential and contribute to the richness of their community. Out of the Shadows performances start from Kingston Parade (by Bath Abbey) at 2pm and 4pm on Friday 30 and Saturday 31 May. It is free to join the walk and watch experience. For further information about the work of the DHI, visit www.dhi-online.org.uk.
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THE CITY The buzz Shop There’s been
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a lot of excitement among Bath’s shopping cognoscenti around the arrival of stylish store Anthropologie, which opens in the former Habitat shop on the corner of New Bond Street on Friday 30 May. You may be familiar with the brand, which has branches in Kings Road and Regent Street and Bath will be its fifth UK store. Anthropologie specialises in homeware, clothes and accessories. As can be seen from this charming shell top and skirt their ranges are original and rather covetable. A welcome addition to Bath.
We ask Becky Johnson manager of Fabulous jewellery shop what she is doing in May
Grow
First it was the cooking programmes and the sewing bee. Now it’s the Big Allotment Challenge on BBC2 that’s prompting us to rethink our back gardens. And if, instead of watching stuff growing on television, you would prefer to see the real thing, head down to Growing Green open day of the Bath Organic Group on Bank Holiday Monday 5 May from 1 – 4pm at the allotments on Upper Bristol Road. Hidden away behind a row of conifers this half acre has been tended by volunteers for the past 24 years. It has a mature orchard with more than 50 varieties of fruit tree, productive garden plots, and greenhouses and polytunnels that keep the group’s stall at Bath Farmers’ Market stocked with vegetable, fruit and flowers from spring to Christmas. Visitors will be able to pick up advice on topics like keeping chickens, or making perfect compost, for children there will be a storytelling tent and supervised pond-dipping, along with wholesome refreshments to buy. All the activities are free.
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What brought you to Bath? The common story . . . a man! I moved from Surrey to Wiltshire in 2008. But, Fabulous brought me to the beautiful city of Bath. I didn’t really know Bath before I started working here, but I am glad and proud to work here now. What are you reading? I’ve reverted back to an old school classic – Captain Corelli’s Mandolin by Louis De Berniere. I loved this book at school with its quirky little stories, romance and wit. A classic read that will always remain in my bookcase. What is on your MP3 player? During the day in the shop we play an album called Come Dine with Me, this is a really relaxing album with a variety of artists such as Alicia Keys, Jamie Cullum and Nina Simone. At home, as my partner is a drummer, I tend to have to listen to tracks that have a lot more beat, so work is a lovely change. Which café or restaurant takes your fancy? I am always looking to try new places in Bath, but I do love to return to Hall & Woodhouse especially at this time of year when the roof terrace is open. It’s also a preferred venue for us to host jewellery events, as the function room is a great space. So I do spend a lot of time there. Which museum or gallery will you be visiting? I always make a point of keeping up to date with what is on at the Fashion Museum in Bath as I have a degree in fashion.
Your passions? What hobbies or interests will you be pursuing? I am going to try to turn my hand from selling jewellery to making it as well this year as Fabulous is launching an up-cycling project, turning old jewellery into new pieces, entirely for charity, and I’m very involved in organising it. What local outdoor activity or event will you be doing or visiting? Every year we host a Jewellery Garden Party at the Bath Priory. This year it will be from noon on Thursday 10 July and we hope for all day sunshine, because the gardens are stunning. There’ll be a Pimms’ reception and a three course lunch, followed by a chance to meet our designers and shop the latest jewellery trends. Tickets are £30, to book visit: www.fabulouscollections.co.uk or tel: 01225 330333. Film or play? What will you be going to see? As it is Bath in Fashion this month (3 – 10 May) and the city is full of fun activities, events and exhibitions, I won’t be sitting inside a cinema or theatre this month. I’ll be indulging in some of what Bath in Fashion has to offer. There is too much going on, so I’m not sure how I will fit it all in. I will probably start with the amazing talk with Sarah Mower of American Vogue with design duo Meadham Kirchhoff on Thursday 8 May at 8pm in the Octagon. Tel: 0844847 5256 or visit: www.bathinfashion.co.uk.
City says thank you to remarkable couple A couple who have given millions of pounds to help good causes and organisations in Bath have been awarded the rare honour of being granted the freedom of the city. Brian and Margaret Roper were invited to the historic Council Chamber at Bath Guildhall by the Mayor and the Bath Trustees, where they were presented with a certificate as a symbol of the high regard in which they are held by the citizens of Bath. Mr Roper built up his bathroom business, Roper Rhodes, from scratch and combined his business success with a strong social conscience. Each year, under the umbrella The Roper Family Charitable Trust, at least half a million
pounds is given away to help fund projects and charities. You may have seen the name Roper around the city, at the City of Bath College, Hayesfield School, every year on the Bath festivals programmes and at the Theatre Royal. What we see is the tip of the philanthropic iceberg, with many small charities and groups also helped by the Ropers. Mr Roper has incurable cancer, and while his family has pledged to continue to run the trust, he has put out a heartfelt plea for Bath businesses to give more to local charities, and for publications such as ours to give publicity to those good causes, which we will be pleased to continue to do.
We’re following @LuckyJuturna, the voice of the brightly coloured pig who resides at Guildhall Market. This little piggy is a rugby loving, beer drinking, irreverent, cheeky Bathonian who loves his city – but be warned, he’s a bit sweary sometimes.
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THE ART OF AVIATION Georgette McCready meets the Tucker brothers behind the bespoke label Fallen Furniture, who are creating unique furniture and artwork from parts taken from de-commissioned aircraft
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hen brothers Ben and Harry Tucker say they built their business up from the ground, they’re talking literally. The siblings, one an ex-property investment consultant and the other a model and the one-time face of Hollister, rolled up their sleeves on their old family farm and built themselves a workshop and showroom from the ruins of a rundown stone piggery. And if you played 20 questions as to what the pair might be creating in their new space, I’ll bet it wouldn’t include taking parts of used planes and turning them into highly decorative pieces of furniture. The brothers, who grew up having to be practical and hands-on at the farm near Hilperton in the heart of the Wiltshire countryside, have created Fallen Furniture, a luxury brand which transforms parts taken from decommissioned historic and commercial aircraft into unusual and unique pieces of furniture. They’ll source something as unlikely as the entire passenger fuselage with its row of windows and with a big dash of creative thinking, some design wizardry and many, many days of painstaking hard labour they can create a series of beautifully burnished wall clocks. Each is unique, characterised by its rivets, its little dents and knocks, with the window forming a frame for the clockface. An Airbus exit door in the Tucker brothers hands is incorporated into a glass topped coffee table, while the big intake cowling from a Boeing 737 is no longer a piece of scrap languishing in an airfield breakers yard, but a stylish bespoke bar with a mirrored finish. The workshop is scattered with pieces in various stages of development, alongside welding and polishing equipment. The brothers have finished slicing up a big chunk of fuselage to make more clocks and Ben’s busy design book contains the latest sketches for turning a Mark I 600lb cluster bomb into a James Bond-esque shiny cocktail cabinet. As Ben shows me a render – a mock-up photograph – he explains that this piece may take up to six months intensive work to hand craft and polish every inch of the bomb (a practice missile that was never fired) to create a sleek finish. What will appear at first glance to be a piece of contemporary sculpture in a room can then be opened to reveal shelves of bottles and glasses inside. We stop at a worktop where a cylinder which was once part of an exhaust system on an aircraft. What lies in store for this, I wondered? It’s big enough to make a rather fine ice bucket for a party’s worth of bubbly, I venture tentatively. Ben shows me the design – it’s going to become the head of an oversize anglepoise style lamp which will stand at about six feet tall and fit perfectly into a modern interior. This is one of the factors that makes Fallen Furniture stand out, as the brothers have a creative vision, the talent and the determination to see each idea realised. It’s no wonder Fallen Furniture has won so many followers and commercial and private customers in its first 18 months of business. Ben says: “What we’ve discovered is that there are a lot of aircraft 12 THEBATHMAGAZINE
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enthusiasts out there. I guess there’s a fascination with flying for all of us, you know, how did that old tin can get to stay up in the air?” Customers have included pilots, as might be expected, and a recent commercial contract saw Fallen Furniture supply Ryanair’s Irish headquarters with coffee tables. Bathonians can get a close look at some pieces in Felix Lighting in Bartlett Street, or look at the newly revamped website which allows people to browse and shop online. The Tuckers are also busy designing a glossy brochure to enable them to sell their lines of clocks, tables and lamps. They also welcome one-off commissions from business and private individuals. Prices range from £850 and each piece is marked with its FF logo and is unique. Ben and Harry are currently in talks with Harrods about taking part in the Knightsbridge store’s summer celebration of British furniture design. A representative from Harrods even came down to Wiltshire to see for himself what Fallen Furniture is producing in its workshop. Working in goggles and wielding a power tool in a spray of dust and dirt to prepare plane parts for their transformation into functional pieces of design is a long way from Harry’s days as a professional model, when he posed for magazines and poster campaigns and found himself spending time in New York, LA and London. How and why did he make the career change? “I came back home and wondered if I really wanted to carry on modelling, which wasn’t ever a career I had planned on,” he says. “Ben wanted a career change so he could do something more creative and we both wanted to work for ourselves. We came up with the idea. We knew that noone else in the UK was doing this kind of thing, so we took it from there.” Ben picks up the story: “It’s a real challenge to create a luxury brand that’s also accessible to home owners. And, as you can see, we’re pretty much doing it all ourselves, from the ideas to the manufacture and the marketing. We like the idea that we’re creating the antiques of the future, something that people will still have in 100 years’ time. It’s good to take pieces that have already been beautifully engineered and then to add our own engineering to them.” The pair showed their work at the Grand Designs show last year, where Kevin McCloud expressed an interest and even took photographs of some of their projects, ahead of his C4 show Supersized Salvage. I ask them whether there are any grounded aircraft that they dream of getting their hands on. “Concorde maybe,” smiles Ben. His brother chips in with: “Yes, Concorde, or maybe a Spitfire?” I suddenly have a vision of the pair as small boys enthusiastically putting Airfix models of war-time planes together at the farmhouse kitchen table. “No,” says Harry, dashing my illusion, “we weren’t really into Airfix. Actually, we didn’t even do metal work at school.” For more information visit: www.fallenfurniture.com. ■
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BROTHERS WITH SKY HIGH AMBITION: originl thinkers Harry and Ben Tucker Opposite page, a coffee table’s sleek curves are made from the exit door of an Airbus A320, while a Boeing 777 wheel after hours of painstaking work becomes a gleaming coffee table (also below bottom right) Far right, and below, clocks made from Boeing 737 passenger side fuselage which the brothers have transformed into objects of desire, all feature the Fallen Furniture logo MIRROR FINISH: below, Fallen Furniture at the Grand Designs show. When the Tuckers picked up this jet engine casing, it was a dull metal grey – after hours of polishing it’s now a bar unit, with fitted shelves behind
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Mrs Stokes
takes a sideways look at life in Bath ©www.robbiddulph.com
Where the hipsters hang out
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he other day I got to wondering – where do all the hipsters go in Bath? After all, I know where to find rugby fans (Flan O’Briens and Charlotte Street Car Park), the yummy mummy crew (Jika Jika, The Makery) or even the Mung Bean Massive (Beyond the Kale at Green Park, of which more on our foodie pages). But hipsters . . . where are the cooler kids among us to be found? And what is a hipster anyway? I mused whether I was one, until I turned to that 21st century oracle, Google and discovered that you have to be young (under 30 probably). It also confirmed that the term is now “broadly associated with . . . a varied non-mainstream fashion sensibility (including vintage and charity shop clothes), progressive political views, artisanal foods, and alternative lifestyles.” It also said they like to own non-consumer items, like fixed gear bikes, fountain pens and vinyl record players. The female of the species favours granny dresses that she’s remodelled, the chaps invariably sport beards, it said, and their often thick-rimmed specs can be found to be fake, sporting plain glass rather than corrective lenses. Eureka! Next task was to train a bona fide Bath hipster in my sight. When it came to the hipster’s natural habitat, Wikipedia suggested that these “young Bohemians reside in gentrifying neighborhoods.” I couldn’t think of any suitable locales – they pretty much seem already there (like positively aristocratic Widcombe) or unlikely (down-to-earth Twerton), although I guess Oldfield Park has the best chance at gentrification. So I investigated Hipster Hangouts instead – and Twitter – that other allknowing source of information pointed me unreservedly in the direction of The Society Café in Kingsmead Square. I can see why it came up. It’s one of my favourites, thanks to its excellent coffee from local roastery, Roundhill Coffee – a big tick for using artisanal foods. The airy ground floor interior has soft wooden floors and those key industrial design details – naked light-bulbs on wires, metal stools nestling under the counters and a large bicycle decorating the back room. It’s ‘90s minimalism updated, with the introduction of key social media addresses painted on the wall – Instagram and Twitter (Facebook is dead to the hipster – if indeed they ever signed up – too mainstream and monpolising). The clientele was mixed – quite a lot of lone middle aged men in Joe 90 glasses and thin-knit jumpers on laptops and exquisitely styled Japanese couples in blazers and tweed skirts, all drinking at the fountain of cool. But as soon as I saw the staff, I knew I was in the presence of Bath’s rare beast. Five twenty-something men dressed in smart white shirts buttoned up to the neck stood behind the counter, smiling. Their manners were exceptional; polite and helpful without being loud and eager. And each one of them had a distinctive hairstyle – on their head and their face. Yes, one of the key hipster hallmarks is the hair, reminiscent of the Victorians or Edwardians (think Cillian Murphy in Peaky Blinders), usually short at the sides and long on top, although one of these gentlemen had shoulder-length, curly hair to match his beard. Three of them were bushy at the jowels (another giveaway) and two of them sported bow ties. The look is loosely inspired by preppy 1940s and 1950s Americana – cardigans, skinny jeans, checked shirts and glasses – they’ve got to be big to count. So you’re going to find them looking for clothes at Bath’s vintage fairs and shops and in Found boutique or The Bath Artisan Market [shameless plug] sourcing independent art and furniture. So I had found the elusive hipster! Which comforted me, knowing that the city does have a cool subculture, however small. And it also gladdened me to realise that whenever I want to flirt with hipster chic I don’t have to waste precious time scouring fairs and independent shops for those unique finds. I can just always pop into Urban Outfitters instead. ■
@mrsstokeschina
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Lipstick, powder and paint Bath based make-up and hair designer Carol Cooper talks to Mick Ringham about her close encounter with stars from stage and screen and which tracks she’d pick as her top ten favourites
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arol Cooper is a make-up and hair designer – but you won’t find her behind the counter of a department store or local beauty salon. She’s the face who puts the face on many of the stars on TV and in film. Famous names who’ve come under her close scrutiny include Lauren Bacall, Laurence Olivier and David Suchet, while her handiwork can be admired in series including Mistresses, Skins, Larkrise to Candleford and Call the Midwife. It was while at school in Doncaster that the 16-year-old Carol helped with make-up and production of school plays and also became interested in cinema. She said: “It became an almost morbid curiosity and on my days off I would visit my local cinema and stay all day watching films over and over again.” Carol found a kindred spirit in the Gaumont cinema’s manager and she started to collect film posters of the time, which are now framed and displayed on the walls of her Bath home. After leaving school, she went to study make-up and design at Chichester College, as well as helping out at the renowned Chichester Festival Theatre. At the end of her course in 1973, she embarked on her career as one of two trainees at Yorkshire Television. She said: “We were given the brief that there were a few faces that needed powdering, so we entered the studio to find a 300 strong naval choir due to record one of their songs. After the initial shock, we set about powdering the lot – some would say it was a baptism of fire!” During seven years with the company, she worked on such films as Yanks, starring a young Richard Gere. It was her first taste of creating the 1940s look and that era, along with the 1950s, remains one of her favourite periods to recreate. In 1980, having got some experience under her belt and found her work sought-after, Carol moved south and joined Thames TV, where she stayed working on a substantial catalogue of work from TV soaps to feature films. She went freelance in the early 90s, gaining greater control of her work/life balance. I asked her if she had any tips for anyone wanting to enter the profession. “I guess it’s like everything, it’s all about commitment and of course research for any job is crucial. I love using photo references when I can and also real people, it makes it far more believable. Because my work is so varied I enjoy looking for images that inspire. This really is an amazing profession but don’t let anyone think it’s not hard work, getting up sometimes at 4am in winter to start preparing for filming requires real dedication.”
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Over the years, Carol has worked on a all kinds of productions with all kinds of famous faces and has just finished and designed the last series of Call the Midwife. I asked if there was one person in her career she would have enjoyed working with: “Without doubt that would have been the late David Lean. He was an inspiration to so many in the film world.” Carol is married to fellow BAFTA nominated TV producer Nick Bigsby and they are proud parents of daughters, Alex and Gemma. The couple live surrounded by artifacts and memorabilia from decades of working in the world of comedy, drama and spectacle.
Carol’s top ten: ● Scott McKenzie – San Francisco This reminds me of the summer and being happy. It was also the flower power hippy awakening and I experienced going to my first disco around this time. This record is such an upbeat song, full of hope and good things to come. On reflection, it was such an incredible time to be young. ● Eric Clapton – Layla Just after I started working for Yorkshire television, I saved up enough money to buy a record player. I thought it was amazing and one of the first albums I bought was by Eric Clapton. I love this track, not only because I thought it was so wonderful that someone could write so beautifully to the girl he loved, but also for the surprise and haunting instrumental at the end, which I played over and over again. ● Simon and Garfunkel – The Boxer I am a big fan of these two – The Graduate and all that. I surprised one of my daughters who was playing the Mumford and Son version by being totally word perfect. There’s such drama on this track and they complement each other beautifully vocally, I can listen to it time and time again. ● Dire Straits – Roller Girl I adored Sultans of Swing from the first time I heard it, but I will never forget the images I have for Roller Girl as I stepped into Studio 2 of Thames TV, to watch Dire Straits rehearse this for the Kenny Everett Show. The picture of the band on stage, performing this track as a girl on roller skates in a gold breast plate descends in a glass lift was astonishing – you had to be there! ● Pink Floyd – Comfortably Numb Nothing had quite prepared me for the spectacle that was The Wall. I saw this at Earls Court and was totally blown away by it. Incredibly powerful images and stunning music. David Gilmour was playing solo guitar, sitting
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STIRRING STUFF: left to right, Elbow’s Grounds for Divorce, Simon and Garfunkel, The Boxer and Peter Gabriel, Solsbury Hill
on top of a great wall, before it came crashing down. I remember decorating and stripping every scrap of paint from the woodwork of my flat to this album – effortlessly. ● Elbow – Grounds for Divorce I turn up the volume on this track. What a tremendous band. This piece really stirs the soul. Rock and opera is such a powerful combination and makes for really original music. I just want to switch it right up and get lost in the drama of it all. It also has the effect of making me jump up and have a good dance. ● Frank Zappa– Watermelon on Easter Hay This is from the album Joe’s Garage and is one of the most beautiful pieces of contemporary music played by some fine and gifted musicians who have my ultimate respect. I had the good fortune to meet Zappa and was struck with not only his musicianship but his wit! ● Annie Lennox – No More I Love Yous It’s truly inspiring the way she has experimented with her different looks, visually and musically she has always been
exciting. This lady has a fabulous voice and incredible range, powerful, gentle and soulful. If I could be anyone else, I would like to be able to sing just like her, she is a great ambassador and I support everything she does. She also does it with grace and style. ● Vangelis – sound track from Chariots of Fire My list would not be complete without the addition of this film score. I am such a big fan of the cinema and the power of a great musical score enhances the visuals. This piece is a perfect example and as well as being beautiful is incredibly uplifting and emotional. ● Peter Gabriel – Solsbury Hill I love this because I have walked it many times and can just about see it from our house. It was a favourite walk of mine with the dogs Zac and Hettie. It’s a place to escape and reflect on life, also to be at one with nature. When I’m not working, one of my favourite things to do is to walk to the top of the Solsbury Hill, take a couple of deep breaths and enjoy the view of this wonderful city. ■
Listen to the Face the Music tunes visit : www.thebathmag.co.uk
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STYLEcounsel
You wear it well...
by Natasha Musson
When I saw this culotte jumpsuit in the Howl and Wolf concession at Blue, The Loft, my first thought was no way! But after being swamped by jumpsuits I gave it a go and loved it. Team it with a statement blazer
• Look Number 1
• Look Number 2
Daytime monochrome
Take me out
Made by London based unisex brand, Horace, this culotte jumpsuit is surprisingly versatile, comfortable and easy to wear. It felt like a dress but the trouser element made it as easy to wear as a pair of loose trousers. The on-the-knee length is just right, any higher and we would be drifting into skater-skirt territory which is a no-go for someone my age. The suit is tailored but has a pleated front and pockets, so it’s fluid and moves well. I’ve teamed it with a fresh white jacket by Selected Femme and cute, easy to wear black and white pumps. The belt gives it day-appeal for a stylish office look or summer lunch with friends. Note: you might need a hand to undo the zip. Source it, buy it: culotte jumpsuit by Horace for Howl and Wolf, £75, jacket Selected Femme £70, pumps Elodie Bruno, £135, Triwa sunglasses, £125, belt Bitte Kairand £79. All at Blue, the Loft.
This ensemble oozes sophistication. It sits brilliantly under the navy and black checked jacket by Finders Keepers which has modern faux leather lapels and pocket trim. Just add heels and glamorous earrings and head off to a cocktail party or posh birthday bash. Stand tall and work those pockets. The sporty, clean line and simple silhouette of the culotte suit offers lots of ways to use accessories, many of which you will already own. A statement necklace will dress it up, or dress it down for the weekend by layering a cropped sporty top and chunky flat sandals. This is a great way to catch the shorts trend. I’ve surprised myself with this nifty little number, it’s my throw-on, must-have buy for the spring. Source it, buy it: jumpsuit, as before, jacket Finders Keepers £139, black heels and earrings, stylist’s own.
Natasha Musson: wardrobe consultant and stylist. Visit: www.natashamusson.co.uk email: natashamusson@yahoo.co.uk
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FASHIONshow
Walk this way – or that Get behind a community campaign to help build the people of Bath and the surrounding towns and villages a purpose-built cancer centre at the Royal United Hospital by supporting one of the many fundraising events being staged – or why not hold one of your own?
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odels aged from 16 to 80 will be taking to the catwalk this month for a unique fashion show in aid of two major local charities. Walk This Way is a collaboration between Bath textile artist Carole Waller and Blue boutique of the Loft in Bartlett Street. The show, on Thursday 15 May at the Octagon, will raise funds for art as part of the Forever Friends appeal to build a cancer centre at the Royal United Hospital and for St John’s Hospital, Bath, which gives grants to people in need. Carole Waller, whose studio is on Box Road, Bathford, has been creating unique painted silk clothing since 1986. Each piece is a one-off and her designs have been exhibited and sold in Harvey Nichols, the Victoria and Albert Museum and in New York. The evening will begin with a drinks reception, followed by a catwalk show which fuses fashion,
A HELPING HAND: Big Ted from Forever Friends teams up with Kieran from Kier Construction
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art and performance. The team includes Bath based choreographer Emily Taylor and music from Wikk Renel who is Master of Music in contemporary music at Goldsmiths College, London. The pair have worked with Carole on previous occasions. Independent designer boutique Blue at the Loft in Bartlett Street has for years been a favourite with Bath shoppers. It stocks more than a dozen designer labels that you don’t normally find in runof-the-mill high street chains, including Lileth, Bitte Kai Rand, Pret Pour Partir and Les Filles d’Ailleurs. The Forever Friends appeal is to raise £8.5m towards building a new cancer centre at the RUH, which will serve a population of just under half a million in Bath and the surrounding towns and villages. Much of the current centre is based in single storey buildings which were built for American troops at the end of the Second World War with single skin brick walls, so they are Help boost the RUH Forever Friends Appeal by signing up for the annual Walk for Life, which takes place this year on Saturday 17 May. Choose to walk nine miles from Bradford-onAvon to Bath, 12 miles from Devizes to Bradford-on-Avon or the full 21 miles on the allday walk from Devizes to Bath. Many people choose to take part with their family and friends, as this is a nice way to celebrate loved ones’ lives. The original Walk for Life began in 2007 after the death of Vanessa Kyte, who had raised over £100,000 for charity after her diagnosis, and whose family and friends wanted to pay tribute to her.
inclined to be cold in winter and hot in summer. The new centre will have the equipment needed to treat patients with all kinds of cancers and it will be scaled to human needs, so the experience of visiting is as comfortable and positive as is possible under the circumstances. Now that we understand more about the healing process than we did 60 years ago, attention will be paid to patients being made to feel at ease in the new environment with thoughtful touches for privacy, comfort, natural light, gardens and art in all its forms. Thanks to public support and donations from Sir James and Lady Deirdre Dyson and David Medlock, the £5m mark has already been reached. Show tickets are £15, to include a glass of wine, from www.bathboxoffice.co.uk or tel: 01225 463362. The event begins at 7pm in the Octagon, which is a historic chapel tucked away off Milsom Street and Milsom Place. ■ Now we can all pull together with the joint aim of raising funds for the £8.5m cancer centre. With one in three of us receiving a cancer diagnosis, it’s something which affects every family. Last year 225 walkers took part and organisers are hoping for even more this year. Kier Construction is sponsoring this year’s event and its staff have kindly agreed to volunteer to marshall the 21-mile route – so walkers, if you see a builder on the towpath that day, give him or her a cheery wave. To enter the 2014 Walk for Life call the events team, tel: 01225 821535 or download at: www.foreverfriends.co.uk.
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Silver Bear Jewellery & Gifts
Your local shop for gorgeous greeting cards, notebooks, scarves,candles, silver jewellery and much much more
34 Wellsway Bear Flats, Bath, BA2 2AA 01225 422225 silverbearjewelleryandgifts@gmail.com (In the former Flat Out Ironing shop)
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LOOKING GORGEOUS
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BATHinFASHION Bath in Fashion 2014, which opens on Sunday 3 May and runs through to Sunday 11 May, features catwalk shows, exhibitions, talks, films and the chance to get hands-on experience in this most creative of British industries
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et your glad rags on for this month’s annual fashion-fest, Bath in Fashion, which will be popping up at venues all around the city. There’ll be professional catwalk shows with guest designers, talks with some of the leaders in the British fashion industry and insights into why we wear what we wear. Pick up a programme and browse through more than two dozen events to find one that suits your style. It’s not all about clothes. There is a rare chance to join one of the world’s most respected and influential interior designers as she talks about the interiors featured in a new glossy book. Nina Campbell is renowned for her courageous wit and brilliant sense of style. She’ll be speaking about colour, texture, lighting, art and other aspects of creating fabulous interiors at The Octagon on Tuesday 6 May from 2.30pm. Bathonian Sarah Mower, a contributor to American Vogue will be hosting an evening with designers Meadham Kirchhoff on Thursday 8 May at the Octagon. This Anglo-French duo, who create wonderfully theatrical headturning collections, very rarely give interviews – preferring to let their clothes speak for themselves – but we’ll be able to hear their views at this event. Lifting the lid on British style for men is Jason Basmajian, the creative director of Gieves and Hawkes, who will be in conversation with Teo van den Broeke, style editor of Esquire magazine, on Thursday 8 May, while TopShop’s managing director Mary Homer will be giving an insight into this highly successful high street brand on Tuesday 6 May and handbag and shoe designer Emma Hope will be talking about the much-hyped festival fashion scene, as seen by the likes of Kate Moss at Glastonbury. Acclaimed Swedish photographer Bruno Ehrs has been given unique access to the Gieves and Hawkes archive for a book on the history of the men’s fashion house, commissioned from Flammarion to be published in the autumn. Bruno has captured the craftsmanship reflected in the Gieves & Hawkes archives. The Gentleman Past and Present can be seen at the Octagon from 3 to 10 May. Admission is free. This should be a fascinating insight into the style of gentlemen since the 18th century. Gieves became a celebrated supplier of the British Royal Navy and Hawkes of the British Army with Admiral Lord Nelson and Field Marshal The Duke of Wellington among its customers. Those in the know about textiles will be excited to learn that the cult magazine Selvedge is leaving its usual London haunts for a rare visit to the south west, when it will be staging one of its fairs at the Octagon in Bath on Saturday 10 May from 10am to 4pm. The fair will cover every aspect of fabric, from fashion and interiors to art and craft. Also that day best-selling craft writer and milliner Mary Jane Baxter will be running a pop-up workshop in Milsom Pace courtyard, where for £5 a piece, visitors can go along and rummage through the workshop on wheels to create a floral headpiece. There’s a fascinating sounding talk on why fashion matters, which will be delivered by Bristol University fashion lecturers Tracy Fitzgerald and Alison Taylor on Friday 9 May, from 11am at the Theatre Royal, Bath. They’ll be talking about their book 1,000 Dresses, about the most important dresses of recent times. This is the fifth year for Bath in Fashion and the main organiser Bath BID (Business Improvement District) and Bath Tourism Plus are focused on the event being creatively and financially benefitting to the city. It aims to create a buzz, encouraging retailers to get involved and drawing visitors to the city. On Saturday 10 May one of the most popular events, Fashion Your Future takes place at 11am at Komedia, Westgate Street. Anyone interested in carving a career in the fashion industry should make sure they’re in the audience to hear advice first hand from the experts. Another popular annual event is the Vintage Sunday fair held at Green Park Station on Sunday 4 May. This is always a fun event which encourages people to take part by dressing up in vintage gear, adopting the look from top to toe. For full details of Bath in Fashion 2014 pick up a brochure or visit: www. bathinfashion.co.uk. ■ CLASSIC: photographer Mario Testino’s shot for Vogue, featured in the talk and book signing by fashion journalist Linda Watson, Vogue on . . . Vivienne Westwood, being held in conjunction with Topping & Co bookshop and Tallulah Rose Flower School on Tuesday 6 May from 4pm at the Dower House restaurant, the Royal Crescent Hotel. Tickets for the talk, over tea and scones, and booksigning, are £18 from tel: 01225 823333.
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u o y k n a h T the music for
The live music summer season in Bath and beyond is about to begin. We highlight some of the best bits from the Bath International Music Festival, Iford Arts Festival, Bath Fringe Festival and the current programme at Wiltshire Music Centre 24 THEBATHMAGAZINE
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ON A GRAND SCALE: main picture, Molotov Jukebox This page, top Brassjaw - three saxophones and a trombone Below, left to right, accordionist Martynas Levickis, pianist and composer Iiro Rantala, and singer Stacey Kent For full programme details pick up a brochure at the Tourist Information Centre or look online: www.bathfestivals.org .uk. To buy tickets tel: 01225 463362
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ick your favourite instrument and we’ll bet it features in this year’s International Bath Music Festival. Piano? You’ll love the Gould Piano Trio – three of the best broadcasting from Bath to the world on BBC3 Radio 3. Saxophone? Jazz supremo the Norwegian chart topper Jan Garbarek is returning to the festival, to raise the roof of Bath Abbey. Lovers of the mellifluous harp will be transported by the skills of Gabriella Dall’Olio, while fans of the notoriously challenging to play accordion can take pleasure in watching and listening to virtusoso Martynas Levickis, who has been playing since he was just three. There’s even a tiny concertina taking centre stage this year. Part sailor, part classical guitarist James Boyd, who brings his Shapes of Sleep concert to the Old Theatre Royal on Saturday 24 May, is inspired by the rhythms and sounds of the sea. James recently undertook a sailing trip around the east coast of the UK in his restored sailing boat. His odyssey to mark the centenary of Benjamin Britten took him from Aldeburgh to Orkney and inspired new compositions along the way. His concert starts in the 16th century with the work of John Dowland, runs through music by Tippett and Britten and ends with a work composed by Joseph Phibbs. Festival artistic director Alasdair
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Bath Music festival Nicolson has picked a truly eclectic mix for this year’s programme, which opens on Friday 16 May and runs until Monday 26 May. He’s put the jazz element back in to the mix, bringing popular American diva Stacey Kent back to wow Bath audiences. One of Finland’s greatest musicians, Iiro Rantala is bringing his unique pianist fireworks to the west country. His programme sweeps from Bach to jazz to his own compositions. If you like a classic string quartet with an added twist you may like to hear The Harlem Quartet, making a rare foray from New York to the UK for a one-off gig. The quartet plays the Guildhall on Saturday 17 May. The group was put together in 2006 by the Sphinx Foundation, which works to diminish cultural stereotypes associated with classical music and encourage the participation of African-Americans and Latinos in the field. The foursome will present the classical elegance of Beethoven and Borodin alongside a composition by jazz giant Wynton Marsalis. And while Nicolson has been generous in choosing all kinds of musical instrument to showcase, he’s also big on
the human voice. That most delicate and soothing of sounds, the lullaby, will be celebrated by Scottish mezzo soprano Rowan Hellier in a sleep themed evening. The spoken word will be used to great effect at an evening to commemorate the First World War. Bath residents soprano Isobel Buchanan and actor Jonathan Hyde will be presenting a poignant programme, In Flanders Field, of songs and readings, from I Vow to Thee My Country to Bob Dylan’s Blowing in the Wind. More rumbustious will be Death by Custard: the Seven Deadly Sins in Seven Ballads, presented by a mix of intruments and voice from Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. These verses reach across the centuries with tales of human misery, crime, scandal and humour. Young voices will also be heard at the festival. Composer Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, marking his 80th birthday, will be in Bath for a free concert at St Michael’s Without Church on 20 May. This will include a rendition of his 1979 Kirkwall Shopping Songs, plus an update for local youngsters entitled Bath Shopping Songs written by Alasdair Nicolson. More talent can be heard at the egg theatre when local youngsters from Mentoring Plus use hip hop poetry to explore what the word home means. Prick up your ears and listen out for the instrument that stirs you. ■
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SUMMERsounds
At Iford Festival discover: scandalous Puccini, Donizetti Harley bikers and an AWOL Baroque soap opera husband
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dyllic Iford is celebrating the Cloister Centenary, 100 years since Harold Peto, owner of the Wiltshire house and designer of its Italianate gardens, created Iford Arts Festival as a peaceful retreat from the world during the First World War. Now home to the three month summer Iford Festival of Opera, Proms and Concerts, the cloister celebrations along with a replant of the Grade I listed Peto gardens, six miles from Bath, promise to make the 2014 season, a special one. As the Daily Telegraph has it: “pure magic as though each performance is enacted entirely for your personal benefit.” Take some friends and a picnic and prepare for an experience that will impress even the most jaded cultural palate – an internationally impressive spectacle right here on our doorstep.
On 7 June the opera season, which rates four stars in The Guardian, Times and the Independent – starts with Puccini’s La Rondine. This little performed piece had a difficult conception, but the music is simply divine, listen to Doretta’s Dream Song on YouTube and you’ll see why Iford Arts’ creative director Judy Eglington has chosen to include this story of female motivation. Written during the First World War, a culturally exciting time for music and the arts, and set in Paris, Magda aka The Swallow is a woman who precipitates herself out of her secure but humdrum life and then asks herself the question “Have I got the courage to continue?” Iford Arts’ new production takes the Marchesa Casati, Italy’s most scandalous woman of the turn-of-the-century, as its inspiration. An heiress, a muse and a fashion legend Luisa Casati dazzled and shocked everyone she met . . . Live snakes were her jewellery; evening strolls were taken naked beneath her furs while parading cheetahs on diamond-studded leads. Nude servants gilded in gold leaf 26 THEBATHMAGAZINE
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Iford Music festival
attended her. Bizarre wax mannequins sat as guests at her dining table, some of them rumored to contain the ashes of past lovers. Ilona Domnich is Magda, James Edwards plays Ruggero and Ruth Jenkins-Robertsson is Lisette. Oliver Gooch conducts. Ruth JenkinsRobertsson and Oliver Gooch will also perform in the £24 Iford Young Artist Cloister concerts, with a night of Italian opera from Rossini to Puccini, Donizetti to Verdi, on Sunday 8 June. On Sunday 15 June the Chroma chamber ensemble present a concert of Ravel, Debussy. Comedy juggernaut Opera della Luna, hailed by The Stage as “fast approaching national treasure status” return to Iford in July with Donizetti’s La Fille du Regiment, conducted by Toby Purser. Don’t expect comic opera soldiers, The Regiment is one of California’s most notorious biker gangs. Mean, ruthless, and wild; yet they have brought up and nurtured an abandoned baby. But who is this mysterious young woman they call
their daughter? And why is the glamorous socialite Marsha Berkenfield so desperate to track her down? If you’ve seen an Opera della Luna production at Iford (and witnessed everything from giant, moving, garden gnomes in the bushes of the Great Terrace to working steam engines in the cloister, or seen an entirely disrobed Helene within three feet of your seat) you’ll know Opera della Luna at Iford is a night to remember. A Baroque soap opera of Shakespearian depths originally written to be performed at Venetian Carnival, pre Lent, sees the return of celebrated conductor, Christian Curnyn, to the festival in July and August. Monteverdi’s The Return of Ulysses is a wonderful story told countless times about an AWOL husband and his long suffering wife. Ulysses returns home after ten years of swashbuckling and adventurous wandering. But what of loyal wife Penelope left behind in Ithaca? Will she have him back? Would you? This is a tender exploration of family relationships, Monteverdi will pluck at your heart strings. Iford continues its tradition of showcasing rising young talent with this extraordinary cast. Ulysses – Jonathan McGovern, TelemacoNick Pritchard, Penelope – Rowan Hellier directed by Justin Way. The Iford festival season wouldn’t be complete without the four proms that fill the gardens with picnickers and groups of celebrating friends in July and August. Molotov Jukebox (check them out on YouTube, www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtIgGH9K3 dw) kick start the £34 festival proms with Polly and the Billets Doux at the First Night Party on Friday 27 June. YolanDa Brown headlines Midsummer Jazz on Saturday 28 June with the Zen Hussies. On 8 and 9 August Maia, Orchestre Ruffanti, Polkaholix and Mabon play. Ticket prices: concerts £24, proms £34 and opera from £61. ■
THE BEST SEATS: main picture, Iford’s cloisters give its audiences a very intimate experience
For full programme details of Iford Festival, which runs from 7 June – 9 August, visit: www.ifordarts.org.uk. Box Office Theatre Royal, tel: 01225 448844
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SheʼKoyokh
ighlights from this month’s Wiltshire Music Centre programme – worth a trip to Bradford-on-Avon to check it out, if you haven’t already been – include some world class jazz and some attention grabbing world music. On Saturday 10 May the centre welcomes jazz royalty Norma Winstone. For her latest project, The Printmakers, she is partnered with pianist Nikki Iles, saxophonist Mark Lockheart, guitarist Mike Walker, bassist Steve Watts and drummer James Maddren in a collaboration which has earned rave reviews.This formidable sextet will present an adventurous and exquisite set of jazz, folk and contemporary songs.
You don’t need to travel to hear great global music, or at least no further than the Wiltshire Music Centre on Friday 30 May, to hear She’Koyokh. It takes its name from a Yiddish expression meaning ‘nice one.’ The band, is a multi-lingual eight-piece British band whose members include a classically trained violinist and clarinetist, a Serbian accordionist, a Greek percussionist and a remarkable young singer who is a Turkish Kurd. The band started out busking in London’s Columbia Road flower market, and have developed into exponents of klezmer, the instrumental Jewish wedding music of Eastern Europe, and traditional styles from Russia, Ukraine, Greece, Turkey and the Balkans. Now multi-award winning, this is a stimulating concert for world music fans. Full details and tickets: www.wiltshiremusic.org.uk, or tel: 01225 860100.
New director at music centre The winds of change have been blowing into Wiltshire Music Centre in recent months. The centre’s founding artistic director, the much-respected Keith Nimmo in position since its opening 15 years ago, retired at the end of last year with James Slater picking up the baton. That is a useful musical metaphor because music fans might be familiar with James Slater as a conductor. He trained at the Royal College of Music and King’s College Cambridge as a violinist and then as a conductor and was, until his arrival in Bradford-on-Avon, founding artistic director of Mid Wales Chamber Orchestra. He also worked a conducting assistant at the Royal Ballet Covent Garden during the 2010/11 season and still enjoys stints as guest conductor there. Back in Wiltshire, though, James is becoming evangelical about the work of Wiltshire Music Centre. He said: “I obviously knew about the centre before I arrived here, its great reputation acoustically and as a venue which artists love and which had some really eclectic programming, but I had not anticipated the warmth and level of commitment of its audiences. This really is at the heart of the community, and so many people feel so strongly about it.” The current season ranges from Schubert’s Winterreise to She’koyokh’s
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Eastern European klezmer music via jazz singer Norma Winstone and folk songs for children, and James anticipates no change there. But after two seasons which had largely been programmed by Keith, James is thrilled to be working on his own first season. James’ vision is for Wiltshire Music Centre to become a creative melting pot, in the way that Aldeburgh or the Sage in Gateshead are, where artists from different traditions come together and feed off each other and develop in entirely new collaborative ways. This will include plans for residencies, which will build relationships between artist and audience, and for nurturing new talent and rising stars. This commitment to young artists, which has long been in evidence at the centre, is a particular passion for James. This visionary new artistic director will reveal his first solo programme this autumn just as the centre unveils its Arts Council funded facelift. The future for this centre is looking bright indeed.
Fr i n g e
benefits
The driving forces behind the Bath Fringe Festival are curiosity, enthusiasm and an open mind and that’s what makes this such a rewarding festival every year. The fringe website explains: “We don’t bring specialists in from out of town to tell us what to like (though anyone from anywhere is welcome to try and put an event on, and some do); most programming is by Bath venues, local promoters, or by the artists themselves. That tends to mean that everything in this programme is there because somebody about the place is really enthusiastic about it, and we’re sure that’s a good thing.” There are some big names on the bill, like comedian Jeremy Hardy and Radiohead artist Stanley Donwood, who’s producing a massive art work in town during the 17-day festival, but there are also plenty of acts who you may not have heard of but who you’ll go home talking about. The first piece of good news is that the Speigeltent is back, the vintage travelling theatre cum music hall that appears on Bath Rec each summer and hosts all kinds of fun events, from gigs where the dancefloor’s heaving with revellers of all ages, to half-term hilarity for children. This summer’s highlights include a masquerade ball, on Saturday 24 May, Evan Christopher’s Django al la Creole on Wednesday 28 May and the Mary Bijou Circus on Sunday 1 June, with plenty in between. And the catering is being provided by Malinkey’s mobile restaurant – as enjoyed by Glastonbury festival goers, with its distinctive striped awning and fabulous food. The second piece of good news is that fringe masterminds Wendy and Steve, who work so tirelessly each year to make the festival happen from their tiny lair behind The Bell, have been able to include some local talent and over 20 local venues in this year’s extravaganza. Bill Smarme and the Bizness, Baka Beyond, the Kingswingers and the Bellefleurs as well as the delightfully entertaining Jimmy Mac are all Bath-based acts who are performing this year. There’ll be more talent too at the second annual 20:20 Vision new writing immersive drama at the Old Theatre Royal in Orchard Street. Hand on heart, this really is a festival with something for everyone, from free art and theatre displays on the city streets to some good value live entertainment that will make you laugh, cry or get up on your feet and dance. Pick up a programme or visit: www.bathfringe.co.uk. Baka Beyond at the Speigeltent
Wiltshire Music Centre
Norma Winstone
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Captain Macheath of The Beggar’s Opera
WHAT’S ON in May Events are listed in chronological order To promote your event visit: www.thebathmag.co.uk
Landscapes and Livelihoods: free film shows Thursday 1 May, 7.30pm Bath Museum of Bath at Work, Camden Works, Julian Road Bath Requiem for a Village (1979) David Gladwell poetic rumination on the loss of tradition and livelihoods through the story of an old man recalling a village’s idyllic past. Tel: 01225 318348
Also at the museum every Thursday in May More free showings of fascinating films and documentaries.
Dusk Memory Walk for Dorothy House Saturday 3 May, 7pm
Owen Teale in Under Milk Wood Picture by Catherine Ashmore
Dorothy House Hospice Care, Winsley, near Bradford-on-Avon This is the third year the walk has been staged. It begins at the hospice in the village and takes the walkers on a 5km circular ramble through countryside, before returning to the grounds of Dorothy House where candles will be lit and messages placed. It’s a lovely, peaceful event for all ages. People are asked to raise sponsorship money. Contact Emily Knight, tel: 01225 721480 or email: emily.knight@dorothyhouse-hospice.org.
★Editor’s pick
Camila Batmanghelidjh in conversation Wednesday 7 May, 6pm Bath Function Rooms, Green Park Station, Bath The charismatic founder of children’s charity Kids Company, which cares for vulnerable youngsters in London and Bristol, is in Bath as part of Bath in Fashion. She’s scheduled to talk about fashion as armoury – her own style is as unique as her personality – but she’s certain to share stories from the streets that will have her audience moved to help, either as volunteers or as donors. Tickets: £20 (for Kids Company) from 0844 847 5256.
Also for Dorothy House this month Bath Croquet Club Open Day Saturday 10 May, 10am – 5pm Bath Recreation Ground, Bath Croquet is a game for all ages and one of the few sports where men and women compete equally even at international level. Come and have a go in a relaxed environment, all equipment provided. Dorothy House will be running a cake sale. There is also a five week Introduction to Croquet course starting on Saturday 17 May. Visit: www.bathcroquet.com or tel: 07411 044109.
The Beggar’s Opera Saturday 3 – Sunday 4 May The Old Orchard Street Theatre, Bath Bath’s original Theatre Royal in Orchard Street, built in the 18th century, is the appropriate setting for a Georgian classic, The Beggar’s Opera by John Gay. Set in the lowlife of London, it’s a rousing tale of highwaymen and bawds, with music from the period. This is a joint production by Bath Spa Live and Bath Recital Artists Trust. Tickets from £10. For show times and details, including the Public Breakfast show, tel: 01225 463362.
Under Milk Wood Monday 5 – Saturday 10 May
Camila Batmanghelidjh
Bath Croquet Club
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Theatre Royal, Bath Marking the centenary of Dylan Thomas’ birth a new production of this classic literary masterpiece of rich words and characters features an all Welsh cast and is directed by Terry Hands, formerly of the Royal Shakespeare Company. It opens in Bath prior to a London run. The cast includes Owen Teale (most recently seen in Game of Thrones) and Kai Owen (who starred in Torchwood. Tel: 01225 448844.
Also at the Theatre Royal this month Last of the Duty Free Monday 12 – Saturday 17 May
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Three of the original TV cast of the successful sitcom written by Eric Chappell (who also wrote Rising Damp and Only When I Laugh) are reunited for this stage version. Keith Barron and Gwen Taylor play a working class couple who get entangled with an upper middle class couple, played by Neil Stacey and new arrival, Carol Royle, while on holiday.
New Jersey Nights Monday 19 – Saturday 24 May This musical celebration of the story behind Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons first stormed the West End and is now on a world tour. Featuring hits including Oh What a Night!, Walk Like A Man, New Jersey Nights Sherry, Big Girls Don’t Cry and more. For tickets tel: 01225 448844 or visit: www.theatreroyal.org.uk
Countryside Day Monday 5 May, from 11.30am Bath Racecourse, Lansdown Tractor Ted is the star attraction, with activities for families, from playing on mini-diggers and riding on bouncy farm animals or stroking the lambs. Tractor Ted will be there for children to play on and a Shetland pony race will kick off the afternoon’s horse racing. Tickets, £10 in advance, visit: www.bath-racecourse.co.uk, tel: 01225 424609.
Also at the racecourse this month Spring Afternoon Racing Tuesday 20 May and Thursday 29, gates open at noon Tickets £15 in advance, including a drink. Soak up the spring sunshine and enjoy an afternoon of exciting racing.
Paint Powder and Patches Wednesday 7 May, 2pm Herschel Museum of Astronomy, New King Street, Bath Discover the secrets of the perfect Georgian maquillage. A demonstration of 18th century make-up by Elle Hitchens with accompanying exhibition. Free on admission to the museum. Tel: 01225 446865.
Also at the Herschel this month Angel of Death: the story of smallpox Thursday 15 May, 11am A look at the history of one of the great killers and mutilators in human history, and of its eventual defeat by vaccination, pioneered by Dr Edward Jenner of Berkeley. Speaker: Gareth Williams Emeritus Professor of Medicine and Senior Research Fellow in Philosophy at the University of Bristol. Tickets: £5 on the door.
Chas and Dave Friday 9 May, doors open 7.30pm Komedia, Westgate Street, Bath Chas and Dave will mark their 50th year in music together with the October release of a new album, their first for 27 years. Catch them as they perform a mixture of old and new songs from their legendary no-nonsense rock ’n’ roll style. Tickets: £22.50 in advance. Box Office: 0845 293 8480, visit: www.komedia.co.uk/bath
Also at Komedia this month Red B****** Thursday 15 May, doors open 7pm A dangerous, seductive, comedy monster. His mission: Charm, disarm, shock and seduce. Red B****** is not a clown. He is not here to please you. He has come to make you surrender – to play the audience like the devil does a fiddle. After 5-star reviews across North America, Europe and Australia, America’s premier bouffon comes to Bath. Tickets: £15.
Cantamus Chamber Choir: Star of the Sea Saturday 10 May, 7.30pm St Nicholas Church, Winsley Mike Daniels conducts the choir’s annual concert at St Nicholas, who will be singing Scarlatti’s Stabat Mater or Sorrows of Mary, a Baroque piece in ten parts. The ancient name given to Mary was Star of the Sea. Tickets: £15/£10 concessions from Bradford-on-Avon tourist information office or tel: 01225 865797. Continued on page 30 WWW.THEBATHMAG.CO.UK
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Noctis Choir, Corsham Choral Society and Organum Choir present The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace Saturday 10 May, 7.30pm Bath Abbey The combined voices of these three choirs will lift the roof of Bath Abbey as they sing Karl Jenkins’ critically acclaimed and commercially successful mass as part of the centenary commemorations of the First World War. Tickets are from £8 to £25 from Bath Box Office, tel: 01225 463362. Proceeds to the Royal British Legion.
Louise Jordan Florilegium Saturday 10 May, 7.30pm Pound Arts Centre, Corsham Louise plays guitar, piano and cello but it’s her voice which is most often celebrated as the pinnacle of her trade mark sound: captivating, powerful and evocative. Tickets £10 (£9 concessions) Box office tel: 01249 701628 www.poundarts.org.uk
A mass for peace in Bath Abbey
Also at the Pound Arts Centre this month Les Enfants Terribles Earnest and the Pale Moon Saturday 17 May, 7.30pm A noir horror about a man who spends his days watching the beautiful young woman who lives in the apartment opposite. Live music, inventive design, narrative twists and physical storytelling to provide a thrilling and terrifying experience. Tickets: £10 (£9 concessions).
★ Editor’s pick
The 151st Royal Bath and West Show Wednesday 28 – 31 May The Showground, Shepton Mallet From the country's finest livestock and over 600 trade stands to the British Cheese Awards and the British Cider Championships, there is something for all ages at England's biggest celebration of rural life. Advance saver tickets on sale until May 26, £19 adult, £5 child, £48 for a family. Gate prices are £22 adult, £7 child and £55 for family. For more information visit: www.bathandwest.com.
Portrait of a Lady? at No 1 Royal Crescent
Red B****** at Komedia
Chris Wood at Chapel Arts
Chris Wood Sunday, May 11, 7.30pm Chapel Arts Centre, Lower Borough Walls, Bath BA1 1QR Joan Armatrading presented Chris with the 2011 BBC Radio Two Folk Singer Of The Year award before inviting him as a guest on her tour. They played 51 cities and Wood found himself eavesdropping on conversations from pound shops to tea rooms, army recruiting centres to hotel saunas collecting the poetry of recession. None The Wiser is his fourth solo album in which Wood lovingly takes the pulse of his homeland. Tickets: £12 in advance, £14 on the door. Tel 01225 461700 or visit: www.chapelarts.org.
Also at Chapel Arts this month The Young Folk Sunday, May 18, 7.30pm With slots last year at Electric Picnic and The Cambridge Folk Festival this Irish four piece – whose sound has been described as folk in Cuban heels – are due this year to perform at Midem Cannes 2014 and the legendary SXSW in Texas. In Bath they’ll be performing material from their current release The Little Battle and material from their upcoming second album. Tickets: £8 in advance, £10 on the door.
The Simon and Garfunkel Story Friday 30 May, 7.30pm
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Celebrating 50 years since the hugely successful American folk/rock duo recorded their first No1 hit single The Sound of Silence. The show features original photos and film footage while a band perform hits including Mrs Robinson, Cecilia, Bridge Over Troubled Water, Homeward Bound and many others. For tickets, tel: 01225 461700.
Bath Science Café Monday 12 May, 7.30pm Raven Pub, Queen Street, Bath Knowing risk: a social psychological perspective. Talk by Professor Dame Glynis Breakwell Vice-Chancellor, University of Bath. No tickets or reservations are required. Talks last for about 30 minutes, followed by a short break and then the speaker is open to questions. www://bathsciencecafe.org.
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House and Garden: an Alan Ayckbourn double bill Tuesday 13 – Saturday 17 May Next Stage at The Mission theatre, Corn Street, Bath As part of Next Stage’s 20th birthday celebrations artistic director Ann Garner is putting on an Ayckbourn double bill, with one cast tackling two plays. Expect fraught relationships, misunderstandings, situations you recognise only too well, and much laughter from the master of modern theatre. Tickets £12/£10 concessions from 01225 428600 or visit: www.missiontheatre.co.uk.
Also at the Mission this month RumDoxy Theatre Company presents The Taming of the Shrew Thursday 22 – Saturday 24 May, 7.30pm RumDoxy returns to Bath with its highly accessible and innovative interpretation of the Shakespearean drama. Tickets £10/£8 concessions.
Simply Soweto Encha Tuesday 27 – Thursday 29 May, 7pm Paying tribute to the late, great Nelson Mandela is this musical show which is a mix of cover songs, original material and traditional African music. Tickets: £12/£10 concessions.
International Garden Photographer of the Year Until Thursday 22 May, 10.30am – 5.30pm Lacock Abbey National Trust gardens, Lacock, Wiltshire Thirty six images from the winners and runners-up from the competition are on show in this outdoor exhibition. Tel: 01249 730459.
Bath Unity Players presents: Cheshire Cats Thursday 15 – Saturday 17 May The Rondo Theatre, Larkhall, Bath Follow the Cheshire Cats team as they speedwalk their way to fundraising success in the London Moonwalk. Five women are attempting to walk 13 miles in their decorated bras and trainers, but the sixth member of the team doesn’t seem to meet the physical criteria. With money going to Dorothy House Hospice Care. Tickets, tel: 01225 427108, email: unitytickets@btinternet.com, tel: 01225 463362.
Portrait of a Lady? Ruin and reputation in the Georgian era Friday 16 May – 14 December The Brownsword Gallery at No 1 Royal Crescent, Bath From the gutter to the stately home and from brothel to palace, Georgian women’s lives are explored through this exhibition of portraits and artefacts. During the 18th century it is estimated that one in five women were engaged in prostitution at some time in their lives, their images bought and sold as their bodies were. This collection gives the viewer a fresh take on the so-called age of elegance.
Lindsey Davis: Rome of the Emporers Friday 16 May, 7pm – 8pm Courtesy of Bath & North East Somerset Council at The Pump Room Historical novelist Lindsey Davis is best known for The Course of Honour, the true story of the Emperor Vespasian and his mistress Caenis, and for her 20 mystery books featuring Roman detective, Falco. She will talk about her writing career and the Rome of the Emperors and sign copies of her new book Enemies at Home. Tickets: £15/£10 for Discovery Card holders, from Bath Box Office tel: 01225 463362 (includes a glass of wine or soft drink and admission to a music event afterwards at the Roman Baths).
Bath Cantata Group and Bradford-on-Avon Choral Society present The Dream of Gerontius Saturday 17 May, 7.30pm St John’s Church, South Parade, Bath The combined choir of over 130 singers with a full orchestra, will be performing Elgar’s oratorio The Dream of Gerontius. The conductor is Neil Moore and the choirs will be joined by vocalists from two chamber choirs, Noctis and Vox8. Rupert Bevan will be singing the part of Gerontius, with mezzo-soprano Penelope Davies and bass Rick Fitzsimmons as the other two soloists. Tickets, £15, from Sharps and Flats, Orange Grove, Bath and from the Ex Libris bookshop in Bradford-onAvon. To pay for tickets online email: pat.kd@hotmail.com. Continued on page 32 WWW.THEBATHMAG.CO.UK
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Paper Craft Projects Saturday 17 May, 10am- 2pm The American Museum, Claverton, Bath Paper craft artist Jessica Palmer makes intricate paper cuts, collages, and paper sculptures. Join her to learn the principles of paper craft and develop your own project. £50 (£45 museum members) Tel: 01225 820866 or email workshops@americanmuseum.org.
Reflections Saturday 28 June, 7.30pm
Bowood House
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Also at the American Museum this month The Colourful World of Kaffe Fassett Until 2 November A brilliant, collection of work from the master of modern textiles. Find colour in a grey world.
Bath Gilbert and Sullivan Society presents: Patience Wednesday 28 – Saturday 31 May The Wroughton Theatre, King Edward’s School, North Road, Bath Patience, a simple dairymaid, is on a quest for the utter unselfishness of true love. Yet no love story is without its complications as the admired poet Bunthorne and her childhood companion Grosvenor compete for her affections. For show times visit: www.bathgands.co.uk. Tickets: £12/£10 concessions. Tel: 01225 400295 or 01225 463362.
Georgians: Dress for Polite Society Until 1 January 2015 The Fashion Museum, Bennett Street, Bath See how the Georgians dressed. Plus 18th
century-inspired fashions by: Anna Sui, Meadham Kirchhoff, Vivienne Westwood, Stephen Jones, and Alexander McQueen. Admission £8/free with a Discovery card.
For King and Country: Bowood and the First World War Until 2 November Bowood House and gardens, near Calne. Visit: www.bowood.org Bowood served as a Red Cross hospital from 1915 – 1919 and the younger son of the Lansdowne family, which owns the estate, Lord Charles Mercer Nairne, was killed at the battle of Ypres, so this exhibition of letters, photographs and documents of the time is especially poignant. To visit the house and gardens, £15.50/£14 senior citizens
Planning ahead Bath Choral Society presents: Summer
St Swithin’s Church, Walcot The theme of the concert is fitting for this World War I Centenary Year. George Butterworth’s must be the most affecting of the many settings of the Housman war poems, as he became a casualty of war. The Four Last Songs by Richard Strauss contemplate the end of his life but Brahms’s Ein Deutsches Requiem provides consolation. Pre-concert talk by Will Dawes and Tom McCahill, 6.50pm. Tickets from £5 to £18 from Bath Box Office. Tel 01225 463362 or visit: www.bathboxoffice.org.uk.
James Blunt Monday 30 June The Forum, SouthGate, Bath The Marmite of popular music, whose hits include You’re Beautiful and Bonfire Heart, is to play Bath.
Also coming up at The Forum Bath Philharmonia with pianist Stephen Hough Thursday 25 June Richard Thompson Wednesday 23 July One of the UK’s greatest living guitarists with decades of fabulous music behind him – from 1952 Black Vincent Lightning and Tear Stained Letter to Good Things Happen to Bad People – and more to come, judging by his recent live performances. For tickets visit: www.bathforum.co.uk.
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CO M P ET IT IO N
WIN A GREAT FAMILY DAY OUT
Gather up the children and charge out for a half term treat at the Royal Bath and West Show. We’ve got five family tickets to be won in our easy to enter competition For generations Bathonians have enjoyed a Bank Holiday day out at the Bath and West Show, from its earliest incarnation in the city itself, right up to the present day at its showground in Shepton Mallet, where traditional country skills and produce rub shoulders with the latest advancements in modern farming. And the 2014 show promises to deliver a host of entertainment alongside the best of food and drink the west country has to offer. We’re delighted to be able to offer five readers of The Bath Magazine the chance to win a family ticket to the show. Now in its 151st year, the event, which attracts 150,000 visitors to its Shepton Mallet home from Wednesday 28 May to Saturday 31 May, will see old favourites, such as the livestock classes, rural skills demonstrations, stalls and fairground rides, joined by some new attractions. The British Cider Championships will bring the best producers from across the country to the west to compete in a range of classes. Pride in British produce is at the heart of the British Cheese Awards, too, which will also be taking place at the show this year. Top-class international sheep shearers will compete in the 50th Golden Shears award while farmers and breeders will be showing cattle, sheep, pigs, poultry, goats, alpacas, horses and more in dozens of classes. A new award this year will celebrate the contribution of the unsung female heroes of farming, with the chance for the community to nominate those who have made a real difference for the Farm Woman of the Year award. Ladies’ Day on Friday May 30, brings a little glamour to the 32 THEBATHMAGAZINE
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showground as the stylish take the chance to dress up for a day out. Anyone with a passion for art, cookery, crafts and gardening will find plenty to suit their tastes with exhibitions across the four days, including the all-new Glorious Gardening section, which will include talks, demonstrations and competitions. To win the chance of a family ticket – worth £55 if you bought it at the gate – answer this simple question: ● Which two British competitions take place at this year’s show? Send your answers marked Bath and West Show to The Bath Magazine, 2 Princes Buildings, George Street, Bath BA1 2ED or email: competitions@thebathmagazine.co.uk by noon on the closing date of Friday 16 May.
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Bringing history to life A unique mobile museum and theatre will be travelling the south west of England over the next four years to commemorate the First World War – and communities and groups are being invited to host an interactive visit
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travelling museum has been launched, with a grant of £49,700 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) to enable people in the south west to explore the ways local families’ lives were affected by the First World War. The Little Victory Ball, an interactive travelling theatre and museum is now inviting villages, schools, civic centres, museums and care homes to book a visit to allow local people to get involved over the next four years, marking the centenary of the war. The hands-on experience aims to capture a moment in history, on 11 November 1920, the third Armistice Day. The museum has been set up in a vintage caravan, with visitors entering a 1920s kitchen before going through to the main room where they will be able to view authentic artefacts made during the war by combatants and souvenir sellers. Objects will include a taffeta mourning dress, pincushions decorated with uniform badges and buttons, as well as such objects as decorated biscuit tins. Visitors will also have the opportunity to view objects made by soldiers at the Front including vases and cups made from spent ammunition shells, letter openers, pen holders, ashtrays, coal scuttles and beautifully crafted household items showing not only the ingenuity of troops on the front line to convert objects of destruction into something of use. Little Victory Ball will be able to visit people and groups who perhaps don’t normally visit museums, including isolated villages, care homes and homes for the elderly. The scripts used in the play, which tells a sad story from the time, are
An appeal has gone out from Bath and North East Somerset Council for people to share news about events and activities being planned locally to commemorate the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War in August. A What’s on page has been set up, visit: www.bathnes.gov.uk/WW1centenary and submit information by email: centenary_worldwar1@bathnes.gov.uk or tel: 01225 396138. Cllr Paul Crossley leader of Bath and North East Somerset Council, said: “We hope that local organisers will get in touch so that we
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based on oral histories and the props and costumes are of authentic quality. Sioux How, the creator of the Little Victory Ball, who is an actress and a historian, studied for an MA at Bath Spa University. She said: “As it becomes more of a distant memory, understanding the impact that the First World War had on those who lived through it becomes more and more difficult. Once the thick red velvet curtains of the stage open you’ll not only learn new facts about the Act of Remembrance in an innovative and engaging way, you’ll be transported into the lives of the ordinary people on the Home Front who lived through an extraordinary time.” Nerys Watts, the head of the Heritage Lottery Fund in the south west, said: “The stories of First World War are incredibly diverse and this project is a really creative way to explain the importance of the conflict, especially to children and people who may miss out on more traditional museum exhibits, and what it meant for their town.” For organisations who book the event, their communities will have a complete First World War commemoration experience. The group is also offering opportunities for volunteers to be involved in every element of the project – from acting, staging and music to stewarding, museum set-up and research. They also need volunteers who can help with dressmaking, make-up and hair and with stage production. Joining the Little Victory Ball tour of the south west will be students from Bath Spa University who will be able to use this opportunity to gain experience in a nationally signficant shared experience to bring history to life. The project has also received funding from The Western Front Association and Frome Town Council, and is part of the Imperial War Museum’s First World War Centenary Partnership. Amanda Sheridan, joint project organiser, said: “We are already in talks with museums in the Bath area in the hope of being able to bring the mobile museum to their visitors for a week or so at a time. Although we have funding for the project we have to charge venues to cover our costs.” can spread the word and can all deepen our understanding of the war and its relevance.” An appeal has also gone out for keepsakes and mementoes for an exhibition The Great War in Costume: Family and Fashion on the Home Front at the Assembly Rooms, Bath, from 19 July to 5 September. This will focus on women’s lives and roles during the First World War; their work on the home front and how that influenced the way they dressed. Yvonne Hellin-Hobbs, curator of the exhibition, said: “We’re looking for anything which may have been handed down by
CITY AT WAR: above, scenes taken from the Bath in Time archive of the First World War in Bath. Inset, a pincushion, one of the artefacts made by servicemen, which will be on show in the mobile museum
For more information about The Little Victory Ball, or to see it in action, visit: www.thelittlevictoryball.com. To book a performance, or register to volunteer, contact Sioux How on littlevictoryball@gmail.com. ■ parents or grandparents and reflects life on the home front here in Bath and North East Somerset around 1914-1918. It could be photographs of land girls on Batheaston farms or nursing staff in the Bath War Hospital at Combe Park; women’s timecards from working in a munitions factory; propaganda put up in local shops and Post Offices; or even letters sent home from the front line.” Anyone who would like to put forward their local memorabilia should email: museum_marketing@bathnes.gov.uk or tel: 01225 477736 or 01225 477737.
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NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT: the Next StageTheatre Company at the open air Minack Theatre in Cornwall
Round of applause for theatre group’s birthday As Bath’s Next Stage Theatre Company celebrates its 20th birthday artistic director Ann Garner looks back
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ext Stage Theatre Company was founded by a small group of people passionate about modern drama, staging work in-the-round and putting on the kind of cutting-edge plays that, in those days, were not the obvious choice for local amateur drama groups. Educating Rita opened on 18 May 1994 with a cast of two, company director, Andrew Ellison as stage manager and me as director. I had borrowed £300 to set up the company. A successful week’s run meant that the loan was repaid and I am proud to say Next Stage has never been in the red since. Educating Rita was reviewed by Bath theatre critic Christopher Hansford, who wrote: “what a wonderful first production. A great play brilliantly performed.” Some said Next Stage would not survive, that it would be a a seven-day wonder. Twenty years on, it is with pride and satisfaction that I contemplate over 150 Next Stage productions, tours to Bristol, Scarborough, Cornwall, New York and London, a thriving theatre company of over 50 talented actors, a highly-acclaimed youth theatre and opening our own theatre in 2005, The Mission, in Corn Street. There have been many highlights, but here are some of the best ones: Meeting Andrew Ellison, without whom Next Stage and all it has achieved would have been impossible. Andrew is director of the company. But he is also an outstanding actor. In 2008 with Kay Francksen in Alan Ayckbourn’s Intimate Exchanges, he won Best Actor for an Off-Off-Broadway Festival performance. Picking up a phone on a bleak 1996 November morning in a free period I had from teaching, I called the Minack Theatre in Cornwall, and spoke to Phil Jackson the theatre manager, to attempt to convince him to see Next Stage performing at his beautiful theatre on the cliffs at Porthcurno. The company was subsequently offered a slot in June 1998 and has been touring to the Minack regularly ever since. Another highlight was getting Sir Alan Ayckbourn to become a patron of the company, and he in turn inviting us to perform at the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough in 2000 and 2001. Touring to New York was an amazing experience, and while there we were spotted by an international producer scouting for the Jermyn Street Theatre in London and offered a slot there. We opened with Torch Song Trilogy and played in rep for three weeks. We first saw the People’s Mission in 2002, a derelict grade II listed chapel. After two years of negotiations with the council, planning, fund-raising, hopes shattered, hopes raised, last minute set-backs and back-breaking hard work, the theatre opened on 24 January 2005. It has gone from strength to strength, much of the credit for this must go to the generosity of such sponsors as Andrew Brownsword, Brian Roper and Andrew Fletcher. Next Stage has been blessed with a stream of talented actors, outstanding youth members, delightful friends, generous sponsors and prestigious patrons. None of the shows, the tours or the running of a successful theatrical venue would have been possible without these individuals. Whether on or backstage, in the audience or behind the scenes, I should like to thank all of them past and present. ■ WWW.THEBATHMAG.CO.UK
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Art for all
Bath’s artists are opening their studios and their homes to invite visitors to have a look at what they do, talk to them about their work – and in some cases, have a go. Find out more by visiting: www.bathopenstudios.co.uk Larkhall Open Studios www.larkhallopenstudios.com
Saturday 3 – Monday 5 May, times vary venue to venue The open studios weekend this year promises all the visual diversity of previous years with the addition of new artists reflecting the breadth of artist talent in Larkhall. Ironart will be opening up its newly refurbished workshop for the first time and you can follow its involvement in Open Studios via its blog and newsletter. Ilene Sterns will enlighten photography enthusiasts with her unique photography using a Holga camera, as Ilene explains ‘…Holga photographs are like dreams or visions — places where
reality is suspended and the imagination takes over.’ This year Ilene is teaming up with painter Mark Gale at Deborah Keiller’s open studio whilst Sarah Targett will be curating the Oriel Hall group exhibition. Sarah is a printmaker and member of The Bath Society of Artists. Sarah will be showcasing some new artists alongside more familiar names. One artist, Rick Sanderson one of the founder members of The Larkhall Open studios is moving to Land’s End, but he has left a legacy that goes beyond the open studios. He encouraged everyone who visited his studio to appreciate the gift of art. He will be maintaining links with Larkhall and would certainly
welcome visitors to his new studio. Ione Parkin held a solo show, Primal Matter at the Victoria Art Gallery recently. She is an elected member of the Royal West of England Academy and has shown nationally and internationally for over 20 years. Bath Printmakers are celebrating their 30th anniversary; their involvement with the open studios trail coincides with an exhibition of their prints at the Royal United Hospital. Visit Rosie at Crockadoodledo to find out about creating your own ceramics. Art workshops for children are being held at St Mark’s School on the Saturday to engage the younger audience. Brochures can be picked up in Larkhall and Bath.
LOOK AT LARKHALL: left Forms by Richard Olver, middle, Claremont by Simon Hodges and right, Swimmers by Cathy Kelly
Newbridge Arts Trail For artist profiles, addresses and information visit: www.newbridgeartstrail.com
Saturday 10 – Sunday 11 May, 10am – 5pm Newbridge Arts Trail is now an established annual event on the Bath calendar. More than 30 participating artists and makers in Newbridge and Lower Weston open their doors to visitors over a weekend, to showcase a broad range of original art and design. Work includes painting, illustration, printmaking, photography, sculpture, ceramics and jewellery, much of which is offered for sale at affordable prices. Visitors can meet the artists, talk about their creative processes and,
Sculptures by Caroline Waterlow
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in many cases, see the places where they live and work. Most people exhibit in their own homes or studios, while some artists collaborate to find a community space where they can show their work together. Now in its fifth year, the trail has a fresh look – new artists, different venues and innovative work from all participants, as well as contemporary graphics for the website and trail guide. A printed trail map, showing all locations, will be available nearer the time from local shops, businesses and Bath main library. It’s a great way to spend a day or the whole weekend – on your own, with friends or as a family. Whether you’re walking or driving, the route is manageable and refreshments are provided at pubs, cafés and some artist venues.
Bridge by Fiona Powers
Hostage by Mark Thomas
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Widcombe Art Trail For full details of venues and activities visit: www.widcombearttrail.com
Saturday 17 – Sunday 18 May This year there is a particular emphasis on demonstrations and there are opportunities for visitors to have a go. The 15 creative venues stretch from Widcombe Parade, behind the railway station, up to the fabulous heights of Violet Bank Farm with its garden views over Bath. Artists will occupy the White Hart Inn and Ring o’ Bells, as well as Widcombe Baptist Church, St Matthew’s Church Hall, St Mark’s Community Centre and Action on Hearing Loss. The Ring o’ Bells is hosting several artists including botanical painter Julia Trickey. She
Gorgeous Georgian by Jessica Palmer
Lesser Celandine by Julia Trickey
Catherine Beale: watercolour artist and tutor
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will be demonstrating her watercolours of flowers, leaves and seedheads. Multiple gold medal winner at the Royal Horticultural Society, four of her illustrations are now Royal Mail stamps. Catherine Beale will be offering demonstrations and watercolour workshops, pooling and tipping watercolour pigment on board to create a silhouetted trees motif. David Hampton will be among the artists at St Mark’s. He won the St Cuthbert’s Mill Watercolour Prize at Bath Society of Artists last year for his painting Menton, Cote d’Azure. Also at St Mark’s, Eloise Scotland will be taking her sewing machine and demonstrating free machine embroidery techniques, inviting visitors to have a go at stitchery themselves. At St Matthew’s Church Jane Sargeant is bringing a mobile version of her studio with
free hand machine embroidery, disperse dye printing and drawing tools on offer for the visitor. Nearby, Sarah McCurdie will be demonstrating the processes that go into making her jewellery and Jane Sheppard will display her artisan clay tiles. At Action on Hearing loss, staff will be exhibiting with people who are deaf. On Saturday Sian Hurst will be at her spinning wheel and offering demonstrations and tutorials. Nearby, in the same road is Jessica Palmer’s paper studio where she will be introducing Glorious Paper Georgians. Free passports will be available for children to collect stamps from each venue. Catherine Helps at Widcombe Baptists is offering Let’s Growl children’s workshops with drop-off activities for the older ones. BEAR FLATBOUND: far left, Kinetic Study II by Ed Willis, left, Bouncing Ideas Around by Anna Kot and, below, stitched panels by Pippa Andrews
Bear Flat Open Studios For full details and a map of all the addresses visit: www.bearflatartists.co.uk
Saturday 24 May – Monday 26 May, 11am – 5pm The artists and craft makers of Bear Flat look forward to welcoming visitors over the Bank Holiday weekend. Now in its 11th year, 18 venues will be opening their doors with an exciting mix of nearly 30 art and craft makers showing their work. Alongside old favourites, such as Rachel Kerrison’s silver jewellery, Pippa Andrews’s stitched panels and Andrew Rhodes’ much loved ceramic amphibians the collective is pleased to welcome back past exhibitors. Ed Willis will be showing his kinetic sculptures and the trail will introduce some new talent, such as Tim Bates’ stone carved grotesques. With something for everyone, this year work includes print, illustration and photography, paint and ceramics, jewellery, felt work and also poetry books and text based cards. Ben Hughes will be painting outside his garage, raku firing will be taking place at Venue 4 and there is to be a wet felting workshop at Venue 1. Fine Line Art Group will be showing a wide range of work at the Methodist Church Hall, as well as providing teas and hosting a havea-go corner. And, with the tantalising theme Purrfect Puppets, the children’s workshop will be in full swing in Devonshire Place. As always, all venues are in walking distance of each other and most are in people’s homes, providing the visitor with the opportunity to meet the artists, discuss their processes and explore their work.
Visit our website for more exhibitions. To promote your event, log on and get it listed. www.thebathmag.co.uk WWW.THEBATHMAG.CO.UK
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ARTS&EXHIBITIONS JULIAN OPIE: COLLECTED WORKS
GHOST by Malcolm Ashman
The Holburne Museum Great Pulteney Street, Bath
Julian Opie: Collected Works Thursday 22 May – Sunday 14 September
Bath Contemporary 35 Gay Street, Bath Tel: 01225 461230 www.bathcontemporary.com email: gallery@bathcontemporary.com
Paint, Metal and Concrete 17 May – 7 June INSPIRED BY THE PAST: left, Portrait of a Lady by Cornelius Jonson, 165, above, This is Monique. 17, by Julian Opie, 2012
Houdon portrait bust of Gluck. The exhibition includes sculpture in the gardens and there will be a publication with essays by Sandy Nairne and Julian Opie and commentaries on the individual works in the show by the artist.
THE MARRIAGE by DAN BALDWIN Rostra Gallery George Street, Bath
Dan Baldwin Solo Show 2 May – 2 June British artist Dan Baldwin’s vibrant, dynamic work was recently featured as the cover art for Paulo Nutini’s single Scream, released earlier this year. Other celebrity fans include Kate Thornton and Hugh Grant. Now Bath art lovers will be able to get close up to more of this artist’s fascinating, detailed work as the Rostra Gallery puts on a solo show for him. The exhibition will consist of limited edition silkscreen prints, each finished with various glazes, diamond dust and 3D collage. He uses instantly recognisable, strong motifs and symbolism, giving the viewer a plethora of references. The themes tackled in Baldwin’s work often tackle the human condition – death, love, innocence and life. HOME by ELODIE ALEXANDRE and COLLAGE by CLARE PACKER Quercus Gallery Queen Street, Bath. Tuesday – Saturday 10.30am – 5.30pm
Patterns of Enquiry 16 May – 14 June Group show of work by new artists, including collages by Clare Packer and ceramic sculptures by French artist Elodie Alexandre. 40 THEBATHMAGAZINE
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Malcolm Ashman and Marc Bodie are brought together to explore the process of construction and deterioration. Ashman’s are painterly, abstracted urban landscapes while Bodie’s pieces are weathered concrete and rusted metal sculptures. Martock Garden by Ros Hall
One of this country’s most important contemporary artists, this will be Opie’s first one person exhibition in a UK museum for over ten years. Uniquely it will bring together his own works – including some previously unseen works – with pieces from his private art collection and explore the links and resonances between the two. Opie has collected the art of the past including Japanese prints, 17th and 18th century paintings and sculpture and ancient sculpture from Egypt and the classical world. Opie has been making portraits since the 1990s and has always responded and referred back to artistic traditions and historical practice. Works including paintings, prints, LEDs and video as well as more recent experiments in mosaic and sculpture will be shown, with works ranging from an ancient Egyptian funerary mask, portraits by Cornelius Johnson, Arthur Devis and Romney and a
Royal United Hospital Combe Park, Bath
Bath Artist Printmakers, Reed Contemporary Art and Ros Ford 2 May – 16 July, every day The RUH’s current free art show is a 30 year celebration of Bath Artist Printmakers, Bath’s only fine art print making group, alongside contemporary Chinese prints from Reed Contemporary Art and prints by Bristol based painter and printmaker Ros Ford. Bath artist Andrew Lansley (@Walkand DrawBath on Twitter), has won the Rostra Gallery prize in the Bath Society of Artists’ open exhibition at the Victoria Art Gallery
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nick cudworth gallery
Caterpillar - Dawn - Oil on canvas
BATH APPROACHES Exhibition from 1 – 31 May An exhibition of originals and prints of familiar buildings and landscapes that welcome the traveller on their journey into Bath
5 London Street (top end of Walcot Street), Bath BA1 5BU tel 01225 445221 / 07968 047639 gallery@nickcudworth.com www.nickcudworth.com
EASTmeets WEST Jewels & Art
Showing the latest collections from award-winning jewellery designer Emma Chapman and artist Emma Rose
Private View - 8th May 6-8pm Open 9-15th May (closed Sunday) 10am-5pm @ Emma Rose Art Works . Upstairs @ 78 Walcot Street . Bath BA1 5BD
www.emmaroseartworks.com • www.emmachapmanjewels.com
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ARTS&EXHIBITIONS HOMEWARD BOUND by NICK CUDWORTH Nick Cudworth Gallery London St, top of Walcot Street, Bath. Tel: 01225 445221, visit: www.nickcudworth.com
Bath Approaches 1 – 31 May An exhibition by Nick Cudworth of originals and prints of familiar buildings and landscapes that welcome travellers on their journey into Bath. The show features The Littleton Wood Barns and The Caterpillar row of trees on Freezing Hill. Visitors can watch the artist at work almost daily in his studio in Walcot. TOM’S MEXICAN TEAPOT by STELLA PENROSE Victoria Art Gallery By Pulteney Bridge, Bath Tel: 01225 477233 Closed Mondays and Sunday mornings
Beaux Arts 12 – 13 York Street, Bath. Tel: 01225 464850 www.beauxartsbath.co.uk
Anna Gillespie Throughout May, 10am – 5pm One of Bath’s most renowned contemporary artists in sculptor Anna Gillespie, whose burgeoning reputation is sure to be further enhanced in her latest solo show. She makes cast bronzes, environmental sculptures made from acorn and beech nut casings, and uses found objects in combination with unique bronze figures. Also on show are paintings by David Tress and ceramics by Carina Ciscatto. NEW COLLECTION: right, Let Heaven Go by Anna Gillespie
Bath Society of Artists show Until 31 May This is always a popular show at the council owned gallery. The 109th exhibition displays more than 300 works. We, the public, are able to vote for our favourite to win the people’s choice prize. Entrance is £3.50. Anyone under 21 can enjoy free entry, while Discovery Card holders qualify for a discount (entrance for £2.50 instead of £3.50). An annual exhibition pass remains at £10. The upstairs permanent collection remains free.
FOR THE SHOW IT WAS AMAZING! – MELISSA WRAXALL 44AD ARTSPACE 7b Lower Borough Walls, Bath, BA1 1QR. Tel: 07753 378325 Monday to Saturday 12 – 6pm, Sunday, 1pm – 5pm www.44ad.net. www.melissawraxall.com
It was amazing! The Museum of Coincidences Saturday 24 – Friday 30 May Open studios Sunday 25 May, 1pm-4pm 44AD’s first floor artist studios are home to some of Bath’s brightest creative visual artists, whose practice ranges from paint, photography, video art and installation to sculpture, puppet making and jewellery. On Wednesday 28 May, from 6pm, 44AD is hosting Mike Tooby’s Bath Spa University Professorial lecture and curated show It was
Mills II by Katharina Romf
Quest Gallery Margaret’s Buildings, Bath
New Perspectives From Tuesday 29 April Work by Jude Lamb, Lisa Mickelwright and Katharina Rompf. Adam Gallery John Street, Bath, tel: 01225 480406
Eduardo Chillida Until Thursday 15 May, Monday to Saturday, 9.30am – 5.30pm Graphic works by Spanish artist and sculptor Eduardo Chillida. A major amazing! Mike Tooby is an independent retrospective of his work opened the Guggenheim curator and researcher in Cardiff and Professor Museum in Bilbao, Spain in 1998. This show will of art and design at Bath School of Art and present over 40 works from the late 1960s until 1999. Design. Sound environment and music. Free It includes etchings, lithographs and woodcuts – admission to the lecture, book tickets from: practices through which Chillida continued his www.bathspa.ac.uk/pls. exploration of form, shape and space.
Visit our website for more exhibitions and gallery information To promote your exhibition, log on and get it listed: www.thebathmag.co.uk 42 THEBATHMAGAZINE
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ARTS&EXHIBITIONS CLEAR BLUE SKY CARN INGLI by LOUISE BALAAM Hilton Fine Art 5 Margarets Buildings, Bath Tel: 01225 311311
Sweeping and Scratched Landscapes 3 – 24 May This show brings together two landscape painters, Angela Charles and Louise Balaam, who share a passion for the expressionistic approach to landscape. Their work is about finding the balance between figuration and abstraction and the feeling of being in the landscape as well as observing it. Angela Charles’ painting comes out of 60s abstract expressionism where the gestural marks convey the feeling of being in the landscape. Louise Balaam is masterful at conveying the essence of the landscape with big gestural brush marks. Looking at her work, one gets a strong experience of the changing English weather. Vibrant, life enhancing and joyous landscapes from two painters at the top of their game. BIKE RACE by PAUL CLEDEN
OBSERVATION by MAXINE FOSTER Lane House Arts Nelson Place East, Bath, BA1 5DA Tel: 07767 498403 www.lanehousearts.co.uk
Aqua Sulis: first anniversary exhibition Throughout May
Gallery Nine Margaret’s Buildings, Bath www.gallerynine.co.uk Tel: 01225 319197
Spring exhibition Until 31 May Exhibiting the work of leading contemporary printmakers Gail Brodholt and Paul Cleden alongside jewellery by Sarah Straussberg and Elizabeth Chamberlain and ceramics by Nigel Lambert and Andrew Temple Smith.
Lane House Arts marks its first birthday celebrating the city of Bath. This show brings together the work of local and international artists inspired by the city’s architecture and life. Beautifully observed screen and mono prints by Maxine Foster sit alongside large abstracted oil paintings by Czech painter, Tibor Cervenak. Narrative illustrations by Chloé Regan reflect on a woman’s life, Sarah Targett’s screenprints show the endless possibilities in the everyday, while Bath ceramicist Rachel Fixsen goes back to her Scandinavian roots with her simple and elegant new functional pieces.
YOUR SKETCHBOOK (VISION 2) by LOUISE FAIRCLOUGH ICIA ART SPACE The University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath
Louisa Fairclough: Flecks of a Brighter Colour Until Friday 30 May, Monday – Friday, 10am – 5pm. Admission free Louisa Fairclough’s solo exhibition weaves together threads of musical hallucinations, chromesthesia and sketchbook imaginings, with each gallery space representing the work or visions of a conductor, a composer or an artist. Her photographs in which she holds her sister Hetta’s sketchbooks are a conversation between sisters – one who lives and one who has died. 44 THEBATHMAGAZINE
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Blast First by Chuck Elliott
Modern ArtBuyer and Nicholas Wylde with The Abbey Hotel Bog Island, Bath
Shine: for Bath in Fashion Until 15 May An exhibition of contemporary art exploring the theme of jewellery, a key element of any fashionista’s wardrobe. Gleaming precious metallics and opulent jewel colours are the focus in this curated collection. Among the pieces are digital prints by Chuck Elliott and kitsch ‘pin-ups’ by collage artist, Maria Rivans. The crowning centrepiece is a piece from Bath-based jeweller Nicholas Wylde’s Wylde Art collection. The exhibition is in the public areas of the Abbey Hotel. All work is for sale.
Pulse XII by Sandra Porter
Cloth Road Arts Week Gaugers, Bath Road, Norton St Philip, BA2 7LW
Rhythm and Views 3 – 5 and 9 – 11 May, 11am – 6pm A new pairing of Sandra Porter and sculptor Jo Taylor, sharing themes of repetition and rhythm, show a collection of paintings, prints and sculpture in Sandra Porter’s home, studio and garden. There is clean white space and views towards the Mendips. Cloth Road Arts Week involves artists from Bradford-on-Avon, Trowbridge, Melksham and other towns and villages in West Wiltshire. Visit: www.clothroadartists.com
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FADED PLEASURES Dr Cathryn Spence argues that a historic riverside pleasure ground in central Bath – which dates back even earlier than Sydney Gardens – deserves a major revamp for it to become a green and pleasant spot once more
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ost weekends see a crowd of thousands make their way on foot to the Rec, home of Bath Rugby. And while there are legions of local supporters, I wonder what fans of visiting teams make of the riverside area of Bath as they approach the ground? I think we can all agree that this key central area, in a World Heritage Site adjacent to the world famous Pulteney Bridge, is embarrassing at best – if not actually quite shameful. In Bath’s Georgian hey-day this was one of the most fashionable and visited spaces in all of Bath, this was the site of the city’s first pleasure garden – predating Sydney Gardens by at least 50 years. Contemporary with London’s famed Vauxhall Gardens (established in 1728) and Marylebone Gardens (established in 1736). And, despite being one of the very first such attractions outside the metropolis, there is no interpretation to explain just how important this spot was. The area is marked as a garden as early as 1735, but it is not recorded as Spring Gardens (which refers to a water source, not the season) until Thomas Thorpe’s map of 1742. Prosperity came during the tenancy of William Purdie, who took over the gardens in 1748. Purdie, who kept a lodging house in Orange Grove, worked hard to raise the profile of the gardens. An advert in the Bath Guide Book of 1769, explains that ‘the proprietor has taken much pains, and expended a considerable sum, to bring [the gardens] to its present flourishing state.’ Spring Gardens was directly opposite the fashionable hub of Bath, which comprised Harrison’s and Lindsey’s assembly rooms, Harrison’s Walk, the Abbey and Orange Grove. A normal day for the fashionable visitor was to take the waters at the Pump Room between 7am and 10am, after which they would proceed to Spring Gardens, via the ferry, for breakfast. These public breakfasts, according to the Rev. Penrose, were held in “a large handsome Building … capacious enough to hold many Sets of Company, having six windows in the side, … and proportionally wide. … the Tables were spread with singular Neatness. Upon a Cloth white as Snow were … every Thing belonging to the Equipage of the Tea Table, … interspersed with sweet Briar, which had a pretty Effect both on the Sight and Smell. At the Word of Command were set on the Table Chocolate, Coffee, Tea, Hot Rolls buttered, buttered hot cakes.” Thomas Rowlandson featured a Spring Gardens breakfast in his series the Comforts of Bath. The gardens were open for breakfast twice a week, normally Mondays and Thursdays. Fetes, charitable benefits, illuminations, fireworks, public teas, music, and celebrations of significant anniversaries, such as the King’s birthday were also hosted. Fireworks became a regular feature after 1780. These displays were dominated by Signor Giovanni Invetto, who provided
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spectacles at a number of locations around Bath including Villa Gardens and, later Sydney Gardens. He also made and sold fireworks from his lodgings at the Seven Stars on Borough Walls. You are right to think this a dangerous pastime; in 1789, Invetto lost his wife and child in an explosion at his home. Only one illustration of the gardens is known; this is Thomas Robins’ Prospect of Bath from Bathwick Meadows, c.1745-52 (British Museum), which shows the corner of Spring Gardens. The planting is still young, but we can deduce that it was hedged, possibly with yew. Cypress, create the groves and, by the water’s edge, is the ash tree. Combining this evidence with contemporary letters, poems and maps it is possible to build a picture of what Spring Gardens was like. There were parterres, gravel and grass paths (straight and serpentine), grass areas, a pond and a canal. The beds were planted with violets, pinks, roses, vegetables and shrubs. A letter from April 1753 describes the gardens as “the fair Elysium … where sweet variety tempts every sense to rapture.” The gardens had a reputation for pleasure; they were magical and perhaps furtive enough to encourage even greater social freedom.
In Bath’s Georgian heyday this was ❝ one of the most fashionable and visited spaces in all of Bath ❞ This sense of clandestine enchantment was invigorated by the need to take a ferry across the Avon to gain access to the pleasure grounds. Before Pulteney Bridge was commenced in 1769, guests either took a passenger boat from near Eastgate or via the Whitehall Ferry from South Parade. The perilous nature of such transportation was lampooned by Christopher Anstey in his New Bath Guide, Letter XIII, and illustrated by John Sneyd. ‘In handing old Lady Bumfidget and daughter, This obsequious Lord tumbled into the water; But a nymph of the flood brought him safe to the boat, And I left all the ladies a’cleaning his coat.’ The projected development of the Bathwick estate in the 1790s shattered the exclusivity of the gardens. The multi-storey town houses along Great Pulteney, Argyle and Johnstone streets loomed over this once idyllic retreat and the area consequentially lost its charm. This is macabrely illustrated by the demise of Mr Smithett, a cellarman at the Bear Inn, who stepped off the pavement in Johnstone Street in January 1792 and fell 20 feet to his death. Before the bank crash of 1793, houses and streets were planned to cover the whole of this area, including the space now known as the Rec.
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RUN DOWN: main picture and above right Spring Gardens today – a public space which belies its past as a site for festivities and social gatherings. 18TH CENTURY VIEW: above, from John Wood’s map of 1735/6, courtesy of Bath Preservation Trust
Nevertheless what was built hacked through the garden, which finally closed in September 1798. By the late 1800s the Bathwick Estate was owned by the Forester family and, in 1894, the directors of the Bath and County Recreation Ground Company were granted a lease. The first rugby match was played on the ground later that year. About a quarter of the space the club currently occupies lies over the site of Spring Gardens. Another intervention is the adjacent Beazer Maze (1972), which has failed to capture the ‘spirit of the place’. The area is underused and run down. Views are blocked by the monolithic sluice gate.
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We have a window of opportunity to call for an intelligent use of the public space that surrounds the Rec. A design that celebrates the history of this site would add to our understanding of how Georgian Bath functioned. The 18th century city, as a setting for social history, is one of the Outstanding Universal Values UNESCO recognised in 1987 when Bath was awarded World Heritage Site status. Surely, such a key element as Bath’s first pleasure garden deserves to be identified and interpreted and, in so doing, create a more appropriate and enjoyable green space in the heart of the city – where new memories and histories can be created. ■
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FOOD&DRINK
More than your five-a-day
Tasty bites ■ Lorna Chapman’s successful Love Food Festivals continue to go from strength to strength, with the next family-friendly event being staged at the National Trust property, Dyrham Park on Sunday 18 May, from 10am. There’ll be stalls selling all kinds of local produce, including chilli products grown and made at Upton Cheyney, Bath Soft Cheese, ice cream and cakes, plus vegetarian cooking inspiration from Bath chef and teacher Rachel Demuth. There is a whole programme of activities for children too, including the chance to make their own elderflower cordial to take home and plant a sunflower seed too. Visitors to the park will also be able to buy lunch from street food stalls offering burritos, pizza, burgers and gourmet hot dogs. ■ VegfestUK, one of Europe's biggest and best vegan food and music festivals, is in Bristol for its 11th year on 23 – 25 May at the outdoor amphitheatre by the city’s harbour. There will be 140 stalls selling food alongside fashion, cosmetics and bodycare, talks, cookery demos, workshops, films, kids' cookery classes and comedy, with evening headliners including Boney M, Rose Royce, Abba Gold, Peter Hook and the Light, and Zion Train, this event is expected to attract around 20,000 visitors. Day tickets are £3 on the gate, evening tickets are £15 and £10 from www.bristol.vegfest.co.uk. ■ To celebrate the start of summer and its first anniversary, Yammo! independent family run Italian restaurant in Walcot Street has set up table football and ping pong in its courtyard for customers to enjoy free while they eat or drink.
It was the sign at Green Park Station that first drew my attention and raised a smile – Beyond The Kale. And then my colleagues, who were enthusing about enjoying cheap, healthy vegetarian-friendly lunches they’d bought at Green Park Station. For £2 or £3 they’d pick up a tasty, fresh pot of quinoa with spinach and homemade pesto or Thai brown rice with celery and kale. Lunchtime seemed to be a good opportunity to visit Beyond The Kale, which combines a healthy food shop, selling all kinds of things from organic produce to raw coconut oil and dairy free ice cream. If you’ve got someone in your family with a gluten or dairy intolerance, or who’s taken up a vegan diet, this is a good port of call. Owners Mark and Ayshea Hawthorn run the shop and the fresh juice bar, where they blend fruit and veg in front of your very eyes to create drinks that not only look good, but taste delicious and are packed full of vitamins and minerals.
For £3 you can down an uber healthy wheatgrass shot – I’ll wager this is the only place in Bath serving fresh wheatgrass. The clients are a mixed bunch, from students and gym bunnies in sportswear, to the pensioner who needed something to shift her cold and sipped appreciatively at a blend containing fresh ginger, lemon, apple and mint. Blends and raw juice mixes are £3.95. It’s also an easy way of getting all the nutrients of kale without actually having to munch your way through the leaves. There’s no feeling here that you’re giving up the pleasure associated with eating. Mark and Ayshea deliberately developed the drinks to look appealing as well as taste good and there are freshly made cakes on the counter. They also stock Marilyn Foods ready meals, made by one of the chefs at the Mes Amis café in Beckington. Catch up with Beyond The Kale on Twitter @BeyondKale.
Catch the new buzz on London Road There’s a buzz going on in the old Piccadilly Ale House in London Road , now rebranded as The Hive pub, which is providing a familyfriendly café by day and live music and entertainment with a bar in the evenings. The walls are being used to show a rotating selection of art, there’s a skittle alley and a sports lounge and regular evenings already include Skittle Tattle women’s bowls on Mondays and open mic nights on Wednesdays. There are plans to set up a beehive on the flat roof to boost the local bee population. On Saturday 7 June The Hive will be hosting its own Unhinge Festival as a tribute to the Bath Fringe Festival, with an appearance by ALL CHANGE: the new Hive pub By The Rivers as part of its Live at The Hive music programme.
Volunteers help cut food waste and provide community dinner With the mission of saving food from being thrown in the bin and providing fresh, healthy meals to those in need, Food Cycle is a national network, which includes a weekly session in Bath. Dulcie Carey, The Bath Mag’s website editor, went along to find out more and lend her cooking skills. “Food Cycle, the volunteerpowered community project serves nutritious meals for people at risk from food poverty and social isolation in 17 hubs, including one in St Mary’s Church on Julian Road on Wednesday evenings.
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I turned up for the chef shift at 4:30pm, was handed an apron, the volunteers were shown into the kitchen where the food that had been donated – including eggs, potatoes, apples, pasta, hot cross buns – filled most of the worktops. Supermarkets, including Sainsbury’s and Waitrose, donate food past its sell-by date each week, all of which would have gone to waste. However the food was very much still edible and so our task was to create a three-course meal for some 30 people. Food Cycle help people who may
not have the time, money or knowhow to make food for themselves, including pensioners, mental health service users, homeless people and low-income families. I was paired up with Alexis from New Orleans. Together, we were in charge of the starter, so as we had eggs and potatoes we decided to make a frittata. Another team made spaghetti carbonara,while the pudding crew created the hot apple cross over… which turned out to be so delicious I may make it at home some time. There were other volunteers
ready to hand out the dishes to our guests, who seemed to genuinely enjoy our offerings. I was able to have a portion of each course and plenty of tea. Once we’d cleaned up there was even enough leftover food for us to take home. I would encourage people to sign up, either as a chef or as part of the waiting team at least once. Food Cycle is a great cause and is very rewarding. Visit: http://foodcycle.org.uk/location/bat h/ or email:bath@foodcycle.org.uk Twitter: @BathFoodCycle.”
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FOOD&DRINK performances to the city. Boisterous Balkan-themed combo Sheelanagig, Hollies frontman Peter Howarth and former Black frontman Colin Vearncombe are just some of the guests helping to keep the live music programme effervescent this month, while a wine tasting event towards the end of May further endorses the CAC’s reputation for diversity. But the inhouse star of every show is the centre’s uniquely charming vegetarian café downstairs, as heartily endorsed in a glowing review penned by our very own Lady Editor just a couple of issues ago. Event ticket holders can tuck into an Early Bird Meal Deal at the café, choosing any luxuriously-topped flatbread or Mediterranean-themed platter, a sumptuous side salad and a glass of wine, all for £9.95. Chapel Arts Centre, Lower Borough Walls, Bath BA1 1QR. Tel: 01225 461700; web: www.chapelarts.org
Komedia
Six of the best:
Eat to the beat With the Bath Music Festival and Fringe opening this month food writer and blogger Melissa Blease picks six venues where diners can enjoy good food and live music The Boater Independent family-run brewery Fuller, Smith and Turner is doing a grand job of refurbishing and revamping some of Bath’s longest-established pubs. Having already waved magic wands over the Crystal Palace and the Huntsman, the latest big reveal is the new-look Boater: another handsome Great Bath institution, established way back in 1809. There’ll be four bars (including a cellar offering live music, comedy and cabaret, late-night grazing opportunities and over 30 beers), three dining areas and a specially commissioned artwork by local graffiti artist Felix Braun. Meanwhile, food will be fashionably fabulous and the splendid beer garden/barbecue area adjacent to the weir will be ready in time for the summer sun. Both the Huntsman and The Boater will be participating in the Bath Music Festival’s Party in the City on Friday 16 May, offering yet more opportunities for Bathonians to move to the groove in grand style. The Boater, 9 Argyle Street, Bath BA2 4BQ. Tel: 01225 464211; web: www.boaterbath.co.uk
Green Park Brasserie Bath’s Green Park Station was built by the Midland Railway Co in 1870, but closed as a result of the Beeching cuts in 1966. Thanks to the Ethical Property Company, however, the former station is today a beautifully restored, magnificent example of Victorian-era architectural splendour, in which the Green Park Brasserie occupies the former booking hall. The indoor/outdoor patio to the rear forms the social epicentre of Bath’s best markets while further al-fresco opportunities outside the main entrance offer a pleasant buffer between traffic-heavy thoroughfare and relaxing urban oasis. Exceedingly well-priced modern British menus flaunt the best of local, seasonal produce. But if the GPB had a star sign, it would be a Gemini: a charming social butterfly with an innate aptitude for multitasking. This longstanding cornerstone of the Bath merrymaking scene is also highly regarded for keeping music (predominantly jazz) live; eat to the beat for free from Wednesday through to Saturday evening every week, but rest assured that volume levels will always be unobtrusive enough to allow relaxed conversation and a sophisticated party-on vibe. Green Park Brasserie, Green Park Station, Bath BA1 1JB. Tel: 01225 338565; web: www.greenparkbrasserie.com
Chapel Arts Centre The Chapel Arts Centre is like a smaller but equally perfectly formed version of London’s ICA, Edinburgh’s Summerhall or Cardiff’s Chapter. The CAC is highly regarded for bringing all manner of mixed media live
Comedy, burlesque, open mic; club nights, film screenings (in conjunction with The Little Theatre Cinema) and live music: there’s always something to entertain us going on at Komedia, the multi-faceted live entertainment venue that breathed new life into the old Beau Nash cinema back in 2008. But despite what’s going on in the main auditorium (and there’s pretty much always something happening), Komedia is, to many Bathonians, a great little café that happens to have a venue attached. The Komedia Arts Café opens daily to showcase a kitchen that puts ethical sourcing and local produce at the epicentre of their cheerfully tasteful ethos, which led to their menus being accredited by the Soil Association’s Gold Standard award among other highly acclaimed endorsements. Lunches here are luscious, but you can eat and listen post-sunset too as all-inclusive dinner’n’show packages are available on Komedia’s regular, popular Ministry of Burlesque and Krater Comedy Club nights. Food is available to Meal Deal and VIP ticketholders from 6.30pm (last orders taken at 8pm), and served at auditorium-level table tables, with bespoke bar service to your table throughout the show. Komedia, 22-23 Westgate Street, Bath BA1 1EP. Tel: 0845 293 8480; web: www.komedia.co.uk/bath
Ring o’Bells Situated in a building that was first established as an alehouse back in 1837, the Ring O’Bells was, in the late 1990s, credited locally as being the city’s original contemporary gastropub. But whichever slice of history whets your appetite the most, this wonderful Widcombe watering hole – part pub, part bar, part friendly modern Brit bistro – is a consistently popular neighbourhood hangout, renowned for serving food that’s a distinct cut above average in terms of flair and execution. Menus revolve around a short, thoughtful, well-priced array based on local, seasonal produce while an eclectic but down-to-earth wine/beer selection adds further conviviality for bar flies. On Sunday evenings, the Ring-Oh is all about the swing-oh when free live jazz and a sublime tapas menu (of which the mussel paella, ham hock terrine and fish chowder are all highly recommended) dominates proceedings, providing the perfect full stop to the weekend. Similar jazz jollies can be found every Sunday evening at Gascoyne Place too (www.gascoyneplace.co.uk), whose spring menus we waxed about so lyrically in our April issue – sounds like that’s the sound of your Sunday evenings sorted, then. Ring O’Bells, 10 Widcombe Parade, Bath BA2 4JT. Tel: 01225 448870; web: www.ringobellswidcombe.co.uk
The Green Room at The Mission The lovely folk at the Mission Theatre’s Green Room Bistro offer pre-show, meat-free sustenance to local culture vultures at bargain prices. Pre-show supper menus at this historic former chapel offer a rich and varied array of all manner of hearty, homemade scrumptiousness in welcoming, fuss-free surroundings prior to selected performances. The Mission is, if you like, our wild card listing for this month, as its programme tends to focus more on theatrical drama than live music gigs. Don’t overlook this lively independent venue in your search for melodic entertainment on any given month; from Tuesday 27-Thursday 29 May, for example, the theatre is playing host to the inspirational Simply Soweto Encha (part of the Bath Fringe Festival), and bringing Chamber Opera Chicago’s musical version of Jane Austen’s Persuasion – complete with a 10-piece chamber orchestra and worldchampion Irish dancers (strange but true) – to the theatre in July. The Mission Theatre, 32 Corn Street, Bath BA1 1UF. Tel: 01225 428600; web: www.missiontheatre.co.uk. ■
Visit our website for more food news and places to eat. To promote your bar/restaurant get listed. www.thebathmag.co.uk 50 THEBATHMAGAZINE
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A Serial Award winning Restaurant with International reputation
Recent Awards: November 2013 British Curry Awards November 2013 Asian Curry Awards
4 Argyle Steet, Bath BA2 4BA.Tel. 01225 466833 / 464758 www. Rajpoot.com Connoisseurs choice for 33 Years. Open Daily.
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Pizza Express Near the Theatre Royal, Barton Street, Bath, BA1 1HG. Tel: 01225 420119
R E V I EW
One of life’s reliable pleasures
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long time ago when the world and I were young, a typical romantic date would be staged at an Italian restaurant, with candles on the tables, checked red and white tablecloths, where we’d share a pizza and a carafe of house red, while giggling as the waiter wafted an enormous phallic pepperpot under our noses. Those were the days when pizzerias served exotic ingredients that you didn’t see anywhere else, like salami and capers and tinned artichokes. Before too long those dates became family outings, my handbag stocked not with lipstick but with colouring pens and a collection of toy tractors and dinosaurs to keep the children entertained at the table. By then the concept of the children’s menu had been introduced and the waiters would always make a fuss of their younger customers. And, as time marched on our family forays to our favourite Italian restaurants were taken around trips to Topshop and HMV. Now those children have adult lives of their own and it’s back to just the two of us again. This is when you discover that there are still some constant pleasures in life – like a meal at Britain’s favouirte pizza chain, Pizza Express. The branch near the Theatre Royal in Bath has to be one of the city’s longest lived restaurants, having opened in 1989 when its only rival would probably have been Sweeney Todds in Milsom Street (where Café Rouge is now). It may have recently enjoyed a refurbishment, but it hasn’t changed too much, and as you breeze through the familiar glass doors you’re welcomed and ushered to one of those distinctive marble top tables. The service is still good, the kitchen still open to view so we can watch our pizzas being made, and the food remains reliably good and not too expensive. But some things have moved with the times. There is the welcome addition of low 52 THEBATHMAGAZINE
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calorie dishes on the menu, such as the pizza with a hole in the middle, filled with healthy salad. The vegetarian dishes are clearly marked, as are the pizzas which you can choose to have made with gluten free flour. Coeliacs who may have struggled to find a restaurant they can trust may rest assured that Pizza Express’s menus have official approval from Coeliac UK. You know how some restaurants you go to you always pick the same dish each time you go? Guilty. I usually order the Veneziana, as it’s topped with distinctive moreish peppery little capers and sweet pine kernels, with the bonus of making me feel as if I’m helping to save the planet as a contribution is made to a fund to save Venice from sinking in the sea. But, just to demonstrate how mature I have become I venture out of my comfort zone and try something new from the Pizza Express recently revised menu. I began with a fresh, zingy tomato and cucumber panzanella salad (£5.10), studded with crispy croutons and giving me my caper fix to boot, all for under 250 calories. I’d recommend this if you’re having lunch with a woman friend and you want to prove how little you eat. My next course is also a newcomer to the
Pizza Express table. This is a good reposte for your macho mate who wanted to go for a curry so he can show how hot he can take his chilli. The Pollo Forza crisp based Romana pizza (£12.15) may contain innocent chicken, mozzarella, tomato and peppers but it’s also loaded with uber spicy chilli, feisty roquito chilli pepper slices and a slosh of chilli oil. Sheesh! Delicious but fiery hot. My lifelong dining companion was happy with his choice of a starter of creamy mushrooms on bruschetta, followed by a Toscana pizza with an unusual fennel infused sausage topping and fresh basil leaves. Our bottle of Sicilian house red was a good choice at £14.95 and a jug of iced tap water is served as standard. Although it was a Tuesday evening when we visited, both floors of the restaurant were busy with all kinds of people, from the young couple dating in the corner, to the family with their colouring pencils, and the two grey-hairs sharing holiday photos on their smart phones. It was good to see the attentive service given to an elderly woman dining alone – good to know you can comfortably eat here as a single. There’s a handy takeaway service if you want to go home and eat. You can even order online and arrange to collect. We also like the fact that if you haven’t managed to finish your pizza they’ll box it up for you. I can vouch for it making a tasty desk lunch the next day too. We finished by sharing a light and delicious vanilla panna cotta (£5.45) – another welcome newbie on the menu. After almost 50 years in the UK Pizza Express has kept true to its intentions, to use great fresh ingredients, deliver good value and keep its customers coming back for more. More power to its garlicky dough balls, I say. ■ Georgette McCready
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THE THREE GABLES
The Three Gables is the ideal venue for all kinds of celebrations, from private parties to corporate entertaining or a romantic dinner for two.
In the summer or garden terrace overlooking high Bradford makes perfect lunchtime setting.
WEDNESDAY 14TH MAY BISOL PROSECCO DINNER
Bisol family as grape growers and wine producers in the Cartizze zone of Prosecco production (within the region of Veneto, North East Italy) since the sixteenth century. Aperitif and canapés from 7.30pm. Dinner at 8.00pm. Four courses including wines: £75.00 per head.
SUNDAY 15TH JUNE FATHER’S DAY SUNDAY LUNCH
Do not forget Your Dad!!! Tread your Dad to a delicious three courses lunch. Canapés and Three courses Lunch £28.50
THURSDAY 10TH JULY - LA RIOJA ALTA WINE DINNER THURSDAY 29RD MAY: AN EVENING WITH OPERA SULIS WITH SOPRANO SUSAN COATES Join us for an evening of delicious food and music. Aperitifs and canapés precede a three course dinner. During the evening Susan Coates, Soprano, will perform a variety of songs and arias. Aperitif and Canapés from 7.30pm Dinner at 8.00pm Three courses: £45.00 per head.
Special Lunch offer for May & June £12.00 Two Courses • £16.00 Three Courses The Three Gables, St Margaret’s Street, Bradford on Avon BA15 1DA Telephone 01225 781666
WWW.THEBATHMAG.CO.UK
www.thethreegables.com
info@thethreegables.com
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FOODheroes
Fresh from field to plate Silvana Tann visits Sleight Farm in the Mendips south of Bath where Mary Holbrook and her herd of goats have long been pioneering the artisan craft of British cheesemaking
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erched on a hilltop just outside Timsbury is Sleight Farm. The farm gate is discreetly tucked away off a country road and has a welcome sign firmly nailed on it. Those who venture through the gate proceed onwards and steeply upwards, grinding car gears to reach the top. The reward on a clear day is a panoramic view of the Mendips rolling like a series of waves on the horizon. It is a beautiful spot, completely idyllic and far from 21st century life. This is home to Mary Holbrook, where for the past 40 years she has worked overseeing the day-today operation of rearing livestock and running a creamery to make her range of highly sought-after goat’s cheeses. Mary is a sprightly energetic individual who by her own admission prefers to be active rather than sedentary. That said, farming and cheesemaking seem a distant cry from her original training as an archeologist. She first worked as a curator at the Holburne Museum when she moved to Bath. After she left the museum to work on her husband’s family cattle farm in the mid 70s, she tells me that she fell into cheese production almost by accident. “We had a couple of goats that produced too much milk. I like goat’s cheese so I thought I would try and make some. Armed with a bucket, I gave it a go. It was all made through trial and error on my part. One of my first attempts at feta resulted in a very hard cheese indeed,” said Mary as we sipped our coffee whitened with fresh creamy goat’s milk at her farmhouse kitchen table. “There were only a couple of farms in England dabbling in soft goat’s cheese at the time. I learnt how to make mine by travelling across Europe and observing.” In those early days Mary made several visits to farms in the Loire, an area of France renowned for goat’s cheese production, as well as to Greece and Portugal. Back then British dairies and creameries were just beginning to throw off the shackles of the post war Government regulation only allowing six types of Cheddar to be produced, and as a result several cheesemaking skills had declined in rural communities. The withering of this guideline led to a quiet revolution across the dairy farms of Britain, which has in turn resulted in a surge of all sorts of cheese being made. Today there are over 700 registered types of soft and hard cheeses in production. Mary looks mildly bemused as we discuss the burgeoning artisanal trend that has even stretched to urban areas. She says: “It really does seem to be the flavour of the month. I know of people making cheese in London in their backrooms as well as underneath the arches. Of course they will have to 54 THEBATHMAGAZINE
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source their milk from elsewhere, which is something that I would never want to do. All of my cheeses are made with unpasteurised milk, so I only make as much cheese as the milk available on the farm. That way I do not have to worry about the provenance or the age of the milk.” The fact that Sleight Farm goats are left out to pasture during the summer months and the variety of the goats in the herd also, Mary points out, leads to a better quality of milk for the cheeses. It’s spring when I meet Mary and cheesemaking season is now in full swing. Kidding into the dark nights of winter has now been superseded with longer hours of daylight plus a bi-daily milking regime. A milk yield of up to 400 litres per day from the herd of 140 goats enables the farm to increase the production volumes of the five goat’s cheeses, which are now starting to reappear in the shops where they have been absent over winter. Of her cheeses, Tilleys can be made and sold within days, while Old Ford, a Pyrenean style cheese, is matured for eight months. Between March to August one or two of the cheese range will be in full production every day. As well as employing staff to make the cheese Mary also welcomes visitors to the farm to learn and assist with the cheesemaking process. She has recently had one such visitor from France and a local chef who have been working with the cheesemakers. In the creamery I meet Deborah, a key member of the team. Looking like a modern day Miss Muffet with her gingham chef’s hat, Deborah guides me around the production unit. The milk is in industrial sized cooking kettles. She checks whether it is ready to separate in to curds and whey by touch. Mary says:“Traditional cheesemaking is very much an observational process. It is totally sensory. You can use technology to guide you, but given that fat content and protein in milk are variable I think ultimately human judgement is the best method to deploy. It does mean that certain stages can be labour intensive.” Deborah is busy ladling spoons of wobbling curd in to moulds to make perhaps the most well known cheese from Sleight Farm, Tymsboro’ , a charcoal coated pyramid goat’s cheese reminiscent of the classic French goat’s cheese Valençay. The cheese is compressed for a few days, before being turned out of the moulds to be coated in ash and matured for four weeks. At this stage it tastes like a lemony savoury ice cream, but when left to mature for an additional two to three months it takes on more of a crumb and has a waft of nuttiness. The other cheese in production during my visit is Cardo. Two of the
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COTTAGE INDUSTRY: main picture, Mary Holbrook at home with some of her goats Inset, and above, from the cool Aladdin’s Cave of maturing cheeses to the customer – with Mary taking a handson approach throughout the production of Sleight Farm cheeses
farm’s cheese range, Cardo and Tilleys have a distinctly Portuguese influence. Instead of using kids’ rennet these cheeses are coagulated using cardoon, a plant from the artichoke family sourced from Portugal. Cardo differs to Tilleys as it is a rind washed cheese, using a brine solution. The rind washing process is completed off site at Neals Yard, one of Sleight Farm’s main sales outlets. All the cheeses that stay on the farm to mature are put in to a carefully managed storeroom, a cool Aladdin’s cave stacked with trays of cheese gems. Mary runs the farm in a seemingly effortless manner that has only come through years of commitment to her trade. She manages cheese production, takes the orders and is the delivery person, she manages her livestock and works closely with her staff. It is a demanding operation, with little time for leisure. Mary occasionally catches a concert in London after she has visited Neals Yard to deliver her cheeses. Staying true to artisan production has been important to Mary,
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at the same time she has made some key business decisions. A little over ten years ago the farm also kept sheep for cheese production. But an outbreaks of foot and mouth disease led Mary to make the decision to sell her flock in 2002 and focus on goats. The farm still rears cattle, and there are pigs, who happily while away their days outdoors feasting on the whey by-product from cheese manufacturing. Kid meat and pork are products also sold, predominantly to restaurants, although the public can arrange to buy any of the produce. In terms of cheeses however, you should grab them when they are available as the authenticity of the artisan production process means that they sell out as fast as Mary and her team can milk the goats. Cheeses from Sleight Farm are sold at The Fine Cheese Co, Walcot Street, Bath; Paxton & Whitfield, John Street, Bath; Goodies Delicatessen, St Saviour’s Road, Larkhall, Bath; Neal’s Yard Dairy, 17 Shorts Gardens, London. Sleight Farm’s stall is at Bath Farmers’ Market, Green Park Station, on Saturday mornings. ■
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THE WINE COLUMN Angela Mount, wine and food critic, picks some new discoveries for early summer dining
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ay seems to be the month which heralds, not only the arrival of new vintages of old favourites, but also some new discoveries, not seen in Bath before. Here are a few of my new finds.
Johannish of Riesling Trocken 2012, Weingut Knipser, now £11 at GWW, normally £12.50 I’ve written many times about my favourite white grape variety, and how underrated it still is. This new addition proves my point yet again; not from the Rheingau region, but from the warmer, southernmost German wine area, the Rheinpfalz, where the grapes are able to develop more ripeness and richness. The word ‘trocken’ means dry, and this is delightfully so but with a vibrant, bright lemon freshness. It’s gentle, floral and delicate, with a steely edge; poised, sassy and stylish, with chiseled edges. With less than 11.5% alcohol it’s also a refreshing, lighter style, nice for a glass in the early evening sunshine, with seafood, and on chillier nights, with delicate Thai-spiced fish and prawns. Moelleux Chateau Laulerie, Cotes de Montravel, 2011, £9.95 at GWW, down to £8.75 till end of May If you turn your nose up at delicately sweet, light whites, I urge you to think again. There is nothing better than a bowlful of richly-scented strawberries, fragrant raspberries, or heady peaches, to be enjoyed, with a glass of something gently sweet yet citrusy. Hats off to Great Western for finding this good value, summer delight, with its glinting, pale golden colour. Full of gentle scents and flavours of candied lemons, baked apples, a hint of cinnamon and a touch of rich cream. It will work well with strawberries and cream, fruity pavlova, and surprisingly, it’s a pretty good match for a salad of pear, chicory, walnut and blue cheese. Gamay de Touraine 2013, Domaine de Pierre, £10.75 at GWW, down to £9.46 till end of May Hitting the shelves this month is this gorgeous, exuberant, juicy, lively, light red. It’s made from the Gamay grape, the grape variety most famous for the youthful, juicy reds of Beaujolais, and the style is similar, yet somewhat lighter and fresher. It’s got a lovely story too, as the producer only started his own estate in 2007 between Saumur and Tours, in the Loire Valley. Swirl it around the glass, and scents of ripe strawberries, and freshly cut herbs waft out; taste it and it’s full of delicious, silky, juicy red berry fruit, very light, yet bursting with flavours. Drink this slightly chilled, to bring out the fruitiness and freshness. Perfect with a plate of antipasti, charcuterie, hams, and a great picnic wine, or with fish. Ken Forrester the Renegade 2009, South Africa, £11.95 at GWW £11.95 This is one of my favourite reds from South Africa, from one of my favourite wine producers. Ken was in the UK recently, and I was able to catch up with him and taste some of the new vintages that are just landing. It’s a Rhone style wine, made from Grenache, Mourvedre and Syrah; the 2009 vintage was a fabulous one, so this wine is still an exuberant and outspoken toddler, with early charm, and long potential. Full of rich spice and dense fruit, it’s velvety, dense and enticing. Buy a few bottles, stick most of them away for a while, but open one this month to enjoy in its youth with roast lamb, or rib eye steak on the barbecue. It’s worth it. ■ All of the above, plus a mixed case can be ordered through our website. Enjoy a 10% Great Western Wine discount by entering the code on Angela’s wine column. Visit : www.thebathmag.co.uk
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CITYpeople
News in brief ■ Music and audio specialist Bang & Olufsen has moved its Bath branch from Argyle Street after 15 years, to new, light and airy premises in Fountain Buildings on the corner of Lansdown Road. Michael Malloy, pictured, is the dealer principal at the new showroom. ■ The Mayor’s Guides volunteers will be swelling the coffers of the Mayor of Bath’s Relief Fund by offering visitors the chance to show their appreciation for their city tours by making a donation to the city charity. A collection box is being set up in the courtyard of the historic St John’s Hospital almshouses. The Mayor’s Guides don’t take tips so this is another way for people to say thank you. The fund, which is run by St John’s on the Mayor’s behalf, helps local people in need with grants helping to pay bills and furniture. Around 30,000 people enjoy the guides’ tours each year. ■ Architectural historian Dr Moira Rudolf, who has a lifetime’s passion for Bath, is running a series of themed walks around the city. The themes include walks around Jane Austen’s Bath and an exploration of places linked to the people who built the city. The twohour walks can be booked privately from £40. Dr Rudolf also leads a regular walk on Fridays from 11am at the Tourist Information Centre for £8 a head. Contact: 07900 533 372 or email: moirarudolf@googlemail.com.
Building a bright future at new school Pupils at the Royal High Junior School officially celebrated moving into their newly converted home, Cranwell House in Weston, Bath, by inviting governors and local dignitaries to a show and tea party at the school. Every girl, from nursery through
Are you a Gladiator cyclist? New name for business Cyclists are being invited to sign up to take part in a weekend of cycling from Bath, offering a choice of 20, 30, 60 or 100 mile routes. Training rides are being organised by Bath Cycling Club and VC Walcot cycling club for Bike Bath, which takes place over the weekend of 28/29 June. Bath Cancer Support Group has entered a team and Cystic Fibrosis Trust has 30 places for anyone wanting to ride and raise sponsorship. Schools are also signed up to take part. Bath artist Simon Spilsbury provides an award (pictured) for each finisher. The most enthusiastic participants can take on the Bath Gladiator challenge, to complete 200 miles in two days. Since supporting the event in 2012 and now as title sponsors Charles Stanley Direct has recently opened an office in Bath. To sign up visit: www.bikebath.co.uk.
Producing Resolution Not Prolonging Conflict As the largest firm of solicitors in Bath devoted exclusively to family law, Sharp Family Law helps divorcing clients to protect children, preserve assets, and reach an efficient resolution.
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to Year 6, took part in the show, followed by the unveiling of a stone plaque and tours of the light, spacious and well equipped classrooms and arts studio. A Champagne tea (for adults) completed the day.
Financial advisor Gemma Young, who set up her specialist financial practice in 2009 trading as Gemma Walters, has now changed the name of the business to Queens Square Wealth Management Ltd. She remains a director and the company remains a Partner Practice of St James’s Place Wealth Management. The business also has new premises at The Old Sweet Factory in Burtons Lane, Box, near Queens Square in the village, from where it takes its title. Clients benefit from a wide range of wealth management solutions, ranging from retirement and inheritance tax planning to investment management from many of the top fund management teams. Gemma has been providing wealth management services for over 18 years. Much of her career has been spent with two leading UK private banks, including Coutts & Co. In her spare time Gemma enjoys being with her two children and supporting Bath Rugby. Contact Gemma at Queens Square on tel: 01225 742644, or email: gemma.young@sjpp.co.uk. Visit: www.queenssquarewealth.co.uk.
sharp F A M I LY L A W 5 Gay Street, Bath, BA1 2PH, UK email: info@sharpfamilylaw.com t: 01225 448955 / 07798606740 website: www.sharpfamilylaw.com
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ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE
Budget 2014 a brighter future for some? With the recent Budget, it is clear that many of the positive announcements are primarily aimed at promoting planning for the future by increasing the flexibility of some long term investments and helping small businesses to start up and grow with investment incentives. In addition to the well publicised increase to the personal allowance, there were many changes announced that may be of interest to you and we will look briefly at some of these. (Note that the precise detail will need to be looked at when the final legislation is published in the summer). NISAs
Pensions
ISAs will be replaced by NISAs. You may wonder what the N stands for. The answer is New. So what is new about these ISA changes? The total ISA allowance will increase from July 2014 to £15,000 and there will no longer be any distinction between cash ISAs and investment ISAs. For the first time savers will be able to transfer their investments in stocks and shares ISAs into cash ISAs.
One unexpected announcement was that withdrawing funds from pension schemes on retirement will become more flexible. From April 2015 it has been proposed that those aged 55 and over will be able to access their pension’s funds as they wish instead of having to purchase an annuity or a limited drawdown amount. From a tax perspective, it is worth noting that withdrawals above the initial 25% tax free amount will be subject to tax. Therefore, if you are planning to withdraw your entire pension savings in the future, you could end up with an unexpected tax bill and there may be adverse inheritance tax consequences for those with potentially large estates.
Tax free savings For those with income or pensions below their personal allowance and with taxable interest savings income, from April 2015 the starting rate tax band will increase to £5,000 and savings falling into this band will be tax free. It is worth noting that any income (other than dividend income) over your personal allowance will reduce this tax free savings band. For those that like to invest in premium bonds, the investment limit will be increased to £40,000 from 1 August 2014 and £50,000 from 6 April 2015. Any prizes received from these premium bonds will remain non-taxable.
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Company owned homes This is not so positive for some. For companies which own residential property, the property value at which they potentially become liable to an annual tax charge (ATED) will drop to £1,000,000 per “dwelling” from 1 April 2015 and to £500,000 from 1 April 2016. Unless the property falls into one of the exemptions, companies will be required to file annual returns and subject to claiming one of the available reliefs, they will be required to also pay an annual tax charge.
Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS)
Tax return season is upon us
A welcome announcement was the extension to the SEIS reliefs making them permanent. For those unfamiliar with SEIS, this is aimed at helping small start-up businesses by attracting investors by offering generous tax incentives. For investors buying shares in an SEIS qualifying company, it will allow them to benefit from some lucrative tax reliefs. The reliefs that are now permanent are the income tax relief at 50% of the subscription value and the 50% exemption on reinvested capital gains. If you are expecting a large capital gain tax bill or had one in the prior tax year and are also planning to invest in an SEIS qualifying company, this relief could potentially save you a lot of tax. If you would like advice on the reliefs available to you or would like to know if SEIS status could apply to your new business to attract investment, please contact us.
Although not a Budget related item, as the 2013/14 tax year has now passed and we are entering the tax return completion season, it is important to note that if you don’t already complete a return and you believe you are required to do so, you need to tell HMRC this. Examples of situations where you may be required to complete a tax return include receiving untaxed consultancy income, receiving payments for organising events and sale of goods or craft items on a regular basis. Where residential property is let out, income and expenses relating to these lettings will usually need to be declared on a personal tax return. HMRC has recently been contacting letting agents and suspected tenants for information. If you have undeclared rental income, now is the time to check whether you need to declare this.
Annual Investment Allowance
Please contact Jon Miles on jm@richardsonswift.co.uk if any of the above matters are of interest to you
For businesses buying plant and machinery, this 100% allowance for claiming tax relief on certain assets was due to drop from £250,000 to £25,000. This has now been extended to December 2015 and doubled to £500,000.
Jon Miles
as your accounting year end could affect how much you can claim. Planning here could help maximise the tax relief for your business.
Of note for businesses considering purchasing high values of plant and machinery, you may want to check if all of this allowance is available
www.richardsonswift.co.uk 11 Laura Place, Bath BA2 4BL 01225 325 580 MAY 2014
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CREATIVEcity
BITS AND BOBBINS: the first floor shop in The Makery’s new HQ. Above right, shoppers enjoy hands-on browsing. Right, The Makery’s joint founder Kate Smith
A crafty move for Kate Bath grown independent business The Makery has just moved into new city centre headquarters. Georgette MccCready joined co-founder Kate Smith for a tour of this creative hub
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ven those of us who were thrown out of sewing classes at school can’t resist oohing and aahing over brightly coloured buttons, lengths of patterned ribbon and plump printed pristine cotton squares. The Makery, Bath’s own homegrown craft and sewing shop, is one of those places that attracts customers like children to a sweet shop and has them planning their next creative project with all the bright-eyed enthusiasm of a Blue Peter presenter. When I interviewed co-founder Kate Smith last year she’d just had her feathers publicly singed in a close encounter with the fiercesome four on the TV series Dragons’ Den. She’d fluffed her figures and heard each dragon in turn announce that they were emphatically ‘out.’ What we all learned from that encounter (aside from the fact that The Makery, far from courting publicity, were invited on to the show) was that this level of coverage can be levered to an entrepreneur’s advantage. Kate and co-founder husband Nigel watched as their website attracted thousands of hits in the wake of the programme going out, sales of their then newly published How To book soared and suddenly some big names in the craft world wanted to talk to them about taking their kits and marketing them. Fast forward a few months and Kate and Nigel have been spending a considerable amount of time, effort and money in trying to find a new city centre home for The Makery that would allow the contents of the shop in Union Passage and the workshop space in Walcot Street to be combined under one roof. And finally, the plan came together and The Makery moved into its new four storey headquarters in Union Passage, 60 THEBATHMAGAZINE
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just a few doors down from the shop which it vacated. Kate gave me the grand tour of the building, ahead of a party of bankers who were coming to a team building workshop in which they were going to be set the task of making sock monkeys. Who wouldn’t love to be a fly on the wall at that session? There are several large, sunny workshop rooms where parties of between half a dozen and 50 people can be accommodated for activities that range from the frivolous (knicker making) to the near professional (learning upholstery or printing wallpaper). Children can make owl cushions in one room, followed by birthday party tea in another, while weekend hen parties sew lace on to garters while sipping prosecco – there’s room for all. For the first time The Makery team, who number a couple of dozen people including freelance makers, have a staff room, a stockroom and even an office. Until now they’ve been working round rolls of fabric, perching on the ends of tables for meetings and always having to move scissors or tape measures to find space to put a laptop down. “It’s been incredibly cleansing to move,” says Kate, who is clearly delighted with her new bigger empire. “I’m so excited about what we can offer people here.” She had contemplated not having a shop, arguing that customers could order online, but such was the clamour from The Makery fans that a shop space has been created on the first floor of the building. The downside is that you have to buzz on the big yellow door at street level to be let in and there is a flight of stairs to negotiate –
about which Kate is apologetic. “I am really sorry about those who can’t get up the stairs, but we will run a buggy carrying service and we offer click and collect too for customers.” But the benefits to more people outweigh this. Also on the first floor is a big, light room which Kate intends to become a drop-in creative zone for home projects. For a day pass, of around £5, home seamstresses will be able to hire a table and sewing machine for projects such as curtain making. Tea, coffee and food can be ordered and brought in by nearby café and deli Roscoff run by Rosario Bavetta. Evidence of The Makery’s popularity came the first weekend the new premises were occupied as curious customers flocked to have a look. “It was amazing,” says Kate, “like Christmas, it was so busy.” The business continues to go from strength to strength. The make-it-at-home kits – turned down by the Dragons – have been beautifully redesigned by designer/manufacturers Wild and Wolf, who are based in Walcot Street. They have branded and trademarked the kits and these will be launched on the internet and in the States this autumn. Kate’s busy working on a second Makery book, due out next year, and has secured a deal with John Lewis to stock a new range of Makery haberdashery, including pin tins and tabletop mini shelf units. She’s also in demand for giving talks, passing on some of the wisdom she’s picked up from five years in the making business. What you quickly pick up from listening to her is that she is passionate about The Makery, and you can’t help feeling that this is key to its continued success. ■
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Bath@Work Our series of photographic portraits by Neill Menneer shows Bath people at work. View a gallery of our Bath@Work subjects at: www.thebathmag.co.uk
Colin Johnston Principal archivist for Bath & North East Somerset Council have spent half my life working underground in the centre of Bath. Being manager of the city’s unique and priceless archive collection is very much a hands-on role, and every day I am handling historic documents two, three, or more hundreds of years old. Our collections fill more than three kilometres of shelving, all stored in the vaults and cellars of Bath’s Guildhall. Our collections are special; we know that because they have been awarded Designated status by the Government for their international importance. Although Bath’s archives contain documents typical of any historic city, it is their range and completeness which makes them outstanding. Every day we reply to enquiries from local people: private residents and business professionals, students and council officials. Many requests come from across the world, mostly by email nowadays, and our doors are open to anyone wishing to research for themselves. The day I started work here in Bath 30 years ago, I remember walking along Great Pulteney Street on a crisp winter’s morning in dazzling sunshine and a blue sky overhead, thinking to myself “What a brilliant place to work.” I still feel the same. People told me then, I’d never want to leave Bath, and it’s true. But I still haven’t completed the job I came to do, so I can’t think of retirement yet. I came here to bring order out of chaos, to put all the collections of documents in order and create as my legacy a useable system that anyone could operate. I still haven’t achieved that, largely because the collections have grown phenomenally, by 1,500 per cent, and the demands of our customers have grown by 1,000 per cent. The main reason we are fighting against the odds is our tiny workforce against the size of the project. In the early days it was just me and a part-time assistant, juggling all the demands of running a public service and trying to make inroads into the backlog of uncatalogued collections. Even today, with our highest-ever staffing level of me and three part-time colleagues, we are only slowly bringing the collections to order of a national standard. If we had closed for 20 years we could have had brilliant catalogues but no customers. At the outset I deliberately chose to focus on service, since that is what we are judged by. Today in national customer-surveys we are voted the best archive in the south west for helpfulness, but this has only been achieved at the expense of leaving significant archive collections uncatalogued. So I intend spending a few more years underground, here in the centre of the city. And hopefully when I leave there will be a system in place whereby anyone can find what they want at the touch of a button. I shall have achieved my goal: order out of chaos. ■
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New Pension Reforms bring welcome flexibility for those approaching retirement The radical pension reforms set out in the latest Budget are good news for people planning their retirement. The changes announced by the Chancellor provide individuals with greater freedom when it comes to managing their income once they decide to start taking their pension benefits. rom April 6 2015, anyone over 55 can take their entire pension pot as cash, with 25% tax free. From April 6, 2015, those over the age of 55 will be able to take their entire pension fund as cash, although only the first 25% will be tax-free. The remaining 75% of the fund will be taxed at the individual’s marginal income tax rate. (Marginal income tax rate means either the highest rate at which you currently pay tax) Alternatively, they will be able to choose to take their tax free cash amount and purchase an annuity or consider one of the other products available on the market. People will need to consider these choices carefully based on varying personal circumstances, making sure they have enough money to live on throughout a hopefully long retirement.
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Changes from March 27, 2014: * If you are age 60 or above and have a pension policy that has a value of £10,000 or less, you can take all of the money in that policy as a lump sum. You can do this for up to three pension policies if they each have a value of less than £10,000. One quarter of the amount will be paid to you tax free, and the rest will be taxed at your marginal rate of income tax. * If you are between age 60 and 75 and have a pension policy larger than £10,000 you can still take it as a lump sum, if the value of all your pension funds added together (including any pensions in payment, but excluding the state pension) is below £30,000. Again, one quarter of the amount will be paid to you tax free, and the rest will be taxed at your marginal rate of income tax. * For capped income drawdown arrangements, the maximum amount of income you can take is increasing from 120% of an equivalent annuity to 150%. And the minimum level of guaranteed income needed to access flexible drawdown has been reduced from £20,000 to £12,000. From next year, April 6 2015: * Anyone over the age of 55 will be able to take their entire pension pot as cash with 25% tax free, and the remainder will be subject to their marginal income tax rate (the current rate for full withdrawals is 55%). Whilst these changes bring about a greater degree of flexibility it is important to seek professional advice to explore all of your options and ensure that any decisions you make are suitable to your circumstances. For more information contact Steve Missen on 01225 785570 or steve.missen@monahans-fsl.co.uk. www.monahans-fsl.co.uk. Monahans Financial Services Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.
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Retirement choice that’s right for you
Woodland Court’s retirement living concept offers a new lifestyle alternative for older people. We provide you with the opportunity to enjoy genuine independence, together with the option to call upon professional care and support to suit changing needs. Living at Woodland Court allows you to live in your own home with a lifestyle of your choosing. For more information and to request a brochure, contact us by: Phone: 0117 906 1400 Email:woodlandenquiries@brunelcare.org.uk Post: Woodland Court, Partridge Drive (off Overndale Road), Downend, Bristol, BS16 2RF www.woodlandcourt.org.uk
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SUMMERbooks
Branch out with a good read
James Runcie: author of the Granchester mysteries
The team at Topping & Co bookshop in Bath have picked some books to enjoy in the summer sunshine Philip Meyer, The Son Simon & Schuster, £7.99 Donna Tartt has just won the Pulitzer Prize for The Goldfinch. A strong and possibly more impressive novel is Philip Meyer’s The Son which was also on the shortlist. This is a work of extraordinary narrative and power in which we see the transformation of the American West across five generations of the McCulloughs. “I will tell you something my father once told me, The difference between a brave man and a coward is very simple. It is a problem of love. A coward only loves himself . . . The brave man loves other men first and himself last.”
Hugo Williams, I Knew the Bride faber and faber, £12.99 Hugo Williams is one of the best living poets we have, and this collection confirms Williams as not only a poet of extreme talents, writing with great fluidity and ease, but also one with great depth and humanity. This could be amongst his last collection of poems, as reading them we learn of his onging hospital treatment in From the Dialysis Ward. This is a moving, at times funny, sequence of poems in which his fearless vulnerability shines through the tender writing.
Anthony Chandor, Not So Dusty Anthony Chandor, £7.99 Few people can have been as charming , engaging, and forgiving as Bath bookseller Anthony Chandor – or as amusing. In these vividly gentle remiscences of his time as a antiquarian bookdealer running Bankes Books a Margaret’s Buildings for more than 20 years, he proves himself to be the most engaging of companions. He fell into book dealing almost by accident after his computing business went into 66 THEBATHMAGAZINE
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liquidation and he and his wife were forced to sell their family home. When he announced his intention to become a book trader his son observed: “You have four special assets for the antiquarian book trade: you are large, you are bald, you are jovial and you look like a character in a Dickens novel.” Full of witty reminiscences and brilliant characters, this is a treat for anyone who loves books and reading about them.
Gabriel Hemery and Sarah Simblet, The New Sylva: A Discourse of Forest and Orchard Trees for the Twenty-First Century Bloomsbury, £50 Gabriel Hemery and Sarah Simblet offer a survey of all the important trees which populate the British woodland. This is all brought to life with the most extraordinarily beautiful drawings. While silvologist Gabriel Hemery explains what trees mean to us culturally, environmentally and economically, Sarah Simblet’s breathtakingly subtle portraits of trees bring out the features of trees such as oak, elm, beech, hornbeam willow, fir, pine, juniper, plane, apple and pear. A gift for all nature lovers.
Sabrina Ghayour, Persiana: Recipes from the Middle East and Beyond Mitchell Beazley, £25 Sabrina Ghayour’s debut cookbook Persiana is an instant classic. The rising star of Middle Eastern food, Iranian born Sabrina Ghayour hosts her hugely successful Persian Supper Clubs at the National Gallery, Modern Pantry and Grain Store. Her new book is a celebration of the food and flavours from the shore regions of the Mediterranean. Recipes include chicken, walnut and pomegranate stew, lamb and sour cherry meatballs, and pomegranate tabbouleh cups. For
those with a sweet tooth, there are pistachio and lemon shortbreads; cinnamon and citrus almond pastry, and pistachio, honey and orange-blossom ice cream. A delight to look at, and a treat to cook from. We will be welcoming Sabrina to the bookshop on Thursday 15 May from 7.30pm when she will be cooking some of the dishes from the book for us to try.
Nick Hunt, Walking the Woods and the Water Nicholas Brealey, £10.99 Patrick Leigh Fermor was one of the greatest travel writers of our time. He chronicled his journey from the Hook of Holland to the Golden Horn in A Time of Gifts, Between the Woods and the Water and The Broken Road. Nick Hunt bravely retraces these steps, and discovers that much remains of the hospitality, kindness to strangers, freedom, wilderness, adventure and mystery that Leigh Fermor encountered. The highest compliment one can give to this book is that Paddy Leigh Fermor would have liked it.
Authors in Bath . . . As part of Bath in Fashion British jewellery designer Alex Monroe will be coming to the bookshop on Friday 9 May, to talk about his memoir, Two Turtle Doves, which looks back at his life from his earliest days of making things. The personable, popular former artistic director of the Bath Literature Festival, James Runcie, will make a welcome return to Bath on Thursday 12 June when he’ll be reading from his latest Granchester Mystery, Sydney Chambers and The Problem of Evil. Breton baker and Bath resident Richard Bertinet, who stepped in admirably when Antonio Carluccio had to pull out of a recent event, will be demonstrating recipes from his new book Patisserie Maison on 2 October. ■
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High Quality Childcare and Educa on in the Heart of Bath Why not come and see us. To book an appointment at any me please call the nursery on 01225 487858.
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Saturday 17th May 2014 10.00am – 2.00pm
guinealane@thebathnurserycompany.co.uk 01225 487 858 St Mary’s Church Hall, Guinea Lane, BA1 5NB. www.thebathnurserycompany.co.uk
Can i pay family members through my business payroll? Is a question that is regularly asked by new clients – and highlights an opportunity that can otherwise easily be overlooked. The answer is that companies can claim tax deductions for expenses where they are “wholly and exclusively for the purposes of the trade” and therefore there is no reason why family members, including your children, can’t be paid provided the company gets value. The family member can be employed in any capacity – filing, administration, cleaning company cars, IT – as long as they provide your business with a service. The huge advantage is of course that you won’t need to find so much money to support them; the payments are tax deductible for the company, so saving business tax - and you are no longer paying them from your own income which has already suffered tax and national insurance.
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FAMILYfun
Head for the great outdoors
Mary Poppins at the Pound, Corsham
Bobo Boggle and Co at the Spiegeltent
May the fun be with you With two bank holidays and half term this month, May gives us a great opportunity to round up the family and get out there and discover some great local attractions, days out and events to entertain, amuse and educate Wild garlic fortnight Until Saturday 10 May, 10am – 4.30pm Prior Park landscape gardens, Bath Experience this aromatic plant and join in with cooking and tasting sessions. There will be free recipe sheets and an opportunity to pick your own wild garlic at this National Trust owned site. There will be demonstrations too. Uluzuzulalia Thursday 1 – Saturday 3 May The egg at the Theatre Royal, Bath Tel: 01225 823409 A lively romp around the human voice as you’re encouraged to tip and tap and click and clack your tongue to create a huge range of sounds. Tickets: £7.50/£6.50 concessions. Also at the egg theatre this month The Jungle Book Thursday 15 – Saturday 17 May Students from Bath Spa University bring Rudyard Kipling’s tales of Mowgli and his jungle adventures to life with this all-singing, alldancing production which will enchant children aged six and over. Tickets: £7.50/£6.50 concessions. Jack and the Beanstalk Friday 30 – Saturday 31 May Fee fi fo fum! This is a giant of a show, re-telling a much loved story, with enormous shoes, tiny houses and a big leafy explosion. Starring entertainer Patrick Lynch of CBeebies and presented by Lyngo Theatre it’s aimed at children aged three and over. Tickets: £7.50/ £6.50 concessions. Woolley Grange Hotel 25th Birthday Party Monday 5 May, noon to 5pm Woolley Grange Hotel near Bradford-on-Avon The family-friendly country-house hotel is celebrating 25 years with an open day. There’ll be a treasure hunt, food and drink stalls, gardening activities, taster spa treatments and climbing in the cedar tree. You’ll need to reserve a place as this is likely to be popular, tel: 01225 864705 or emailinfo@woolleygrangehotel.co.uk. 68 THEBATHMAGAZINE
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Screening of Mary Poppins Sunday 11 May, 11am The Pound Arts Centre, Corsham Step back in time with Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke for this family favourite. £6 (£5 concessions), £3.50 under 16s and full time students. Tel: 01249 701628 or visit: www.poundarts.org.uk Followed by Let’s go fly a kite! Sunday 11 May, 1.30pm – 3.30pm Join us to make a colourful kite, and then test its strength as you attempt to fly it ‘up to the highest height.’ £6 (£4 with a ticket for the film). Also at The Pound this month Insects workshop with Clare Day Tuesday 27 May, 9.30am or 11.30am Using found and recycled materials, let your imagination run wild as you design and make insects of all kinds. £6. For ages 6+ (Children under eight must be accompanied by an adult). Scarecrow Trail: Cartoon Characters Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 May from 10am Pick up a map for £3 from Norton St Philip First School, Church Street, BA2 7LU Enjoy this annual trail around the village, which allows children to play the game of spotting the scarecrows who are dotted about the gardens and lanes of Norton St Philip. Megson: Folk Songs for Children Sunday 18 May, 3pm Wiltshire Music Centre, Bradford-on-Avon Husband and wife duo Stu and Debbie Hanna perform a delightful showcase of favourite, traditional folk songs, from lullabies to the rousing play-song Oats Beans and Barley Grow, which can be enjoyed by all the family. Tickets: £8/£6 under 18s from 01225 860100 or visit: www.wiltshiremusic.org.uk. May holiday madness Monday 26 May, 11am-3pm Tyntesfield, National Trust Start ticking off challenges on your 50 Things to
do before you’re 11¾ list. From holding scary beasts to rolling down big hills, Tyntesfield has all you need for an outdoor adventure. Box Revels Monday 26 May, afternoon The Rec, Box, Wiltshire Give your children a taste of a family-friendly village community fete with added fun and games at this popular annual event. This year’s theme tackles the thorny issue of whether Box should be independent of the rest of the UK. Half term family events in Bath Glorious Rome Monday 26 May to Friday 30 May, 10am-1pm and 2pm-4pm The Roman Baths Get to know about Roman Emperors from Roman coins. Make an imperial crown at these family drop-in sessions free to Discovery Card holders. Children must bring an adult. Special silhouettes Tuesday 27 May, 10.30am-12.30pm and 1.30pm-3.30pm The Fashion Museum Explore the Georgians exhibition, create silhouettes using card, or design a braided frame. Family drop-in activities – free to Discovery Card holders. Children must bring an adult. Flowers and bugs Thursday 29 May, 10.30am-12 and 2pm-3pm Victoria Art Gallery’s Young @ Art Club Find the creepy crawlies in the gallery. Make fabulous flowers and butterflies. Suitable for three to five- year-olds. Squash and biscuits included. Book a place on 01225 477233, all gallery activities £4 per child. Children must be accompanied by an adult Also at Victoria Art Gallery this month Window on the World Friday 30 May, 10.30am-noon & 1.30pm-3pm Create a view through a window using mixed media and exploring the gallery’s paintings for ideas. Suitable for six to 11-year-olds.
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A Bear Hunt at the Theatre Royal International RC Air Show Sunday 25 and Monday 26 May Fleet Air Arm Museum, Yeovilton, Somerset BA22 8HT The two-day showcases the best radio controlled flying displays from around the world. Contestants include the world No 1 helicopter pilot Jamie Robertson from the USA whose Youtube videos have been seen by over 1 million people. Sunday will see the Zone helicopter competition knock-out heats, with the final competition on Monday. There will be traders and experts in the field of radio controlled aircraft to give help and advice to modellers of all levels of experience. Tickets: www.fleetairarm.com or from the museum shop. Bath Fringe Festival Children’s events Tuesday 27 May – Sunday 1 June The Spiegeltent on Bath Recreation Ground, Bath city centre Come along and prepare yourselves for the big show by joining the Talent Show audition/rehearsals every day Tuesday to Friday between 4.30 and 5.30pm. Only the daft don’t rehearse. (That probably includes Bobo Boggle, the family-friendly entertainer). There’ll also be children’s activities in the food tent, TuesdayFriday 4.30pm – 5.30pm. The Funky Puppet and Magic Show Tuesday 27 May, 12 Puppets, magic and laughter, suitable for children aged two to seven. Tickets £4, tel: 01225 463362 Meet the artist: Jessica Palmer Tuesday May 27, 12.30 – 4pm The American Museum, Claverton Join paper craft artist Jessica Palmer and learn to make boxes from vintage books. Come away with somewhere to keep your favourite secret object. Workshops at 12.30- 2pm and 2.30- 4pm. For age six and over. Booking essential. Tel: 01225 820866 or email: workshops@americanmuseum.org. Wild Things Fridays, mornings Alice Park, Bath Aimed at children aged two to five, these outdoor sessions encourage learning through play. Each week the children enjoy activities as varied as seed growing, worm dancing, kite flying or pond
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International radio control pilots dipping, all under safe supervision. Book for five sessions for £4 each. Tel: 07958 464 483. Children’s Workshops: Spring Festivals Tuesday 27 and Wednesday 28 May, 2pm – 3.30pm Museum of East Asian Art, Bennett Street, Bath Celebrate the Japanese Cherry Blossom Festival and the Chinese Dragon Boat Festival by making beautiful origami cherry blossoms and trees as well as dragon boats. Admission £3, including admission for one adult. Make Your Own Coat of Arms: Part of Bath Museums’ Georgian Campaign Thursday 29 May, 2pm – 3.30pm The museum has a collection of porcelain decorated with armorials, made in China for English families. Learn more about these symbols and design your own plate. No booking required. Admission: £3, including admission for one adult. Wallace and Gromit from the Drawing Board Saturday 24 May – 7 September M Shed, Princes Wharf, Wapping Road, Bristol BS1 4RN Celebrate the stories and creative talent behind Wallace and Gromit on the 25th anniversary of their first film release. Wander through a home developed by Aardman and experience the quirky and unexpected. Find out how the storylines are created and see how the much loved characters have developed over time. The exhibition includes film sets, Nick Park’s notebook and the rocket from A Grand Day Out. See a real Oscar and have your photo taken next to the duo . . . say cheese! Tickets, adult: £5.95, child: £3.95, concessions: £4.95, family tickets: £14.95. Tel: 0117 352 6914, Tue-Sun 10am-4.30pm. Colourful Comets: drop in session Tuesday 27 May, 10am to noon Herschel Museum of Astronomy, New King Street, Bath Caroline Herschel was a renowned comet seeker – find out about her work and decorate your own comet. For children aged five to 10, £2 per child. Visit: www.herschelmuseum.org.uk, tel: 01225 446865. We’re Going on a Bear Hunt Wednesday 28 May – Sunday 1 June Theatre Royal, Bath Michael Rosen’s delightful children’s book is
Wallace and Gromit at the M Shed brought vividly to life with this stage version that will be a real treat for parents and children for half-term. Suitable for children aged three and over. A family ticket for four people is £44. For tickets tel: 01225 448844 or visit: www.theatreroyal.org.uk. Steam Day Wednesday 28 May and Saturday 31 May Didcot Railway Centre, home of the Great Western Society If you have a Thomas the Tank engine fan in the family, give them a treat with a visit to Didcot when the steam locomotives are running. Ride in a carriage behind a steam loco as many times as you like and watch the turntable in use. Find out more at: www.didcotrailwaycentre.org.uk. Sunset Special Friday 30 May, 6.30pm – 10pm Bristol Zoo, Clifton, Bristol Visit the zoo after hours and take advantage of the rare opportunity to enjoy the attraction as the sun goes down. The zoo’s animal houses and exhibits will be open, with a number of animal talks, giving visitors the chance to see everything from lemurs and penguins to monkeys, seals and meerkats. The new Gorilla House will also be open – offering a 180 degree viewing area of these great animals. For more information and to book tickets visit: www.bristolzoo.org.uk/sunset-specials. Half term days out Farleigh Hungerford Castle Norton St Philip This is a fine medieval semi-ruined castle which saw some military action during the English Civil War of the 17th century, making it a perfect place for young knights and princesses in search of tales of swords and derring do. It’s owned by English Heritage, visit: www.english-heritage.org.uk for details of this and other ancient sites of interest. Avebury, Wiltshire Stonehenge may grab the headlines but the standing stones of the World Heritage Site Avebury are completely accessible. This is a great place for letting off steam and being able to touch the stones which form the Neolithic stone circles running through the village, giving visitors a sense of history. Young archaeologists will enjoy the free museum too with hands-on exhibits. ■
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SCHOOL REPORT
King Edward’s Junior School: if you visit the National Gallery this summer look out for this work by pupils in Year 4. Artwork by the five students, pictured, Ophelia Mantell-Jacob, Tilly Lyons, Max Newark, Joe Reece, Daniel Wigfield will form part of the Take One Picture exhibition which runs from 21 May until 21 September. The group chose Seurat’s Bathers at Asnieres as the inspiration for their piece and were delighted to be selected rom hundreds of entries from schools nationwide. Downside Abbey School: the Somerset school is holding a series of events to mark its 200th anniversary, including a day of classic and vintage cars at the school sports field on Sunday 4 May. The Concours d’Elégance will include a 1934 Aston Martin Ulster Le Mans, a 1928 Bugatti, a 1929 Rolls Royce, a 1955 Jaguar XK 140, 1961 Aston Martin DB4 and 1965 Alfa Romeo 2600 Spider. One of the highlights is a Squire car, a 1935 Squire Ranalagh Tourer. The designer, Adrian Squire, was a pupil at Downside in the 1920s and designed his first car when he was still at school. The Benedictine Community of monks arrived in Stratton-on-the-Fosse in 1814, where they built the Abbey Church completed in 1938. Proceeds from this event will go towards the Abbey Restoration Project. Tickets for visitors are £5, family ticket £10. To book email: skerr@downside.co.uk or call 01761 235194.
St Mark’s School: artists Simon Hodges and Dawn Lippiatt have been working with Year 7 pupils to create art that celebrates the life of the school. In English lessons children chose words that describe how they feel about their school and over a series of workshops run by Dawn and Simon, they have been turning these words into pieces of art using a range of techniques and styles. Each piece will be exhibited for visitors to select their favourites, so that the most popular can be turned into a bigger outdoor installation in the summer. The project is one of a series organised by the school and artists from the Larkhall Open Studios in the lead up to the Larkhall Festival. The school will be open as part of the open studios weekend, on Saturday 3 May from 11am until 3pm. All children are welcome to drop in and take part in art and creative projects that day.
All Hallows School: professional artist Ian Marlow has taken up his post as artist in residence as part of the Somerset prep school’s 75th anniversary. His first duty was to judge the house arts competition and he continues to work on projects with the pupils until the end of the summer term. This will include creating a sculpture with the children, inspired by Cranmore Hall’s symbol, a crane bird, to stand in the school grounds, a trip to Marlow’s own sculpture garden, a film celebrating art and cross-curricular teaching at the school, and a book of illustrated poetry. 70 THEBATHMAGAZINE
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The beautiful beech On a beautiful spring day there are few more pleasant places to be than in an English beech wood. Andrew Swift plots a ten-mile walk along the Cotswold Way which takes in two stretches of woodland and some fine views
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or the merry month of May our walk takes in stretches of beech woods, which should by then be dressed in the palest green leaves which look so beautiful against a blue spring sky. Much of our route follows the Cotswold Way, falling into three parts, with two long stretches through high beech woods framing a contrasting section across level fields and past reservoirs popular with birdwatchers. It also takes you to one of the finest viewpoints in the Cotswolds. To get to the starting point, head north of Painswick along the A46 and, after 2.5 miles, follow signposts right and right again towards Cranham. Just before the 30mph signs for the village, pull into a car park on the left (SO893130). Follow a track bearing left into the woods past a Cotswold Way Circular Walk waymark. Carry on up the track for 500 metres before crossing a road. Continue straight on for another 300 metres, and, when you come to a T junction with a broken-down wall ahead, turn right (SO886135). The Cotswold Way (CW), which you will be following for the next 2.5 miles, is so well waymarked that directions are largely superfluous. It is continually being re-routed, however, and even the latest OS map may not show the current route. After heading steeply downhill, the path curves right. Just past a recently coppiced area, steps lead up to a KG. Carry on until CW waymarks direct you right and then sharp left (SO890144). This re-routing of the CW takes you to the brow of Cooper’s Hill, scene of Gloucestershire’ famous cheese rolling race every Spring Bank Holiday Monday. The race was deemed so dangerous under health and safety regulations that a few years ago it was officially banned, but still around 5,000 people are expected to turn up to watch competitors race down the precipitous slopes in pursuit of an 8lb cheese, so if you’re after a quiet walk, it’s best to avoid Monday 26 May. But if you want to watch this now unofficial race, it begins at noon. The CW heads down to the left of the cheese-rolling slope before bearing right along a lane and continuing through a gateway along a rough track. 700 metres after going through the gateway, bear sharp left to leave the CW and follow a footpath down to a KG (SO899140). Carry straight on 72 THEBATHMAGAZINE
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through a rough field, with Great Witcombe Roman Villa over to your left. On the far side of the field, go through a KG and bear right to follow the hedgerow. Carry on alongside the hedge (don’t go through a gateway on the right), and, at the end of the field, continue through a gateway along a track. Follow the track as it bears right along a causeway across Witcombe Reservoirs. On the far side, cross a stile on the right, head towards another stile, carry on in the same direction, cross a stile to the right of a white house and bear left along a lane (SO909148). After 100 metres, turn right through a squeeze stile, cross a stile immediately beyond it, head across a paddock, cross another stile and follow a clear track across a field to a KG. Carry on with the hedge on your left and, when you reach a road, cross a stile straight ahead. Carry straight on and, when you come to a lane, turn right (SO912154). After 500 metres, carry on to the left of Peace Cottage along a footpath. Continue up through a field in the same direction, ignoring a stile in the fence on the left. After crossing a stile, a large building comes into view ahead. Go through a small gate to the left of it, carry on and go through another gate. After 150 metres, when you see some barns on the right, bear left up a path (SO922149). Carry on past two narrow paths branching off left, but, when the path forks, bear left uphill passing a disused quarry on the right. Carry on past rock outcrops and, at a T junction, turn left for a few metres before crossing a stile to one of the finest viewpoints on the Cotswolds. Known as the Peak, it commands a panorama stretching from the Malverns to May Hill and, on a clear day, the Brecon Beacons. From here, head back across the stile, carry on past the path you came up earlier and, a few metres further on, when you come to a signpost (SO924149), bear right to follow the CW towards Birdlip. After passing a large quarry on the left, cross a road, go down steps and continue following the CW downhill. At the T junction at the bottom turn left (SO923146). At a fork, bear left uphill. After 500 metres, follow a broad track as it leads downhill (SO921142). Carry on along this broad and possibly muddy track for 1500 metres, before following the CW as it bears right at a crosspath. (SO911135) After another 900 metres, you come to a wide gateway on the right with a
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TURN OVER A NEW LEAF: main picture, beech trees in their early summer foliage Inset, the Gloucestershire cheese rollers in action Above, left, panoramic views from the Peak and right, an old cottage at Great Witcombe
view uninterrupted by trees towards Witcombe Reservoirs. Just past it, you will see a path branching off to the left (SO902137). The marker post only seems to have a waymark pointing ahead along the CW, but, if you look on the other side of it, you will see a CW Circular Walk waymark pointing up the path. Turn left along this path and, when you meet another path, bear left uphill. After 300 metres, cross a road and follow a footpath sign ahead, bearing left to join a tarmaced track. Turn right down the track, and, after passing Monk’s Ditch House (SO902132), carry on along a stony path into woods alive with deer. After crossing a stream, the path climbs to emerge in Cranham. Turn right along the road and walk through the village to return to the car park. Level of challenge on this walk: generally straightforward, but with several stiles, muddy paths and steep sections. ■
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FURTHER INFORMATION ■ ■ ■ ■
Length of walk: ten miles Map: OS Explorer 179 Approximate time: 4 – 5 hours Refreshment stops: the Black Horse at Cranham (tel: 01452 812217) serves food noon – 2pm and 6.30pm – 9pm, Tuesday to Saturday, noon – 2pm Sunday. The Butcher’s Arms at Sheepscombe is a short drive from Cranham, tel: 01452 812113. Food served noon – 2pm and 6.30pm – 9.30pm, Monday to Friday, noon – 9.30pm, Saturday and noon – 8pm, Sundays.
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BATHmidnightwalk
Home from home
A peaceful, safe and homely place, whereyou can spend time with family and friends – that’s what Dorothy House community lodges aim to provide, and it’s why the hospice is hoping 1,000 women will join this year’s Bath Midnight Walk
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place where people can be cared for, with family or friends around them, in a beautiful setting and with all the comforts of home: that is the thinking behind the two new community lodges at Dorothy House. The lodges, in the grounds of the hospice at Winsley, will be welcoming their first guests in mid-May. The innovative ‘home-from-home’ project will allow patients, their families and carers to stay together in a private, relaxed setting, cared for by the Dorothy House Hospice at Home team and trained volunteers. Dorothy House fundraiser Phillippa Watson said: “The lodges will allow even more people to be cared for by the hospice – providing a safe, comfortable and peaceful alternative for people who for some reason cannot be cared for in their own home, but who want to remain in a family setting for either a week’s respite care, or for the last week or two of life.” The timber-framed buildings include a fully equipped patient bedroom, with en suite wet room, guest bedroom with shower room, a comfortable living/sitting/kitchen area and a separate office for Dorothy House staff. There are beautiful views over the gardens and surrounding countryside, with landscaped outside seating areas and access to the rest of the grounds. The project was paid for by a Department of Health grant for just under £500,000, and designed and built by two Bath companies: SR Architects and Halsall Construction.
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FEELS LIKE HOME: The lodges, top, are set in the beautiful grounds at Dorothy House, and equipped to a high standard; above, Dorothy House fundraiser and walk organiser Phillippa Watson hopes at least 1,000 women will take part in the 2014 Midnight Walk. Phillippa Watson of Dorothy House with Becky Johnson from the Fabulous store in SouthGate Photo: Lloyd Ellington/Bath Chronicle
Phillippa added: “The lodges will cost about £150,000 a year to run – so we decided that funding them should be the target for the 2014 Bath Midnight Walk. So we look forward to getting at least 1,000 women signed up for the city’s biggest and best pyjama party – let’s make this year a record-breaker in every way.” One of the most popular fundraising events on the Bath charity calendar, the women-only walk
will be held on Saturday 13 September, starting on the stroke of midnight from the SouthGate centre. Now in its eighth year, the event is the hospice’s biggest single fundraiser. Last year, nearly 950 women completed the 8km circular walk around the city, raising £126,000 for hospice services. Last year’s walkers were enthusiastic about the event: Jo said: “As we walked, stories of how Dorothy House has touched people’s lives emerged, which made the whole experience humbling and significantly more worthwhile. I look forward to next year and to bringing more people with me to join in!” Catherine said: “A thoroughly enjoyable night, so well organised. Thank you for a great experience, I'll never forget looking back and seeing the ‘snake’ of flashing bunny ears!” Lucy said: “Thank you for organising a great and fun event: it was an honour to be part of it.” Registration is open now: download an entry form at www.bathmidnightwalk.co.uk, pick up details at any Dorothy House shop, or call fundraising on 01225 721480. Phillippa said: “It costs £10 to register if you sign up before 13 June, £15 after that date. This amount covers organisational and admin costs only, so we are asking people to pledge a minimum £30 in sponsorship – but the walk’s success relies on everyone raising as much as they possibly can.”
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B A T H
Summer Treats SPRAY TAN - £25 MINI MANICURE & PEDICURE - £38 BRAZILIAN WAXING - £25 Available May - August 2014
green street house, 14 green street, bath BA1 2JZ Tel: 01225 426000 Email: info@greenstreethouse.com www.greenstreethouse.com * No two offers can be used together. Quote this ad when booking
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&beauty
HEALTH
FIT & FAB The plait is back
Run, jog or walk for life Royal Victoria Park in Bath is the venue for the city’s all-female Race for Life charity event, which takes place on Sunday 15 June. A three mile/5k route winds its way round the park and suitable for all fitness levels, from those who choose to walk the distance, to those who want to run it. It’s open to girls and women aged six and over and there is always a hugely supportive atmosphere on the day, with everyone wearing cards bearing the names of people they’re paying tribute to. Places are £14.99 for 16s and over, with money raised from sponsorship going to Cancer Research UK. Register now on tel: 0845 600 6050. Green Street House salon in Bath has recently started stocking the Ren range of beauty products, including two key creams which were only put on general release this spring. V-Cense Youth Vitality Day Cream, £28 for 50ml, is a new cream with Vitamins C and F, designed to moisturise and prevent signs of ageing. The new V-Cense Revitalising Night Cream, £32 for 50ml, uses frankincense to relax overcontracted muscles, thereby smoothing the skin and helping stave off fine lines and wrinkles.
THE BRAIDY BUNCH: above, the halo plait as seen at Dolce & Gabanna’s spring/summer ‘14 show. Below, adopt the intricate plaits as seen on Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones
TURN HEADS: adopt the practice that’s popular with New Yorkers and Londoners and pop into your local blow dry bar. No. 3 Hairdressing in Saville Row, behind the Fashion Museum in Bath, offers this professional service. Simply pop in and choose one of looks from the menu, whether it be the Grecian, above, or Super Straight and one of the No 3 team will recreate it for you from £15 in 30 minutes
Bronze goddess Summer is just around the corner. Here are our top products for looking your best on the beach... From Left to right, Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse dry oil (from £28, available at M&S and Space NK) for face, body and hair,combines plant oils and vitamin E to nourish, repair and soften; this soft illuminating powder from Bobbi Brown (£27, Jolly’s) is made of pearls to give cheeks a delicate pink shimmer; the Michael Kors sun collection includes a self-tanner, after sun gelée and lustrous lip balm for a sun-kissed glow all in a delicate fragrance that will remind you of holidays – available online at House of Fraser
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HAIR ART: the classic simple plait, far left, is an elegant way to wear long hair to keep it out of the way and is a far cry from the twin plaits of your schooldays, while this halo style, left, as seen at Dolce & Gabanna’s latest show, adorned with gold coins, is more suited to a red carpet event
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the orangery l a s e r
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b e a u t y
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Specialists in Ellipse IPL Hair Reduction & Skin Rejuvenation Treatments The Orangery Laser & Beauty Clinic, a name you can trust has been established for over 21 years and is situated in the centre of Bath. We offer the latest in IPL technology, the Ellipse Light SPT Plus. Clinically proven by leading doctors to be safe and effective and the best hair removal system in the world. This system also treats;
Sun Damaged Skin • Facial Thread Veins • Acne
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A course of 6 x underarm & bikini line treatments £399 A course of 6 x 1/2 leg treatments £499
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for Men & Women
Cavislim Ultrasonic Liposuction Cavislim is a high tech treatment known as non-invasive ultrasonic liposuction which reduces body fat and cellulite. It is perfectly safe and extremely effective. You can expect to see smoother, firmer skin, reduced cellulite and a reduction in the levels of body fat. We also recommend to combine Cavislim with our Ultratone treatment for best results. A course of 10 treatments on 1 body area
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TOP 10 WINNER OF BEST OF BATH
All offers are available until the 31st May 2014
AWARDS 2014
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An eight-week revolution Editor of The Bath Magazine’s popular website www.thebathmag.co.uk, Dulcie Carey tore herself away from her desk when she realised she needed to get fit and joined Bath-based Urban Training Systems’ eight week challenge
JENNIFER LUCKHAM
BeautyClinic
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hen I signed up to join Urban Training Systems (UTS) I questioned many things. Do I have to exercise EVERY week? Am I really this unfit? Can I have a water break? The answer to all of these questions was yes. I’m sure it was no secret to the other members, or to the trainers at UTS that I was struggling with most of the exercises in those first few sessions. It wasn’t that I wasn’t pushing myself – trust me I really was pushing myself – it was the fact that I couldn’t run as far, or lift as many weights as the more experienced members. I was expecting to find out that I was unfit, I just didn’t know how unfit I was. I didn’t feel left out of the group though – many of the members were very encouraging. The trainers, Paul, Simon and Joey also offer words of encouragement; this helped me through the first couple of weeks. I started as the youngest of the bunch, with the age of members ranging from twentysomethings through to the over 50s, with a mix of men and women. Another thing that made exercise difficult at the beginning was the fact that I was a smoker. Notice the word ‘was’. Before joining UTS I had attempted cutting down on smoking, or quitting altogether – but it was always easier to sink back into the habit. But with the new exercising regime, and the support of the UTS members and trainers I was able to kick the habit. Now here I am two months later – smoke free and reaping the benefits. I have UTS to thank for that. It was a gradual process. After a month I was able to swing the heavier Kettlebell, do twice as many push-ups, and keep up with the rest of the team while running along the river by the rugby ground. My peers and family started to comment on my new appearance – a great confidence boost. I began to try even harder, attending three to five sessions out of the possible nine on offer in a week. The sessions mainly take place in the evening after work and there are morning sessions on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday for the early risers. The other change I noticed was in my kitchen. I don’t tend to eat out often, but I used to be quite lazy with my meal choices. I used to have the same thing for breakfast every day (black coffee and toast with Marmite), having more ready-made meals then home cooked ones every week. I like cooking so the change in my diet was not too difficult. The members at UTS would share their meal plans with each other – and this sparked my imagination and made me want to try new healthier options. These days if you look in my fridge you will find a vast selection of vegetables and most likely some homemade humus. I enjoy planning and cooking my meals – I also try not to snack as much. I would notice the drop in my energy levels if I had a ‘cheat’ meal, and so started avoiding processed or fatty foods. I am not on a diet – but I have changed my diet to suit my new lifestyle. After completing the eight weeks I noticed some real changes. Had I lost weight? Yes. Was I mored toned? Yes. Has my life changed since starting the programme? Yes – so much yes. I look forward to training, and it’s no longer about trying to lose weight for me (not that I’m by any means suddenly a super model) but my goals are more centered around my fitness and not around my looks. Exercising has given me confidence, and the trainers encourage a healthier lifestyle and help each individual achieve their own goals. Interested in joining Urban Training Systems? Find out what they can offer you by looking on their website. You can also give them a ring at: 01225 571616. Or follow them on Twitter and Facebook. Vibe Fitness offers bespoke training experiences, indoors and out, the UTS Programme offers nine possible workouts a week, costing £50 per month. ■
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Treatments available include: • CACI (non surgical facelifts) • Clarins Facials • Massage • Electrolysis • Waxing • Manicures • Pedicures • Thalgo Body Wraps
Dr Guy Bailey offers Facial Aesthetics (using BTX and Dermal Fillers) by appointment
TEL: 01225 428741 32 MONMOUTH STREET • BATH
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A passion for colour, texture and creative upcycling has led Ann Wilson to set up her range of products for the home, Revel Interiors, which she sells at the Bath Artisan Market at Green Park Station. Ann studied art and design and has an honors degree in graphic design, informing her understanding of colour, texture and form. Her collection is expanding to include cushions, lampshades, bunting and beanbags. She says: “I love working with vintage fabrics for lots of reasons. You have to be creative and think carefully about how to use the fabric. There is a limited supply, so you have to get the most out of what you can find. For that same reason though, you know you’re creating something really unique.” Ann takes commissions for bespoke interiors pieces and has recently extended her skills to upholstery. Revel Interiors is at the Bath Artisan Market every second Sunday of the month. To find out more, go to: www.revelinteriors.co.uk. Follow her on Twitter: @RevelInteriors.
ORIGINAL THINKERS Bath is a good source of handmade and upcycled arts and crafts
French craftswoman Florence Rivault has a way of turning sad, tired brown pieces of British furniture into things of colour and pleasure. She takes an old wardrobe or chest of drawers and spends many hours sanding it down before applying multi layers of paint, usually in muted or pastel shades. No detail is neglected, with Florence paintsakingly painting the interiors of cupboards and drawers, finishing the surfaces to protect them from knocks or liquid stains and adding subtle touches such as invisible magnet latches to close doors. The results can be seen in her Bath showroom, Revivals in Cleveland Place, just off London Road. Here Florence works on commissions and other one-off pieces. She is also planning to run workshops to share her skills with others. Revivals’ unusual stock includes sideboards and tables, mirror frames, low boudoir, or trianon, chairs (very fashionable in Parisian apartments, she tells us) and some decadent chaise longues covered in plush crushed velvet. Prices begin at £25 for a small mirror, with items of furniture starting from £150. Since Florence spends time on trips to source furniture and visit customers to take commissions, she will not be opening the shop full-time, but on Saturdays and by arrangement. You can call her on 01225 302220. She is also setting up a new website: www.revivalsantiques.co.uk 80 THEBATHMAGAZINE
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Inspired by the detail of a butterfly’s markings and the delicate traces of a bee’s wing, Bath artist Colette Lorimer has created a collection of greetings cards, prints and canvas bags. Canvasbutterfly’s drawings and paintings are available on cards in Rossiters and Bath Tourist Information shop. Colette will also be at the Festival of Nature at Bristol Harbourside on 14 and 15 June. Visit: www.canvasbutterfly. myshopify.com
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BORDERING ON PERFECTION Jane Moore is inspired by the dramatic planting and beautiful views of a private garden that’s open for the National Gardens Scheme this summer
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et’s start with an admission: one of the perils of working full time as a professional gardener is that, come the weekend, visiting other peoples gardens isn’t necessarily top of your ‘to do’ list. So perhaps you’ll forgive me for confessing that Hanham Court, on the outskirts of Bristol, is one of those gardens I haven’t got around to visiting until recently despite everyone telling me I should. Everyone was right, not least my longstanding volunteer Mary, who not only helps out at The Priory gardens each week but also volunteered for several years at Hanham. Mary extolled the views, the planting, the sense of style but still I didn’t get around to it. Then last year the garden opened for the NGS in June, on my birthday, and all the stars aligned for an afternoon of garden visiting and tea. Perfect. To say I was blown away is an understatement – there are parts of that garden that will remain in my minds eye for a very long time. Created by the garden designer couple Isabel and Julian Bannerman, Hanham Court has to be one of the finest newly created gardens in the country. Mind you, the template was outstanding – a beautiful house, far reaching views and a pretty blank canvas – and no doubt that is the reason the Bannermans bought it. Even so, the magic they have wrought over the past 15 years is remarkable. Close to the house they have created formal gardens that manage to have a fresh, modern look while still retaining the structure that an old property like this demands. Further away an undulating terrain of enticing dips and hollows has lent itself to a wilder, more natural looking space where the trees are shady and the grass grows tall. Off on the side of the hill lies a wild flower meadow with mown paths just begging to be skipped along (I was with my nine year old niece) complete with a centrepiece of a Romany wagon. On that day in June, the sun shone, the bees buzzed and tea and cake was around the corner – a veritable English idyll. Up close to the house are formal box edged beds filled with peonies, iris and classic herbaceous planting. There are beds of brilliant delphiniums in the richest, most lapis lazuli shades of blue that are the tallest that Mary and I have ever seen. These came from around the corner at Blackmore & Langdon’s venerable and venerated nursery at Pensford. Of course there are arches galore, festooned with roses and under-planted with a sinfully 82 THEBATHMAGAZINE
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indulgent amount of peonies – what else? Blackmore & Langdon are experts in begonias and delphiniums, with a history that goes back to 1901. James Blackmore was the landlord of The Crown in Twerton when he started growing begonias in his home greenhouse. He met Charles Langdon, a gardener at Newton St Loe rectory with a passion for begonias and delphiniums, at the Bath Flower Show, and the pair set up in business together. There’s no expense spared in this garden at all. When the Bannermans wanted peonies, they bought the biggest and the best that they could find. The stone and woodwork too are superb – the couple just can’t do half measures and I heartily applaud them for it.
there are arches galore, festooned ❝in roses and under-planted with a sinfully indulgent amount of peonies
❞
But perhaps the best bit is the formal ‘infinity’ lawn which stretches away from the arched entrance into the garden and opens to breath-taking views of the River Avon valley. One each side of the lawn are gravel paths with simply one of the best early June plantings I have ever seen – simple being the key word. A series of clipped box balls run down the edge of the path softened by the lime green flower heads of euphorbia and punctuated with the silver green spikes of iris leaves topped with sky blue flowers. What a drama! After opening the garden weekly through the summer months for several years, the Bannermans have since sold up and moved on to another project, a castle in Cornwall. Judging by Hanham, Trematon Castle is probably well worth a look if you’re down that way on your holidays this summer. Unlike the Bannermans, the new owners of Hanham Court prefer their privacy so the gardens are now only open a few times each year, sometimes for the National Garden Scheme, sometimes to raise money for the upkeep of the gardens themselves.
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SIMPLY THE BEST: opposite, one of the beautifully planted borders at Hanham Court Above, iris and lupins of various hues make a fine display
Despite being a bit slow to visit myself, I’m now a devotee and there a few finer gardens I could recommend you to visit, especially in June when the peonies are at their best. I doubt there is anything that can stop this garden from being an utter joy, even the good old British weather, and the location is truly outstanding, so go, soak up the romance, sip tea and savour this idyllic spot. ❊ Hanham Court is at Ferry Road, Hanham Abbots, South Gloucestershire BS15 3NT, five miles east of Bristol city centre. Tel: 07800 536628. Website: www.hanhamcourtgardens.co.uk Opening dates: Saturday 7 June, proceeds for upkeep of the
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gardens; Sunday 8 June, proceeds to National Garden Scheme; Saturday 28 June, proceeds to National Garden Scheme; Sunday 29 June, proceeds for upkeep of the gardens. Opening times: 1pm to 5pm on each of above dates. Admission: Adults £5, children free. ❊ Blackmore & Langdon begonia and delphiniums specialists and Chelsea and RHS medal winners can be found at Stanton Nursery, Pensford BS39 4JL. ■ Jane Moore is the award-winning gardener at the Bath Priory Hotel, Weston, Bath, you can follow her on Twitter @janethegardener.
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OPENgardens
The fruit of others’ labour A top tip for getting your garden just the way you want it is to visit someone else’s garden. And now is the ideal time of year to seek inspiration for your own plot
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he English garden looks at its very best in May and June, producing colours that, thanks to our climate, you can’t see anywhere else in the world. What could be more evocative of home than brushing past a lilac in full bloom, its flower heads heavy with rain and catching its perfume, breathing it in even as the tiny starry purple-pink petals are left on your shoulder? For visual spectacle and scent one of the nicest places to take overseas visitors is to the Abbey House Gardens at Malmesbury in Wiltshire, where in the heart of this medieval hilltop town Ian and Barbara Pollard have created five acres of paradise. The abbey gardens have formal areas, with neat box hedges, the largest collection of roses in the UK and a superb laburnum tunnel, which promises to be in all its golden glory this month. There are also more than 500 varieties of tulips planted, which makes May a good time to visit. Abbey House Gardens, Malmesbury SN16 9AS, open daily 11am to 5.30pm. Entrance: £8, £7 concessions. For your information: Sunday 18 May is a clothes optional day. In other words, no need to take a raincoat, visitors may leave their garments at the garden gates. Plant and seed collectors will be pleased to hear that the annual plant sale is being held in the grounds of the Holburne Museum in Bath on Sunday 11 May between 11am and 2pm. Aside from being a great place to pick up unusual specimens, it’s also a chance to swap stories with other plantsmen and women. Also on Sunday 11 May – if you hanker after a glimpse of the sea – Court House gardens at East Quantoxhead will be open for the National Gardens (Yellow Book) scheme. The five acre garden contains rare and tender trees and shrubs, plus there’s a chemical-free kitchen plot and a woodland area. Court House, East Quantoxhead, Somerset TA5 1EJ, open 1pm – 5pm. Admission: £4.
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TAPESTRY OF COLOUR: the knot gardens at Malmesbury Abbey House GardensInset, a glorious pink peony
Also worth a drive is the English cottage garden created by the late great plantswoman Margery Fish, East Lambrook Manor. If you’re thinking of creating a romantic blowsy natural looking setting in your own garden, this is the place to go, armed with camera and notebook. Beautifully planted, if you go at the right time, the specialities include hellebores and hardy geraniums. East Lambrook Manor Gardens, Somerset TA13 5HH. Although open at other times and days, the NGS open day is Sunday 18 May, 10am – 5pm. Admission: £5.75. A bluebell wood is one of the finest sights in nature, and you can seee these glorious native flowers flowing like a sea under the trees in woodland at Lucombe House, Stoke Bishop near Bristol on Sunday 18 May. There’s a separate semi-formal area and a wild area under the 220year-old Lucombe Oak. A landscape gardener will be on hand to answer questions. Lucombe House, Druid Stoke Avenue, Stoke Bishop, Bristol BS9 1DD is open Sunday 18 May, 2pm – 5pm. Admission: £3. Some of the gardens on the NGS calendar are open to visitors for the first time this year, others, like Milton Lodge with its views towards Wells Cathedral, have been on the list since 1962 – testament to some fine gardening skills. The terrace garden was first established in around 1900 and the site boasts a formal garden as well as a former orchard now planted with ornamental trees. Milton Lodge, Old Bristol Road, Wells BA5 3AQ is open for the NGS on Sunday 18 May, 2pm – 5pm. Admission: £5. Another site – and scent – that you’d want to share with people from different parts of the
world, is a bank of wild garlic, with its delicate white flowers above those distinctive garlicbreathed leaves. And these should be in full bloom on Sunday 4 May at Prior Park historic gardens on the slopes overlooking Bath, for its NGS day. It is steeply sloping, so is not ideal for the less agile – particularly as there’s no parking either. But having your photograph taken on the Palladian bridge is surely one of the must-do things to do for romantics visiting Bath? Prior Park Landscape Garden, Ralph Allen Drive, Bath BA2 5AH is open for NGS on Sunday 4 May, 10am – 5.30pm. National Trust members free, others £6.30. Plants are one great draw to a west country garden but the prospect of a cup of tea and some cake while enjoying a country view, is enough of a lure for many. Visitors to Somerfoss at Oakhill, south of Bath, on Wednesday 14 or Sunday 18 May, 2pm – 6pm, can sit on the decking and indulge in cake while admiring the garden. This valley setting provides some pleasant surprises and twists and turns. It includes some unusual shrubs and a rocky area with a damp spot which orchids love. Somerfoss, Bath Road, Oakhill, BA3 5AG. Admission is £4. Gertrude Jekyll and Capability Brown are well known names in gardening history, but perhaps Humphry Repton is not so famous. The landscape at Ston Easton is the last remaining site designed by him and his notebook and sketches – the Red Book – are kept in the hotel reception. Day visitors to the hotel gardens are particularly welcome on NGS day, Thursday 15 May. There are 30 acres to explore, including a walled Victorian kitchen garden. ■
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PRESENTINGproperty
T
his impressive Grade II listed Regency townhouse is arranged over five floors and is unusually wide in comparison with similar properties. Rooms are light and airy and there are plenty of period features including a wonderful exposed stone cantilevered staircase in the entrance hall, stone fireplaces, sash windows with working shutters and ornate plasterwork to the ceilings. In brief the accommodation comprises: Ground floor: reception hall, rear lobby, utility room, study, living room/home office. First floor: drawing room, withdrawing room, bathroom, landing with storage. Second floor: two bedrooms, shower room, landing with storage. Top floor: two bedrooms. Lower ground floor: kitchen/breakfast/family room, cloakroom, wine and storage vaults, walk in pantry. Outside there is an attractive paved front garden, a very pretty walled rear garden, a vegetable garden and hardstanding for one car. This is a beautiful, classic ‘Bath’ family home in a popular area and viewing is recommended by appointment with agents Pritchards.
Pritchards, 11 Quiet Street, Bath. Tel: 01225 466225
WWW.THEBATHMAG.CO.UK
BEAUFORT WEST BATH • Four bedrooms • Classic period features • Flexible family home with plenty of storage • Parking • Level walk/cycle to centre
Guide price: £985,000 MAY 2014
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THINKINGproperty
Should I do my own viewings or leave it to the agent? Sharon Clesham, Senior Associate at The Apartment Company explains who is the best person to show your home and why…
W
ho should do the viewings on your home? The homeowner knows their own property best, Sharon Clesham but the agent can garner honest feedback. So who really is the best person to show your home and get the price you want? We are... We are the experts – not in your home, admittedly – but in selling property. We are trained to listen for buying signals, and respond professionally and skilfully to ensure your buyer feels comfortable and secure enough to share their thoughts and feedback with us. The best course of action, is for you to prepare your home yourself for the viewing: light lamps, ensure the central heating is at the right comfort level, but still leave the house aired, light the fire, and leave it looking absolutely gorgeous whilst still homely. Once you’ve done this, go out! Walk the dog, pop out for dinner, go next door for a coffee: whatever you need to do to make yourself scarce. Leave us your mobile number so we can call you once the viewing is over and it’s safe to return. The objective of any viewing is to see if there is potential for an offer. To do this, we have to give the viewers room to look around, and to ponder, and also we need to provide a springboard for discussion, thoughts and ideas. It’s much easier for a viewer to do this with someone not emotionally attached to the property. For example, imagine the viewers think your kitchen is too small for them. They wouldn’t voice this to you, for fear of causing offence. If they don’t tell you their issue with the kitchen, you can’t counteract their objection. On an accompanied viewing, they may well voice this concern to us, the agent, and in return we could perhaps suggest that they could think about knocking down the wall between the kitchen and the dining room, making more space for them.
Selling your property? Choose an agency with a great service. Every month The Bath Magazine brings you a selection of properties from Bath's most commercially active estate agents. These agents advertise with us as part of their broad selection of print and online marketing to ensure your property is presented to the highest standards and reaches the greatest audience. If you are currently thinking of selling your property, then consider using one of The Bath Magazine’s featured estate agencies to give you the best possible service.
In our experience at The Apartment Company, buyers feel more comfortable and at ease with an estate agent showing them round someone else’s home. And when buyers feel relaxed, they are much more likely to make an offer. For Bath’s best apartments to buy or rent, get in touch with The Apartment Company on 01225 471144 or visit us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter: @apartmentco www.theapartmentcompany.co.uk
Bath’s biggest monthly magazine Also online at www.thebathmag.co.uk
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pritchard-partners.co.uk
Priston
A charming GII Listed 3 storey attached period house standing in delightful south facing gardens in a peaceful, heart of village position. Wonderful open views & fantastic view over the adjacent village cricket pitch. Int area 2288 sq ft/218 sq m. 4 bedrooms, bathroom & shower room, 2 receptions, kitchen /breakfast room, study/reception hall with original ecclesiastical door, utility, cloakroom. Attractive level gardens, principally facing south. Long driveway & ample parking.
Guide Price: ÂŁ750,000
Limpley Stoke, Bath
A distinctive, spacious detached 1920s house standing in attractive landscaped gardens, principally facing South with wonderful far reaching Avon Valley views. Reception hall, principal bedroom en suite onto decked viewing terrace, 2 further double bedrooms & bathroom, elegant sitting room with lovely open views, dining room, contemporary kitchen & cloakroom. Summer house/office. Garage.
Price: ÂŁ595,000 Scan to access our Website Homepage
11 Quiet Street, Bath BA1 2LB
Tel: 01225 466 225
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Beyond your expectations www.hamptons.co.uk
High Street, Rode
£1395 pcm
Packed full of charm and character is this spacious three/four bedroom house situated in the heart of the desirable village of Rode with a pretty walled garden & parking. 3 or 4 Beds, Walled garden, Off street Parking, AGA, Village location
£1,850 pcm
Dymott Square, Hilperton
£1950 pcm
A beautifully presented five bedroom detached family home in a wonderful position with views over open fields, double garage all in a popular village location. Off street parking, Double Garage, Gas central heating, Garden, 5 bedrooms.
Bath Office
Lettings 01225 458546 | Sales. 01225 459817
Grosvenor Place A spacious and contemporary one bedroom apartment occupying the first floor of a handsome Grade I Listed former Georgian townhouse. Tastefully combining period features with contemporary comforts, the apartment has a stunning open plan living space at its heart which commands stunning views over Bathwick and the countryside beyond.
Rent: ÂŁ950 pcm* tastefully furnished throughout | superb open plan kitchen / living room | granite work surfaces | high ceilings | tall sash windows | panoramic views | feature fireplace | stylish double bedroom | fitted wardrobes | modern bathroom | mezzanine guest bedroom Reside Bath | 24 Barton Street Bath BA1 1HG | T 01225 445 777 | E info@residebath.co.uk | W www.residebath.co.uk
*An administration fee of ÂŁ350.00 + VAT applies.
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hunter french
town and country specialists
Broughton Gifford, Wiltshire
ÂŁ550,000
This four bedroom detached family home is far larger than it first appears. Set in extensive grounds approaching c.0.5 acre including a swimming pool, and an additional c.2.5 acre paddock. Entrance porch, entrance hall with shower room, sitting room, snug, kitchen breakfast room, utility room, family bathroom and master bedroom with large en suite bathroom. The driveway leads to the rear where there is a large yard giving access to outbuildings, and parking for numerous cars. At the rear there is access for horse boxes and vehicles.
High Street, Corsham
ÂŁ325,000
Caxton House, which originally formed part of the Temperance Hotel, is a fine example of a Grade II listed three bedroom house on the High Street in Corsham. Sitting/dining room, kitchen, cloakroom, family bathroom, and three double bedrooms, master suite which includes an en suite shower room and dressing area. To the rear of the property is a lovely high walled courtyard with raised flower beds, summerhouse and an old privy which is used for storage.
Corsham Office: 01249 715775 www.hunterfrench.co.uk
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PRESENTINGproperty
CEDAR HOUSE FRESHFORD
Guide price: £895,000
N
ewly remodelled and extended, Cedar House is located at the heart of one of Bath’s most desirable villages. The house has a southerly aspect and the clever redesign has made the most of the lovely views and opened up the property to take advantage of the outside space.The refurbishment has included rewiring, re-plumbing with a new kitchen and bathrooms, under floor heating and new double glazed windows resulting in a clean, contemporary and stylish finish. The open plan dining/sitting room has a double aspect and bi-folding doors open onto the terrace and the views over the village and farmland. The room is light and airy and the wood burning stove allows for a cosier feel in the winter months. The well-planned kitchen forms part of the new extension and is fitted with bespoke painted units. Also at ground floor level there is a study/bedroom four with its own separate shower room, a cloakroom and a utility room. On the first floor, the master suite has a wonderful double height ceiling with a large window to make the most of the south facing view. The room has a full en suite bathroom with luxurious twin basins and a separate dressing room. There are two further double bedrooms and a family bathroom. Outside the lawned garden is surrounded by a laurel hedge and newly planted pear trees. The gravel driveway provides parking for several vehicles and the house is surrounded by a very attractive terrace which is an excellent entertaining space. The fresh, airy feel of this property is sure to appeal to a variety of purchasers and viewings can be arranged by appointment with agents Crisp Cowley. Crisp Cowley, Ralph Allen’s Town House, York Street, Bath, Tel: 01225 789333
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Kingsdown
£775,000
A wonderful period home in an excellent location. It is situated on a leafy lane high above the beautiful Bybrook valley enjoying superb views west to Bath. The accommodation is attractive & very comfortable. Many rooms take in the views so it is often difficult to tear oneself away from the outlook to take in the living space. Four good bedrooms, sitting room with fireplace, study or snug. The dining room is fashionably open plan with the kitchen complete with Aga. Utility & shower room. Wonderful gardens including a raised terrace outside the kitchen & dining room; from here the views are excellent. Large lawns and impressive vegetable garden. Parking for four cars. The Old Golf House is highly recommended viewing.
☎ 01225 866747 27 Market Street, Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire, BA15 1LL email: info@jeremyjenkins.co.uk • website: www.jeremyjenkins.co.uk
Fidelis
Residential Sales & Lettings
01225 421000 wwww.fidelisproperties.co.uk
Wellsway
ÂŁ520,000
Substantial 4 Bedroom Edwardian Home Occupying a most Convenient Location 3 Receptions | Kitchen | Sun Lounge | Bathroom & En-Suites | Period Features | Local Amenities | Walking Distance to City Centre | Enclosed Rear Garden | 2 Off Street Parking Spaces |EPC Rating E
Fidelis Estate Agents 134 Wells Road, Bear Flat, Bath BA2 3AH
Email: info@fidelisproperties.co.uk
Fidelis
Residential Sales & Lettings
01225 421000 wwww.fidelisproperties.co.uk
Bloomfield Mews
ÂŁ459,950
A Distinctive End Terrace Property Situated in an Exclusive Location Close to Bear Flat Living Room with Open Fire | Dining Room/Kitchen with Under Floor Heating and Log Burner | 3 Double Bedrooms all with En-Suite Shower Rooms | Gas Central Heating | Double Glazing Throughout | Allocated Off Street Parking | Secluded Courtyard Garden | EPC Rating: C
Fidelis Estate Agents 134 Wells Road, Bear Flat, Bath BA2 3AH
Email: info@fidelisproperties.co.uk
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PRIORY CLOSE
GUIDE ÂŁ750,000
This large house, built circa 1958, set in beautifully landscaped gardens with breathtaking views out over the City of Bath, Rainbow Wood House and National Trust land. The house has been in the same family ownership since it was built and, without doubt, occupies the best plot in Priory Close. Entrance porch, hall, sitting room, dining room, conservatory, kitchen, cloakroom, 4 double bedrooms and beautiful bathroom. Double garage and store rooms. Large, attractive, landscaped gardens. Approximate gross internal floor area: 1,620 square feet / 151 square metres.
1 Hayes Place, Bear Flat, Bath BA2 4QW
01225 422 224
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CARLINGCOTT
GUIDE ÂŁ800,000
Mill House is a handsome country residence situated in generous grounds, on the edge of the pretty village of Carlingcott. It is well placed for not only the Georgian City of Bath, but also the Cities of Bristol and Wells. A mill has been on the site since The Domesday book has been written, and the Mill House has certainly been lived in since the 1861 census. Hall, sitting room, dining room, family snug, large kitchen/breakfast room, study, 2 cloakrooms. Basement room and vaulted cellar. Master bedroom with en-suite shower room, 4 further bedrooms and family bathroom. Extensive gardens. Approximate gross internal floor area: 3,000 square feet / 280 square metres.
www.mark-naylor.com
email: homes@mark-naylor.com
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Corsham Special two/three bedroom detached period stone built Grade II listed cottage with kitchen, two reception rooms and two bath/shower rooms.The property also benefits from outbuildings, parking and stunning gardens. The Old Cottage is a wonderful retreat for the current owner searching for a peaceful place away from her busy studio in London.“The house is perfect, in both summer and winter. In summer with doors and windows wide open, the walled garden becomes a wonderful summer living space and all meals are taken outside, weather permitting. Children sleep in tents and cook on a hand made brazier – a gift from a chef in South America.Winter brings open fires, there is even an open fire in one of the bedrooms.There is also
under floor heating and reading in the sun filled window seat in the sitting room: a perfect spot for morning coffee.” “This rural retreat is minutes away from an award winning farm shop, Lacock a National Trust village, and Corsham is only 2 miles away, where you can find everything you need. There is an excellent Farmer’s Market, good restaurants and independent shops.The picturesque Wiltshire countryside surrounds you, and there are excellent road links from the A4.”
“To arrive at The Old Cottage by way of a shared private driveway means that you will arrive at a peaceful and very unique place.”
THE OLD COTTAGE TWO/THREE BEDROOM DETACHED GRADE II STONE BUILT COTTAGE • TWO RECEPTION ROOMS • TWO BATH/SHOWER ROOM • OUTBUILDINGS • GARDENS • PARKING • EPC RATING: EXEMPT
Contact: 01225 320032
£699,950
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Hinton Charterhouse Sympathetically attached Regency property offering a prominent position within the desirable village of Hinton Charterhouse, south of Bath.The property comprises four bedrooms, drawing room, dining room, kitchen/breakfast room, utility with W.C, loft room two bathrooms, walled gardens and paddocks of just over two acres. The house is hidden from the road behind a canopy of magnificent trees. As you enter the front door and step into the large hall with its splendid staircase and high ceilings you immediately experience a sense of grandeur.The charming dining room with its huge bay window allows the light to flood in.The comfortable sitting room is either a good
winter refuge with its welcoming fire, or a fresh bright summer room where you can throw open the French doors and invite the garden in. This hospitable house sleeps twelve comfortably, and the spacious reception rooms welcome large numbers of guests. The grounds are an enchanting mix of formal garden, woodland, where the children love to play, and a large paddock.
Hinton Charterhouse is an active and friendly village with many clubs and societies, two very popular public houses and a local shop and post office.
THE OLD VICARAGE ATTACHED REGENCY PROPERTY • FOUR BEDROOMS AND LOFT ROOM • TWO RECEPTION ROOMS • KITCHEN/BREAKFAST ROOM • TWO BATHROOMS • GARDENS, WOODLAND AND PADDOCK • EPC RATING - F
Contact: 01225 320032
£1,000,000
Beyond your expectations www.hamptons.co.uk
NEW INSTRUCTION
NEW INSTRUCTION
Sydney Place
Guide Price £655,000
This is a smart and spacious maisonette self contained on two upper floors of a stunning Grade I Listed townhouse in Sydney Buildings opposite the Holburne Museum. The accommodation is approximately 1500 sq.ft. including three bedrooms, a smart drawing room and a well appointed bespoke kitchen.
Green Park
Guide Price £575,000
A two bedroom ground and basement level garden maisonette situated within a Grade II Listed property offering spacious accommodation and a beautifully proportioned drawing room overlooking Green Park.
NEW INSTRUCTION
Frankley Buildings
Guide Price £535,000
This elegant and well presented three bedroom townhouse is situated within an attractive terrace within the popular area of Camden enjoying westerly views over the City. The property also benefits from a pretty front garden featuring an area for outdoor dining and a pond; there is an additional small rear garden.
Bath Office
Sales. 01225 459817 | Lettings 01225 458546
Lansdown
Guide Price £440,000
Set within communal grounds on the much favoured Lansdown Road, on the northern side of Bath, this ground floor apartment provides well proportioned accommodation with two bedrooms, en-suite bathroom and seperate shower room, sitting room and kitchen/dining room with many period features and high ceilings. EPC:D
Mount Beacon
Guide Price £760,000
Perrymead
Guide Price £495,000
A handsome three bedroom Grade II Listed home situated in a popular position in Lansdown. This charming city home offers versatile accommodation over just two floors enhanced by some fine period features.
This pretty two bedroom period cottage is situated in the most sought after address of Perrymead, just south of the city centre. The house is well presented with an attractive walled garden with wonderful views of the city and surrounding countryside. EPC:E
Wellsway
Lansdown
Guide Price £395,000
Well presented 1920’s semi detached house, updated and presented in a stylish manner to enhance its character. With a luxuriously appointed shower room serving the three bedrooms, two tastefully decorated reception rooms and kitchen, landscaped gardens add the final touch. EPC:D
Guide Price £225,000
Haygarth Court is an impressive Victorian building converted back in the 1980’s to provide desirable, self-contained apartments set in well-groomed private grounds. This second floor, much improved apartment has well presented accommodation and benefits from a reserved parking space. EPC:C
Cavendish Place
OIEO ÂŁ450,000
Grade I listed | Georgian apartment | Prestigious address | Bright and spacious accommodation | Two bedrooms | Stylish kitchen The Apartment Company are delighted to market this fabulous second floor, two bedroom apartment located a short walk from the City Centre. This spacious apartment comprises: a large sitting room, stylish kitchen, double bedroom, second bedroom, and luxury bathroom. With its beautiful views across Royal Victoria Park and its spacious living, this apartment is one not to miss! Book early to avoid disappointment!
West House
OIEO ÂŁ390,000
Victorian apartment | Second floor | Single garage with off road parking | Three bedrooms one with en-suite | Stunning views | Bright and spacious The Apartment Company are delighted to market this beautiful three bedroomed apartment located within a converted Victorian building, just moments away from the canal and picturesque village of Bathampton. The spacious property comprises: large entrance hall, sitting room, kitchen, master bedroom with en-suite, second bedroom, third bedroom/dining room and bathroom. This apartment also has the advantage of a single garage and off road parking. With its stunning views and spacious accommodation, this is one not to miss!
Royal Crescent Grade I listed | Georgian apartment | Third floor | Prime location | Immaculately presented | elevator access
OIEO ÂŁ385,000
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Luxury bathroom
The Apartment Company are delighted to present this fabulous one bedroom apartment in the picturesque and historically famous Royal Crescent. The property, benefiting high ceilings comprises : Spacious sitting room with a dining area, a modern high spec kitchen, a double bedroom and a modern bathroom with free standing bath. Having fabulous views across the crescent and a short walk to the City Centre with shops, historic attractions and superb restaurants - one not to miss.
Newbridge Hill
OIEO ÂŁ340,000
Ground floor apartment | Two large bedrooms | Period features | Spacious accommodation | Front garden | Luxury bathroom | EPC: D A spacious and beautifully presented ground floor period apartment located in a prime position, conveniently situated giving easy access to Bristol and the RUH. The accommodation comprises drawing room, kitchen/breakfast room, master bedroom with en-suite shower room, second double bedroom and bathroom all enhanced with a wealth of period features and a small garden laid to gravel at the front. A superb property - early viewing comes highly recommended.
16 Henrietta Street
OIEO £320,000
Grade II listed | Georgian apartment | Two double bedrooms | Top floor | Extensive storage | Central location | Open plan living The Apartment Company are delighted to market this spacious two bedroom top floor apartment, located in the heart of the City, holding Bath’s historic attractions, finest restaurants, shops and the world famous Thermae Spa. The apartment comprises: open plan living area, modern kitchen, two double bedrooms and bathroom. This beautifully presented Georgian apartment would make an ideal City home or investment, and is definitely one not to miss!
Great Stanhope Street
OIEO £285,000
Grade II listed | Georgian apartment | First Floor | Two double bedrooms | Period features | Bright and spacious | Highly recommended Situated in the heart of the City Centre this fabulous first floor apartment would make a perfect home or investment. The accommodation comprises: large sitting room with period features, including cornicing and an ornate fireplace, a stylish kitchen, master bedroom, second bedroom and modern bathroom. A short walk from all Bath has to offer: Thermae Spa, historical attractions, superb restaurants, theatres and shopping. All of the major transport links on the door step makes this apartment one not to miss. Viewing is highly recommended as we expect this apartment to create considerable interest.
Freshford A stunning newly remodelled and extended detached house offering spacious, light accommodation set in the heart of one of Bath’s most sought after villages | spacious entrance hall | open plan dining/drawing room | kitchen | study/bedroom 4 with separate shower room | master bedroom suite with bathroom and dressing room | 2 further bedrooms | family bathroom | utility room | cloakroom | loft | garden | large south facing terrace for entertaining | off-street parking for several cars | Guide Price: £895,000 Crisp Cowley Ralph Allen’s Town House York Street Bath BA1 1NQ 01225 789333
www.crispcowley.co.uk
Devonshire Place A beautiful five-storey Grade II listed Georgian house | traditional hallway | open plan kitchen/living room | study | utility room | first floor drawing room and withdrawing room | cloakroom | 2 second floor bedrooms (master en suite) | 3 top floor bedrooms and family bathroom | lower ground floor dining hall and further reception room | 2 unconverted vaults | pretty and enclosed rear garden | twin garage and superb far-reaching views from balcony at the front | Guide Price: ÂŁ950,000
Crisp Cowley Ralph Allen’s Town House York Street Bath BA1 1NQ 01225 789333
www.crispcowley.co.uk
Daniel Street An outstanding Grade II listed townhouse in this highly sought after location, close to the City Centre | entrance hall | drawing room | sitting room/bedroom 4 | kitchen | family room | conservatory/dining room | master bedroom | wet room | 2 further bedrooms | bathroom | cloakroom | vaults | pretty courtyard garden | unfurnished | ÂŁ2,500 pcm
Crisp Cowley Ralph Allen’s Town House York Street Bath BA1 1NQ 01225 789333
www.crispcowley.co.uk
Cambridge Place An imposing and substantial major portion of a Grade II listed period townhouse on the lower slopes of Widcombe Hill and therefore a convenient walk from the City Centre with all its facilities and amenities | reception entrance porch | entrance hall | sitting room | dining room | well appointed breakfast room/kitchen | utility room | 4 generous sized bedrooms | 2 family bathrooms and an en suite | delightful level gardens with privacy | retained or enhanced period features | gas fired central heating | basement apartment 2 beds and courtyard | Guide Price: ÂŁ3,700 pcm
Crisp Cowley Ralph Allen’s Town House York Street Bath BA1 1NQ 01225 789333
www.crispcowley.co.uk
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