The Bristol Magazine February 2024

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Issue 231 I FeBRuARY 2024

THE

THeBRIsTOLMAG

MAGAZINE

THeBRIsTOLMAG.CO.uK

£4.25 where sold

C A S PE E ALITY RE

MIND BENDING Wake The Tiger opens its portal to a new dimension

PUPPET MASTERS World-class artists are nurturing new talent in the city

ROBERT LINDSAY Exclusive interview ahead of his appearance at Slapstick festival

AND SO MUCH MORE IN THE CITY’S BIGGEST GUIDE TO LIVING IN BRISTOL

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IN THIS ISSUE

Contents

Image credits: Alan Hayes (left), BBC (right)

14 22 12

THE CITYIST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

46

Meet Nancy Medina, Bristol Old Vic’s artistic director

16

22

THE FORGOTTEN SPA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Andrew Swift unearths a time when Bristol’s spa culture rivalled Bath

BE SEEN ON THE SLOPES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

TRINITY IS ON A MISSION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Look cool and stay warm with this selection of ski wear from Colmar

48

ROBERT LINDSAY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

50 CITY SNAPSHOTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Our exclusive interview with one of Britain’s most versatile and celebrated actors about his career in comedy

26 IT’S A PUPPET! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Chris Pirie of Green Ginger and Puppet Place talks to us about a very special studio on Bristol’s harbourside

30 WHAT’S ON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Putting the feelers out for February

Can the Jacobs Wells Baths building be saved?

Images taken by local photographers for the Historic England Archive

52 PASSIONATE PAGE-TURNERS Reads that share the soaring highs and excruciating lows of being in love

64 PUT DOWN ROOTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Charities Avon Needs Trees and Forest of Avon Trust are planting new woodlands, and you can help

34 EXPLORE THE OUTERVERSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Delve into the creative minds at Wake The Tiger

68 STORAGE STORIES Top tips for conquering your home’s mess

36 ROCK IDLES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Bristol’s favourite band has a new album out this month

74 MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE Elly West explores the tiny world of glass terrariums

38 ART & EXHIBITIONS Sculptures, silks and fossils

42 FOOD FOR THOUGHT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A new prison-themed bar, a rather romantic meal out and the banquet redefined Follow us on social media @ thebristolmag

For more content and updates find us on: thebristolmag.co.uk

4 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2024 | No 231

On our cover this month A glimpse into Wake The Tiger’s newest alternative world: OUTERverse.

Read our interview with co-founder Luke Mitchell on page 34.

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THE

BR I STOL

MAGAZINE

Contact us:

from the

Elias Sime ‘Tightrope Evolution’, page 32 (credit: Adam Reich)

EDITOR

L

et’s talk about love, shall we? February is full of it. Valentine’s Day punctuates the halfway mark; a cupid’s arrow that, depending on your own feelings about, well, feelings, may either entice or annoy. Like most, I’ve had my fair share of unremarkable Valentine’s Days. Some spent knocking elbows with other couples dining in overcrowded restaurants. Other times, the day passes by without the batting of an eyelid. This year, I’m changing tack, having felt inspired when gathering content for this issue of the magazine (which has also undergone some subtle design changes, which we hope you like).

Speaking about the new IDLES album (on page 36), which is out this month, frontman Joe Talbot says simply: “I needed love. So I made it. I gave love out to the world and it feels like magic.” I reckon it’s not just Talbot who needed some love. We’re in the middle of a winter fuelled by Arctic blasts and a named storms list growing as long as a Year 6 class register. The new dystopian films cropping up on Netflix each week feel suspiciously more like documentaries than fiction. There feels like no better moment to share all kinds of love stories.

Our pages are positively brimming with the stuff. Whether it’s acting royalty Robert Lindsay’s undying love for physical comedy, which he chats to us exclusively about on page 22, or the master practitioners at Puppet Place who dedicate themselves to their craft, working tirelessly to ensure up and coming artists have a space to become the ‘next big thing’, too. If you’d rather draw the curtains and get lost in a book this Valentine’s Day, then Gloucester Road Books has a selection of stories to read on page 52; tales of complex, unrequited, obsessive love.

Nature lovers can rejoice. There’s the chance to create new, biodiverse woodlands as your own love letter to Earth on page 64, where we find out about one of the most exciting tree-planting projects the south of England may well see in a generation. The pages between are scattered with diamonds, romantic pop-up dining events (where you won’t feel cramped, I should add), and tender photographic mementos celebrating the faces of Bristol’s high streets. It’s also LGBTQ+ History Month, offering a huge opportunity to celebrate and commemorate love (details of an event to mark the month at M Shed are on page 12).

If you’d rather leave all this talk of love – or entire dimension – behind, then we’ve got a little something for you, too. Take a trip to page 34 and meet one of the creative minds behind Wake The Tiger’s latest alternative world, just in time for the OUTERverse to open its new portal.

See you on the other side.

Rosanna Spence

8 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2024 | No 231

Publisher Email:

Steve Miklos steve@thebristolmagazine.co.uk

Financial Director Email:

Jane Miklos jane@thebristolmagazine.co.uk

Editor Tel: Email:

Rosanna Spence 0117 974 2800 rosanna@thebristolmagazine.co.uk

Assistant Editor/Web Editor Jasmine Tyagi Email: jasmine@thebristolmagazine.co.uk Production Manager Email:

Jeff Osborne production@thebristolmagazine.co.uk

Advertising Sales Email:

Liz Grey liz@thebristolmagazine.co.uk

For advertising enquiries please contact us on: 0117 974 2800

Email: sales@thebristolmagazine.co.uk The Bristol Magazine is published by MC Publishing Ltd. An independent publisher.

Every month The Bristol Magazine is hand delivered to more than 15,000 homes in selected areas. We also deliver direct to companies and businesses across the city.

Additionally there are many places where we have floor-stands and units for free pick-up:

The Bristol Magazine Tel: 0117 974 2800 www.thebristolmagazine.co.uk © MC Publishing Ltd 2024

2 Princes Buildings, George Street, Bath BA1 2ED Disclaimer: Whilst every reasonable care is taken with all material submitted to The Bristol Magazine, the publisher cannot accept responsibility for loss or damage to such material. Opinions expressed in articles are strictly those of the authors. This publication is copyright and may not be reproduced in any form either in part or whole without written permission from the publishers.

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ZEITGEIST

5 things to do Untangle a mystery The students of Bristol Old Vic Theatre School are thrilled to return to the evocative setting of St Paul’s Church for their latest show A Very Expensive Poison (17-24 February). Its tells the story of Alexander Litvinenko, a former Russian intelligence officer turned vocal Putin critic, granted asylum in Britain – but his outspoken opposition would prove fatal. Seen profoundly through the eyes of Litvinenko’s grieving wife Marina, award-winning playwright Lucy Prebble untangles the events of a shocking assassination on British soil, based on Luke Harding’s gripping novel.

Be mesmerised

oldvic.ac.uk

GLOW light festival returns for a third edition to dazzle Weston-super-Mare across five evenings during February half-term (1317 February), showcasing some of the UK’s most exciting light artworks alongside new commissions, heart-warming community collaborations and interactive GLOW favourites. Filling the town with light, colour and play, the flagship event presents an epic line-up of spectacular artworks, iconic installations and immersive experiences for all the family.

This year, GLOW combines a ticketed light trail in Grove Park, alongside free town centre installations for everyone to enjoy.

Gloucester Road Books will welcome a much-anticipated debut and a multiaward-winning writer to kick start its 2024 events programme.

Manya Wilkinson will be heading to the independent bookshop on Gloucester Road on 20 February, when she will be discussing her novel Lublin, which author Preti Taneja says: “will charm and devastate readers in equal measure with its compulsive, funny and moving prose.”

superculture.org.uk

gloucesterroadbooks.com

Meet an author

Explore the ocean

Cry with laughter

Searching for something a little different to do this Valentine’s Day? Bristol Aquarium is hosting an exclusive adults-only event on 14 February between 6-9pm, offering discounted tickets for couples. The bar will be open, so you can treat yourself to some fizz as you stroll among the exhibits, and enjoy seathemed romantic cocktails and mocktails from Espensen Spirit. Booking is essential, and for an additional £5 you can send a message in a bottle to your loved one (T&Cs apply).

It’s time for the annual Slapstick festival, which takes place between 14-18 February. More than 30 unique comedy events will take place across five days, with famous guests including Samira Ahmed, Hugh Bonneville, Marcus Brigstocke, Terry Gilliam, Harry Hill, Robert Lindsay (see our interview with him on page 22), Sylvester McCoy, Lucy Porter, Tim Vine and Adam Hills. The line-up is a mix of silent comedy classics and rarities accompanied by world-class musicians; nostalgic revivals; honours for modern day artists keeping the slapstick spirit alive; and three regional film premieres.

bristolaquarium.co.uk

slapstick.org.uk

10 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2024 | No 231

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THEBRISTOLMAG.CO.UK | FEBRUARY 2024 | THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE 11

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The City

ist

My Bristol Meet Bristol Old Vic’s artistic director, Nancy Medina

February is LGBTQ+ History Month To celebrate and help Bristolians discover more about LGBTQ+ History month, M Shed is partnering with OutStories Bristol for a one-day event on 24 February, starting at 11am. The event will feature a fascinating range of talks highlighting LGBTQ+ stories and heritage.

Topics range from the search for ancient trans Celts, to a cheeky look at derrières in art and historical images. People can take the opportunity to pick up an LGBTQ+ audio tour of M Shed on one of the organisation’s iPods, created by artist Tom Marshman, and also visit the various stalls run by local LGBTQ+ organisations and others, including Bristol Pride and Bristol Museums’ Gender exhibition team.

The event is free and will be located on the first floor (no booking necessary). Talks will be held in the Studio, with stalls in the foyer. bristolmuseums.org.uk

I moved here from New York 16 years ago.

My connection to the city is through my husband.

He grew up in Somerset and was working in Bristol a lot as he was very involved in natural history – and Bristol is very much the home of natural history. So, we settled here and had kids. I do think Bristol is a great place to raise a family. Bristol is such a small city, but it’s so full of diversity in so many ways. There are lots of different communities. And there are so many art initiatives that happen here – with graffiti and visual arts, as well as the music scene. It felt like there was a lot going on culturally here, which made it feel like a nice place to settle.

When I want to be entertained, I definitely head to the theatre.

Obviously, Bristol Old Vic! But I love going to see shows in the Tobacco Factory and The Wardrobe theatres. And at the Trinity Centre, too. And then every once in a while, I’ll go to a show when someone performs in a cave! That’s such a Bristol thing to do. Or in the old swimming pool at Eastville Park. I once saw a show in the Clifton Suspension Bridge, which was so cool.

There’s so much immersive, site-specific theatre here that keeps it really buzzy. And when I want to be inspired, one of the things I love about Bristol is how close you are to countryside. Just 20 minutes on a bicycle and you can be out in rural environments and convening with nature. Natural areas always inspire me. There’s a lot of beauty around here.

I’m listening to an audiobook, by Oprah Winfrey and Dr Bruce Perry.

It’s called What Happened to You? It’s about reframing the question you ask yourself, ‘What’s wrong with me?’ and instead asking ‘What happened to me?’. It looks at moments of childhood trauma or how we develop our core beliefs when we’re young – then how we take those on into adulthood. I’m always really interested in neurological subjects and neuroplasticity, and how our brains still have the ability to shift our mindset. We’re not stuck in the way we were first Luke Mitchell programmed as a child.

12 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2024 | No 231

Joining Bristol Old Vic has been a real point of transition for me.

I was a freelancer for over 20 years before then.

Coming into the role I knew I wanted to take my time and be in a place of listening. One of the most fruitful and exciting things for me is being able to look at where the organisation is and create a really clear narrative and path of the direction we want to take. Looking at how we can support artists, support Bristol and support its culture in a world that feels like this is being devalued more and more.

Culture is all about who we are. We all need moments of enjoyment together when we not only appreciate someone’s talents and skills – like singing or acting – but also have those really important moments to slow down and reflect, before life just passes us by. Culture and the arts offer these really important things to our human existence.

I think the performance that epitomises my approach to artistic direction at Bristol Old Vic has got to be Choir Boy. I’m going to be biased, but it’s the show I directed!

It’s written by Tarell Alvin McCraney. It was a play I’ve loved for so long and it was one of those events in life where the alchemy of everyone involved and the reception it got was so positive. It was all generated from a place of love and generosity and of feeling inspired. I really mourn that project, I loved being in rehearsals and then seeing audiences having really deep conversations about it after the show.

There was such a buzz in the city about it. It felt like it really touched people in significant ways – we had a lot of repeat visitors.

My philosophy on life is really simple.

Just do the right thing. Think about others and try as best as you can to be honest and make decisions with integrity. Because we all make mistakes, we’re all going to fail in some way, but if you’re authentic and trying to do the right thing I think that will always lead you in the right direction.

Image credit: Barbara Evripidou

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THE CITYIST

Lighting up the city Bristol Light Festival will take place between Friday 2 and Monday 11 February.

The fourth iteration of the award-winning festival will welcome two new-to-Bristol installations by Somerset-based partnership This is Loop, PULSE (pictured, image

by Alan Hayes), and Emergence, as well as a second immersive artwork by multidisciplinary art collective Atelier Sisu, called Elysian. A new collaboration with BBC Studios Natural History Unit, WILDLIGHT, will see the Left Handed Giant pub transform into a giant TV set, with animals then escaping the screen to the area around using clips from BBC shows like Frozen Planet II and Blue Planet II. This year’s Bristol Light Festival will also see the welcome return of the festival’s popular favourite Swing Song, produced by Bristol Light Festival and Tired Industries. The artwork will take on a new lease of life for the next edition, bringing immersive play ever further to the forefront for guests.

City’s biggest charity cycle challenge returns

bristollightfestival.org

Image: Paola Di Bella

Helping to create Sparks of inspiration Sparks Bristol, the community building operated by charities Artspace Lifespace and Global Goals Centre in the former M&S store in Broadmead, has had its lease extended until December 2025.

Since opening in May 2023, Sparks Bristol has welcomed over 350,000 visitors. The vision for the building is to keep it in use by the community rather than it standing empty and provide an environment in which people can learn imaginative ways to live more sustainably. Global Goals Centre is currently fundraising to provide more educational workshops this year. Last year 2,260 children and young people visited the store to learn about sustainability and repair skills and 1,315 people received energy advice. In 2024, Global Goals Centre is introducing team events for companies to improve their sustainability credentials through a range of workshops focussing on positive solutions to climate and social justice issues.

Bristol's biggest charity bike ride, Tour de Bristol, is returning to the streets of Bristol and South Gloucestershire on Saturday 13 April 2024.

The event, in aid of local charity St Peter’s Hospice, challenges riders to use their pedal power to raise funds to support patients and their families during the most difficult of times. Cyclists choose from three different routes – 40km, 65km or 100km – all starting at UWE’s Centre for Sport before heading into the Gloucestershire countryside. Or, riders can take on a virtual challenge by choosing a route and date that suits them.

St Peter’s Hospice fundraising manager Hayley Ali says: “We can’t wait for another year of the Tour de Bristol! It’s the Hospice’s largest event and an incredible day of fundraising, with cyclists of all ages and abilities coming together from across Bristol and beyond. We are so grateful to everyone who signs up and gets on their bike to pedal the distance and tackle the hills to support St Peter’s Hospice.

All the funds raised from this event make sure we can continue being there for local patients and families... when it’s needed most.”

Tour de Bristol is sponsored by the Bristol Port Company.

Join in to ride in memory of a loved one, for fun and fresh air, or to smash a personal goal.

To register, visit tourdebristol.co.uk

Luke Mitchell sparksbristol.co.uk 14 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2024 | No 231

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Diamonds are forever

...but the world of diamonds is changing, and you now have more choice than ever!

Emma Clegg takes a deep dive into the world of diamonds, with the help of local jeweller Nicholas Wylde. She discovers that natural diamonds have exactly the same chemical qualities as laboratorygrown stones and the difference can only be identified with a specialist, high value machine. So what do those considering a dazzling purchase need to know before they buy?

A

round 90 miles below the surface in areas of the Earth’s mantle, temperatures reach 2,000°F. It is here, at these depths and temperatures, where natural diamonds form under extremely high pressure. It is the fast-moving magma from deep-source volcanic eruptions that brings them closer to the surface and allows us to access them via a mining process that involves excavating the earth using heavy machinery and explosives.

Once the rough crystal has been mined, usually two diamonds are cut from it into faceted gems. Cutting diamonds requires specialised knowledge, tools and techniques, and often a diamond will be used to cut a diamond.

Due to their rarity, beauty and durability – they have a hardness rating of 10 on the Mohs scale – natural diamonds are highly valued. They have also benefitted from the marketing strategies of diamond companies including De Beers, which in its 1948 campaign adopted the slogan ‘A diamond is forever’, sky-rocketing the attraction of the diamond engagement ring. Ever since that time, diamonds have been endowed with a mystical power and are the most coveted gemstone in the world.

Everyone loves to wear these sparkling crystals made up of pure carbon atoms, and the giving of a diamond – especially as an engagement ring – has become a symbol of a love or enduring bond that will live as long as the stone itself.

The formation of natural diamonds is a complex process, but it results in a rare gift from the Earth from which goldsmiths and jewellers like Nicholas can create beautiful jewellery, that will last for generations to come.

The swift growth of laboratory-grown diamonds

Nicholas Wylde

18 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2024 | No 231

Jeweller Nicholas Wylde – an expert in the diamond world and creator of his own unique cut of diamond, the Wylde Flower Diamond® – tells me that things started to shift in the 1950s with a new process entering the market: the development of laboratory-grown diamonds, produced

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JEWELLERY

Laboratory-grown diamond 5ct tennis bracelet: £7,395

Seven-stone natural diamond 18ct yellow gold tiara ring: £2,120

“Everyone loves to wear these sparkling crystals made up of pure carbon atoms, and the giving of a diamond – especially as an engagement ring – has become a symbol of a love or enduring bond that will live as long as the stone itself” from graphite at temperatures of around 1,400°C and pressures around 1.5 million psi. By the 1980s, the technology had advanced enough for gem-quality stones to be produced, but at that time they formed a small fraction of the market; by 2019, the laboratory-grown diamond market share was around 3%. Since the pandemic, this has risen to around 35%, and experts forecast it to be closer to 40% by the end of 2024.

The astonishing thing about laboratory-grown diamonds, says Nicholas, is that it is impossible with the naked eye to identify the difference between them and natural diamonds. They have the same physical properties, the same durability, and even an expert would find it extremely difficult to tell them apart without specialist equipment that detects the differing fluorescence between the two.

To make a laboratory-grown diamond requires an artificial setting that mimics how diamonds are naturally made. There are two methods: chemical vapour deposition (CVD) and high-pressure, hightemperature (HPHT). During the CVD process, a minuscule slice of diamond is placed into an iron chamber, where it is exposed to carbonrich gas, extremely high temperatures and microwave beams. Over a matter of weeks, the carbon gas ionises and the particles stick to the original diamond slice, before crystallising into a fully formed laboratory-grown diamond crystal, usually in a cube shape. During the HPHT process, pure carbon is pressed within a metal cube in a machine that is roughly the size of a Mini. The carbon is exposed to immense heat and pressure through electric pulses. Eventually, the carbon breaks down and crystallises into a cuboctahedron-shaped laboratory-grown diamond. Both processes result in different-shaped crystals to the octahedron shape of a natural diamond crystal, so at this stage laboratory-grown stones are easily distinguishable.

Relative values So where does that leave those looking for that special diamond, to last a lifetime and beyond? Nicholas tells me that there is a valid place for both laboratory-grown and natural diamonds. His stores in Bristol and Bath have – through demand – introduced a collection of laboratorygrown diamond jewellery that sells alongside the natural diamond collections. Part of their appeal is that the price of a laboratory-grown diamond will always be significantly lower than a natural diamond of the equivalent size, colour and clarity. The complexities come when laboratory-diamonds are knowingly or unknowingly mis-sold as natural diamonds, and a client can end up with a stone that is worth a fraction of what they paid for it and they were led to believe it was worth. This alone highlights the importance of always buying from a jeweller or a retailer that you know can be trusted, and who makes the necessary checks on all their stones. At Wylde’s, every single diamond that comes into the store is checked for its authenticity using a specialist machine – an expensive investment, but worth it because it provides peace of mind to all clients, Nicholas says.

Lab-grown facts * It takes one month to grow a HPHT crystal large enough to cut a 1–2 carat white diamond. * The CVD process can grow 60 square crystals at one time in two weeks, but CVD stones are often a lower colour grade and then they are reheated by the HPHT treatment to make them whiter. * It costs more to cut, certificate and transport a laboratory-grown diamond than to grow them. * From 2016 to 2023, the average price of a 1.5 carat laboratory-grown diamond decreased by over 74%.

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JEWELLERY

Sustainability and environmental impact Natural diamonds are mined from great depths and this can be disruptive to the eco-system, which historically has been a matter of controversy. But Nicholas tells me that the rough diamond trade globally supports 10 million people, and the industry also invests in sustainability and plants three acres of trees for every acre mined. In countries like Botswana, 80% of rough diamond revenue goes back into local communities. While laboratory-grown diamonds are frequently touted as ‘green’ or ‘sustainable’, their creation requires a great amount of energy, which is likely sourced from non-renewable fuels. Their environmental impact varies, depending on local regulations or the producers’ own policies, but this developing market has grown at speed and lacks the governance that is in place for the natural diamond industry. There is much current debate in the diamond industry about these issues.

Advice from Nicholas Wylde Nicholas explains his thoughts on laboratory grown and natural diamonds: “At Wylde Jewellers, we believe there is a place in the market for both natural and laboratory-grown diamonds. With the annual worldwide excavation of gemstone-quality natural diamonds only being one cubic metre, they are considered rare and have a long-standing sentimental and emotional value, so will still be largely considered the stone of choice for engagement rings and other luxury jewellery items – what gift could be more symbolic than something that was formed in the Earth itself and has been around for longer than any of us can comprehend! The monetary value of natural diamonds has historically been proven to increase over time, therefore they are considered to be a good choice for long-term investment, particularly for something like a piece of jewellery that will become a family heirloom.

“Laboratory-grown diamonds, which have flooded the market since lockdown, do not have this rarity – an infinite number of them can be grown and thus they are not generally considered to be as sentimental

or precious. The price of laboratory-grown diamonds fell by 74% between 2016 and 2023; for as long as more laboratory-grown diamonds can be mass-produced, the value will not increase. But they serve a different and very valid purpose: perhaps to the young couple wanting to buy an engagement ring, but are also saving for a house deposit, who could get a beautiful laboratory-grown diamond for a fraction of the price of a natural diamond, with the intention of one day upgrading when finances allow; maybe a client will want a much-less-valuable replica of a very expensive piece of jewellery to be made, so that they can wear it in public with more confidence; a 3ct diamond – something previously unaffordable to most people – can now be yours for a fraction of the cost of a natural diamond, and with laboratory-grown diamonds available in all the colours that you find in natural diamonds, you can even have the opportunity to own a version of the most expensive natural diamond in the world – the pink diamond.

“Responsible jewellers and retailers like us are not shying away from having laboratory-grown stones on the market, but we do all have a responsibility as retailers to test every stone to check if it is natural or laboratory-grown, and to tell the truth about its origins and the processes involved in the creation of the diamonds.

“Regardless of whether they are purchasing natural or laboratory-grown diamonds, all of our customers will benefit from the ‘Wylde experience' as we call it here when they buy jewellery from us – the emotions, the journey, the story, the Champagne, the trust. The item that they are purchasing is a personal choice; we just want people to understand exactly what they are buying. We sell to our customers with confidence, knowing we are selling the correct diamond, at the best quality, at a competitive price and following the budget that a client wants to spend.

“Natural diamonds are forever – but laboratory-grown diamonds can also be yours right now.”

Nicholas Wylde, 6 The Mall, Clifton, Bristol BS8 4DR nicholaswylde.com

1ct natural diamond engagement ring £15,000

1ct Lab Grown diamond engagement ring £2,000 1ct Natural Diamond Platinum Solitaire Ring, £8,995, clarity Si1, colour D – £8,995

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2 x 0.50ct lab-grown diamond studs £1,000

A pair of 3ct pear shape natural diamond earrings £60,000

A pair of 3ct pear lab-grown diamond earrings £3,000

20ct natural diamond tennis bracelet £90,000

20ct lab-grown diamond tennis bracelet £10,000

20 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2024 | No 231

1ct Laboratory-Grown Diamond Platinum Solitaire Ring, clarity VS2, colour E – £2,625

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Terry Cox 2.qxp_Layout 1 25/01/2024 11:17 Page 1

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INTERVIEW

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INTERVIEW

Seriously funny

Robert Lindsay, one of the UK’s most versatile and celebrated actors, talks to Rosanna Spence about the simple escapism of physical comedy, reflecting on his career’s funniest moments as winner of the Aardman Slapstick Comedy Legend Award 2024

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omedy runs through Robert Lindsay’s veins. His hilarious cameo appearances in Extras and Victoria Wood With All The Trimmings are as iconic as his longstanding roles in series including Citizen Smith and My Family. Lindsay lets his adoration for physical comedy and life’s little humours trickle off stage and screen into his everyday. Whether its him and his wife emerging from a limo for a Leicester Square royal film premiere – only to find out they’d turned up on the wrong evening – or watching someone grapple with fitting helium-filled balloons in their car from his local coffee bar window, even when the world and its politics feel heavy, there’s joy to be found if you look close enough.

Though he’s just as comfortable taking on serious roles in dramas and thrillers, and onstage in Shakespeare plays, it’s Lindsay’s ventures into comedy that have won him the Aardman Slapstick Comedy Legend Award, which is being presented as part of Bristol’s Slapstick festival.

To celebrate, Lindsay will take to the stage again, at the Bristol Old Vic on Sunday 18 February, only this time to share his favourite stories from an outstanding career in comedy.

Ahead of his appearance, we caught up with the actor, thinking there was no better time to ask about his proudest moments from a glittering, multi award-winning and much-lauded career. We hope you enjoy reading his memories and anecdotes in his own words – relayed to us between bouts of laughter and a deep fondness and respect for those he has shared stages and screens with so far – as much as we enjoyed hearing them.

In fact, we were once visited backstage by Laurence Olivier. I’d worked with him on King Lear for Granada TV, so he came to see Me and My Girl. He loved what the show was about, so he taught me a few tricks; one of them was a spoon turned upside down with a sugar cube placed on it. You pressed down on the spoon and the cube shoots through the air and it lands in the cup. I put it in the show every night. I had another trick too, where I used to catch a cigarette in my mouth after rolling over a sofa, while wearing a hat. Friends used to come and see the show, just to see if I’d get the cube in, or catch the cigarette. You can always make comedy out of the things that go wrong.

Physical comedy so often comes from glorious mistakes people make.

It’s the simple humour of life.

I love watching people – we all do. People-watching is hysterical. You can sit in a coffee shop and watch people trying to park their cars through the window. People walking into lampposts if they’re distracted by someone attractive. All those wonderful little moments. I saw something the other day through the window of my local coffee bar.

There was a girl with 10 balloons filled with helium heading to someone’s birthday. She was trying to get the balloons in the car, and she thought she’d got them in, then as she was trying to shut the door, they shot out and she snapped the cables and they went up into the air.

That is classic humour. Not for her though, obviously! It’s terrible, but I also love watching people trip; when they pretend they haven’t because they’re embarrassed.

I’ve always been fascinated by comedy from an early age.

Laurel and Hardy were my Christmas treat when I was kid. I was mesmerised as a child by silent comedy, the likes of Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. I think that was the inspiration to start it all. When I was at school I was always the joker, making people laugh. I found physical comedy a good way of reaching people and making friends, and solving fights. I remember once when I was in the school yard, being confronted by some guys looking for a fight. I feigned madness and frightened the life out of them. My real passion is physical comedy, though I never get much opportunity to do it now as I get older. I once studied mime at Le Coq Mime School in Paris when I was younger, and I’d love to do a Jacques Tati silent movie one day.

Years ago, my wife and I were invited to a royal film premiere in Leicester Square.

We were very excited about it, so we organised a limo to take us in and I put my tuxedo on. But when we arrived, we realised it was the wrong night. We did look very smart though, so we walked into a pub for a drink anyway. That makes me laugh. My feeling is that with the complexities of life and its politics, stand-up comedians now have to veer into so many political things. If you think back to Morecambe and Wise and Bruce Forsyth, their acts were singing and dancing. Comedy started from the music halls. They weren’t standing up and doing political performances. It was simple escapism.

I was very lucky to perform as Bill Snibson in Me and My Girl at the Adelphi Theatre.

This was the part I really wanted and I loved it so much as there was a real physical comedy aspect to it. [The role won Lindsay both a Tony Award and Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical.] I based all the shtick on Keaton and Chaplin. I watched movie after movie – all the tricks – then decided which ones I’d bring to the role.

Don’t forget, there’s humour in every single drama.

Before I was in Me and My Girl, I played Hamlet. Most actors who play him have to make a big decision – are you mad or not? I decided I wasn’t mad, and that I was instead deliberately angry about the situation and also trying to send-up everyone. There was a sequence when for no reason at all when the other actors stepped forward I decided to step back. And they didn’t know I was doing it. Eventually we got so far away

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INTERVIEW

from each other that I ended up offstage. The audience were hysterical.

The actors loved it and wanted us to do it every night. But I said ‘no, no, let’s just invent something every night’. That’s the great thing about a great play like Hamlet – there is humour in it.

I also did Richard III for the Royal Shakespeare Company once – some of the humour in there is incredible. [The critic] Michael Billington compared me to Ken Dodd! I did send him a Christmas card that year with a cut-out of Ken Dodd and me playing Richard III. But I could see what he meant. Richard III talks to the audience all the time. He’s constantly asking for their opinions and blessings.

So, I chose one person in the audience. You speak through that person to the entire audience. It has an extraordinary effect on everyone. I’ve noticed stand-up comedians speak to one person in order to speak to the masses, too.

Lindsay as Wolfie Smith in Citizen Smith (Image credit: BBC)

There are writers – like Alan Bleasdale and James Graham – who can put humour alongside very dark things. It’s very clever.

I was in G.B.H. in the 90s with Michael Palin, which was a deep, political drama about the militant left, and I played a character called Michael Murray [in a BAFTA-winning peformance]. There was a sequence that only Bleasdale could have written – it was in a hotel, where I’m trying to sleep with this beautiful woman, but I don’t know she’s a spy. And this is happening during a Doctor Who convention taking place in the same hotel. And I have physical Tourette’s. It’s completely mad. It’s very dark, but it’s hysterically funny.

I did a chat show once and they played that sequence and the audience was screaming in laughter. It’s a wonderful feeling when you’ve done something on film that’s put in front of an audience for the first time and there’s laughter.

The chandelier scene in Only Fools and Horses is one of the most iconic jokes of all time.

John Sullivan, who wrote Only Fools and Horses, was a great physical comedy gag writer. Likewise, he had done the same when writing Citizen Smith. In one scene, we’re breaking into a factory by trying to climb a fence, and that’s when we realise the gate is unlocked as it swings open. Silly things like that are glorious comedy.

I’m still recognised for Citizen Smith now, 50 years after it first aired – people will shout ‘Power to the people’ at me in the street. It was one of those powerful things you do on TV, and it had 24 million viewers at the time.

One of my comic heroes is Gromit.

I was so thrilled when I was told I’d won the Aardman Slapstick Comedy Legend Award. I’m a big fan of Aardman Animations and its work.

Getting an award from peers who you admire is very special. They’ve got a massive audience and their work is so wonderful. The Wallace and Gromit series is genius comedy. How they do that with puppets is incredible. I just love Gromit. He is without doubt one of the greatest physical comedians; his eyes, the raised eyebrows, the deadpan looks. In Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, the sequence when Gromit traps the villainous dog is pure Keaton and Chaplin humour channelled through the ages. n Keep an eye out for Lindsay on screen, with upcoming appearances in Ben Wheatley’s satirical apocalyptic tale Generation Z on Channel 4.

He’s also starring in the second series of James Graham’s BBC show Sherwood. Lindsay also teased details about the very early stages of a brand-new project he’s working on, based on an updated version of 24 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2024 | No 231

Don Quixote (but we’ll have to be patient to find out more about that).

Lindsay will be appearing at Bristol Old Vic on Sunday 18 February at 8.30pm. Here, he will reflect on stories and clips from his exceptional career in comedy before receiving the Aardman Slapstick Comedy Legend Award, made especially for him by Aardman model-makers, and inspired by his portrayal of Wolfie ‘Power to the people’ Smith in Citizen Smith. The show will be hosted by journalist and broadcaster Matthew Sweet.

For more information and to book tickets, head to the festival website slapstick.org.uk

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SHOPPING NOTEBOOK | FEBRUARY

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The Puppeteer

Puppetry is an essential part of Bristol’s creative community, but did you know the craft’s spiritual city home is tucked away on Harbourside? Rosanna Spence speaks to artist Chris Pirie of Green Ginger about Puppet Place, and the role it plays in nurturing Bristol’s most exciting emerging talent

A

re you ready to enter a fantastical realm where anything is possible? Where animals spring to life, aliens crash land and creatures of the deep rise from the darkness – often without a single pixel of CGI in sight? Lights Dim. Enter, stage left Chris Pirie, artistic director of 45-yearold theatre company Green Ginger.

“We ask audiences to take a leap of faith and suspend their disbelief,” he tells me. “Live puppetry can basically do everything that an actor can’t.

We take our audiences into bizarre worlds and extreme situations, whether it’s outer space or underwater, to create reality from the ground up. Then we put crazy stories into those situations.”

From the iconic War Horse play to the colossal Sultan’s Elephant, puppets light up our imaginations when gracing our stages and wandering our streets. But you don’t even need to leave the city to be mesmerised by puppetry mastery. In fact, 20 artists are busily creating their next projects all under one roof – at Puppet Place. Founded as a resource and training charity 40 years ago by Di Steeds and Jim Still, it found its feet in Bristol’s Albion Dockside Estate in 2007/8 after Pirie persuaded more and more artists to share his (at the time, very leaky) studio, where he’d been based since 2004. The Puppet Place charity was reinvigorated so it could take over the building’s operations, create a festival and transform, quite literally, into a place for puppetry.

The award-winning projects from both the emerging and established artists within Puppet Place are world class. Green Ginger alone counts Netflix, BBC and Channel 4 among its clients, and has created puppetry 26 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2024 | No 231

solutions for Aardman Animations, SS Great Britain, Bristol Old Vic, Tobacco Factory Theatres, Travelling Light, Arcadia Spectacular, and Wake the Tiger among others. There are also very early talks about an upcoming project with English Heritage at Stonehenge (watch this space). Pirie has even performed in front of hundreds of thousands of fans alongside other Bristol-based puppetry practioners on Coldplay’s latest world tour Music of the Spheres as a fictional alien musician, operating a puppet created by LA’s Jim Henson Creature Shop.

“As theatre-makers, our job is to reflect the world and try to make sense of it”

Even Puppet Place itself is a spectacle to behold – during previous public ‘open doors’ days, it’s been one of the first venues to sell out, with people queuing for up to an hour around the 200-year-old Harbourside building to wander and wonder at its technicolour curiosities. The team is keen to find more opportunities to invite the public in to watch the masters at work in a safe way that solves current issues with the structure’s historic idiosyncrasies. But Puppet Place has evolved to become so much more than just a studio space.

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Chris Pirie in his studio (credit: Andre Pattenden)

Nurturing new talent Pirie – who is a trustee of the Puppet Place organisation as well as resident artist – explains how vital the space is as a functional incubator that nurtures new and emerging artists making puppetry solutions for TV, film and theatre.

“We’ve all been emerging artists,” he says. “I can remember what it’s like to be trying to get your foot in the door and establish working practices. It's really scary and it's hard to take risks. So since it’s been based at Harbourside, Puppet Place has been creating meaningfully affordable space. I don’t mean in the way ‘affordable’ has become a buzzword for housing. I think we are the cheapest in terms of square footage. We’re able to provide emerging artists with space to either come in as resident artists and be based here, or as associate artists who can hire workspaces, sign up to ‘hot-benching’ [like ‘hot-desking’ in an office] and use the rehearsal studios and meeting rooms. We’ve had artists travel from London because what they pay for a whole day here would be the equivalent for an hour in the capital.”

It’s a huge commitment for Puppet Place to maintain this level of accessibility. But it’s not just affordable spaces that matter – there’s meaningful mentoring as a support too from the artists there.

“Green Ginger regularly mentors students that are either just graduating or who are just out of drama school, and are trying to take those early steps,” Pirie days. “I really love peer mentoring. I’m in my 60s now, but love to be able to peer mentor someone in their 20s. They’re getting the valuable advice of someone who’s been working in this

industry for four decades or so. But I’m also getting a really fresh perspective on what it's like for them as digital natives in their 20s.

“They have a very different perspective on many things in life. As theatre-makers, our job is to reflect the world and try to make sense of it – and help others make sense of it too. That’s why I really value that kind of mentoring, which is very much a two-way conversation.”

Pirie is curious to see who the next key cultural offerings of Bristol will be, considering existing titans Banksy, Massive Attack and Aardman Animations already have careers spanning many decades. Without crucial, affordable spaces, such as Puppet Place, for new artists to put their ideas into action, small artistic start-ups can’t grow shoots from their seeds, let alone stand a chance at flourishing alongside the greats.

Securing spaces for the future The future of such creative places is under threat. Artists and craftspeople are finding their spaces on a fractious frontline as wider regeneration takes place across the city. With the likes of Invisible Circus having to leave its warehouse performance space, and many other notable projects seeing arts funding reduced or cut by the council, Bristol’s prominence as a cultural hub can sometimes feel at odds with the reality of life as an artist here.

But Pirie assures me “it’s not all bleak.” Sometimes, he says, these things galvanise artists and help them come together. This is especially useful in moments of unexpected crisis.

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INTERVIEW Birthmarked at Mayfest (credit: Paul Blakemore)

“Artist communities in the city are alive and kicking, and that’s where the future lies” “When the Underfall Yard had its arson attack in 2023, for example, my Puppet Place colleagues’ immediate response was go straight to their neighbours in Harbourside, to reach out and offer whatever help was needed. People in another historic building lost their livelihoods overnight, but the response to that was heartfelt, immediate and real. The kind of spirit that exists among craftspeople around the Harbourside means everything to me. Real empathy and understanding – these communities in the city are alive and kicking, and that’s where the future lies. That’s why I sustain hope.”

There’s the same feeling of empathy and support in day-to-day life too, however, with artists sharing skills whenever needed.

“Within our building there’s a real synergy, if somebody needs someone to support them with writing, creating a video or needs help with something robotic or electric, there are people with those skills under one roof,” Pirie says. “Then immediately outside the building, we have real connections and relationships with the other creative organisations around us. We have Bristol Old Vic’s scenic workshop over the way, Aardman Animations next door and JAG Props too.

“That’s why we’re very well placed to to give meaningful support to young artists. And it’s not just in Bristol, either. Our remit is to support south western practitioners, but also we're part of a larger national hub.

We work closely with the other puppetry organisations and animation organisations to support UK-wide industry.”

Lionel the Vinyl (credit: Green Ginger)

28 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2024 | No 231

Education through puppetry Pirie also teaches and mentors at universities and colleges throughout Europe, as well as engaging with local higher and further education institutions closer to home, including the University of Bristol, the University of West England and Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. And for younger students, Green Ginger will soon take its RATLab show back on the road, going into Swindon primary schools.

The free and bespoke show centres on a team of extraordinary engineers who use cutting-edge medical science and puppetry in their test lab to help rugby sports star Ronnie get back to the playing field after her hip replacement. Children are given a glimpse into the surgery, learning more about bones, the mechanics of how bodies move, and how engineering solutions can fix them when they go wrong.

Oh, and the lab? It’s run by rats. In fact, most of the characters are rats, dogs and pigs. Suddenly, it appears the children are paying attention.

The pilot project, created in 2021 by Green Ginger in partnership with University of Bath’s bio-mechanical engineers, and with funding from the Royal Academy of Engineering, will be delivered back into primary schools in areas of low arts engagement in Spring Term 2024. The project, funded by Arts Council England and Orthopaedic Research UK, is an innovative schools intervention solution in a pop-up environment, and is designed to challenge negative associations with engineering and reframe it as an exciting study and career path.

Though Brexit, the pandemic and the climate emergency reducing some people’s preference to fly have changed the way Green Ginger, Puppet Place and its artists work, Pirie and his peers still never know what new, wonderfully weird project will be around the corner. Whether that’s the creation of more online content, or finding themselves on stage as part of a Valencian opera, the future of Bristol’s puppeteers looks bright – the sector’s flames fanned by the irrepressible spirit of its supportive network of artists. n Keep an eye on Puppet Place’s website to find out how its residents will be marking 40 years since its inception, as well as 45 years of magic from Green Ginger: greenginger.net; puppetplace.org

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BRISTOL EVENTS | FEBRUARY

“Love me, love me; say that you love me...”

A romantic screening of Romeo and Juliet at The Mount Without

What’s On

Our guide to some of the best things to see, do and experience in and around Bristol this month Quiz night at the Tobacco Factory n Every Wednesday, 8pm to 10pm

Join ‘Hostess with the Mostess’ @bucksquizz for saxophone-based shenanigans, laughs, and a cash money prize! Maximum six to a team. £1 to enter.

Tel: 0117 902 0060. tobaccofactory.com

favourites and maybe some that might be new to you. Includes Verdi: Anvil Chorus, Brindisi: Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves.

Bernstein: Make Our Garden Grow. Puccini: Humming Chorus. Purcell: No Stars Again Shall Hurt You. A great way to lift a February afternoon! bristolchoral.co.uk

Wicked n Until 25 February Bristol Hippodrome

Bristol Classical Players n 3 February, 7.30pm St George's Bristol

The smash hit West End musical continues its run this month. Based on the acclaimed novel by Gregory Maguire, Wicked imagines a beguiling backstory to the lives of L. Frank Baum’s beloved characters, and reveals the magic that shaped the destinies of two unlikely friends on their remarkable journey to becoming Glinda The Good and the Wicked Witch of the West. atgtickets.com

For its first concert of 2024, Bristol Classical Players, conducted by Tom Gauterin and with Rupert Egerton-Smith on piano, presents a programme of Beethoven Piano Concerto No.5, Emperor and Brahms Symphony No.1.

Tel: 0117 929 4929 bristolclassicalplayers.com

Bristol Choral Society: Come and Sing Opera Choruses n 3 February, 1.30pm Tyndale Baptist Church

A chance to join with Bristol Choral Society and experience some wonderful opera choruses with its dynamic musical director Hilary Campbell, accompanied by distinguished assistant MD Steven Kings.

Enjoy an afternoon singing a range of well known and loved choruses, including many

Alliance Française n 8 February, 7pm Waterstones, The Galleries

Since its creation, Alliance Française has been an important instrument to share French language and culture throughout the world. It is the subject of a short documentary entitled Alliance(s) Française(s). Watch the hour-long documentary in Waterstones, then enjoy an informal chat with students and teachers, with a complimentary glass of wine.

Free admission, but please book ahead. afbristol.org.uk

30 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2024 | No 231

The Beatles by Candlelight n 14 February, 7pm and 9pm St George's Bristol

Celebrate Valentine's Day with the ultimate Beatles special, featuring their best love songs in an hour-long concert that will give you a Valentine's night to remember.

Performed by the Bristol Ensemble, the professional orchestra for Bristol and the South West. Tickets £10 to £30 (plus St George’s booking fees).

Tel: 0117 929 4929 stgeorgesbristol.co.uk Beginners Bridge classes n 14 February, 7-9pm Bristol Bridge Club, Hotwells

Bristol Bridge Club is launching its 10week Beginners Bridge course this month, starting on 14 February at 7pm and running on Wednesdays. Players can either pay £8 per lesson or make one payment of £70 for the full duration. A shorter Introduction to Bridge course is available, also on Wednesdays, with a new intake of participants every three months. The next start date is 3 April at 7.30pm (remaining dates for 2024 are 3 July and 2 October), and each class costs £8. Not sure you want to sign up to a course just yet? Bristol Bridge Club holds a weekly informal bridge session every Thursday at 10.30am, with the opportunity for people to take part in a Q&A with Ralph (£6 for

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members and £8 for guests). ‘Friendly Thursdays’ also take place each week for members and guests, with a relaxed pairs handicapped session at 7pm. Food is available to order from 6.30pm. For more information email: teaching@bristolbridgeclub.co.uk Gut Health Talk with Better Food n 21 February, 6.30pm-7.30pm Whapping Wharf

Join the Better Food team for an enlightening evening as we delve into the fascinating world of gut health with nutritional therapist Claire Cohen. Whether you’re a keen fermenter, or simply curious to understand more about the mysterious world of the microbiome, this gut health talk could change the way you think about your body and empower you to nourish your microbiome for a healthier, happier you. betterfood.co.uk Romeo and Juliet n 22 February, 6pm The Mount Without

The timeless tragic tale is back this February. Baz Luhrmann’s contemporary take on Romeo and Juliet has an appropriately fitting aesthetic for the wonderful space that is The Mount Without. Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes shine as the star-crossed lovers, in this high-octane adaptation that transfers the warring families to the Californian city of Verona Beach. bristolfilmfestival.com Bristol Hi-Fi Show n 23-25 February, 10am-5pm Marriott Bristol City Centre

Now in its 35th year, and presented by Audio-T, the Bristol HiFi Show is making another welcome return in 2024. Held at the Delta Hotels by Marriott Bristol City Centre, the show has become the mainstay of the British Hi-Fi calendar and welcomes visitors and over 160 exhibitors from around the world. The show offers fantastic deals and discounts, making it an ideal place to buy! There are also a whole host of competitions and giveaways held over the weekend. bristolshow.co.uk Winter Garden Tour n 25 February, 11am University of Bristol Botanic Gardens

An unusual chance to enjoy the Botanic Garden on a winter weekend, and to tour the garden and glasshouses. Please note the garden is only open during the tour (not before or after). Booking essential via the university online shop.

Tel: 0117 428 2041 botanic-garden.bristol.ac.uk Twelfth Night - Bristol Old Vic Theatre School n 29 February - 2 March, 7pm plus Saturday matinee 2.30pm Malcolm X Community Centre, BS2 8YH

Love and disguise intertwine for comedic chaos in Twelfth Night.

With graceful period design, director Geoffrey Brumlik transports Shakespeare’s famous romantic comedy to 1600s Europe – where affairs of the heart prove potent…but perilous. Experience Bristol Old Vic Theatre School’s take on this classic and beloved farce about the masks we wear for unrequited love.

Tel: 0117 973 3535 oldvic.ac.uk THEBRISTOLMAG.CO.UK | FEBRUARY 2024 | THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE 31

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FAMILY EVENTS | FEBRUARY

Family Diary

With half-term firmly in our sights, here’s our pick of the best things to see and do with the little ones this month Zoo Detectives n 10-18 February Bristol Zoo Project Calling all zoo detectives! A mystery animal has travelled through the zoo and the zookeepers need to find out who the culprit might be. Fear not, the suspect has left behind some very distinct clues. Was it a beaver, water vole, badger, roe deer, hedgehog or otter? You need to search the zoo to find out. Along the way you’ll spot the zoo’s amazing animals including giraffes, zebras, cheetahs, lemurs and gelada baboons.The trail, which includes interactive elements throughout, provides you with the chance to examine ‘crime scenes’ and cross each suspect off your list.

Children in costume will receive 20% off admission to the zoo (T&Cs apply). bristolzoo.org.uk

Early Years Day: Drop-in Activities n 13 February, 10.30am – 12.30pm RWA Early years music session and drop-in activities for two- to four-year-olds and their parents/carers take place in the RWA Family Activity Space. Join in some musical percussion activities. Have fun with all sorts of things that make wonderful noises and try making a percussion instrument of your own. rwa.org.uk

Midnight Mole n 13-17 February Tobacco Factory Theatres Under the light of the silvery moon, Madame Ranevsky plays with her nocturnal friends before Midnight Mole bursts from his mound to join her. With a fascination for found objects, Mole leads her on an adventure of rediscovery, above and below ground, which allows her to see her orchard afresh and embark on her new journey.

A heart-warming, moon-dancing adventure from the creative team behind Snow Mouse – with a nod to Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard – full of puppetry and music. tobaccofactorytheatres.com

The Farmer and the Clown n 14-17 February Bristol Old Vic A story of unexpected friendship told through physical comedy and dance by Flibbertigibbet Theatre. An old hard-working farmer lives alone.

One day, a baby clown accidentally bounces off a passing circus train and is separated from his family and friends. Unsure what to do, the farmer takes the clown home. As time passes, they

Celebrate the Lunar New Year at the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery

discover that by being with each other, they find something new in themselves. Can a friendship span the generations? Can old dogs learn new tricks? Can the young clown find its way home?

Adapted from the charming picture-book by author and illustrator Marla Frazee (The Boss Baby), this wordless, heart-warming show is accompanied by an original live score. For ages 3+ but suitable for all the family. bristololdvic.org.uk

Lunar New Year Festival n 17-18 February Bristol Museum and Art Gallery The Year of the Dragon starts on 10 February, so catch the vibrant song and dance performances, marvel at the martial arts demonstrations, and learn about Chinese culture and heritage. There are plenty of craft and traditional activities, while roving pandas want to say hello!

There will be a delicious Chinese-inspired menu in the musuem café and beautiful Chinese goods for sale in the shop. You can also pick up a dragon detective trail to search for dragons throughout the museum bristolmuseums.org.uk

Baby Book Club n 23 February Bristol Hippodrome The club takes stories from an independent bookstore and brings them to life with a

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local reader in the Bristol Hippodrome’s Piano bar. Parents/guardians can enjoy tea or coffee alongside the reading. Each month the story is different, with worlds to explore and discover together. Bristol Baby Book Club is best suited for six months to five-year-olds and takes place on the last Friday of each month. atgtickets.com

Subscribe to our weekend newsletters at thebristolmag.co.uk for regular updates The Farmer and the Clown, Bristol Old Vic

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WAKE THE TIGER.qxp_Layout 1 19/01/2024 16:28 Page 1

WAKE THE TIGER

Luke Mitchell

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WAKE THE TIGER

Explore the OUTERverse

Fasten your seatbelts and hold on to your hats as we chat with Luke Mitchell, one of the creative minds behind Wake The Tiger, about how magic, madness and mayhem go from ideas to reality

F

ollowing phenomenal success and cementing itself within Bristol’s creative-culture scene, Wake The Tiger has undergone a massive expansion, and is ready to take visitors on a journey to another dimension as they transcend into the OUTERverse.

Based in the heart of St. Philips, the world’s first Amazement Park has welcomed hundreds of thousands of visitors to explore the world of Meridia as they venture through a treasure trove of labyrinths, secret passageways and endless discoveries. Almost two years since opening, Wake The Tiger has unveiled a huge new addition to the immersive walk-through experience, with a further 15 completely unique art spaces ready and waiting for people to voyage into, transcending to a dimension beyond imagination.

We sat down with Wake The Tiger’s co-founder and creative director Luke Mitchell to chat all things opening and get the creative details…

How long does the design process take for your alternative worlds, from initial concept to build?

It takes months and months! It starts with research into the concept of what we want to achieve, looking into key themes and understanding how that translates into the audience’s journey. From that point, we build out the experience with mood boards and concept sketches, then from this point it’s into 3D design either in-house or with external artists/designers and then technical build drawings come from there.

It’s a huge, long, collaborative process that is part nightmare and part absolutely wonderful.

What kind of sources do you look to for creative inspiration when fleshing out the details and of the storylines and building new ones?

When looking for creative inspiration, I guess we start with what’s relevant to where we are within ourselves and what we are passionate about, otherwise we’d be building something we don’t fully understand.

The first installation ‘The Dream Factory’ was more about the environment and external factors, the OUTERverse is more about the mind, and just the brilliance of it.

Some years ago I spent a bit of time in the Amazon with a tribe there and some of their teachings have influenced the core concept of this installation, but there are so many factors that influence us, from so many people being involved. We all play with unbounded creativity, fuse it with lots of surreal silliness and see where that goes. If we can bring in messages and inspire some people along the way, then that’s really great as well. Ultimately, it’s about building on the values and missions of the organisation and what we want to achieve externally and then really reach for that.

Are you able to share any insight into the the build, for instance, how many local creatives and craftspeople have helped and visitor numbers so far?

Wake The Tiger is all about community and collaboration. We have the most amazing team of people that cover every possible element of the build, it’s in the 100s I think. We’ve been open about a year and a half and had over 300,000 visitors come through the doors. It’s blown us away, and now that The OUTERverse is here, I have no idea where this will go, but we are all totally buzzing.

Are there details of any special events you’re able to share and how that experience differs from the original walkthrough?

We host quarterly parties in line with the celestial calendar which creates a safe space for self-expression. I’m not massively involved in them but the team pulls together the most incredible music, circus and theatre to bring it all to life. They’re absolutely wicked parties! The next event is our Spring Equinox celebration, Meridian Soluna, which is taking place on Friday 22 March, so get your outfits ready!

There are After Hours events every other Friday evening which are adult-only sessions, allowing exploration of the experience at a slower pace and an opportunity to grab food and drink afterwards in The Guildhall Café.

Tell us more about how you’ve built on the current experience and what visitors can expect.

When it comes to The OUTERverse, we’re looking far beyond anything that we have ever done before. We have definitely stepped out of our comfort zone and taken risks when it comes to the artistic style of the new spaces.

We’ve added 1,000 sq.ft to the current experience, and built across multiple levels. We invited the artists to be creative where possible through feelings and what comes to them first rather than thinking about it too much which has produced something beyond what any of us would imagine.

Sustainability is a massive focus for us, so where we were able to, we’ve sourced and built aspects of the OUTERverse with recycled materials.

You can’t beat raiding scrap stores and car boot sales, and just figuring out new ways of building and giving new life to old materials.

How does Wake The Tiger relate to Bristol’s identity as a creative city?

Everything that we’ve done plays into Bristol’s creative identity, playing into the rawness, mixed with a bit of punk and the alternative scene that is Bristol yet with that fun, expressive, anything goes side. Also, Bristol’s creativity is loud and in your face… and so is Wake The Tiger.

That is one of the reasons why this expansion ended up being called OUTERverse – because Bristol really is the out-there-verse in terms of its forward thinking. n

wakethetiger.com THEBRISTOLMAG.CO.UK | FEBRUARY 2024 | THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE 35

IDLES NEW ALBUM V2.qxp_Layout 1 19/01/2024 16:34 Page 1

MUSIC

“I needed love”

The fifth IDLES album, TANGK, is a tonic for turbulent times; a record about love, joy, and indeed gratitude for the mere opportunity of existence. Lead singer Joe Talbot says he needed love, so he made it...

I

DLES are releasing their fifth album TANGK on 16 February via Partisan Records. This 11-track follow-up to the Grammynominated album CRAWLER has been co-produced by Nigel Godrich (Radiohead, The Smile, Beck), the band’s Mark Bowen and Kenny Beats (Denzel Curry, Vince Staples, Benee).

In an explosive run of unerringly stirring albums, TANGK – pronounced ‘tank’ with a whiff of the ‘g’ and an onomatopoeic reference to the lashing way the band imagined the guitars sounding that has grown into a sort of sigil for living in love – is the band’s most ambitious and striking record yet.

Formed in Bristol, IDLES are one of rock’s most powerful units to emerge from the last decade. With this record, Godrich, Beats and Bowen have pushed the band into new terrain, pulling in the reins as needed.

TANGK is at once sprawling and focused, imaginative and immediate.

Speaking about the album, lead singer Joe Talbot says: “I needed love.

So I made it. I gave love out to the world and it feels like magic. This is our album of gratitude and power. All love songs. All is love.”

The first single released from the album was the throbbing, scuzzy tune Dancer. Rattling bass and ricocheting guitar give Talbot space to talk about sweat and sex on the dancefloor. (You will spy LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy and Nancy Whang in the music video, too, singing.) It is lascivious and playful and positive, the ecstatic sound of at least a temporary fix. In the improvised hook, Talbot offers IDLES’ essential new mantra: “I give myself to you/As long as you move on the floor.” He is singing about the rapture of a new relationship, but he is also singing about the special dynamic between IDLES and their fans, as well as IDLES and the world at large.

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This is a band’s vow to keep lifting and fighting for themselves and their listeners, to keep offering the grim persistence of joy and hope and love and wonder as long as that’s what anyone needs to survive. It is a love song the same way that TANGK is a love album – open to anyone who requires something to shout out loud in order to fend off any encroaching sense of the void, now or forever.

Where IDLES were once set on squaring off with strong jaws against the perennially entitled, and exorcising personal trauma in real time, they have now arrived in this new act to offer the fruits of such perseverance: love, joy, and indeed gratitude for the mere opportunity of existence.

This music thrives not in spite of our problems but because of them.

If we don’t look after ourselves and one another, as every song on the new album seems to exclaim in one enormous hook after another, then who will? n IDLES are also embarking on a world tour, starting this month in Porto. The band is playing a homecoming gig at The Marble Factory in Bristol on 17 February.

For more information about the new album and remaining tour dates, visit idlesband.com PICTURE CREDIT: Tom Ham (above)

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ARTS & EXHIBITIONS

ART and the galleries Screenprint 2024, 9 February - 21 February

An exhibition showcasing the art and craft of screen printing, featuring work by over 30 outstanding artists from around the UK and beyond. All the work will be for sale, and as well as prints there will be books, textiles, clothing, cards and lots more. This is a rare opportunity to see a selection of some of the best contemporary screenprinting around today.

Centrespace Gallery, 6 Leonard Lane Bristol BS1 1EA For more info, visit: centrespace.org.uk These Mad Hybrids: John Hoyland and Contemporary Sculpture, 3 February - 12 May

A new exhibition opening at the Royal West of England Academy (RWA), will present an extremely rare and largely unknown aspect of the late artist John Hoyland’s (1934-2011) career – ceramic sculptures.

The mixed exhibition brings eleven of Hoyland’s ceramics together with sculpture by Caroline Achaintre, Eric Bainbridge, Phyllida Barlow, Olivia Bax, Hew Locke, Anna Reading, Jessi Reaves, Andrew Sabin, John Summers and Chiffon Thomas.

Hoyland – a prominent British abstract painter – made a group of twenty-five ceramic sculptures loaded with colour, humour and zoomorphic qualities. He called them his ‘mad little hybrids’, referring to their unexpectedness and the difficulty of fitting them into conventional categories. Remarkably, they have never been publicly displayed since being made.

Individually, these artists work with hugely diverse materials, ranging from cement to synthetic fabric, papier maché to glitter. By turn playful, complex and challenging, their work combines human and animal forms, furniture, everyday objects and architecture into new and hard-tocategorise sculptural hybrids.

Image: Rainy Day by Eliza Southwood

Elias Sime: ‘Eregata እርጋታ’, Arnolfini, Until 18 February

This is the first, major solo European museum exhibition from one of Ethiopia’s leading contemporary artists, Elias Sime.

Eregata እርጋታ will primarily focus on work from the past six years, including Sime’s monumental Venice Biennale commission Veiled Whispers (2022), alongside intricately woven abstract topographies from the landmark series Tightrope (2013 to present), key works from his early stitch, yarn and button series and the tactile fragility of Bareness, a largescale ceramic installation from 2014. arnolfini.org.uk; 16 Narrow Quay, Bristol BS1 4QA

rwa.org.uk; Queen’s Road, Bristol BS8 1PX Image: The King by John Hoyland

38 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2024 | No 231

Image: Tightrope Evolution, 2017 (detail). Courtesy of the artist and James Cohan Gallery.

Photo: Adam Reich

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Please Fill Our Empty Shelves

Contact Us For Silver Valuation info@beaunashbath.com | 01225 334234 | www.beaunashbath.com beaunashbath

THEBRISTOLMAG.CO.UK | FEBRUARY 2024 | THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE 39

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ARTS & EXHIBITIONS

Stephanie Gay and Chi-Yien Snow: LUSH - 1 Garden, 2 Artists, The Square Club, 15 February - 30 April

Two artists are using their different styles to celebrate the wonders of the University of Bristol Botanic Garden in a threemonth exhibition at The Square Club.

Stephanie Gay, from Portishead, specialises in painting on silk, while Clevedon-based Chi-Yien Snow works with a variety of media including oils, acrylic, and pen and ink. Gay’s work is full of vibrant colour and bold shapes and is ideally suited to the botanical subject matter. Snow’s work covers a surprising range from big brush strokes and bold use of colour to black and white drawings made entirely of tiny vertical lines. thesquareclub.com; The Square Club; 15 Berkeley Square, Bristol BS8 1HB

Making Waves: Mary Anning and her Astonishing Ichthyosaur, Bristol Museum & Art Gallery, Until 30 April

Mary Anning (1799-1847) was an inspirational early palaeontologist who is celebrated today for her amazing fossil finds. Bristol Museum & Art Gallery is excited to be putting a very special fossil on permanent display, possibly her second significant find. This is joined by a small artist’s model of a statue of Mary made by sculptor Denise Dutton until 30 April 2024, as part of the Mary Anning Rocks! UK tour. bristolmuseums.org.uk; Queen’s Road, Bristol BS8 1RL

Image: ‘Erythrina’ by Stephanie Gay Image: Temnodontosaurus skull

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COLUMN | CHRIS YEO ON ANTIQUES

Expert opinion From Chris Yeo, Valuer at Clevedon Salerooms and regular expert on BBC’s Antiques Roadshow

All-time Hero

T

hink of an icon of the 1960s and who springs to mind? The Beatles? Twiggy? How about an action hero who could easily give James Bond a run for his money, were it not for the fact that he’s only a foot tall and made of plastic? I’m talking about Action Man. Just the mention of his name is likely to bring back a flood of mistyeyed memories to lots of boys and a few girls, especially ones over the age of 50. Launched in 1966 and made in the UK by Palitoy, the figure was based on the American figure, GI Joe. It was an instant best-seller.

By 1979 eight million Action Men were in circulation and the following year he was named as the National Association of Toy Retailer's Toy of the Decade.

What is it about this diminutive character that has captured the imagination of generations of children? Could it be his good looks? The

embodiment of square-jawed masculinity, he’s very much in the style of James Bond but those rugged looks could not be less English, as the design of the head and features was based on John F Kennedy. Sensing they had a commercial hit on their hands, the manufacturers immediately tried to get the figure patented and, with that in mind, gave him a distinctive scar on his face. As anyone who has seen Action Man with his kit off knows, a facial scar is the Action Man 1970s Soldiers of the World. sold for £500 +buyer’s premium very least of his worries.

Anatomical issues aside, the outlook for our fuzzy-haired friend looks bright. Today, nostalgia is big business and the last few years have seen prices rising dramatically for toys from the 1960s and ‘70s.

Alongside Action Man, there were many clothes, weapons and accessories sold to complement the figure. Easily lost to the vacuum cleaner, they are often elusive and can be more valuable than the figures themselves. At Clevedon Salerooms a collection of 1970s Action Men figures and accessories in their original packaging sold for a combined total of £3,720. ■ clevedonsalerooms.com; @chrisyeo_antiques (Instagram)

THEBRISTOLMAG.CO.UK | FEBRUARY 2024 | THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE 41

Food and drink V2.qxp_Layout 1 26/01/2024 19:09 Page 1

FOOD & DRINK

Wines of the

Lebanese mountains

FOOD & DRINK NEWS FROM THE CITY’S BARS AND EXCLUSIVE DINING EVENTS

Recommendations by Tom Bleathman from the Great Wine Company Beautiful yet troubled Lebanon enjoys warm summers, cool winters and dramatic landscapes.

One of its outstanding wines is IXSIR, established in 2008, which uses fruit from Lebanon's finest sites, including the dramatic Ainata vineyard, which at an awe-inspiring 1,800m elevation is higher than any vineyard in Europe. Vines grown this high make wines with spectacular, soaring fruit, and exhilarating balance and complexity.

Discover more at greatwine.co.uk A rich garnet in colour, the IXSIR Altitudes Red 2019 has irresistibly succulent aromas of juicy, ripe black cherries, fresh raspberries, and a sprinkling of peppery spice. Drink now and over the next 3-4 years. This would complement roast or barbecued lamb beautifully. £24 This unique IXSIR Altitudes White 2022 has beautifully distinctive aromas of oranges, jasmine, honeysuckle, and mango. It is superbly well-balanced: fresh and refreshing, with satisfying completeness of texture and a long, elegant finish. Exceptionally delicious. £24 The IXSIR Grande Reserve Red 2016 is drinking beautifully at the moment. It’s young enough to still show fresh, plump and juicy black cherry and purple plum fruit, and old enough to have developed a wonderful, velvety texture. Great to enjoy now and over the next three years. This IXSIR benefits from the consultancy of Hubert de Boüard, the winemaker of the famous Saint Emillion and proprietor of Château Angélus and exhibits the same fabulous sophistication in winemaking. £35

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Alcotraz: The Bar Behind Bars Immersive cocktail experience Alcotraz has opened on All Saints Street in the city centre, merging prison-themed theatrics – with actors, storylines and sets – and a cocktail bar. With five sites already established across the UK, Alcotraz: Cell Block Two Two Six accommodates 46 inmates in 10 cells for public experiences or private venue hire.

Guests (or ‘inmates’) are tasked with smuggling liquor past The Warden and getting it into the hands of some of Alcotraz’s longest-serving crooks, who then transform the contraband liquor into bespoke cocktails. In advance of visiting, guests can create their own unique criminal record from the Department of Justice, before being secretly instructed by 'bootleggers' on the inside to smuggle their liquor into Alcotraz. Once in their cells, they will encounter a cast of shady characters and the jail’s notorious bootlegging gang. Will you win the favour of the guards? alcotraz.co.uk

The Granary Club launches Bristol Light Festival cocktail The Granary Club, the bar and live music venue on Queen Charlotte Street that is operated by The Granary restaurant, is offering a limitededition cocktail.

The Golden Delicious cocktail celebrates the Bristol Light Festival, and will be available to order exclusively between 2-11 February only. The Granary restaurant will also be offering a free glass of fizz with all bookings for the duration of Bristol Light Festival (2-11 February).

For more informaion, visit granarybristol.com

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Anti Banquet event plans to fight food insecurity

Ashton Gate Stadium has joined forces with Josh Eggleton and Team Love’s CIC Team Canteen to create a unique fundraising event on Thursday 29 February. Anti Banquet will raise vital funds for Bristol Local Food Fund, and is a project is run entirely by volunteers who care about food, community, sustainability and making a positive difference by supporting community food causes.

Presented by Bristolian legends Jayde Adams and Joe Sims, businesses can purchase tables for local charities and worthy causes, while their bosses roll their sleeves up in the kitchen, or donate a table to one of the excellent local causes helping communities tackle food insecurity. C-Suite executives from sponsoring companies will be invited to join the kitchen team, or serve the guests as a member of the front-of-house team. antibanquet.co.uk

Blasé and Native Vine team up for Valentine’s Day dinner Blasé and Native Vine have teamed up to create an exclusive pop-up dining event on 14 February, to be held in the Friary Building at Cabot Circus from 7pm.

Blasé founder Hugo Harvey will be serving multiple courses of his signature ‘high-grade seafood’, complemented with a selection of fine wines from Native Vine and live tunes from DJ Jevon Ives. The event will see guests served an oyster and bubbles on arrival, followed by scallop sesame toast with a coral dressing; trout tartare with smoked ginger and a roasted garlic mayonnaise; rib-eye steak, lobster bisque and bone marrow chips; and a rhubarb sorbet with whipped custard and ‘tipsy’ brioche. Harvey has worked in Michelin-starred restaurants, and was head chef at Pony & Trap.

For more information and a link to purchase tickets at £60 per hear, visit Blasé’s Instagram @ blase__

THEBRISTOLMAG.CO.UK | FEBRUARY 2024 | THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE 43

UPDATES FEB V3.qxp_Layout 1 26/01/2024 16:16 Page 1

THIS IS BRISTOL

Bristol at work

LOCAL BUSINESS AND COMMUNITY ORGANISATION UPDATES

Image credit: Blackpoint Design

Bristol Zoo Project site plans for Central African forest approved Conservation and education charity Bristol Zoological Society has secured planning approval to create a new Central African Forest habitat at its Bristol Zoo Project site.

This means critically endangered western lowland gorillas and endangered cherry-crowned mangabeys are to live together for the first time in a UK zoo, as part of ambitious plans to conserve and protect some of the world’s most threatened species. Work will begin this spring and see the zoo’s existing gorilla troop joined by a new group of mangabeys, as well as critically endangered slender-snouted crocodiles, endangered African grey parrots and several extremely threatened species of West African freshwater fish.

The development is a major step forward in the Society’s plan to create its new zoo, where at least 80% of species will be connected to its conservation work in the UK and around the world.

As well as the upcoming works, there are also plans for a Central African savannah habitat, which will see black rhinos and ostriches join giraffe, zebra and cheetah, as well as improvements to the existing Walled Garden, including the creation of new aviaries. Bristol Zoo Project is already home to animals from around the world including giraffes, cheetahs, zebras, wolves, bears, lynx, deer, ostrich, gelada baboons and lemurs. bristolzoo.org.uk

New hires made at Bristol Memorial Woodlands Funeral venue Bristol Memorial Woodlands, located near Alveston, has hired Maria Gawler as its new administrator and Michelle Walsh as hospitality manager.

As well as general administrative tasks, Gawler is responsible for meeting families and assisting with their plot purchasing. Having spent many years as a school administrator and prior to that in customer service for a large distribution company, she feels her people skills help to make a real difference to the families they care for.

Walsh also joins from a school background having spent many years in a busy kitchen as catering staff.

Chris Baker, founder of Memorial Woodlands, says: “We are pleased to have added to our busy and dedicated team here with the appointment of Maria and Michelle.

“The service we provide to the families who come to us at an incredibly challenging time in their lives is of the utmost importance to us and so finding the right team to deliver that quality service is equally important. Maria and Michelle’s individual experience and skills have already been proven and we’re pleased to have them on board.” memorialwoodlands.com 44 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2024 | No 231

Image credit: Jon Craig

Bristol Beacon announces Jonathan Dimbleby is Bristol Beacon’s new new partnership withchair local hotels toand boost Music charity cultural visitor venue Bristoloffer Beacon

has announced significant changes to its leadership this year.

The soon-to-be-reopened BristolBeacon’s Beacon,current set to Louise Mitchell CBE, Bristol be a major attraction to Bristol, has chief executive who ledfor thevisitors organisation through a newhas partnership itsannounced transformation, confirmedwith that 10 shelocal will be hotels thatdown will give access to a stepping fromconcert-goers the role in July this year, range of discounts and perks for their stay. paving the way for a new leader to take the Visitors will be able to make a night of their organisation forward. Long-term chair of the trip to Bristol Beacon with up to 15% off a stay board Simon Chapman (pictured, left), who in a local hotel and discounts on spa visits and supported Mitchell and the team throughout the other activities in the city. The local hotels five-year transformation, has come to the end of included in the three-year Beacon partnership his are tenure.

The new chair takingClayton up the role is the Harbour Hotel Bristol, Hotel renowned broadcaster, writer and historian, Bristol City, Avon Gorge by Hotel du Vin, Hotel Jonathan Dimbleby. du Vin Bristol, Berkeley Suites and the four “As ahotels citizen is a great privilege other inof theBristol, Cliftonit Hotels Group, andto be asked to Ibis chairBristol BristolCentre.

Music Trust,” says Dimbleby.

“I amwill fortunate the role at a The Beacon reopentoininherit November 2023 point where –itsthanks in large measure to the following extensive transformation outstanding of Simon Louise – the programme,leadership which is now closeand to completion.

Beacon can now become a great hub in The flagship venue will be one ofcultural the best and mostof accessible and of music the heart this greatperformance city. At the start this new in Europe, era, Ieducation hope thatvenues everyone in Bristolwith willtwo come to international standard performance venues, a regard the Beacon as their musical ‘home’, a place restaurant bar, and beinga that is openand to all and at its thehistoric service cellars of all. With used for the first time as andof wonderful new concert halleducation and a range performance facilities that rival any in spaces.

Britain – or indeed Bristol Beacon highest possible Europe – our task iswill to have ensurethe that we offer a feast rating, flat wheelchair ofaccessibility musical delights forincluding all ages, all cultures, and all access across the venue and onto the stage, tastes.

I want the new Beacon to shine a light accessible toilets, hearing systems, and trained across the city and far beyond. I know that it can specialised staff. and that it will – which is why I am honoured to Visit the ‘Where to Stay’ page on the Bristol play my part in helping to meet this challenge.” bristolbeacon.org

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Meet the retailer

London Camera Exchange

We like the optics

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ristol has a huge variety of subjects and locations perfect for photography. It is also home to an ever growing population of professional photographers, as well as committed enthusiasts.

London Camera Exchange has had a presence in Bristol longer than most can remember. We’re sure many can recall the shops in the Horsefair and also Baldwin Street.

Both those shops have now been replaced with a London Camera Exchange flagship store at 42 Park Street. The core principles remain the same – it’s all about professional expertise and, most of all, the great customer service the staff offer.

With their broad knowledge they are always happy to give help or advice. Mark the manager has over 20 years’ experience in the trade (as well as being a photographer) and all the staff are trained to know exactly what customers might need. Of course, they are pretty adept at problem solving, as well as being experienced/ex-photographers themselves.

LCE’s main specialties these days are in cameras and binoculars. For photographers, they are a Nikon Professional dealer, Leica specialist and of course also keep all the popular brands such as Canon, Fujifilm, OM and Panasonic Lumix.

Regarding optics, the store has a huge array of binoculars, scopes and telescopes priced from £49 to over £3000. Top end brands include Swarovski, Zeiss, Leica, Vortex, Hawke, Opticron, Celestron and Nikon.

As the name suggests, LCE is eager to part exchange good quality gear for those wishing to upgrade to newer or better models. It’s almost a form of recycling, and also a great way to purchase quality used equipment from a trusted source.

The LCE team also like to be involved in local and optical affairs and their expert knowledge can be found as they support local camera clubs.

Throughout the year they host various events, where top camera and optic brands take part to give advice and demonstrations. These include instore days, shows and camera walks.

Located halfway up Park Street, customers are always assured of a very warm welcome from Mark and team. Whether it’s a camera, binocular, telescope, roll of film or any accessory, the staff would be delighted to see you there. n

London Camera Exchange, 42 Park Street, Bristol BS1 5JG Tel: 0117 927 6185

THEBRISTOLMAG.CO.UK | FEBRUARY 2024 | THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE 45

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HISTORY

A spa break to remember

Andrew Swift explores the often-forgotten history of spa culture in Georgian Bristol, uncovering a time when Bristol’s Hotwells rivalled the hot springs of Bath

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ath’s recent UNESCO accreditation as one of the great spas of Europe is yet another reminder of the city’s 18th-century pre-eminence as a fashionable resort. What is generally forgotten is that 18th-century tourists would have been as likely to head to Bristol for a romantic spa break. Georgian Bristol had a spa culture that was no less vibrant – albeit on a somewhat smaller scale – than that of its more famous rival, and, although few reminders of it survive, it had a major impact on the city’s development.

The odds were against it from the start, though. Whereas Bath’s hot springs rise in the middle of the city built around them, Bristol’s more tepid spring – a mere 240C – surfaced in the muddy reaches of the Avon at the foot of precipitous cliffs a mile or more from the city.

“Like the water of Bath” It had probably been known about since the middle ages, with passing mariners allegedly imbibing it to ward off scurvy. It was first recorded, though, around 1480 by William of Worcester as “a fountain … towards the bottom of the river” from which issued a spring “as warm as milk or like the water of Bath”. Before long, its waters were being touted as the panacea for a variety of ailments. When a visitor scrambled down “near 200 slippery steps” to reach it in 1634, he was amazed to find that “when the tide is gone [there] never wants good store of company to wash in this well, and to drink of that warm and medicinable water”. Access problems were solved in 1662 when a carriage drive was built along the

gorge, and after Catherine of Braganza, wife of James II, drove along it in 1677 to take the waters the seal was set on its reputation. In 1695, the Merchant Venturers, Lords of the Manor of Clifton, leased the site to a consortium to build “a convenient pump room and lodging house” and “walks to shelter and entertain visitors”. One of the earliest visitors to the new Hotwell House – as it was known – was that redoubtable traveller Celia Fiennes who found the water “as warm as new milk and much of that sweetness” – in contrast to the hot springs at Bath which she described as tasting “like the water that boils eggs.”

For those who couldn’t get to Hotwell House, the water was bottled, one of the first instances – if not the first – of what would become a global industry. In 1724, Daniel Defoe wrote that Bristol’s glasshouses produced “vast numbers of bottles … for sending the water of the Hotwell not only over England but all over the world”. By 1751, when the poet laureate, William Whitehead, published his Hymn to the Nymph of the Bristol Spring, the spa rivalled that at Bath, and many visitors to Bath also made the trip down the Avon to Bristol. Among them were the Duke of York, who visited in 1767, and the novelist Tobias Smollett, who in 1771 featured it in The Adventures of Humphry Clinker.

Matthew Bramble, one of the characters in Smollett’s novel, was less than impressed by his visit, declaring that “the man deserves to be fitted with a cap and bells, who for such a paultry advantage as this spring affords, sacrifices his precious time ... and exposes himself to the dirt, the stench, the chilling blasts, and perpetual rains, that render this place to

The first Hotwell House

Clifton Pump Room

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HISTORY

Colonnade

me intolerable.” His niece, Lydia, took a very different view, writing to a friend that, “for variety, we go down to the Nymph of Bristol spring, where the company is assembled before dinner; so good natured, so free, so easy; and there we drink the water so clear, so pure, so mild, so charmingly maukish. There the fun is so chearful and reviving; the weather so soft, the walk so agreeable; the prospect so amusing; and the ships and boats going up and down the river, close under the windows of the Pump Room, afford such an enchanting variety of moving pictures as require a much abler pen than mine to describe”. The heroine of Fanny Burney’s Evelina, published in 1778, echoed her sentiments, describing it to be “a most delightful spot: the prospect is beautiful, the air pure, and the weather very favourable to invalids”.

Hotwells becomes a hotspot By now, despite its reviving waters coming from a single spring, the Hotwell was invariably referred to as the Hotwells, which obviously sounded more impressive – and there weren’t any trade description acts to worry about back then. Its success encouraged development nearby.

Dowry Square, Dowry Parade, Hope Square, Albemarle Row and St Vincent’s Parade were built to provide lodgings for fashionable visitors.

Two sets of assembly rooms opened, along with taverns, coffee houses and even the short-lived New Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens on the banks of the Avon. Balls and public breakfasts were regular features, and in 1785 a Master of Ceremonies was appointed. Two years later, a new colonnaded promenade of little shops opened beside Hotwell House.

This was its high summer. In 1793, JC Ibbetson, in his Picturesque guide to Bath, Bristol hot-wells, the river Avon, and the adjacent country, wrote that “the wells have the necessary attendant of such a place, gaiety.

The resort to them is great, and during the summer months a band of music attends every morning.”

But already the storm clouds were gathering. Despite its popularity, it was clear that the spa needed upgrading if it was to survive, but the work proved so expensive that charges had to be hiked up to recoup the cost. A devastating loss of business followed. In 1816, just 23 years after Ibbetson’s guide appeared, Dr Andrew Carrick, a Clifton physician, declared that “it has the silence of the grave, to which it seems the inlet. Not a carriage to be seen once an hour, and scarcely more frequently does a solitary invalid approach the neglected spring.” In an attempt to revive its fortunes, the old pump room was demolished in 1822 to make way for a new access road and a larger pump room “in Tuscan style”, with a suite of baths.

Although it enjoyed a modest success, it lasted only 45 years before being demolished in 1867 to widen the river and improve navigation.

There was a final attempt at revival of the spa’s fortunes, in 1894, when Sir George Newnes opened the Clifton Pump Room and Spa overlooking the gorge. The Clifton Rocks Railway – another of Sir George’s projects – had opened a year earlier, and the machinery which operated it was used to pump up “the identical water from the same spring which years ago performed cures of a marvellous character”. No expense was spared, but the new spa was destined to last for only 28 years before being closed and used as a cinema. It later became a ballroom but since the 1960s has lain boarded up and disused.

Today, spa culture is more popular than ever, with numerous venues in Bristol – including the historic Clifton Lido – offering a range of spa

packages. The days when Bristol’s Hotwells rivalled the hot springs of Bath, though, seem lost beyond recall. All that is left to remind us of its glittering career is the truncated colonnade of shops on Hotwell Road and the abandoned shell of Sir George Newnes’ pump room on Princes Lane. But it has a more important legacy as well, for without it Hotwells’ Georgian terraces – which set in train the development of western Clifton – would almost certainly not have been built. akemanpress.com THEBRISTOLMAG.CO.UK | FEBRUARY 2024 | THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE 47

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COMMUNITY

Ready, steady, renovate!

Trinity Community Arts is inviting Bristolians to support its efforts to save Jacobs Wells Baths in Hotwells, as the organisation tries to transform the historic building into a much-needed space that will serve the local community

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hen it comes to saving iconic Bristol buildings on the brink of dereliction, and transforming them into useful spaces for communities to connect, create and thrive in, the team at Trinity Community Arts is well versed. The former Holy Trinity Church on Trinity Road in BS2 has become an inclusive hub for people to meet and hold events in, having seen millions of pounds invested in its restoration under the organisation’s watch. What was once an unusable building at risk of closing down has now flourished into an essential home for the city’s community. Trinity’s team, led by CEO Emma Harvey (pictured top right, centre), is hoping it can use its proven track record to replicate this success at Jacobs Wells Baths in Hotwells.

Built in 1889 to serve the working poor, Jacobs Wells Baths – which is located in the Clifton Conservation Area – is a Grade II-listed building that within its walls holds a wealth of architectural and social heritage.

What was once a public swimming baths then became a dance hub for three decades, known as Bristol Community Dance Centre (BCDC).

The building has sadly sat dormant since 2018, with its future further threatened at the end of 2022 when plans fell through to reinstate an indoor pool and convert the structure into a functioning leisure facility.

Since the start of 2023, people have been scrambling to save the building after hearing news that Bristol City Council had listed the asset for disposal. Backed by community stakeholders including Hotwells & Cliftonwood Community Association, artists and local councillors, Trinity Community Arts set out on a mission to raise the funds needed to repair and restore the building. A petition was launched and Jacobs Wells was subsequently listed as ‘At Risk’ by SAVE Britain’s Heritage due to its dilapidation.

Caring for community So, what do Trinity’s plans for Jacobs Wells look like? Drawing on its own operational history, and the activity from the baths’ previous tenants Artspace Lifespace and BCDC, it’s estimated that a healthy turnover can be generated from diverse sources. These include dance residencies, rehearsals and classes; events, space hire, performances, installations and exhibitions; adapting the existing pump room (which has never been open to the public before) to provide a café-bar space; delivering a wide range of community, arts, youth and education projects depending on local needs and interests; and even a potential microbrewery using the natural spring water that feeds the building.

For Harvey, who’s spearheading the project to see the building restored to its former glory, protecting these valuable spaces as community assets is an important cause. Especially as Jacobs Wells’ history is steeped in serving the community that needs it most.

“Back in the late Victorian era, the aldermen of the city said ‘we have rights’ and demanded a place to bathe, and so the building became a place of civic pride,” she explains. “It was a response to a social movement, and I think this activist spirit of Bristol lives on today. We want to safeguard 48 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2024 | No 231

these kind of heritage buildings, not just because of what they meant to people back then, but because of what they still mean today, and also what they could mean to the communities of tomorrow.

“Hotwells has a high proportion of elderly people living on their own, a high proportion of people who don’t own a car, people who are new to the city, incoming migrant communities, and a younger population who don’t currently have access to enough youth services. Plus, you’ve got this need from the dance community that, since that building closed, haven't been able to find other spaces to run classes that served 1,000 people each week. I think in an area where there is such a mix of demographics, it's even more important to have places where people can connect across those threads of different communities. This is the building for that.”

Maintaining public ownership Key to these efforts is finding a different model that keeps these buildings in public ownership, but also takes the pressure off local authorities to try to manage and maintain them. That’s where the Community Asset Transfer scheme comes in. Trinity’s community centre is owned by the council, but Trinity Community Arts operates the building on a long leasehold through the scheme. This means that communities can own and manage a building for community benefit, but it remains in public ownership. Trinity’s successful blueprint of the Community Asset Transfer scheme in BS2 puts it in a good position to lead on the Jacobs Wells project in a similar vein, and its efforts so far have proved fruitful, with a major grant already secured to kickstart the project.

A £1 million grant from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities’ Community Ownership Fund has enabled work to begin. A further £400,000 was pledged in support from match funders, and more funds are now being invited from individuals who can donate to an online appeal.

Trinity is actively progressing on detailed surveys of the fabric of the building to assess its condition and viability; this includes essential surveys to scope and cost works to inform decision making and capitalworks. Subject to these, Trinity’s vision is to eventually secure an estimated £4 million for a two-phased capital project, with hopes to bring the building back into use from summer 2025.

Though works have begun, there’s still a small possibility that Trinity’s plans won’t be fully realised. That’s simply the reality of such renovations.

But so far, people have believed in the project – from councillors and associations to the local authority. That’s what’s driving things forwards, though its success relies on the city getting behind the project, which is just as important as raising funds.

Bristolians keen to back the effort can support the Trinity team by donating to its Fundsurfer appeal, which hopes to raise £5,000 – details of which can be found online, along with more information about the wider restoration plans. n trinitybristol.org.uk

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COMMUNITY

Credit: Kolab Studios Alastair Brookes

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PHOTOGRAPHY

People make the city

Local photographers have been creating work across Bristol’s high streets, working with the communities and businesses there to produce images that tell the stories of these unique places. These photos are now part of the Historic England Archive, along with other images chosen to document English high streets’ links to social history as we know it

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ince September 2022, people across England have been responding to an online national call out to submit their photographs of the high street on Instagram under the hashtag #PicturingHighStreets. Picturing High Streets has been a partnership between Historic England and Photoworks, helping to build a contemporary picture of England’s high streets through mass public participation and community engagement. It has revealed how important the high street can be as a space for people to come together and connect.

Now, these 204 winning photographs have entered the Historic England Archive – the nation’s archive for England’s historic buildings, archaeology and social history – alongside 173 new images taken as part of local projects with resident artists on high streets.

In the south west, these new images include 25 pictures of Bristol taken by local photographers in collaboration with communities across the city in a subproject called DREAMLINES. These photographers were commissioned by Bristol Photo Festival to co-create work across Bristol’s historic high streets, working with local communities and businesses there to produce images that tell the stories of these unique places.

“Through Picturing Bristol, Bristol Photo Festival worked with over 20 community groups and 14 artists across the city, collectively building a contemporary portrait of Bristol’s high streets as living cultural spaces at the heart of every community,” says Alejandro Acin, director of Bristol Photo Festival. “We’re proud that those images can now be explored and enjoyed as part of a new national collection in Historic England’s Archive.”

DREAMLINES: Picturing Bristol High Streets was jointly funded by Historic England and Bristol City Council and was part of the West of England Combined Authority’s Love our High Streets initiative. The Picturing High Streets call out and exhibition marks the final year of Historic England’s High Streets Cultural Programme and the £95 million High Streets Heritage Action Zones Programme, which has been revitalising more than 60 high streets across England. n Explore all the images on the Historic England Archive at historicengland.co.uk

IMAGES (from left to right, top to bottom): 'Linda, Member of the Shire Stitchers' by Clementine Schneiderman. 'Monument to Peace' by Jade Carr Daley. 'Ackers, Shirehampton Men's Club' by Chris Hoare. 'Charlie in the Green House' by Mikeal Techane.

'Omolara and Bo' by Jade Carr Daley. An image sent in response to the project’s call out for ‘High Street Love’ by Christopher Dobson. 'Denise, Chair of the Shire Stitchers’ by Clementine Schneiderman. All images courtesy of Historic England Archive.

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PHOTOGRAPHY

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BOOKS

Complicated love

This month, the team at Gloucester Road Books has chosen the perfect reads for you to fall in love with this Valentine’s Day, exploring the often complex themes of love and romance

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note from the team: “Our primary aim is that the shop be a fascinating place to explore. We have a significant focus on titles published by small independent presses. There are lots of really brilliant small publishers putting out incredibly exciting books, and we want to help get these out into the world.

The stock is carefully chosen and constantly changing, so even if you pop in every week there will always be new books to find.”

To sign up, visit Gloucester Road Books’ website: gloucesterroadbooks.co.uk. Follow them on Instagram: gloucester_rd_books and browse the collection in store: 184 Gloucester Road, Bishopston, BS7 8NU. Open Monday and Tuesday 9.30am-5pm; Wednesday to Saturday 9.30am-6pm Sunburn, Chloe Michelle Howarth Published by Verve Books, £10.99 Set in rural Ireland in the 90s, this is a gorgeously written debut novel about coming of age and discovering queer sexuality. Lucy is pulled in different directions, by friendship, desire, loyalty, fear, and the novel follows her attempts to navigate these intense emotional gravities. There are some pyrotechnically descriptive moments in writing that is otherwise quite clipped and spare. It’s an enormously accomplished and hugely enjoyable debut.

I'm a Fan, Sheena Patel Published by Granta Books £9.99 It’s hard to imagine a more revealing book about certain kinds of modern relationships than Sheena Patel’s debut novel. I’m a Fan is an intense, fierce, witty, uncompromising look at, among other things, the power in relationships and the impact of social media. It makes for uncomfortable reading at times, but has a welcome rawness throughout.

52 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2024 | No 231

The New Life, Tom Crewe Published by Vintage Books, £9.99 Set at the very end of the 19th century, with the country on the cusp of rapid change, The New Life follows the lives of a handful of Londoners, each trying to find a way to live and love in a country that does not want them to be themselves, and certainly does not want them to act on their feelings. Set against the backdrop of Oscar Wilde’s arrest, and written with rich detail, Crewe’s novel brings their stories to vivid life.

As the Eagle Flies, Nolwenn Le Blevennec Published by Peirene Press £12.99 This is the story of an affair.

An obsessive, tumultous, disasterous, all consuming affair – an amour fou. It’s told in a voice that is brilliantly confessional, self-deprecating, witty and selfaware, and is generally a joy to read. The story is fiction, but heavily autobiographical, which makes the confessional nature of the writing all the more striking.

Simple Passion, Annie Ernaux Published by Fitzcarraldo Editions, £7.99 In this slim book, Ernaux gives a lucid account of an affair she had with a married man years earlier. She writes on how the affair gripped her life becoming an obsession that outside of their brief meetings only brought about immediate misery. Like all Ernaux’s writing, this book is about as honest, curious, and objective as one can be about their own life experiences.

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THIS IS BRISTOL

Education matters NEWS FROM THE CITY’S LEARNERS & LEADERS

New collaborative talent programme for BAME law students launched at UWE Bristol The University of West England (UWE Bristol), in collaboration with Bristol law firms Osborne Clarke, Burges Salmon, Clarke Willmott and Simmons & Simmons, has launched UWE Futures, a legal services work experience and mentoring programme for final year undergraduate Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic students from low income backgrounds studying at UWE Bristol.

The pilot programme has been designed to directly help students who typically find it challenging to enter the legal and professional services market and to increase representation in the Bristol legal sector. Students will participate in a paid one-week internship, receive mentoring support for one year, and have the opportunity to either secure an extended internship with participating firms or be offered a guaranteed interview for suitable roles. Led by Osborne Clarke, the firms have worked together to provide 16 placements across ten business teams such as HR, change management, marketing and risk. Simmons & Simmons will support the programme by offering employability skills development to all participants.

By providing CV-building experiences and ongoing support through mentoring, the programme will support the recruitment efforts of Bristol law firms and create a new talent pipeline.The UWE Futures programme is part of Osborne Clarke's wider engagement programme to progress its Race Action Plan, by growing its recruitment talent pool to increase ethnic minority representation. Other initiatives include the #10,000 Black Interns Programme, the OC REACH Talent Programme and Osborne Clarke Scholars. osborneclarke.com

Damehood for former Badminton School pupil A former pupil at Bristol’s Badminton School has been appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the King’s New Years Honours List for her contribution to the voluntary and public sectors across every level of society.

Dame Dianne Jeffrey is the founding chair of Age International, a sister charity set up by Age UK which, since its inception in 2012, has helped protect and promote the dignity and rights of people in later life in more than 40 developing countries around the world.

Jeffrey played a pivotal role in establishing the Dignity Commission and the Malnutrition Task Force and launched DebtCred, a charity whose purpose was to help school leavers understand the importance of managing their money. She chaired the Peak District’s National Park Management Plan Advisory Group from 2012-2023 and has been a Deputy Lieutenant for Derbyshire since 2004. She attended Badminton School from 1957-1962 and feels strongly that her time at the school played a large part in this recognition. badmintonschool.co.uk

Bristol schools top The Times tables Redmaids’ High School was recently named the highest ranking Bristol school in The Times Parent Power league table 2023 for academic performance for a second year in a row. Head teacher Lisa Brown has put the school’s success down to factors including buddy support schemes; a thriving extracurricular activities calendar; outdoor education trips and creative arts workshops; additional weekly PSHE lessons; and drama lessons that focus on improving pupils’ social skills and self esteem.

Bristol Grammar School (BGS) was also named Southwest Independent School of the Year 2024 in the Sunday Times Parent Power Schools Guide. The Sunday Times Parent Power Guide ranks schools by the first true set of post-pandemic examination results and is widely acknowledged as the most authoritative survey of the country’s top schools. Head of BGS Jaideep Barot believes ‘everything has come together’ for the school following a period of reflection, refocusing and evolution: “There is an air of real positivity about the school.” redmaidshigh.co.uk; bristolgrammarschool.co.uk

54 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2024 | No 231

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Thinking of promoting your business?

Our 2024 media pack can be viewed online

SCAN THE CODE TO FIND OUT MORE ON OUR 2024 MEDIA PACK OR CONTACT US ON 0117 974 2800 or EMAIL: SALES @ THEBRISTOLMAGAZINE.CO.UK

56 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2024 | No 231

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BEAUTY NOTEBOOK | FEBRUARY

Time for some lip service It’s February, and despite the winter chills, there’s love in the air. You never know when you’ll need to pucker up a perfect pout. We asked the beauty team at Harvey Nichols to give us their best products for maintaining, protecting and creating the lushest lips. Available instore at Harvey Nichols Bristol.

SISLEY Sisleya L'Integral Anti-Ageing Eye and Lip Contour Cream, 15ml, 4.9 £170 Sisleya L'Integral Anti-Age Eye and Lip Contour Cream provides a truly complete solution by fighting against the visible signs associated with the 3 types of ageing: genetic and environmental ageing but also now those linked to personal lifestyle. The product has both immediate (hydration- eyes appear rested and brighter) and long-term results (wrinkles are visibly smoother skin is firmed dark circles and puffiness are diminished and eyes are opened up).

STILA Convertible Colour Lip & Cheek £18 Stila's Convertible Colour Lip & Cheek brightens cheeks and lips with creamy translucent colour. Tap onto cheeks and press onto lips. The sheer tint adds an inherent glow to the cheeks while lips bloom with fresh radiant colour. The two-in-one compact holds the key to easy monochromatic makeup.

PATCHOLOGY FlashPatch Lip Gels - set of five £14 Quickly moisturise dry lips or prep your pout for that favourite lip product with Patchology’s weightless FlashPatch Lip Gels.

Each five-minute biodegradable hydrogel lip mask provides essential hydration and delivers ingredients like peptides to improve elasticity antioxidant green tea to soothe and niacinamide to prevent skin from losing water.

58 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2024 | No 231

CAUDALIE Vinotherapist Vegan Repairing Lip Balm £9 Caudalie’s fast-acting intensive lip balm is naturally formulated to repair the lip barrier and deeply nourish skin, leaving lips restored and supple. This intensive lip balm offers the ultimate reparative treatment for dry and sensitive skin.

Enriched with natural origin nutrients including Shea Butter for nourishment, Panthenol for restoration and Natural Cork Extract to protect skin barrier, this compact lip conditioner will leave lips soft, supple, hydrated and able to help transform skin from any seasonal damage and discomfort.

TOM FORD Rose Lip Oil Tint £50 Tom Ford’s lightweight, non-sticky, gel-like Rose Lip Oil Tint is formulated with coconut oil and vitamin E. Wear alone for a healthy-looking sheen, or over lipstick to amplify colour with a luscious gleam.

HOURGLASS Unlocked Soft Matte Lipstick £37 The innovative, primer-infused Unlocked Soft Matte Lipstick by Hourglass envelops lips in rich colour for a soft matte finish that lasts all day. Infused with lip-conditioning ingredients to prime and smooth lips, the weightless, silky texture effortlessly glides onto lips for seamless application that does not feather or bleed.

ICONIC LONDON Fuller Pout Sculpting Lip Liner £15 Iconic London’s Fuller Pout Sculpting Lip Liners are about to become an instant make-up bag hit. Available in six nude shades, each wooden pencil is enriched with creamy, soft colour – perfect for defining, sculpting and shaping your lips.

Plus, each dual-ended pencil houses an Iconic lip sponge – ideal for buffing and diffusing the lip line, creating a pillowyplump pout in an instant. Wear alone or under lipstick or gloss for sultry definition and kiss-me-quick colour.

COOLA Classic Liplux SPF30 Original £10 Apply liberally 15 minutes before sun exposure. Reapply after 80 minutes of swimming or sweating immediately after towel drying and at least every 2 hours.

LA MER The Lip Polish £62 La Mer’s sensorial buffing balm gently resurfaces and refines uneven texture and dryness while conditioning delicate skin. The multi-faceted benefits are quick and deep: lips look and feel renewed ultra-soft supple and healthy with just one use. Use The Lip Polish continuously to help prevent roughness.

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CURA: Treating complex conditions with MBST Are you looking for relief from pain and immobility caused by osteoarthritis, back conditions or a sports injury? We can help.

Mark is a great advertisement for the regenerative effects of MBST. He may look like a mere youngster, but like many of us , he is of the age where old injuries, sporting injuries and wear and tear was significantly affecting his quality of life.

We’ve treated 3 significant conditions in this case: 1. Chronic Achilles tendinitis 2. Spinal instability due to a grade 3 Spondylolesthesis 3. Stage 3 (moderate with bone change) arthritis in his big toe His Achilles was with him for a long time and didn’t respond to general treatment: MBST achieved 100% remission post therapy. His spine has been very quiet since treatment after treating his discs and facet joints.

Improving the integrity of these structures helps to stabilise excess spinal movement allowing less irritation to the joint ligaments and muscular overactivity. He’s since had no pain and needed no aftercare.

At the 6 week follow up for his toe arthritis he is noticing significant reduction in pain day to day. A very good start for what is a tricky condition to manage.

All in all, we’re keeping him in great shape with conditions that would otherwise be causing him significant pain, pain and immobility. Had he not had this intervention he would be living a much more painful and restricted life.

An award-winning innovative treatment for: Osteoarthritis | Back & disc problems | Bone conditions & fractures | Cartilage damage | Ligament, tendon & muscle damage | Sports & accident injuries.

Talk to us today : 0117 959 6531 www.curaclinical.com Unattended Cremation £950

Here To Help You Through This

Providing everything you need for the perfect funeral

‘When we lost mum back in July, we were at a loss of what we needed to do. We contacted Brunel, spoke to Louise who talked us through the process. Following our appointment where we discussed mum’s wishes, within a blink of an eye the funeral was arranged. We met Chris and he put us at ease assuring us that Mum would be very well looked after in their care. We had arranged a bagpiper to pipe mum into the chapel, Louise and Chris spoke with him and on the day of the funeral, everything went as we wanted, but more importantly how mum wanted it. I have already recommended Brunel to people and will continue to do so. Thank you.’

Award Winning

Most Trusted Independent Funeral Directors 2023 – South West England South West Prestige Award 2023 3 Best Rated Funeral Director Bristol

Our carefully chosen staff have many years of knowledge, experience and dedication to our families, so you can rest assured that you are in safe hands A family-owned independent funeral home, covering all of Bristol and surrounding areas

We offer an affordable funeral for £2430 inclusive of crematorium and minister/celebrant fee, to a fully bespoke service fulfilling your loved ones wishes and requests We have a modern, light and welcoming funeral home for you to visit, or we will visit you in your own home.

Whichever you are more comfortable with

3 Concorde Drive, Westbury on Trym, Bristol, BS10 6PZ

Tel: 0117 374 2002 (available 24/7 for assistance) www.brunelfuneraldirectors.co.uk

Funeral Home opening hours Mon-Fri 9-5 or by appointment

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Lasting Powers of Attorney Applications Rejected Richard Higgs, Chartered Independent Financial Planner Almost 30,000 Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPA) applications were rejected by the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) between 2022-2023.

Here are 5 common reasons an LPA application might be rejected: 1. Missing information which can include signatures and the date, both of which are required to make the document legally binding. Make sure you check thoroughly to make sure there are no blank pages.

2. Full names and dates of birth not provided. Middle names must be included as well as full addresses and all dates of birth.

3. The form is signed in the wrong order. The donor (person appointing attorney(s) must sign first, then the certificate provider, then the attorney(s). Then the person registering the LPA with the OPG must sign again - the donor or the attorney.

4. Incorrect witnesses. Like a Will, the LPA document must be signed and witnessed. An attorney can’t witness the signature of a donor due to the potential conflict of interest.

5. Requests are contradictory. A donor indicates how decisions should be made by attorneys – agreeing together or singularly.

No instructions within the LPA should contradict this principal. E.g. majority voting would not be allowed.

It is currently taking around 4 months to register an LPA with the OPG. If your application is rejected, not only will you have to apply again but you will also have to pay another fee to do so!

If you need assistance with applying for LPAs, we can help you.

We offer a checking service to ensure mistakes such as these are identified ahead of submitting the application and can organise all the forms and sending of documents to the OPG for your peace of mind.

For a relaxed chat about your circumstances, please don’t hesitate to give us a call on 0117 3636 212 or email office@haroldstephens.co.uk.

For financial planning tips for later life, search “Harold Stephens IFA” on YouTube.

www.haroldstephens.co.uk 50 High Street, Westbury on Trym, Bristol BS9 3DZ.

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Our neck of the woods

South west England has some of the lowest levels of tree coverage in the UK, so charities Avon Needs Trees and Forest of Avon Trust are working together to get more trees in the ground. We spoke to them about new woodland habitats being created around Bristol, and how you can get involved

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t’s taken a few hundred years, but Bristol and the wider Avon region has now lost most of its woodland, meaning the area dons the rather unenviable title of one of the most deforested parts of the UK. No amount of sugar coating this lack of trees can detract from the very real consequences of this for the land, which now endures increased flooding, and declining biodiversity.

Though the climate emergency can feel like a heavy weight of impending doom, it’s not all bad news. Because thankfully, there are incredible organisations doing what they can to establish new, diverse woodland on otherwise unproductive land – creating hope for future generations while providing opportunities for local communities to work together for their own physical and mental health, as well as to support the recovery of our natural world.

Avon Needs Trees and Forest of Avon Trust are combatting climate and ecological emergencies by creating new, permanent woodland

A nationally significant project But the next project on its list has the potential to be nationally significant in terms of woodland creation. At the time of writing, Avon Needs Trees was close to completion on a 420-acre farm between Pensford and Marksbury. The sheer scale of it means the organisation is taking on what will quite possibly be one of the biggest (if not the biggest) woodland creation project the south of England will have seen in a generation.

For Avon Needs Trees’ CEO Dave Wood, this unique opportunity will have long-reaching benefits: “The region has less than 8% woodland cover, and that’s worse than the UK average of around 12%, which is

Credit: canopyandstars.co.uk

Credit: alexanderturnerphotography.com

“It’s a big, ambitious target, but we need to take action quickly”

throughout the Bristol-Avon catchment area. Last year saw the two charities partner to purchase and start planting Great Avon Wood (located two miles south of Whitchurch, Bristol). The land spans more than 100 acres and will see 40,000 new trees planted – more on that in a moment. Avon Needs Trees has had proven success with similar schemes in Wiltshire, when it purchased two sites of 47 acres, planting and caring for 22,000 native trees. The team has also planted 10 acres (4,000 trees) at Ed Woods near Shepton Mallet as part of a Land Partnership Venture, working with site landowners, rather than purchasing the land itself.

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“Being out in woodland is one of the best things people can do” pretty poor compared to the rest of Europe,” he says. “So, not only is the farm massive in terms of the scale of woodland we can create on that site, it will also have a huge impact on flood mitigation and on wildlife.

Bristol communities can come onto the site to volunteer and plant trees, improve their skills and boost their health and wellbeing by spending time in nature.”

Wood’s team is spearheading the project, working in partnership with Forest of Avon Trust, which is helping with access to funds via Trees for Climate – and the Woodland Trust and Forestry Commission are also supporting to help get this nationally-important purchase over the line.

Though if successful, the woodland will be planted on Avon Needs Trees-owned land, the benefits of additional planting will be felt beyond its boundaries.

“There’s obviously been loads of local flooding recently, which is a topical issue,” Wood notes. “The Environment Agency has been getting quite excited about the positive impact this project will have on flood mitigation. It will have a very significant effect on downstream flooding; houses and roads that would usually flood won’t anymore if we do this project. It’s a great thing for the community too, in terms of volunteering, tree planting, free kids’ events, forest schools, wellbeing days.

It will become a real base for that type of activity, with lots of potential public engagement for everyone.”

The tree planting season starts late November and ends in March, so the aptly-named Wood plans to plant the woodland – with the help of volunteers – across the next two winters.

“It’s a big, ambitious target,” he says, “but we need to take action quickly. There’s a climate and nature crisis and we can’t hang around.

Owning the land ourselves gives it permanence, and means young trees won’t get cleared if it were to otherwise change hands.”

Diverse trees for generations Creating permanent woodland on previously unproductive land is central to the Forest of Avon Plan, launched in 2021. And projects like Great Avon Wood are a far cry from simply planting a monoculture of trees.

Schemes are carefully thought out and designed to promote biodiversity, working with the existing landscape and species that live there. They’re also planted with curved boundaries to avoid unnatural straight lines (which are also a pet hate of butterflies, too).

Speaking of Great Avon Wood, Forest of Avon Trust’s CEO Alex Stone says: “This regeneration of the land at Great Avon Wood focuses on nurturing a mosaic landscape made up of woodland, wood pasture (with low-density planting), orchards and hedgerows. We tend to go for a wide-ranging mix of trees; a blend of broadleaf, some conifers, and in wetter areas we may plant willow and alder. The aim is to have tree nursery areas that will allow us to regenerate local seeds for future projects. By working together, we can double tree cover across the west of England by 2050.

“Great Avon Wood is within a strategic woodland area, which sees us trying to connect the Cotswold and Mendips Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty with woodlands of various habitats. This mosaic-like THEBRISTOLMAG.CO.UK | FEBRUARY 2024 | THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE 65

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approach will help new and existing species thrive, while retaining the landscape’s character.”

Stone, like Wood, stresses how important woodland creation is for economic benefits and improving people’s health.

“Evidence shows that being out in woodland is one of the best things people can do for their heart health, wellbeing, and physical and mental health,” she says. “We support people living with dementia, their carers and young people with learning disabilities by giving them the opportunity to spend time in woodlands. There are social and practical skills to learn too – we offer activities like coppicing and orchard-pruning sessions to keep our trees healthy and resilient.

“We did a survey five years ago, which showed that if we doubled the tree cover here, it would provide an additional half a billion pounds’ worth of value just through water improvements, carbon reduction, and air and soil quality. There’s huge economic value in this across the region. It’s all about having the right balance of trees in the right places.”

Both organisations are seeking support and engagement from local communities, who can join these meaningful missions to combat climate change together. From helping to raise funds to purchase land and ensure

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the permanence of plantings, as well as physically planting trees, there are ways we can all play our part. Both organisations can also support access to woodland for groups who might otherwise face barriers to these environments, as well as corporate team-building packages for businesses.

People who own land in and around the West of England who are interested in planting trees can get in touch with Forest of Avon Trust and take advantage of its Trees for Climate fund – England’s Community Forest grant scheme.

It’s one of the most generous and flexible grants available for tree planting, and is only available through Community Forests. This fund gives our region a huge opportunity to plant trees and support nature recovery. The grant offers expert advice to landowners and community groups, full support for the tree planting and up to 15 years’ maintenance costs to ensure the trees are cared for. n Visit forestofavontrust.org for information on how to apply for funding to plant trees, for company sponsoring and for volunteer opportunities across the region. To get involved with the Great Avon Wood, visit avonneedstrees.org.uk

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INTERIORS Ligne Roset Living Room Storage Everywhere Shelving Unit With Asymmetrical Chest, ligne-roset.com

Bang tidy

Get ahead of the spring clean with these top tips for decluttering your home – from built-in storage options to tricks for avoiding overwhelm as you get started on your mess-free mission

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INTERIORS Sleepeezee Jessica End Opening Ottoman Bed, Park Furnishers, parkfurnishers.co.uk

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hy wait until the clocks have changed and the yellow trumpet faces of daffodils are carpeting the ground to embark on an almighty spring clean?

There’s never a bad time to start decluttering your home. But it can sometimes feel like there’s never really an easy time, either. For many of us, what might appear to be ‘mess’ is actually a carefully curated collection of items that holds sentimental value. A messy home may be a reflection of busy family life, of unfinished hobby projects, once hopeful to-do lists we’re avoiding and the eternal struggle of work-life balance.

“It is human nature to collect things,” says Fay Gregory, who runs FM DeClutter Services. “Belongings are part of our identity and bring much joy and happiness. Holiday mementos, photographs, ornaments, pictures, clothes and books all say something about your personality and are to be treasured. Yet when collecting takes over your home it can become a problem that causes anxiety, worry and frustration.”

There are tricks to avoid overwhelm, so you may be more likely to see your task through to the end, and hopefully avoid any unhelpful collecting habits. If you’ve ever watched Tidying Up with Marie Kondo on Netflix, you’ll be familiar with Kondo’s approach to reorganising the space you live in. Her now-famous KonMarie method focuses on six rules: commit to tidying up; imagine your ideal lifestyle; finish discarding first; tidy by category, not location; follow the right order (usually starting with clothes and finishing with more sentimental items); and finally, ask yourself if the item ‘sparks joy’.

We’ve taken a little bit of Kondo’s magic and paired with some other practical pointers, to bring you achievable ways reorganise your sacred spaces – making sure no ounce of style is sacrificed.

Out of sight, out of mind Let’s ease into this gently, shall we? If you’re just looking for improved storage, rather than conducting a huge clear out, or are sick of opening the airing cupboard and feeling overwhelmed at the sheer amount of sheets and towels staring back at you, then an ottoman-style storage bed could be a quick fix. Many have huge storage capacities and are ideal for keeping materials nicely folded, easy to see and retrieve. And it may sound obvious, but swapping freestanding cupboard and shelves in bedrooms, kitchens and living rooms for bespoke, space-specific builtin storage means you don’t have to part ways with your love of things, but still get to enjoy a clutter-free room.

Minimalist fitted storage, Creative Storage & Kitchens, creative-storage.co.uk (and image above)

Edit your shelves A more minimal aesthetic is easily achieved with a vigorous edit of any cluttered shelves that are accumulating dust. If you have the space to store books and ornaments away safely, then you could rotate seasonal trinkets and ‘to be read’ book lists throughout the year. This will require some commitment, so is best approached if you’re not struggling to keep on top of lots of mess and are keen to migrate from a busy-looking home to a much more Japandi-inspired way of living (a subtle fusion of Japanese and Scandinavian minimalist design).

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Clever categories Rather than attacking your home one room, shelf or cupboard at a time, which is how most of us would usually clean, Kondo suggests tidying by category (i.e. clothes, books etc.). This might sound illogical, but she believes you can only really grasp the overall volume of each type of item in your life if you declutter this way, rather than repeating the same cyclical cleaning tasks over and over in various locations.

Order, order!

For Kondo, the order in which you then approach the categories you want to tidy is just as important as the categorisation process itself. She suggests tidying your things in the following order: clothes, books, papers, kimono and sentimental items. (You can sub in any other specialist category in your life for kimono if needed.) This means you can start your task with easier items and work your way up to more emotionally challenging areas to clear. Clearing clothes will bring immediate relief too, as it’s a change you’ll notice every day, usually first thing in the morning.

Make an entrance How organised you feel at home can start as soon as you walk through the door, whether it’s into a boot room or entrance hall.

“It isn’t inspiring to walk into the home and be greeted by an abundance of coats, shoes and bags,” says Neville Johnson’s interior design expert Cari Bateman. “As arduous as it is to tidy belongings away after a long day, it’s best to keep on top of it to avoid hallways feeling overcrowded. Installing dedicated organisational features will eliminate the need to leave your coats and shoes in rogue places. Coat hooks, storage cabinets and open shelving are all practical locations to place easy-to-grab items, making leaving the home a stress-free task.”

The 12-12-12 method If you’d rather attempt bite-sized chunks of decluttering, and aren’t keen on Kondo’s approach, then Bateman suggests The 12-12-12 method by Joshua Becker as an efficient way to let go of unused and unloved items. “Simply select 12 items to throw away, 12 to donate and 12 to return to the home,” she says. “This will allow you to reimagine your space as one that is minimalistic, yet showcases the items that you truly love and want to display.”

If working through 36 items at a time sounds a bit ambitious, you could simply challenge yourself to a 3-3-3 method instead, or any number that suits, avoiding overwhelm at all costs. n fmdeclutterservices.com; konmarie.com; nevillejohnson.co.uk

Boot room storage, Neville Johnson, Wentworth, in Opal, with a Seville Oak finish

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A tranquil retreat

Images courtesy of Ivywell Interiors

Situated in bustling, popular Bishopston, this terraced Victorian house was brimming with potential. When the owners bought it, they saw its tall ceilings, period features and secluded rear garden; an ideal family home a stone’s throw away from Gloucester Road and its independent shops. Ivywell Interiors talks us through its complete renovation of the property

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his property’s owners were prepared to embark on this journey but they knew that redesigning an entire threestorey house while working and managing family life wouldn’t be a small job. They hired an architect to draw plans to open the ground floor, add windows and improve the layout and enlisted our help to plan the interior.

Armed with a floor plan and a fairly good idea of what they wanted to achieve, the couple’s biggest challenge was to balance the budget to cover the necessary building upgrades while creating the look and feel they desired for the interior. We agreed that knocking the wall down between the living and dining rooms was an integral part of the new layout, as would the removal of the dining room chimney breast but we avoided the costly alteration of the staircases.

As the whole house was very draughty and inefficient, the owners wanted to upgrade the windows and install an air source heat pump.

This is a big undertaking requiring expert advice, so they used a local gas and heating engineer whom we’d worked with on similar properties. Collaborating with the building contractor, they planned where the system would go and the required insulation for the external walls, floors, and roof to make their home more efficient. The addition of underfloor heating on the ground floor also removed the need for wall-mounted radiators in the main living areas. With the structural elements agreed and the architectural plan amended, we could now start developing the interior scheme.

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Bespoke designs In this project, the kitchen was part of a previous half-width rear extension and was fairly narrow. Its size did not allow for a kitchen island but the couple were keen not to extend it further to retain the garden area. The layout was reworked to include new sliding doors on the back wall to step into the garden and a large window that would occupy most of the side wall. This new configuration created a galleytype layout. With units on either side walls, we advised the owners to reduce the sliding door size to retain the feeling of space. We created a concept design to show the new layout that included a peninsula with a waterfall edge and the main elements such as sink, cooker, pantry, cupboards.

The owners previously had a fitted kitchen and they’d had to compromise on some elements. This time around, they wanted to make sure they got exactly the right balance of worktop, display, and storage space so we put them in touch with one of our kitchen partners, Creative Storage & Kitchens, to create a bespoke kitchen. Working in tandem, we developed the materials and finishes, while the maker focussed on utilising every inch of the available space and crafted a kitchen that would last a lifetime; within the defined budget.

The family bathroom was another tricky space. At just over 5sqm, the wall had already been pushed back into the study and the hot water cylinder was clogging up the remaining space. The contractor, however, managed to move the cylinder in the loft, enabling us to retain a shower

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over the bath, key for the needs of the family and include a large basin.

In small spaces, we always try to blur the edges of the room to make them appear bigger, so we developed a tiling scheme where the floor tiles flow up halfway up the wall. The loft bathroom was more generous in size and we kept the feeling of space with a large walk-in shower.

A minimal but warm aesthetic The owners asked us to create a contemporary, clutter-free aesthetic and incorporate cherished furniture pieces they’d collected over the years. With an Indian heritage, they were keen to incorporate warm and earthy colour such as terracotta, orange, and browns with pops of vibrant colours. Often minimal aesthetics evokes monochrome colours, cold and angular furniture. However, as this project shows, a minimal aesthetic can be created with almost any style. It is the overall calm vibe, free of clutter and visual distractions that creates the minimal look and feel, and its core resides in the careful balance of flow and thoughtful arrangement of textures and materials.

We always start by creating a colour palette for the flow areas within the whole house. It helps ensure the whole property feels cohesive, even if different rooms have their own individual colour palette and theme. The orientation of the room, and how the natural light will be, are considerations for the final colour choice but there’s no need to overthink it at the planning stage. We focussed on selecting tones we knew the owners liked and complemented them with texture and layering options for materials such as wallpapers, tiles, curtains and upholstery as it’s important to create depth in each space. One key element to nail the minimal brief was the flooring. After reviewing samples, we settled on a dark wood tone in large plank format that would be used throughout all the living areas, apart from the kitchen and family bathroom. This helped create spatial and visual continuity from the ground floor to the loft. The absence of entrance thresholds helped create a seamless flow from corridor to rooms. A small design detail with a major impact.

For this project coherence and balance were key for the couple. They had a beautiful collection of ceramics and prints we suggested to showcase by keeping the walls neutral but complement the tones through upholstery, soft furnishings and an understated feature wallpaper. The larger wall in the dining room was perfect for creating movement and flow through to the kitchen. We selected a wallpaper from Casamance featuring eucalyptus leaves with exceptional depth and a variety of natural shades as an invitation to explore the garden beyond the kitchen.

Breathing new life in an old home The original entrance hall door featured beautiful stained glass, a lick of paint and new hardware was all that was needed to create a welcoming feel as you enter the home. The ceiling roses were preserved and fitted with simple pendants. The picture and dado rails were removed which enabled us to appreciate the volume of the space created by the high ceilings. The gas fireplace was also removed and left open, with built-in units added in the chimney breast alcoves to provide handy storage and symmetry.

The hallway, kitchen and bedrooms upstairs had original wooden floorboards, which were retained but covered with new Luxury Vinyl Tiles flooring. It served two purposes. Firstly, the new flooring improved the heat efficiency and retention as the wooden boards had gaps, and it acted as a soundproofing barrier. With two adults working from home and two kids studying, peace and quiet were high up on the goals list.

With big-ticket items such as sofas, curtains, and other furniture often coming last in a large renovation project, we always recommend ring-fencing an interior budget from the start. It certainly helped us support the couple to finish their home as we found creative ways to save costs in the bedrooms and utilise existing furniture and accessories.

The existing sofa however was worn out and no longer fitted in the new layout, and neither did the coffee table. We proposed to create a bespoke arrangement.

There’s a misconception that bespoke is ‘eye-wateringly’ expensive.

However, we were able to stay within budget by tasking Sofa Magic, a Bristol-based independent upholsterer, with creating a two-seater sofa to fit the space snuggly. We sourced a beautiful textured fabric that would enhance the tones of the space and together defined the optimum sofa depth, height, length and even the cushion filling to suit the couple’s needs. The layout prevented us from creating a larger sofa so instead we gained more seating area by specifying narrow tapered arms. We gained a further two occasional seats for visiting family and friends by creating an ottoman and table combination.

As in all major renovation journeys, there were bumps along the way but the clients couldn’t be happier with the results. For us, the best part of our jobs and loveliest compliment from the owners was that we “helped make a large project into a positive experience”. n ivywellinteriors.com

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Bottle it up

Elly West lets her imagination run riot as she explores the fascinating world of terrariums – terrain where horticultural lovers of all levels can create their own miniature ecosystems, from tropical jungles to Japanese-style gardens

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ouseplants have had a resurgence in popularity in recent years, possibly helped by Instagram, but also well-deserved as we become more conscious of the health benefits of being in touch with the natural world. My memories of houseplants from childhood are largely dusty spider plants and shrivelled cacti, but a contemporary houseplant display can be so much more with a bit of careful planning. Terrariums are also enjoying a revived popularity, and as I currently have a pet fish that appears to be on its last legs (so to speak), I’ve been wondering how to repurpose the tank when he floats off to the giant fish bowl in the sky.

A bit of research and I’m hooked. There are so many ideas and inspirational images online, from small jars with simple mosses and miniature ferns, to larger landscapes simulating tropical forests, Japanese-style gardens, hills and mountains. Imagination is allowed to run riot. Rocks, gnarly driftwood, and a multitude of ornaments join the plants for more (and less) realistic displays that include fairy gardens, Some terrariums are self-watering

alien habitats, and Hobbit-style landscapes complete with pathways, steps, houses and fake streams.

Where science meets art The combination of horticulture, science, creativity and artistry is appealing, and the result can be a beautiful focal point for a room, or a fun project for younger family members. These miniature ecosystems are low-maintenance and largely self-sustaining, so ideal for the less green-fingered among us.

Although terrariums are back in the spotlight, the concept dates back to the mid-19th century, when south London botanist Dr Nathaniel Bagshaw Ward accidentally dropped a fern seed inside a jar where he was keeping a sphinx moth. This was an era of botany, natural history and plant collecting. Ferns were a popular fascination in Victorian times, coining the term ‘Pteridomania’ (or ‘fern fever’), and Bagshaw Ward had a collection in his garden. However, the polluted London air of a postindustrial world meant many would fail to thrive. Over time the little fern seed grew into a healthy plant in this toxin-free, humid environment, which sparked the idea to grow other humidity-loving plants in a contained space.

His illustrated book On the Growth of Plants in Closely Glazed Cases followed, as did his invention of the ‘Wardian Case’, which meant plants could be transported on ships around the world, protected from the harshness of life at sea and the salty air. This was revolutionary in bringing exotic plants to the UK from far-flung locations, thanks to his ideas.

Terrariums are not just ornamental displays, they add a natural element to our indoor space and can be beneficial to our wellbeing. They integrate easily into contemporary lifestyles and fit into most design schemes, with a multitude of different shapes and sizes available. They’re ideal for people living in cities without much outdoor space, and are a convenient and low-maintenance alternative to traditional gardening.

As a self-contained ecosystem, condensation ensures that moisture is recycled, so minimal watering and attention is necessary.

Make your own terrarium You can make your own terrarium in just about any clear glass container with an opening large enough to get your hand in, such as a pasta jar, fish bowl or tank, or even a large jam jar. Tropical foliage plants will need a lid, which should be removed once a month or so to allow some condensation to escape. Desert-style succulents and cacti should be grown in a container with an open top. Make sure your plants have similar light and moisture requirements.

Ferns and mosses go well together, for example, or succulents and air plants. In the bottom of your container, place a layer of gravel or small pebbles for drainage, followed by a layer of activated charcoal. This is available from garden centres or online, and helps to prevent bacterial growth and odours. This should be topped with a layer of compost, deep enough to cover your plants’ roots. Arrange your plants and firm the 74 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2024 | No 231

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compost gently around the roots, leaving space for them to grow. Top tropical plants with a moss from the garden if you can find some, or gravel, and add any ornaments or extra features that you want to include. Water carefully until the soil is damp but not wet. Succulents and cacti will require very little watering. Wait until the compost is dry then water sparingly.

A tropical closed terrarium with a cork or rubber lid will barely need watering at all, as it recycles the water in its humid environment, so the compost will remain damp. If in doubt, always water less, and look out for signs of any plants rotting. Remove any dead or decaying matter promptly and increase ventilation for a while if you are worried that there is too much condensation and moisture in your terrarium.

Place the display in indirect sunlight, or use a fluorescent light, as excessive warmth can build up inside the container and cause plants to overheat if it’s in too sunny a spot. Succulents in an open container are happy with higher light levels. n Sprouts of Bristol on Kingsdown Parade, BS6, sells a range of terrarium kits and ready-planted terrariums, and also runs regular workshops to create your own, with all materials provided. ‘Make your Own Desert Terrarium’ is on 8 February, and ‘Make Your Own Forest Terrarium’ is on 7 March (6pm-8pm). To find out more, visit sproutsofbristol.co.uk. Or try OME Design at 41 West Street, BS2, which also sells a good range of terrariums and accessories, and holds regular workshops throughout the year.

Plant of the month: Moss This fascinating prehistoric plant is a great addition to a tropicalstyle terrarium, where it will add a natural aesthetic and texture to the scheme. It’s small and low-growing, so won’t take over or detract from your other plants, providing a backdrop and helping to create a balanced ecosystem. There are 12,000 different types of moss, many of which are suitable for terrariums. These vary from clumpy mosses that are compact and form little mounds, great for miniature hillocks, or rolling hills; or there are carpeting mosses that provide flatter cover; ‘mood moss’ grows in dense clumps and has lush, wavy leaves that look like grasslands, while epiphytic mosses will grow on hard surfaces like rocks and logs. Although moss will generally thrive in the warm and humid conditions of a terrarium, it can turn yellow and die in direct sunlight, so keep somewhere away from the window for a verdant green display.

ellieswellies.com

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V I N T A G E

F U R N I T U R E

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76 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2024 | No 231

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PROPERTY NEWS

PROPERTY NEWS

DISCOVER THE LATEST NEWS FROM BRISTOL’S PROPERTY EXPERTS

exchange are few and far between. Typically, buyers look to lower their accepted offers because they have had a change in financial circumstances, their mortgage company won’t lend them as much following a survey, the survey has flagged expensive defects, or there are title/legal problems. Those in a chain hit by their buyer looking at any reduction for these forementioned reasons, often then look to pass this reduction on to their onward purchase. The figures for 2023 ‘gazundering’ will also have in part been due to some areas suffering from falling house prices from the point the offer was accepted through to shortly before the time of exchange; a factor that is hoped to be less relevant this year with predictions of greater stability on prices and reducing mortgage rates.

House Buyers ‘Gazundering’ A justified negotiation of an agreed offer, or a less than ethical approach by buyers?

W

ith press reports of gazundering at a level not seen since 2008, and 1 in 4 sales in December said to be subject to renegotiation of price – is this an approach more buyers are considering?

Gazundering is still the relatively rare practice of a buyer lowering their offer at the last minute, just before contracts are Exchanged. Often the perceived (at times naïve) thinking behind the brutal last-minute timing is that the seller is forced to accept the lower offer through a reluctance to go back to square one and risk their onward purchase fall through.

Thankfully examples of the tactical ‘gazundering buyer’ who from the outset intended to reduce their offer shortly before

Where re-negotiations are for valid reasons that could not have been anticipated at the time of making the offer, such as those highlighted in a survey, or title/legal issues, buyers should seek expert advice and consider reducing their offer at the earliest opportunity once these issues have become apparent.

In a market however where there are still shortages of stock at certain levels, buyers should always procced with caution when considering gazundering: the risks being that the seller walks away, or at the very least the buyer has poisoned the purchase leaving little to no goodwill from the sellers of the house they are moving into/with local selling agents!

Instead, our advice to buyers is: • From the very outset, carry out as much due diligence as possible before putting forward an offer, thereby reducing the need to re-negotiate at a late stage.

• Where houses are compromised or may not have been priced reasonably from the outset, there is greater scope for buyers to negotiate hard on price at initial offer stage.

• Depending on your offer, be strategic in terms of what is included in the sale.

Whatever stage you are at in the search for your new home or investment property, we’d love to chat.

Lili Oliver Oliver Roth Property Consultants T: 0117 9877 828 E: home@oliverroth.co.uk THEBRISTOLMAG.CO.UK | FEBRUARY 2024 | THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE 77

BRISTOL OPPORTUNITIES

TO LET Second Floor, Arclight House, 3 Unity Street

‘Loft style’ offices in the city centre!

Located on Unity Street, just a stones thrown from Park Street, the office provides open plan office accommodation with features including high quality wood effect flooring, ‘brick slip’ feature walls, LED lighting, fitted meeting rooms, WC’s and showers.

Parking can be made available by separate negotiation.

Currently suites can be available of the following sizes: 1,093 sq ft / 1,416 sq ft / 2,510 sq ft

FOR SALE 13 Perry Road

FOR SALE 124 St Georges Road

Mixed use Investment Opportunity with development potential

Freehold Opportunity in Bristol City Centre

Located in the heart of the city centre, this attractive end of terrace building provides an excellent mixed use investment opportunity.

Comprising a ground floor commercial unit, a two-bedroom maisonette, and a self-contained1 bedroom apartment to the rear whichhas potential for extension. Must be viewed.

Julian Cook FRICS

Jayne Rixon MRICS

Burston Cook February.indd 1

Charlie Kershaw MRICS

Finola Ingham MRICS

Tom Coyte MRICS

Holly Boulton AssocRICS

Comprising 1,229 sq ft plus 1 car parking space.

The property is suitable for a variety of uses (STP) and is situated within an excellent location for both residential and commercial occupiers.

To suit an owner occupier, investor, or developer! Freehold for sale with vacant possession with a guide price of £325,000 exclusive.

Vicki Grimshaw BSc(Hons)

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BRISTOL & CLIFTON’S PREMIER COMMERCIAL PROPERTY AGENTS Keep up-to-date with our latest news, deals, testimonials and market comment at our website: www.burstoncook.co.uk Dean Street Works, BS2 TO LET - POA 561 – 1,264 sq ft (52.1 – 117.4 sq m)

Bedminster Parade, BS3 FOR SALE – POA 7,269 sq ft (675.30 sq m) Fantastic opportunity to acquire a substantial, freehold mixeduse property with development potential (STP) - a planning application has been submitted comprising 9 residential units and a ground floor commercial premises.

A ground floor commercial premises centrally located and available to let in the city centre. Due to be refurbished.

Use Class E.

West Point From 2,323 sq ft – 4,677 sq ft

Clifton Plot with planning for 3/4 bed house

Open plan office with excellent parking. Near to M4/M5 interchange at a competitive rental. 11 car parking spaces per floor.

Fantastic ‘self build’ opportunity or to suit a developer. Sought after location in the affluent suburb of Clifton. Freehold for sale — Price Upon Application.

Westfield Park, Redland BS6 TO LET - £31,500 pax 1,110 sq ft (103 sq m)

An attractive, self contained office which is due to be refurbished throughout.

Benefitting from 6 car parking spaces.

An open plan, studio office refurbished to a high standard and benefitting on site car parking, bike storage, gym, and shower facilities. Could suit a range of uses STP.

Whiteladies Road, Clifton TO LET – POA 772 sq ft (71.72 sq m)

Queen Square TO LET - POA 1,909 - 4,192 sq ft (174 - 388 sq m)

Fantastic ground floor unit fronting onto a busy stretch of Whiteladies Road. Fitted to a high specification and suitable for a wide range of uses (Use Class E).

An impressive pair of period buildings available to lease individually or as a pair and benefitting from 5 parking spaces on the square.

Portwall Lane, BS1 TO LET – 1,366 - 9,500 sq ft

53 Queen Square, BS1 TO LET 480 – 1,730 sq ft (44.5 – 160.7 sq m)

A Grade A office building currently undergoing an extensive refurbishment to the highest standard, in sympathy with the historic nature of the building and with strong ESG credentials.

Julian Cook FRICS

Jayne Rixon MRICS

Burston Cook February.indd 2

Charlie Kershaw MRICS

The Old Brewery, Pill TO LET - £16.50 p/sf pax 976 sq ft (90.67 sq m)

Finola Ingham MRICS

Tom Coyte MRICS

Holly Boulton AssocRICS

An impressive office which is due to be extensively refurbished throughout and could suit a range of uses (STC).

Vicki Grimshaw BSc(Hons)

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Clifton, Bristol | Guide Price £1,000,000 An elegant and beautifully renovated family home of almost 2000 sq. ft with period charm, a sunny south facing garden, garden office, communal garden and private rear lane access.

A fabulous family home situated between Clifton Village and the harbourside | Elegant and versatile accommodation arranged over four floors | Light-filled sitting room with an open fire | Separate study / bedroom five | Stunning kitchen and dining room with access to the garden | Master bedroom with an en-suite shower room | Three further bedrooms | Superb family bath / shower room and a separate cloakroom | Landscaped fully enclosed south-facing rear garden | Detached garden home office and gated rear lane access | EPC: D

In all circa 1933 sq ft (180 sq. m)

@rupertoliverproperty

Tel: 0117 452 3555 home@rupertoliver.co.uk

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