The Bath Magazine April 2021 by MC Publishing Limited

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ISSUE 218 | APRIL 2021 | thebathmag.co.uk | £3.95 where sold

IN SEARCH OF

SOME JOLLY GOOD EGGS LIVE ACTION

Debating the art and value of livestreaming

BARD TIMES

Do we all really have to love Shakespeare?

PAVILION YEARS

Mick Ringham recounts the Pav’s heady musical days

BUILDING BRIDGES How the iconic Pulteney Bridge came to Bath

T H E C I T Y ’ S B I G G E S T M O NTHLY GUIDE TO LIFE AND LIVING IN BATH

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Contents – APR.qxp_Layout 1 26/03/2021 17:40 Page 1

Contents

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5 THINGS

APRIL 2021

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Here are some things to get up to this month

NOTES ON A SMALL CITY

GREAT ESCAPES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42 Magical spring breaks next to the south west lakes and in Burgh Island in south Devon

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Our regular columnist Richard Wyatt

A BRIDGE IN TIME . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50

FIVE MINUTES WITH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Millie Bruce-Watt discovers the story of the architectural icon that is Bath’s Pulteney Bridge

Joe Short, a photographer with a flair for miniature weddings

CITY NEWS

WHAT’S ON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 Check out this month’s events and arts in the city

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The latest business and green stories from the city

PAUSE FOR THOUGHT

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IN REAL TIME . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

Suggestions for books driven by reinvention and reflection

Millie Bruce-Watt talks to Luke John Emmett and Lindsay Barker about why livestreaming is here to stay

A WALK WITH CELANDINES

BARD TIMES

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We all love Shakespeare – or do we? Gerie Herbert wonders why he doesn’t speak to us all, and suggests how there is always a way

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Andrew Swift suggests a walk through the Midford Valley in the early spring when the woods are carpeted in celandines and wild garlic

HOME COMFORTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68 How to create interiors so we can be as snug as bugs in rugs

PAVILION ROCKS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28 Mick Ringham remembers the good old years in the sixties and seventies at Bath Pavilion when he mixed with a host of music legends

GOLDEN EGGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32 There are 15 different eggs produced by Clarence Court in Lacock – can you identify them all?

BEST FOOD FORWARD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36 Ben Mortimer talks to Melissa Blease about his family’s company Lovejoys – producers of fruit, vegetables, eggs and bread

FINE FORAGING

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Find your fare in the forests, Rob Gould tells Simon Horsford

More content and updates online at thebathmag.co.uk

GARDENS

Gardener Elly West promotes the ethic of sustainable outdoor space

HOT PROPERTY

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The finest homes to buy or rent

ON THE COVER

A selection of Clarence Court favourites, the Burford Brown, Leghorn White and Old Cotswold Legbar. See page 32.

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FROM THE EDITOR

QUOTE OF THE ISSUE “With only four of its kind in the world, Pulteney Bridge sits in fine company with Florence’s Ponte Vecchio, Venice’s Rialto Bridge and Erfurt’s Krämerbrücke in Germany” SEE OUR PULTENEY BRIDGE FEATURE ON PAGE 50

“

Editor photograph by TBM

o not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate on the present moment.” This Buddhist mantra has infiltrated our psyche this month. Take livestreaming, a term now on everyone’s lips because it has given us a new form of learning and entertainment in real time. But it is actually any good and is it here to stay? Millie Bruce-Watt poses the questions to Lindsay Barker and Luke John Emmett on page 22. Experiencing the moment is also a good perspective on foraging – finding berries in the hedgerow and mushrooms in a woodland is engrossing and grounding. And yet foraging also takes us back to our ancestors to whom the natural rhythms of the countryside were a way of life. Simon Horsford questions Rob Gould on page 38 about his foraging activities and how many rewards this has for children, so many of whom have now lost contact with the natural environment. Eating an egg, especially if it’s just been boiled, is another in-the-present joy. And not only do we have three recipes with eggs for you, including hot cross buns, but we have a long line of eggs to keep Easter in your hearts, from the mammoth ostrich egg to the olivesized quail egg, and in the middle the Burford Brown with its more accessible size and its dense golden yolk, all courtesy of Clarence Court – see page 32. Here I break the mantra of not dwelling in the past. And that’s because we have a very soft spot for it. Millie Bruce-Watt has proved this firmly with her research on Pulteney Bridge on page 50. This iconic bridge is one of the most photographed architectural features in Bath, and she finds out just how it came about and who was involved, including architect John Adam, who in fact came to the (Pulteney) bridge party quite late. Resolutely continuing to dwell in the past, Gerie Herbert puts Shakespeare on trial on page 26. Not everyone loves the Bard, you see, but it’s a hard thing to admit to. Gerie, however, suggests there’s always a way to make Shakespeare talk to you, and reading his sonnets from end to end is not necessarily one of them. Mick Ringham also joins us this month and he’s looking back too, on page 28, at the Pavilion and its rock performers in the roaring sixties and seventies when he used to play cards with the Bee Gees and chat to Robert Plant before Led Zeppelin was a thing. Melissa Blease also talks to Ben Mortimer of food wholesaler Lovejoys on page 36 about managing their business in lockdown and looking to the future. And we get very chilled on page 68 as we recommend living in the moment and making sure our interiors make us very comfortable there. We are also unapologetically dreaming of the future this month, one where you can browse in shops, where restaurants are open, festivals happen, and when we can enjoy holidays again – and on the latter, why not start with exploring the lakes of the south west and Burgh Island (see pages 42 and 44)? Have faith, it’s all to come. Emma Clegg Editor

HAPPY SYLVANIAN FAMILIES

Clearly weddings are back. Bath photographer Joe Short has released photographs of an exclusive wedding that happened recently in his back garden. Tabitha and Jonathan were married surrounded by crowds of friends and family. It was all possible because the happy couple were not humans but members of the Sylvanian Families franchise. Joe, who captured private photographs of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding in 2018, was commissioned by his nine-year-old daughter Juno. He spent the wedding day lying in the garden, working out how to get the best angles of the couple. The reception was in a grand (miniature) marquee and the first dance was to The Time of My Life from the film Dirty Dancing. See page 13 for our interview with Joe. joeshortweddingphotography.com

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

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ZEITGEIST

things to do this

April Explore

TOAST Renewal is launching on 26 April

Repair British lifestyle brand TOAST will be launching an in-store repair service from 26 April called TOAST Renewal. TOAST honours the importance of timeless design using quality, long-lasting materials in a conscious approach to increase the longevity of their garments and reduce waste. This free repair service gives customers access to in-house repair experts across the UK. Customers can bring any TOAST garment into store for repair, regardless of when or where they bought it. www.toa.st The Easter Bunny trail is running from 2–5 April

Hunt

After a 12-month delay, The Urban Garden will finally open its gates to the public at 9.30am on 2 April on the Bath & North East Somerset Council nursery site in Royal Victoria Park. Selling high-quality plants the Urban Garden and innovative garden products, such as opens on 2 April Bag for Life compost and serve-yourself bird seed, the new garden centre is attempting to lead the way on reducing single-use plastics, while helping to address mental health issues. There is growing evidence that gardening and horticulture are powerful ways to improve your health and wellbeing and as a social enterprise, the project already offers a free City and Guilds training programme for people with mental health issues and other life challenges. The Urban Garden works in collaboration with Bath charity, Grow for Life, and B&NES. theurbangarden.org.uk

Admire Martin Elphick’s exhibition at 44AD Gallery contrasts a selection of pre-Covid bronzes and other vibrant sculptures, designed to impress the viewer, with a roomful of small clay objects fired in a humble garden incinerator during the lockdown. His work is always varied but this exhibition changes mood radically, becoming more restrained and contemplative with his adaptation of traditional methods and materials. The book of the show details the background to each development, including the workings of the artistic brain. Topical, and interesting on many levels. Ambition and the Transitional Objects runs from 17–28 April at 44AD gallery. Private view appointments available from 17–21 April. 44AD.net

Ambition and the Transitional Objects runs from 17–28 April

This Easter, the American Museum & Gardens is offering a free Easter Bunny trail with chocolatey treats. From Good Friday to Easter Monday you’ll be able to follow poems and clues that will take you on an exploration throughout the museum’s spectacular grounds to see if you can spot an Easter Bunny hiding, playing, sunbathing, or even swimming. All trail adventurers will receive a free chocolate bunny, or an allergen friendly alternative. Takeaway lunches, drinks and chocolate-dipped shortbread chicks and bunnies, as well as Easter biscuits will be available from the Garden Café. Dogs on leads are welcome. There are social distancing markers in place and hand sanitiser stations are located throughout the grounds. Opening times are 10am–5pm each day. Normal admission applies, and under 5's go free. americanmuseum.org

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Enjoy Innox Market, the monthly street market held at Innox Mills, Trowbridge, will return on 18 April from 10am–4pm, offering a mix of artisan products, street food, local produce and vintage clothing. Organised by the Innox Mills site owners in partnership with The Anonymous Travelling Market, the events will be held in the historic buildings at Innox Mills, where visitors will be entertained by live music while they browse the stalls. This includes the Grade II-listed Innox Mills building, the former dye house, brewery and cloth factory along the riverside, which date back to the 19th century. Social distancing measures will be in place to protect visitors and stallholders, including a one-way system. innoxmills.co.uk ■

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My Bath - april.qxp_Layout 1 26/03/2021 10:01 Page 1

The city

ist

THE BUZZ

HIGH STREET MAKEOVER

An exciting project to breathe new life into vacant shops and buildings in high streets across Bath and North East Somerset has been awarded £500,000 from the West of England Combined Authority’s Recovery Fund. The Vacant Units Action Project will see empty properties in Bath used for creative projects and pop-up businesses, with satellite projects in Keynsham and Midsomer Norton to follow across a two-year programme. The council is also set to refresh Milsom Street in Bath ahead of the reopening of non-essential shops and the reintroduction of outdoor dining on 12 April. newsroom.bathnes.gov.uk

RED LORRY, YELLOW LOLLY This new exhibition by Bath local Andy Goodman is characterised by a series of graphic prints. Using fine line and bright colours, each print is underpinned by everyday phrases and language and has a general tone of lightheartedness. The work includes a series called Bristol Faces where Andy has used a selection of the region’s familiar buildings as a graphic image of a recognisable face. Andy has always been inspired by the west country, and since moving to Bath has become increasingly inspired and focused on his work through proximity to the countryside. The Red Lorry, Yellow Lolly exhibition is in the main atrium of Bristol’s Southmead Hospital, and limited edition prints are available from Andy’s website. fivebargatestore.myshopify.com

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Pearl as Girl with a Pearl Earring

My BATH

Bath resident Pearl Parkin, who is eight, set herself the challenge of dressing up as a different famous character every day during homelearning to raise funds for Save the Children. Each outfit was crafted from materials found around Pearl’s home. Pearl wanted to raise £1,000 in time for her return to school at the beginning of March. Incredibly, her total currently exceeds £8,000... Where did the dressing up idea come from? The idea started when I decided to dress up one morning as a French girl, and then the next morning as an explorer. It was really fun and my family enjoyed seeing the photos on Facebook so we decided to dress up every day as a way to raise money. I really wanted to raise money for other children so that’s why I chose the charity, Save the Children. How did you decide who to dress up as? My family helped me decide who to dress up as every morning – we would think about our favourite films, artists and pop stars. Was it really hard creating a new outfit each day? It was always very crazy but always fun. My brother would help me make all the costumes and my mum would help with the hair and make-up. Which outfits were your favourites? I really loved dressing up as Lady Gaga, Anne-Marie and Billie Eilish the most as they’re my favourite pop stars.

Which of your characters do you most admire? I really love Little Mix and Anne-Marie, but I also admire women like Frida Kahlo, Rosa Parks and Greta Thunberg who did amazing things. What are you most looking forward to doing when we’re out of lockdown? I can’t wait to go to Creams Café and Claires Accessories when everything starts to reopen in Bath. What favourite places in Bath are you missing? In normal times, I really like to visit the Fashion Museum and Victoria Park skate park. What are your favourite subjects at school? I really like maths and reading at school and I’d like to be a vet, a scientist or a pop star when I grow up. How did you find learning virtually from home? My dad has been a great teacher at home and it’s been really fun – and I’ve really enjoyed dressing up! ■ justgiving.com/fundraising/pearl-dressing-up; instagram.com/pearldressingup

Pearl as Lady Gaga

Pearl as Frida Kahlo

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CITY | NOTEBOOK

Richard Wyatt: Notes on a small city Columnist Richard Wyatt is surprised at the revelation that young people may be living in two worlds, and takes issue with dogs that don’t tip-toe through the tulips

crocus and narcissus flowers newly emerged from the cold earth and reaching for the sky. There seems to be a slight conflict of interests when it comes to appreciating the natural beauty of these manmade green spaces. Unfortunately dogs playing with other dogs or chasing balls are not exactly ‘tip-toeing through the tulips’, with broken stems indicating their destructive path through the blooms.

❝

Rover being released to roam isn’t always good news for the delicate crocus and narcissus flowers

❝

ou know how it is when you’re half listening to the radio, doing your domestics, or whatever, while it drones on in the background, sounding like a trapped fly buzzing on a window. Suddenly something being said breaks through your self-induced torpor and awakens the senses with the force of a tsunami wave. This happened to me during a radio discussion recently when someone said something I found to be profound. It was that we must face the fact that today’s youngsters will see themselves as future citizens of TWO worlds. They – unlike us older citizens’ past experiences of life without the internet, social media and video games – will spend their lives co-existing in both the real world and the cyber one. How much time they will spend in each is open to debate, but it got me thinking about whether a future school curriculum will have to include lessons on how to be a good human being. Instructing the citizens of tomorrow in the rudiments of social behaviour within the reality they rejoin when removing their video masks, and maybe more importantly how they interact with each other. At the same time, the pandemic with its recurring lockdowns has given the rest of us a lesson in taking more notice of the little things in life, the reality surrounding us in our bubbles of confinement. While the young may have escaped into the alternative worlds of Sea of Thieves, Minecraft Dungeons or Plants Vs Zombies, I, like others, have been out to exercise in country lanes and the occasional city park. We’ve all been grateful – irrespective of age – for modern technology and social media while the virus has kept us physically apart, but I have often found myself enjoying the fresh air delights of places like Parade Gardens and Sydney Gardens. These urban open spaces have also certainly been a godsend for those people who live surrounded by Bath stone and tarmac rather than open countryside. It’s a city which has a big dog-owning population too and man’s best four-legged friend also needs to stretch its legs and collect a different set of scents away from the domestic smells of home. Sydney Gardens, originally an exclusive Georgian Vauxhall or pleasure ground, has always been popular with people arriving with a pet on a lead. Unfortunately, for those who come to admire the first signs of spring, Rover being released to roam isn’t always good news for the delicate

Sydney Gardens is currently in the midst of a multi-million pound National Lottery Heritage funded park restoration project which will restore historic buildings and invest in landscape works, but it will also help create new play areas for all ages. Dare I suggest that it should also create a specific area for dogs to give that first blush of floral spring a chance to open their petals before being trampled under paw? The trouble is we no longer have park keepers to maintain a watchful eye on daily use and, however much effort is put in by park ‘friends’ – and these people are vital volunteers – they have no authority to keep control. I noticed a plea in a recent Sidney Gardens Project cyber newsletter for people using the park to pick up dog poo and take their litter home with them. All these open spaces have been under greater pressure during the pandemic. Of course, it’s socially and physically important that people continue to enjoy the benefits of fresh air and exercise when things begin to return to something like normal. However, when you think about it, we all have to share public space with others, whether it’s a park, pavement or highway. We’ve all missed company and, for the benefit of those cyber citizens of the near future, maybe we should be setting a good example in how to care for the real world and be nice to our neighbours. n Richard Wyatt runs the Bath Newseum: bathnewseum.com

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Coming out of our shell on 12 April

Hopping to see you in store

We can’t wait to see you again

when we reopen 12th April. In the meantime leap over to our online store: jodycory.co.uk ENGAGEMENT AND WEDDING RINGS HANDMADE BESPOKE JEWELLERY REPAIRS AND REMODELLING

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I don’t know much about art DUNCAN CAMPBELL HAS BEEN DEALING IN ANTIQUE SILVER SINCE 1986

And probably never will

he prospect of discovering lost treasure is so intoxicating to me that I have made a career out of it. My base desire for something to be the ‘valuable, genuine article’ can dangerously reduce my skepticism. This quirk of human nature is what fakers rely on. Hilarious results can ensue when the easiest canvases to fake become some of the most valuable paintings the world has even known. If you have ever stood in front of an abstract impressionist painting and thought, “Really? I could do that”, you may be interested to know that you are probably right. Perhaps with some practice, you could, and what’s more, with a little imagination, you could also sell it into an extremely wealthy market that would be hard pressed to tell your Pollock from Jackson’s. I’d never suggest that abstract impressionism is without merit, but with the vast sums of money involved, it isn’t really surprising that this area of the art market is such a magnet for fraudsters. What is much more surprising is that many of the participants don’t seem to care. To a Philistine observer, the dealers and collectors appear to be having such a lovely time watching their daubs go up in value, like some giant kaleidoscopic Ponzi Scheme, that the last thing they are going to do is suggest that the king is in fact naked. The recent Netflix Documentary “Made You Look” exposes in shameful detail the wishful nonsense that some of the so-called “experts” peddle. Apparently, the only trusted way to help authenticate an abstract impressionist work, is by using sophisticated scientific analysis. To the best of my understanding, connoisseurship in this field is nonexistent. When those with white lab coats and computers become the only arbiters of what is or isn’t a great work of art, a little reflection is needed. If the cream of New York’s art glitterati can’t tell a Mark Rothko from a mood board then what chance do we mere mortals have? In fine art and antiques as in life: If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. n beaunashbath.com; 01225 334234

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See more online www.thebathmag.co.uk

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Editor Tel: Email:

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joe short.qxp_Layout 1 26/03/2021 14:38 Page 1

INTERVIEW

Five minutes with...

Joe Short is a wedding photographer who helped provide private coverage for the wedding day of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at Windsor Castle in 2018. His most recent wedding commission was for a Sylvanian Families couple (see also page 8) Tell us about your work as a photographer.

I actually studied Fine Art at Wimbledon School of Art but was always using photography in my paintings. I first got excited about photography at school and loved the whole process of shooting and developing film using my father’s old camera. I never particularly planned to pursue photography as a career, it’s just something that I’ve always done, even whilst working in other careers like music. I’ve been very lucky though. I’ve photographed private events for the Queen, celebrities, and been commissioned to shoot in some spectacular locations from The Forbidden City in Beijing, on safari in the Maasai Mara, to the epic mountains of South New Zealand. What qualities are most useful as a photographer? A positive outlook and the ability to build an honest connection with your subject is key for me. Be prepared for the unexpected and run with it when plans change. How would you advise young photographers? Constantly be working on your craft, making pictures. It will really help you hone in on what it is that’s ‘you’. Take the opportunities that come – which are normally when you least expect. Then enjoy the ride and smile! How long have you lived in Bath? I’ve lived in Bath since 2010, having also lived here in the ’90s. It’s a fabulous city. When I’m working and am asked where I’m based, the response is always “Oh Bath, I love Bath!” I feel we have the best of both worlds with the proximity of city and countryside – but also the community. Lockdown has highlighted the connections and warmth within our community and I’ve been hugely grateful for them. What has been your personal experience of lockdown? It’s obviously been extremely frustrating for my working life – an entire year postponed and other jobs lost. But on a personal level, I have really enjoyed the slower pace and the time to be with my wife and daughter at home. The dog has been walked to near extinction. There’s been a peace that we would never have been able to experience otherwise. I think many people have made the most of the time to reflect too. In amongst it all there’s the opportunity to make decisions on all our futures and the direction we want our lives to go in. I don’t think I’ve ever had the time to do that before. You photographed the Duke and Duchess of Sussex on their wedding day. What was this experience like? It was a huge privilege to be invited to join Chris Allerton providing private coverage for Harry and Meghan. To be able to intimately capture the day as it unfolded was very special. Once shooting though, I treated it the same way as I would any wedding… looking for the best light and those key moments that happen between the couple, their family and guests. Tell us about the recent Sylvanian Families wedding. Ha! I can tell you that it was high end! They had me working just as hard. It came about after my daughter announced that there was to be a Sylvanian Wedding. I was genuinely excited to be shooting again, so we decided to create a story of the day exactly as it would unfold in the real world, and with plenty of love. Lying down at a wedding isn’t a common approach for me, but I may have spent

most of the day writhing on my stomach for this one. I would often be helping guests to their feet, which I have been known to do at human weddings too. I understand you have toured the world playing bass guitar. Yes, along with playing in the Bath band The Girls for many years, I played bass for Siouxsie & The Banshees. I’ve been involved in writing and performing music for a large part of my life and touring with Siouxsie was a real blast. That was a classic example of grabbing an opportunity when I least expected it. Singing a Lennon-written song (Dear Prudence) to Yoko Ono at The Royal Festival Hall is another life highlight for me. Do you have a guilty pleasure? I have far too much brain space assigned to eighties pop. I’m also quite partial to vintage Fender guitars. Snack etiquette would be a crisps/nuts combo rather than exclusive. Sorry that’s three. What is your favourite memory if you had to pick one? Intriguing. I’m wondering whether it might be Lockdown one day? Where do you like to eat in and around Bath in normal times? Wow. We’re so spoilt in Bath. It would depend on the occasion and mood, but we had an incredible meal at Eight in North Parade Passage before the world of restrictions came in. As a family we love Yak Yeti Yak. My wife lived in Nepal when she was younger and it has to be the best Nepali food outside of Kathmandu. What is your ideal holiday? Anything right now… But I have a real urge to wander through French countryside stopping at cafés en route. Because I’m often so busy from March to September, we don’t really get away over the summer. We took a fabulous trip through Western Cuba, which had the perfect balance of beach relaxation and epic adventure all in one. Havana is also a dream for any photographer. What do you look forward to doing when restrictions are lifted? Other than being able to hug each other, I’m really excited to get back to work shooting weddings and events. It’s probably more thrilling having been denied the opportunity for so long. I’m also keen to continue the new art and portrait projects that I began in lockdown. I’ve promised myself not to go back to the default rush that seemed to exist in everything pre Covid. The most useful thing anyone ever said to you? Assume support. What would you recommend as three rules to live by? Be kind, smile, keep your promise. Your favourite place to visit in Bath? I love walking the Bath skyline but Smallcombe Woods is also a wonderful spot on our doorstep. Indoors, it’s always great to visit the Holburne Museum and Victoria Art Gallery. Their excellent mix of exhibitions gives me inspiration for my own work. n • joeshortweddingphotography.com THEBATHMAG.CO.UK

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WHAT’S | ON

WHAT’S ON in April Abbey House and Gardens

The Roman Baths Photo by Rebecca Faith

DREAM SPACE BATH n Throughout April The team behind National Lottery funded community project Dream Space invites you to explore a new online exhibition of more than 50 moving and thoughtprovoking poems, songs, spoken-word performances and reflections on the pandemic, the climate crisis, and racism in Bath. These are all presented through a series of short films, audio podcast episodes and a stories gallery. The exhibition is free to visit throughout April. thedreamspace.co.uk BRLSI: EATING UP EASTER n 8 April, 7.30pm BRLSI’s Geography and Adventure Group will show the award-winning film Eating Up Easter in a live Zoom event on 8 April. In the film, native Rapanui (Easter Island) filmmaker Sergio Mata’u Rapu will narrate to his son the modern dilemma of their people who risk losing everything to the globalising effects of tourism. Filmmakers Sergio and Elana Rapu will join the Zoom event with Tod Hardin, COO of Plastic Ocean International, to answer questions at the end of the 37-minute film. Tickets cost £5 for visitors and £2 for members and students. brlsi.org LAURA LEXX: KNEE JERK n 10 April, 8pm, online Star of BBC Two’s Live at the Apollo, Laura Lexx shines a light on how hard it is to be a good person these days Following a sold-out run at the Edinburgh Fringe, which earned her a prestigious Comedian’s Choice Award for the second year in a row, Lexx takes on society’s big issues: social media, mental

Ralph Fiennes will direct and star in Four Quartets

health, climate change and conceiving. The performance will be streamed live via Zoom. rondotheatre.co.uk MONKTON COMBE: EASTER REVISION COURSES n 12–16 April, online Monkton’s Easter Revision courses will be running online this year, focusing on helping pupils who are studying for their GCSEs or IGCSEs. The courses, designed by Monkton’s experienced teachers, many of whom are themselves GCSE examiners, are there to offer individual guidance, support and assist with any challenges that may arise. Register your interest at monktoncombeschool.com. CREATING SPACES 2021 n Until 31 May Rufus Pollard of Malmesbury Abbey House invites you to see its selection of sculptures in the gardens. Work includes figurative and abstract sculpture in wood, ceramic, glass, stone and bronze, all complementing the beautiful gardens with their long vistas, intimate corners, and the riverside walk. In addition, the Belvedere, a wood and glass space looking out on to the valley below, will display wall pieces, hanging sculptures and wood carvings. See website for opening times. abbeyhousegardens.co.uk; cotswoldsculptorsassociation.com DAYS OUT AT LUCKNAM n 12 April, Lucknam Park Hotel & Spa Lucknam Park is reopening its doors with three luxury self-catered cottages alongside al fresco dining, spa days and a host of outdoor experiences to be enjoyed within 500 acres of beautiful gardens and parkland. lucknampark.co.uk

BOOKING AHEAD THE ROMAN BATHS n Reopening on 17 May The Roman Baths is set to reopen its doors to the public on 17 May, and staff are looking forward to welcoming the first visitors of 2021. The historic site has been closed since 31 December in line with Government guidance. Tickets from 17 May until the end of August are now on sale. All visitors must book in advance, and current guidelines mean that people can only visit with members of their household or bubble. romanbaths.co.uk FOUR QUARTETS n 25 May – 5 June, Theatre Royal Bath Ralph Fiennes directs and stars in a world première adaptation of T.S. Eliot’s Four Quartets to welcome audiences back to live theatre. Compelling, moving and symphonic, Four Quartets offer four interwoven meditations on the nature of time, faith, and the quest for spiritual enlightenment. theatreroyal.org.uk

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THE ARTS DAVID SIMON CONTEMPORARY davidsimoncontemporary.com; 37 High Street, Castle Cary BA7 7AW MICK LINDBERG: FACES OF HOPE 6 March – 10 April 2021 Celebrating 15 years this March, David Simon Contemporary is pleased to present this refreshing solo exhibition. Mick Lindberg’s second solo exhibition with David Simon Contemporary has been nearly 12 months in the making. Over this period, the world has seen an extraordinary

time, which has prompted the artist to explore the many ways in which we seek hope. The unique work by this Swedish-born artist depicts narratives in an almost painterly manner, making use of pattern and texture from her archive of vintage and antique fabrics. At the same time, the quality of stitching and intricate layering of materials makes each piece an exquisitely finished accomplishment. The faces that appear in Lindberg’s compositions are engaging – this is an exhibition that will not fail to arouse an emotional response.

There is a Candle in Your Heart by Mick Lindburg

VICTORIA ART GALLERY victoriagal.org.uk Bridge Street, Bath BA2 4AT KURT JACKSON: BIODIVERSITY Opening online on 29 March The future survival of the planet’s fauna and flora is the zeitgeist, and the buzzword of this subject is biodiversity: the spectrum of life, the variety and range of different species of plant and animal to be found living in one place is referred to as the biodiversity of that location. It is used as a measure of how well or poorly

natural life is coping, it is a mark of how ecological processes are faring. With a series of paintings, sculptures and mixed media works this exhibition will aim to show what an amazingly biodiverse world we still live in and how this is changing. All these life forms have the same entitlement to live as we do and fundamentally they are all individually fascinating, extraordinary and beautiful organisms in their own right. By being aware of the life we share this planet with we can appreciate it and then conserve it. Image: Strandline, 2019

THE HOLBURNE MUSEUM holburne.org Great Pulteney Street, Bathwick, Bath BA2 4DB GARDEN CAFE Reopens on 12 April Although we may have to wait a little longer for The Holburne Museum’s doors to reopen, we can once again enjoy its Garden Cafe from 12 April. The cafe is run by Benugo and shares the museum’s opening hours, with the last order taken half an hour before it closes.

RARE ISLAMIC METALWORK FROM THE COURTAULD 17 May The Holburne Museum will show ten remarkable highlights from The Courtauld’s world-class collection of Islamic metalwork, which has rarely left London since their bequest over 50 years ago. Dating from the 13th to 16th centuries, these objects are some of the finest examples of this intricate craft from modern-day Iraq, Iran, Syria, Egypt and Turkey. n

THOMAS LAWRENCE: COMING OF AGE 17 May Thomas Lawrence: Coming of Age will be moving online this May. The Holburne Museum’s first virtual show will give fresh insight into the first 25 years of one of Britain’s greatest portrait painters and will include films, games and rarely seen images together with some of his most celebrated works. CANALETTO: PAINTING VENICE 17 May The Holburne Museum is gearing up to present the most important set of paintings of Venice by Canaletto, which will leave their home at Woburn Abbey – one of world’s most renowned private art collections – for the first time in more than 70 years. 18 TheBATHMagazine

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Metalwork bag from the Courtauld

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THE BATH FESTIVAL

Festival fever is back

The Bath Festival 2021 celebrates the best in music and books in a beautiful city. The diverse programme starts in May and ranges from talks and discussions to poetry, concerts and theatre. Here are some highlights of what’s to come

his year’s festival has adapted by dividing itself in two, and adding a virtual element. The festival from 17–24 May focuses on books and music and the Finale Weekend will take place on 7 and 8 August. As ever, events will showcase Bath for a global audience, in some of the city’s historic and glorious historic buildings. Those not able to gather in person can also enjoy The Bath Festival At Home selection of events at their own leisure, available from 28 May. The Bath Festival is able to use the city’s historic buildings and they are adaptable for use, adhering to socially distanced rules with their spacious rooms and high ceilings. Audience and artists’ safety is paramount and Bath Festivals has been accredited with a Good To Go status by Visit England. The live events during May will see some of the brightest talent from the worlds of music and books, along with discussions about the big issues of our time. Listen to best-selling authors and experts in their field sharing their experiences. Here are some highlights: Dr Rachel Clarke, author of Breathtaking, an unflinching insider’s account of medicine in the time of coronavirus. 11am–12.15pm, 22 May, Bath Forum

Ted Hughes Award winner poet Hollie McNish, whose live readings are mesmerising. Hollie will be reading from her much-anticipated new collection: Slug...and other things I’ve been told to hate. 7.30pm, 22 May, Assembly Rooms As 2020 saw huge numbers of us suddenly adapt to entirely new ways of working. Speaker, career coach and journalist Harriet Minter will be talking to Bath blogger Sarah Baker. 12.30pm Sat 22 May, Assembly Rooms Comedian Tez Ilyas talks about his life as a young British Muslim growing up in a time of race riots, fear and prejudice. 8pm, Thurs 20 May, Assembly Rooms Two series of guided walks, one to explore the influences on Mary Shelley that inspired her to start writing Frankenstein during her time in Bath, the other, commissioned by The Bath Festival, is a delicious Regency romp through the streets in the footsteps of the Netflix sensation Bridgerton. Various times, 20-23 May, meet outside No. 1 Royal Crescent

Mel Giedroyc

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Hollie McNish

The Roman Baths provide the atmospheric backdrop for a concert from the internationally acclaimed vocal group The Gesualdo Six. 7.30pm and 9.30pm, 18 May, Roman Baths Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason brings two of her celebrated musical offspring to perform as she talks about what it is like to raise such a remarkable family, following the release of her memoir The House of Music. 7.30pm, 22 May, Bath Forum Much-loved entertainer Mel Giedroyc talks to Fran Beauman about her debut novel The Best Things, a big-hearted story of a family on the brink. 11.30am, 23 May, Assembly Rooms The Bath Festival Orchestra, created to foster emerging talent in classical music, will play in Bath Abbey and at Green Park Station. The performance will be recorded by BBC Radio3. 7.30pm, 17 May, Bath Abbey The Sunday Times No1 bestseller Caroline Hirons, skincare queen and beauty blogger, will be exploring the facts, the myths and the best way to get good skin on any budget. 7.30pm, 21 May, Assembly Rooms n Tickets go on general release from 13 April; 01225 463362; thebathfestival.org.uk

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Lindsay Barker in Mediakinetic’s studio

The art of livestreaming

As the world moved online 12 months ago, the demand for livestreaming skyrocketed. Millie Bruce-Watt chats to Bath-based theatre technician, Luke John Emmett, and TV producer Lindsay Barker of Mediakinetic’s Bath hub, about how livestreaming is now here to stay

ver the last 12 months, technology has been our saving grace and livestreaming has unquestionably become the star of the show. At midnight on 23 March 2020, office doors shut and businesses closed indefinitely. The world moved online and our longer working days were soon filled with e-meetings via Zoom and Teams – two words that quickly became part of our everyday vocabulary. Our cherished moments of social interaction were digitalised and we depended on fast internet connections to see us through virtual pub quizzes and lockdown birthday celebrations. For those not as tech-savvy as the modern-day influencer, this was a challenging transition. For those who were all too used to travelling to meetings, it took a moment to master group calls and breakout rooms with little to no training, all while continuing ‘business as usual’. And what about the arts? What about our entertainment? The cornerstone of our communities collapsed under a seismic shift in support. The industry ground to a halt and, not only did work disappear overnight for freelancers and theatre makers, but no safety net was deployed in the event of an emergency. As a result, we noticeably suffered from its absence. Within hours of the lockdown being announced, we called for a prominent and permanent arrival and upgrade of livestreaming and event platforms. We needed it to work well and we needed it to work now. We asked Lindsay Barker of Mediakinetic – specialists in filming corporate and brand communications, event and remote livestreaming – and Luke John Emmett, an award-winning Bath-based Lighting Designer, event manager and theatre technician, for their perspectives. Both have been working at the forefront of the livestreaming industry, pulling the four corners of the world together and helping people stay informed, entertained and engaged at the high level we expect. Over the last 12 months, they have witnessed firsthand the power of livestreaming, which, they stress, is here to stay. “When Covid hit and many people were working from home, it 22 TheBATHMagazine

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was fascinating to see how businesses transformed in line with viewing habits,” says Lindsay. “We were already set up for livestreaming, but the focus quickly became “how can we make this remote livestreaming?” by which I mean the whole team working from home, but being able to still direct multi-camera broadcasts with multiple participants, from their respective homes, with graphics, video inserts and interactivity with an audience. “Whilst a lot of people quickly got on board with video calls, audiences quickly expected something more from large corporate firms or public facing household names. Throughout 2020 and 2021 we brought together more livestreams than ever before, taking both TV presenters and directors of organisations large and small through a baptism of fire of the best cameras to use, lighting, sound, backdrops, connectivity and presenting to a screen with no audience to play off. It was a different mindset.” Similarly, when the theatres shut, Luke, like many other freelancers in the arts and entrainment industry, was forced to find a new way to earn a living. Both Lindsay and Luke felt the shift in demand for livestreaming and were required to adapt immediately. “Pre-pandemic I was a theatre technician, lighting designer and event producer so everything was live and most of it was working with real people and a real audience,” he says. “The week before the pandemic, I was working on Dirty Bath at The Rondo. Even by that point, even though it was a sold-out run, the audience had dropped to about half so people were already quite hesitant before it closed down. “I moved on to Zoom very quickly and looked at the more advanced ways of using it. From there, I started getting work from people who wanted to do online theatre shows or wanted to record and rehearse things on Zoom. Then I moved to virtual events and managing the technical aspects of the online event, getting people on and off the virtual stage, making sure their cameras and mics were working, they were positioned well on screen – lots of similar things I would do in a theatre but across a camera. “Now, the majority of my time is spent training people how to use

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the platforms, getting people to look at the cameras – things that most speakers at events would never have to worry about – they would just turn up and get on a podium and get on with it. Now it’s training people to be television presenters.”

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We brought together more livestreams than ever before, taking both TV presenters and directors of organisations large and small through a baptism of fire

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The power of livestream As we all slowly began to adapt to the new way of life, the true power of livestreaming started to become more evident. In some cases, its ability to hold the attention of a captive audience and connect people on opposite sides of the globe allowed businesses and companies to thrive during this difficult time. “Shows like Screwfix Live were a huge success, hosted by Sky Sports presenter Jacqui Oatley,” says Lindsay. “Different football legends joined us remotely every night and we were able to broadcast on their homepage and social channels. Many of our clients have reported a big uplift in this area because their online audience has increased due to the way viewing habits have transformed over the last 12 months.” For theatres and museums in Bath, livestreaming services and event platforms enabled them to run workshops, helping people navigate the new world in which we find ourselves. The Egg Assembly, for example, has been running a line of online courses for young theatre makers, who will eventually have to work and thrive in this new normal. “The courses are really contemporary,” explains Luke. “They’ve been doing virtual reality courses and explaining how to get the best out of Zoom. I think this is really key in helping young theatre makers create work for themselves.” The last year has not only shown how far we can push the boundaries in livestream but exposed its exponential potential. As businesses continue to compete with one another and find new ways to reach their audiences, more platforms and updates are launched to

Theatre technician and founder of Theatre Bath Twitter account, Luke Emmett. Photo by Owen Benson

meet their needs. “We’ll see the boundaries being pushed in the arts particularly when 5G starts rolling out,” Luke predicts. “For example, when doing street theatre, if you’ve got the ability to have people with their phones there, they could get pushed a notification when they hit a certain mark and what they’re seeing transforms into something else. There are so many possibilities. It could be quite exciting to see what comes out next. Maybe in theatres we’ll get a different experience if we start incorporating the use of phones too.”

Digital discomfort Although we have done well adapting to our current circumstances, those who don’t have the skills to move online can find this transition isolating. “There’s lots of levels of what we call digital discomfort – especially with people that don’t use computers a lot or don’t use technology a lot,” explains Luke. “Coming on to an online platform can be an experience – a lot of people have some sort of technology they can use but a lot of people weren’t used to using it in a way

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that we’ve been forced to use it. You almost have to become an IT expert to talk people through how they can connect to platforms. “On the one hand, livestreaming makes it accessible to a wide variety of people that can’t afford the tickets to go to the theatre but, at the other end of that, there’s a lot of digital poverty. We’ve shouted about all these live events connecting people in more ways than ever before, and that’s great if you’ve got the technology or the money to buy the tickets and get on and view them, but if you don’t have internet access, it’s even more isolating for those people.” The issue of accessibility is also a major concern for theatres while their doors are both open and closed. “The theatre industry as a general rule is not great at accessibility anyway,” says Luke. “One thing that’s been playing on my mind since we locked down is how do we connect to everybody and make sure no one is left behind. The Bath Theatre Royal would normally do an audio description performance but that’s the sort of thing that needs to shift online. There are a lot of platforms out there doing it and pushing it, but a lot of the options I’ve looked at are ridiculously expensive. It’s making the accessible inaccessible and we carry on this crazy circle.” “A lot of the platforms have very basic accessibility functions so many of them don’t have captioning, a lot of them haven’t even thought about sign language interpreters – there’s still a way to go. Things have got to adapt and move forward so that everyone can get access to it and it’s not just those with money that can enjoy it.”

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It’s our duty as decent human beings to ... find a path that brings together both the remote and physical enjoyment of events

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Supporting the arts The lack of funding and support for the arts and freelancers have dominated talks throughout every industry. It is a basic human need to search for a momentary escape from reality and its absence has been noticed by all. “I feel very strongly that we have a duty to support the arts and entertainment sector post-pandemic,” says Lindsay. “Many of my friends and freelance colleagues – cameramen, sound recordists, actors, event managers – have fallen on very hard times with little to no support. It’s the forgotten industry. I think it’s our duty as decent human beings to support that sector moving forward and find a path that brings together both the remote and physical enjoyment of events.” Although Luke is fortunate to have transferred his skills into other areas, many live theatre performers have not had the same opportunity. “It’s good to highlight that a lot of artists are struggling and have been struggling for the last year. It’s going to be interesting to see who we come back to when we come back. “The biggest way to support shows is to buy tickets as soon as they become available. That will show the confidence in the venues – they’re going to need that income straight away. There’s a lot of really talented painters and crafters in the Bath area too – buy from them and buy from the small-scale businesses, they’re the ones that need it and they’re the ones that have been struggling. For actors, donate to the crowdfunders, share the information on social media.” The world has adapted incredibly over the last 12 months, yet the lack of accessibility functions and the issues surrounding digital poverty show that we are still very much living in a digital infancy. “This was thrust upon us and we’ve adapted well but there’s still more to do,” says Luke. “Things will evolve and change and it’s exciting to see what will happen with the digital aspect of it. Some shows work online and some really don’t – I think a lot of it actually 24 TheBATHMagazine

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“Shows like Screwfix Live were a huge success, hosted by Sky Sports presenter Jacqui Oatley,” says Lindsay. Above: a screenshot of the livestream set up. depends on venues that have money and venues that don’t. If you look at the National Theatre, their stream is always high-quality, with multi-cameras and close-ups, but then where’s that boundary of it not being theatre anymore and it becoming film? A lot of productions are live, but doing that over Zoom when the audio dips in and out, it’s difficult to get a live reaction and response from people. It’s doable but you have to manage it in a whole other way. Some of the theatre I’ve watched that has gone out live without audience during the pandemic feels a bit empty and hollow. Theatre is a live experience, it’s about bringing people together and the audience is as much part of the show as the show itself.”

Looking forward to 2021 As we progress further into the year, we look forward to what livestream has in store for us over the next nine months and whether it will be forgotten as live events are welcomed back with open arms. “I think if anything the pandemic has taught us what’s actually possible and to some extent the digital innovations and home working is here to stay,” says Lindsay. “People have become used to a better work/life balance and like it. Productivity has improved for most. There’s huge savings for companies in terms of travel, hotels, office space and carbon footprint by doing things in a more digitally minded manner. Businesses will be asking if it’s necessary to travel to a conference or training event, when an online event could save time and money. “Clearly that’s not suitable for all events, and we ourselves miss the human interaction that we’re all craving right now, and some things just don’t translate online as well as they do in person, which is why I think in 2021 we’re going to see a lot more hybrid activity. An event that is both physical for some attendees and speakers, but also has a livestream option. “I would predict that the businesses that will thrive in 2021 will spend on their digital planning – if your audience are reluctant to come to you, or physically can’t, how do you get to them? If you sit on your laurels you’ll be overtaken by competitors, because demand for livestreaming is only going to head in one direction.” It cannot be ignored that live events hold something different for us all. Whether you’re a performer or a spectator, the sense of fulfilment which comes from a live event is incomparable. We look forward to what more can be offered in these hybrid events as we continue to blend old and new and push forward, together. “In the same breath, I do hope 2021 brings the return of physical multi-camera shoots and live events with audiences,” Lindsay adds. “You can’t replace that human interaction which conveys laughter, warmth, empathy, sincerity, and the need to be around others for mental health and well-being. I miss people. It’s that simple.” ■ mediakinetic.co.uk; lukejohnemmett.co.uk

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Chinese antique collection sale

superb collection of Chinese antique porcelain from a local Bath family is coming up for sale at Ma San Auction in April. The collection belonging to Sir Mark Heath. Heath was born at Emsworth, Hampshire on 22nd May 1927 into a naval family and was educated at Marlborough and Queens' College, Cambridge, where he read History. After National Service in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, he joined the Diplomatic Service in 1950 and in 1982 became the first Ambassador to the Holy see. He was appointed CMG on his appointment as Minister to the Holy See in 1980 and then KCVO on the occasion of the Queen's visit the same year. On retirement from the FCO he served as Head of Protocol for the Hong Kong Government from 1985–88. 1986 the popular Governor of Hong Kong, Sir Edward Youde, suffered a fatal heart attack on a visit to Beijing, becoming the first Hong Kong Governor to die in office. Heath was in charge of arrangements for the funeral on December 9th, 1986. During Heath’s time in Hong Kong, he developed a passion for Chinese ceramics. He frequented Christie’s and Sotheby’s and enjoyed strolling down Hollywood Road browsing the antique shops. Some of the items show a ‘C.Y.Tse Antiques & Collectibles’ sticker from where some of his collection was purchased. He had a good eye, loved the history and provenance of these items, and invested wisely. He brought his collection to Bath in late 1988 where he retired with his wife, who had taught English to Chinese pupils in Hong Kong and continued to do so in Bath. After a contented retirement gardening and volunteering as a steward in Bath Abbey, Sir Mark died in 2005. The majority of the collection is made up of pieces from the 18th and 19th century under the reigns of Emperors Kangxi, Yongzheng, Qianlong and Jiaqing. A handful of items can be described as Imperial ware (Guan yao), which is porcelain specifically manufactured for the Chinese emperor and the Imperial household. Sir Mark had a passion for Chinese culture and art and made clear to his family that he was happy for the collection to be sold after his death and eventually make its way back to China.

To view the collection as well as other items coming up in the April 21st sale, you can visit masanauction.com where you’ll find an illustrated catalogue.

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THEATRE | & | LITERATURE

The problem with Shakespeare

Gerie Herbert wonders why a writer who died four centuries ago still holds such a big place in the nation’s heart and considers why many people don’t connect with his work and yet find this hard to admit to. Look for the magic and the poetry, she advises

ach 23rd of April the Bath Shakespeare Society hosts a delightfully eccentric celebration of William Shakespeare’s birthday. This festivity, open to everyone, is marked by a lecture, with the promise of lively questions to follow. The enthusiasm on display during the after questions might lead one to believe that despite finding ourselves hurled headlong into a digital age where we profess to hold the attention span of gnats, everyone still reads Shakespeare nightly. Shakespeare remains central to our cultural idea of ourselves and a lack of visibility isn’t really the issue. In recent months alone England’s national bard made not only a rather surprising appearance in Grazia magazine’s Chart of Lust (number ten and tumbling downward); he also featured in numerous newspaper articles on the pandemic, became a central character in Branagh’s All is True and Maggie O Farrell’s Hamnet, and was given his own sitcom, Upstart Crow. And that might have been room for celebration enough, except when the questions are over at the Bath Shakespeare Society event,

Rebecca Hall as Rosalind in As You Like It, Theatre Royal Bath, 2003. Photograph by Nobby Clark

and the murmuring has died down about how wonderful the speaker was and how you had never really looked at it like that before, and in the interval you quietly absorb the existence of a rather surprising recruitment drive for the Richard III society, the much anticipated moment arrives. This is when the trolley fetches in the cake (which is enormous and wears the features and full garb of one William Shakespeare) and let us not dismiss this, the alcohol. And grateful attendees toast a writer who died over 400 years ago but whose work is still proving an enormous floor filler, before singing him ‘Happy Birthday’, as if still alive. Always as the cake gets portioned out, I think that there is just the tiniest whiff of Victoria Wood in the rituals surrounding the sharing of the cake, which feels English in all of the lovely ways, ways which are warm and inclusive and none of the less desirable ones. In short as an afternoon, it wears Shakespeare with a little s, the Shakespeare of magic and poetry and all the deadening stuff about significance and statistics and St George don’t even get a look in, and that is what keeps the same happy crowd coming back. But there is little doubt most people look of a similar demographic to me, white and middle-aged plus, and it’s the same whenever you see Shakespeare, whether that be in the theatre or at a live screening. The truth remains that many people continue to feel alienated from everything Shakespeare with a capital S stands for. And though he might enjoy cultural currency as a conduit of certain themes and issues, is it of importance if we aren’t really reading or watching him anymore? Because in a broader cultural sense there is certainly something about the threading of Shakespeare not only with our sense of national identity but with a certain kind of cultural weight meant to validate us intellectually, that invites ambivalence at best and abhorrence at worst. For many it begets a sort of social embarrassment whereby if you don’t like Shakespeare or feel you fully understand him, or even if you do like him but not everything in equal measure, it is very hard to admit to. But liberate yourself from shame immediately and take comfort because, for a start there might be some lying going on and plenty of exceptionally clever people didn’t like Shakespeare either. In Shakespeare and the Drama, Tolstoy comically unfolds his utter bewilderment at the preposterous plot of King Lear and the fact it makes no sense. And amongst those who do love Shakespeare, who can’t imagine how you could exist in the world without knowing that ‘grief boundeth where it falls’ or loving ‘When to the sessions of sweet silent thought’, it doesn’t mean they love it uncritically or in equal measure.

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Although Shakespeare might enjoy cultural currency, is it of importance if we aren’t really reading or watching him any more?

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THEATRE | & | LITERATURE

I am sure there are plenty of Shakespeare lovers who find comedy doesn’t travel well down the ages or find the tragedies too bleak for their taste. And for every transformative live performance experienced, there will have been plentiful nights spent in unspeakable misery watching productions where all the verse was spoken in perfect rhythm but without a single note of genuine feeling. All the while wishing they had not dragged along their teenage child for whom they probably just killed Shakespeare for life. A further reason people don’t thirst for Shakespeare could be that they learn in an accidental kind of way that Shakespeare while supposedly representing the whole of English culture, simultaneously doesn’t appear to speak for them. By the time they learn the conspiracy on why Shakespeare couldn’t possibly be Shakespeare, it’s perhaps no wonder they think they are on a hiding to nothing. Bolder casting decisions are important, humanising Shakespeare through drama or literature helps, but if clever men insist on telling poor kids that poor kids should strive to read Shakespeare while not being thought clever enough to write it, it’s little wonder perhaps they fail to engage. But of course, Shakespeare was clever enough to be Shakespeare! And not just clever but magical! There are plenty of complete bores well-versed in Shakespeare and there are plenty of people who never read a book in their lives brimming with emotional delicacy and intelligence. And there is no

Simon Gregor as Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Theatre Royal Bath 2016. Photograph by Nobby Clark

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There is no reason why you should love Shakespeare, but it would be wonderful if you felt you could

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David Haig as King Lear and Edward Postlethwaite as Edgar in King Lear, Theatre Royal Bath 2013. Photograph by Nobby Clark

reason why you should love Shakespeare, but it would be wonderful if you felt you could. Every person who loves it would probably like to force feed you Ben Whishaw as Richard II or make you sit down on your bed and read sonnets end to end when you’ve a broken heart, but it would do no good. If you want to make a start somewhere then you could do little better than the Bath Shakespeare Society where members sit and work the play out together without any social embarrassment and for the sheer love of stories and words. ■ bathshakespearesociety.eu5.org THEBATHMAG.CO.UK

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MUSIC HISTORY

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The Who performed live at the Pavilion Bath on 10 November 1966. Here we see Pete Townsend in iconic Union Jack jacket. This amazing early photo of the band comes from a set showing them towards the end of a marathon tour of approximately 216 performances that year

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MUSIC HISTORY

Rocking the Bath Pavilion

Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, Pink Floyd, The Who, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, Art Garfunkel, Radiohead, Stereophonics, Blur, Kaiser Chiefs – this list of musical greats has one thing in common – they all played The Bath Pavilion, which over the years has played host to dozens of musical stars. Mick Ringham remembers the good old days when he used to spend Mondays down at the Pav mixing with the stars

f you are a resident of Bath then you will know The Pavilion, especially in its current role as a vaccination centre. And yet this rather drab, non-descript barn of a building has little to recommend it. This, the former temple of pop music in the 1960s, is located down a short flight of steps off the main North Parade Road in an almost forgotten corner of the city, uncomfortably sandwiched between the hideously lumpish leisure centre with its mish-mash of styles and the magistrates courts. The Pavilion has nevertheless played an incredibly important role in entertaining the citizens of Bath over the years. The main reason for its almost legendary status is not the stark and unforgiving nature of the building, but the part it has played in bringing to thousands of local people the joy and thrills of pop music that is likely to stay in their memories for as long as the Pavilion remains. During the 1960s and 70s I was working as a professional DJ, playing gigs on an almost nightly basis on the national circuit as well as locally, however for some odd reason Monday nights were hopeless for gigs, so I found myself, along with hundreds of others, watching bands down at the ‘Pav’, only in my case from the side of the stage. It was a strange experience in many respects as I would be playing their records all week and on Monday nights I could be having a drink with them in the Pavilion’s shabby dressing rooms or, if lucky, in the Huntsman pub at the end of the road. As well as being the so called ‘privileged guest’ of the promoter, I would on some rare occasions play a few records in between the acts and occasionally draw those faded curtains open to reveal some of the bands and artists that in many instances have made musical history.

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I played cards with the Bee Gees, a game I recall losing along with five quid

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The performers would be welcomed on stage either with a mixture of screaming mass hysteria or humble musical appreciation; this would depend on the music they played and the sex appeal of the artist. This is what those audiences came for and needless to say, eyes would light-up with excitement as that first, all-important number started. Some nights you couldn’t hear yourself think, but who wants to think when you’re having such a great time? Those kids would be involved with their heroes, not just by listening to them, but by being part of the night. Outside could be cold, wet and miserable, but in here you were worlds away and enjoying yourself with not a care to be had – you were in all honesty living the dream and it felt good. I’m not a great one for making lists but I do recall that most of the top bands or groups, as they were called then, were household names or later went on to join the annals of cultural pop history such as the Beatles who performed here before they found worldwide fame. I remember a multitude of acts during the Pav’s heyday including the support bands, which were chiefly talented local semi-pro bands

Jimi Hendrix at the Pavilion, 1967. Pictured from left to right are Mitch Mitchell, Jimi Hendrix and Noel Redding of the Jimi Hendrix Experience

trying to get that all important break into the big-time. Certain personalities and nights stand out. The Who were almost a house band given their frequent appearances on stage, along with the Kinks who incidentally sold me their former PA system. I was lucky enough to see Tina Turner shake her tail feather, Jimi Hendrix set fire to his guitar and Eric Clapton blow the audience away. If I was there early enough I could hang out with them, on one strange occasion playing football on the Rec with Rod Stewart and Jeff Beck and another playing cards with the Bee Gees, a game I recall losing along with five quid! But here’s the thing, and it still hurts today – I missed The Beatles who played there in June 1963 – some week to take a holiday! Whether or not they were topping the music charts, the one thing these artists had in common is that they were predominantly male and extremely hardworking. The relatively short time these musicians were together generated a revolution in modern music. In short they succeeded in changing the monochrome world of popular music that was prevalent at the time into vivid colour. Not only did they re-create contemporary music but their enthusiasm helped inspire many young people to explore different musical styles, and in turn form an understanding of art and fashion. Touring the country night after night in a cramped van left the glamour of the stage far behind, with artists facing the gruelling ➲ THEBATHMAG.CO.UK 2010 THEBATHMAG.CO.UK | jAnuARy | APRIL 2021

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MUSIC HISTORY

The Beatles outside the Francis Hotel June 1963. They played at the Pavilion on Monday 10 June 1963. They were supported by The Colin Anthony Combo and Chet and the Triumphs

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That’s what that place was all about, grim on the outside and yet a blaze of light, sound and anticipation within

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reality of life on the road. I remember talking to Lulu about this and she recalled touring the country for months on end with a bunch of guys in a small van that was always breaking down. She said, nearly five decades later, that she could still remember the dank clothes, the smell of old socks, last night’s curry, body odours and other aromas which you can probably guess, that were not all that enticing. Robert Plant told me a similar story of his first group Band of Joy, long before he formed Zeppelin and became a superstar. In retrospect it wasn’t an easy life, but the one thing the vast majority of them shared at that time, was their talent along with their optimism. And let’s face it, to their fans they will always be stars. Little did I realise that I would be writing about these bands and the Bath Pavilion decades later, yet there is no doubting the fact that this somewhat tired old Edwardian building holds fond memories and has had an emotional impact on so many people. You can’t buy atmosphere – it has to be created – and that’s what that place was all about, grim on the outside and yet a blaze of light, sound and anticipation within. These days I suppose it would be regarded as a little naff, but

back then it was part of our make-up, part of our past – this little magic on a Monday night is never to be forgotten and is always remembered with genuine affection. The wonderful thing about music is that it can transport you back to a period of time like nothing else. So my friends, explore your attic and search for those scratched 45s, dig deep for those vintage LPs, blow the dust off that battered old record player, turn up the volume, sit back, close your eyes, and pretty soon the memories will come flooding back! n

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FOOD | & | DRINK

Extraordinary eggs “An egg is always an adventure; the next one may be different”, said Oscar Wilde. There’s no doubt that eggs are a constant adventure at Clarence Court in Lacock who offer the widest range of eggs sold in Britain, from Burford Brown and Old Cotswold Legbar to ostrich and quail. Their traditional breed birds are free to roam from dawn to dusk and enjoy a maize enriched diet formulated to include wheat, sunflower, seashell, soya, paprika and marigold. Here we look at a selection of the eggs on offer at Clarence Court and they treat us to some eggy recipes so we can celebrate this Easter with real eggs, as well as chocolate ones 1 Ostrich eggs Available from April to September, these eggs weigh in at nearly 2kg each – one ostrich egg is roughly equivalent to 24 large hen’s eggs for cooking in recipes. With a distinctive light flavour and texture they are ideal for cooking. 2 Rhea eggs In season from March to June, Rhea eggs are lighter and fluffier than hen’s eggs but have a stronger flavour. Rheas are often called the American ostrich so their eggs are large and good to share. 3 Emu eggs Emu eggs are milder in taste compared to a hen egg and they are much fluffier in texture. They boast a high ratio of yolk to white, allowing impressive results when used for baking. Emus lay their eggs throughout winter so the eggs are available from November to May. 4 Goose eggs Goose eggs are mouth-wateringly rich and creamy and if you softboil them they’re perfect with shavings of truffles or fresh, seasonal asparagus soldiers. One goose egg is the equivalent to 2.5 medium hen’s eggs. 5 Turkey eggs Clarence Court turkey eggs are a luxurious treat with their creamy big yolks. Turkey’s eggs, unlike Turkey meat, are a rarity because

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they simply do not produce very many eggs each year and, as they are big birds, required a lot of feed. Available from April to June. 6 Cornish Blues With lovely light-greenish blue coloured shells, Cornish Blue duck eggs taste as beautiful as they look. The creamy yolks lend themselves fabulously to bakes and cakes, and are simply delicious as a morning treat fried or boiled. 7 Leghorn White eggs Leghorn White eggs have beautiful bright white shells. Once cracked, the signature vibrant golden yolks stand proud. The golden yolk when soft boiled against a bright white shell will leave your mouth water and the creamy taste won’t disappoint. 8 Old Cotswold Legbar eggs Clarence Court Old Cotswold Legbar eggs have a distinctive pale blue shell. Its deceivingly delicate outer shell colour hides a rich creamy yolk with a dense flavour. Old Cotswold Legbar eggs have plump and upstanding yolks and are delicious when fried. 9 Braddock White Duck eggs From their translucent, ivory white eggshells to the light, creamy yolks, these duck eggs bring a new meaning to ‘go large’ for recipes. These eggs are made for exceptionally light baking. Some people once they have had duck eggs never go back to hens’ eggs for breakfast.

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FOOD | & | DRINK 10 Burford Brown eggs Burford Brown eggs have a hard, glossy, deep brown shell that’s good for poaching and boiling as they retain their farm freshness. They have a delicious, dense golden yolk and a rich flavour. 11 Bantam eggs As small hens, Bantams produce small eggs. The intense dark yolk is richer, so is perfect for scrambling and making quiche. The ratio of eggs yolk to egg white is much higher than a standard hen’s egg at 50/50, giving the egg a much deeper colour. 12 Pullet eggs Laid by young birds, Pullet eggs are much smaller in size, around a third of the size of older hen eggs. Prized for their high yolk to white ratio by chefs, the wonderfully rich flavour and strikingly deep coloured yolks make for the perfect mayonnaise, pastry or crème brulée. 13 Guinea Fowl eggs Available from spring to later summer, Guinea Fowl eggs have a thicker, oatmeal-coloured shell and a rich flavoursome yolk. Originally native to Africa, these eggs are a delicate and elegant treat. 14 Pheasant eggs In season from April to June, these eggs are delicious. They have deep yellow yolks, larger than a quail egg, but about half the size of a regular hen’s egg. Their shells are a sophisticated olive green and brown. 15 Quail eggs Quail eggs are a quarter of the size of hen’s eggs. Their small speckled shells hold delicate little eggs with pale yolks which need just 30 seconds to soft boil. Although fiddly to shell they are worth the bother to make wonderful bite-sized scotch eggs. A range of Clarence Court eggs are available from Waitrose, or to find your nearest stockist of Burford Browns, Old Cotswold Legbar or Leghorn Whites, put your postcode in the store locator on the Clarence Court website; clarencecourt.co.uk

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ABOVE, from top: Burford Brown hens at Clarence Court and Braddock White ducks roaming freely

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FOOD | & | DRINK

Spring Salad Take ham and egg a little further with the addition of crunchy British asparagus, griddled gem lettuce and a caper dressing. Frying ham may sound a little odd but it works and it’s all topped off with a glorious soft boiled hen’s egg. Prep time: 5 minutes; cook time: 15 minutes; serves 1 INGREDIENTS 150g British asparagus spears 1 large hen’s egg 1 piece good quality ham ½ little gem lettuce 1 teaspoon baby capers 1 tablespoon cold pressed extra virgin rape seed oil 1 teaspoon cider vinegar Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper Handful of rocket METHOD 1 Place a large frying pan or griddle pan on a high heat. Place a small pan of water on to boil. Click the woody stem from the asparagus and griddle the spears for about 5–7 minutes until just soft. Boil the egg to your liking, cool and peel. 2 When the asparagus is nearly cooked, add the ham slice and fry until golden and crisp. Add the lettuce to the pan cut side down and cook this too for around 2–3 minutes. 3 To make the dressing, mix the capers, vinegar and oil in a large bowl and season. Add the rocket, cooked asparagus and little gem and toss well. Transfer to a plate and top with the egg and ham, and spoon over any remaining dressing.

Easy Stove-top Eggs A quick lunch or supper that can help use up what’s left in your fridge. Serve with fresh crusty bread. Prep time: 10 minutes; cook time: 35 minutes; serves 2 INGREDIENTS 350g new potatoes 100g chorizo, sliced 1 red onion, sliced 1 yellow pepper, deseeded and sliced ½ red pepper, deseeded and sliced 4 hen’s eggs A few sprigs fresh parsley, leaves picked and chopped METHOD 1 Place a saucepan of water on to boil and cook the potatoes for 10 minutes or until nearly cooked through. Drain and place to one side. Place the chorizo in a frying pan and fry for 5 minutes on a medium heat or until starting to crisp and release oil. Transfer to a bowl and place to one side leaving the oil in the pan. 2 Add the onion and peppers to the pan and fry on a medium heat for 10 minutes or until softened. Add the cooked potatoes and fry for a further 5 minutes until start to brown. Return the chorizo to the pan and stir everything together. 3 Make an indent in the vegetables for each egg and crack them into the gaps. Place a lid on the pan and allow to cook for 5 minutes or until the white is cooked. Scatter over the parsley, season with pepper and serve. 34 TheBATHMagazine

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FAR LEFT: Jack Rose started hauling coal from Chippenham train station to customers in the village of Bromham where he started a small market garden in the 19th century; the company later became Lovejoys LEFT: Neil Mortimer who represents the fourth generation of the family business has now been joined by his sons George and Ben

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FOOD | AND | DRINK

Feeding the locals

You might not have heard of Lovejoys, but it’s likely you will have eaten their produce – from fruit and vegetables to eggs, bread, herbs, cooking oil and ice cream – in those nostalgic times when you went out for a meal. Melissa Blease chats to Ben Mortimer, representing the fifth generation of the family business, about a more optimistic future

Main image: AdobeStock.com

community too. Lovejoys recently collaborated with The Longs Arms pub in South Wraxall to support the Kinder Kitchen initiative, providing free, vegetarian, freshly cooked meals to local people in need in Bath and West Wiltshire. “Many thanks to our drivers David and Nick who have volunteered their time to support us in that, too,” says Ben. But let’s not forget that, while Covid ruled the waves, the UK went through further huge changes that, after all the In/Out/Shake-it-allabout furore, almost got kicked to the kerb. “Brexit? Oh, that!,” Ben laughs. “It’s funny how we were concerned about the impact of Brexit for years but then Covid came along and affected the hospitality side of the food industry in a much more serious way. In effect, we’ve encountered only minor changes to the importing of goods so far. But our ethos and priority is to source and promote local, British, seasonal produce anyway, which of course is unaffected.”

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My father Neil’s experience as a grower and the personal contacts he forged with others in the region remains of the greatest value to our business

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s the UK tentatively starts to venture out from Covidenforced hibernation, hospitality industry folk are keeping their fingers crossed that the light at the end of the tunnel shines brightly enough to send all notion of restrictions into the shadows. As we the public – hungry for eating (and drinking!) out again – dust the mothballs off our going-out clothes, news headlines, documentaries and social media threads continue to put hospitality business owners in the spotlight as questions around survival and support rightfully continue to dominate the menu. But as has always been the case, there’s an unseen, often unsung army who have been struggling as much as those on the frontline throughout the fraught year we finally seem to be waving goodbye to. Without the local growers, producers and suppliers who underpin the foundations for the success of any contemporary restaurant or food business, there would literally be no food on the table for our coming out party feast – and long-established local produce specialist Lovejoys (based just up t'road from Bath, in Melksham) represents the cream of the food service crop. “The last year has presented many challenges to Lovejoys, with the closure of the majority of our customers’ businesses for long periods at the forefront of the troubles we’ve endured,” says Ben Mortimer, who, alongside his brother George, works closely with their dad (and business founder) Neil to manage operations in what’s now a fifth-generation, family-run business. “The open/shut, open/shut nature of the 2020 lockdowns precipitated extraordinary changes in trading patterns; during the Eat Out To Help Out scheme, for example, we were as busy as we would have been over any regular Christmas... and then it all stopped again. It’s really incredible, though, how resilient our customers – nearly all of whom are local, independent businesses – are. The chefs we work with have been inventive in founding new ventures and have remained positive, and our staff have been supportive throughout, responding and adapting brilliantly to the many changes we’ve had to make. Most of our team have been working over the past year but we’re really looking forward to welcoming everybody else back from furlough over the next few months, so finally things are starting to look up again!” When it comes to the businesses that the Lovejoys team so diligently dig for, there’s a whole range of customers who rely on the Mortimer family’s services from five-star luxury hotels such as Lucknam Park to village shops and nursery schools, taking in pubs, museums, local food manufacturers and tiny cafés along the way. And the range of necessities that Lovejoys supply isn’t only farmed from great green growing stuff, either; there’s eggs and local dairy produce on the menu too (all sourced from farms in Wiltshire, Dorset, Devon and Somerset) alongside fresh bread, ice cream, herbs, cooking oil and all kinds of everything else in an everexpanding larder with plenty of storage for chilled and frozen foodstuffs too. Essential? It’s all there! And it’s all local, local, local. “Bath Quinoa, Lacock Ice Cream, Wiltshire Duck Eggs, Bromham vegetables – we love local!” says Ben. “We also have a team that goes to Bristol Market three times a week to look for more exotic items or good deals – we like our customers to rely on us to source a rare product or send an emergency delivery. And that service didn’t stop throughout any of the lockdowns; we continued to deliver six days a week with no minimum order, adapting our product range and developing new methods of communication to connect with our customers even more than before,” says Ben. And a connection that wasn’t all and only about commerce made a big impact on our local

Sustainability is high on the agenda for the Lovejoys team too: solar panels on the warehouse keep Lovejoys’ lights on throughout most of the year, plastic packaging is kept to a minimum and recyclables are collected back from customers. “99% of our customers are within an hour’s drive of our base and we’re planning on moving our entire fleet to electric vans as soon as the technology is there for refrigerated vehicles,” says Ben. So, taking all this into account: does the coolest food supply business in the UK happen to be right here, on our doorstep? “My father Neil’s experience as a grower and the personal contacts he forged with others in the region who have a real knowledge and passion for the industry remains of the greatest value to our business today, and the secret to any longstanding success we’re lucky enough to maintain,” says Ben. “And right now, we really are lucky to be where we’re at, despite everything that’s been thrown at us this past year. We’re very optimistic about a busy spring and summer season for our customers, and thus our business too. And we want to grow! We’re really looking forward to working with new customers as the world starts opening up again – we supply a lot of nurseries and local junior schools but would love to work with more secondaries and independents in the area, for example, who often use national suppliers; we can supply their kitchens with produce grown just a stone’s throw away, which of course is more sustainable and invests money back into the local economy – and the very word Lovejoys should become synonymous with local.” And so it came to pass that a business started by coal hauler-cummarket gardener Jack Rose over 150 years ago is today responsible for feeding many generations to come. Lovejoys: we love you! n Lovejoys; lovejoyswholesale.com The Kinder Kitchen initiative; kinder-kitchen.com THEBATHMAG.CO.UK THEBATHMAG.CO.UK 2010 | jAnuARy | APRIL 2021

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NATURE

Forage harvester

f there was ever a time to re-engage with nature, it has been during these uncertain times. Hence the reason I was with Rob Gould, aka the Cotswold Forager, tramping through several fields in Freshford, just outside Bath, on a damp morning last autumn. Gould is a passionate forager and lover of the outdoors and keen to spread the word on his walks. As his Facebook page says: “I see foraging as a way of getting people to think about and develop a love for the wild food…as well as helping to grow a greater appreciation and understanding of the natural world as a whole.” Wearing shorts and carrying the requisite forager’s knife, pouch and hand lens (to inspect the pores in mushrooms), Gould looks the part too. As we chat and wander, he adds: “I think there is a growing interest from multiple avenues. It’s about getting back to our roots and being able to save a bit of money. “There are also people who want to reconnect with nature and learn more about their locality, which has happened during Covid. There’s also increased interest in seasonality, too, and the way food is produced and the ethics of it.” Soon after we set off, wandering by the River Frome, Gould points to some Himalayan Balsam, an invasive plant all of which is edible. It’s great for salads, I learn, with the seeds having a nutty texture. Like all the plants we discuss, each has a binomial name (in this case Impatiens glandulifera) but a multitude of local names – this one is also colourfully referred to as Gnome’s Hatstand, Ornamental Jewelweed and Policeman’s Helmet). As with many such plants it comes with a warning, though, as it has a high mineral content and shouldn’t be consumed in great quantities.

Photograph by Adam Lewis

Lockdown has allowed much more time for exploring the natural landscape and this has resulted in an increased interest in green spaces and their restorative qualities. Simon Horsford met up with the Cotswold Forager, Rob Gould, about how the natural environment can be productive in another way, as a source of ingredients

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When we forage we truly know the organism we choose to collect... we feel we deserve it, we own it

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He then spots some sweet woodruff (Galium odoratum) also known as Wild Baby’s Breath. It’s related to sticky willy, and according to Gould can be used for infusing schnapps or ice cream. Unsurprisingly, there is an abundance of nettles too – “high in nutrients, flavonoids and antioxidants”, says Gould.”Use it like spinach or as a tea,” he adds; the leaves are best when tender, so pick them in mid-spring. Gould, who lives in Cheltenham with his partner and two young sons, has been a forager for some 20 years, taking it up via working in bars and restaurants, horticultural college, landscape gardening and charity work, although initially the greater appeal lay in wild camping. When I first started getting interested, Hugh FearnleyWhittingstall was doing Cook on the Wild Side, “so I was thinking this is quite cool and it was like the perfect timing.” Another early inspiration was an old library copy of Richard Mabey’s renowned Food for Free, written in 1972. It now seems ahead of its time and a book in which the author pointed out: “When we forage, we truly know the organism we choose to collect, its mode of life, its beauty, its value and its season, and in a way THEBATHMAG.CO.UK

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NATURE

WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR IN SPRING by Rob Gould Dandelion leaves: Grown as a salad leaf in the past, these have a bitter taste akin to radicchio, or chicory. The youngest leaves can be eaten as they are, but for older leaves, soak for a few hours in cold water to remove some of the bitterness.

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unobtainable from food that is bought, we feel we deserve it, we own it.” It’s a philosophy that rings true with Gould, who in the past has said that as people have become increasingly detached from nature and the outdoors, foraging can be way of addressing this dislocation and also give us something back by making us less reliant on others for a food source. “I also like the intensity of flavours that you can’t find in things you buy in the supermarket,” he adds. We press on veering to and from the riverbank as Gould explains that the meeting of two habitats are the most productive areas for foragers – unsurprisingly, perhaps, because “you’ve got twice as much chance of finding something interesting.” The edge of a forest or by the side of a river can be very productive as are pasture and meadow land and hedgerows. “I also do a lot of urban foraging,” says Gould. “I wish people would get more into it even as way of engaging more with their local habitats.”It can prompt the odd reaction from the locals, though. “I do get some strange looks if I’m on a footpath reaching for something in a tree.” Gould’s work takes him beyond just foraging walks with the public as he has fostered collaborative events with restaurants and charities. He also has an interaction with The Re-Wild Project, a social enterprise in the Forest of Dean And he’s been approached by a countryside charity, the CPRE, who want to start doing foraging walks for their members and the public. Elsewhere, Gould has held foraging tours in Tuscany, where the activity seems to be more ingrained in the culture as it is elsewhere in Europe. “They have retained that knowledge and it’s more a part of the folklore, which to a certain extent we have lost, although more people know about it now.” Nature, the outdoors, sustainable food sources, even mindfulness, foraging ticks a lot of boxes during these environmentally conscious and more restricted times. n 40 TheBATHMagazine

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Wild garlic: Yes, I know its a bit obvious, but for a good reason. These, for me, are the harbinger of spring, and are edible in their entirety – try making a pesto by just smashing up some unopened flower buds in a pestle and mortar with a touch of oil, cheese and walnuts. Wood ear mushrooms: For those not in the know, these are all about the texture, which for some might be horrible, like a bland, firm jelly. But dehydrate them on a plate in a warm room, then rehydrate them in a tasty liquid, like soy or Worcestershire sauce, even alcohol and you may just change your mind about them... Lime leaves: No, not those ones, I’m talking about the leaves of the native lime/ linden tree. Fresh and young they are a deliciously saladlike leaf; as they mature they can be cooked as a vegetable. cotswoldforager.co.uk

All images used courtesy

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It’s about getting back to our roots and being able to save a bit of money

Stinging nettle: Yep, stingers. The bane of many childhoods, these are surprisingly delicious and can replace spinach in virtually anything. In fact, if you go in with an open mind, the flavour is far superior. Pick the youngest few pairs of leaves, at the top of the plant, and enjoy. Just like spinach, one cubic metre of nettles will cook down to approximately a quarter of a tablespoon!

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By the lakeside

Wimbleball Lake

Camping, walking, fishing, sailing, kayaking, paddleboarding, watching wildlife and finding scenic retreats by the shores of a lake offer many options for a magical spring break for visitors to the south west

fter the dark, cold days of winter, the first signs of spring are always a welcome sight. Warmer temperatures, budding plants and the sweet glimpse of new life are just a few of the long-awaited moments revealing spring is finally in the air. It’s the time of year when nature is changing, full of the promise of new life, and offering a breath of fresh air and an overload of the senses. It’s the perfect time to escape the hustle and bustle, immerse yourself in nature and experience the endless benefits of being outdoors. Those lucky enough to live in the south west don’t have to venture far to find some of the most beautiful lakes in the UK. From moorland gems nestled amongst rolling hills to the atmospheric waters set in Cornwall’s iconic mining landscape – these much-loved beauty spots provide a restorative escape. Lakes include the breathtaking Wimbleball on Exmoor (less than a two hour drive from Bristol and Bath), the idyllic Roadford on the edge of Dartmoor and the Cornish lakes of Tamar near Bude, Siblyback near Liskeard and Stithians near Redruth. These are places where you can relax and observe the wildlife, stretch your legs, embrace a moment of calm or enjoy a scenic retreat and a deserved café break. 42 TheBATHMagazine

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Camping breaks The spectacular lakes of the south west are perfect locations for campervan and motorhome owners to escape to, relax and unwind. You’ll relish outdoor barbecues, stargazing and the opportunity to explore three national parks, Cornwall's clay country as well as the spectacular coastlines. From the soothing sounds of water lapping against the lake shore and the relaxing dawn chorus on a spring morning to the rustling of leaves as a gentle breeze passes through the impressive

Siblyback Lake near Liskeard

woodland canopy above, waking up to nature’s soundtrack truly is incredible. Now is the time to detach yourself from modern life and connect with your natural surroundings on your next lakeside break.

Put a spring in your step Visiting the lakes on bike or foot is a great way to experience this beautiful time of year. Watch as winter transitions into spring and witness the landscape changing into a kaleidoscope of colour, a natural blanket of yellow, green, blue and crisp white. Admire

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the spectacular flowers blooming around the lakes. Some traditional favourites to spot are daffodils, snowdrops, primroses, bluebells, wild garlic, wood forget-me-not and cuckooflowers. The lakes are also home to an abundance of wildlife, from wildfowl, hedgehogs and weasels to bats, deer and the illusive dormouse. Don’t forget to look out for the flashes of colour in the sky as the butterflies emerge and spot one of the most iconic signs of spring, frogspawn, within ponds and along shorelines. Canoeing at Siblyback Lake

Take to the water Those wanting to dip their toes in can hire a variety of watersports equipment, including kayaks, canoes and paddleboards and those who have their own kit can use it on the lakes. South West Lakes also offer qualified instructors so you can take part in a ‘Have a Go’ session or sign up to a course.

Hook, line and sinker Roadford, Siblyback, Stithians and Wimbleball are all popular trout fisheries and perfect spots to begin an angling adventure. South West Lakes also manages 14 coarse fisheries across Devon and Cornwall including Tamar Lakes, voted as the second-best still water coarse fishery in the country in the Angling Times Magazine’s National Angling Awards.

Natural wellbeing Research shows that ‘blue space’ including sea, rivers and lakes can have a positive impact on health and wellbeing. The lakes of the south west provide an abundance of opportunities for people of all ages and abilities to engage with the outdoors and get active. They are havens not just for wildlife but for walkers, runners, cyclists, families, sailors, birdwatchers and anglers, all searching for their own piece of tranquility. So discover the beauty beyond your doorstep, head to the lakes this spring and experience an unforgettable adventure. Ready, set, spring! ■ swlakestrust.org.uk/activities

South West Lakes are operating their activities and camping in line with government guidelines. Safeguarding visitors and employees is priority and therefore certain measures have been put in place to limit the spread of coronavirus and maintain the safety of everyone. Please do check the South West Lakes website prior to visiting to make sure you are up to date with information for your trip and ensure you maintain social distancing when visiting.

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FOOD | & | DRINK

Escape to Burgh Island

It is easy to see why Agatha Christie thought Burgh Island and its magnificent Art Deco hotel was the perfect setting for many of her murder mysteries, especially during the dramatic winter months. But come the summertime, there’s a very different adventure to be experienced. This is a tale of romance, luxury, and the perfect British seaside getaway.

An escape from the everyday Cut off from the mainland at high tide, the private island provides the true peace and seclusion that many of us are craving amid the highs and lows of the pandemic. In fact, the journey to Burgh Island alone is an adventure, with access twice a day only possible via the hotel’s historic sea tractor, which carries guests across the sea (at a social distance, of course). The rich history of the island is enough to transport guests to a different time entirely and original Art-Deco architectural and design features from plush velvet chairs to the authentic stained-glass Crittall skylight, serve as a romantic reminders of the hotel’s wild

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and luxurious past. Infamous in the 1930s for its raucous parties, the hotel maintains all the glamour and glitz of its past, with black-tie dining in its Grand Ballroom and a decadent bi-annual ball. There are also plenty of legends to be found at the Hotel’s Pilchard Inn, an ancient smuggler’s pub dating back to 1336, which has welcomed many a guest for a drink by the warm fire or served pints to holiday makers on the adjacent Bigbury beach. But as well as being the perfect place for celebrating the high days and heydays of life, this is a wonderful spot for relaxation. Set apart from the mainland, the private island offers the chance for real calm, with a boutique spa and a unique mermaid pool for natural sea water bathing, secured during the second World War by a sluice gate and surrounded by rocks for utter privacy.

New adventures on the Devon coast Set on the rugged shoreline of the Jurassic Coast, guests have unrivalled access to Devon’s natural beauty, from private local hiking, fishing experiences and even shark conservation trips. Hugely popular Murder Mystery evenings, aptly set in the Grand Ballroom where Agatha Christie also took inspiration for her own work, have also become a much-loved entertainment for regular guests. For the more artistically inclined, the hotel offers tutoring sessions for all abilities from its resident island artist, Emma Carter Bromfield. The food, too, is an escape far from normality. From tasting menus at the Grand Ballroom to the more intimate setting of the hotel’s recently opened Nettlefold restaurant, guests are able to taste the freshest produce of the local seas. Passionate about sustainable and seasonal local foods, head chef Tim Hall sources 80% of the hotel’s goods from within a 10-mile radius of Burgh Island. For a postpandemic escape, it’s surely not one to miss.

Burgh Island Hotel, Bigbury-on-Sea, South Devon. Tel: 01548 810514; burghisland.com

All images: courtesy of Burgh Island

s we look towards the reopening of hotels and indoor hospitality on 17 May, dreams of travel are unsurprisingly topping our summer plans. After many months of isolating, remote working and home schooling, the chance to escape is the break so many of us are craving. For those seeking respite, peace and solace in Britain’s natural beauty, it is no surprise that the iconic Burgh Island will be among the most sought-after retreats. The secluded tidal island off the South Devon coast is home to the beloved Burgh Island Hotel, known in the 1930s as the ‘Ritz of the West’ and today that glorious ‘white palace’ built by socialite Archie Nettlefold remains a luxury landmark of Art-Deco architecture and history. An escape in more ways than one, today’s guests walk in the footsteps of esteemed guests including Noel Coward, Amy Johnson, Josephine Baker and Winston Churchill. Famously, Agatha Christie stayed on the island to write two of her novels in a private beach house. Almost a century later, the hotel, part refurbished in 2019 and brought to new heights of luxury by further renovations during lockdown, has been a highly coveted staycation retreat and is ready to reopen its doors once more for the quintessential seaside escape much loved by travellers in the decades before us.

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TRAVEL | EXPLORE

Walking, cycling, swimming, exploring gastronomic delights, relaxing on a beach or in a heavenly spa - there are so many things to make a UK holiday the perfect choice, and whatever the weather, it is the most enjoyable way to support our economic recovery. Your best holiday yet, can be found here.

THE WATERSMEET HOTEL WOOLACOMBE, NORTH DEVON The Watersmeet Hotel in Woolacombe, North Devon has recently won in the Best Waterside Hotel category in the UK and Ireland Conde Nast and Johansen’s awards for excellence. The luxury four star boutique hotel has one of the finest coastal locations in the whole of the West Country, with stunning sea views across the waters of Woolacombe Bay. The hotel overlooks Combesgate Beach and North Devon's rugged coastline with its own private steps down to the sandy beach. With an array of facilities such as an award winning twoAA rosette restaurant, informal bistro restaurant, indoor and outdoor pool with spa facilities, it is the perfect choice for couples, families or groups alike. The hotel staff take pride in their high standards and traditional values and you’ll find the hotel to be exceptionally comfortable and the staff friendly and helpful. visit: www.watersmeethotel.co.uk Tel: 01271 870333

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Main image: Surfing at Woolacombe Bay – courtesy of The Watersmeet Hotel

Great British breaks

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TRAVEL | EXPLORE

CARY ARMS & SPA BABBACOMBE BAY, SOUTH DEVON Owned by Peter and Lana de Savary, the Cary Arms & Spa sits in a spectacular bay, romantically nestled between the cliffs. Originally a historic seaside inn, now known affectionatlely as ‘The Inn on the Beach’, the Cary Arms has been completely transformed by the de Savarys to create a warm and friendly guest experience coupled with sublime luxuries such as a boutique spa, a selection of beautifully styled rooms and cottages and a superb restaurant serving locally sourced food such as lobster, crab and Devon farmed beef. Perfect for couples and families there’s always plenty to do and something for everyone from sailing, paddle-boarding, fishing, walking, to exploring rock pools or just lounging and enjoying the bay views. And, there’s also that Famous Five book or two that might need a re-read. With a choice of accomodation from luxury seaview rooms, beach huts and a range of feature packed cottages that can sleep up to nine people, all with spectacular views, the Cary Arms offers an elegant option for couples and family getaways. For more details, booking information and availability, visit: www.caryarms.co.uk Tel: 01803 327110

BLUESTONE NATIONAL PARK RESORT

PEMBROKESHIRE, WALES

If you are looking for somewhere a little different for a getaway, try Bluestone National Park Resort in Pembrokeshire on the south westerly coast of Wales. Nestled in 500-acres of rolling countryside, and within 20 minutes of Pembrokeshire’s National Park coastline, Bluestone is a place off the beaten track where you can turn your staycation dreams into a reality. Bluestone’s resort has miles of private walking and cycle tracks through woodland and meadows, along with adventurous activities for all ages including a subtropical water park and a lake for watersports. The luxury, modern accommodation offers you the space to relax away from the world too. All lodges and cottages include an outdoor area, ideal for barbecues, or just sitting and enjoying the sunshine. Book your escape. www.bluestonewales.com

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ORIGINAL COTTAGES A SUPER SELECTION OF PROPERTIES ACROSS THE SOUTH WEST AND UK Original Cottages has an extensive range of coastal and countryside cottages, from cosy boltholes for two to country style properties which can accommodate large family gatherings. Take St Docwin near Port Isaac, North Cornwall (shown here). Converted from a former chapel built in 1821, the main living room and kitchen have high beamed ceilings, stone walls, and slate floors with the use of reclaimed wood and stone in the remainder of the modern addition tie the whole together beautifully. Trequite is a small hamlet, a short distance away from the delights of the North Cornish coast and within easy reach of the award-winning St Kew Inn and Port Isaac, where Michelin Star chef, Nathan Outlaw has his Fish Kitchen. Rock, Polzeath and Padstow are all a short drive away. St Docwin sleeps nine in four bedrooms, with two bathrooms and the added bonus is that the family pooch can come too!

For more details, booking information and availability, visit: www.originalcottages.co.uk Tel: 03332 020899

GARA ROCK HOTEL SALCOMBE, SOUTH DEVON Accessed at the end of a twisting narrow lane and perched on a bluff of a cliff overlooking the Salcombe estuary, with the splendid North Sands beach just over a mile away, the Gara Rock hotel is one of the coolest getaways for travellers who are looking for a laid-back, remote, romantic retreat where rugged coastlines slope into sunny, quiet sandy beaches. Salcombe itself (on the other side of the estuary) is just a short walk and ferry ride away, and is a bustling harbour town complete with sailing, boutique shopping, people spotting and a host of trendy cafés to lunch in and some great pubs and bars to enjoy. But it’s the much slower pace at Gara Rock where the calming spa with a whirlpool tub, sauna and steam room, heated indoor and outdoor pools, a little cinema, and excellent restaurant and lounge bar are the real attraction. And it’s all so casual and luxurious, the rooms are chic, super cosy and all have balconies or patios to make the most of the spectacular views. Visit: www.gararock.com 48 TheBATHMagazine

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LYMPSTONE MANOR EXMOUTH, DEVON Lympstone Manor is a splendid Grade II listed Georgian manor house built by the Baring merchant banking family in 1760s that has now been completely transformed with the vision of Michelinstarred chef Michael Caines MBE, into the most luxurious and delightful country house hotel. Situated in the heart of Devon on the foreshores of the Exe estuary the hotel has 21 of the finest rooms and suites - each one named after birds that inhabit the Exe - and complete with original artwork by local artist Rachel Toll, they feature deep bathtubs, fabulous views, there’s even a complimentary G&T tray. Within the 28 acre grounds there are also a fine range of beautifully decorated Shepherd’s Huts nestled in the woodlands, each one having great facilities and some even have private outdoor bathtubs on decked areas. Lympstone Manor is the perfect base for long walks, boating on the Exe, and exploring the local beaches such as the dunes of Dawlish Warren and the south Devon coastline. And, with a working vineyard and Michael Caines at the helm as patron you can expect a truly exquisite dining experience. Visit: www.lympestonemanor.co.uk Tel: 01395 202040

FIVE VALLEYS APARTHOTEL STROUD, COTSWOLDS Staying at Five Valleys is less about staying in, but more about getting out and embracing the change of scene. Enjoy near-endless footpaths and pretty little villages when you get away to the heart of the Cotswolds for a rural break, it couldn’t be easier. Book a stylish apartment and take the opportunity to explore the dramatic scenery on the doorstep. There’s so much going on, too, learn about the rich local history, indulge in the fabulous foodie and café scene, perhaps take an art course, a tour of Woodchester Valley Vineyard with wine tasting, or get active with a guided off-road bike ride or why not play a round or two of golf at one ... (or all) of the five local courses. Perhaps a visit to Stroud Brewery, down by the canal, for organic beer and pizza. If you want some pampering then the Calcot Manor and Spa is the place to unwind and relax. At the aparthotel there’s a bike store, on site parking, free wifi and an accessible apartment too. It’s the perfect place to stay for your next adventure. A three-night weekend starts from less than £230. Visit: www.5va.co.uk Tel: 01453 764496

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Four of a kind

city steeped in rich history, Bath is home to stunning examples of Georgian architecture. Standing at the heart of it is an iconic structure exuding beauty and vitality in equal measure. Pulteney Bridge is admired for its sheer elegance and valued as a rarity in its own right. With only four of its kind existing in the world, Pulteney Bridge sits in fine company with Florence’s Ponte Vecchio, Venice’s Rialto Bridge and Erfurt’s Krämerbrücke in central Germany. The common, but seemingly golden, feature that ties the four designs is the row of shops that line the structures across their full span. Due to this unique quality, the bridges are treasured marvels in their respective countries and attract millions of visitors each year. Bath’s Pulteney Bridge, completed in 1774, was designed by renowned architect Robert Adam. His intricate design has gone down in history as one of the unqualified successes of English Palladianism. To this 50 TheBATHMagazine

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day, the bridge unquestionably injects a sense of pride into the city. But how much do we really know about the Grade I-listed masterpiece?

The Pulteneys We start with the family from which the bridge takes its name – the Pulteneys. The idea of bridging the gap between Bath and Bathwick first came to light when Frances Pulteney inherited the family’s fortune and acquired the 600-acre Bathwick estate in October 1767. It had been passed down from her first cousin once removed, William Pulteney – the first Earl of Bath – to his brother, General Henry Pulteney, and then to Frances, as the General died childless just three years after acquiring it. Up until 1767, Bathwick had been a rural parish. The River Avon separated the estate from the city and a ferry was the only way to travel between the two. Bathwick’s potential, however, was clear to see. As Bath continued to grow

exponentially during the 18th century, Bathwick became an increasingly attractive piece of land to anyone who had a developer’s eye. When Frances inherited the estate in 1767, her husband – Edinburgh lawyer and politician, Sir William Pulteney, known as William Johnstone until his marriage to Frances – was eager to reap the monetary rewards that would come with a new, bustling suburb of an already lucrative city. At the time, Pulteney was reputedly the wealthiest man in Britain, profiting from slave plantations in North America and investing in building developments in Bath and beyond. It became apparent that if the Pulteneys were going to financially benefit from the estate, a connection to the city needed to be established. Just four months after the General died, Pulteney began conferring with Bath City Council and Bath Corporation about his proposals to build a bridge.

Main image: AdobeStock.com

The style and grace of Pulteney Bridge has been enticing visitors to Bath’s riverbanks for over two centuries. As residents, we cherish it – but how much do we really know about it? Millie Bruce-Watt looks back at its history

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CITY | HISTORY

The Adam brothers Robert and James Adam were the sons of Scotland’s foremost architect of the time, William Adam. They trained under their father before embarking on their Grand Tour through Europe. Here, they spent many years studying some of the continent’s most notable pieces of architecture, learning from some of the greatest creators, thinkers and designers of their time. Upon their return to Britain, the brothers established a practice in London. They made their name in the capital and Robert held the post of Architect of the King's Works from 1761 to 1769.

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Pulteney Bridge, like its counterparts in Italy and Germany, is an architectural and engineering wonder of the world

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Initially, the brothers were commissioned to work on designs for the new town at Bathwick but it appears that Pulteney soon entrusted them with his riverside plans. Adam adapted Paty’s original design and began to envisage an elegant structure lined with shops – architecture that he undoubtedly became familiar with on his European travels. After all, he could scarcely have escaped noticing the Ponte Vecchio and the Rialto Bridge while touring through Italy. One of the rejected classical designs for Venice’s Rialto Bridge was by 16th-century architect Andrea Palladio, widely considered as one of the most influential architects in history. His work is

The plans Luckily for Pulteney, the corporation’s ideas complemented his own and, once he had convinced his wife’s trustees of the soundness of his plan, the next step was an Act of Parliament. Since Bathwick was held in trust, lands on the estate could not be sold or mortgaged without involving Parliament. As it transpired, this was a lengthy and expensive process, which had to be twice repeated. Nevertheless, the first act was passed in 1769, which enabled the trustees to raise £3,000 through mortgage to finance the scheme for a toll-free bridge and access street. At first, Pulteney was contemplating just a simple, functional bridge, designed by Bristol architect, Thomas Paty. Paty's own estimate for the work was £4,569, which would be around £838,811 in today’s money. However, Pulteney soon grew more ambitious and began toying with the idea of adding shops. He consulted local builders John Lowther and Richard Reed about his plans to add two shops at each end of the bridge. They estimated the cost to be £2,389. Much to Pulteney’s delight, it looked as though £3,000 would at least be enough to start building. Pulteney was keen to move quickly. The stonemasons estimated that they could complete the bridge by September 1770 – in just one year – if the contract was made out in time to get the pillars above water before winter. The records show, however, that by THEBATHMAG.CO.UK

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characterised by classical forms, symmetry, and strict proportions. In 1570, Palladio published his rejected plans in his influential treatise of his own work, Quattro libri. These designs could not have gone unnoticed by Adam, and the Pulteney Bridge is clearly reminiscent of Palladio’s work.

The build The construction of the bridge officially started in 1770. Over the next four years, the trustees were persuaded to petition for two more acts of Parliament. Adam revised Paty’s original plan and expanded the bridge by 20 feet, which inevitably incurred more costs. The total cost of the bridge came in at £11,000, which would have been around £2,019,464 today. The first print of the bridge was dated 30 November 1773, by which time some of the shops were fit for business, but tenants for the remainder were sought from January 1774.

The alterations After four years of work, Pulteney Bridge stood for less than 20 years in the form Adam had designed. In 1792, alterations were made during which the bridge was widened to 58 feet and the shops converted from 16 small structures to six large ones. The floods in 1799 and 1800 wrecked the north side of the bridge, which had been constructed with inadequate support. There was talk that Scottish civil engineer, architect and stonemason, Thomas Telford, wanted to replace the bridge with a singlespan cast iron bridge, but John Pinch, senior surveyor to the Pulteney estate, decided to rebuild it using a less ambitious version of Adam's creation. Over time, 19th-century shopkeepers changed the structure and appearance of their premises and the western end pavilion on the south side was demolished for road widening. Its replacement was not an exact replica of the original. Later, in 1936, the bridge was given the status of ancient monument, meaning that it was worthy of preservation and study due

the summer of 1770, the plans had undergone a dramatic change and renowned architects Robert and James Adam were now directing the build.

Downstream elevation of Pulteney Bridge as designed by Robert Adam

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CITY | HISTORY

The Krämerbrücke, built in 1325, has been continuously inhabited for over 500 years: longer than any other bridge in Europe. It was once part of the Via Regia, a medieval trade and pilgrims' road network, which linked Rome with the Baltic Sea

Today, Pulteney Bridge Flowers sits at the centre of Bath’s iconic structure

to archaeological or heritage interest. The city council bought several of the shops and made plans for the restoration of the original façade, which was completed in time for the 1951 Festival of Britain. In 1955, the bridge’s status changed again from ancient monument to Grade-I listed building, which is how it stands today. This means that the bridge is deemed to be of exceptional interest, and further work was carried out to repair the underside soffits of all three arches. In 2009, Bath and North East Somerset Council put forward a proposal to close the bridge to motor traffic and convert it to a pedestrianised zone, but the plan was abandoned in September 2011. Today, it remains a large source of income for the council, due to it being the most fined bus lane in Bath. The legacy of the Pulteney family is sewn into the very fabric of the city. Great Pulteney Street, reputed to be the longest boulevard of its kind in Europe, is another prominent reminder of the family’s contribution to Bath. William Pulteney also ensured that his two daughters were memorialised in architecture. We remember them in the form of Laura Place and Henrietta Street. Pulteney Bridge, like its three counterparts in Italy and Germany, is an architectural and engineering wonder of the world. Today, it is celebrated as an important piece of heritage and a significant tourist attraction. It is visited for its spectacular views, intricate stonework and bustling street, but this alone is not what makes the iconic structure so invaluable. Ultimately, the bridge acted as the connective tissue binding two suburbs of a historic city, each full of intrigue, character and atmosphere. Pulteney Bridge allowed Bath to blossom into the city we know and love today; and for that reason, we hold it dear.

The Ponte Vecchio spans the Arno at its narrowest point. The stone bridge was built in 1345 and is regarded as one of Florence’s most romantic spots BELOW: The Rialto Bridge in Venice is the oldest of the four bridges spanning the Grand Canal. Palladio and Michelangelo were both considered as designers but a single span designed by Antonio da Ponte, was completed in 1591

Work cited: Pulteney Bridge by Jean Manco; SAHGB Publications Ltd Images: AdobeStock.com 52 TheBATHMagazine

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CITY | NEWS

CITYNEWS UP THE BEAK, TWICE A WEEK

HORRIBLE HAUNT

Residents in Bath and North East Somerset are being encouraged to get into the habit of having a rapid Covid-19 test. Over the coming weeks, lockdown restrictions are expected to be loosened across England with changes including the return of organised sport, as well as groups of six people or two households being allowed to mix outdoors. This means an increased risk of transmission, and so individuals going out to work, volunteers, and parents and carers are being urged to regularly visit one of the test centres in B&NES to either take a test, or to pick up a test kit. Having a Covid-19 lateral flow test (LFT), is quick and easy. Once you’ve registered online, getting tested takes just five minutes, with results sent later that day. The tests are open to anyone over the age of 16 who lives or works in Bath and North East Somerset – provided they don’t have symptoms. This includes essential workers and volunteers, those people unable to work from home, personal carers and childminders. There are three sites in Bath and North East Somerset where you can take a quick, free test (The Apex Hotel, James Street, Bath; The Masonic Hall, Bath Road, Keynsham; and The Centurion Hotel, Charlton Lane, Midsomer Norton) and two venues (Carpenter House in Broad Quay and 1st Keynsham Scouts HQ in Ashton Way) where you can collect a test kit and test yourself at home. These sites are all open from 7am to 7pm, Monday to Saturday. You can also book online, up to two weeks in advance. bathnes.gov.uk/rapidtest

Tickets are now on sale online for Mary Shelley’s House of Frankenstein, the immersive new visitor attraction opening in Bath this year, and there is a preopening discount offering up to 20% off until 25 April. All early bookers can enjoy 10% off the standard online price and a further 20% saving on group tickets for parties of five or more. Guests purchasing the attraction’s bespoke ebooks, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and The Life of Mary Shelly, A Concise Biography, will automatically receive one free ticket worth up to £13.95 now, or £15.50 at the standard online price. houseoffrankenstein.com

GREEN WARMTH GRANT More low-income householders across Bath and North East Somerset are now eligible for financial help to make energy efficiency improvements to their homes. Bath & North East Somerset Council has won additional funding from the government to expand its Green Home Grants Scheme and is now for the first time extending the scheme to houses with a D energy rating as well as those with an E F or G rating. Residents of qualifying properties, whose household’s joint annual income is less than £30,000, can apply for a council Green Affordable Warmth Grant to upgrade their home with double glazing, insulation or low carbon-heating. Improvements for homeowners will be fully funded with an average of £10,000 available, while renters and owner-occupiers may be eligible for upgrades with landlords receiving up to two-thirds of the cost, up to an average of £5,000, dependent on the work required. The upgrade required for a property will be identified by a property retrofit assessment visit. Visit energyathome.org.uk or call 0800 038 5680.

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LONGLEAT COUNTRY ESCAPES Longleat is launching its own brand of exclusive rural retreats at a selection of historic properties on its Wiltshire estate. Visitors will be able to choose from six individually designed luxurious country getaways; each with its own fascinating story and stunning setting. Guests enjoying the luxurious interior design of Keeper’s House and Keeper’s Cottage, will have the added excitement of being able to watch the inhabitants of the East Africa reserve wandering past their window, with far-reaching views over the famous Safari Park. “These unique properties have been entirely transformed into luxurious overnight spaces with every modern convenience available for a truly unforgettable short-break experience,” said Ceawlin, Lord Bath, executive chairman of Longleat Enterprises. Initially East Lodge, Keeper’s House and Keeper’s Cottage will be available for bookings from April, with Deer Keeper’s House, Gardener’s Cottage and Prairie Lodge being added in time for the summer. Prices start from £375 per night. All of the accommodation options include Longleat Park Tickets for the duration of the guests’ stay. longleat.co.uk

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ocl

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

www.oclaccountancy.com

Can your company buy your home?

A C C O U N TA N C Y

Using your company to buy your home was once relatively tax efficient, despite it counting as a taxable benefit in kind. Generally, the tax and Class 1A NI liabilities were modest, but this meant company ownership of homes became sufficiently popular that HMRC introduced higher rates of stamp duty land tax (SDLT) and a new tax, the annual tax on enveloped dwellings (ATED), to make the exercise much less favourable. The current SDLT holiday applies to company (as well as personal) purchases of homes of up to £500,000 and so is again encouraging clients to look at this option. If your company buys a home for you, a higher rate of SDLT of 15% applies if the property costs more than £500,000. On top of this your company will have to pay the ATED for any year in which it owns a dwelling worth £500,000 or more. In 2021/22 for very high value properties, the ATED is £237,400! Another significant disadvantage to your company buying and owning your home is that when it’s sold the capital gains tax (CGT) private residence relief won’t apply. That means your company will have to pay corporation tax (CT) on the full amount of any profit (capital gain) it makes. Unless there are non-tax factors affecting the decision - or your property is unlikely to ever reach the value where the ATED applies - getting your company to buy your home is unlikely to be tax efficient. However, there’s an alternative way you can use your company’s money to help with the purchase of a new home; instead of borrowing from a high street lender your company can lend you the money interest free. The loan will be a benefit in kind but the tax is relatively modest. The amount on which you’ll be charged is 2.25% of the average loan balance over the tax year. So, if the balance is, say, £250,000 you’ll be taxed on £5,624. As you repay the loan the amount on which you’re taxed reduces. There will also be a one-off tax charge for your company, being 32.5% of the loan. However, it’s a temporary tax (more a cashflow penalty) which HMRC will refund each year that the balance of the loan reduces. At current rates the interest your company would lose from having to pay this bill is minimal. .

For tax saving tips contact us – call Marie Sheldrake, Tom Hulett or Mike Wilcox on 01225 445507

The importance of appointing a guardian for your children

Becoming a parent is life-changing and with so much planning involved along the way, it is hardly surprising that many people do not consider drafting a Will and appointing a guardian at what is a very important stage of their lives. Why appoint a guardian? If there was one person in the world you would trust to bring up your child, who would it be? This is a difficult question, and one which can prevent people from finalising their Wills. Making a Will and incorporating a “guardianship clause allows you specify who you would like to bring up your child if you were not around as opposed to leaving it to the court to decide. Should I make a Will? A guardianship appointment only needs to be in writing and signed and dated to be valid. It can be a letter of wishes, setting out how you would like your child to be brought up. This can include a range of different things, from the kind of education you would like them to have, to sports, activities or hobbies you would like them to take part in. You can even specify which family members and friends you would like your child to be kept in touch with. It is a very personal letter and, although not legally binding, it can be very useful for the person responsible for bringing up your child. However it is worth thinking about including this in your Will as this also takes into account other aspects of the administration of your estate such as who your executors/trustees will be as they will be responsible for dealing with the estate funds and releasing money to the guardian. For more information in relation to appointing a guardian or making a Will, please contact David Hill on 01225 750 000 or david.hill@mogersdrewett.com we are here to help.

Call Marie Sheldrake, Tom Hulett or Mike Wilcox on 01225 445507 to arrange a no-obligation meeting

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CITY | NEWS

CITYUPDATES PTA CROWDFUNDING FOR BEECHEN A new crowdfunding campaign from the PTA at Beechen Cliff School in Bath has raised £20,000 within weeks of being launched, with donations to support several initiatives. The sum of £5,000 will be earmarked towards supporting the ongoing work within school for the mental health and wellbeing strategy for families and staff adversely affected by the pandemic. A further £5,000 will be used to buy school laptops and IT equipment. And £10,000 will be spent on amenities to provide Covid-safe lunch facilities within the new school clubhouse, a previously funded PTA initiative. Further donations received over and above the £20,000 on this campaign will be used to continue to support the ongoing mental health and wellbeing of its pupils. If you would like to add your support for Beechen Cliff School, please visit: app.investmycommunity.com

FREE LEGAL CLINIC A free legal clinic is to be launched following a partnership between three high-profile organisations in Bath. The initiative, between law firm Stone King, Bath Spa University and Citizens Advice B&NES, will be called The Bath Law Clinic and will see top-quality legal advice delivered to local residents while at the same time developing work experience opportunities for the lawyers of the future. Students on Bath Spa University’s law degree course will gain vital experience at the clinic and will be supported by lawyers from Stone King. And, in a move which will combine the private and not-for-profit sector, Stone King will also help to fund a coordinator’s role at the advice centre. Citizens Advice B&NES is based at Edgar Buildings, George Street, Bath, and also carries out outreach work in surrounding areas. “We are proud and excited to announce the first steps in this long-term strategic partnership with Bath Spa University and Stone King solicitors,” said Les Redwood, Chief Executive Officer at Citizens Advice B&NES. “We have been delivering a long-term strategy of greater community engagement and increased partnerships across the region over the last two years and this will be another core partnership for the charity delivered over the course of this coming year.” citizensadvicebanes.org.uk

RUSSELL FLINT AUCTION

OPEN DOORS AT GRITTLETON Grittleton House will soon be opening their doors once again. In the meantime they are inviting visitors to see for themselves everything the location has to offer as a wedding and events venue at its Wedding Open House on Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 April, from 10am to 3pm. The house will be beautifully dressed for a wedding, and visitors will have access all areas. The friendly team look forward to welcoming you to its Covid safe venue, where it will be following all of the necessary Covid guidelines relevant to the time of this event. Grittleton House, owned by the Shipp Family for over 50 years, is a stunning, luxury wedding venue on the edge of the Cotswolds with an impressive tree-lined drive, statuesque manor house, and 36 acres of formal gardens and grounds. Visitors will be able to enjoy the tulip walk which is now in full bloom. grittletonhouse.co.uk

Lawrences will be auctioning six watercolours by Russell Flint from a private collection on 23 April. Sir William Russell Flint (1880–1969) was President of The Royal Watercolour Society from 1936–1956 and he refined his draughtsmanship and washes to such a degree that his pictures manage to look strikingly realistic and other-worldly at one and the same time. Despite his professional accolades, his artistic peers scrupled to show him the respect that he might have thought he deserved, criticising the lack of intellectual content in his pictures and the simple ease of his subjects. But Flint was a popular and acclaimed public personality, wealthy and successful, and a demeanour of stolid respectability throughout his long life. lawrences.co.uk

NEW APPOINTMENT AT MOGERS DREWETT A new appointment brings specialist expertise into the Financial Planning Team of South-West based law firm Mogers Drewett who have created a new combined legal and financial service that will benefit clients going through divorce or separation. Chartered Financial Planner and Fellow of the Personal Finance Society, Daniel Gornall joins the Financial Planning Team (MDFP) specialising in providing Independent Financial Advice to those going through divorce or separation. Daniel, an Associate Member of Resolution and community of Family Lawyers, has over the last

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15 years helped many clients achieve their desired future lifestyle after a relationship breakdown. He is now working towards attaining Resolution’s Specialist Accreditation, which will mean he is one of fewer than 40 Financial Planners in the UK with this specialist qualification. Daniel said: “I’m delighted to be joining Mogers Drewett and helping strengthen their proposition for individuals going through relationship breakdown and divorce. There are many areas where a financial professional can assist during the divorce process and I look forward to working alongside the Mogers Drewett Family Team for the benefit of their clients.” mogersdrewett.com

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CITY | FOOD NEWS

ENJOY FRESH AIR EATS

GREAT BATH FEAST The Great Bath Feast returns to Bath on 24–26 September, taking place on Milsom Street as a free event celebrating the best locally sourced food and drink. Beyond the weekend, there will be a number of curated and fringe events throughout October. The Great Bath Feast will offer chef demos, a food and drink trail and the Milsom Street Market with market stalls and pop-ups from some of Bath’s local suppliers, along with food from further afield. Richard Bertinet, owner of The Bertinet Kitchen cookery school, will curate the line-up in partnership with the festival’s organisers, as well as doing a demo. Others taking part are Chris Cleghorn, head chef of the Olive Tree restaurant and Ping Coombes, winner of the Master Chef trophy in 2014. Launched by Visit Bath in 2012, The Great Bath Feast is being resurrected by local residents, Lee and Roxy Bater, owners of ILOW (ilowhq.com), Cornwall’s leading food and drink events company. greatbathfeast.co.uk; info@ilowhq.com

BATH PRIORY The Bath Priory has plans to welcome visitors to enjoy some spring-time outdoor fun. From 12 April, the terrace and four acres of gardens will be open for all-day alfresco dining, with a new informal terrace menu serving breakfast, brunch, lunch and supper, packed with seasonal, light and exciting dishes. For a full day out, there are new exclusive-use pool and poolside packages for up to 12 guests from two families, which include exclusive use of the pool and poolside areas, delicious food throughout the day and access to the gardens and garden games. Half day and indoor pool packages are also available. The exclusive use Pool Fun Day Packages for the heated outdoor and indoor pools will be on offer from 12 April, available until the hotel re-opens to residential guests on 17 May. Pre-booking is required. thebathpriory.co.uk

YO! FOOD Iconic restaurant group YO!, famed for its handcrafted sushi and fresh Japanese food, will introduce its second YO! TO GO in Bath on 2 April. Situated on Brunel Square (Vaults 1–3), the exciting new ‘grab and go’ format will feature a range of sushi sets freshly rolled each day, including YO! classics like the Sushi Sharer and Crunchy California Roll, as well as a selection of hot, fresh street food like the ever-popular Ramen, Katsu Curry and Gyoza. With 13 different vegan dishes on the menu, there are plenty of meat and fishfree options for customers to enjoy. yosushi.com

Luxury country house hotel Homewood will open its Olio Terrace from 12 April. With a large patio, outdoor kitchen, rustic pizza oven, relaxed seating area and views across the gardens, the terrace welcomes guests for lunch, afternoon tea, dinner and cocktails. Executive chef James Forman’s menus include generous feasting platters for sharing and great British favourites. For private groups of six (limited to two households), Homewood’s heated Olio Chalets offer a welcoming space (these must be pre-booked). The Olio Terrace will be open every day from 12–9pm. Luxury boutique hotel, The Bird in the centre of Bath, will also open its Plate Terrace on 12 April. Offering one of the city’s best al-fresco views, the terrace has a mix of relaxed seating, which includes covered pavilions for the terrace. The Plate Terrace will be open from 11am to 10pm, Wednesday to Sunday for drinks, lunch and dinner service, as well as for breakfast from 9am at the weekend. homewoodbath.co.uk; thebirdbath.co.uk

OUTDOOR OPENING The Hare & Hounds, The Locksbrook Inn and The Moorfields, all owned by the Bath Pub Company, are due to open on 12 April, serving food and drinks in their outside spaces. A part of each pub’s garden will be covered by a marquee to provide protection. Visitors can make reservations via each pub’s website. The company’s fourth pub, The Marlborough Tavern in Marlborough Buildings, is undergoing a refit and will reopen in early May. Each of The Bath Pub Company’s four pubs has its own distinct personality with each chef creating his own menu, but with common values of quality and passion. hareandhoundsbath.com; marlboroughtavern.com; themoorfields.com; thebathpubcompany.com

SUGARCANE STUDIO After a successful couple of years trading at Bath Farmers' Market, Sugarcane Studio have opened their first shop on Grove Street, just around the corner from the picturesque Pulteney Bridge, bringing Bath some super-fine patisserie. The French patisserie with an Asian flavour, from Taiwanese pastry chef Fang-Yu Lin, offers a uniquely fascinating, fabulous range of macarons, madeleines, marshmallows, choux buns and bespoke cakes and patisserie. sugarcanestudio.co.uk THEBATHMAG.CO.UK

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EDUCATION

EDUCATION NEWS YOUNG REPORTER AWARD

NEW RECRUITS

SPORTING PROWESS

Wilamena Dyer, a Year 10 pupil at Wells Cathedral School is one of two regional winners in the south and west of England regions in this year’s BBC Young Reporter Competition for her report on How Music Helps Cope with Tourette’s Syndrome. Wilamena’s inspiring three-minute film is about how playing a musical instrument can lessen or even prevent Tourette’s tics. As part of the film she interviewed her cello teacher Penny Driver at Wells as well as several other musicians with Tourette’s syndrome. The film aims to show that Tourette’s syndrome is much more complex than the media portrays. More than 2,500 young people aged 11–18 submitted original and interesting story ideas to the competition and Wilamena’s report was shortlisted from over a thousand entries across the south and west. wells.cathedral.school

Stonar School has announced that Mr Mark Ebden will be joining the school as deputy head (academic) and Dr Andrew Passmore has been appointed as director of music, both starting in September 2021. Mr Ebden comes from Roedean School where he leads the faculty of science and psychology and is a Research Associate. Following a 1st Class Master’s degree in Chemistry (MSci) from the University of Bristol, Mr Ebden started his teaching career at St Lawrence College in Kent. He became the head of science there before moving to Roedean. Following a 1st class degree in Music at the University of York, Dr Passmore completed a Master’s degree and a Doctorate in Music at York. Currently teaching music and chorus at Marymount International School in Rome, Dr Passmore has also worked at Queen Anne’s School, Caversham and at St Mary’s, Shaftesbury. His specialism is historical performance on keyboard instruments, having performed as an accompanist and soloist with professional ensembles such as the Royal Northern Sinfonia. stonarschool.com

Downside School has had two pupils recognised for their sports achievements. A fifth form sports scholar from Downside School, who is also a Somerset Pathway player, has won Somerset CCC’s writing competition, held to celebrate the return of Test Cricket on free to air TV (Channel 4), in conjunction with Somerset County Sports. Pathway players had to watch the recent cricket and describe how the most successful batters had played during this Test. Alongside this, Lower Sixth Form Sport Scholar Abdul-Khalik Akenzua Al-Kareem has been confirmed as an England Academy Player with Bath U18 rugby academy, a real achievement given all the disruption to school sport over the last 12 months. downside.co.uk

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BOOKS

Fresh thinking Many of us have had much more time to think lately, and in honour of this Saskia Hayward and Matthew Leigh from Topping and Co. have some fabulous suggestions for books driven by reinvention and reflection Sometimes a new start can be found in a new person, such as in Caleb Azumah Nelson’s Open Water, an accomplished debut novel in which two artists meet, become best friends and fall in love, while also exploring themes of masculinity, repression and the experience of black men living in the UK today. This is a deceptively slight book, with hidden depths on every page. Exquisitely poetic, nuanced and rewardingly referential, it is the kind of novel you read with a highlighter in hand, marking passages that you will want to return to. Penguin, £12.99 The latest novel from the wonderful Edinburgh based indie publisher Charco Press, Havana Year Zero by Karla Suárez is long overdue for a translation into English. Warm and intimate, the reader is invited into the world of Julia, the narrator, in the year she considers to be Cuba’s ‘Year Zero’; the country at its lowest ebb. A lecturer who hates teaching, Julia becomes determined to take the reins of her own existence. Enlisting her colleague and former lover, Euclid, she embarks on a quest to find a document that proves the telephone was invented by Antonio Meucci in Havana, an achievement, she believes, that will secure their place in history. Charco Press, £9.99 High House by Jessie Greengrass is an incredibly rare beast; a low key post-apocalyptic novel. Caro grows up fearful of her stepmother Francesca’s slide into climate paranoia. A scientist, Francesca can see what is coming, but finds herself unable to shout loud enough to prevent the inevitable. Instead, she focuses on the High House, turning what was once a holiday home into an ark for when the time comes. Though a novel overtly informed by the climate crisis, High House also chillingly illustrates how we quickly accept change and eventualities that once seemed unthinkable and unstomachable. It is not, however, a pessimistic story. Instead, emotional resonance comes thick and fast from its exploration of family, and the bonds forged in collaborative community. It is a visionary tale of what life could be like, for better and for worse. 60 TheBATHMagazine

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In this incisive book, Empireland, British journalist and author Sathnam Sanghera examines how contemporary British life and culture has – and remains – heavily influenced by our imperial past. With acerbic wit, and built upon a foundation of meticulous research, Sathnam exposes the bewildering contradictions at the heart of discussions on British identity. He explores how ignorant we remain of the historic role and realities of the British Empire – often erased from our school textbooks and overlooked in our museums – when considering how profoundly they have shaped our nation and our relationships on a global stage. Beautifully written and passionate, Sathnam argues that a true understanding of our cultural heritage must involve acknowledging our imperial past, counteracting the Viking, £18.99 Having and Being Had is the latest sharp and insightful collection from the award-winning American essayist and author Eula Biss. A writer who troubles the boundaries of genre, Eula blends reportage and memoir in an interrogation of the lived experience of 21st-century capitalism and American class structures. Writing from the perspective of upper-middle-class Chicago, and emerging in response to becoming a homeowner for the first time, Eula recasts the everyday within a collage of social and psychological theory, literary history, and popculture references. The result is a meditative reflection on our relationship with the material world, our drives as consumers, and the impact on our collective and individual identities. A stylish and eloquent portrait of our moment in time. Faber, £15.99 In Four Hundred Souls, Ibram X. Kendi, author of How to be an Antirascist, and Keisha N. Blain have orchestrated a remarkable and expansive piece of history writing. Created as a collaboration of leading black writers and thinkers, each writer was given a five-year period from 1619 to 2019 to explore whatever they felt most fitting. The result is a groundbreaking and redefining act of communal history spanning four centuries and crossing mediums: a constellation of perspectives through historical essays, short stories, polemics and personal vignettes. It begins in 1619 with the arrival of 20 Ndongo people on the shores of the first British colony in mainland America, the year before the Mayflower arrived, and takes us right up until the present, charting centuries of inhuman oppression and injustice alongside magnificent resistance. As a piece of collaborative writing, it refracts a multitude of pasts unlike any other piece of history writing. Bodley Head, £23 n While visiting the shop is not possible, books can be ordered from the website or at the shop door; toppingbooks.co.uk

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HEALTH & BEAUTY

HEALTH & BEAUTY NEWS This month we have tracked down some cool products for some super indulgence over the Easter break, and showcase a selection of uplifting grooming and makeup ideas for the male of the species...

CHANEL YOUR HANDS Inspired by the beautifying hand cream created by Mademoiselle Chanel in 1927, CHANEL now reinvents this essential step with LA CRÈME MAIN. A complete care product for hands and nails that leaves skin moisturised, velvety and radiant, all in one onthe-go item. Elegant and practical, LA CRÈME MAIN is made for travel and is the essential accessory to carry in your handbag. Includes May rose wax and Iris pallida, renowned for its brightening properties, both from the CHANEL Pégomas gardens in Grasse. • No 5 L’Eau On Hand Cream, £46; chanel.com/en_gb

GET EGGS-CITED The cherry tree is iconic to the Provençal landscape with its delicate white flowers that light up the early days of spring. Laced with the soft and delicate scent of these early blooms, L’Occotane’s Cherry Blossom Easter Egg makes it possible to experience spring in Provence any day of the year and offers a perfect treat to comfort the body, mind and soul. • Cherry Blossom Easter Egg with Shower Gel, Body Lotion and Hand Cream, £16; uk.loccitane.com

BE INDULGENT THIS EASTER

BATH BOMB This sleepy-scented bath bomb features reusable glow-in-the-dark stars, released with dried flowers to illuminate your path to dreamland. The wax stars and moon are reusable, take them out of the bath to dry before you pull the plug and keep them cool before you are ready to charge them and add to your bath next time. Switch off the lights, get cosy, and take an unforgettable bath before bed.

SKIN PERFECTOR SKIN HERO’s formula has selected exfoliating enzymes which have a resurfacing effect, elimating dead cells and refining your skin’s texture as soon as it is applied.

• The Sleeping Giant Bombshell, £14.95; uk.lush.com

SLEEPY DUST Try some sleepy dust that’s sure to send you off to the Land of Nod. Just dry off after your bath or shower, sprinkle on to your skin, massage it in, and you’ll be ready for a hard night's sleep! You can combine this with the Sleepy body lotion or the Sleep massage bar – and then get ready to slip into your favourite pyjamas. • Sleepy Dust, £9; uk.lush.com

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• SKIN HERO Bare Skin Perfector from Eborian, £18; uk.eborian.com

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HEALTH & BEAUTY

HEALTH & BEAUTY NEWS FIND YOUR MOJO: MALE GROOMING ECOMOFO!, the new exclusively ethical grooming store for men, takes the leg work out of finding high quality, sustainable alternatives that not only do the job for men, but feel good and look the business too. Whether you’re a hippie or a brickie, a craftsman or a draughtsman, a landscaper or a manscaper, they’ve got you covered. • ecomofo.com; Instagram ecomofo_uk NORSE EBONY SHAVE SET This UK made shaving set comprises a double edged safety razor, shaving brush and stand made from steel, brass and chrome and is designed to provide a great shave as well as looking great on the bathroom shelf. • £110; ecomofo.com

CLEAN TRAVEL The Adventurer Roll Up houses three products to cleanse and hydrate the hands when commuting, travelling, or simply outand-about: Resurrection Rinse-Free Hand Wash, Resurrection. • £45; aesop.com

SCRUBD SOAP BAR A rich, vegan friendly, organic and luxurious cleansing bar that adds natural moisture and vigour, designed specifically for the needs of men’s skin. Milled three times for a dense, longer-lasting form, triple-milled soaps hold their shape and deliver a richer, creamier lather, while the active ingredients are more consistently distributed across the bar. Vegan friendly, organic, plastic and cruelty free. • £16; ecomofo.com

SHAKE IT UP BABY Shake Up Cosmetics are on a mission to break down the barriers and stigma around men’s cosmetics, by offering easy-to-use products with unique formulas, specifically designed for men; • shakeupcosmetics.com THE DISCOVERY BUNDLE Choose any shade of Let’s Face It BB Tinted Moisturiser, and Eye Eye Captain Under Eye Concealer and Moisturiser, plus Lip Life To the Full Volumising and Moisturising Lip Gel. Vegan and cruelty free, bespoke formulation. • All three products, £50; shakeupcosmetics.com

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ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE

‘I’m now able to support and empower clients to make positive changes’ Izzy Walton, CNM Health Coach Graduate

ost people already know the answers and what changes they need to make, but they don’t know how. As a Health Coach, I help facilitate change using all my coaching, nutrition and fitness knowledge. I’ve always had a strong interest in natural health which evolved alongside my interest in yoga. Many years ago, I studied complementary therapies, reflexology, reiki and aromatherapy. These therapies bought me closer to my interest in nutritional therapy and where I am today. I was already working in the wellness industry running corporate wellness events, yoga retreats and wholefood catering, so studying to become a Health Coach was another step towards practicing naturopathic wellness. I wanted to do a course that offered a holistic health offering, comprising of both of food, nutrition and mindful movement for both physical and mental health support. For the first time, I feel like I’ve found where all my previous studies and qualifications have been leading me to. I always knew I wanted to help people achieve

optimum health, whether that be through their diet or through yoga practice. Now with all my competencies, I have the skills and knowledge to do this with health coaching. The content on CNM’s Health Coach diploma was very in-depth and each module explored all parts of heath coaching, including business, marketing and promotion modules; this is something that other courses didn’t seem to cover. The course was immersive and I got to experience everything first-hand. When we explored a topic, such as fasting, cleansing or fitness routines, we completely embedded ourselves in that topic and we were encouraged to experience and practice it for ourselves. This learning experience was invaluable and helped cement the knowledge for me. Since graduating, I’ve been working with clients remotely in my practice and I have a few collaborations lined up for the next few months. I’m also still teaching my regular yoga classes. What I love most about practicing is being able to offer my clients’ space. Many people just don’t honour themselves the time to

really enquire into their own health and understand why they are manifesting their symptoms. As a Health Coach, I help facilitate change, and use all my coaching, nutrition and fitness knowledge to best support and empower them towards achieving their health goals. CNM’s Health Coach diploma is a unique course which has naturopathic principles at its heart, something most health coaching courses don’t offer.

Become a Health Coach – enrolling now! Turn your passion into a career. CNM Health Coaches are trained in nutrition and health, Geoff Don fitness and exercise, how the body works, coaching, marketing and business promotion.

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or call 01342

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CNM has an exceptional 22-year track record training successful natural health practitioners online and in class. Over 80% of graduates are practising.

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Andrew Swift April.qxp_Layout 1 26/03/2021 18:33 Page 1

Towpath of the Old Canal

Midford Valley walk Andrew Swift suggests a walk through the Midford Valley south of Bath, a delight at any time of year but especially so in early spring when the woods are carpeted in celandines and wild garlic

ur route through the Midford Valley takes in the towpath of the long-abandoned Somersetshire Coal Canal as well as the trackbed of the Camerton & Limpley Stoke Railway, which opened in 1910 to serve a new colliery at Dunkerton. The colliery only survived until 1925, after which the line saw little traffic, although it did have a glorious swansong in 1952 when it was used to film The Titfield Thunderbolt, one of the best-loved Ealing Comedies. The walk starts outside the White Hart in Widcombe (BA2 6AA; ST755642). From here, head up Widcombe Hill and after 300m – just past Widcombe Crescent – turn right along Church Street. When you come to the church of St Thomas à Becket, take the lane to the left of it, carry on past the gates to Prior Park and at the end turn left through a kissing gate (KG) and head uphill. At the top of the field, go through the KG straight ahead and carry on uphill over rough ground in the same direction. At the top, turn to take in the view before going through another KG and turning right alongside railings (ST766634). After passing a gate, follow the track as it heads uphill, and, when you come to another track, bear right 66 THeBATHMagazine

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alongside a large playing field. When the track forks, bear left to follow the fence alongside the field and at the end turn right along a broad path. (ST766629). At the road, cross the zebra crossing and carry straight on along Shaft Road. Carry on as the road heads downhill and after 700m, when you come to a bench with a view, turn right down a steep path – with hazardous little steps (ST771622). At the bottom, carry straight on along the road, follow it as it bears left and, just past the Wheelwright’s Arms, turn right down Mill Lane. After 100m, you pass Monkton Combe’s lock-up, where those who imbibed too freely in the local hostelries were once confined to sober up. Some 50m further on, two metal gateposts flanking a garage on the left are all that survives of Monkton Combe station, which doubled as Titfield in the film. Continue down a footpath on the right, passing the old mill on your left. After crossing the mill race, follow a path between fences and over the Midford Brook, before turning right through a KG to follow a field track alongside the brook (ST774617). After 400m, continue through a gateway, where a spring issuing from a bank on the left

has created something of a quagmire. A little further on, the track forks. The official route curves left uphill, while an unofficial route heads right to the abutments of a bridge that once carried the railway across the brook. A scramble up the embankment here leads onto the trackbed, which can be followed for a short distance before a breach in the embankment leaves no choice but to scramble down and bear left to rejoin the official route. Whichever option you take, the way is likely to be muddy, and, after going through a KG, the track drops steeply down to where railway sleepers have been laid across boggy ground. Beyond this lies another KG, where the mud lies thick. Once through the next KG mud gives way to grass – if only for a while. As you near the end of the field, look over to your right to see on the horizon Midford Castle, built around 1775. Continue through a KG and follow a lane leading downhill (ST764609). At the main road, turn right through Midford, past the remains of a railway viaduct. After crossing the brook, turn right, following a public footpath sign which, after 100m leads onto a wooded track along what looks like the trackbed of another railway but is in fact the former towpath of the Somersetshire Coal Canal (ST761608).

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THE | WALK

Old Canalside Cottage

After 400m, though, the bed of the canal has been filled in and all trace of it disappears. Continue in the same direction through a KG and, a little further on, the footpath leads on to a lane (ST765615). Opposite lies a former canalside cottage with a plaque proclaiming that William Smith, ‘the Father of English Geology’, lived there, although it has long been established that Smith lived in the three-storey house 50m further on. Go through a KG to the left of the cottage

to follow a path past Tucking Mill Reservoir and under a monumental viaduct. Built by the Somerset & Dorset Railway, the line closed in 1966 and it now forms part of the Two Tunnels Greenway. Follow the path as it curves right alongside the viaduct and after going through a KG turn left to follow a woodland path alongside the Horsecombe Brook (ST763617). After going through a KG, carry on for another 150m before going through a KG on the right and climbing a steep flight of steps. Continue up through the woods for another 400m and go through a KG at the top. Bear left towards a gate in the far corner of the field, head up to a KG and turn right along the road (ST758621). At the crossroads, carry on up Belmont Road, and at the end turn left along Church Road. Holy Trinity church, which you pass on the left, stands in a churchyard created from old quarry spoil heaps and has never been used for burials. The row of houses opposite, known as the Old Rank, was built Woods on Cotswold Edge by John Wood in 1729 for Ralph Allen’s quarrymen, and is the oldest group of buildings in Combe Down. Turn right along The Avenue, and at the main road cross to the left-hand pillar at the top of Ralph Allen Drive and follow the footpath branching off behind it. Although it may not look much like it, this is the old road down to Bath. After 550m, when you go through a grotto-like archway, the scene

THE

KI TC HEN PAR TNER S

changes dramatically, however, and the nondescript path turns into a steep and rocky way, running with water, and looking much as it would have done centuries ago (ST758631). Eventually, it starts to level out and broaden, passing the Roman Catholic cemetery with its twin chapels on the right. After passing Cloister Lodge, turn right at the T junction and at the bottom turn left to follow Prior Park Road back to the starting point. n

Fact file n Distance: 7 miles n Level of challenge: Steep and muddy sections, with one long flight of steps and a rocky downhill section running with water. n Map: OS Explorer 155

More on the details of the Monkton Combe walk can be found in Andrew Swift’s Country Walks from Bath, published by Akeman Press; akemanpress.com.

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interiors April.qxp_Layout 1 26/03/2021 14:19 Page 1

EDUCATION

“Give space and attention to things you do every day”

ILSE CRAWFORD

Photograph by Gaelle Marcel; unsplash.com

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CITY | INTERIORS

Rooms for refuge

Comfort, cosiness and character are now the three driving forces in the home interior, says Emma Clegg, as she ponders the idea of how where we live is no longer somewhere where we spend just part of our lives

rom the first primitive dwellings where caves provided shelter, warmth and refuge, and the first idea of ‘home’, the built environment has continued to work around these human needs, to protect those living within from the natural world, its stressors, and the multifarious dangers beyond. It’s got more complex and hierarchical – interior products and style options are now mind-boggling and there’s no even playing field as we can’t all afford or have room for a hot tub or a summerhouse or a gym or yoga retreat. And yet our homes still provide answers to these essentials that make us feel safe and secure. Whatever our experience in the last year, we’ve all been spending more time at home. For those on furlough or working principally from home – especially for the lucky ones with a decent amount of space and a garden – there was a thrill of excitement: no need to get up so early, more time for yourself, for our loved ones and animals, for cooking, for things that had been put off for too long. So our interiors have been more on our minds and have got more attention, whether it’s cleaning, reorganising, painting walls or deciding on a new sofa. The idea of feeling safe is integral to having a space that’s yours. There is an architectural school of thought called ‘prospect and refuge’ that says that people prefer environments where they can easily survey their surroundings and quickly hide or retreat to safety if necessary. These are perceived as safe places to explore and dwell and are seen as more aesthetic than environments without these elements. It all goes back to our evolutionary history where environments with good outward surveillance and refuge increased the likelihood of survival, like a medieval fortress with a moat and drawbridge. But these ideal aspirations nowadays, for the common people at least, mostly link to the style of architecture we live in. We might not have a scenic view and we probably don’t yearn for an internal safety chamber for moments when we feel under threat. Ultimately what we do have control over is our allotment of living space and – without the

outside distractions of shops, restaurants, pubs, cinemas, theatres et al – the home has become the centre of entertainment, the workspace, the dining space, the sleeping space, and so how we experience it matters more than ever. It’s no longer somewhere where we spend part of our lives. It’s our main context. This focus on remodelling the home interior to suit the change of circumstance has unsurprisingly been much emphasised this year. The resulting interior trend has been the customisation of our spaces into comfortable havens. It seems our fantasy homes are now characterised by warmth, cosiness and personality. The choices we’re making in our home refuge also have a definite sustainable emphasis – vintage furniture, upcycling, green credentials, bolstering resources. We’ve even seen (welcome) new government legislation encouraging homeowners to fix their white goods appliances rather than replace them because it’s a more economical option. The need for comfort has resulted in the decline of previously popular interior styles. Mid-century modern, a style initiated by Bauhaus architects and designers, is characterised by simplicity and functionality and what were then ‘new’ materials such as plastic, but it is not the sort of style that you can throw yourself on at the end of the day. There is talk of minimalism also being in retreat. A swept-clean interior might not hold our attention all day and it’s possible we may spend so much time tidying and sweeping that we don’t actually have much left over for anything else. It’s not about becoming maximalist and cluttered, though, it’s finding carefully selected pieces that animate and ground us. It’s also likely that thoughts will turn to durability and resilience, perhaps tiled floors with natural materials over carpets? So we’re recommending some serious thought about comfort and refuge – and a rawer, less tidy, more casual aesthetic. Think about making your home textural and layered with warmth and purpose – even though we may be able to fly the nest more often in the months ahead, it can’t be at the expense of our essential hideaway. n

Scandi White Porcelain tiles from Mandarin Stone; mandarinstone.com. Porcelain tiles sum up what chilling is all about; style them simply with a statement chair to achieve a minimalist Scandinavian style

RIGHT: This Delissa Quilt from Anthropologie is a fabt spot to lounge on with a laptop. And the useful stylist’s tip is to unmake the bed a bit after it’s been made. £148–168; anthropologie.com THEBATHMAG.CO.UK

APRIL 2021

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CITY | INTERIORS

Ideas for finding refuge

Here are a few local ideas for upping the comfort factor. From cushions and stools to fragrance and fire pits, it’s time to find ways of keeping your house up to the task of giving you ultimate chill out, lounge around and pamper time

Pile cushions up (left) to create cosy layers. Above: Labirinto Cushion, 51 x 51cm, £86, OKA; oka.com Right: Kelim cushion, 40 x 40cm, £45; orientalrugsofbath.com Bloomingville Bela cushion (bottom) by Sweetpea & Willow; sweetpeaandwillow.com;

This aromatherapy diﬀuser from Aery Living will soothe your senses and help you create your own inner peace with its blend of rose, geranium and amber with subtle tones of jasmine, sandalwood and cedar. Happy Space Aromatherapy Reed Diﬀuser, £34.95; homefrontinteriors.co.uk

Get those curtains made by contacting Anna Design – bring your window dressing visions to life and keep out any draughts. Fabric commissions by Anna Design; anna-design.uk

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CITY | INTERIORS

A footstool is for putting your feet up. Munch square footstool, from £445; loaf.com Hand-thrown ceramics make you feel grounded and cossetted. Ceramic jug by Libby Ballard, £26; homefrontinteriors.co.uk

A super-soft reversible merino throw featuring an intricate double weave pattern. £410, Katherine Fraser; katherinefraser.co.uk

Luxuriate in a high-pile rug where you can wriggle your toes as you chill. Casbah bedside rug, Loaf, £145; loaf.com

Invest in a 100-year old Rajasthani Kadai fire bowl as a centrepiece for the garden. Available in sizes from 60cm to 170cm diameter, boniti.com

The Charnwood C Five woodburning stove comes in a range of eight colours. £1192; kindlestoves.co.uk

THEBATHMAG.CO.UK

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CLAVA DINE UMAGE, DENMARK

LIGHTING SPECIALIST 8 BATH STREET, FROME. TEL: 01373473555 WWW.FIATLUX.CO.UK

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DOMESTIC & COMMERCIAL MOVERS • PACKERS • STORERS • SHIPPERS

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Image shows: Karndean Art Select

Gardening - April.qxp_Layout 1 24/03/2021 11:36 Page 1

Life recycle

From composting to pallet pimping, gardener Elly West is promoting the ethic of sustainable outdoor space – it’s less expensive, it allows the repurposing of materials and products and allows your garden to be more self-dependent

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❝

A pallet is ideal for a rustic planter when stood on its side. With very little adaptation it creates natural shelves for plant pots

❝

wo things have got me thinking this month about recycling opportunities. The first is some building work on my house, at the end of which I was left with a skip loaded with rubbish, including five or six pallets to get rid of. The second is the introduction in North Somerset of a paid-for green waste collection, as I live in the minority of council districts that have offered this service for free up until this year. We all know how important recycling is, and most people who love their gardens tend to be ecologically aware and take this on board without question. However, while we may not get a lot of pleasure from dutifully sorting out our recycling bins ready for the weekly collection, recycling in the garden can be a much more positive and enjoyable experience. I love seeing ideas on social media, and elsewhere, for garden projects that upcycle unwanted objects. It’s fun to personalise your outdoor room. Everything gets softened by planting and you can move things around and experiment with colour in a way that you may not want to in your indoor space. I advertised my leftover pallets on a local WhatsApp group and they were snapped up within the hour by people wanting to use them in their gardens, which makes me much happier than putting them in the skip or going to the effort of chopping them up for firewood. But I couldn’t resist keeping one to use in my own garden; I’m just not sure how yet. Maybe a planter? Or perhaps a bench? A table? A pallet is ideal for a rustic planter when stood on its side. With very little adaption it creates natural shelves for plant pots that are ideal for herbs and trailing plants in a sunny spot. Paint in whatever colour you like, or leave it natural then hang it on a wall or simply lean against a hard surface.

Ladders are another good find for upcycling and reusing in the garden. A small wooden stepladder is ideal as you can place pots directly on the treads, or you could hang plants from the rungs to create a tiered display. So if you’re looking for an Easter project to get your garden ready for summer, why not try local giveaway groups such as Freegle or Freecycle for items you can repurpose in the garden? One man’s junk is another man’s treasure! Just about any durable item that holds soil can become a garden planter, and I’ve seen tin cans, old sinks, and even boots and wellies used to create quirky displays. Just make sure there are holes in the base to provide drainage, and remember: the bigger the container, the less often you’ll need to water it and the more likely your plants are to thrive. Having said that, sedums and other succulents, plus many Mediterranean-type plants, can survive poor soil and little water, so make good candidates for smaller containers. The ultimate in garden recycling, though, is composting. Recycling green waste at home will reduce the amount of green bin collections that are needed, and it makes sense to give goodness back to your

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Main image AdobeStock.com

GARDENING

garden. By creating your own compost you get a free, nutritious growing material to use around the garden that will improve your soil’s texture and the health of your plants. And you’re also using up your kitchen and garden waste without having to rely on the council to take it away. Wildlife loves a compost heap, with thousands of mini-beasts and tiny organisms working away to break down your waste, and other larger creatures also benefit from its shelter and warmth, such as hedgehogs, slow worms, frogs and toads. Compost heaps come in all shapes and sizes, and they don’t need to be plastic, as there are more attractive wooden ones on the market or you can make your own from recycled timber – including pallets. Gaps in the sides will enable wildlife to get in and out, but will also mean your heap could dry out more quickly so you might want to water it now and again if it’s looking parched. A bin can be positioned anywhere, although decomposition is slower in the shade. Anything that will rot can be composted, but some items break down more quickly than others. Fruit and veg peelings from the kitchen can go on the heap, but avoid cooked food and meat or fish, as you won’t want to attract rats. A mix of materials creates the best compost, so if you produce a lot of grass cuttings, for example, try to mix them up with more carbon-rich material such as dried leaves and chopped up prunings and stems, or even shredded paper or cardboard. Turning your heap with a fork will add oxygen, which will speed up the composting process. Depending on what you put in your compost bin and how you tend to it, you could have a rich, crumbly, brown, friable compost within a few months or it may take up to a couple of years. • ellyswellies.co.uk; Instagram: @ellyswellies1

Plant of the month: Heuchera

The softly scalloped leaves of heuchera, also known as coral bells, make a beautiful foil in the spring garden for bulbs and the fresh growth of early perennials such as geraniums and euphorbias. The sprays of flowers held on airy stems generally appear slightly later in the year, but the leaves are particularly noticeable while the borders are relatively quiet and before summer’s full fanfare of flowers begins, especially when glistening with raindrops. Heucheras are mainly grown for their foliage, which comes in shades of green, burgundy, red, orange, pink, and yellow. Some are mottled or veined with silver or red. Variety ‘Marmalade’ is particularly striking with its peachy-bronze shiny leaves that have vivid pink undersides, or if you prefer something dark and dramatic, try ‘Obsidian’ or ‘Black Pearl’ for almost black leaves. A slightly shady spot in well-drained soil suits them best as winter damp in a clay soil can cause the roots to rot. Keep them happy and they are more or less evergreen, and are great for the front of a border, planted in a swathe to create a leafy edging, or for underplanting trees and shrubs.

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Visit our Display Centre at Trowbridge Garden Centre 288 Frome Road, BA14 0DT THEBATHMAG.CO.UK

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THE BATH DIRECTORY - APRIL 2021.qxp_Layout 31 24/03/2021 11:17 Page 1

the directory

to advertise in this section call 01225 424 499

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

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76 THEBATHMAGAZINE

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IssuE 218

CENTRAL

Winkworth fp April 12-up.qxp_Layout 1 26/03/2021 10:25 Page 1

winkworth.co.uk/bath for every step...

BATH RIVERSIDE £950,000

GREAT PULTENEY STREET £495,000

PEASEDOWN £950,000

BIDDESTONE £2,200,000

LANSDOWN £500,000

BATHWICK HILL £2,200,000

SALE AGREED 2021

BATHAMPTON £POA

COMBE DOWN £470,000

SALE AGREED 2021

MIDDLESTOKE £575,000

SALE AGREED 2021

SALE AGREED 2020

BATH RIVERSIDE £2750

WIDCOMBE £1950

LET AGREED 2021

SALE AGREED 2021

BATHWICK £2750

LET AGREED 2021

For Sales or Letting Properties contact us on 01225 829000 bath@winkworth.co.uk WINKWORTH BATH bath@winkworth.co.uk 13 Argyle Street, Bath, Somerset BA2 4BQ Follow us on

Matthew Leonard

Lucy McIlroy

Denise Latham

Director

Lettings Manager

Cobb Farr April.qxp_Layout 1 25/03/2021 09:39 Page 1

L SO

Widcombe, Bath - £1,650,000

Lansdown, Bath - £1,250,000

Bathwick, Bath - OIEO £1,000,000

Lansdown, Bath - £1,950,000 & £1,850,000

Walcot, Bath - £800,000

Bradford-on-Avon - £385,000

L SO

01225 333332 | 01225 866111

Cobb Farr April.qxp_Layout 1 25/03/2021 09:40 Page 2

The Circus, Bath £550,000

A most attractive third floor apartment set in one of Bath’s most renowned addresses with the benefit of two bedrooms, large drawing room and attractive views over the city of Bath. • Superb views across the city of Bath

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Two bedrooms

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Sought after residential address

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Two bathrooms

Large drawing room

01225 333332 | 01225 866111

P80.qxp_Layout 22 26/03/2021 14:33 Page 1

Bailbrook Lane, Bath A stunning development of two individual contemporary luxury homes set in a beautifully mature setting with magnificent views.

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Winkworth fp April 12-up.qxp_Layout 1 26/03/2021 12:13 Page 1

winkworth.co.uk/bath for every step...

Winkworth have sold / let over 100 properties in 2021

BATH RIVERSIDE £950,000

SALE AGREED 2021

BIDDESTONE £2,200,000

SOLD IN 2021

MIDDLESTOKE £575,000

GREAT PULTENEY STREET £495,000

PEASEDOWN £950,000

LANSDOWN £500,000

BATHWICK HILL £2,200,000

BATHAMPTON £POA

COMBE DOWN £470,000

SOLD IN 2021

SALE AGREED 2021

SOLD IN 2021

SALE AGREED 2020

BATH RIVERSIDE £2750

WIDCOMBE £1950

LET AGREED 2021

SALE AGREED 2021

SOLD IN 2021

SALE AGREED 2021

BATHWICK £2750

LET AGREED 2021

For Sales or Letting Properties contact us on 01225 829000 bath@winkworth.co.uk WINKWORTH BATH bath@winkworth.co.uk 13 Argyle Street, Bath, Somerset BA2 4BQ Follow us on

Matthew Leonard

Lucy McIlroy

Denise Latham

Director

Lettings Manager

Central

Andrewsonline.co.uk

Weymouth Street, BA1 £425,000

01225 809 571

This beautifully presented semi-detached property is situated on a quiet side street in central Bath. Spread over three floors, the stylish modern home offers everything one could want for a city lifestyle. Accommodation includes entrance hall with storage, cloakroom, dual aspect lounge dining room which in turn opens to the kitchen. There are three double bedrooms, two en-suites and a further bathroom. Allocated residence parking, further visitor parking and communal garden. Energy Efficiency Rating: C

central@andrewsonline.co.uk

To view more properties and other services available visit Andrewsonline.co.uk

Camden

Andrewsonline.co.uk

Lambridge Place, Larkall, BA1 £230,000

Situated in the centre of Larkhall, this one bedroom first floor flat is well presented throughout. Accommodation includes entrance hall with storage, living room with view of Solsbury Hill, separate kitchen, double bedroom and bathroom. The building has been recently updated by the owners both inside and out and has the added bonus of some residents parking. Offered with vacant possession. Energy Efficiency Rating: D

01225 809 868 camden@andrewsonline.co.uk

To view more properties and other services available visit Andrewsonline.co.uk

Newbridge Andrewsonline.co.uk

St. John’s Road, BA1 £440,000

This three bedroom, two reception room, terraced property is perfectly located, close to Victoria Park and all local amenities as well as the city centre. Comprising of a bright and airy front sitting room which opens through to a family dining room and modern kitchen to the rear. On the first floor are two double bedrooms and a family bathroom. A third double bedroom is on the top floor. The rear garden has part decking and lawn. Planning permission is granted to extend the kitchen. Energy Efficiency Rating: TBC

01225 809 685 newbridge@andrewsonline.co.uk

To view more properties and other services available visit Andrewsonline.co.uk

Bear Flat

Andrewsonline.co.uk

The Firs, BA2 £700,000

This elegant, Edwardian, four-bedroom family house is situated in the heart of Combe Down. Beautifully refurbished retaining a wealth of retained period features, the property is full of character and briefly comprises of: two charming reception rooms, a rear conservatory, an extended kitchen / dining room. Three double bedrooms and family bathroom on the first floor and the loft has been converted to a double bedroom with ensuite shower room. A sunny and private rear garden. Energy Efficiency Rating: E

01225 805 680 bearflat@andrewsonline.co.uk

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The Bath Magazine April 2021

Articles inside

GARDENS

A WALK WITH CELANDINES

HOME COMFORTS

PAUSE FOR THOUGHT

GREAT ESCAPES

CITY NEWS

A BRIDGE IN TIME

FINE FORAGING

BEST FOOD FORWARD

PAVILION ROCKS

BARD TIMES

GOLDEN EGGS

WHAT’S ON

IN REAL TIME

NOTES ON A SMALL CITY

THINGS

FIVE MINUTES WITH