The Bath Magazine July 2019

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ISSUE 202 | JULY 2019

thebathmag.co.uk £3.95 where sold

SUMMER FUN

BATH ROCKS

RUSSIAN REALISM

MOTOR POWER

Discover some super-cool ideas for things to do

Go underground and unearth Bath’s unique geology

Rupert Everett explains the haunting story of Uncle Vanya

Team Bath Racing take their supercar to Silverstone

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 July 2019 5 THINGS

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10

Essential events to look forward to this month

RUSSIAN DRAMA

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64

Professor Maurice Tucker investigates Bath’s natural geology

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18

Melissa Blease grills Rupert Everett about taking on Uncle Vanya

PEDAL POWER

BATH ROCKS

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BATH AT WORK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70 Neill Menneer’s photographic portrait of airbnb host Sandi Bellart

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BOOKS

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74

Jess Connett discovers how a cycle path helped connect communities

Diverting reads for the summer months

WHAT’S ON

FAST AND FURIOUS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

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Our guide to the top events happening around the city

Jessica Hope meets the Formula One car engineers of the future

ORDER OF THE DAY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Stephen Dalton chats to New Order before their Bristol gig

HEALTH AND BEAUTY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 Crystal Rose gets travel ready

CREATIVE WAR WOUNDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

OZLEWORTH WALK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

Jessica Hope previews the new show at Victoria Art Gallery showing the impact of war on the home front

Andrew Swift encounters some mysteries in a Gloucestershire village

HANDMADE INTERIORS CITY ARTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 The latest art exhibitions from around the city

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Clair Strong discovers finely crafted products for the home

GARDEN IDYLL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

STAND AND DELIVER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46 Catherine Pitt looks back at life on the highways

Jane Moore finds a garden that has provided vital sustainance

HOT PROPERTY

SUMMER DELIGHTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

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The finest homes to buy or rent

Essential family fun guide for the summer

EAT AND DRINK A LA FRANCAISE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60 Melissa Blease on how to celebrate gastronomically on Bastille Day

More content and updates online: thebathmag.co.uk

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Follow us on Twitter @thebathmagazine

ON THE COVER

Sydney Gardens Series, Boy and Dog, by Bernard Ollis, oil on Belgian linen, from the exhibition A Tale of Two Cities at Victoria Art Gallery, 16 July – 15 September

Follow us on Instagram @thebathmagazine

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Set sail with Brunel’s SS Great Britain this summer to catch breathtaking performances from The Invisible Circus

EDITOR’S PICKS DEFINED BY THE UNDERGROUND This is a detail of Combe Down Oolite, a Bath stone packed full of shells and ooids. Our feature on page 64 explores the story of how the unique geology of our landscape has defined Bath.

from the

EDITOR Editor photograph by Matthew Sterling

“

H

ow do you like to go up in a swing, up in the air so blue?” That was written in 1885 by Robert Louis Stevenson, but when it comes to simple pleasures it’s plain, even to the most cynical, that you still just can’t beat swinging high into the air so blue. Our summer fun guide isn’t all about swings, but it is bursting (yes, seven pages worth of bursting) with outdoor ideas where the sky will be your and your family’s canopy (see above). Think spotting llamas at Tyntesfield, ballooning above Bath, travelling on a waterbus or swinging (yes, swinging!) from the high ropes at Wimbleball Lake on Exmoor National Park. There are loads more ideas, indoor ones, too, but you’ll have to turn to page 48 to find them.

We all know Bath is defined by its landscape and the distinctive stone that creates its architectural grandeur. But what gives Bath stone its qualities? The story starts up to 200 million years ago in the Jurassic Era when Bath was like the balmy Bahamas with warm seas and sandy beaches – and there was lots of calcium carbonate being deposited. Professor Maurice Tucker pulls the strands of Bath’s geology story together on page 64.

July also brings some stars to Bath. Rupert Everett directs and stars in Theatre Royal Bath’s forthcoming production of Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya – Melissa Blease chats to Rupert about the production on page 18. New Order, and their post-punk and electronic dance music vibe, are also appearing at the Amphitheatre at Bristol Harbourside on 18 July and Stephen Morris will be talking about his new book in Bath on 17 July. The band haven’t performed in the city since 1984, but they are ready to do their best to make up for it, Stephen Dalton discovers on page 32.

Jessica Hope hot-footed it up to the University of Bath and has now become a fast car expert after talking to a group of students in the faculty of engineering and design who have built a racing car that will be competing at Silverstone this summer (see page 78). On page 36 Jessica also takes a look at an upcoming exhibition at Victoria Art Gallery, War and Rumours of War, with works by leading artists from the 20th century exploring the harsh realities of living through the Second World War in Britain.

To celebrate France’s Bastille Day on 14 July we sent Melissa Blease off to find those who specialise in the French food and drink scene (see page 60) – she uncovers dishes such as escargots à la Bourguignonne and ris de veau and drinks from Cremant de Loire to Picpoul de Pinet.

Bon appetit en Juillet!

Emma Clegg Editor

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

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FINE FASHIONISTAS

Bath Spa University’s catwalk show for their graduate fashion design students made a big splash recently at the Assembly Rooms. The 18 graduates each had six outfits in their collections, ranging from Rita Marcourt’s enfolding bejewelled satin evening wear to Heini Thomas’s unconventionally cut garments in giant dogtooth patterns (see above).

We look forward to seeing how their careers progress. bathspa.ac.uk/courses/ug-fashion-design

HONEYSUCKLE

The nectar-rich flowers of the honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum) have a sweet, heady scent. This climbing plant is found naturally in woodlands and along hedgerows, twining itself around shrubs and trees. It supports many types of wildlife, from birds and bumblebees to butterflies and dormice.

Its flowers bloom from June to September.

ILLUSTRATION BY MAUREEN SEED The Bath Society of Botanical Artists; bsba.co.uk

Earth is ancient now, but all ❝ knowledge is stored up in her.

JEANETTE WINTERSON

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ZEITGEIST

things to do in

July

Watch With four Grammys, eight Juno Awards, a BRIT, an AMA, a VMA, and four awards from GLAAD, it’s fair to say that Canadian singer-songwriter k.d. lang has come a long way since her first album in the 1980s.

Now she is heading to The Forum, Bath on 17 July, 7.30pm for her 25th anniversary tour celebrating the release of the critically acclaimed, platinumselling breakthrough album Ingénue. Tickets from £25.50; bathforum.co.uk

The city’s streets are ready to explode with colour and sparkle this month as Bath Carnival returns – and this year it’s bigger and better than ever! On 13 July, get in the party spirit as more than 1,000 people will take part in the largest procession to date as dancers, drumming bands, walkabout acts and brass bands progress through the city centre, starting at Great Pulteney Street from 3pm. Party in the Park takes over Sydney Gardens from 10am– 10pm, with an eclectic line-up of live music including Afro and Latin, Dub and Reggae. There will also be a kids’ zone where Super Pirates will keep the little ones occupied with oversized inflatables, interactive toys and more. There will be local independent traders serving up delicious food and drink. Over at the Recreation Ground, take a picnic and enjoy a range of free family activities while the procession is assembled and the party atmosphere builds, from 10am–3pm; bathcarnival.co.uk

Laugh

Casper Farell Photography

Party

Check out Lucy Porter’s new show

Forgot to book your tickets to the Edinburgh Fringe? No fret! We’re rather lucky in Bath that before the world’s largest arts festival kicks off in August, we get to have a taster of the action as Komedia hosts previews for comedians and acts this month before they head up to Scotland.

Throughout July there will be big names such as Stuart Goldsmith, Jayde Adams, Aaron Simmonds and Lucy Porter taking to the stage to try out their new material. Turn to page 24 to see the full programme; komedia.co.uk

Prepare yourself as cries of “MR BENNET!” will be reverberating around Claverton on 20 July as Chapterhouse Theatre Company brings its production of Jane Austen’s much-loved Pride and Prejudice to the American Museum and Gardens.

Open for picnics from 6pm, take a seat on the lawn overlooking the museum’s beautiful gardens, and catch up with friends before watching this classic tale exploring the relationship struggles between the Bennet sisters, Mr Bingley, Mr Darcy and the notorious Wickham on the outdoor stage. Tickets £16/£11; americanmuseum.org

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Take one giant leap into a summer that the whole family won’t forget as venues around Bath host a colourful variety of activities and events to keep the kids occupied during the school holidays. It all starts with lots of lunar fun and crafts marking the 50th anniversary of the Apollo moon landing at the Herschel Museum of Astronomy. You can go down under at Longleat, head on an adventure at Avon Valley, or experience the Stone Age at Cheddar Gorge and Caves.

Check out our summer fun guide from page 48 for more ideas about what to get up to over the coming weeks. n

© eyeronic-Ts

Enjoy

Applaud

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The city

ist

THE BUZZ THE BUZZ Take refuge in ballet Local author Catherine Bruton has recently published her second novel, No Ballet Shoes in Syria. With echoes of Eva Ibbotson and Noel Streatfield, this captivating story about dance and the struggles of a young Syrian refugee offers a rounded perspective of the challenges faced by refugee children. Catherine researched the book by working closely with Bath welcomes Refugees and Bristol Refugee Rights, who hold a drop-in at a local community centre where ballet lessons are also held. An English teacher at King Edward’s School, Catherine sees first hand the impact stories can have on young readers. Her aim in the book is to challenge readers to look beyond the label ‘asylum seeker’ or ‘refugee’ and see the person or child behind it. Published

by Nosy Crow, £6.99. nosycrow.com

New poetry collection Dancing with Love, published six years after Claire-Louise Price was widowed, describes her journeys of discovery – of new loves, new places, new experiences, and of herself.

Through all of her adventures, someone was always close by and it was to him that she always returned. Entertaining yet compassionate, light-hearted yet profound, these poems are about life after death in more ways than one. The book is a sequel to Walking with Angels: Poems to Uplift and Inspire. The official launch of Dancing with Love takes place at Toppings Bookshop on 2 July at 7.30pm. toppingbooks.co.uk

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My BATH Candace Bahouth is an artist who relishes colour and specialises in mosaics and needlepoint. She lives and works in Pilton and is preparing for a show at the Holburne Museum this autumn

A few years after leaving university I met a Cambridge graduate in New York who was on a road trip with three other Oxbridge boys. We were married in America, but he was keen to live in the English countryside, and I was ‘up for an adventure’.

It was a totally arbitrary decision to move to Pilton. We found a Methodist Chapel there that reminded me of the lofts of NYC. Besides the chapel, there was a Sunday school below, an attached cottage and a garden. The chapel was full of light, providing a space where we could work and live.

The village of Pilton was so supportive of probably the first foreigner to move there. It’s an active village with bell ringing, drama, art, writing and beekeeping groups, along with yoga, choirs and WI. It’s possible to keep a low profile here, and yet, if needed, village support will be there.

I studied Fine Arts at Syracuse University Art School, which was catholic in its approach.

We were taught many mediums including painting, figure drawing, sculpture, weaving and ceramics. There were also liberal arts courses such as one called God is Dead, which discussed Wittgenstein and existentialism. As a result I was happy moving from one discipline to another.

I believe the American spirit of ‘can do’ contributed to my confidence, along with my parents’ support and belief in me, and I wasn’t burdened with too much tradition.

To earn money in a relatively remote village, I drew portraits of children, horses and dogs.

I then did a short course at a woven tapestry studio called The Dovecote Tapestry Studio in Edinburgh. There I started weaving archetypal faces such as Gilbert and George, David Hockney, Tutankhamen and the Queen.

Following on from my tapestry portraits, Hugh Ehrman of Ehrman Tapestry asked me to design some needlepoint for him. Then, when gardening, I started collecting blue-andwhite ceramic shards and became passionate about mosaics.

While I was in NYC, I remember a wonderful exhibition of Eduardo Paolozzi’s large robots, and have been a fan ever since. Other works that have inspired me are the medieval woven tapestries at the V&A, Sir Peter Blake’s magpie approach to Americana, and the mosaics of Gaudí, who must have been seen in his time as a mad genius.

The colour of nature is so rejuvenating and it’s most important to me. Who wants a grey sky when you can have a blue one? I adore a Rosa mundi rose where each petal looks as if it has been hand-painted, the intricacies of a pansy or the frivolity of a peony.

I was brought up in a family with a combined Arab and Italian heritage, so bling has always appealed. I went to a convent, and attending mass and seeing its rituals meant that I was familiar from an early age with madonnas, putti, gold leaf, and candles.

Besides my family and friends, it is my imagination, my eyes and my hands that are most important to me.

I am always struck by the light and elegant architecture of Bath. I love to visit my friend and long-time supporter, Deirdre McSharry to sit in The Fine Cheese Co. for a coffee and a pastry or in the welcoming café at the Holburne Museum.

I look forward to the creativity of Glastonbury Festival, moments of serendipity as I wander, and my family visiting from Barcelona where my son lives.

I am always lured to the flea markets at the Bath and West showground where I become very focused and excited, finding china plates, commemorative mugs, teapots and figures.

I have a show in September at the Holburne, which will be a playful response to the decorative/ceramic world within the Holburne Museum. It will be surreal, bizarre, opulent, and fantastical, a moment of pure delight in an anxiety-filled world. ■ candacebahouth.com

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The city

ist

News from around the city

A picture of science

Dima Albadra, post-doctoral research associate in the University of Bath’s Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, has won first prize in the 2019 national science photography competition organised by the Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council. Dr Albadra’s picture was an image of a Syrian refugee using virtual reality to help researchers design a shelter. The picture was taken at Azraq refugee camp in Jordan, where refugees used virtual reality to give feedback on suggested shelter typologies. This is part of a £1.5 million EPSRC-funded research project to improve the living conditions in refugee camps. bath.ak.uk

This year’s window dressing competition for The Bath Festival, sponsored by Bath BID, included nearly 30 entries. The judging panel was Ian Stockley of Bath Festivals; Allison Herbert of Bath Bid; Emma Clegg and Jessica Hope from The Bath Magazine; and Georgia Moore, third year textile design student at the Bath School of Art & Design. The 2019 festival winner was The Framing Workshop in Walcot Street, who created a finale weekend stage and incorporated the rays and colours of this year’s festival design. The prize was a £100 Bath Gift Card, and the chance for up to six people to enjoy the Incredible Quizzicle Bath Pub Tour. The three highly commended entries were My Small World toy store, Rosarios café and Duo Boots. bathfestivals.org.uk

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Pizza on the move Tom Wills, who is studying a Level 3 technical diploma in professional cookery, has turned an old trailer into a transportable pizza box called Pizza Revolution. Tom completely stripped the trailer to its bones, rust-proofed the chassis, strengthened the steel and fixed the new marine-ply flooring.

When it is completed in November Tom will use his pizza box to cater for weddings, birthdays and small festivals. He also wants to serve locally sourced, farm-fresh produce at events. “My passion for street food came from the festivals I’ve attended,” said Tom. “I love the energy and enthusiasm of the street vendors and want to be part of the culture.” Contact Tom @pizza_revolution

Outstanding opera Applications are invited from young opera singers of 18–26 to compete for the Bath Opera Isobel Buchanan Award 2019. Successful candidates will be judged on their all-round quality of performance and potential to progress as a professional. The award will take place on 7 November at the Michael Tippett Centre at Bath Spa University. Six finalists will perform two arias and an art song, and the winner will receive a first prize of £1,000 and a paid engagement to perform at a Bath Spa University concert on 4 March 2020.

Applicants should contact Pat Harper at secretary.bathopera@hotmail.co.uk for a form and the competition rules.

Application deadline 10 October.

Campaign to Keep Bath City FC in Twerton

Top Bath window

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Photograph of last year's winner, Monica Toll, with Isobel Buchanan and judges

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Bath City FC are seeking support for their planning application for the partial redevelopment of Twerton Park. The application is a result of four rounds of public consultation and on the back of the club’s most successful season for many years, which has seen record crowds at Twerton Park, with more than 1,000 spectators regularly attending. The club became community owned in 2017 and now has more than 600 shareholders and owners.

Bath City FC announced in 2017 it was working with Greenacre Capital on a joint scheme to redevelop Twerton High Street, land to the rear of the High Street and part of Twerton Park. The scheme is the largest single investment in Twerton for more than 50 years. The plans include a new grandstand and facilities, a new community

hub, and a 3G pitch. The residential elements include affordable housing, co-living apartments, and the partial regeneration of Twerton High Street, plus improvements to public spaces in the area.

The proposals also include purpose-built student accommodation, which makes the whole scheme financially viable.

The community-owned club has made public its need to complete this project for the club to remain in Twerton and to secure its financial future. Bath City FC has a £1 million debt to be paid by 2022 and is currently running at a loss. Coinciding with the proposal, Bath and North East Somerset Council has secured £650,000 from the West of England Combined Authority as part of the Love Our High Streets Project, which aims to increase footfall and improve facilities on Twerton High Street.

Nick Blofeld, chair of Bath City Football Club, said, “With support from supporters and the community, we hope to secure the financial future of the club.”

The planning application is live on the BANES website, and the club asks supporters and members of the community to view the final plans and get behind the project. Do this by visiting bathnes.gov.uk, click on View Planning Applications and search for 19/02276/FUL. ■

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R O O M 7 Quiet Street Bath BA1 2JU T: 01225 330563 E: info@dressingroombath.com www.dressingroombath.com

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Cultural exchange

Our roving reporter wonders what visiting students to Bath might remember and debates the demise of bathing

W

atching a group of French teenagers eating their packed lunches, sheltering from the rain under the colonnade, round the corner from Primark, set me wondering what memories these kids would take away of their time in Bath.

Would they get home and excitedly tell their family about how their visit to the Roman Baths transported them back thousands of years, or how they imagined themselves in the 18th century entering a grand crescent home? Or would their tales be of crowded trains, with standing room only? Or the day Louis lost his baseball cap off the side of a river boat? Most of them, I suspect, will dwell on the hi-jinks they got up to with their friends, or the eccentric hostess they were posted with, rather than the actual cultural outings.

I’m not saying that we may as well send these groups of continental students to Swindon rather than Bath, but that perhaps culture is wasted on the youth. I asked friends and colleagues about their memories of school trips and they came up with a range of stories, from the PE teacher who bought a group of boys beer on the first night they arrived in their Spanish destination, to the girls who spent all their money on French sweets which came in packets all joined together in a chain.

I went on a school trip to Paris, aged 15, led by our French teacher, a Canadian, who seemed to struggle to make herself understood to Parisian waiters and museum staff, much to our amusement. We spent our time flirting with any male over 16 and spent one evening barricaded in one bedroom after one girl hysterically reported that there were men roaming the hotel corridors in search of English schoolgirls.

It is that memory that sticks in my mind, more than a glimpse of a small and sour-looking Mona Lisa through the shoulders of my classmates.

One friend said she’d sat on a bus in Bath listening to a pair of students chatting in their shared language, English, about their experiences of staying in the UK. One asked incredulously, “You know, they have bread for breakfast?”

“I know, and mine give me a sandwich for lunch. And some evenings they have bread, pizza or garlic bread. They sure eat a lot of bread, the British,” the pair sighed in sympathy with one another.

We had family visitors recently with a 12-year-old daughter who needed entertaining. What would she like to do while she was in Bath?

Would she like to see some historic sights, visit a museum? She’s not interested in history, we were told, she prefers geography. How about a trip to TopShop or H&M? That cheered her up. For about half an hour.

Then she sat over a milkshake and solemnly told us she didn’t know why tourists came to Bath.

“It’s not as if Bath has got a beach, or a decent sized venue where you could see someone like Ariana Grande,” she said, “and the network coverage is really bad.” We apologised and invited her back in ten years.

18 New Bond St. Bath BA1 1BA T. 01225 466954 www.ellisandkillpatrick.com Quote code DUNHILL19EK for 20% off single vision and sunglass prescription lenses into Dunhill frames.

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TUB THUMPING We visited one of those large out-of-town department stores the other weekend, where we wandered round the bathroom department looking at showers as we debated whether to get rid of our bath and replace it with a walk-in shower or wet room arrangement. The assistant told us that around 85 per cent of their customers were intent on doing just that, preferring showers over baths.

I wonder why bathing has fallen out of favour, is it because people are so busy that they feel they have no time to take baths? Or is it that, as a population, we’re now less agile and slim, so getting in and out of the tub has become a challenge? The shop assistant appeared to consider that throwing the bath tub out with the water was a simple decision to make, but I told her I was reluctant to give up my regular treat of enjoying a long soak in a hot bath with a good book and a glass of wine. She looked at me as though I was mad and directed me to the hot tub department. n

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MUSIC CITY || INTERVIEW INTERVIEW

Living by mirages Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya likens having no real life to living by mirages. Rupert Everett, who directs and stars in the forthcoming production of Uncle Vanya at Theatre Royal Bath, has lived many other lives on the screen and stage and describes his own as a bit of a roller-coaster ride, discovers Melissa Blease

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THEATRE | INTERVIEW

The Happy Prince as a child. So in 2013, Rupert began working on (and raising funds for) a film that pays tender, nuanced tribute to the enduringly fascinating, charismatic man, set at the close of the 19th century and chronicling Wilde’s last dramatic days. The film, named after Wilde’s esoteric fairy tale, was released to great acclaim last year – with Rupert as Oscar himself. You may recall that he visited Bath’s Little Theatre Cinema to host a Q&A at a special screening of the work that he described as a ‘passion project’ last year. Bringing this thematic circle to a nice, neat close, The Judas Kiss – back where we began – was written by David Hare, who is also responsible for the adaptation of Uncle Vanya that’s set to open in Bath.

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Uncle Vanya is all about how people feel when they’re stuck; it’s full of an amazing range of human emotion, making it incredibly joyful one minute and incredibly mournful the next

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hose of us of a certain, erm, vintage have grown up with Rupert Everett. It goes right back to the moment he first trod the boards as floppyfringed toff Guy Bennett (aka a thinly disguised Guy Burgess) in Another Country 38 years ago. This was a role that he repeated, alongside Colin Firth, in the 1984 film version for which he earned a BAFTA nomination for Best Newcomer To Film.

He’s flitted seamlessly between rom-coms and rigorous classic roles, deep-issue documentaries and carefree comedies. We’ve seen him morph from pin-up boy (“He has the kind of dark, almost pretty good looks that turn women into jelly,” said his co-star Julia Roberts in the enduringly popular 1997 film My Best Friend’s Wedding) to sophisticated, urbane Great British Institution: Hollywood’s enfant terrible.

He’s also an erudite writer, an enthralling raconteur, a charismatic cultural chameleon – and, for many girls and boys who grew up in the 1980s, our first celebrity crush.

“Really, darling?” he purrs, in familiar, resonant tones that instantly put you in mind of Blithe Spirit’s louche, suave Charles, or Julianne Potter’s charming best friend George Downes, or Prince Charming in Shrek 2 (for yes, that was Rupert too); “Oh, how very flattering!” Oh Rupert, you must have been the recipient of far more flattering compliments than my sycophantic schoolgirl silliness? “I guess so,” he admits; “but I reckon I wasn’t a bad choice of first crush to have, you clever girl!”

Mutual admiration moment over, we eventually get around to putting the meat on the bones of the reason for our chat. This month, Rupert puts himself in a doublespotlight at Theatre Royal Bath, when he both directs a brand new production of Anton Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya, and stars in the title role.

“It’s a huge challenge, but I’m very, very excited about it,” he says. “I was offered this wonderful opportunity by TRB director Danny Moar and Jonathan Church (the theatre’s summer season director), for which I am exceedingly grateful. I’ve got an amazing cast to work with, and the opportunity to work in an incredible theatre which holds a lot of personal history for me.

I was great friends with Jeremy Fry (who was largely responsible for Theatre Royal Bath’s contemporary career) and also Jeremy’s boyfriend at the time, Robert Carson, who did lots of the decoration. And of course I’ve acted on that stage before when I did The Judas Kiss with Freddie Fox back in 2012.”

Ah, all manner of strands are coming together now. The Judas Kiss focuses on the Oscar Wilde ‘scandal’ and disgrace at the hands of his young lover Bosie (Lord Alfred Douglas). He had long since harboured a deep fascination with the flamboyant, sparklingly witty writer’s life since his mother read him Wilde’s children’s story

“David has done a magnificent job,” says Rupert. “To be directing this as my first play is one of the proudest moments of my whole career, second only to the immense pride and joy I felt when The Happy Prince finally came out.” And as we’ve established, Rupert has a huge back catalogue of achievements to consider.

“My life to date could in a way be described as a bit of a roller-coaster ride,” he says, almost ruefully. “It’s dawned on me lately that my career has spanned a long period of time – which is probably due to the fact that I turned 60 last week; gosh, that suddenly crept up on me! Time seems to be moving very quickly now; all of a sudden, the 1970s and 80s of the last century feel as far away as the 18th or 19th centuries – the world has so changed so much. But then again, getting older, for me, so far, is really exciting because the breadth of that span of time is fascinating to have lived through.”

But surely, these days, 60 is the new 40: a time of renaissance, and fresh perspective?

“In one sense, perhaps,” says Rupert. “Or at least, we can tell ourselves that. But the fact is, there’s still a vast imbalance between young and the age people perceive as old.

Our generation was fairly disrespectful to old people when we were young, even if we didn’t realise it, and I suppose that was the beginning of how things are today – and my business, show business, is pretty bloody ageist. Youth is one of the main thrusts that

drives show business forward; it’s always been a young industry, but now it’s really young, for men and women.”

Oh dear; following our frisky opening exchange, are Rupert and I getting a bit wistful? “No!”, he insists. “We have plenty of reasons to be cheerful – let’s celebrate them instead!” But eek, my next question is about Chekhov – who, alongside Henrik Ibsen and August Strindberg, is considered to be one of the three seminal figures in the birth of early modernism in the theatre.

Surely we’re on heavy-going territory again?

“Absolutely not,” says Rupert. “Chekhov is actually very funny. Somehow, in our interpretation of his work over the years, he’s been misinterpreted; we’ve become too serious and reverential with him. He’s basically a realist, so his plays are like looking through a keyhole into the specific place and period he wrote about, in this instance late 19th-century Russia. When audiences first saw Uncle Vanya back in the day, they would have all known people trapped in that vast country, with the nearest train track 50 miles away, in a world where there was no sound: no television, no radio, hardly any electricity. Uncle Vanya is all about how people feel when they’re stuck; it’s full of an amazing range of human emotion, making it incredibly joyful one minute and incredibly mournful the next, with a lot of comedy in there too. It’s most certainly not any kind of rarified play – a classic, yes, but accessible to everybody.”

And if any director is going to introduce Uncle Vanya to audiences who may not feel that 19th-century Russia is accessible to their own personal sensibilities, it’s Rupert. “I’ve had a long relationship and fascination with Russia for many, many years,” he says. “In one of the weird, strange, up-and-down twists of my career, I spent almost two years in a little town just south of Veronezh, just before the Steppe. I was working on a TV series with the Soviet director Sergei Fedorovich Bondarchuk; it was a lifechanging time for me, and it really started me thinking a lot more about Chekhov. He was writing in the last 20 years before revolution completely wiped the world that he describes so well off the face of the earth forever – and that, for me, makes his work very moving as well. The strange thing is, there are two characters in Uncle Vanya who are almost like seers – it’s as if Chekhov knew what was about to happen, in his world, so that makes it incredibly romantic, and nostalgic too. Okay, so I’ve never directed a play before and one never knows how these things are going to pan out. But I’m hoping to create a wonderful evening in the theatre – what more can you do? Or aspire to do, anyway.”

Ah, Rupert; something tells me that you’re just the man for the job. My first crush has done good. n Uncle Vanya is at Theatre Royal Bath from 18 July – 3 August; theatreroyal.org.uk

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See more online thebathmag.co.uk

Contact us: Publisher Email:

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The Bath Magazine and The Bristol Magazine are published by MC Publishing Ltd. The Bath Magazine is distributed free every month to more than 20,000 homes and businesses throughout Bath and the surrounding area. We also have special distribution units in the following city centre stores and coffee shops

2 Princes Buildings, George Street, Bath BA1 2ED Telephone: 01225 424499. Fax: 01225 426677 www.thebathmag.co.uk Š MC Publishing Ltd 2019 Disclaimer: Whilst every reasonable care is taken with all material submitted to The Bath Magazine, the publisher cannot accept responsibility for loss or damage to such material. Opinions expressed in articles are strictly those of the authors. This publication is copyright and may not be reproduced in any form either in part or whole without written permission from the publishers.

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DIABLO PENDANT

BY BELID, SWEDEN

LIGHTING SPECIALIST 8 BATH STREET, FROME. TEL: 01373473555 WWW.FIATLUX.CO.UK TUESDAY – FRIDAY 9.30AM – 5.30PM, SATURDAY 9.30AM – 5.00PM

18ct yellow gold tigers eye ring. £236

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WISHLIST | WATCH SPECIAL

TEN OF THE BEST

There’s nothing that conveys good taste and personal style more than a fine luxury timepiece.

Whether it’s to complement an outfit, an occasion, or simply to be worn for pleasure. The world’s leading watch houses introduced new models for 2019. We ask Mallory Jewellers to pick out ten of the best.

TAG HEUER AUTAVIA ISOGRAPH The Automobile Aviation inspired Autavia watch has a history of chronograph excellence however moving into 2019 sees this classic family begin to push design boundaries.

Exciting the industry with a beautiful watch that is opening the door to the future of TAG Heuer. The simple and easy to read Isograph, with interchangeable strap system, champions proprietary movement components in a beautiful new design watch.

Model: WBE5112.FC8266 Price: £2,900

MONTBLANC 1858 CHRONOGRAPH This limited edition 1930s Minerva inspired chronograph is Montblanc taking another step forward in the Swiss watch industry.

The 42mm bronze case matched with green dial gives an individual experience of quality and expertise from each watch and demonstrates that the future of Montblanc is going to be more and more interesting.

Model: 119908 Price: £4,200

ROLEX SEA-DWELLER Pioneering design, development and iconic style has always been at the heart of every Rolex watch. The history of the SeaDweller is testament to this. This year we welcome the yellow Rolesor version, combining 18ct yellow gold and oystersteel taking this icon to a new level allowing us to appreciate precious metal and treasured history.

Model: 126603 Price: £12,400

BREITLING - PREMIER B01 CHRONOGRAPH NORTON EDITION This 2019 Norton Café Racer partnership model is influenced by the limited edition motorbike with its gold detail black dial and has a laser etched sapphire crystal case back encouraging appreciation of the exceptional in-house 70 hour power reserve movement. With sympathetic retro inspiration this model is fuelling the resurgence of the Breitling brands.

Model: AB0118A21 B1X1 Price: £6,700

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TUDOR BLACK BAY P01 This prototype inspired release, from the archives of Tudor’s early rotating bezel watches, is an excellent opportunity to own a piece of history. From a time of development and exploration throughout the world this watch offers unique design, with presence on the wrist and a genuine history whilst housing a revered manufacture movement.

Model: 70150 Price: £2,830

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WISHLIST | WATCH SPECIAL

OMEGA CONSTELLATION MANHATTAN 1982 saw the arrival of the first Constellation Manhattan which became the choice of many discerning women worldwide. This year sees the 5th generation of the family re-envisioned combining style, in-house mechanical and quartz movements with beautiful mother of pearl, diamond and precious metals options. Every part of the design has been modernised, whether you choose a model in 25mm, 28mm or 29mm, you’ll discover a wonderfully feminine feel as well as a truly exquisite finish.

Model: O13120292055001 Price: £6,210

PANERAI LUMINOR MARINA Making its debut in Panerai Luminor collection is the new 42mm PAM00977.

This all steel visage is a first for the brand; a striking departure from the traditional, high-contrast Panerai dials designed for legibility underwater. The stainless steel bracelet pairs admirably with the brushed silver dial, completing the monochromatic look of the timepiece with just a touch of colour from the blue small seconds hand.

The bracelet is made of AISI 316L stainless steel, an alloy particularly resistant to corrosion and is powered by the in-house Panerai P.9010 automatic movement.

PATEK PHILIPPE NAUTILUS LADIES AUTOMATIC For 2019, Patek Philippe have introduced a new version of the steel Nautilus to the ladies collection. Asserting its presence with a slightly larger diameter and three additional dial colours, this elegant yet sporty timepiece is also adorned with 56 diamonds around the bezel and secured with a new adjustment clasp on the integral bracelet, providing increased comfort for everyday wear.

Model: 7118/1200A Price: £26,050

Model: PAM00977 Price: £7,100

IWC PILOT’S WATCH AUTOMATIC SPITFIRE

CHOPARD HAPPY SPORT

Spearheading the fantastic 2019 additions to the Pilot range from IWC is the 39mm bronze case Spitfire. With an inhouse automatic movement this watch exemplifies technical expertise throughout.

The original 1948 influence complemented by modern manufacturing skills give rise to a must have future classic.

The newest interpretation of the iconic Chopard Happy Sport has curvy oval proportions and a supple, updated version of the original galet bracelet which adorned the first watch in the collection back in 1993. A combination of a beautifully shaped case, fine construction and seven dancing diamonds enhancing the dial make it the perfect accessory to add a touch of everyday glamour to any ensemble.

Model: IW326802 Price: £4,590

Model: 278602-6002 Price: £11,800

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CYCLING

The Cyclebag volunteers, who carried out thousandstrong demonstrations calling for more cycling provision, resurfaced the former railway

The first section of path opened between Bitton and Bath and quickly became a well-used route

“It was an entrance to a car-free utopia”: the traffic-free path is a place for people of all ages to cycle

It took only 10 weeks to get the five-mile section ready for cyclists

Volunteers of all ages helped to create the path: kids in flared velvet trousers brandished rakes

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Photos courtesy of John Grimshaw

John Grimshaw was the engineer who designed the Bristol and Bath Railway Path

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CYCLING

Pedal power 40 years ago volunteers began a ground-breaking project to link Bath and Bristol with a cycle path. Jess Connett gets on her bike and discovers how this helped connect communities between both cities

I

t was the section from Bitton to Saltford and then the outskirts of Bath that the volunteers tackled first. Work began one hot weekend in June 1979 (the exact date has been lost over the decades), when the first lorry full of limestone dust carefully drove onto the old railway line. The tracks were gone but their ghosts remained where the sun-bleached grass did not grow. Kids in flared velvet trousers brandished rakes, while their long-haired dads rolled the surface flat. After 10 weeks of spreading dust over the coarse ballast, they had created five miles of what would become the Bristol and Bath Railway Path, one of the busiest cycle paths in the UK. “Then we prayed for rain,” recalls John Grimshaw, the civil engineer who had mapped out the practicalities of building the path.

The rain would bind the dust into a hardwearing surface. “It didn’t rain. So we hired a pump, to get water out of the River Avon. And then, of course, five minutes after we switched it on, it rained.”

John was part of Cyclebag (Channel Your Calf and Leg Energy Bristol Action Group), set up in a room above The Nova Scotia pub in Bristol in July 1977. Their thousand-strong demonstrations, calling for more cycling provision, strained against car-centric townplanning ideals that had run a dual carriageway through Bristol’s Queen Square. Bristol had only one purpose-built cycle lane at the time: on the M5 motorway bridge near Avonmouth.

“There wasn’t another metre in this part of the world,” John says.

“I remember going to a conference where the government cycling officer said he wanted to eliminate cycling fatalities, and he would do that by eliminating cyclists. That really was their policy. It all just seemed a nightmare, and it was all negative, so I wanted to do something more positive.” Cyclebag would later become Sustrans, which has been going for 30 years with John at the helm.

The new cycle path would run along Midland Railway’s Mangotsfield and Bath branch line, which opened in 1869. For just over a hundred years it connected Brummie holidaymakers with Devonshire fresh air, and carried coal from South Gloucestershire.

But the passenger service failed to survive the Beeching cuts of the 1960s (where many British railway routes were reduced or restructured), and train traffic ceased entirely in 1971. The route was earmarked to be turned into a bypass by Avon County Council.

Meanwhile, members of Cyclebag were touring Europe, visiting cities with purpose-built, traffic-free routes for cyclists. The group began to plan a path that would connect the outskirts of Bristol to the outskirts of Bath. By avoiding the traffic on the A4 and the hilly alternative road through Kelston, Cyclebag envisaged people ditching their cars and cycling for everyday journeys.

“Children from the deprived inner-city areas could safely cycle out to the open country to go fishing along the river,” said a Cyclebag publication from the time, “horse riding at Hanham Green, to be railway enthusiasts at Bitton, to go boating at Saltford, or to the races at Lansdown.” The path was not just a path. It was an entrance to a car-free utopia where children could learn to cycle in safety. It was where everyone could regain the confidence that, a generation earlier, people on bicycles didn’t know they had.

Cyclebag made a planning application in April 1979. They secured £10,000 from Clark’s shoes, got permission to lease the land, and rolled up their sleeves. As soon as the stretch opened, it became “insanely popular,” John says, with a thousand walkers and cyclists counted during one weekend.

Cyclists taking a break at Avon Valley Railway in Bitton

The railway line had been closed by the Beeching cuts of the 1960s

On a sunny Sunday afternoon, little seems to have changed in 40 years. The car park at Avon Valley Railway is full of cars sporting bike carriers. A dad packs a tricycle down with ruthless efficiency, while serious lycra-clad cyclists spill through the gates to get back onto the wide – now tarmacked – path. A mum waits for her daughter on a bright pink bike to finish the ice cream that is mostly on her face, before they cross the tracks and pedal on along the embankment towards Bath.

In 1981, Cyclebag restarted the project to bring the path into Bristol. It would take another four years to reach Lawrence Hill.

In the meantime, they were busy building car-free paths all over the country, including the Pill path under the Suspension Bridge. “We built wherever we could,” John says. “The idea was that every town needed a Bristol and Bath Railway Path. We should try to get a greenway down every canal, every river, every park.”

With the city centres linked, the number of journeys taken annually rose into the millions. After a hundred years of trains chugging between Bath and Bristol, a new transport era had been ushered in. The path now carries more passengers on bikes than the Midland Railway ever did. ■ THEBATHMAG.CO.UK

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WHAT’S ON in July

Enjoy an evening with The Hot Potato Syncopators at Mission Theatre

Strictly dancers Aljaž Škorjanec, Giovanni Pernice and Gorka Marquez are coming to The Forum

31 DAYS OF GERMAN RIESLING n 1–31 July, Le Vignoble, Milsom Place A month-long campaign celebrating the German king of grapes. There will be four different German Rieslings on offer to taste or have by the glass from Le Vignoble’s enomatic machines. Whether you prefer a Kabinett or a Trockenbeerenauslese, there will be some great new wines to discover.

There will also be a retail offer of 10% off any bottle of German Riesling or 15% off when you purchase six or more bottles; levignoble.co.uk DISCOVERING MEDIEVAL AND LATER BRISTOL n 4 July, 10.30am, The Pavilion As part of U3A in Bath’s public lecture series, speaker Bob Jones will discuss the contrast of archaeology and heritage between Bristol and Bath, followed by an explanation of the growth in discovery in Bristol from the 1960s, including the famous PPG 16. £2 for non-members; u3ainbath.org.uk PIANO RECITAL BY GIOVANNI LONATI n 5 July, 1pm, St Luke’s Church, Wellsway A recital by pianist Giovanni Lonati from Rome, featuring works by Chopin and the Beethoven Appassionata Sonata. Free entry, donations to Dorothy House Hospice Care.

For tickets, tel: 01225 975025 or email: judith.corson@talktalk.net AN EVENING WITH THE HOT POTATO SYNCOPATORS n 5 and 6 July, 7.30pm, Mission Theatre Get ready for an evening of lunacy and cacophonous jazz performed by the West Country’s most esteemed and ridiculous marzipans of tea-time jazz and biscuits, The Hot Potato Syncopators. Enjoy a rip-roaring, sometimes surreal and mostly ludicrous journey through the golden era of music

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with tunes you can sing along with, tap toes, laugh, stroke chins and fall flat on the floor to. £10/£12; bathboxoffice.org.uk HINTON CHARTERHOUSE VILLAGE FETE n 6 July, 2pm, Hinton Charterhouse Cricket Club Ground A family country event featuring stalls, crafts, children’s entertainment, a local blacksmith demonstrating his work, a dog show, birds of prey, homemade cake and tea, and live music from a local brass band.

Parking available.

ROXY MAGIC: A TRIBUTE TO ROXY MUSIC AND BRYAN FERRY n 6 July, 8pm, Chapel Arts Centre Roxy Magic are the UK’s best and longestrunning tribute to Roxy Music and Bryan Ferry, who recreate live material that spans four decades, from nostalgic art rock, through to classic standards to sophisticated adult-oriented rock. £20/£22; chapelarts.org KRATER COMEDY CLUB n 6 July, 8pm, Komedia Comedians Dana Alexander, Jarred Christmas, Paul Tonkinson and Phil Jerrod test out their latest material at Komedia’s regular comedy night. 18+, from £9; komedia.co.uk RACE FOR LIFE: BATH 5K AND 10K n 7 July, 9am and 11am, Royal Victoria Park Come together to help raise money to beat cancer at these two Cancer Research UK Race For Life events. Choose between the 5K and 10K race, do some training, get fundraising and show your support for the vital research into stopping the advancement of cancer. £14.99 adults, £10 children; raceforlife.cancerresearchuk.org

There’s lots of fun to be had at Longleat’s Australian summer

ROMEO AND JULIET: A VICTORIAN TRAGEDY n 8–13 July, 8pm (matinee 13 July, 2pm), Cleeve House, Trowbridge Road, Seend Shakespeare Live’s 31st summer production is set in the murky world of Victorian London, with shocking violence and tender love scenes. The star-crossed lovers (played by two talented local teenagers) and their two warring families are manipulated by a mysterious circus ringmaster personifying Fate. The audience will watch from the covered, tiered stand in the gardens, so the show will go on whatever the weather.

Parking available. Gardens will open 90 minutes before each performance for picnics, plus there will be a bar serving drinks, cakes and ice cream. £10–£22.50; shakespearelive.com HOW TO EMBRACE COMPLEXITY AND CHANGE THE WORLD n 9 July, 7.30pm, BRLSI Management theories are paradoxical: we exercise increasing control within institutions while deregulating markets. Meanwhile climate change, inequality, and political instability become critical. Dr Jean Boulton from the University of Bath asks whether we are using the wrong science to shape our approaches. £5/£2; brlsi.org OUTDOOR GIG: THREE CANE WHALE n 11 July, 7–8pm, The Holburne Museum Bristol-based Three Cane Whale are a multiinstrumental acoustic trio featuring Alex Vann, Pete Judge and Paul Bradley (also members of Spiro, Get The Blessing and Scottish Dance Theatre). Often described as having a ‘cinematic sweep’, Three Cane Whale’s sound encompasses atmospheric, charming and quirky melodies, perfect for a balmy summer’s evening (fingers crossed!). £15; holburne.org

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CULTURAL FILM SCREENINGS n Throughout July, The Little Theatre Cinema, Bath Get a culture shock this month as the Little screens National Theatre Live’s epic adaption of Small Island (Encore) on 8 July, and The Lehman Trilogy – directed by Sam Mendes, starring Simon Russell Beale, Adam Godley and Ben Miles – on 25 July. Watch an exclusive preview of a new documentary on Pavarotti with a satellite Q&A with director Ron Howard on 13 July, and watch The Cure’s 2018 anniversary performance from Hyde Park on 11 July.

There’s also a showing of Steven Spielberg’s classic Jaws on 15 July. Plus see the Royal Shakespeare Company’s adaption of Measure For Measure live on 31 July. See the full programme online; picturehouses.com/cinema/The_Little

HERE COME THE BOYS n 11 July, 7.30pm, The Forum, Bath Three of the biggest rock stars of dance combine their incredible talents in a brand-new show. Watch Strictly Come Dancing professionals Aljaž Škorjanec, Giovanni Pernice and Gorka Marquez battle it out as they go head to head in a dance-off in Latin, ballroom, commercial and contemporary, before the audience decides who the winner is. From £25; bathforum.co.uk ALISON WEIR ON ANNA OF KLEVE n 11 July, doors 7.45pm, Topping and Company Booksellers, The Paragon She is a German princess. A king has fallen in love with her portrait. She has none of the accomplishments he admires in women – and she lives with a guilty secret. Alison Weir reveals a charming woman loved by all who knew her – even, ultimately, the king who rejected her – in her new book Anna of Kleve: Queen of Secrets. £7/£18.99 includes book; toppingbooks.co.uk SUMMER EVENING CONCERT: AQUAE SULIS CHORALE n 12 July, 6.30pm, Bath Abbey An evening filled with the beautiful sound of choral music from Aquae Sulis Chorale, a chamber choir made up of local professional and semi-professional singers, in aid of raising funds for the abbey’s Footprint Project. £5–£10; bathboxoffice.org.uk LIVE LOUNGE SESSIONS PRESENT n 12 July, 7.30–10.30pm, Chapel Arts Centre If you love West End theatricals, or simply love live music, then this is the ticket for you. Bat Out Of Hell stars Simon Gordon, Charlotte Anne Steen and Kyle Roberts join Flashdance’s Michael Mather for a memorable performance in aid of Dorothy House Hospice Care. General admission £18.50, meet and greet tickets £25; liveloungesessions.co.uk COSÌ FAN TUTTE n 12–13 July, 7.30pm, The Rondo Theatre Mozart’s engaging and hilarious tale involving two engaged sisters is given a new twist in the final two performances of Bath Opera’s 2019 summer touring production. Director Tom Magnone takes one of the 18th century’s greatest ensemble operas on an emotional 1960s roller-coaster ride of love, loyalty, disguise, betrayal, deception, and self-realisation. £12/£14; rondotheatre.co.uk VINTAGE, SLOW LIVING AND WELLBEING n 13–14 July, 10am-4pm, Court House Farm, Portishead A weekend of vintage, slow living and wellbeing with creative workshops, talks, demonstrations, a showcase of makers and artisans, treatments, and a pop-up clothes swap and mending station. Plus explore the beautiful grounds and gardens, and enjoy lunch or afternoon tea. £5 entry, includes talk and crafts, some workshops must be booked in advance; courthousefarm.com

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WHAT’S | ON

Singer Tom Odell is headlining Valley Fest at Chew Valley Lake

Acoustic trio Three Cane Whale are playing at the Holburne

The Lord Chamberlain’s Men present A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Dyrham Park

LITERATURE AND ADVERTISING IN LATE GEORGIAN ENGLAND n 15 July, 7.30pm, BRLSI Professor John Strachan’s talk looks at the remarkable and ingenious commercial strategies used in advertising in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, and the way in which literary figures of the day, such as Byron and Wordsworth, reacted to the commercial culture around them. £2/£5; brlsi.org

FESTIVAL OF ARCHAEOLOGY 2019 n 20 July, 11am–3pm, Sydney Gardens Did you know that in 1793 the tombstone of a Roman priest was discovered in what is now Sydney Gardens? Discover the incredible Roman history beneath your feet in this Georgian pleasure garden with a stone carving demonstration, object handling, crafts, activities for children and a talk about burial rituals and ceremonies with Dr John Troyer.

EUROPE’S DIGITAL CITIES n 17 July, 7.30pm, BRLSI Dozens of European cities, large and small, have been busy developing their plans to go digital. Gothenburg even has a digital twin.

John Higgins has worked with the European Commission’s Digital Cities Challenge, and moderated a high level conference for more than 40 cities last month. This talk will explore the challenges and opportunities facing these cities and discuss what it means for Bath and the region. £2/£5; brlsi.org

AUSTRALIAN SUMMER n 20 July – 2 September, Longleat Celebrate an Australian summer at Longleat featuring an indoor beach (from 1 August) and the fabulous End of Day Hooroo – a vibrant spectacle of music and dancing, sure to get everyone’s toes tapping, feet stomping and hands clapping. All of this, plus the Safari Park, house, adventure castle is included with a day ticket or annual pass.

Book online and save up to 15%; longleat.co.uk

PAXTON AND WHITFIELD CHEESE AND WINE TASTING n 18 July, 7–9.30pm, Le Vignoble, Milsom Place An evening with David from Paxton and Whitfield cheesemongers where you’ll taste six different cheeses, each paired to a different wine. £25, booking essential; levignoble.co.uk

FRIENDS OF HEDGEMEAD PARK: 130TH ANNIVERSARY FETE n 21 July, 1–5pm, Hedgemead Park This fete will feature music from the bandstand with Bath Spa Band, and the Natural Theatre Company will recreate the Victorian opening ceremony with speeches from the day. There will also be displays from Avon Wildlife Trust, Vegmead community gardening initiative, and information on the history of the park and local area. Plus child-friendly activities, a raffle, teas, coffee, ice creams and delicious homemade cakes. Visitors are invited to bring a picnic.

AN INTIMATE EVENING OF SONGS AND STORIES WITH GRAHAM NASH n 18 July, 7.30pm, The Forum, Bath Legendary singer-songwriter Graham Nash hits the road on UK tour this summer, showcasing his best-known songs from the past five decades. Nash and friends will perform songs from his days in the Hollies through his years with Crosby, Stills and Nash and from his beloved solo recordings, weaving anecdotes and tales from his 50-year career throughout the evening. From £37.50; bathforum.co.uk 28 TheBATHMagazine

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LOVE PARKS WEEK CONCERT: BATH SPA BAND n 21 July, 3pm, Royal Victoria Park A free concert on the Royal Victoria Park bandstand by the local brass band, Bath Spa Band, to celebrate Love Parks Week. Take a picnic and relax for an afternoon of

toe-tapping tunes and classics for all the family to enjoy. Sponsored by Bath in Bloom and The Charter Trustees of Bath; bathspaband.co.uk JULY POETRY READING GROUP: FORREST GANDER’S BE WITH n 22 July, 7.30pm, Topping and Company Booksellers, The Paragon Forrest Gander’s Be With won the 2019 Pullitzer Prize in Poetry. It is a startling collection of poems looking at loss, grief, and regret into the exquisite nature of intimacy. One of America’s finest poets, Forrest Gander’s work has still yet to reach the audience he deserves, and this is a wonderful opportunity to discover a great new poet. £5; toppingbooks.co.uk BATH COMEDY’S EDINBURGH PREVIEWS n 22–26 July, times vary, Ring O Bells, Widcombe Parade Before the Edinburgh Fringe kicks off in August, Bath Comedy is hosting a range of preview shows. Testing out their new material will be satirical serenader Grant Busé, George Rigden, two time Emmy nominee Loyiso Gola and Anuvab Pal. Plus Comedy Central’s John Hastings, a new show from Edinburgh Comedy Award Winner Phil Nichol, Lucy Pearman, star of BBC’s Mister Winner Spencer Jones, Archie Maddocks and Nick Doody. £5 or pay what you feel; bathcomedy.com CHRIS DIFFORD n 25 July, 8pm, Chapel Arts Centre Chris Difford is a Grammy-nominated and double Ivor Novello Award-winning lyricist who has brought us characters and sketches from everyday life, and has successfully turned the mundane into the beautiful, the urbane into the exquisite for more than 40 years. With his collaborator, Squeeze cofounder Glenn Tilbrook, Chris has written some of the most enduring and best-loved songs of our time. £18/£20; chapelarts.org

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SIMPLY SOCIAL n 25 July, 8.30pm, The Huntsman, Terrace Walk Simply Social is an active social group that provides an excellent way to meet others in a friendly welcoming atmosphere. This is a monthly gathering for existing members and potential new members – all are welcome. Have a drink, learn how Simply Social works and the various activities on offer; simplysocial.org.uk UP LATE FRIDAY: MEET THE MAKERS n 26 July, 5–9pm, The Holburne Museum Experience the museum after hours for free on the final Friday of every month. Immerse yourself in an eclectic programme of pop-up talks, art demos, installations, performances, DJ-sets and cocktails.

See what MA Fine Art students at Bath School of Art and Design, Bath Spa University are preparing ahead of their final degree show and try your hand at an art workshop in installation, moving image or sculpture; holburne.org TALKS AND TASTES: PAM THE JAM n 30 July, 8pm, Topping and Company Booksellers, The Paragon Pam Corbin is the expert who professional cooks consult when they want to make jams, jellies, marmalades, chutneys, pickles or anything else to do with preserving. They know her as Pam the Jam, and her new book is the culmination of her years of experience, distilled into more than 100 tried-and-tested recipes.

In this talk, Pam will inspire you to dig into your jars of preserves to make new recipes. £8/£20 includes book; toppingbooks.co.uk PLANNING AHEAD...

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM n 2–3 August, 6.30pm, Dyrham Park The UK’s premier all-male theatre company celebrate their 15th year with Shakespeare’s enchanting comedy in beautiful outdoor locations. This supernatural comedy of mischievous fairies, confused lovers and rude mechanicals is an intoxicating tale of clarity found from chaos as tangled love gives way to happily ever afters. Take a chair and a picnic, and enjoy one of the Bard’s bestloved comedies overlooking Dyrham Park’s spectacular 17th century mansion. Tickets from £10; tlcm.co.uk VALLEY FEST n 2–4 August, Chew Valley Lake Step into a sumptuous weekend of eating, drinking, dancing, learning and lazing by the lake. Headlining on the main stage will be Basement Jaxx (DJ set), Razorlight and Tom Odell, and you won’t go hungry as there’s top chefs such as the Pony and Trap’s Josh Eggleton, Rob Howel from Root, and the Free Range Chef will be serving up tapas, artisan dishes and a five-course feast.

There’s also wellbeing events, yoga, massage, kids activities, and an ethical shopping area. Fundraising will go to Teenage Cancer Trust. Perfect for food lovers, first-time festival goers, and families.

Free camping. Day and weekend tickets available; valleyfest.co.uk CALL MY BLUFF WINE TASTING n 15 August, 7–9pm, Le Vignoble, Milsom Place A light-hearted blind-tasting evening where you can enjoy samples of six different wines before attempting to guess the correct description, origin and price. Who is telling the truth? That’s for you to decide, and if you get the most correct guesses you’ll win a bottle of fizz. £15, booking essential; levignoble.co.uk IFORD ARTS: L’ELISIR D’AMORE – DONIZETTI n 31 August and 3, 6, 7 September, 7.30pm, Belcombe Court, Bradford on Avon Enjoy Donizetti’s comic masterpiece L’elisir d’amore in the beautiful surroundings of Belcombe Court for the highlight of this year’s Iford Arts programme. Bashful village boy Nemorino is besotted with the wealthy Adina but she rejects him. His desperation deepens when Adina apparently falls for a handsome man in a uniform. In abject misery he turns to the dreadful and dazzling quack Dr Dulcamara for a love potion… Gates open for picnics from 5.30pm. £130, under 18s go free; ifordarts.org.uk n THEBATHMAG.CO.UK

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CINEMA | HIGHLIGHTS

Take two: films

The Little Theatre Cinema’s offering this month includes a film that imagines an alternative world where an epoch-defining musical portfolio is absent, and another that looks back on the growth of a powerful business empire, says Emma Clegg

Yesterday The Beatles’ hit Yesterday has been covered more than 3,000 times by other artists. Yesterday the film wipes away all that history in the alternative world that Jack (Himesh Patel) finds himself in after being knocked unconscious during a worldwide power cut. This world, you see, has never heard of The Beatles.

While you will have gathered that the film does not espouse gritty realism, what it does do is make you realise how embedded The Beatles’ repertoire is within our society and how much you’d miss the songs if they weren’t there. There’s a debate about whether Oasis would have existed at all, for example, and so what about the rest of modern music? The message (beneath the nostalgic coating) is that good music matters, and it flows from decade to decade.

The concept is easy to gauge: Jack knows The Beatles hits and no-one else does, including Ed Sheeran (as himself), who at one point (gamely) suggests a change of lyric from ‘Hey Jude’ to ‘Hey Dude’.

Jack passes the songs off as his own, and the world is in his lure.

There’s romance behind the feel-good, toe-tapping soundtrack, with Lily James as Jack’s superfan and manager, but this is a light chocolate sprinkling on the main narrative, the musical nirvana of The Beatles.

We wonder if it would have been possible to remember all the lyrics,

as it tends to be the first lines and choruses that stick. But, hey, dude, this is a fabricated concept that revolves around a daft situation. We all know that the music has a epic wow factor and it’s fascinating to listen to these familiar strains from the perspective of those who do not.

NT Live: The Lehman Trilogy There are 70 characters and just three men playing them in this National Theatre production. Simon Russell Beale, Adam Godley and Ben Miles play the Lehman Brothers, along with their sons and grandsons, over a 150-year period. Previous productions of Stefano Massino’s play have had an extensive cast, but Sam Mendes’ version has an intense intimacy; during the three-and-a-half-hour production the three

actors are almost never absent. There are no costume changes, so the characters are transformed visually and aurally with body position, gait and voice adaptation.

The story starts from modest beginnings in the mid-19th century when Henry Lehman arrives in New York and opens a general store, and is then joined by his two brothers.

This is the familiar American parable of how hard work and enterprise bring great

rewards. As the business grows, the firm takes on the buying and reselling of raw cotton, and then banking, coffee and the railway business.

Beale, Godley and Miles are magnificent, morphing with apparent ease from cutthroat trader and ancient rabbi to innocent bride and petulant toddler. The set, a rotating glass box by Es Devlin, is inspired, with a video backdrop showing the American landscape in shift from era to era.

The collapse of Lehman Brothers is covered swiftly within this tale of American capitalism, but there is a suggestion that it was the move from investing in actual products to involvment in the world of finance that saw the empire’s demise. n

SHOWING TIMES Yesterday From 28 June to 4 July, dates beyond to confirm 12pm, 2.45pm, 5.30pm and 8.15pm NT Live: The Lehman Trilogy 25 July, 7pm Little Theatre Cinema, St Michael’s Place; picturehouses.com/cinema/The_Little

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CALL TO ORDER

After the tragedy of singer Ian Curtis’s suicide, Joy Division disbanded and the remaining members – guitarist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook, and drummer Stephen Morris – became New Order. The new band combined their original post-punk style with influences from New York’s club scene and became an encompassing sound of the 1980s. Stephen Dalton talks to them ahead of their appearance at Bristol Harbourside and Stephen Morris’ talk at Christ Church in Bath

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MUSIC | INTERVIEW rave-pop classic, Technique. “Real World is an absolutely fantastic studio,” Morris nods, “one of the best we’ve ever been in. It has state of the art gear, a great atmosphere and the location is beautiful. It has the only control room in the world that affords good views of sedately swimming ducks. It is also quite a good place to have an all-night endof-album party/rave, but that’s another story... one that is still talked of in hushed tones by the residents of Box village.”

Of course, seeing New Order live in 2019 is a very different prospect to catching them during their volatile 1980s heyday as figureheads of the legendary Manchester record label Factory, when their prodigious drugs and booze intake fuelled some infamously messy performances. Indeed, when the band made their Glastonbury festival debut, in June 1981, Sumner got so drunk he keeled over onstage.

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Seeing New Order live in 2019 is a very different prospect to catching them during their volatile 1980s heyday as figureheads of the legendary Manchester record label Factory

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econd only to Coronation Street, New Order have been Manchester’s longest-running soap opera for almost 40 years. Ever since they regrouped under a new name in 1980 following the tragic suicide of Joy Division singer Ian Curtis, these post-punk living legends have enjoyed a roller-coaster career peppered with breakups, breakdowns, hair-raising health scares, bitter fall-outs, unexpected revivals and month-long hangovers.

But after a turbulent decade of angry splits and legal spats, there is a little more joy and a little less division in the New Order ranks these days. The band’s 2015 comeback album, Music Complete, earned rave reviews and peaked at Number 2 in the British charts. Nowadays these unlikely national treasures enjoy the elevated lifestyle of a pop supergroup, headlining major festivals around the globe and filling huge outdoor arenas like Bristol’s Harbourside Amphitheatre, where they play later this month.

Anybody seeing the Bristol show is due for a rare treat. In recent years, New Order’s live shows have blossomed into magnificent high-tech spectacles, ablaze with cinematic visuals and stacked with classic electro-pop anthems like Temptation, Blue Monday and True Faith. Where once they were sullen and erratic, now they are sumptuous and euphoric. “The thing about now is we are in a good place,” explains singer and frontman Bernard Sumner, “so you don’t really hark back to the bad old days.”

Amazingly, the Harbourside gig will be New Order’s first Bristol show in over 30 years. “For far too long we seem to have neglected Bristol and the south west generally as a New Order gig destination,” says drummer Stephen Morris. “I think the last time we played Bristol was in 1984, so I apologise for that oversight. We will do our best to make up for it on 18 July. The Harbourside Amphitheatre looks like a great venue, we’re all really looking forward to playing it.”

But New Order are no strangers to the wider Avon and Somerset region, having played Glastonbury on multiple occasions.

Morris is a long-time connoisseur of cult Bristol-area bands, citing early 1970s progressive folk-rockers Stackridge as a personal favourite alongside more recent icons like Massive Attack, Portishead and Goldfrapp.

“The south west always seems to me to be a very creative and inspirational place to live and work,” Morris says. “I know a lot of musicians who have moved there. There seems to be a lot of great places to create and play music. Maybe it’s the air to cider ratio that’s partially responsible for this.”

New Order have also recorded several albums at Peter Gabriel’s Real World studio in Box, outside Bath. Their first visit was in 1988, to complete the notoriously hedonistic sessions for their ecstasy-fuelled

“Oh god, that was hilarious,” recalls Gillian Gilbert, New Order’s chief keyboard player and wife of Morris. “He always said, ‘I didn’t want to be the singer!’ He used to say that a lot. So he used to get completely drunk, out of nerves really.”

“It was amazing that we survived,” Sumner admits, “because I was a pretty crap singer at the time. It was total chaos live. I was more interested in getting drunk than doing gigs. And we didn’t have any money.”

These days, Sumner claims he limits himself to two glasses of wine per night.

“Well, I stop counting after two glasses, anyway,” he grins. “I’ve learnt to pace myself because as you get older the hangovers get worse and worse. I can’t do party central any more. We’ve earned our hedonist medals. We’ve done our tour of duty, and now it’s time to do something else.”

On 17 July, the eve of the Bristol show, Morris is also making a solo appearance at Christ Church in Bath to promote his recently published memoir, Record Play Pause. This funny, poignant, bittersweet trip down memory lane covers his childhood in Macclesfield, struggles with depression, and breakthrough success with Joy Division. Writing the book was

“more fun than playing the drums,” Morris insists. “I found it was a generally positive thing to do. So much so that I ended up writing two books – it is a long story after all. The second part is coming out next year.”

New Order have always been forwardlooking pop modernists at heart, rarely dwelling on their much-mythologised past with what Morris fondly calls the “chaotic dysfunctional family” of Factory Records.

But the band have been in nostalgia mode for most of this year, releasing a deluxe box set of their 1981 album Movement as well as a 40th anniversary reissue of their revered Joy Division debut, Unknown Pleasures.

“One of the many unexpected problems of ageing is the amount of time the past takes up,” Morris sighs. “When I was young, I was obsessed with getting to the future and couldn’t wait to leave the past behind. I never imagined I would be part of something that would have a legacy that needed looking after. Not that I’m complaining, the response to the Unknown Pleasures 40th anniversary has been incredible.”

The mood music inside New Order seems a lot more harmonious nowadays than it was a decade ago, when their former bass guitarist Peter Hook quit acrimoniously, threatening legal action if the band continued without him. When a rebooted New Order began playing again in 2011, adding Phil Cunningham on bass and Tom Chapman on guitar, a courtroom clash looked inevitable.

“After drugs and religion, litigation is next in the list of rock and roll pursuits,” Morris laughs. “It’s very expensive and nobody wins. It can drag on for years and ultimately the only people who benefit are members of the legal profession.”

The current New Order line-up finally settled their legal differences with Hook in 2017, but mutual bad blood lingers and these former childhood friends are now estranged. Sumner will not even mention Hook’s name in interviews, and rules out any potential reconciliation point blank.

“No,” he frowns. “Categorically. He’s said so many bad things about not just me but the rest of the band. It’s passed the point of no return.”

But Morris believes some kind of future New Order reunion featuring Hook is not beyond the scope of Manchester’s second longest-running soap opera. “The rules of rock and roll dictate that the most unlikely reunions will take place at some point,” he laughs. “The road to hell is paved by unlikely comebacks. And litigation.” n New Order are playing at The Amphitheatre, Bristol Harbourside on 18 July, 7.30pm.

Stephen Morris will be at Christ Church, Julian Road, Bath, an event organised by Topping & Co., talking about his book Record Play Pause on 17 July, 8pm, £20 including book; toppingbooks.co.uk

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WHAT’S | ON

Clockwise, from top left: Jonny & The Baptists and Pierre Nouvelle (17 July), Juliette Burton (15 July), Phil Nichol and Lucy Porter (25 July), Aaron Simmonds (15 July), Sophie Duker and Jayde Adams (24 July), Olga Koch (16 July), Stuart Goldsmith and Catherine Bohart (18 July)

Laugh your scots off

Komedia Bath is presenting a season of shows featuring our favourite comedians ahead of the world’s largest comedy festival, the Edinburgh Fringe

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or the sixth year running, Komedia’s Edinburgh Fringe Previews season runs through July and features stand-ups, impressionists and sketch comics, exclusive previews as they test out brand new material ahead of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival next month.

Featuring the likes of Phil Nichol, Jayde Adams, Lucy Porter, Catherine Bohart and Stuart Goldsmith, Sophie Duker and Pierre Nouvelle, all shows take place in Komedia’s Arts Café, and there are a limited number of 70 tickets for each event.

The season promises to be an unmissable opportunity for comedy fans to come and watch talented up-and-coming comedians, as well as established stars in an intimate venue. It’s the absolute best of the Edinburgh Fringe, and there’s no travelling required...

THE PROGRAMME: 14 July, 7.30pm: Ultra topical comedy from first-class comic Matt Forde, presenter of Unspun and as seen on The Royal Variety Performance and virtuoso grumpy stand-up Garrett Millerick, who has been described as ‘stand-up with an insolent twist’. £9

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15 July, 7.30pm: Award-winning comedian Juliette Burton who is full of contradictions and has recently had to redefine her life, labels and herself, and 2017 BBC New Comedy Award finalist and wheelchair enthusiast Aaron Simmons who is far better at stand-up than standing up. £9 16 July, 7.30pm: Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee Olga Koch tells a love story through the medium of computer programming in her feminist investigation into what happens when we forget how to separate love and technology and Comedy Central’s John Hastings who talks about the highs (read: none) and lows (read: many) of the past year. £9 17 July, 7.30pm: Star of BBC’s The Mash Report Pierre Nouvelle whose performances have been described as “well written, perfectly building and building, and rich with detail”, and musical satirists Jonny & The Baptists with a riotous live blend of comedy and rock from silly songs to satirical anthems. £9 18 July, 7.30pm: Catherine Bohart, who has some new jokes she’d like to try out, and

Stuart Goldsmith who ties his hair back like Moana and whose act he describes as the undercoat, base coat or petticoat of what may one day be a show. £9 21 July, 7.30pm: Cally Beaton who nearly died in Iceland (country, not shop) who relives that journey into snow-capped desolation, and Alex Fox, who once had an illicit affair with his drum teacher, provides a drumming comedy experience set in a recording studio, with the action taking place around a live electronic drum kit. £9 24 July, 7.30pm: Finalist in the Funny Women Awards, Sophie Duker is a sexy-cerebral comedy underdog and awardwinning comedian Jayde Adams who has been described as a force of nature; dangerous and unafraid. £9 25 July, 7.30pm: Phil Nichol and his confounding, hilarious and messed up world and Lucy Porter for whom an emergency 10p for a phone box and knowing how to tie a fisherman’s knot have not proved enough. £9 n komedia.co.uk

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THE BATTLE AT HOME: Clockwise from top, Northampton Street, Bath, After the Blitz

by Leslie Atkinson, 1942, gouache, Victoria Art Gallery, Bath and North East Somerset Council; W.A.A.F.’s Working Inside a Balloon by Leslie Cole, 1941, watercolour, The Hepworth Wakefield; News by William Roberts, 1941, gouache, The Ingram Collection; Four Grey Sleepers

by Henry Moore, 1941, pen and pencil, photograph by Jerry Hardman-Jones, courtesy of The Hepworth Wakefield Images courtesy of Bath and North East Somerset Council

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ARTS | EXHIBITIONS

AUSTERITY AND ART A new exhibition at Victoria Art Gallery explores a decade of anxiety and fear through the work of leading artists commissioned by the War Artists Advisory Committee. Words by Jessica Hope

World War the number of artists sent abroad was limited – painter and illustrator Edward Bawden was famously stationed abroad with armed forces. The WAAC focused more on commissioning works in Britain, and 13% of official war artists were women, which represented a significant number at the time.

Overall more than 5,500 pieces of artwork were produced by more than 400 artists, with many using simple art materials as a consequence of strict rationing.

The exhibition also draws on works from Victoria Art Gallery’s own collection, with a prominent focus on the city of Bath and the devastation caused by the Baedeker Raids in April 1942. More than 19,000 buildings were affected by the bombing, including serious damage to some of the city’s most historic icons such as the Royal Crescent, the Circus and the Assembly Rooms. The raids resulted in 417 deaths and more than 1,000 injuries.

When the call came in that Bath had been targeted, artist John Piper was in Scotland.

He was quickly ordered to travel south to document the ruined buildings, and was put up by fellow artists Clifford and Rosemary Ellis during his visit. The work by Piper and other artists sent to Bath chronicle the sheer scale of the demolition of buildings caused by bombing, with houses ripped apart and still on fire, roads blown to pieces, and craters dominating the scene.

As well shedding light on Bath’s Second World War experience, War and Rumours of War includes the damage other cities suffered, and documents the haunting and difficult experiences people endured in air raid shelters and when shielding themselves in the London Underground, which were documented by artists such as Henry Moore.

Much of the work on display reflects the ordinary lives of those trying to pull together through the extraordinary experience of war as a community through their daily labours.

This makes for a stark contrast to the idealised state propaganda being produced in Nazi Germany at the time.

Army life is also touched upon in the exhibition, featuring the works of Hubert Freeth who, rather than showing the terrors of war, highlighted the mundane experiences of the armed forces, presenting soldiers doing tedious tasks such as removing buttons and building defences. However, the realities of war for these artists were never far away as

three official war artists – Eric Ravilious, Thomas Hennell and Albert Richards – were killed while working abroad during the conflict.

Despite the jubilation at the end of the war in 1945, the following years were ones of continued rationing, lack of fuel, funds and materials. As well as these struggles, there was a clear sense of fear for the world’s future as the nuclear arms race between the United States and the Soviet Union brewed.

Touching on the unease of the immediate years after the war, the exhibition considers how the art world was influenced by these feelings of trepidation. Modern artists and sculptors such as Michael Ayrton and Kenneth Armitage, for example, created and exhibited angular and spiky works, reflecting the climate of fear.

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More than 19,000 buildings were affected by the bombing, including serious damage to some of the city’s most historic icons such as the Royal Crescent…

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quipped with a bundle of basic art materials – paper, pencils, maybe even some watercolours – artists were sent to the far corners of the British Isles during the Second World War to capture the essence of what it was like living on the home front. As well as depicting the destruction of buildings caused by the Blitz, the artists reflected how the conflict impacted on civilians’ everyday lives, creating visual examples for future generations to learn from.

In a new exhibition opening this month at Victoria Art Gallery, which is run by Bath and North East Somerset Council, visitors can explore the daily struggles and harsh realities of living through the Second World War in Britain, as well as the anxious peacetime years that followed which were threatened by fears surrounding the impact of the Cold War. War and Rumours of War features a selection of work from The Hepworth Wakefield in West Yorkshire, which draws on its outstanding collection of 1940s British works on paper by leading artists from the 20th century. Many of the pieces were commissioned for the nation through the War Artists Advisory Committee (WAAC) which was overseen by the National Gallery’s director, Sir Kenneth Clark, who acknowledged that following the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, many artists began to struggle for work and many galleries closed for the duration of the conflict.

In order to preserve and nurture the talents of British artists, as well as generating visual representations of what it was like to live on the home front, the committee sent artists such as Henry Moore, Graham Sutherland, Vanessa Bell and John Piper around the country to draw and paint the people, landscapes, buildings and, in many cases, the rubble that lay before them when visiting cities that had been targeted by the Luftwaffe’s aerial bombing. This opportunity meant that artists could create “not simply a record of the facts, but of what the war felt like,” allowing modern audiences to see the anxiety and austerity that people once lived through.

During the First World War (1914–1918), many artists were sent overseas to the frontline to see the horrors of the conflict first hand, whereas throughout the Second

The work of the official war artists increased the wider public interest in modern art around the country, which encouraged the founding of the Arts Council of Great Britain in 1946. Despite rising tension around the Cold War, there was an air of possibility in this period and newfound interest in new forms of modern British art.

Rather than revealing the violent horrors of this era, the exhibition embodies the mix of feelings generated by this global conflict – fear, community, destruction, hope and loss. n War and Rumours of War is on at Victoria Art Gallery from 6 July – 15 September. £5/concs available, free for Discovery Card holders. Lunchtime exhibition tours are every Thursday, 12.30–1pm; victoriagal.org.uk

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ART | EXHIBITIONS

STATE OF THE ART With outdoor sculpture shows, work by renowned artists and plenty of seascapes and landscapes, the museums and galleries around Bath are getting in the swing for summer NICK CUDWORTH GALLERY London Street, top of Walcot Street, closed on Mondays Tel: 01225 445221, web: nickcudworth.com Throughout July This summer exhibition features originals and prints of Nick Cudworth’s original paintings of Bath and the surrounding areas. Also included are paintings and prints of various subjects including portraiture and landscapes throughout the country. Nick paints in his studio to the rear of the gallery and is available to discuss the work with visitors.

Right, The Star by Nick Cudworth

SCULPTURE TO ENHANCE A GARDEN 6–7 July, 11am–5pm, 165 Newbridge Hill, Bath Tel: 07793 085267 Web: thehiddengardensofbath.co.uk Three sculptors – Christine Baxter, Chris Kampf, and Steve Mansfield – showcase their dynamic sculpture within a Bath In Bloom award-winning garden.

Wander around the garden at your leisure and enjoy tea and delicious homemade cakes on the terrace.

Entrance at the gate or in advance via the website is £3. Proceeds from refreshments to The Peggy Dodd Centre in Combe Down, helping those with memory loss.

FRESH AIR SCULPTURE 2019 Until 7 July The Old Rectory, Church Road, Quenington, Cirencester Web: freshairsculpture.com

A contemporary sculpture show bringing more than 130 modern pieces of outside sculptural work to the extensive gardens of The Old Rectory. This biennial event prides itself on showcasing and selling unique sculptural pieces as well as decorative arts, plus there are refreshments and locally produced food for sale.

Expect the traditional and the experimental; from cutting-edge exterior furniture design and ornate stonework, to the softest of textiles and the glamour of glass. Works on sale range from £50 – £50,000. £7.50 entry, under 18s free.

THE FRAMING WORKSHOP 80 Walcot Street, Bath Tel: 01225 482748 Web: theframingworkshop.com CONTINUAL PURIFICATION Throughout July

A series a mixed media works inspired by Japan, faith and an exploration of personal emotional experience. This exhibition runs alongside the permanent display of creatively framed objects and images collected and created to inspire visitors.

Continual Purification by Virginia King

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ART | EXHIBITIONS

GALLERY NINE 9b Margaret’s Buildings, Bath Open: Monday to Saturday, 10am – 5pm Tel: 01225 319197, web: gallerynine.co.uk SUMMER EXHIBITION Throughout July

This summer exhibition presents work by Makiko Oda, Anna Lambert, Elizabeth Renton and Barbara Peirson. Makiko creates elegant sculptural jewellery inspired by plant life, trees and flowers, formed from reclaimed slices of wood and layered with gold and silver leaf.

Ceramicist Anna Lambert has developed her hand-built forms to reflect a connection with West Yorkshire. Elizabeth Renton makes wheel-thrown tableware from stoneware and porcelain, and artist Barbara Peirson mainly paints in acrylics and has an interest in figures, still life, landscapes and estuary life.

Khvay Samnang Preah Kunlong (The way of the spirit)

Leaf necklace made from Japanese wood and gold leaf by Makiko Oda

THE HOLBURNE MUSEUM Great Pulteney Street, Bath Open: Daily, 10am–5pm (11am Sundays) Tel: 01225 388569, web: holburne.org LAUREN CHILD: THE ART OF ILLUSTRATION Until 8 September Step inside the eclectic world of Lauren Child MBE, the awardwinning author, illustrator and Waterstones Children’s Laureate (2017–2019). This display and accompanying family trail celebrates the art of Child’s illustration, featuring works from her original stories as well as her re-workings of her favourite children’s classics and fairy tales, including The Princess and the Pea. It traces Child’s creative influences and processes, from her nostalgic love of doll’s houses to her early passion for patterned textiles and interior design.

THE EDGE Andrew Brownsword Gallery, The Edge, University of Bath Open: Tuesday – Saturday, 11am–5pm Tel: 01225 386777, web: edgearts.org BORDERLINES Until 13 July Borderlines gives form to the conceptual, geo-political, economic and cultural impacts of borders. It draws attention to the ownership of the earth beneath our feet, the UK border in Ireland, tribal territories, anarchic polar exploration and the worldwide distribution of natural resources. Conceived to coincide with the UK’s scheduled exit from the EU, this exhibition offers imaginative ways of representing and thinking about frontiers at a time when very real borders between the UK and Europe are being proposed. Free admission.

VUILLARD: THE POETRY OF THE EVERYDAY Until 15 September Édouard Vuillard was one of the leading figures in French art at the end of the 19th century, famed for his small, subtle studies, mostly of figures in interiors. The Poetry of the Everyday celebrates the unique qualities of his early work (from the 1890s) in which he balanced an obsession with patterned fabrics and wallpaper with subtle, domestic psychodramas to create paintings with a striking emotional intensity. This is the most extensive UK exhibition of Vuillard’s works in more than Madame Vuillard Arranging 15 years, including many that Her Hair by Edouard Vuillard are rarely publicly displayed.

GRAY M.C.A 5 Margaret’s Buildings, Bath Open: Wednesday – Saturday, 10am–4pm, Monday and Tuesday by appointment Tel: 01225 422117, web: graymca.com THE SUMMER SHOW Throughout July Along with original fashion illustration from the last 70 years, Gray M.C.A is exhibiting a historically important collection of 1930s American block-print textiles.

This exhibition shows how the art of block textile printing played a vital role in putting food on the table of many unemployed families following The Great Depression (1929–1939).

Right, Circus Montage B, The Milwaukee Handicraft Project, Wisconsin W.P.A.

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nick cudworth gallery

The Hat and Feather Oil on canvas-prints available

JULY EXHIBITION 2 – 31 July

5 London Street (top end of Walcot Street), Bath BA1 5BU tel 01225 445221 / 07968 047639 gallery@nickcudworth.com www.nickcudworth.com

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ART | EXHIBITIONS

ELPHICK AND ELPHICK: UNLIMITED Until 13 July Bristol Guild Gallery, 68 Park Street, Bristol Open: Monday – Saturday, 10am–5pm Web: bristolguildgallery.co.uk Painting and sculpture coincide in a joint show celebrating artistic freedom, comprising common themes and interests: in people, movement, landscape and the natural world. Painter Deirdre Elphick and sculptor Martin Elphick explore colour and form unfettered by particular materials or artistic movements, and use both older and contemporary ways of working. Martin Freefall, acrylic painting by Deirdre Elphick and Elphick, who won the Seated Man, cement sculpture by Martin Elphick Bath Society of Artists’ sculpture prize in 2018, is celebrated for his work remembering the First World War in Bath Abbey. For this exhibition he is showing new figurative and abstract work. 2018 Corsham Open Art Prize winner Deirdre Elphick captures movement in people, as well as colour in her landscape and abstract paintings.

BEAUX ARTS 12–13 York Street, Bath Open: Monday – Saturday, 10am–5pm Tel: 01225 464850 Web: beauxartsbath.co.uk

January Birthday Flowers

by Helen Simmonds

SUMMER EXHIBITION Throughout July This exhibition combines work by more renowned artists with some new faces. Anna Gillespie’s sculptures and Helen Simmonds’ still lifes share gallery space with the incredible wave paintings of Dawnne McGeachy, and the intricate pencil drawings of the incomparable Lewis Chamberlain.

MUSEUM OF EAST ASIAN ART Bennett Street, Bath Open: Tuesday – Saturday, 10am–5pm; Sunday, 12–5pm Web: meaa.org.uk EAST ASIAN LIFE Until 10 November The exquisite objects in the Museum of East Asian Art’s collection are now seen as wonderful works of art. However, many of them were originally utilitarian items used in daily life. From flower vessels to incense utensils, and from writing tools to accessories, this exhibition remembers the original function of many objects in the museum’s vast collection.

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Pulteney Weir by Bernard Ollis

VICTORIA ART GALLERY

By Pulteney Bridge Open: Daily, 10.30am–5pm Tel: 01225 477233 Web: victoriagal.org.uk BERNARD OLLIS: A TALE OF TWO CITIES 6 July – 15 September Bernard Ollis was born in Bath and he attended the Bath Art Secondary School from 1962–1967. He completed his Masters in painting at the Royal College of Art, London where visiting artists and lecturers included David Hockney, Peter Blake and Howard Hodgkin. Ollis became director of the National Art School, Sydney from 1996–2008. He stepped down from this post to concentrate full time on his art, basing himself around his Sydney studio. He travels extensively and has held multiple artist residencies in diverse locations such as Cairo and Antarctica. The works in this show are based on memories and recent visits to the cities of Bath and Paris.

EMMA ROSE Upstairs at 78 Walcot Street, Bath Open: Monday – Saturday, 10am–5pm Tel: 07885 235915 / 01225 424424 Web: emmaroseartworks.com SUMMER SPRAY 2–31 July After five happy years in Walcot Street Emma will soon be leaving her studio – watch this space for for updated news. Her last exhibition is built around the highlight painting Summer Spray, right. Embracing the summer season, her latest work features the ocean and earth in abstract and impressionistic paintings. Her unique pieces feature a mix of Indian inks and acrylics, occasionally using gold, copper and silver leaf. See her paintings, limited edition giclée prints and cards on display. She is also available for commissions. n

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SUFFRAGETTE MEDAL FOR HUNGER STRIKE AND FOR VALOUR BOUGHT FOR £27,250…

The undoubted highlight of the Coins, Militaria and Collectors auction at Lawrences in Crewkerne last week was the Suffragette medal awarded to Anna Lewis. With the recent centenary and increase in public awareness, there is more interest than ever in the heroic and selfless actions of the women who were prepared to be arrested and suffer the pain and indignity of hunger strikes and force feeding to make the government of the day acknowledge their right to a vote.

The medal, consigned by a local collector who had owned it for many years, had been awarded to Suffragette Anna Lewis. It was marked with the words ‘Hunger Strike’ and ‘For Valour’ with a date of 10th February 1914. It is a small medal that represents so much. There were also two badges in the form of a portcullis grill adorned with a ‘government property’ arrow enamelled in the green white and purple of the suffragette movement. Photographs, badges and other ephemera accompanied the lot, making it highly desirable to collectors of Women’s history.

The inside of the box that the medal was awarded in bears an inscription ‘Presented to Anna Lewis, by the Women’s Social and Political Union in recognition of a gallant action, whereby through endurance to the last extremity of hunger and hardship, A great principle of political justice was vindicated’. Little is recorded of Anna Lewis’s later life, but it is known that she lived until the age of 87 and set up a home to care for other women activists who had suffered for their beliefs. Anna Lewis herself never quite recovered from the damage to her throat from being force fed.

The medal was offered for sale on May 16th and, from the moment the sale was announced, the auctioneers were inundated with enquiries from around the world. At the auction there were a number of telephone bidders competing against collectors in the room and online bidders from a number of foreign countries.

Bidding rose rapidly, slowing as it reached £18,000 and progressed more slowly from this point as two determined bidders competed to secure the lot. The final premium inclusive figure of £27,250 was very pleasing for the vendor and auctioneers as this made it one of the highest prices ever achieved for such a medal.

Made in 1904 still working perfectly

Entries are invited for their forthcoming Autumn sales.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE MORE INFORMATION ON BUYING OR SELLING, PLEASE CONTACT: matthew.denney@lawrences.co.uk

Lawrences AUCTIONEERS The Linen Yard, South Street, Crewkerne, Somerset TA18 8AB. T 01460 73041

lawrences.co.uk

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“History is written by the victors” – Churchill Duncan Campbell HAS BEEN DEALING IN ANTIQUE SILVER SINCE 1986.

Some take this a bit too far

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he other night I was having dinner with a couple of colleagues, both specialist antiques valuers – what a racy life I lead!

We were discussing awkward moments involving family stories, which I have had more than a few of. However, all my minor squirms were blown clean away by my mate the military specialist.

On an ordinary valuation day, he was sitting at his table when three generations of the same family rocked up with a biscuit tin full of medals and uniform patches. As he was opening up the box and unwrapping medals, one of the family explained that the medals had belonged to their grandfather who had only recently passed away.

Grandad, he was told, had been a wartime hero, he was one of the last men off Dunkirk beach, he had gone on to join Monty and served in the entire North African campaign, sustaining many injuries and accruing various citations and mentions in despatches as well as a fistful of medals for valour.

Towards the end of the war, our hero joined the Royal Marine Commandos and was the first man in his battalion to land on Sword beach before going on to take part in the liberation of France and gathering more awards in the process.

My friend quietly listened to all the tales of daring do and suggested that such wonderful family stories were far too valuable to put a price on. He closed the tin and handed it back, praying that, since they had already said that they would never dream of selling, that might be that.

That sadly was not that and a price was demanded, the medals must be insured.

With his back to the wall truth was the only option. The tin was filled with fantasy. Some medals were real but had been to Timpsons to be engraved with Grandpa’s name, most were fakes. The patches that weren’t fakes could not possibly have belonged to one soldier, all of it must have been collected after the war.

The head of the family took the tin, and with the blood drained from his face, said nothing, turned around and walked away surrounded by a gaggle of bemused relatives all asking “what did he say?” n www.beaunashbath.com, 01225 334234

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Ma San Auction In Bath

AUCTIONEERS IN FINE ART, ANTIQUES AND LUXURY GOODS Next sale 10 July – Antiques, Jewellery, Asian Art Catalogue Details online via the website: masanauction.com

Viewing at 2 Princes Buildings, George Street on Saturday 6 July, 10am–2pm and Monday 8 and Tuesday 9 July, 10am–5pm

A Chinese 18th century blue and white porcelain dish, mark and period of Yongzheng (1723-1735).

EST £1,500–£1,800

NEW WEBSITE Visit our new website featuring a free valuations page.

Simply head to: masanauction.com, go to the Valuations tab, upload an image and short description of your item and we will get back to you.

Accepting ents consignm les – a s e for futur fo in more online

Sign up to our mailing list to be notified of future sales

Free valuations and home visits • Over 30 years experience • Competitive commission rates • Direct contacts in Hong Kong and China • Sales every month 2 Princes Buildings, George Street, Bath BA1 2ED Tel: 01225 318587

www.masanauction.com

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MUSIC | INTERVIEW

STAND AND DELIVER Frustrated by Bath’s current transport system? Well, travelling three centuries ago by carriage or stage coach on unspring seats would have been the least of your problems, discovers historian Catherine Pitt

An illustration from Life on the Road, a publication documenting the daring adventures of highwayman Claude Duvall, Dick Turpin and 16-String Jack

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Highwaymen often worked alone or in pairs, and by riding horses they covered further distances than other highway thieves, such as footpads, who had no steeds and travelled and robbed on foot. Thomas Poulter and ‘Sixteen String’ John Rann, for example, were recorded not only as committing highway robbery on the Bath Road, but also in Devon, Gloucestershire and the Midlands.

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One Bath highwayman, Tom Rowland, was known to wear women’s clothing, while others like the Calne Gang wore no clothes at all

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ravel in the 17th and 18th centuries could be fraught with danger. On foot, by carriage (post-chaise) or by stage coach, travel kept a slow pace on the narrow winding roads, which were surrounded by thickets and woods – providing perfect hiding places for thieves and highwaymen.

As Bath developed into a fashionable spa resort reaching its peak in the 18th century, traffic on the roads inevitably increased.

The average time from London to Bath in the 17th century – a distance of 105 miles and six furlongs – was three days. On this journey travellers had to negotiate the wilds of Hampstead Heath, Maidstone Thicket, Cherhill and Claverton Down. Road conditions varied, and few coaches had spring suspension.

An anonymous poem from the 1750s about the Bath Road brings to life the experience of coach travel: The long worn axle to the coach, alak, Gave here a dismal, and unexpected crack.

Oh Pity! Pity! That so soft a Bum Should thus be subject to a Martyrdom.

In 1716 there was at least one daily coach to and from Bath. By 1800 there were 147 coaches a week passing through the city.

These stage coaches held four people inside and up to 15 people perching on top outside.

In 1784 John Palmer introduced the mail coach, which, along with letters and parcels, also could take passengers.

Initially many highwaymen were from good families and were well-educated, earning their description as ‘gentlemen of the road’. However, violence was not unknown.

In 1763, one Bath highwayman shot his victim five times when he refused to hand over his money.

Many highwaymen had been soldiers during the English Civil War. Royalists who found themselves stripped of their homes and

livelihoods turned to crime. Others were young men whose prospects had been taken away by years of fighting, only knowing violence as an occupation. These men were equipped with pistols and cutlasses and knew how to ride.

The fictionalisation of highwaymen, such as MacHeath in John Gay’s The Beggar’s Opera, could lead to copycat robberies by youth inspired by the romantic image. Some highwaymen, such as Yorkshire’s Dick Turpin, became almost cult figures on capture. Most highway robbers, however, remain mysterious figures, mere footnotes in extant newspapers.

Long wigs and masks were a common disguise. One Bath highwayman, Tom Rowland, was known to wear women’s clothing, while others like the Calne Gang wore no clothes at all. Female highway robbers were known of, but there is no evidence of them operating in the Bath area.

Fear prevented most victims from identifying their attacker. Often it is the description of the perpetrator’s horse that is much clearer, though of little use as most highwaymen hired or stole their steeds.

Local papers assisted travellers by identifying highwaymen hotspots, such as Lansdown, Brassknocker Hill and Claverton Down. They also advised the best time to travel as in the early morning or on Sunday, when robbers were said to be asleep.

Travellers journeyed in groups, hid cash and trinkets upon their person (some even had

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CITY | HISTORY

“Nothing,” replied Old Mobb, “but to put your money in,” and proceeded to rob the aristocrat at gunpoint.

No one was immune from the highwayman. Not only were notable locals such as Ralph Allen and Sir William Pulteney victims of highwaymen (in 1771 and 1798 respectively) but hardworking farmers, tradesmen and locals were also targets.

Those heading to and from local markets and fairs, carrying their hard-earned money were easy pickings. In June 1763 a woman returning from selling her butter at Bath market was robbed on the Lansdown Road of her day’s takings.

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Highwayman Charles Cleaver headed to Bath in the 1740s with money stolen from a local farmer. In less than a week he had lost it all

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false compartments built into their shoes) and often carried a spare purse with a few coins in to hand over if need be.

Horses had to be changed every eight to ten miles, and coachmen every 50. The demand for stabling and accommodation along the Bath Road saw the development of inns like The Hare and Hounds at Lansdown. This regime gave highwaymen another opportunity to strike as sometimes innkeepers were in collusion with the robbers, sharing information about wealthy customers and their goods.

In 1753, while in Exeter jail, Bath-born highwayman Thomas Poulter (aka John Baxter), wrote a pamphlet of his exploits detailing his criminal network in and around the Bath area. Stephen and Mary Gee of The Blue Bell at Chapel Plaister between Box and Kingsdown on the Corsham Road; lodging owners Mary Brown and Frances Allen of Bath; and John Roberts, landlord of The Pack Horse Inn, Bath, were all indicted by Poulter in knowing his deeds and for handling stolen goods.

At the gambling tables of Bath’s Assembly Rooms, there were plenty of opportunities for highwaymen. Fortunes were won and lost, even by the criminals themselves.

Highwayman Charles Cleaver headed to Bath in the 1740s with money stolen from a local farmer. In less than a week he had lost it all.

Eagle-eyed opportunists could select their next target from the winning gamblers. In the late 17th century, Thomas Sympson (aka Old Mobb) sought out a lucky lord who was successful at cards. Disguising himself as a woman, Sympson accosted him on his way home, successfully propositioning the lord and persuading him off the road to have his wicked way. The Lord’s luck ended upon finding a pair of breeches under the petticoats. “What a plague’s the meaning of your wearing breeches, Madam?”

Until the 1760s letters and parcels were sent around the country by mounted, unarmed ‘post-boys’. Some highwaymen like John Hawkins and George Simpson even specialised in mail robberies along the Bath Road. In 1782 John Palmer of Bath suggested to the General Post Office the idea of an organised and efficient postal service by coach. In 1784 the first mail coach was launched from Bath. Mail was kept in a locked box underneath the seat of a guard armed with a blunderbuss. The service was fast as the coach was exempt from paying tolls. By 1800 it took just 16 hours from London to Bath. Palmer’s idea

was such a success that it was seven years before a highwayman managed to successfully rob a mail coach.

This was a period when there was no formal police force, and it was the responsibility of local communities to help victims. In the 18th century a few men took on the role of ‘thief-takers’ or bounty hunters, and even Bath’s master of ceremonies, Beau Nash, appointed his own agents to try and protect visiting aristocracy.

Monetary rewards for information pertaining to the arrest of highwaymen could be generous. In February 1781 the General Post Office advertised a reward of £200 (£17,000 today) for any information regarding a robbery on the Bristol and Bath mail coach at Maidenhead. In October 1770 the Mayor of Bath, Thomas Attwood, offered a £25 (£2,100) reward for the apprehension of two highwaymen, Thomas Pollard and James Kirton, who had escaped transportation and had been spotted in the local area disguised as gypsies.

If money couldn’t tempt a highwayman from a life of crime, the gruesome sight along the roads of decomposing bodies of robbers swinging in the breeze from a gibbet, was certainly a visual deterrent.

It was commonplace in this era to punish criminals at the scene of the crime, and highwaymen caught red-handed would be hanged on the spot. The location of gibbets is unknown today but there are a few clues in the landscape, such as in the name of Hangman’s Corner at Kingsdown Farm near Bath.

Few highwaymen turned their back on their life of crime, although Thomas Gray (1716–1771) managed it. He met and married a young heiress in Bath, her dowry of £10,000 being enough to remove him from the roads forever.

The last recorded highway robbery in England was in 1831. A number of factors led to this decline: toll gates introduced in 1707); countryside enclosures, which restricted getaway routes; and the popularity of rail travel reducing numbers on the road.

The Metropolitan Police Act of 1829 saw the formation of the first professionally organised law force and local judges began to refuse licences to innkeepers who were known to shelter criminals. Finally, in the 1800s more people were carrying personal cheques rather than coins and banknotes.

By the 1850s highwaymen were all but extinct, becoming instead a folk hero described in footnotes, fiction, and later film.

We can only imagine today, while sat in the traffic queues into Bath, the fear that travellers must have felt on hearing approaching thundering hooves, the shot of a pistol, and the roar of a voice crying “Stand and deliver!” n RICH PICKINGS: William Powell Frith's 1860 painting, Claude Duvall, documents the tale that highwayman Duvall took only a part of his potential loot from a gentleman when his wife agreed to dance the ‘courant’ with him in the wayside

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FAMILY | FUN

Kids can take on the huge water slide this summer at Mill on the Brue

Summer days out

From unpicking the Georgian selfie and exploring the house where the planet Uranus was discovered, to visiting the torchlit Roman Baths and jumping for joy on giant pillows, we’ve got everything you need to ensure your summer holidays are full of fun for all the family

Open for 37 years, Mill on the Brue Outdoor Activity Centre knows exactly what kids like. The fun and excitement includes canoeing, fire lighting, enormous zip wires, raft building, assault courses, archery, huge water slides, camping and high ropes.

Plus there’s pizza making, crafts, a climbing tower and many other fun things to do in the 25-acre woods, fields and river valley.

Summer Day Camps for eight to 12-year olds, Mondays to Fridays, 8.30am–5.30pm from 22 July until 16 August are £62 per day/£275 per week.

Booking and payment beforehand is essential. Tel: 01749 812307; millonthebrue.co.uk

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HERSCHEL MUSEUM OF ASTRONOMY From the house in which William Herschel discovered Uranus in 1781 (using a telescope of his own design), the Herschel Museum is dedicated to many achievements of the Herschels – distinguished astronomers as well as talented musicians. Here you can enjoy a summer filled with space-related fun.

Celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo moon landings (24 July – 30 August); take a look at the latest exhibition Invisibile Light: William Herschel and Infrared, and explore space with some night-time stargazing on 16 July, 8.30–11pm.

Herschel Museum of Astronomy, 19 New King Street, Bath; herschelmuseum.org.uk

© eyeronic-Ts

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BATH AREA PLAY PROJECT Bath Area Play Project (BAPP) has a range of play provisions over the summer holidays with opportunities for children of all ages and abilities to play with friends and family. Play helps children to keep active, mentally and physically. The Summer Play 2019 programme kicks off on 24 July with a playday in Weston on the Rec next to the playpark.

There’s Play Out Wild where children can play among the trees using mud and water, make swings, scavenge and discover play. The highlight of the summer will be National Playday on 7 August where BAPP will join with hundreds of other organisations across the UK to celebrate the child’s right to play. Join in the fun in Queen Square from 12pm. Help support these events by donating to: localgiving.org/appeal/savesummerplaydays

Take off on a supersonic family day out at Aerospace Bristol. Home to the last Concorde to ever fly, Aerospace Bristol allows you to step aboard the supersonic jet that flew at 1,350mph.

Situated on Filton Airfield near Cribbs Causeway, Aerospace Bristol will take you on a fun and fascinating flight through history.

Featuring incredible aeroplanes, helicopters, missiles and engines, there is even a space rocket. Tickets include free return visits for a whole year.

For further information on the SOFA programme (for 12+ years) and Holiday Playschemes (five–12 years); bapp.org.uk/play-provision

Adults £16.50, children £9, family tickets also available. Aerospace Bristol, Hayes Way, Patchway, BS34 5BZ; aerospacebristol.org

Leslie Atkinson’s wife and daughter on display at War and Rumours of War

AEROSPACE BRISTOL

NO.1 ROYAL CRESCENT There’s lot going on this summer at one of Bath’s most historic buildings. You can unpick the Georgian selfie at No.1 Royal Crescent’s current exhibition Image Control (open every day 10am–5pm; £10.60/£5.30). Or be like Jane Austen or Napoleon and make a bonnet or bicorn hat from 24 July – 30 August. You can listen to servants in costume tell their stories of working in a grand Georgian house on 27 July and 25 August, plus you can take part in an evening treasure hunt on 5 July, 5–8pm. no1royalcrescent.org.uk

VICTORIA ART GALLERY Enjoy a variety of activities on offer throughout the summer months at Victoria Art Gallery. There’s a new exhibition: War and Rumours of War: 1940s British prints and drawings from The Hepworth Wakefield running from 6 July – 15 September; a talk from Bernard Ollis about his exhibition A Tale of Two Cities on 24 August, 5.30–6.30pm, as he unites Bath and Paris in unexpected and delightful ways (on show from 6 July – 15 September); plus lots of family fun activites such as exploring bugs and insects and creating 2D and 3D snails, bugs and caterpillars at Minibug Masterpiece on 24 and 26 July at 10.30am and 1.30pm.

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FAMILY | FUN

SS GREAT BRITAIN

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Set sail for the Summer Spectacular at Brunel’s SS Great Britain and enjoy breathtaking performances from The Invisible Circus everyday from 20 July – 1 September, as the performers commandeer the ship and historic dockyard as never seen before.

Witness exhilarating stunts, aerial displays of performers flinging themselves from the rigging and storytelling of life-changing voyages onboard the vessel.

This summer families can also meet Mr. Brunel, get up close to items from the archive and even climb the rigging and go 15 metres above the deck!

Tickets £17 per adult; £10 per child (five – 16 years); under fours go free. All tickets are valid for unlimited returns visits for 12 months. For discounted tickets: visit the website and buy tickets online. ssgreatbritain.org

Dress in summer kimonos and enjoy a Japanese tea ceremony

THE ROMAN BATHS The Roman Baths will stay open until 10pm every evening this summer, offering visitors a chance to soak up the special atmosphere around the torchlit Great Bath. Torchlit Summer Evenings will run until 31 August (last admission 9pm). Visitors can walk around the Great Bath where people bathed nearly 2,000 years ago and enjoy a drink from the pop-up prosecco bar. The Carpe Noctem package offers reduced entry and £1 off a glass of prosecco bought together (book online at romanbaths.co.uk/carpenoctem).

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Admission to the Roman Baths is free to Discovery Card holders.

Tel: 01225 477785; romanbaths.co.uk

MUSEUM OF EAST ASIAN ART Join the Musuem of East Asian Art to celebrate the Japanese Star Festival Tanabata on 7 July, 12–4.30pm. Enjoy drop-in activities throughout the day. Make origami decorations and hang your wish on a bamboo tree; dress up in summer kimonos and enjoy a tea ceremony (£6; requires booking in advance); view the display of emakimono – a Japanese scroll drawn in collaboration between Hayesfield School, Bath and Beppu Junior High School, Japan.

Entry to the museum is free on the day; small charges for activities apply – all proceeds will be donated to the victims of the natural disaster in the South Western part of Japan in 2018.

12 Bennett Street, Bath; meaa.org.uk

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FAMILY | FUN

Explore the wonderful world of Lauren Child and the likes of Charlie and Lola and The Princess and the Pea this summer at the Holburne Museum.

You’ll find a display of Lauren Child’s colourful characters and intricate work on show until 8 September. Lauren Child: The Art of Illustration includes some of the author and illustrator’s most loved characters in children’s literature over the past 20 years. Head to the Sackler Discovery Centre to enjoy fun, free activities inspired by the exhibition and create your own Lauren Child character using wallpaper and textile patterns.

CHEDDAR GORGE AND CAVES

Admission to the museum is £11 adults, £5.50 concessions and free for children. Tel: 01225 388569; holburne.org

Experience the Stone Age for yourself from 20 July to 1 September in the prehistoric landscape of Cheddar Gorge and Caves. Walk in the footsteps of your ancestors and learn about Cheddar Man – Britain’s oldest, most complete skeleton that was discovered in Gough’s Cave in 1903. Watch the story of early man unfold with the cave walls as a canvas for the multimedia experience Dreamhunters at Cox’s Cave.

You can also get into the cave man spirit by dressing up in Stone Age attire, make your own thumb clay pots and create brass rubbings of prehistoric creatures such as the woolly mammoth.

In the Museum of Prehistory you’ll find artefacts discovered in the Cheddar area and you can meet a hunter-gatherer in the museum’s garden.

All these events are included with a day ticket. Book online and save up to 15%; cheddargorge.co.uk

THE SIR JOHN KNILL WATERBUS How about something different on the canal? Great for families, wheelchair users and dog walkers or anyone wanting an affordable boat trip. The electric boat the Sir John Knill waterbus, runs between Bathampton and Bath at weekends between April and September, as well as daily during the B&NES school holidays. From Bathampton at 10am, 12pm, 2pm and 4pm, returning from Bath Top Lock at 11am, 1pm, 3pm and 5pm. Adults £5 one way, children aged five – ten £3, seniors and concessions £4.50. Returns are also available stopping at Sydney Gardens or the Folly Bridge on request.

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WIMBLEBALL LAKE Wimbleball Lake is the perfect place for a family adventure this summer. Camp by the lake, discover the glamping tents or explore the lake by boat, bike or foot. Once there, visitors can try their hand at watersports, have a go at archery, swing from the high ropes or have a bite to eat in the café. The lake provides the perfect escape for friends, families and couples – whether it’s for a day trip or a longer camping break.

Wimbleball Lake is under two hours drive from Bristol and Bath and can be found on Exmoor National Park.

Reader offer: Get £2.50 off watersports equipment and kit hire with code SWL250-BB19; swlakestrust.org.uk

© Lauren Child

THE HOLBURNE MUSEUM

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AVON VALLEY ADVENTURE AND WILDLIFE PARK Prepare for a summer of fun and adventure, whatever the weather. Explore the huge indoor and outdoor play areas, meet new furry friends in the undercover animal barn, try your hand at rowing on the boating lake, wear off some energy on the bouncing pillows, ride the Strawberry Line miniature railway or try off-roading at the new mini jeep safari track. And if the weather is rainy when you visit, you’ll receive a half-price return pass too (terms and conditions apply).

Enjoy unlimited entry throughout the entire school summer break with the Summer Pass (£30 per person) – it includes an invitation to the 30th birthday party weekend from 30 August to 1 September. avonvalley.co.uk

WE THE CURIOUS A packed programme of workshops, storytelling, poetry and art activities awaits at We The Curious this summer and it’s all about positive action to limit climate change.

Be transported to some of our planet’s most breathtaking but at-risk habitats in an augmented reality experience at REWILD Our Planet, create fantastical machines to harness renewable energy in the Tinkering Space, and take your taste buds on a journey to discover the stories behind our favourite foods in the Kitchen.

Artists Ella Good and Nicki Kent continue their quest to build a Martian house in The Box gallery and throughout August, poetry trailblazers Apples and Snakes will be inspiring visitors of all ages with some adventures in spoken word.

Tel: 0117 915 1000; wethecurious.org

LONGLEAT

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© Paul Blakemore

From 20 July to 2 September, Longleat is celebrating its newest Australian residents, who have made Koala Creek their home, with a vibrant Australian Summer event.

From 27 July, The Longhouse will transform into an indoor beach fully loaded with real sand – perfect for building masterpiece castles, deckchairs, craft activities and surf-style wobble boards.

The Main Square will also convert into the outback, staging diverse and delightful daily performancesn – from high tempo dancing, to live didgeridoo music, all the way to acrobatic breakdancing. Plus there’s the fabulous End of Day Hooroo – a vibrant spectacle of music and dancing that’s sure to get everyone’s toes tapping, feet stomping and hands clapping.

All of this is included with a day ticket. Book online and save up to 15%; longleat.co.uk THEBATHMAG.CO.UK

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FAMILY | FUN

CASTLE COMBE It’s summer at the circuit. If you’re looking for a weekend of jam-packed action, head to the BIG Race Weekend on 6 and 7 July for two days of on-track excitement, or make your way down to the Combe Countdown Race Day on bank holiday Monday on 26 August.

If two wheels are more your style, the circuit has just the thing with its two-day Motorcycle Grand National on 31 August and 1 September, with corners being taken at over 100mph!

Plus there are plenty of car shows, driving experiences, car boot sales, under 17s experiences and much more.

Castle Combe Circuit, Chippenham, SN14 7EY. Tel: 01249 782417; castlecombecircuit.co.uk

THE PARAGON This summer, The Paragon School is holding a variety of fun activities to keep the kids entertained. Events include the ever popular Camp Teepee (suitable for ages six to 11), which will be open from 22–26 July and 27–30 August and operates come rain or shine in the school’s beautiful woodland grounds. Expect den-building, fire-lighting, cooking a feast over a campfire, making rafts for jelly babies, singing songs, playing detective games, toasting marshmallows and much more. £35 per day.

Miss Alex Hucks will be hosting a three-day Flora and Fauna workshop from 31 July – 2 August (suitable for children in Years 3–6), which will include development of drawing, painting and design skills using charcoal, inks, gouache and acrylic paints to create large scale artwork. £120 for three days.

Children in Years 1–4 can enjoy a one-day cookery class on 25 July and make a delicious picnic to eat in the beautiful school grounds. There will be hummus, crudites, cheese straws, raspberry and white chocolate muffins and a variety of loaves. £37 per day.

For further information email ehughes@priorparkschools.com; paragonschool.co.uk/holiday-club

LUCKNAM PARK Looking for a kids’ summer birthday party idea?

Why not learn how to bake and decorate delicious cupcakes with one of Lucknam Park’s talented chefs – and then take all the tasty treats home with you?

The Birthday Bake Off Party package includes balloons, bunting and banners, a chef’s hat and apron for each child to keep, a complimentary birthday cake with candles, and a gift for the birthday superstar. There will also be buffetstyle party food, homemade fruit cordial for the kids and tea and coffee for the parents.

Children’s Bake Off party package at Lucknam Park Hotel & Spa is available on Sundays, 2pm to 4pm six–12 children, and costs £50 per child; lucknampark.co.uk

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© National Trust Trevor Ray Hart

THE EDGE

NATIONAL TRUST: TYNTESFIELD

Experience the extraordinary at The Edge this summer as Bath’s largest contemporary art centre presents children’s puppet making and storytelling workshops, inspired by the work of someone quite extraordinary. Here is an artist who transformed everyday items into an alternative world, and was described as an alchemist of the mundane. Step into the world of Robert Anton with an exhibition of miniature mannequins, props and drawings, in the gallery until 14 September. On display in England for the first time, this incredible collection will provide a fascinating experience for all the family.

Get creative with workshops on Thursdays throughout August.

Make puppets of your own with Edwina Bridgeman on 1, 8 and 29 August, or have fun with interactive storytelling with Lizzie Cummins on 15 and 22 August.

There’s space to sprawl out and picnic on the lawn, roses to roam among, fruit and vegetables growing in the kitchen garden and a chance to taste them in one of the dishes from the two onsite cafés.

On rainy days, why not go on a welly walk and splash in puddles, or shelter in the house and learn more about the objects, countries and adventures that inspired Tyntesfield’s founder, William Gibbs, on a Hispanic Explorer’s trail? Be sure to spot the llamas as you wander around, or try a spot of dressing up in the garden porch.

There are regular family craft and storytelling sessions to book, and TYNTEfest, a festival for toddlers and their grown-ups.

Run riot in one of the four play areas, check off some of the 50 things to do before you’re 11¾, and make memories that last a lifetime at Tyntesfield this summer.

The Theatre of Robert Anton exhibition is free.

Tel: 01225 386777; edgearts.org

For more information or to book on to any of the events, head to: nationaltrust.org.uk/Tyntesfield

BATH BALLOONS

THE FASHION MUSEUM BATH

Fulfil the ambition of a lifetime by experiencing a bird’s eye view as you drift above the wonderful landscape of Georgian Bath aboard Romeo Charlie. A hot-air balloon flight is an adventure, a magic carpet ride, something not to be rushed. Ballooning is serendipidous, the art of making happy and unexpected discoveries by chance. A balloon basket provides a brilliant perpective for photography and you can share your memories afterwards on social media. If you are visiting and just have a single opportunity to take your flight then ask about a refundable voucher. Why Romeo Charlie? RC are the last letters of the balloon registration.

Keep an eye out for Victor Bravo – the Novia/Visit Bath balloon, RC’s smaller stablemate – and when you see it, give a wave...

The Fashion Museum Bath is one of the world’s great museum collections of historical and contemporary dress. The headline exhibition A History of Fashion in 100 Objects shows how fashions have changed throughout the ages, while the annual Dress of the Year selection shines a spotlight on contemporary fashion. One of the best collections of gloves in the world is also now on display at the museum. Glove Stories showcases some exquisite examples of historical gloves from the past 400 years. Visitors can also create their own period outfit from the dressing-up items. A vibrant events programme offers creative workshops, family activities and special one-off experiences.

Tel: 01225 466 888, sales@balnet.co.uk; bathballoons.co.uk Facebook: bath.balloons; Twitter: @BathBalloons

For anyone living in BANES, Fashion Museum entry is free with a Discovery Card. Tel: 01225 477789; fashionmuseum.co.uk n THEBATHMAG.CO.UK

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SPONSORED CONTENT

Children aged 5–15 travel on GWR with a 50% discount, and under 5s travel free; gwr.com

Travel to Salisbury and explore its cathedral that houses the Magna Carta from £19.10

Head to Yatton and explore everything that the Strawberry Line has to offer from £11.40

Enjoy Weymouth’s harbour, beach and pubs from £19.10

Day tripper

The day tripper had a one-way ticket according to The Beatles, but here are some ideas with an off-peak day return for last-minute days out by train this summer with Great Western Railway

CARDIFF • Walk or ride from the centre of Cardiff to the Castell Coch trail, along the river Taff towards Brecon.

• Take the Cardiff Bay circular walk of six miles, taking in the bay, the Millennium Centre and Victorian Penarth.

Bath Spa to Cardiff Central: £21.80 Off-Peak Day Return

BRISTOL Visit the city’s museums, aquariums and zoo or explore the Bristol Shopping Quarter.

Bath Spa to Bristol Temple Meads: £8.10 Off-Peak Day Return

CHELTENHAM Discover this Regency town, with its beautiful buildings and boutiques.

Bath Spa to Cheltenham Spa: £15.70 Off-Peak Day Return

FROME Explore the town’s historic buildings, independent shops, scenery and walks.

Bath Spa to Frome: £11.40 Off-Peak Day Return

THE SEVERN BEACH LINE • Montpelier station – independent shopping on Gloucester Road, cafés and bars.

• Clifton Down station – for Clifton Village 56 TheBATHMagazine

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and the Suspension Bridge visitor centre, or a walk across the bridge to Leigh Woods/Ashton Court Estate.

• Severn Beach – for the sculpture trail and big-sky views of the bridge and estuary.

Bath Spa to Severn Beach: £8.20 Anytime Return

YATTON • Cycle or walk the Strawberry Line and explore the Mendip Hills. Take a train to Yatton for the Strawberry Line Café and on from there.

Bath Spa to Yatton: £11.40 Off-Peak Day Return n

SALISBURY Explore Salisbury’s historic streets and market and its cathedral that houses the Magna Carta.

Bath Spa to Salisbury: £19.10 Off-Peak Day Return

2FOR1 OFFERS

FRESHFORD/AVONCLIFF/ BRADFORD ON AVON

Thermae Bath Spa * 4 hours for the price of 2

Explore countryside walks along the river/canal from Freshford, Avoncliff and Bradford on Avon.

• Take the Dundas Aqueduct walk from Freshford.

• Lunch at the Cross Guns at Avoncliff or The Inn at Freshford.

Bath Spa to Bradford on Avon: £6.20 Off-Peak Day Return

Weston-super Mare Pier * 2FOR1 on ride wristbands

WEYMOUTH

Weymouth Sea Life Adventure Park, Lodmoor Country Park, Weymouth * 2FOR1 entry

Head for Weymouth’s brilliant sandy beach, harbour and pubs.

Bath Spa to Weymouth: £19.10 Off-Peak Day Return

Here are a small selection of exclusive 2FOR1 offers, which are available on any day when you are travelling by train.

STEAM – Museum of the Great Western Railway, Fire Fly Avenue, Swindon * 2FOR1 entry Bath Glassblowing, Bath Aqua Glass, 105–107 Walcot Street, Bath * 2FOR1 entry

Download your voucher at gwr.com

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TRISTAN DARBY Columnist Tristan Darby comes up with some good sunny day serves

O

ur first wine comes from Galicia in the far northwest corner of Spain and the wine region of Ribeiro, about an hour inland of the famous coastal vineyards of Rias Baixas. Here, a balancing partnership of cool Atlantic and warmer Mediterranean influences helps to create wines with crisp freshness, but more body than many wines made nearer the coast. Ailala, Treixadura Ribeiros Do Avia (£14.95 at Great Western Wine) is a fabulous showcase of this marriage of fruit, weight, and freshness. Delicious peachy stonefruit and tangy citrus flavours are combined with a round texture and crisp dry finish.

This is a seriously classy and characterful wine that never fails to impress, and the perfect partner to light summer salads, fresh white fish dishes or summery seafood paella.

You may have noticed the rise in popularity of rosé wine here in the UK of late, and in particular the pale Provencale pinks that have seen a huge growth in production and sales over the past decade.

Royal Provence Rivarosé Prestige Brut (£14.95, at GWW) takes the classic Provence style and combines it with elegant bubbles to create this fun, fine fizz that has summer written all over it. Aromas of raspberries and strawberries are accompanied by an elegant and

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creamy mouthful with summer fruit flavours and a touch of spice. Soft, yet crisp and refreshing, this is dangerously sippable and perfect for patios, picnics or prawns fresh off the barbecue. A must-buy for lazy days of summer sun.

Are You Game? Shiraz 2014 (£13.95, GWW) comes from Australia’s Strathbogie Ranges, 70 miles northwest of Melbourne.

Situated just north of the Great Dividing Range, the region’s cooler climate and slower ripening period help make elegant, perfumed and well-balanced wines. This is a fresh, refreshing and endlessly drinkable cool climate Shiraz that doesn’t lack in character or depth as it bursts with raspberry and blackberry fruitiness, and a hint of white pepper and vanilla. As the label suggests, the wine is a good match with game food, but it’ll also work well with lamb chops or burgers and grilled meat from the barbecue.

An ideal summer gin is 6 O’clock Gin (£30, GWW), which is made just north of Bristol in the market town of Thornbury, and named after the family’s longestablished tradition of a G&T at 6 O’clock (pm, by the way). It’s a classic juniper-centric gin, with a refreshingly crisp clean finish and mouth-watering pine and citrus notes. It’s delicious in a dry Martini and makes a great classic G&T when served with Indian tonic water and a slice of lemon or orange. 6 O’clock’s bright citrus and juniper notes also make it the perfect gin for a bitter G&T, one of my favourite summer serves.

Pour a large measure into a large glass filled almost to the brim with ice, top up with Fever Tree Aromatic Tonic Water (made using angostura), and squeeze in two decent sized wedges of pink grapefruit. Getting the gin/tonic balance just right for your palate is the key, but there are few serves that will quench as well on a summer afternoon. n Learn more about the world of wine with Tristan on a course at Great Western Wine; greatwesternwine.co.uk/events

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MUSIC CITY || INTERVIEW INTERVIEW

The classic French dish, Coq au vin

A French connection

Why and how and where should we celebrate Bastille Day in Bath on 14 July?

Melissa Blease consults with experts in the sector and provides some delectable local options

B

istros, boules and boulevards; locally produced bubbles, our very own Brie... and the Sally Lunn Bun, originally introduced to Bath by a Huguenot refugee. Is Bath the French capital of the UK? Nous le croyons, mes petit fin gourmets. Here are some ideas on how to mark Bastille Day this year from the French experts.

YANNICK LOUÉ, LE VIGNOBLE All of our french foods are 100% authentic to Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) standards, coming from artisan producers based in small villages and towns in France, rather than factories who mass-produce. As a result, we often hear people say that they had the same food when on holiday in the places our food is sourced from, which proves we’re serving up the real thing.

French food is uniquely tasty, and small plates are great for a social lunch/dinner to share with friends. The majority of our dishes 20 60 TheBATHMagazine TheBATHMagazine | | May july2019 2019| |issue issue200 202

involve French cheeses and charcuterie – some of the best French produce ever. When it comes to pairing food with wine, the food must not overpower the wine and vice-versa; they must both work in perfect harmony, as having one more powerful will kill the flavour of the other. We always say to people, if you treat yourself with your food, you must also treat yourself with your wine as it’s equally important. A great tip is to enjoy a dish and wine from the same region – some of the best combinations are regional neighbours, as well as those on your plate and in your glass.

12/13 Milsom Place, Bath; levignoble.co.uk PIERRE KOFFMANN, KOFFMANN AND MR WHITE’S I believe Bath has a close affinity to Paris: it shares the French capital’s love of socialising around simple but well-prepared food and good-quality wines.

My own style of cooking is grounded in

rustic, French cuisine, which is all about uncomplicated recipes and working with the best ingredients. The menu at Koffmann & Mr. White’s includes French and British dishes, so diners will see continental favourites such as escargots à la Bourguignonne (snails) and poussin grillé (grilled poussin) alongside dishes that Marco Pierre White has grown up with, all with our own stamp on them.

My favourite French dishes are those from the Gascony region where l grew up. In winter, there’s nothing more satisfying than a hearty cassoulet or tarte aux pruneaux (prune tart), while in the warmer months, I choose lighter dishes such as a Bayonne ham tart with garlic or oeufs à la neige (poached meringue). My grandfather was a farmer and the food we ate included meat, fish and lots of different types of vegetables.

When it comes to wine, I have a classically French taste palate and typically recommend French varieties to complement my dishes.

Marco and I selected all the wines for

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FOOD | AND | DRINK Koffmann & Mr.White’s to enhance the dining experience rather than intimidate with grandiose descriptions. Bon appetit!

Abbey Hotel, North Parade, Bath; pwrestaurants.co.uk/our-brands/koffmannand-mr-whites/bath LAURENT COUVREUR, LE CHEF PRIVE Bath is a very cosmopolitan city (and it’s twinned with Aix en Provence), so French food is a natural fit for Bathonians. It offers a lot of variety from different regions, but it’s all largely honest, rich, tasty food.

With the access we have to such great produce here in the south west, I have the perfect opportunity to recreate authentic French food right here, right now. Coming from the south of France where fish is so abundant, my favourite dishes are fish soup, bouillabaisse and any fresh fish and seafood cooked in different, delicate ways. But I also adore rabbit stew and ratatouille which originally comes from my city where I learned to cook.

With French wines, most of our clients provide their own wine for Le Chef Privé events and we produce the menu together so it’s always tailored to their tastes. Client favourites are Picpoul de Pinet, Chablis and most reds from St. Emilion, and if you’re opting for rosé it has to be Provençale. lechefprive.co.uk DAN BROD AND TRAVIS RILEY, BECKFORD BOTTLE SHOP Wine is quintessentially French, and bestows an instant feeling of joie de vivre. In Bath, there’s something about the way the light strikes the beautiful Bath stone buildings that feels particularly Provençale, during the summer months at least. But while our wine list is predominantly French, there’s now great wine from every corner of the globe which we celebrate, too.

Our menus are continental, but we celebrate the best of British produce too. We always have Petite Madeleines on our menu, and we recommend dipping them in coffee, tea or a glass of cold Sauternes for your own Proustian moment in the heart of Bath.

In terms of wine, our staff pick at the moment is Chéreau Carré, Muscadet Sèvre et Maine, 2016. This is a classic Muscadet from

the Loire Valley, refreshing and pure, with white fruit and citrus characters combined with a crisp acidity and a bright minerality on the finish. Our own BBS Rose is made from a blend of Cinsault and Syrah grapes from the Languedoc-Roussillon region: soft, elegant, incredible value and perfect on a summer’s day.

Classic food and wine matches, such as a new season lamb and tannic Gigondas from the Côtes du Rhône work well because the combination of salt and fat on the lamb will smooth the tannins and make the wine softer and smoother. Everyone probably already knows that big reds from Bordeaux almost demand hunks of red meat, while Muscadet or Champagne are classic matches for oysters.

Finally, high-acidity wines such as Chablis and Sancerre are a safe bet for sipping with your shellfish. 5-8 Saville Row, Bath; beckfordbottleshop.com/bath CHRIS TABBIT, CHEZ DOMINIQUE Who doesn’t love French food and wine?

Ris de veau, beurre noisette and capers is my all-time favourite dish, preferably accompanied by a Burgundy wine such as our Nuits-Saint-Georges.

Our restaurant manager Julien Cade has a real passion for French wine and food, and is always spot-on with his pairings. Julien is a huge part of Chez Dominique’s charm and success. Generally speaking, it’s important to choose a wine that won’t either overpower a dish or be lost by it; while there are no set rules, it is worth giving this some thought.

Our fish dish on the prix fixe menu at the moment, for example, is grey mullet with samphire, saffron beurre blanc, mussels and clams. This would pair fantastically well with a white wine from our list that has some minerality such as the Picpoul, Gruner Veltliner, Sancerre or Chablis.

15 Argyle Street, Bath; chezdominique.co.uk STEFANO FRIGERIO, COMPTOIR+CUISINE France is home to a large variety of regional plates that results in a very diverse, interesting offering, while French wines further allow us to fully appreciate and enhance the French savoir faire: the history, the quality of the terroir and the regional diversity.

ABOVE: Escargots à la bourguignonne

Comptoir+Cuisine blends tradition with a bit of innovation, proposing a mix and match of French tapas across a menu that we’ve recently extended. My personal favourite dish at the moment is skewer of duck with homemade chutney served with fried celeriac and truffle mayo, paired with a glass of red wine from Médoc.

We’re passionate about growers’ Champagne (from small independent producers) and believe it’s the best pairing with food, especially cheese. It’s light enough to not overpower delicate cheeses such as goat’s cheese or nutty Comté, but it has enough acidity to cut through deeply savoury, funky blue cheese, or creamy baked Camembert. Served at the correct temperature, the effervescence of the bubbles scribble the palate between each bite – it’s a very pleasant, refreshing sensation.

5 George Street, Bath; comptoirpluscuisine.com KATE ROBINSON, GREAT WESTERN WINE The huge range of styles, price points and history behind so many of the wine regions are key to the enduring popularity of French wines. Our most popular French wine by far is Les Mougeottes Chardonnay: it’s beautifully packaged, tastes delicious and is great value at £9.95. Picpoul de Pinet is also very popular at the moment, as is Provençal Rosé – they’re both perfect summertime tipples, while a delicious sparkling Cremant de Loire is perfect for any kind of celebration. Fans of red wine should try a lightly chilled Beaujolais.

When you’re looking to pair food and wine, a general rule of thumb is to cook or choose a dish from the region the wine comes from; matches made in heaven include Sancerre or Pouilly Fumé with a Chavignol goat’s cheese salad; Boeuf Bourguignon with pinot noir; or a traditional Provençal fish stew with rosé.

Wells Road, Bath; greatwesternwine.co.uk n FAR LEFT AND LEFT: Tarte aux pruneaux (prune tart) and A selection of French cheese bring any meal to a perfect conclusion

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FOOD&DRINK NEWS A NEW PEARL IN THE OYSTER The Scallop Shell fish and chip restaurant and seafood grill on Monmouth Place is opening The Oyster Shell, a new fish and chip shop on Moorland Road.

“Moorland Road was a massive part of where we shopped when Lisa and I were bringing up our children,” explains Garry Rosser, owner of The Scallop Shell. “There’s a lot of history there and it still feels like a traditional, local community.”

A family-run business, The Oyster Shell will be a traditional chippy with a focus on the best of British fish and chips and old English classics, run day to day by Garry’s wife Lisa and son, Dan Rosser. thescallopshell.co.uk

WILD AND FREE

Wild Hare (5% abv) from Bath Ales, has been officially certified as a gluten-free product by Coeliac UK. The neck label on Wild Hare bottles, available in Waitrose stores, now features the Crossed Grain symbol, which is internationally recognised and trusted by those who need to follow a gluten-free diet.

Crisp and fresh with a subtle hint of citrus bitterness, Wild Hare is a full-flavoured golden ale bursting with hedgerow fruit notes. This classic British pale ale uses English-grown First Gold hops to add fleshy fruits, floral acacia and lots of citrus notes to the beer’s light, malty taste. Georgina Young, Bath Ales’ new head brewer says: “An estimated one in ten people avoid gluten in the UK, so we’re delighted to be expanding our portfolio and creating a beer that everybody is able to enjoy.” bathales.com

SUNDAY SUPPORT

On 7 July the Olive Tree Restaurant, Bath’s only Michelin star establishment, will be joining many leading UK restaurants as they take part in Social Sunday.

Now in its fourth year, Social Sunday raises funds for Hospitality Action, a charity that supports people who work or have worked in hospitality and find themselves in crisis.

Chris Cleghorn, head chef, and Owen Farr, restaurant manager, will be offering a fantastic three-course Sunday lunch with a glass of champagne, paired wines with each course and coffee and petit fours to finish. While guests will not be charged for their lunch, they will be asked to make a minimum donation of £50 per person to be gifted to Hospitality Action. olivetreebath.co.uk n 62 TheBATHMagazine

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UNDERGROUND | BATH

Bath rocks

The warm, honey colouring of Bath stone gives our World Heritage City its distinctive appearance. But how was it formed geologically and what gives it its character? This story takes us back 200 to 150 million years to the Jurassic period, says leading sedimentologist Professor Maurice Tucker

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Bath was like the balmy Bahamas: lying in the tropics, there were warm seas, white sandy beaches and lots of calcium carbonate being deposited in the shallow seas

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T

he rocks around and beneath us are the reason for Bath’s fine landscape. The geology is actually the explanation for the very existence of the city because it was founded on the hot springs.

The Romans established the stone industry here, and over the generations this has provided jobs, wealth and has made the city special. But it all began many millions of years ago when shallow seas covered Britain. In fact, the UK as we know it did not exist as an entity, but was simply part of one huge continent, including Eurasia, North America and Greenland. In the Jurassic era of dinosaurs and ammonites 200 to 150 million years ago, there was no Atlantic Ocean. In fact Bath was like the balmy Bahamas: lying in the tropics, there were warm seas, white sandy beaches and lots of calcium carbonate being deposited in the shallow seas; the sediment was composed of ooids and shells, with scattered coral patch reefs.

If you look at the buildings in the city

you’ll see that most are made of Bath stone.

Pay attention to the tiny round grains (ooids), just a millimetre or less in diameter, and the scattered broken-up fossil shells.

Sediments like this are today being formed in the Caribbean and Arabian Gulf (in Abu Dhabi), and washed around by waves and currents to give ripples, dunes and sandwaves. This calcareous sediment in

Bath was soon cemented to produce that special stone which has been appreciated by builders and sculptors since Roman times.

ABOUT BATH STONE Bath stone is a freestone that can be cut and sculpted in any direction. It is easier to cut and carve as soon as it has been taken from the open-cast quarries or mines, and it then hardens up in the air. Because of this many sculptors worked underground, fashioning the stone. The effects of the currents moving the sediment on the ancient seafloor can be seen in many of the stones around Bath in the form of cross-bedding and concentrations of shells. Burrows made by crustaceans (crabs) can also be spotted.

Bath stone comes from several layers in what is known as the Great Oolite Group of Upper Middle Jurassic age, that is from the stratigraphic stage known as the Bathonian where the name of the city was used for this period of time (166–168 million years ago) by the International Stratigraphic Commission.

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UNDERGROUND | BATH

RIGHT: A man in front of an entrance to a stone quarry, probably at Bathampton Rocks c.1890s BELOW: The view from Beechen Cliff over Bath towards Beacon Hill, composed of Inferior Oolite and Lansdown in the distance on the far left of Great Oolite

Bath stone occurs towards the top of the hills around Bath. Formerly, open quarries and mines were located all around Bath at Odd Down, Entry Hill, Combe Down, Bathwick Hill, Bathampton Down, Lansdown, Bathford, Warleigh, Monkton Farleigh, Box and Corsham, and a little farther south at Avoncliff and Bradford on Avon. Bath stone is still being worked in one quarry at Combe Down and there are underground workings at Limpley Stoke and Corsham, providing stone for new building projects.

QUARRYING BATH STONE Some of the old mines have at times been used for safe and secure storage, for example during the Second World War to house treasures from London museums or to use as a bomb depot, and even for growing mushrooms. War rooms and an evacuation home for the government and the royal family were also constructed in old mines near Corsham, with secret access for a train into this subterranean hideout off the main London/Bristol line within the Box Tunnel.

Many of the old workings in the Combe Down area have been filled with expanded concrete to prevent subsidence and the collapse of the buildings above.

Today, there are few good surface exposures of the Great Oolite but one easy site to see the stone is the disused Entry

Hill Quarry, now a Nature Reserve, where there are also several blocked-up mine entrances. There are outcrops in the woods of Bathwick Hill, east of North Road, and on the east side of Bathampton Down, easy to see on the Bath Skyline walk, as well as at Brown’s Folly near Bathford. The tramway which took stone down to the Kennet and Avon Canal can be seen there.

BUILDING BATH There were numerous small working quarries and mines in the Combe Down area in the 18th century and these were

bought up by Ralph Allen when the demand for stone increased dramatically with the construction of many fine houses, crescents and terraces in the city when visitors flocked to Bath for the season.

Other fine buildings from this time include The Circus (1768), Royal Crescent (1774), Great Pulteney Street (1789, as a façade), as well as Ralph Allen’s mansion, Prior Park, with its huge estate containing the beautiful 1755 Palladian Bridge, one of only four in the world. Bath stone continues to be used for new-builds in the city such as Bath Riverside and Mulberry ➲

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UNDERGROUND | BATH

Quarrymen exiting a stone mine in Corsham with horses and stone

and Holburne Parks and there will always be a demand for the stone in restoration projects. Bath stone has been exported far and wide, including for the construction of Buckingham Palace in 1837, winning out against its main rival, Portland stone.

BATH’S GEOLOGY The bowl-shaped nature of the Bath area is the result of erosion and down-cutting by the River Avon over the last million years or two when the northern latitudes were subjected to many phases of glaciation and deglaciation (the Great Ice Age). The low-lying area of the city around the river and London Road/Bathampton Meadows is underlain by quite soft rocks – Lias Claystone and muddy limestone (Blue Lias), rarely exposed, but venturing up the roads leading to the north (Lansdown Road) and south (Wellsway, Prior Park Road, Bathwick Hill, North Road), the slope quickly becomes steeper before flattening out and getting steeper again as the Great Oolite is reached towards the hill tops. The roads climb up to and over the Inferior Oolite, another band of hard limestone about halfway up the hills. This forms the cliffs at Beacon Hill, above Camden Road and at Beechen Cliff/ Lyncombe Hill.

You can take the path from Holloway up to Alexandra Park – this is a very steep climb to a path along the cliff-top with a beautiful view northwards across the bus and train stations, Southgate and Bath Abbey to Lansdown in the distance.

Continuing up the valley sides towards Lansdown and Combe Down, the ground is now more gentle in the areas of Sion Park, Bear Flat, Wellsway and Lyncombe Vale.

At this stage of your journey you are passing over the soft Fuller’s Earth, before reaching the Great Oolite at the top of the hills (see illustration below). This Fuller’s Earth was an important resource in the 18th to early 20th centuries, providing clay for the woollen industry and more recently for cosmetic mud-packs. This material was excavated at Odd Down, where the park and ride is now located, until the 1970s.

WILLIAM SMITH Bath and the surrounding area have a special place in the history of geology – this is where stratigraphy was invented, the study of layered rocks and their fossils. William Smith, often referred to as the Father of English geology, lived and worked here in the late 1700s to early 1800s. He was the first to realise that different fossils occur in the

various layers of sedimentary rock and that they can be used for correlation. This followed his surveying work for landowners, especially for drainage projects, and the construction of canals in the region. This meant that one could predict where particular rocks would occur and it enabled him to produce the first geological map of an area anywhere in the world (1799); this was a circular map showing the disposition of the various rocks within a five-mile radius of Bath. In 1815 he published his more famous map: A Delineation of the Strata of England and Wales with part of Scotland. This exhibited the collieries and mines (documented in The Map that Changed the World, the book by Simon Winchester, 2001), and was the culmination of many years’ work, a remarkable achievement, all done by walking the length and breadth of the country and travelling by coach and horses, collecting rocks and fossils and collecting the data which enabled him to later publish geological maps of each county.

William Smith lived in Midford (Tucking Mill) and for a time he owned a quarry in Summer Lane, Combe Down, but that was not successful; it turned out there was too much fractured stone and a lack of demand due to the economic depression after the end of the Napoleonic wars.

THERMAL SPRINGS The thermal springs are a major attraction to Bath, but why are the hot springs here?

It is all down to the geology. The most likely explanation is that it rains in The Mendips on the Carboniferous limestone (that’s 340-million years old, much older than the Bath limestone), where the beds dip deep down into the subsurface. The water descends through caves and cracks to around 2,000 metres where it warms up to around 80°C. It then meets an important fault system – a major fracture in the Earth’s crust – and the hydraulic head forces the water to move upwards. The hot water travels towards the surface, emerging with a temperature of around 45°C. Some say if the spring was not contained, there would be a geyser here rising some 10 metres into the air. Not quite the 60 metres of Old Faithful – the cone geyser in Yellowstone National Park – but it would be impressive nonetheless.

It has been estimated that the spring waters in Bath rained down on the Mendips 10,000 years ago. The curative properties of the spa waters are legendary, with the high contents of sulphate, chloride, bicarbonate, calcium, sodium, magnesium and iron, as well as many other elements, giving the water its peculiar taste and supposed medicinal uses. These elements are dissolved out from the rocks below, especially from layers of gypsum and red sandstone of Triassic age, a few tens of metres below the ground. ➲ LEFT: A schematic cross-section across Bath showing the strata, from the Carboniferous limestone to the Jurassic Great Oolite

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UNDERGROUND | BATH

Combe Down Oolite, a polished Bath stone full of shells and ooids

Bath stone on a building near the Royal Crescent showing the grainy oolite formation characteristic of the stone and deposits of broken shell

Bath Oolite, polished Bath stone from Brown’s Folly, a whiter colour and almost entirely made of ooids

Bath stone is composed of millimetre-sized ooids to form an oolite. The small holes show where the ooids have dissolved. You can also see a vertical fracture, filled with calcite

A block of Bath stone at the base of a column at the Roman Baths showing cross-bedding from the migration of sand dunes on a shallow seafloor

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UNDERGROUND | BATH RIGHT: An aerial view of The Circus (1768), designed by John Wood the Elder, a preeminent example of Georgian architecture BELOW: The Georgian Bath stone façade of the Royal Crescent remains much as it was when it was first built in 1774. The road in front of the Royal Crescent is paved with Pennant Sandstone

PENNANT SANDSTONE As you walk around the city of Bath admiring the architecture and the beautiful Bath stone, there is one other stone which you should be aware of, and that’s the one beneath your feet. In many parts of Bath, Pennant Sandstone has been used as the paving stone; it is a dark grey almost blue colour, but it commonly takes on a brown to red hue from oxidation (rusting) of iron in the stone. It is very well cemented and medium to coarse grained, composed of quartz and feldspar, with tiny fragments of mica that sparkle in the sunlight on fresh surfaces. This stone is also Carboniferous, but from the upper part, the Coal Measures (the coal-bearing succession of rock strata).

This is a thick sandstone occurring across South Wales and through Bristol, deposited in a major river delta system transporting sand from the south in Devon and Cornwall towards the north.

Pennant Sandstone is notable for being very tough, and became popular from around 1730 for the foundations of houses and walls, and for roads and pavements.

The nearest outcrop is at Willsbridge, but there were large quarries farther west at Hanham-Newham and Pensford.

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LANDSLIPS Landslips and their effects are a feature of Bath, most happening after the last glaciation around 5–10,000 years ago, but there still are occasional small slips.

Landslips occurred in the 18th century below Beacon Hill in Camden and where Hedgemead Park is now. Large blocks of Great Oolite and Inferior Oolite have frequently cambered and slipped downhill below their outcrops – this can be clearly seen at Bathwick Woods and Brown’s Folly.

Large cracks and fissures, called gulls, may appear in the ground, created by downhill creep. This happened in 2003 in Royal Victoria Park below the Royal Crescent

just before the Three Tenors concert by Carreras, Pavarotti and Domingo.

You can see and learn a lot about Bath’s rocks by wandering around the city’s streets, parks and open spaces. If you are interested in learning more about local geology or archaeology, there are walking trails available from the tourist office and the Bath Royal Literature & Scientific Institution (BRLSI), where there are also regular meetings of the Bath Geological Society and Bath and Counties Archaeological Society. n BRLSI, 16–18 Queen Square, Bath; brlsi.org; bathgeolsoc.org.uk; bacas.org.uk

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PORTRAIT: Neill Menneer at Spirit Photographic.

Visit: capturethespirit.co.uk, tel: 01225 483151

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Bath @ work

Our series of photographic portraits by Neill Menneer shows Bath people at work. View a gallery of Bath@work subjects at: thebathmag.co.uk

Sandi Bellaart

Airbnb host

M

y early years were spent in the Australian Bush dodging the spiders and snakes on an enormous sheep station with my grandparents (my parents separated when I was two). I’m an only child so I spent all my time outside on my own in nature. Kangaroos jumped by and flocks of exotic parrots came to eat the spilt grain around the silos. Subtropical shrubs and flowers, brightly coloured birds, bamboos and palms were everywhere. It was a paradise really.

When I was 12, my mother remarried an English naval officer and we came to England by ship on the Orient Line SS Orsova.

For six weeks we stopped in exotic lands including India where I rode an elephant. I had itchy feet forever more...

We came through the Suez Canal and eventually arrived in Tilbury on a very dark and cold foggy day; it was so bad we couldn’t dock for four days. The moment we got to London my stepfather was called back to sea for two years. He later became an admiral, much to my mother’s honour and dismay.

I was sent to a boarding school – The Beehive in Sussex; I felt abandoned there and hated being locked up. I rebelled and would not conform. Eventually I was deemed unsuitable for the school and was politely asked to leave. Some of the girls were so cruel and horrible to each other that I was afraid of women for a long time.

Fast forward to when I was 18 and I was sent to live with my father in Australia. We didn’t get on, so after a difficult year he sent me to Athens with enough money for three days. I went on a boat trip around the islands. The courier thought I was Swedish and asked me if I would like to have some bit parts in Greek films and do some modelling. By the third day I was miraculously working, advertising products and promoting Greece.

Later that week, as my picture had appeared in the local paper I was spotted by an editor, Zina Rachevsky, who asked me to join her. Thus began a deep soul-sister friendship with Zina who was from the 50s beat generation. She decided I needed educating and began mentoring me in the arts and literature.

Many interesting international people crossed our path and I headed overland to India and the Far East. In Hydra, I met Leonard Cohen, and my husband Gerard, a Dutch artist and poet. Soon we had a son and daughter. While he worked away on his printing press, I took a role in a garden centre while bringing up the children, and ended up becoming an interior landscaper.

I was invited by Professor Croome at Reading University to give a lecture on intelligent buildings and sustainable architecture.

Consequently, I was asked by Ove Arup to plant up the whole interior of their headquarters in Solihull. This was one of the greenest buildings in the UK at that time.

This knowledge of plants and their ability to promote health and wellbeing gave me the idea of giving people the plant experience by letting a room in my house via Airbnb, which I designed as a semi-tropical glasshouse. People can sleep under the date palms, see the stars surrounded by exotic plants and be woken by bird song. n PORTRAIT: Neill Menneer at Spirit Photographic.

Visit: capturethespirit.co.uk, tel: 01225 483151

BARF (Biologically Appropriate Raw Food) is all about going back to basics, just as nature intended. Human grade ingredients, protein, vegetables, vitamins and minerals, oils... no cereals or fillers added.

With the BARF diet, along with a healthy lifestyle - we can just go back to nature, back to basics and help to keep our beloved pets healthy and happy!

We deliver in and around Bath and Bristol daily.

Prices start from £1.55 per 500g.

We can organise for samples of our food to be delivered to you so that your dogs can try it, as well as a chat/consultation to run through the benefits of moving to the raw diet.

Our food is chunky, handmade and hand packed.

We know exactly what goes into every single box.

Our packaging is fully recyclable.

N AS SE E IN TATLER

CONTACT SAMANTHA WILKINS - 07794 819 673 info@wilkinssimplyraw.co.uk Norton St. Phillip, Nr. Bath

DEFRA LICENCED

INTRODUCING

WALKIES BATH A PRESTIGIOUS 5 STAR SERVICE FOR YOUR PETS FROM A HIGHLY EXPERIENCED TEAM

WE OFFER BESPOKE: DOG WALKING • DOG TRAINING • PUPPY CARE & VISITS • HOLIDAY PET SITTING • DOGGIE DAY CARE • DOGGIE HOLIDAYS Thinking of getting a puppy or rescue dog? We offer consultations with you and we can

run through what we feel would be a great breed/ type of dog that would suit your family lifestyle. We can also help to prepare you for bringing your first dog into your home! £30.00 consultation cost. (Initial meet followed by unlimited free advice 24/7 after!)

For more information, details and prices please visit:

www.walkiesbath.co.uk

TEL: SAM WILKINS 07794 819 673 EMAIL: WALKIESBATH@GMAIL.COM

SOME HAPPY CLIENTS

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CITY | NEWS

CITYNEWS ROBO MOW

BALL POWER

PHASE TWO FOR ABBEY

MIB Electronic Ltd are hiring out robotic lawnmowers to garden owners and businesses in Somerset, Dorset and Wiltshire. The lawnmowers will keep your lawn perfectly manicured at all times and the units are much quieter than conventional petrol or electric lawnmowers. They operate autonomously, following a preset daily or weekly schedule.

MIB Electronic will assess the individual lawn and deploy a unit to suit the specific lawn type, size and mowing needs. After installation, the company are at hand if any issues should arise.

Tel: 07375 086317; mibrobo.com

Bath-based law firm Mogers Drewett have helped raise £2,000 for local charity Dorothy House Hospice Care with a netball tournament. Supported by Team Bath Netball, the event was a huge success with entrants from seven other local businesses. Hosted in the Sports Training Village at the University of Bath, eight teams from local businesses took part alongside one pro player from Team Bath who was allocated to each team. Following a fast-paced tournament with friendly banter, the trophy was secured by St. John’s Foundation (see inset), who triumphed in a thrilling final with Richardson Swift. mowbraywoodwards.co.uk

The first phase of Bath Abbey’s Footprint Project is complete and the east end of the church, which has been hidden behind hoardings, has been re-opened. The project started in May 2018 and involved closing off the east end of the abbey so that the floor could be stabilised, the eco-friendly underfloor heating could be installed, and the ledgerstones could be restored.

Phase two will involve closing off the north side of the abbey to carry out the same work on the floor, the heating and ledgerstones. This will take around a year to complete and will be followed by the third and final phase in the south side of the building. bathabbey.org

NT IN ASSEMBLY

HOPE RAISES BIG FUNDS

The National Trust will take on the day-today running of the Bath Assembly Rooms from March 2023 and transport visitors back to Georgian Bath. Under their management the venue will share the history of the Georgian era and reveal the stories of Bath’s social life. Owned by the National Trust since 1931, the Assembly Rooms are currently leased to Bath and North East Somerset Council and are used to house the Fashion Museum and as a venue for events and meetings. The National Trust’s ambition is to celebrate this important building and bring its story to life. nationaltrust.org

To raise much needed funds for the Royal United Hospital’s Cancer Care Campaign, 250 guests recently gathered for the Hope Ball 2019. Sipping pink champagne and gin cocktails, the guests met some of the artists, including Nick Cudworth and Pete the Street, whose work was generously donated to the auction. The live art auction, combined with the silent auction, raised over £75,000. Several record prices were achieved and bidding was fierce. To join the Hope community, make a pledge or to find out more about the hospital contact Katie Burfitt, Forever Friends Appeal: katie.burfitt@nhs.net; hopeball.co.uk

Did You Know?

In May 2019, 15% of visitors to Bath were over the age of 65.

BATH BUSINESS BAROMETER UPDATE: MAY 2019

provided by

High Street Footfall (Month on month % change)

-5.5%

n Following the national trend, footfall in Bath dropped in May over April (-5.5%), the first drop since January. Week by week, however, footfall counts rose in the city. Again following the national trend, May’s footfall was weak compared to the year before (-8.1%). Some of this was to be expected considering events in 2018 such as the royal wedding and Bath Rugby games, and the nicer weather. n Bath Carnival returns on Saturday 13 July. This is a can’t-miss event, so be sure to jump in and join the party. VV Rouleaux will be participating with a Carnival-themed workshop (contact the George Street shop on 01225 618600 for more information). We also welcomed Roly’s Fudge Pantry to Stall Street in June, so be sure to check the shop out.

Bath

South West UK

-3.7%

-0.1% Springboard Research Ltd.

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BOOKS

Summer reading

Sun cream? Check. Sunglasses? Check. Reading material? Don’t worry, we’ve got it covered.

Here’s some essential books to squeeze into your suitcase this summer

Convenience Store Woman

VALUE

REFLECT

Sayaka Murata, translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori, £8.99, paperback, Granta Books

Claire Lombardo, £16.99, hardback, Orion Described as one of the most anticipated summer reads, this gripping debut explores complex family dynamics, parenthood and hidden secrets.

Spanning nearly half a century and set against the quintessential American backdrop of Chicago, The Most Fun We Ever Had follows the Sorenson family. Loved-up parents Marilyn and David look on at their four daughters at a family wedding, each of whom are battling their own anxieties, fearing that they might never find the same kind of love that their parents share. 16 years later, the sisters’ already troubled lives are thrown into turmoil when a teenage boy who was put up for adoption years ago unexpectedly appears in their lives, and family stories of infidelity and resentment as well as laughter are revealed.

Keiko is 36 years old. She’s never had a boyfriend, and she’s been working in the same supermarket for 18 years. Her family wants her to get a proper job.

Her friends wonder why she won’t get married. But Keiko knows what makes her happy, and she’s not letting anyone come between her and her convenience store… An English language debut for Sayaka Murata, this Japanese bestseller is just 176 pages, making it ideal for a short yet exciting read for the poolside.

Erebus: The Story of a Ship

DISCOVER

Michael Palin, £8.99, paperback, Cornerstone

Early in Queen Victoria’s reign, HMS Erebus undertook two of the most ambitious naval expeditions of all time.

She first ventured further south than any ship had ever been. On the second journey, she vanished with her 129strong crew in the wastes of the Canadian Arctic. Her fate remained a mystery for more than 160 years.

Then in September 2014 her wreck was discovered at the bottom of the Canadian Arctic. Monty Python legend and globetrotter Michael Palin brings this ship’s extraordinary history back to life, following its epic voyages through to its catastrophic ending.

Leading Men

RELISH

Christopher Castellani, £8.99, paperback, Orion Shedding light on one of the greatest love stories of the 20th century, Castellani reflects on the desires, ambitions and charm of the glamorous literary circles of 1950s Italy. In July 1953, at a glittering party in Portofino, American playwright Tennessee Williams and his longtime lover Frank Merlo meet Anja Blomgren, a quiet young Swedish beauty and aspiring actress, and this encounter alters their lives forever. Covering half a century, Leading Men explores the burdens of fame, the acting world, and living in the shadows of greatness.

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The Lido

CHAMPION

Libby Page, £7.99, paperback, Orion Featured in The Guardian’s round-up of the best new faces of fiction in 2018, this feel-good read follows Rosemary, 86, and Kate, 26 – dreamers, campaigners and outdoor swimmers. Rosemary has lived in Brixton all her life, but the world around her is changing. Only the local lido where she swims remains a reminder of the past and her beloved husband. Local journalist Kate has just moved to the area, determined to climb the career ladder. When the lido is threatened with closure, Kate sees this as an ideal story opportunity, but for Rosemary it could be the end of everything.

Together they are determined to make a stand and prove that the pool is more than just a place to swim – it’s the heart of the community. This is a tale of loneliness, belonging and reconnecting with the world and people around us.

LAUGH

Humble Pi: A Comedy of Maths Errors Matt Parker, £20, hardback, Penguin

What makes a bridge wobble when it’s not meant to? Or how do billions of dollars mysteriously vanish? The answer is maths, or what happens when maths goes wrong. Mathematician and comedian Matt Parker explores and explains a whole host of glitches, near-misses and mishaps involving the internet, big data, elections, street signs, lotteries, the Roman empire and a hapless Olympic shooting team. Discover the bizarre ways maths trips us up and find out about its essential place in the world. This is the first-ever maths book to make it as a number-one bestseller and it will have you laughing, debating and challenging the maths that makes up our world. n

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Are you prepared following changes to state pension?

ocl A C C O U N TA N C Y

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

www.oclaccountancy.com

Employing family members – will HMRC object?

In 2018, research from Brewin Dolphin* revealed that women were expecting nearly £100,000 less in pension savings than men upon reaching retirement age, saving an average 9.4 per cent of their net income compared to 11.4 per cent for men. Recent changes made by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) in state pension entitlements could see significant impacts on future pension savings, and women’s in particular, with the state pension age rising from 60 to 66 in 2020, and to 67 by 2028. Being prepared for these changes and understanding your options is key. Here are some areas to consider.

Changes to pension credits Pension credits are designed to top up the incomes of those who have reached pension age so they have a reasonable amount to live on and have been widely welcomed by those living on the poverty line. Previously, pension credit has been available to couples where one partner has reached the pension qualifying age.

However, as of May 15th 2019, both partners are required to be of pension age for credits to be paid. Where there are significant differences in age, this has the potential to impact a household’s income by as much as £140 per week. While mixed-age couples are entitled to claim universal credit, this is considerably less than the pension credit.

Lifestyling Previously, pensions were often moved into safer investments for an average 1015 years before they expired. While offering less of a return, they were usually fairly secure. This system is known as ‘lifestyling’, and is common practice.

However, in-line with the change in the pension age, if a pension is ‘lifestyled’ too early (for example, seven years before the due date), the loss could amount to up to £10,000 over the course of retirement. When combined with the impact of the pension credit changes, some pensioners could be forced to continue working.

Fortunate, then, that the pension age has gone up so significantly. While a ‘bridging pension’ might seem like the most obvious option, there is a strong possibility these will end prematurely and shouldn’t be relied on.

Next steps If you’re worried about your pension, a member of our financial planning team can advise on the options personally available to you. To find out more, please visit www.mogersdrewett.com.

Stuart Doughty – Director, Mogers Drewett Financial Planning Mogers Drewett Financial Planning is an appointed representative of Centurion Chartered Financial Planners, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

Employing family members can be tax efficient, but will HMRC challenge you employing your husband, wife, civil partner or your children?

The good news: HMRC doesn’t automatically disallow the deduction of wages that you pay to your family; they consider family ties to be irrelevant when it comes to who you employ and pay.

HMRC will, however, look to see if the expense is ‘Wholly and Exclusively’ for the purpose of the trade & if not, then the wages will not be allowed as a tax deduction.

‘Wholly and exclusively’ in this context means that the sole purpose for incurring the expense is that of your trade, profession or vocation. HMRC state that there “must be equal pay, for equal value” and so your family member must only be paid a wage appropriate to the work they do.

If you create a role within you company for a family member, HMRC will see the wage as an acceptable deduction, as long as the job created serves a necessary function and they are paid a fair rate for their services. Examples of this could be employing your partner as a secretary or hiring your teenage children to valet the director’s car.

If you keep complete and up to date records, it will be harder for HMRC to raise an objection to the employment and disallow the deduction. You should record the employment as for any other employee, for example: • Provide a contract of employment; • Following the auto enrolment procedures for work-based pension schemes; • Include them on the payroll.

These support the argument that the employment is for the trade, rather than a way of extracting tax-free money from the company.

For tax saving tips contact us – call Marie Maggs, Tom Hulett or Mike Wilcox on 01225 445507 for a no-obligation meeting. See our website for more.

BE READY FOR MAKING TAX DIGITAL

What our clients say: ““As a business that works with a wide range of clients from private to public-sector organisations including pharmaceuticals, banks, local and national government and the NHS, our accountancy partners OCL have been instrumental in improving our financial systems.

They stepped forward to modernise our accounts, moving us online with QuickBooks cloud accounting software.They were on hand to give us advice every step of the way and their knowledge of QuickBooks is superb.We have worked with OCL for several years and throughout they have always been professional and easy to work with - a business partner we trust.”

* The Brewin Dolphin Family Wealth Report reveals the values, goals and aspirations that surrounded wealth in 2018

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

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EDUCATION NEWS NETBALL PARTNERSHIP Millfield School has become the latest hub location for the Soldisponsored Team Bath Netball Futures Pathway, developing the next generation of netball talent in the south west. The partnership enhances the strong links already existing between Millfield and Team Bath, with several Millfield pupils having competed for them over the years. Former England captain Hannah Passmore and Anna Brophy Pamela Cookey first played for Team Bath while studying for their A levels at Millfield and current pupil Hannah Passmore was a member of Team Bath’s Superleague squad during the 2019 season. Current upper sixth pupil Anna Brophy also represents Team Bath at U19 level and a host of Millfield pupils have gone on to combine study and sport at the University of Bath. millfieldschool.com

ECO TEAM AT ST GREGORY’S Inspired by a recent Greenpeace talk by Mike Berners-Lee, author of There is No Planet B, two impassioned sixth form students at Saint Gregory’s approached headmistress, Ann Cusack, with the idea of setting up a school Eco Team aimed at tackling the growing issue of consumerism and the environmental damage created Emily and Sophia by modern society. A Level students Emily and Sophia audited the school’s environmental impact and put a project plan together to highlight and tackle some of the main issues.

The team have been hugely encouraged by the momentum of support: “Teachers have been really encouraging and the feedback from our Lights Off Day and the plastic pen recycling scheme has been really positive,” said Sophia. “We’ve recently run school assemblies to talk about the issues of climate change and looked at the things that we can all do, as a school community, to make a difference and reduce our impact on the planet.” st-gregorys.org.uk

FOOD RAISES FUNDS

Top Bath chefs and Bath College students have raised £5,000 for Dorothy House Hospice Care at a Charity Gala Dinner. The dinner, which was held in Bath College’s Shrubbery Restaurant, was a fourcourse tasting menu, with each course prepared by a high-profile, local chef assisted by the college’s catering students. Chefs included Michael Nizzero from The Bath Priory, Tony Casey from the Bunch of Grapes in Bradford on Avon, and Damien Wager, a patisserie chef who runs his own pastry academy, Edible Art Patisserie. The dinner was served by students from the hospitality course and table decorations were designed and created by floristry students and staff. bathcollege.ac.uk n

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MOTORING

PERFECTING POLE POSITION

The University of Bath boasts the UK’s most successful student combustion racing car team, but rather than the drivers taking the glory, it’s the engineers that step onto the podium. Jessica Hope meets the Formula One engineering stars of the future from Team Bath Racing who are competing at Silverstone this summer

A

t the time of writing Mercedes has dominated this year’s Formula One season, with Lewis Hamilton topping the podium five times (that’s including that controversial win in Canada) and securing seven consecutive wins in the constructors’ standings.

While the drivers may be the leading actors of this Hollywood blockbuster, it’s the mammoth team of mechanics, engineers, software programmers, designers, technicians, managers et al (the list could go on and on and on) who keep the cogs in this highly advanced and costly machine running 78 TheBATHMagazine

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at full force. Without a powerhouse of a team behind you, as well as an equally powerful car, a driver doesn’t stand a chance of qualifying for pole position.

Behind the scenes at the University of Bath, there’s a group of students who know a thing or two about the importance of team work. Deep in the heart of the Faculty of Engineering and Design you will find a flurry of students hard at work on their final year project. While others have to write dissertations or take exams, the students on the university’s Mechanical Engineering course build a racing car. Yes, that’s right, a racing car. A fully powered, rip-roaring

racing car with hydraulics and carbon fibre to boot. And this month their car will be put through its paces at one of the world’s biggest educational motorsport competitions at the home of British racing, the Silverstone Circuit in Towcester.

Formula Student provides undergraduates with the opportunity to put their engineering abilities to the test, as well as gaining valuable business and commercial knowledge of the racing industry. Now in its 21st year, the competition involves more than 700 university teams registered from around the world, with events taking place in more than 12 countries, bringing some of

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MOTORING

TOPPING THE PODIUM: Main image, Team Bath Racing uses Colerne Airfield for test driving. Inset, top, while men dominate the sport, Team Racing Bath encourages more women to get involved in mechanical engineering. 20% of the team are female, compared to the national average of 11%.

Here aerodynamics lead Karen Law makes parts for the car by hand. Inset, above, the team’s car on show at the University of Bath’s Mechanical Engineering Design and Project Exhibition 2019

the brightest and most promising engineering teams together to compete for the top prize.

This summer the 25 students that make up Team Bath Racing at the University of Bath will be taking their car to compete at Silverstone as well as other Formula Student competitions in Germany and Austria, with the aim of returning home with more silverware to add to the university’s packed trophy cabinet.

Recognised as the UK’s most successful team with 13 individual event wins since its establishment in 2000, Team Bath Racing have got their sights firmly set on topping the podium at Silverstone this month. In order to do that, the car and the team will be tested to their limits in seven events in front of a panel of industry judges. Four of the events will push the car through its paces as it’s assessed on its lateral acceleration using a figure of eight, its straight line acceleration, cornering ability, and the biggest test of them all – endurance.

With 22 nerve-wracking laps of a circuit to complete in 30 minutes, the endurance

event can cost teams the largest amount of points if they don’t make it over the line (as well as it being an agonising moment when the car they’ve been working on for so many months breaks down). Unlike in F1 however, the students’ cars never race against one another on the track, which not only reduces the likelihood of crashes and more heartbreak, but also allows each university’s car to have its moment in the limelight.

The other three events are down to the students, where they are tested by leading experts on the design of their car, the finances, and their business presentation skills. This practical assessment gives many of the students vital experience when applying for work placements and jobs with F1 teams and leading companies such as Dyson and Bosch.

In Team Bath Racing’s buildroom at the university, you wouldn’t expect that those busy tinkering away at the car were still students. Communicative, astute and professional beyond their years, you’d assume that these young adults had been

working in the racing industry for years.

However, when I met them recently, they were in the midst of the final weeks of university before heading into the big world of work. After 18 months of creating their car from scratch – that’s including nine months of finalising the design and six months dedicated to producing the parts – Formula Student marks the end of a long project that will define many of their journeys in education, especially as this feat can make up to 40% of the students’ final marks for their degree.

Building this car really is a solid team effort. Every student involved has a specific area of the car to focus on, and they are then split between the powertrain, chassis, suspension and aerodynamics design groups.

The team is guided by the project manager Joe Willey and the business manager Jack Harris. University academics Dr Kevin Robinson and Dr Geraint ‘Speed’ Owen are also on hand if the students require any guidance, but overall every decision in the process is made by the students.

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MOTORING

FAST AND FURIOUS: Above, Formula Student will welcome 130 teams from around the world at the Silverstone Circuit in July. Left, Team Bath Racing’s car from last year’s competition being put through its paces

Producing a car from scratch can be time restrictive, so the team welcome first and second year engineering students to help with the construction of parts, which allows them to get hands on experience early on in their degrees. Many of these younger students then catch the bug for racing cars and choose to work on the team for their final year project.

As well as holding the title of the UK’s most decorated team, Team Bath Racing is also making waves in pushing the gender divide. Combustion racing continues to be dominated by men, with the national average of women involved in engineering being just 11%. But at Bath 20% of the team are women and the four sub teams are led by female students, with a number of them having already secured jobs with Formula One teams before graduating.

In order to keep the costs of building such a highly powered car down, the students make many of the parts by hand, allowing them to put the mechanical theory that they’ve learned from lectures into action.

They’ve also sourced the engine and other parts from suppliers and online. But the team does rely greatly on sponsorship. As well as cash sponsors, engineering, fuel and manufacturing companies such as BP and Garrett have provided parts such as the new 80 TheBATHMagazine

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turbocharger, equipping them with the tools they need to continue producing an awardwinning car.

Although Formula Student focuses on celebrating engineering prowess, who does the driving? Under competition guidelines they cannot be professional drivers and must be students, so the team at Bath work closely with the university’s karting club to select their drivers, and they use Colerne Airfield for test drives.

While their formal education may be coming to an end soon, the students at Bath regularly take part in outreach work with local schools and events to encourage children and young people’s interest in engineering. In March, the team showcased the university’s car at the Bath Taps Into Science Festival where 2,000 children got to get up close to a racing car and even sit in it, much to their excitement.

The University of Bath also hosts regular school visits throughout the year, so local students of all ages take part in interactive engineering activities. It’s this outreach work which helps spur young people into wanting to learn more about mechanics.

“At some point or another, everyone on our team was inspired from a young age to go into engineering from events such as the ones we hold. So we want to help spark the

interest of the next generation of engineers,” says business manager Jack Harris.

As well as producing a successful combustion racing car team, the university is also paving ways in other areas of mechanical engineering. Since 2016 the department has also been entering an electric powered car into Formula Student by another group of students, and they have since become the UK’s top electric team.

There’s also significant work being undertaken by students producing the greenest and most fuel-efficient vehicles, autonomous cars (which will also be entered into Formula Student at Silverstone), and Team Bath Drones were crowned champions of the IMechE UAS Challenge in 2017.

So what happens when Formula Student is over? While many of the past and present students from Team Bath Racing go into jobs in Formula One and other motorsports after university, the skills that they learn from competing at this competition are essential for careers in other areas such as aerospace, defence, petrochemical, business and more.

After working 24 hour shifts to get the car up to perfection for the University of Bath’s Mechanical Engineering Design and Project Exhibition last month, the students sure do know about hard graft – and their winning record shows that it pays off. Yet despite serious competition from other universities later this month, Team Bath Racing looks to be on the right track to silverware this season. ■ Formula Student 2019 takes place from 17–21 July at the Silverstone Circuit. teambathracing.com

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TRAVEL

Jet set to go

Planning a summer vacation? Crystal Rose finds a few travel essentials to make the packing a little easier

Working effectively on dark spots and dull skin (not to mention bringing a product with 17 times more potency than vitamin C to the table), this transforming serum from Caudalie is not only the skincare brand’s bestselling product, but also a great way to lift your complexion.

Pick up this brightening hero and enjoy two free minis – the Instant Foaming Cleanser and Glycolic Peel.

Brightening Heroes set, £46, Caudalie, available at Frontlinestyle, Monmouth Street, Bath; frontlinestyle.co.uk

Feel revitalised when you’re on the go with five summer essentials in a beautiful certified organic cotton bag.

Travel kit, £30, Neal’s Yard Remedies, 11 Northumberland Place, Bath; nealsyardbath.com For in-flight maintenance and to ensure you’re stepping off the plane feeling fresh, the On The Fly kit includes two sheet masks, rejuvenating eye gels and hydrating lip gels.

On The Fly kit, £18, Patchology, available at Space NK, 10 New Bond Street, Bath; spacenk.com

Harnessing the power of nature’s most potent actives to nourish, balance and restore radiance, this skin range by ESPA works in harmony with the skin to develop immediate results.

Optimal Skin Experience, £30, ESPA, available at Lucknam Park Hotel & Spa, Colerne; lucknampark.co.uk

Arrive at your destination in style and with a few Aesop staples in-hand. In this kit there’s a shampoo, conditioner, body cleanser and body balm.

Arrival travel kit, £29, Aesop, 16 New Bond Street, Bath; aesop.com This limited edition travel bag is packed with Elemis essentials and was designed with New York-based fashion illustrator Meagan Morrison’s interpretation of London’s iconic landmarks.

Free when purchasing two or more products from the anti-ageing range, Enhance Medispa, Lower Ground Suite, 3 Miles’s Buildings, George Street, Bath; enhancemedispa.co.uk

Soothe and support the body on your travels with essential oils, muscle gels and a hydrosol sheet mask.

Support and Travel Edit, £33, Aromatherapy Associates, available at Thermae Bath Spa, Hot Bath Street, Bath; thermaebathspa.com

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The Orangery fp July.qxp_Layout 1 20/06/2019 17:17 Page 1

Established for over 25 years we are the experts in skin health, aesthetics and advanced beauty treatments in Bath.

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Enhanced Biotics Bath fp.qxp_Layout 22 21/06/2019 15:59 Page 1

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE

Enhanced Biotics: Bath’s new wellness brand on a mission...

The world is currently a buzz with CBD talk… but why?

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n the UK the number of people taking CBD oil has doubled over the last year from 125,000 to 250,000, and in the USA where CBD has been sold in some states for the almost six years, the number of consumer sales has doubled every two years since 2014. CBD is currently being sold as a food supplement but there is still very little known about the popular supplement. Much of the global scientific research is focusing on the benefits that CBD oil can have on our wellbeing.

Who are Enhanced Biotics?

We are a local wellness company creating innovative new wellness products utilising cannabidiol (CBD).

Our primary goal is to enhance others’ wellbeing both mentally and physically with our innovative product range, however we understand that supplements alone can not achieve this so in order to help us reach this goal, we have also created a wellness scheme.

Enhanced Biotic’s CBD product range Our CBD products are all organic, vegan friendly and non-GMO. The oils are extracted using co2 extraction without the use of chemicals or solvents ensuring you receive a completely clean and natural product.

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We place a premium on quality assurance, and always provide lab test results on our website to deliver peace of mind and confidence that you are buying a CBD product you can trust. This is important as there are many CBD products currently on the market available which are not rigorously tested and may not contain what is being advertised.

What is CBD oil?

Cannabidiol (CBD) Is a naturally occurring compound derived from the hemp plant. CBD is one of more than 100 Phyto cannabinoids which are unique to cannabis. CBD is the second most prevalent active ingredient within the hemp plant.

How can you take CBD? CBD can come in a variety of forms from sweets to vapes to capsules and creams and due to its popularity, many new CBD infused products are being created every day. The most common form is to take CBD oil drops, which you drop under your tongue, leave for roughly one minute and then swallow.

Is it legal?

Yes, CBD is legal to sell in the UK. It must by law, have less than 0.2% THC which all our products do.

If you would like to learn more about CBD then scan the QR code with your smart phone camera below and have a read of our in depth blog articles relating to CBD. ■

The Wellness Scheme We are looking to help young wellness leaders local to Bath grow their brand and raise awareness of the services they provide. We collaborate with these up and coming talented individuals to create fun, entertaining wellness events which are free for you to attend. Our ambassadors are passionate about helping everyone achieve mental and physical wellbeing.

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HEALTH & BEAUTY

HEALTH & BEAUTY NEWS Brews perfect for cooling you down, a new release that’s bursting with love and a partnership to get you connected with nature – Crystal Rose on the latest updates in the sector

CONNECT WITH NATURE This summer botanical skincare brand Liz Earle is encouraging women to feel closer to the outdoors.

With a natural outlook at the heart of it’s ethos, the British beauty brand has announced a new partnership with the free community-based walking app Go Jauntly with the aim of helping city-amblers to connect with the natural world.

Each cruelty-free product is packed full of naturally derived ingredients, and Liz Earle is hoping this new collaboration will help women to get active.

Working on 12 bespoke walks, the brand hopes to encourage women to get outside and draw energy from nature in a bid to improve their mental and physical wellbeing.

• Skin replenishing body balm, £22, Liz Earle, available at Boots; lizearle.com

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COLD BREW INFUSIONS

METALLIC MUSE Six new shades of the Le Vernis collection from CHANEL have hit the beauty scene. Just in time for summer, these metallic hues are updated versions of the iconic original shades and include iridescent shimmering colours such as Radiant Verde and Radiant Arancio, perfect to wear on holiday.

• Le Vernis in shades Radiant Verde and Radiant Arancio,

£22 each, CHANEL; chanel.com

Pep up your water this summer with these two new refreshing cold brew flavours from teapigs.

Lychee and rose is a fruity yet floral combination to see you through the summer, and cucumber and apple is an invigorating cold beverage.

No added sugar and no sickly syrups – just bring the water and these cold brew infusions from teapigs will do the rest.

• Lychee and Rose and Cucumber and Apple Cold Brew Infusions, £3.95, teapigs; teapigs.co.uk

BURSTING WITH LOVE Love Island is back on our screens and the return of the addictive summer dating show has brought with it something new for the beauty scene.

Loveburst is a new beauty brand created by Established (the New York powerhouse who designed Fenty Beauty and Marc Jacobs Beauty) in collaboration with ITV, and focuses on putting the wearer in the spotlight.

There are metallic cream eye shadows, highlighter powders, eye shadow palettes, pH lip balms, a body bronzer spray and an aptly named liquid lip duo – Coupled Up. “The Loveburst collection is for when you want to stand out, feel special and glow,” says Established’s co-founder and creative director Sam O’Donahue.

Manufactured in Italy, it’s 100% cruelty-free too, which only adds to the appeal. It is what it is, and we want it...

• Products range from £13 – £25; available from loveislandshop.co.uk and loveburst.com

PREPARE TO TAN Perfect for travel, wherever your holidays may take you, the Summer Collection by Lancaster contains sun-prep and protection essentials.

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• Tan Preparer Body Scrub, £15, Lancaster, available at Debenhams; lancaster-beauty.com

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Looking down to Lasborough

Out to Ozleworth

Andrew Swift finds one of the smallest villages in Gloucestershire, encountering some mysteries as he goes, with sites of interest including Ozleworth Bottom, the Cotswold Plateau and several Norman motte and bailey castles

O

zleworth, hidden amid narrow lanes a couple of miles east of Wotton under Edge, is one of the smallest villages in Gloucestershire.

No one knows how it got its name. Some say it was because it belonged to a Saxon called Osla, others because of the number of ouzels – or blackbirds – in the surrounding woods.

Ozleworth’s church is something of a mystery as well. Its irregular hexagonal tower, built by the Normans, is unusual enough, as is its dedication to St Nicholas of Smyrna. But it is its circular churchyard, still largely uncluttered by tombstones, that really gets the antiquarians excited. It has been suggested that it was a pagan site, and, standing within it, it is not difficult to imagine that a stone circle rather than a wall once enfolded this green space.

One thing is beyond question: Ozleworth stands at the head of one the most enchanting valleys in the Cotswolds, with the whimsical name of Ozleworth Bottom.

Ozleworth is also the starting point of this month’s walk, which traverses a lost and lonely land of sheep walks, country houses, redundant churches and Norman castles.

Finding it is the first problem. Start by driving north from Bath along the A46, 88 TheBATHMagazine

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and after 20 miles, when you come to traffic lights, turn left along the A4135. After another three miles, when the A4135 bears right and the B4058 heads straight on, turn left along a single-track lane to Ozleworth.

Keep going, ignoring lanes branching right, for two miles, and, as the lane starts dropping away, you will see a high bank of beeches ahead. When you reach them, park on a patch of rough ground on the left (ST792935).

Go through a handgate to the left of the eagle-topped gateposts ahead. After 100m, turn left along a lane, with Ozleworth Park on your right. After another 100m, a bridle path sign points left, alongside a beech hedge. Before following it, however, carry on through the stableyard to visit Ozleworth’s extraordinary church.

Returning to the bridle path, follow it as it curves past a pond and heads downhill before turning left along an avenue of limes.

(ST795933). Continue in the same direction, crossing a cattle grid, as the track grows ever rougher and starts curving downhill.

After passing a dangerous bridge on the right (ST799936), follow the track as it curves through 180 degrees to start climbing the other side of the valley. When it forks, bear left, crossing a cattle grid into

Brimscombe Wood. After 200m, follow it as it swings left uphill (ST800931), ignoring a narrower track branching down to the right.

After another 75m, the track curves right and crosses a cattle grid into open country.

Cross another cattle grid and carry on alongside a wall, before following the track as it curves left across a large field. You are now on the breezy Cotswold Plateau, over 200m above sea level, where rooks wheel silently above stands of beeches. On the far side of the field, go through a handgate, carry on between hedges and at the end turn left along Scrubbett’s Lane (ST807935).

After 1100m, you pass a turning on the left, leading down to the hamlet of Bagpath.

Look for a footpath sign on the right 250m further on, cross a low stile hidden in the hedgerow and head east alongside a drystone wall. After 325m, when a broken-down wall marks the end of the field, bear left, following footpath signs diagonally across the next field towards a building with a pyramidal roof. At the end, turn left along a track for a few metres, and, when you come to a lane, turn right.

As you pass it, you will see that the building with a pyramidal roof is a church – the Church of St Bartholomew, which served the tiny village of Newington Bagpath until it

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THE | WALK

Ozleworth Bottom was declared redundant about 50 years ago.

Just past the church, follow a footpath sign through a handgate on the right (ST816948) and along a track past a Norman motte and bailey castle. After 350m, go through another handgate and carry on, bearing uphill to pass to the right of the copse you can see ahead.

Continue in the same direction and after about 400m you will see Lasborough Church and the manor across the valley. The church

of St Mary the Virgin was rebuilt in 1862, but the manor house dates from the 17th century. Another motte and bailey castle can be seen on the skyline beyond the church.

The battlemented building ahead is Lasborough Park, designed in 1794 by James Wyatt, the architect of Beckford’s Fonthill.

Head to the left of it, crossing the drive to the left of where it divides, and carry straight on through a handgate by a seven-bar gate (ST819938).

Follow a grassy track as it curves through a field, with Lasborough Park up to your right, before heading through a five-bar gate into the woods.

This quiet secluded valley, with nothing to disturb its tranquility other than bird song and the buzzing of insects, is a fitting, although muddy, climax to the walk.

Continue to the left of a large pond which partly disappears in dry weather. As the trees close in, the track begins to grow ever rougher, ever muddier, ever more like a path into a lost world.

Eventually, the trees recede to reveal a large dried-up pond. As you follow a track winding along its right bank, you may glimpse another country house – Boxwell Court – on the far side.

At the end of the pond, cross a broad track to continue along Ozleworth Bottom. After going through a five-bar gate, the trees on the right give way to open grassland.

Just past another five-bar gate, the broad track crosses a stream and curves steeply right uphill (ST798928).

Ignore a narrow bridleway leading off to the left and two tracks branching off to the right. Carry on as the track levels out, go through a metal gate at the end and turn right up a lane.

After 550m, bear left to follow a bridle path sign across a field. After going through another gate, cross the lane, turn right along the lane beyond it, and after 25m turn left to follow a bridle path sign to return to the starting point. n Andrew Swift is the author of On Foot in Bath: Fifteen Walks Around a World Heritage City

FACT FILE

6.

n Distance: 6.5 miles n Time: 3–4 hours n Level of challenge: Some muddy stretches, but mostly straightforward.

Dogs need to be on leads at several points because this is sheep country. n Map: OS Explorer 168

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INTERIORS INTERIORS

ANNA GRAVELLE Working with craft and digital processes, Anna creates luxurious textile artworks alongside interior furnishing fabrics and accessories that combine print and exquisite surface embellishment.

Golden Murmuration wall piece, ÂŁ3,500. annagravelle.com

Harness the

handmade The handmade economy in the UK is thriving.

Websites like Etsy, Folksy and Not on the High Street have given customers direct access to millions of talented makers around the world. We have our own thriving community of designers, makers and artists in Bath, as well as a regular artisan market in Queen Square.What’s more, handmade goods tend to be sustainable by nature. Interior designer Clair Strong profiles six brilliant local artisans

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INTERIORS

BRONWYN WILLIAMS-ELLIS Bronwyn makes handmade tiles, sculptures and dishes from her studio at Old Orchard in Bath. Specialising in earthenware clay, tiles are bespoke, designed for use in contemporary and traditional interior settings. Lobster tiles, £19 per tile for a one-off design. handmade-tiles.co.uk

GINGER & TWEED

KATHERINE FRASER

Ginger & Tweed evolved from a passion for designing and making. Their inspiration comes from seeing the potential in a great piece of wood or fabric to create a product. Wooden milking stools, £21.95, available in three finishes: dark varnish, oak varnish or white. gingerandtweed.com

Designer-weaver Katherine Fraser creates unique, handwoven textiles for fashion and interiors, providing high-quality one-off products using only the best natural fibres and traditional weaving looms. Piccalilli cushions, from £85. katherinefraser.co.uk

COBALT AND STONE Sarah makes beautiful ceramics in the heart of Bath. All pieces are made using a limited colour palette for ultimate mix-and-match enjoyment. Her pieces fuse traditional and modern looks for classic designs that endure.

Pulteney Bridge Jug, £18. cobaltandstone.com

ANGIE PARKER

Clair Strong Interior Design is a small, friendly, creative business based in Bath and London, providing services for residential and commercial clients. Visit: clairstrong.co.uk or contact: clair@clairstrong.co.uk

Angie Parker weaves rugs and exquisite, vibrant textiles derived from traditional Scandinavian rug weaving techniques. Her floor art and fabric creations are handwoven using long-established patterns, which combine with an instinctive and daring approach to colour. WAVE handwoven Krokbragd textile art panel, from £450. angieparkertextiles.com

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• Interior and exterior • Wallpaper specialist

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rom nth f ting r mo r a St P pe GB 39 Autonomous and hassle free operation with preset daily or weekly schedules Let our robotic lawnmowers take care of your garden

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Agriframes July.qxp_Layout 1 20/06/2019 14:42 Page 1

Andy Sturgeon’s M&G Garden, which won Best in Show

Agriframes rustic growthrough frames

Back to nature

Each year the drama and artistry at RHS Chelsea Flower Show never fails to impress. The team from Agriframes, who create garden structures and supports, reports back on the dominant themes and trends at this year’s show

GOING GREEN A strong theme at this year’s RHS Flower Show was sustainability and the responsible use of materials. The enthusiasm for finding replacements for single-use plastics has created exciting innovation in sustainable materials. Chelsea Product of the Year finalists, Haxnicks, showcased their bamboo pots and seed trays and attracted the interest of Deborah Meaden from BBC Two’s Dragons’ Den. GREEN PLANTING Green planting clearly replaced the use of bold colours this year. While show garden designs and schemes are submitted 10 months ahead of the show, the dominance of green may not have been planned by all.

“We had to think very differently about the planting for our stand this year,” says Agriframes managing director, Andrew Downey. “Our Bath-based nursery does a great job of getting the plants right for the show, which can mean either accelerating or delaying flowering, but this year the hot spell in the spring made that very difficult so we created impact with banks of foliage, buxus, pittosporum, even mint and lemon balm – bringing a real freshness to our display, and that was echoed across the show.”

The best in show garden went to Andy Sturgeon’s M&G Garden with an entirely green planting palette, offset by dramatic black structural stones. This use of planting and structural features is a winning formula.

BACK TO NATURE Mark Gregory managed to accommodate a full set of working lock gates in his Welcome to Yorkshire Garden. The use of rust finishes was a repeated theme and one that can be very effectively recreated with traditionalstyle plant supports.

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Naturalistic planting has been a growing theme over the past few years and many gardens used the delicate grace of wild flowers. The English countryside certainly inspired the Warner’s Distillery Garden by Helen Elks-Smith, arriving as small squares of turf embedded with local species of cowslip, achillia and harebell, painstakingly laid to create the right unkempt effect.

The air was filled with bees throughout the show – especially around the banks of foxgloves in the Agriframes garden – and the shift to planting native species and encouraging pollinators has had a definite impact on bee activity in our gardens.

The Duchess of Cambridge’s Back to Nature Garden combined two more themes from this year’s show – woodlands and gardens as a space to escape. A treehouse, rope swing or the tranquil nature of water all bring opportunities for a peaceful space.

Mark Gregory’s Welcome to Yorkshire Garden which won the People’s Choice garden vote

ARCHITECTURAL FORMS A wonderful way to draw the eye around a garden is to use architectural forms. Jo Thompson’s Wedgwood Garden was dominated by a striking classical colonnade guiding visitors through ever-changing framed views, while Tom Stuart-Smith incorporated large steel frames to create a sense of containment in his contemporary RHS Bridgewater Garden. In a smaller garden space pergolas are a way to add a little bit of Chelsea and to incorporate seating areas.

ROSES FOREVER Planting trends may come and go, but roses are a constant. This year the show paid tribute to rose grower David Austin who died earlier this year. The uplifting sight and scent of billowing roses over an arch will never go out of style in any garden. n agriframes.co.uk

Roses clambering over an Agriframes pergola

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Make every day a clay day

Is it time to stop pottery classes and find your own space for making and displaying your ceramics? Or are you ready to turn professional and need a studio where you can make your work and run your business? West Country based experts Garden Affairs have plenty of advice for aspiring pottery studio owners

P

ottery is a chance to slow down, re-engage with yourself and spend time on something that’s beautiful in its simplicity. And where better to recharge your creativity and wellbeing than in the sanctuary of your own garden?

Over the last 20 years, Garden Affairs have designed and built a large number of pottery studios. With a wide range of garden buildings to choose from, there’s something to suit all needs and tastes, from the enthusiastic hobbyist to the professional artist working on a bigger scale, wanting to exhibit and sell their work. Here are some things to think about to help you get your wheel spinning.

EQUIPMENT Before you start planning the size and location of your studio, think about the kit you’ll need. If you want to throw pots, you will need a wheel. The options range from a basic kickwheel to a more sophisticated, power-sourced wheel, and this could come with a splash pan and attached work tables.

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his pottery hobby and has some advice on wheel choice: “If you go to a class, buy the wheel you’ve been using.” He didn’t, and found it took time to adjust to the different height and rotation speed.

You also need to think about storage space and work areas. When choosing a kiln, you need one with a capacity that suits the type of ware you produce, the item size and how many pieces you need to fire at a a time. If you plan to offer classes, you’ll also need enough space in the kiln for all your students to fire their work.

Getting clear on kit will help you work out in advance how much space you need to make your pottery studio work for you.

After all, you don’t want claustrophobia to spoil your feelings of calm and well-being.

The size, weight and quantity of equipment you bring into your studio will influence the strength of flooring you need.

The safest approach is to look for heavyduty tongue and groove timber flooring with substantial floor joists (Garden Affairs’ buildings come with this as standard) to cope with the weight of heavy-duty items like kilns and wheels. Laminate flooring is a good choice for easy-wipe cleaning.

EXPANSION PLANS Think ahead to how your hobby is likely to look in a couple of years’ time. It’s likely that you will have grown in ambition, and accumulated lots of tools and accessories.

You’ll also have produced a significant volume of work.

“When I started, I had just the kiln and the wheel,” says Simon. “All my additional stuff was in boxes on the floor which made working really difficult. A year later I installed cheap kitchen units and my life changed. The units are great for tidying away, and play a vital role in controlling the drying process.”

Simon also installed shelves which he uses to display finished work, glazes and tools.

He also included a long workbench for rolling and working the clay, which means he can have clean and dirty areas for different processes.

If you are an amateur potter, is it feasible that you might turn your hobby into a business? In this case, you’ll need to increase the scale of production by bringing in another wheel or a bigger kiln. Will you be running classes in your studio? This will be cheaper in the long run than hiring

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GARDEN | STYLE

WATER AND DAMP Pottery can be a water-intensive activity.

Getting water supplied to your studio is reasonably straightforward as long as you’re close to mains access. Otherwise, it’s a question of bringing buckets of water from the house.

“I didn’t have water supplied to my studio,” says Simon. “I dreamt of having a sink, but my budget didn’t stretch to this.

And to be honest, it’s easy enough to carry water back and forth.” Simon recalls the days before he had the studio, when he worked in the house. Now that he’s outside he uses the drain system in the street to get rid of any waste water. “After years of washing clay down a domestic sink you’ll develop blockages, so if you’re lucky enough to have a sink in your new build, take advice from your plumber on the best way to dispose of your waste water.”

If you want a water supply to the studio it makes sense to be close to the house to keep costs to a minimum when burying pipework and connecting services. You’ll need a qualified plumber for this. For kilns, it’s very important to talk to an electrician about what is required to safely install your specific kiln type.

teaching space, and you can lay out your studio exactly to your requirements.

Another idea is to use the space as a gallery or shop. The working part of the business can be separate from the customerfacing part by dividing your building in two, or you can keep things open so your customers can see the creative process.

WINDOWS The very essence of an art studio is natural light. Most artists will want to have a light and airy space, with windows above and to the side.

Garden buildings allow you the opportunity to have plenty of glass.

However be mindful that the more windows you have, the greater the chance you’ll be working in direct sunlight. You may want to

consider blinds to reduce the heat, or air conditioning units can be installed.

Windows that open are highly recommended, so you can keep fresh air circulating when the heat rises. If you install a window that’s the right height and width to fit a workbench under, then you will get a good view of the garden.

Another idea is to have more discreet, high-level windows. They’ll give you the ventilation you need and privacy from neighbours. Alternatively if you prefer a modern expanse of glass across the front face, you could opt for large opening doors.

These will bring the garden into your space, give you loads of light, and a blast of fresh air whenever you fancy.

VENTILATION AND TEMPERATURE The decomposition of clay and glaze during firing is likely to emit some unpleasant and potentially dangerous fumes. And because you’ll probably need to cope with high temperatures, depending on your firing process, you’ll need good ventilation.

Keeping the temperature in your studio evenly regulated is essential for your comfort and wellbeing. so it might be wise to keep the building insulated. Highperformance insulation and double glazing will ensure that your studio is warm in winter and cool in summer. Look out for breathable timber, which will take on any moisture and avoid condensation and damp.

INSPIRATION You can talk to Garden Affairs about what other customers have done, and this is a great way of shaping your own ideas. You can also take a look at the customer galleries. If you see something you like, it can be custom designed to your needs, and if you have your own design in mind, it can be developed. n COME AND ASK ADVICE

Visit the display garden rooms, offices, studios, and summerhouses at Garden Affairs, Trowbridge Garden Centre, 288 Frome Road, Trowbridge BA14 ODT; gardenaffairs.co.uk Open: Monday to Friday 9am-5pm and Saturday by appointment only

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Margaret Grant from Sheppards Gardens

Rosa ‘The Mayflower’ (David Austin Roses)

Garden pleasures

Jane Moore meets Nyla Abraham, a Bath gardener whose garden has seen her through some hard times and has provided vital sustainance to her health and wellbeing

O

ur gardens are a welcome sanctuary, a haven from the pressures of the world. A garden is also somewhere where we can breathe deeply, ground ourselves and put life back in perspective. Gardeners all recognise that sense of a little oasis, a quiet space for tinkering and pottering that can be so restful and reinvigorating at the same time. We also love to see other people’s oases when we visit their gardens.

For Nyla Abraham, who is opening her Bath garden in Entry Hill for the first time this summer under the National Garden Scheme, it has become more than just a haven, it’s been something of a salvation.

SIMPLE PLEASURES “When I fell ill I realised just how beneficial gardening was to me,” she says. “I remember being very unwell one day and all I could do was hold on to the hose and water things slowly – but at least I was outside and doing something and that made me feel so much better about things.”

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Nyla suffers from an autoimmune disease, a condition in which your immune system mistakenly attacks your body. Our immune system guards against germs like bacteria and viruses and when it senses these foreign invaders, it sends out an army of fighter cells to attack them. Normally, the immune system can tell the difference between foreign cells and your own cells, but in an auto-immune disease the immune system mistakenly identifies part of your body, such as your joints or skin, as foreign and releases proteins called auto-antibodies that attack healthy cells, so your body is literally at war with itself.

“I’m so glad I have the garden,” says Nyla.

“If I didn’t have that to focus on I would focus on not feeling well. The garden is both a great distraction and a great comfort.”

slowly walk around the garden on his arm, and we would watch how the plants grew day by day. I would touch the petals on the Michaelmas daises and smell the roses,” she says. “Doing these things made me just happy enough to keep me afloat and stop me sinking into depression.”

It helped that Nyla and her husband Paul had chosen their house based on their love of the garden and the potential they could see in the outdoor space. They had also been keen garden visitors, taking in gardens in Cornwall and further afield.

“Paul and I love The Courts Garden in Holt, and Iford Manor. We also love the lush gardens in Cornwall and I think that’s what encouraged us to plant so many ferns and hostas in the courtyard.”

DESIGN INFLUENCES Nyla and her husband began developing the garden when they relocated in 2014, but it was after Nyla became ill in 2017 that it became her focus.

“My husband would come back from work and we would ‘do the rounds’. I would

DIFFERENT AREAS The courtyard, a cool and shady area next to the house, has been made into an oasis of foliage with ferns, hellebores and bamboos surrounding a mature magnolia.

Beneath this on the gravel sits a collection of hostas in blue and white Chinese pots,

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GARDENING

giving the whole area an air of calm and serene loveliness.

The Chinese theme continues as you move through into the main garden as you are greeted by the three Pekin Bantams, delightfully named after Nyla’s gardening heroines: Vita, Gertrude and Beth.

The chickens have a free run of the garden, and what a lovely space it is. Immediately outside the conservatory is a young quince tree under-planted with herbs. A rustic post and rail fence sections off the main lawn lined with borders planted with cottage garden favourites such as asters and globe thistles. Here, too, is a lovely selection of young trees including the ornamental hawthorn Crataegus laevigata ‘Paul’s Scarlet’; crab apple Malus ‘Profusion’, lilac (Syringa), and silver birch (Betula pendula).

At the far end the garden becomes productive with a compact vegetable garden, shed and potting bench and a wonderfully wild mini-orchard with a swing seat that just begs to be sat on.

“We’ve tried to give the garden distinct areas with a feel and personality of their own,” says Nyla. “But we want it to look like it all blends together naturally too.”

The garden does this quite wonderfully, taking you on a lovely journey from one space to another with a mix of lush foliage, cottage garden flowers, box and yew hedges

and quirky seating areas. Dotted through the garden are various inventive constructions made by Paul, which range from covered seating areas to a miniature greenhouse made from old windows. Since my visit, a hose tidy in a rustic cupboard has appeared on my wishlist.

THE JOY OF THE GARDEN Sometimes, when the weeds are growing like wildfire and the slugs and snails are eating everything, it’s hard to remember how great gardening actually is. But we gardeners do all relish the unspoiled joy of the outdoors and, for Nyla, that’s what has kept her going.

Although her condition is improving, it is a slow process and she still has good days and bad ones.

“Even the simple pleasures such as watching a bee going about its business collecting nectar were enough to make me happy inside,” she says. “I sincerely believe the garden stopped me from becoming clinically depressed and it helped me continue to live my life.”

I think we can all relate to those feelings in some way and it’s becoming far more recognised just how very important gardens and gardening are to people’s health and wellbeing.

I’ll leave it to Nyla to sum up what her garden means to her: “Even when I was still

incredibly ill, I could see the garden growing and it lifted my spirits enormously,” she says.

“It brought me so much joy and happiness, and it still does.” n The National Garden Scheme open day is on 8 September from 10am – 5pm, admission £3. ngs.org.uk Jane Moore is an award-winning gardening columnist and head gardener at The Bath Priory Hotel. Twitter: @janethegardener

Create space with a garden room GARDEN OFFICES • LOG CABINS • STUDIOS • SUMMERHOUSES POSH SHEDS • TIMBER GARAGES • OUTDOOR LIVING SPACES

01225 774566 • www.gardenaffairs.co.uk Visit our Display Centre at Trowbridge Garden Centre 288 Frome Road, BA14 0DT THEBATHMAG.CO.UK

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the directory Electricians

to advertise in this section call 01225 424 499

KEIKO KISHIMOTO Health, Beauty & Wellbeing Holistic Treatments for Wellbeing

Aromatherapy • Reflexology/Facial reflexology Japanese Cosmo Facelift • Deep Tissue Massage For more information, please visit:

www.keikokishimoto.co.uk 07739 827186 contact@keikokishimoto.co.uk

Trowbridge & Neal’s Yard Bath

Health, Beauty & Wellbeing

Holiday Rental

60+ luxury properties for lets 2 nights to 5 months Holidays – For business – Friends & family – Temporary accommodation during renovation/relocation Contact: 01225 482 225 alexa@bathholidayrentals.com www.bathholidayrentals.com Providing 4 & 5 star self-catering properties since 2006

Health, Beauty & Wellbeing

House & Home

Email: annadesign@btinternet.com

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PROPERTY | HOMEPAGE

M

ulberry House is an impressive detached 4 bedroom family home of lovely proportions, positioned beautifully within this select courtyard of 4 handsome family homes and has an attractive westerly aspect to the front and beautiful southerly gardens.

The property is entered into a large hallway with doors to all rooms and an elegant staircase leading to the first floor. To the left there is a large double aspect formal drawing room with a handsome Bath stone surround fireplace, wood burning stove and double doors that lead to the front.

To the southerly aspect there is a generous study and a spacious open plan well fitted contemporary kitchen, dining room and family room with a lovely feature stone fireplace, bay window and double doors that lead to the sun terraces and garden. In addition there is a large well fitted boot and utility room that leads from the kitchen along with a guest cloakroom.

The first floor accommodation comprises a beautiful master bedroom suite with plenty of bespoke built in wardrobes and a large en suite wet room. There is also a further en suite guest bedroom, 2 further large double bedrooms and family bathroom.

Externally the property is approached via a 5 bar gate and has plenty of graveled off street parking, detached double garaging and lovely southerly well stocked gardens with manicured level lawns, a wealth of mature shrubs and trees and a wildflower orchard.

Mulberry House, Upper Wraxall • 4 large double bedrooms • 3 bathrooms • Large open plan living room / dining room / kitchen • Study • Detached double garage • Half acre gardens • Organic wildflower orchard

Guide price: £1,250,000

Cobb Farr, 35 Brock Street, The Circus, Bath. Tel: 01225 333332

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MARDAN, BATH’S BESPOKE REMOVALS AND STORAGE COMPANY, DEVELOPS NEW TALENT

Mardan have a wealth of experience within the removals and storage industry, spanning over 30 years, ensuring customers have a stress-free and seamless move. Mardan are family run and bespoke with the experience, knowledge, skills, equipment and capacity to complete removals of any size; locally, nationally for domestic or commercial customers.

Marcus, Mardan’s founder, has always held fast, with confidence, to his belief that he can deliver a high standard of removals, exceeding that of his competitors.

Marcus knows to do this he must have trust and confidence in the skills of his staff, which he does. So when a new office position was required within Mardan instead of recruiting externally Marcus looked to develop a team member which he already had extreme confidence in and who he knew would develop into the role seamlessly, Nik. The role would include; liaising with customers, completing quotes, emailing quotes, planning the removals diary, logistics and managing the storage yard. Nik, had worked with Marcus within removals for over 10 years having a strong knowledge of all aspects of removals and with the skills necessary to lead a team from Mardan on removals. Nik has risen to the challenge and is thriving. Marcus and Nik work extremely well as a team thus ensuring all customers have a personalised service and a positive move experience. Both Marcus and Nik enjoy completing the physical removal and Marcus truly believes that to do the ‘office’ role well it’s important to continue to complete removals, thus maintaining the in depth knowledge developed throughout their earlier careers. Marcus and Nik are able to be flexible with their roles and keep their ‘hand in’ the hard physical work of removals.

Mardan continue to grow their self-storage facility, offering safe, secure and reasonable storage to upward of 100 domestic and commercial customers.

“We used Mardan following a recommendation from a friend. They moved us in and out of storage and then into our renovated house. I would highly recommend them. The service was super efficient and the guys were quick, polite and courteous. Nothing was too much trouble and all of our possessions arrived safe and sound” Emma Webster, Moon Client

DOMESTIC & COMMERCIAL MOVERS • PACKERS • STORERS • SHIPPERS

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Henrietta Park Row An exclusive development of three newly built 2 bedroom houses in a superb central location, adjacent to Henrietta Park, a short walk from Bath city centre and Bath Spa railway station. Built to a high specification of design, each house benefits from a sizeable internal garage and a Juliette balcony overlooking the park.

Rent: £1,700 – £1,800 pcm* open plan dual aspect living room | contemporary fitted kitchen | elegant wooden flooring | 2 spacious double bedrooms | fitted wardrobes | 2 stylish en-suite bathrooms | Juliette balcony | superb location central location | sizeable internal garage

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

*A Holding Deposit equivalent to one week’s rent will be payable.

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High Street, Rode Guide Price £695,000

• Chapel conversion • 4 bedrooms • 3 reception rooms • 3 bath/shower rooms • 3 Storeys • Sought after village location • Gardens and parking

The Sully, Bradford on Avon Guide Price £500,000

• 3 bedrooms period property • Open plan living • En suite facilities • High quality finish • Allocated parking • No onward chain

01225 333332 | 01225 866111

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Springfield Place, Bath OIEO £1,500,000

• • • • • • • • •

5 double bedrooms 4 bath and shower rooms 4 reception rooms Handsome open plan kitchen and dining rooms Potential to create independent annexes Charming south west facing sun terrace and arbours Wine cellars Off street parking spaces Far reaching south westerly views

01225 333332 | 01225 866111

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Essential tips for renting your apartment in Bath for the first time

With a growing list of tenants, we understand their priorities.

Whether they live locally or are new to the area, in-property amenities are just as important as location. Remember, for many tenants, renting is a long-term choice not a short-term solution. They want a home they can fall in love with.

Peter Greatorex,

Essential knowledge

managing director of The apartment Company

Where many first-time landlords trip up is failing to fully understand their responsibilities. There is no way of glossing over the fact that there’s a lot to digest, but we’re here to make the process easier and a lot smoother for you. By managing your property we can take away the strain of you being on call 24/7. We can ensure you and your property are compliant as well as keep you updated on changes as and when they occur.

By building a strong relationship with your tenants, issues can be resolved quickly and tenancies renewed. No one wants any void periods draining resources.

S

hould you be thinking of renting your home in Bath you may understandably be cautious. The amount of legislation and regulations you need to adhere to as a landlord is overwhelming, and the constant negative press is overbearing.

Yet your desire to rent your apartment or purchase one for rental remains. The demand for rental properties in this glorious city is only increasing, yet the number of properties available is not. Therefore there is a great opportunity, and to make sure you hit the ground running we have some essential tips.

“With the 50th annual English Housing Survey recently finding that the private rented sector (PRS) has shrunk from 4.7m dwellings in 201617, to 4.5m in 2017-18, there has never been a greater need for landlords. Letting your property is a big decision though, both for you and the tenants that will be living there, so it’s important you understand what being a landlord means. We’ve put these tips together to ensure you understand your responsibilities as a landlord, know how to protect your property, and keep your tenants happy; dealing with any issues that may arise,” explained ARLA Propertymark President, Peter Savage.

Essential research Before you start to look for a property or list your apartment for rent, you need to understand the market. What rental income could you or your potential apartment command? What is it that tenants actually want and need? The properties that have achieved higher rental figures are those where the landlords have taken time to understand Bath’s tenants and ensured their apartments fulfil many of their wishes.

[SOUTH WESTERN] LIMITED

Crafting beautiful homes

Bath | Somerset | Wiltshire | Cotswolds | Dorset

01225 791155 ashford-homes.co.uk

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Essentially ready Is your apartment looking its best? The more attractive it is to potential tenants the more interest you will receive. So don’t delay in completing those DIY jobs you may have been neglecting. Think about giving your apartment a fresh lick of paint and don’t opt for cheap finishes.

Your tenants are more likely to be professionals who, as we said, are wanting in-property amenities such as en-suites and high-end kitchens and bathrooms. Make the most of those delicious original features – one thing we are certainly blessed with in Bath is a wealth of stunning period property, so don’t hide it.

Essentially yours Becoming a landlord for the first time doesn’t have to be a daunting experience; we are here to guide you through every step so you can relax in the knowledge that your home is being cared for by us and your tenants.

The Apartment Company Pg@theapartmentcompany.co.uk or call 01225 471144.

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Central

Andrewsonline.co.uk

Warminster Road, Presented in excellent order and to a high standard by the current owners. Boasting a 222’ landscaped garden the semi-detached home comprises two reception rooms, kitchen breakfast room, three bedrooms, bath and shower BA2 room. There is also a loft with dormer windows and sauna. Vacant possession. £675,000 Energy Efficiency Rating: D

01225 809 571

central@andrewsonline.co.uk

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

Camden

Andrewsonline.co.uk

Elm Grove, Swainswick, BA1 £650,000

A handsome, detached 1930’s family house, offering spacious and flexible accommodation. Two reception rooms, kitchen/breakfast room, four bedrooms, conservatory, family bathroom, shower room & downstairs WC, plus attractive front and rear gardens. Situated in a popular, family friendly cul-de-sac on the edge of Larkhall village. Energy Efficiency Rating: TBC

01225 809 868 camden@andrewsonline.co.uk

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Bear Flat

Andrewsonline.co.uk

Castle Gardens, BA2 Offers in excess of £650,000

A detached family home with extensions to side and rear in a cul de sac off Bloomfield Road. Four bedrooms, two receptions, office, kitchen dining room, level rear garden, garage, car-port and driveway parking.

Energy Efficiency Rating: D

01225 805 680 bearflat@andrewsonline.co.uk

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

Newbridge Andrewsonline.co.uk

Cedric Road, BA1 £575,000

Fantastic three bedroom semi detached house located in Cedric Road with a glorious mature garden.

Accommodation includes sitting room, dining room, kitchen, downstairs WC with shower and a family bathroom.

Energy Efficiency Rating: D

01225 809 685 newbridge@andrewsonline.co.uk

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EW

Cavendish Lodge

O.I.E.O

£800,000

Three double bedrooms · Open plan sitting room/dining room · Beautifully decorated · Close to the city centre · Fully fitted kitchen · Lift access · Allocated parking space · Approx. 1119 Sq. ft.

SALES

01225 471 14 4 The Apartment Company July.indd 1

LETTINGS

01225 303 870

sales@theapartmentcompany.co.uk

17/06/2019 16:39

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EW

Long Fox Manor

N

O.I.E.O

£385,000

Georgian apartment · Grade II listed · Two bedrooms · Two bathrooms · Superb communal facilities · Allocated parking · Easy access to Bath and Bristol

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Great Pulteney Street

Part furnished 700 sq ft · Central sought after location · Level walk to shops and amenities · Resident parking permit · Council tax band C · No AGENCY FEES · Immaculate Kitchen & Bathroom · Viewing Highly Recommended

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Vineyards

Entry Hill House

£335,000

Georgian · Grade II listed · Top floor apartment · Two double bedrooms · Open plan sitting room/kitchen · Beautifully decorated · Close to city centre · Approx. 771 Sq. ft

O.I.E.O

£270,000

EW

Green Park

£1,250 pcm

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Paragon

£325,000

Georgian · Grade II listed · Two double bedrooms · Beautiful views · Central location · Close to local amenities · Georgian features

O.I.E.O

£270,000

Georgian · Grade I Listed · One bedroom · Open plan sitting room/kitchen · Highly sought after location · Views of The Circus · Approx.

391 Sq. ft

EW

Victoria Bridge Court

£1,250 pcm

Unfurnished · Two Bedrooms · Communal Gardens · No Pets · Close to all local amenities · NO AGENCY FEES · Council tax band D · One allocated parking space · Available 15th of July

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O.I.E.O

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Circus Mansions

N

Unfurnished · Level walk to city centre shops/ amenities · Period features · Two Double bedrooms · No Children · One week holding fee · Central zone parking permit · Council tax band D · Available 6th of July 2019

N

O.I.E.O

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Georgian · Grade II listed · One bedroom · Private entrance · Private parking · Short drive from the city centre · Communal gardens · Communal storage · Approx. 781 Sq. ft.

N

£1,100 pcm

EW

EW

Henrietta Street

O.I.E.O

£235,000

Georgian · Grade I Listed · One double bedroom · Central location · Short level walk to the city centre · Close to local amenities · Ground floor

www.theapartmentcompany.co.uk

The Apartment Company July.indd 2

17/06/2019 16:39

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