The Bath Magazine September 2021 by MC Publishing Limited

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ISSUE 223 | SEPTEMBER 2021 | thebathmag.co.uk | £3.95 where sold

NIGELLA ...the only ingredient needed Our exclusive interview with the Queen of the kitchen TEA, CARDS FASHION & DANCING DOYENNE

Celebrating 250 Alexandra Shulman years of Bath’s talks clothes and Assembly things that Rooms matter

LOOKING BACK TO BACK NATURE

Friend the stars Whyof we love Carinthia West green spaces on reaching 70 more than ever

PORTRAIT RUGBY THINKING PERFORMING OBSESSIONS LESSONS BIG MIRACLES The new show Why art can of Rossetti’s artworks make a at the Holburne signiﬁcant splash

The Theeducational magic is work ofwith the Bath back Foundation Rugby Giﬀords Circus

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 5 THINGS

September 2021

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Great things to look forward to this month

THE CITYIST

FOOD REVIEW

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Richard Wyatt remembers his accident-prone past

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What do you ask a domestic food goddess? Melissa Blease has the questions along with Nigella Lawson’s answers

AUSTEN FEST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 Jackie Herring considers the theme of marriage proposals within Austen’s novels as we anticipate the 20th Jane Austen Festival

Here are a selection of events at the festival this year that should appeal to the most reluctant of readers

RUGBY LESSONS

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Find out about the work of the Bath Rugby Foundation, which aims to equip disadvantaged young people with the training and life skills they need

WALKING WITH ANDREW SWIFT

WHAT’S ON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 Our guide to the happenings across the city

Our monthly guide to the visual delights on show in Bath

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Sylvie Broussine talks about the first-ever exhibition dedicated to Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s portraits, which is opening at the Holburne

Take a walk through chalk country in the Deverill Valley

INTERIORS: INTO THE DARK

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Melissa Blease reviews Robun, the new fine-dining establishment in George Street, and discovers some tantalising Japanese-style flavours

CHILDREN’S LIT FESTIVAL

NIGELLA’S COMING TO TOWN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

PORTRAITS BY ROSSETTI

We chat to Chloe Turvey about her life in Bath

ARTS AND EXHIBITIONS

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Model, actress and photographer Carinthia West looks back on her life as she reaches the milestone of 70

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NOTES ON A SMALL CITY

A LIFE IN PICTURES

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Banish the whitewash and introduce some darker, sultry shades into your interior

GARDENING

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Elly West explains how to keep the colour coming in your garden well into the autumn

ROOMS FOR ELEGANCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36 Emma Clegg talks to Head of Heritage Services Stephen Bird about the Assembly Rooms, as they celebrate their 250th anniversary this month

ON THE COVER Nigella Lawson is appearing at the Forum in November – see our interview with her on page 16 Image: © Matt Holyoak

More content and updates discover: thebathmag.co.uk

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FROM THE EDITOR

Editor photograph by TBM

Yes it really is safe to come out now, guys! These goats at Bath City Farm were photographed by Simon Taylor. All the animals on the working farm’s 37-acre site are cared for by volunteers. simontaylorvisualartist.co.uk; bathcityfarm.org.uk

Emma Clegg Editor

Photograph by Clare Green

hat has Jane Austen got to do with the Assembly Rooms? Well, her time spent in the city from 1801–1805 was in the buzzing heyday of the Rooms in Bath and we know that she visited both the Lower and Upper Assembly Rooms because lively descriptions of them feature in her novels Persuasion and Northanger Abbey. Indeed Jane’s own uncle, James Leigh Perrot, who with his wife first welcomed Jane to their Bath home in 1797, was one of the 70 ‘tontine’ shareholders who funded the construction of the building. So appropriately history makes itself felt this issue because we’ve got a piece on page 36 about the Upper Assembly Rooms, which was built in September 1771, exactly 250 years ago this month. The Rooms have a flamboyant and energetic history, but there have been plenty of low points too – the life of an old building, it seems, is much the same as a human one. In 2023 more adjustments are in order when the National Trust take over the management of the building and the plans are to keep the visitors flowing in to enjoy the elegant spaces and imagine the atmosphere as Austen would have seen it, with its candlelit chandeliers, live music and the exaggerated fashions of the dancers. This is also the month of the Jane Austen Festival (from 10–19 September) and on page 20 festival director Jackie Herring considers the matter of marriage proposals in Austen’s novels. These loomed large in the lives of the young ladies of the era and their families, for whom marriage provided financial security and social status. But so many of the questioners, including Mr Darcy himself, often got it so wrong. We are also starting a drum roll as we await the arrival of Nigella Lawson in the city in November, when she’s appearing at the Forum, and on page 16 she tells Melissa Blease all about her career, her food, her philosophy, and what ingredients she couldn’t possibly live without. There’s more iconic women on offer with an expert view from Sylvie Broussine about the new Rossetti’s Portraits exhibition at the Holburne on page 32, and you can also see Jane Austen’s portrait by her sister Cassandra at the museum, on loan from the National Portrait Gallery until 27 September. There is another anniversary within these pages in the form of model, actress and photographer Carinthia West’s 70th, which she celebrated this year, and on page 40 she looks back on a life full of thrills and big characters. September also sees our bumper education focus with listings for a big selection of local schools on page 62 and an insightful contribution on page 54 from Bath Rugby Foundation about their innovative learning programmes for disadvantaged young people and including two moving case studies. We’re also counting down the days to Strictly...

Take part in the Walk of Life event this year on Saturday 18 September and show your support for your local hospital. The popular walking marathon event is organised by the Royal United Hospitals Bath charity, The Forever Friends Appeal. After a year of supporting the hospital from a distance, this is an amazing opportunity to be part of an event and make your steps matter for our local hospital; foreverfriendsappeal.co.uk

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

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ZEITGEIST

things to do this

September

Relax

Watch Sad that Shakespeare hasn’t written anything new for over 400 years? Well, hold on to your doublets, ruffs and trunk hose. The Bard is back! With story and verse improvised in the moment, enjoy a riotous new Shakespeare play every time – performed by Impromptu Shakespeare’s whip smart cast on 11 September at the Rondo. Packed with priceless wit, lyrical smarts, romance, and a dash of double-crossing, this leading ensemble do the Bard proud with a brand new one-act hit every time, inspired by audience suggestions. Impromptu Shakespeare have been a smash hit at the Edinburgh Fringe, Bristol Shakespeare Festival, and appeared on BBC Shakespeare Live. Tickets from £14; rondotheatre.co.uk

Join Whether you’re 11 or 111, a seasoned actor or a beginner, Natural Theatre Company’s Theatre School has a class for you. Learn performance skills from professional actors and directors in fun and stress-relieving evening drama classes in the south west. The Natural Theatre Company’s Adult Performance and Theatre Skills classes are best for beginners or those who want to brush up on their skills, whilst its Creating and Devising classes are great for those with more experience. If you’re 18 and under then its 11–18 Theatre School is the place for you! Running weekly from the 13 September until the 24 November, book your place at: naturaltheatre.co.uk/theatreschool

Listen

Enjoy On 11 September, Somewhere Over England will be gracing the stage at Chapel Arts. Along with Tears For Fears, The Korgis and Naked Eyes, Somewhere Over England emerged from the Bath local music scene of the 1980s. They gained recognition and chart success in Spain in 1991 with their huge melodic summer epic If I Ever Fall in Love, which was one of the longest charting hits in the country, finally reaching the number one slot in September of that year. This will be one of the few live performances of 2021 for Somewhere Over England as they will be working on a new five-track album. On the night, the band will be playing songs spanning back to the 80s against a backdrop of handcrafted films. chapelarts.org

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Heidi Lerner Rearden of HeidiReiki has been studying and practising healing for over 30 years, through Buddhism, Reiki and Feng Shui, working with hundreds of people to harmonise and restore their lives and environments. This month, as part of the Wellness Weekend 2021 event (see more on p23), Heidi is hosting three events: Reiki Taster Sessions on 12 September, Group Reiki Chakra Balance and Meditation on 13 September, and The Zen Den Talk – Feng Shui and Reiki on 18 September. Since it was introduced to the world by Dr Usui in Japan in 1914, Reiki has been taught and practised by healers all over the world. Feng Shui has also been developed over the centuries into a highly effective means to cleanse and optimise the energy of our environments. Together they complement each other beautifully. Join Heidi this month and learn all about the energetic healing practices of the two forms. heidireiki.com; visitbath.co.uk/world-wellness-weekend

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Always a highlight on the autumn calendar, the Tetbury Music Festival is taking place from 30 September – 3 October. Concerts range from early to classical to contemporary music, with lectures and interviews to share insight, understanding and new ways of appreciating the context in which these great works were written. This year’s programme features the likes of the Heath Quartet, Eusebius String Quartet, a lecture by Dame Jane Glover DBE, and a performance by Pavel Kolesnikov, to name just a few. A visit to the beautiful and ancient town of Tetbury in the Cotswolds makes the perfect cultural weekend break. Head to the website to book your tickets online. tetburymusicfestival.org ■

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The city

ist

THE BUZZ

ANTONY GORMLEY IN WELLS Just over life-size and named DOUBT, a new sculpture by Sir Antony Gormley OBE has been installed on the West Front of Wells Cathedral. Gormley is bestknown for his 200-tonne Angel of the North installation near Gateshead. Wells Cathedral’s magnificent West Front, completed in the mid-13th century, has one of the most impressive collections of medieval sculpture in the western world. Over the centuries weathering and damage has occurred to the statues, resulting in a number of vacant niches. It is one of these, Niche 338, which will be occupied by Gormley’s sculpture, on loan from the artist for a period of 18 months. The work has been installed on the lowest tier, beneath the North Tower. antonygormley.com; wellscathedral.org.uk

BATH CHOIRS, REJOICE! Bath Minerva Choir is a large, lively and welcoming choir that has been a central part of the choral scene in Bath for nearly 30 years. It is led by charismatic musical director, Gavin Carr, who focuses on good singing technique and positive reinforcement to achieve the highest musical standards. The choir hires fine orchestras as well as top international soloists and its concerts are renowned for a feel-good atmosphere. As a non-auditioning choir, it welcomes new members of all voices – from experienced choral singers to those wanting to try something new. The choir’s next major concert is at Bath Abbey on 27 November and will feature the world premiere of Paul Carr’s beautiful Four New Seasons, along with Braimah Kanneh-Mason performing Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. bathminervachoir.co.uk

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My BATH

Chloe Turvey, 25, is preparing to complete a Masters in Songwriting at Bath Spa University. She recently lost over four stone in six months – Chloe shares her success story...

What’s your connection to Bath? My connection to Bath is mainly through Bath College and Bath Spa University. I grew up in the nearby town of Melksham and decided to go to Bath College when I was 16 to study music, and here I am almost 10 years later, still in Bath and still studying music. Where’s your favourite place to visit in Bath? My favourite place used to be the Hobgoblin Pub – the best place for alternative people in Bath. But that shut down a few years ago, so now Moles is probably my favourite. It’s the best place for live music in Bath for sure. How did your musical career begin? My musical career started around the age of 14 when I started going to open mic nights in Melksham with my acoustic guitar. Then it really kicked off when I joined Bath College and started playing in bands and playing gigs around Bath and Bristol. I’m currently almost at the end of my Masters degree in Songwriting at Bath Spa, where I am in the middle of recording my first solo album. My music is on the heavier side of things, a bit of rock and a bit of metal. Harsh vocals and loud guitars are my favourite! Why did you want to start your weight loss journey and how did it come about? I’ve struggled with my weight for most of my life, being put on my first diet when I was still in secondary school. Like most people, it’s been a very up and down journey. However, it got so bad and I got so heavy that it was starting to affect my movement and walking started to hurt. I have a very active job where I’m on my feet all day, so I was pretty much constantly in pain. I first saw the advert for Lloyds Medicated Weight Loss service when I was shopping for my grandparents in the first lockdown. It was very much a final option. I thought I’d give it a go, and if it didnt work, then I guess I‘d just stay like this forever. What were your goals? Firstly, my goals were to be able to walk without pain, then to run without pain. I can now run 5km, and I can finally go upside-down on the pole at my pole fitness classes.

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What's your advice to other people thinking about losing weight? My advice is to not be so negative about yourself, don’t start a weight loss journey because you hate yourself or because you hate how you look. Start a weight-loss journey because you love yourself, and you want to treat your body better. The reason why I failed with weight loss so many times is because it started in a negative place. Where are your favourite places to run? My favourite places are along the canal towards Bradford-on-Avon, and along Two Tunnels. Which Bath-based organisation deserves praise for their efforts during the pandemic? I feel like Bath Spa Pole Society deserve a shoutout. Despite most of us spending the pandemic in different places around the world, the committee members still kept us connected by arranging online social events, and stretch sessions to help us improve our splits. What music have you been listening to recently? I’ve been listening to a Bath-based band called Fangs of the Dodo – an amazing band! If you like rock music, definitely give them a listen. If you could have dinner with anyone dead or alive, who would it be and why? I’d probably have to pick Amy Lee from the band Evanescence – it was because of her that I realised girls could sing in heavy music. She’s been my biggest inspiration from a very early age. What is your philosophy in life? Just to realise that everyone is struggling with something or other, so always be respectful of people – you never know what they’re going through. ■

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HOMEFRONT - INTERIORS -

T: 01225 571711 E: info@homefrontinteriors.co.uk 10 Margaret’s Buildings, Bath, BA1 2LP homefrontinteriors.co.uk | trouva.com

16 Pierrepont St, Bath BA1 1LA | Tel: 01225 464433 www.kathrynanthony.co.uk

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CITY | NOTEBOOK

Richard Wyatt: Notes on a small city Columnist Richard Wyatt struggles to open a box of plasters after injuring himself while multi-tasking and remembers his accident-prone past

I reached adulthood after the odd scraped knee (falling off bike on newly gritted road) and twisted ankle (tripping over kerb while running with bottle of milk), but well remember the couple of stitches I was awarded for missing my footing on failing to step over a landing well. I can even be a bit of an embarrassment to take out at times.

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My friend Allan would have done a health and safety check before seating me close to where his prized, spectacular chandelier hung

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have just been fighting with a difficult-to-open box of plasters, while blood trickles down my finger – but more of that shortly. Emergency over, and with a cup of tea in hand, I can now sit down to write this column. Putting in the word ‘September’ into Google I discover that autumn has arrived and that the kids return to school at the start of their academic year. Delving deeper, I chance upon a list of commemorative events for the month and note that 12 September is International Mindfulness Day. Now I know that this represents a therapeutic technique whereby you train yourself to achieve, as the dictionary puts it, ‘a mental state of calm by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment.’ However, bearing in mind what had happened to my finger earlier, I read it as trying to be more aware of where you happen to be and what you are doing. You see I tend to be accident-prone. Clumsy, some might say. I had risen early and in between yawns and feeding a hungry and impatient cat, was trying to empty the dishwasher. Putting away some recently purchased cutlery I had just placed the forks in their appointed place in a kitchen drawer when the blasted thing remembered it was equipped with a self-closing mechanism and carried out the manoeuvre with my hand still in it. I happened to be on the wrong side of the prongs of a sparkling new and sharp fork, and one of these prongs was driven into my finger. Luckily no-one else bore witness to the ‘war dance’ that took place, with me trailing spots of blood as I searched for the plasters. Having found them, it’s at times like this that you wonder why manufacturers can’t come up with an easier way of releasing such a first-aid device from its sealed packet at a time when you are trying to quickly patch your puncture and stem the flow. All is well, but my kitchen drawer drama took me back in time to the ten year old boy who thought he would show his father that HE could chop wood for the fire too. Within a few blows, I was running up and down the garden path clutching my thumb – which luckily had been hit on the nail side and was still in one piece, despite the bleeding. It’s a scar to remind me of my lack of care.

If such a procedure had been in place, my late friend Allan would have done a health and safety check before seating me close to where his prized, spectacular chandelier hung above the centre of the dining table. Amidst the warmth of the company and the wine, I was in the throws of an exciting conversation which involved the additional dramatic gesture of waving my arms about. You can guess what happened next and can imagine my host’s face as several strands of sparkling crystal glass landed in my creme caramel. Even more humiliating was a trip to London back in 2005 when I was walking past the BBC’s newly extended HQ Broadcasting House in Portland Place. Years ago I had enjoyed a training course in this historic, Art-Deco-styled home of radio and was interested to take in its transformation. Without watching where I was going, the toe of my shoe hit a slightly raised paving stone and l tripped, falling flat on my face and cracking a rib. I marvel at our current, smart-phone generation who seem to have developed a sixth sense when it comes to negotiating public space, in their ability to avoid obstacles (people or lampposts) without lifting their gaze from whatever social media cyber platform they are working on. I have been known to look avidly for guilty pleasures while sitting at an outdoor café table and watching these perambulating social media fans in the hope that, just once, this talent for avoiding collisions with street furniture would fail one of them. It hasn’t yet!! n Richard Wyatt runs the Bath Newseum: bathnewseum.com

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Wanted

See more online www.thebathmag.co.uk

Steve Miklos steve@thebathmagazine.co.uk

Editor Tel: Email:

Emma Clegg 01225 424592 emma@thebathmagazine.co.uk

Financial Director Email:

Jane Miklos jane@thebathmagazine.co.uk

Assistant Editor/Web Editor Millie Bruce-Watt Email: millie@thebathmagazine.co.uk Production Manager Email:

Jeff Osborne production@thebathmagazine.co.uk

Contact the Advertising Sales team tel: 01225 424499 Advertising Sales Email:

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The Bath Magazine and The Bristol Magazine are published by MC Publishing Ltd. We are an independent of all other local publications

The Bath Magazine is delivered free, every month to more than 15,000 residential addresses as well as businesses throughout Bath and the surrounding area. We also have special distribution units in many of Bath’s supermarkets

2 Princes Buildings, George Street, Bath BA1 2ED Telephone: 01225 424499. Fax: 01225 426677 www.thebathmag.co.uk © MC Publishing Ltd 2021 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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BIDDERS SERVE UP BIG BIDS FOR A SURPRISING LITTLE SPOON…

Lawrences recent 750-lot sale of silver and vertu was a highly successful venture and there were many strong prices to show the strength and breadth of this field. The day's top price was paid for a very distinctive and desirably scarce late Elizabeth I steeple cup and cover, generously awarded as a racing prize in 1928. The tall and elaborate salt container, destined only for the grandest dining table when it was made in 1602, took bids up to £37500. However, one of the best surprises (for its lucky finder) was for a rare spoon with an acorn knop, judged to be c.1300 in date. It was described candidly as being `in a crushed and contorted state with much denting in the bowl` which might explain why it had ended up in a tray of mixed modern cutlery at a car boot fair. Lawrences' lucky London vendor spotted it for just 20p and his hunch was rewarded with a final price of £2375. Alex Butcher, silver expert at Lawrences Auctioneers, in Crewkerne, Somerset, said: “Its condition is consistent with it being buried underground or in a river bed for centuries. It’s crushed and damaged, possibly from the weight of boats going over it.” Mr Butcher said “the vendor is someone who goes to car-boot sales as a hobby but clearly has a good eye”. Lawrences are now consigning for the Autumn sales so if you want to find out about the value of an item in your home, feel free to contact them and a specialist will guide you through their valuation process.

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

lawrences.co.uk

9 Abbey Churchyard, Bath BA1 1LY 01225 460072 NEW ONLINE SHOP

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FOOD | AND | DRINK

In conversation with Nigella

What do you ask a domestic food goddess who has been at the top of her game for decades? Melissa Blease does all the work for us, ahead of Nigella Lawson’s appearance at the Bath Pavilion on 25 November

s the UK’s pandemic crisis reached a ‘critical stage’ on 29 October 2020, Boris Johnson introduced lockdown 2. Across the country, redundancies were reported to be at their highest level since 2009, October had officially been declared the wettest in Britain

since records began... and it was announced that the Strictly Come Dancing Halloween special was cancelled. But just when we were beginning to think that it really wasn’t worth getting out of bed, Nigella Lawson’s latest book Cook, Eat, Repeat floated into view, offering a beacon of light in the midst of all the gloom.

As October rolled into an equally gloomy November, December and on, the nation took Nigella’s hand as she guided us through an array of accessible, inspirational recipes from Appelflappen to Winter Trifle by way of Fried Chicken Sandwiches, Crab Mac’n’Cheese, Norwegian Pork Ribs, No-Knead Bread, Basque Burnt Cheesecake and much, much more. The mighty, 330+ page tome that offered succour, sustenance and sensuality, not only uplifting our spirits but offering a fresh perspective on the very meaning of food for thought in sections with tantalisingly tasty titles including What Is A Recipe?, A Loving Defence of Brown Food, Much Depends on Dinner... and the divine section simply titled Pleasure. On Thursday 25 November, the pleasure is all ours when we welcome Nigella to the Bath Pavilion as part of her Cook, Eat, Repeat live tour. But we were hungry to catch up with her ahead of the date... Lockdown: how was it for Nigella? I’m so aware that I’m incredibly fortunate; I had a roof over my head, a bit of outdoor space, food on my table, and work that I could do safely at home. I’m also very lucky that I enjoy solitude, so even though I spent several months alone, I didn’t ever feel lonely. Of course it was hard not to be able to hug my children, but so many people really suffered, either with their health, facing their own illness and death (or that of those they love) and struggling to make ends meet, or risking their wellbeing by having to go to work. So, overall, I’m just inordinately grateful. Cook, Eat, Repeat: the process An essential part of writing a book, for me, is spent not writing it! I don’t really know how many months I spent letting this one simmer gently on the back burner as it was a vague and unstructured process; by the

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“I don’t feel there is a distinction to be made between memoir and recipe book...I like to blend the two forms from the get-go”

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FOOD | AND | DRINK

The close connection between recipe book and memoir For me, I don’t feel that there’s a distinction to be made between memoir and recipe book; I feel that Cook, Eat, Repeat blends the two forms from the get-go. When I was young, I wanted to write novels, but I know now that I’m not a novelist, and I feel that writing about food does, in fact, take in so much of life. I feel I have found my métier and I have no ambition whatsoever to write a novel. Finding that métier I’d been working as a journalist since I was 23, and I was 38 when my first book came out. It’s not that I never wrote about food before How To Eat, but I was predominantly a non-food journalist; I was deputy literary editor of The Sunday Times when I was 26, then I went freelance, writing about the arts and doing book reviews. Then I became a columnist for the Evening Standard, then an Op Ed columnist for The Observer and then The Times, and I carried on being a freelance journalist for quite a few years after I began writing food books. I think I was probably on to my fourth book before I realised this was going to be my career! And it can still seem a bit odd to me – in a wonderful way – that this has turned out to be what I do. But I love it, and feel that most of the important things in life aren’t planned. Food fads, foodie fashions: Nigella’s take I think it’s probably impossible to be entirely innocent of fashion and fads, even if I’m not conscious of them as I write; so many of the recipes in Cook, Eat, Repeat are ones that, for me, have stood the test of time, or are actually at odds with current trends. But we are all children of our time,

and so it’s inevitable that one will be influenced to some degree or other by the flavours, cuisines, and ingredients that are part of the culinary landscape. On being described as a role model... I have to say the whole concept of a role model is alien to me; I feel that comparing oneself to others is not a healthy habit. As for seeing myself as any kind of role model – well, I feel that’s even more inexplicable!

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“I know I couldn’t be happy in a kitchen without anchovies, or in a world without rhubarb, lemons, Maldon salt, smoked paprika, thyme, olive oil, butter bread, cheese...”

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beginning of 2020, most of the recipes were still just scribbles in my kitchen notebook. Even though days upon days with nothing in the diary is helpful if you’re trying to write a book, it took some time for me to find my way. Also, I need to pace about as I write, and lie on the sofa with a mug of tea at regular intervals from about 4.30am to 5.30pm every day with an hour off for exercise, celebrating the end of the writing day with a Campari Soda. I rejigged the book quite a bit as I wrote too; I dumped a chapter on entertaining (which turned out to be dizzyingly inappropriate in the new world we found ourselves in) and replaced it with Much Depends on Dinner, about family suppers. I also added more recipes for one person, and adapted some of the serves-4 recipes to suit those cooking just for themselves. I chose recipes that, in one form or another, I return to often; I feel I just knew in my heart which ones clamoured the most to be included. Overall, I feel it’s important to trust the process more than the plan!

I know it’s meant kindly, and as a compliment, so I don’t wish in any way to be ungrateful – kindness is something I always appreciate – but the idea slightly flusters me! Nigella on Social Media I always answered questions about my recipes on Twitter, but when we went into lockdown I really felt that more was needed, and began answering general questions about food and ingredients – what could be made with whatever the person had to hand, or how to substitute ingredients someone couldn’t get hold of for a particular recipe. In a way, you could say it’s time-consuming, but there’s nothing like writing a book for making one keen to do other things! I really value the connection; reading people’s posts, seeing the food they’ve cooked, brings me so much pleasure. A lot of social media is shouty and aggressive but my little patch of it is such a supportive and friendly community, and I couldn’t be more grateful. Anyway, I’m not interested in monologues: it’s conversation I relish! Nigella on essential ingredients The idea of any restriction on what I eat fills me with panicked horror! Having said that, I know I couldn’t be happy in a kitchen without anchovies, or in a world without rhubarb, lemons, Maldon salt, smoked paprika, thyme, olive oil, butter, bread, cheese… I could go on and on! Having said all that, I’m not mad on green bell peppers, but even so I wouldn’t like to rule them out forever. And who knows? I might suddenly fall madly in love with them!

Nigella on entertainting The golden rules for hosting a successful dinner party at home are wear flat shoes (or none at all!). Don’t do starters. Make sure there’s enough on the menu that can be prepared in advance so that the evening isn’t made stressful by having to get everything ready as people arrive. And remember that not everything has to be piping hot and ready at the same time. Cook, Eat, Repeat... in Bath This tour is really all about the part food – and certain recipes – have played in my life, and that’s as much about the emotional resonance of food than flavour. I will also cover the very important theme of cooking for oneself, and I will certainly be talking about why I hate the term Guilty Pleasures! I always love meeting and talking to readers, but now this has a particular significance since the pandemic made this impossible to do for too long. I think there’s a very intimate relationship between a book and its readers which I cherish, and I feel a book tour really celebrates that. Questions from readers and the chats and exchanges that flow from them during a live event give me a sense of connection which is a source or much joy and inspiration for me. n

Spend an evening with Nigella as she shares the rhythms and rituals of her kitchen to celebrate her latest book Cook, Eat, Repeat An Evening with Nigella Lawson, 25 November at Bath Pavilion, 7.30pm (plus live stream); fane.co.uk

Cook, Eat, Repeat: Ingredients, Recipes and Stories by Nigella Lawson, Chatto & Windus, £26

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ARTS | FESTIVALS

A decent proposal

As we anticipate the 20th annual Jane Austen Festival this month, festival director Jackie Herring considers the theme of marriage proposals within Austen’s novels; it seems there are a fair few...

ll six of Jane Austen’s novels take her readers on a journey. In each case the heroines learn who they are, who they want to be, and who they want to be with. The Georgian context doesn’t undermine the freshness and believability of the characters, because they remind us of ourselves. We are particularly lucky as we can visit the real-life locations of Northanger Abbey and Persuasion, both set in the city of Bath. One of the city’s most romantic settings is the pathway known as the Gravel Walk, from John Wood the Younger’s Royal Crescent to John Wood the Elder’s Queen Square. This now tarmacked walk passes the back gardens in Brock Street and was the setting for the final coming together of Captain Wentworth and Anne Elliot in Persuasion. This most romantic ending was facilitated by Wentworth’s letter with the emotive words, “You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope… I offer myself to you again …” How could anyone resist such a declaration? All of Austen’s six novels and indeed her epistolary work Lady Susan contain marriage proposals, some better known than others. Even non-Austen readers are likely to be aware of the proposal by Mr Collins to Elizabeth Bennet, in Pride & Prejudice, who instead of declaring undying love for Elizabeth tells her, “My reasons for marrying are… I think it a right thing for every clergyman… it will add… to my happiness… it is the… advice and recommendation of… my patroness…” It’s not surprising that Elizabeth rejected him. Mr Collins was not the only suitor after Elizabeth’s hand, and the first proposal of marriage from Mr Darcy was also rejected – and the poor man started so well! “In vain I have struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you

Theo James as Sydney Parker and Rose Williams as Charlotte Heywood in the 2019 ITV production of Sanditon. Sydney almost proposes to Charlotte at the Midsummer’s Ball

how ardently I admire and love you." If only he had stopped there, Elizabeth might have been tempted. Instead he went on to insult her family, telling her that despite low connections and inferiority of birth he still wanted her to be his wife. Not the most persuasive of arguments and Elizabeth turns him down. Another unsuccessful marriage proposal appears in Northanger Abbey where the heroine is totally oblivious to the proposal. Catherine Morland is at Edgar Buildings visiting her friend Isabella Thorpe, when she is approached by Isabella’s brother John. “A famous good thing this marrying scheme, upon my soul... What do you think of it, Miss Morland?...” “I am sure I think it a very good one...” “Do you? That’s honest, by heavens!... Did you ever hear the old song going to one wedding brings on another?... I say… we may try the truth of this same old song...” “May we? But I never sing…” Missed the proposal? So did Catherine. However, John Thorpe was left “to the undivided consciousness of his own happy address, and her explicit encouragement…” In the end, Catherine Morland finds happiness with Henry Tilney, whose proposal speech is known only to the author. Nevertheless, the result is marriage between the two. Mr Elton’s misguided declaration in Emma is another example of a rejected proposal. Emma finds herself travelling alone in a carriage with Mr Elton when, “Her hand seized – her attention demanded, and Mr. Elton … availing himself of the precious opportunity, declaring sentiments… hoping – fearing – adoring – ready to die if she refused.”

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Engraving for Persuasion, chapter 23: Wentworth drew out a letter from under the scattered paper, placed it before Anne with eyes of glowing entreaty fixed on her for a time.

“Austen’s masterly description of the courtship and final realisation of the depth of feeling between Mr Knightly and Emma keeps the reader in utter suspense.”

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* from David Fordyce’s The New and Complete British LetterWriter as mentioned in What Matters in Jane Austen?

ARTS | FESTIVALS

1898 illustration by Chris Hammond for Emma of Mr Knightley's proposal : "'Say "No," if it is to be said.'—She could really say nothing".

“You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you”. C. E. Brock illustration for the 1895 edition of Pride and Prejudice

Mr Elton’s declaration and persistence is delicious and goes on for several paragraphs. Emma declined but it took a great deal of persuasion before she managed to convince him of her resolution. His ego unwavering, it took almost their entire journey of threequarters of an hour for her to do so. Such was Mr Elton’s grief that not long after his disappointment he travelled to Bath, where he successfully found a willing lady to become his bride. Austen’s masterly description of the courtship and final realisation of the depth of feeling between Mr Knightly and Emma keeps the reader in utter suspense. Is it possible Emma will actually say no to him because she misunderstands his meaning? It is with such relief that Mr Knightly successfully secures Emma’s hand with the words: "I cannot make speeches, Emma… If I loved you less, I might be able to talk about it more…” In this case Emma says yes – and Mr Knightly’s choice of words was the best way of securing her heart. For the last eight years, Professor John Mullan, an expert on Austen’s writing, has presented an entertaining lecture on the writer’s artistry at the annual Jane Austen Festival. In his book What Matters in Jane Austen? he discusses 20 puzzles, including one entitled, What are the Right and Wrong Ways to Propose Marriage? Most interestingly, Professor Mullan explains why Austen decided to have Robert Martin propose to Harriet Smith by letter in Emma, and why in Mansfield Park Edmund Bertram considered writing a letter of proposal to Mary Crawford before deciding against it. The Robert Martin letter was a device used by Austen to enable Emma to interfere, and it was not an unusual event for someone to propose by letter in the 19th century. Professor Mullan explains that there were even guides to letter writing which included examples of those for a proposal*. This year, Professor Mullan will be appearing on 18 September at The Mission Theatre and his two lectures are entitled Offstage

Austen and Listening to Miss Bates. Miss Bates is one of the many characters in Emma to whom the secret engagement between Jane Fairfax and Frank Churchill is a surprise. Proposals are also the subject matter of the Jane Austen Festival finale, which is being performed by the Bath-based Natural Theatre Company. The hilarious one-off performance of A Decent Proposal is on the evening of 18 September at The Mission Theatre and it seems likely that some of the not-so-successful proposals in Austen’s novels will have their moment of glory.

THEBATHMAG.CO.UK THEBATHMAG.CO.UK| nOVember 2010 | january 2020

The 20th annual Jane Austen Festival will run from 10–19 September. For more information about the programme and to book tickets, visit janeaustenfestivalbath.co.uk

See The Natural Theatre Company in a performance of A Decent Proposal on 18 September at The Mission Theatre

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LOCAL | EVENTS

What’s on in September Yoga at the American Museum & Gardens

The Dresser at Theatre Royal Bath

ARTISTS’ SHOWCASE Throughout September n Out of the Blue Gallery, 6 Upper Borough Walls, Bath A beautiful new gallery right in the heart of Bath is showcasing some of the best British artists and ceramicists. Set across two floors, the gallery is packed with great pieces. Look out for must-see exhibitions arriving at the gallery soon. outofthebluegallery.com BRLSI: JURASSIC ARK Throughout September n 16 Queen Square, Bath BA1 2HN BRLSI is bringing a unique collection of 19th-century Somerset fossils right up to date with new discoveries from their recent excavation at the site, which lies beneath the hills near Ilminster, Somerset. Here was discovered a beautifully preserved Jurassic ecosystem, 183 million years old. First displayed in 2014, Jurassic Ark is an exhibition that brings this hidden treasure trove to life, illustrating how these ancient creatures lived and interacted, how they died and were preserved, and what they can tell us of the history of life. brlsi.org JAZZ FACTORY: LEARN TO IMPROVISE Every Monday throughout September n Wiltshire Music Centre, Bradford-on-Avon Jazz Factory is a weekly jazz workshop for instrumentalists and vocalists. It welcomes and caters for players of all levels, experience and ability. Go along and give it a try! You will work in small groups led by professional musicians in a supportive atmosphere. The workshop meets every Monday evening in term time at Wiltshire Music Centre. jazzfactory.co.uk 22 TheBATHMagazine

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PRISONS IN ENGLAND & WALES 2 September n Online by U3A U3A in Bath is an organisation for retired people who want to find purposeful activity, enjoyment and companionship. It is an organisation fully driven by its members who, for a nominal fee are able to participate in a range of activities from the purely educational to the recreational. The only criterion for joining is that of being retired. This month, Charlie Taylore is set to speak at a lecture entitled Prisons in England and Wales. Visit the website for times and updates. u3ainbath.org.uk BANFF MOUNTAIN FILM FESTIVAL 8–9 September n Komedia Bath Embark on a thrilling night of adventure with a brand-new collection of short films from the world’s most prestigious mountain film festival. The Banff Mountain Film Festival joins the world’s best adventure filmmakers and explorers as they push themselves to the limits in the most remote and stunning corners of the globe. Witness epic human-powered feats, life-affirming challenges and mind-blowing cinematography – all on the big screen at Komedia Bath. komedia.co.uk IFORD FESTIVAL Until 18 September n Belcombe Court, Bradford-on-Avon The Iford Festival is returning to the stunning 18th-century grounds of Belcombe Court on 21 August. Rarely open to the public, the Grade I listed house is set in 60 acres of glorious formal gardens, parkland and woodland, and the organisers are

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taking full advantage of the outdoors for this exciting series of events in a spectacular saddlespan structure. ifordarts.org.uk GENTLE YOGA & GUIDED MEDITATION Every Thursday throughout September n American Museum & Gardens Join the American Museum & Gardens’ yoga experts from the YMCA as they take you through a themed yoga class each week. A typical class will include standing and seated yoga postures designed to ease, stretch and relax you. americanmuseum.org RODE COMEDY FESTIVAL 9–12 September n Pitch Perfect Camping, BA2 7QU The Rode Comedy Festival is returning for its second year with a stellar line-up of bigname acts. Enjoy performances from Olivier award-winng improvised production Showstopper! The Musical; TV superstar presenter and comedian Joel Dommett; comedy legend Stephen K Amos; Taskmaster’s Mike Wozniak; and BAFTA-nominated comic Spencer Jones, to name just a few. Organised by Kiwi Somerset-local, multi-awardwinning comedian Jarred Christmas and his wife Amelia, a creative arts PR who has worked at London’s Design Museum, together known as Pop-up Comedy, this is not one to miss. popupcomedy.org/shows THE DRESSER 9–18 September n Theatre Royal Bath This month, Julian Clary and Matthew Kelly will step into Ronald Harwood’s beautifully observed 1980s play The Dresser (rescheduled from September

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LOCAL | EVENTS

Jane Austen and the Art of Social Distancing Concert at The Holburne

Joel Dommett at Rode Comedy Festival

2020). Inspired by memories of working as Donald Wolfit’s dresser as a young man, Ronald Harwood’s evocative, affectionate and hilarious portrait of backstage life is one of the most acclaimed dramas of modern theatre. theatreroyal.org.uk BATH HERITAGE OPEN DAYS 10–19 September n At various venues across the city Venues will open up their doors this month for Heritage Open Days. The nationwide celebration of history, architecture and culture is a chance to see hidden places and try out new experiences – all for free. Look out for the Cleveland Pools event at Kensington Meadows, where organisers will have activities celebrating the great outdoors and heritage combined. On 11 September, visitors can watch skilled stonemasons from the Guild of St Stephen and St George at work and then, with their guidance, try carving themselves. See the full programme at: heritageopendays.org.uk JANE AUSTEN FESTIVAL: GRAND REGENCY COSTUMED PROMENADE 11 September, departs at 11am n Meet in front of the Holburne Museum As part of the Jane Asuten Festival – a 10day extravaganza taking place this month – enthusiasts are invited to buy a ticket, put on their costumes and join 300+ people dressed in Regency style, for this worldfamous official opening to the festival. Accompanied by Coldstream Guards 1815 re-enactors and led by our own town crier, stroll through this beautiful city to Parade Gardens near Bath Abbey. janeaustenfestivalbath.co.uk

CULTURAL FILM SCREENINGS n Throughout September, The Little Theatre Cinema, Bath This month’s selection features Wong Kar Wai’s emotionally raw, lushly stylised portrait of a relationship in breakdown. Happy Together, showing on 5 September, stars Hong Kong superstars Tony Leung and Leslie Cheung as a couple travelling through Argentina while locked in a turbulent cycle of infatuation and destructive jealousy. Mick Fleetwood & Friends will be showing on 7 September. This once-in-a-lifetime concert, captured at The London Palladium on 25 February, is an absolute must-see for any music fan out there. On 21 September, Escape From Extinction will show rare footage of endangered animals and interviews with the world’s leading specialists and conservation scientists working to protect animals from all seven of Earth’s continents, and its mighty oceans. See the full programme online: picturehouses.com/cinema/little-theatre-cinema

BATHSCAPE WALKING FESTIVAL 11 September n At various locations in and around Bath Bathscape has released the programme of walks for its popular annual walking festival, encouraging people to get outside and enjoy the landscape during the two weeks of events in September. This year’s festival will be launched with a family day in Kensington Meadows on Saturday 11 September in partnership with Cleveland Pools Trust. There will be plenty of naturebased activities including wild play from the Bath Area Play Project and a new walking trail suitable for all ages from Cleveland Pools Trust. bathscapewalkingfestival.co.uk JANE AUSTEN AND THE ART OF SOCIAL DISTANCING 12 September, 7pm n The Holburne Museum A musical evening exploring the art of social distancing in true Regency style; from letters between absent friends to lonely romantic poets. Songs and arias are

interspersed with readings and commentary in a light-hearted take on what social distancing might have meant to Jane Austen and her contemporaries. janeaustenfestivalbath.co.uk BATH SCOTTISH DANCERS Weekly from 14 September n At various locations around Bath Bath Scottish Dancers are running a full programme of classes and events for those interested in learning Scottish dancing. Classes are running weekly at: Ralph Allen School from 14 September (every Tuesday), 7.30–9.30pm; Bathampton Village Hall from 16 September (every Thursday) at 1.30–4.30pm; and New Oriel Hall on Mondays, 2–4pm. Visit the website for more details about signing up. rscdsbath.co.uk LUNA CINEMA 17–19 September n Royal Victoria Park Royal Victoria Park is set to make the

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LOCAL | EVENTS

FUTURES2021 – a free festival of discovery running from 24–25 September

Wellness Weekend

perfect setting for an open air cinema this September, with the big screen overlooked by the iconic backdrop of the Royal Crescent. Watch Notting Hill, The Greatest Showman or Star Wars: A New Hope beneath the stars and enjoy the magnificent view of the botancial gardens. If you get peckish, there will also be a selection of snacks, including popcorn, crisps and ice cream by Häagen-Dazs. Book your tickets at: thelunacinema.com WORLD WELLNESS WEEKEND 18–19 September n At various locations across Bath Following on from a coveted second UNESCO inscription as part of the Great Spas of Europe nomination, Bath is now gearing up for a weekend of wellness events across the city for World Wellness Weekend. Championed by Visit Bath in partnership with EHTTA (European Historic Thermal Towns Association), the weekend will bring together several of the city’s spa and wellness businesses which have organised a range of free or great value events for residents and visitors to enjoy including Thermae Bath Spa, the Gainsborough Bath Spa Hotel and The Soul Spa, to name just a few. visitbath.co.uk/world-wellness-weekend DOROTHY’S BIGGEST TEA PARTY 24 September n At home, at work, in the gym or online Dorothy House Hospice Care would love members of the public to join in and be part their biggest Tea Party. Why not host or attend a tea party or coffee morning at home, in your workplace, at the gym, or even virtually. The idea is to have fun, bring

Bath Scottish dancers

people together, eat lots of cakes and raise funds to support the vital end of life care our local hospice provides. dorothyhouse.org.uk LAWRENCES AUCTIONEERS 24 September, 9am–5pm n Throughout Bath and Bristol Lawrences Auctioneers are running free home visits on 24 September from 9am – 5pm. Valuer Andy Sagar will be available to value your objects and antiques throughout Bath and Bristol. lawrences.co.uk GREAT BATH FEAST 24–26 September n At various locations around Bath The Great Bath Feast’s festival weekend is set to take place from 24–26 September, followed by fringe events throughout October. The festival line-up features many of Bath’s renowned and much-loved culinary stars, including Ping Coombes, 2014 MasterChef winner; Chris Cleghorn from The Olive Tree; Richard Buckley from OAK; Gavin Edney from The Elder and more. Starting at Milsom Street and leading to New Bond Street, the streets will be lined with an array of market stalls that offer the best local and international food and drink. For three full days, food and drink enthusiasts can enjoy a buzzing market atmosphere. greatbathfeast.co.uk UNIVERSITY OF BATH: FUTURES2021 24–25 September n Online and in-person events around Bath FUTURES2021, a free festival of discovery for all the family, is back in Bath for 2021. With a mixture of in person and online events, the University of Bath is excited to be running events on 24 and 25 September.

You could see Bath in a whole new light on a self-guided, time travelling walking tour, discovering some of the buildings and locations that have shaped modern science with a few surprising pop-ups along the way. Or if you fancy an evening of fun and laughter with some science know-how thrown in, Science Show-Off presents standup with a difference. futuresnight.co.uk DREAM TO REALITY: PROTECTING THE PLANET WITH DR MYA-ROSE CRAIG 25 September, 5–6pm n The Forum, Ballroom As part of Bath Festival’s Children’s Literature Festival, running from 24 September to 3 October, Dr. Mya-Rose Craig, also known as Birdgirl, will be speaking about her new book, We Have a Dream. It tackles discrimination in the debate over climate change. Mya-Rose spoke to campaigners from around the world about what needs to be done, exploring how you can support the young people of colour demanding urgent change for the world they will inherit. bathfestivals.org.uk/childrens-literature SS GREAT BRITAIN: STARBOARD INSPIRATION WITH NICOLA SKINNER 26 September, 4–4.45pm n The Guildhall Step aboard the SS Great Britain with Bristol-based author Nicola Skinner and embark on an epic journey. At the Children’s Literature Festival, Nicola will tell you the story of Kirsten, an apparently happy and successful 11-year-old YouTube star who meets a ship that comes alive… and is claimed by it as it breaks free from its dry dock. Inspired by the true history of Continued page 26

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AUTUMN SEASON: SEPT - DEC ‘21 BOOKING NOW OPEN

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LOCAL | EVENTS

The Truth About Harry Beck with The Natural Theatre Company

getting it right! Join The Natural Theatre Company on a celebration of its 50th year in this brand new show. naturaltheatre.co.uk FINE ART AND ANTIQUES SALE 28 September n Aldridges of Bath, Lower Bristol Road, Twerton, Bath Aldridges of Bath – an auction house founded in 1740 – is running a fine art and antiques sale which will include silver, jewellery, porcelain and glass, oil paintings, watercolours and prints, works-of-art, clocks, furniture and more. For more information, visit: aldridgesofbath.com

the SS Great Britain, Starboard is about the friendship, heroism and bravery that you can find in others, whether they’re made of flesh or iron. bathfestivals.org.uk/childrens-literature THE TRUTH ABOUT HARRY BECK 28 September – 2 October

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n Theatre Royal Bath Ustinov Studio The play about the London Tube Map. Yes, really – this is a play that uncovers the inner anorak in all of us, taking you on a whirlwind journey of facts about transport, modern history and navigating a new way forward. Here’s an entertaining story of passion, dedication and obsession with

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ANTIQUE, VINTAGE AND COLLECTABLES FAIR 3 October, 10am – 3.30pm n Ashton Court Mansion House An Aladdin's Cave of fine jewellery, china, furniture, paintings, memorabilia, vintage clothing, retro items and so much more – available to browse at Ashton Court Mansion House on 3 October. With 40 indoor stalls plus a café serving light bites and cream teas, there’s truly something for everyone. Entry: £2, under 16s free. Main car park: Kennel Lodge Entrance via Portishead Road. Contact: anniehawksley@blueyonder.co.uk for more information. n

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ART | EXHIBITIONS

ARTS & EXHIBITIONS Jackie Philip: A Colourist in the Caribbean David Simon Contemporary, 37 High Street, Castle Cary BA7 7AW, 3–25 September For artist Jackie Philip, a trip to Barbados for a few weeks in September last year turned into seven months of being stranded on the Caribbean island, partly due to lockdown and partly to the fallout from the volcanic eruptions of La Soufrière on St Vincent. To make the best use of her enforced stay in Barbados, Jackie set up a temporary studio and came to observe the abundance of nature in all its forms. The paintings that resulted are informed by a variety of cultures and traditions and her latest works are more expansive and filled with luminosity and colour. Poignantly, work on the final canvas in this series, Volcanic Ash, was cut short and the beauty of this painting is in the strength of the bold line. A percentage of the proceeds from the exhibition will be donated to Slow Food Barbados. davidsimoncontemporary.com

Image: 17 Seaside Poppies by Jackie Philip

Mark Entwistle, Beaux Arts Bath, 12-13 York Street, Bath BA1 1NG Beaux Arts’ show this month features a collection of works on paper by Mark Entwistle, recent winner of the 2020 Sunday Times Watercolour award. Mark has appeared in several BP portrait prize exhibitions at the National Portrait Gallery, numerous times in the RA summer show, among many others. In the words of playwright Tamsin Ogleby: “Scattered objects carry weight, not symbolic but emotional, so that what seems incidental becomes telling.” The gallery also includes ceramics by Jack Doherty, who was the head potter at the Leach Pottery in St. Ives for five years. beauxartsbath.co.uk

Image: Galaxy by Mark Entwistle

Freud, Minton, Ryan: unholy trinity Victoria Art Gallery, Bath BA2 4AT, until 19 September Unholy Trinity is the first exhibition to focus on the passionate intimacy that existed between Lucian Freud, John Minton and Adrian Ryan – three gifted figurative painters striving and succeeding to build careers in a war-torn Britain when the art world functioned remarkably well. The exhibition, a collaboration between Victoria Art Gallery and Falmouth Art Gallery, is accompanied by a film by Italian film-maker Isaac Biglioli. victoriagal.org.uk Image: Mountains behind Toulon by Adrian Ryan

Shooting Stars: Carinthia West, Britain and America in the 1970s, American Museum & Gardens, Bath BA2 7BD, until 31 October Carinthia West’s intimate photographs of rock and film stars of the 1970s in America – and in particular on the glorious beaches of Malibu in California – present an upbeat and buoyant view of the decade that should remind us of the outstanding music and the great design of this much-maligned period. Carinthia West’s fascinating photographs demonstrate that the 1970s was a decade of bright colours, fun, and self-expression. See also her feature on page 40. americanmuseum.org

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ART | EXHIBITIONS

Image: The Blue Bower by Dante Gabriel Rossetti

September Fair, Bath Contemporary Artists’ Fair, Green Park Station, 12 September Bath Contemporary Artists’ Fair is delighted to welcome everyone back to its September fair. The fair is committed to bringing the best of contemporary art from the city and beyond right to the heart of Bath. Following on from the successful and popular fairs last year, visitors can browse the brilliant works of local artists and admire fine art, photography, sculpture and textiles, all under the vaulted glass roof of Green Park Station. For updates and exhibiting artists visit the website. bcaf.co.uk

Image by Darren Dearden

The Holburne Museum, Great Pulteney Street, Bath Canaletto: Painting Venice, until 5 September Presenting the most important set of paintings of Venice by Canaletto (1697–1768), which have left their home at Woburn Abbey. Portrait of Jane Austen, until 27 September A rare opportunity to see this delicate portrait of Jane Austen by her sister Cassandra, usually on display at the National Portrait Gallery, London.

Art at the Heart of the RUH, Central Gallery, Royal United Hospitals, Combe Park, BA1 3NG. Until 12 September

Bath’s largest community of artists and Art of the Heart of the RUH have come together again to hold a fundraising auction featuring the work of some of Bath's finest artists, including Malcolm Ashman and Peter Brown. Artworks available are varied and available at affordable prices. The exhibition will be at the RUH before transferring to Bath Artists’ Studios over the last weekend of September where the show will form a centrepiece of the annual Open Studios. Proceeds from the auction will be divided equally between the artists and organisations to support their work. To view all the works and place a bid, please go to: jumblebee.co.uk/basandaahfundraiser

Hornet, Hailstone, Crab Eye, Aerodrome…(etc), from 9 September This exhibition presents the fruits of a recent anagama kiln firing by British artists Aaron Angell and Steven Claydon. Rossetti’s Portraits, from 24 September A unique show devoted to the portaits of Dante Gabriel Rossetti – one of the giants of Victorian art – with paintings and drawings of friends, family and fellow Pre-Raphaelite artists. Sunil Gupta: The New Pre-Raphaelites, from 24 September A display of photographs by Sunil Gupta that explore the legacy of the Pre-Raphaelites and their influence on contemporary art. Thomas Lawrence Coming of Age, throughout September This virtual exhibition gives fresh insight into the first 25 years of one of Britain’s greatest portrait painters. holburne.org

artatruh.org Image: Postcard Home by Beverley Ferguson

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David Ringsell: Pandemic City Bath Painter David Ringsell's most recent work has been inspired by the pandemic, with his latest series entitled Pandemic City Bath. David’s work is currently being exhibited at The Woolverton Gallery and The Artery Art Café. David loves to share his artistic impressions of Bath, his home city. His unique and contemporary art prints of Bath show a different and sometimes darker side of the city and his paintings of Bath architecture don’t shy away from the stained stonework and peeling paint that are part of many buildings. Custom prints are also available in a range of sizes – visit the wesbite for more details. real-images.com Image: Pulteney Bridge by David Ringsell

Grow Batheaston Art Trail, 2–3 October Artists are getting ready to open up their studios and homes – in a real, not virtual way. The trail aims to offer an event for visitors and residents of all ages to inspire the artist in all of us by showcasing the amazing talent we have living in our local area. Featuring a whole host of local talent including Carole Waller, who will be at her studio on the Box Road showcasing her painted scarves, clothing and glass panels. Entry to the trail will be free, and a colourful brochure and map is provided to help you find your way from one exhibition venue to another. growbatheaston.co.uk; carolewaller.co.uk Image: Carole Waller image

Drawing Out, De León at 5 Margaret's Buildings, Bath BA1 2LP, 7 September – 2 October

Autumn Exhibition, Woolverton Gallery, Bath BA2 7RH, throughout September The Woolverton Gallery’s first exhibition featured the work of well-known Bath artists such as David Wilkey and Brian Elwell, as well as many other contributors from further afield. The gallery is now increasing its number of artists to 28 and will showcase over 110 pieces in its five exhibition rooms. The emphasis is on colourful, contemporary artwork in a variety of styles. Ray Jones, gallery owner, will be present to show guests around and to answer questions about all the wonderful exhibits. Woolverton Gallery is also taking part in the Somerset Open Studios event from 18 September – 3 October. bathartsales.com

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A group exhibition of work by international contemporary artists Anna Barriball, Heidi Bucher, Tom Chamberlain, Andreas Eriksson, Richard Forster, Jonathan Owen, Christine Rebet and Tomás Saraceno. The show explores how artists approach drawing through pencil, pen, and watercolour on paper, collage, textile, film and even the lines drawn by a spider’s web. Opening hours: 10am–5pm Tuesday to Saturday. bridgetdeleon.com Image: Richard Forster, Notes on Architecture: Berliner Schloss, Weisser Saal, pencil, acrylic and watercolour on card. Courtesy of the artist and Ingleby Gallery, Edinburgh.

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Jackie Philip: A Colourist in the Caribbean 3 – 25 September 2021

37 High Street Castle Cary Somerset BA7 7AW 01963 359102

www.davidsimoncontemporary.com gallery@davidsimoncontemporary.com

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THIS PAGE: Jane Morris (The Blue Silk Dress) by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, oil on canvas, 1868; © The Society of Antiquaries of London (Kelmscott Manor) OPPOSITE: Elizabeth Siddal (1829–1862), 1850s, pen and brown ink with ink wash on laid writing paper, Photo by Birmingham Museums Trust

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Portrait obsessions

A unique show at the Holburne Museum – the first ever exhibition dedicated to Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s portraits – features some of Rossetti’s most iconic artworks. Assistant curator Sylvie Broussine explains the background and up until her tragic death in 1862, Rossetti produced around 70 portrait drawings of the model, the series offering an obsessive, intimate, yet one-sided, insight into their daily life. These were Rossetti’s private portrayals of Siddal, which only a select few were allowed to see or even knew existed, including Ford Madox Brown who recorded a night-time visit to Rossetti’s home in 1855 when “he showed me a drawer full of ‘Guggums’, [one of Rossetti’s nicknames for Siddal] God knows how many […] it is like a monomania with him.’ She suffered from illhealth throughout adulthood, and many of these works capture the frailness and grace that Rossetti saw in her. A sketch from Birmingham Museums, for example, presents Siddal in a private moment of rest, with her eyes closed and face raised as she supports her head with her left arm. Notably, the quiet peacefulness of the scene contrasts with Rossetti’s use of energetic, sketchy lines which form the shadows, chair and folds in her dress.

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Each of these portraits records an irrecoverable moment in the life of the sitter and their relationship with Rossetti

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rtist, poet and founding member of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828–1882) is one of the most influential figures from 19th-century British art. Known for his medievalist watercolours that inspired a new generation of Pre-Raphaelites including William Morris and Edward Burne-Jones, as well as his sensual visions of female beauty marking the start of the Aesthetic Movement in Britain, Rossetti also spent his career producing portraits of those closest to him. Starting in 1846 with drawings of his siblings, William Michael and Christina, Rossetti went on to record the likenesses of around 90 people, including family, artists, models, friends in the wider art world and the three women – Elizabeth Siddal, Fanny Cornforth and Jane Morris – who dominated his art and life. Each of these portraits records an irrecoverable moment in the life of the sitter and their relationship with Rossetti, while simultaneously telling us much about the artist and how he viewed those closest to him. The act of drawing each others’ likenesses was central to the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (PRB), which was formed in 1848 by Rossetti, William Holman Hunt and John Everett Millais. This group of young artists shared a dissatisfaction with the formal education on offer at the Royal Academy, particularly in the institution’s veneration of the classical ideal in art, influenced by the founding president, Sir Joshua Reynolds, and represented through the work of Raphael. Instead they looked to the Italian and Flemish painters that preceded Raphael, and began producing paintings characterised by religious and medieval subjects, highly detailed representation, vibrant tones and a direct observation of nature. Drawing each other became an important form of artistic training, as well as a way of recording the friendships that they shared. Rossetti’s sketch of William Holman Hunt was drawn on the morning of 12 April 1853, when members of the PRB met at Millais’ studio to draw portraits as gifts to the PreRaphaelite sculptor Thomas Woolner, who had emigrated to Australia. While Rossetti drew this portrait, Holman Hunt was himself recording Rossetti’s likeness in coloured pastels, which may explain the intensity of the sitter’s piercing gaze. Of all Rossetti’s works as a portraitist, possibly the most intimate and poignant are his drawings of the artist and model Elizabeth Siddal, with whom he formed an attachment in the early 1850s. Over the following decade

By 1859 Fanny Cornforth had become Rossetti’s principal model (and possible mistress), marking a dramatic transition in his technical and stylistic approach as he embarked on a series of idealised and symbolic oil paintings of female beauty. Inspired by the Venetian Old Masters and painted through the lens of Rossetti’s deeply rooted relationship with literature, this series has an ambiguous relationship with the genre of portraiture and many of these works can be understood to simultaneously represent Cornforth, a literary or mythological figure, and Rossetti’s idealised vision of womanhood. This ambiguity is brought to the fore in Aurelia (Fazio’s Mistress). The title derives from a 14th-century canzone by Fazio degli Uberti that is dedicated to his mistress’s beauty, though Rossetti described the painting as 'chiefly a piece of colour’, positioning it firmly in the Aesthetic Movement, and pays homage to Titian through the rich Venetian colours and the

motif of a woman before a mirror. The timeless act of contemplating beauty is thus emphasised through the merging of three figures from different historical periods: the painting equally represents Fazio’s mistress, a Renaissance Venetian beauty and Cornforth. In the mid-1860s Rossetti entered upon an all-consuming obsession with Jane Morris, the wife of William Morris, that continued until his death in 1882. Having first met in 1857, it wasn’t until 1865 that the relationship between artist and model deepened with a series of photographs of Jane commissioned and choreographed by Rossetti, followed in 1868 with one of his only formal oil portraits of his career, Blue Silk Dress (Jane Morris). Here, artist and model defied the rigid conventions of Victorian portraiture to portray Morris leaning forward with a curved back as she turns toward the viewer as if in momentary distraction from the open book that rests on the table. A display of cut flowers represents a tour de force of still-life painting, but the composition’s most striking motif is that of Morris’s hands – characteristically twisted inward and clasped together. Blue Silk Dress represents one of the high points in Rossetti’s career as a portraitist and sealed Jane Morris’ fate as one of the most iconic figures in PreRaphaelite art, as indeed the Latin inscription on this painting reads: ’Famous for her poet husband, and most famous for her face, finally let her be famous for my picture!’ n Rossetti’s Portraits is at the Holburne Museum from 24 September to 9 January

THEBATHMAG.CO.UK nOVember 2010 THEBATHMAG.CO.UK 2021 | january 2020 | september

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Out of the Blue 6,

A warm welcome at

Upper Borough Walls Bath

British Art and Crafts

Every sale supports Julian House www.outofthe bluegallery.com Tel: 07946051244

Peter Brown - Pulteney Bridge £4250

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outofthebluegallery2@gmail.com

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AVOCETS BY BRIAN BAXTER

MARITIME BY LYNN BAXTER

GOLDEN BY ALEX HOWELL

HAVANA CLASSICC III

THE WOOLVERTON GALLERY NEAR BATH

SOMERSET OPEN STUDIOS 18th September - 3rd October We are delighted to welcome Somerset Open Studios to the Gallery, with an extended display from guest artists and a number of new works for the duration of this event alongside our permanent exhibition.

Woolverton, BATH, BA2 7RH info@bathartsales.com | www.bathartsales.com | 01373 463098

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CITY | HISTORY

Reading the Rooms

The Assembly Rooms were built 250 years ago this month. Emma Clegg celebrates the anniversary by looking back on their conception and building, revelling in their wild Georgian heyday, assessing their chequered fortunes since, and with the help of Stephen Bird, Head of Heritage Services at B&NES, she takes a look at what the future holds...

he Lower Assembly Rooms in Bath – the two sets of buildings constructed to cater for the fast-growing number of fashionable visitors flocking to the city in the early 18th century – offered gathering places for those looking for amusement once they had taken the waters, namely dancing, card playing and tea drinking. But as Bath’s social scene continued to thrive, the size and modernity of these rooms became inadequate to house visitors in style, and the residents of the growing upper town now had a long way to go to visit the Lower Rooms, so larger assembly rooms became a priority. John Wood the Elder had originally advocated the need for purposebuilt assembly rooms in frustration at the lack of a suitable building, but it was his son John Wood the Younger who in 1765, a year after his father’s death, put forward plans for new assembly rooms north east of Queen Square. There was a rival, much grander, scheme produced by architect Robert Adam, which was seriously considered but deemed too expensive, and so Wood’s plan was used, funded by a tontine, an annuity shared by subscribers to a loan or common fund. The capital amounted to £14,000, divided into 70 shares, with original subscribers including James Leigh Perrot, the uncle of Jane Austen, Walter Wiltshire of Shockerwick and friend of Gainsborough and Thomas Bowdler, the editor of Shakespeare. John Wood the Younger laid the foundation stone of the new Upper Assembly Rooms in 1769. The total cost of the build was £20,000, the largest investment in a single building in Bath during the 18th century. The Ball Room, Upper Assembly Rooms

Building the Upper Assembly Rooms The Upper Assembly Rooms covered nearly three-quarters of an acre, the location bound by Bennett Street on the north and Alfred Street on the south. The building’s vast external facades and details – including the main entrance under a three-bay portico with Doric columns – were relatively plain, perhaps deliberately to disguise the splendours inside, perhaps to render the overall cost more palatable. The windows were set at a high level within each of the rooms to ensure privacy, preventing nosy local residents or urchins from observing the fun. The shell of the building was completed in 1770, designed in a Ushape with the central aisle linking the Ball Room, the Octagon and the Tea Room – the Octagon originally acted as the card room, until a separate Card Room was added in 1777. The tontine subscribers were then asked to help fund the furnishing of the rooms. Of the original furnishings, only the nine great chandeliers survive today, each one eight foot high, and these represent the largest single purchase at £999 (today’s equivalent £173,000). The three chandeliers in the Tea Room and the five in the Ball Room are by William Parker of Fleet Street, produced from the glassmakers’ factory at Whitefriars. Jonathan Collett made an earlier set for the Ball Room but one month after the opening in 1771 an arm collapsed, narrowly missing Thomas Gainsborough beneath (who at this time had a studio in The Circus), so they were dismantled and salvaged to form a single chandelier, now positioned in the Octagon. The records show that other commissions included plated candlesticks, candelabra, silver Turkey coffee pots with wicker handles, bells, lamps and girandoles (supports for candles or lights), mirrors and settees covered with ‘scarlet stuff damask’, along with a ‘groce of Whist Cards marked with the Mogul’s Head’. There was also a payment to Gainsborough for the frame of his portrait of Captain Wade, who presided as Master of Ceremonies at both the Lower and New Assembly Rooms until 1777. The grand opening of the Rooms The Upper Rooms opened on 30 September 1771 with a Ridotto, a combined dance and concert. The Ball Room, which housed up to 800 dancers, would have been illuminated by the candlelit chandeliers and fires burning in the fireplaces as guests arrived, but then the temperature would have risen rapidly, although the heat would have been absorbed by the high 32-metre ceiling and the upper storey windows which would have provided a welcome breeze. The room interiors are remarkably austere. The lower walls were left bare – plain walls with a dado punctuated by door surrounds and chimney pieces – to accommodate the high tiers of raked seating benches where elderly ladies and children and unpartnered dancers would have sat. No extra architectural detail was required as it was the crowding attendees that provided the glamour, the glitter, the colour, the noise and the movement. The Rooms were also used in this era for concerts, a notable example being a performance attended by King George III by virtuoso violinist George Bridgetower, who appeared at the Upper Assembly Rooms in 1789. The festivities at this time would have alternated between the new Upper Assembly Rooms and the Lower Assembly Rooms, but the Lower Rooms lost their sheen with the arrival of the new splended building and one of them was demolished around 1820 to make way for the building of York Street. The other was devastated by a fire in the same year and was rebuilt, lasting until demolition in 1933 to make road improvements on the site now known as Bog Island. Jane Austen lived in Bath from 1801–1805, during the period when both the Lower and Upper Assembly Rooms were open, and her

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CITY | HISTORY

The New Rooms at Bath, engraving by J. Gandon, 1779

A group at Bath playing cards, print by Isaac Cruikshank, after George Moutard Woodward, 1796

experience of them is brought to life in both Northanger Abbey and Persuasion, which were set in Bath. In Northanger Abbey the heroine Catherine Morland visits the Upper Rooms, in a passage which recreates the hectic atmosphere: “The season was full, the room crowded, and the two ladies squeezed in as well as they could. As for Mr Allen, he repaired directly to the card-room, and left them to enjoy a mob by themselves.”

A change in fortunes The city that had been built up so swiftly by its fashionable spa in turnsuffered from the new society trend for visiting seaside resorts such as Weymouth and Brighton, losing its pre-eminence among the fashionable resorts of the day. This decline is reflected in the fortunes of the Assembly Rooms, which by the 1830s had lost their splendour and the energetic social intercourse which had made Bath so famous. Successive Masters of Ceremonies came and went, with each trying to outdo their predecessors, but none capturing the energy and personality of Beau Nash in the previous era. The rooms continued to entertain visitors, still providing a fashionable rendezvous during the ‘season’, but the costumes, dress parades, dancing and cardplaying became much less outrageous, less energetic and less noteworthy affairs. The Victorian era saw an exhibition of General Tom Thumb, the American dwarf who achieved fame as a performer under circus pioneer P. T. Barnum and public readings from Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens, along with society balls, social functions, conferences,

Rivalries, dancing and entertainment The subscribers of the Upper and Lower Assembly Rooms did not sit easily together, resulting in endless spiteful contests and disagreements, to the benefit of the milliners, hairdressers and dressmakers who supplied their wares and services to ensure showy clothes to impress made of richly brocaded satins, lace ruffles and shot silks in what was called the ‘Battle of the Belles’. These outfits caused concern to MOC William Wade who said they were “more suited to the stage or a masquerade than to any civil or sober society.”

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The ballroom, which housed up to 800 dancers, would have been illuminated by the candlelit chandeliers and fires burning in the fireplaces as guests arrived...

Half-plate daguerreotype of P.T. Barnum and General Tom Thumb by Root c.1850

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The new Assembly Rooms offered a dress ball on Mondays, a concert on Wednesdays; and a Cotillion Ball, meaning country dancing, on Thursdays. The rooms were also open every day ‘for the company to walk and play a cards’. By 1818 a Card Assembly was held on Fridays and the Cotillion had become the ‘Fancy Ball’ at an increased subscription; these Fancy Balls were (comparatively for this era) more relaxed occasions where ladies could wear hats or display elegant fashion statements (unheard of in the days of Beau Nash). Concerts at the rooms in this period were directed by singing master and conductor Thomas Linley, the father of singer Elizabeth Linley (who eloped with Richard Brinsley Sheridan from Bath in 1772). In 1780 Italian musician Venanzio Rauzzini, who was friend of Joseph Haydn, took over and organised the concerts with brilliance, attracting the foremost artists of the day from London and the continent, until his death in 1810. (He is buried in Bath Abbey where there is a memorial erected to him.) Sydney Gardens opened in 1795 and the ensuing summers would have seen hordes of wealthy visitors, playing cards, going to balls, promenading and horseriding, and in 1796 the First Gentleman of Europe, afterwards George IV, attended a ball in the Rooms. THEBATHMAG.CO.UK

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Dulwich Picture Gallery

CITY | HISTORY

ABOVE: Thomas Linley the Elder, by Thomas Gainsborough, late 1760s LEFT: Assembly Rooms after the Bath Blitz bombing, April 1942

choral festivals and concerts (including an appearance by Franz Liszt in 1840). In 1886 the Bath Philharmonic Society brought a production of The Golden Legend conducted by Sir Arthur Sullivan to the Rooms. Despite these highlights, this period was a dull contrast to the glittering times of yore, and by the end of the 19th century the Rooms were competing with the newly enlarged Pump Room and hotels with large public rooms. In poet Algernon Swinburne’s words, this was a “City lulled asleep by the chime of passing years” (A Ballad of Bath, 1889). The role of Master of Ceremonies was lost in 1914 with the death of Major Simpson, the last MOC, who had fought to maintain gathering and social functions, including offering a series of balls in 18th-century dress. During the Great War the Rooms were used for building aeroplane parts and later the building was taken over by the Royal Flying Corps. From 1921 the ballroom was used as a cinema when the badly maintained building was described as a “dust hole”. Fortunately English philanthropist and businessman Mr Ernest Cook enabled the funds for the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings to secure the Assembly Rooms and the building then passed to the National Trust who let them to the Bath City Council on the agreement that the building was restored to its original state.

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When you look at the life this building has been through... it has survived so much

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Unfortunately the £30,000 of work that took place, with the results on display at the grand reopening party on 19 October 1938, attended by HRH the Duchess of Kent, was lost just four years later when in April 1942 the bombs fell. This destruction of the Assembly Rooms, which was seen as one of the country’s greatest Georgian civic buildings, was recorded as one of Britain’s chief cultural wartime losses. Faced with either destroying the shell of the outer walls which had survived and making a different use of the location (for which there was much support from those who saw the Assembly Rooms as outdated) or reconstructing the Rooms with compensation from the War Damage Commission, the Trust opted for the latter course of action. So the three great rooms were remodelled following their original proportions from fragments of the original plasterwork and old photographs. The plaster moulds, created by London firm Eatons, used fibrous plaster instead of the original traditional lime mix, making the whole project financially accessible. But fibrous plaster is more resonant 38 TheBATHMagazine

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than lime mix, so the acoustics in the Ball Room became more echoey, to the frustration of musicians and audiences since. The rooms reopened in 1963, opened by Princess Marina – the wife of Prince George, Duke of Kent, fourth son of George V and Queen Mary – 25 years after she had attended the 1938 ceremony as Duchess of Kent. This was the time when the Fashion Museum, then the Museum of Costume, moved in, formed from Mrs Doris Langley Moore’s collection of historical costumes. Initially sited on part of the ground floor, the collection found its eventual home in the basement, formerly the plunge bath, kitchens and cellars, where the lack of natural light gave protection to the precious costumes. Another misfortune followed. The Ball Room ceiling at the Assembly Rooms collapsed in 1987 when a huge section of plaster came down, narrowly missing the night watchman and, perhaps more importantly, the chandeliers. This was a result of of shoddy post-war workmanship where the bonding agent that secured the plasterwork to the ceiling structure had failed. On inspection it was failing all over the building, and so it had to come down, in turn revealing asbestos, faulty wiring and rotten timber, and the repair involving another significant rebuild cost. “It’s ironic really that what you see now is a replica building – just the outside shell is original. Everything inside apart from the chandeliers is false,” says Head of Heritage Services at B&NES Stephen Bird. “Bath has ended up with three fabulous 18th-century complexes: the Pump Room, the Guildhall and the Assembly Rooms. The policy of B&NES has been to use the rooms as places of assembly, places where people can meet for a dinner, for an awards ceremony, for a conference, for a concert, people coming together to enjoy themselves, to talk and do business. That continuity I think is important. “The more we keep losing buildings from their original function then the less authenticity of use and integrity we have,” Stephen continues. The National Trust takes back the management of the Assembly Rooms from B&NES in 2023 when the Fashion Museum will locate to new premises (to be confirmed) and the aim of the Trust is to keep the buildings, as originally conceived, as a place of assembly. Their stated ambition is to celebrate this important building, bring its story to life and showcase its central role in the society of Georgian Bath. “It will be the end of one chapter,” says Stephen, “But when you look at the life this building has been through, the glittering occasions in the 18th century and then its decline towards the end of the century, it has survived so much. It’s part of the ongoing life of a living city that has to live with its past but also has to adapt for the future.” n

A virtual conference to mark the 250th anniversary of the New Assembly Rooms takes place on 29 and 30 September. There will also be an evening public lecture and dance display on 30 September, starting at 5.45pm. Book tickets for both events with eventbrite.co.uk

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Insuring the uninsurable DUNCAN CAMPBELL Antique silver specialist

A top tip on insurance

or as long as anyone can remember, antiques dealers have tended to value their customers’ treasures “for insurance purposes” all the more so if their fee is a percentage of the total. The figure given is, by convention, twice what the item would be likely to make at auction. The principal being that, if the worst happened, the payout would allow for replacement in a quality retail shop. There is an assumption built into this arrangement that is often plain wrong. For many, the value of their heirloom is vested in its sentimental associations. Most antiques are not unique to the extent that a similar item couldn’t be found, but clearly, unlike new goods, an actual replacement is simply not available. If the TV explodes or the dining table collapses, replacement insurance is very helpful. However, if Great Uncle Percy’s war medals go missing, there’s not much that can be done. The same might be said about anything that is kept for sentimental reasons. I recently catalogued an institutional collection of silver that included various very generous gifts, received over many years and mostly inscribed with dedications etc. The only way to replace these things would be to instruct a silversmith and an engraver to produce new facsimiles. This is not only ruinously expensive but also doesn’t really “replace” the original gift, as it will always be a modern pastiche. After some discussion, we agreed that the insurance figure should be based on the cost of commissioning a new piece of useful silver, not a copy. This was thought to be a much better use of the money and happily meant that the already considerable insurance premium was based on a somewhat smaller number. It is always worth thinking through the practical aspects of household insurance, particularly where antiques are concerned. The question should be, would you really want to replace them like for like? Insurance companies benefit enormously from the big premiums on antiques. Your level of cover should suit you and not them. n beaunashbath.com; 01225 334234

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CITY | INTERVIEW

A life in pictures

Growing old wasn’t something that young people in the sixties and seventies thought much about – they were too busy enjoying the present. Model, actress and photographer Carinthia West faces up to three score years and ten...

y friend Emily Young, one of England’s foremost sculptors, once gave me a wise piece of advice. Every ten years, she said, on a significant birthday, you should look down at your previous self as if helping them up imaginary stairs, and decide where you want to be at the end of your next decade. Well, with the help of a house move and at least 30 boxes of photographs and paperwork, love letters and diaries, I have been doing just that. In May I turned 70, an age that as a teenager I thought I’d never reach (in common with most of my generation, singing along to The Who’s lyric I hope I die before I get old, so redolent was it of zimmer frames, sour grapes and senility. However now that I’ve reached this age I am finding it a golden opportunity to revisit my former self, and re-evaluate my present. Every box brings new surprises. I’d forgotten how many celebrities I had interviewed over the years of working for British and American magazines as a contributing editor, with names including Oprah Winfrey, Helen Mirren, Dennis Hopper and Donald Sutherland. As a guest editor of Marie Claire, Joan Collins sent me to Hong Kong to interview the wives of millionaires. Also for Marie Claire I flew to Guatemala to travel among the povertystricken people of the Highlands, and to Indonesia to be adopted by the Asmat Tribe, who only a few years before had been carrying out head hunting raids (these had

been a key element of Asmat culture). It seemed to me that my life was either Concorde or cargo and I joked then that I was flying by the seat of my hotpants. At 43 I wrote a piece for New Woman about my fourth decade (in 1995), which I now find unbearably upbeat and self-confident. (The cover line, written by the editor, was ‘Midlife oasis – the older you get the better life gets’ … Aaaa the arrogance of it!) In the piece I quoted American model and actress Lauren Hutton: “It will never be as hard for anyone to turn 40 as it was for me; I had become very, very old and had no hope!” She was only 45. I interviewed Isabella Rossellini, who had just been sacked by Lancôme at the age of 42 for being “too old” for their ad campaigns and she told me “I am so bitter. They make me feel like a middle-aged woman!” The premise of the piece was that life keeps getting better once you hit your forties; in the words of editor Helen Gurley Brown, “You can have it all”. But did I truly believe it? Now that I have woken up to the fact that I am officially ‘older-age’ not even middle, I am fully aware that the article was all about ambition, and did not tap into humility, serenity, wisdom or compassion, or indeed love, all of which I now feel are the greatest gifts turning 70 can bring. On the subject of love, I am horrified at how fickle I was throughout my adolescence and twenties. In my boxes there are bundles of weepy letters from boys pouring out their

Carinthia with drummer Twink (John Charles Edward Alder) and Jarmila Karas on the market stall they had on the Portobello Road, around 1974–5

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Selfie, around 1974

deeply held emotions when I had already written in my diary “bored with Chris/Tom/Max” or whoever the latest crush had been. When you are young and desired there is always another train coming down the road to catch, and I clearly subscribed to the Tarzan/Jane theory of not letting go of one vine until you’ve caught another. This romantic road trip of course means I missed many trains which would often have been far better for me than many of the ones I caught! To my eternal shame, I once boasted to a friend, “The only way I can remember which year is which is by remembering who I was with at the time. Men are like the rings around trees.” According to my diaries, I was motivated by either romance or a job, which while being admirably independent in one way, hardly qualified for marital bliss. A box marked ‘Divorce Papers’ pulsates like green kryptonite in the corner reminding me of the deep pain emotional conflict brings, and in my case two marriages, although I am proud to say I remain on good terms with both husbands. I feel so lucky to have travelled a great deal in my life and collected friends from all over the world, particularly from America, Europe, Australia and Indonesia, and still today I feel these scattered friends are truly ‘my tribe’. I count among them Valerie Taylor, the great Australian ‘dive queen’ who is now in her eighties and the subject of an award-winning documentary and Robert Patten, one of the world’s greatest experts on Dickens. But I am most grateful to my girlfriends who have been the greatest

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Carinthia sitting beneath a Peter Sedgley painting, 1968, photograph for Tatler by Barry Swaebe

Carinthia in 1985, photograph by Rory Flynn

❝

London was a small place in those days. If you met one Beatle and were accepted into the inner circle, you probably met everyone

❝

support in good times and in bad, actresses Anjelica Huston, Helen Mirren, Harriet Walter and singer Carly Simon, with whom I have shared flats and adventures… but there are many others, less famous but just as precious. For my life – like most of us – has indeed been a road trip, sometimes in open highway and sometimes strewn with rocks and boulders. Accompanied by my ever-faithful Canon camera, I photographed everything and every person I encountered through the seventies, eighties and nineties. These included street and desert scenes, the market trader, tribal warrior, sweet shop owner, my parents, my friends, acquaintances, and my pets (all my family dogs had to pose for me!), and of course Selfies (what makes generation X think they invented them?!), waiting with expectant glee until the film was developed – that was half the fun – until the digital age came in and I stopped. In my current exhibition, Shooting Stars at the American Museum and Gardens, you will only see images of recognisable icons

whose photos I took in the 1970s and many of whom remain my friends. But this is not the whole of my story. Trawling through the vast library of slides, prints and negatives, yet to be digitally filed, reveals a magpie-like existence. I have kept them all in shoeboxes, friends’ attics, storage containers and cellars, and I am amazed at all the opportunities I had in the form of telephone numbers and business cards, some famous, and all of them like a forgotten footprint of my existence, tracking my previous life. Over and over again I am reminded of how

Selfie experimenting with double exposures, 1975

Selfie on Malibu Colony beach with Helen Mirren, early 1980s

lucky we were as a generation to be in our prime in the sixties and seventies when life held so much promise. Despite strikes, threeday weeks and the Irish troubles, we never experienced a world war as our parents and grandparents had. We had the Pill, short skirts, rock ’n’ roll, Mini Coopers with tinted windows, and above all the freedom to do what we wanted with our lives. To my later regret, I never went to university, despite getting acceptable grades. This was partly because I had a traumatic car crash (as a passenger in a Mini Cooper driven by a boyfriend) which kept me hospitalised for the best part of a year. Dreams of a modelling career evaporated (when a nurse held up a mirror and an unrecognisable face looked back at me – I remember thinking ‘Right girl, you’d better do something else with your life!’). It was also because I was bored with school and wanted to go to drama school. As my headmaster said to my parents, “Boys and the Kings Road beckon, but ‘tis a thousand pities”. Once recovered I made maximum use of both of these, meeting The Beatles, the Stones and most of my teenage female idols within a year. To this day I am amazed to see myself in the audience of a concert at The White House sitting next to Jackie Kennedy, or in the front row of The Rolling Stones Rock ’n’ Roll Circus, on the David Frost show when Jerry Rubin, Abbie Hoffman and the Yippies invaded his TV studio, and even boogieing on stage at the very first Isle of Wight and Glastonbury festivals. I was always ‘off stage right’ somewhere, and if I ever write a book that would be a good title. In today’s reveal-everything, tell-all, internet and social media climate when every alcohol or drug problem, tragic incident or heartbreak, great or small, is broadcast for all the world to see, it makes writing a memoir less appealing and in truth I always prefer to hint at these stories through photographs. I am often asked in interviews, ‘How did THEBATHMAG.CO.UK THEBATHMAG.CO.UK| nOVember 2010 | january 2020

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CITY | INTERVIEW

Carinthia with Ronnie and Krissy Wood in a Limousine on Malibu Pacific Coast Highway, 1976. Photograph by James Mazzeo

death becomes closer, so it’s harder to motivate yourself. Avoiding unnecessary stress and courting serenity are key to growing old gracefully! When ill, I made promises to myself not to ever be judgemental or impatient, but once feeling well again, it is hard not to slip back into old ways. As my father – a military man – once said, “When you’re in the thick of battle you pray to God that once you’ve won you will be kind to everyone; then once you do win you complain because your tea is cold.” Going back to my friend Emily’s original comment, what would I like to see as I watch my 70-year old self climb those imaginary stairs? Since it was the young who first encouraged me to share my archive, on a practical level I would like my photographic work to be continue being exhibited, if only to teach our social media and technology

LEFT: Carinthia in 1972, taken by her then boyfriend Gary Farr RIGHT: Carinthia in 2019, photo by Caroline Forbes

❝

Over and over again I am reminded of how lucky we were as a generation to be born in the sixties and seventies when life held so much promise

❝

you know all these people?’ and I always say the same thing: “London was a small place in those days. If you met one Beatle and were accepted into the inner circle, you probably met everyone”. Of course the key to maintaining these friendships is discretion. I believe everyone has a right to a private life, and I was brought up in the kind of family whose ethos was that you should only appear in the papers when you are born, when you get married, and when you die. I remember my grandmother saying, “Stop making such an exhibition of yourself!” both when I was a child of two having a temper tantrum or as a bolshy teenager having a snit fit over a zit. Since displaying my archive of photographs, I seem to have been doing nothing else… I hope she’s not turning in her grave. If turning 70 does nothing else it forces you to be honest with yourself. In this pandemic, we have all lost our freedom, some of us have lost loved ones (I lost two close friends this year alone, although not to Covid), and to a greater or lesser degree we have solidified old friendships or lost them. The reasons can be myriad…purely geographical, or just a parting of beliefs in anything from politics to the way in which each of us handled our enforced lockdowns. I have dear friends of 80 plus who have more curiosity and energy than I will ever have, and other younger friends with young children or teenagers who keep me alive with their enthusiasm and infectious laughter. Having recently moved, I will never forget the kindness of virtual strangers when I caught Covid in March 2020, probably from a fellow passenger on an airplane. Every morning there were homemade soups, juices and notes on my doorstop while I coughed and shivered my way through 10 days of isolation and Pride and Prejudice. These are not ‘celebrity friends’; just good people. Illnesses force you to think about your health, what you have or have not done, who you love and who you want to hand things on to. Reaching 70 you have to face the fact that what lies ahead is more aches and pains, and

driven youth what life was like in the 1970s. There has never been an age where memories have meant so much, now that we can explore not only nostalgically but digitally and forensically, and share files of images in a nano second. On a mundane level, I would like to continue cultivating my garden. I would also like to visit countries that I’ve not been to, such as Japan and New Zealand. However, by far the most important of all, I would wish my friends, family and lovers to know the happiness they’ve given me, want all feuds of any kind to be put to rest, and to maintain a certain curiosity. One thing I would never wish is to be any younger, despite my ‘best’ years being behind me. It’s so much fun being me right now, and as the saying goes, ‘on their deathbed, no one ever wishes they had spent more time at the office’. Each one of us has our own personal history and, in author Alex Haley’s words, “Every death is like the burning of a library.” When I look down those imaginary stairs, one thing I certainly don’t plan to see is a stair lift! n Shooting Stars: Carinthia West, Britain and America in the 1970s is at the American Museum & Gardens until 31 October; americanmuseum.org

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EXTRA DELICIOUS

THE DELICIOUS GUIDE TO BATH 2021

New additions and featured favourites from our 2021 guide to all the best places to eat, drink and enjoy in Bath. See our website or search ‘Delicious Guide to Bath’ GREAT LOCAL PUB VIBE

THE CURFEW 11 Cleveland Place West, Bath BA1 5DG Tel: 01225 313747 Web: thecurfewbath.co.uk The Curfew, recently taken over by new landlords Rhianne and Jamie, is a cosy Georgian townhouse located around a 10-minute walk from Bath city centre and is a great spot to escape the hustle and bustle of the city and watch the world go by. It has a traditional pub vibe with a modern British food menu which include classics such as pie and mash and Wadworth beer battered fish and chips. The Curfew has a newly renovated courtyard garden which is very popular with locals and visitors in the summer but is also dog friendly. The upstairs lounge with its large windows and impressive chandelier is a great place to hire and is very popular with private events such as life drawing classes and afternoon teas.

NEWLY OPENED & VERY POPULAR

BOSCO PIZZERIA 1–2 Milsom Place, Bath BA1 1BZ Web: boscopizzeria.co.uk; milsomplace.co.uk/stores/bosco-pizzeria Just opened and a must-try Bosco Pizzeria is inspired by the pizzerias of Naples, New York & San Francisco. With a focus on and a passion for the finest Italian produce, they have created a menu of small plates, deli meats and cheeses, salads, pasta & of course, Neopolitan style wood fired pizza. The focus in the restaurant is on service with personality and classic Italian cookery in a vibrant atmosphere created by an open kitchen and a mixture of table and counter seating. Try it – you’ll love it!

A TIME AND TIME AGAIN FAVOURITE

THE CIRCUS RESTAURANT 34 Brock Street, Bath BA1 2LN Tel: 01225 466020 Web: thecircusrestaurant.co.uk A small, very busy, much-admired family-run business, The Circus Restaurant is one of Bath’s sparkling culinary gems, serving seasonal, locally sourced, freshly cooked English food. It has a carefully chosen wine list, and exceptionally welcoming staff. Set in a fine Georgian house – between The Circus and the Royal Crescent – you will find sensible and honest prices, and you’ll leave wanting to return some time soon. Voted number four in the UK in The Times’ 20 Secret Restaurants That Foodies Love. Open Monday to Saturday, 10am to midnight (closed Sunday). Booking is advised.

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ThEBATHMagazinE 45

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RESTAURANT | REVIEW

Robun 4 Princes Buildings, George Street, Bath BA1 2ED; Tel: 01225 614424; robun.co.uk

Review

Melissa Blease discovers some tantalising Japanese dishes at Robun’s new fine dining establishment in George Street – from Chicken Karaage and Nasu Dengaku to Bluefin Tuna Tatare and Japanese Mochi – and talks to CEO Roger Payne

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its doors at the end of July, Bathonians have cheerfully chopsticked their way through that menu to rapturous results. “We had one family who came twice in one day; they had a small plate of Maki Rolls for lunch and decided to come back for dinner!” says Roger. “The menu suits all budgets, and children and young people love it too. Yes, you can blow out on the Wagyu beef or a whole lobster. But there are soya and mirin ribs too, and beef sirloin – you could have steak and wasabi fries for the same price as steak and chips in a gastropub; you can choose what you want to spend. And because we’re a fresh food restaurant with an open kitchen, everything on the menu is prepared to order so it’s easy to create spectacular vegetarian dishes and bespoke orders to specific dietary requirements, which fits in with the current modern ethos. I know we’re good at what we do, but we’ve been bowled over by the reception in Bath.” And on that note, I went to find out why.

❝ A dinky little pile of crispy onions looked

like tourmaline gemstones discovered in an ancient jewellery box...

❝

ensai, karaage and ikageso; moriawase, kaburimaki and fukusai: my notes for this review of Robun – the brand new, super-stylish Japanese-themed restaurant on George Street – are sending my spellcheck into meltdown, let alone testing my (limited) knowledge of authentic Japanese food to the limits. Where to start? Ask an expert! “For sure, it’s very different to more familiar restaurant menus; it’s a work of art!,” says Roger Payne, CEO of Enhanced Hospitality, the fascinating company responsible for enhancing the eating out scene in Bath. “But it really is a menu for everybody. I wouldn’t say it’s a grazing menu, but it’s certainly worth sharing your way through it; the Nigiri and Sashimi Set, for example, is a wonderful starter for four or a main course for two, and the Ribeye Wagyu – the best steak you could possibly imagine – arrives at the table small-chopped, perfect for picking at alongside other dishes. Personally, I’m a massive fan of the Wagyu Beef Tataki starter, and the Bluefin Tuna Tatare is, to my mind, incredible. After that, perhaps Black Cod in a Den Misu marinade, maybe share some prawns or ribs too, and make sure you have the hand-finished Kimchee Fried Rice with an egg on top – oh, delicious! I’m getting hungry now, my mouth is watering...” Mine too – which is why I ate at Robun not long after I’d talked to Roger. But before we sat down to eat, I was hungry for more from this convivial Bath resident who has been a restaurateur since the 1980s and whose boutique hospitality company is also responsible for London’s highly acclaimed Ginsa St. James Japanese dining experience as well as providing fresh, wholly authentic Japanese food to Selfridges’ food hall. “I was at the traffic lights on George Street about a year ago when I saw that the restaurant space was available,” says Roger. “What a great location! Bath’s gastronomic scene has really, really blossomed over the last few years; there are some fantastic operators here now, really wonderful. But I wanted to bring something different, something new, to the city, and I believed that a Japanese-themed restaurant would fit right in.” ‘Fitting in’ has turned out to be an understatement. Since opening

Robun’s airy, spacious dining room brings ancient Japanese design traditions around balance, order, symmetry and cool, cool colour together in perfect harmony, while subtle floral flourishes and beautifully detailed Japanese artwork further adds to the effortlessly chic vibe. It’s the kind of environment that makes you welcome whether you’re dolled up in full-on formal dinner attire or you’ve dropped in on a whim while shopping on Milsom Street: special but not snooty, and glamorous in an unforeboding, understated way.

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RESTAURANT | REVIEW

Once settled at our table, the menu that creates so much spellcheck havoc felt far less... well, daunting; elegantly succinct summaries of each dish gently guide you along the way, and the impressively wellinformed, friendly staff are easy-going tour guides. Given such an environment, pre-dinner cocktails seemed appropriate; cue curtain up on Robun’s thoroughly theatrical Old Fashioned, served on a glass bell dome that, when the cloche was lifted, briefly surrounded us with a deeply seductive waft of whiskysuffused smoke. Our tipple was perfectly partnered with a generous tumble of flamed edamame coated with a bold chilli paste sauce... and after that, the magic really started to happen. Our feast of Robun highlights included, in the first wave, a dish of salaciously juicy fried Chicken Karaage (think, a super-elegant Japanese version of a certain well-known high street brand of fried chicken), the pop-pop-pop of the chicken counterbalanced by a second very sophisticated opening dish of silky slivers of Wagyu Beef Tataki bathed in a delicately tangy ponzu sauce. The waves continued to wash up over our table, bringing semitranslucent Bluefin Tuna Tartare in a light dressing of more yuzu, this time with sesame oil; featherlight, spice-sprinkled tempura-battered Vegetable Kakiage; massive, whole grilled king prawns drenched in garlic-infused shiso butter; glossy lamb cutlets still gleaming after their 24-hour Korean-glaze marinade; deeply umami Nasu Dengaku (how – how! – a chef can do something this beautiful with slices of aubergine is totally beyond me)... and sweet, lustrous little bite-sized cubes of rich, buttery Wagyu beef, served with hot/sour/salty Namjin, fascinating truffled teriyaki and fun-packed pepper sauces. Every dish was exquisitely composed; every component (herbs, flowers, spices; pools of miso, piles of caviar; tangles of crispy noodles, shredded daikon, delicate strings of carrot, and more) had a place, and every component made the most of that place. Sprinkles of sesame seeds added sprinkles of stardust, a dinky little pile of crispy onions looked like tourmaline gemstones discovered in an ancient jewellery box – even the perfectly fried egg on top of the Kimchee Fried Rice was a catwalk superstar, ready for its close-up. And after all that... Japanese Mochi, rice-wrapped ice cream dumplings (yes, really) and a black truffle chocolate torte so good that even I, who claims not to be a fan of ‘the sweet stuff’, was almost moved to tears.

But after all the intriguing questions that the menu raised and all the answers that Robun so gracefully supplied, one enigma remained. Why the restaurant’s name? “Kanagaki Robun was a late 19thcentury Japanese author, journalist and food writer,” says Roger. “He’s widely credited as being the father of Yakiniku, a Japanese term that, in its broadest sense, refers to grilled meat cuisine – Japanese barbecue, if you like – and he was the first person to link western and eastern food. Robun was also the very first publisher of Manga comic art in the world, hence our full size, Manga-inspired murals! We sincerely hope that, in doing what we do, we’re doing him proud.” This is fine dining at its best, unstuffy and great value for money. Gochisousama, Robun! n Prices for selected dishes: Chicken Karaage £7.75; Wagyu Beef Tataki £14.95; Bluefin Tuna Tartare £15.95; Vegetable Kakiage £9.95; Nasu Dengaku £6.95; Ribeye Wagyu 3 Sauces £49; Kimchee Fried Rice £13.50

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CITY | NEWS

CITYNEWS NEW MUSICAL DIRECTOR THE HANDFUL is delighted to introduce its new Musical Director, Vicente Chavarría. A graduate of the Royal College of Music, Universities of Miami and Southern California, and the University of Leuven, Vicente is a conductor, composer, performer and scholar now based in London. He has conducted numerous orchestras in London and abroad, assisted Vladimir Ashkenazy, Bernard Haitink, Andre Gourlay, Maxim Vengerov and Holly Mathieson, and has been Assistant Conductor for the RCM Opera Studio and English Touring Opera. Vicente currently performs with Dowland Works (with Dame Emma Kirkby), and previously with LASchola, BachCollegium San Diego, the Boston Camerata and Park Collegium (Belgium). A pupil of Morten Lauridsen and Haris Kittos, his compositions and arrangements have been performed across the globe. THE HANDFUL’s next concert is Serenity – Songs of Blessing and Reflection, on 4 December at 7.30pm, St Mary’s Church Bathwick. thehandful.org

THIRD YEAR RECOGNITION Private Client Partner at Mogers Drewett, David Hill has been recognised by the prestigious Chambers High Net Worth Guide for the third year in a row. Published every July, Chambers independently researches lawyers across the UK by interviewing clients and accessing the quality of work and then ranking the top performing lawyers in its High Net Worth Guide. In the guide, clients of Private Client Partner David Hill state he is “fantastic” adding “He is really great with people and is able to do that difficult thing of balancing being solid on the technical side and covering client care." David’s practice includes estate and succession planning and advisers interviewed for the Guide say: “David relates well to his clients and expresses himself to them in a comprehensive and fully understandable way and that’s why we work alongside him.” mogersdrewett.com

BUY A BAG

A WINTER BALL The Testicular Ball is coming to Bath. Every other year, It’s in the Bag Cancer Support organise an event to celebrate the work of the charity and to showcase the way they support men with Testicular Cancer in the south west of England. In previous years the event has been hosted in Bristol, but this year it is coming to the Apex City of Bath hotel. Every year 2,400 men are diagnosed with testicular cancer and of those 240 are in the south west of England. It’s in the Bag began in 2009 with the aims of supporting men and their families at diagnosis and through and after treatment, raising awareness to ensure early detection and celebrating the 98% cure rate of the disease. The ball is a great way to show all the work the company has continued to do and to give out some Golden Pants Awards! The Winter Testicular Ball is on Saturday 20 November at 7pm at Apex City of Bath Hotel. Black Tie. Tickets £35 each or £300 for a table of ten. Includes welcome drink, threecourse dinner and live entertainment. itsinthebag.org.uk

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The Fashion Museum has launched a Buy-a-Bag fundraising campaign to help to raise £17,500 before 31 December. The museum needs 1,400 archival garment bags to get this much-loved collection ready for its move out of the Assembly Rooms in Spring 2023. Each archival bag will protect a garment from dust, pest and light during and after the move. Rosemary Harden, Fashion Museum Manager, said: “The-Buy-a-Bag campaign is one of the first ways the public can get involved in this once-in-a-generation move of the collection. Your help will have a lasting impact. Packing and protecting the collection properly now means we can share more of it, and in new ways, after the move.” Donors will be able to donate as many bags as they like. In exchange for their help, they will be able to choose from a range of rewards. These include a late-night event in 2022 and private tours of the museum galleries before the fashions on display are carefully packed away for the move. fashionmuseum.co.uk/support

ORGAN SCHOLAR The Music Department at Bath Abbey will be joined by its very first Organ Scholar, David Bryson, in September. Following success in his A Levels, David has secured a place at the University of Bath to study Computer Science and will also join the abbey as the first recipient of the Dr Martin Clarke Organ Scholarship. David will join the Abbey from Eton College where he studied the organ as a Music Scholar. He discovered his love for the organ aged two but had to wait until he was six to start lessons. In 2012, he joined St John’s College Choir, Cambridge, and in 2016 he became the first serving chorister to give a recital as part of the College’s Organ Recital series. Huw Williams, Director of Music at Bath Abbey said: “Having an excellent young organist and musician in our midst will offer many exciting possibilities and we greatly look forward to welcoming him in September.” bathabbey.org

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Buying a listed building: The dos and don’ts you need to know Listed buildings account for approximately 2% of England’s built heritage. When a building is ‘listed’ it is included on the statutory list of “buildings of special architectural or historic interest.” The List status is intended to protect buildings from alterations that may negatively impact their character or historical context. In practical terms for the owner, it means you need Listed-Building Consent in addition to planning consent for any changes. In the majority of cases the classification protects the entire building, along with any structures attached to the building, including outbuildings, garden walls and even garden statues. This may sound daunting but don’t let it put you off. The uniqueness of a listed building is probably what made you fall in love with it in the first place. Residential Property Partner, Alison Treble shares her top points to consider before embarking on a listed project.

Identify which grade the property falls into A check on the National Heritage List of England website will provide a copy of the entry particular to the property you are buying. There are three grades: • Grade I (2.5% of listed buildings) – buildings of exceptional interest. • Grade II* (5.5% of listed buildings) – buildings of particular importance. • Grade II (92% of listed buildings) – buildings of special architectural or historic interest.

Do your homework It is extremely important to check that any alterations have been authorised prior to purchasing a property as the cost of rectifying any non-approved alterations can be expensive. The most common alterations and therefore areas to look out for are: • • • • •

Double glazing/plastic guttering En-suite bathrooms Changes to layout Removal of fireplaces Opening up of rooms/removal of internal walls

Your solicitor will carry out the appropriate checks for you so choosing a solicitor who specialises in listed buildings is recommended.

If in doubt check Once you have purchased a Listed property remember that it is a criminal offence to make unauthorised changes.The penalties include unlimited fine and up to two years imprisonment. If you are considering purchasing a listed building and would like some advice please contact Alison Treble on 01225 750 000 or email Alison.treble@mogersdrewett.com.

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ocl A C C O U N TA N C Y

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

www.oclaccountancy.com

NEW COMPANY LOSS CLAIMS NOW ALLOWED Where a company makes a trading loss of no more than £200,000 in an accounting period it is now possible to claim relief for that loss even though the corporation tax return CT600 has not been submitted. This will enable the company to carry back the loss to earlier years and obtain a repayment of tax previously paid. HMRC will however need evidence of the loss to support the claim, in particular a PDF of the company’s management accounts for the period. In calculating whether the loss is less than £200,000 the company must take into account any available amounts that could be claimed as capital allowances of the period (or any other claim or relief that would result in an increase in the amount of the loss) and there are other conditions. However the extended carry back allows companies to carry back trading losses two further years in addition to the normal one year carry back. Broadly speaking, the current rules allow trading losses to be carried back one year without restriction. For accounting periods ending between 1 April 2020 and 31 March 2022, this is extended to three years, with losses required to be set against profits of most recent years first before carry back to earlier years. Note: Losses carried back will result in a repayment of corporation tax at 19% whereas if carried forward against profits the losses may save tax at up to 25% after April 2023.

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

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

THEBATHMAG.CO.UK

SEPTEMBER 2021

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CITY | FESTIVAL

Books for children

The Children’s Literature Festival is back from 24 September – 3 October. The festival programmers have put their heads together and have come up with a selection of events that should appeal to the most reluctant of readers...

ath Children’s Literature Festival 2021 has always put on events for kids who are crazy about books. But what if the child in your life says they’re not really interested in reading? Here are some events and shows for this month’s festival which will have even the most reluctant reader turning the pages.

For the kids who love sport Bath is a rugby city and we know there are loads of families who don the black, white and blue to cheer on our home team. Bath Rugby is bringing some of its players to the books festival. Rampaging Rugby is a factfilled fun events for boys and girls who love the game. Writer and rugby fans Robin Bennett and illustrator Matt Cherry will be joined by Bath players to test your rugby knowledge and skills. 26 September, 12pm, Komedia, ages 7 plus. For kids who can’t keep still The nation’s favourite PE teacher Joe Wicks has created new characters to win children over and he’ll be bringing The Burpee Bears to life at Komedia. The book has illustrated warm-ups and warm-downs to get even the most energetic little bears engaged. 2 October, 1pm, Komedia, ages 4 to 11. For young people who care about injustice Stuart Lawrence is the brother of Stephen Lawrence, a teenager whose life was cruelly cut short by a racist attack. Stuart’s

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experiences have taught him how to move forward and now his role as an inspirational speaker to young people is about how to effect change. His book title says it all: Silence is Not An Option, You Can Impact The World for Change. 25 September, 4pm, The Guildhall, age 13 and over. For kids who love to draw There are lots of interactive events at this year’s festival. Illustrator Liz Pichon brings her popular character Tom Gates back to Bath, ten years after his creation. Liz will be drawing us in to her cleverly illustrated world with Tremendous Tales of Tom Gates. 25 September, 5pm, The Forum, ages 7–12. Another drawing opportunity comes with British-Chinese illustrator Sue Cheung. Sue grew up in a house with no books, but she loved comics and bought as many as she could. Now the successful author and illustrator, creator of Maddy Yip’s Guide To Life, invites you to come along and create your own comic character cartoons, or have a go at drawing your own ‘How to…’ comic strip. 25 September, 2pm, Forum Ballroom, ages 7 to 12. For little ones who aren’t sure Join local author Emma Perry for a wonderful interactive story time about a little girl called Mabel who didn’t like books. I Don’t Like Books. Never. Ever is a great introduction to books being fun. 29 September, 10.30am, Bath main library, ages 2 to 5.

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For kids who love gruesome stuff Join former doctor and now best-selling writer Adam Kay for A Gruesome History of the Human Body. He’ll take you on a disgustingly delicious tour of the insides of our bodies. Have pencils and paper ready for a draw-along with illustrator Henry Paker. It’s fun, and you’ll learn a lot too. 3 October, 2pm, Komedia, for ages 7 to 12. For kids (and parents) who love quizzes Join your hilarious host, quizmaster Andrew Pettie and play the new family quiz based on Andrew’s book Listified, a fact-filled book of lists. Test your trivia power against your family. Spin the Wheel of Facts. You can even win spot prizes! 2 October, 3pm, Komedia, for ages 8 to 80. For kids who like a good laugh Pamela Butchart is a teacher and author who knows exactly what makes children laugh. Her shows explore dinner ladies, teachers’ staff rooms and school trips – all the stuff we know all about – and she makes us laugh at the adventures she creates. Her latest book A Monster Ate My Packed Lunch! will have young readers desperate to know what happens next. 3 October, 3pm, Komedia, ages 8–80. n For tickets visit bathfestivals.org.uk You can sign up on the website to become a Bath Festivals bronze member for £25 and get tickets before they go on general release.

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CITY | EDUCATION

Bath Rugby Foundation

Not all children thrive in school, and part of the work of the Bath Rugby Foundation is designed to create a learning environment for young people at risk of not being in education, employment or training. The Foundation tells us more When was the Bath Rugby Foundation set up? Bath Rugby Foundation was first founded in 2003 (the year that England won the World Cup!) Our main aim and objective at Bath Rugby Foundation is to change the lives of young people for the better. We understand that not everyone has an equal start in life and not everyone gets to follow the same path. We want to change this, we aim to equip young people with the skills needed to change the social norms by working with them to build confidence, develop life skills and build a path to independence. The foundation has multiple sources of funding, including partnerships with organisations such as Premiership Rugby as well as grants and donations which are generated and handled by our fundraising team. The Foundation helps around 3000 youngsters each year. How do you choose which children to help? We recruit students to join our HITZ learning academy via several sources, including our own in-house outreach effort, which includes school visits with our programmes such as ‘Raising the Game’, ‘Project Rugby’ or ‘HITZ on Track’, as well as through multi-agency referrals from local colleges, supported housing units or youth offending teams. With the work we do in and out of schools, we can promote multiple programmes for young people with varying needs and ages. Some of our programmes are aimed at certain age groups due to the nature of the provision, however we are also able to offer access to grassroot sports opportunities including Walcot Warriors and Bath Ladies Mixed ability rugby team where participants of all abilities can join in! How does the HITZ programme work? HITZ is a programme that collaborates both Premiership Rugby and SCL education to create a learning environment for 16–24-year-olds who are at risk of becoming NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training). We work with young adults who have struggled at school due to exclusion from schools or have been unsuccessful at obtaining GCSE qualifications, HITZ runs throughout the country in connection with a handful of premiership teams. We have observed that negative experiences at school can have an impact on their ability to find employment, meaning they are often left out of education or work. HITZ works collaboratively with SCL education to support 16–24-year-olds to gain a qualification in either Employability or BTEC sports, and the chance to re-sit their GCSE’s. The programme prides itself on creating a supportive and empowering

environment for young people to develop the skills they need to re-enter into today’s society with confidence in themselves and their abilities. Why is rugby such a powerful tool in attracting and giving new chances to these vulnerable youngsters? Rugby is inclusive of all ages and abilities; the foundation works with vast numbers of young people from primary school age to adults. With the ability to offer this provision for such a wide group of ages, we see great success in participation. Rugby allows the young people to challenge their energy into sports in a safe and engaging way. In 2017, the Foundation founded the first mixed ability rugby team, (Walcot Warriors) in the south west which welcomes participants with varying needs and abilities the opportunity to be part of a team. The team was created following great interest in the Project Rugby programme, which seeks to introduce players from hard-to-reach areas of our society to the sport and local clubs. Off the back of Walcot Warriors, England’s first female mixed ability rugby team Bath Ladies Team was created. BRF work with different kinds of groups – is this an effective way of maximising the impact of your work? Collaboration is key in producing unthinkable results. We can achieve more by bringing together different ways of thinking. Drawing on more expertise than one organisation can hold on its own. We value the chance for collaborations with schools, charities, and youth community groups because it allows us to extend our reach to those who need us, avoiding any of them slipping through the net and missing out on the provision they deserve. Do you offer access to sports other than rugby? Although rugby is at the heart of what we do, it’s not all we do! Many of our programmes focus on rugby and the core rugby values, however, we see great values in getting involved in other sports too. This year during the HITZ programme we have participated in other sports such as golf, yoga, dancing and boccia, to mention a few! Many of the youngsters you support don’t have a good relationship with schools and learning environments. How do you help them? Sadly, this is very common for or learners on the HITZ programme, we find that most of our referrals come following college dropout or not being successful in obtaining GSCE’s, which can lead to little or no aspirations for the future to continue into employment or training.

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CITY | EDUCATION

Case study: Jasmine Ford

At HITZ we not only offer academic courses in both Sports and Employability, which are both taught through practical sessions within the classrooms, but also enrichment sessions. These provide young people with opportunities to experience different sports and gain life skills such as confidence building and participate in work experience to get an understanding of different vocations they can progress into. We find that there is a wonderful relationship between learners and the team which allows the young people to feel safe enough to let us support them. They can see that the team care and are there to help them grow on their individual journeys. There is great value in participation in sports and we enjoy teaching lessons through sports, and we can use our wonderful facilities to create environments for learning about ourselves and our capabilities. Our learners often refer to HITZ as a family which we believe truly highlights what our provision is to them and what it means for them to be a part of this programme.

Jaz joined HITZ in 2018 following a tough time in both school and college. Before arriving Jaz was ruled by her negative thoughts. She spent a lot of time at home on her own with those thoughts and her mental health was suffering greatly. Jaz has had the bravery to confront her issues, such as her fear of maths which she developed in school. Jaz has not only completed her Level 2 NCFE Diploma in Sport, but she has also just passed her GCSE English obtaining a grade 5! HITZ allowed Jaz to take on her challenges in manageable steps so she could develop at a pace that was right for her. As part of this Jaz has built a positive friendship group around her and learned to believe in herself and manage her negative thoughts. As a result of getting out, socialising, and seeing herself personally develop Jaz’s mental health has improved, and she is a lot happier and more open. She regularly enjoys sport both on her course and in her own time, this is a huge achievement for Jaz who openly admits to not participating in sports as she didn’t enjoy it. She now coaches the Foundation’s mixed ability ladies team and has obtained employment as operations assistant with Bath Rugby Foundation. Mia Suter from Bath Rugby Foundation said, “Jaz is a pivotal member of the team. She presents as a true role model and is extremely caring to all her peers. Jaz has come very far in her journey with HITZ, continuing to work daily on her own challenges and fears.”

How much is the fact that some children feel ostracised and don’t fit in at school a fault of the education system? We believe we want the same things as teachers and schools – success for our young people. What we see is many young people who aren’t catered for by the education system. They need something different. Something schools want to offer but don’t have the resources or time to achieve. That’s why we work so closely with our schools to help them create that offering. As for poverty there are plenty of studies to show that those from financially stable background will most likely achieve more than their disadvantaged peers. What’s more we know that it is strongly linked to their resilience. That's why we specialise in this area. That’s not all. The world has changed so quickly in the last 10 years with the emergence of technology and social media that there are a host of new pressures on the younger generations. Helping them build a stronger sense of identity in a world flooded with imagery of the perfect world allows them to confidently navigate through life. n Find out how you can help change the lives of young people in our community by signing up to Bath Rugby Foundation’s newsletter: bathrugbyfoundation.com Case study: Ryan Mason Ryan joined the HITZ programme 12 months ago following his exclusion from college. He had been disengaged with education the past few years, plagued with consistent behavioural and drug-related issues. When he was excluded, Ryan lost the apprenticeship plan that was part of the course. His first year at HITZ did not go well as his relationship with education had

impacted on his outlook. He said: “I didn’t get on with teachers and I got distracted far too easily. I didn’t like school and that’s what I thought this was going to be like.” Ryan failed his first year as he decided just a few days before the course ended that he would prefer to leave and find a job. He ended up unemployed and out of education. “After a month I realised I needed to do something,” says Ryan. “I had started going out and getting into trouble, messing

around and getting into fights.” However, Bath Rugby Foundation staff had seen Ryan’s potential and refused to give up: “They rang me up and said ‘come back, we can help you’.” Ryan returned with a different outlook and is now an official HITZ Captain – he is positive, motivating, friendly, caring and hardworking, supporting other students on a daily basis and leading by example.

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EDUCATION

EDUCATION NEWS WINNING SHOTS AT MILLFIELD

Millfield’s clay shooting team have enjoyed a successful year, winning every competition they entered. The 35-strong squad won four inter-school fixtures with the final fixture being the Independent Schools National competition held at the prestigious Holland and Holland ground in Northwood, where they beat last year’s winners Strathallen, and also beat Eton, Harrow and Bryanston. The first team won both the overall competition and the flush in which they scored 78 out of 80, receiving a round of applause from the officials. Congratulations to: recent Upper Sixth leaver Myles Cullen (Captain), Lower Sixth Boris Findlay and Year 11 Patrick Salisbury and Ivor Fothergill. The trophies will be presented to the team during the autumn term. The second team came fifth and included Upper Sixth leavers Alex Ware and Spencer Findlay, Lower Sixth Alex Mayman and Year 11 James Hoddinott. millfieldschool.com

NEW HEAD FOR BEECHEN Tim Markall has been appointed the new Headteacher of Beechen Cliff from September, following the retirement of Andrew Davies. Tim has taught at Beechen Cliff for a number of years commencing as a Teacher of Mathematics and most recently in his role as Deputy Headteacher, responsible for the curriculum. During that time he has been a key part of extra-curricular programme running the school tennis teams and has assisted with outdoor education activities and led Sixth Form charity expeditions to Romania. Tim says, “I am proud to be taking on leadership of Beechen Cliff, in what I believe is a really special community of pupils, students and staff. I am committed to ensuring we provide the best possible education for all our pupils and students leading to both exceptional academic outcomes and ensuring all benefit from a wide range of additional extra-curricular opportunities and experiences. The next year will no doubt provide many challenges as we continue to deal with the effects of the pandemic. I am looking forward to supporting our pupils, including their mental health and wellbeing, and rebuilding some aspects of schooling that have been missed over the past 18 months as soon as we are able to do so. beechencliff.org.uk 56 TheBATHMagazine

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ST MARGARET’S PREP NURSERY EXPANDS St Margaret’s Prep in Calne is expanding its Bluebird Nursery to welcome 2-year-olds. From September 2021, following internal refurbishment and the development of a purpose-built Early Years outdoor courtyard, the school’s popular Kindergarten will become The Bluebird Nursery, providing a safe and stimulating environment for younger children to explore and develop. Headmaster, Luke Bromwich said “We have been aware that some families have needed to educate their children in different settings due to the fact we could only accept children from three, but it has been our desire for some time to educate the whole family. Bluebird Nursery offers a great head start to a child’s learning journey. Our fledglings will enjoy Forest School, games and music, all taught by our experienced and caring Early Years staff.” “Play is one of the most important ways in which young children learn and gain essential knowledge and skills and this is at the core of a St Margaret’s education. They love sensory play and the new courtyard will provide endless hours of fun and exploration.” stmargaretsprep.org.uk

NEW ERA FOR HAYESFIELD Hayesfield Girls’ School and Mixed Sixth Form has recently joined the Midsomer Norton Schools Partnership. This is a multiacademy trust which stretches from Bath to Yeovil and encompasses a wide range of schools united in delivering highquality education. Hayesfield’s Headteacher for the last seven years, Emma Yates will remain as Executive Headteacher helping to guide the school into its new phase. She will also lead the Bath Hub of secondary schools, which includes Hayesfield, Beechen Cliff and St. Mark’s, helping all three to work together to deliver outstanding education to over 2,000 students in Bath and beyond. A new Head of School, Phillip White will work alongside Emma Yates to lead the school. Mr White has worked at Hayesfield for 20 years, first as a Head of Year, then as Assistant and Deputy Head and now as Head of School. Miss Yates is also taking on the role of Deputy CEO of the Midsomer Norton Schools Partnership Trust working, alongside CEO Alun Williams, to provide support and challenge to all schools so that their entire community can achieve their best. hayesfield.com

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ALL HALLOWS PREP

BATH COLLEGE

BEECHEN CLIFF SCHOOL

Cranmore Hall, Shepton Mallet, Somerset, BA4 4SF. Tel: 01749 881600 www.allhallowsschool.co.uk Name of principal: Dr Trevor Richards CPsychol Age of pupils: 3 - 13 years Number of pupils: 260 Fee Structure: Nursery £52.50 per day, Day: £2,860 to £5,460 Boarding: £7,345 to £8,420 per term The curriculum: Younger children enjoy an exciting, hands-on, thematic-based curriculum including Forest School in the school’s extensive onsite woodland. Further up the school, the children work towards 13+ CE, or academic scholarship. Creativity is embedded within the curriculum throughout the school, equipping the children with the skills to think critically and to work collaboratively, coming up with solutions to complex problems. Opportunities for creative design, art, music, drama and games are outstanding as demonstrated by the children’s success at Year 8. Sport plays an integral role and we hope to instil a love of taking exercise as part of a healthy lifestyle.

City Centre Campus, Avon Street, Bath BA1 1UP Tel: 01225 328720

Name of headteacher: Mr Tim Markall Somer Valley Campus, Wells Road, Radstock, BA3 3RW www: bathcollege.ac.uk Name of Head: Jayne Davis Age of pupils: 16 - 19 years, Adult Learners Number of pupils: 8,500 Religious denomination: Non denominational The curriculum: At Bath College we offer a range of vocational courses and qualifications. This includes BTECs at Level 1,2&3, Apprenticeships, Traineeships, Higher Education Courses, and the new qualification: T Levels. Furthermore, we offer part time courses, adult community learning and leisure courses. Extra curricular activities: We have a Students Union team that operates across both campuses, providing learners with the opportunity to engage in volunteering, college trips and day-to-day social activities.

Extra curricular activities: Extensive opportunities including Tennis (with links to Team Bath), swimming, Ballet, Creative Design, Speech and Drama and many more Pastoral care: Children learn best when they are happy and so first and foremost, we set out to ensure that our pupils are happy, healthy and well supported to meet the numerous and varied challenges that their childhood will throw at them. Full, weekly and our hugely popular flexi boarding options are available to help parents manage busy lives. Outstanding characteristics: With Dr Richards (a child psychologist as well as an educationalist) at the helm, the school has a clear vision on how best to support the children and prepare them to thrive at their next schools and in the rapidly changing world in which they will live and work, where creativity and resilience will be key. It is an approach which is proving outstandingly successful with 62% of Year 8 pupils gaining a scholarship or award to their senior school over the past three years. 60 TheBATHMagazine

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Kipling Avenue, Bath, BA2 4RE Tel: 01225 480466 www.beechencliff.org.uk

Pastoral Care: Student support is at the heart of Bath College. The is a pro-active Welfare team that are approachable and accessible. All students also have a personal tutor to guide them in their studies and advise them on progression. Outstanding characteristics: Bath College has two campuses: City Centre Campus in Bath and Somer Valley Campus in Westfield. Both of our campuses have unique identities with outstanding facilities. At our City Centre Campus our brand new Institute of Technology centre has recently opened, and the Construction Skills Centre is a highlight of our Somer Valley Campus.

Age of pupils: 11 – 16 boys, 16 – 18 mixed Number of pupils: 1,300 (including 400 in a large mixed Sixth Form) Fee Structure: (Day) None, (Boarding) £11,300 per annum 2019 exam results GCSE % 9-4 (A*-C): 83% A Level % A*-C: 75% Religious denomination: None The curriculum: This high-achieving state day and boarding school offers an exceptional allround education. The ambitious and vibrant academic curriculum of predominantly GCSEs and A Levels includes the Extended Project Qualification and inspirational Super Curricular and Future Horizons programmes. Extra curricular activities: The school’s commitment to the developing and celebrating activities beyond the classroom is legendary. These range from the character developing outdoor challenges (Centurion Challenge, Ten Tors, Three Peaks, Coast-to- Coast cycle ride) to the performing arts (Musical Theatre, Carol Service, Bands Nights, School Concerts). With activities such as the F1 Car Challenge, Warhammer, Code Breaking, Duke of Edinburgh, CCF and Bee Keeping there are opportunities for all. Sport at Beechen Cliff needs no introduction with high levels of participation and both local and national success for our teams. Pastoral care: The pastoral system revolves around the House system. Each student is placed into a tutor group in one of four Houses, which helps to contribute to the Beechen Cliff family atmosphere about which so many visitors comment. There is a commitment to getting to know pupils as individuals and a strong focus on wellbeing, personal development and participation. Outstanding characteristics: Home to the academy programmes of both Southampton FC and Bath Rugby, the school also has a popular boarding house. We are heavily oversubscribed in the lower school and Sixth Form. Beechen Cliff provides an environment where pupils thrive and develop rich and warm memories.

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CALDER HOUSE SCHOOL

DOWNSIDE SCHOOL

Stratton-on-the-Fosse, Radstock, Bath, Somerset, BA3 4RJ Tel: 01761 235103 www.downside.co.uk Name of principal: Mr Andrew Hobbs Age of pupils: 11 - 18 Thickwood Lane, Colerne, Wiltshire, SN14 8BN Tel: 01225 743 566 www.calderhouseschool.co.uk Name of head: Mrs Julie Delahay Age of pupils: 7 - 13 Number of pupils: 48 Fee Structure: £6,500 per term / £19,500 per annum. All remedial support delivered by the school, including that provided by our specialist oneto-one support teachers or recommended by our Speech and Language therapist and/or Consultant Occupational Therapist, is provided at no extra cost. Faith: Non- denominational The Curriculum: Each pupil follows an individual timetable tailor-made to meet the needs of both the child and the National Curriculum. Our average class size is just eight with a staff to pupil ratio of one to four. Outstanding characteristics: Calder House offer a whole-school approach to specialist education – one which delivers a carefully structured programme of one-to-one support, tailored to meet each child's individual needs, within a normal school environment. Ofsted has rated Calder House as OUTSTANDING in every single one of its assessment criteria three times in a row. A typical pupil: spends two years or three years at Calder House; leaves with a reading age appropriate for their chronological age or (in the case of one in three pupils) an adult reading age; returns to mainstream education equipped with the skills needed to thrive.

Number of pupils: 370, Sixth Formers 122 Number of boarders: 76% Fee Structure: (Day) £5,827 - £6,908 per term (Boarding) £8,968 - £12,032 per term 2020 exam results GCSE % 9-4 (A*-C): 98% A Level % A*-C: 94% Religious denomination: Catholic Unique characteristics: The School provides over 100 exciting and engaging co-curricular opportunities, many of which offer outdoor learning in the magnificent rural 500 acre campus. Taking advantage of one of these activities could take your child on a journey that defines the rest of their life, create new friendships, help them to perfect a new skill, and develop their confidence -- such as Ten Tors, Rock Night, CCF and Environmental Group. Pastoral care: Downside are fully committed to providing the best possible pastoral care for each individual pupil. The House communities are at the heart of the School and they are where lasting friendships are made and memories forged. The Houses always have plenty of activities, competitions and social events at weekends and there are numerous trips especially offered to the younger years. There are chances for responsibility and leadership in each year group throughout the School and everyone is encouraged to step out of their comfort zone, enjoy new challenges and embrace a growth mindset. Outstanding characteristics: The school’s aim is for every child to be excited and challenged by the curriculum they will follow. The personal growth and change that occurs by being part of a community with Benedictine values at its centre allows every pupil to feel accepted and valued unconditionally. This means that they can grow and develop in confidence to achieve their best and to support others to do the same. Downside is uncompromising in the pursuit of excellence, in the classroom and out. In 2019, for adding value at A level, Downside was placed second in Somerset and 39th nationally in the DFE performance tables, ranking the value added score in the top 30 independent schools in England. THEBATHMAG.CO.UK

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HAYESFIELD GIRLS’ SCHOOL & MIXED SIXTH

KING EDWARD’S JUNIOR, PREPREP AND NURSERY SCHOOL

KING EDWARD’S SENIOR SCHOOL

Upper Oldfield Park, Brougham Hayes, Bath, BA2 3QU. Tel: 01225 426151 www.hayesfield.com Name of Principal: Ms Emma Yates (Executive Headteacher) Mr Phillip White (Head of School) Age of pupils: 11 - 16 years girls, 16 - 18 years co-educational

King Edward’s Senior School, North Road, Bath BA2 6HU Tel: 01225 464313 www.kesbath.com

Number of pupils: 1,465 Sixth Form pupils: 340 King Edward’s Junior School, North Road, Bath BA2 6JA Tel: 01225 463218

2020 Exam Results GCSE % 9-4 ( A*-C): 93% A Level % A*-C: 95% Fee Structure: N/A Religious denomination: Non-denominational Unique Characteristics: Hayesfield provides an inspirational environment in which girls flourish. Here, all girls experience a strong sense of belonging, enjoy freedom from stereotyping and grow limitless aspirations.

Extra curricular activities: All students participate in the school’s “LEAP” afterschool enrichment programme. There is something for everyone – debating drama, wind band, choirs, Duke of Edinburgh (Bronze, Silver and Gold) as well as a huge range of both competitive and social sports teams. Hayesfield is also very proud of its thriving Navy CCF contingent, which is active and prominent in school life. Pastoral care: There is a strong belief in traditional values at Hayesfield: the school sets high standards of work, conduct and appearance. Emphasis is placed on developing the skills and values that will enable pupils to become thinking, informed and confident young women who will be able to meet the challenges of the 21st Century. Each tutor group belongs to a House, each named after an inspirational woman, which allows students to form friendships across the school community.

Number of pupils: Senior School - 840

Name of Headteachers: Mr Greg Taylor (Junior); Ms Jayne Gilbert (Pre-Prep and Nursery)

Co-ed day school

Number of pupils: Pre-Prep - 90; Junior School - 186 Day fees (per term): Junior School £4,015; Pre-Prep £3,625; Nursery £2,990. Co-ed day school The curriculum: The Pre-Prep and Nursery follows an enhanced version of the Early Years Foundation Stage and the national curriculum and boasts specialist teaching in DT, Art, Music, French and Dance. Pupils also enjoy weekly Forest School sessions. At the Junior School, the children study a broad curriculum, enhanced by a wide and varied enrichment programme. The school has high aspirations for its pupils in all aspects of school life, with a strong emphasis on each individual’s needs and capabilities, to ensure that each child develops into a well-rounded, happy, caring and active participant in society in later life. Co-curricular activities: The Junior School and Prep-Prep co-curricular programme is varied, broad and interesting, creating opportunities for the children to increase their knowledge, to pursue their interests and talents or simply to try something new, helping with each child’s all-round development. Recent enhancements to outdoor facilities include a new all-weather sports pitch at the Junior School. Clubs include: Cookery Club, Animation Club, Jiu Jitsu, Eco Club to name just a few. Outstanding characteristics: Awarded ‘excellent’ in every category in the most recent whole school ISI report. Good Schools Guide noted that ‘KES feels like a happy school’.

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Age of pupils: Senior School: 11 - 18 years

King Edward’s Pre-Prep & Nursery School, Weston Lane, Bath BA1 4AQ Tel: 01225 421681 www.kesbath.com

Age of pupils: 3 - 11 The curriculum: Students achieve exceptional outcomes by studying a traditionally academic curriculum. The vast majority of girls study a language to GCSE and results in the Basics (English and Maths) and English Baccalaureate are always well above national expectations.

Name of Head: Mr Martin Boden

Fee Structure (per term): Senior School £5,075; Sixth Form £5,165

The curriculum: The school has high aspirations for its pupils in all aspects of school life with a strong emphasis on everyone’s needs and abilities, ensuring that each child develops into a well-rounded, happy, caring and active participant in later life. In the Senior School, every young person is encouraged to strive for excellence and to acquire a life-long passion for learning, discovery, adventure, creativity and culture. There is a broad offering in the academic curriculum at both GCSE and A Level. Co-curricular activities: Senior School pupils take part in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, Ten Tors, Combined Cadet Force, sports, drama and music - the latter enjoying partnerships with Bath Abbey and Bath Philharmonia. In addition, there are more than 100 lunch-time and after-school clubs and activities on offer. Pastoral care: The school’s most recent ISI report found the quality of pastoral care to be excellent. This is echoed in The Good Schools Guide which states that that ‘everything is directed toward the well-being of the pupils. No wonder they enjoy their education and do so well in it.' The school offers a strong, caring and supportive pastoral framework, working closely with parents to ensure that all member of the school feel respected and valued. Outstanding characteristics: Awarded ‘excellent’ in the most recent whole school ISI report, with the school’s extra-curricular provision achieving ‘outstanding’. The school has previously been awarded Independent School of the Year for performing arts by Independent School Parent. King Edward’s is ranked as one of the top five independent schools in the southwest for its outstanding A Level and GCSE results in the most recent The Sunday Times Schools Guide, Parent Power survey.

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KINGSWOOD PREP & SENIOR SCHOOL Senior School: Kingswood School, Lansdown Road Bath BA1 5RG Tel: 01225 734200 Prep School: Kingswood Prep School, College Road, Bath, BA1 5SD Tel: 01225 734460 www.kingswood.bath.sch.uk Name of Head: Mr Andrew Gordon-Brown (Senior School Head and Principal of the Kingswood Foundation) Mr Mark Brearey (Prep School) Age of pupils: Prep school: 9 months – 11 years, Senior school 11-18 years Number of pupils: Senior school - 840 Prep - 400 Fees: Nursery fees from £66 per day, Prep day fees from £3,603 per term and Prep boarding fees from £6,795 per term. Senior school day from £5,208 per term, weekly boarding from £8,187 and full-time boarding from £9,371 per term Religious denomination: Methodist/Non denominational The curriculum: Kingswood offers an inclusive, extended family, day and boarding community which is free of pretension and provides academic rigour and real objectives for all pupils. Younger children benefit from learning-friendly classrooms which cultivate curious, confident and independent minds. In the senior school, students develop independent learning skills, securing impressive academic results, with the support of outstanding staff and access to excellent facilities. With a balance of traditional subjects such as Mathematics and Science, Kingswood also embraces contemporary changes in the curriculum, alongside a strong emphasis on Languages, Drama and Art. Extra curricular activities: There are more than 100 extracurricular activities available to pupils during the week and at weekends which means there is something for everyone. The prep school’s Activities Programme focuses on music, drama, sport, design and technology, which ignite a spark in a child, increasing their self-confidence and self-esteem. Senior school options might include outdoor pursuits, Model United Nations (the school hosts a large conference in the Spring each year), fashion and textiles, climbing, script writing or jazz. These activities are the chance to hone skills, or discover new talents which often often becoming life long interests. Kingswood believes that an all round education is vital to prepare young people for life beyond school. Pastoral care: Pastoral care is central to everything staff do at Kingswood Prep and it both supports and defines the School’s holistic approach to education. This child-centred framework drives the motivation to find and celebrate the uniqueness of every individual ensuring that children feel good about themselves, recognise their strengths and constantly develop any areas they find challenging. In the Senior School, Houses are at the heart of the pastoral structure, with staff providing daily support. This was ranked outstanding in the latest report and is highly regarded by parents. Personal tutors mentor and assist with the pupil’s independent learning plan and personal targets and offer support to achieve individual aims. Outstanding characteristics: Kingswood has outstanding teaching staff, a strong sense of community and fantastic extra-curricular opportunities across both the Prep and Senior Schools. Academic achievement takes place in the context of all round personal development. Ambitious and determined, pupils at Kingswood are genuine, with a strong conscience and leave ready to make a meaningful difference to the world. An intelligent and outward looking school that provides excellent value for money and an outstanding education. THEBATHMAG.CO.UK

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MONKTON COMBE SCHOOL

ROYAL HIGH SCHOOL

Monkton Combe, Bath, BA2 7HG Tel: 01225 721133 www.monktoncombeschool.com Name of head: Senior School – Chris Wheeler, Prep School – Catherine Winchcombe Age of pupils: 2 - 18 Fee structure 9 per term): Prep School: Kindergarten: £3,407; Reception: £3,407; Years 1 and 2: £3,504; Years 3-8: (Boarding) £8000 - £8640; (Weekly/flexi boarding) £7650-£7845; (Day) £4,115 - £5,995. Senior School: (Full boarding) £11,370 - £11,670 per term; (Weekly/flexi boarding) £10,315; (Day) £6,960 - £7,315 Faith: Christian The curriculum: Monkton Combe School wants all its pupils to develop lively and enquiring minds. The aim is to excite pupils in their learning environments by providing a broad and balanced curriculum to foster every pupil’s educational development. Lessons are lively and enjoyable as well as rigorous and demanding. Ongoing self-reflection and teacher guidance ensure that pupils see progress in areas where they excel as well as in areas that they find more challenging. Outstanding exam results demonstrate the academic ambition which is inspired by Monkton’s teachers. Extra curricular activities: Monkton isn’t just an all-round school, it is a school committed to all-rounders. Unlike many schools where 10% of children lead on 90% of activities, the school actively seeks and selects those who want to play a game of hockey, then sing with the ‘Choir Who Can’t Sing’, then head off to a play rehearsal before conservation club or fencing. Whatever the choice, the co-curricular activities encourage commitment, inspire curiosity and engender collaboration, skills that will serve students for life. Monkton sees these skills as an extension to the learning which pupils do in their academic pursuits, and encourages them to reflect on how each enriches the other. Pastoral care: Monkton is a small school which allows it to develop excellent relationships and really get to know pupils. There is a strong sense of family and commitment to a vibrant boarding ethos which helps students to feel unconditionally valued. Monkton is a co-educational school, accepting the contention of single-sex schools that boys and girls learn differently, but in place of keeping that separate, they celebrate the opportunity for them to learn from each other. Boarding is the heart of Monkton, creating a unique atmosphere and thriving social scene that brings day pupils and boarders together, both during the week and at the weekends. All pupils are part of a Monkton boarding house which becomes part of the Monkton family. Every Saturday a full programme of trips, sporting and social activities follow morning lessons at both the Prep and Senior Schools. Many day pupils choose to spend all weekend at Monkton and the school offers flexible boarding arrangements to support them. Outstanding characteristics: What is different about Monkton? Aside from the stunning views, outstanding academic exam results and passionate teachers which many schools boast, Monkton focuses on the journey of each individual in a way that is tangibly different. As pioneers in pastoral tracking, Monkton holds true to the belief that self-discovery is the key to success; not only do happy children learn but they also explore their strengths and weaknesses, develop resilience and face challenges with greater strength. The school believes in the power of failure of taking on challenges, accepting this will mean you get some things wrong and become better people because of that. No writing, no booklet, no website will ever capture something so hard to describe; you have to come and meet them yourselves. 64 TheBATHMagazine

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Royal High School Bath, GDST Tel: 01225 313877 www.royalhighbath.gdst.net Name of Head:: Mrs Kate Reynolds Age of pupils: 3 - 18 Number of pupils: 550 Fees: (Per term – 3 term year) Nursery – Year 6 (£3,432-£3,616); Year 7 – Year 13 (£4,661-£4,865); Full Boarding Year 6 – Year 13 (£8,906-£10,762) Religious denomination: Multi faith The curriculum: The stimulating curriculum promotes intellectual rigour, creative enquiry and critical thinking to ensure that girls will lead and shape the world confidently and positively, now and in the future. With excellent academic results, RHS girls become well-educated, well-rounded and wellbalanced, able to navigate a global, multicultural, and technology-driven world successfully. It is the only school in Bath to offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma. Extra curricular activities: RHS girls get involved in just about everything offered on the extensive list of clubs and activities, during lunchtime and after school. Whether it’s fencing or French, swimming or science club, debating or digital photography, the school encourages girls to try something new. They meet challenges, develop passions, have fun and make new groups of friends.. Pastoral care: Pastoral care and academic development go hand in hand. Girls perform best when they are happy and secure, so the caring and supportive community gives girls a real sense of belonging. Student wellbeing is a key priority for Royal High School Bath and the school understands the pressures, uncertainties and challenges moving from childhood to adulthood. The pastoral care aims to nurture and support each student throughout their academic career, making sure every girl has a positive experience. Students have access to in-house counselling provided by a UKCP registered psychotherapist and a MBACP registered counsellor who both specialise in young people, as well as a wellbeing coordinator with her two dogs, who is on hand to listen and support. The Pastoral Hub is a new development for September 2021, which will include 'The Hive', a peaceful area for quiet reflection, and a Contemplation room and quiet study zone. All students from Years 8-11 have their own dedicated common rooms as well. Outstanding characteristics: The school is a mix of day and boarding girls, a happy, thriving community, free from stereotypes. The girls build confidence and high self-esteem, whilst fostering the RHS learner qualities; creative, brave, sparky, inquisitive, collaborative, reflective, underpinned by the core value of kindness. Royal High School Bath is part of The Girls’ Day School Trust (GDST) which has 25 UK schools and academies nationwide. RHS is an innovative, high-achieving school, providing a wonderful environment for girls to excel academically, thrive emotionally and develop socially. The Royal High Prep School is situated in the beautiful grounds of Cranwell. androunds of Cranwell House in Weston, with a dynamic curriculum and opportunities for outdoor learning, which fosters an interest in ecology and conservation. Girls develop a deeper understanding of their studies, to help them see the connections within and between disciplines, to develop a flexible and creative mindset, and to enjoy learning. A great education lays the foundation for life-long learning, through RHS and beyond

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This is an exciting time to join St Mark’s School, a school that has rapidly improved over the last eighteen months since joining the Midsomer Norton Schools’ Partnership, which consists of 28 schools within Bath and Northeast Somerset and neighbouring counties.

As well as benefiting from its involvement with the trust, St Mark’s School works closely with Hayesfield Girls’ School and Beechen Cliff, as part of the Bath Hub. All three schools share good practice so that students achieve their aspirations and personal growth through a high quality curriculum offer and a wide range of exciting and engaging opportunities. Our common goal is to ensure our students have an excellent experience of secondary school. Our young people are able to quickly establish themselves and develop their true identities in a setting where the staff know every child and value their contributions in

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the school and wider community. This helps ensure that our students develop a strong sense of belief in themselves and encourages them to be masters of their own destiny. Our committed team of staﬀ inspire our students through a curriculum that is rigorous, challenging and motivating so that our students ﬁnd joy in learning, and learn to value the commitment they need to thrive and reach their full potential. Come and join us at our open events this autumn. We look forward to being able to welcome you to our aspirational and friendly school community. Contact info@st-marks.org.uk or telephone 01225 312661 for details. www.st-marks.org.uk

Open Evening: Thursday 16th September, 6.30-8.30pm Open Mornings: Wednesday 22nd September, 9-11am and Friday 1st October, 9-11am

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MILLFIELD PREP SCHOOL

OLDFIELD SCHOOL Kelston Road, Bath, BA1 9AB. Tel: 01225 423582 www.oldfieldschool.com Name of Headteacher: Mr Steven Mackay Age of pupils: 11 - 18 years boys and girls Number of pupils: 1,270

Edgarley Hall, Glastonbury Somerset, BA6 8LD www.millfieldschool.com/ Name of principal: Mr Dan Thornburn Age of pupils: 7 - 13 Number of pupils: 442 Fee Structure: Boarding students: (Full and weekly) (Years 3-8) £10,085 per term Day students: Year 3 - £3,825 per term Year 4 - £4,370 per term Year 5 - £4,915 per term Year 6 - £5,465 per term Years 7&8 - £6,615 per term Religious denomination: Although assemblies are Christian, they focus on common ideas and values held by the world’s great religions, and by those of no faith. The Curriculum: English and maths, as well as sciences, humanities and art through the inquiry-based International Primary Curriculum. Other subjects include languages, food technology, design and technology, ICT, music, drama and PE. Extra Curricular Activities: With a broad, balanced sports programme, tailored to the individual, the school prepares children for a lifelong involvement in sport and physical activity, promoting confidence, health and wellbeing. Whether through art, music or drama, the arts instructors enable students to enjoy creative freedom. Pastoral care: Millfield sees the pastoral care and needs of the children as central to their success and personal development. There are four main areas of pastoral care that are provided to every student: Emotional, Social, Intellectual and Physical. Staff, both day and boarding, work together to ensure that every child’s individual needs are met. Outstanding characteristics: The school provides world-class resources, opportunities and teaching for children to discover their brilliance and to achieve their full potential. From the moment they arrive, children develop their character, resilience, relationships, abilities, skills and knowledge. Sports facilities include a 25-metre swimming pool, golf course and equestrian centre. Purpose-built music department with recital hall and newly refurbished assembly hall/theatre. High levels of individual attention are central to achieving the school’s aims. Class sizes rarely exceed 16.

The curriculum: Oldfield has a broad and balanced curriculum delivered through eight learning areas. In Years 7 to 9 the curriculum broadly follows the National Curriculum. Over 25 subjects are offered at A Level and students usually study 10 subjects at GCSE. Extra-curricular activities: The school believes a vibrant and wide-ranging extra-curricular and enrichment programme is an essential part of personal development. Participation is encouraged from all students. Extracurricular activities include the debating society, language clubs, drama, and music clubs. Sports clubs include netball, football, boys’ and girls’ rugby, athletics, dance, crosscountry, badminton, basketball, tennis, and cricket. Residential and day trips are seen as an important part of the students’ educational lives, with trips offered to Barcelona, Paris, Moscow, Belgium, Dorset, and a week-long activities week, with all students participating in a wide variety of activities in this country and abroad. Pastoral care: Seeing students as individual learners and promoting a fully rounded education is at the heart of what the school aims to achieve. Staff work in partnership with students and parents to raise students’ expectations and standards of achievement in a caring, secure and supportive environment. Each student is supported by a tutor who monitors their group attendance, celebrates their achievements and raises any concerns. There is a Year 7 evening in September for parents to meet the tutors and staff. Tutors remain with their tutor groups throughout a student’s time at Oldfield, enabling them to support them through their school life. Outstanding characteristics: An exceptional education in an environment that challenges all students and fosters ambition. Students have respect for themselves, each other and their school and are well-prepared to face the world as compassionate, confident and resilient young people. The behaviour and conduct of students is excellent. Good work and behaviour is recognised and rewarded. The principles underlying this policy are based on respect – for self, for others and for the environment.

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THE PARAGON SCHOOL

PRIOR PARK COLLEGE

SHELDON SCHOOL

Ralph Allen Drive, Bath, BA2 5AH Tel: 01225 835353 Website: www.priorparkcollege.com Name of Headmaster: Mr Ben Horan Age of pupils: 11 - 18 years Number of pupils: 620

Name of principal: Mrs Rosie Allen

Fee Structure: Day, £5,314 - £5,865 per term Weekly boarding, £7,686 - £9,056 per term Full boarding, £8,663 - £10,973 per term International boarding: £9,975 - £11,667 per term

Age of pupils: 3 - 11 years Number of pupils: 250

Religious denomination: Catholic, but all faiths welcome.

Termly fees: per term: Years 5&6 £3,909 per term. Years 3-4 £3,814 per term. Reception to Year 2, £3,428 per term. Squirrels Pre-School full time (5 days term time only) £3,200. Part time information available on request. Fees for all year groups include lunch.

The curriculum: Prior Park College offers a broad but balanced curriculum, allowing every child to find their talent. The College offers 26 A Level subjects while students study 10 or 11 GCSE subjects. The College prides itself on the very strong teacher/student partnerships based on mutual respect and commitment to learning.

Lyncombe House, Lyncombe Vale, BA2 4LT. Tel: 01225 310837, www: paragonschool.co.uk

Religious denomination: Christian The curriculum: Broad, balanced curriculum with exciting topic-based work which is explored across all subject areas. Each child is supported to achieve their full potential academically with 'limitless' opportunities to discover their passions and learning strengths. Sport, art, music and outdoor learning are extremely strong. Extra curricular activities: A fantastic range of extra-curricular activities from sewing and pottery to cricket and African drumming. Staff and external specialist teachers and coaches run over 65 lunchtime and after school clubs. The majority of the clubs focus on enjoyment and exploring new interests. Some of the clubs are by invitation only to provide the children with the opportunity to develop their skill level. There is also a rich mix of school trips and activity days, including a week in France for Year 6 children, a trip to Osmington Bay for Year 5 and a residential to Mill on the Brue for Year 4. Visits are to local historical and educational sites, and many themed days make full use of the school’s grounds. Pastoral care: Every child at The Paragon should feel secure and affirmed, valued for who they are regardless of their ability. Children feel comfortable about approaching a teacher to talk about something that’s bothering them. Strong relationships with parents help identify problems at an early stage. A school council, with democratically elected representatives from Year 3 up, meets monthly with the Head. Outstanding characteristics: The Paragon is a vibrant school, full of fun and energy. Its friendly family atmosphere and belief that happy children learn best, is at the heart of what they do. 68 TheBATHMagazine

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Extra curricular activities: The College has outstanding facilities including a Sports’ Centre, Art and Design Faculty and Sixth Form Centre. An impressive number of music and drama productions are held in the Julian Slade Theatre and John Wood Chapel. Our Daily Activities programme features over 60 activities ranging from CCF to Sci-Fi club. Saturday Active runs throughout term time and offers over 25 courses to choose from, including computer programming, sailing, street dance and golf. Pastoral Care: Prior Park prides itself on its pastoral care, aiming to provide a safe, stimulating and positive environment. It is very much a community that looks out for each other and after each other. Outstanding characteristics: A happy, purposeful, high-achieving community which aims to develop as fully as possible the many talents of each student and providing an education for life.

Hardenhuish Lane, Chippenham, Wiltshire SN14 6HJ Telephone: 01249 766020 www.sheldonschool.co.uk Head of Sixth Form: Mr Eugene Spiers Pupils: 1,696 Sixth Form pupils: 369 Age: 11 - 18 Unique Characteristics: Expectations and aspirations are high and we are committed to developing the young people in our care, whatever their talents. Children of all abilities succeed at this school and are encouraged to develop academically, physically and spiritually, fulfilling their potential in a happy, caring environment. Extra curricular activities: Pupils have a wealth of opportunities available to them, which are provided by staff volunteers and specialist coaches, usually out of school hours. These range from DofE, Ten Tors, sport, drama, music and public speaking opportunities to chess, gardening and knitting clubs. Pastoral care: Year groups are organised into tutor groups under the guidance of the same tutor, head of year and deputy from Year 7 through to Year 11. There are separate tutor groups in the Sixth Form with specialist tutors. Parents have the opportunity to meet the tutor and involve themselves with Parents’ Forums for each year group regularly throughout the year. Outstanding characteristics: Sheldon Sixth Form is justly proud of our consistently strong A level results and wide-ranging Sixth Form package, aimed at developing confident and happy young adults. This includes oneto-one pastoral and subject support.

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ST GREGORY’S, BATH

ST MARGARET’S PREP, CALNE

ST MARK’S SCHOOL

Curzon Street, Calne, Wiltshire, SN11 0DF Tel: 01249 857220 www.stmargaretsprep.org.uk Head: Mr Luke Bromwich Pupils: 180 Age: 2 - 11 years Fee Structure: Nursery – session/funding dependent. Pre-Prep: £3,370/Prep: £4,120-£4,590 Saint Gregory’s, Bath Combe Hay Lane, Odd Down, Bath, BA2 8PA Tel: 01225 832873 www.st-gregorys.org.uk

Religious denomination: Non-denominational

Name of Principal: Ms Ann Cusack Age of pupils: 11 - 18 years Number of pupils: 980 Religious denomination: Catholic The curriculum: Saint Gregory's curriculum encourages students to develop their talents, deepen their knowledge and become motivated, independent learners within a caring Christian setting. High expectations combined with excellent teaching and learning opportunities create an atmosphere that allows students to attain outstanding results. A broad and balanced curriculum with specialisms in Science and the Performing Arts inspire a particularly creative and engaging focus. Extra-curricular activities: Students at Saint Gregory's are encouraged to explore their talents beyond the classroom and through a wide range of sporting and extra curricular activities. Through an engaging enrichment programme students develop a sense of selfawareness, an appreciation for healthy lifetsyles, key employability skills and build lasting friendships through teamwork and a spirit of togetherness and support. With a vast range of opportunities, each and every student has an opportunity to discover their talents and shine. Pastoral care: At Saint Gregory’s, the personal development and well-being of students is paramount with Christian values central to their educational purpose, creating an aspirational, enriching and supportive environment for all. In the day-to-day life of the school, these values are evident in a strong ‘family’ atmosphere and a highly valued House System. Outstanding characteristics: Saint Gregory’s is the only secondary school in B&NES rated ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted in three consecutive inspections making it one of Ofsted’s highest achieving secondary schools locally and nationally. They were recognised once again in 2019, as an ‘Outstanding’ secondary school in their Section 48 Diocesan Inspection, highlighting Saint Gregory’s as a flourishing educational community where every child is valued and encouraged to grow as individuals. 70 TheBATHMagazine

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The curriculum: Children at St Margarets engage in a wide range of carefully planned, meaningful learning experiences designed to promote not only learning but also their personal growth and development. The curriculum is delivered, in the main, by class teachers, all of whom are experts in the relevant ages. This is then enhanced by specialist provision in Sport, Music, Computing, Art and Modern Foreign Languages. Teaching throughout the school is tailored to meet the needs of the individual child and children are encouraged to reflect and evaluate their own learning and with support identify their next steps. Extra-curricular activities: The school offers an extensive range of clubs. Children have the opportunity to participate in a varied and rich programme of extra-curricular activities which is designed to ignite pupils’ curiosity and provide ample time for them to develop positive relationships with their peers. Each child will learn to grow into positive, responsible adults who can work and cooperate with others, whilst at the same time developing their knowledge and skills in order to achieve their true potential. Pastoral care: Every effort is made to ensure that children flourish both in terms of their learning and personal growth. We fully commit to providing a nurturing, safe and supportive environment with a firm sense of belonging and community. Communication between staff, children and parents is both flexible and open, leading to the best possible outcomes for growth and development. Outstanding characteristics: A school with real spirit and energy, which lives each day to the full and brings about a love of learning. We purposefully pack excitement and learning experiences into every moment. The children are thoroughly prepared for entrance examinations to senior schools and St Margaret’s has an impressive record of success in academic and specialist subject scholarships, as well as consistently gaining entry to first-choice schools.

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Bay Tree Road, Larkhall, Bath, BA1 6ND Tel: 01225 312661 www.st-marks.org.uk Name of Principal: Mr Barnaby Ash, BSc (Hons) NPQH Age of pupils: 11 - 18 years Number of pupils: c.500 Day fees: N/A Religious denomination: Church of England The curriculum: The St Mark’s curriculum is rigorous, challenging and motivating so that students find joy in learning, and learn to value the commitment they need to thrive and reach their full potential. St Mark’s believe in the importance of preparing students for the world of work, but more than that, the importance of enabling them to develop the skills and personal qualities to become healthy, resilient individuals - ready to lead fulfilling lives as valued members of society. Students have internal access to the Hayesfield Girls' School and Beechen Cliff Sixth Forms which provide high-quality sixth form education as a platform for future success. Extra curricular activities: The school’s personal development programme includes a wide range of exciting and engaging opportunities for students to extend their learning and enrich their life experiences, in order that they achieve their personal best. Pastoral care: The team at St Mark’s pride themselves on pastoral support and having the highest expectations of our students. Every student has a team around them that works tirelessly to ensure that they build character and support needs. The school actively promotes a compassionate and caring environment in which students can readily turn to the staff, and each other, for support. The school values working in partnership with parents and carers. Outstanding characteristics: St Mark’s is a co-educational secondary school in the heart of Bath. The school promotes self-worth in students to inspire them to live well, achieve their goals and be a force for good both in school and the world beyond. The school’s motto of ‘Let your light shine’ is a reminder to have aspiration, resilience and to value the importance of community. They also have an ethos to work hard at St Mark’s to be the best version of themsleves.

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STONAR

WELLS CATHEDRAL SCHOOL

Cottles Park, Atworth, Wiltshire SN12 8NT Tel: 01225 701740 www.stonarschool.com

The Liberty, Wells, Somerset, BA5 2ST Tel: 01749 834 200 www.wells.cathedral.school

Name of principal: Mr Matthew Way, BSc.Econ. (Hons), PGCE, MEd

Name of Master: Mr Alastair Tighe

Age of pupils: 2 - 18 Number of pupils: Junior school 102; Senior school 295 Fees: Boarders: £8,762 – £11,413 per term; Reception/Prep: £3,071 – £4,147 per term; Senior school: £5,530 – £5,965 per term Religious denomination: Non-denominational The curriculum: Stonar pupils are afforded a high degree of personal attention in a supportive yet challenging environment. They are expected to work hard and to be ambitious in their outlook. Small class sizes and excellent teaching ensures that each pupil is developed in line with their individual strengths and weaknesses. Stonar was in the top 2% of schools in 2020 at GCSE and A Level for value-added, meaning pupils achieve on average up to a grade higher than predicted in all subjects compared with pupils of the same ability at other schools. Pupils gain confidence in their strengths, acquire life-long learning skills and are expected to get involved in all aspects of school life. Extra curricular activities: Through the huge range of extra curricular activities on offer in the 80 acre campus pupils discover their own interests and talents and learn to respect and celebrate those of others. An array of clubs at lunchtime and after lessons enrich the experience at Stonar and academic work is enhanced by subject specific trips. Forty percent of Stonar pupils ride at our British Horse Society approved equestrian centre, which offers outstanding onsite facilities including stabling, indoor and outdoor schools and a cross country schooling field. Pastoral care: Pupils, parents and teachers alike often describe Stonar as a family. As a small school each pupil is known individually. A nurturing ethos is integral to the school, backed up by an outstanding and robust pastoral structure that ensures the very best care for every child. Stretched and inspired by everything they experience at Stonar, pupils develop into confident and outgoing young adults. Outstanding characteristics: Stonar is proud to be part of the Globeducate Education Group, which consists of over 60 schools around the world. As a result pupils attending Stonar benefit from developing a global outlook that will be essential for the world in which they will live and work. Through its partnerships with the schools in the group, pupils engage in a wide range of academic and cultural events that allow them to work alongside peers of other nationalities and forge long-term connections and friendships. Stonar is fully co-educational and applications are welcomed from both boys and girls for all years. 72 TheBATHMagazine

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Age of pupils: 2 - 18 Number of pupils: 700. 200 sixth form pupils; 290 boarders Fee Structure: Junior School Day fees: from £2,770 per term; Junior School Boarding fees: from £8,502 per term. Senior School Day fees: from £6,436 day per term; Senior School Boarding fees: from £10,738 per term Faith: Christian. All faiths welcome Exam Results 2020 GCSE: 9-4 = 97% A Level: A* – C = 90% The curriculum: Wells Cathedral School provides an innovative and bold curriculum with an Integrated Arts Programme, Modern Foreign Languages, STEM, a Specialist Music Scheme and a Specialist Maths Scheme. Around one quarter of Senior School pupils are specialist musicians, however, it’s unique in being the only specialist music school in the world to be situated within the context of an all-round school, meaning that pupils benefit from “the best of both worlds.” Co-curricular: Sport is an integral part of school life and they encourage pupils of all abilities to take part. They offer over 15 sport options and are proud to have the best cricket grounds in Somerset. The drama department has built a reputation for ambitious productions (one was attended by Sir Cameron Mackintosh!). Art flourishes with regular exhibitions in Cedars Hall, and CCF has over 200 cadets. A recent ISI report noted “The quality of pupils development is excellent.” The school won the Independent School of The Year Award for Performing Arts in 2020 and has also been shortlisted for Co-ed School of The Year 2021. Pastoral care: Wells aims to provide all pupils with a family environment within a kind and caring community where they can be happy, healthy and, most importantly, who they are. With the mixed day and boarding houses situated in the heart of the school, this warm atmosphere extends into the day-to-day life of every pupil making Wells not just a school but a home. The Good Schools Guide 2020 noted “Pastoral care was voted outstanding by all we spoke to.” Outstanding characteristics: There is a strong sense of family, acceptance and kindness at the school that makes it a very special place in which to live and learn. Wells encourages every pupil to be curious and open-minded. Their core values of Creativity, Aspiration, Responsibility and Endeavour, (CARE) represents the most important thing of all – that we all take care of each other, and that we are kind to each other.

SCHOOL OPEN DAYS September Dates Beechen Cliff School www.beechencliff.org.uk Prospective Parents Evening - Tuesday 14 Sept. 6.00pm -8.00pm Open Morning - Thursday 23 Sept. 9.00am - 12.00 noon

Hayesﬁeld School www.hayesfield.com Open Evening - Tuesday 14 Sept. 5.45pm - 8.30pm Open Morning - Friday 17 Sept. 9.15am - 12.00 noon

Kingswood School www.kingswood.bath.sch.uk Prep School Open Morning - Tuesday 21 Sept. 10.100am- 12 noon Sixth Form Open Evening - Thursday 23 Sept. 6.30pm - 9.00pm Senior School Open Morning - Saturday 25 Sept. 9.00am - 12 noon

Oldﬁeld School Open Mornings - Friday 24 & Monday 27 Sept. 9.00am - 10.30am Open Evening - Wednesday 22 Sept. 6.00pm - 8.30pm

Prior Park College www.priorparkcollege.com Main Open Morning - Saturday 18 Sept. Sixth Form Information Evening - Tuesday 28 Sept

Sheldon School www.sheldonschool.co.uk Open Evening - Thursday 16 Sept. Open Days - Monday 20, Tuesday 21, Wednesday 22 Sept.

St. Gregory’s School www.st-gregorys.org.uk Open Evening - Thursday 16 Sept. Open Morning - Tuesday 28 Sept.

St. Mark’s School www.st-marks.org.uk Open Evening - Thursday 16 Sept. 6.30pm - 8.30pm Open Morning - Wednesday 22 Sept. 9.00am - 11.00am

Stonar www.stonarschool.com Reception Open Day - Wednesday 15 Sept. Senior Open Day - Saturday 25 Sept.

The Paragon School www.paragonschool.co.uk Whole School Open Day - Friday 24 Sept. 9.30 - 12 noon

The Royal High School www.royalhighbath.gdst.net Sixth Form Open Evening - Wednesday 22 Sept. 6.00pm - 7.30pm

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EDUCATION

Strategy for sustainability

Mike Randall, Deputy Head at Downside School, takes stock of the need for sustainable living and offers some practical ideas that we can all use in our everyday lives that will make a real difference

Big little ideas • Recycle waste instead of throwing it in the bin, and put leftover food in the compost bin in house. The First Form measured the waste from the Refectory and found that nearly 10kg of food was wasted from one sitting! • Use public transport, cycle and walk whenever possible. Do you need to be driven, can you organise car-pooling, where you share a car with your friends or family? • Insulation: invest in double-glazing, and better wall and loft insulation, which will mean less energy will be lost in heating; it will also save money on the bills. • Buy fuel-efficient machines and buy hybrid cars if you can. When using the washing machine, turn it down to a 30degree cycle. And when replacing the boiler, try and switch to a fuel-efficient one. • Eat less meat, particularly beef. Huge swathes of rainforest are cut down every day to make grazing space for cattle; these cattle then consume vast amounts of food and pass out tonnes of methane (a potent greenhouse gas) before they are slaughtered. Then they are transported to arrive in our supermarkets. The whole process is carbon-intensive and wasteful. You don’t have to go vegetarian; just cut down on meat to once a week, and drink less milk.

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We are all going to have to make adjustments to our lifestyles to cut down on our consumption

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ustainability is about the future. Living sustainably means making small sacrifices now, for the sake of the people who are going to live on our planet in the future. As a civilisation, our current way of life is, in many ways, unsustainable. We cannot continue in the way we are now. We are dependent on fossil fuels, which will run out; we produce more carbon dioxide than the natural carbon cycle of our planet can support, leading to climate change; and we produce and distribute food so there are stark inequalities in different parts of the world that lead to food wastage, an obesity crisis in some areas and starvation in others. Sustainable development looks for solutions to these environmental concerns – at heart this is about seeking fairness across the generations, so that future generations have access to the same resources as we do. It also encompasses the idea of spreading out our resources now more fairly between different countries. The UN points to three differing strands to sustainable development: economic development, social development, and environmental protection. The Pope has also written about the Catholic Church’s response to this in Laudato Si’ and how we as a Catholic community should respond. How can such an ambitious project be realised? Obviously, this issue can only be solved on an international, political scale. But personal choices can have a huge impact. The youngest pupils in our Downside School community, the First Form, undertook a week of activities looking at the future of food, and Mr Hobbs and I had the pleasure of listening to what they have learnt and their ‘Big Little Ideas’. Every member of this community

and every member of the community of humanity has a responsibility to think about what they can do, too. The box here has some of the big little ideas you can adjust in your everyday life which will cut down your carbon use. Some of our pupils also join the St Francis community in the School. This community looks at ways pupils can have a positive impact on sustainability and have a voice in the school strategy for sustainability. Another idea is to campaign and write to your MP. You could also calculate your own ‘carbon footprint’ on a carbon calculator (you can do this online), and start to work on bringing that footprint down. You could also look at ‘carbon offsetting’ flights and high-carbon activities. If they can’t be avoided, you pay to have the carbon you produce ‘offset’ by planting a tree elsewhere. As a school, we are developing a sustainability strategy to reduce our carbon footprint and to improve our sustainability. We committed to zero single use plastics in the school two years ago and achieved this before Covid meant we had to reintroduce them. We will ensure this commitment is restored as soon as we can. We have introduced compost bins in the Houses to recycle food waste and we are working with our caterers to reduce food miles and make the menus more sustainable. Our most difficult challenge is that of reducing our energy usage. The older buildings at Downside were not built with energy efficiency in mind. We are working with Historic England to find ways to insulate the Grade II listed buildings better to reduce energy wastage. We are all going to have to make adjustments to our lifestyles to cut down on our consumption. They’re small sacrifices, but the good they will do for the environment, and our fellow human beings in the long term, make them worthwhile. And they’re sacrifices that will save you money and make you feel healthier – so not all that bad! ■ downside.co.uk

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Nick Meads, surfing at The Wave Bristol following his hip surgery.

HIP TIDE When pain prevents you from doing the activities you love, it’s a sign you should seek medical advice. For an amateur surfer from Almondsbury, this was his motivation to undergo hip surgery at Nuffield Health Bristol Hospital, and nine months later, he’s back on his surfboard.

hen Nick Meads, 56, first began experiencing severe back pain a few years ago, he initially assumed – as many of us would – that he simply had a bad back. Father-of-three Nick is a keen sportsman, who enjoys surfing and competing in triathlons, but the constant pain meant that he was no longer able to take part without painkillers. He was struggling to walk, he wasn’t sleeping, and over the course of around five years, his pain got progressively worse. As Nick says, “I just got fed up, because I couldn’t do anything I loved doing.” Last summer, during a family holiday to Portugal, Nick was finally convinced that something needed to be done. He says: "I was running about on the beach with the kids and felt crippled. They’re older now, so were just giving me grief, but my wife, Charlotte, who’s a physiotherapist, saw the pain I was in and told me I couldn’t go on like that. I also spoke to my brother, who’d recently had a hip operation. We were comparing notes about our pain, and everything he described matched what I had.”

Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, Mr Stephen Eastaugh-Waring

It was at that point Nick realised it perhaps wasn’t his back that was the problem, but rather an issue with his hip. Nick booked an appointment to see Mr Stephen Eastaugh-Waring, a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon at Nuffield Health Bristol Hospital, whose specialties include the treatment of sports-related hip conditions. During their consultation, the benefits of both a hip replacement and hip resurfacing surgery were discussed, and due to Nick’s love of extreme sports, it was decided that hip resurfacing would be the better option. Hip resurfacing is a relatively new procedure for treating hip pain and hip osteoarthritis that, as the name implies, provides a new surface for the ball and socket that make up the hip joint. During surgery, the damaged surfaces of the femur head (ball of the thighbone) and the acetabulum (socket in your pelvis) are reshaped and replaced with a cover. Mr Eastaugh-Waring explains: “Hip resurfacing has been popularised by Andy Murray, but it isn’t suitable for everyone. According to the National Joint Registry, younger and middle-aged, active males are the particular patient group who do best with this procedure, and because Nick is a very keen surfer, he benefits from the large bearing size which helps prevent dislocation.” Nick had his surgery last November, and describes himself as “gob-smacked” by how quickly he felt the difference. “Compared to what it was like before, I was completely pain-free," he says. “Going down the stairs was just a joy, and within two weeks I was walking without needing to use crutches. “Having hip surgery was a bit scary, but

the hospital team were brilliant, and very reassuring. Mr Eastaugh-Waring was absolutely fantastic, the physios I saw were excellent, and the nurses were amazing.” After three months, Nick was able to take what he calls “some good walks” with the family’s pet dog, and at six months, when he’d been advised by Mr Eastaugh-Waring that he would be able to do a bit more exercise, he cycled 110 miles. “It’s as if I’ve never had a bad hip,” he says. Obviously wanting to get back to surfing, Nick also booked some sessions at The Wave, the inland-surfing destination just outside Bristol. He explains, “I can focus on pushing myself a lot harder, which is great, and also, rather than being a ‘mediocre dad’ at surfing and other sports, I can start kicking my sons’ butts. They were taking the Mick before, saying they could easily catch up with me, but now, I can start challenging them again – even at my ripe old age!” If you’ve been experiencing any form of joint pain and would like to book an appointment with a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon at Nuffield Health Bristol Hospital, call 0117 911 5339, or visit our website: www.nuffieldhealth.com/hospitals/bristol.

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Nuffield Health Bristol Hospital 3 Clifton Hill, Bristol BS8 1BN nuffieldhealth.com/hospitals/bristol

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“The College of Naturopathic Medicine gave me a purpose” Carli-Louan Foster, CNM Nutritional Therapy Graduate

Life is too short to be stressed and miserable – take action before it’s too late, especially if it’s impacting your health. My career led to chronic stress. I worked for a FTSE 100 company and did project work with the Head of Corporate Social Responsibility, who had trained at one of the Big 4. Her success inspired me and I went on to work in a series of demanding, intense roles in the financial sector. This was the start of my chronic stress, working long hours with no work-life balance. I hit breaking point, running on adrenaline, not eating properly and experiencing chest pains. My wakeup call was when someone asked me what I wanted my legacy to be. I used exercise to help cope with stress. My trainer (a graduate from the College of Naturopathic Medicine – CNM) ran an event on Nutrition which I attended, and that was it, I was hooked. I’ve always been interested

in health but at that point I was exhausted, stressed, my hair was thinning and I was still struggling with acne and a hormone imbalance. Attending the event and working with my trainer transformed my health and my perspective on life. I realised the damage I was doing and that I had a huge desire to help other people. CNM was my turning point. The college was familiar to me as I knew quite a few people who had studied or were studying there so I decided to join. The clinical experience, observing and working with clients was fascinating, emotionally intense and fulfilling. It challenged me, pushed me outside of my comfort zone and gave me an incredible sense of meaning and purpose. I have “the ability to live my dreams” which is my favourite definition of health from Moshi Feldenkrais. I want my legacy to be helping other people live their dreams. The CNM course emphasises the need to tackle the root cause of symptoms, which is what I needed to do with my stress – I was in the wrong career that didn’t align with my core values. I feel so happy that I’m now on a path where I’m excited to get up in the morning and make a difference to someone’s health and wellbeing, I feel like a new person!

Free CNM Lecture Scan the QR code No 1 training provider for Natural Therapies

Visit www.cnmcourses.com or call 01342 777 747

Geoff Don

I use my knowledge from CNM to build a healthy foundation for myself. Recently I used this knowledge to prepare my body for having a baby and I managed to fall pregnant pretty much straight away at 37 and now have a beautiful, healthy baby girl at the end of a great pregnancy. I’m now planning to specialise in female health and fertility doing what I love.

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WELLBEING | RECIPE

A healthy kickstart to your day The wellbeing smoothie

HeidiReiki

By Dani Clarke, Nutritionist at The Bath Alchemist

The Soul Spa – Wellness Weekend I am Heidi Lerner Rearden of HeidiReiki. I have been studying and practicing healing for over 30 years, through Buddhism, Reiki and Feng Shui and have worked with hundreds of people to harmonise and restore to well-being their lives and environments. I look forward to sharing several of the principle ideas of Reiki and Feng Shui with you.

Live Vinegar Green Smoothie A healthy smoothie with The Bath Alchemist's Live Vinegar Wellness Tonics are a great way to jumpstart your day, reduce bloat, gain energy and improve digestion. Visit The Bath Alchemist’s website for more details.

Ingredients: 1 cup frozen spinach ¼ avocado frozen or fresh ½ apple cored and quartered ½ cup frozen or fresh bananas 1 tbsp flax seeds or chia seeds 1 stalk chopped celery 1 tbsp N°2 Apple Cider Vinegar Wellness Tonic 1 tbsp fresh mint 1 inch sliced ginger root, peeled 1 cup of almond milk ½ cup of filtered water

Directions: Place all ingredients into blender and blend until smooth – I like to use a NutriBullet but a simple blender would suffice. Enjoy and feel good. Visit The Bath Alchemist's website for more great recipe ideas and to buy Live Apple Cider Vinegar Wellness Tonics.

thebathalchemist.com

Saturday September 18th 2021 12 noon-1pm - The Zen Den Talk – Feng Shui and Reiki (10 places) An introduction to the energetic healing practices of Reiki and Feng Shui. Though these are usually thought of as separate and distinct practises, they share the same principles of balancing energy to heal people and animals - Reiki - and the spaces in which they exist - Feng Shui - and therefore complement each other beautifully. I can enable you to harmonize your living spaces and bridge the ‘oneness of self and environment’ for a happy and harmonious life.

Saturday September 12th 2021 Reiki taster sessions 14:30-15:30 - Body Zone (3 sessions offered in the hour) Would you like to experience calming Reiki healing energy? I’m looking forward to sharing one-to-one taster sessions of Reiki with you. This restorative energy is passed through the practitioner and into the main energy points of the person receiving the Reiki, promoting healing and often leading to deep relaxation and a calm, peaceful sense of wellbeing.

Sunday September 13th 2021 Group Reiki chakra balance and meditation 12-13:00 - Quantum Field (8 places) An hour of guided meditation for your chakras - the 7 main energy sources - helping to bring balance and calm to your body, emotions and higher self. Included will be Reiki for your heart chakra and aura balancing.

to book Heidi Rearden heidi@heidireiki.com | www.heidireiki.com 07776 255875

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THE | WALK

Bushcombe Bottom and Whitecliff Down

On Cold Kitchen Hill

Looking eastward over Woodcombe Bottom

On the hill of the wizard

Andrew Swift sets his sights on the chalk country in the Deverill vallery – he finds a beacon, old quarries, far-reaching views, encompassing silence and a sense of complete isolation

his month’s walk explores the lonely hills above the Deverill valley in south-west Wiltshire. This is chalk country par excellence, with vertiginous amphitheatres scooped out of the rolling downs and glorious views in every direction. Yet, while it is just as spectacular as far better known Wiltshire downlands, hardly anyone goes there. When I visited, on a calm, dry day in high summer, on an eight-mile walk I saw only six people – two walkers with walking poles, two local dog walkers, a farmer on a quad bike and a man working in a barn. A lack of walkers means that tracks and footpaths not used by those who work on the land tend to disappear, and at several points there was no indication – apart from a dotted line on an OS map – where I should walk. Combined with a lack of waymarks, this posed something of a challenge, and walking these downs without a map would be all but impossible. Two other caveats – to come up with a circular walk I had to drop down a steep and slippery path and follow low-lying, overgrown and muddy green lanes swarming with insects before heading back uphill. Now that summer’s tipped into autumn, the insects should be a good deal less bothersome, but it’s something to bear in mind. Those hindrances aside, this walk is likely to linger long in the memory for all the right reasons – superb, brooding countryside with spectacular views, and, despite being less than 45 minutes drive from Bath, a feeling of almost impossible remoteness. To get there, head south along the A36, and after 19 miles, turn right at a roundabout onto the A350. After 1.8 miles, in the village of Longbridge Deverill, turn right along the B3095, which winds through a string of little villages – Hill Deverill, Brixton Deverill, Monkton Deverill – each sleepier than the last. After three miles, when you come to Kingston Deverill, turn right along a road with a signpost for Maiden Bradley and after 250m you should find space to park on the left (ST846373; BA12 7ES). From here, walk along the lane in the same direction and turn right at a T junction with a sign warning of a ford. After 150m, turn left up 80 THeBATHMagazine

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a footpath and go through a six-bar gate. Walk uphill beside a fence, but, after 75m, when the fence curves left, bear right diagonally up a grassy track. When this forks, head left uphill. The track soon becomes indistinguishable, but if you head due north you should, after 400m or so, see a lone hawthorn in the fence ahead (ST849380). Go through a handgate beside it and turn left along a stony track. Before long, a beacon comes into view ahead. Known as the Jubilee Beacon, it is one of a chain stretching across the country, which are lit to celebrate royal jubilees and other historic occasions. As you carry on past the beacon, you will, on a clear day, see Alfred’s Tower, over six miles away on the horizon. After 850m, when the stony track curves right (ST834385), don’t follow it but continue on across Whitecliff Down for another 800m, before following the fence as it curves right. After 200m, just before a gateway, turn right to follow a bridleway sign (ST826390). There is a brief opportunity to take in the marvellous panorama eastward over Woodcombe Bottom before turning left to follow a bridleway sign into Bidcombe Wood. The track through the woods is likely to be muddy, and, after going through a gate and starting to drop steeply downhill, it may be slippery as well. Further down, it turns into a holloway, with old quarries on the left. Go through a gate at the bottom and turn right to follow a byway sign past a memorial stone. Once again, there is no discernible track here, and, as you go through a handgate, there is no waymark either – only a sign asking you to keep to the footpath as shooting may be in progress. If you stick close to the edge of the wood for the next 1000m, however, you will come to some pines on the left (ST842398). Bear left, keeping to the right of the pines, and, when you reach the north side of the field, turn right alongside the hedgerow. At the end of the field, go through a gap in the hedge to carry on through an overgrown strip of land which old maps show as a green lane. Carry on in the same direction to emerge onto a farm track, and, after 750m, you will pass Rye Hill Farm – the home of Wessex

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THE | WALK

when a Roman temple was excavated here, a large cache of brooches and votive objects was discovered. Today, Cold Kitchen Hill is deserted and, on a calm day, the silence is almost absolute. There are far-reaching views in every direction, but, although the town of Frome can just be glimpsed, seven miles to the north, closer to hand lie only a few scattered buildings and there is not even the sound – or sight – of distant traffic. Carry on towards the Jubilee Beacon, turn left and, after 750m, turn right through the handgate you came through earlier to retrace your steps down to the starting point. n

Looking north east from Cold Kitchen Hill

Brewery – on your left. Continue along the green and rocky lane for another 1000m, and turn right when you come to a crosspath (ST 858402). This is another green lane, which soon starts to climb through woodland, before leading through a seven-bar gate. Carry on in the same direction for another 750m, and, when you come to a farm, turn right past barns to climb a steep and stony track to Brims Down. When you reach the crest of the hill, where a bridleway crosses the track, turn left along it (ST853391). Looking westward as you continue to climb, there is a superb view across Bushcombe Bottom to the slopes of Whitecliff Down. After 675m, when you come to a barn and a choice of tracks, follow a bridleway waymark to head straight on uphill, with the skyline dominated by a monumental long barrow – 70m long and dating back over five thousand years. After passing it, you come to the trig point on Cold Kitchen Hill. Its name is said to derive from the Celtic Col Cruachen, or Hill of the Wizard, and there is evidence that there was a substantial settlement here from the early Iron Age through to Roman times. In the 1920s,

THE

KI TC HEN PAR TNER S DESIGN STUDIO

Fact file

n Distance: 8 miles

n Approx time: 4–5 hours n No facilities on route; carrying a supply of water is essential n Level of challenge: Stiff climbs, rough, stony tracks and muddy stretches; one downhill section which may be slippery n Map: OS Explorer 143

More on the details of this and many more walks can be found in Andrew Swift’s Country Walks from Bath, published by Akeman Press; akemanpress.com.

www.thekitchenpartners.co.uk 102 Whiteladies Road, Clifton, Bristol BS8 2QY 01179 466433

Founders and Lead Designers - Fiona & Clinton

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CITY | INTERIORS

Gable wallpaper by Farrow & Ball

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CITY | INTERIORS

Dark havens

The darkness is back, discovers Emma Clegg. But it’s all good because light and bright just can’t give you a brooding atmosphere in the same way as a resonant, rich interior can, and the palette therein is extensive...

f you lived in the Dark Ages, a sombre interior with wood panelling, practical furniture and stone slabs (if you were lucky) for the floor was probably your go-to. Rural peasants formed 90% of the population back then and they lived life on the edge – working the land, with a limited diet and meagre comforts – so they dwelled in dark interiors with small windows and a pervading smell of candlewax. The Gothic style in the 12th century also wallowed in darkness, a more conscious design decision, with the heavy use of ornate decorations and deep rich colours, but even then there was an emphasis on vertical elements and natural light. Then colour hit and – apart from a few brief monochrome blips starting with 1920s Art Deco – it’s mostly been the star of the interior design show since. The 18th-century interior certainly became obsessed with ventilation, light and air circulation, and the preference for whitewashed walls and lighter colours embedded their roots in the interior psyche. The Victorian interior became darker and cluttered, but now we’ve purged, revamped and reinvented these ubiquitous period homes with stripped boards, airy extensions, sliding glass doors and Velux windows. Now of course our interiors fulfil our practical needs on every level, and they are also a personal and conscious choice – they embody our sense of self and we can flip with nonchalance from minimalism with clean lines and neutral tones to eclectic interiors in vibrant colours at the roll-out of a new paint shade or a pair of organic hemp curtains. So here’s another arrow in your interior design quiver because

Dulux Brave Ground paint, from £19.24; dulux.co.uk

the brooding darkness is back. It’s time to steer ourselves away from lights and brights, or at least dabble in the dark side. The fashion for darks is perhaps a reflection of a more serious, inwardlooking and protective national perspective. But let’s sweep over the psychology and revel in the dramatic impact. Sometimes it just makes sense; a small dark space cannot be made into a bright, reflective interior if it has limited natural light, and a dark backdrop can make other colours more vibrant, give pictures more resonance and a room more depth. We are conditioned to respect the natural characteristics of a room and primed to use a colour palette to enhance these – warm colours in north-facing rooms, bright reflective colours in southfacing rooms. Yet followers of the moody interior such as tastemaker and designer Abigail Ahern, known for her signature dark paint ranges, says that inky hues will give any space, wherever it’s located and in whatever direction it’s facing, an instant Hitchcockian atmosphere. “When you go dark, you suddenly create this vibe that almost exaggerates cosiness; you just want to hunker down and never want to leave”, she says. The garden’s up for grabs, too, with a dark exterior wall the perfect foil for green foliage and floral colour or a statement metal chair or table. Bring it on. Think of the bruised colours around black, but also earthy hues, inky blues, dusky shades, pepperpot greys, smudgey purples, brooding greens – there’s a world of colour within a dark palette. See overleaf for more dark interiors drama...

Little Greene black Intelligent Exterior Eggshell paint, from £36; littlegreene.com

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CITY | INTERIORS

Tabac Paint by Zoﬀany, from £52, F&P Interiors: fabricsandpapers.com

Putty paint by Abigail Ahern, from £42; abigailahern.com

Forge Graphite Porcelain by Mandarin Stone, from £34.80 m2

Leopard Walk (The Ardmore Collection) by Cole & Son, £107; cole-and-son.com

Regency Tulip Wallpaper in Jade by Liberty, £110; libertylondon.com

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CLAVA DINE UMAGE, DENMARK

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

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GARDENING

Blaze of glory

If you keep on top of some basic maintenance and choose your plants carefully, you can stretch out the season and keep the colour coming well into autumn, says Elly West

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❝

Dahlias, heleniums, hemerocallis, sedum, rudbeckia and crocosmia are high on my list for keeping the season going for longer

❝

he end of summer can be a tricky time in the garden. The soil can be dry, many plants are past their best, flowers are fizzling out and leaves are starting to die back. Most gardens are at their best in May and June, so keeping the show going into September can be a challenge. But if you keep on top of basic maintenance and choose your plants carefully, you can stretch out the season and keep the colour coming well into autumn. Year-round interest is on most people’s wish lists when it comes to their gardens, and while we can be forgiven for a sparser garden in winter, September often brings long, sultry days when we want to sit outside and relax, and enjoy the fruits of our labours before autumn chills fully set in. When planning a border, I like to include a backbone of shrubs and grasses, including evergreens, that will provide structure and something to look at all year, with perennials and bulbs grown in swathes in between for colour and seasonal change. As a rough guide, if you think in terms of each season needing at least a quarter of the plants ‘doing something’, it helps to avoid bleak gaps with nothing new to see. Late summer perennials are often found in warm, fiery tones of oranges, yellows and reds, providing a vibrant display right when it’s needed. Dahlias, heleniums, hemerocallis, sedum, rudbeckia and crocosmia are high on my list for keeping the season going for longer. If you prefer softer pastel shades, then Japanese anemones have a more airy feel. Then there are the long-flowering stalwarts such as Mexican daisies (Erigeron karvinskianus) in cheerful pinks and whites, and hardy Geranium ‘Rozanne’ in mauve, that will have started flowering in May and will keep on going until the first frosts.

It’s also possible to get a second innings from many earlier flowering perennials if you cut them back hard when they start to fade in the summer. Salvias, penstemon, some roses, nepeta and achilleas can all go on to give a further flush after you’ve cut them back. I often find inspiration when I’m out and about visiting gardens, and the Hauser and Wirth garden in Bruton is a good one if you need ideas for late summer. Originally designed by Piet Oudolf, it has plenty of grasses planted in swathes to create movement and texture in rich autumnal shades of brown, beige and gold. Most ornamental grasses flower in late summer and autumn so their seed heads add extra interest and often last well into winter. Or if you’re looking for more colour, then the University of Bristol Botanic Garden’s hot borders are a great starting point. For the ultimate in inspiration, this month sees the very first autumnal RHS Chelsea Flower Show in its 108-year history. Last year it was cancelled, and this year the decision was made to move it from its usual

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GARDENING slot at the end of May, so we’ll see very different types of plants taking centre stage. The usual irises, verbascums, lupins, foxgloves and alliums will be usurped by a whole new palette and I can’t wait to see how designers and growers cope with the challenges and bring a new vibe to what is usually a late-spring affair. Yeo Valley Organic Garden will have its first ever Main Avenue show garden at this year’s Chelsea, designed by Tom Massey, alongside garden owner Sarah Mead. I visited earlier in the year to see how the preparations were going. “We were all ready to go last year, but then things obviously came to a halt,” says Sarah. “Late summer is actually quite a good time for us here, we already have lots of seasonal interest and the Chelsea Garden will be a direct representation of this garden. There will be dahlias, cosmos and crocosmias, and also grasses and ferns. We’ll use a lot of the same plants that we were planning to use last year, but the hedges will have fruits instead of flowers for example. “The colour scheme is zingier and the planting plans have changed, but it will still be super-naturalistic and pollinator friendly. There’s quite a woodlandy feel with birches and ferns, also cephalaria, crataegus, guelder rose and scabious.” The overall aim of the show garden is to promote good soil and organic gardening, but Sarah is very much about providing the ideas and letting people take away from it what they want to – rather than preaching what to do with unrealistic expectations. “Going totally organic can be overwhelming, and it’s not practical to expect people to change everything at once. We do what we can do, and people can hopefully take a piece of that away with them,” she says. The garden also promises elements of fun, with laser lights for when the sun goes down, plus an egg-shaped pod made from steambent oak hanging over water. This will be relocated to the Yeo Valley Organic Garden near Blagdon when the show is over. For opening times and to book, visit yeovalley.co.uk n

Plant of the month: Anemanthele lessoniana Also known as pheasant’s tail grass, this ornamental evergreen is great for adding movement and structure to a border all through the seasons, with its arching, graceful habit and strappy leaves in shades of green, orange and gold. In late summer the flower heads appear in feathery sprays and the leaves take on more red-orange tones. Plants prefer a sunny spot and well-drained soil, but also grow well in partial shade. Grow them in swathes through a large border, or dotted around a gravel garden. Comb out dead leaves in spring to make way for fresh new growth. If they start to look a bit straw-like after a few seasons, the whole plant can be cut back in spring or summer. This grass self-seeds readily, but the new seedlings are easy to pull out where they’re not wanted.

• ellyswellies.co.uk; Instagram: @ellyswellies1

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the directory

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to advertise in this section call 01225 424 499

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House & Home

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Health, Beauty & Wellbeing

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PROPERTY | HOMEPAGE

A stylish Grade II listed 3 double bedroom family home with a beautiful, quiet garden and a private parking space, all within a 10 minute level walk of Bath city centre. The stylish accommodation, which retains a wealth of period features is presented in immaculate decorative order throughout and provides flexible family living space which is arranged over 2 split level floors with the added benefit of a large cellar which offers further potential to develop, subject to the necessary planning consents. The ground floor accommodation comprises a pretty, formal sitting room to the front with a handsome period fireplace and fitted Plantation shutters. To the rear there is an atmospheric snug/at home office and an impressive open plan kitchen and dining room that leads onto the sun terrace and gardens. In addition, there is a guest cloak room and access to the large cellar which houses the washing machine and tumble dryer. The first-floor offers 3 charming double bedrooms, the master is to the front and has plenty of bespoke build in storage, a handsome period fireplace and fitted plantation shutters. There is also a well-appointed family bathroom and a contemporary wet room. Externally to the rear accessed from the dining area there is a pretty, paved sun terrace spanning the width of the property that leads to a well-stocked level garden with a wealth of mature shrubs and trees. In addition, there is an attractive timber framed loggia providing covered seating and BBQ area and gated access to a private off street parking space. This is a very special property and to fully appreciate it a viewing is recommended by the sole agents Cobb Farr. Cobb Farr, 35 Brock Street, The Circus, Bath. Tel: 01225 333332

Victoria Buildings, Bath • Pretty and secluded, quiet level garden with a covered seating area and rear access to a private off street parking space • 3 large double bedrooms • 2 reception rooms • Family bathroom • Wet room • Lovely open plan sociable kitchen and dining area with direct access to garden and sun terrace

OIEO £550,000

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SEPTEMBER 2021

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Clarence Terrace, Bath

£495,000

A charming 2 bedroom terraced cottage with a wealth of period features and authentic detail, with a lovely garden and much opportunity to extend, located in a fine position adjacent to the famous Bath Skyline Walk. • 2 double bedrooms, sitting room, dining room, kitchen • Large bathroom

• Pretty gardens

• Much potential to extend

• Wonderful location adjacent to the Skyline Walk

01225 333332 | 01225 866111

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Bailbrook Lane, Batheaston

Offers in Excess of £1,700,000

• Contemporary detached house, 3154 sq ft

• 5 double bedrooms

• Fabric first approach to energy efficiency

• ½ acre of landscaped grounds • Sedum green roof

• Exceptional Views

• 10 year structural warranty by LABC

• Double garage & ample parking

• Aluminium powder coated windows

01225 333332 | 01225 866111

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“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

St Peters, Devizes 25 highly specified homes with stunning views of the Kennet & Avon Canal. Show home open.

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

BATHAMPTON - £480,000

GREAT PULTENEY STREET - £240,000

3 reception rooms | kitchen | 3 bedrooms | 1 bathroom

1 reception room | kitchen | 1 bedroom | 1 bathroom

COMBE DOWN - OIEO £500,0000

FOUNTAIN BUILDINGS - £240,000

1 reception room | 1 bedroom | 1 bathroom

MARGARET’S BUILDINGS - £175,000

1 reception room / bedroom | kitchen | 1 bathroom

DARLINGTON STREET - £350,000

1 reception room | 1 bedroom | kitchen | 1 bathroom | garden

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

Matthew Leonard

Lucy McIlroy

Denise Latham

Director

Lettings Manager

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selling houses in the south west for 16 years, covering 3 counties

BAREFOOTS ORCHARD, BRUTON

£650,000

PEN GALE, CASTLE CARY

£375,000

Lifestyle change and run an existing B&B, or a period family home in central Bruton? Either way, Barefoots Orchard is sure to attract a lot of interest! Just a minute from the High Street and with church views this is a versatile period home with a garage, parking, and an annexe.

Want to live in a great house in the centre of one of Somerset's most sought-after towns? Look no further than this unbelievably spacious four bedroom semi just minutes' walk from everything Castle Cary has to offer. The property does require TLC, but space is what's on offer here.

THE CIDER HOUSE, DITCHEAT

HILLSIDE, COLE

£950,000

If you are looking for a home situated in a peaceful location amongst the rolling Somerset hills, then look no further than The Cider House! Formerly two cottages it now provides comfortable accommodation for a family. Also, two stable blocks, a huge barn and 7 acres of land.

£850,000

A handsome period home with a detached coach house and haybarn! Hillside was formerly the Railway Hotel, built in 1900 it stood just outside the entrance gates of the station. The property has five bedrooms, three reception rooms, kitchen, utility, and large conservatory.

Bruton Office: 9 High Street, Bruton, Somerset BA10 OAB Telephone: 01749 684198 Email: bruton@hunterfrench.co.uk WE HAVE SEVEN OFFICES AT: BATH 01225 444454 • BRUTON 01749 684198 • CORSHAM 01249 715775

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SIX ACRES, NORTH BREWHAM

£1,400,000

Six Acres is a most spacious family home situated in this sought-after location on a 'no through road' just a few miles from Bruton. The property offers truly flexible accommodation. There are stables, large formal gardens extending to c.1.5, a further paddock of 4.5 acres, double garage, and parking. This great home really needs to be viewed to appreciate what is on offer.

THE OAK HOUSE, BRUTON

£900,000

This is a substantial and impressive period detached property in central Bruton currently being run as a boutique Bed and Breakfast. Oak House is situated just a short stroll from Bruton High Street and offers either a wonderful work/life balance opportunity or the potential for converting into a most spacious family home.

Bruton Office: 9 High Street, Bruton, Somerset BA10 OAB Telephone: 01749 684198 Email: bruton@hunterfrench.co.uk • DEVIZES 01380 722784 • FROME 01373 464040 • TETBURY 01666 505068 • WINCANTON 01963 31376

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CAMELOT, WINCANTON

GUIDE PRICE

£650,000

OLD COURT HOUSE, WINCANTON

£650,000

Camelot is a property of exceptional quality. Situated in the West Hill area of Wincanton this stunning home is sure to generate huge interest. Set back from the main road there is ample parking room. To the rear there is a wonderful entertaining area with panoramic views.

Old Court House is steeped in Wincanton history! This detached period property has now been transformed into a truly unique family home minutes from the High Street. The garden is walled and very private, there’s an undercroft and ample parking. A totally unique property!

3 LATTIFORD COTTAGES, HOLTON

2 SOUTH STREET, WINCANTON

£450,000

A beautifully presented end of terrace cottage - formerly two separate properties - now transformed by the current owners into a stunning four bedroom family home with a self contained barn conversion included. Ample parking and wonderful gardens.

£180,000

This fabulous town-centre first floor apartment is sure to delight! Offering versatile accommodation, there is a spacious entrance and wonderfully grand period sitting room, three bedrooms, a well-designed kitchen and a lovely bathroom

Wincanton Office: 14 High Street, Wincanton, Somerset BA9 9JQ Telephone: 01963 31376 Email: wincanton@hunterfrench.co.uk WE HAVE SEVEN OFFICES AT: BATH 01225 444454 • BRUTON 01749 684198 • CORSHAM 01249 715775

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PROSPECT HOUSE, MERE

GUIDE PRICE

£825,000

Prospect House is an impressive four bedroom, three bathroom, post war detached property, situated on the edge of the rural town of Mere. Double entry gates lead to a curved drive and parking in front of the house with entry to the annex building. The gardens are beautifully landscaped, surrounded by mature hedges and trees, as well as a paved terraced and a sunny seating-area to the top of the garden.

LYNCHETS, CASTLE HILL LANE, MERE

OFFERS IN THE REGION OF

£900,000

Lynchets is an award winning detached family home with a completely unique feel. Situated in this quiet backwater of Mere, yet just minutes from the hustle and bustle of this favoured Wiltshire town, this delightful three bedroom, property is discretely situated behind large gates which lead to a lovely garden, driveway parking and the garage.

Wincanton Office: 14 High Street, Wincanton, Somerset BA9 9JQ Telephone: 01963 31376 Email: wincanton@hunterfrench.co.uk • DEVIZES 01380 722784 • FROME 01373 464040 • TETBURY 01666 505068 • WINCANTON 01963 31376

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THE GREEN, TETBURY

£2,650,000

One of Tetbury’s finest homes, steeped in a wealth of elegant period features throughout its accommodation. Accompanied by extensive grounds of near 7 acres or gardens, paddock, and arboretum.

sold

THE CHIPPING, TETBURY

OIEO

£1,000,000

A handsome Grade II listed Georgian townhouse positioned in one of Tetbury’s prime addresses. The property is in need of full refurbishment throughout and benefits from a detached annexe.

sold

SPRINGFIELDS, TETBURY

£950,000

An outstanding property of excellent proportions, and finished to a very high standard throughout. Its favourable position is complimented by views towards St. Marys Church and it is accompanied by over half an acre of grounds.

CIRENCESTER ROAD, TETBURY

£765,000

A handsome 1930’s family home situated in a sought-after residential area of Tetbury, just a short walk of the town centre yet minutes from open countryside.

Tetbury Office: 2 London Road, Tetbury, Gloucestershire GL8 8JL Telephone: 01666 505068 Email: tetbury@hunterfrench.co.uk WE HAVE SEVEN OFFICES AT: BATH 01225 444454 • BRUTON 01749 684198 • CORSHAM 01249 715775

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SYDNEY HOUSE, FROME

£925,000

GREAT WESTERN HOUSE, FROME

£650,000

Sydney House is a handsome Grade II Listed five bedroom, townhouse dating back to the mid 1700’s and is bursting with character and charm. The property has an abundance of period features including flag stones, elm boards, working shutters, sash windows and oak panelling.

A wonderful and historic property oozes character and has undergone complete renovation by the current owners. Four bedrooms, two receptions rooms, separate coach house parking and courtyard garden.

HIGH STREET, FROME

THE MOUNT, FROME

£395,000

Located close to Catherine Hill, this charming three bedroom period cottage has been beautifully presented and has a wealth of character and features throughout, stunning kitchen and pretty rear courtyard.

OIEO

£325,000

Situated on the outskirts of town is this charming Grade II listed end of terrace two bedroom cottage. The property dates back to c.1600 and is bursting with character throughout, including stone mullion windows, wooden floors and exposed beams.

Frome Office: 19 Paul Street, Frome, Somerset BA11 1DT Telephone: 01373 464040 Email: frome@hunterfrench.co.uk • DEVIZES 01380 722784 • FROME 01373 464040 • TETBURY 01666 505068 • WINCANTON 01963 31376

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PROSPECT, CORSHAM

£900,000

BOWDEN HILL, LACOCK

£550,000

In one of the most prestigious locations in Corsham this imposing fivebedroom, three reception room, detached family home sits on a generous plot with exquisite gardens. Wooden gates open into the driveway where there’s plenty of parking as well as a large double garage that has electric doors and a pretty front garden that welcomes you upon arrival.

Elevated on Bowden Hill on the edge of the picturesque village of Lacock, sits Holly Cottage, a superb four-bedroom character home - much improved by the current owners. It features wonderful living space, a luxurious master suite, colourful cottage gardens, on-drive parking, and uniquely, a converted double garage that offers self-contained accommodation.

SHAW, WILTSHIRE

CORSHAM ROAD, WHITLEY

£375,000

A deceptively spacious home offering light and airy accommodation with a wonderful flow and a beautifully presented interior. Situated in the village of Shaw between the popular village of Whitley and Atworth the area offers excellent amenities including great schools, good transport networks and a range of fantastic pubs and eateries close by.

OIEO

£325,000

A rare opportunity in this sought after village is this well presented two bedroom semi-detached home with potential to further extend to the side and rear with NO ONWARD CHAIN!

Corsham Office: 13 High Street, Corsham, Wiltshire SN13 0ES Telephone: 01249 715775 Email: corsham@hunterfrench.co.uk WE HAVE SEVEN OFFICES AT: BATH 01225 444454 • BRUTON 01749 684198 • CORSHAM 01249 715775

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THE OLD POST OFFICE, KINGSDOWN

£925,000

The Old Post Office is an impressive period home offering 2855 sq ft of living accommodation, many period features, delightful gardens, fabulous west facing views over the Box Valley and is just over 5 miles from the centre of Bath and within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Accessed via Lower Kingsdown Road there is a driveway providing parking for several cars leading to the large garage which is situated to the rear.

sold

HORNBEAMS, KINGSDOWN

£800,000

Enjoy the sunset over an evening meal from the balcony of this stunning home, set amidst the beautiful countryside within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and all within a short drive of the historic city of Bath. Hornbeams is beautifully presented and styled to create a stunning three bedroom home with further potential to extend with planning permission granted to add a two storey extension.

Corsham Office: 13 High Street, Corsham, Wiltshire SN13 0ES Telephone: 01249 715775 Email: corsham@hunterfrench.co.uk • DEVIZES 01380 722784 • FROME 01373 464040 • TETBURY 01666 505068 • WINCANTON 01963 31376

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CITY | PROPERTY REPORT

Market metrics Bath – a city that appeals

Bath’s historic appeal transcends almost all market conditions. But as one of the country's smaller cities which is surrounded by rolling countryside, it is perfectly placed to benefit from the ability to offer what is increasingly top of buyers’ and tenants’ wish lists post-Covid. Special report by Hamptons

ath’s national draw means people move here from right across the country. Over the last year a record 70% of house hunters registering to buy in Bath lived outside the area. While three in five buyers were already living in the South West, a fifth made the move from the capital.

Stronger rental growth has fuelled investor returns too. The average gross yield in Bath has risen to 6.2% this year, up from 5.5% in 2019.

National Outlook The average buyer moved eight miles to their new home in Bath, twice the distance they had previously. In many cases they built up significant equity in their homes elsewhere, before buying in the city. Just over half of buyers are selling a home elsewhere, while a further third have already sold and are using the proceeds from their sale. As has been the case in many other corners of the country, the lack of choice facing would-be buyers means homeowners (and those selling a house in particular) have been able to agree sales in record time. So far in 2021, it's taken less than half as long as it did in 2020 to find a buyer, an average of 56 days in Bath. Meanwhile the average home sold in the city this year achieved 96.8% of its asking price.

The start of the year saw a record number of sales as buyers raced to hit what they thought was going to be the end of the stamp duty holiday. However, the extension to the holiday also saw sales soar into the second quarter too. Deals are being agreed against a backdrop of the fastest price growth since early 2016 and record low stock levels. Some 26% of homes sold so far this year achieved the highest price on the street, while the number of days to sell a home has hit single digits in many towns and cities. While more typical conditions are forecast to return in the latter part of the year, as stamp duty rates return to normal, the market will still be strengthened by the ‘race for space’. Bath is likely to be a key beneficiary from this longer term shift given its ability to attract buyers from a wide area, alongside the beauty of its surrounding countryside.

Turning to the rental market, rents are rising faster in the South West than in any other region of the country. During spring, as stock levels fell, rents rose to hit double-digit growth. So far this year, a third fewer homes have come onto the rental market in Bath compared to 2019. This means across the region 57% of landlords were able to achieve a higher rent when re-letting a property.

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Sources: Hamptons.

For further information, updates and advice on the current property market contact the Bath office of Hamptons estate agents on 01225 800 657 or visit hamptons.co.uk

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Central

Andrewsonline.co.uk

Birch Close, Corsham SN13 £400,000

01225 809 571

A luxury two bedroom apartment for the over 60s. Set within a fabulous retirement village setting with extensive grounds. The first floor apartment is well presented by the current owner and offers a 31’4 x 16’3 dual aspect living with southerly facing balcony. Fully fitted kitchen with island unit and dining area over-looking woodland. There are two double bedrooms with en-suite to master and main bathroom. The development offers plenty of parking for both residents and visitors and is set with extensive landscaped grounds. Energy Efficiency Rating: TBC

central@andrewsonline.co.uk

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

Camden

Andrewsonline.co.uk

Marshfield Way, Bath, BA1 £349,950

This well presented terrace property is within walking distance to local shops and schools making it the perfect location for a family home. On the ground floor the living space is flexible with a reception room, a dining room, kitchen while upstairs there are three bedrooms and a family shower room. The property also benefits from a spacious 3 room basement. Outside a pretty, fully enclosed rear garden. Energy Efficiency Rating: C

01225 809 868 camden@andrewsonline.co.uk

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24/08/2021 16:59

Newbridge Andrewsonline.co.uk

Westfield Park South, Bath, BA1 £495,000

Having been completely transformed by the current owners, this property provides a lovely family home that’s ready to move into. Clean and contemporary, the property has three bedrooms, a family bedroom, a spacious kitchen/dining room, living room, cloakroom. Outside there’s a patio terrace and lawned area to the rear and front garden, There’s also an undercroft which has potential for further conversion. Energy Efficiency Rating: D

01225 809 685 newbridge@andrewsonline.co.uk

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

Bear Flat

Andrewsonline.co.uk SOLD STC

Lower Oldfield Park, Bath, BA2 £850,000

This is a grand semi-detached house with over 1,967 sq ft of versatile accommodation. This is a spacious property with four generously sized bedrooms, two bathrooms, two receptions, a kitchen and a beautifully maintained South Westerly facing garden to the rear with a garage/workshop at the far end. At the front there’s private off street parking. Energy Efficiency Rating: D

01225 805 680 bearflat@andrewsonline.co.uk

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The Bath Magazine September 2021

Articles inside

WALKING WITH ANDREW SWIFT

INTERIORS: INTO THE DARK

RUGBY LESSONS

CHILDREN’S LIT FESTIVAL

FOOD REVIEW

A LIFE IN PICTURES

ROOMS FOR ELEGANCE

NIGELLA’S COMING TO TOWN

WHAT’S ON

AUSTEN FEST

PORTRAITS BY ROSSETTI

NOTES ON A SMALL CITY

ARTS AND EXHIBITIONS

THE CITYIST

5 THINGS