Wonderful exhibitions to visit this month, including special features with Arnolfini and Rainmaker Gallery
46
We hear from seafood chef Nathan Outlaw, who’s venturing out of Cornwall to deliver a feast of fish close to Bristol
50 THE DESCENT
Explore Pen Park Hole through the eyes of the people brave (and talented) enough to sink into its depths
70 A PRESSING MATTER
Textile designer Jessie de Salis is creating bright and bold fabrics from a barn in Somerset 73
An incredible line-up of local experts ready to help make your dream home and garden become a reality
86
Rethinking the garden shed with Elly West
Image credits:
Left, Roy Smiljanic; right, Steve Sharp
A gorgeous selection of textile designs from the Somerset studio of Jessie de Salis. Read about her traditional screenprinting process from page 70.
EDITOR from the
How do you feel about your home when you walk through the front door? If your living space is lacking, our annual Spring/Summer Interiors, Homes & Gardens Guide has once again been meticulously planned with the precision of an architect, and plastered across a swathe of pages (from p.74) to offer you an exclusive local line-up of creative experts eager to help turn your space – whether it’s simply looking a little tired, has taken a beating from the south west weather, needs a bit of TLC or a complete renovation – into your very own haven.
Bristol’s streets see high rise flats rub shoulders with converted warehouses, period townhouses, miners’ cottages, mid-century semis, button-cute bungalows and more. That’s what I love about our urban landscape: no two streets are the same. And it’s easy to become complacent about how special our homes can be, regardless of their basic bones, and how the way they look can impact how we feel every day.
Have you ever heard about the ancient Balinese architectural techniques for building homes? Some families craft their houses to mirror the design of the human body. Rituals, superstitions and offerings run through their construction, with symbolism stitched into every corner. The homes’ entrance is the mouth, side buildings become the embrace of outstretched arms, the main family room is the head, and a path connecting these spaces acts through a sacred courtyard is a kind of digestive tract. These aren’t just houses; they’re sentient structures imbued with energy that directly impacts how the inhabitants exist in the world beyond their boundaries.
While many of us in Bristol might not be able to reconfigure our two-up two-downs, apartments and townhouses into symbolic bodies – I love the idea that we can choose to treat our houses in the same regard that we would a living being.
So, consider this magazine our offering to you, in the form of (among many other things) features on local textile design, colour consultancy and useful professional connections… hopefully it might conjure a little inspiration that kick-starts your next big transformation.
Rosanna Spence
Publisher Steve Miklos
Email: steve@thebristolmagazine.co.uk
Financial Director Jane Miklos
Email: jane@thebristolmagazine.co.uk
Editor Rosanna Spence
Tel: 0117 974 2800
Email: rosanna@thebristolmagazine.co.uk
Editorial Assistant Isabelle Blakeney
Email: isabelle@thebristolmagazine.co.uk
Production Manager Jeff Osborne
Email: production@thebristolmagazine.co.uk
Advertising Sales Liz Grey
Email: liz@thebristolmagazine.co.uk
For advertising enquiries, please contact us on 0117 974 2800 Email: sales@thebristolmagazine.co.uk
The Bristol Magazine is published by MC Publishing Ltd. An independent publisher.
Every month, The Bristol Magazine is hand delivered to more than 15,000 homes in selected areas. We also deliver direct to companies and businesses across the city. Additionally there are many places where we have floor-stands and units for free pick-up:
Bristol Magazine 0117 974 2800
Lotus Flower screen-printed fabric from Jessie de Salis (p.70)
CLIFTON ARCADE
5 things to do
Watch an opera
Bristol Gilbert & Sullivan Operatic Society proudly presents Gilbert & Sullivan's final and rarely-performed operetta at the Redgrave Theatre 27-29 March. In a whirlwind of romantic entanglements, outrageous misunderstandings and laugh-out-loud moments, The Grand Duke is a captivating mix of hilarity and farce. bristolgsos.co.uk
Meet the filmmaker
Celebrate award-winning local filmmaking, with the filmmakers in attendance for Q&As, in a new screening series from Documentary West. Kicking it off will be To Kid Or Not To Kid, about the decision of whether or not to have children, by Bristol filmmaker Maxine Trump. The movie played in film festivals and theatres around the world, and this will be the Bristol premiere, with the director present to answer all your burning questions. Mark your calendars for Saturday morning 15 March at Scott Cinemas (BS9). In association with Bristol Unscripted Network. Visit documentarywest.com for tickets and more information
a See Cinders dance
Join Birmingham Royal Ballet company and step into the magical world of Cinderella at Bristol Hippodrome (27-29 March) where Fairy Godmothers triumph over cruel stepmothers, pumpkins turn into sparkling carriages and a jewelled slipper changes one young woman’s life forever. This timeless story of love, courage and kindness reminds us all to have faith in our wildest dreams; one day they might just come true. Tickets available at atgtickets.com/bristol
Re-think Jane Austen
Calling all Bridgerton fans! Bristol Old Vic Theatre School presents The Watsons at The Station (BS1 2AG) from 15-22 March. Prepare to see a Jane Austen story unfold like never before. Ah, the Regency era: meddling mothers, fancy frocks and too-tight trousers... Stories we know so well – but what happens when the writer loses the plot? Jane Austen's unfinished novel The Watsons is turned on its head by a dissatisfied playwright and characters longing to break free from tradition. Book tickets via bristololdvic.org.uk
Find your next big adventure
Want more of the outdoors? Then head to retailer Ellis Brigham for two special Knowledge Nights events this month. First is Fastpacking 101 with Pure Trails (13 March 6.30pm, tickets £10). Fastpacking can be a combination of running, hiking and backpacking, with the goal of travelling quickly and efficiently by carrying only the essentials. Learn more about the concept and how to successfully do it from the expert founder of Pure Trails. Then it’s Running 100 Miles with long distance runners Naomi Benson and Charlie Gay from Beyond Ultra (27 March 6.30pm, tickets £5). Hear about their training strategies, mental resilience, equipment and nutrition. Naomi recently came fourth in the UTMB Arc of Attrition while Charlie – an endurance coach and search and rescue volunteer – is heading off for his first 200mile ultra this year. Ellis Brigham, 160 Whiteladies Road, BS8 2XZ. Ticket price includes a welcome drink, available via Eventbrite (search ‘Knowledge Nights’ in Bristol)
Photo by Johan Persson
The Cityist
OurBristol
Meet Roseanna Anderson and Joshua Ben-Tovim, co-founders of dance company IMPERMANENCE at The Mount Without
We moved to Bristol in 2014, we had a three-year-old and had recently been to perform at Circomedia. We’d also been to Mayfest, which was amazing and they had these incredible pastries from Hart’s bakery at one of the events! We thought, ‘Wow, these audiences are super receptive and really open, and the food is great.’ So we moved here, first of all living at Kings Weston House with 20 other people. Some of the things we’ve been doing ever since then include hosting a monthly cabaret lunch for people over 65 – we’ve just got back from one, actually.
The name IMPERMANENCE is a way of emphasising the ‘liveness’ of performance – a moment in time. In our culture, there's so much ‘stuff ’ and we consume media input from so many different sources, so we’re putting a little circle around that notion of live performance as a really special experience between audiences and performers. No show will ever happen again in exactly the same way. It has an impermanent nature.
Eight years ago we were part of a bid to save Jacobs Wells Baths [which was a former centre for dance in the city]. That fell through after a lot of work and remained derelict, but Trinity Community Arts is now re-energising that project. Then the church (which is now called The Mount Without) became available, and Norman Routledge – who was our landlord at Kings Weston House, where we’d been doing a lot of dance and hosting shows – was up for taking on the project. The building didn’t even have a roof! That was five years ago. During the pandemic, Norman put a new roof on, and since then we’ve been building up the dance programme and working out our partnership with him.
The Mount Without has an in-house events team that does weddings and lots of other great stuff. Now that IMPERMANENCE has raised enough money to build 200 beautiful red velvet seats and a big sprung floor stage, it feels like we’ve crossed the threshold and can really call the building a new home for dance in Bristol – which is something the city hasn’t had for decades. Audiences now have somewhere to come regularly – there will be a pulse to dance programming in the city. We're going to be presenting a different touring show every month, with the runs getting longer as we go, giving a platform to both national and international artists.
We’re also going to present works-in-progress, so there are opportunities for local dance artists to share work at an earlier stage and be in dialogue with audiences. We’re looking at how we can offer training, classes and workshops, we feel so strongly that all young people should get a chance to dance, and the last 13 years has seen the loss of so much infrastructure for that.
Lots of amazing dancers have come out of Bristol, trained here, or went to school in the city. Many who we've spoken to said that they'd love to come back to Bristol to dance, but there's just not enough here for them, so we’ve got to try and do something about that. Though we have been holding this project, it’s been a massive collaboration with so many people who have helped – it takes a village! We’re so grateful to and humbled by all the people who visited The Mount Without in our opening week; the audience are the power and it is them who will enable this project to fly.
When we want to feel inspired, we’ll head up to Cabot Tower on Brandon Hill for the views. Or down by the big bridges that cross the Severn to Wales, and along the coast way towards Burnham, which feels like a really powerful place to tune into to the big river and all of its history.
We really admire Doug Francisco and the Invisible Circus crew. They’ve contributed so much to the whole cultural feel of Bristol for decades – and, of course, they recently lost their city-centre space. They’re forever trying to make amazing, improbable things happen around Bristol, with the spirit of excitement and entertainment, and finding other ways to live in the world and the city. They’ve been celebrating a decade of The Loco Klub too, so we’re hoping that their audience will keep growing there.
If we could invite anyone, dead or alive, to a dinner party... It would be Cary Grant, who we recently discovered was from Bristol and [German dancer and choreographer] Pina Bausch, and ask them to perform something together!
In the short-term, our hope is that we can have a regular audience every month here, with a run of really incredible, exciting shows, and get to know the people who are coming, and also work out how to get people along who might not have encountered dance before. Then we hope to make bigger shows that can run for two or three weeks. The Mount Without has been a gathering place for nearly 1,000 years, and the way that it's been decked out now, plus the people that we're working with, make it feel like there's every every chance of it being one of the most exciting venues for dance in the country. n
Visit impermanence.co.uk for details of upcoming shows at The Mount Without. IMPERMANENCE’s Spring/Summer 2025 season runs from March to July, with an incredible lineup of choreographers presenting world-class dance shows.
New sculpture at Welcome Building
Bristol based artist Dorcas Casey has created a new major public artwork for the Welcome Building at Temple Quarter Enterprise Zone. The crocodile-themed artwork will be unveiled on 1 March and on public view from 2 March. Bricks Bristol ran an open call for all south west artists to develop a public art programme with the building’s developer Trammell Crow and Bristol City Council. Dorcas Casey’s proposal was successfully selected from 40 highly ambitious designs. At the heart of Dorcas’ vision is a life-sized crocodile resting at the building’s entrance: a creature both awe-inspiring and welcoming. Designed to be fully publicly tactile, its textured skin has been crafted in community workshops, making it not just a sculpture, but a shared creation – a symbol of memories, storytelling, history and collective artistry. welcomebuilding.co; dorcascasey.com
New city centre skatepark opening
The city centre’s former Debenhams store is currently undergoing a major transformation, with work nearly finished to convert the disused building into a vibrant new skate park. The exciting development is expected to open its doors this month, offering a fresh space for the city's skateboarding community and beyond. This ambitious project is being led by Campus Skateboarding, a Bristol-based notfor-profit organisation with over a decade of experience in creating innovative, inclusive indoor skateparks across the city. Their mission has been to raise the standard of skatepark design, fostering a welcoming environment for all skaters. Rather than a traditional skatepark, the new space will function as a large, open skate plaza, making full use of the building’s size and smooth flooring. The design will replicate some of the obstacles skaters love to use in street environments, ensuring a dynamic and authentic experience. Beyond skateboarding, the versatile space is set to host a variety of alternative sports and activities. Plans are in place for bike polo, roller derby, and other events, catering to both casual users and competitive athletes alike. campusskateboarding.com
Long-standing hair salon McQueens moves to new home on Whiteladies Road
Emma Choremi (pictured, top left), the hairdresser who founded McQueens salon on Park Street in 1989, has moved her business to a new location – renting space in boutique salon The Drawing Room at 87 Whiteladies Road above the new Tapps wine bar.
The Drawing Room owner Lydia (pictured, bottom right) has worked with the McQueens team before, comprising Emma, Bartek and Beth (also pictured). The team brings with them an abundance of clients, with some returning again and again over the last 35 years.
Booking is recommended, as the team’s diaries, which they run individually, get booked up in advance. Emma has urged new clients to contact them, as well as looking forward to seeing lots of familiar faces at The Drawing Room.
Emma focuses on cutting and colouring, having won awards for her Great Lengths extension work – though she’s also a barber and enjoys working with beards too.
To book, please call 0117 925 4864, and find more information at the team’s Instagram page @mcqueenshairbristol.
The Bristol Magazine readers can benefit from a complimentary treatment if they book with Emma, Bartek or Beth, quoting this story.
Psst... We’re excited to see that two new eateries are opening at Wapping Wharf next month. The team behind Bedmo foodie spot COR is opening LUCA promising quality Italian food. Meanwhile, Totterdown’s BANK restaurant team is opening a French spot nearby called Lapin.
Crocodile with Dorcas Casey (L) and Octavia Casey (R, lead collaborator)
Simply beautiful floors you’ll love for a lifetime
Disabled sailing club looking to expand community
The Chew Lake Association of Disabled Sailors (CLADS), a registered charity dedicated to providing sailing opportunities for people with disabilities, is calling out for both new sailors and volunteers to help support its activities this coming season.
CLADS, based at Chew Valley Lake, offers Disabled individuals a chance to sail in one of the largest artificial freshwater lakes in Southwest England. The charity operates from late April to early October each year, offering a welcoming and inclusive space for people of all abilities to try their hand at sailing.
CLADS invites everyone, regardless of sailing knowledge and from ages 8-80, to go along and experience the benefits of being on the water. The charity has a range of specially=adapted boats, including four 15' Challenger trimarans, a four-person WindRider trimaran, and an Access single-handed dinghy. These boats are specifically designed to accommodate Disabled sailors, ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to enjoy the sport.
In addition to recruiting new sailors, CLADS is actively seeking volunteers to assist with both onshore and offshore activities. Volunteers play a vital role in helping the club run smoothly. Onshore, volunteers are needed to help set up and pack down the boats, as well as assist sailors in getting in and out of the water. You don’t need prior sailing experience to help with these onshore tasks. For those with a little sailing knowledge, there are opportunities to volunteer offshore as well, helping to take sailors out on the water and provide any necessary support. While sailing experience is beneficial, CLADS is also happy to offer training to those who are eager to learn. If you are interested in volunteering or becoming a sailor, get in touch via email at info@clads.co.uk. clads.co.uk.
St Peter’s Hospice launches superstore
St Peter’s Hospice has opened a new Superstore in Portishead. The store is only the second of its kind in Bristol and is much larger than the charity’s other high street shops, specialising in homeware and furniture with a smaller section for clothing and accessories.
stpetershospice.org; Unit 3, Wyndham Way Retail Park, Wyndham Way, Portishead, BS20 7BY
GREEN with envy
Prepare to throw some shade this spring with these new looks from Oliver Bonas. From statement sunnies to delightful dungarees, we’re ready to say ‘Toodle pip!’ to winter, and ‘Oui, oui!’ to warmer days...
21 Philadelphia Street, Quakers Friars, BS1 3BZ
Unit 50, The Mall, Cribbs Causeway, Patchway, BS34 5DG
oliverbonas.com
Orange & Faux Tortoiseshell0
Angled Square Sunglasses, £280
Green Checked V-Neck Midi Dress, £800
Blue Chunky Knitted Vest, £500
Mary Jane Double Buckle Light0
Blue Leather Shoes, £650
Cecelia Chunky Gold Plated Rolo Chain Earrings,
Bright Wave Pleated Square
Abstract Print
0Green Colour Block0
Blue Denim0 Mini Dress, £750
Green & Gold Glitter Chequerboard. Ankle Socks, £8.50.
Naomi Blue & Green0 Zipped Coin Purse, £30
Gola x OB Exclusive. Hawk Green Dotty. Trainers, £90.
Chanel’s SS25 Makeup Collection is all about free-spirited colour, and it’s perfect for getting creative and freshening up a look. Pictured, top to bottom: Jeux de Lumières Multi-Use Eyeshadow and Highlighter Palette, £75; Stylo Yeux Waterproof Long-Lasting Eyeliner, £27; Rouge Coco Baume – Shine, £37. | chanel.com
Spring has almost sprung! As the days get longer and the sun begins to peek out from behind its cloudy curtain, we’re looking to freshen up our beauty routines with fresh, glowy skin and fun pops of pastel. Check out these products that you can pick up right here in Bristol...
This Sisley L’Orchidée Coral tinted highlighter-blush contains three soft, pearlescent shades, each formulated with micronised pigments for an immediate glow. The blush helps to sculpt, define and illuminate facial features, enhancing skin’s natural beauty and creating a flawless finish.
£94 | harrods.com
Get the ultimate glow with this vegan-friendly Vieve Lip Dew. With a comforting vanilla scent, it delivers a golden, glossy multi-dimensional finish. £21 | spacenk.com
Unleash your inner artist with MAC’s Colour Excess Gel Pencil Eye Liners. The silkysmooth pigment allows for endless experimentation and colourful looks.
£22 | johnlewis.com
Japanese brand Shiseido promises to enhance natural beauty and elevate
Glossier’s Cloud Paints continue to take the beauty world by storm, and the cheek/eye/lip pigment is perfect for on-the-go touch ups. The shade Beam gives a rosy, dewy effect and a lit-from-within glow. £22 | spacenk.com
weightless primer syncs seamlessly with all skin tones, and
seamless glow while keeping skin hydrated
Scent is one of the most evocative elements, and this hair and body mist from Ouai in St Barts is packed with fruity flavours, perfect for spring.
£34 | harveynichols.com
The Treatment Lotion from La Mer is a nextgeneration watery lotion powered by La Mer’s famous recharging Miracle Broth™ that delivers a rush of liquid energy and all-day hydration. £115 | harveynichols.com
Cover Artwork for The Women Who Built Bristol Volume 3 by local artist Tina Altwegg
Hidden from history… until now
To mark the publication of Volume Three of The Women Who Built Bristol series, author Jane Duffus writes about uncovering another 250 extraordinary women from our city’s past
The Women Who Built Bristol project is a series of three books celebrating women with a tangible connection to this city who got stuff done. Maybe the woman was born here, died here or lived here for a bit in the middle of her life. Maybe she invented something, wrote something or achieved something memorable while within our city walls. She might be a woman whose name is already recorded in other history books for whatever it is she did, or perhaps nobody ever took any notice of her achievements.
Then again, maybe she hid her light under a bushel or didn’t think what she was doing was anything out of the ordinary and so she would be astonished to even find herself in a book. All Bristol women who did something of public interest are welcome in these books. The only rule for entry is she must no longer be alive.
Since getting the green light for volume one of The Women Who Built Bristol in spring 2017, the project of finding and recording stories about forgotten women has taken over my life in a wonderful way and this March, to coincide with International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month, I’m excited to be publishing the third volume, bringing the grand total of women celebrated to 750. That’s 750 extraordinary stories of (largely) unsung sheroes who were long overdue their moment in the spotlight.
“ Most other history books (traditionally written by and about men) did not think women’s stories were worth recording at the time, and did not want women to have any power or authority ”
The one question I am asked more than any other is where I find the women to write about and there is no short answer to that. The women come from all over the place: newspaper archives, census reports, graveyard tombstones, building names, street signs and, my favourite, via emails that readers send me to tell me about one of their own long-passed relatives.
It is also important to consider why these women are hidden from history. As a sweeping generalisation, I would say it is because most other
“ Historians have to pick at tiny threads and unravel the most throwaway of comments to try and find the untold stories of our past ”
history books (traditionally written by and about men) did not think women’s stories were worth recording at the time, and did not want women to have any power or authority, so did not publicise their achievements. Consequently, contemporary historians have to pick at tiny threads and unravel the most throwaway of comments to try and find the untold stories of our past.
One frustration is that I always come across a handful of really interesting sounding women but they don’t seem to have names. I mean, of course those women did have names, it’s just that they have been completely lost to history meaning that we’re left with a scrap of a story but nobody concrete to pin it to. In most instances, I have to let the story go. However, sometimes I think the story is so good that it still needs to be told, and perhaps one day a name will come to light that matches the story. After all, historians are always uncovering new information.
Another sticking point is the habit of referring to women by their husband’s names, such as the suffrage campaigner ‘Mrs Frederick William Rogers’. The problems here are numerous. To start with: 1) These are her husband’s names, therefore 2) her achievements are now being linked to him, and 3) it’s now really hard to find out her name on account of his name dominating the newspaper reports. I eventually found out that her name was Blanche Rogers and, just by learning her name, I was able to research a great deal more about her life.
Despite the fact that everyone in these books is dead, there is lots to be positive about and there are many hundreds, if not thousands, more women still to be researched. After all, we have only just started to scratch the surface of women’s untold stories...
Three standout women from Volume Three
Elizabeth Burns
In 1888, Elizabeth (1871-1925) married gasworks labourer Thomas Burns and the couple started a family. In the coming years, Elizabeth and Thomas would have 11 daughters and the large family lived at 22 Frogmore Street. A reporter from the News of the World came to visit them in 1910 because word of Elizabeth’s impressive brood of girls had
spread. A doctor from the States had 11 sons and he hoped that nobody could beat him for the most number of children of the same sex and he hired a private detective to prove him right. However, Elizabeth proved him wrong! She was rewarded with £60 from the doctor as well as a willow plate from the News of the World that was decorated to say: “Britain beats the world family”.
Ruby and Elsie Browne (okay, two women!)
On 18 September 1896, 12-year-old Ruby (1884-1917) and her threeyear-old sister Elsie (born 1893, death date unknown) endured an horrific ordeal at the hands of their father, grocer Charlie Browne. Facing bankruptcy, Charlie took his daughters to the Clifton Suspension Bridge and threw them over, thinking that by reducing the size of his family he would reduce his living costs.
In an astonishing twist of fate, a boat was passing under the bridge and the crew picked up the unconscious girls. The sailors quickly took them into a nearby hotel, where policemen rushed the girls to the BRI. After spending six months convalescing at the Clifton home of Greville Edwards, both girls recovered.
At the ensuing court hearing where Charlie was charged with attempted double murder, he was declared insane and temporarily placed in an asylum.
Ivy Heppell
In December 1906, 19-year-old Bristolian Ivy Heppell (1887-1918) took part in the suffragette raid on the House of Commons, for which she was one of five women who were arrested. The arresting officers had to literally drag Ivy out of the building because she was clinging to the furniture in an effort to stay put.
She was sent to Holloway Prison for two weeks and was the youngest woman, and the first Bristolian, to be imprisoned for the cause.
A copy of Ivy’s 1917 prison diary is in the Bristol Museums collection and a section from her time in prison reads: “Tuesday Jan 1st: Miss [S] Allen & Miss H came to see me yesterday afternoon, the last day of the old year, they were at the court when I was tried & got the wool and needles for me. The knitting needles have been most useful to eat boiled rice with, much better than a wooden spoon.”
In the following years, Ivy continued to work for the suffragettes but she died in London in 1918, aged just 31. n
To order a signed copy of any books in The Women Who Built Bristol series, please order directly from Jane’s website at janeduffus.com. Copies of Volume 3 come with a free copy of the limited-edition Volume 3.1 while stocks last.
Jane Duffus
Mothering Sunday 30 March
Mum’s the word! It’s time to treat her....
SIP AND PAINT TOGETHER
Looking for a creative afternoon out in Bristol? Then try a sip and paint experience at Small Bar (BS1 4DZ). This special Mother’s Day event, which takes place 3.30pm-6pm on 30 March, is inspired by Claude Monet’s iconic Water Lilies painting. Beautify your canvas with impressionistic brushstrokes, capturing movement, light and colour. Unleash your creativity –wine glass or prosecco in one hand, paint brush in the other. No experience? No problem! Whether you are looking for a fun time out or are a budding artist, you’ll enjoy creating your own masterpiece. Other events are available. Readers can enjoy 10% off any event in the calendar with code ‘thebristol’ (offer expires 30 March 2025), book via popuppainting.com
IS YOUR MUM SOBER-CURIOUS?
How about the perfect treat for Mother’s Day? Locally-based Drinks Kitchen has created four award-winning, non-alcoholic aperitifs to make every mother figure feel special. Unique flavour profiles of Spiced Rhubarb, Orange Cinchona, Herb Verde and Grapefruit Piquante promise to captivate anyone who sips. Crafted from high-quality distillates and extracts, they are designed to work perfectly with sparkling water, but can be added to non-alcoholic cocktails and 0%ABV prosecco, and even still water. The Flavour Discovery Pack (containing 4 x 25ml servings, £25.99) is ideal for gifting. Available at drinkskitchen.online
PRECIOUS METALS
This Textured Silver and Gold Link Bracelet from Diana Porter is inspired by the organic textures formed by the natural beauty of coral. Featuring a polished contrasting 9ct Fairtrade yellow gold link. Handmade textured links connect to form this statement piece, finished with a T-bar fastening. | £515
Visit the shop at 33 Park Street, Bristol, or shop online at dianaporter.co.uk
GLOWING COMPLEXTION
Give the gift of glowing, nourished skin with this Bristol Made facial polish. Rich in oils and shea butter and packed with finely-ground organic cane sugar this facial polish is both gentle and nourishing for skin. Gently massage onto clean skin for one-to-two minutes, including the neck area, while avoiding the delicate eye area.
To remove, use a clean face cloth and warm water to gently wipe the product away. Repeat until skin is clean. Pat dry.
£20 | priorshop.uk or visit the shop at Unit 10, Philadelphia Street, BS1 3BZ
A HUG IN A MUG
In a low, organic silhouette, this ecru mug from Oliver Bonas features a speckled surface and reads 'mama' in gold debossed lettering. Featuring a subtle pink rim and tactile surface, your mother can enjoy her morning cuppa in style. Other designs are available (pictured). £14.50 | Order yours online at oliverbonas.com or visit the Bristol stores at Unit MS9, 21 Philadelphia Street, Quakers Friars, Cabot Circus, BS1 3BZ and Unit 50, 12 The Mall, Cribbs Causeway, Kessels Road, Patchway, BS34 5DG
What’s On...
Our guide to the best things to see and do this month
Bristol Old Vic Theatre School: Thebans
n 1-8 March, 7pm (plus 6-7 March, 2pm)
The Station, Silver St, BS1 2AG
Liz Lochhead (Scotland’s former Makar) weaves the Ancient Greek tragedies of Oedipus, Jocasta and Antigone into a single, gripping narrative. Through a contemporary lens, prophecy, power and passion collide; highlighting timeless themes of political hubris and the profound cost of human blindness, both metaphorical and literal. Tickets via bristololdvic.org.uk
On Falling preview and Q&A
n 5 March, 6pm Watershed, BS1 5TX
On Falling, the first feature to be coproduced by Sixteen Films since its founder Bath-based Ken Loach retired, is getting a preview screening ahead of its opening at Watershed and in cinemas UK-wide on 7 March. It tells the story of a Portuguese newcomer to the UK, employed as a picker, struggling with low pay, unaffordable bills, hunger, loss of hope and isolation.
Writer/director Laura Carreira will be attending to give an intro the film and answer audience questions after it. watershed.co.uk
Spring After Hours
n 6 March, 6pm-9pm
Royal West of England Academy, BS8
The RWA’s first After Hours of the year is an unforgettable evening of live music, performance and hands-on creativity, set against the stunning backdrop and extraordinary acoustics of its historic galleries. Genre-defying musical collective
The Fantasy Orchesta are headlining the night, and there will also be a live art performance from the brilliant Dr Carali McCall. rwa.org.uk
Bristol Classical Players: BEETHOVEN+
n 8 March, 7.30pm
St George’s Bristol, BS1 5RR
Bristol Classical Players’ 15th-anniversary celebrations continue with Beethoven’s Symphonies No.s 2 and 7. His 2nd Symphony is bursting with wit and originality, constantly wrong-footing any listener but charming them throughout, while the 7th remains one of the most thrilling and popular works in the entire orchestral repertoire. The evening begins with a performance of Dream Sequence: A Life on Repeat by Liam O’Connell. stgeorgesbristol.co.uk
Wake The Tiger: After Hours
n 14 & 28 March, from 7pm
Wake The Tiger, BS2 0YA
Bored of the usual night out? Look no further. Wake The Tiger has got you covered, with After Hours. An 18+ night where you get to explore more than 40 spaces with wild and surreal art installations, full 360-degree sets with interactive elements, state-of-theart theming, robots & even a slide, across two out-of-this-world levels.
wakethetiger.com
City of Bristol Choir: That Friday Feeling n 21 March, 7.45pm
All Saints’ Church, Pembroke Road, BS8
Explore the healing power of music in this uplifting concert that features contemplative and uplifting music by Eric Whitacre, Josef Rheinberger, Ghislaine Reece Trapp, Esther Bersweden, John Rutter and more.
Experience the power of live music in a concert celebrating singing, love, refreshment, and the joys of Spring to ease you into the weekend. Tickets £15 for adults, £5 for full-time students and under-18s, including drinks and light refreshments served from 7pm, available from cityofbristolchoir.org.uk and on the door.
The Fantasy Orchestra will perform at the RWA’s After Hours event
RY X
n 22 March, 7pm
Bristol Beacon, BS1 5AR
Experience the resonant artistry of Grammy-nominated (and previous London Philharmonic collaborator) artist and producer, RY X. Known for his raw vulnerability and dedication to connection – whether to nature, spirit, or the human soul – RY X’s music, which has over a billion streams, transports audiences to a place of profound reflection. bristolbeacon.org
Bristol Bach Choir n 22 March, 7.30pm
St. Peter's Church, Henleaze, BS9 4LD
Bristol Bach Choir presents two exciting, colourful and melodic classical works with the Bristol Ensemble and soloists Sophie KirkHarris, Rebecca Chellappah, Kieran White, and Edmund Danon. Haydn's Missa in angustiis (Mass for Troubled Times) is more commonly known as Nelson Mass, and is one of his most popular choral works. C.P.E. Bach's Magnificat might be less well known, but is certainly no less enjoyable. bristolbach.org.uk
Bristol Metropolitan Orchestra
n 22 March, 7.30pm
St George’s Bristol, BS1 5RR
A concert of music inspired by all the countries of the British Isles. Set out from the rather bleak Suffolk coast with Britten’s interludes evoking the dark atmosphere of Peter Grimes, and from there to Wales for a piece inspired by the Mabinogion; followed by a rhapsody based on familiar Welsh folk tunes. Travel to Ireland for another familiar melody before crossing to Scotland, the inspiration for two of Mendelssohn’s best loved compositions. stgeorgesbristol.co.uk
Dixit Dominus by Bristol Choral Society n 29 March, 7.30pm Bristol Cathedral, BS1 5TJ
Enjoy two settings of Dixit Dominus, a setting of Psalm 110, both from early 18th-century Rome. Handel composed his Dixit Dominus in 1707 when he was only 22, here it is paired with the lesser known composition by Alessandro Scarlatti. The choir and soloists will also perform Beatus Vir by the great Italian Renaissance composer Claudio Monteverdi. bristolchoral.co.uk
Looking ahead...
Antique Vintage Fair
n 6 April, 10am-3.30pm
Ashton Court Mansion, BS41 9JN
Visit the Antique Village fair with 40 stalls indoors, including fine jewellery, gold and silver, homeware, furniture, paintings, prints, vintage clothing and accessories, militaria and much more. The vintage café will be serving tea, coffee and cream tea. £2 entry and under-16s go free.
Family Diary
Our pick of the best things to see and do with the little ones this month
Stick Man Adventure Trails
n Throughout March
Westonbirt, The National Arboretum
Westonbirt is hosting specially-designed Stick Man forest adventure activity trails (based on the character from the beautiful picture book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler) where families can follow his journey back to the family tree. Along the way, young adventurers will discover nine interactive activity panels and six spotter panels, offering hands-on experiences, from building with sticks to learning about forest wildlife, birds, and nests. Before you set off, pick up a fun activity pack for just £4 from the Welcome Building or shop. forestryengland.uk/westonbirt
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat n 12-22 March
Bristol Hippodrome
Starring X-Factor winner Joe McElderry as the roof-raising Pharaoh, the smash-hit London Palladium production of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat returns to Bristol this month. Featuring much-loved pop and musical theatre classics, including Any Dream Will Do, Close Every Door, There’s One More Angel In Heaven and Go, Go, Go Joseph atgtickets.com/bristol
There’s a Monster in Your Show n 12 March (1.30pm & 4.30pm), 13th March (10am) Redgrave Theatre
Tom Fletcher’s interactive adventures for big imaginations are leaping from page to stage, as the beloved Who’s in Your Book? series makes its debut as a brand-new musical show. A group of performers are preparing to start their show, but quickly discover they are not alone on stage. Little Monster wants to be part of the fun too! With an invitation to his friends, Dragon, Alien and Unicorn to join him, you can expect comedy and chaos as they help to create a magical show, learning about the joy of books and friendship along the way. redgravetheatre.com
Robin Hood and the Gingerbread Conspiracy
n 12-15 March, 7.30pm
Hope Chapel, Hotwells, BS8 4ND
See Robin Hood and his Merry Men (and women!) as you have never seen them before. The Sherrif of Nottingham is mad, bad, and curiously infatuated with gingerbread. He needs to borrow money from the Wolf of Corn Street to build his new gingerbread estate but is challenged by the eco warriors Hansel and Greta. Join them all and howl with laughter as it is time for The Hotwells Panto to return for its 43rd glorious year... oh yes, it is!
Book tickets via tobaccofactorytheatres.com
The Hunchback of Notre Dame at The Mount Without
n 13 March, 6pm-7.45pm
The Mount Without, Upper Church Lane, BS2 8FN
Bristol Film Festival’s March screenings at The Mount Without are centred around musical films set in Paris, and it’s kicking off with Disney’s The Hunchback Of Notre Dame. Featuring one of Disney’s finest soundtracks – an Oscar-nominated score from Alan Menken –this is a mature, thoughtful adaptation of Victor Hugo’s novel that still stands out as a high point of the studio’s 1990s resurgence. bristolfilmfestival.com
Frisbee Golf Open Weekend
n 15-16 March
Mendip Activity Centre, Winscombe, BS25 5PQ
Frisbee Golf, sometimes known as Disc Golf, is a great way to enjoy the outdoors, get more active and have fun trying something new with family and friends. A free Yeti Hunt is included, perfect for children who search for friendly Yetis hidden around the 18-hole course. Once they have found the codeword they receive a special chocolate treat! Book online and save £2 per person. mendip.me/book/discgolf
Baby Book Club
n 28 March, 10am
Bristol Hippodrome
Bristol Baby Book Club takes stories from an independent book store and brings them to life with a local reader in the Bristol Hippodrome's Piano bar. Enjoy a tea or coffee alongside the reading. Each month the story will be different with worlds to explore and discover together. Tickets are per child attending, parents/guardians go free, with select coffees and teas included.
atgtickets.com/bristol
Rock The Tots: The Noughties
n 28 March, 11am
The Wardrobe Theatre
Craig and Steph are getting in their time machine and zooming back to the year 2000, when they were sweet young party animals. Rock out to the likes of Beyonce, OutKast, Wheatus, The Foo Fighters, Britney and Amy Winehouse… and for the cheese addicts among you, you know there will be some Take That and The Darkness!
Tickets £10 (ages 2 and under go free). Suitable for ages 0-6. thewardrobetheatre.com
Image: There’s A Monster in Your Show (credit: Ant Robling)
Belle of the ball
Cinderella may be a tale we know so well, but when the latest production from Birmingham Royal Ballet comes to Bristol Hippodrome (27‐29 March), prepare to behold Cinders and her merry gaggle of magical critters like never before thanks to artist and stage designer John Macfarlane’s mesmerising spell
(By Diane Parkes)
Artist and stage designer John Macfarlane has created stunning sets for shows across the globe, but there was one story he really wanted to work on – Prokofiev’s ballet Cinderella. So, when former Birmingham Royal Ballet (BRB) director David Bintley decided to create a new production of Cinderella back in 2010, John was delighted to be given the task.
“Cinderella was the one I wanted to do,” he recalls. “It’s always attracted me because of the music. For such a well-known story, the music is very dark, and I think most artists and designers are always more inspired by something dark and magical. With Cinderella there’s so much for you to play with.”
John had worked with BRB in 1990, designing the iconic sets for the company’s production of The Nutcracker – a show which is greatly loved and still wows audiences most Christmases. But this was the first time he had collaborated with David Bintley. “When David asked me to do Cinderella I was delighted, not just to work on Cinderella, but also to work with him. That was the one chance we got to work together.
“I think in a sense the best experiences you have are when the person who is asking you to do something is on the same wavelength as you are. Then the discussion is quite minimal because you both want the same thing. He wanted to bring out the dark side as well and seemed very easy with what I was doing.”
A gift from David to Birmingham to celebrate the 20th anniversary of BRB’s move to the city, Cinderella premiered at Birmingham Hippodrome in November 2010, where it received critical acclaim and thrilled audiences. Fifteen years later, and it’s still enjoyed by audiences.
Rising from the ashes
With Cinderella being such a familiar story, the production needed to give audiences a tale they recognized but also provide plenty of suspense and surprises.
“My starting point is always ‘don’t make it too pretty.’ None of these big classic ballets are lovely cuddly stories,” John explains.
“The contrast in Cinderella’s circumstances is absolutely critical to the ballet. You have to believe in the first scenes of Cinderella to then see the contrast. There’s very little light music in that first scene with her in the kitchen, so it should be like there’s no hope for her.
“If you don’t feel that, then you don’t get this lovely moment when suddenly the fire pops out and something clearly magical is going to happen. If something magical doesn’t happen at that point, you are going to shortchange your audiences, as the audience is going to be coming in asking ‘how is she going to the ball, how will the ball end, how will they do the clock?’”
John’s transformation scene from ash-girl Cinderella to belle of the ball is indeed magical – not least as the lizards, frogs and mice of the kitchen become her attendants.
“I was going to do lizard footmen whether anyone wanted them or not because I absolutely love designing characters with animal heads,” laughs John. “In Cinderella it is really important that you have this world that the Fairy Godmother builds. She takes the little critters from the kitchen, as Disney and many people before him did, and she turns them into coachmen and pages and all the magical things that take Cinderella to the ball.”
John painstakingly ensured the creatures were accurately portrayed. “It’s like when I did the rats for Nutcracker,” he says. “You have to be anatomically correct and they have to look real so I did about four or five sheets of detailed drawings of lizards.
“As soon as they are beautifully made you believe in them completely - and the quirk in it is that the lizards are wearing baroque costumes with coats and tails and shirt fronts.”
When Cinderella arrives at the ball she brings the magic with her.
“The ballroom is very normal and then she appears and it opens up and it’s the night sky. That was always something I thought would be
What does it take to make Cinderella’s magic happen? Well, approx. 200 costumes, 85 wigs per performance (it takes 6 hours to wash, set, and sew the crown into Cinderella’s sister’s wig for the ballroom scene), hundreds of thousands of sequins in every performance, 144 shoes per show, and 1,440.2 miles travelled for this tour.
wonderful,” says John. “And then of course the clock needed to be this terrifying moment when the whole thing falls apart. You can absolutely hear the clock in the music. That’s the wonderful thing about Prokofiev and also Tchaikovsky – you can always tell where you’re going.
“When you start working on something like Cinderella, you’ve got to really listen to the music. Prokofiev gives you lots of leads before the clock starts that great whirring of the mechanism in the same way that Tchaikovsky gives you lots of leads before Aurora gets her finger pricked in the garden in Sleeping Beauty.”
If the slipper fits
John has designed numerous works, including Swan Lake and Sir Peter Wright’s Giselle for Royal Ballet, War and Peace for Opéra Bastille, Hansel and Gretel and Queen of Spades for Welsh National Opera and a host of productions for New York’s Metropolitan Opera including The Flying Dutchman and Tosca
“I only really do a show once and I only do ballet and opera because the music is so critical for me. I’m an avid reader and yet I get nothing when I read a script. If it’s an opera or ballet then everything is informed by the music.
“I have this belief that every production from Elektra to Don Giovanni to Tosca, they all have these critical moments, some of them the audience are hugely aware of, some of them are hopefully a huge surprise, but they all have this path through.”
tale also ensures the audience enters the world onstage and becomes captivated by the story.
“All those huge Prokofiev and Tchaikovsky ballets have great stories and as long as you keep the story central it will work. And you hopefully don’t let the audience expectation down.
“So with Cinderella, at midnight you’ve got to really show the audience that all this wonderful dream ballroom scene and meeting the prince have suddenly gone at the stroke of the clock. Cinderella is back to square one.”
The production also has plenty of comedy, not least in the Stepsisters who are hideously mean, but are also so outrageous that they create their own humour.
“We wanted the Ugly Sisters to be cruel, of course, and not just slapstick and funny,” says John. “David was brilliant on that, with this sort of creepy quirky choreography for them.”
And the production needed to finish not just with a fairy tale happy ending, but also with a grand finale which reflected Prokofiev’s great score.
“I think the end of Cinderella is one of the most beautiful pieces of music Prokofiev ever wrote. And so we have the Fairy Godmother and the sun coming up and the stars. There’s a magic to it as they walk into sunset or sunrise.” n
Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Cinderella is at Bristol Hippodrome 27-29 March, tickets are available from atgtickets.com/bristol
Creating the right setting for the
Images: Top left, Momoko Hirata as Cinderella, photo by Bill Cooper; top right, Momoko Hirata as Cinderella, photo by Roy Smiljanic; bottom row are behind-the-scenes production images, credit: Birmingham Royal Ballet
Master of Symphonies
Bristol Classical Players celebrates 15 years in 2025, marking the occasion with a special series of concerts – showcasing the enduring mastery of Beethoven’s Symphonies. We hear from the orchestra’s conductor Tom Gauterin….
What better way to celebrate and reflect upon 15 incredible years of orchestral music from local legends Bristol Classical Players than to revisit the transcendental, playful symphonies from one of music’s masters? Well, that’s exactly what’s in store for audiences attending one of the four remaining concerts in the collective’s BEETHOVEN+ series, which will take our ears and imaginations on a soaring journey through seven of the composer’s Symphonies – plus a special performance of new work by a selection of specially-chosen composers from the Bristol area.
How does it feel to be celebrating 15 years of BCP and what are you most proud of?
The first thing to say is that I’m very glad we’re still here! The last 10 years have not been easy for arts organisations. Moreover, though, I’m delighted by how well the orchestra has progressed and what we’ve achieved over that time. When we started, the aim was to see if a nonprofessional group could deliver exciting, high-grade performances on limited rehearsal time. Last summer, we played Beethoven’s 9th more or less flat out at the first rehearsal, which was a sign of how far we’ve come.
I think we have certainly done that, but I’d never have imagined we would also have attracted world-class soloists of the calibre of Sir Stephen Hough and Nicola Benedetti. We’ve also managed to establish a base in Cheltenham, playing there twice a year, which is very hard for non-professional orchestras to do away from their ‘home’ audience.
On top of that, we’ve had great success in working alongside Bristol Phoenix Choir and Bristol Cabot Choir to perform some major choral works – Mahler 2, Verdi's Requiem and (last year) Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius. Every one of those has been a truly memorable occasion for both participants and audiences.
It’s a great privilege to conduct an orchestra like this, and I’m hugely grateful to and inspired by the musicians I’m lucky enough to work with. Everyone is always keen to go further, to do things that bit better – and I hope the results speak for themselves.
What was behind the decision to also feature new work by a composer from the Bristol area at each concert?
One of the great things about Beethoven is that his entire approach to music was to throw the rules away and do it his way. If a Beethoven performance doesn’t feel like an exploration, or fresh in some way (even though these are among the most played pieces ever), chances are you're doing it wrong! It was in that spirit of risk taking, and of finding new challenges, that we felt we wanted to showcase new pieces by composers who might not otherwise get an airing. Any aspiring composer (and many more established ones) will tell you how hard it is to get their music performed, and it seemed a waste of an opportunity not to play these works alongside well-loved pieces that will draw a crowd.
Having sifted the initial suggestions, I basically tried to find some element of each new work that matched a feature of each Beethoven symphony. For instance, Liam O’Connell’s piece has elements of obsessive repetition which makes it a good match for Beethoven’s No.7, while George Owen’s is built on tunes from the countryside – a perfect partner for the Pastoral (6th) symphony.
What most excites you about revisiting Beethoven’s symphonies in 2025, and why do you think they enjoy such enduring popularity?
It’s a great chance to see how far we’ve come; the orchestra began with these works, so for a big anniversary year it felt like a good chance to revisit them. Plus everyone loves playing them! Personally, I think it’s the sense of struggle and triumph in Beethoven that appeals most of all; there is no more life-enhancing music out there. The sheer energy the music projects is unequalled, and in fact we were discussing the other day just how physically demanding they are to perform. It’s impossible to play this music half-heartedly, so if you see 50 worn-out musicians by the end you know we’ve done a proper job.
Do you and the players have a favourite movement within any of the symphonies?
Ooh... so hard to choose! Every symphony has highlights, and with so many to pick from consensus is tricky. Two that often come up are the slow not-quite-funeral-march movement of No. 7 (used to great effect in The Kings Speech), and the choral finale of the 9th (the Ode to Joy). For me, though, the finale of the 5th takes a lot of beating. As the culmination of the darkness-to-light journey that begins with the famous ‘da-da-da-DAAAA’, this gleeful C major march and electric conclusion are impossible not to enjoy and be moved by.
This concert series is a rare chance to see all nine Beethoven Symphonies live in a short time frame, so if people want to enjoy that journey we’d all be very pleased to see them more than once. n
Upcoming concerts in the BEETHOVEN+ series include:
• 8 March, 7.30pm at St George’s Bristol: Dream Sequence: A Life on Repeat by Liam O’Connell, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 2 in D Op 36 and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 in A Op 92
• 18 May, 7.30pm St George’s Bristol: George Owen’s Worcestershire Rhapsody, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 in F Op 68 and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 8 in F Op 93
• 21 June, 7.30pm at The Victoria Rooms: New Work by Caleb Kernaghan and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9
• 27 September, 7.30pm, St George’s Bristol: Jon Trim’s Symphonia Pandemica, Beethoven’s Symphony No 4 in B flat Op 60 and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 in C minor Op 67
For more information and tickets, visit bristolclassicalplayers.com. All photos courtesy of Bristol Classical Players
Book shelf
This month, Tom Robinson of Gloucester Road Books shares new releases he’s particularly excited about...
Anote from the team: “Our primary aim is that the shop be a fascinating place to explore. We have a significant focus on titles published by small independent presses. There are lots of really brilliant small publishers putting out incredibly exciting books, and we want to help get these out into the world.” Visit the website for more details on book launches, talks and other events at the shop. gloucesterroadbooks.com; @gloucester_rd_books; 184 Gloucester Road, Bishopston, BS7 8NU. Open Monday and Tuesday 9.30am-5pm; and Wednesday to Saturday 9.30am-6pm
Spoilt Creatures by Amy Twigg, published by Tinder Press
It feels cliché to call a book Fight Club for women, but Twigg somehow manages to take a premise that could easily feel tired and trope-y and create something that feels fresh and engaging. The narrative flits between past and present, as a current version of our protagonist, Iris, tries to reckon with the events that transpired in the place she’d hoped to find refuge. She becomes drawn to a women’s commune in the secluded downs, the solidarity and simplicity of life there at first intoxicating and intriguing her, even as the present-day narrative repeatedly reminds the reader of the darkness she is headed towards.
The City Changes Its Face by Eimear McBride, published by Faber & Faber McBride’s fragmented, phantasmagorical writing style has captivated me since I first discovered her, and her new work is no different. It’s impossible not to completely inhabit Eily’s mind, her thoughts half-formed and unravelling. The action is sparse, instead the reader is immersed in contemplation of the unspooling of a relationship as characters wash a plate or make a sandwich. This is a novel is about the unspoken, as we are returned to Stephen and Eily of The Lesser Bohemians, to watch as the freneticity of early passion is eroded into domesticity and small deprecations.
Wild Ground by Emily Usher, published by Serpent's Tail Race, class, trauma and addiction intersect to obstruct and complicate the already fraught experience of first love, in this dual timeline novel set in a small Yorkshire town. Having lived for a time in Leeds myself, I found myself identifying with the emphasis attached to the landscape of Yorkshire – the wild moors juxtaposed with the parochial pubs, Danny’s aptitude for botany and affinity with nature a salve and a safety against the people who treat him as an outsider. There were times when I wanted to shake the protagonist, Neef, frustrated by her self-absorbtion and the obtuse naivety of Danny’s experience of their world, buffered by her own racial privilege, an excellent literary device evoking reflection on how we can other even those we feel closest to.
The Garden Against Time by Olivia Laing, published by Picador Olivia Laing is a firm favourite of both staff and customers here, with books that are generous, insightful and full of empathy. In their latest book, which is out in paperback early this month, these qualities are directed toward a subject that is of huge personal significance. For the last five years, Laing has been restoring a walled garden in Suffolk. This incredible project has led in turn to an investigation of the relationship between gardens and our ideas of Utopia. Those of us who read The Lonely City will recognise this as a classic Laing impulse – to write at the point where culture, ideas and personal experience collide.
Spanish Beauty by Esther Garcia Llovet, published by Foundry Editions
From exciting new indie press Foundry Editions comes this bracing crime narrative that reads like noir with a touch of sunstroke. Set in Benidorm, populated with day-drunk English, threatening Russians and despondent locals, everyone is a caricature in this strange, and somehow still stylish novel. The narrative unspools in fits, interspersed with the stagnant textures of resort life in a place caught between a fantasy and an ungodly hangover.
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ART and the galleries
Bristol Gallery Weekend, at various venues across the city, 20-23 March
Running for its second year, Bristol Gallery Weekend takes place at the beginning of Spring to emphasise themes of renewal and awakening, with a diverse programme of events at a variety of art spaces, galleries, artist-run projects and private art collections. With an extensive programme scheduled especially for the weekend including talks, private views, family workshops and special events, this will be an opportunity to discover and explore more than 30 of the city’s world-class galleries. This event is free to attend and aims to enable as wide an audience as possible access to art and culture by sharing Bristol’s unique creative environment.
A downloadable PDF map is available with all the information including the events programme from bristolgalleryweekend.org.uk
Participating venues include: 17 Midland Road, 212 Productions, Arnolfini, Art 100 Gallery, Art808, Artigo, ArtPark, Bricks, Bristol Cathedral, Cass Art Space, Castle Fine Art, Centrespace Gallery, Circular ArtSpace, Clifton Contemporary Art, Clifton Fine Art, Coldharbour Gallery, D-UNIT, Frankenstein Press, Gallery Grace, Hidden Gallery, HOURS, Huw Richards Evens, IC Visual Lab, The Island, Kit Form, The Launderette, L'Étoile Studio, Lime Tree Gallery, Martin Parr Foundation, North Street Gallery, Off Centre Gallery, The Pit, Print Paradiso, Rainmaker Gallery, Room 212 Gallery, Royal Photographic Society, Royal West of England Academy, Serchia, Shadow Gallery BS3, Spike Island, That Art Gallery, The Stradling Collection, Studio 74 Contemporary Art, Museum of Totterdown and Trymwood Studios.
Te Rangitu Netana: Moko Puna, Rainmaker Gallery, 7 March until 26 April
Rainmaker Gallery welcomes Māori artist Te Rangitu Netana. His exhibition Moko Puna presents newly created works on paper, that speak of Māori stories through a mix of traditional pattern with more contemporary colours and forms. Netana is a celebrated Tā Moko tattoo artist currently based in Bristol. He will be demonstrating Tā Moko at the gallery on Friday 21 March. Artist reception will take place Friday 7 March 5pm-7pm.
Bath Textile Artists Exhibition, Pieces of Yate 2, 4-29 March, Yate Heritage Centre
Bath Textile Artists have once more been inspired by the history, buildings and environs of Yate to produce some exciting and varied new work. Group members use a wide range of different techniques in their work: weaving, felting, appliqué, piecing, fabric painting, machine and hand-stitching, to name but a few.
Yate Heritage Centre, Church Lane, Yate, BS37 5BG; open Tues-Thurs 10am-4pm and Saturday 10am-3pm; yateheritage.co.uk; bathtextileartists.com
Image: Textile creation by artist Jo Hill
Image: Kōtuku tahi, by Te Rangitu Netana (title taken from a Māori proverb that implies the rarity of seeing a white heron in flight)
Essential exhibitions at Arnolfini during March....
Barbara Walker: Being Here, 8 March until 25 May
The first major survey exhibition by British artist Barbara Walker, described as one of the most important British artists working today, Being Here charts the artist’s compelling figurative practice, from the 1990s to today. Following a hugely sucessful run at The Whitworth Being Here presents almost 60 extraordinary artworks, including rarely seen early paintings of Walker’s family, friends and community in her home city of Birmingham, along with her Turner Prize-nominated monumental drawing series Burden of Proof (2022-23), which illustrates the impact on the lives of those affected by the Windrush scandal. The exhibition is accompanied by an illustrated catalogue featuring new essays on Walker’s practice.
For more info about both exhibitions, visit arnolfini.org.uk; 16 Narrow Quay, BS1 4QA
UWE New Wave Agency exhibition, until 16 March
New Wave Creative Agency is a positive action initiative for students in the School of Arts at UWE, Bristol. New Wave provides equitable opportunities for students who face multiple intersecting barriers; such as those related to race, gender, disability, or socioeconomic status. The agency enables valuable industry experience by offering creative opportunities and accessible networking. In Gallery 5, Arnolfini is currently highlighting the diverse projects organised by New Wave in its first year, showcasing the various mediums, practices, and industry clients that
What’s on at the Royal West of England Academy this month?
More Than Memory: dementia, art and caring for loved ones, on until 23 March
This exhibition of drawing, painting and sculpture is by older people and people living with dementia, as well as those who care for them. Members of Happy Days Memory Cafés, Evergreens Elders and Trymview Hall Care Home residents and RWA's Teatime Tours regular visitors are included. Paintings from the RWA Collection have also been selected for this exhibition by the facilitators and participants. Alongside this, a series of stories and photographs of carers will be on display. These are produced by Invisible Army, who make visible the challenges and joys that carers cope with every day. This exhibition is supported by Bristol Dementia Action Alliance.
RWA Biennial Open 2025: Paper Works, on until 27 April
Paper Works, the RWA’s Biennial exhibition, is all about paper. Selected from an open submission, it celebrates paper as a surface for drawing and printmaking, and as a sculptural material. Paper is the star of the show, revealing itself in many different guises. Hand-made paper, different types of Japanese tissue, papier maché and paper pulp are just some of the materials being used to create drawings, paintings, sculpture and architectural models. A ticket for this exhibition also gives you entry into Paule Vézelay: Living Lines.
To find out more about both exhibitions, visit rwa.org.uk; Queen’s Road, Clifton, BS8 1PX
Image: Still Life with Photograph, Allsorts and Garlic by Robert Jennison
From Chris Yeo, Valuer at Clevedon Salerooms and regular expert on BBC’s Antiques Roadshow
Wanted: Revolutionary firebrand with a passion for curtains
William Morris (1834-1896) was the creator of era-defining textiles. He was also a committed socialist, critic and writer whose ground breaking ideas forever changed how we think about our homes. We see him in sepia photographs with tousled hair and wild, unkempt beard; part Lord Byron, part Karl Marx and know him best for his easy-on-the-eye fabrics with their scrolling leaves and biscuit cutter birds. The designer of patterns such as Willow Bough and Strawberry Thief, his is the face that launched a thousand National Trust tea towels.
Morris’s designs are enjoying a revival but, for Morris himself, the mission was always a matter of substance as much as style. He was a rebel by nature and one very much with a cause: ugliness and how to stamp it
out. We all know his famous dictum “Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful”. For Morris this was nothing short of a battle cry against poor taste. He saw salvation in a return to a medieval style society, one where well-fed, contended workers would produce objects of quality crafted with love and integrity (If all this is sounding familiar we need only look to the nearest artisan hipster baker or craft brewer for the modern day version). Whilst he loathed massproduction he understood its place in society. In fact, his first registered design was a trellis of African marigolds for machine-made linoleum. William Morris lino, who would have guessed?
In a world where flat-pack MDF furniture is set to consume the world and all our home furnishing needs can be piled high in a supermarket trolley on a Saturday afternoon, we need a William Morris now more than ever. We may not think about our homes that much, but they influence the way we feel about ourselves and the world. If only we had a similarly tireless arbiter of taste to champion good design and bring words like “beauty” and “quality” back into common use and cajole manufacturers into upping their game. We might not like such a figure — nobody likes being told their sofa is rubbish – but we would all feel the benefit. ■ clevedonsalerooms.com; @chrisyeo_antiques (Instagram)
Being here
Barbara Walker MBE, who’s been described as one of the most important artists working in Britain today, brings her hugely successful exhibition Being Here to Arnolfini this month for its spring season
Barbara Walker’s Being Here is arriving at Arnolfini on 8 March – the perfect way to celebrate International Women’s Day. After wowing audiences at its aungural run at the Whitworth in Manchester, this exhibition is travelling to Bristol, just in time for a worldwide celebration of women.
This show is a thoughtful dive into Walker’s vivid and powerful figurative work, featuring pieces created across four decades, from the ‘90s to today.
It brings together all her major series, starting with the bold, colourful paintings from Private Face (1998-2002), which capture intimate moments of her family and the Birmingham community.
Then, there’s Louder than Words (2006-2009), a touching series of mixed media drawings on police dockets and newspaper articles, created in response to her son being repeatedly stopped and search by the police.
Born in Birmingham in the ‘60s, Walker is known for her deeply moving, research-based drawings and her adventurous experimentation with all sorts of media – from embossed
prints to paint. Whether she’s creating delicate pencil sketches on archival documents or huge, dramatic charcoal wall pieces, she uses traditional techniques to give a powerful voice to the stories and struggles of our time.
“To be an artist to create in times of adversity, is, I believe to be optimistic,” Walker says. “In my work as an artist, I have sought to make ‘positive images’, or perhaps images that will have a positive impact. I love working with people who are not used to having their voices heard. People who are often made visible in only the worst ways. I want to help make people visible in the best ways possible, by creating affirming images that speak of and to humanity.”
With her unique approach to visibility and erasure – using techniques like enlarging, cutting, obscuring and blanking out – Walker pushes us to rethink what it means to be seen and remembered. Her art is rich with empathy, exploring themes of body politics, power and belonging while tackling social injustices and transforming the Black experience, both today and throughout history.
Being Here features plenty of absolutely unmissable pieces. There’s the Turner Prize-nominated series Burden of Proof (2022-2023), commissioned by the Sharjah Art Foundation with support from the Whitworth. This series honours Caribbean-born individuals impacted by the Windrush scandal, giving them the respect and humanity they deserve. Then, there’s Soft Power (2024), a major immersive installation that envelopes you in a beautifully patterned wallpaper environment, celebrating Windrush communities in Manchester.
Other highlights include Shock and Awe (2015-2020), which shines a light on the often-overlooked contributions of Black servicemen and women throughout history, using techniques like blind embossing to disrupt traditional narratives. Plus, Vanishing Point (2018-present) and Marking the Moment (2021-present) take classic European Old Master paintings and transform them by putting the once-marginalised Black figure front and centre, creating new ways for us to look at the past.
This vibrant exhibition is supported by the Whitworth Art Gallery and the University of Manchester, and comes with an illustrated catalogue that brings fresh insight into Walker’s incredible work. n
Barbara Walker: Being Here is accompanied by a programme of workshops, community and live events at Arnolfini. The exhibition runs from 8 March until 25 May. Open Tuesday to Sunday, 11am to 6pm. Entry is free, with a suggested donation of £5 welcomed. 16 Narrow Quay, BS1 4QA; arnolfini.org.uk
Photo by Chris Keenan
courtesy of the artist and Cristea Roberts Gallery, London
Ancestral art
Bristol’s hub of Indigenous peoples’ art – Rainmaker Gallery on Whiteladies Road – is welcoming world‐renowned Māori traditional tattooist and artist Te Rangitu Netana for his first ever solo exhibition this month: Moko Puna
Te Rangitu Netana has been on an important mission for the last 35 years, developing the art of traditional Māori Tā Moko tattooing – which he originally practised among his tribe in Aotearoa (New Zealand) near Waipapa. Te Rangitu is of North Island Ngapuhi, Ngati Wai and Te Arawa tribal descent, and upon moving to the UK in 2015 with his family found himself as one of the few traditional Tā Moko practitioners in Europe, experienced in both machine and chisel methods of applying his creations to clients’ skin.
He’s recently been working from a new space called Ritual Spirit Studio in Montpelier, and though Te Rangitu has been an incredible force around the world promoting the truth of Tā Moko and advocating for his people, he tells us “Tā Moko is one of those things that I love to practise, and it’s also how I express my indigeneity. But I am not just a Tā Moko practitioner: I’m an artist, I paint and I do a lot of things. Tattooing is not the only thing I want to be remembered for.”
And rightly so. His canvases stretch far beyond the human form. A previous collaboration with luxury French fashion house Hermès led to a specially-designed scarf that represented how Māori see the environment (pictured, bottom right). “It has all our environments in the design – the oceans, our forests, our skies, the air, mountains and rivers. Hermès also produced a little booklet that came with the scarf with all the information of what the story was about. My hopes were to conjure this imagery inside the wearer’s soul, hopefully to understand how important our environment is to not only our survival but also to our connection to who we were, what we are now, and how we walk forward in this world.
“The influences, the storytelling and how we derive our patterns from nature are all connected [through Tā Moko, and drawing/painting], but I find that I can do things on paper that you can't do on the body.”
A
solo exhibition
His friendship with Joanne Prince, founder of Rainmaker Gallery (formed over their shared connections among Native American friends in New Mexico) has provided the perfect opportunity for Te Rangitu to use the foundation of his Tā Moko practice as a springboard into other realms of artistry. He will be exhibiting a completely new body of work called Moko Puna at Rainmaker from 7 March until 26 April, while also delivering a demonstration of Tā Moko tattooing – using his own hand-made traditional chisel tools – during Bristol Gallery Weekend (20-23 March).
“These Tā Moko tools are ancient to us, and a connection to our ancestors’ practices,” Te Rangitu explains. “To hear that sound again, the tapping of the tools and the marking of the skin, is an awakening; it’s a birthing into this living realm, it’s the same sound that our ancestors heard, way back then, way back in the beginning.
“Normally, during this process there’s a lot of laughter and we have a lot of singing. I don't know if we'll be doing any singing during the demonstration, it'll just be me and maybe some music! But it's a very open thing to come and experience, just to be respectful really. I will be sitting in
Te Rangitu Netana (credit: Leah Vlemmiks)
a space where no one stands behind me, and if people want to join us on the mat, it's best to take their shoes off and just watch.”
Te Rangitu wants the experience to be very open, just like back at home with his tribe, so people feel welcome.
And what can we expect from Te Rangitu’s pieces on display? He’s keen to express his love for Māori art, its shapes, symbols and colour, through his work – but he’s not afraid to create his new traditions, too. “I want to try to show people what traditional pattern looks like, but mixed with contemporary forms and colours. Being an Indigenous artist, everything is political, everything has something to do with our culture, our traditions and our people. I don’t know what to expect from people’s reactions, but I hope they see something different, and I hope it might even challenge them.
“I want my art to sow seeds: if it makes one person think differently, then I'm happy with it – whether it’s a negative or positive reaction. I hope people take away something positive, see something beautiful, and try to understand how we [Māori] see the world.”
People of the land
The Māori community’s current situation in New Zealand has been on Te Rangitu’s mind during the time he’s been painting and preparing for his exhibition. “We have a huge year ahead of us as a culture… As a Native person it always seems like we get somewhere and then they [the government] take it away. Nothing is set in stone, so it's really hard to be tangata whenua – people of the land – to know that they can snatch the ground from underneath us (literally); that they can give and they can take away.”
Te Rangitu acknowledges that his people are resilient – a strength forged by this situation and power struggle in New Zealand.
“I want my paintings to show our power, our strength and our beauty. Without our lands, our people will disappear. In some ways, we’re the world's early warning system – people don't like to listen to us that much, but it’ll be to their own detriment if they don’t, as we’ve got something to say. People really need to listen instead of talking.
“I think it’s a good time for Indigenous people to step out of their comfort zone and come into the world,” Te Rangitu says. “I hope to show people a contemporary side to our culture, which is not often seen over here. Māori culture is viewed by some as purely traditional, but what if we were to consider that what is traditional now could have once been considered contemporary? Everything that we did was once the beginning of something, so we're always evolving. We are still dealing with colonisation – and not only understanding our past but understanding how to approach the future. There is a lack of authentic Māori art and imagery in Europe, so hopefully I can play a small part in changing that.” n
rainmakerart.co.uk; 140 Whiteladies Road, Clifton, BS8 2RS; terangitu.com. Moko Puna is on display from 7 March to 26 April.
WFind them a New Home
BY RON PRINGLE Beau Nash Antiques
e’ve all heard the saying, “One man’s rubbish is another man’s treasure,” and it perfectly captures the reality when it comes to unwanted silver heirlooms. These once cherished pieces, perhaps passed down through generations, may no longer fit your current lifestyle. There comes a time when you might decide to part ways with them. But instead of letting them gather dust in a drawer or selling them for a fraction of their worth at an auction, consider helping your heirlooms find a good home instead.
So who buys antique silver anyway? What kinds of people may treasure your pieces?
First of all, the idea that young people no longer appreciate silver is simply a misconception. We frequently sell high-quality pieces to individuals in 30-to-45-year-old age bracket who are seeking to elevate their lifestyle or have a genuine fondness for fine antiques. In fact, we often purchase unwanted family heirlooms from parents who believe their children aren’t interested, only to resell them to young couples who are eager to incorporate these treasures into their own homes.
Secondly, the preferences for silverware vary widely between cultures, with each country showcasing unique tastes and traditions. The Chinese tend to favour more ornate and intricate designs, often preferring delicate intricate engravings and patterns. In contrast, British tastes often lean towards more classic, understated designs, with an emphasis on highquality craftsmanship with a focus on symmetry and balance. American silverware, on the other hand, is influenced by both European traditions and a desire for modern practicality. They prefer functional pieces with a touch of stylish elegance.
Finally, a good future custodian for your silver understands the true value of the silver and will give it pride of place. Whether the piece will be displayed proudly on a dining table or put to practical use in the home, it will be appreciated and cherished for years to come.
Selling your silver heirlooms to future custodians who understand their value ensures they’ll continue to be treasured for generations to come.
and making sure we’re working with the best ingredients available. Our menu changes daily, and sometimes within the same service. For example, if I’ve got 20 people, I might only have enough turbot for 10, so I’ll switch to bass for the other 10.”
The Cookery School at The Bertinet Kitchen on 21 March, Nathan Outlaw – A Feast of Fish, offers a hands-on experience where participants can learn his philosophy of simple yet flavourful seafood cooking. The class, where Nathan will be joined in the kitchen by Richard Bertinet (Nathan jokes “He just hangs around and just takes the mickey out of me all day!”), is based on his latest book Fish for Dinner in which Nathan gives his advice on what fish to cook and how to cook it. “The morning of the class, I’ll stop by my fishmongers to choose the fish, taking into account how many people I’ll be teaching that day. Then I’ll drive straight up to Bath, and we’ll dive into the class from there. It’s a nice, hands-on way to approach it.”
The approach to the workshop mirrors Nathan’s menu planning at his restaurants: “I’ll have a general idea of what I want to do. My plan is to focus on four different species: a flatfish, a round fish, a shellfish, and a crustacean. That way, I can teach the group how to prepare each of them. Afterwards, we’ll cook lunch together using those ingredients, incorporating recipes from my books to tie everything together.”
When it comes to cooking seafood, preparation is key, explains Nathan. “The most common comment I hear from people is that their fish ends up being overcooked or too dry, and that’s because they start with the fish first. I always emphasise how first of all you want to make sure your kitchen is cold, your hands are cold, and all your equipment is cold. Fish cooks quickly, and even the warmth from your hands can affect it.
“I talk a lot about the proper storage and handling of seafood – where to get it from, and how to aim for the best quality. Once you’ve got that right, it’s about getting everything else ready – your vegetables, sauces and dressings – before you even think about cooking the fish. I remind people that fish cooks incredibly quickly, in just two or three minutes, so you need to make sure your guests are seated with a glass of wine before you cook the fish.”
Another important consideration is choosing the right technique for the right species. “If you have a piece of hake with no skin and you just pan-fry it, it will dry out. The skin acts as a protection for the flesh, and understanding how to use it properly makes all the difference. It’s also true that there is a huge difference in the preparation of fish depending on whether you’re cooking it on the bone or as a fillet.”
A sea change
Nathan likes to be hands-on when he teaches, especially with a group of people with different levels of ability and different interests. “One of the things I focus on is making seafood more accessible so that people feel more confident cooking it. Lobster, for example, can be intimidating because the lobster is alive when you buy it, and people are not always sure what to do with it once they’ve get it home. Lobster is also quite expensive, so there’s a real fear of overcooking and ruining it.”
Nathan talks about the challenges of the fishing industry: “The fishing industry in Port Isaac has seen a big decline – when I started, there were 15 boats; now, there are only two. There are very few fishermen left in the village and this decline has affected both the fishing and hospitality industries. All I can do is promote the local fishing industry through my restaurants as much as possible.”
The cost of seafood also affects restaurant menus. “Seafood is probably one of the most expensive items a restaurant can put on its menu, so you’re seeing less and less of it in many places. That said, there has been an
increase in the use of different species, particularly the lesser-known, cheaper options. But most restaurants tend to lean more towards plantbased dishes or meat over fish, simply because of the cost.
“To make it work, chefs get creative with seafood, using their skills to serve interesting fish dishes, but often in smaller portions. That’s one reason why smaller plates have become more popular – you can still feature interesting seafood without offering huge servings.”
In the future, Nathan is focused on helping the hospitality industry get back on track. “Right now, many restaurants are struggling, and we’re not immune to that. I have always willing to adapt and change what we do to keep our customers happy and returning, while also keeping the staff happy, and I’ll continue to do that.”
Nathan’s next project involves working with Cunard on a Mediterranean-inspired seafood menu for a restaurant on a cruise ship. “We will start in Barcelona, so we can source fish straight from their markets. So I’ll be doing what I know but adjusting it to fit a 50-60 cover restaurant on board a ship. It will be a seafood restaurant on a cruise ship with a sea view, much like our restaurants – that sounds pretty great.” n
Nathan Outlaw is at
The Bertinet Kitchen Cookery School on 21 March. The event is fully booked, but check thebertinetkitchen.com for forthcoming Cookery School courses.
The Bertinet Kitchen Cookery School, 12 St Andrew’s Terrace, Bath 01225 445531
Fish for Dinner by Nathan Outlaw, Kyle Books, £28
Crab and Asparagus recipe from Outlaw’s New Road
Bristol Sipping Sicily
Recommendations by Tom Bleathman from The Great Wine Co.
The rugged natural beauty of Sicily has long made for a fantastic holiday destination. Recently, however, its wine scene has also been booming. Home to more than 65 indigenous grape varieties, Sicily produces some exceptional wines that often go unnoticed in the broader tapestry of Italian winemaking. This means they frequently offer great value for money. The cherry on top? Throughout March, these wines are also on offer as part of The Great Wine Co.’s Italian promotion. greatwine.co.uk
Fiano 2024, Molino Vento
Made by the fantastic Tenute Orestiadi, this Fiano is outstanding value for money. Grown on the western coastline in Trapini, these vines are situated in rich black, mineral-heavy soils helping to keep the wine delightfully fresh. Fiano is classically aromatic and this is no exception, packed full of tropical fruit and white flowers. On the palate, it is fresh with a lovely level of acidity. £13.30 to £11.10.
Terebinto Grillo 2023, Planeta Planeta are one of the icon produces of Sicily and played a huge part in creating the renowned reputation Sicilian winemaking now holds. Grown on the west of the Island in Memfi, this Grillo is a fantastic example of how good these indigenous grapes can be. On the nose, it’s lively, full of pineapple, melon and green apple. The palate is wonderfully weighty and textured. £22 to £18.33.
Etna Rosso 2022, Planeta I couldn’t write a Sicilian article without including a wine grown on the slopes of Mount Etna. The vineyards are situated between 510-610 metres above sea-level in rich black and lava sands where all the grapes are hand-picked to ensure quality. Planeta’s Etna Rosso is made using the indigenous Nerello Mascalese grape which produces a soft red wine with notes of plums, raspberries and tomato leaf. The minerality from the soil and acidity running through the wine keeps it delightfully fresh inviting you to take another sip. A wine which provides a true taste of its unique location. £29.50 to £24.40 n
The Great Bristol Wine Fest returns
The Three Wine Men are making their way back to Bristol for The Great Bristol Wine Fest following a successful 2024 inaugural event. Hosted by renowned wine experts Oz Clarke and Susy Atkins, who will be sharing their insights in discussions on the day, the festival promises hundreds of global wines to taste (from exquisite reds and whites to rosés, sparkling varieties, sweet concoctions and fortified gems), interactive sessions with the faces behind the esteemed wine labels and exclusive show offers on selected bottles.
This year, the event will take place on 5 April at Paintworks Event Space (BS4) with two sessions available – 1pm to 4pm and 5pm to 8pm. Separate tickers are required for each session. Tickets and more information are available via threewinemen.co.uk
Bristol has stars in its eyes
Bristol firmly established itself as a city for foodies last month, with a new Michelin star awarded to Wilson's.
The award makes Wilson's the first and only Bristol restaurant to hold both one Michelin Star and Michelin Green Star (which it retained this year) alike for efforts in sustainability. The Redland restaurant joins Bristol's only other Michelin-starred restaurant Bulrush, which retained its award this year. Three Bristol restaurants also won Bib Gourmands in the Michelin ceremony earlier this week: Wilson's Redland neighbour Little Hollows Pasta, Bedminster's OTHER, and Tare Bistro in Wapping Wharf. Bon Appetit!
New charity to teach cookery skills
Local charity CRuNCH’s new Cook5 with CRuNCH programme is a fully-funded five-week course delivered in senior schools, equipping young people with cooking skills, a good understanding of basic nutrition and arms them with 5 simple recipes which they can cook from scratch.
CRuNCH has already successfully piloted the programme in Merchants’ Academy, Withywood, Bristol. Now the charity is raising funds to deliver its programme in schools in the Bristol postcode area, with hopes it’ll be the first ‘Cook5 city’, where all youngsters leave home with the ability to cook 5 meals. It plans to roll out the programme nationally in 2028, building ‘Cook5 cities’ around the UK.
By 2030, CRuNCH plans to have impacted the lives of 500,000 young people.The programme will be kicking off at Worle Community School Academy near Weston-Super-Mare on 3 March. crunchtime.org.uk
Lucknam Park celebrates 20th Michelin Star in a row
Family-owned country hotel Lucknam Park in Colerne is celebrating a momentous achievement following the news that Restaurant Hywel Jones has retained its Michelin Star for the 20th consecutive year. “Maintaining a Michelin Star for a milestone two decades is a tremendous honour and a testament to the dedication of our entire team,” says executive chef Hywel Jones (pictured). “Consistency at this level requires passion, precision, and an unwavering pursuit of excellence, and I couldn’t be prouder of what we have achieved.” The kitchen sources ingredients locally wherever possible, and always from the British Isles, from lamb reared on the Lucknam estate to delicate herbs grown in the hotel’s kitchen garden. lucknampark.co.uk
Ancientunderworld
Bristol’s Pen Park Hole cave, tucked beneath an unsuspecting housing estate in Southmead, might just be one of the most historical mystery‐laden local locations you’ve rarely heard of...
All photos by Steve Sharp
It may at first appear like an unremarkable patch of woods on the edge of Southmead from above, yet Pen Park Hole’s series of tunnels and vast cavern is one of Britain’s most extraordinary natural wonders, holding secrets that stretch back hundreds of millions of years, back to the time when dinosaurs roamed the world above, and stories of strange deaths – and even a goblin encounter – were documented in more recent history.
Pen Park Hole is a hydrothermal cave (one of the few of its kind in the UK), formed not by the typical erosion of rainwater, but instead by hot water rising from deep beneath the earth. The cave’s subterranean lake, where the water level rises and falls for reasons still unknown and unrelated to weather, is even home to the affectionately-named Pen Park prawn (Niphargus kochianus: a tiny omnivore species usually found in locations like springs that has adapted to live in its isolated, underground pools). The cave’s age is equally remarkable. Pen Park Hole is estimated to be around 200 million years old, maybe even older. It’s an unusual window into a prehistoric world, pre-dating most caves you’ll find in the UK by millions of years.
The cave itself is vast, with the main chamber stretching 60 metres deep and more than 30 metres wide. For years, it was the deepest known cave in Britain, and though some of its tunnels lie just 25 metres below the busy streets of Southmead, the locals and commuters above are often unaware of the underground realm beneath their feet. Thankfully in 2016 Pen Park Hole was declared a Site of Special Scientific Interest by Natural England, protecting the area and confirming it as one of the most significant geological sites in the region.
Pictured: Adrian Fawcett in the East Passage at Pen Park Hole
The first recorded exploration of Pen Park Hole took place in 1669 when Captain Samuel Sturmy, a retired mariner, made a perilous descent into the cave. Rumours swirled about odd occurrences on this mission, including a tale of Sturmy encountering a mysterious goblin in the depths. There’s even been a poem penned about it called The Goblin’s Curse. The journey was treacherous; Sturmy and his companions were lowered into the cave with ropes by candlelight – no modern lighting or safety equipment, simply the flicker of flames guiding them into the dark abyss.
Tragically, just days after his exploration, Sturmy developed a headache that soon spiralled into a fever, ultimately leading to his death. Was this sickness a direct result of his discovery? He was buried in the churchyard of St. George’s in Easton in Gordano, but locals haven’t forgotten him, commemorating his memory each year on 5 November with a ringing of the bells to honour the man who first officially ventured into Pen Park Hole’s cavernous depths.
Sturmy wasn’t the only one to meet an untimely end in the cave, however. In 1775, Reverend Thomas Newnham, a junior canon at Bristol Cathedral, suffered a similar fate. After preaching a sermon that morning warning about sinners being cast down into the ‘deepest pit’, Newnham visited the entrance of Pen Park Hole to measure its depths. Clinging to a tree root, the reverend lost his grip and plummeted to his death.
More than two centuries later, Pen Park Hole is still shrouded in intrigue. For those brave enough to explore, the cave offers a true adventure. Visitors must crawl, squeeze, and scramble through tight, muddy passageways before reaching the stunning main chamber; a glimpse into a world long forgotten by time.
Cave entry is managed through a leader system as part of an access agreement between a consortium of three local caving clubs and Bristol City Council. It is otherwise not possible to enter the cave and should not be attempted. A very useful website has been created by University of Bristol Spelæological Society (penparkhole.org.uk) with details on who to contact to see if you have sufficient caving experience to enter the area under the terms of the access agreement. n
The Bristol Magazine would like to thank Steve Sharp for his contribution to this article. All photos were taken by and provided courtesy of Steve Sharp. Dan Beer and Adrian Fawcett also assisted with the photographs. Steve’s work has been published on multiple covers of Descent magazine (descentmagazine.co.uk, incl. Aug ‘13, Oct ‘13 and June ‘15) and Mendip Underground mcra.org.uk/mu). You can see more of his photos at flickr.com/steve-sharp.
Sources for this article include penparkhole.org.uk; an account of the cave written by Graham Mullan and published shortly after the cave was reopened in 1993, titled Pen Park Hole, Bristol: A reassessment; a 2003 TV programme called Secret Underground Bristol produced by RedWeather Productions; and a 2017 episode of BBC’s Inside Out West.
Pictured: Top left, Adrian Fawcett in the top passage 1. Middle left, Dan Beer in the Upper Series 6 section. Bottom left, Adrian Fawcett climbing up the ladder pitch. Opposite, Simon Moth, Andy Brown, David Holmes and Dave Gosdend in the cave’s Main Chamber
Bristol at work
LOCAL BUSINESS AND COMMUNITY ORGANISATION UPDATES
Clevedon BID undergoes rebrand
Clevedon Business Improvement District (Clevedon BID) has revealed its new public identity as Discover Clevedon.
While the BID remains legally Clevedon BID, this new branding will help create a stronger, more unified approach to supporting local businesses and promoting Clevedon as a must-visit destination. By adopting the Discover Clevedon name across all public platforms, the organisation aims to bring a greater level of transparency and visibility into what they do, and to make it clear that their goal is to bring Clevedon to life for residents, visitors, and businesses alike.
Businesses and residents can stay connected with Discover Clevedon via the website below and can follow the team’s social media channels @discoverclevedon for updates, events and opportunities. These channels reach more than 150,000 people each year and share information on local businesses, events and attractions in the town. discoverclevedon.co.uk
Youth Zone gets £300K boost
The Barratt Foundation has donated £300,000 to OnSide, a national youth charity dedicated to transforming the lives of young people, as part of a year-long partnership. OnSide builds state-of-the-art multi-million-pound youth centres (called Youth Zones) in the most economically disadvantaged areas of the UK. Staffed by skilled and dedicated youth workers, OnSide empowers young people to lead positive and fulfilling lives. As well as offering a wide range of sports and activities, the Youth Zones provide more than 120,000 meals for £1 or less, helping to combat the effects of food poverty. A further seven centres are planned to open including 224, South Bristol’s Youth Zone which will be located on undeveloped land close to the roundabout which connects Hengrove Way and Hartcliffe Way.
The Barratt Foundation represents Barratt Homes, David Wilson Homes and Redrow across their charitable work. onsideyouthzones.org; barratthomes.co.uk; dwh.co.uk; redrow.co.uk
Empica welcomes new PR intern
Public relations agency Empica has announced the addition of 23-year-old Eleanor Hooper (pictured) to its growing team as a new intern. Eleanor brings with her a fresh perspective and an enthusiasm for the field. As an intern, she will work closely with the experienced, Bristol-based team at Empica to support day-to-day operations, assist with media outreach, and contribute to creative content strategies for a diverse range of clients.
Eleanor – a law graduate from the University of Leeds – is keen to bring her skills and unique experience to the company, where she hopes to develop her expertise in media relations, brand storytelling and strategic communication: “The versatility of public relations is what attracted me to this career path, so I am excited to immerse myself in this dynamic environment,” she says. “It’s a great team I have found myself a part of, and I’m looking forward to learning more about the industry through them.” empica.com
3 ways “sticky inflation” could affect your finances and what you can do about
it
Inflation stayed above the target rate for 9 out of 12 months last year.
Read on to find out three ways “sticky inflation” could affect your finances.
1. Your daily expenses could increase
It’s important to remember that "lower" inflation rates don’t indicate falling prices.
So, as prices continue to climb, adapting your budget could help keep your outgoings under control.
2. Your cash savings could lose their real-terms value
Cash savings are vulnerable to inflation, as the returns offered by many accounts often fall below the inflation rate.
While it’s a good idea to keep some savings in cash, investing a portion of your wealth could help preserve its purchasing power.
3. Interest rates could remain high
The BoE decided to hold the base rate at 4.75% in its December meeting, which could affect borrowing costs.
While there is little you can do to change your repayment rates, having a diversified portfolio can help you mitigate excess costs in one area by balancing them with gains in other areas.
A financial planner can work with you to develop a strategy that helps protect your finances against sticky inflation.
To speak to a financial planner, get in touch.
If you would like a review of your pensions and investments and whether you are on track to achieve your financial goals, please contact us for a
Indie spirit
Even on casual acquaintance, the town of Frome – an hour south of Bristol by road or rail – seems distinctive, with a spirit of independence and adaptability, and of somehow being ahead of the curve, writes Andrew Swift
Frome’s streets are lined with independent shops, its town council consists entirely of independent councillors and once a month a street market with a difference – known as ‘the Frome Independent’ – takes over the town. This spirit of independence goes back a long way.
As early as the 14th Century, Frome was an important cloth-making centre. The fast-flowing rivers around the town powered numerous watermills, but much of the work was done in home workshops, fuelling the spirit of enterprise that would be the keynote of the town’s prosperity.
Frome’s glory days arrived in the mid-17th Century, when it became a boom town for the weaving trade. By the time Daniel Defoe visited around 1725, he found it so ‘prodigiously increased’ that it was ‘now reckoned to have more Inhabitants in it than the City of Bath’. Around 80% of these inhabitants were nonconformists, who built an extraordinary number of chapels. The grandest was Rook Lane, set in its own grounds high above the town and looking more like a magnificent country house than a place of worship.
Frome was still buzzing when William Cobbett stopped by a century later and described it as having ‘all the flash of a Manchester’. While the mills of Manchester would flourish for another century or more, however, the collapse of the West Country weaving trade was just around the
corner. Frome, though, unlike many other towns, bounced back as new industries, such as metalworking and printing, were established.
History woven into its DNA
Today, things have moved on again, but reminders of times past are everywhere as you walk through the town. Scores of grand clothiers’ houses survive, along with hundreds of weavers’ cottages, their survival a testament not only to the sturdiness of their construction but also to the local residents who resisted their demolition. One of the most striking examples of how saving the past has provided an invaluable asset for the future is Rook Lane Chapel, closed in 1968 after its congregation dwindled but resurrected as one of the most dynamic arts centres in the south west.
Although Frome may keep a low profile as a heritage destination, it has 371 listed buildings, more than any other town in Somerset. Far from being a picturesque museum piece, however, it is thriving and dynamic and it is in the rich mix of past and present that the secret of its success lies.
So, while it has retained its medieval street pattern, that happens to suit modern requirements very well and makes it a delight to walk around. Those medieval streets also conceal a secret only recently uncovered – a warren of long forgotten tunnels deep underground, now
Frome’s independent shopping district
slowly being explored for the first time in centuries.
At the heart of the town lies the Market Place, as it has done for centuries, and standing here you are surrounded by history. Take the pubs, for example. The Archangel has been there since 1665, while the George across the road, once Frome’s premier coaching inn, is even older. On the other side of the George was its great rival, the Crown, which closed a few years ago and is now a shop.
At the north end of the Market Place, behind the Blue Boar Inn – dating back to 1691 – is one of Frome’s grandest buildings, the Blue House, built three centuries ago as an almshouse and charity school, and still an almshouse today. Beyond it, Town Bridge, crossing the River Frome, is one of only a handful of bridges in the country with a row of shops on it.
The narrow lanes and alleys leading off the Market Place – Eagle Lane, Apple Alley, Angel Lane – open a very different window into the past. Chief among them is Cheap Street, with jettied Tudor buildings and a rill of water coursing along it. It leads to Church Street, from which steps climb to Gentle Street, once a main route into town, and now surely one of the loveliest streets in England. After passing Georgian clothiers’ houses, you come to the Chantry and the Hermitage, both 16th Century, and originally one property – the townhouse of the Marquess of Bath. Next door was another inn, the former Waggon & Horses, open by 1568, and once the starting point for coaches to London.
Gentle Street may be something of a backwater today, but Stony Street, at the south end of the Market Place, is anything but. It leads to Catherine Hill, the heart of Frome’s independent shopping district, a maze of paved and narrow streets, where you will find art and craft galleries, vintage and modern clothing, ceramics, gifts, antiques, jewellery, cafes, bars and micropubs, as well as more portals into the past.
As you climb Catherine Hill, you notice steps on the south side leading up through a low archway, past the site of a medieval chapel, into Sheppard’s Barton, a hidden complex of 18th century workers’ cottages. Lanes to the north of Catherine Hill lead into a tightly packed labyrinth of winding alleys, closes and steps, where rubble-stone cottages and workshops rub shoulders with chapels, grander houses and modern infills, jumbled yet harmonious and with a surprise around every corner.
Radical politics
The biggest surprise, though, is how Frome has acquired an uncharacteristic fame in recent years, thanks to the determination of local residents to take on – or rather take over – the town council. Their philosophy was simple – to give local politics a new energy and purpose by getting rid of party politics in pursuit of a new way of doing things. It
was a way that involved the whole community and reflected the way the community wanted to see Frome develop. They called the idea ‘flatpack democracy’, and, having swept the board at the local elections, the idea started to be taken up elsewhere – and not just in England.
In 2015, councillors from Frome were invited to the Glastonbury Festival to share Billy Bragg’s Leftfield stage with representatives of Greece’s Syriza party, Spain’s Podemos party and Radical Independence campaigners from Scotland.
Nothing epitomises this new spirit than the Frome Independent. More festival than market, this monthly celebration (on the first Sunday in the month from March to December) sees the Market Place and surrounding streets closed to traffic and given over to local food and drink producers, artists and designers, purveyors of retro and vintage collectables and antiques, and street entertainment.
A short walk away is the Cheese & Grain – a social enterprise and music venue whose line-up of performers in recent years has included Paul McCartney and the Foo Fighters, but, which, to coincide with the Frome Independent, hosts the monthly Magpie Market, featuring vintage and contemporary gifts, jewellery and home-made crafts and produce. n
For more information, visit the websites discoverfrome.co.uk and thefromeindependent.org.uk. Discover more of Andrew Swift’s work at akemanpress.com. All images courtesy of Andrew Swift.
Waggon & Horses, Gentle Street c.1900
Bath Street
The Frome Independent street market
Education matters
NEWS FROM THE CITY’S LEARNERS & LEADERS
Local bus transforms into classroom
A disused 12-tonne bus, donated by First Bus in the West of England, has been transformed from a 75seater passenger vehicle at the end of its life into an upstairs classroom and downstairs play and meeting space for a local school.
Pupils at Blaise Primary and Nursery School in Henbury, Bristol, gave invited guests a tour of their new facility, including local MP and Chief Secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones, local education leaders and representatives from First Bus, which funded the project as part of its ongoing community work.
First Bus, working with international bus supplier Ensignbus, has converted the double decker into a 30seater upstairs classroom with conference style tables to provide a more collaborative space where teachers can show and demonstrate to pupils. The existing seats have been preserved but repositioned so the classroom still retains a bus feel.
Meanwhile the downstairs area has been transformed into a meeting/play space, which can be used for pupils with more specialist needs, including those seeking a social, emotional space, or for meetings with parents and carers who prefer to talk with staff away from a traditional school setting. The school also hopes to use the bus for pupil school council meetings, as well as more formal meetings, including with school governors and other external stakeholders.
Massimo Bonaddio, who is the Head Teacher at Blaise Primary and Nursery School and the Chair of the Primary Heads Association Bristol, said: “We’re really proud to be a school that strives to cater for all the children in our community. This space will provide us with a range of opportunities for teaching and meeting, and also provide a safe, alternative, space away from the main school.I’m not sure who is more excited about having this converted bus space on site, myself and staff team, or the pupils!” blaise.bristol.sch.uk
Local education organisations to share GCSE prep advice at major event
Greenhouse Learning, a leading local alternative provision, and its sister company, Bristol Tutors, a leading local provider of private tuition, have announced they will both be at GCSE Boost this March.
GCSE Boost is an event organised by Junior Saunders, helping Year 11s across the city to feel better prepared for their GCSEs. Having supported almost 2,000 students with tuition, Greenhouse Learning and Bristol Tutors have found that study skills are often the biggest challenge. The teams will be offering expert advice on revision strategies, time management and exam confidence during the event.
In addition to offering personalised one-to-one tutoring support, Bristol Tutors is also running Easter Revision Courses, providing extra support for students in the crucial weeks before exams.
Find out more online at bristoltutors.co.uk, call 0117 463 0523 or email arfynna@bristoltutors.co.uk
(Pictured:
Rachael Tan, Director of Greenhouse Learning and Bristol Tutors, who will be providing workshops for year 11s on study skills at GCSE Boost)
Darren Jones MP with pupils at Blaise Primary and Nursery School (Photo by Jon Craig)
A new chapter begins for Redmaids’ High School
This year, Redmaids’ High School celebrates 390 years of excellence in girls’ education as it strengthens its core purpose of educating girls and young women in or near Bristol. The milestone anniversary began with the school being recognised as the top school in Bristol for academic excellence by The Sunday Times, marking the third year in a row that it has earned the prestigious title.
Mental Health & Therapy Skills
courses in Bristol
Join the 10,000s of people already benefiting from our clear, practical training to discover the best ways to help adults and children overcome a wide range of difficulties. You will leave each course with a wealth of psychological insights, practical tips and skills you can implement straight away. Subjects include:
· Self-Harm
· Rewind Technique for treating Trauma & PTSD
· Anxiety
· Depression
· Addictions
· Guided Imagery
· Therapeutic Storytelling
· Conflict and more View all courses in Bristol
Venue: Engineers’ House, Bristol BS8 3NB Online courses also available https://www.humangivens.com/college/online
Welcome to the Bristol Paediatric Clinic: Caring for
Bristol Paediatric Clinic offers expert medical appointments for children. Our team of Paediatric Consultants - all of whom also work in the NHS - are highly experienced and dedicated to providing the best care for your child.
When it comes to your child's health, you can trust the professionals at Bristol Paediatric Clinic. At our clinic situated in Bristol, with a team of skilled and compassionate staff, we are committed to ensuring your child receives the care they deserve.
From routine check-ups to complex medical conditions, our team is here to support your child's health and wellbeing at every stage of their development.
Expert paediatric care for your child, when you need it.
At Bristol Paediatric Clinic, we provide comprehensive care for your child from infants to teenagers. Whether it's an urgent appointment for something acute, or advice and check ups for anything else you are worried about, you can trust us to prioritise your child's health and well-being. Our paediatricians offer a range of services for children, including speciality appointments and referrals where necessary. With a focus on personalised treatment, our dedicated team ensures the highest standard of care for your child.
Paediatric Clinic Co-Directors
Dr Dan Magnus - BMedSci, BMBS, MRCPCH, MSc
Dan is a Consultant in Paediatric Emergency Medicine in the Children’s Emergency Department at the Bristol Royal Hospital for Children where he has been Clinical Lead. He is also a Consultant Senior Lecturer in Global Health at the University of Bristol. Dan trained in Paediatrics and Paediatric Emergency Medicine in Bath, Bristol and Toronto.
Dr Nick Sargant - MBBS, MRCPCH, MSc (Allergy)
Nick is a Consultant Paediatrician at the Bristol Royal Hospital for Children and specialises in Paediatric Allergy and Paediatric Emergency Medicine. He has been Clinical Lead for the Children’s Emergency Department and Governance Lead for the Children’s Hospital. Nick trained in Paediatrics, Paediatric Allergy and Paediatric Emergency Medicine in London, Bristol, Bath, and Melbourne. He also has a Master of Science (MSc) degree in allergy from Southampton University.
Litfield House Medical Centre
MBST: Helping elite coaches and medics achieve their own goals:
Dave Alred has coached the best in world rugby and golf, and still does today. Some of you will know him from working with the British and Irish Lions, the 2003 England squad and Bristol rugby. Here’s his account of his healing journey which I’m lucky to have been part of:
“18 months ago I was facing the prospect of a replacement operation on my right shoulder. The result of a rugby injury wear and tear and aggravated by constant use coaching rugby and playing/coaching golf – my profession. It had got to the stage of not being able to raise my arm to shoulder level. Passing a rugby ball was a real effort. Swinging a golf club with the slightest speed was out of the question. Both for work and my sanity I desperately needed a functioning right-side shoulder.
I started a course with MBST and towards the end of the course I started a regime of daily controlled limited mobility exercises, and some hands-on rehabilitation work. Another key factor was the commitment of a daily exercise routine, it was a true partnership : my rehab work, the MBST to stimulate cell repair and the hands-on rehab work in the clinic with James. It’s a long haul and I am still regularly exercising, but I can now hit wedges and pass a rugby ball during coaching. Exercises that I am able to do now I was nowhere near 9 months ago.”
Dr Mitchell is a GP with a great purpose. He regularly travels to Nepal for his Bristol based charity the Pahar trust and he needs his body to function. He keeps fit with ex England Rugby’s David Rees PT, however, arthritis in his spine and knee became a limiting factor. Tim is a great doctor who is open to developments in medicine and healing, so when I suggested he tried MBST to stimulate healing in his spine and knee cartilage he looked at the science, felt it made sense and went for it. The outcome in both areas has been great. Both areas were treated several years ago, responded very well to treatment and are still going strong today.
Hot off the press
We speak to textile designer Jessie de Salis whose bold and bright fabrics born in a Somerset barn are injecting lashings of colour into homes around the country
Itake a lot of inspiration from plants, the natural world, and the ancient Greek and Byzantine worlds for my designs,” says Jessie de Salis. “Those sources are just so beautiful. I also find the Bauhaus movement really inspiring.” Soft green pea plant tendrils curling around bed heads, Bauhaus-inspired napkins adorned with vivid blue and soft pink circles and glorious sunny yellow petals spread gracefully across a table. Jessie de Salis – a textile designer putting bright and bold designs front and centre via traditional methods of screen printing in a beautiful converted barn studio in Somerset – has been hand-crafting patterns onto organic fabric since 2020’s lockdown.
“What I really like about printing the designs myself is that I think it makes me a better designer,” she explains. “You start to care about every single colour, because each one matters, and it’s important to get those colours just right so everything works together.
I just love textiles that are bold and bright. I think they look really striking in a space. For lampshades and cushions, people tend to love bright colours. For curtains, though, I’ve noticed people usually go for slightly more muted tones. They often choose two shades of green, for example, rather than something like orange or yellow.”
The fine print
Jessie has dedicated the last few years of her life to the art of screen printing fabric, along with cousin Alice Jacoby who has been training alongside her. Jessie’s grandparents were farmers and let her use an old stable previously used for storage.
“When I first found it, it was completely full of stuff,” Jessie recalls. “But space is really important for the textile printing process. I’m really lucky as it would have been so difficult to find a space like this. The barn has this beautiful glass roof, and the light is just gorgeous”.
Hand printing requires a lot of set up time. Colours are hand mixed, screens are prepared and the design aligned. Behind every two minutes of printing is 20 minutes of prep. Having started screen printing from the kitchen table, Jessie’s experience in digital printing sowed the seeds that evolved into a fascination with manual textile decoration.
“Digital printing wasn't as satisfying; I really liked the hands-on aspect of screen printing. The colours, the imperfections – it felt so much more alive. No two prints are exactly the same and I love that.”
After practising with smaller prints in an old shed at her boyfriend’s parents’ house in Cornwall while lockdowns persisted, one metre at a time, Jessie learned how to properly print textiles and started getting commissions. Now she needed to know how to successfully scale her business up. “I called my old lecturer and asked, “How do I do this?” She told me she was selling her own long print table. So, I went up to Cumbria, where she was based and spent the day with her. She showed me how to use the big screens, how to register them and all the technical stuff. Since then, it’s been a learning process.”
Jessie de Salis (right) with Alice Jacoby (left)
Lotus Flower Fabric
Planet-friendly fabrics
It’s been about three years since Jessie took on the studio, and it’s been a lot of work – getting commissions, figuring out the craft, and learning how to manage everything.
One of Jessie’s guiding principles for her business is to “tread lightly on the Earth”. While she acknowledges that no textile production is perfect when it comes to its impact on the environment, she has tried to prioritise processes that ease the effects.
“My fabric comes from Lithuania – it’s this beautiful, high-quality organic linen. I found a really lovely supplier that offers this soft, floppy linen and it’s environmentally friendly as the mill runs on renewable power, which is important to me. Also, all of the inks I use are water-based, which is a big plus for the environment.”
Of course, it helps that in terms of design production, everything is done by hand, rather than energy-consuming machines. Jessie and Alice also released a collection where every element of the product was secondhand, using offcuts, repurposing rope for piping and thread from second-hand suppliers. “We spent ages doing that and it was really amazing to create a collection completely from waste.”
At the time of writing, Jessie has nine fabric designs for sale on the online shop, as well as a number of cushions and lampshades waiting to brighten up homes around the country. But Jessie also loves taking bespoke orders, with customised print designs in shapes and colours of the clients’ choice.
“Commissions are great. I did one for a couple who were getting married, and they ordered 120 metres of fabric (pictured, top right). This was when I was just starting up my studio, and it was such an amazing commission because my partner and I printed it together, and it really helped me figure out how to scale up and print this much fabric efficiently.
“The design was based on a Gloriosa plant, which was a special plant for the bride – it was her mum’s favourite. The bespoke pieces are always the enjoyable because you’re designing for someone’s specific space, and you’re working with their personal tastes. I also did a Tree of Life design for another commission, where a family picked all the birds, each one with its own meaning and story.”
Jessie explains how she thrives on the fun process of creating designs, especially for someone’s home – and the heritage craft of manual screenprinting means she’s able to be creative with concepts, but then also practice precision and neatness when it comes to placing the designs on the fabric. “You have to align everything just right, and when it works, it’s so satisfying”. Jessie loves Bristol’s “creative and colourful attitude”, which is closely aligned with her own endeavours, “It’s the kind of place where a lot of makers, designers, and artists want to live”. And what better place to exhibit local art that also celebrates traditional handcrafted skills than your own home? n jessiedesalis.com
Red Bauhaus Lamp
Bloom Red Lampshade & Green Fig Cushion
Home sweet home
Our Spring/Summer 2025 Guide features all our favourite trades and services to help spruce up your home and garden. Whether it’s a small decorating touch or an ambitious major project, this directory has a treasured range of expert services to make all those home, interior and garden dreams become reality
Showroom by appointment, Sneyd Park, Bristol 07904040276 | 07432331342 | ivywellinteriors.com
Ivywell Interiors is an independent, award-winning residential interior design studio based in Bristol, offering a comprehensive service that blends architecture and interior design to meet the unique needs of each client. Its collaborative and flexible approach allows the team to design creative and practical solutions to ensure every project reflects clients’ preferred style, functional requirements, and importantly budget. They work hand in hand with clients to take the hassle away and support them at every stage of the project, be it a small remodel, extension or full-scale renovation. With a network of trusted, local skilled trades, they deliver beautifully executed, functional spaces – no matter the complexity of your project. Get in touch with Ivywell Interiors and start planning your dream home.
Quorn Stone’s journey began in 1995, importing artisan handpainted terracotta tiles from Manises, Spain. These small, yet charming tiles ignited a lifelong passion for natural materials in the home. Now a secondgeneration family business in its 30th year of service, Quorn Stone is known for sourcing some of the most beautiful natural stone and porcelain tiles in the world with care and expertise. With seven UK showrooms, Quorn Stone’s Bristol showroom is situated on Whiteladies Road. This boutique store houses its extensive collection of stone and porcelain tiles, from rustic flagstone floors and porcelain paving to glossy decorative wall tiles – there is a tile to suit every project and requirement.
JUST SHUTTERS
Whatever your style – contemporary, modern, cosy or traditional – Just Shutters has the perfect fit for you. The shutters do not fade, warp or age and come with a lifetime guarantee. Rob and Linda Reeves are experts in the field, trained to the market-leading Just Shutters standard. They are passionate about shutters and transforming the homes of local people, with an understanding of outstanding quality, great value and professional customer service. Work closely with Rob and Linda as they tailor Just Shutters to your tastes, giving you honest and impartial advice. The company has the largest range of material and finishes in the UK, granting you choice and options in terms of shutter style.
K Interiors is an experienced interior design studio offering a luxury interior design service across Bristol and the south west. Working closely with colour-loving clients, Kay helps to demystify the interior design process, giving the confidence to explore styles and palettes that may not have previously been considered. She then works to deliver beautiful, bespoke interior schemes that perfectly suit both the client and their home. As part of the ‘Gold’ level package, K Interiors also offers a bespoke design service for furniture and soft furnishings. Ensuring each high-end design can be finished off with the perfect piece. Do you have a project you’d like help with?
Be inspired at: k-interiors.co.uk
PARK FURNISHERS
Unit 1 A/B, Eastgate Retail Park, Eastgate Road, Eastville, BS5 6XX | parkfurnishers.co.uk
For over 55 years, Park Furnishers has been at the heart of Bristol’s home interiors scene. Now settled into its new home at Eastgate Retail Park, the store continues to offer a diverse selection of furniture – from sumptuous sofas and elegant dining sets to cosy beds – and a fitted kitchen and bedroom studio featuring more than 15 inspirational displays.
With over 50 years’ experience, Bracey Interiors has earned an enviable reputation for its Design Services. Working throughout the UK and abroad the Design Team creates unique and bespoke interiors. Within the showroom in the heart of Clifton Village, you’ll find fabrics and wallpapers from all the major design houses, as well as a unique and eclectic mix of home accessories. Bracey Interiors is a stockist of both Little Greene and Paint & Paper Library paints, which are mixed in the showroom in a matter of minutes. Bracey is also a Luxaflex dealership. The brand is renowned for its blinds and shutters. No matter how big or small your requirements, the friendly staff are keen to help. They also have their own in-house workrooms creating bespoke curtains and blinds, along with a fitting service for clients with the aim of providing a complete service for all your interior requirements
As spring arrives, it's the perfect time to refresh your home, inside and out. Visit Park Furnishers to explore the latest garden furniture ranges now in store, designed to help you make the most of the brighter days ahead. The store is home to the best brands, including Neff, G Plan, ercol, La-Z-Boy, Parker Knoll and Orla Kiely. Stop by and get inspired today!
Marble Supreme provides master craftsmanship in stone. Whether you’re looking for new stone worktops for your kitchen or bathroom, it offers a range of materials to suit your needs. With over 20 years of experience, the team produces a wide range of products, from beautifully crafted granite kitchen worktops and flooring, right through to bespoke stone fireplaces, vanity tops, splashbacks and sink surrounds. Marble Supreme provides a complete service –from sourcing the perfect stone to crafting perfectly-fitting and beautifully-finished kitchen worktops. It also prides itself on delivering the very best in granite, marble and quartz stone, knowing its creations will play a part in family life for years to come. Whether you know what you want or are considering the options, the team is happy to discuss your plans, so pop into the Kingswood showroom.
For more than 30 years, Tailored Flooring has been supplying and fitting stunning carpets and floor coverings to home owners and businesses in Bristol and the surrounding areas.
Now under new ownership, following the diligent proprietorship of the previous owner Darren Taylor, the experienced team has a wealth of knowledge and experience in supplying and fitting floor coverings that will beautifully enhance every every style of homes.
From the showroom in Clifton, Tailored Floorings offers a wide range of the highest quality carpets in wool, sisal, seagrass, jute and coir, along with luxury vinyl tiles, engineered wood and solid wood flooring from leading UK brands Woodpecker, Crucial Trading, Alternative Flooring, Ted Todd, Fibre Flooring, Kersaint Cobb and Invictus.
Run by Giles and Simon Lunt, Boniti is a high-quality interiors and exteriors business. The showroom is a destination for all things natural stone, porcelain, and timber flooring. Boniti offers expert restoration and professional installation services, ensuring every project is completed to the highest standard. For large and small projects, the Boniti team are masters of their profession and it shows in every detail. The showroom is easily reached from J18 of the M4.
LANDPOINT CUSTOM GARDEN ROOMS
info@custom.garden | custom.garden
Landpoint Custom Garden Rooms was founded on the values established over the past decade of high quality, bespoke garden design and landscaping provided by Landpoint Gardens in and around Bristol and the surrounding areas. The company is built around the same team and breadth of experience within Landpoint Gardens, but with the singular focus of providing the best in ingarden spaces and custom garden rooms. Projects range from professional work spaces and home offices, children’s playrooms, annexe bedrooms, fully-equipped and functional home gyms, man caves, personal home cinemas, art studio, drum and band practice rooms and more. By avoiding templated construction, you have full control over all elements of the design and construction to deliver the ultimate custom spaces that provide value to the people and the house that it serves while being uniquely personal.
KUSTOM FLOORS AND FURNITURE
10 Hill Road, Clevedon BS21 7NZ and 6 Downend Road, BS16 5UJ | kustomfloorsandfurniture.co.uk
Operating in and around Bristol, Kustom Floors and Furniture are market-leading experts in the supply and installation of flooring, as well as offering striking dining and living room furniture, sofas and home accessories. Specialising in the supply and installation of carpets, vinyl, laminates, real wood, LVT and safety flooring, Kustom tailors its services to suit your unique needs in the belief that no two customers are the same. Whether you need premium wood flooring or a striking new sofa, the friendly team is happy to help with your every need. Partnering with trusted brands like Karndean, Woodpecker, Cormar and Quickstep, Kustom guarantees quality and satisfaction. No job is too small – choose Kustom for all your flooring and furniture needs in Bristol and the South West.
Tabitha is a highly experienced landscape designer with more than 20 years of designing and installing projects of all sizes, both in the UK and abroad. She offers a full garden design service, including design concept, construction management, planting and styling. She can also provide consultations, garden coaching and advice. Tabitha works collaboratively with clients, carefully listening to their needs, to ensure the end results are elegant as well as functional. She is keen to make sure her design solutions sit well within their surroundings, with beautiful, thoughtful planting schemes and a sympathetic use of materials, whether it be it a tiny courtyard, a roof terrace or a large family garden. She works with a select group of landscape contractors and specialists, so that the design process, from concept to completion, is smooth and seamless.
Award-winning creators of beautiful bespoke kitchens. Ben Argent Kitchens is a local independent company run by Ben and Emi Argent, who have been designing and hand crafting timeless, sophisticated kitchens since 2011. Every design detail you see has been meticulously refined. Every function and material application has been imagined with the most in-depth level of consideration. And every kitchen has been installed with the highest level of precision and finesse. Their beautiful showroom is conveniently located near M4 J18 with plenty of free parking. Please contact them to arrange a viewing
The team at Sky Interiors (Bath) Limited has been designing, manufacturing and installing bespoke cabinetry and joinery for more than 40 years. Based at its showroom and joinery workshop on the outskirts of Bath, experienced designers work closely with clients to guide them through the design process. The company takes great pride in building a relationship with its clients through listening to their practical requirements and their tastes for colours, textures and finishes and Sky Interiors will always delight in incorporating the sought after ‘fine detail’. With total flexibility to produce all aspects of interiors to exceptional standards, from kitchens to bathrooms, bedrooms to boot rooms, as well as one off pieces, the company also collaborates with interior designers across Bath, the home counties and London.
DUNSDON BARN
Dunsdon Barn, West Littleton, Wiltshire, SN14 8JA dunsdonbarn.com
With joined-up thinking by three of Bath’s most-loved independent homes, interiors and exterior businesses, Dunsdon Barn is a destination showroom for Boniti, with its beautiful stone, porcelain and timber flooring products; the brilliant kitchen designs by Ben Argent – with working kitchen displays on show, and Coopers Home Appliances for a fabulous range of the highest quality stoves and range cookers –including AGA, Everhot, La Cornue and Lacanche. The showroom space has been completely re-imagined and all three businesses are well-known for offering the highest standards of customer service, care and can work together to provide excellent delivery and fitting by skilled craftspeople. Conveniently located just a few miles north of Bath near Dyrham Park and J18, and with free parking, Dunsdon Barn is the perfect place to start your next dream project.
JESSIE DE SALIS
jessiedesalis.com
Jessie de Salis and Alice Jacoby run a small textile studio in Somerset. Starting on the kitchen table, their screen print business has grown to fill a barn. Jessie’s designs are bright and bold, inspired by the changing moods of the natural world and tales from years gone by. Treading lightly on the earth is a guiding principle; everything is printed by hand, organic linens are sourced from Europe, inks are water-based. Hand-printed fabric has a special quality. All fabrics are individually handled and screen printed in small batches. The slight variations of handmade work make it personal. Every piece is unique. Shop online for fabrics, cushions and lampshades, or get in touch to organise a studio visit or discuss a bespoke design.
GREEN WOODS FURNITURE
54 Princess Victoria Street, Clifton Village, BS8 4BZ greenwoodsfurniture.co.uk
MITCHELL & DICKINSON
0117 287 2799 | mitchellanddickinson.co.uk
Mitchell & Dickinson is a specialist in bespoke energy-saving insulation solutions for period and listed homes. CosyGlazing is a unique secondary glazing system that is elegant and effective. Made of a modern, lightweight equivalent to glass, it’s fixed using magnets, so is easy to remove and virtually invisible. Choose a finish to complement your period or listed property. The clever whole-house insulation solutions include high quality and aesthetically appropriate draught proofing, sheep's wool loft insulation and loft flooring, underfloor insulation, wooden floor draught proofing, sloping ceiling insulation and warmth-enhancing accessories, such as chimney balloons and radiator enhancers.
Now open in Clifton Village, Green Woods supplies furniture, beds and certified organic mattresses, all handmade in the UK using wood only from sustainable sources. Mattresses are all UK made and fully-certified organic (Soil Association and GOTS) and both mattresses and upholstered beds are foam-free. Natural and organic bedding (ethically and responsibly sourced from outside the UK) is also available. Green Woods can make furniture to any custom size, shape or configuration, as well as bespoke designs. Custom size mattresses and bed alterations are also an option. Natural, ‘chemical-free’ wood finishes (child and vegan friendly) are on offer for those wishing to avoid standard industry finishes. Green Woods came top in Ethical Consumer's Guide to Furniture Shops. Browse online or visit the shop for more information and advice.
With over 34 years’ experience, Paramount Tiling has built a reputation as Bristol's leading tiling company, delivering exceptional craftsmanship and precision in every project. Whether you're looking for stunning kitchen splashbacks, luxurious bathroom transformations, or elegant flooring solutions, the skilled team works with premium materials, including porcelain, ceramic, natural stone, and bespoke designs. Paramount takes pride in a meticulous attention to detail and commitment to exceeding customer expectations. From small residential upgrades to large-scale commercial installations, Paramount Tiling ensures seamless results that stand the test of time.
Gardiner Haskins Interiors has luxury interior showrooms that allow you to create your dream home. The knowledgeable and skilled team of design experts can help you design your own bespoke kitchen or bathroom with wraparound project management from start to finish and high-quality manufacturers such as Stoneham Kitchens, Roper Rhodes and Vanity Hall. You can also enhance your bedroom with beds on display from Harrison Spinks, Hypnos and Relyon alongside bedroom furniture from Ercol, Wiemann and Nolte Möbel. The latest addition to the showrooms is a stunning sofa & chair display featuring Parker Knoll and G Plan Upholstery. The team has over 40 years’ experience, so you can guarantee exceptional customer service. Open six days a week with a free customer car park and less than 10minute walk from Cabot Circus.
PAUL WHITTAKER
BATHROOMS AND WETROOMS
Showroom by appointment at Bathroom Solutions, 54 Redcliff Street, BS1 6LS 0117 223 0086 | 07879666221 | paulwhittakerbathrooms.co.uk
Paul Whittaker Bathrooms and Wetrooms is a design, supply and installation bathroom company with a huge reputation in the Bristol area. Working closely with his clients, Paul is able to deliver cleverly-designed bathrooms and wetrooms, expertly installed by his experienced team of fitters. With 3D design layouts to help with decision making and project management through the course of the works, Paul Whittaker makes bathroom renovations easy and stress-free.
Studio sessions
Hand‐crafted paint and wallpaper specialist Farrow & Ball is pleased to announce its innovative new shopping concept has arrived in Bristol
Following the successful launch of the Battersea Studio in 2023, and as part of Farrow & Ball’s global store update, the British paint and paper maker has once again worked with Portas, a brand consultancy and retail agency founded by Mary Portas, to create a pioneering new retail concept, designed to inspire and enable people to realise their full, home-creator potential.
In a world of almost infinite choice, the Farrow & Ball Studio is built to encourage exploration and experimentation, helping people imagine the feeling they ultimately want to create in their home. Charlotte Cosby, Creative Director of Farrow & Ball, emphasises the importance of this: “We’ve always wanted stepping into a Farrow & Ball showroom to feel like walking through a lifestyle store, because our environment has such a huge impact on our mood and the way we live in a space.”
Farrow & Ball is celebrating its pioneering past, spirit of innovation and commitment to craft by encouraging shoppers to pick up the creative mantle too. The freshly-painted store places empowering customer creativity at the very heart of the look and layout. An exciting new feature to the store is the interactive colour wall, which allows customers to discover colours they love and access further information and inspiration through QR codes. Alongside this, ‘play tables’ provide the opportunity
to match colours with fabric and wood samples, showcasing how colour choice impacts the appearance and mood of a scheme.
“This new concept focuses so much on how our homes make us feel, rather than how they look” says Cosby, although she assures that “looks still play a big part!”
From the mood board table to an area that highlights the handcrafted process, every inch of the store is tactile and inviting, encouraging customers to create something that speaks to them.
With the new store comes a new opportunity to book in-person appointments. For the first time, customers will be able to arrange a 30minute session with a team member to discuss ideas, gain inspiration, and receive helpful advice for their projects.
Alongside this, the popular Farrow & Ball Colour Consultancy service will also be available. These appointments are offered both virtually and in-home, supplying expert colour advice with consideration of factors such as room orientation and height. n
When it comes to renovating, extending, or perhaps building an entirely new home, flooring plays an integral part to any space, binding all design choices together. As Quorn Stone celebrates 30 years this year, the team’s passion for beautiful stone flooring remains at the core of who they are. Read on for their top five flooring trends for 2025... and be inspired for your own project | mystonefloor.com
Honey Beige Limestone
When it comes to flooring, certain styles never date, and honey beige limestone is the one material you can guarantee will work in any interior and any style, complementing all colour palettes. Limestone tiles are versatile and hardwearing options for the home with these warmer toned hues and finishes being a popular choice for flooring that will stand the test of time.
Photographed: Dijon Tumbled Limestone Tiles
Textured Floor Tiles
2025 is all about texture in the home and textured limestone is at the top of our list for flooring. Natural stone tiles remain an enduring and diverse choice when it comes to floor tiles, used for centuries in estates and country homes, loved for their beauty and practicality. Across the interiors industry, we have seen more wanting to create this timeless feel in their kitchens, whilst also wanting to incorporate the trend of textured and tactile finishes. Opt for textured grey stone flooring for a contemporary yet organic take on traditional kitchen flooring.
Ivory Stone Effect Tiles
Ivory stone effect tiles are set to be a key floor trend for 2025, offering a calming neutral aesthetic that perfectly complements modern or traditional country interiors. Stone effect porcelain is a wonderful alternative to natural stone, with the prints available more realistic than ever, offering blends of soft ivory and white that will brighten any space.
Marble Flooring
Marble is a timeless and sophisticated material that has been used in the home for hundreds of years and has seen a resurgence in recent years as flooring. Marble tiles offer both charm and practicality, exuding a luxurious feel, and are available in a whole host of shades and patterns, from a classic Carrara white marble to bolder more dramatic hues. Marble flooring as chequerboard or with cabochon inserts will instantly elevate a hallway and create an effortlessly inviting space.
Herringbone Flooring
The final flooring trend for 2025 we are seeing is herringbone floor tiles. Herringbone has been a much-loved laying pattern as wall tiles for many years, but now homeowners are choosing this design for flooring, with limestone bricks or ‘stackers’ providing a rustic and natural take on herringbone tiles.
Photographed:
A place of one’s own
As many of us already know, garden sheds don’t have to be boring utilitarian storage spaces. A shed can become a personal sanctuary where we tinker, create, dream and escape the chaos of everyday life. Man-caves and shesheds offer the chance to enjoy a personal retreat away from the house that extends our living space and, with a bit of imagination, expresses who we are.
A new shed is generally plain and functional – a blank canvas offering a great opportunity to really make it unique, whether it’s a hobby workshop, cosy writing nook, pool room or even a mini pub. Unlike house renovations, sprucing up a shed is budget-friendly, doesn’t need planning permission, or to suit the whole family’s taste. It’s a chance to experiment with colour, decoration and a theme, can be quickly installed and easily transformed as needs alter, for example from a child’s playroom to a teenage hang-out zone.
Sheds have been around throughout civilisations, used as storage or living quarters aside from the main home. In ancient Greece and Rome, there were sheds built from timber, clay and plaster, used to store straw, food such as olives and grapes, or house animals. In the 18th and 19th centuries, sheds became common as people began gardening as a hobby. The word shed probably derives from ‘shud’ – the Anglo Saxon word for ‘cover’, the first known use of this word being around 1440.
From humble beginnings, sheds are now available in a range of materials including composite, metal and, of course, wood. Fully functioning home offices or garden rooms with insulation and electricity saw a massive surge in popularity during the pandemic, when working from home became the norm, and sales have continued to grow. A garden room provides a great solution as it provides some separation between work and home life, offering fewer distractions and the chance to close the door at the end of the day and walk back to the house.
Garden rooms that are incorporated successfully into the garden can bring well-being benefits related to natural light and being outside. I recently designed a garden that included a room with a green sedum roof, that was to be used as a counselling studio. The journey via a winding path through an area of meadow was almost as important as the room itself, to make clients feel relaxed and at one with nature, before they entered the therapy space.
Green roofs are a good way to make a shed or garden room feel like part of the garden, as well as being beneficial to wildlife. If your shed isn’t particularly attractive, then a carefully-positioned trellis covered in climbing plants makes a good screen, or use shrubs, ornamental grasses or flowering perennials around your shed to soften the edges and help it blend with the garden. Scented flowers, such as lavender or honeysuckle will also add to the appeal.
Garden sheds don’t have to be boring, writes Elly West, who explores how you can make yours exceptionally special
However, if you’re wanting to make your shed into an attentiongrabbing feature of the garden, there are lots of easy ways to inject personal touches. You might choose a theme, for example a beach hut, with pastel stripes, a flag and wicker furniture. A mini-pub could include a small bar, fairy lights, quirky old signs, coasters and general pub paraphernalia, or you may you may want your garden shed to be just that(!) but with some vintage potting-shed appeal, such as rustic shelving, antique tools and old terracotta pots. A fresh coat of paint can transform a shed from bland to bold. Bright colours will make it stand out, while soft neutrals will blend with the garden.
Our love affair with sheds even extends to national competitions, notably Cuprinol’s annual Shed of the Year, which has been running since 2007, and celebrates the Great British Shed in all its forms.
Bristol-based Peter Lawson’s Tea Room was a finalist in the 2023 competition, and provides a peaceful haven at the end of his garden. It started life as a children’s playhouse, before becoming a rabbit hutch, then store room, and it’s now a quirky Japanese-style retreat, inspired by his love of Asia. Made primarily from recycled materials, including doors, fence posts, pallets and free timber from Facebook Marketplace, the only items he bought new are paint, preservative and screws. He describes it as a “reflective area”, saying: “The interior is very basic, just some cushions and incense. We make our drinks in the kitchen, take them to the bottom of the garden and simply chill with a book, or a phone or a friend. Sometimes, I simply sit there looking out of the doors and watching the wildlife feed on the flowers or berries.”
The online gallery of past winners shows just what can be achieved with some hard work and imagination, from a mini ski-chalet to the poop deck of a pirate ship. If you’re feeling inspired, visit readersheds.co.uk for details of how to enter. n ellyswellies.co.uk
Plant of the month: Hellebores
Plants like hellebores encourage us to step outside regardless of the weather, as you have to get up close to appreciate their beauty. The flower heads hang towards the soil, encouraging us to interact with them and lift the flowers to see what lies within. Some are single, some are double and others anemone centred, with smaller rows of frilly sepals around the stamens. Patterns vary as much as the form, from a pure colour, to heavily veined or spotted, delicate with freckles, blotched, or with a picotee (darker) edge. They’re among my long-term favourite plants and are found in shades of green, yellow, cream and white through to pink, purple, the darkest plum and even black.
Hellebores are easy to grow and long-lived. Remove tatty and old leaves in winter to make way for the new growth, and they’ll flower away happily with very little more than this in terms of care and maintenance. They also grow well in shade, and suit woodland-style planting as well as modern cottage schemes, and are perfect partners for spring bulbs and early flowering plants, such as pulmonaria and anemones. Plants readily crosspollinate leading to new varieties popping up as they self-seed, in varying colours and forms with no effort on your part.
Significant lack of awareness of labour’s pension IHT changes
James Kenward; Independent Financial Adviser
A recent Opinium report reveals a striking lack of awareness among the 8.5 million people aged 55+ who could be impacted by Labour’s first budget. Key changes include the inclusion of pension benefits in estates for Inheritance Tax (IHT) from April 2027 - a move projected to double the number of estates subject to IHT and raise £1.46 billion annually by 2029/2030.
Despite widespread press coverage, only 6% of adults over 55 have adjusted their financial plans, and 40% remain unaware of the changes.
The report also highlights poor knowledge of existing gifting rules that could help reduce IHT liability:
• 79% are unaware they can give up to £250 per person to multiple individuals without triggering IHT.
• 78% do not know that certain gifts for occasions like birthdays or Christmas are exempt.
• 65% are unaware that gifts between spouses are IHT-free.
• 62% are uninformed about the Annual Exemption, which allows £3,000 in tax-free gifts per year, with unused allowances transferable to the next year.
• 53% do not know that gifts may be exempt if the donor lives at least seven years after giving.
Effective IHT planning requires open family discussions, ideally led by a SOLLA-accredited financial adviser. Families who plan proactively often reduce or eliminate IHT burdens entirely.
Without preparation, many estates could face increased tax liabilities. Seeking professional advice is crucial, especially regarding pension IHT changes. Options like gifting, trusts, or IHT-free investments can significantly mitigate tax burdens.
Remember, IHT is often referred to as a voluntary tax, paid only by families who fail to act.
Free Seminar: Financial Planning Under Labour
Concerned about how the budget impacts your finances? Join our free seminar at Stoke Lodge, Shirehampton Road, BS9 1BN:
• Date: May 14th, 1:30–2:30 pm
• Contact: Email marketing@haroldstephens.co.uk or call 011 3636 212 to book your place.
We record regular video updates on a range of later life financial topics - search ‘Harold Stephens IFA’ on YouTube.
PROPERTY NEWS
DISCOVER THE LATEST NEWS FROM BRISTOL’S PROPERTY EXPERTS
Moderate Price Growth
Bristol has hit many a headline with BS34 and BS7 seeing a surge in property prices by 30% and 29% respectively over the past 5 years. The current market dynamics however of an increased supply and a slightly cooling demand are likely to lead to more stabilised prices and a more balanced and sustained market when compared to previous years. Instead, a modest rise in property values is expected throughout 2025, with annual increases projected at around 4%.
Interest Rate Cuts
The key factor in recovery is what happens to interest rates. If, as is widely predicted, we see 3 to 4 interest rate cuts, this will widen the pool of buyers, give them more spending power, and result in a gradual increase in activity.
Spring Property Market Update
As we near what is traditionally the ‘hot’ time of year when it comes to increased levels of stock with motivated buyers and sellers, what’s in store for us this Spring in the Bristol property market?
2024 ended on a positive note in terms of reporting around agreed sales and new buyer enquiries. However, the volatility in the bond market in January was reflected in a sluggish start to 2025 and a bit of a ‘wait and see’ in people’s minds. Thankfully to date this volatility has not impacted the mortgage market, and predictions for what the property market will do in the Spring are very much centred around interest rates.
Motivated Buyers and Sellers
Q1 + April have always been a competitive four months in the property market with motivated buyers from the year before vying with motivated buyers who have approached the market early in the current year, all competing for the smaller crop of quality properties for sale. Older stock might have been reduced early in the New Year and the newer stock is sensibly priced to match.
A recent Rightmove report suggests that, whilst not directly affecting the “price paid”, this crop of motivated buyers, and sellers, see the quickest “sales agreed” of the year: an average of 51 days for those properties launched in Feb & Jan and 52 days for those launched in March & April. This paves the way for a new cohort of buyers and sellers to replace them over the rest of the year albeit perhaps still taking a more ‘wait and see’ speculative approach to the market.
Favourable Mortgage Rates
Tied to predictions of Bank of England base rate cuts, forecasts continue to indicate a potential reduction in mortgage rates, with two-year and fiveyear fixed rates dropping to around 4.0% in 2025, down from the current averages of 4.83% and 5.08%. This reduction will play a key part in stimulating market activity, though external factors like geopolitical events and inflation could still change the future direction of rates.
Newspapers have also been filled with speculation that the Government is keen to see a further relaxation of mortgage regulations. Any such relaxation would result in an increase in the range of buyers together with their buying power.
Increased Stock Levels
With an expected increase in the number of homes being marketed, analysts anticipate a favourable shift for buyers. Whilst the increased stock will offer buyers a broader selection, competitive pricing will continue to be crucial. Where buyers have more options, we may see a slight tempering of price growth.
When it comes to this broader selection of homes being marketed, given the costs associated with refurbishing a property, buyers will continue to be even more price sensitive to those properties requiring work.
2025 offers a promising environment for buyers in Bristol. The combination of increased property listings and favourable mortgage rates.. and hopefully a bit of spring sunshine.. indicates the coming months to be an opportune time for buyers in the Bristol market.
Whatever stage you are at in the search for your perfect home, we’d love to chat.
ARE YOU LOOKING TO RENT YOUR OWN SELF CONTAINED HQ OFFICE — JUST OFF QUEEN
SQUARE?
Springfield House is located on the Welshback only a 5 minute drive / 14 minute walk away from Bristol Temple Meads Railway Station and a short distance walk to many local amenities, shops and restaurants to include Coffee#1, Spicer C Cole, Cow C Sow, The Riverstation, 6 O’Clock Gin’s new floating bar and the new BOXHALL development, which when complete, will provide a new food hall offering premium food, beer and music.
Springfield House provides a self contained office of approx. 8,444 sq ft (784 sq m) over ground and 3 upper floors, together with secure car parking for 6 cars and bike storage in the basement.
The property benefits from Use Class E, therefore could be suitable for a wide range of uses to include office, medical, professional services etc.
Further information can be obtained via the sole agent: Burston Cook:
• Modern open plan floor plate
• Passenger lift / DDA access
• Secure car parking C bike storage
• Self contained
• Due to be refurbished throughout
• Walking distance to Temple Meads
BRISTOL & CLIFTON’S PREMIER COMMERCIAL PROPERTY AGENTS
Keep up-to-date with our latest news, deals, testimonials and market comment at our website: www.burstoncook.co.uk
Whiteladies Road, Clifton TO LET – POA
712–3,032 sq ft
(66.14–281.67 sq m)
A prominent high quality, contemporary refurbished office accommodation over 4 floors. Large forecourt for parking for up to 5 cars. New lease to be agreed.
Pipe Lane, Bristol, BS1 FOR SALE - £950,000
1,600 sq ft (148.64 sq m)
10 bedroom student HMO investment property in a very desirable student location in the centre of Bristol. The property is fully let with a current gross income of £90,000 pax.
Whiteladies Road, Clifton FOR SALE – £625,000
1,897 sq ft (176.23 sq m)
Freehold mixed use investment opportunity located in the affluent suburb of Clifton. Total passing rent of £47,400 per annum.
Canford Lane, Bristol
TO LET – £16,500 pax
506 sq ft (47 sq m)
An exceptional opportunity to let a ground floor commercial unit on the popular and busy Canford Lane. Available Summer 2025.
Queen Square, BS1
TO LET – POA
1,909 – 4,192 sq ft
(177.35 – 389.44 sq m)
An impressive pair of period buildings available to lease individually, or as a pair and undergoing a striking transformation to provide superb office accommodation.
Clare Street, BS1 TO LET – POA
1,193 sq ft (110.83 sq m)
A stunning period office building designed by Alfred Waterhouse offering a light and airy office at ground floor level, with excellent floor to ceiling height and additional useful storage space.
High Street, Portishead TO LET – POA
1,226 sq ft (113.9 sq m)
A high-quality self-contained corner pitched retail unit over ground and first floor, with stores and W.C’s. There is a rear car park with space for three vehicles as well as external bike storage.
Whitefriars, BS1 TO LET – £17.50 psf
5,554 sq ft (515.97 sq m)
Providing modern, yet affordable office accommodation, which is fully fitted with meeting rooms, a/c and large break out area/ kitchen and an onsite gym and coffee shop!
Parnall Road Industrial Estate, BS16 FOR SALE - £150,000
711 sq ft (66.05 sq m)
A self-contained commercial unit over ground and first floors and comprises storage/workshop space at ground floor level situated on an industrial park in Fishponds. One external parking space.
Berkeley Square, BS8 FOR SALE – POA
4,015 sq ft (372.99 sq m)
A fabulous opportunity to create a magnificent family home in the upper terrace of Clifton’s renowned Berkeley Square, with ample parking. Suits investors seeking to benefit from high levels of income currently produced within the property.
Homes like this don't come along too often. This five-bedroom terraced home may have the qualities of the Edwardian period - the classic symmetry, elegant sash windows, and ornate cornicing, but it has been carried into the 21st Century with aplomb.
Entering the house you are greeted by a spectacular entrance hall that creates a sense of grandeur with it's traditional tiled floor and intricate stain glass detailing. Sunlight streams through the characterful sash windows in the principle living room.
The kitchen is a mix of modern comforts and original architectural detailing. It has been sensitively extended allowing a seamless flow to move around the kitchen/living area. This is a space created for entertaining which opens on to the sheltered garden via bi-folding doors.
The first floor is home to four bedrooms each with there own individual sense of character and charm, providing flexibility and comfort for family or friends. The overall sense of atmosphere is tranquil and considered. Extending into the loft, the owner has created a versatile and stylish bedroom, along with an ensuite shower room that pops with personality.
The large private rear garden is perfect for enjoying quality time with friends and family. Opening up the bi-folds, the space becomes an extension of the home during the Summer months.
• Open plan kitchen/diner with bifolding doors that open on to the private rear garden
• Loft conversion with superb views
• Redland Green school catchment
£850,000
Clifton, Bristol | Guide Price £2,500,000
A superb circa 5,000 sq. ft. semi-detached family house, available for the first time in four decades situated on a quiet and highly desirable road, boasting a wide lateral footprint, gardens, side access, and off-street parking. First time to market in over four and a half decades | Elegant semi-detached six-bedroom Victorian townhouse spanning circa 5,000 sq. ft | Gated off-street parking | South-west-facing front garden with side access to a rear garden | Impressive lower ground floor accommodation with independent access to a kitchen, breakfast room, family room, store and utility room | Grand formal reception and dining rooms featuring ornate detailing and period fireplaces | Principal bedroom suite complemented by five further bedrooms, additional bathrooms, and ample storage | Offers a unique opportunity for sympathetic refurbishment and modernisation throughout on one of Clifton’s most sought-after roads | Offered with a complete onward chain | EPC: D In all
