The Bath Magazine June 2022 by MC Publishing Limited

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SPECIAL

THE DELICIOUS GUIDE

The best places in Bath to eat, drink and make merry

ISSUE 232 | JUNE 2022 | thebathmag.co.uk | £3.95 where sold

The bright visions of Lisa Congdon at The American Museum The Oregon artist talks colour, motifs, inspirational phrases, living art and design, and how to be joyful

PLUS...

S O M U C H M O R E I N T H E C I T Y ’ S B I G G E S T G U I D E T O L I V I N G I N B AT H

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P R E M I O

P A R T N E R

ADD A LITTLE COLOUR INTO YOUR SPRING

COOPERS HOME APPLIANCES AT COMPETITIVE PRICES WITH EXCELLENT SERVICE Visit us in-store to see the fantastic range of kitchen appliances in our new look showrooms. If you’re looking for expert advice or have any queries, you can of course also reach us by phone and email, or why not visit our website

01225 311811 | sales@coopershomeappliances.com | coopershomeappliances.com Coopers Home Appliances, 13/15 Walcot Street, Bath, BA1 5BN X

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FROM THE EDITOR

e like to be representative, and this month we’re talking to three people specialising in contrasting musical genres. One of them is a singer songwriter and guitarist who’s friends with Jarvis Cocker; one of them is an opera director; and one of them plays the ukulele. The latter, Andrew Ward, recently represented Bath in our twin city Aix-enProvence (see page 50); the second, Bruno Ravella, is bringing La Rondine to If Opera at Belcombe Court (see page 32); and Richard Hawley is playing at the Forum in July (see page 20). When it comes to food we’re covering all bases as well – we’re in a *delicious* mood with our up-to-date food guide to what’s happening in the city – see our special section following page 64, which also includes a collection of news stories, specialist tips and a ‘dirty’ recipe from Mark Studley that will surely make you drool. I also spoke to Mark ahead of his appearance at The Bath Food Festival at the end of July to get to the bottom of what ‘dirty’ food is all about (see page 61). A world away from sauce dripping down your chin, I visited Restaurant Hywel Jones at Lucknam Park (see page 62). I chatted to Hywel in the evening sunshine, and he told me about 18 years of maintaining a Michelin Star, how his son has just joined the kitchen team at the Brasserie, and how there was a dish on the tasting menu that evening that he’d put in specially for me… That’s not all, because I spoke to American stand-up Reginald D. Hunter who is appearing at Americana Fest at the American Museum & Gardens in early July who told me that there are two types of British people (see page 30). And we also get a multi-coloured insight into the world of Oregon artist Lisa Congdon who designed the poster for the festival (see page 40 and our cover). In the words of one of Lisa’s art prints, ‘Wherever you are, be there totally.’ Emma Clegg, Editor

Try out Chew Valley Trail A new 2.7km all-weather path allowing more people to take in the beautiful sights of Chew Valley Lake has opened. The £1.6m walking and cycling path on the northern section of the lake makes the Chew Valley Trail accessible for pedestrians and cyclists. The new 840m oﬀ-road pedestrian and cycle shared-use path runs between Woodford Lodge and Walley Court Road. The path continues across the dam on a shared use walking and cycling route and continues towards Bishop Sutton. The project was funded by £1.1m from the West of England Combined Authority, a £507,000 grant from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and contributions from B&NES Council and Bristol Water, who own the reservoir. newsroom.bathnes.gov.uk 4 TheBATHMagazine

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2 Princes Buildings, George Street, Bath BA1 2ED. 01225 424499 www.thebathmag.co.uk Editor Emma Clegg 01225 424592 emma@thebathmagazine.co.uk Financial Director Jane Miklos jane@thebathmagazine.co.uk Assistant Editor/Web Editor Daisy Game daisy@thebathmagazine.co.uk Production Manager Jeff Osborne production@thebathmagazine.co.uk Advertising Sales Liz Grey liz@thebathmagazine.co.uk To advertise tel: 01225 424499 Publisher Steve Miklos steve@thebathmagazine.co.uk

Contact us at thebathmag.co.uk Follow us on Twitter @thebathmagazine and Instagram @thebathmagazine The Bath Magazine and The Bristol Magazine are published by MC Publishing Ltd. We are independent of all other local publications. The Bath Magazine is delivered free, every month, to more than 15,000 residential addresses as well as businesses throughout Bath and the surrounding area. We also have special distribution units in many of Bath’s supermarkets

© MC Publishing Ltd 2022 Disclaimer: Whilst every reasonable care is taken with all material submitted to The Bath Magazine, the publisher cannot accept responsibility for loss or damage to such material. Opinions expressed in articles are strictly those of the authors. This publication is copyright and may not be reproduced in any form either in part or whole without written permission from the publishers.

ON THE COVER Artist Lisa Congdon’s design for Americana Fest at The American Museum & Gardens, which runs from 1–3 July. americanmuseum.org; lisacongdon.com

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

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ZEITGEIST

THINGS TO DO IN JUNE Roll up to the Rondo June at the Rondo Theatre brings a host of fun and weirdness. Productions include Dog/Actor by Steven Berkof on 4 June (two comedic and explosive short plays performed by the same actor); and Your Dad’s Mum on 10 June for an upbeat, gag-packed sketch comedy game show. Then there’s MANIC on 23 June, a solo show about sexual encounters combining spoken word, puppetry and theatre; and Am I Invisible Yet on 22 June, a one hour play which is a rollercoaster of despair, anger, love and hope. Intrigued? Find out more at ticketsource.co.uk/rondotheatre

MANIC at The Rondo Theatre

Stephen Smith in Dog/Actor

Fight, fight, fight (actually, just watch) The annual University of Bath Kickboxing Club Fight Night is being held on Wednesday 8 June at Komedia. It will showcase Bath’s finest fighters competing against other universities. There’ll also be a raﬄe on the night with exclusive prizes donated from businesses around Bath. This is a great chance for students and the public to support their local university and have a great night out! Doors open at 6.30pm. Tickets £8-–£13. komedia.co.uk

Go to a festival that’s turned green Corsham’s beloved Blue Sky Festival has rebranded as The Green Sky Festival. Running from 13–19 June and hosted by Pound Arts, the festival features a renewed focus on environmental awareness. Events include The Potting Sheds installation, the Corsham Windband Association, a Recycled Flowers Making Workshop, and many more! Tickets for all events can be purchased at The Pound, from the box oﬃce on 01249 701628 or online at greenskyfestival.org.uk

Follow the Fringe and be FaB The Bath Fringe Festival is a festival of all the arts, with few rules as to what should be in or out – it’s what people want to do, and what venues in Bath want to put on. It all happens for two long weeks and three weekends – this year it runs until 12 June. There is music, theatre and special events – see bathfringe.co.uk for individual listings. Fringe Arts Bath (FaB) is Bath’s annual festival of contemporary visual arts. Exhibitions, events and interventions aim to challenge and delight you, providing a platform for emerging curators and artists to experiment and explore their practice – see fringeartsbath.co.uk for full details.

Enjoy summer fun (yes, it’s oﬃcial!) Every Sunday throughout June (and July and August), you can enjoy pop-up entertainment around the city centre, free family-friendly workshops, and a plethora of festivals and events. These include the Bath Flea Market and Jane Austen Dancers on 5 June, Bath Contemporary Artists’ Fair and The Rainbow Steel Band on 12 June, the Bath Festival of Motoring, and Saxophony at the Parade Gardens Bandstand on 18–19 June, and the Bath Vintage and Antiques Market and Bike Bath on 26 June. welcometobath.co.uk/ summer-sundays

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The cityist MY BATH

NEWS BITES

THE BUZZ

Philip Hill Philip Hill has divided his life between Greece and his British homeland. In between, he fuels his passion for travel, and has visited all seven continents. His book Phileas Phil – Around the World in 65 days recalls one of those journeys.

PUBLIC CONSULTATION: HAVE YOUR SAY It’s your chance to comment on the ambitious plans to transform the north of Bath city centre. The Milsom Quarter Masterplan is a vision for the next 20 years to revitalise the ‘top of the town’ the Milsom Quarter area is bounded by: George Street to the north, Upper Borough Walls to the south, Queens Square to the west, and the Cattlemarket car park and the river to the east. Led by Bath & North East Somerset Council and funded by the West of England Combined Authority, the plan details how Milsom Quarter could be transformed into a nationally renowned fashion destination centred around a new Fashion Museum, a range of highend retailers and space for makers and creative industries. Up to 180 new residential properties would be created in the development, alongside repurposing vacant spaces above shops to accommodate employment space, leisure and residential use, increasing the mix of uses and vibrancy in the area. A move to make the Quarter a greener and pedestrian-friendly place to enjoy would be enabled by a new public square at St Michael’s Church and restricting vehicle access at Green Street and Lower Broad Street, giving priority for walking and cycling. Access would be maintained for public transport, for servicing and deliveries and for other exemptions, although the long term vision is to remove buses from Milsom Street. The council has invited people to have their say in the consultation which is open until July 15. beta.bathnes.gov.uk/milsomquarter/masterplan-overview 8 TheBATHMagazine

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Where do you live in Bath? I live just behind The Circus in a mews house. The city is a jewel, and just walking around is like travelling – there’s always something new (old) to discover. As the flocks of tourists and visitors can testify it’s such an historical and fascinating city. I mention to people around the world where I live, and everyone knows it and are envious, and so many have visited. Where in the city do you like to hang out? Coffee shops are my thing, and I’ve worked my way around most of them. I like to walk with my little Greek dog, Belaki, exploring the city, nearly always discovering some little gem of a place or building I had previously missed. What is your training and background? From a background in logistics and IT I forged a career that took me all around the world. Often to far-flung and interesting places, such as Iraq, Yemen, Asia and parts of Africa. My passion for travel evolved and curiosity made me want to see more. Tell us about your work as an artist Despite my background I always had a passion for art, and have painted all my life. I longed to make a life-change, and took a leap of faith 16 years ago, focusing all my energies on creativity. I looked to create something original, and through a few years of experimentation, perfected light sculpture. What gave you a passion for travel? Travelling has always been an important part of my life, and one of my earliest recollections is being at the pyramids in Giza. I’m not sure I would call myself an adventurer, but I’ve had some interesting moments. The recent Covid lockdowns really proved restrictive to so many who like to hit the road. I love movement and space. This conflicts a little with making art, but it brings a balance. Travelling definitely enriches my art and helps me view life from different perspectives. What is the Greek connection? Greece is in my blood, literally. My grandmother was Greek and so at the time of my life-change I was drawn to the Greek isles. After an odyssey of 40 islands I found ‘my island’ and I bought a small house on a remote one near to Patmos and Kos. This

decision was a major influence on expanding my creativity. I found a haven to release my creative juices, which now have expanded to include writing. What stands out most from your travels? The people I’ve met and the splendour of nature. There are some amazing cities, but nature, even in this ever-shrinking world, still takes my breath away. I had the good fortune to visit Antarctica and it was jaw-dropping. How many languages do you speak? A few, badly, and it’s embarrassing and frustrating. My father speaks seven, and he’s still fluent in all of them at 97. That’s a talent I truly envy. How do you travel? Mostly alone, I’ve found I meet more people, although travelling with people brings its own rewards. Tell us about your book It tells the true story of an incredible journey around the world. It’s real-life escapism. I’m just an ordinary man who made an extraordinary journey. My planning was poor, but perhaps that made it all the more exciting. Crossing the Atlantic and Pacific oceans as the only passenger on container ships stand out as never-to-be-forgotten experiences. There was much soul-searching. I travelled on so many trains and I have certainly gained an appreciation for life on the rails. Why is it 65 days? My aim was to emulate Jules Verne’s Phileas Fogg and travel around the world in less than 80 days without flying. As my book title confirms, I made it in 65 days. Where are you planning to travel to next? I was blown away by some travels I made across Africa (Tanzania to Namibia) where I met such amazing, friendly people. I plan to return and discover more of that fascinating continent. I also want to go to the South Pacific islands. ■ Instagram: @philiphillartist Phileas Phil, Around The World In 65 Days by Philip Hill, Blossom Spring Publishing, £7.25. philiphillbooks.com. 50% of proceeds will be donated to Ukrainian refugee charities.

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The cityist NEWS BITES FEMALE MUSICIANS CELEBRATED This year Bath Abbey is celebrating 25 years of its Girls’ Choir. To mark the anniversary, the Abbey will be celebrating with a new commission by critically acclaimed composer Roxanna Panufnik. This work, with a stunning and timeless text by St Clare of Assisi, will be premiered in a 25th Anniversary Concert on 9 July, sung by the Abbey Girls Choir and Lay Clerks. The concert will feature music by other British women composers including Cecilia McDowall, Judith Bingham, Judith Weir, Elizabeth Poston, Emma Brown and Annabel Rooney. The Abbey Choir recently performed Judith Bingham’s The Sleeping Soul – a piece commissioned by the Abbey in 2017 – on BBC Radio 3 in its live broadcasts of Choral Evensong. Huw Williams, Director of Music, said: “We are proud to support and celebrate women in music at Bath Abbey and have been delighted that Roxanna has agreed to write a piece for us. I have long admired her music and the girls have enjoyed meeting Roxanna and singing through some of her early sketches. We are all very excited and looking forward to the world premiere in July.” This year will be a very exciting time for our Roxanna Panufnik female choristers. We are so proud of all that the girls have achieved these past 25 years. They enhance the worship at the Abbey and have drawn visitors and pilgrims from far and wide. Through their recordings and broadcasts they have inspired listeners across the world.” bathabbey.org © Benjamin Ealovega Photography

BATH SKYLINE TRAIL IN TOP 20 According to Instagram data, the Bath Skyline Trail – taking in panoramic views of the city and surrounding countryside – ranks in the 20 most beautiful trail runs in the world. Trail running is growing in popularity and as the weather is set to get warmer, many will be making use of the UK’s routes. The Bath Skyline Trail ranks within the top seven trail runs in the UK, with 1,335 Instagram posts per mile. Other UK runs in the top 20 are Devil’s Staircase in the Scottish Highlands; Great Gable in the Lake District; and Tryfan in Snowdonia. nationaltrust.org.uk/bath-skyline/trails

DOUBLE BAFTA SUCCESS In My Skin, a BBC Three show produced by Bath Spa University lecturer Sophie Francis, has won two BAFTAs at this year’s BAFTA TV Awards. Sophie, a Senior Lecturer in Film and Media Courses at the University and producer for Channel 5 and the BBC, worked on the first and second series of the Wales-based coming of age ‘dramedy’. The show scooped the award for Best Drama, and Kayleigh Llewellyn also won the BAFTA for Best Writer: Drama category, meaning the show won both the awards it was nominated for, beating tough competition from other contenders – Vigil (BBC One), Unforgotten (ITV) and Manhunt: The Night Stalker (ITV). The show is centred on a teenage girl from a troubled home dealing with her father’s abusive behaviour and mother’s bipolar disorder, while navigating sexuality and her teenage years. Sophie said: "I’m delighted that In My Skin has won the BAFTA Award for Best Drama – the show has made a huge impact on a diverse audience and I’m extremely proud of it. The experience will be beneficial to students as it has updated my knowledge of professional practice in what is an ever-changing industry." bathspa.ac.uk

JOHN WOOD’S OBSESSION The updated issue of Architect of Obsession, the pioneering book by Timothy Mowl and Brian Earnshaw on John Wood the Elder, is now available. Originally published in 1988, the book has been revised and transformed with a new set of illustrations. John Wood, the most successful town planner of English 18th-century architects, was ferociously eccentric. His writings and archival material demonstrate that he was convinced that Bath, his home town, life’s work and a byword for classical order, owed as much to the prehistoric stone circle at Stonehenge and the Second Temple in Jerusalem. A fervent freemason, he revived certain mystical emblems of Stuart religiosity and had them carved on a major building project – the King’s Circus – to evoke the sun worship of a lost Druid Civilisation which had everything to do with his imagination and nothing to do with reality. Wood was inspired by sources such as Bladud and Neo-Druidism, but until the original book appeared in 1988, no historian had written about these connections for 200 years. Architect of Obsession by Timothy Mowl and Brian Earnshaw, £35, is available from Topping & Co. Bookshop; you can also email your order to johnwood1754@gmail.com.

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THE QUEEN’S CORONATION GLOVE As the Queen celebrates 70 years on the throne, here is an image of her original coronation glove, which was made by local glove and accessory manufacturer Dents, in Warminster. The ceremonial presentation of a glove at a coronation can be traced back to the enthronement of Richard II at Westminster Abbey in 1337. At the coronation of a British monarch, the Sovereign’s right hand coronation glove is removed and the coronation ring is put on their finger. The gauntlet-shaped glove is made from white kid leather, with an embroidered gauntlet covering in raised gold purl wire in shapes of sprigged sequins, acorns, roses and shamrocks and lined with crimson coloured silk. The crown and ‘E II R’ are embroidered on the centre back of the glove. Dents also made the coronation glove for the Queen’s father, King George VI. The company makes gloves and accessories for the world’s finest stores in over 30 countries as well as for royalty, theatre, TV and film. dentsgloves.com Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation glove and an image of the Queen visiting Bath in 1973

CLEVELAND POOLS WIN The Cleveland Pools Volunteer team have won ‘Volunteers of the Year’ at the Museums and Heritage Awards. The award was presented in London at the annual event celebrating exceptional achievements in the heritage sector, and acknowledges the dedication of the Cleveland Pools volunteer group in recent times. The team of more than 125 people responded to the challenges of the pandemic with reduced site access, connected virtually, met outdoors, and developed creative ways to involve local people. The judges praised the staﬀ and volunteer teams who engaged

NEW RUGBY STRUCTURE Bath Rugby has confirmed its new rugby structure for the 2022/23 season following an in-season review and subsequent reset. Johann van Graan will take on the role of Head of Rugby, leading the club’s rugby programme and concentrating on team coaching and performance. Stuart Hooper assumes the new role of General Manager, working with van Graan to deliver the club’s long-term plans, which include the further enhancement of its player pathway and Academy; and the development of competitive advantage in areas of data, psychology, nutrition, training and performance facilities. bathrugby.com

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community groups, reaching out to many who would have been isolated. A book has also been published telling the extraordinary story of the Cleveland Pools. Swimming Through History will be an informative read when the Pools reopen later this year. The Cleveland Pools, built in the Georgian period, are a unique open-air bathing facility with heritage buildings that have seen 200 years of history. The book costs £18, with all proceeds going to the Cleveland Pools Trust. It will be available at some Bath bookshops, or you can request a copy by contacting Linda Watts on lindawatts09@gmail.com. clevelandpools.org.uk

NEW NETBALL COACH Asha Francis has been appointed as the new Team Bath Netball Head Coach. She has played a prominent role in the past and present of Team Bath Netball and is excited to be shaping the club’s future. Francis – who won three Superleague titles with Team Bath as a player, including one as captain, and returned to the Haines Watts-sponsored Blue & Gold as Technical Coach this season – will take over the reins from Anna Stembridge at the end of the 2022 campaign. “I’m really excited for this opportunity,” said Francis. “Team Bath is really important to me and a big part of who I am, right back to first coming here as a student at the University of Bath, so I’m thrilled to be able to take this next step with a club that has given me so much. Francis was part of Team Bath’s first-ever title-winning squad during the inaugural Superleague season in 2006. The influential goal-attack, who represented England and her native Singapore internationally, enjoyed more success in the Blue & Gold in 2010 and 2013, lifting the trophy as captain in 2013. netball.teambath.com

PROFESSOR HONOURED The University of Bath has celebrated the contribution of academic, writer and broadcaster Professor Alice Roberts to the understanding of science, awarding her an honorary degree. Professor Roberts is the University of Birmingham’s Professor of Public Engagement in Science and a member of the Advisory Board of Bath’s Milner Centre for Evolution. At the award ceremony, Professor Roberts shared stories with students of meeting indigenous communities, relating how this had made her think diﬀerently about her own science, society and culture. She said: “The real value of what you have learned at university will emerge when you pass it on... It’s what humans do, it’s how human societies work, and it is how we find – how we create – the meaning in our own lives.” Professor Roberts is well known for her presenting roles including BBC Two’s The Origins of Us. alice-roberts.co.uk; bath.ac.uk

Asha Francis says that she cannot wait to get started in her new role

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SHOPPING

ED’S CHOICE

Jubilee shopping

Queen Elizabeth II is celebrating 70 years on the throne and we’ve chosen a selection of temptations to mark the occasion – from a jigsaw puzzle to a corgi keyring, we’re in a record-breaking platinum mood Ruby, blue sapphire and diamonds are surrounded by a beautiful soft wave of 9ct yellow gold in this pendant by Nicholas Wylde. £1,850 12 Northumberland Place, Bath; nicholaswylde.com

New Corgi Keyring from a series of signature British keyrings by Mulberry. £105 Mulberry, 38 Milsom Street, Bath; mulberry.com

50s-style Smeg Union Jack fridge and toaster, from Coopers Home Appliances. Price on enquiry. Tel: 01225 311811; coopershomeappliances.com

18ct Yellow Gold Ruby and Diamond Eternity Ring, £2615.00. Platinum Sapphire and Diamond Eternity Ring, £3095.00 mallory-jewellers.com

Machin Design Jigsaw Puzzle, 750 piece puzzle presented in a cotton bag. £14.95 royalcollectionshop.co.uk Perfect Day Bunting for your special occasion – quality, high-end, handmade fabric bunting for indoor hire. perfectdaybunting.co.uk

dentsgloves.com

Platinum 70th Birthday Necklace in platinum and 9kt gold, and handmade in Bath by Honey Willow. £1300 honeywillow.com

Queen’s Platinum Jubilee 70 Glorious Years Half Pint Mug by Emma Bridgewater. £22 emmabridgewater.co.uk 14 TheBATHMagazine

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Men’s Union Jack red gloves. Lightweight leather, elasticated wrist, lined with 100% silk. £99. Women’s gloves also available.

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CITY | NOTEBOOK

NOTES ON A SMALL CIT Y

Richard Wyatt

Columnist Richard Wyatt is imagining a flaming June where Bath’s plastic flowers melt in the heat. He remains thankful, however, that there are still plenty of authentic flowers and foliage in the city to enjoy

‘

laming June’ is an expression that’s a firm favourite with banner headline writers if there is any hint from the Met Office of an imminent heatwave. In fact the phrase is not directly connected with the weather but with an 1895 painting by Sir Frederick Leighton depicting a woman in an orange dress sleeping under a canopy in the summer heat. If we are blessed with Flaming June weather this month, I am sure the gardeners amongst you will be hoping it’s not too extended, otherwise those back-up water butts won’t be able to cope. Out and about in our fair city, a hot month would also cause concern that our public floral displays won’t so much wilt as melt. Am I alone in noticing a growing trend for eye-catching shows of plastic flowers and shrubs? They ‘brighten’ many a restaurant or café entrance and masquerade as privet in troughs around outdoor tables.

Am I alone in noticing a growing trend for eyecatching shows of plastic flowers and shrubs? Admittedly here is no shortage of people taking pictures of some of the more exuberant adornments, and with businesses competing for every pound they can chalk up in this time of rising prices, you have to use every trick in the book to pull the punters in. It’s only my opinion, but I do find it a little ironic in a city famed for its real flowers and Britain in Bloom awards, that these days it is the floral fakery 16 TheBATHMagazine

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getting all the attention. I can understand that real blooms would be very expensive and short-lived – but the plastic ones soon fall victim to the elements and fade. We should also be doing all we can to be a sustainable city. It’s all very well discouraging plastic carrier bags, but are environmentalists turning a blind eye to the growing amounts of plastic flowers? I was trying to think back to when I was first exposed to these petalled polymers and – with a little help from the worldwide web – travelled back in time to the 1960s and one of the most successful soap powder promotions ever run. My mother joined all the other housewives giving in to temptation at that time. The deal was that with the purchase of one particular brand on the shopkeepers’ shelves came a free plastic daffodil. You may laugh now but many people were living in the middle of industrial cities and would hardly ever see flowers. Plus this highly successful promotion also had the great attraction that customers would be incentivised to come back time and again to the brand to ensure they had enough yellow-headed stalks to make an impressive bunch to display in their waterless vase. These days manufacturers of such detergents are falling over themselves to show off their green credentials. Plastic containers use less plastic and are made of recycled or compostable material. The company behind that well-known brand that once came with a plastic daff are now exploring giving up on plastic altogether. Their website says: “No plastic is the best kind of plastic. So we’re exploring glass, paper and aluminium, as well as non-plastic reusable packaging refills and even new detergents to completely change the way we do laundry.” Leaving plastic aside, I must also say that in my journey around this city there are plenty of displays of the real thing. Our parks are filled with flowers and shrubs and more displays adorn private houses and hotels. I had to smile at a fake skeleton on a bicycle l came across being used to promote a city ghost tour. The rider might be ‘dead’ but the flowers in the bike’s basket are most definitely real! It’s also good to see all the troughs appearing in places like Milsom Street where real plants and flowering shrubs are being used to soften and enhance the landscape, letting nature back into our towns. It’s a shame to see the lime trees in the central reservation of the city end of the London Road are dead or dying. As one local pointed out – they planted them in too small a pit and failed to keep them watered. But there is a new 'trial tree' that has been planted in the central reservation and it is most certainly a real one. May it and all our genuine flora live long and prosper! n

RELATED NEWS Bath has been chosen to represent the South West of England in this year's RHS Britain in Bloom competition national finals and will be included in the small city category. Bath was chosen as a result of winning gold in last year's South West in Bloom competition. This means Bath will be judged twice this year, with the RHS finals judged in late July/early August and the South West competition in early July. Bath was the first winner of the RHS Britain in Bloom competition in 1964 and has won it 14 times since.

The Brock Street flower beds looking spectacular in 2021 If you’d like to help bring flowers to the city, Bath in Bloom is seeking new members to join their committee. Anyone with basic horticultural knowledge, commitment, drive, energy, and a love of Bath who is prepared to help with activities such as planting and litter picks can make contact via the website. bathinbloom.org

Richard Wyatt runs the Bath Newseum: bathnewseum.com

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

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WATCH LIST

With the world’s leading watchmakers introducing new models for 2022, we asked Mallory Jewellers to highlight some of the stars of the show.

BREITLING NAVITIMER B01 CHRONOGRAPH 46 As Breitling’s legendary timepiece turns 70, the brand unveiled a redesigned collection that is all about bold colour, enhance styling – and incredible journeys. Model: AB0137211C1P1 £7,050.00

PANERAI SUBMERSIBLE QUARANTAQUATTRO CARBOTECH™ BLU ABISSO The foundation for the Panerai Submersible QuarantaQuattro Carbotech™ Blu Abisso is a case composed of the lightest material employed by the brand. In keeping with the Submersible collection’s legacy of underwater exploration, the dial and accompanying coordinating straps are the colour of the deep undersea blue. Model: PAM01232 £15,000.00

OMEGA CONSTELLATION The dramatic and enduring design of the OMEGA Constellation is characterised by its famous half-moon facets and “claws” on the case. Standout features on this 29 mm model are the dial made from natural blue Aventurine stone and the shimmering leather strap in matching colour. Model Reference: 131.28.29.20.99.003 £11,900.00

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TAG HEUER AQUARACER PROFESSIONAL 200 Featuring ultra-durable construction and a sharper-than-ever profile, the TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 200 is the ultimate tool watch for explorers. Model: WBP2111.BA0627 £2,300.00

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TIMEPIECE SHOWCASE

TUDOR BLACK BAY GMT S&G The iconic Tudor Black Bay GMT model is now available in a S&G (Steel & Gold) version, featuring warm colours and a nostalgic touch. Recognisable by its 24-hour graduated rotating bezel with two colours, representing day and night, the Tudor Black Bay S&G also gives a subtle aesthetic nod to the history of this watchmaking function. Model: M79833MN-0001 £4,290.00

LONGINES HYDROCONQUEST XXII COMMONWEALTH GAMES As the Official Partner and Timekeeper of the 2022 Commonwealth Games, Longines presents the HydroConquest XXII Commonwealth Games. This exclusive edition, limited to 2,022 pieces, celebrates one of the world’s greatest sporting events. Model: L3.781.4.59.6 £1,600.00

MONTBLANC 1858 ICED SEA Introducing the first-ever sports diving watch for Montblanc. The Montblanc 1858 Iced Sea Automatic Date features a glacier pattern dial, inspired by the Mer de Glace – Sea of Ice – the main glacier of the Mont-Blanc Massif. Model: 129370 £2,435.00

Find out more at Mallory 1 - 5 Bridge Street, Bath BA2 4AP mallory-jewellers.com

PATEK PHILIPPE ANNUAL CALENDAR TRAVEL TIME Patek Philippe combines two of its outstanding patented complications for the first time in one watch: the Annual Calendar (that requires a manual correction only once a year) and the Travel Time system for the display of a second time zone. The outcome is a travel watch whose date display is synchronized with the respective local time. It simultaneously adjusts the date when the time zone is corrected. Model: 5326G-001 £59,200.00

ROLEX OYSTER PERPETUAL DATEJUST 31 A classic, reimagined. Rolex presented three new versions of the Oyster Perpetual Datejust 31 with striking floral motif dials. Calling to mind wild summer meadows, the design comprises 24 flowers that stand out distinctly from one another thanks to their finishes – either sunray, matt or grained. Each of the flowers is lit from within by a diamond set into the centre. Model: M278274-0035 £8,100.00

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COMEDY

King Richard A deep-and-meaningful with devout northern soul Richard Hawley – on life and death, chess and underdogs, ploughing your own furrow and fraternising with Fontaines D.C. Words by Amanda Nicholls. Photograph by Nick Barber

Soul does not come from blackness. Soul comes from having to strive, having to go without, having to look up at somebody and have somebody on your neck

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MUSIC

ock ’n’ roll’s silver-tongued Sheffield crooner is running late. It’s not that he’s hungover or apt to prima donna behaviour even before exchanging hellos; his feet are red hot from an epic 7am dog walk that saw two silhouettes swallowed up by the tree-lined landscapes of the UK’s greenest city. Man and beast urgently need biscuits. This Monday morning finds Hawley ‘in recovery’. He’s one hound down, having recently said goodbye to his ‘little brother’ Freddie the collie. “I found him in a barn 14 years ago – the runt, with blues eyes and porridge on his nose. I always go for the underdog. He licked my nose and that was it.” Like his human – who appears impervious to music industry pressures and is known for his uncompromising, style-straddling output – Freddie went his own way. “Putting him on a lead was like the hobbits getting Gollum on a rope in Lord of the Rings: ‘It burns us!’” Hawley’s philosophical. “You’ve got to be. It’s heart-breaking when they go, although it was beautiful in a way.” We’ve swum quickly from the shallow end for what feels like a therapy session between strangers. But Hawley’s “quite happy with heavy and deep, with a cup of tea”. He and his remaining spaniel are lounging on the bed, post-Bonio/chocky bourbon, and looking forward to Bath this summer. “I used to play Moles a lot, in the Nineties,” Hawley recalls. “And there’s a fantastic guitar shop. I like books, records, second-hand shops – the same stuff I did when I was a kid. I’m a relatively cleanliving guy these days but I’ve been to most of the decent pubs in Bath. I like places with history; I’m not one for your shiny new. I’m not very shiny and new. I was always so happy to just find a beautiful pub, sit in the corner and slowly get myself into a lot of trouble. I don’t do that anymore… It’s 22 years since I quit taking drugs and I’ve cut back the booze.” Now, on tour, you’re more likely to see him with a bottle of Henderson’s Relish in hand. “It’s made in Sheffield; great with your pint and chips. I’ve got a flight case made with a bottle in it and a little hammer that says ‘smash in case of emergency’.” His love affair with his birthplace is habitually publicised. He knows so much about ‘Sheff’, he should be mayor. “We’ve got 4.7 million trees. In most cities you have to make an appointment to engage with nature; in Sheffield you’d have to make an appointment to avoid it.” As a young man, he inherited prejudices about the south. “But I’ve learned that it’s total bullsh*t. There are differences, obviously – I’d rather celebrate them.” One similarity makes Hawley very happy. Country-wide, his postCovid crowds have been cracking. “We played before Christmas and the vibe was insane. We’d left behind any blasé state we might have been in before. There was palpable joy. We listened to each other in a really emotional way.” The pandemic meant more time living with latest album Further – its flavours developing like wine swilled round the mouth. “That sums up how songs mature. When we play older stuff live, I presume that’s how it is, then I hear a snatch of it in a taxi and it sounds radically different. Down in the Woods – a ferocious jam where we let rip – changes every night.” Hawley’s been gigging since he was 12. “It’s the lifeblood of any musician. If you squirrel yourself away too much in the studio you never really feel the power of music.” And with a guitarist father, vocalist mother and music hall star grandfather, it’s certainly in the veins. “I remember the day, when I was off school, sick, and waiting for the 1pm daily cartoon, that I managed to pull my dad’s guitar case from under the sofa. “His 1963 Fender Strat looked, to a five-year-old boy, like a space rocket. He wasn’t an angry man but I’d told him I wouldn’t touch his guitar so I thought: I’m going to get told off here. He walked in, his hand bandaged from a steelwork injury, sat down, picked up the guitar and just said: ‘Do you like that?’ “He was a bugger because he’d show me half of something, then make some excuse and leave the room. That was a stroke of genius – while he’d open the door of my understanding of an idea, he wouldn’t

take me to the end of the corridor. I had to figure it out.” Hawley’s grandfather, whose party trick was playing the violin behind his back while standing on his head, educated him on music theory once he could beat him at chess. “He taught me to think three or four moves ahead. Chess is good for the cognitive workings of your mind, and [musical] improvising. As you play one note, you’re thinking, at lightning speed, of the next six, seven.” Those were quite the long-game moves if he thought as far ahead as 2022 and his highest charting record to date; a strategy for slowburning career satisfaction that would see Hawley hit the elusive sweet spot between critical acclaim and commercial success. No, he says. He’s been lucky. Trusted his instincts rather than box-ticking. “I plough my own furrow. Everything becomes homogenised otherwise. I don’t do willy-measuring.”

Hawley’s old-fashioned in ways; not caring for competition or social media’s ‘adversarial nastiness’. “I make forays into modern culture, then skittle oﬀ into the woods” It speaks of a confidence surely instilled by his stock; entertainment the Hawleys’ native territory, rock ‘n’ roll their bread and butter. He had guidance from his godfather, Sixties singer Joe Cocker. “Joe worked with my mum when she was a telephonist, and my dad – fitting radiators. It was more advice about how to conduct yourself. I’m not saying I’ve got everything right, but I’ve got things right for me. I’m happy being Caractacus Potts, hiding away for as long as it takes to come up with something I believe in.” Hawley’s old-fashioned in ways; not caring for competition or social media’s “adversarial nastiness”. “I make forays into modern culture, then skittle off into the woods again. I wouldn’t describe what I do as a talent, more a mental illness. I do things randomly but it seems to work. I’ve released a steady stream of records.” Not only that: film scores and sell-out musical Standing at the Sky’s Edge. “The embryonic idea came six, seven years ago. It was a whole new experience, in my fifties. I was fascinated by the lighting, the set.” He liked having a brief. “With Maxine Peake and Tony Pitts on Funny Cow, I said: don’t send a script, just three sentences about what it is. Then I wrote the music on three dog walks. I should probably give t’dog royalties.” The great collaborator teamed up with Shakespears Sister on their last single When She Finds You, with a film noir-style video. “Siobhan [Fahey] rang and said: ‘you’ve got to sing on this’. Same with Manic Street Preachers. They held a gun to my head, basically.” Friday he’s off out with Irish post-punks Fontaines D.C. “I lent Carlos [O’Connell] guitars for the album I was supposed to play on. But if I’d have gone to the studio I’d have stayed for weeks because of Covid. Weeks getting p*ssed with Fontaines D.C. was tempting...” There’s no genre he’d write off. “A great song you can make into anything. Take Summertime [Gerschwin] – that’s been done every way imaginable. I’ve never done anything specifically for money – if you chase money, you make bad decisions – but I’ll work with something if I find it interesting. It keeps your brain going. “You have to look forward, have the word ‘yes’ in your mind. Music’s a great teacher and it’s kept me from growing old. Most of my mates I went to school with, they look like footballs with eyes.” Hawley’s trademark quiff, meanwhile, has made way for a George Jones flat top. There’s a sharp intake of breath as he lights a cigarette in the “forgotten place” he calls home. Down the telephone, it sounds like a nature reserve; an avian orchestra in the background. “I get up at 4am and follow the river and the wildlife while I write songs in my head. I yearn for it as I get older. But I still love rock ’n’ roll.” See Richard Hawley play as part of Rivertown at Bath Forum on 6 July, 7.30pm, tickets from £22.50; bristolbeacon.org

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LOCAL FESTIVALS

Experience the Frome factor

Frome is back on the festival map with a line-up of great performances and participation events at The Frome Festival, uplifting photography from the Photo Frome Project and a new exhibition at Black Swan Arts

here are things happening in Frome. First of all the Frome Festival is back from 1–10 July. Headline names include Radio 1 DJ Jo Whiley, legendary singer guitarists Andy Fairweather Low and Wilko Johnson, and American rock outfit the Kris Barras Band, all appearing at the Cheese and Grain. Performance poet Roger McGough

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appears at the Merlin Theatre; historian and presenter David Olusoga will give the second Bob Morris lecture discussing his TV programme A House Through Time; and there are musical nights to enjoy under the stars at Marston Park and the Silk Mill. Thanks to generous funding from Frome Town Council, the Cooper Hall Trust and the Foyle Foundation, there are various free and outdoor events, including two children’s theatre shows, a Turkish dance and music display, two big bands in Victoria Park, a Richard III show for Frome College students and walks, talks and health events. A Food Feast on 2 July also offers a choice of delicious food and drink from local traders with live music and entertainment by the river. This year’s major exhibition comes from the Photo Frome project from 21 June–15 July. Led by Frome Wessex Camera Club, there will be all types of work from local, national, and international photographers – including Olga Karlovac, James Ravilious and Robert Huggins, to name just a few – at five exhibition venues and admission is free. The inaugural theme is The Independent Eye,

Snowstorm in Dubrovnik by Olga Karlovak

celebrating photography as an art form and Frome’s own spirit of independence. Photo Frome will also present talks offering captivating insights into the photographic work, and workshops such as Polaroid-based photowalks and cyanotype photography. You’ll also find a new show called On Repetition at Black Swan Arts from 4 June– 3 July incorporating works in steel, charred wood and glass as well as more sculptural works using Indian Khadi paper. n Check out the full details at fromefestival.co.uk; photofrome.org; and blackswanarts.org.uk

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What’s on in June Rats’ Tales at The Egg (part of Sparkfest) explores the power of story-telling

Artist Robert Bradford at Fringe Arts Bath with his Trash Art Painting series

LIVE MUSIC AT GREEN PARK BRASSERIE n Green Park Brasserie, Green Park, Bath Enjoy live jazz/funk/soul/swing at Green Park Brasserie on Weds and Thurs from 6.30–8.45pm and Fri and Sat from 6.30–9.45pm. Music includes dynamic duos, modern trios and a Hot Club style quintet. The kitchen will be open from 5–10pm Weds–Fri, and 12–10pm on Sat, serving up local produce. greenparkbrasserie.com SPARKFEST Until 11 June n Various locations across Bath Now in its fifth year, this festival of theatre brings bright and brave performances from Bath Spa University graduates. Take a fresh look at how young talent engages with the artistic community. Tickets: bathspalive.com or bathboxoffice.org.uk; sparkfest.co.uk THE FRINGE FESTIVAL AND FRINGE ARTS BATH Until 12 June n Various locations The Bath Fringe is a festival of all the arts, with few rules about what’s included. Fringe Arts Bath (FaB) is Bath’s festival of contemporary visual arts. Together they bring to the city a variety of exhibitions, theatre, music, events and interventions across the city.. For the latest updates visit bathfringe.co.uk and fringeartsbath.co.uk. CREATING SPACES 2022 1 June – 31 July, Wednesdays to Sundays (including bank holidays) 10am–5pm n The Gardens at Miserden, near Stroud GL6 7JA Sculpture exhibition showcasing over 200

pieces both indoors and outdoors. Work is from members of the Cotswold Sculptors Association, including professional, semiprofessional and keen amateurs. Pieces are figurative and abstract, in bronze, glass, metals, ceramics, stone, resins and multimedium. All art is for sale. Entry £9 per adult, children under 16 free. cotswoldsculptorsassociation.com; miserden.org/garden GARDEN GROOVES 3 June, doors 5.30pm, music from 7pm n American Museum & Gardens, Claverton Manor, Bath Enjoy a summer’s evening of mellow music in the museum’s spectacular gardens – see the website for line-up information. Tickets from £12.50. americanmuseum.org THE BIG JUBILEE PICNIC 5 June, 12–5pm n Royal Crescent Lower Lawn, Royal Victoria Park, Bath Part of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations over the bank holiday weekend. Celebrate while enjoying the green space and child-friendly activities. Includes children’s entertainment and activities from Super Pirates and Drum Runners, as well as free face painting and an arts and crafts tent. Free entry. ANDREW GRAHAM-DIXON: IN THE PICTURE 6 June, 7pm n Holburne Museum, Bath In this talk, art critic and presenter Andrew Graham-Dixon plays biographer and detective to discuss the principles and practice of art appreciation. He will explore

Temple Cloud Festival

some of his favourite paintings from many different corners of the history of art, telling the fascinating stories that lie behind them. £20. holburne.org LANDSCAPE DESIGN IN AN AGE OF CLIMATE CHANGE 9 June, 10.30am n The Pavilion, North Parade Road, Bath Speaker Andrew Grant is a director of Bath-based landscape architecture firm Grant Associates. One of the firm’s aims is to steer people towards nature-based solutions to landscape design problems, reconnecting them with nature in insightful ways while addressing the global challenges of urbanisation, climate crisis and biodiversity extinction. Free for members, £2 suggested donation for non-members. u3ainbath.org.uk MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS 9–25 June, 7.30pm, plus matinees n Theatre Royal, Bath Hercule Poirot boards the Orient Express, enjoying the prospect of a luxurious rail journey from Istanbul to Calais in the dead of winter. Starring Henry Goodman, directed by Jonathan Church. Tickets from £25; theatreroyal.org.uk TEMPLE CLOUD FESTIVAL 10–12 June n Willow Farm, Marsh Lane, Temple Cloud, BS39 5ST This exciting new mini-festival launches to shine a spotlight on the therapeutic benefits of circus for mental health. This familyfriendly festival features a performance called Labyrinth that explores real-life stories of healing through circus. Performers Continued page 26

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Learning to Fly at The Ustinov Theatre

will display their skills on trapeze, silks, aerial hoop and more, and Arts Council England funding offers the public a chance to try aerial activity. Taster sessions will only cost £1 per person. templecloudfestival.com MUCH ADO ABOUT MURDER 11 June, doors 5.30pm, performance 7pm n American Museum & Gardens, Claverton Manor, Bath Don your detective caps and join open-air theatre company Heartbreak Productions for some silliness as they return to perform in the amphitheatre. Five suspects are set under the spotlight and the audience needs to help find the answers. Order a hamper or bring a picnic. Recommended age 10+ Tickets £16.75 (concessions available). americanmuseum.org LEARNING TO FLY 11 June, 8pm n Ustinov Theatre, Bath James Rowland tells the story of a friendship he made as a teenager with the scary old lady in his street. It’s about connection, music and its ability to heal. Tickets £18.50/£14.50; theatreroyal.org.uk WOMEN’S MIDNIGHT WALK 11–12 June, 10pm–2am n From Bath Pavilion, North Parade Road This 5km walk around the city is a way for women to join together and support end of life care in our community. This year’s theme is neon, so get glowing! You’ll get an free Midnight Walk T-shirt. Arrive from 10pm for drinks, food, games, and a warm-up before heading into the city for the walk at midnight. Register at: dorothyhouse.org.uk UPROAR! 13 June, 7pm n Komedia, Bath Komedia Bath and Bath Mencap present Uproar!, Bath’s first club night for adults with learning disabilities. The night offers a safe, relaxed and fun environment to cut loose and dance like nobody’s watching. A DJ will provide a classic and contemporary mix of pop and dance hits. Exclusively for adults with learning disabilities, their families and carers. Ages 18+ £5, carers go free. komedia.co.uk/bath 26 TheBATHMagazine

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Zoe Schwarz at Chapel Arts

HILLIARD SOCIETY OF MINIATURISTS’ 40TH ANNIVERSARY ART EXHIBITION 11 June, 13–18 June, 10am–4pm (last entry) n Wells Town Hall, Market Place, Wells The Hilliard Society of Miniaturists are celebrating their 40th anniversary at their annual miniature art exhibition. You’ll find 40 years of miniature masterpieces – often just a couple of inches wide – with subjects from animal and wildlife to landscape, still life, portraits and the fantastical and talk to experts about how it is done. Free entry. hilliardsociety.org/exhibition.html BRLSI BIG READ: MRS DALLOWAY BY VIRGINIA WOOLF 15 June, 11am n BRLSI, Queen Square, Bath Mrs Dalloway Day in mid-June brings a discussion on Time and Authority in Mrs Dalloway, led by Betty Suchar. While the body must comply with real world time, the mind can be more flexible. These concepts are found in this modernist novel by Virginia Woolf. £4, free members/students. brlsi.org ZOË SCHWARZ BLUE COMMOTION 17 June, 8pm (doors 7.30pm) n Chapel Arts, Lower Borough Walls Zoë Schwarz Blue Commotion refresh the blues genre with eclectic arrangements, virtuosic playing and vocal prowess. Tickets £14/£15. chapelarts.org WIDCOMBE ART TRAIL 18–19 June, 10.30am–5pm n Various locations, Widcombe, Bath Art lovers are in for a treat at the annual Widcombe Art Trail weekend. You can expect some fascinating chats with the artists – including new artists and longstanding favourites – and see work in progress. widcombearttrail.com LIVING TREE 18–19 June, 25–26 June, 10am–5pm n Egg Theatre, Bath Discover a ‘Forest of Imagination’ inside the egg with a five-meter-high conceptual tree and a unique immersive mirror maze. Free admission. No booking required, just turn up!; theatreroyal.org.uk

Painting by Rachel Ward, Widcombe Art Trail

LITTLE THEATRE FOCUS

Good Luck to You Leo Grande (15) – 97 mins – from 10 June Retired schoolteacher and widow Nancy Stokes (Emma Thompson) is yearning for adventure, human connection, and sex. She plans to find this with a sex worker named Leo Grande (Daryl McCormack). Nancy greets Leo in a hotel room. He looks every bit as good as his picture, but Nancy wasn’t expecting conversation as well as fornication. Over successive meetings the power dynamics shift and their well-worn masks begin to slip.

Little Theatre Cinema, St Michaels Place, Bath; picturehouses.com

UNDERGRADUATE DEGREE SHOW: BATH SCHOOL OF ART, FILM & MEDIA & BATH SCHOOL OF DESIGN 18–26 June, 10am–8pm n Bath Spa University Locksbrook Campus, Bath These undergraduate art and design degree shows includes students’ work from: Creative Arts Practice; Creative Computing; Creative Media; Digital Animation; Fashion Design; Film & Screen Studies; Film, Television & Digital Production; Fine Art; Furniture & Product Design; Graphic Communication; Interior Design; Media Communications; Photography; and Textile Design for Fashion & Interiors. Free entry. Book at bathspa.ac.uk/degreeshow

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Joana Vasconcelos at the Holburne © Arlindo Camacho for Atelier Joana Vasconcelos Hilliard Society of Miniaturists exhibition

LANSDOWN OPEN GARDENS 19 June, 2–5.30pm n Lansdown Millennium Green and various gardens The annual Lansdown Open Gardens brings seven gardens to view, a plant and produce sale on the Millennium Green and homemade cakes and teas. All proceeds go towards the upkeep of the St. Stephen’s Millennium Green. Tickets £5 (children free) – get them on the day at the Green or the gardens, or in advance at millenniumgreen.org.uk/opengardens BRITISH POLITICAL CARTOONS 1805–2022: A BRIEF HISTORY 20 June, 7.30pm n BRLSI, Queen Square, Bath Dr Tim Benson, Britain’s leading authority on political cartoons, will outline the history and evolution of cartoons, illustrated with examples of some of the greatest cartoons to appear in the British press. Dr Benson will also discuss whether cartoonists have a right to offend while holding those who govern us to account. £4–£7. brlsi.org MANIC 23 June, 8pm n Rondo Theatre, Bath When Raina arrives at her spoken-word gig to see her exes in the audience, all the questions she’s had about her past sexual experiences begin to surface. This solo show combines spoken word, puppetry, and theatre. Written and performed by Raina Greifer. Tickets £12–£14. ticketsource.co.uk; rondotheatre.co.uk JOANA VASCONCELOS: THE LEGACY OF EMBROIDERY 23 June, 7pm n Virtual, on Zoom Visual artist Joana Vasconcelos is renowned for her monumental sculptures, drawing, film and textiles. Inspired by the Holburne’s display of 17th-century embroidery, Joana will discuss how, in spite of the notion of needlework as a domestic pastime, it has an enduring legacy in contemporary art. Free. holburne.org THE LOVES OF THE POETS 25 June, 7.30pm n St Mary the Virgin, Bathwick The Handful explores the theme of love through poetry and history, from Shakespeare to Verlaine and folk songs to opera. At the heart of the programme is Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Serenade to Music. You can also enjoy the UK premiere of Part 1 of Edgar Cosma’s exquisite Les amours des poètes, including settings of medieval and romantic French poetry. There are also works by Orlande de Lassus, Thomas Morley, Henry Purcell and more. The Handful (thehandful.org) will be joined by Bath Spa Quartet and pianist Jamie Hamilton. Tickets £15 (£5 for under 25s, free for under 16s). Bath Box Office 01225 463362; bathboxoffice.org.uk Continued page 28

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LOCAL | EVENTS

Bath Bach Choir with conductor Nigel Perrin

LOOKING AHEAD: AMERICANA FEST 1–3 July, 12–4pm n The American Museum & Gardens, Claverton Down This three-day festival of American culture takes place in the museum’s spectacular hill-top estate. Four stages see 40+ acts across the weekend with an all-American comedy bill, with Reginald D. Hunter headlining on the Friday; Robert Vincent & Band on the Saturday; and folk-rock legends, The Magic Numbers on Sunday. americanmuseum.org/americanafest

Monteverdi Vespers, is a piece of groundbreaking early 17th-century music in honour of the Virgin Mary that lifts the soul with its emotional depth, sensuality, and joy. Bath Bach Choir and conductor Nigel Perrin are joined by early music specialists I Fagiolini (director Robert Hollingworth) and the English Cornett & Sackbut Ensemble for an interpretation of this masterpiece of early Baroque expression. Tickets £10–£20. bathbachchoir.org.uk; bathboxoffice.org.uk

SUMMER FESTIVAL 2 July, 12–4pm n Royal High School Bath, Lansdown An afternoon of entertainment and fun at the Royal High Senior School. Musical, dance and drama performances, workshops and a design and technology display. Stalls, activities, BBQ and refreshments. £3.50–£15. royalhighbath.gdst.net/events/summerfestival-2022

CHLOE HANSLIP & BATH PHILHARMONIA 5 July, 7.30pm n Bath Forum A musical celebration that basks in the warmth of the summer sun; featuring Chloë Hanslip, one of Britain’s finest violinists, performing Vaughan Williams’ The Lark Ascending, the perfect musical description of the English countryside. Tickets £35/£30/£25/£5 under 18s. bathphil.co.uk

MONTEVERDI VESPERS 2 July, 7.30pm n Bath Abbey Monteverdi’s Vespro della Beata Vergine of 1610, more often known as the

BATH CONCERTINO 9 July, 7.30pm n St Luke's, Hatfield Road, Bath A concert of classical masterpieces from Bath Concertino including Beethoven’s

Pianist Brenda McDermott

Piano Concerto No. 5, ‘The Emperor’, and Schubert’s Symphony No. 6. Soloist Brenda McDermott has performed with the London Symphony Orchestra, London Mozart Players and has toured extensively. Last year she joined the orchestra for Beethoven’s rousing Triple Concerto. Entry by programme on the door, £10 cash. All proceeds will support the work of the Dorothy House Foundation. n

THEATRE

COMEDY

MUSIC

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COMEDY

Not being Uncle Fluffy

Emma Clegg (aka Ma’am and Sugar) talks to comedian Reginald D. Hunter – who is appearing at Americana Fest in July – and veers from hysterical laughter to profound sadness, in the process discovering the definition of soul

hen I ask Reginald D. Hunter whether he likes to be called Reginald or Reg, he tells me, “Ma’am I’m not particular about that sort of thing – my ego tends to lie in other places.” A little nonplussed at being called ‘ma’am’, I feel none the wiser, but see I’m in for a cracking interview. I find when talking to Reginald that the wording of my questions is as important as his answers. This is not a case of feeding someone a subject; he’s paying real attention, and what’s more he has a turn of phrase – in that attractive Deep South drawl – that makes me want to include everything verbatim. I ask how he has liked being back on stage after the lockdowns, and comment that I think it’s been particularly hard for comedians in isolation because they crave attention more than the rest of us. “Well I think there are a fair few presumptions in that question,” says Reginald. “I’m pleased to be back working, but it’s not like I’m doing somersaults because it’s not the way it was. And there are still comedians who are struggling to get audiences. And craving attention – I have come to find that people in my personal life don’t need you to be funny. That guy on stage, that’s the last guy they need.” That’s my assumptions unpicked then. Reginald came to the UK 21 years ago to study at RADA, thinking his career lay in acting, but discovered on stage that he made people laugh, so carried on doing so. I ask what his first impressions of the UK were. “The first serious impression I got when my train got from Gatwick to Victoria Station was seeing a lot of Goths walking around, and I thought, ‘Oh so it’s going to be like this’. It looked busy and it looked impersonal. I come from a town where people say ‘good morning’ to strangers. People don’t do that here, and it took me a good 2–3 years not to take that personally.

Soul does not come from blackness. Soul comes from having to strive, having to go without, having to look up at somebody and have somebody on your neck “Northerners are not quite so bad, but you know the British – generally they are not the warmest m******s. The difference is, I think, that northerners, once you put a pint in their hand, they loosen up and they become, you know, real. “I had a buddy back in the States, he came over and he said to me, ‘I don’t smoke with English people no more.’ And I said ‘Why?’ He said ‘They don’t smoke right’. I said ‘What do you mean?’ He said ‘Back in Georgia we smoke to get high or get silly or have a laugh, but over here when y’all smoke you want to talk about art and the EU.” Reginald belly laughs at length. Warming to his theme, he tells me, “One of things I had to learn was the difference between daytime British people and nighttime British people. Nighttime British people will tell you what’s up with Britain – if you hang out with them they will tell you what some of the rules are. But daytime British people, they don’t give a s**t. They literally get on with it and step back and laugh at themselves.” I can see myself in both these acutely observed portraits. I say that Reginald has a very confident presence on stage and ask if he’s had to work on this. “Well, I can only talk about people’s 30 TheBATHMagazine

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perceptions because whatever I’m doing that looks and sounds authoritative, in the midst of it, it doesn’t feel that way. “I give my parents credit for my physical confidence. My parents made sure that they spoke to us and discussed things with us and listened to our day. And what that did to me and my siblings was it made us expect to be heard when we spoke.” I note that he has often included observations about British sarcasm and subtext and ask if living in the UK has made him less direct. He responds, “You know ma’am that’s probably the best question that I didn’t see coming. You landed a good one there, sugar. You made the old man stagger a little bit.” That gave him some thinking time. Reginald has had controversy in the past to do with his directness on stage. “I worry about pulling too many punches because of all the new trouble that comedians can get into. And I worry that I don’t want to become ‘Uncle Fluffy’ on stage. Whenever you want people to like you and you don’t want to be scared, you turn into Uncle Fluffy. Americans pride themselves on how much they get in your face. English people pride themselves on how much they didn’t say, but still manage to get their point across. “I certainly think that my people in Georgia could do with a big dollop of English tactfulness. You know, why use a missile when a firecracker will do?” In past routines Reginald has often observed the British oversensitivity about racism. (The man in a nightclub who bumps into a black man and apologises for not seeing him. “I think I might have been racist,” he says. “Did you have poison in your heart when you said that?”, Reginald asks.) When I ask about this, he tells me it’s less apparent now. “In the last five years or so, as American cops seem to be shooting black men in the head more, that seems less of an issue.” Reginald has an astonishing knack of moving from creating laughter about serious issues to giving profound comments about them. When I refer to the Colston statue being dumped in the harbour during the #BlackLivesMatter movement, Reginald says, “I have mixed feelings about that. I believe that a substantive change is going to happen, the changing of laws, and the way we conduct business. I worry that the people on my side, the so-called old school leftie liberals, we need the opposing side. And we have to find a way of convincing them without constantly trying to put a scar on their face.” Interestingly Reginald has a strong following in Ireland and I ask why he thinks this is. “There is a natural affection, because I’m not accustomed to running into large groups of white people where my blackness is a non-issue. Not pro or against, but a non-issue. It’s refreshing. “A white boy once came up to me after a show and said ‘Why do black people have so much soul?’ I said, ‘Oh, that’s very sweet of you but soul does not come from blackness. Soul comes from having to strive, having to go without, having to look up at somebody and have somebody on your neck. So that’s why Irish people have soul. Because soul comes from striving. It’s the reason why privileged people can’t have soul. Soul is at the cost of privilege.” Reginald’s father – who died in 2021 at the age of 102 – he once described as the funniest person in their family. “The old man was Georgia to me. I’m sure I’ll see Georgia again, but I’m not in a hurry to see Georgia without the old man being in it, I reckon.” I ask what Reginald has planned for his appearance at Americana Fest on 1 July. “I’m a gonna tell you ‘I don’t know’. But between now and Friday is a long way to go without having some new opinions. By the time y’all see me I should be firing from all machines of comedy.” Americana Fest at the American Museum & Gardens runs from 1–3 July; Reginald D. Hunter appears on 1 July. americanmuseum.org

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A ladder up to a mezzanine has its own library storage on each tread. Design by Joel Bugg

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La Rondine

Emma Clegg talks to Bruno Ravella who is directing La Rondine at If Opera over four dates in August and September. With a new garden auditorium, video projections and a modern interpretation of Puccini’s opera, Bruno aspires to create a production that registers clearly with a contemporary audience

adame Butterfly, Rigoletto and La Boheme are all iconic operas in the creative repertoire of opera director Bruno Ravella. His Madame Butterfly was performed in 2018 with Iford Arts in the Cloister at Iford Manor, described by The Arbuturian as, “inspired direction, possessing a subtle beauty often missing in the more ostentatious opera house productions.” Iford Arts has this year rebranded as If Opera and Bruno is back with designer Flavio Graff and conductor Oliver Gooch to direct their new production of La Rondine in the grounds of Belcombe Court in Bradford on Avon. In this atmospheric outdoor location will be a new auditorium – revised from the version used last year – offering a fully enclosed structure with excellent acoustics, full weather security and air quality flexibility. The structure has a large internal space with a raked auditorium of over 350 seats and internal walls allowing state of the art digital projections. “Now it’s a completely enclosed space, which means we can control the lighting as well as protect the audience from the elements,” says Bruno.

Bruno Ravella in rehearsal

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I start by asking what Bruno’s role as opera director entails. “I am ultimately in charge of everything you see. So I choose the set designer, the lighting designer, and the video design in this instance. So it’s my concept, my thoughts, and I work with the singers to express that and put it all together. “The conductor (Oliver Gooch) is in charge of the musical side of things. We work on the casting together, we audition singers and he looks for certain things musically and I’ll look for certain things scenically. And then we agree on our cast. “Every part has specific demands and you look for different things in different roles, as well as the right vocal quality. If Opera is an ensemble company, so they need to find singers that can have different roles within the ensemble and to sing in different operas. So with an ensemble everybody is involved in every show.” La Rondine (the swallow) is a moving tale of young love and heartbreak. Parisian courtesan Magda is the ‘rondine’, the bird who flies towards the sun, and Ruggero is the shy country boy who becomes her lover. We witness their relationship unfold in the colourful locales of Paris and then in the balmier climes of southern France. The love ‘quadrangle’ is made complete by Prunier, a poet and Magda’s fiery maid, Lisette. “La Rondine is one of the least well known of Puccini’s operas, or at least the most underrated. People assume it’s a mock operetta, a Fledermaus-type production. But it’s not – it’s got some amazing music, and Puccini created it when he was well established and in full control of his creative powers,” says Bruno. There is a famous aria in Act 1, the quartet, Bevo Al Tuo Fresco Sorriso (I drink to your beautiful smile), but Bruno is moved by the story that all the songs tell, and is determined to show how La Rondine has been mistakenly dismissed by critics as a lighter opera. “When you look at the libretto, people say it’s just like Traviata or Manon, but it’s not. It’s a realisation from the main character of what it is to be truly in love, as she moves away from the pressure of society that expects her to be a certain way, and learns how to just be herself and accept who she is.” Bruno is a director who likes to see the world through the eyes of his characters. Puccini wrote three versions of La Rondine with two completely different endings, but died before clearly deciding on the final one. “I’m working with the original version, the one I prefer. With the other versions Puccini introduced a tragic ending and I suspect this may have been to help box office sales. I like the original and I think there is both truth in this one and an interesting emotional journey,” explains Bruno. In the process of animating the story, Bruno is keen to make it relevant and convincing to a modern audience. The tragic ending of the original sees Magda return to Paris as the mistress of a wealthy banker because she sees her background as inappropriate for her liaison with Ruggero. Bruno is adding extra layers to this. “La Rondine is tragic but I’m not treating it the way people expect. I don’t buy the ‘she has to leave him because she’s a soiled entity’ idea – I think that’s comes from a patriarchal view of women. “She leaves her lover because she doesn’t think she will be accepted by his family because she has a past as a courtesan and I think that’s quite unacceptable today. Also it’s a bit of a cop out; I think she’s actually looking for an excuse. So I’m trying to find something that is

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much deeper and is more about her and her understanding of who she is and what’s she’s looking for in life.” There is a scene in Act 3 where Ruggero returns with a letter from his mother, in which she says that if his fiancée has the virtues he has described, he will have a blissful marriage, and refers happily to the children they will have. This forces Magda to admit her past to Ruggero. Bruno explains his interpretation: “Suddenly this woman is trapped in the social expectations of the day. It was so obvious to me when I read it, because I placed myself in Magda’s shoes. When the letter was read I suddenly felt crushed and trapped. There was an increasing consciousness of who she is and what she was looking for, a quite different perspective to the first aria in Act 1, which shows a Walt Disney view of Prince Charming and Happy Ever After. There is a truth and a modernity in her journey that I am keen to explore.” Bruno is using projections within the auditorium during the performance. “The space is enclosed so we can use lighting and I can show a lot of the emotional thoughts and the journeys of the characters in this way.” Despite this, there are restrictions. “We are limited a little in terms of location with costumes and scenery – there are no wings, there is no fly tower, and there is very little space back stage. Also the shape of the dome means that the further back you go, the lower the height of the roof. So you can’t stand at the very back. But every space is different and in this case we have more flexibility and more freedom. If Opera was very open to any ideas I had, and we have created quite an organic, dynamic space rather than just a flat fabric tableau in the middle.” Bruno’s work on different productions develops at different paces. “I work on projects where it will take me maybe a year or a year and a half to get my head round the piece. With La Rondine the idea came really quickly. As soon as I heard it I saw what I wanted to do.” Put a date in the diary to enjoy Bruno’s new interpretation of Puccini’s opera. n La Rondine by Giacomo Puccini, sung in Italian with English surtitles, will be performed by If Opera at Belcombe Court, Bradford on Avon on 26 and 29 August and 1 and 3 September. Tickets £40–£90. Bath Box Office: 01225 463362; ifopera.com

In the process of animating the story, Bruno is keen to make it relevant and convincing to a modern audience

Bruno Ravella’s production of Madame Butterfly in 2018 and (above) the gardens at Belcombe Court

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THE DELICIOUS GUIDE Bath 2022

the best places in Bath to eat, drink and make merry

Here is our new *delicious* insider’s guide to eating and drinking in Bath. Our list of local food superstars covers every possible experience – from time-saving tasty take-outs and wholesome food to prepare at home; to foodie emporia for stocking up on specialist ingredients and addictive treats; and restaurants and cafés where you can revel in seasonal dishes, order a special bottle for a celebration and share good times with friends and family. From Chinese, Thai and Japanese to French, Italian and British gastro – and plenty of options for vegan, veggie and gluten-free – you’ll find a host of national cuisines, and all manner of food from burgers and pizza to small plates to share and award-winning gastronomy. Then there’s the serious matter of drinking, from those who major in spirits, wine and beer as well as mocktails and low and non-alcoholic drinks that lift your mood without the ABV. There are some Top Trumps haunts here – those we love to return to – and a fresh tranche of new businesses offering fresh vision and eating adventures. As well as individual listings, you’ll also find a selection of food news and zazzy little editorial snippets with a food agenda – as usual, it’s clear that there’s a dazzling array of food knowledge in our city – read on to find out more…

BATH PIZZA CO Green Park Station, Bath BA1 1JB Tel: 01225 588886 Web: bathpizzaco.com Bath’s favourite pizzeria landed a Top 3 spot at the National Pizza Awards recently, cementing their status as one of the city’s most popular eateries. Home to the good times with incredible pizza (freshly made in front of you), fizz, cocktails and craft beer, Bath Pizza Co is set in the funky historic setting of the old Green Park Station – where the last train left in 1966. Don’t miss out on soaking up the atmosphere on the terraces all year round, which are perfect for kicking back and watching the world go by, with cosy heaters for the cooler months. The menu includes classics and also offers great flexibility with a popular ‘make it yours’ option where you can create your own pizza with the pizzeria’s outstanding ingredients. Don’t miss out on their weekly Specials which are inspired by their talented team. Vegan, vegetarian and glutenfree options also form a core part of the menu. Take away is available through click and collect (bathpizzaco.com).

GREEN PARK BRASSERIE 6 Green Park Station, Bath BA1 1JB Tel: 01225 338565 Web: greenparkbrasserie.com A must-visit restaurant with live jazz/funk/soul/swing four nights a week, Green Park Brasserie showcases locally sourced produce and is home to a buzzing atmosphere, filled with locals and visitors to Bath. This is one of Bath’s best restaurants and one not to be missed. Fiercely independent since 1992 and known for their local steaks, Green Park Brasserie sits in the historic booking hall of the old Green Park Station and featured last year in the Sunday Times’ ‘Sexiest Restaurants in the UK’ as well as picking up recommendations from The Guardian and Rough Guides. With Two for £12 cocktails from 12–5pm every day the sunlit terraces are perfect for people-watching and soaking up a few drinks. Book a table for indoor dining and live music or just rock up for a more casual bite to eat and drink on the terraces (no bookings).

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CHEZ DOMINIQUE 15 Argyle Street, Bath BA2 4BQ Tel: 01225 463482 Web: chezdominique.co.uk Ever popular, Chez Dominique is a family-run restaurant serving local and seasonal French and European food. Included in the latest Good Food Guide, it has been granted a certificate of achievement from Hardens for its high-quality food. This cosy, casual bistro is ideally located on the beautiful Argyle Street just over Pulteney Bridge, and the private dining room – comfortably seating eight – overlooks Pulteney Weir. Chez Dominique offers a prix fixe menu at lunchtime, an à la carte dining in the evenings, and there’s also a very carefully chosen wine list. Bookings taken for 12–3pm and 5–9.30pm on Mondays to Saturdays and 12–3.30pm and 5–9pm on Sundays. Enjoy great food and drink in a relaxing and friendly atmosphere.

PEKING RESTAURANT 1–2 New Street, Kingsmead Square, Bath BA1 2AF Tel: 01225 466377 Web: pekingrestaurantbath.co.uk Since opening in 1985, this family-run, independent restaurant is the number-one choice for local, authentic Chinese food. The master chef has created an extensive menu of fresh, healthy and innovative dishes selected from Cantonese, Szechuan and Peking cuisines, using local ingredients wherever possible. As well as the traditional flavours of sweet and sour, ginger and spring onion, Peking also offers much-loved lobster and crab dishes. The chef also prepares special dishes on request. The friendly, skilled staff at Peking strive to provide a genuine Chinese experience with a promise to put their hearts and souls into everything they do.

ROBUN 4 Princes Buildings, George Street, Bath BA1 2ED Tel: 01225 614424 Web: robun.co.uk Robun is a celebration of authentic Japanese food and drink, specialising in a modern take on Yakiniku – the art of grilling meat, seafood and vegetables over a traditional charcoal fire. The menu also incorporates sushi and sashimi, tempura, gyoza and bao buns, all served alongside an unparalleled list of sake, Japanese whisky and cocktails. The restaurant is a tribute to Japanese author, Kanagaki Robun, who wrote the seminal book, Seiyo ryoritso in 1872. The book took inspiration from Western barbecue and introduced the concept of Yakiniku to Japan. For something special, Robun’s Afternoon Tea swaps sandwiches for sushi and scones for bao buns. This beautifully presented Afternoon Tea features some of the standout dishes from Robun’s menu, alongside sweet treats like Miso Cake, traditional Japanese teas and the option of sparkling wine. Upstairs at Robun, a private dining room and bar is set to host celebrations, events and meetings. The space can accommodate 40 seated or 50 standing guests, with set menus available for parties of eight or more. Set in the heart of Bath, Robun offers an informal yet refined environment to share freshly prepared sharing plates and pairings.

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Pre-theatre deals

any of Bath’s best restaurants offer pre-theatre supper deals, and early bird set menu bargains abound between 5.30–7pm, including elegant Bath institution Woods in Alfred Street; Dough Pizza in The Corridor, which has dough choices including turmeric, hemp and seaweed; and the tempting gastro menu at Green Park Brasserie, housed in the restored train station ticket hall. G re e n

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CORKAGE 5 Chapel Row, Bath BA1 1HN Tel: 01225 423417 Web: corkagebath.com Corkage is an award-winning independent restaurant, bar and wine shop in central Bath. Think creatively cooked, locally sourced small plates and daily specials, with a broad range of exquisite wines from around the world, by the glass and bottle. You can sip Pomelado orange wine in the garden with a plate of arancini or day-boat fish, or go for a multi-course experience, starting with freshly shucked oysters with English fizz, before moving on to steak of the day and finishing with a rich Saint Emilion au chocolate dessert. With a beautiful heated, covered terrace and secret courtyard garden, and hidden in the centre of the city, it’s one of those special places that transports you to sunnier climes in an instant.

HUDSON STEAKHOUSE 14 London Street, Bath BA1 5BU Tel: 01225 332323 Web: hudsonsteakhouse.co.uk

Thanks a brunch!

he lavish Georgian wake-up calls so beloved of Jane Austen still impact on life in Bath today. Breakfast and brunch are big here; from almond croissants, healthy yogurt/fruit compote/granola combos, and bacon butties to eggs Royale, Florentine and Benedict, shakshuka, passionfruit pancakes and prosecco. Prosecco for brunch? Yes!

Hudson Steakhouse has been serving the people of Bath the best steaks for over a decade, offering its diners prime dry-aged steaks, starters with a fusion influence and classic dishes, all served in a sympathetic conversion of a oncenotorious Victorian pub. Owner Richard Fenton took on this run-down building and has created a destination that has consistently won bestrestaurant awards locally and nationally. Cocktails, premium beers and world wines are served under sparkling chandeliers and the upstairs grill room has an open kitchen which looks out over Hedgemead Park.

CLAYTON’S KITCHEN 15a George Street, Bath BA1 2EN Tel: 01225 724386 Web: claytonskitchen.com Clayton’s Kitchen is a firm favourite with locals and a must for visitors to Bath seeking a wonderful culinary experience. This charming, relaxed and stylish restaurant is led by chef-patron Robert Clayton, who has achieved two Michelin Stars while running retaurants in Bath. Inspired by Mediterranean and modern French cuisine, Robert creates uncomplicated but sublime dishes; prepared, cooked and perfectly presented using the freshest, highest quality ingredients. To reflect this, the beautifully compiled menu changes seasonally and is accompanied by an excellent wine list. Enjoy a fantastic lunch or dinner – you’ll want to return. Open Wednesday to Sunday. Weds–Thurs: 12–2.30pm and 6–9.30pm. Fri–Sat: 12–3pm and 5.30–10pm. Sun: 12–3pm and 5.30–9pm.

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THE PIG NEAR BATH Hunstrete House, Hunstrete, Pensford, Bath BS39 4N Tel: 01761 490490 Web: thepighotel.com THE PIG near Bath is a buzzing restaurant with rooms – with the Kitchen Garden at its heart – nestled between Bath and Bristol on the edge of the village of Hunstrete. With a serious commitment to the community and surrounding area, THE PIG near Bath celebrates all things Somerset. With an obsessive commitment to homegrown produce and a serious love of all-things local, the garden and kitchen teams work hand in hand to create the restaurant’s 25-mile menu, which is supported by passionate local farmers and small producers, who supply anything that the team cannot grow or produce themselves. This commitment not only supports their local suppliers, but means they can be 100% honest on the provenance of their ingredients.

THE IVY BATH BRASSERIE 39 Milsom Street, Bath BA1 1DS Tel: 01225 307100 Web: theivybathbrasserie.com The Ivy Bath Brasserie on Milsom Street offers relaxed yet sophisticated all-day dining. The large and elegant dining space is a place to see and be seen and the restaurant serves all-encompassing, contemporary British menus for breakfast, weekend brunch, lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner, seven days a week. There is a roof terrace which is the perfect spot for al fresco dining from the à la carte menu.

That’s the spirit

he Cutty Sark was built in Dumbarton in 1869, and was designed to carry tea from China to England as fast as possible. The ship’s first voyage on 16 February 1870 saw her depart London for Shanghai, via the Cape of Good Hope. Captain George Moodie’s log mentions that she carried “large amounts of wine, spirits and beer.” Cutty Sark Whisky is inspired by the Cutty Sark tea clipper that carried the first bottles to America and has always dared to be different. Mixed, shaken, stirred, served long or short – it’s a whisky to enjoy with friends, wherever the journey takes you. Find it at Bath Amathus in Green Street. amathusdrinks.com

THE MARLBOROUGH TAVERN 35 Marlborough Buildings, Bath BA1 2LY Tel: 01225 423731 Web: marlborough-tavern.com Located just a stone’s throw from the Royal Crescent, The Marlborough Tavern combines the atmosphere of a local pub with the food quality of a top restaurant, making it a firm favourite in Bath. The menu uses local produce to create great-tasting, simple dishes where the quality of the produce speaks for itself. The Marlborough has held two AA rosettes for food quality since 2009, and features in the Michelin Guide. While it holds accolades for its food, it’s still very much a pub and offers local ales and craft beers. Outside, it boasts a beautiful pub garden – a walled courtyard space that’s just perfect for alfresco lunching and drinking with good friends.

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TIMBRELL’S YARD 49 St Margaret’s Street, Bradford on Avon BA15 1DE Tel: 01225 869492 Web: timbrellsyard.com Timbrell’s Yard is a stylish riverside boutique hotel with an award-winning kitchen. It has an airy double-height restaurant with views of the winding River Avon. The bar and sun-soaked terrace have a relaxed vibe. Tom Blake is behind the delicious and inventive menus which are locally focused and cater for everything from long, indulgent multi-course feasts to the simplest of snacks. Think modern British enlivened by European, North African and Eastern panache. Food mile-friendly and fuss-free with a twist, so you can nibble on wild mushroom and chickpea pakoras and tuck into rare-breed pork from local farmer Jim Baker. Food is available all day, every day, and it has a ‘dine anywhere’ ethos. Children are very welcome, and dogs are made a fuss of in the bar and on the terrace.

DOUGH PIZZA 14–16 The Corridor, Bath BA1 5AP Tel: 01225 443686 9 Kingsmead Square, Bath BA1 2AB Tel: 01225 422320 Web: doughpizzarestaurant.co.uk Proudly independent, family-run pizzerias, with venues in Kingsmead Square and The Corridor, Dough combines years of expertise and the best ingredients to bring you first-rate pizza, every time. With a focus on pizza for everyone, Dough offers 12 alternative health-giving bases, from kamut to hemp, grano arso, multigrain and more, alongside traditional sourdough. Gluten-free and allergy friendly pizzas are a particular speciality. You’ll find all the classics from margheritas to marinaras alongside pizza parcels, star-shaped pizzas and gourmet specials such as La Gina with ‘fior di latte’ mozzarella, caramelised onion, crispy speck, olive pâté, ricotta, pistachios and parmesan discs, based on turmeric dough. Warm, family-friendly service, dough-spinning entertainment and plenty of Italian charm ensures that any visit to Dough is a memorable one.

Chef’s choice

y favourite ingredient to use on my menu at the moment is Pembrokeshire crab, from Littlehaven. It is caught by an amazing fisherman from a small boat off the stunning Pembrokeshire coast where I spend a lot of time with my family. I just love the flavour and quality of the crab – it is the most superior crab meat I have ever used. We serve it with a sauce made from the crab shell and let the flavours speak for themselves. ROB CLAYTON, CLAYTON’S KITCHEN

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

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LE CHEF PRIVÉ Email: info@lechefprive.co.uk Web: lechefprive.co.uk Since retiring from the well-loved restaurant Casanis, chef Laurent Couvreur offers personal services for special occasions. From cheffing on board Northabout in the Arctic for adventurer David Hempleman-Adams to recreating favourite restaurant dishes in local homes, Laurent uses wonderful local produce to recreate his southern French style of cooking with a twist. Le Chef Privé takes all the stress out of your dinner parties, presenting award-winning restaurant-quality food in the comfort of your own home. Chef Laurent proudly reads us a note from one of his customers: “Thank you for a truly wonderful evening, I cannot imagine a better way to have celebrated my birthday. The food was (unsurprisingly) marvellous and the entire evening flowed beautifully, from canapés to dessert. All our guests have expressed their delight at the dinner.” He adds, “We look forward to bringing incredible flavours and a ray of French sunshine to our diners’ homes.”

OAK RESTAURANT 2 North Parade Passage, Bath BA1 1NX Tel: 01225 446059 Web: oakrestaurant.co.uk Oak Restaurant in Bath was honoured to be awarded a Michelin green star for sustainability in January; a success of the strong connection between local growers and suppliers. Here’s what the Michelin Guide had to say. ‘What started out as ‘Acorn’ has now matured into ‘Oak’ – but the ethos remains the same, with tasty, original vegetarian and vegan dishes served in unpretentious bistro surroundings. Well-priced small plates are designed for sharing.’

THE LOCKSBROOK INN 103 Locksbrook Road, Bath BA1 3EN Tel: 01225 427119 Web: thelocksbrookinn.com

Image: Pete Helme photography

A beautiful, contemporary gastropub with a lovely outside terrace overlooking the canal, and covered seating. With plenty of decking and an outdoor bar, it’s the perfect spot to enjoy a glass of prosecco or a pint. The menu includes homemade burgers, sharing platters and classic pub dishes. Enjoy salt and pepper squid or share a charcuterie board before tucking into a crisp, hand-stretched pizza with lamb and feta. You won’t be able to say no to a dessert with the likes of rhubarb and ginger cheesecake, pecan pie, and sticky toffee pudding gracing the menu. Open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Children, dogs, cyclists and all are welcome!

Out of the brew

Beers from the Electric Bear Brewing Company

he history of brewing in Bath dates back to the time of Ralph Allen, who owned the Bath stone quarries at Combe Down. He established a large brewery at Widcombe in 1736. Up until that point most of the beer consumed in the inns and alehouses came from small brewhouses in their backyards. A number of large breweries began to spring up around the city during the 18th century and by the end of the Victorian era Bath had become heavily industrialised and beer was brewed in increasing volumes. Bringing ourselves up to date, whether you choose to sup in a historic haven or in a cool, contemporary chill-out zone, many of Bath pubs and bars boast about their buoyant range of locally brewed real ales, ciders and craft beers, creating plenty of opportunity for both traditionalists and those who crave new brews to raise a glass to Bath’s brewing brouhaha together.

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Immerse yourself in the local food scene in June and July and visit one of our buzzing local food festivals! At the Bradford on Avon Food & Drink Festival on 11–12 June you’ll find produce at its very best, with an artisan market, street food market, chef demos, workshops and tastings as well as cooking ‘lessons' all weekend for children aged 3 and over. There’s also a children’s activity area with circus workshops and face painting.

al Victoria Park The Bath Food Festival in Roy

Visit the festival at Victory Field, BA15 1LE, Sat 10am–6pm and Sun 10am– 5pm. £8 adults, £3 children 12–16, under 12s free. scrumptiousfoodfestivals.co.uk

NOYA’S KITCHEN 7 St James’s Parade, Bath BA1 1UL Tel: 01225 552582 Web: noyaskitchen.co.uk Noya’s Kitchen serves up delicious Vietnamese home cooking in a stylish and beautiful Grade II listed building in central Bath. Voted one of the UK’s Top 5 Independent Restaurants by Gousto in 2021, and judged Bath’s Best Restaurant in 2022, advance bookings at weekends are essential! Vietnamese food lovers can enjoy delicious dishes like Pho, Vietnamese curries and summer rolls on Tuesday–Saturday from 12–3pm, and Wed, Thurs and Sat evenings from 6–9pm. There’s always something new and delicious on the Specials board in the restaurant, or tune in to the social feed for Noya’s Kitchen to hear about them. The menu changes regularly depending on locally sourced ingredients, the weather and Noya’s inspiration. Book online, or call in. You’ll be warmly welcomed and the garden is lovely on a sunny day.

THE SCALLOP SHELL 22 Monmouth Place, Bath BA1 2AY Tel: 01225 420928 Web: thescallopshell.co.uk

Visit the Bath Food Festival in Royal Victoria Park from 29–31 July to sample produce, talk to producers and chefs and pick up new skills. Celebrity chefs and culinary experts will oﬀer live demos, Q&As and workshops – chefs include The Dirty Food Guy Mark Studley, DIY Chef George Egg and Bake-Oﬀ star Karen Wright. Opening times: Fri 12–8pm, Sat 10am– 8pm, Sun 10am-5pm. £12 adults, under 18s free if accompanied. fantasticfoodfestivals.co.uk The Smoked and Uncut Festival at The Pig on Saturday 9 July is an open-air party for the family, an English summer party with a rock ‘n’ roll twist. Headliners include Jools Holland and Sister Sledge, and you can enjoy street food stalls and all kinds of drinks. There are also Pop Up Feasting experiences hosted by Chef Angela Hartnett and her chef friends and THE PIG’s Field Kitchen hosted by Chef Director James Golding and the PIG Chef Apprentices. THE PIG near Bath, Hunstrete, Pensford, near Bath BS39 4NS. Open from Midday – 11pm smokedanduncut.com

The Scallop Shell is a much-loved AA Rosette fish restaurant, serving lightly battered and grilled fish and chips and seasonal seafood. Flying the flag for a fresh, sustainable catch from UK waters, the menu changes daily depending on the coastal landings, with fish and shellfish displayed for customers to see in an ice-filled roll-top bath. Opt for classic North Atlantic cod loin served with mushy peas and homemade tartare sauce, or make it more of a foodie experience with shared shellfish plates or the likes of oysters followed by Cornish monkfish tail or line-caught wild sea bass, with a great selection of wines sold by the bottle and glass. There’s also a beautiful indoor/outdoor space, The Upper Deck, which is bathed in light during the day, and intimately cosy after dusk, with a retractable roof for those warm, summer days and fully heated during the cooler months.

THE BRASSERIE AT LUCKNAM PARK Lucknam Park Hotel & Spa, Colerne SN14 8AZ Tel: 01225 742777 Web: lucknampark.co.uk Set among the 500-acre Lucknam Park estate, The Brasserie at Lucknam Park is a contemporary and stylish restaurant perfect for light lunches, al fresco dining and informal dinners. With a light and airy interior, this restaurant makes an ideal place to while away the hours in relaxed surroundings. Take a stroll through the elegant walled gardens, soak in the scenic views and choose from a full seasonal à la carte menu. Open daily from 12pm, last orders at 9pm.

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THE HARE & HOUNDS Lansdown Road, Bath BA1 5TJ Tel: 01225 482682 Web: hareandhoundsbath.com Situated in a beautiful location high on Lansdown Hill with stunning views over the Bath countryside. Open daily from 8am (9am Saturday and Sunday), the Hare & Hounds serves home-cooked seasonal food all day, every day. With sun terraces, outside bar and decking on the lower garden it’s a glorious place to spend a sunny day. Enjoy the likes of pea and mint arancini, followed by panfried duck with dauphinoise potatoes, heritage carrots, raisin puree and damson jus. The new dessert menu features showstoppers like chocolate ganache with a hazelnut tuile, fresh raspberry and white chocolate crumb – as well as crowdpleasing favourites like sticky toffee pudding. Only a mile from town, it feels like a world away in beautiful countryside. Its location is perfect for visitors heading to or from the M4 motorway to the north of Bath.

THE ELDER AT THE INDIGO HOTEL The Indigo Hotel, 2–8 South Parade, Bath BA2 4AB Tel: 01225 530616 Web: theelder.co.uk The Elder is a truly elegant restaurant and bar situated in the historic centre of Bath and is the place to enjoy authentic, honest and timeless cooking that uses the British countryside and seas as its larder. Created by owner Mike Robinson and executive chef Gavin Edney, their focus is on sustainability, seasonality and British wild produce. The Elder restaurant is open for lunch and dinner with an à la carte menu enhanced by a beautifully curated wine list. Oysters and Champagne can be enjoyed on the terrace on warm weekend afternoons in the summer and the year-round cocktail list takes inspiration from the classics while using the seasons and local ingredients to create utter magic.

THE MOORFIELDS 73 Third Avenue, Bath BA2 3NZ Tel: 01225 982102 Web: themoorfields.com

Image: Sarah Farnsworth Photography

Situated in the heart of Oldfield Park, The Moorfields is a beautifully appointed gastropub pub with a stunning interior. Step outside and you’ll discover a fabulous garden space and outside bar. The pub offers great quality, contemporary dishes brimming with flavour. Try the hake Kiev or tempura nori wrapped tofu for vegans – which is elevated to something a bit special here. Open daily from 8am, the pub offers barista coffee and breakfasts in the morning and all-day food. Add in friendly service and it’s a combination that’s hard to beat.

Magic moments by Fiona Morrison at Timbrell’s Yard, Bradford on Avon

he lovely terrace at Timbrell’s Yard is my favourite place for a sundowner. Watching the mellow river and sipping a long raspberry and mint Springster infused with Pampero Rum or a zesty English Garden mocktail with Seedlip Garden Gin, is heaven. A plate of cauliflower pakoras with coriander and coconut dressing is the perfect accompaniment.

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LA TERRA RESTAURANT 2 John Street, Bath BA1 2JL Tel: 01225 482070 Robun

World cuisine

ath may major on an image based on traditional British charms, but globally inspired street food and international cuisine is as fashionable here as it is across the UK and beyond, especially during the summer months when alfresco opportunities beckon. Choices include Noya’s Kitchen on St James’ Parade for a Vietnamese dining experience; smart little French bistro Chez Dominique on Argyle Street/Pulteney Bridge; Japaneseinspired Robun on George Street with a modern-day interpretation of ‘Yakiniku’; and La Terra in John Street where classic, traditional Italian cuisine meets contemporary.

La Terra is an independent restaurant in the heart of Bath, run by business partners Vito and Alessandro. La Terra opened in December 2021 and serves up Italian cooking with a modern approach. Using local and fresh produce, the menu reflects the seasons and highlights many different aspects of Italian dining and is complemented by an extensive wine list covering all regions of Italy as well as serving some classic French and Spanish wines. Service is attentive and friendly, providing a comfortable, happy and relaxed atmosphere. Vito Scaduto heads the front of house and has over 30 years experience managing some of the most renowned restaurants and hotels in the UK, receiving accolades at The Bath Priory, the Three Gables in Bradford on Avon, the Royal Crescent and many more. Running the kitchen is Alessandro Scola, from Lake Como in northern Italy. Alessandro spent his childhood surrounded by people cooking real Italian food, including making fresh pasta with his grandma, so he was always destined to by a top a chef. He was formerly a head chef at Clayton’s Kitchen, as well as at The Chequers and Sotto Sotto in Bath. The menu includes: salmon bruschetta, pepper puree and butter sauce, squid ink linguini with Devon white crab meat, traditional roman gnocchi with asparagus broad beans, peas and guanciale, Brixham catch of the day with fresh asparagus and a shell fish sauce, Wiltshire lamb with saffron fondant potatoes, and to finish try the classic La Terra tiramisu or (shown here) the orange posset with Aperol jelly and blood orange. Delicious!

RESTAURANT HYWEL JONES AT LUCKNAM PARK Lucknam Park Hotel & Spa, Colerne SN14 8AZ Tel: 01225 742777 Web: lucknampark.co.uk Restaurant Hywel Jones offers an unforgettable dining experience. Enter through the mile-long driveway lined with beech and lime trees before you commence your evening of fine dining from the seven-course tasting menu. Executive chef Hywel Jones has held a Michelin Star at the restaurant since 2006 and uses the finest ingredients to ensure the fullest flavours. Supporting and using fresh, local produce helps enhance the subtle flavours of the cooking. Restaurant Hywel Jones is open 6.30pm–9pm from Wednesday to Saturday.

WOODS RESTAURANT 9–13 Alfred Street, Bath BA1 2QX Tel: 01225 314812 Web: woodsrestaurant.com This is quite simply a Bath institution. With Georgian elegance and a warm informal atmosphere, Woods has created an enviable reputation as one of Bath best independent restaurants, a firm favourite with locals and a must for visitors to Bath. Established in 1979 by David and Claude Price, they work alongside the head chef of 28 years Stuart Ash and Gaston Price who runs the front of house. A truly family-run business offering personal service, dazzling food, modern British cooking with a classic French influence, and sourcing local ingredients to give you a mouthwatering sensation that will leave you coming back for more. The menu changes seasonally with specials of the day. The wines that accompany the delicious dishes are specially selected and tasted by David. Woods caters for all: the small terrace and bar are great to meet friends for a glass of wine, a dish of olives and a catch-up; the main dining room is ideal for intimate or informal dining; and the private room is perfect for corporate entertainment, family celebrations or weddings. Woods also has a Wine Shop and Deli (which runs from Weds to Sat) to eat in or take away, and you can enjoy a Sunday lunch on the first Sunday of every month.

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LARKHALL BUTCHERS

Recipe

1 Lambridge Buildings, Larkhall, Bath BA1 6RS and at Larkhall Butchers Widcombe, 21 Widcombe Parade, Bath BA2 4LD Web: larkhallbutchers.co.uk Larkhall Butchers is a multi-awardwinning butchery with two shops, one in the centre of Larkhall and the other on Widcombe High Street. Not only do they boast a well-stocked traditional butcher’s counter but an additional selection of cooked and cured meats, a range of fresh fish and other accompaniments such as milk, cheese, dairy and specialist dry-aged beef.

Tom Gardner at the Larkhall shop

As one of Bath’s oldest butchers, the staff combine passionate, traditional butchery with modern skills and wellestablished relationships with their favourite independent farms surrounding the city. The friendly team can also provide you with invaluable knowledge and ideas to bring to the table. They believe you will find something suitable for every household, competing with the value a supermarket can offer.

CAROUSEL FUN KITCHEN 66 Walcot Street, Bath BA1 5BD Tel: 01225 807015 Web: carouselfunkitchen.com A lively addition to Bath’s dining scene, Carousel Fun Kitchen is a modern restaurant bar providing the tastiest dishes inspired by the tropical islands. Serving steaks, burgers and much more, all accompanied and complemented by a great selection of experimental and classic cocktails. The music elevates as the weekend arrives – creating an atmosphere where guests can dine and dance. As night falls, the inviting kitchen transforms into a vibrant playground with DJs and live entertainment. Located on Walcot Street, you are invited to join in the fun at in the ambient dining lounge or heated alfresco garden. Please note: from 5pm onwards all members of the party must be aged 21 and over.

Carne Asadi Fries Serves 2 These are just awesome. Nuﬀ said. YOU NEED 2 portions of fries Oil or cooking spray 250g beef or lamb mince (or both) Pinch of salt n pepper 1–2 tbsp fajita seasoning 3–4 tbsp salsa Chimichurri mayo Garlic mayo 2 piquanté peppers, thinly sliced widthways HOW YOU DO IT Slap your fries on and get them cooked. Meanwhile, squirt a bit of oil or cooking spray into a frying pan on a high heat. Grab the mince and add it to the hot frying pan. Cook until brown, then add the salt, pepper and fajita seasoning, stirring well and tasting as you go. Add extra seasoning if you like. Grab a big mixing bowl, chuck in the hot fries and the salsa, then mix together well. THE BUILD Divide the fries between your bowls or plates. Spoon the mince on top, then add a good layer of the chimichurri mayo and a drizzle of garlic mayo. Scatter the peppers on top and serve. This recipe is from Mark Studley’s new book Dirty (Meze Publishing, £16). Mark is appearing at The Bath Food Festival at Royal Victoria Park from 29–31 July; fantasticfoodfestivals.co.uk

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NO.15 BY GUESTHOUSE, BATH 15 Great Pulteney Street, Bath BA2 4BS Tel: 01225 807015 Web: guesthousehotels.co.uk

THE BATH PRIORY

In the easy-going elegance of The Restaurant at No.15 by GuestHouse, Bath you’ll find refined comfort food, fun food and never-tried-that-before food, using ingredients sourced seasonally, ethically and (where possible) locally. The restaurant offers an odyssey of flavours for breakfast, proper lunches, fullcourse dinners and the beloved weekly feast, Sunday lunch. Open all week for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Alternatively head to the bar for morning coffee, a playful take on afternoon tea, cocktails made with the best British ingredients or elevenses and snacks. No.15 showcases the flavours and influences of the country’s highlands, lowlands and all its in-between lands.

The Bath Priory Hotel, Weston Road, Bath BA1 2XT Tel: 01225 331922 Web: thebathpriory.co.uk Nestled within four acres of mature, award-winning gardens and spacious terraces, The Bath Priory sets itself apart as a peaceful haven in a bustling city. The celebrated restaurant offers a memorable culinary journey with a focus on fresh produce, flavour and balance to create exciting, modern British dishes epitomising the best seasonal dining. The Pantry & Terrace provides a vibrant and informal menu serving breakfast, brunch, lunch and supper, packed with seasonal, light and exciting dishes. Just a short stroll through Victoria Park, it’s also the perfect spot for afternoon tea.

Get the par-tea started

othing cheers up a day that’s lost its buzz than the prospect of a cosy, treatsome afternoon tea – and variations of the afternoon delights theme are abundant in Bath. Go grand at the Pump Room in Abbey Churchyard, dive into a huge pot of tea and a massive slab of homemade scrumptiousness at Café Lucca in Bartlett Street, or escape the city walls after a long day shopping to The Bath Priory in Weston Road with its finger sandwiches and delicious homemade cakes, or to Lucknam Park (just six miles from Bath) whose afternoon tea includes dainty patisserie made by the pastry chef in Michelin-starred restaurant Restaurant Hywel Jones.

TOWN+HOUSE BY ALWAYS SUNDAY 36 Thomas Street, Bath BA1 5NN Tel: 01225 312959 Instagram: @always_sunday_townhouse A contemporary, yet cosy gastro pub situated on the bustling London road, Town+House is one of Bath’s newest culinary gems serving locally sourced British food, curated wine and cocktail lists as well as premium beers. Set in a Georgian public house you’ll find something for everyone including local events, brunch, set menu, à la carte dining and Sunday roast. Monday– Thursday, 2pm–late; Friday–Sunday, 10am–late. To book visit: www.opentable.co.uk/r/town-and-house-bath

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RIVERFORD Tel: 01225 437438 Web: riverford.co.uk Instagram: @RiverfordBath email: alanandvicki@riverfordhomedelivery.co.uk Local team Alan and Vicki deliver fresh, seasonal, organic fruit and veg boxes from Riverford Farm to customers in and around Bath. Riverford’s veg makes a positive impact: everything they grow, make or sell is 100% organic and grown slowly for flavour. In the past year they’ve saved 21 tonnes of plastic, donated over 1 million portions of veg to charity, planted 1,525 native trees, and raised £164,744 for Bath-based charity Send a Cow (now Ripple Effect). Riverford veg boxes are completely plastic free – where packaging is needed, it’s recyclable or home compostable. Choose from a huge range of veg, fruit and salad boxes, or make up your own order. Add eggs, milk, bread and other essentials – or try a recipe box, containing everything you need to make a delicious, healthy supper. Delivery is free and you don’t have to be at home.

ritain is now self-sufficient in strawberries from May to October. Around 70% of all strawberries bought in the UK are grown by British farmers, British Summer Fruits figures show. Riverford Organic Farmers say that they are a seasonal treat worth waiting for: “Our British-grown strawberries are bursting with juicy summer sweetness – and taste so much better than out-of-season imports. Don’t miss them while they’re here, and don’t forget the cream!” riverford.co.uk

CHATLEY FARM BROWNIES Tel: 01373 830426 Web: chatleyfarmbrownies.co.uk Pure Chocolate Brownie love! If there’s one thing that Chatley Farm know well, it’s that chocolate makes everything better. Since 2006, Chatley Farm Brownies has been bringing chocolate love to Somerset, handmade in their professional kitchens on a beautiful farm, near Bath – and you may have seen them at Bath Christmas Market. Choose from 13 delicious flavours, including rich chocolate, chocolate orange, salted caramel, mini egg, rum and raisin, white chocolate and raspberry, and biscoff, to name a few, as well gluten-free options. They also have a selection of Chocolate Brownie Hampers which make the perfect chocolate gift. All brownies are made using the best Belgian chocolate and locally sourced ingredients to create delicious squares of heaven. Delivered by post via Royal Mail, the brownies have a shelf life of three weeks and can also be frozen. Buy online from the Chatley Farm website.

CAFÉ BY THE FURNACE

THIS CAFÉ IS A BLAST

AT BATH AQUA GLASS 105–107 Walcot Street, Bath BA1 5BW Tel: 01225 319606 Web: bathaquaglass.com Bath’s newest hotspot Café By The Furnace has been open for six months, and on top of all the coffee, wine and cake, they now serve food from breakfast through to lunch. If you’re coming to watch the glass-blowing, it’s definitely worth staying for the coffee, and when booking glassblowing activities, food can be pre-ordered online at the same time as the glassblowing. As the summer continues, look out for late evening openings alongside regular evening events.

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AMATHUS 6 Green Street, Bath BA1 2JY Tel: 01225 335663 Web: amathusdrinks.com Amathus Bath only opened in 2018, but the family company has forty years’ experience in sourcing and selling the world’s finest drinks. The selection ranges from classic Scotch to small batch gins; craft beers to boutique wines direct from the estate (plus everything you can imagine in between). In short, it is Bath’s onestop shop for your drinks cabinet. The expert team are always happy to advise, or you can attend one of the regular tasting events to try something new. Sign up in-store quoting 'Delicious Bath' for a special treat with your purchase (speak to staff for T&Cs).

ELECTRIC BEAR BREWING CO Unit 12 The Maltings, Brassmill Lane, Bath BA1 3JL Tel: 01225 424088 Web: electricbearbrewing.com Electric Bear, Bath’s only independent craft brewery, distributes throughout the UK and as far afield as Australia. The popular Taproom, open from Thursdays to Sundays, regularly sees queues around the block to its unique sun trap spot off Brassmill Lane, Newbridge. Brewing four new craft beers a month, Electric Bear strives to create delicious, innovative beer that delivers on that ‘glad to be alive’ vibe. Popular core beers include ‘Mixtape’ gluten free 4.6% ‘Helles lager, ‘Tondo’ 5% pale ale, and ‘Werrrd’, a 4.2% American pale ale. 30p per can of their new ‘Treetops’ English pale ale is being donated to the Queen’s Green Canopy tree planting campaign. Electric Bear supplies kegs, casks and cans to pubs, restaurants, bars, bottle shops, retailers such as M&S, online via www.electricbearbrewing.com and via their shop and Taproom at the heart of the brewery.

Food & wine pairs

THE GREAT WINE CO. Wells Road, Bath BA2 3AP Tel: 01225 322810 Web: greatwine.co.uk

Rathfinny 2018 Classic Cuvée, Sussex, England This wonderful English fizz is made in the traditional method from Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay grapes grown and hand-harvested on the Rathfinny Wine Estate. On the nose it offers hints of brioche, ginger, plum and cinnamon, with rich notes of white apricot, crème pâtissière, a touch of preserved Meyer lemon, and a light salinity on the palate, echoing its coastal location. We’d recommend drinking this chilled sparkling as an aperitif, with oysters, smoked fish or with lightly cured charcuterie or a ham terrine.

The Great Wine Company shop has been nestled at the bottom of the Wells Road for almost 30 years, but remains a true find for those who turn into the car park. Described by customers as an Aladdin’s cave of wines and spirits (or an adult sweet shop) the shop holds over 1,000 wines and 450 spirits with new discoveries on every visit. We love its modern, friendly approach, backed up by old-fashioned service and advice. Wines and spirits are always open to taste, and experienced staff are great at finding the perfect wine for you at any budget. More recently, the company has become a specialist agent/importer for some of the world’s great wines, including Trimbach, Planeta, Ken Forrester and Seresin. Prices at every level are competitive and there’s always a good selection of special offers. Watch out for the bin-ends for the best bargains. The website and mail-order service is just as good for those further afield. You’ll find many of the company’s wares in Bath’s best restaurants, hotels and pubs, and it also supplies Bath Rugby.

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PULTENEY BRIDGE COFFEE 15–16 and 17 Pulteney Bridge, Bath BA2 4AY These gorgeous coffee shops, comprising of two shops adjacent to each other, are situated right on the World Heritage Site that is Pulteney Bridge. The incredible views (especially on sunny days) over Pulteney Weir really add to the experience and the cosy interiors complement the Georgian architecture. This family business offers a warm welcome with eat-in and takeaway menus which include very popular homemade cakes and bakery treats. There are options for breakfast, lunch and afternoon cream teas, or simply just a coffee and a cake while you do some people watching. There is an extensive takeaway menu, including pasties, sausage rolls, sandwiches and baguettes, smoothies and crisps – so why not get a picnic to take to Parade Gardens? Open 8.30am–5.30pm, Monday-Friday; 9am–6pm Saturday; and 9.30am–5.30pm on Sunday.

QUIET STREET COFFEE 2 Quiet Street, (just off Milsom Street), Bath BA1 2JS A great coffee shop for a takeaway coffee and homemade cake. They also do a meal deal which is amazing value for money if you fancy having lunch in the nearby Queen Square or Victoria Park. Serving breakfast, lunch, tea and cake, the café can get busy so get there early. A beautiful shop with wonderful full-length windows, it’s an ideal place for stopping for a coffee break and watching the world go by. There is plenty of seating on the ground floor and an air-conditioned lounge downstairs – look out for the macaron wallpaper! Open 8.30am–5.30pm Monday–Friday; 9am–6pm Saturday; and 9.30am–5.30pm on Sunday.

ABBEY HOTEL

CAFÉ LUCCA

1–3 North Parade, Bath BA1 1LF Tel: 01225 461603 Web: abbeyhotelbath.co.uk

1–2 Bartlett Street, Bath BA1 2QZ Tel: 01225 333844 Web: cafelucca.co.uk

There’s something wonderfully indulgent about afternoon tea that’s been freshly prepared in a great hotel by a team of creative chefs. In the comfortable surroundings of Artbar, the Abbey Hotel Kitchen or even on the wonderful terrace on a sunny day, you can enjoy a selection of delicious, traditional afternoon tea favourites. An extensive range of Teapig teas and The Colombian Co. coffee are accompanied by classic sandwiches, homemade scones with clotted cream, jam, and lemon curd, and the talented kitchen team’s selection of pastries, each one deliciously tempting. A glass of Champagne can be added to make your experience extra special. Afternoon tea is served daily from 12 noon until 5pm. Pre-booking is advised but not essential.

Café Lucca revives and relaxes in equal measure. It serves wonderful food in a welcoming environment, offering freshly ground coffee and a light breakfast in the mornings, lunch from a selection of brightly coloured salads and bruschetta and panini, or an array of tempting cakes for afternoon tea. This is the perfect place for catching up with friends, or as a respite from shopping, and is one of Bath’s favourite places to see people and be seen. Deliciously fresh, modern Mediterranean style food is served in the elegant and spacious surroundings of The Loft. All the fresh produce is sourced from small and local family suppliers. Situated in a traffic-free street in Bath’s boutique quarter, the restaurant is just two minutes’ walk from Milsom Street and the Fashion Museum. And when the sun shines there are tables on the terrace from where you can watch the world stroll by.

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MARDAN, BATH’S BESPOKE REMOVALS AND STORAGE COMPANY, DEVELOPS NEW TALENT

Mardan have a wealth of experience within the removals and storage industry, spanning over 30 years, ensuring customers have a stress-free and seamless move. Mardan are family run and bespoke with the experience, knowledge, skills, equipment and capacity to complete removals of any size; locally, nationally for domestic or commercial customers.

Marcus, Mardan’s founder, has always held fast, with confidence, to his belief that he can deliver a high standard of removals, exceeding that of his competitors. Marcus knows to do this he must have trust and confidence in the skills of his staff, which he does. So when a new office position was required within Mardan instead of recruiting externally Marcus looked to develop a team member which he already had extreme confidence in and who he knew would develop into the role seamlessly, Nik. The role would include; liaising with customers, completing quotes, emailing quotes, planning the removals diary, logistics and managing the storage yard. Nik, had worked with Marcus within removals for over 10 years having a strong knowledge of all aspects of removals and with the skills necessary to lead a team from Mardan on removals. Nik has risen to the challenge and is thriving. Marcus and Nik work extremely well as a team thus ensuring all customers have a personalised service and a positive move experience. Both Marcus and Nik enjoy completing the physical removal and Marcus truly believes that to do the ‘office’ role well it’s important to continue to complete removals, thus maintaining

the in depth knowledge developed throughout their earlier careers. Marcus and Nik are able to be flexible with their roles and keep their ‘hand in’ the hard physical work of removals. Mardan continue to grow their self-storage facility, offering safe, secure and reasonable storage to upward of 100 domestic and commercial customers.

“We used Mardan following a recommendation from a friend. They moved us in and out of storage and then into our renovated house. I would highly recommend them. The service was super efficient and the guys were quick, polite and courteous. Nothing was too much trouble and all of our possessions arrived safe and sound” Emma Webster, Moon Client

Mob: 07899 847857 Tel: 01225 317645 www.mardanremovals.co.uk

DOMESTIC & COMMERCIAL MOVERS • packers • STORERS • SHIPPERS

Red House Farm, Broughton Gifford

A collection of six beautifully designed homes ranging from two to four bedrooms, including five bungalows and one detached house.

01225 791155 | ashford-homes.co.uk | XVI TheBATHMagazine

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ANTIQUE JEWELLERY REPAIRS AND REMODELLING

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ART | EXHIBITIONS

The Arborist by Jake Sheppard, ink and thixotropic resin on paper

ARTS AND EXHIBITIONS The Holburne Museum, Great Pulteney Street, Bath Love Life: David Hockney’s Drawings, until 18 September Hockney’s drawings in the late 1960s and 1970s show his extraordinary power of observation and skill in using tiny, mundane details to help capture a situation.

holburne.org

Beyond Beastly: Creatures Natural and Imagined Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution (BRLSI), 16–18 Queen Square, Bath, until 1 October

Solo Exhibition by Jake Sheppard Widcombe Social Club, Widcombe Hill, Bath, until 26 June Ossie Clark in a Fairisle Sweater, by David Hockney, 1970 Coloured pencil on paper 43.18 x 35.56 cm © David Hockney. Photo credit: Fabrice Giber

As new continents were explored, a rich array of extraordinary new animals and plants were formally described. Here were creatures quite as weird as the ones in medieval pictures, but now they were being illustrated in vivid and accurate detail. Come and meet some familiar fantastical creatures (and quite a few natural ones) extracted from the pages of the historic books and boxes of specimens in Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution Collections. brlsi.org

Postcards from Kenya East Lambrook Manor Gardens, East Lambrook TA13 5HH 4 June – 23 July

moishsokal.co.uk

Milk for baby elephant by Moish Sokal

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Artist Moish Sokal brings the colour of Africa to East Lambrook Manor Gardens. After landing in his hometown of Sydney following a long absence during the pandemic, Moish was caught up in the severe flooding that hit the eastern coast of Australia in 2021. When he returned to his home, however, he found that his precious paintings of Kenya had been spared, showing subjects such as his visit to an elephant orphanage and the famous Maasai Mara wildlife park. Alongside Moish’s exotic paintings of Kenya, his work also shows the English countryside – staying put for a while there made him appreciate the changing seasons.

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Jake Sheppard is an artist from Bath who creates abstract and impressionistic work in oil paints and inks. Jake uses a mix of geometry, colour theory and dynamic symmetry to form the structure of his work. Born in 1990, Jake has painted since the age of two and recently began an online business printing his work on clothes and accessories. Find out more on the website. jakesheppard.co.uk Victoria Art Gallery, Bath Bath Society of Artists 117th Annual Exhibition, until 2 July This annual exhibition allows art enthusiasts to browse and buy from paintings, drawings, prints, sculpture and mixed media by the region’s top artistic talent, at prices to suit every pocket. Visitors will also be able to place their votes for the Public Choice Prize, selecting their favourite artwork. The prize judges will be Aidan Quinn of Beaux Arts Bath and Stephen West, artist, sculptor, lecturer, curator and writer. victoriagal.org.uk

Blue Roses by Stella Penrose

Marvellous Makers, Wondrous Worlds: Raised Embroidery from the 17th Century until 11 September A show of the exceptional raised and 17th-century embroideries from the museum’s collection – a jewel-like show allowing visitors to look closely at these exceptional objects.

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Ma San Auction In Bath

SPECIALISTS IN ORIENTAL WORKS OF ART A Chinese Jade Water Buffalo Pendant, SOLD £780 incl. premium Group of nine Chinese Mandarin Hat Finials, Qing Dynasty, SOLD £1820 incl. premium

Large pair of Chinese Hardwood Foo Dogs, SOLD £4680 incl. premium

A Chinese yellow-ground Famille Rose Porcelain Candle Stick, Qianlong mark, SOLD £6240 incl. premium

A Chinese hardwood side table, 19th C. SOLD £1430 incl. premium

Free ns atio g valu cceptin s a t n w No signme con r future fo les! sa

A Chinese blue and white Porcelain Bowl, ‘Jiangxi Porcelain Company’ mark, SOLD £1560 incl. premium

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

www.masanauction.com

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ART | EXHIBITIONS

Dress to Redress: Exploring Native American Material Culture The American Museum & Gardens, Claverton Manor, Bath, until 3 July

Photograph by Linda Roy

The American Museum & Gardens presents Dress to Redress, an exhibition of the work of contemporary Anishinabe artist Celeste Pedri-Spade. Featuring a series of spectacular wearable-art pieces, personal artefacts and photography, alongside historical items from the museum’s collection, the exhibition will demonstrate the continuing legacy and profound importance of visual and material culture.

Pop Art, David Simon Contemporary 37 High Street, Castle Cary BA7 7AW Until 11 June A Pop Art exhibition featuring works by Roy Lichtenstein and Keith Haring, alongside works by David Hockney, Peter Blake and Patrick Caulfield. This collection of work includes signed, original multiples of this iconic period of 20th-century art. The Pop Art Movement was pioneered in the 1950s and borrowed imagery from popular culture – product advertising, brand logos, comic books and television ads. Warhol, Rauschenberg and Lichtenstein particularly used methods of screen printing. davidsimoncontemporary.com

Painting by Agnes Pollock

Bath Contemporary Artists’ Fair, Sunday 12 June, 10am–5pm Green Park Station, Green Park Road, Bath

Exhibition of sculpture and works on paper by Jean Farrell and Maureen Hosier, Museum of Bath at Work, Julian Road, Bath Until 12 June, 10.30am–5pm

The award-winning monthly Bath Contemporary Artists’ Fair (BCAF) continues its season on Sunday 12 June. Committed to bringing the best of contemporary art from the city and beyond to the heart of Bath, the fair has created a regular space where artists can network, share ideas, connect with the public, and where the public can connect with art. Visitors can browse the works of local artists and admire fine art, photography, sculpture, textiles, ceramics and much more, all under the vaulted glass roof of Green Park Station. For updates and exhibiting artists visit the website. bcaf.co.uk

The sculptural work of artists Jean Farrell and Maureen Hosier complements each other – with the lyrical storytelling of the work of Maureen Hosier who uses found objects and Jean Farrell’s pared-down essences of colour and form. A specially commissioned film inspired by Bath’s working life, made in collaboration with the museum, filmmaker Joe Short and artist Jean Farrell will be shown as part of the exhibition. The show is part of the Bath Festival Fringe at The Museum of Bath at Work. Admission free with museum admission. bath-at-work.org.uk

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One Way Traﬃc by Allen Jones

americanmuseum.org

David Ringsell: Bath Scenes Local painter David Ringsell’s work is being exhibited at The Artery Art Café in Richmond Place; at The Claremont Pub, 5 Claremont Road, Bath; and at The Old Crown Pub, Weston, Bath. He also has prints available at The Art Cohort, 13 Chelsea Road, Bath. David loves to share his artistic impressions of Bath, his home city. His unique contemporary art prints of Bath show a different, sometimes darker side of the city and his paintings of the architecture relish the stained stonework and peeling paint. Custom prints are available in a range of sizes – see the website: real-images.com Image: Heavenly Light, A2 framed giclée print by David Ringsell, showing St. Saviour’s Church in Larkhall caught at sunset

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Shades of Green , Central Corridor, The Royal United Hospital, Combe Park, Bath Until 24 July

Descent by John Ball BELOW: Englishcombe Velux 1, mixed media and photomontage on board, by David Ferry

Shades of Green is an exhibition inspired by the Somerset landscape near the picturesque village of Englishcombe, Bath. Curator Sandra Higgins gathered together a group of artists, and asked each to respond to the landscape view from her home after visiting the location. The artists range from abstract to figurative, surreal and pop, and the exhibition is as much a study of their individual artistic relationship with nature as it is the depiction of it through the works they have created. sandrahiggins.art

Pop Up Exhibition, The Drawing Rooms, Beau Nash House, 19 Union Passage, Bath Curator and art advisor Sandra Higgins has been filling the walls of this quirky Georgian venue with accomplished contemporary artworks by selected artists, all for sale. Currently exhibiting are John Ball, Belinda Crozier, David Ferry, Pete Hoida, Marguerite Horner, Marq P. Kearey, Susan McDonald, Fiona McIntyre, Roy Osborne and David Walsh. Coming soon are Louisa Burnett-Hall, Timothy Emlyn Jones and Richard Walker. Meet Sandra Higgins in person to view the exhibition and to discuss any purchases over a coffee or a cocktail. Email Sandra to book a visit: sandra@sandrahiggins.com. View Sandra’s online gallery for more by these artists. sandrahiggins.art

Coming soon... Sculpture to Enhance a Garden In the garden of 165 Newbridge Hill, Bath, BA1 3PX 2–3 July, 10am–5pm daily Three sculptors using three different mediums come together to showcase their dynamic outdoor sculpture in a Bath in Bloom gold medal-winning garden. Wander around at your leisure and enjoy the garden, with homemade cakes, cream teas and light lunches available on the terrace overlooking the garden. Opening in conjunction with the National Garden Scheme, the money raised will go to nursing charities supported by the NGS and The Peggy Dodd Centre in Combe Down supporting those with memory loss. All pieces of sculpture are for sale. Entrance is £5, payable at the gate. helen@thehiddengardensofbath.co.uk

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ARTS | INTERVIEW

Flying colours

Oregon-based fine artist, illustrator and writer Lisa Congdon was asked by the American Museum & Gardens to produce a poster design for their Americana Fest in July – we asked Lisa about the commission and about her uplifting work What brief were you given from the American Museum & Gardens? I was given a brilliant overview of the museum’s history, the wonderful collections displayed in the house, and the beautiful gardens – it sounds like the perfect setting for a festival! The American Museum is the only museum of Americana outside of the United States that brings American history and cultures to the people of Britain and Europe. I love this. The Museum wanted stylish and modern branding. My work is centered on a ‘folk’ aesthetic, and it’s also very modern and bold. I seemed like the perfect fit! The team were really excited about me using my signature style in the poster, including my use of colour, symbols, icons and even quilt motifs, which I am known for. I’m also American, which was a bonus of course. What is the significance of the motifs in the artwork? The museum gave me a list of the kinds of imagery they’d like me to draw – I referenced all of these things in various ways, including some food items, a food truck, eating utensils, flowers, vines, and, of course, the fleur-de-lis from the gardens! How did you decide on the colour balances? I was asked to use my own palette which was prefect for me as I have a very strong point of view when it comes to colour. I use bright, very warm-toned primary colours as my starting place and then I balance those by adding softer pastels and give them an edge by using black. How much do you work by hand when producing an artwork? All of my work is done by hand, even the digital work. I do sometimes sketch using tools like a pencil in a sketchbook, but in this case, I sketched right on my iPad, which is where I draw most of the time. My practice involves many mediums such as ceramics, painting on panels, sewing quilts and drawing with pastels. Your work is distinctive for its bold, flat colours and sharp outlines – how important is the digital process to this eﬀect? Digital work really allows me to dive deeply into this very crisp style that I am known for. I like to say that my work is equal parts wonky and imperfect, and clean and crisp. In many ways, this balance between imperfect and sharp is what defines my style. This really came to life when I began drawing digitally five years ago. Digital drawing allows me to have this style that is both flat and bold colour with clean edges, and still maintains my ‘hand’.

FROM TOP: Your Actions Matter art print; and Every Mistake is Progress art print

What is the appeal of combining images and text? In 2010, I practised hand lettering something every day for a year. That helped me develop my lettering style, and the work really resonated with my audience, and I began doing more of it. I love finding ways for the lettering and the illustrations to speak to each other and live together. I am very picky about the phrases and quotes – some of them are my own words, and some are from other people. It’s important to me that they reflect my values and approach to life.

I also think my style evolved after being a person who loved art and design for so many years before I began making it myself. For example, I love Mid-Century design, and have since I was a young woman. After a decade of that interest under my belt, that was instantly a huge influence in my work. I think being self-taught has also helped me create this style on my own, for myself, based on how I like to draw and represent things.

You achieved artistic success later in life. How did this come about? Part of my success is due to the fact that I had another career outside of art in my 20s and much of my 30s. I learned so many valuable skills that helped me launch my career – project management, client relationships, communication, discipline, etc.

How did you direct your artistic vision? The only way to find your voice as an artist is to make a lot of art. And that’s exactly what I did. I drew and painted obsessively for years and years and years, every single day. It is ultimately a very solitary exercise – and takes enormous discipline.

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ARTS | INTERVIEW

BELOW RIGHT: Lisa’s artwork produced for the Americana Fest at the American Museum & Gardens

Where do you get inspiration for your work? I live and breathe art and design, from the clothes I wear to how I decorate my house, and so I live inside my artistic vision constantly, and surround myself with things that I find beautiful. I love fashion, textiles, interior design, the MidCentury aesthetic, folk art. My favourite artist of all time is Alexander Girard – he is a huge influence on me. I also keep a notebook of ideas. You come across as a very joyful person. What is the secret? I do not take myself too seriously. I try to live in the present moment and not worry about the future too much. I spend my time doing the things I love with people I love. I know who I am and have accepted myself as imperfect. That is a gift of age! n Lisa Congdon’s art prints are available through her website: lisacongdon.com; Americana Fest at the American Museum & Gardens runs from 1–3 July: americanmuseum.org 2010 THEBATHMAG.CO.UK| NOVEMbEr THEBATHMAG.CO.UK | JaNUary 2020

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Auction high lights with possible link to Royalty... If you are ready to make your home just a little more palatial or just wish to illuminate your collection in other ways, there are lots of elegant fixtures and furnishings included in Lawrences’ Fine Summer Auction which runs from July 5th-8th. Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee is just around the corner: an event of immense national pride and excitement and Lawrences is delighted to take consignment, quite by chance, of two lots that lend themselves beautifully to the celebrations. A highlight of the July sale is, indeed a high light: an impressive 19th Century Crystal Six Branch Chandelier. The elegant ceiling light has a cut glass stem in three baluster-form sections with scrolling arms supporting crystal drops with floral rosettes, the six bronze branches each with candle sconce, with a glass ball pendant. Fully fitted and ready to be hung in a new home, this wonderful piece sits perfectly alongside the backdrop of national celebration. In this Jubilee year, the chandelier has a possible link with Royalty: by repute, this chandelier may once have been part of a set hanging in Buckingham Palace. It was sourced for the current vendor in the early 1980s by a former director of Sotheby's who was told that it was among the items removed from the much-neglected palace during Queen Victoria’s widowhood and distributed or subsequently sold to members of the Royal household by King Edward VII. In the mid-1980s, whilst working as a private historian for the Royal Family, the current vendor observed three very similar or potentially matching chandeliers that were still hanging in Queen Elizabeth's private entrance hall on the north side of the Palace. In addition, a wonderful set of George VI Coronation robes worn by Baroness Headley were on offer in the firm’s May Collectors’ Sales. The saleroom in Crewkerne could not be mistaken for Buckingham Palace but they certainly looked the part when on display for all to see. The robes were bought for £2,750. A full team of specialists are available to advise and assist with FREE valuations: IN PERSON | AT HOME | ONLINE | EMAIL | PHONE | WHATSAPP Please contact their team if you would like to sell in their auctions to include: Silver | Vertu | Jewellery | Watches | 19th/20th Century Design | Oriental Works of Art | Ceramics | Pictures | Furniture | Clocks | Rugs | Militaria | Coins Medals | Collectors | Sporting | Textiles | Automobilia | Motoring | Literature Historic Cycling | Wine | Spirits | Books | Maps | Manuscripts | Photography

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

lawrences.co.uk

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Go Georgian Green DUNCAN CAMPBELL Antique silver specialist

How the past can protect the future For decades now antiques dealers have been trying to market their wares with the slogan ‘Antiques are Green’. Unlike many marketing claims made by those with stuff to sell, antiques really are about as ‘green’ as it is possible to get. The most significant carbon implication of buying a georgian mahogany chest of drawers is the petrol required to get it from the shop back home.

Even if the total carbon cost were calculated, the amounts are still tiny compared with any item of modern manufacture. The mahogany tree was cut down by hand, the moving and shipping relied on wind & horsepower only and since the 18th century furniture maker had no power tools, his breakfast is the only carbon he added. Ignoring the eye-watering carbon cost of manufacturing modern MDF (the base of most flatpack furniture), the transportation of new items even just from dock to shop uses more CO2 than anything made in the 18th century. It is almost a cliche now to mention the fact that modern flat-pack furniture rarely survives multiple house moves, as true as it is. Looking at a piece of old furniture, I often wonder about the different houses it has sat in and the many former owners it has had. The makers of computers and other electronic goods are only now seriously thinking about longevity rather than disposability. How extraordinary it would have seemed to our ancestors to make something that was designed to be irreparable. While, from a commercial point of view, it is hard to sell repaired silverware, a much used and oft repaired piece has bags of charm if only because it suggests a loved and cherished object that over many years almost became part of the family. These days we all should be a bit more savvy about the environmental cost of the things we buy. I feel I’m bound to say that antiques of all types can be guilt free when it comes to keeping temperatures down. n beaunashbath.com; 01225 334234

Helping make life beautiful

28 & 31 Brock Street, Bath, BA1 2LN 01225 334234 | info@beaunashbath.com | www.beaunashbath.com

––––––––

Open Daily 9:30am – 6:00pm | Located between the Circus and the Royal Crescent

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TRAVEL | GREAT BRITISH BREAKS

Great British breaks Whether walking, cycling, swimming, exploring gastronomic delights, relaxing on a beach or in a heavenly spa - or simply star gazing, there are so many things to make a UK holiday the perfect choice and whatever the weather, not to mention the most enjoyable way to support the UK economy. Your best holiday yet, can be found here.

THE WATERSMEET HOTEL

WOOLACOMBE, NORTH DEVON

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

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TRAVEL | GREAT BRITISH BREAKS

THE COACH HOUSE AT SHARPHAM NEAR TOTNES, SOUTH DEVON A new retreat centre blends mindfulness and nature’s ability to comfort and heal - all in a stunning setting beside the River Dart. The Coach House is the latest retreat venue created by The Sharpham Trust - a charity established 40 years ago this year to connect people to nature and themselves through the practice of mindfulness. Participants can experience 6-night and 4night retreats in the newly-refurbished Coach House, which was built in the 1700s at the same time as nearby Sharpham House. Coach House retreats are full-board with delicious, home-cooked vegetarian and vegan food – which uses lots of the produce grown just metres away in the 18th century walled garden. People staying at the Coach House will be performing mindful tasks in that garden daily, getting their hands in the earth. There are 3 daily meditation sessions, plus plenty of free time for retreatants to rest and rejuvenate in a breath-taking place far from the frantic. Over the week, retreatants build a sense of community and kinship, supported by a team of Volunteer Coordinators in an amazing location within a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Visit: www.sharphamtrust.org/coach-house

BLUESTONE NATIONAL PARK RESORT

PEMBROKESHIRE, WALES

Main image: Sunset at Kynance Cove in Cornwall

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

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TRAVEL | GREAT BRITISH BREAKS

MOOR AND SEA HOLIDAYS SELF CATERING LODGES - LYNTON, DEVON Moor and Sea Holidays is set in a beautiful location overlooking Exmoor five minutes from the sea at Lynmouth, perfectly situated to explore the stunning coastline, moorland and award winning beaches of North Devon. The newly renovated south facing lodges are set in lovely grounds, each with private outside dining spaces and stunning views of the gardens and the moor. There are six one bedroom lodges and two three bedroom lodges, Designed to provide calm and relaxing spaces with open plan living and dining areas and fully equipped kitchens. Environmentally friendly choices have been made throughout the renovation and decoration of the lodges; from gorgeous cork walling, sheeps wool insulation, natural wood flooring to French linens in the bedrooms. There is an art studio where guests can take part in rainy day craft sessions or a fused glass class or fun art workshop. The gardens and grounds have been thoughtfully landscaped and planted to encourage wildlife, full of birdsong and chances to see deer across the valley. Surrounding Moor and Sea are lovely fields in which to play, wild camp or just walk enjoying the views. Moor and Sea is a wonderful holiday destination with a difference. For more details, booking information and availability, visit: www.moorandseaholidays.co.uk Tel: 07794594916 or 07534043059

ORIGINAL COTTAGES A SUPER SELECTION OF PROPERTIES ACROSS ENGLAND AND WALES Original Cottages has an extensive range of coastal and countryside cottages, from cosy boltholes for two to country style properties which can accommodate large family gatherings. For example, take Pencarreg, situated within moments of the South West Coast Path in a spectacular, cliffside location on the south Cornwall coast. This remodelled 4 bedroom, 3 bathroom, reverse-level house has been designed to make the most of the sensational views across the bay. The glistening waters of the ocean spread out ahead of you from the expansive deck which is home to a sevenseat hot tub and a great outdoor social area. The stylish, spacious interior has been finished to a superb standard. All bedrooms have TVs – perfect for both sharers and families, and there is a luxurious wellequipped kitchen which forms part of the open-plan living area and a full set of bi-fold doors lead out to the deck providing a splendid outlook from sunrise to sunset. For days out head down onto the coast path with your picnic and turn west into Polruan then catch the foot ferry from the harbour across to Fowey or head east towards Lantic Bay and marvel at the stupendous views along the way. For more details, booking information and availability, visit: www.originalcottages.co.uk Tel: 03332 020899

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40 Winks with Pride of Britain Hotels

To celebrate their 40th birthday, Pride of Britain Hotels are launching 40 Sleep Specials from their hotels across the British Isles.

n the belief that few things in life are more important than a good night’s sleep, the group have launched 40 brand new and exclusive, truly serene sleep packages, available this autumn (from 1st September to 30th November 2022).

The aim is to take you on a rejuvenation journey, Whatever relaxation means to you – whether it’s an afternoon nap by the fireside in a cosy Scottish lodge, a tranquil spa treatment, a morning in nature to reset your circadian rhythm, or a blissful night’s sleep on 1000-thread count Egyptian cotton sheets – the 40 Winks Sleep Specials have got you covered. Choose from such rejuvenating escapes as:

Restful Night’s Sleep Spa Break in Suffolk Indulge in a blissful spa day, with a relaxing lavender dry floatation experience, a healthy lunch and calming herbal tea infused with botanicals. After a delicious dinner, a restful night’s sleep beckons, assisted by a soothing gift with a heavenly pillow mist, restful night cream and essential oils. Available at Bedford Lodge Hotel & Spa.

Sleepy Sundays in the Lake District Imagine a lakeside retreat where you’ll be nurtured by nature on a guided mindfulness experience before a relaxing massage. Following a herbal infusion tea and seasonal dinner, your Pillow Package, complete with a eucalyptus silk eye mask and calming mist, will ensure the land of nod isn’t far away. Wake up refreshed the next day for a Pilates class, refreshing swim or a hot tub soak. Available at Armathwaite Hall Hotel & Spa.

Indulgence Retreat in Yorkshire Surrounded by beautiful countryside, unwind with a forest therapy spa treatment and a candlelit dinner. Your fourposter bed with Egyptian cotton sheets and duck-feather pillows awaits. A mindfulness experience combining yoga and creativity will renew you in the morning. Available at Middlethorpe Hall & Spa. With 40 Sleep Specials to choose from, your serene sleep journey with Pride of Britain Hotels awaits. n prideofbritainhotels.com

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BOOKS

Tales of Gay Street William Keeling is a former foreign correspondent of the Financial Times who exposed a multi-billion-dollar corruption scandal in Nigeria. He eventually left journalism for chocolate, becoming co-owner of the chocolate company Prestat. Belle Nash and the Bath Soufflé is the first in his series, The Gay Street Chronicles. Here is a taste of what’s in store... William Keeling recently inherited a treasure trove of historical documents from his late uncle, Dr W.B. Keeling of Gay Street. They included the diaries of Bellerophon ‘Belle’ Nash, grandson of Master of Ceremonies Beau Nash. The diaries provide a remarkable insight into late-Regency society. June 23, 1830 Local Explorers Return to Bath All Bath is overjoyed to learn that intrepid explorers Dr Erudite Whittlemarsh and his wife Mrs Tulip Whittlemarsh have returned safely following their latest day-long expedition. As chair of the Bath Geographical Society (Gay Street Chapter), I welcomed back them back accompanied by my dear cousin Herr Gerhardt Kant. Dr Whittlemarsh explained to me that the party – ably sponsored by McMunn’s Laudanum Elixir – had walked up to Combe Hay, and from there continued along the Cam Brook river. “We found people living in a village called Peasedown St. John. Although we had heard rumours of this village, we can now confirm its existence.” On their travels, the explorers witnessed farmhands wearing smocks who were harvesting apples and collecting eggs. Apparently, local farmers keep chickens and ducks, and both lay eggs that can be boiled, fried and scrambled. Mrs Whittlemarsh, the party’s chief navigator, told me, “The villagers of Peasedown are mostly one big happy family named Fiveacre. They were even happier after we gave them a bottle of McMunn's.” Dr Whittlemarsh is already famous for his goose fat poultice but has taken to laudanum. He generously dispensed the popular tonic to farmhands, dairymaids, and all the Fiveacre children. The tonic is made from opium – which has proven to be enormously popular in China – and is a cure-all for ailments such as cough, diarrhoea, rheumatism, melancholy, and delirium tremens. Also, that terrible scourge suffered by my neighbour dear Miss Prim: women’s troubles. Dearest cousin Gerhardt has since purchased a small bottle. Whilst I shall not speak for others, he cannot get enough of it and says it is even more efficacious than cocaine and arsenic. Belle Nash and the Bath Soufflé by William Keeling is published by Envelope Books and is available online and at bookstores. (£9.99); gaystreetchronicles.co.uk 48 TheBATHMagazine

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Editor’s choice books This month, we’re reading three books which celebrate the natural world, and the bounty – both emotional and literal – which it has to offer The Last Bite by Anna Higham (Dorling Kindersley, £22) is a revolutionary book in which the award-winning pastry chef encourages you to approach creating a dessert as you would do savoury cooking: by engaging your senses, tasting, seasoning, and letting your ingredients shine. Exploring key ingredients season by season, Anna helps you to understand the ‘how’ and ‘why’ of dessert cooking, showing you how to work with fruit, grains, fats and chocolate, how to construct a dessert, and how to use seasoning, structure and texture to magnify flavour and taste. Great Dixter Then & Now by Fergus Garett (Pimpernel Press Ltd, £12.99) celebrates the life and work of Christopher Lloyd, icon and iconoclast of the gardening world, who was was born at Great Dixter in East Sussex in 1921 and died there in 2006. He developed the garden at Dixter into a mecca for plantsmen and a hub of ideas and connections that spread throughout the world. And from the 1930s almost until his death he was also photographing the garden, recording it in intimate detail as it changed and developed. A carefully chosen selection of Christopher’s photographs are shown here, the majority for the first time. They are juxtaposed with images from the Lloyd family’s earliest days at Dixter, and with photographs taken by Carol Casselden and others of the garden as it is today. In Mya-Rose Craig’s memoir Birdgirl (Penguin Books, £16.99, publishing 30 June) readers meet Mya-Rose – otherwise known as ‘Birdgirl’: birder, environmentalist, diversity activist. To date she has seen over 5,000 different types of bird: half the world’s species. Every single bird is a treasure. Each sighting is a small step in her family journey – a collective moment of joy and stillness amidst her mother’s deepening mental health crisis. And each one helps her to find her voice. She has visited every continent to pursue her passion, seeing first-hand the inequality and reckless destruction we are inflicting on our fragile planet. And the simple, mindful act of looking for birds has made her evermore determined to campaign for all our survival. n

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CULTURE | MUSIC

Uke Can’t Be Serious

Daisy Game chats to Andrew Ward, founder of Bath-based ukulele band Uke Can’t Be Serious

t’s not easy being the butt of the joke: just ask the ukulele. Small and (seemingly) simple, it’s an instrument that we’re more used to seeing propped up against the bookshelf of a flower-power teen or tucked into the backpack of a hostel-worn traveller than we are in a more formal context; a bit of fun to pass the time, but not something to be taken particularly seriously. Unless, as Andrew Ward – founder of Bath’s very own ukulele band, Uke Can’t Be Serious – found, that bit of fun becomes a bigger habit. “I got given the ukulele as a joke; I was 60 and I’d never played anything”, Andrew tells me, explaining that he had never intended to learn how to play. But it was love at first string-pluck, and after a few minutes of messing around with C chords and simple melodies, Andrew found himself in a committed (musical) relationship. “It’s like any other instrument.You can play as many chords on a ukulele as you can a classical instrument; it has as many strings as a violin”, he says, in keen defence of the ukulele’s honour. But playing solo can be a lonely pursuit, and soon after his 60th birthday Andrew began the search for fellow enthusiasts: approaching friends and family in the hopes that they might bite the band-shapedbait. Bite they did; and in 2013, UCBS burst on to the Bath scene. It’s a pretty social affair, Andrew says; he and his uke-crew – now including his son-in-law and, on occasion, several of his grandchildren – rehearse every Sunday. Made up of ukuleles of all shapes and sizes (piccolo, soprano, concert, baritone and bass), support instruments (a melodica and a washboard) and several singers, UCBS has settled on an eight-person core. For now, at least: if in the future the smaller members of the band decide they’re up for a more permanent position, a few extra spaces might just open up. Any readers hoping to get in on the fun, however, should prepare for disappointment. The band isn’t interested in expansion: “Absolutely not!”, Andrew responds when I ask if there’s any room for new members. “We’ve always been friends and family – it's not a matter of ‘can I join your club?’. I’m afraid you can't!”, the musician explains – eyes a-twinkle. Ukulele player wannabe’s, it seems, must look further afield. Andrew’s group is not only multi-generational – it’s also multigenre. From Adele, to Johnny Cash, to Pink Floyd’s Brain Damage (yes, really) the repertoire is varied. So too is its taste in events: Uke

UCBS in sunny Aix-en-Provence

Can’t be Serious make regular appearances at festivals, such as The Bath Festival and The Widcombe Art Trail, and farmers markets alike. Charitably minded, the band has also raised a total of £21,000 for worthy causes; a recent gig in Marshfield Church saw UCBS walk away with £1000 worth of donations in aid of Ukrainian refugees. It’s not just Bathonians who have had the chance to move and groove to the UCBS set list. The band has recently returned from Bath’s twin town Aix-enProvence, where it represented Bath in the French destination’s Twinning festival. The Aix adventure is the band’s second twinning trip: in 2019, UCBS performed at a similar event in Braunschweig, Germany. The international relationships fostered by the Twinning Association, suggests Andrew, have taken on an even greater importance post-Brexit. “I think there should be much more of that grass roots level conversation across the nations”, the musician asserts, explaining that the UCBS trip to France revealed how “deeply hurt” the Aix community were by the UK’s decision to leave the European Union. Bath, however, was never in favour of severing ties with the EU; the city voted to remain, and Andrew believes that it is through enterprises such as Twinning that we might remind our international neighbours that not everyone wanted out. "I know it’s a silly little thing, fighting back with ukuleles and washboards – but it’s what it’s about, isn’t it?”, Andrew suggests. Perhaps it’s time that we started to take the ukulele a little more seriously. Scan the QR code (right) to watch UCBS in action. If you’re interested in having UCBS play at at an event, email andrew@wardandrew.com or call 07809 761538

UCBS take on the Box Uke Festival

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ocl A C C O U N TA N C Y

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

www.oclaccountancy.com

Sole traders - basis period reform The way trading profits are allocated to tax years is changing in April 2023, this is called the basis period reform. This will affect you if your accounting period ends on a date other than one between 31st March and 5th April. Generally, businesses draw up annual accounts to the same date each year, called their ‘accounting date’. Currently, a business’s profit or loss for a tax year is usually the profit or loss for the year up to the accounting date in the tax year, called the ‘basis period’. With effect from the tax year 2024/25, a business’s profit or loss for a tax year is the profit or loss arising in the tax year itself (6th April to the following 5th April), regardless of its accounting date. The tax year 2023/24 will be the transitional year between the old method and the new method and the reform may increase the profit on which you’re taxed for 2023/24. If so, the extra profits taxed in 2023/24 as a result of the reform will be automatically spread over a period of five years. You will be able to elect to accelerate when some or all of the extra profits are taxed. The balance of the extra profits are then evenly spread over the remainder of the five-year period. There are various reasons why you might want to accelerate when the extra profit is taxed. For example, in 2023/24 your profits aren’t sufficient when added to your other income to make you a higher rate taxpayer. However, a big new contract means that for 2024/25 and later years you expect to be liable to higher rates. You can elect to bring forward some or all of the extra profit so that it’s taxed in 2023/24 at the basic rate instead of in 2024/25 to 2028/29 at the higher rate. If your accounting year end doesn’t coincide with the tax year you’ll probably have “overlap profit”. This is profit that’s been taken into account for tax purposes twice as a result of the current basis period rules. Because of this you’re entitled to claim a deduction for the twice-taxed profits. This is known as “overlap relief ”. Under current rules the relief is allowed when your business ceases or you change your accounting basis period. As such a change is being forced on you because of the basis period reform any overlap relief you’re entitled to must be used for 2023/24 or earlier.

For tax saving tips contact us – call Marie Sheldrake, Matt Bryant or Samantha Taylor on 01225 445507

Call Marie Sheldrake, Matt Bryant or Samantha Taylor on 01225 445507 to arrange a no-obligation meeting 52 TheBATHMagazine

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What to do when someone dies

In the third session of our podcast series, Sarah Dodd, Head of Legacies at Dorothy House speaks to David Hill, a partner in the Private Client team at Mogers Drewett about what to do after someone dies. We know that death and finances are not popular subjects and yet in this short podcast we talk about both. We learn that having a conversation is key and that the results of the conversation can provide immense relief in a time of grief. What happens if family member has died, and the family does not have the accessible money to pay for a funeral? Interestingly, a funeral or cremation account is actually the first charge against the deceased person’s estate. If there is money in a bank account belonging to the deceased, then the banks will release the funds necessary to settle a funeral account on receipt of a death certificate and a valid invoice from the funeral director. Are all bank accounts frozen on death? Not always - it will depend on what type of account it is. If it is an account held in the sole name of the deceased, then yes it will be frozen but if it is a joint account, it will continue to operate. Joint accounts are a good idea in a family or partnership situation as it allows day-to-day expenses such utility bills and household expenses to continue to be paid after a death. Is there a central will registry in case you cannot find a will? No, there is not. You should tell your family or your nominated executor where you have stored your will. You do not need to share contents of the will with them if you would prefer not to, but it is essential that they know where to find it. Most solicitors will offer a free safe storage option. It is important to note that if you cannot find the original will after a death then the Courts may assume it was destroyed and ignore its contents. When should you go and see a solicitor? We do recommend seeking advice as soon as you feel ready to after someone has died. Treat that very first call or meeting as a fact finding one. We can provide initial guidance and advice on both practical and technical points. Hopefully we take away some of the concerns and give some relief and peace of mind. Listen to the full podcast between David and Sarah here: https://dhpodcast.podbean.com /e/when-someone-dies-dorothy-house-mogersdrewett/.

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The expansive opportunities of a creative curriculum Rosie Allen, Head of The Paragon School, Bath

n writing this, I have just spent a wonderful evening surrounded by immense talent and enthusiasm at The Paragon’s Spring Arts Showcase, a celebration of Music, Drama and Art across our Prep school. The energy in the room was palpable, not least when the audience participation began… I am so grateful that we are able to host such events once again, welcoming parents and grandparents back into our fold. I left, struck by the vital importance of going beyond simply providing timetabled lessons for Art, Music and Drama in schools. A creative curriculum enables children to make links with the real world in a far more meaningful way than just being told what to sit and write or do. Concentration levels and determination are highest when our pupils are designing a science experiment, wrestling with a construction, honing a performance, re-enacting a battle, creating an exhibition for parents, whittling, weaving or going on ‘safari’ in the acres of woodland surrounding our school.

enabling the children to see the impact of their creativity on all who visit. Pupils are also involved in community-based projects where their work is exhibited on wards at the RUH and Circle Bath hospitals, giving them an understanding of the effect that art can have on wellbeing. The children also take so much joy in the teamwork and negotiation that come via the opportunities to perform together through music, voice and physical expression. Through participation

in events such as the Mid-Somerset Music Festival, Young Voices and occasional busking in Bath, the children involved, including our choirs, orchestra, ensembles, samba band and soloists, have a clear understanding of the cognitive demands placed on them as they engage in fulfilling performance work. By very definition, being on stage is a wonderfully ambitious risk-taking activity which is fraught with the possibility of failure, and the learning that comes with that failure. Nothing gives me more pride than seeing a pupil muddle the first few notes of a piano recital and confidently restart the piece. Or witnessing a brief moment of brilliant improvisation as lines are lost in the middle of a sketch. In all these instances, the creative curriculum encourages the children to push themselves to seek novel, complex and intense learning experiences. At The Paragon, we passionately believe in bringing lessons to life – helping our pupils to truly connect with others through new experiences and challenges with determined curiosity. What better life skill is there?

We are so fortunate at The Paragon to have specialist teachers across all creative disciplines, expert individuals who champion their subject and create so much more than lessons. A magnificent display of artwork (always inspired by nature) created by pupils from all year groups, adorns the walls of the school in a rotating exhibition, 54 TheBATHMagazine

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3–11 Years, Independent Pre-Prep and Prep in Bath www.paragonschool.co.uk | Tel: 01225 310 837 The Paragon also runs a series of Outdoor Learning, Art and Cookery clubs during the holidays, open to children from all schools.

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JOIN OUR DISTRIBUTION TEAM – PART TIME DELIVERY JOBS IN BATH Every Month, usually the last week of the month, we deliver copies of The Bath Magazine directly to select residential areas across the city. The Bath Magazine is one of the best things our readers receive through their letterbox.

Jaime Brain Dip CDT RCS (Eng) GDC 142490

Kevin Milne BDS

Jaime and Kevin can help you regain your confidence and your smile by offering:

NEW TEETH WHITENING Introductory offer for June only at £175.00 per arch • Free Consultation • New Dentures Direct • • Denture Repairs • BOOK YOUR FREE CONSULTATION ON

01225 311 681

27 Walcot Buildings (Weymouth Street), Bath, BA1 6AD

www.jbdentureclinic.co.uk

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We currently have a few areas that have become available and can offer a minimum of 5 hours work for individuals looking for a little work. Depending on the area – the average number of magazines is around 500. Each area takes around 5 – 8 hours to complete. The magazines can be quite bulky, so you will need to be fit and active as well as trustworthy, and very reliable. You will need to have use of a car, and a mobile phone. You will also be based in or very near Bath.

We currently pay £9.50 per hour – which is taxable depending on circumstances – and we do include ‘drive time’ Additionally – we are always interested in hearing from husband and wife, or family teams prepared to cover larger areas or work longer hours. Sorry no children.

CALL STEVE on 012 2 5 4 2 4 4 9 9 o r e m ail:

steve@thebathmagazine . c o . u k

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WORRIED ABOUT A HERNIA? Up to 100,000 hernia surgeries are carried out on adults in the UK every year. Mr Dan Titcomb, a Consultant Upper GI Surgeon at Nuﬃeld Health Bristol Hospital, tells you what you need to know about hernia surgery.

What is a hernia, and how is it caused?

What does surgery involve?

A hernia is a protrusion of abdominal contents through a defect in the muscles of the abdominal wall. These muscles play a vital role in posture, mobility and physical exertion, and helps protect our internal abdominal organs. Hernias may occur suddenly after a period of strenuous exertion, but in many people they may present typically as a painless bulge. Symptoms such as aching and dragging may accompany the bulging, which can feel worse as the day progresses, and is eased by rest and sleep when the bulge usually reduces in size. The most common hernia is an inguinal hernia, which occurs in the groin, and accounts for around 70% of all hernias. Inguinal hernias also occur ten times more frequently in men than women. A hernia can often be pushed back by gentle massaging and pressure, which can improve the symptoms. However, after a fit of coughing or physical exertion, a hernia may protrude further than normal, becoming trapped, which may compromise circulation. This is known as strangulation, and requires emergency repair. For this reason, before they get to this stage, most symptomatic hernias should be considered for elective surgery. Elective surgery dramatically reduces the risk of operative complications, and is highly successful. The recurrence rate for hernias is less than 1% in a year, and less than 5% in a patient’s lifetime.

Most hernia operations are conducted as day case surgery, and the operation itself takes between 30-60 minutes. Most are repaired with a general anaesthetic, although in some cases they are performed under a local. For repairing inguinal hernias, keyhole (laparoscopic) surgery is suitable in most patients, with three small incisions made beneath the umbilicus to allow access to the groin. If not suitable for this approach, a small groin incision is made, but in both operations, the contents of the hernia sack are pushed or pulled back inside the abdomen, and the area of weakened muscle is reinforced with a synthetic mesh, tacked in place with absorbable tacks or sutures.

If you’re worried about a hernia and would like to discuss your options, you can book an appointment with Mr Titcomb, or another of our Consultants at Nuffield Health Bristol Hospital who specialise in hernia surgery – Mr James Hewes, Mr Alan Osborne, Mr Shakeeb Khan, Mr James Hopkins and Mr Reyad Abbadi – by calling 0117 911 5339, or visit our website: www.nuffieldhealth.com/hospitals/bristol.

What to expect after surgery. The patient should feel minimal discomfort after surgery, and they usually leave hospital 4-6 hours after their operation. They will be able to eat and drink shortly after surgery, and at home, painkillers are recommended for 48 hours. Increasing amounts of light physical activity and walking will help, and most people will be able to drive and return to work two weeks later – although this may be longer for high impact jobs with heavy lifting.

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

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FOOD | & | DRINK

FOOD & DRINK NEWS FIRST-RATE FUDGE The San Franciso Fudge Factory is celebrating an impressive 27 years in business. All the fudge is handmade in the shop at 6 Church Street, Abbey Green using fresh, natural ingredients and no artificial ingredients or preservatives. The family-run company also makes a range of handmade confectionery such as its traditional Tablet Fudge and a range of vegan products such as the delicious Vegan Chocolate Fudge. sanfranciscofudge.co.uk

PUB’S BACK IN THE PARK From 17–19 June, Tom Kerridge’s Pub in the Park festival will return to Royal Victoria Park with a line-up of music and chefs, plus a mouth-watering selection of restaurants, bars and pubs to enjoy. Look forward to showstopping performances from Melanie C, Faithless (DJ set), Natalie Imbruglia, The Furious 5 and Scorpio, Supergrass, The Brand New Heavies and more. Get to know the event’s celebrity chef hosts, Tom Kerridge, Simon Rimmer and Andi Oliver who will be popping up to sign books, share tricks on the Chef Demo stage and reveal all in VIP Q&A sessions.

The park’s foodie paradise will serve a host of delicious dishes created by some of the UK’s most talented chefs. Learn from the best and pick up some new culinary tips from the Chef Demo and Firepit stages. Tickets from £43 for adults, £27 for children, children under five free. pubintheparkuk.com

Aptly named Treetops, this contemporary English Pale Ale by Electric Bear was made by a talented craft beer team to celebrate The Queen’s Jubilee – and of course to be enjoyed together and forever. Electric Bear are donating 30p for every can sold to The Queen’s Green Canopy Fund, a nationwide project to plant trees. Every collection of 33.3 cans sold will raise £10, enough to plant one tree. The Electric Bear Brewing Co says, “Drink beer and plant some trees.” Not a bad idea. £4.20 for a 440ml can. electricbearbrewing.com; queensgreencanopy.org

BEER FOR TREES

See The Bath Magazine’s latest film all about the new Treetops brew. Just scan the barcode here:

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NEW RISTORANTE ITALIANO Our columnist Richard Wyatt recently went along to celebrate the opening of restauranteur Umberto Fiorenza’s new Italian Milsom Street restaurant, Floriani Ristorante. Richard says, “This octogenarian has the energy of a 20-year-old and this is a business that will help put some sunshine back into a street that has been a little in the shade just recently. “ Richard says that he and Umberto go back a long way with many an HTV ‘gang night’ spent at Maxwell Plums in Bristol back in the 1980s... The restaurant’s mouthwatering menu includes duck timballo, aubergine cake, pecorino pumpkin ravioli, wild boar ballotine and dark chocolate and chilli lava cake. And the extensive wine list features temptations such as 2020 `Ciaca Bianca’ Fiano, Mandrarossa from Sicily (white); and 2019 Organic Chianti, Poggiotondo from Tuscany (red). Floriani Ristorante, 30 Milsom Street, Bath; tel: 01225 483557

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The Dirty Food Guy When does food get dirty? Emma Clegg talks to Mark Studley – who is coming to the Bath Food Festival in July – and discovers that it needs to run down your chin Mark Studley, aka The Dirty Food Guy, knows a thing or two about burgers. In a previous life he was a troubleshooter, leading sales teams, working with performance-based divisions in companies to make them profitable. “Then in 2017 (at the age of 38) I decided to jack it all in because I got fed up with paying money for rubbish food. I thought I could do it better,” Mark tells me. “I was originally going to do pizzas, but then I suddenly got really angry with burger food, so I opened a burger bar in Bridgewater.” And so the Cow N Bun arrived, with a menu offering burgers such as Simple Chick, Double Dirty and six types of dirty fries. It won numerous awards. So what is Dirty Food? It exemplifies unadulterated enjoyment and rejects the holy grail of clean eating – it’s anti-elimination and prosatisfaction, and trades on being the best ‘worst food’ you will ever eat. It’s certainly full-on and not for the fainthearted. However for anyone who’s sick of the ‘clean’ and manufacutred production lines of fast-food chains – or those for whom Buddha bowls and low-carb muffins do not tick the tummy-rumbling satisfaction boxes – it brings the big, weighty self-indulgent love back into food. Mark’s motto is, “It’s not good food if it’s not running down your chin.” Refer to image above.

STEAKHOUSE

Delicious Prime Dry Aged Snacks

Dirty food trades on being the best ‘worst food’ you will ever eat Mark made half a million beef burgers in three years of running the Cow N Bun, but sold up in 2020. Now he’s a private chef championing dirty food, cooking for people in their houses, and working as a food consultant, reimagining restaurant menus with a dirty food influence. He’s branched out from burgers, offering ‘dirty’ takes on everyday dishes, like spag bol cupcakes or beef wellington tacos. His recent book, Dirty (Meze Publishing, £16), offers 50 savoury recipes including finger grabs, naughty burgers, dirty dogs and loaded fries. The recipes are easy and accessible and most can be made in under 30 minutes. “There’s no need to get overwhelmed by this style of cooking, it’s literally very simple stuff – and if you don’t like making sauces, use a jar sauce,” says Mark. “Does dirty food fit within a healthy diet?” I ask tremulously. The answer to that is not exactly yes, but there are all sorts of options. “My book is a guide and you can go off and do it your own way. I go full fat because I like the taste, but you can substitute ingredients and make it healthier,” says Mark. And even if you follow the full-fat route, what’s wrong with a once-a-week treat? Mark is appearing at the Bath Food Festival in Royal Victoria Park from 29–30 July and will demonstrate one of his dirty food specialities there. You’ll also find one of his dirty recipes on page X in our Delicious Guide. fantasticfoodfestivals.co.uk; Mark Studley @dirtyfoodguy

Voted one of the best five steakhouses in the UK 01225 33 23 23 14 London Road, Bath, BA1 5BU www.hudsonsteakhouse.co.uk

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RESTAURANT | REVIEW

Restaurant Hywel Jones by Lucknam Park Lucknam Park, Colerne, Chippenham, Wiltshire SN14 8AZ; tel: 01225 742777; lucknampark.co.uk

“

There is a sense of otherworldliness at Lucknam Park, and that’s because it’s an uplifting escape. The restaurant’s outstanding fine-dining service and its tasting menus also reach for the stars, but it’s all real, says Emma Clegg

hen you sit here now and everything is back to normal, it’s almost like everything was a dream, after all we went through. But we’ve come out of it – since we opened the hotel last summer we’ve been absolutely non-stop.” Executive chef Hywel Jones utters these words as we sit outside in the grounds of Lucknam Park enjoying pre-dinner drinks in the halcyon, golden warmth of the evening. ‘That’ time does indeed feel a world away, but the practical reality of the now – watching a family play inexpert croquet and horses caper joyfully in the distant fields of the 500-acre estate – is dreamlike, too. That’s what Lucknam Park reliably does (in all its forms); it transports you to another place, away from traffic noise, business disputes and circling anxieties and allows you to uncrowd your mind and reconnect with yourself and the restorative environment around you. The food offering here is no different. Hywel has been at the helm of his eponymous restaurant at Lucknam Park for 18 years, just two years later in 2006 achieving the Michelin Star that has been maintained ever since. Hywel admits that the importance of keeping a Star is ever-present, but that, “The minute you stop worrying, you stop caring.” He is also at pains to emphasise that carrying a Michelin Star is not just about providing exceptional food and drink, but also ensuring absolute consistency – every food offering must have the same quality: “If you come to a hotel like Lucknam, it’s not only about the dinner – it’s also about the shortbread that’s provided in the rooms, the sandwiches, and the cheese straws for pre-dinner drinks.”

It’s not just about providing exceptional food and drink, but also ensuring absolute consistency That’s where having a great team is so crucial, and Hywel’s current team of 18 includes Brasserie head chef Alex Greene, restaurant head chef Benjamin Taylor and pastry chef Darryl Rolle-Jackson. “In common with the rest of the industry there is a massive shortage of staff, but I’m fortunate in having a very strong core,” says Hywel. That core is strengthened by Lucknam Park’s most recent recruit, Hywel’s eldest son Leuan Jones, who has joined the kitchen at the Brasserie. Leuan represented Wales in the Young Chef Olympiad in 2020, competing against young chefs from across 55 countries and won Best Dessert Creation for his Pear Bourdalou with Sauce Anglaise. “When he’s at work he’s not my son, so I’ll let the lads look after him,” laughs Hywel. As the evening became fresher we left our outdoor seats and made our way to the restaurant – a bright, traditionally furnished room with soft seats and high ceilings hung with pelmeted, draped curtains. Faced with two seven-course signature menus, one of them vegetarian, we decided to take a representative view and have one FROM TOP TO BOTTOM: The frontage of the Palladian mansion that is Lucknam Park; rustic white baguettes and spelt and onion rolls with homemade whipped slated butter and whipped wild garlic butter; and Burford Brown Egg with Spring Vegetables, Caper and Brown Butter Dressing OPPOSITE: Wiltshire Lamb with Wye Valley Asparagus, Spring Peas and Wild Garlic 62 TheBATHMagazine

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RESTAURANT | REVIEW tasting menu each and share. (Seven in fact became eight as desperately moreish rustic baguettes and spelt rolls with delicate creamy butters descended.) The first two courses of our respective menus – each one served from a hand-held silver tray – saw us move through Cured Duck Liver with Spiced Plum and Chamomile, and Orkney Scallops with Bramley Apple, Horseradish and Smoked Eel for the Signature. The Vegetarian made its case with Wye Valley Asparagus with New Potato Mousse and Wiltshire Truffle followed by Bromham Cauliflower with Hazelnut Pesto. The artfully designed plates had poise and delicacy, with the clean flavours of leading ingredients such as asparagus and scallops cutting through robustly. The result? A guaranteed close-your-eyes-with-ecstasy experience. The Burford Brown Egg with Spring Vegetables, Caper and Brown Butter Dressing was my star of the vegetarian show. Was it the crispy potato circle balancing on top? Was it the golden yolk that oozed into the vegetables? I couldn’t be sure, but there was a primal connection, which vied with the plate’s elegance. Kidderton Ash Ravioli with Heritage Beetroot and Smoked Pinenut Vinaigrette was the fourth vegetarian course, while the meat signature saw Linecaught Cornish Seabass with Artichoke, Morels, Caremelised Lemon and Truffle Butter and (in my view) this signature’s star, Wiltshire Lamb with Wye Valley Asparagus, Spring Peas and Wild Garlic. The two pieces of lamb were cooked two ways, one roasted, one seared, and the colours of the golden gravy, the pink meat and the green peas made them as uplifting to behold as to consume. With three courses to go, the cheese menu was welcome, a selection of five, with notable inclusions Brie de Meaux (intense, buttery and musky aromas) and La Gabarre, a salty chalky raw goat’s cheese from the Loire Valley. Then came a cleansing dish (for each menu) of Wye Valley Rhubarb, Buttermilk and Sorrel Granita, followed by the final courses, Caramelia Chocolate Bar with Peanut Butter and Popcorn Ice Cream, and Strawberry Cheesecake with Muesli Biscuit Base and Toasted Barley Ice Cream.

Here is the grounded magic of this place in Hywel’s words: “My culinary style has always been about sound, classical cooking and good local ingredients, which is why coming to Lucknam was a giant beginning for me. In London I used to pay £10 a kilo for wild garlic and I arrive at Lucknam and it’s everywhere.” n Restaurant Hywel Jones by Lucknam Park is available for evening dinners from Wednesday through to Saturday, specialising in tasting menus, including seasonal, vegetarian and signature menus. Sevencourse tasting menus are priced at £125.

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b c f bath car pets and floor ing Flooring for your Home: www.carpetsandflooringbath.co.uk Flooring for your Business: www.bathcontractflooring.co.uk

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Walk Jun.qxp_Layout 1 25/05/2022 15:23 Page 1

THE | WALK

Ebbor Gorge

An awe-inspiring scramble, a magestic gorge, some of the finest views in the West Country, a wicker bear and a glimpse of the Glastonbury Tor – who won’t want to follow in Andrew Swift’s footsteps on this walk within the landscape of Ebbor Gorge?

lthough this month’s walk covers only 31⁄2 miles, it includes an awe-inspiring scramble up a narrow gorge and leads past some precipitous drops. It also takes in some of the finest views in the West Country, and would almost certainly feature on any self-respecting list of the ten best walks in Somerset. As if that wasn’t enough, there is an excellent pub part way round, along with a couple of splendid alternatives nearby. The walk starts in the National Trust car park on the lane from Wookey Hole to Priddy (BA5 1AY; ST 521 484). The car park not only commands a magnificent view westward but also has a large picnic area and a series of information boards on the formation, prehistory and ecology of Ebbor Gorge, through which the walk lies. Cross a stone stile in the wall to the right of the main information board at the top of the car park and head down a steep flight of steps. Continue along the path at the bottom, and take a turning on the left, signposted to the gorge. After crossing a footbridge with a grid reference (ST 524 484), bear right alongside a stream, passing a wicker bear, and after 150m, turn left, following a sign for the gorge. The path soon turns steep and screelike, but, after passing an overhanging limestone wall on the left, the going becomes easier. Then, after passing a scree fall on the right, the view opens up to reveal the scale and majesty of the gorge, and the challenge of what lies ahead. One theory as to how it was formed is that around 200,000 years ago a huge cavern collapsed, creating the dramatic spectacle you see today. The path soon narrows and starts to climb in earnest as the sides of the gorge close in. Before long, the path gives way to rocks worn smooth and slippery, over which you have to scramble and clamber, hemmed in by high cliffs. This is a world in which, although daylight is visible far above, a sense of being below ground still lingers. And then you emerge, with a vertiginous view back down the gorge – and some sheer drops. Carry on along a woodland path, and, when you come to a T junction, turn right, following a sign for the viewing point and car park. After 85m, you come to a crosspath (ST 527 487).

Looking out from the viewing point

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Islay comes to the conclusion that the Wicker Bear poses no threat

Before taking the path on the left, turn right and after 125m you will come to the viewing point, with Glastonbury Tor straight ahead, and more sheer drops. From here, head back to the crosspath, carry straight on and, after going through a stile by a five-bar gate, continue uphill. A kissing gate leads into open pastureland (where there may be cows), with Penn Hill transmitter – the tallest structure in South West England – ahead. Carry on alongside the fence, which after 150m kinks left, passing two gates, the second of which has a sign for the West Mendip Way. Carry on alongside the fence, however, and at the end of the field cross a stile and turn right downhill (ST 533 488). The track here is clearly old and surprisingly broad. Old maps show numerous iron pits on the plateau above. There are records of iron, manganese and other minerals being mined here, possibly from Roman times, until the workings were abandoned in 1893, and it seems possible that this track was made to carry the ore down to the valley. As it swings left and the terrain steepens, the effort it must have taken to carve it out of the hillside becomes ever more apparent. It certainly makes walking down what would otherwise be a precipitous hillside a good deal easier. After 300m, carry on as the sunken track continues across a field, before coming up short at a padlocked gate with signs forbidding access (ST 534 484). The OS map shows that the track continues on the other side of the gate as a green lane. It isn’t, however, a public footpath, and, despite having been used by walkers for generations, it was closed last year by the landowner, citing safety concerns over ash dieback. You need, therefore, to carry on alongside the fence through a broken-down wall before crossing a stile on the right and heading straight down a field. Cross another stile at the bottom and continue down a steep and slippery track which leads to a kissing gate and a path between fences. Go through a seven-bar gate at the bottom and head down a lane, passing Wookey Hole paper mill – now one of

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Investigating the stream

Ebbor Gorge

Somerset’s top tourist attractions and the entrance to the cave complex – on your right. When you come to the road, turn right (unless you want to call into the Wookey Hole Inn, in which case turn left for 125m). Carry on along the road for 400m, passing a turning to Titland Lane, before turning right by a bungalow called Elm Batch to follow a sign for the West Mendip Way (ST 528 478). After 75m, when the path forks, bear left along the valley and after another 350m cross a stile into Ebbor Gorge Nature Reserve. Carry on past a turning to Priddy and the turning to the gorge which you took earlier, continue past the wicker bear and cross back over the footbridge. Turn left at the T junction – however, to follow a different route back to the car park, and after climbing for 300m look out for a cairn on the right from which you can look across the gorge to the viewing point you visited earlier (ST 522 483). Looking the other way, as you continue up the last 100m to the car park, the views westward open up one final time. n Many more walks can be found in Andrew Swift’s Country Walks from Bath, published by Akeman Press; akemanpress.com.

THE

KI TC HEN PAR TNER S DESIGN STUDIO

FACT FILE Length of Walk: 31⁄2 miles Approximate time: 21⁄2 – 31⁄2 hours Level of challenge: The walk includes steep flights of steps and six stiles. The short section through the narrowest part of the gorge involves clambering over rocks and needs to be taken with care. There are sheer, unprotected drops at the top of the gorge and the viewing point, where dogs need to be kept on leads. Map: OS Explorer 141 Pubs: Wookey Hole Inn, BA5 1BP (wookeyholeinn.com); Queen Vic, Priddy BA5 3BA (thequeenvicpriddy.co.uk), open all day; Hunters Lodge, Priddy BA5 3AR (12–2 Wednesday to Sunday, 7–11 Tuesday to Saturday).

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

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INTERIORS

Storm into storage

Storage can also be about space-saving. This two-pack daybed by Loaf doubles up as a guest bed by lifting oﬀ the top mattress and pairing it with the one below (loaf.com)

Whether you are super-organised, fatally chaotic, or somewhere in between (that’s probably most of us) we all need a storage system. And when you’ve established one, then it needs maintaining. Here we talk to three of our interior experts to get their perspectives and practical tips on home storage Catriona Archer, Catriona Archer Interiors

Creating more efficient and user-friendly ways of storing our possessions saves us time and money in the long-run, making it quicker to tidy up and avoiding unnecessary purchases when you can’t find something in a hurry. Space is an issue for everyone I work with as an interior designer and stylist. Categorising like-with-like items makes tidying up and finding things a doddle, and gives other members of the household no excuse to not put things away properly. Clear storage boxes are a godsend, and uniformed labelling gives a more aesthetically pleasing look. Obviously the good intention of having everything in its place can lose direction as the months pass, but a few minutes keeping on top of this saves so much time in the long-run. Storage needn’t be expensive or mundane. A row of jam jars or adapted milk cartons can be just as satisfying as something you buy in the shops. After all, it’s your home and where you can express your own personal style. Making it fun also encourages others to keep things tidy… a win-win in my book. Give each person in the household a storage basket or a personalised cloth-bag hung near the stairs – any loose odds and ends belonging to that person can be deposited there. Then make it a regular weekly habit for each person to take responsibility for clearing it out and putting it away. Good storage should be easy to access and nothing should be stuffed at the back of a cupboard. Using transparent open boxes as drawers in low, deep cupboards makes it easier to find those forgotten items at the back. Smaller items are often lost within standard cupboards and drawers, so hanging shoe organisers on the inside of cupboard doors for a multitude of small items is a good approach. When it comes to shelving, standard sized bookcases are a prime example of how space is sometimes under-utilised. I prefer bookcases with adaptable shelving heights, so that they can be customised

We’re advocates of concealed storage over statement pieces and having it closed away naturally helps to declutter specifically for the objects being stored and take full advantage of every part of the vertical space. Most tall bookcases are around 1.8m high, but adding storage right up to the ceiling can often make a room feel larger. Thinking visually, you can paint the back of the shelf in a different colour or wallpaper it to give added interest. Flat-pack units can also be easily customised, for example by adding a wood trim to the top or sides. catrionaarcher.com

Joel Bugg Furniture & Spaces A living room storage system design by Clair Strong

When designing furniture for specific storage solutions, fundamentally there are two types, either concealed storage or feature storage. For us, the overriding factor when designing storage for clients is to ensure we utilise the architectural space and style of a building in the most efficient and sympathetic way. This is to maximise storage and turn the intricacies of rooms in older buildings from unused spaces into housing for functional storage for modern day use. Integrated furniture sleeved into architectural spaces is invaluable in smaller rooms and houses when storage is at a premium and it’s all about thinking cleverly. One such project for a child’s bedroom within a 16th-century farmhouse had us grappling with various pitched ceiling heights and a small floor space, yet a need to house a bed, clothing, books, toys and precious Lego models. To this end we created more floor space by designing a mezzanine play level surrounded by display cases for Lego with a ladder up to the mezzanine containing its own library storage for books on each tread. We’re advocates of concealed storage over statement pieces and having it closed away naturally helps to declutter a room as well as act as a temporary hideaway for mess. There’s certainly a trend for integrating pantry rooms or larder cupboards in kitchen design for hiding away and decluttering kitchen surfaces and there’s always scope to house appliances in freestanding cabinets. Our breakfast

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INTERIORS

STORAGE TIPS

A ladder up to a mezzanine has its own library storage on each tread. Design by Joel Bugg

by Catriona Archer

Maximise every inch of existing storage areas and under the • stairs. Is there any dead space in cupboards or bookshelves that would benefit from an extra shelf being installed? Use large clear plastic boxes as drawers in low-level • cupboards in kitchen and bedrooms so that everything inside can be seen easily. Which items do you want on display, and which should be • placed inside a cupboard, out of view? Keeping like with like items will make things super-eﬃcient, • such as T shirts stored from dark colours to light. Take time to find a container that reflects the size and overall • capacity required for specific items. Divide drawers into separate compartments. Small open • boxes are an easy way of keeping small items in their designated slot.

• Label drawers and shelves to help keep things in their place. cabinet is a prime example – it opens on tri-fold doors and houses a microwave, dishwasher, boiling water tap, sink, bins and cutlery drawers. joelbugg.co.uk

This kitchen storage by Joel Bugg balances traditional built-in cabinets with an open shelving system

Clair Strong, Clair Strong Design Georgian houses have particular storage issues: they were built before internal bathrooms, the kitchen was often in the basement, there are small attic rooms where servants lived, hallways are narrow and most rooms have fireplaces which take up valuable wall space. If you are renovating a house, build storage space into your plans. Shelving in alcoves, built-in wardrobes, dressing rooms and cubbyholes in the bathroom wall will create space. Build cupboards up to the ceiling and consider a bespoke utility area or larder cupboard. If you can afford it, built-in furniture in your living room will give you more storage space – use the alcoves each side of the fireplace for bespoke shelving. Flat fronts and push close doors that don’t need handles create a streamlined look that blends in. A shelving system is a solution if you don’t want built-in storage. String® Shelving is loved by designers and architects across the world for its simplicity and practicality. The clever modular system consists of shelves, side panels, cabinetry and desks which you can configure to create the perfect shelving system for your space. Free-standing cabinets are a flexible option. You can use them in the sitting room as a drinks’ cabinet, in the kitchen for plates and cutlery, in the bedroom for clothes or in the bathroom for toiletries and towels. Tall and thin cabinets take up less floor space than short and wide so consider this when buying a new cabinet. For extra storage in kitchens, larders or pantries are very on trend and come in all shapes and sizes as a walk-in larder or a small pull-out larder in a galley kitchen to maximise storage space. A portable kitchen island offers both space and practicality and islands with wheels are great for moving out the way to create more floor space. You can also use them for storage or as an extra cooking surface. They’re great for smaller kitchens when space is limited because you can move them around easily. A wooden butcher’s block style will work brilliantly in a period property. Bedrooms can be small and there is often a lack of wardrobe space in Georgian houses. Make the most of underbed storage for keeping off-season clothes, duvets, extra pillows and shoes out of sight, but

still within easy reach. Choosing under-bed storage boxes with lids keeps the dust out and keeps everything hidden away. Opt for a high sleeper bed for children – these often incorporate a desk and some have wardrobes or an extra futon bed. Hallways can get cluttered with shoes and coats and can be dark and unwelcoming. Storage benches are perfect storage solutions in narrow hallways. A padded cushion means you can use it for putting your shoes and boots on and the shelves beneath can contain all your other items like hats, gloves and scarves. clairstrong.co.uk n 2020 2010 THEBATHMAG.CO.UK THEBATHMAG.CO.UK THEBATHMAG.CO.UK | january | nOVeMber | june 2022

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GARDENING

Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme

From mint and parsley to lemon balm and coriander, herbs provide colour and texture in your garden as well as your diet, says Elly West. So bring them on, including evergreens, perennials and annuals

have to be honest – buying herbs from the supermarket doesn’t sit well with me. It always seems quite wasteful; a few leaves in a cellophane bag that I might use half of before they go limp in the fridge after a day or two. So much nicer to have a selection of fresh growing herbs, providing fragrance, texture and colour in your garden while also attracting bees and butterflies, ready to pick in the quantity you need, as and when you want to add some flavour to your cooking. Many of us may grow herbs without really thinking too much about it – an old woody rosemary or sage bush, some sprawling lavender or an overgrown bay tree. I’ll never forget surprising a client with the life-changing news that the leaves from the enormous bay tree in his mixed hedge would be exactly the same as he’d recently bought from a shop to add to a casserole. Herbs make great additions to our gardens and kitchens; they are low-maintenance, and many thrive on neglect. They don’t need much space or attention, and even a window box or patio pot can make a great spot for easy pickings. If you’ve got the room, then a designated space to grow herbs is a good idea and can become a beautiful feature in its own right. We have a long history of growing herbs in this country, both for culinary and medicinal purposes. The Chelsea Physic Garden, created in 1673, is one of the world’s oldest botanic gardens, established by the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries to grow and showcase medicinal plants. It’s located on the River Thames to make the most of its warm air currents, and to allow plants to be easily imported. It now contains around 5,000 different edible and medicinal plants. Herb garden designs dating back to medieval and Renaissance Europe, and the old monastery gardens, continue to influence modern 70 TheBATHMagazine

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gardeners, where the herbs are divided into beds arranged symmetrically around a central point such as a sundial, or topiary bay tree, as a permanent feature. A cartwheel shape with brick edging or low clipped box is attractive and keeps things organised. Traditional English cottage gardens of the 18th and 19th centuries, on the other hand, often mixed vegetables, herbs, fruits and flowers all together. This can work well too, with herbs being good additions to gravel gardens, or grown alongside traditional favourites such as roses and hardy geraniums. When planning a herb garden, aim to include a mix of evergreens, perennials and annuals. The hardy Mediterranean evergreen shrubs such as bay, rosemary, lavender and sage will create permanent backbone and structure in your garden. Low-growing thyme and oregano will also be there all year round. Originally from stony, sunbaked hillsides, they don’t mind scorching heat, drought, freezing cold winds or heavy downpours. However, they do need good drainage as it’s the combination of cold and wet soggy soil that will kill these herbs off. When you’re deciding where to position your herbs, the traditional approach is to position them near to the kitchen, however, do prioritise the best position for your plants over the distance you need to walk to get to them. Unless your garden is enormous, it’s unlikely to make a huge difference to your day, and picking a few herbs makes a good excuse to take a walk down the garden. Easy access makes sense though, so perhaps site them near a path or patio – this also means you enjoy the scent when you brush past. Most herbs like to be in as much sun as possible, particularly the Mediterranean varieties. Mint is an exception and will grow just about anywhere, including on heavy soil and in shade. Despite it being

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GARDENING

Herbs make great additions to our gardens and kitchens; they are low maintenance and many thrive on neglect an invasive thug, I still like growing it to add to peas, chopped up with a blob of butter, and for making mint tea. Keep it contained though, ideally in a large pot, so it doesn’t rampage through your flower beds. Likewise lemon balm, which I remember my mother adding to jugs of squash as a childhood treat when we had friends round (simple pleasures!). Other herbs that are happy in shade include chives, parsley, coriander and dill. Annual herbs that are easy to grow from seed include tarragon, basil, parsley and coriander. Sow a few seeds every four weeks for a supply right through summer, or buy them as small plants at the garden centre, ready to plant out. These need more moisture and nutrients than their shrubby counterparts, so add compost to the soil in these areas, and feed and water them as necessary through the summer. Alternatively, you could set aside designated raised beds for your herbs, especially if you’re gardening on heavy clay, as you can improve the drainage as necessary. Use topsoil mixed with grit and stones, and your plants should be happy. Some herbs can be grown for colour and texture, such as striking bronze fennel, a favourite in Chelsea show gardens, or purple sage, which look as good as they taste. n

PLANT OF THE MONTH: LAVENDER Lavender is an English country garden staple. The silvery evergreen leaves provide structure all year round and it can be grown as a hedge, in a pot, in a herb garden, or as part of a mixed border. The flowers, generally in shades of purple but also found in pink and white, are loved by bees. ‘Hidcote’ is the classic English lavender with a neat and tidy habit, while ‘Grosso’ is much larger and more sprawling. There are also French varieties (pictured) with ‘ears’ on top of the flowers, although these are more temperamental and may need frost protection. Lavenders will do best on free-draining soil in full sun. Lavender has started flowering in June and the first blossoms will soon be ready to harvest soon. Always cut them back hard after flowering.

• ellyswellies.co.uk

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CENTRAL

Cobb Farr PIF.qxp_PIF Full Page 25/05/2022 15:54 Page 1

PROPERTY | HOMEPAGE

et in a wonderful peaceful situation with stunning westerly views a 4 bedroom detached property incorporating a large home office/annexe and gardens of approximately 1/3 of an acre. Built in 1860 this former public house closed for business approximately 25 years ago and has been refurbished and converted to provide a wonderful period property with good sized accommodation throughout. The house provides 3 large double bedrooms with a big bathroom, 2 main reception rooms and a very good-sized dining room, kitchen/breakfast room and conservatory. In addition, the former skittle alley has been converted into a large home office with 4th bedroom and shower room, and kitchen, all cleverly designed and in a style utilising many of the original features and reclaimed materials. The property has a warm and attractive style presentation. This is a quite stunning property, with a beautiful terraced garden with wonderful views across the Cam Valley. The property is set in an idyllic elevated position with fine views over the Cam valley, in a very peaceful village setting. Carlingcott is located approximately 5.5 miles from the city centre of Bath on the southerly side and Peasedown St John nearby with shops and amenities. A viewing is strongly recommended by the sole agent Cobb Farr.

Carlingcott, Bath • 4 bedrooms, 2 reception rooms • Dining room • Large kitchen/breakfast room • Home office and annexe • Stunning views • Peaceful location • Large gardens • Potential to extend into the loft

OIEO £1,100,000 Cobb Farr, 35 Brock Street, The Circus, Bath. Tel: 01225 333332

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Northampton Street, Bath £1,200,000

A handsome, comprehensively refurbished Grade II listed town house, offering flexible accommodation with a wealth of period detail and quality contemporary finishes, located in a quiet and sought after residential area, adjacent to St James Square and within 10 mins walk of Bath city centre. •

4/5 bedrooms, 3 bath and shower rooms

•

Original Bath stone cantilevered staircase

• •

2/3 reception rooms

Contemporary well-appointed kitchen

01225 333332 | 01225 866111

Cobb Farr June.qxp_Layout 1 27/05/2022 13:00 Page 2

Camden Place, Bath £925,000

A stylish, sympathetically extended 3/4 bedroom Grade II listed 3 storey Georgian townhouse with sunny front and rear gardens, off street parking and beautiful views, located in a fashionable residential area with 15 minutes walk of Bath city centre.

• •

• • •

3/4 bedrooms, 2/3 reception rooms

Sympathetic kitchen extension with open plan dining area

2 bathrooms, guest WC

Pretty gardens and off street parking Beautiful views

01225 333332 | 01225 866111

Peter Greatorex fp June.qxp_Layout 1 27/05/2022 11:52 Page 1

The benefits and value of using an independent estate agent Having worked locally for many years, we are known and recommended on a regular basis; people have confidence not only in what we do but also how we achieve it. We’re able to ensure that word spreads quickly about your property and know that people will take notice.

More creative freedom How we market your home doesn’t come with any restrictions – policies and processes are not imposed by a ‘head office’. We have the creative freedom to design tailored solutions. From professional stunning photographs, enticing videos, fascinating drone footage to a bespoke story of your home through our lifestyle property details, everything we do is designed to bring your home and everything it offers to life for potential buyers. Going through this process will see you reminisce about the years you’ve lived, loved and grown in your home – we find many sellers fall in love with their house all over again.

ath and its surrounding areas are blessed with a wealth of unique and beautiful homes, and making the decision to sell is never an easy one. Selling your home is challenging and time consuming; you want to ensure that you make the right choices and that includes whose hands to place your home in. All sellers wish for a smooth hasslefree experience and, as such, seek an agent that has experience and knowledge of the local high-end market. As an independent estate agent we can offer you unique advantages which can add to the value of your property and provide you with a smooth transaction. Let’s take a look at the benefits and value of using an independent estate agent, such as Peter Greatorex Unique Homes.

It’s all about you Estate agents come in all shapes and sizes: some corporate brands have expansive teams, whereas with an independent estate agent you deal directly with the business owner, and in our case, a team who have over 50 years combined experience. Having worked in a variety of estate agents throughout my career I know one thing that is essential, and that is the client and their needs. As a seller, you want a single point of contact, someone who knows about your property, your sale and your motivation. For us it’s about building a relationship to understand you better, because when we do, we are able to serve you better. We give you our time, our focus, our energy; you are not a number. We believe that to sell your home successfully, what we offer has to be all about you!

Your needs first At Peter Greatorex Unique Homes we don't rush your home to market, but by focusing on getting all the details right we can command a strong asking price for your home. This is a price we know we can achieve, because we ALWAYS: • stay ahead of the game to ensure we offer our clients the most comprehensive marketing strategies • negotiate with the same passion as if it was our own home • work incredibly hard to ensure that your journey and sales process are managed properly. When selling your home through an independent estate agent you will always feel valued and supported, which is why, if you have a unique and beautiful home, let’s have a conversation with us to discuss the benefits of our service in more detail. At Peter Greatorex Unique Homes, we’ve listed some beautiful homes that we’re actively promoting offline. To find out more, call us 01225 904999

Scan here and see what the market is like for your home

Bath is our home We are a team who live, work and breathe around Bath, who understand its intricacies and splendours. To truly understand the local property market and how to present it to potential buyers effectively, you need to not just know but deeply understand the area. Our knowledge exceeds knowing the local catchment areas and train routes: we know the streets, the buildings, the lifestyle – being rooted in the community allows us to sell the area as well as your home, effectively.

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Winkworth fp June.qxp_Layout 1 27/05/2022 13:47 Page 1

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

BATHFORD - GUIDE £1,695,000

Hamptons dps.qxp_Layout 1 26/05/2022 12:24 Page 1

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Edward Street

O.I.E.O

£600,000

Grade ll listed · Georgian · Three spacious bedrooms · Converted vaults · Private front door · Private courtyard · Close to town centre · EPC D · Council Tax Band D · Approx. 1494 Sq. Ft.

LD SO TC S

Great Stanhope St

Wells Road

O.I.E.O

£350,000

First floor apartment · Beautifully presented · Generously sized rooms · Stunning views over Bath · Communal garden · Private double garage · Short walk to Bear Flat amenities · EPC C · Council Tax Band B · Approx. 680 Sq. Ft.

LD SO TC S

O.I.E.O

£460,000

Listed · Georgian · Private front door · Maisonette · Three bedrooms · Unique property · Storage vaults · Short level walk to city centre · Close to transport links · EPC D · Council Tax Band C · Approx. 835 Sq. Ft.

Camden Crescent

Rivers Street

O.I.E.O

£300,000

Georgian · Grade ll listed · Second floor · Spacious double bedroom · Close to local amenities · No chain · EPC E · Council Tax Band B · Approx. 435 Sq. Ft.

LD SO TC S

O.I.E.O

£330,000

Georgian townhouse apartment · Far-reaching views over the City · Two bedrooms · Easy access to City Centre · Master bedroom with freestanding bath · EPC D · Council Tax Band C · Approx. 866 Sq. Ft.

Raby Place

O.I.E.O

£450,000

Grade II · Georgian · Private Entrance · Spacious double bedroom · Modern kitchen leading to private garden · Storage vaults · Access to resident’s garden · No chain · EPC C · Council Tax Band C · Approx. 707 Sq. Ft.

Park Street

O.I.E.O

£360,000

Grade ll listed · Georgian townhouse · Second floor apartment · Spacious bedroom · Close to local amenities · Short walk to town centre · No chain · EPC D · Council Tax Band B · Approx. 572.9 Sq. Ft.

SALES

01225 471 14 4

Camden Crescent

O.I.E.O

£400,000

Georgian · Grade ll · Spacious rooms · Converted vault room · Private rear courtyard · Private entrance · Close to local amenities · No onward chain · EPC D · Council Tax Band D · Approx. 1141 Sq. Ft.

St Peters Court

O.I.E.O

£245,000

Victorian conversion · Ground floor apartment · Private patio · Allocated gated parking · One double bedroom · Spacious living area · Short walk into the city centre · EPC C · Council Tax Band B · Approx. 592 Sq. Ft.

LETTINGS

01225 303 870

sales@theapartmentcompany.co.uk

Park Street

£1,300 pcm

Beautifully presented · Brand new bathroom · Highly recommended · Period features · Council Tax Band B · EPC Rating D · Available now

T D LE EE R G A

Kingsmead Square

Lower Oldfield Park

£1,350 pcm

First floor apartment · Two double bedrooms Newly fitted shower room · Council tax Band B EPC Rating D · Neutral décor · Suitable professionals · Available 7th July 2022

T D LE EE R G A

£2,250 pcm

Mulberry Way

Brock Street

£1,490 pcm

Georgian featues · Redecorated throughout Sharers considered · Popular prestigious location · Council tax Band C · EPC Rating E · Available now

T D LE EE R G A

£1,100 pcm

Marlborough Buildings

£1,600 pcm

Beautifully decorated · Unfurnished · Popular prestigious location · Spacious Apartment · Three bedrooms · Unfurnished · Council Tax Band C · EPC Rating E

Purpose built with allocated parking · One bedroom · Spacious living room · Lovely fitted kitchen · EPC Rating B · Council Tax Band A · Upvc Double Glazing

First floor apartment · Two double bedrooms · Immaculate décor · Council Tax Band E · EPC Rating D · Gas central heating

Waterfront House

Bladud Buildings

Beckford Road

£1,600 pcm

Furnished · Two double bedrooms · Riverside views · Close to City Centre · Council Tax Band D · One allocated parking space · Available 21st July 2022 · EPC Rating E

£1,275 pcm

Two double bedrooms · Furnished · Luxury bathroom · Available 8th July 2022 · Council Tax Band A · EPC Rating C · Stunning views

£1,950 pcm

Two double bedrooms · Penthouse apartment Roof terrace · Contemporary shower room · Private parking for one · Council Tax band C · EPC Rating C · Available 6th June 2022

www.theapartmentcompany.co.uk

Peter Greatorex dps.qxp_Layout 1 26/05/2022 09:21 Page 1

Bleadon, Somerset - OIEO £1,800,000 A modern single storey detached dwelling with approx. 12 acres situated in an elevated position on the edge of the village with outstanding views. 4 bedrooms, a generous reception hallway, a sitting room, dining room, kitchen/breakfast room, pantry, utility, cloakroom/WC, study and a further self-contained wing with bedroom, reception room, kitchen and bathroom. EPC Rating C.

Peter Greatorex Unique Homes 01225 904999

www.petergreatorex.co.uk Peter Greatorex Managing Director

Sharon Clesham Head of Sales

Peter Greatorex dps.qxp_Layout 1 26/05/2022 09:26 Page 2

Mark, Somerset - OIEO £1,600,000 A fine detached Victorian former vicarage, set in gardens of just under acre in the thriving Somerset village of Mark. This well-presented home has been lovingly refurbished by the present owners to an exceptionally high standard and has 5 double bedrooms in the main house and a separate adjoining cottage. EPC Rating D.

Peter Greatorex Unique Homes 01225 904999

www.petergreatorex.co.uk Peter Greatorex Managing Director

Sharon Clesham Head of Sales

Mallory fp.qxp_Layout 1 27/05/2022 09:22 Page 1