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THE
THEBRISTOLMAG.CO.UK
£3.95 where sold
Issue 178
I
aprIl 2019
MAGAZINE Give, wear, love The city’s new sustainable fashion brand, and the trend tie-dye for
Plant-based brilliance Where to get a fabulous fix in the vegan capital of the world
Taking the waters The fascinating history to the local hydros and lidos of yore
Touring Teutonia Why Germany should be on the travel radar this year
AMAZING GRACE A look ahead to SS19 in Bristol – plus pop-culture icon Grace Jones’s most memorable moments
T H E C I T Y ’ S B I G G E S T M O N T H LY G U I D E T O L I V I N G I N B R I S T O L
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Richard Harding April.qxp_Layout 6 20/03/2019 13:28 Page 1
Richard Harding Chartered Surveyors • Estate Agents • Auctioneers • Valuers
Redland BS6 Guide Price £725,000
Redland BS6
An elegant 4/5 bedroom mid-terraced Victorian townhouse (inclusive of 1 bedroom self-contained flat) with 35ft rear garden, just a moments stroll of Whiteladies Road.
Guide Price £775,000
Guide Price Range £775,000 - £825,000
Sneyd Park BS9 Guide Price £850,000
Westbury-onTrym BS9 Guide Price £565,000
Clifton BS8
An exceptionally large (circa 2,200 sq.ft.), 3/4 double bedroom split level hall floor maisonette with off street parking & south-west facing 70ft rear garden. EPC: D
An attractive & well-presented 4 bedroom (1 en-suite), 3 storey town house (circa 1,400 sq.ft.) with secure allocated off street parking & enclosed south-west facing rear garden. EPC: C
A 4 bedroom (2 with en suite), modern detached family house with off street parking for 2 cars, a double garage & gardens on all sides. EPC: B
A 3 bedroom, 2 reception room extended semi-detached family house in a peaceful location offering bright practical accommodation with enclosed rear garden, off street parking & single garage. EPC: D
Professional, Reliable, Successful
Westbury Park BS6 Guide Price £995,000
A most attractive, 5 double bedroom, 3 bath/shower room, Edwardian period end of terraced family house, of circa 2,500 sq. ft., with an extended semi open-plan kitchen/dining room, level rear garden and driveway parking. EPC: D
0117 946 6690 www.richardharding.co.uk 124 Whiteladies Road, Clifton, Bristol BS8 2RP
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Richard Harding Chartered Surveyors • Estate Agents • Auctioneers • Valuers
Redland BS6 Guide Price £1,695,000 An exquisite 6 bedroom (3 with en-suite), 3 reception room Victorian detached family residence situated in a leafy and prime Redland location within just 600m of Redland Green School. Offering generous balanced accommodation (4,153 sq. ft.), having level 58ft x 56ft southerly facing rear garden, off road parking PLUS a pretty former coach house. Close to Cotham Gardens Park, Redland train station and within 0.5 miles of Cotham Gardens Primary School and Bristol Grammar School. The property enjoys the convenience of being within a gentle stroll of the independent restaurants and cafes of Chandos Road whilst also close to Whiteladies Road and all other central areas. An exquisite and rare detached family home without compromise. EPC: E
Professional, Reliable, Successful
0117 946 6690 www.richardharding.co.uk 124 Whiteladies Road, Clifton, Bristol BS8 2RP
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Richard Harding Chartered Surveyors • Estate Agents • Auctioneers • Valuers
Redland BS6 Guide Price £595,000
Henleaze BS9 Guide Price £850,000
Brentry BS10 Guide Price Range £395,000-£415,000
Clifton BS8 Guide Price £475,000
A beautifully presented 3 double bedroom (plus study), 2 reception room, 1920’s semi-detached family house enjoying a large (85ft x 38ft) level west facing rear garden, driveway parking and double storage garage. Located in a desirable and convenient position within just 100 metres of the shops, cafes and amenities of Henleaze Road. EPC: C
Westbury Park BS6 Guide Price £585,000
A versatile & recently extended, 3 double bedroom, 2 bath/shower room, hall & lower ground floor garden maisonette. EPC: D
A 3 double bedroom Victorian family home with south facing garden, situated in an enviable cul-de-sac within just 200m of Westbury Park School and Durdham Downs. EPC: E
Originally a tin miners cottage built in the 1850’s with 2/3 bedroom accommodation, lawned garden, off street parking and garage. EPC: C
Set within a prestigious grade II* listed Georgian style row; a beautiful 2 double bedroom, 2 bath/shower room courtyard garden apartment of circa 1300 sq.ft.
Professional, Reliable, Successful
Clifton BS8 Guide Price £759,950
An attractive and bay fronted, 4 double bedroom, 2 bath/shower room, Victorian period family townhouse (circa 1,850 sq. ft.) having a spacious semi open-plan kitchen/dining/living room and sunny rear garden, in an immensely popular location. EPC: D
0117 946 6690 www.richardharding.co.uk 124 Whiteladies Road, Clifton, Bristol BS8 2RP
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Richard Harding Chartered Surveyors • Estate Agents • Auctioneers • Valuers
Sneyd Park BS9 Guide Price Range £1,750,000 - £1,850,000 An exquisite grade II listed period family home in a breath-taking location, fronting Durdham Downs. Dating back to 1860, this enviable and historic family home offers a versatile and extensive accommodation including 5 double bedrooms (3 en suites) and 2 reception rooms PLUS a large lower ground floor with its own independent entrance offering a further 3 double rooms, or reception rooms, to suit one’s requirements. The property enjoys a wide sweeping driveway with off street parking for at least 4 cars, and to the rear of the property there is a level 55ft x 35ft rear garden leading to a period COACH HOUSE (circa 900 sq. ft) with independent access off Rockleaze Road, giving it great flexibility and exciting potential.
Professional, Reliable, Successful
0117 946 6690 www.richardharding.co.uk 124 Whiteladies Road, Clifton, Bristol BS8 2RP
Contents (3).qxp_Layout 1 22/03/2019 13:58 Page 1
28
The Bridge by David Royle
Colourful vegan creations abound at Bristol’s Beets ‘n’ Roots
46
Contents
Image @jackabbottphotography
April 2019
REGULARS ZEITGEIST
WEDDINGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
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18
Top activities for the month to come
CITYIST
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20
Meet SS Great Britain engineer Nicola Grahamslaw
Observing the royalty of the road in fellow cycling city Amsterdam
Bite-sized business and community news from across the city
THE CULTURE
HOT TOPIC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
HEALTH & BEAUTY Crystal Rose gets some big-day big hair at Noco on Whiteladies Road
32
Following her Downs Bristol headline announcement: arts scene icon Grace Jones’s most memorable moments recalled ........................................................................
34
Tobacco Factory Theatres’ new adaption from director Anna Girvan
FILM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Bristol’s annual sound and vision celebration has returned .....................................................................
38
A cross-section of the city’s varied events scene
ART
NEWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
HAIR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
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WHAT’S ON
FOOD & DRINK
In Bristol, there’s a vegan hotspot for every appetite and occasion
BRISTOL UPDATES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
THEATRE
As preferences and practical options for wedding ceremonies become more diverse, one local events outfit offer their view
The latest from local foodies, restaurants and producers
BARTLEBY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
MUSIC
58
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NEWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 Snippets from the sector
SHOPPING
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80
Easter-themed beauty alternatives
DIY WELLBEING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 Prevention is better than cure: so what can we do, day to day, to help alleviate pressure on the NHS?
HABITAT GREAT OUTDOORS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
46
What’s on at the galleries, plus JP Jones’s pop-up at Clifton Observatory
FEATURES
Let the centuries fall away at lovely Lacock Abbey
WILD BRISTOL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 Bluebell woods to make you go “Wow!”
FASHION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
GARDENING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
The SS19 trend tie-dye for, and the city’s new sustainable fashion brand
Elly West is thinking beauty, practicality, time-honoured and trendy
BOOKS
PROPERTY
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44
Titles to help us understand how to preserve the environment
TRAVEL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Touring Teutonia: why Germany is the place to visit this spring
HISTORY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Jess Connett charts the ebbs and flows of Bristol’s Victorian health spas
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News and developments
ON THE COVER
The one and only Grace Jones – see p32 for more on the cultural icon and powerhouse playing The Downs (image by Andrea Klarin)
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THIS MONTH WE’VE BEEN...
Turn to p28 for more on Give Wear Love, Bristol’s new sustainable fashion brand (image by @jackabbottphotography)
See movie-star musician Kiefer
Excited... ...For Rivertown, back in June with its celebration of blues, country and Americana – and this year featuring the likes of k.d.lang, The Mavericks and Kiefer Sutherland in the line-up.
from the
Vegging out...
EDITOR
A
pril is always an issue we look forward to; the alfresco fun finally feels within reaching distance and we can legitimately start gearing up for and planning around Bristol’s massively varied spring/summer offering. Team Love and Crosstown Concerts – the crack crew behind The Downs Bristol – have pulled it out of the bag again for this year’s festival, having just announced a lineup that we must admit we couldn’t have predicted but love the sound of, especially with its international female headliners, and local success story Idles getting a top slot after doing the city proud this past year. Turn to p32 for some of the most memorable moments of the powerhouse that is bill-topper Grace Jones, handily compiled. We can’t wait to see what she has in store for her Bristol show... All that’s still a way off though, we know, but there’s plenty on between now and then – this month Tobacco Factory Theatres presents Timberlake Wertenbaker’s Our Country’s Good (as pertinent now as ever through its exploration of theatre as a rehabilitation tool). Meanwhile Bristol’s celebration of sound and vision, Filmic, continues with a vibrant mix of screenings, concerts and events. Bit of Kraftwerk at The Cube, as interpreted by DJ Food, maybe? How about Radiohead’s Amnesiac classically reimagined by Echo Collective? The new season is bound to be brimming with beaut food and drink too – including all kinds of plant-based brilliance. Melissa Blease has been vegging out in the name of feature research since Bristol was crowned vegan capital of the world – due to its concentration of related searches on Google, apparently surpassing every other city. If you still need encouragement to eat your greens, get a taste of the varied options across a few quality hotspots on p58. Or if you’re looking to update the wardrobe for spring, consider the new sustainable fashion brand Give Wear Love which is doing great things in the industry, as well as the SS19 trend tie-dye for (p26 onwards). Those making a beeline for Bristol Lido on their first free spring morning might want to read up on its fascinating past, and that of the city’s former hydros on p54, courtesy of Jess Connett who’s been splashing out in the history department. Treating yourself to a trip? Simon Horsford has been touring Teutonia on our behalf to explain why Germany should be on the travel radar this year (p52). We’ve also the lowdown on a new local wedding-planning outfit – if you want to go your own way it’s worth consulting with the Duchess ladies – plus big hair for the big day from Noco; Easter beauty buys; DIY wellbeing; and Bristol’s bluebell woods (the best time to view them is on an overcast day after an April shower, says Pete Dommett on p88). If we can’t manage a fantastic April with all that to choose from, more fool us...
AMANDA NICHOLLS EDITOR Editor’s image by Paolo Ferla; ferlapaolo.com
@thebristolmag
16 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE
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APRIL 2019
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@thebristolmag
Koocha Mezze Bar is a must-visit
...At Bristol’s vegan hotspots. And happy to hear of new zero-waste and veggie café/takeaway The Vegetable Diva just opened on the Harbourside – turn to p58 for other plant-based brilliance in Bristol. Looking for a decent vegan Easter egg? Try Chococo’s Madagascan ‘milc’ creation...
Pleased...
...That Bristol’s two hospital trusts have pledged support for Bristol Works, which links schools with bespoke work experiences to get young people ready for employment. University Hospitals Bristol and North Bristol Trust are accepting students to inspire them to work in healthcare. Bristol Works (visit: bristol.works) wants 100 employers signed up by 2022 so if you have something to offer, get in touch!
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5 things, Bristol, April 19 (1).qxp_Layout 1 22/03/2019 14:02 Page 1
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top things to do in APRIL
ROYALLY ENJOY
APPRECIATE ACE ART Explore scores of artworks including paintings, drawings, prints and sculptures at the RWA’s Friends’ Biennial Exhibition from 14 April – 12 May. The works, by members of the art gallery, have been chosen by academicians RWA vice president Stephen Jacobson and Malcolm Ashman RWA RBA ROI, and That Art Gallery founder Andy Phipps. Pieces on display will be available to purchase. The exhibition is free to explore in the Cube and Link galleries.
Queen Elizabeth I in WNO’s Roberto Devereux
The Welsh National Opera returns to Bristol Hippodrome from 10 – 13 April with three spectacular productions exploring the theme of monarchy. Watch as love, power and politics collide in Un Ballo in Maschera, based on the real-life assassination of King Gustav III of Sweden who was shot at a masked ball in 1792. All ages can be transported to a dream world in The Magic Flute, accompanied by Mozart’s sublime music, which follows the mysterious Queen of the Night as she coaxes Tamino to rescue her beautiful daughter Pamina from the grip of the evil enchanter Sarastro. Finally, experience some of Donizetti’s most spine-tingling melodies in the dramatic Roberto Devereux, where the ageing Queen Elizabeth I is left heartbroken after Devereux refuses to renounce his lover and she is forced to send him to his death. Tickets from £15. • atgtickets.com/bristol
WATCH & LISTEN
• rwa.org.uk
Grammy award-winning Dobet Gnahoré has a voice that flutters and soars and a stage presence that radiates style and energy, justifying her reputation as one of Africa’s most dynamic performers. Described as ‘WOMAD’s best act’ by the Guardian, she’ll be performing her new, acclaimed album MIZIKI, which is a subtle blend of African sounds and electronic music, at St George’s Bristol on 12 April, 8pm. Tickets £5 – £20.
CONTEMPLATE
• stgeorgesbristol.co.uk
The second production of the Factory Company season at Tobacco Factory Theatres kicks off this month with an evocative rendition of Timberlake Wertenbaker’s Olivier Award-winning Our Country’s Good, based on the true story of the set-up of the first convict colony in 1780s Australia. Addressing ideas around crime and morality, the play follows the inmates’ attempts at staging a play, while the officers in charge debate the purpose of prison and the use of theatre to rehabilitate prisoners. Director Anna Girvan reveals more about the TFTs’ production from page 34. On from 17 April – 11 May. Tickets from £12.
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The extraordinary Transitions Dance Company returns to Bristol with a brand new triple bill of short, innovative dance works by specially commissioned choreographers Karole Armitage, Marina Collard and Hetain Patel. Expect a diverse programme of contemporary dance performed by 15 international dancers at the start of their careers on 5 April, 7.30pm, at Circomedia, St Paul’s Church, Portland Square. Tickets £10 – £12. There will also be an accompanying dance workshop led by four company members on 4 April, 5pm – 6.30pm at Circomedia Kingswood. • circomedia.com
• tobaccofactorytheatres.com
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Lisa Whiting RWA/Joe Roberts/Thomas Skiffington/Rachel Cherry
ZEITGEIST
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HISTORY, TRADITION & QUALITY since 1881
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1881
9 Calton Court, Westbury on Trym, Bristol, BS9 3DF www.kempsjewellers.com • 0117 950 5090
THEBRISTOLMAG.CO.UK
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APRIL 2019
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THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE 19
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THE CITY THE BUZZ Lauryn Hill
My
BRISTOL Meet award-winning engineer Nicola Grahamslaw
Here comes summer... The Downs Bristol returns on 31 August with a superb first-wave line-up that will see Ms. Lauryn Hill, Grace Jones and Bristol’s own Britnominated band Idles headlining. American singer, songwriter, rapper and founding member of hip-hop pioneers The Fugees, Lauryn Hill will headline the Downs Stage on Saturday night and is the festival’s first female and international headliner. Her only solo album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, earned her five Grammy Awards and remains one of the most critically acclaimed hip-hop albums of all time. Jamaican-American singer, songwriter, producer, model and actress Grace Jones, whose career spans four impressive decades, will also take to the stage. An unquestionably iconic figure in the arts scene, Jones has inspired the likes of Lady Gaga, Nile Rogers, Annie Lennox and countless others. See p32 for some of the most memorable Grace Jones moments of times gone by, handily compiled... Idles will play their largest gig ever in Bristol, following an eventful 12 months. The local fivepiece’s popularity has soared recently, following the release of their 2017 album Brutalism, and Joy as an Act of Resistance. Swedish singer, songwriter and rapper Neneh Cherry will also feature with her blend of pop, dance, hip hop and R&B. “This is a line-up that really reflects Bristol,” says Conal Dodds, cofounder of co-promoters Crosstown Concerts. “One of the city’s most up and coming bands in IDLES, a style and musical icon in Grace Jones and one of the most renowned hip-hop stars of the last 20 years in Lauryn Hill.” The Avon Stage will house a dance and hiphop line-up, headlined by up-and-coming artist Loyle Carner. Also on the bill will be English electro outfit Crazy P, DJ and electronic music composer Nightmares on Wax plus a special performance from drum and bass outfit High Contrast, with a live band. Tickets £55 plus booking fee. • thedownsbristol.com
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I’ve lived in Bristol for 10 years now but I ended up here by accident. As a student I applied for a summer internship with an engineering company in Burton-on-Trent. It turned out their head office was in Bristol; they sent me here for a summer and I never looked back. I recently returned from a career break spent in New Zealand and it felt totally natural that Bristol was where I was returning to – it feels like home now. People working in STEM are researching and designing products to be used by everyone, so it’s important that all parts of society are represented in those fields. Caroline Criado Perez recently published Invisible Women, a book highlighting issues with a world designed predominantly by men – the best-publicised example is a woman being more likely to be injured in a car accident because the safety features are designed based on the average male body. There’s also plenty of research showing that organisations with a more diverse workforce are more profitable, which makes sense – a male-dominated business is missing out on 50% of the talent pool. The industry is working on promoting role models for young women but it’s important to address the reasons why women aren’t drawn to STEM subjects in the first place. This has nothing to do with biology or differences in the brain – it’s because society imposes gender stereotypes on children right from birth. Why shouldn’t boys play with dolls or girls wear clothes with spaceships on? I’d encourage anyone who wants to make a difference in this area to support the ‘Let Toys Be Toys’ campaign. My own volunteering includes speaking in local schools, mentoring young engineers, and running the Bristol and Bath branch of the Women’s Engineering Society which provides a support network for women STEM professionals in the local area.
One of the things I love most about engineering is seeing technology developed for one industry being used in another. It makes the job really interesting because you never know where you’re going to find inspiration. The same technology that makes Formula One cars faster is now being adapted to stop cold air leaking out of supermarket fridges, and there are lots of examples of this on the ship, too. The software used to control the dehumidifiers in the dry dock uses the same mathematical technique that keeps aircraft flying in a straight line. I’m reading Hello World: How to be Human in the age of the Machine by Hannah Fry. More and more decisions are being made by artificial intelligence; it’s a fascinating area of technology which has the potential to impact everyone’s lives. The last great meal out I had in the city was at Tare in Wapping Wharf. I also love to buy bread from Assembly Bakery and the cake at Mokoko! The Banff Mountain Film Festival is in the diary (24 – 27 April). I love being in the mountains so on a weeknight in the city, this is the next best thing. I like to get out into the great outdoors to hike and climb hills – tackling a section of the South West Coast Path is one of my favourite local weekend activities. In the city, I go to the gym and also enjoy a bit of indoor climbing (bouldering). I’m a bit of a fair-weather runner, so I’ll probably be dusting off my running shoes and bringing them out of winter hibernation at some point this month! n
Image by James Boyd
I’m the engineer who looks after the SS Great Britain. I’m conserving the ship for the future – we care for Brunel’s original iron by keeping the air that surrounds the most vulnerable parts as dry as the Arizona Desert to slow down corrosion. I’m examining how well the system that does this is working, and designing improvements to allow it to be effective for longer and use less energy.
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Aberdeen . Aberdeenshire . Beverley . Brentwood . Bristol . Cardiff . Chester . Chichester . Farnborough High Wycombe . Linlithgow . Liverpool . London North . London West End . Manchester . Orpington Preston . Romsey . Sheffield . Shrewsbury . Southport . Sutton Coldfield . Tunbridge Wells . Wilmslow . York
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THE CITY
BRISTAGRAM
Cyclists must be committed to riding between 65 and 80 miles each day, but the event is designed to offer a challenge to cyclists of all abilities
Some of our favourite recent snaps taken by folk around the city! Tag your Bristol pics using #thebristolmag Gert lush U Yard (im nderfall age @tjphillip s76)
Three days, three counties, three hospices – one epic fundraising cycle ride Cyclists of all abilities are being invited to set themselves a challenge by taking part in an epic 205-mile ride in aid of Children’s Hospice South West – and raise £1,000 for the charity. This summer’s 11th annual Ride for Precious Lives takes place from Friday 12 July to Sunday 14 July and registration for the popular sponsored cycle event is now open, limited to 125 riders. The ride is route marked and will take cyclists from St Austell to Bristol, across three counties and calling in at the charity’s three hospices in Cornwall, North Devon and North Somerset. Entry is £230, which includes food and hotel accommodation, printed ride jerseys and access to first aid and mechanical assistance from an experienced support crew over the three days. “By registering to take part and pledging to raise £1,000 in sponsorship, you will be not only be part of a very special weekend, but you’ll be directly supporting the work we do to help families make the most of short and precious lives across the South West,” says CHSW events fundraiser Jayne Jarrett. “This is one of our most popular challenge events and many who have taken part in the past return every year. It really is an exceptional event and incorporates breathtaking scenery and several hills. “Cyclists must be committed to riding between 65 and 80 miles each day, but the event is designed to offer a challenge to cyclists of all abilities, and as long as you start training early enough, even new cyclists can take part. “You will need a good level of fitness but our training plan offers some ideas to be event-ready. You can also download the route and incorporate some of the local sections in your training plan. “Cyclists who have taken part in Ride for Precious Lives have been inspired by the children and families they met along the way at our three hospices, together with the care team and family members that take part too – and it is this that makes it a truly unique cycle event and a must-do on any cyclist’s calendar.” CHSW relies almost entirely on voluntary donations to support more than 500 children with life-limiting and life-threatening illnesses and their families across the South West. Since 2009, 835 cyclists have taken part in Ride for Precious Lives, raising nearly £1million for the charity. Clevedon-based global engineering company Edwards Vacuum (part of the Atlas Copco Group) is supporting the event as headline sponsor for the seventh year. To take part in Ride for Precious Lives, visit the website listed below or join the Facebook event.
• chsw.org.uk/ride
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APRIL 2019
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No 178
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@label5 teamed up with The Milk Thistle to cre ate The Bristol 5 O’Clock Tea cocktail
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THE
B R I S TOL MAGAZINE
Road royalty Follow us on Twitter @thebristolmag
R
ecently I found myself at the airport, boarding a flight for Amsterdam. For most of my fellow passengers this seemed quite a normal thing to do, but I don’t often get to leave these shores. I still think of air travel as an adventure, even if the plane is quite literally a flying bus and the journey takes less time than a rush-hour drive through Bristol. Unlike a large proportion of those on board I was not travelling to Amsterdam to have, as my mother used innocently to say, ‘a high old time’. In fact I was in Holland for work, and had only a few hours to wander around and take in the sights, which actually meant a few hours trying not to get run over by an impressive range of vehicles. Navigating the streets reminded me of the time the youngest of the clan persuaded me to play a war game with him on his Xbox, and I survived for about a second and a half before disappearing in a red mist. A similar sense of panic threatened to overwhelm me as I stood on the edge of the pavement, surveying the maze of tram lines and cycle lanes and trying to figure out which direction danger would appear from. Now I appreciate that a Dutch person coming to Bristol may feel exactly the same. How are they to know, for instance, that motorists in some parts of the city see a red traffic light less as an order to stop and more as an invitation? Likewise, it can take a while to work out who is allowed to do what on our pavements. Do you, as a pedestrian, have right of way – or does that mobility scooter? Think you know? Suppose you stand your ground and see whether it a) stops or b) swerves or c) runs you over. Then you’ll know. For any non-Bristolian pedestrians reading this, my advice would always be: get out of the way first, worry about the niceties later. If you’re wandering round the Centre you may notice that in some places the pavement is a different colour, with little bicycle emblems here and there. Yes, these are bike paths, but don’t suppose for a moment that cyclists stick to these routes, or (if you’re on a bike) that pedestrians avoid them. Quite often you’ll be riding along and encounter a group of inebriates staggering along a bike path as if following the Yellow Brick Road. This would definitely not happen in Holland, where most streets are impressively wide, and are divided into lanes for particular vehicles. The trams are the most obvious hazard, but it was the bikes that really got me jumping. Dutch cyclists are not like their British counterparts. Ours can be divided loosely into lycra-clad road racers and urban bumblers; the former flying by without giving you a chance to react while the latter creep rather apologetically along. Dutch cyclists look like bumblers, and they ride bumbly bikes, but they are the royalty of the road. They storm along those bike paths on their situp-and-beg trundlers, children hanging on front and back, and woe betide anyone who gets in their way. On narrower roads, where there is more of a free-for-all, it is clear who is in charge. Motorists nose their way carefully along, not that there are many cars about. Pedestrians cower. And the bikes come by in a constant stream: hippy bikes decorated with flowers and delivery bikes that are like pedal-powered lorries; racers piloted by infant daredevils and dignified old units ridden by WI presidents (or Netherlandish equivalent thereof). In parts of Amsterdam the situation is made doubly hazardous by the preponderance of a) canals and b) marvellous Dutch gables. Try looking up, down and in both directions at the same time and you’ll have a sense of what it’s like. As for taking a selfie – forget it... ■
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BRIST OL MAGAZINE Bristol and Exeter House, Lower Approach, Temple Meads, Bristol BS1 6QS Telephone: 0117 974 2800 www.thebristolmagazine.co.uk © MC Publishing Ltd 2019 Disclaimer: Whilst every reasonable care is taken with all material submitted to The Bristol Magazine, the publisher cannot accept responsibility for loss or damage to such material. Opinions expressed in articles are strictly those of the authors. This publication is copyright and may not be reproduced in any form either in part or whole without written permission from the publishers.
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SUSTAINABLE | ETHICAL | SLOW FASHION
GIVEWEARLOVE.COM BASED IN BRISTOL. BEAUTIFULLY CURATED EDITS OF SUSTAINABLE AND ETHICAL WOMENSWEAR.
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FASHION
The trend tie-dye for Time for a look at the Seventies trend that’s making a colourful comeback. Crystal Rose searches for a few must-have pieces and discusses the homespun style that’s tight this season
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ong gone are the DIY days of having to pull up our sleeves, don our apron and gloves (essential unless stained hands are your seasonal vibe) and prepare for a messy dyeing session in the garden – although, if you’re looking for a few truly unique, one-of-a-kind garments, this sure is the way to do it. This year, however, the colourful trend seems to have had a muted, spring-palette makeover. In a Seventies-meets-SS19 sense, you can expect earthy tones and possibly the least in-your-face patterns to date. We’re loving it – especially as festival season is officially a-go. Pair with plaincolour pieces or denim and let the tie-dye do the talking. ■ MadeWorn Grateful Dead cotton t-shirt, £145
Proenza Schouler cotton top, £195
harveynichols.com
mytheresa.com
Ruffled skirt, £49.99 zara.com
Shacket, £39 topshop.com
Scrunchie, £2.99 newlook.com
Foulard in modal and cashmere, £300 armani.com
Bleached high-rise straightleg jeans, £320 Bandana, £4.99
eckhauslatta.com
newlook.com
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SUSTAINABLE | FASHION
We’re loving the Bedminster, Totterdown and Harbourside-shot collections (all imagery @jackabbottphotography)
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Look good, do good Bristol has a healthy appetite for sustainable fashion. One local businesswoman is tapping into what she hopes will become a perennial trend...
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fter seeing the damage done by the high street’s fastfashion dynamic, Amelia Twine – if the name sounds familiar, it’ll be because she was co-creator of the Eat Drink Bristol Fashion events and restaurants – decided to swap her sustainable food agenda for sustainable fashion. Givewearlove.com is the exciting new Bristol-based online boutique she’s launched as a result, putting together curated edits of stylish and ethical womenswear. It’s actively fundraising for organisations working to secure a better future for the fashion industry too – connecting shoppers with its issues and raising awareness of what needs to be done to make it all far healthier. With established and emerging sustainable brands, the ongoing theme is wholesome production stories. Having hosted sustainable food summits and sat on the board of the Sustainable Restaurant Association, Amelia has already worked to support change in the food industry in favour of sustainability, and founded her fashion project with similar intentions for another industry so in need of a new model and modus operandi.
...I began to see some critical parallels between the issues food production faced and those in the production of clothing and textiles... “For years people were confused about our brand name Eat Drink Bristol Fashion – those who weren’t aware of the phrase ‘shipshape and Bristol fashion’, would ask what the fashion element was,” she says. “Of course there wasn’t one, but this got me thinking about the fashion industry. I began to see some critical parallels between the issues food production faced and those in the production of clothing and textiles. The land is degraded, water is polluted, people and animals are exploited, there is a lack of transparency and accountability. Everything deplorable in current global food systems seemed so often replicated in fashion. But the industry is already changing for the better and I wanted to help it on its way to a greener future.” A partnership has been launched with the charity TRAID (which stands for textile re-use and international development) and Amelia has also collaborated with Bristol-based brand Something Elsie Vintage. “We want to actively engage the style-savvy shopper with the issues facing the industry and give them the opportunity to support positive action by donating small amounts to fantastic organisations that are doing invaluable work supporting the people and planet.”
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SUSTAINABLE | FASHION
to have confidence in their supply chain. We love hearing the story of each garment; hearing where, how and who made it and why the brand has chosen to work in that way. The brand that produced these gorgeous accessories works directly with its producers and offers employment to at-risk women at a living wage. They focus on creating safe working environments and offering empowerment to their artisans.
Avoiding poor quality fast fashion ‘Samantha’ skirt Brand: Beaumont Organic Fabric: Linen, with coconut buttons Linen is a fabric with a rich history. It is understood to be the oldest known fibre and is certainly one of the most sustainable. Used for centuries, it still holds a core place today as one of the most functional and durable fabrics. Made from the flax plant, linen requires less water than cotton to produce, along with fewer fungicides, pesticides and herbicides – although these can be avoided by buying organic. The strength and durability of linen means you’ll be able to wear it again and again and love it for years to come. Every year, millions of tonnes of clothing and textiles end up in landfill. The high street’s fast-fashion dynamic results in the production of poor quality clothing that is not made to last and is often disposed of after just a few wears. Investing in garments made to last is one key aspect of a sustainable wardrobe.
The fresh spring ensemble features People Tree, Beaumont Organic, Ethletic and Tribe Alive garments
When Fairtrade makes a difference
Outfit of the month Amelia breaks down this fresh ensemble with from the Give Wear Love early spring edit – with lovely clean lines, four favoured brands and a whole lot of Bristol attitude…
Buying better cotton ‘Gaia’ tee Brand: People Tree Fabric: Organic cotton Cotton is one of the most commonly used fabrics but has often been described as the ‘dirtiest’ crop on the planet. Conventional cotton can use as much as 25% of the world’s insecticides and 10% of the world’s pesticides – a huge amount for just one crop. It can have high levels of chemical residue which means you’re wearing toxicity right next to your skin. It also uses large volumes of water to process. Give Wear Love is all about organic. The facts are simple – organically produced crops are better for you, better for farmers and better for biodiversity. Buying organic cotton garments means you are investing in a healthier planet and healthier soil.
Transparency Tassel earrings and ornate foldover clutch Brand: Tribe Alive One of the most important things for us at Give Wear Love is how open a brand is about a garment’s production story. Many brands are on a journey of sustainability with aspirations to continually improve and the more information they offer us the more we begin
...Cotton has often been described as the ‘dirtiest’ crop on the planet...
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White Cap Lo trainers Brand: Ethletic Fabrics: Organic cotton and FSC-certified natural rubber, with coconut fibre inner layer What makes a supply chain ‘good’ isn’t limited to the harm it might do but also how it actively works to support each link in the chain. Brands can invest in a healthy supply chain, where their producers receive fair pay, good working conditions and premiums for social projects. Producers’ livelihoods are valued, and a business is run with the triple bottom line in mind. And if you’re vegan… There are ways of choosing garments and accessories that only use animal products from high-welfare sources. But if you would rather avoid them altogether, some brands produce ranges that are fully vegan. This can also extend to how they source their raw materials – taking habitats into consideration and avoiding monocultures and overexploitation of the land. ■ • givewearlove.com
Did you know? • In the last 15 years, clothing production has doubled • The industry employs nearly 300 million people along the value chain • The average number of times a garment is worn before being discarded has decreased by 36% in the last 15 years – some items are estimated to be discarded after seven to 10 wears • It is estimated that more than half of fast fashion produced is disposed of in under a year • The clothing and textiles industry uses 98 million tonnes of non-renewable resources each year • It also uses 93 billion cubic metres of water a year • In 2015 greenhouse gas emissions from textiles production totalled 1.2 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent – more than all international flights and maritime shipping combined • 20% of industrial water pollution globally is attributable to the dyeing and treatment of textiles
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MUSIC
Have you met Ms Jones? The word ‘iconic’ is massively overused – but never in reference to this unique star, arriving in Bristol this summer. Photography by Andrea Klarin
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he Downs Bristol, the city’s largest one-day music festival, returns on 31 August, having announced a fabulous first-wave line-up featuring international female acts Ms. Lauryn Hill and Grace Jones, as well as Bristol’s Brit-nominated band IDLES. With a career spanning four decades, Jamaican-American singer, songwriter, producer, model and actress Grace Jones secured her first record deal with Jamaican label Island Records in 1977, becoming a star of New York City’s disco scene in the process. A genuinely iconic figure in the arts scene, she has inspired the likes of Lady Gaga, Nile Rogers, Annie Lennox and so many others. Star of the stereo, silver screen and catwalk, Grace Jones has led a life that mere mortals may only dream of. Leaving Jamaica for New York at the age of 13, Grace embarked on one of the most spectacular artistic careers the world had ever seen. Around Island Records, Capitol, countless runways and fashion houses, her androgynous and controversial style made her a true queen and embodiment of the expression ‘sex, drugs and rock and roll’. She’s been there, seen it and done it and now she’s coming to Bristol to, no doubt whatsoever, take the stage by storm, so we dug deep to find some of our favourite moments proving that no-one does it quite like Grace.
Paris Fashion Week Grace Jones and fashion: few terms go hand in hand as effortlessly as these. Throughout her career, Jones has walked many a time, however one of her most stand-out appearances came very recently indeed. Jones, now in her 70s, closed fashion designer Zendaya’s collaboration collection with Tommy Hilfiger sporting a gold body suit and metallic blazer in a way only she could.
Russell Harty Readers of a certain age may remember watching this live and it’s surely up there as one of the most memorable live TV moments ever as Jones, feeling shunned and ignored by the television host, reacts with a flurry of slaps... Younger readers, imagine Cara Delevingne giving Graham Norton a perfect right hook and you get the picture. This clip can be found all over the internet; watch it for yourself and you can see Harty did nothing to help the situation. Rule number one for a talk show host – never turn your back on a guest, especially if that guest is a leather-clad Grace Jones.
Movie-star moment
That album cover In 1985 Jones released Island Life, a compilation album summing up the first nine years of her musical career. It sits as one of her most successful to date, but despite the quality of the music within, it’s the cover shot that many remember most. The impossibly statuesque pose was actually a montage of separate images – nonetheless it’s one of pop culture’s most famous photographs.
Regal riders Rock-and-roll riders spawn some weird and wonderful stories: Van Halen requesting M&Ms with all the brown ones removed; Motley Crue with a list of local Alcoholics Anonymous meeting spots and a 12-foot boa constrictor; and Madonna, whose backstage room, it’s said, must look exactly like her own home. However in 2017 a screenshot of Grace’s rider went viral and, looking through it, you can’t deny the woman has style. Louis Roederer Cristal, sashimi and sushi platters and two dozen Findeclare oysters on ice and unopened... Because Grace Jones does her own shucking!
A rather strange Bristol link... During her time as one of the world’s elite jet-set models, Grace spent a lot of time in the air and developed quite an affinity with Concorde; even harbouring aspirations to fly the iconic jet herself. “The Concorde made life a lot easier, and I was the symbol of a Concorde crowd that had replaced the jet set,” she once said. “I flew on the Concorde so many times I knew the pilots. I knew their families. I could have flown the plane, except I would have wanted to do it naked, sprayed silver, in roller skates.”
A woman of her word Never one to shy away from making her own opinions public and sticking to them, Grace was not a fan of George W Bush and promised to leave the country should he become president. “There seemed to be more happening in London than in New York; more interesting artistic people to collaborate with,” she said. “I had vowed to leave America if George Bush became president, and the day after he was voted in I left.”
BST Hyde Park At the festival in 2015 she was carried through the crowd on the shoulders of event security, sporting a vast headdress, unclothed with a mere spattering of body paint covering a few areas... She was 67!
Jones may have spent the ’70s hanging out in the hottest Parisian clubs with the likes of Lagerfeld and Armani. But in 1985 she returned to Paris in an entirely different guise, playing the role of May Day, a seemingly superhuman chief henchwoman in A View to a Kill. After taking out a detective called Aubergine, May Day takes off up the Eiffel Tower with Bond hot on her heels. Reaching the top, all looks lost for the Amazonian assassin, but in true Grace Jones style she leaps off, soaring eagle-like through the air.
Jones and her guest showed up fashionably late to the 1986 wedding of her Conan co-star Arnold Schwarzenegger. Changing in an airport bathroom and no-show limos meant that at the crucial point of Arnie and Maria’s day, the church doors cracked open and in walked Grace to a sea of unimpressed faces. Her guest, by the way: only Andy Warhol...
The 1984 Grammys
Ex-boyfriend rituals
Grace had been nominated for her video A One Man Show, but was pipped to the post by bouffant New Romantics, Duran Duran. The record goes that Grace got into a bit of a corridor ruckus with Le Bon and co before being thrown out of an afterparty... She likened the loss to Ordinary People claiming the Best Picture Oscar over Raging Bull and The Elephant Man.
Jones was part of one of Hollywood’s original power couples during her spell dating Swedish film giant Dolph Lundgren. It can’t have ended well because one day Grace received a call from her then record producer, calling her into the studio immediately. The studio was 15 minutes away from Grace’s home; she arrived three days later because she was busy burning Dolph’s clothes. ■
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Jet-set Grace harboured ambitions to fly Bristol’s Concorde – except, of course, she would have wanted to do it naked, sprayed silver, in roller skates...
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Members of the Factory Company in rehearsals
Theatre for all Despite being set in an 1780s penal colony, Timberlake Wertenbaker’s award-winning play Our Country’s Good is as pertinent now as ever through its exploration of the use of theatre as a rehabilitation tool for prisoners. Now Tobacco Factory Theatres opens a new adaption this month under the direction of Anna Girvan
What was it about Timberlake Wertenbaker’s work that made you want to be involved in this production? It’s a play that I have been interested in for a few years. I remember reading scenes from it at school but never quite receiving the full impact of the play. I have been involved with community groups in the past who have never encountered theatre making and have seen the power it has to give a purpose, focus and escape to those involved, and Timberlake so wonderfully captures that experience. 34 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE
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How does Our Country’s Good address ideas around crime, punishment and the judicial system? The play, written in 1988 but set in 1788, highlights how some people within the system still believe the punishment of having your home, freedom, family and friends taken away from you isn’t enough, but that you should be continued to be beaten down, dehumanised and stripped of any dignity. As part of our research we were fortunate to go into HMP Dartmoor and meet with inmates who are involved in theatre within prison. To hear how very little has changed in 30, or even 230 years, was shocking and saddening. One particularly poignant statement from one of the inmates recalls how he was constantly reminded in prison that he was just a number.
…The life skills that theatre can bring to a group of people who have probably never felt any self-worth or sense of community…can only be a life changing and profound experience…
Mark Dawson Photography/Johan Persson
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he upcoming production of Tobacco Factory Theatres’ second Factory Company season takes us far away from the hustle and bustle of Southville to the harsh shores of late 18th-century Sydney, Australia, this month. Based on the true story of the first European convict colony established in 1788, Timberlake Wertenbaker’s Olivier winner Our Country’s Good addresses ideas around morality and crime. The story follows Young Second Lieutenant Ralph Clark as he is ordered by his superior to stage a production of George Farquhar’s The Recruiting Officer with the inmates as the actors. As they begin rehearsals, the prisoners and officers explore the notions of class, imprisonment, art and culture, and rehabilitation. First staged in 1988 at the Royal Court Theatre, London, many of the characters are based on real people who sailed with the First Fleet from Portsmouth to land at the penal colony almost 250 years ago. Under the direction of Anna Girvan, the Factory Company is bringing Wertenbaker’s pertinent production to Bristol, so we caught up with Anna to find out more…
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How do you think the play will resonate with modern audiences in regards to ideas around incarceration and rehabilitation? I hope that our approach will not only keep the voice of these current inmates alive but also encourage those who watch it to take some action in regards to making our government prioritise the state of our prison system. MP Rory Stewart is bringing many issues regarding safety within prisons to the attention of the media and society, which vitally needs addressing. But also the rehabilitation of prisoners, so that they don’t reoffend, feels vastly underfunded. The life skills that theatre can bring to a group of people who have probably never felt any selfworth or sense of community, and help them come together to make something as exposing and risky as live performance, can only be a life changing and profound experience. How does the concept of class impact on the fate of the characters? Is this something that modern audiences could relate to? Timberlake serves up some wonderful philosophical arguments through Governor Arthur Phillip. When talking about theatre he says: “We learned to love such things because they were offered to us when we are children or young men. Surely no one is born naturally cultured?” This is something that really resonates today in regards to who has ownership over theatre and culture. We can say it is for everyone, but unless it is available, accessible and affordable, is it really? I think that though there are more people discussing the need to open up the arts we still have a battle to strip back the perceived middle and upper-class ownership of them and make them essential rather than a luxury.
...Surely no one is born naturally cultured? This is something that really resonates today in regards to who has ownership over theatre and culture... There are a lot of characters in this play. Is this difficult for you as director, especially as the majority of the actors are playing multiple parts? Or is it more fun? We have such a wonderful company of actors who have been working together already on A Midsummer Night’s Dream [the first production of the Factory Company season, on until 6 April]. As that play also involved
multiple roles, they were more than ready and capable to jump into another play with similar demands. I love seeing the versatility of actors within one production and this whole play lends itself to that convention. The play makes so many comments about how audiences at a theatre need to use their imagination, and also picks up on opinions that women can’t play men. It’s great to watch us either break those conventions or play with them.
Safety within prisons vitally needs addressing says director Anna Girvan
The Factory Theatre is an intimate performance space. How do you think this will impact on the play’s difficult subjects? I love the intimacy of the Factory Theatre. Sitting and seeing the reactions of those around you makes you aware of the voyeuristic nature of the theatre and hopefully means that instead of just escaping into a moment, you can reflect upon what is happening and maybe form opinions rather than being simply emotionally led. It has always felt like a politically charged space for me as its roots are in a building that is not a traditional theatre space. Our Country’s Good is based on one of the first convict colonies in Australia in the 1780s. What can we expect from the set/costumes? I have never seen any productions of Our Country’s Good, which feels important as I have no other experiences of it to muddy my vision. In researching past productions, there seems to be a leaning towards a very traditional red-coated officer, ragged convicts and lots of elaborate scene changes. On reading the play I actually found that there was nothing specific about what costume people should be wearing and, though some scenes specifically locate the actors in a space such as the hold of a ship or a rowing boat, Wertenbaker doesn’t litter the text with stage directions. I always find this very liberating as is means that we know what is there is most important. We wanted to draw on the artifice of theatre, as Wertenbaker does in the scenes between the convicts making the play, and also draw from our experiences of hearing of prisoners creating theatre with limited resources. Can you tell us a little about your background in Bristol and what it is like bringing this production to a city that you have such a strong association with? I trained as a director at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School from 2009-10 and lived in the city for another five years after graduating. I had only ever briefly visited Bristol before moving here and I quite quickly fell in love with the city. To afford to do the course at the Theatre School I worked a bar job in the Tobacco Factory Café Bar and then moved upstairs to work as a duty front-of-house manager at Tobacco Factory Theatres. It was such a wonderful opportunity to see so many tremendous shows – shows that I know will
stay with me for many years. To be offered the opportunity to come back after a few years out of Bristol and direct a show in a space that is so close to my heart was, quite honestly, overwhelming. I wanted to create something that the audiences at Tobacco Factory Theatres would be entertained, challenged and excited by. It feels daunting taking on such a play, treasured by so many, but I really can’t imagine a more wonderfully supportive building and team to be working with on this project. What has it been like working with the second Factory Company cast and creatives? I’d never experienced watching my company of actors perform together before going into rehearsals with them, so getting to see them work their magic in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and then being the new kid on the first day of Our Country’s Good rehearsals was odd but wonderful. Such bonds have formed between this company already and I felt very honoured to be so warmly welcomed into their pack. You are holding a directors’ lab on 26 April. What will this entail? I will talk a little about the stages of development in making the play, the relationship with a designer etc, and we will practically explore some different techniques in working with actors playing multiple roles and some other tools for creating a collective world for the actors. We’ll also touch on how you can use research when working on a play which has such rich real-life stories and hopefully give some insight into the day-today life of our rehearsal room. n
Our Country’s Good is on at Tobacco Factory Theatres from 17 April – 11 May. Tickets from £12; tobaccofactorytheatres.com
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Cult Bristol soundscapers Eyebrow play St George’s on 13 April
DJ Cheeba kicked things off for Filmic19
Thom Yorke’s brilliant soundtracks have been revisited (image from the eerie Suspiria remake starring Tilda Swinton) St George’s plays host to experimental pianist Hauschka
OK Composer: Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood’s Amnesiac is reimagined on 21 April at Colston Hall
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Sound and vision Bristol’s annual film-meets-music celebration has returned with a mix of screenings, concerts and events across the city
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rogrammed collaboratively by Watershed, Colston Hall and St George’s Bristol and now in its eighth edition, Filmic is back with its fusion of the cinematic and the musical. This year the programme is exploring minimalism, and the diverse works of great soundtrack composers plus specially commissioned audio-visual shows. It all kicked off in March with an AV commission from DJ Cheeba and DJ Food, which celebrated Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood and Thom Yorke’s excursion into film as Cheeba dug through their musical back catalogue accompanied by synchronised visuals. This month, St George’s plays host to experimental pianist Hauschka, composer for the film Lion, and founder of minimalism, Terry Riley, followed by cult Bristol soundscapers Eyebrow. Meanwhile orchestral duo Echo Collective are recreating Radiohead’s Amnesiac in the Colston Hall foyer, and Watershed celebrates the film soundtrack work of Jonny and Thom with screenings throughout the season, as well as movies featuring the work of legendary film composer John Williams, whose early work will be revisited to support the live concert screening of Stephen Spielberg’s E.T. at Bristol Hippodrome.
...Bristol has a great heritage of moody, atmospheric music and is such a visually distinctive city... “With Radiohead’s Thom Yorke now following Jonny Greenwood into composing for the screen, the interesting crossovers between cinema and music seem to get more numerous with each passing year,” says Filmic co-founder and producer Phil Johnson. “Bristol has such a great heritage of moody and atmospheric music, and is such a visually distinctive city, that it’s the perfect place for a series that’s about both sound and vision. It’s also great that the city’s arts organisations can work together to produce something that’s broader and more inclusive than separate programming is able to provide.” Colston Hall’s artistic director, Todd Wills, adds: “This year’s programme is an eclectic mix which spans the gamut of music and cinema: from minimalism to the master of the blockbuster film score, John Williams, Filmic continues to explore and celebrate the rich, multifaceted worlds that are created when film and music collide. Not only that, with new commissions and one-off performances, we see how these works can take on a whole new dimension when re-interpreted by other artists, and reach new audiences in the process.” Here’s a quick rundown of what to pop into the diary... Family Plot, 7 April, Watershed (screening) John Williams’ landmark score for this diabolically funny suspensecomedy holds an important place in film score history. Arriving just after he’d completed the iconic score for Jaws that would turn him into a household name, it’s also the soundtrack to the last film ever made by the great Alfred Hitchcock. Minimalism: Hauschka, 11 April, St George’s Bristol (concert) Academy-nominated composer Hauschka turns to nature for inspiration in this sublime, pared-back solo piano concert featuring music from his album A Different Forest. Simplicity, beauty, space: if you’re a fan of
Nils Frahm and the soundscapes of European minimalist piano composers you’re probably going to love this. After, join DJ Cheeba for a free after-show in the new Glass studio and bar for a live audio-visual installation on the theme of minimalism. Minimalism: Tones, Drones and Arpeggios (introduction with composer Charles Hazlewood), 13 April, Watershed (screening) The key attributes of minimalism, its reliance on repetition, its mesmerising transcendent qualities and innovative use of technology are explored in this two part BBC documentary, as musician Charles Hazlewood seeks out four great American minimalist composers who rebooted classical music in the 20th century. Filmic19 commission/Terry Riley after-show from Eyebrow, 13 April, St George’s (concert) After the main concert from Terry Riley, Bristol instrumentalists Eyebrow (Pete Judge, trumpet/electronics; Paul Wigens, percussion/violin) present a special Filmic19 after-show inspired by Riley’s experiments with jazz trumpeters Chet Baker and Don Cherry. The Long Goodbye, 14 April, Watershed (screening) One of the finest films from the 1970s, Robert Altman’s masterly take on Raymond Chandler’s final novel features Elliot Gould in laid-back form as private eye Philip Marlowe and an unusual request from its director to composer John Williams for its jazz-laden score. Kraftwerk: Klassics, Kovers & Kurios AV Show by DJ Food, 20 April, The Cube (performance) Having previously tackled Aphex Twin and Boards of Canada as themes, DJ Food (Ninja Tune) is mashing together the sounds and visuals of electronic outfit Kraftwerk, for a thrilling, full-on audiovisual extravaganza. How To Steal A Million, 21 April, Watershed (screening) Audrey Hepburn and Peter O’Toole star in William Wyler’s adventurous, rom-com heist caper – a tone that’s perfectly captured by John Williams’ catchy and rapid-fire score. OK Composer: The Scores of Jonny Greenwood and Thom Yorke, 21 April, Colston Hall (performance) Neil Leiter and Margaret Hermant, aka Echo Collective, are on a mission to change the way you think about classical music. Recreating Radiohead’s seminal album Amnesiac, the band has re-imagined the band to create something unique. Playing the album in full, Echo Collective has a very memorable live performance in store. Colston Hall presents E.T. The Extra Terrestrial: In Concert, 24 April, Bristol Hippodrome (screening/performance) One of Spielberg’s most iconic movies and one of John Williams’ most loved movie scores. Relive the magic of the ’80s classic on the big screen with an emotive performance from a live orchestra. The Killers, 28 April, Watershed (screening) Two professional hit men try to find out who hired them and why, in Don Seigel’s star-studded, sun-drenched ’60s crime thriller, that’s enriched by a John Williams score full of gritty, moody jazz and moments of dark and aggressive orchestral mayhem. ■
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LOCAL | EVENTS
WHAT’S ON IN APRIL E.T. The ExtraTerrestrial: In Concert at Bristol Hippodrome
Singer and songwriter Gretchen Peters at St George’s Bristol
Hunters. Gatherers. Until 7 April, 8pm, The Alma Tavern and Theatre What makes us human? Our ancestors hunted and gathered. In the struggle for resources, mates and survival, we continue the long process of evolution in unlikely ways and in the strangest places. Harry hunts the Lizard People responsible for murdering the man he loved. Benny hides away in his flat surrounded by the TV show memorabilia he is hording. We are all still hunters and gatherers. Stepping Out Theatre presents a diverse series of modern perspectives on the most ancient of human activities. £10/£12; steppingouttheatre.co.uk Open Mic Night 2 April, 8pm, The Three Tuns On the first Tuesday of the month The Three Tuns hosts an open mic night. If you are an acoustic act, poet, comedian, magician or other type of performer, then the team would love you to take part. Simply call the pub, leave a message on the open mic Facebook page, or just turn up on the night. Spoken word, comedy and all types of music welcome. Free admission; the3tuns.com Richard III 2 – 13 April, times vary, Bristol Old Vic After decades of civil war, the nation hangs in the balance. Enter Richard, Duke of Gloucester, to change the course of history. Richard was not born to be a king, but he’s set his sights on the crown. So begins his campaign of deceit, manipulation and violence. Yet behind his ambition lies a murderous desire to be loved. Headlong theatre company returns with Tom Mothersdale (The Glass Menagerie) to play Shakespeare’s iconic villain. Tickets from £7.50; bristololdvic.org.uk The Jurassic Parks 2 – 13 April, 7.30pm (plus 2pm on Sat 13), The Wardrobe Theatre 38 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE
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Superbolt Theatre present their sell-out, multiaward winning, laugh-out-loud spin on Spielberg’s classic – an epic adventure of show-stopping, spine-tingling theatrics and megalithic mayhem. Welcome to the unlikely setting of Lyme Regis Community Centre, where the Park family – Terry, Jade and Noah – embark on a journey to a misty past where, when things go wrong, there are family feuds and the rapturous roar of DIY dinosaurs. 8+. £10/£12; thewardrobetheatre.com Locked Up 3 April, 3 – 3.45pm and 4.15 – 5pm, The Station, Silver Street A young boy gets incarcerated for being homeless. A cross-dressing man is sentenced to jail. A maid is hung for killing her employer. Locked Up explores the horrific history of The Courts, in stark contrast with the building’s bright future. This promenade performance is inspired by real stories of Bristolian people experiencing the justice system throughout the ages. Based on research from the UWE history department, the Creative Youth Network alumni create art works inspired by four stories of injustice. Free; creativeyouthnetwork.org.uk/locked-up Ultra Japan 4 April, 7 – 10pm, Bristol Museum and Art Gallery Immerse yourself in J-culture in a cool, quirky and distinctive evening to celebrate traditional and contemporary Japan. Catch the beats of the Japanese DJ Suzuki, learn to draw with professional manga artist Chie Kutsuwada, and watch performances by Bristol Taiko, Bristol Kendo and Bristol North Aikido Dojo – all washed down with an authentic tea ceremony. £4/£6; bristolmuseums.org.uk Planetarium Nights 4, 11 and 18 April, 7pm and 8.15pm, We The Curious Wander into the science centre’s planetarium for an evening tour of the known universe.
Hear stories of ancient stargazers, far-away galaxies and newly discovered planets. 16+. £7.50/£8.50; wethecurious.org Let Me Look At You 5 April, 7.30pm, Theatre Shop, Unit 5, Queens Square, Clevedon The newest performance piece from awardwinning Starving Artists Theatre Company. Stand-up meets solo theatre in this personal story from the gay movement as a 50something gay man shares his misadventures while quietly having a nervous breakdown. 14+. £12; theatreshop.org.uk Spring Fair 6 April, 11am – 3pm, Trinity Henleaze United Reformed Church Bristol Child Contact Centre, which – for nearly 30 years – has been providing a safe space for children to see the parent they no longer live with, is holding a fundraising event at this spring fair where there will be refreshments, stalls, games, raffles, face painting and lots more. Charity donations are welcome for the following: bottles and tins, bric-a-brac, soft toys, jewellery, hats, scarves, bags, purses etc. Tables are £10 if you’d like to sell. Contact Vanessa on: 07511 290505. Bristol Bach Choir: St John Passion 6 April, 7.30pm, St George’s Bristol Bristol Bach Choir is joined by Canzona, one of the country’s leading baroque ensembles, to perform one of the greatest choral works – Bach’s St John Passion. Widely known for his performances of Baroque repertoire, tenor Nicholas Mulroy features in the role of Evangelist. £5 – £28; bristolbach.org.uk The Urban Folk Quartet 6 April, 7.30pm, Bristol Folk House The Urban Folk Quartet presents a show of high-energy, genre-defying acoustic music that will take your breath away. Comprising Joe Broughton (fiddle, mandolin, guitar), Paloma Trigás (fiddle), Tom Chapman
BalletBoyz: Hugo Glendinning/Gretchen Peters: Gina Binkley
BalletBoyz at Bristol Old Vic
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LOCAL | EVENTS
EDITOR’S PICK... MICHAEL BALL – ‘COMING HOME TO YOU’ TOUR 27 APRIL, 7.30PM, BRISTOL HIPPODROME
Having received critical acclaim for his performances in the West End and on Broadway in smash-hit shows such as Les Misérables, The Phantom of the Opera and Hairspray, multi-platinum recording artist and national treasure Michael Ball has sold millions of albums and toured multiple continents across the world. He teamed up with Alfie Boe for their 2016 Classic BRIT Award-winning album Together and sold more than one million copies of their number one album Together Again in 2017. Now Ball is embarking on a solo tour which promises to be an evening of memorable entertainment. From £45.15; atgtickets.com/bristol
(percussion) and Dan Walsh (banjo, guitar), the award-winning UFQ celebrate their 10th birthday in 2019 and this special show will include favourites from their back catalogue as well as brand new material. £13/£14.50; bristolfolkhouse.co.uk Historical Walk: Bristol’s Burning! 1831 Riots 7 April, 3 – 5pm, M Shed Explore sites and learn about the causes and consequences of the citywide riots of 1831, which were one of the most dramatic events in British history. In the immediate aftermath, the city was in tatters, with hundreds of
protesters either dead or dying and dozens of buildings in flames or fallen into heaps of rubble. Expert guides will vividly retell the history of this tragic episode, exploring some of the sites that played a prominent role in the unrest. Pay what you think; bristolmuseums.org.uk/m-shed Folk at the New Room: Sturla Eide and Philip Miles 8 April, 7.30pm, The New Room Nordic folk duo Sturla Eide and Philip Miles present the finest folk melodies blended with beautiful piano accompaniments and upbeat tunes on accordion and fiddle. £9 – £14. They
will also be holding a folk workshop from 5.30pm. All ages welcome, bring your instrument or just go along and listen. £9/£10. The café will be open from 6.30pm; newroombristol.org.uk Steves And Wooster 10 April, 8pm, The Bristol Improv Theatre, St Paul’s Road Bertie Wooster may be the archetypal rich idiot with no day job, but he’s never been one to let a lack of competence interfere with his good-natured enthusiasm. Thankfully he can always rely on his valet, the inimitable Jeeves, to steer him through troubled waters. Expect Continued on page 40
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Award-winning folk artists Tom Moore, Archie Churchill-Moss and Jack Rutter head to The Wardrobe Theatre
The Craft4Crafters Show returns to The Bath and West Showground
The Craft4Crafters Show 11 – 13 April, 10am – 5pm, The Bath and West Showground, Shepton Mallet The Craft4Crafters Show returns to The Bath and West Showground to showcase a fantastic array of craft suppliers, exhibitors and workshops. With two floors packed with traders, groups and guilds, visitors are in for a real treat as the event attracts some of the best needle and hobbycraft traders from around the country. £9 adults, £8 concessions, under 16s free; craft4crafters.co.uk Cinema in the Cathedral: King of Kings 11 April, 7pm, Bristol Cathedral South West Silents return to Bristol Cathedral for a screening of the newly restored version of Cecil B. DeMille’s King of Kings, the epic 1927 telling of he life and passion of Christ, with live organ improvisation from David Bednall. £10/£12; bristol-cathedral.co.uk Cake Bush 13 April, 2 – 5pm, Bristol Spirit, Whitehall Road Bristol Spirit presents an afternoon of cake and Kate! Following its hugely popular Fleetwood Mac & Cheese events, Cake Bush is be the perfect way to spend an afternoon – listening to the goddess Kate Bush while enjoying an array of delicious cakes and cocktails. 18+. £15. Follow on Twitter: @Bristol_Spirit Rumours of Fleetwood Mac 14 April, 8pm, Bristol Hippodrome Channelling the spirit of Fleetwood Mac at their very best, Rumours of Fleetwood Mac offers a unique opportunity for fans, both old and new, to rediscover the songs and performances that have ensured Fleetwood Mac’s place as one of the most loved pop and rock groups of all time. From £28.65; atgtickets.com/bristol
Equus 16 – 20 April, times vary, Bristol Old Vic An undoubted 20th-century masterpiece, Peter Shaffer’s Equus is inspired by a true story which explores the complex relationships between passion, sex, religion and sanity. When teenager Alan Strang’s pathological fascination with horses leads him to commit a devastating act of violence, psychiatrist Dr Martin Dysart reluctantly accepts the task of uncovering what actually happened. From £10; bristololdvic.org.uk The Long Walk Back 16 & 17 April, 7.30pm, The Wardrobe Theatre Based on real live events, award-winning playwright Dougie Blaxland’s The Long Walk Back tells the epic story of an international sporting star’s catastrophic fall from grace. England cricketing all-rounder Chris Lewis enjoyed a meteoric rise to fame and fortune in the 1990s before being sentenced to 13 years in prison for smuggling cocaine. £10; thewardrobetheatre.com Gretchen Peters 19 April, 7.30pm, St George’s Bristol Following her two AMA Awards for 2015’s Blackbirds, Gretchen Peters’s 2018 album Dancing With The Beast marked another career high. Blending shades of country-rock, indie-folk and southern gothic with Peters’ smokily honeyed voice, it features all-female characters, from pre-teen to elderly, whose stories vividly illuminate both the personal and political. From £26.50; stgeorgesbristol.co.uk This Is Your Musical 19 April, 8pm, The Bristol Improv Theatre, St Paul's Road This Is Your Musical is an original improvised musical theatre show from the Bristol Improv Theatre. Each night, a cast of professional actors and team of talented musicians produce a brand new, hilarious musical inspired by your stories. This all-singing all-dancing extravaganza with a full band is not to be missed. £7; improvtheatre.co.uk
Bath Camerata – JS Bach and MacMillan motets 20 April, 8pm, St George’s Bristol Bath Camerata, under musical director Benjamin Goodson, presents a powerful and reflective programme of choral music for Holy Week including the motets of JS Bach, James MacMillan and Heinrich Schütz. £5 – £22; stgeorgesbristol.co.uk Echo Collective plays Radiohead’s Amnesiac 21 April, 8pm, Colston Hall Foyer Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood and Thom Yorke have earned critical acclaim both on stage and in film scoring. To celebrate their innovative work, orchestral duo Neil Leiter and Margaret Hermant, aka Echo Collective, will be recreating Radiohead’s iconic album Amnesiac. Part of Filmic19. 14+. £16.35; colstonhall.org Ear Trumpet Folk Club: Moore Moss Rutter 23 April, 8pm, The Wardrobe Theatre Tom Moore (fiddle and viola), Archie Churchill-Moss (melodeon) and Jack Rutter (guitar) won the 2011 BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award and are widely regarded as three of the best traditional folk players of their generation. Now, having toured with with some of the biggest and brightest acts in the British folk scene, they reconvene to release their third record together which will mark a decade of performing as a band. £12.50 – £15; thewardrobetheatre.com E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial: In Concert 24 April, 7.30pm, Bristol Hippodrome Watch this much-loved tale of an alien, who is stranded on Earth and befriends two young children, on the big screen while an orchestra plays the incredible score by John Williams, live. Presented by Colston Hall. From £28.75; atgtickets.com/bristol Morbid Ink: Memorial Tattoos 25 April, 6 – 7pm, M Shed Join Dr John Troyer, director of the Centre for Death and Society, for an insight into memorial tattoos to coincide with M Shed’s Continued on page 42
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Moore Moss Rutter: Phil Carter
farcical physicality, quick-change characters, and rollicking good fun in this entirely improvised (and entirely unauthorised) tribute to the works of P.G. Wodehouse. £5; improvtheatre.co.uk
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LOCAL | EVENTS
The Urban Folk Quartet at Bristol Folk House
English Touring Theatre’s Equus at Bristol Old Vic
£45, includes materials and lunch; nationaltrust.org.uk/tyntesfield
After Hours: Earth 25 April, 6.30pm, We The Curious The theme for We The Curious’ next over 18s night is our treasured planet and the urgent challenges we face to protect it. Explore more than 250+ exhibits that reveal the workings of the world. Experience the ever-changing nature of the cosmos and our impact on Earth in the 3D stargazing show, delve into the world of protein and taste some interesting alternatives in the kitchen. From £7.95; wethecurious.org
The Bristol Takeover 27 April, 4pm – 1am, Colston Hall Foyer Bristol’s best bands, DJs, musicians, labels and future stars will be taking over the Colston Hall Foyer at this free, one-day mini festival celebrating the city’s emerging musical talent. See the full programme online; colstonhall.org
Les Gloriables 25 April, 7.30pm, Theatre Shop, Unit 5, Queens Square, Clevedon Following on from the success of Gloriator and Glorilla, comedy duo Spitz and Co are proud to present the third and final show of their trilogy. Inspired by Victor Hugo’s classic novel, Les Misérables, legendary French actress Gloria Delaneuf is determined to create a piece of theatre with the power to reunite Europe. She has dreamed a dream, and her hapless assistant Josephine is going to help her make it happen. Vive la Revolution! 13+. £12; theatreshop.org.uk Spring sketching tour 27 April and 14 May, 9.45am – 3pm, Tyntesfield, Wraxall, Bristol Learn something new and be inspired to draw the beautiful grounds at Tyntesfield on this spring sketching tour. Gemma from Green Fox workshops will first show you how to effectively capture nature through tonal shading and mark making techniques followed by a burst of colour using chalk pastels. 18+.
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South West Ship Show 27 April, 10am – 3.30pm, BAWA Social Club, Southmead Road, Bristol Exhibitors and traders from across the UK will be showcasing maritime-related items at the South West Ship Show, including model boats, books, collectables and more. £2/£3, tel: 01275 846178.
BalletBoyz 27 & 28 April, 7.30pm, Bristol Old Vic Applauded across the globe for their impressive live performances, films and TV appearances, BalletBoyz are back with two brand new works, both set to original scores by world-class composers. Them, the first half of the show, is created through a unique, collaborative choreographic process by the BalletBoyz company dancers. Tony and Olivier Award-winning choreographer Christopher Wheeldon conclude the evening with Us, culminating in an expanded version of the tender duet which premiered in 2017 to wide critical and public acclaim. From £16; bristololdvic.org.uk
PLANNING AHEAD Barber Shop Chronicles 2 – 18 May, times vary, Bristol Old Vic Following two sell-out runs at the National Theatre and a world tour, Inua Ellams’ acclaimed Barber Shop Chronicles is a heartwarming, hilarious and insightful new play that leaps from a barber shop in Peckham to Johannesburg, Harare, Kampala, Lagos and Accra over the course of a single day. Directed by Olivier Award-winning director Bijan Sheibani. From £11.50; bristololdvic.org.uk
I Fagiolini: Da Vinci 500 2 May, 7.30pm, St George’s Bristol Marking the 500th anniversary of the death of Leonardo da Vinci, British vocal ensemble I Fagiolini celebrates da Vinci’s iconic work through projections of his most famous images while performing a programme featuring the work of Tallis, Monteverdi, Bach and more. Art historian and expert Martin Kemp and director Robert Hollingworth will introduce the evening. £5 – £30; stgeorgesbristol.co.uk Bristol Early Music Festival 3 – 5 May, All Saints Church, Clifton Bristol’s first festival featuring wonderful music from the Middle Ages to the 17th century, performed by local and international musicians. The programme features evening concerts, weekend morning and afternoon workshops for singers and players with experienced professional tutors, and an exhibition of instruments with talks and demonstrations. Events £5 – £12, or £25 for an advance festival pass to all the events; bristolearlymusicfestival.uk Bristol Phoenix Choir: JS Bach Mass in B minor 18 May, 7.45pm, Clifton Cathedral Bristol Phoenix Choir, under conductor Paul Walton, with the Fitzhardinge Consort and the Corelli Orchestra, will perform JS Bach’s B Minor Mass with soloists Daisy Walford (soprano), Rob Waters (counter-tenor), Chris Lombard (tenor), and Dan Robson (bass). Tickets £15, students £5, under-16s free, from Opus 13. Limited tickets available on the door; bristolphoenixchoir.org.uk Royal School of Needlework Open Day 19 May, 11am – 3pm, 38 Old School House, Kingswood If you’re interested in learning hand embroidery, then the Royal School of Needlework is offering an open day in Bristol to learn more about its day classes and certificates and diplomas which offer flexible courses covering the core techniques of hand embroidery; royal-needlework.org.uk n
Equus: The Other Richard/The Urban Folk Quartet
latest exhibition ‘Tattoo: British Tattoo Art Revealed’. Dr Troyer will consider the implications of marking a living body with representations of death, consider the evolution and psychology of these tattoos, and discuss current innovations in memorial tattooing. He will also discuss the practice of mixing the cremated ashes of a loved one in tattoo ink to form a physical and symbolic link to the deceased. Free entry, donations welcome; bristolmuseums.org.uk/m-shed
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BOOKS
Sustainability first The term ‘single-use’ was named Collins Dictionary’s 2018 word of the year – unsurprising perhaps as many of us are increasingly aware of the impact our lives are having on this planet. We found a few titles to help us be more conscious of our actions and understand how to help preserve the environment
Live Green: 52 steps for a more sustainable life
SIMPLE STEPS
MAKE A CHANGE
Lucy Siegle, £8.99, paperback, Orion Publishing Co
Jen Chillingsworth, £8.99, hardback, Quadrille Publishing
More than eight million tonnes of plastic end up in our oceans each year, with 300 million tonnes of new plastic being produced annually. If we carry on this way, plastic will outnumber the fish in our seas by 2050, to decidedly detrimental effect. Journalist and eco-lifestyle expert Lucy Siegle provides a clear guide on how to make effective changes in your everyday life to make a positive impact on the environment. If just 12 of us adopted Lucy’s ‘reduce, rethink, refill, refuse’ approach, we could potentially ditch 3,00015,000 single items of plastic in a year! Just think how things could change if more of us followed her guide...
A practical guide of 52 changes – one for each week of the year – that you can make to your home and lifestyle to reduce your impact. Tackling all areas of your life from your cleaning routine and home furnishings to food shopping, fashion choices, beauty and Christmas, this book can help you achieve a more sustainable lifestyle throughout the year.
21 Lessons for the 21st Century
LEARN
Yuval Noah Harari, £18.99, hardback, Vintage Publishing
Primate Change: How the world we made is remaking us Vybarr Cregan-Reid, £16.99, hardback, Octopus Publishing
This is the road from climate change to primate change. Cregan-Reid looks at how and why the human body has evolved since humankind first stood on two feet, and how modern technology will change us. The world has undergone significant development in the last two centuries; this book investigates how these environmental changes have impacted on our bodies and whether this has changed our DNA.
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Climate Justice: Hope, Resilience, and the Fight for a Sustainable Future
BE INSPIRED
Mary Robinson, £16.99, hardback, Bloomsbury Publishing
From the author of the international bestsellers Sapiens and Homo Deus. Harari’s latest book takes readers through the present day’s most urgent issues. How can we protect ourselves from nuclear war, ecological cataclysms and technological disruptions? What can we do about the epidemic of fake news or the threat of terrorism? 21 Lessons for the 21st Century explores how we can maintain and address the challenges the human race faces in a constantly changing world.
ANALYSE
Turning the Tide on Plastic
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“As an advocate for the hungry and the hunted, the forgotten and the ignored, Mary Robinson has not only shone a light on human suffering, but illuminated a better future for our world,” says former president Barack Obama. Robinson is one of the most important voices in the international fight against climate change, and here she shares the inspiring stories of those working for climate justice at grassroots level. These include those whose campaigns began in an East Biloxi hair salon and culminated in speaking at the United Nations, to farmers who transformed the fortunes of ailing communities in rural Uganda. A powerful and truthful account of the fight against change.
REFLECT
Sustainability: A History
Jeremy L. Caradonna, £14.49, paperback, Oxford University Press We buy ‘sustainable foods’ that were produced by ‘sustainable agriculture’, all as part of our ‘sustainable lifestyles’. The term ‘sustainability’ has come out of nowhere to dominate discussions around how we can preserve the world around us. Caradonna takes a historical perspective on this concept, discovering a movement that began as far back as the 1660s. He takes us from the late 17th century, through the Industrial Revolution, to present-day issues around ecology and conservation. n
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Time to sell at Clevedon Salerooms?
Audemars Piguet Chronometer
£16,500
Black Forest carved bear
Vizagapatam sewing box
18th Century Faience drug jars
£3,000
£3,200
£2,800
The above results are picked from Clevedon Salerooms recent March Quarterly Specialist Sale. In addition to a busy calendar of regular Antiques & Interiors Sales, preparations are already underway for the next Quarterly Sale. With that in mind Clevedon Salerooms are holding one of their popular free jewellery, watch, silver & gold valuation days at Stoke Lodge, Bristol on Tuesday 16th April (Details below). Our gemmologist John Kelly will assess all fine jewellery and silver, whilst Marc Burridge will be appraising watches. For more information visit our new website or contact the Salerooms.
Free Valuation Days in April
Fine Art Auctioneers & Valuers
8th, 9th & 29th, 30th At the Salerooms 9.30am – 1pm and 2pm – 5pm --------------------------------------------------
Bristol Jewellery & Watch Valuation Day Tuesday 16th April 10am – 4pm At Stoke Lodge, Shirehampton Rd, BS9 1BN (Ample Free parking)
Every lot in every sale illustrated and sold with live internet bidding
The Auction Centre Kenn Road, Kenn Clevedon, BS21 6TT
Tel: 01934 830111 www.clevedon-salerooms.com
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EXHIBITIONS
STATE OF THE ART See work by Mark Blackmore and other superb artists
Bristol Savages, Red Lodge, from 27 April – 11 May There is a wigwam on Park Row in Bristol, but not many people know it because for most of the year it’s closed to the public. But in the spring, it becomes an art gallery where all are welcome to view and buy original paintings and drawings by the artist members of the Bristol Savages club. The wigwam is an extension to the Elizabethan Red Lodge on Park Row; built in the garden in 1919, in the style of a medieval tithe barn. This year, Bristol Savages are celebrating the 100th anniversary of the saving of the Red Lodge for the future. Today the wigwam is used as a meeting place where artists can go to work together. This creative fellowship still thrives, and the society now includes creative performers – singers, musicians, magicians and poets – who entertain in the wigwam every Wednesday night. The artist members come together at the same time and are given a subject for the night, to draw or paint in two hours. These ‘sketches’ are then displayed and sold to fellow members. The exhibition has been an annual event since 1904, apart from a couple of years during the Second World War. It’s an art extravaganza, offering an opportunity to purchase professional art works of every genre, created by Bristol artists including Michael Long, John Palmer, Anthony Pace and David Reed. Unlike the weekly sketches, these pieces are the fruits of sketching excursions and many days of intensive studio work over the year.
• bristol-savages.org
Altered Ocean, Royal Photographic Society, 4 April – 23 June
Soup: Turtle by Mandy Barker
A new exhibition by award-winning photographer Mandy Barker, whose work investigates the issue of marine plastic debris. Working with scientists, she aims to highlight current research on the effects on marine life and, ultimately, ourselves. Large-scale prints provide an insight into her journey and connection with the issue over the past 10 years. Plastic and scientific samples allow the visitor to engage fully with the current critical issue. The achievements in relation to this work show the power of photography to communicate, educate and inform, but above all it will further help to create awareness by empowering change. Film producer and plastic pollution campaigner Jo Ruxton will also give a talk on her work with BBC’s Blue Planet and co-founding Plastics Ocean UK (the first charity focused on plastics) on 26 April. There will also be a ‘meet the artist’ event with Mandy Barker at the RPS on 18 May. • rps.org
Gaudier-Brzeska: Disputing the Earth, RWA, until 2 June French artist Henri Gaudier-Brzeska (1891 – 1915) created an astonishing range of animalinspired artworks. This will be the first exhibition to examine his full range as an animal artist and the significance the animal kingdom held for him. Including works as varied as wallpaper designs, sculptures and sketches, the show will be grouped according to the places Gaudier found his subjects – zoo, park, wilderness. The collection will demonstrate his stylistic variety and the extent to which his abstract work was rooted in the observation of nature. He spent two years here in the South West, sketching in Bristol, Cardiff and surrounding countryside, and this exhibition brings Gaudier-Brzeska's sculptures and drawings back to Bristol, a century after he first explored the city. • rwa.org.uk
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Bird Swallowing a Fish, c.1913–14, cast 1964, bronze. Tate: Purchased 196. Photo © Tate, London 2019
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EXHIBITIONS
Peregrine Study by Jim Starr
Fresh Art Fair, Cheltenham Racecourse, 26 – 28 April An easy and exciting way to see 51 leading UK galleries in one place, with a glass of wine or a coffee. There will be 5,000 original prints and paintings, sculpture, glass and ceramics from emerging new talent to Royal Academicians, with prices from as little as £100 right up to £20,000 or more. Blake, Hockney, Hirst, Emin, Sutherland and McLean will all be there. Expect print-making demonstrations by Jim Starr; talks on framing by London experts Darbyshire; talks on art in interior design by Instagram star Dee Campling; and director of the Royal West of England Academy Alison Bevan on understanding contemporary art; plus painting and sculpting demos. Unlimited free parking. • freshartfair.net
Singing Colour: A Celebration Of The Visible, Clifton Contemporary, 9 April – 3 May The intense series of screen prints created by Patrick Heron through the 1970s draw you into a realm defined by unfettered visual sensation. They are colour, space and shape set free from the dictates of symbolism or mimesis. This is art as direct, pure engagement with the visible world. For spring, the gallery will be showing a collection of these timeless and joyous works. They will be complemented by and contrasted with pieces from other 20th-century masters, including Terry Frost, William Scott, John Piper, John Hoyland and Patrick Caulfield. • cliftoncontemporaryart.co.uk
French Landscape by John Piper
The Young Americans, Rainmaker Gallery, until 8 June Contemporary images of and by a new generation of indigenous American artists. The diverse imagery embraces traditional, political, dynamic and exuberant facets of Native American life today. See acrylic and oil paintings, screen prints, monotypes and photographs, with influences from street art, Japanese anime, Italian renaissance, pop art and abstract expressionism.
We love this bright piece by Phillip Vigil Jemez Pueblo and Jicarilla Apache)
• rainmakerart.co.uk
Cartman, Evans and Kelly, Lime Tree Gallery, 6 – 20 April A powerful exhibition of new work by Sam Cartman, John Evans and Barry Kelly. These three artists have contrasting styles but are nevertheless complementary. John Evans paints mainly urban cityscapes, often around Bristol; Sam Cartman portrays the uplands of southern Scotland and northern England; while Barry Kelly, who is new to the gallery, paints the gentler landscapes of southern and south-western England. • limetreegallery.com
From the Loch by Sam Cartman See awesome work by Adrian Bates
Easter Sculpture Festival, Bristol Botanic Garden, 19 – 22 April Greek gods, tagelmust-attired Tuareg musicians from the Sahara, a bronze fox skulking across the grass, swirling multimedia figures, stained-glass creations and bronze and marble sculptures based on Buddhist prayer wheels all welcome the visitor to this year’s sculpture festival. The Botanic Garden provides a unique setting with its own backdrop of sculptural elements including soaring bamboos, prehistoric tree ferns, giant leaves and exotic treasures in the glasshouses – see enchanting creations in the Chinese Medicinal Herb Garden next to the Evolutionary Dell. Jude Goss (Lucian Stained Glass) and Aurora Pozniakow will take full advantage of the Bamboo Pavilion while willow weaver Maya Wolf will help visitors create willow sculptures to take home to their garden. Watch demos by chainsaw wood carver Denius Parson and enjoy children’s trails, free garden tours and refreshments in the Arts & Crafts mansion. • bristol.ac.uk/botanic-garden
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Saturday April 27th to Saturday May 11th 2019 Open every day from 10am – 4.45pm. The Red Lodge, Park Row, Bristol. Entrance in Lodge Street. Entrance Free.
All Paintings are For Sale
www.bristol-savages.org info@bristol-savages.org
Commission a portrait in oils Robert Highton 07939 224598; rhighton@mail.com; robhightonart.com
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EXHIBITIONS | MEET THE ARTIST
A night at the observatory For one evening only, international artist and musician JP Jones is showcasing his intriguing sound-based portraits, which he likens to “playing music on canvas”...
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nfluenced by his career as a recording musician, JP Jones’ striking artwork first stemmed from a desire to combine audio and visual mediums and resulted in a journey into printing oscilloscope laser movements based on vocals, which brought him onto his most recent series of works. He spends half of his time in Sydney and has had a varied career and life to say the least – from his upbringing on the rides of his family’s fairgrounds in Porthcawl, to art school in London and then his music career globally, writing for names including Cher and James Morrison. He’s due to show his artwork in LA later this year, but first he’s in Bristol hosting a pop-up exhibition at Clifton Observatory on 11 April. Counting the likes of Madonna, Boy George and Orlando Bloom among his buyers, JP and his pieces are becoming quite an investment, with the value of the work increasing threefold since being exhibited in Sydney two years ago. Why the Observatory? The space has a unique energy to it, being on the top of a hill with spectacular views. I love exhibiting my art in places where you would never expect to find it. I want to give people a completely different experience than that of a gallery when they come to see my work. What inspires you? I’ve been in the music industry for the last 15 years so I am totally inspired by songs. I wanted to combine music with art, hence developing a technique to visualise sound. Each of my paintings is a visual representation of sound. From a laser beam reflection on a mirror on a vibrating speaker I paint the sound patterns of songs in and around portraits of the artist. I am inside the song as I work. The same as when you are playing the songs live or in the studio, I am painting the songs live in the studio, playing the music on canvas. I’m a huge fan of contemporary artists like Pollock and Basquiat, and the same for modern graffiti-style painters like Retna and Danny Minnick. I’m busy exploring some of my favourite Bristol recording artists which are translating well through my medium. You’ll have to come along to find out which ones they are... What do you love about Bristol and its creative scene? I’ve played many gigs in Bristol at venues like The Fleece, Thekla and 02 Academy in my band Grace. Bristol has always had a buzz about it that is hard to describe unless you go there and experience it for yourself. I love the music and art scene, the people, the food and the fact that you can see untouched Banksys around the place! I have huge respect for Massive Attack; they’re poets and musical geniuses. We used to go out and spend Saturdays in Bristol as kids, and my best mate lives in Clifton Wood. But my main connection is from playing all the shows there. Crazy beautiful memories. You’ve written music for big artists – what’s been most memorable? I’d say I’m most proud of the album I made with Chrissie Hynde. To write and sing a duet album with such a rock legend, then tour extensively, is something I’ll never forget. The song Courage from the
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album Fidelity by JP, Chrissie and The Fairground Boys always got me right in the gut. I’m proud of Sirens which I co-wrote for Cher. What’s in store for the summer? I’m off to LA in May to do a one-night show. Many of my music and art friends live over there and they have been asking me to do it for a while. It’s the perfect opportunity to go back to my music roots and bring both worlds together for the first time in the States. ■ • jpjonesart.com
From a laser beam reflection on a mirror on a vibrating speaker, JP (pictured below) paints the sound patterns of songs
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THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA GOES WEST... The Great Wall of China is not going anywhere – although a part of it has found its way to Somerset. A single stone from the internationally famous structure, which is over 21000 km long, was given to Bristol Rotary Club by Shanghai Rotary Club in 1929. Peter Guttridge, an active Rotarian for over 40 years at clubs including Hong Kong, California and now Bristol, expressed delight on behalf of the Club when the stone was auctioned at Lawrences in Crewkerne: “The stone has been a treasured piece of history here at the club since it was originally gifted to us by the Shanghai Rotary Club all those years ago. However, the time felt right to part with it and the final price far exceeded our expectations.” The Rotary Club supports numerous charitable causes and puts all such funds towards campaigns both locally and abroad. “We plan to use some of the money to fund relief efforts in international disaster areas,” explains Peter. “And the rest will go towards local youth and community efforts, as well as helping to clean up the harbour here as part of the ‘Clean Up Bristol’ campaign.” The growing relationship between the Rotary Club and Lawrences has come about as part of Lawrences’ continuing expansion into the Bristol area. “Peter and I originally met at our monthly valuation morning at the Clifton Club,” explains valuer Andy Sagar. “I then went to see the Great Wall stone in person and it was consigned for sale soon after. It was quite a surprise to find a part of something so famous in a club in Bristol but we have very successful sales of Oriental items in Crewkerne and this stone fitted in perfectly, just as it did on the Great Wall of China 500 years ago.” Lawrences valuation mornings take place towards the end of every month at the Clifton Club in Clifton village. For further details, please contact: Andy Sagar, Valuer T 01460 73041 E andy.sagar@lawrences.co.uk
Lawrences AUCTIONEERS The Linen Yard, South Street, Crewkerne, Somerset TA18 8AB. T 01460 73041
lawrences.co.uk
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TRAVEL | EUROPEAN
Join a Strandbar party on the river Spree
Touring...
Brandenburg Gate, Berlin
TEUTONIA Whether the agenda demands a visit to a fancy schloss or gallery; cocktails and beach-bar hopping; gorgeous walks or delectable architecture, art and design, Germany has much to offer, says Simon Horsford
Bauhaus-style building in Weimar
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TRAVEL | EUROPEAN
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ermany isn’t on everyone’s radar when it comes to a holiday. But it should be. And more and more British travellers are heading there – in 2017, the number of overnight stays was up to 5.6 million with 6.9 million predicted by 2030. Bristol Airport has regular flights to Berlin and Cologne – there were, in fact, six destinations before the demise of Flybmi earlier this year and hopefully they will be replaced. So why should we go? For one, the sheer variety and choice of holidays, from hiking to culture (the Association of British Travel Agents has, for instance, called it a “cultural powerhouse”) and mountains to beaches (yes, they have those too). Then there’s its powerful and very recent history. There are cool or rustic bars aplenty (the country offers more than 5,000 different beers in the various regions) and luxurious spas. The food scene is strong too (a world away from sausages, although they do have 1,200 varieties, and sauerkraut). So for 2019, here are five ideas to get your Teutonic tour underway.
Designs for living: Bauhaus centenary Literally meaning ‘building house’, the hugely influential Bauhaus school with its union of functional design, minimalist style and geometric simplicity emerged 100 years ago but only lasted 14 years – when it was stamped out by the Nazis in 1933. Yet its revolutionary ideals and elegant designs have been seen in everything from housing estates and factories and even a coal mine to art and typography and ultimately Bauhaus sparked the Modernist movement. It’s taken a while for Germany to properly re-embrace the role of Bauhaus, but this year two museums devoted to the revolutionary art school will open. The cradle of Bauhaus can be found in Weimar and Dessau and, in the former, the new Bauhaus Museum Weimar opens its doors on 6 April. Designed by Heike Hanada, it will trace the early phase of the movement with a display of more than a 1,000 related works, from Marianne Brandt’s teapot to chairs by Marcel Brauer, furniture by Mies van der Rohé and paintings by Paul Klee. Enjoy part of a collection started by Bauhaus founder and architect Walter Gropius. The only remaining Bauhaus building in Weimar, the Haus am Horn designed by Georg Muche, will also open to the public on 18 May; it was built for the first Bauhaus exhibition of 1923. In Dessau, a striking steel and glass building will form the Bauhaus Museum in a city park. With temporary exhibitions and hundreds more objects from the Bauhaus collection, it’ll add another layer to the movement’s memory. This opens 8 September.
The royal connection: Victoria and Albert 2019 marks the 200th anniversary of the births of Queen Victoria (24 May) and Prince Albert (26 August). Several exhibitions will mark the event and emphasise the British crown’s strong German links – Queen Victoria was the daughter of Princess Victoria of Saxe-CoburgSaalfeld, while Albert, a cousin, was the Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. It was only in 1917 that King George V changed the royal family’s name from Saxe-Coburg and Gotha to Windsor. So if you hanker after a royal angle, visit some of the castles associated with Victoria and Albert. This is a country, after all, that is said to have more than 25,000 castles – the Germans certainly love a fancy schloss. Friedenstein Castle in Gotha (stiftungfriedenstein.de) was where Queen Victoria declared “I feel so at home here” after dancing with Prince Albert during a stay in 1845. The vast Baroque castle and its Ducal Museum will feature two relevant exhibitions this year. ‘Marriage as a Success Model: German-English Marriages’ (5 May – 30 November) focuses on the marriage policy of the Ernestine dynasty, in particular Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, and Princess Augusta, who married Friedrich Ludwig of Hanover, later Prince of Wales, and became the mother of King George III. A further exhibition, ‘Gotha and the English Crown’ (4 August – 27 October) will display portraits of this dynastic relationship. The Ekhof Festival also takes place here at the Ekhof Theatre, the oldest Baroque theatre in the world (28 June – 4 August). Worth visiting too is Schloss Rosenau in Coburg (schloessercoburg.de/deutsch/rosenau), the birthplace of Prince Albert which is set in an English-style landscaped park. Victoria and Albert also spent time at the hilltop Wartburg Castle in Eisenach (wartburg.de), a UNESCO World Heritage Site and said to be “the most German of all German castles.”
Back to the wall It’s 30 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall, a seismic event that will be commemorated on 9 November. The once-divided city of Berlin together with former East German cities such as Dresden and Leipzig have various events marking the peaceful revolution that swept away the Deutsche Demokratische Republik. It’s Leipzig, though, that it’s worth making a beeline for. It was here, after all, where the second city of Saxony kickstarted the revolution a month early – on 9 October – with several weeks of Monday-night demonstrations. At its peak, 70,000 people turned out on the streets demanding greater freedom and democracy and chanting “we are the people” and “no violence.” This year (on 9 October) the city will again stage a Festival of Lights in Augustusplatz with performances by a variety of international artists. Throughout the event visitors and locals will be encouraged to form an illuminated ‘89’ with thousands of candles. For a reminder of what life was like in the former East Germany, head to Runde Ecke (runde-ecke-leipzig.de), a former base of the Stasi secret police and now a fascinating museum devoted to its nefarious workings, its methods and how it controlled day-to-day life. As a member of the citizens committee that set up the museum says; “It gives an insight into what happens when democracy and freedom are missing.” Check out, too, the Museum Zeitgeschichtiches Forum Leipzig (hdg.de) which presents a history of Germany since 1945 under the title of ‘our history, dictatorship and democracy.’
Hiking highs Germans certainly love their hiking – so much that there is a National Hiking Day (14 May) which combines with Healthy Hiking Weekend. Ten new trails (Bavaria and Baden-Wurttemberg) have been announced this year and in all there are some 124,000 miles of trails throughout the country, leading through national parks and eyecatching towns and villages. Test your walking boots and stamina on The Painters’ Way in Saxon Switzerland, which runs for some 70 miles (you can do bits of it) and begins in Pirna. Running through the Elbe sandstone mountains, it’s a tough trail (there are iron ladders at one point) but highlights include the Lichtenhain waterfall, Königstein fortress and the spa town of Bad Schandau. The hike is so-named because it attracted 19th-century Romantic painters, such as Casper David Friedrich. The Danube Peaks Trail has the advantage that its 35 miles can be explored in four daily stages (bear in mind you are climbing more than 3,200 metres). On the edge of the Swabian Jura, it’s considered a good practice for the Alps.
Berlin: summer in the city This most cosmopolitan of cities is wonderful in summer, with everything from beer gardens and lakes to pop-up beach bars on the river Spree. Known for its nightlife, it comes into its own from May to September. The mother of all beach bars is the Strandbar Mitte – across from Museum Island – and here you will find an Italian theme and even palm trees. If you want to mix with local elite then make for Ku’damm Beach in the Grunewald district where you can sip Champagne on white sun loungers set on floating wooden walkways over Halensee Lake. For something rather different go to Deck5 – Skybar (Schönhauser Allee 80), which offers views over the Berlin skyline as you dip your feet in sand. Want to watch an open-air movie? There are several sites, but one of the most fun is Autokino (Kurt Schumacher Damm), a drive-in where the sound comes via your car radio. They do cool snacks and cocktails too. Love ice cream? Then Aldemir Eis (Falckensteinstrasse 7) is the place to go, where the owner sees ice cream like fashion with different varieties for every year. Berlin’s lakes, too, are a must-see – why not take a dip in one such as Schlachtensee in the middle of a forest in the south-west of Berlin? Or take a stroll around the boardwalk. And you can’t possibly miss out on a beer garden. A popular one with locals is Prater Biergarten (Kastanienallee 7-9), which has been around since 1837 and serves excellent local dishes and copious amounts of great beer. ■ • germany.travel
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HEALTH & LEISURE
Bristol Lido (image by Andre Pattenden). Through the 1960s it was a place to play games in the shallows and meet people – quite the opposite of the dedicated swimmers ploughing up and down today
The Colonnade on the Portway is all that is left of Hotwells' original spa complex. So many visitors died in Hotwells that in 1787 a new graveyard had to be dug on Lower Clifton Hill
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College Green Turkish Baths
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HEALTH & LEISURE
Taking the waters Bristol Lido follows in the footsteps of the grand Victorian health spas. Jess Connett charts their ebbs and flows
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ver the last 150 years, the fashions for bathing in Bristol have changed with the tides. Now a chic spa with an outdoor pool, Bristol Lido was built in 1850 as a washing facility for Clifton residents. At the turn of the 20th century the baths were combined to create a municipal swimming pool that filled the footprint of the building. Hazy colour prints show it 70 years later painted duck-egg blue, with a sun terrace and Hockney-esque water. Now, with a second sauna currently being built poolside, the Victorian spa fashions of its time are coming full circle. “The Turkish bath must, sooner or later, revolutionise the so-called medical science of the world,” Charles Bartholomew told physicians from Bristol General Hospital in 1866. Ten years earlier he had brought the Turkish-style sauna to Bristol, having himself been cured of gout by the dry steam. His first effort in Bedminster was shortlived, but his second, within the former Great Western Hotel on College Green, endured for 100 years. By the time he died, Bartholemew owned a steam bathing empire of which Bristol was the jewel in the crown. It was no sterile leisure centre. Opulent rugs covered the tiled floors of the chilly cooling room. There were hot and cold plunge baths, a gymnasium, a swimming pool and “an excellent reading room with all the London and provincial newspapers,” Bartholomew boasted in an 1865 advert. He fervently believed in the power of his baths to cure the ailments that plagued city-dwellers. With 50,000 people passing through the doors within 11 years, by the time he addressed the doctors he had collected testimonials from some 800 bathers, who swore it had cured their rheumatism, sciatica, and even blindness. “I went to Mr Bartholomew’s bath with crutches, and after a few baths I could dance a hornpipe,” General Sir Abraham Roberts of Royal York Crescent reportedly wrote. The supposed curative powers of Bristol’s waters were nothing new. For centuries, sailors had drunk from a warm spring that bubbled out of St Vincent Rocks in Hotwells, believing it warded off scurvy. The spring was enclosed in 1630, and by 1696 the first elegant spa house was built on what is now the Portway. Only its curved colonnade survives beside the thundering traffic. Initially the niche of the wellto-do, as reports of health benefits for diseases including diabetes and consumption (tuberculosis) multiplied, so doctors began recommending the terminally ill take the waters. So many visitors died in Hotwells that in 1787 a new graveyard had to be dug – Strangers’ Burial Ground on Lower Clifton Hill. Sea bathing put the spa out of fashion for a few decades, but in 1898 Clifton Grand Spa and Hydro Hotel was built as an attempt to revive it. In the ornate pump room near the top station of Clifton Rocks Railway, the water was piped in and could be drunk from a fountain. Beneath what is now the terrace of the Avon Gorge Hotel were Russian and Turkish-style sauna baths decorated with stained glass windows, marble pools hewn from the rock, massage rooms, shallow wave baths, and poultice pits. Advances in the understanding of disease contributed to the declining popularity of Hotwells’ spa water; as did testing of the water in 1912, which showed it was more than 100 times more
radioactive than the normal supply. More leisure time led to the outdoor swimming heyday of the 1930s, when Clifton’s lido became the first in the UK to be electrically heated by metal elements, like a giant kettle. Through the 1960s it was a place to play games in the shallows and meet people – quite the opposite of the dedicated swimmers ploughing up and down the pool today. After its popularity waned in favour of big indoor pools like Horfield Leisure Centre in the 1980s, the lido closed. It may never have been reinvented as a spa had wild swimming not been coming back into favour around 2005, when founder Arne Ringner bought the site. “I thought we could put some big fish in the pool,” he says, looking down at the sparkling water from the big first-floor windows of the restaurant. “I thought it would look quite exciting – you could sit up here and watch some sharks slowly cruising around. It was only when we started work that we thought people would pay money to swim, rather than having to hire in the fish.” The spa has developed under the guidance of general manager Mark Thwaites, and in the decade the lido has been open, a community of people has grown around it. “I think I’ve become very aware that this form of activity does have much greater properties and function than just coming here for the day,” says Arne. “A great number of people come up to me and say, ‘if you were not here I would have left Bristol a long time ago,’ or ‘I moved to Bristol because of this’. It has become a very important Arne Ringner part of their lives. It’s a community oasis.” ■
The Pump Room, Hydro Hotel and baths. The chimney heated the water in the baths
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FOOD & Drink
TASTY TIDBITS FROM THE CITY’S RESTAURANTS, CHEFS AND PRODUCERS John Watson and Larkin Cen (image by Kirstie Young)
NEW GIN KLAXON! Bristol Distilling Company has unveiled an exciting new duo of flavoured gin liqueurs: 77 Berry (raspberry and pomegranate) and 77 Blush (grapefruit and rose), both ideal for mixing with tonic, lemonade, soda, or prosecco for a delicate spritz. “At the heart of these beautiful mid-strength flavoured gin liqueurs is a base of our award-winning London Dry Gin, Gin 77,” said company founder Jake Black,”which is made using 10 botanicals including juniper, angelica, orange and pink pepper.” These are the first releases in a range of gin liqueurs from Bristol Distilling Company. Based in Bristol and founded in 2017, its products have a modern take on both flavour and design, with bottle art derived from the work of local artist Frea Buckler. Available now in Tesco stores nationwide, 77 Berry and 77 Blush are priced at £18 for a 50cl bottle (20% abv).
JUST OPENED AT CARGO 2 Chef Larkin Cen opened his third restaurant in Bristol last month at Wapping Wharf. Woky Ko: Kaiju, situated above Meatbox and Squeezed, is serving a ramen menu as well as seasonal vegetable, fish and meat yakitori skewer dishes cooked on traditional Japanese robata grills. The restaurant’s kitchen is being lead by new head chef John Watson, whose restaurant No Man’s Grace (on Chandos Road) was recently sold. The inspiration is informal Japanese dining style Izakaya – with Kaiju serving barbecued skewers seared over the specialist Binchotan charcoal. As well as ramen, the menu features ferments, a soy sauce-based house glaze called tare flavouring the meat dishes, and seafood and veg from producers such as Wild Harbour and Grow Bristol. Drinks include beer, wines and cocktails such as a Nikka Tan Old Fashioned and Psychopomp Woky gin Negroni. There is space for around 40 diners with eight seats in front of the grills to watch the chefs at work, as well as an outside terrace. “The addition of John to the Woky Ko family is massively exciting,” says Larkin. “I’m sure we can teach each other a thing or two! It’s also really important to me that we can impart knowledge of another type of Asian cuisine to the chefs we nurture to keep passing on the traditions and art of Asian cooking; this is my mission with all the Woky Ko restaurants. I absolutely love the community that has been created down at Wapping Wharf, so much so I really wanted to open Kaiju here.” John adds: “Cooking on the Japanese robata grill will bring an exciting, new concept that we hope customers will love. Expect a seasonally led menu with ever-changing dishes.” • wokyko.com
MILESTONE MOMENT
Bristol Craft Beer Festival has announced an all-female line-up of DJs to bring the noise this year’s event across 7 & 8 June. Expect some of the biggest names on the UK scene, including Jamz Supernova and Mollie Collins, Sherry S and Indika. Organisers have also partnered with Bristol Grass Roots Music School and independent record label Saffron Records – comprised of former Ngaio members of Bristol Women in Music. Bristol DJs Glade Marie, Synthiia and Ngaio will also be spinning and selecting, so fans can bask in both beats and beer at Lloyds Amphitheatre. With more breweries to be confirmed, plus the city’s best street food, tickets are £45.50 (includes beer, tasting glass and programme).
Fifteen Cornwall – Jamie Oliver’s beach restaurant at Watergate Bay – is expecting its one millionth guest this month, and it could be you. To celebrate, it’s holding a competition to win a threenight VIP experience for two. You’ll stay at Watergate Bay Hotel, and each night will present a different taste of the Bay – including dining experiences at Zacry’s and the Beach Hut, plus the red-carpet treatment at Fifteen Cornwall, with a six-course tasting menu and wines to match. The prize also includes a day of bespoke, one-off experiences. If you’re a surfer dude, take a lesson with the Extreme Academy. If you fancy yourself as a mixologist, shake some epic cocktails with Fifteen’s bar team… Want to be a chef for the day? Yep, they can offer that too. “When Fifteen started 12 years ago, the idea behind it was revolutionary,” said chief executive Matthew Thomson. “Young people who were not in employment or education – even some with criminal records – were going to be given the chance they deserved. Since then, 196 trainees have been part of the scheme, and 91% of those who completed their training are now in employment.” Matthew is also chief executive of the Cornwall Food Foundation, which receives 100% of Fifteen’s profits, and runs the restaurant’s apprenticeship scheme. “One million customers is an achievement, and everyone at Fifteen is excited to celebrate with our guests throughout April and pick a lucky winner.” All guests visiting for breakfast, lunch or dinner throughout April will be entered into the competition.
• bristolcraftbeerfestival.co.uk
• fifteencornwall.co.uk
• bristoldistilling.com
BASK IN BEATS AND BEER
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Award winning fish & chips www.cliftonvillagefishbar.co.uk www.stokebishopfishbar.co.uk 4 Princess Victoria Street, Clifton, Bristol, BS8 4BP 13 Druid Hill, Stoke Bishop, Bristol, BS9 1EW
the delicious guide the best places in Bristol to eat, drink and enjoy
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FOOD & DRINK
This image and left: stylish creations from Flow, surprisingly located beside the Bear Pit
Gopal’s Curry Shack is the brainchild of bezzies Melanie Taylor and Heather Simmonds, who started the Horfield Supper Club, and offers vibrant veggie victuals
Plant-based Bristol We’re told that Bristol’s concentration of vegan-related searches on Google surpasses every other city in the world. Melissa Blease takes a closer look at varied offering across a few of its many quality hotspots
A
ccording to Livekindly (livekindly.co) – the communitybased media conglomerate focused on sustainable and compassionate living – it’s estimated that the number of vegans living in the UK soared to 3.5million in 2018, up a whopping 700% on the previous year. And which UK city earned 100% in the vegan popularity score and first place in the European ranking? Bristol! To celebrate the city’s title as vegan capital of the UK, we took a whistlestop tour of the liveliest, most vibrant plant-based hotspots on our doorsteps.
For the latest vegan eatery news: Flip Lifelong vegetarian and recent vegan convert Sophie Fox (who has spent the last eight years running Café Create at The Create Centre in Hotwells) has a new venture set to open on North Street any moment now. A dedicated vegan deli and café, Flip is on track to offer a range of gorgeous, affordable vegan dishes including hearty pies, saucy pasta dishes, life-enhancing salads and much more, to eat 58 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE
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in or take away. Sophie is collaborating with a carefully selected variety of small, local artisan food producers to bring an abundance of local loveliness to her menus, while all the packaging used in the plastic-free environment will either be fully compostable or reusable. Isn’t it lovely when new news is good news? • flipfood.co.uk
For reluctant vegans: Oowee Vegan Until very recently, dirty burgers, filthy fries and fully-loaded sundaes were all tucked away on the guilty pleasures list that few foodies would admit to indulging in – and totally, utterly off-limits for those who preferred their guilty pleasures cruelty free. But oh, how times have changed! Today, it’s possible to take a 100% vegan route to the grubby fast-fix satiation that folk who give up meat think they have to give up, while diners, drive ins and dives are riding high on the destination dining charts. Case in point?
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FOOD & DRINK
• ooweevegan.com
for a dynamic treat to-go. Sourcing is meticulous, seasonality dictates to the selection on offer almost by the hour, and strict environmental and eco-friendly policies guarantee that this plasticand waste-free zone is as good for our planet as it is for its inhabitants. If you want to take it one step further, its Roots Morocco retreat project launches this spring, in a rustic village hideaway near the port town of Essaouira, on the south-western coast of Morocco. Meticulously planned by Rebecca and her team out in Morocco, the Roots getaway combines the vibrant flavours of juicing with rejuvenating pursuits including yoga, meditation, surfing and walking.
For plant-based parties: Koocha
• beetsnroots.com
Oowee Vegan (Baldwin Street) specialises in clean-eating dirty burgers, gut-friendly, gut-busting fries and vegan versions of all the trimmings (fried ‘chicken’; plastic cheese; sweaty mayo; creamy shakes etc) that you’d expect to find in a classic downtown LA dive, served up in a small but perfectly formed (and, thankfully, superclean) little Bristol diner. The ‘beef’ in the burgers is plant-based, the ‘chicken’ is made from seitan (washed wheat gluten) and the ‘cheese’ has had less contact with dairy than Gwyneth Paltrow’s children. In the mood for face-free filth? Look no further...
Those who speak fluent Persian will know that Koocha simply translates as ‘corner’ – and this little hub for non-stop exotic vegan scrumptiousness has totally transformed an otherwise prosaic little corner of Zetland Road. For owner Noda Marvani, Koocha represents an authentic taste of her Iranian heritage through dishes created using some of the oldest cooking techniques and flavour combinations in food history. The vibrant, colourful mezze-style menus are designed to be shared (mezze menus did, after all, provide the original foundation for the contemporary small plate ‘habit’) and waltz us through a selection that incorporates the familiar (falafel; hummus; tzatziki; chickpea and spinach stew) to tantalising lesserspotted delights such as koopa, eggless kookoo and ghormeh sabzi. (Once you’ve discovered them, you won’t want a week to go by without tasting them again.) Breakfasts go large here from Friday to Sunday, and those of us with big appetites can binge on vegan doners, koftas and even a Bandari sub (a hot dog, no less). The cocktails, meanwhile, can only be described as heavenly...
For year-round festival fans: Gopal’s Curry Shack
• koochamezzebar.com
You’re at a festival, you’ve got all your best mates in tow, you’re having the time of your life – and you’re starving. You come across a lovely, lively little hut serving lovely, lively, large portions of the kind of vibrant veggie victuals that make you feel as though summer will last forever. Think fresh, just-the-right-amount-of-spicy stuff such as moreish pakoras flecked with wild garlic; sweet potatoes and colourful peppers in dreamy, creamy coconut sauce; samosas drenched in a velvety tomato curry, topped with exotic date and tamarind chutney; onion bhaji Scotch eggs. Yes, really! Oh, if only festival food this good could be a year-round treat! Well actually, it can be if you jig your way along to Unit 2, Cargo 2 on Wapping Wharf, where you’ll find tiny little Gopal’s Curry Shack, the brainchild of bezzies Melanie Taylor and Heather Simmonds, who first collaborated in 2011 when they started the Horfield Supper Club based in Heather’s home. Want to put a festival-fuelled spring in your step, right here, right now? Go to Gopal’s and grab your gloriously gorgeous gratification.
The home-from-home experience: Eat Your Greens
• gopalscurryshack.co.uk
Mismatched furniture, wild flowers in jam jars, books by local authors on the shelves. Big breakfasts to set you up for the day ahead; a bowl of something uplifting to pick you up at lunchtime; a home-cooked supper and a local cider to chill you out when the sun finally sets. A safe space for all, where everybody feels welcome. Are we actually at home? No – we’re eating our greens at Eat Your Greens, a properly friendly neighbourhood haven of plant-based delight on the Totterdown side of the Wells Road, where chef/proprietor Babs (previously responsible for legendary vegan pitstops Roll for the Soul and Café Kino) has created a totally unpretentious, charmingly affable daytime café/night-time bistro with menus that offer all things to all comers, where super-cosy comfort food (including amazing homemade cakes) snuggles up alongside inspirational attention-grabbers such as chipotle cashew cheese, seasonal roots in tempura or smoked carrot lox with almond cream cheese and black seaweed ‘caviar’. On the drinks front, local brews mingle happily with wonderful, well-priced wines, while local and ethical sourcing policies are writ large throughout Babs’ overall ethos at every turn. Eat Your Greens is, quite simply, just a lovely place to be. • eatyourgreensbristol.com
For holistic happiness: Beets ‘n’ Roots Rebecca Du Plessis used to be a dedicated raver. These days, her fave rave revolves around healthy, wholesome, good times for body, mind, soul and planet – and her principles are showcased to their very best advantage at Beets ‘n’ Roots, the thoroughly chilled-out, super-welcoming, mellow sanctuary of good cheer on Cotham Hill. You could say that holistic health is in Rebecca’s blood; her mum established the UK’s first holistic health centre (The Natural Health Clinic) in the same neighbourhood back in 1981. Beets ‘n’ Roots complements, supports and perpetuates Rebecca’s heritage courtesy of vibrant, life-enhancing menus based around mega-nutritious, organic, plant-based goodness for all, whether you’re chilling out within (or outside, on the gorgeous little sunken sundeck) or opting
...The ‘beef’ is plant-based, the ‘chicken’ is made from seitan (washed wheat gluten) and the ‘cheese’ has had less contact with dairy than Gwyneth Paltrow’s children.... For cool-hunters: Flow This neat, smart, artfully stylish little restaurant is not where you’d expect to discover a restaurant this neat, smart and artfully stylish: to find it, you have to wander along the soulless little stretch of concrete walkway twixt Bear Pit and bus station, and only then between 6pm and 9pm on Wednesday through to Saturday evenings. But go with the, erm, rather insalubrious flow, because there’s foodie gold at journey’s end. Alex Poulter and Polly Frost established the East Bristol Bakery in 2012 before taking a change of direction to open Flow three years later, with an aim to “take a more contemporary, inclusive approach to plant-focused dining” – and my goodness, the pair have beyond fulfilled that aim. Small plates go large on bright, bold flavours here and certain combinations are unique, to say the least (at the time of writing, for example, poppy seed and buttermilk twiglets with cheese on toast custard – like, wow?!) But such combinations are not even distantly related to gimmickry; every single element on every single plate of Flow’s impeccably considered array brings a sheer, uplifting blast of astonishment to the table, at prices that leave you marvelling at how food can be this good at such a down-to-earth price. • flowbristol.co.uk THEBRISTOLMAG.CO.UK
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BRISTOL UPDATES
BITE-SIZED BUSINESS AND COMMUNITY NEWS FROM ACROSS THE CITY Kristal McNamara of Flexology (left) with Caroline Beardkins of Proctors
A UK FIRST IN BRISTOL
THE NEXT EPISODE
It’s been announced that the UK’s first ‘sustainability hub’ is opening in Bristol – in the form of a £1.5million workspace that will be showcasing the latest green technology products, as well as services and events for environmentally focused companies and eco-conscious projects. Run by Bristol’s The Future Economy Group – which has also created one of the largest green business networks in the West Country and offers a range of environmental services including consultancy, recruitment and environmental products in addition to its weekly business networking and knowledge sharing events – it will be housed within what was the Maplin building on Gloucester Road. The 1930s art deco building has been undergoing a transformation to become a carbonneutral facility fit for purpose, according to the vision of Future Economy Group director Alan Bailey, and is due to be opening in April.
Bristol City Council has launched the next phase of the review of the city’s Local Plan and is asking for views on its approach to building a better Bristol that meets the needs of the future. The plan outlines the approach to delivering inclusive growth and development over the next 20 years including over 33,500 homes by 2036. It will also help safeguard valued environmental assets. Changes proposed include areas of growth and regeneration with new homes and workspace at Temple Quarter, St Philip’s Marsh, Western Harbour, Frome Gateway, Lawrence Hill, Fishponds, Bedminster, Lockleaze, Southmead and Brislington; bringing forward new workspace in mixed-use developments; sites for community-led housing and self-build projects; diversifying the housing offer, promoting new building types and tenures; new protections for green spaces to support a liveable, healthy city, including land for food growing; and measures to help tackle the challenges of climate change. Comments should be submitted by 24 May.
• heartofswlep.co.uk
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FLEXI-TIME The flexible working specialists at Clifton-based Flexology have helped one of Bristol’s most high-profile marketing and communications agencies to launch a new culture of flexible working. Expert consultant and recruiter Kristal McNamara has spent the past three months working with Proctor + Stevenson (Proctors) to design a flexible working system for the company’s 70 staff. The new culture, the product of three months of consultancy and planning at a leadership and team level, is aimed at improving retention and productivity at Proctors, giving employees more autonomy to manage their own time and workload. Staff will be able to set their own working hours, for example coming in early or late to improve their commute, extending their lunch breaks or working from home more often. In the meantime, Flexology will work on a recruitment drive to fill available positions at Proctors with new staff attracted by the appeal of a more fluid working culture. Having completed benchmarking as part of the consultancy programme, Kristal has helped put in place measurement for the new culture’s effectiveness, including expecting financial improvements based around the attraction and retention of staff. Monthly measurements will review and monitor the new system, with continual improvements implemented through an agile approach of quick, regular changes, if necessary. “Our work with Proctors offers the perfect demonstration of the varied benefits of embedding a flexible working culture,” she said. “We are excited to implement tangible improvements to the working life of everyone in the organisation. “Organisations across the board are recognising that those which don’t embrace a flexible mindset will fall behind others in terms of their productivity, profits and the quality of the people they recruit. Ultimately, a happy workforce is a productive one and the resulting business benefits will, we hope, be clear to see.” • flexology.co.uk
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EDUCATION NEWS UPDATES FROM THE CITY’S SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES The 16.7-acre property was bought by the school in 2017 and now plans to improve it are to go on public display
GOOD SPORTS
CONGRATULATIONS! Bristol-based 3P Learning, creators of awardwinning online maths and literacy resources designed to help children gain confidence in their reading, writing, numeracy and multiplication skills, has scooped a 2019 Bett Award for world-leading resource Mathletics. Used by over five million to make learning fun, Mathletics employs a ‘gaming-style’ challenge and reward system to engage users, embed vital skills and build strong, confident pupils equipped to perform well in school and enjoy life-long learning. It also supports a smooth transition between phases of school education as well as personalised teaching and learning. Mathletics is proven to increase levels of student engagement, confidence and motivation and improve attainment and progress in maths. “We are absolutely thrilled to receive this award for International Digital Education Resource in what is recognised worldwide as one of the highest accolades in education,” said Judy Peritz Wynne, head of marketing EMEA at 3P Learning. “At 3P Learning and Mathletics our emphasis is on spreading a love of learning to all schools within our five-million strong community of pupils and teachers. We would like to thank all of our schools for their outstanding support and feedback.”
From summer 2019, Clifton High School is extending its nursery pre-school provision for families to 45 weeks of the year. ‘The Hive’ will encompass the school’s existing nursery and reception departments and its highly experienced specialist teaching staff; who place strong emphasis on exploration, investigation, discovery and problem solving, through teaching and free-play activities. The large and light classrooms within handsome Victorian buildings, located close to Clifton Village, are a hive of activity; and ‘busy bees’ will make use of the department’s new indoor climbing frame and STEM room, as well as on-site Forest School facilities. The Hive’s provision covers 8am – 5.50pm daily, including all meals, for £57 per day. Families can explore the newly renovated nursery pre-school department during an open morning on 2 May from 9.15am. • cliftonhigh.co.uk
• uk.mathletics.com
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Plans to improve the sports ground near Cribbs Causeway, owned by Redmaids’ High School, are to go on public display. The 16.7-acre property, at The Lawns in Henbury, was bought by the girls-only independent school in 2017. The site, less than 10 minutes’ drive from the school’s Westbury-on-Trym campus, is known as Cribbs Sports & Social Club, offering space for football and tennis, and a large pavilion with social facilities. Following the merger with Redland High School for Girls, the Cribbs Causeway site was identified as a more suitable location for a permanent sports facility. Ambitions include the installation of two new water-based hockey pitches, six new outdoor netball and tennis courts, and a new dual-aspect pavilion. Two existing football pitches will be retained with flexibility to be used for athletics, cricket and rounders in the summer. The school recognises the present use of the grounds by Cribbs Football Club and other community groups and is eager to ensure continued public access. “It is vital to encourage in young people the widest participation in sport, both competitively and for fun.” said headmistress Isabel Tobias. “Developing positive attitudes in young people towards keeping personally active is an important goal for us as a school and our vision for The Lawns will help to reinforce this outlook.” Chair of governors Andrew Hillman added: “This is an important step helping to cement our vision for sporting excellence. While providing a first-class site for school sport and recreation, we also want to continue our association with Cribbs Sports and Social Club and hope our investment in high quality facilities will attract other clubs and maximise the use of the facilities for both the school and the wider community.” • redmaidshigh.co.uk
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EVENTS | FOR KIDS
Family diary Ideas for things to do with the little ones in Bristol this month
Bowood’s Big Spring Adventure Saturday 6 – 22 April Bowood House & Gardens From 6 – 12 April, The Bowood Easter Bunny is back with his friends and has left clues around the estate for you to find. Work out the word that the Easter Bunny has hidden and you’ll be rewarded with a chocolate treat. Then, from 13 – 22 April, enjoy the big new Easter egg trail. Crack the secret code alongside the big Easter eggs to unlock the Easter basket. • bowood.org
Top pick... DON’T MISS... Discover Chocolate for Home Educating Families Thursday 4 April, 2pm – 3.15pm, M Shed Discover Bristol’s past connections to the chocolate industry and unwrap the stories of those who made the confectionery in the city. Take part in a role-play, handle and investigate real objects from local chocolate factories and museum’s collections, design your own chocolate bar and take some chocolate home with you. Parent or guardian supervision required. Suitable for seven to 11 years. Advance booking is essential. £7; bristolmuseums.org.uk Glow in the Dark Egg Hunt Saturday 6 – 22 April, daily, Cheddar Gorge After a visit from the Easter bunny, 50 glowin-the-dark Easter eggs have miraculously appeared in different locations throughout Gough’s Cave. Use your trail sheet to find your way through the cave and crack the mystery code the Easter Bunny has left behind. Unravel this Easter enigma and you’ll receive a yummy treat. Keep an eye out for the golden egg for an added eggs-tra. Under fives go free. Price included with a day ticket; cheddargorge.co.uk Stella and The Starshiners Saturday 6 – 10 April, 11am and 2pm, The Wardrobe Theatre, Old Market In a secret place stands the tallest mountain in the world. On the peak of the mountain sits a tiny little village and, in the centre of the village leans the tallest ladder in the world. At the bottom of that ladder is Stella. Stella is afraid of heights. Reach for the stars and
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enjoy this tale by Open Attic Company about bravery and overcoming the things that stop us from looking up. Recommended for ages three – eight and their families. Ages two and under go free, £8; thewardrobetheatre.com Bear Trail From Saturday 6 April, The Wild Place Project This spring, set foot around the Wild Place Project and spot the 20 individually handpainted 3D bears. Follow the route around the park and catch a glimpse the life-size grizzlies (other bear species are available) while taking in all the other animals. Available with normal admission prices; wildplace.org.uk Dinosaur Detectives Wednesday 10 April, 10.30am – 1.30pm, Bristol Museum and Art Gallery Budding palaeontologists can find out all about dinosaurs in this hands-on roar-some workshop. Meet the Bristol dinosaur, handle fossils, dress up and make a fossil cast to take home. Suitable for six to eight years. Parent or guardian supervision required. Advance booking is essential. Please bring snacks and drinks for the break. £10; bristolmuseums.org.uk Spring Stitching Wednesday 10 April, 11am – 3pm, Blaise Castle House Museum Use spring as inspiration, get creative and make an Easter basket or an egg decoration with Bristol Embroiderers’ Guild. Materials will be provided in this free drop-in session; bristolmuseums.org.uk Shh... Bang! Thursday 11 – 16 April, times vary, Spielman Theatre, Tobacco Factory
Theatres Playfully explore sound and silence at this unforgettable show that combines visual, physical and musical elements. Watch as two characters set out on a journey through a world filled with boings, whooshes and ticktocks. Recommended for ages over three. £10; tobaccofactorytheatres.com Woodland Tales with Granddad Friday 12 April, 11am & 2pm, Theatre Shop, Clevedon Help the old dog Briarbush and Granddad to to protect and save their beloved woodland. An enchanting family show with superb puppets and an important environmental message. £7 or £25 for a family ticket. Recommended for ages over three; theatreshop.org.uk The Jurassic Parks Saturday 13 April, 2pm, The Wardrobe Theatre, Old Market Laugh out loud at this take on Spielberg’s classic. Embark on an epic adventure of showstopping, spine-tingling theatrics and megalithic mayhem filled with family feuds and the rapturious roars of DIY dinosaurs. Recommended for ages over eight. £12; thewardrobetheatre.com So You Think You Know About Dinosaurs? Monday 15 April, 2.30pm, 1532 Performing Arts Centre Set sail on an exciting pre-historic adventure with Dr Ben Garrod and find out about the deadliest predators that ever roamed the planet. Learn how dinosaurs such as the Tyrannosaurus Rex, Allosaurus and Spinosaurus would have walked or swam right where you are now! Recommended for five to 11 years; bengarrod.co.uk
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Join Aardman experts and create your very own model
Aardman Model Making Workshops Wednesday 17 April, Slimbridge Wetland Centre Join Aardman Animations experts and make your own Gromit (12pm – 1pm), Feathers McGraw (10.30am – 11.30am) or Shaun the Sheep (2pm – 3pm) at the three workshops available throughout the day. You’ll be a pro in no time, Gromit! wwt.org.uk Easter Family Fun Day Thursday 18 April, 11am – 1pm & 2 – 3.30pm, Somerset Rural Life Museum Enjoy a hands-on day of family fun. Try your
Catch Stella and The Starshiners at The Wardrobe Theatre
hand at creating Easter baskets and hanging decorations while exploring the tradition. Suitable for ages over three. Drop-in session is included in admission price; swheritage.org.uk TYNTEtots: The Owl and The Pussycat Wednesday 24 April, 10am – 11.45am, Tyntesfield Estate Hunt for rings, take to water in your own boat, create a tropical tree to take home and hear the story of The Owl and The Pussycat. Suitable for ages two to five; tiny tots are welcome and free of charge when accompanying an older sibling or companion.
Appropriate outdoor clothing is essential. Adults free, children £8; nationaltrust.org.uk/tyntesfield Peppa Pig’s Muddy Puddle Walk Monday 13 – 19 May, muddy puddles near you Head for the outdoors and set off in search of muddy puddles in aid of charity Save the Children. Take part and receive a free Peppa sticker and certificate. Plus, if you raise more than £150 you could receive a fantastic Peppa Pig reward. Sign up for your free fundraising pack at savethechildren.org.uk n
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1960s caravan repurposed into a Latininspired make-up parlour, from Duchess partner Pop Tart Boutique
Weddings aren’t a one-size-fits-all affair; everything from the venue to the entertainment, the catering and the cocktails, has to reflect the couple in question
We love the idea of an intimate, lowlit wedding breakfast at The Ox
Fancy pink pineapples in your bouquet? Then pink pineapples it is...
Go your own way As preferences and practical options for wedding ceremonies become more diverse – especially with recent new laws passed – one local events outfit, turning their hand to the business of unions, offer their view
W
e were both excited and intrigued recently, to hear of a new nuptials-related venture founded by some of Bristol’s most established creative event managers – because we knew, like we know the back of our hand, they’d be out to do things a little differently. Local outfit Duchess Weddings has just launched in the city, and is positioning itself squarely at those looking to break with tradition and throw a wedding or civil partnership with a twist; these ladies get that weddings aren’t a one-size-fits-all affair and want to make sure that everything from the venue to the entertainment, from the catering to the cocktails, really reflects the couple in question. Be it a bohemian bash or a decadent soirée in one of Bristol’s secret cocktail bars, Duchess is dishing out a full wedding planning service to those in need of organisation, helping to source the most exciting, unusual and impressive suppliers in the South West. We chatted to Duchess Weddings’ shindig doyennes Meg Pope, Frankie Wallington and Katie Dane to find out a bit more about them as a company, the direction of the local industry and what Bristol couples can expect.
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Weddings in 2019 – what’s hot? “It feels like there’s been a real shift in people’s attitudes to weddings and civil partnerships recently, and this is exactly what made us want to start the business in the first place. Gone are the days of the parents organising (and paying!) for everything, and tradition seems to be less important nowadays, with couples placing more importance on throwing a celebration for themselves – which is a
...We’ve seen a lot of couples moving away from the package-style wedding where you’re tied into using recommended suppliers, and opting to take more of a DIY approach...
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WEDDINGS
reflection of them as a couple as opposed to hosting an event for everyone else. We’ve seen a lot of couples moving away from the package-style wedding at dedicated wedding venues, where you’re tied into using recommended suppliers, and instead opting to take more of a DIY approach – sourcing dry-hire venues and finding their own caterers and suppliers. This is a great way of bringing bags more personality into your wedding but can also be a lot tougher to pull off as there’s so much more organisation, so that’s where we step in – to help source and manage food, drink, decor, music, entertainment and everything in between.”
...On 15 March the government passed a law that opened civil partnerships up to all couples. They can formalise their relationship with a partnership which will provide the same protections marriage does...
Your own stamp “Weddings and civil partnerships come in all shapes and sizes, and with more people wanting to do things a little differently we understand that the usual out-of-the-box wedding planning approach probably isn’t for everyone. We can help organise as much or as little as needed, whether it’s helping source venues, amazing street food caterers or entertainment your guests won’t forget in a hurry; or if you just need someone to be there on the day to make sure everything runs smoothly so you don’t have to worry, we can step in at any point. There’s also a great directory of businesses we work with, including some of Bristol’s most exclusive and unique venues, incredible caterers and cocktail specialists plus some of the city’s best DJs – we’ve got something up our sleeves for every taste.”
A gap in the market “The idea for Duchess Weddings really came about when Meg
...If they need stilt-walking drag queens at their big day then they are going to get them...
organised her own wedding. As an event organiser, the pressure was on to create something spectacular. Several superb tipis in a field and some of Bristol’s best caterers and cocktail shakers later, and the seed for Duchess Weddings was planted. We realised then that we had all the contacts and skills to create weddings and civil partnerships that were truly unique to each couple, however they choose to celebrate their love and future life with each other. If that love means they need stilt-walking drag queens at their big day then they are going to get them! “On the more practical side, on 15 March the government passed a new law that opened civil partnerships up to all couples. Prior to this, civil partnerships were restricted to same-sex couples only. This is a huge step forward and will give couples the chance to formalise their relationship with a civil partnership which will automatically provide the same protections that marriage does. There is no requirement for a ceremony to take place or to exchange vows like you have to with a wedding, so you can do it your own way. We think this will give a lot of people who don’t want to get married an opportunity to have a ceremony that reflects their relationship and to celebrate it their way.” • duchessweddings.com
What about celebrating your union at Stokes Croft’s chic Jamaica Street Stores?
The idea for Duchess Weddings came about when co-founder Meg Pope organised her own unique wedding (image by Chris Cooper; shotaway.com)
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WEDDING DIRECTORY
Saying ‘I do’ Are you tying the knot this year? Our little guide book of local wedding-based businesses is full of folk who can help get you ready for the big day
Every wedding is unique but there are a few things that are always guaranteed: including an endless list of what to do and book. The venue is, of course, considered by many as one of the most important, so it’s essential to decide on your top three criteria says Jo Maggs from Berwick Lodge. Is it the location, style, child-friendly atmosphere, accommodation or quality food that’s vital for you? “View the venue in the season of your wedding if possible to see how it looks at that time of year,” says Jo. “If this isn’t possible, ask to see photos of the gardens and grounds in the same season. This will give your photographer the chance to get inspiration and come up with creative shots for your big day.” There’s one thing we’re certain of: it’ll all work out and be one of the most memorable days of your life. That being said, if you’re in need of a helping hand, we’ve scoured the city to find a few great local venues and businesses that might just offer what you’ve been looking for...
BERWICK LODGE
BRISTOL OLD VIC King Street, Bristol BS1 4ED; 0117 907 2681; bristololdvic.org.uk/hire/weddings; events@bristololdvic.org.uk Following a multimillion-pound transformation, Bristol Old Vic provides a dramatic, stylish and flexible venue for your wedding. Superbly located on a quiet cobbled street in the heart of Bristol, Grade I listed Coopers’ Hall, with its high ceilings, exquisite crystal chandeliers and huge windows, provides all the romance and opulence that such a special occasion demands. “We had the perfect wedding at Bristol Old Vic. All of our guests had a fab time and we’ve had countless compliments about the service and the food – hands down the best wedding food anyone has had!” say Helen and Tom. If you’re getting married this year there is limited late availability, with the option of being married in the Weston Studio from 12 – 25 August.
Berwick Drive, Bristol BS10 7TD 0117 958 1590; berwicklodge.co.uk Begin a story to last a lifetime by marrying the one you love in the romantic seclusion of what could well be the South West’s best-kept secret, Berwick Lodge. The magnificent countryhouse wedding venue on the outskirts of Bristol is set within 18 acres of enchanting gardens and woodland, with a backdrop that reaches across to Wales. Licensed to hold wedding ceremonies and receptions for up to 90 guests, Berwick Lodge offers a beautiful collection of individually designed rooms to entertain any style. Their 14 exquisite bedrooms offer all the finishing touches and luxuries to ensure relaxation for you and your guests. Make their house your home, and together you’ll create everlasting memories of an event that’ll be treasured for years to come.
MALLORY 1 – 5 Bridge Street, Bath BA2 4AP 01225 788800; mallory-jewellers.com Mallory is renowned as Bath’s destination jeweller. Now in its fifth generation, it is one of the country’s oldest family-owned and run jewellers, established for 120 years in its original Bridge Street premises. Today it boasts one of the largest in-house workshops in the UK, employing goldsmiths trained to the highest calibre, who create the most exquisite bespoke jewellery, as well as fully accredited watchmakers, who are qualified to maintain the finest of timepieces. Inside the showroom you will find a majestic emporium of fine and contemporary jewellery, watches, and luxury gifts and accessories from the world’s most exclusive brands. The imposing frontage may look daunting, however Mallory’s offerings encompass something to suit all pockets, with international names such as Patek Philippe, Rolex, Fabergé, Pomellato, Chopard, Montblanc, Tag Heuer, Longchamp, Longines, Breitling, JaegerLeCoultre, Georg Jensen, Fope and Mikimoto, as well as an extensive collection of jewellery designed by Mallory.
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AEROSPACE BRISTOL Hayes Way, Patchway, Bristol BS34 5BZ 0117 931 5315; aerospacebristol.org events@aerospacebristol.org Create lasting memories with a special wedding celebration under the wings of Concorde at Aerospace Bristol. Raise a toast on the balcony overlooking Concorde Alpha Foxtrot to celebrate your day, and then invite your guests to enjoy a first-class dining experience under the wings of the supersonic passenger jet. It makes for a brilliant backdrop, and venues don’t come much more memorable – just the ticket on your big day. And with your photographs being taken on board Alpha Foxtrot and on the balcony overlooking this iconic aircraft, you’ll always have treasured memories of your wedding. Interested in celebrating your special day at Aerospace Bristol? Get in touch by contacting events@aerospacebristol.org and the team will be happy to help you plan your perfect celebration.
NICHOLAS WYLDE
forwardinreverse.co.uk
12 Northumberland Place, Bath BA1 5AR 01225 462826; nicholaswylde.com
DIANA PORTER 33 Park Street, Bristol BS1 5NH 0117 909 0225; dianaporter.co.uk Diana Porter specialises in unique, contemporary wedding and engagement A trillion cut aquamarine in a raised rings hand-crafted in Fairtrade gold and bezel setting on an etched 9ct white gold band with 16 diamonds recycled platinum. Inspired by life’s journey and using her hand-etching technique, Diana’s collection is created in her workshop, behind the Park Street store. As well as Diana’s extensive collection, there are over 80 renowned British and international designers. From intricate lace-detailed silver to nature-inspired gold or bold platinum designs, there is a wonderful and ever-changing collection of wedding jewellery in store to suit all. Commissions are welcomed and a team of jewellers are ready to bring your design ideas to life. Diana Porter also hold an array of unusual diamonds and coloured gemstones ready to be set in a one-off bespoke design.
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The South West’s leading designer jeweller, awardwinning Nicholas Wylde, has been designing original, high-quality jewellery since first opening his Bath store in 1987. He has built up a superb reputation for designing outstanding pieces; from one-off commissions to larger corporate orders – all handmade, with great passion, in the workshop on the premises. An added cool factor: Nicholas Wylde offers his own patented diamond cut, the stunning Wylde Flower Diamond®, with more cut facets than a brilliant cut diamond for that extra-special sparkle. You won’t find this gemstone anywhere else in the world. For vibrantly unique designs and excellent service from knowledgeable and helpful staff, Nicholas Wylde is a perfect destination for anyone looking for that truly unique piece.
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WE THE CURIOUS Anchor Road, Harbourside, Bristol BS1 5DB 0117 915 8000; wethecurious.org venue.hire@wethecurious.org
GOLD & PLATINUM STUDIO
Get married under a thousand glittering stars. We The Curious is a unique venue choice, guaranteed to inspire and wow your guests on your big day. At one of the city’s landmark attractions in the heart of Bristol’s Harbourside, enjoy a simple ceremony in the sun-lit Annexe, a reception in the impressive Rosalind Franklin Room or for something truly amazing, a ceremony under the starry canopy of the celestial planetarium. The dedicated team at We The Curious are on hand to help you create the day you’ve always dreamed of, and they only host one function a day so you can be assured of their undivided attention and use of all the wonderful facilities.
19 Northumberland Place, Bath BA1 5AR 01225 462300; goldandplatinumstudio.co.uk Goldsmith and gemmologist Michael Parsons and his team run a delightful independent studio. He specialises in hand-making one-off engagement rings and wedding rings, as well as offering a wide range of individual pieces. Michael and his team undertake all types of commissions on site as well as carrying out remodelling and repairs. In addition, Gold & Platinum Studio – trading in Bath for over 40 years and with an enviable reputation for quality service – showcases a selection of independent designer jewellers. There’s a superb choice to suit all budgets so a visit is a must for jewellery lovers, as well as anyone looking for a special gift or thinking of having a piece of jewellery made.
Image by Florence Fox Photography
SS GREAT BRITAIN Great Western Dockyard, Gas Ferry Road, Bristol BS1 6TY 0117 926 0680; ssgreatbritain.org Tie the knot in first-class style on board one of Bristol’s most iconic venues. Designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel and launched in 1843, the SS Great Britain is one of the world’s first luxury ocean-liners. The beautifully restored ship lies in the heart of Bristol’s harbourside and boasts stunning views of the surrounding area, making it a truly unique venue for your wedding ceremony and reception. Say your vows on the sun-lit promenade deck, celebrate with a glass of champagne on the weather deck and dine in style in the opulent first-class dining saloon. Set sail for the perfect day on board the SS Great Britain and make your wedding dreams come true. Image by Rebecca Roundhill
KEMPS JEWELLERS 9 Carlton Court, Westbury on Trym, Bristol BS9 3DF 0117 950 5090; kempsjewellers.com Kemps Jewellers has been trading in the engagement and wedding ring business for over 135 years, building up an extensive range of new and second-hand diamond rings. Mike at Kemps informs us that the most regular seller is the classic diamond solitaire, but they also stock a wonderfully varied range of coloured stones from fine blue sapphires to pink tourmalines. Offering the complete wedding ring range from classic plain to stone set, Kemps tries to cater for all budgets, and can also provide handmade pieces for something a little different. Visit the team in Westbury-on-Trym – they are currently offering a 10% discount for any pair of rings and associated gifts for the big day.
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WEDDING DIRECTORY
Image by Dan Morris Photography
GRITTLETON HOUSE Grittleton, Wiltshire SN14 6AP 01249 782434; grittletonhouse.co.uk; weddings@grittletonhouse.co.uk
Image by Marshall Grey Photography
PAINTWORKS Paintworks, Bath Road, Bristol BS4 3EH 0117 971 4320; paintworksevents.co.uk/weddings Paintworks’ one-of-a-kind event venue is designed for unique weddings. The scale of the industrial space, with its high ceilings, exposed brick and stylish outside courtyards, makes it a perfect backdrop for a contemporary wedding. Stylish, upbeat and effortlessly cool, the space works best for 80 to 200 guests and for couples who want to create a look and feel that’s true to them. Working with their award-winning wedding co-ordinator and fantastic in-house caterers, you will build a wedding experience at the event space that you can feel confident will be smooth from beginning to end. Set within the heart of the visionary Paintworks site, this fully licensed venue provides limitless striking and quirky photo opportunities, all adding to the unique fabric of a Paintworks wedding.
JULIE ANNE PALMER 129 Stoke Lane, Westbury-on-Trym, Bristol BS9 3RW 0117 962 1111; julieannepalmer.com Julie Anne Palmer specialises in bespoke wedding and engagement rings, designed with the customer in order to create their dream piece. She has a large selection of loose diamonds and precious stones in stock and also orders from a specialist stone dealer who is based in Hatton Garden in London. A highly skilled design consultant with extensive technical knowledge who understands about design, durability, and beauty of form, Julie has over 35 years of experience. Some of her many designs and ready-made collection can be seen on her website. This season’s designs are based on the flower and leaf motifs of vintage-style rings, with a modern twist of central champagne diamonds.
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Grittleton House is a beautiful Victorian manor house set in a small picturesque village on the edge of the Cotswolds and is home to the Shipp family. The family and their dedicated team of experienced staff have been organising weddings for generations and are experts in planning, as well as passionate about food. The house offers complete flexibility with a choice of elegant rooms from the traditional state rooms to the light and airy orangery which evokes a more contemporary feel. There are outstanding architectural features, from the sweeping double staircase to the ambient working fireplaces. The house also boasts 35 acres of formal gardens and parkland, offering the perfect backdrop. Don’t miss out on the addition of the newly refurbished state bedrooms for 2019.
TASHA PARK PHOTOGRAPHER 07921 630108; tashapark.co.uk Specialising in creating natural-feeling, imaginative wedding photography, Tasha Park adores bright, vibrant colour and creating funky compositions that are full of genuine warmth. She stays around all day to capture the fun (though you can squeeze a surprising amount into a half day if you’re on a stricter budget!) before heading to the studio to re-touch images. Her couples then receive their beautiful wedding pictures via an online gallery to share with guests, and a presentation USB (album and print packages available too). Something that makes Tasha stand out is her photobooth. A manned mini studio with lots of silly props to play with, it’s a popular extra to entertain evening guests, and gives you an additional set of pictures of your nearest and dearest. ■
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WEDDING | HAIR
Big day up-dos Fresh local flowers, chignons and sustainable beauty: Crystal Rose checks out the bridal styling service available at Noco Hair
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WEDDING | HAIR
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f you seek a chic, modern, social space where your locks can be transformed into a style suitable for your big day, then Noco Hair on Whiteladies Road could be your knight in shining armour. Having opened its doors three months ago, Noco makes a good first impression with its minimal yet sophisticated digs. Long gone are the days of sitting in the corner (you know Baby ain’t playin’) while waiting for your colourist to mix up your chosen shade in the back. At Noco you can expect to be seated in the centre of the room surrounded by the most beautiful circular mirrors. And, when it comes to picking your hue, simply head up to the colour bar and watch the stylist mix-up and create your desired cocktail of colour. With all the styling tables easily moved and constant chatter flowing, Noco is all about inclusivity and versatility. Owners Noel Halligan and Corey Taylor, previously at Sean Hanna, put the wheels in motion for Noco Hair just over a year ago – realising their potential after scooping up the L’Oréal Colour Trophy for the South West region. They’ve installed massage chairs – expect to have your head massaged and hair washed in a state of pure bliss – and beautiful, reclaimed Bristol scaffolding planks from Bristol Wood Recycling Project throughout the salon. As graduate stylist Mia sets off on the hunt for fresh flowers, Noel and Corey get to work on creating a style that would be perfect for my wedding day. After a generous coating of the blow-dry primer from Davines, this lotion begins its work as an anti-frizz and anti-humidity agent that will make my hair easier to style. With the salon launching a big sustainable beauty campaign this month, Noco Hair is at the forefront of industry change. There are taps designed to save on water, interior units that use recycled wood and the sustainable brand Davines which uses refillable bottles to reduce plastic waste. Noco also offers customers the option of bringing in old shampoo and conditioner bottles (any brand welcome) to receive a complimentary mask with a cut and blow-dry. Noel applies a dry texturiser that instantly fills the room with the scent of vanilla cupcakes which stays with me throughout the day. Its purpose is to dry out the oils in my hair and make way for a more voluminous mane. And so the backcombing begins. With the vision to create a quiff that sweeps into an elegant chignon, Noel delicately coats my hair in the Davines medium hairspray and sculpts my barnet into a city-chic pony. He and Corey begin braiding my hair into two fishtail plaits. Top tip: Noel’s number one in hair styling is to use the Davines texturising dust. This holds the plaits in place and gives the hair more grip and it is therefore easier to create the perfect plait without the hair slipping through your fingers. Finishing with a stroke of the pintail comb – so no grips are needed – the fishtails are then pinned up onto my head.
Bloomin’ lovely fresh flowers from local independent florist Lloyds Flowers
The final show-stopper step uses the fresh, seasonal blooms from local independent florist Lloyds Flowers that are snipped and trimmed to prettily complement my hair-do. A combination of white daffodils (narcissi), Frikart’s Aster and little white chrysanthemums are woven in – using the fishtail plaits as an anchor and providing the perfect finishing touch to my bespoke bridal look. Adding a little texture to the quiff by clamping the straighteners in a few places and adding a few more pins to create both rough and smooth textures, Noel and Corey are done. Thanks to its totally fresh and updated take on bridal hair styling, Noco Hair is doing great things in the hair and beauty industry. And with plans to add more treatments and welcoming a few new faces to the team, the future looks bright and sustainable. It was refreshing to see how much care, precision and expertise went into the styling. From making the effort to pop into a local florist and using conscientious brands, to the little details like the mini cafetière and bottle of milk presented for me to make my morning cup of coffee, Noco Hair is a great new addition to the city’s hair and beauty scene and we’re absolutely smitten. ■ • Bridal hair-up packages are available from £65 at Noco Hair. 147 Whiteladies Road, Bristol BS8 2QT; 0117 403 0998; nocohair.com Image by Amanda Thomas Photography; model Danielle Sewell; make-up by Shari Knowles
A high quiff into a chignon
The fishtail plait expertly crafted by creative director Noel
SUSTAINABLE BEAUTY: Keep it natural using products from Davines
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HEALTH & BEAUTY NEWS FROM THE SECTOR
SKINCARE SQUAD Already packing a powerful punch, the superfood family from Elemis has grown. Four new vegan-friendly nutrient-dense goodies, rich in supergreens, supergrains and superfruits, have been introduced to give skin a daily dose of essential vitamins and minerals. Combined with an active pre-biotic, the squad protects and maintains the skin’s delicate microbiome (the army of microbes that protect us against germs) while giving it the nourishment it needs. There’s a four-in-one treatment mist enriched with coconut water, a gentle scrub jam-packed with fruit extracts, an omega-rich purifying mask and a nourishing treatment mask containing avocado, passionfruit and wheatgrass extract.
GLUTES AND GROOVES
• Kefir-tea mist, £26; Vital Veggie mask, £30; blackcurrant jelly exfoliant, £28; Berry Boost mask, £30. Elemis; elemis.com
Award-winning local fitness instructor Nectaria Pospori has been empowering women with some booty-ful fitness lately. Through Bristol charity Womankind, Nectaria is supporting the city’s most vulnerable women with free classes, with £3 from sales of all ‘booty bands’ going to Womankind. Offering free sessions of GroovyGlutes – a sassy, high-energy fitness class for women – Nectaria is focusing on strengthening and toning two very important parts of the body; the gluteal muscles and the core. Using unique resistance booty bands and the medium of dance, GroovyGlutes was born from a love of making fitness inclusive and accessible to every woman. What’s more, after the successful launch in Bristol, Nectaria plans to roll out the concept and recruit instructors across the UK. Determined to change her life for the better, Nectaria embarked on a career as a fitness instructor and in 2017 won the MoveGB award for ‘Best Fitness Class in Bristol’ for her dance-based fitness workout. “My new programme had to be a feel-good experience, not just a fitness class, so all the music tracks and moves are carefully chosen,” she says. “At the heart of the GroovyGlutes philosophy is a desire to support women to emerge and grow.” • GroovyGlutes classes are £8 per person and available at Piloxercise Studios and
Fairfield High School. MoveGB members also welcome; groovyglutes.com
CURVY GIRL YOGA Interested in yoga but always seem to find that everyone in the room is a skinny Minnie? Check out Curvy Girl Yoga. It’s a unique yoga class here in Bristol for women size 16 or over. The class offers a safe, comfortable, supportive environment for you to explore your yoga practice. Whether you’re a complete beginner or more experienced, the class is suitable for all. Each one focuses on a different series of yoga postures, with plenty of time to ask questions, plus lots of relaxation and laughter. However, it’s not just about the yoga; Curvy Girl is a growing community of women sharing their experiences and supporting each other with all things curvy. Go try it! • curvygirlyoga.co.uk
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HORMONE YOGA THERAPY KLAXON Heads up! If you’re looking to balance your hormones with a natural treatment for menopause symptoms, PMT, infertility, insomnia, hypothyroidism or other hormone imbalances, pop to the intensive workshop being held at Yanley Court (15 June, 9am – 6pm). You will learn the whole sequence of HYT plus anti-stress and calming exercises. • £125; hormoneyogatherapy.co.uk
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SHOPPING | BEAUTY
Egg-cellent alternatives Sweet scented hair ties, egg-shaped bath bombs and collagen-filled ‘beauty chocolate’: Crystal Rose picks out a few satisfying Easter treats
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1. Verbena Easter egg filled with bodycare products, £15, L’Occitane; loccitane.co.uk 2. Invisibobble chocolatescented hair ring, £4.99, available at Look Fantastic; lookfantastic.com 3. Tropical fruit fizzer bath bar, £4.95, The Somerset Toiletry Company; somersettoiletryco.co.uk 4. Beautyblender limited-edition electric violet swirl, £16, available at Boots; boots.com 5. Egoboost beauty chocolate containing firming collagen, £6.30, Supermood available at Sulis and Thermae; sulisandthermae.com 6. Cream egg in ‘bubbleroon’, £4.50, Lush; uk.lush.com
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ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE
Dealing with Candida
Natural health tips to help navigate this pervasive and not well understood health issue CNM (College of Naturopathic Medicine). What is candida? Candida is a common fungus that lives on and in every one of us. When in balance it causes no problems, but if its growth is unchecked, it can become a chronic infection that requires repeated anti-fungal treatment. In very serious cases candida may become a blood-borne infection requiring immediate medical attention. Symptoms vary and may seem unrelated to the condition: sugar cravings, bloating and flatulence, mood changes, irritability, brain fog, anxiety and depression. Candida often presents as oral, vaginal or male genital thrush, but the skin can also be infected (athlete’s foot), as can the intestines. Why does it get out of control? Anything that compromises our immune system can precipitate candida overgrowth. Antibiotic use is linked with candida as, in the absence of beneficial bacteria, the unhealthy flora can get out of control. A Western diet high in refined carbohydrates, alcohol, sweets and caffeine will raise blood sugar and sugar is the number one fuel for candida. Sensitivities to foods such as milk, gluten and additives can also increase the load on the immune system and allow candida the chance to thrive. High stress may reduce immunity and candida can increase anxiety, creating a vicious cycle.
What can we do if we have it? Improving your diet, primarily by choosing to eat more vegetables (preferably organic) and taking regular exercise is not only a great mood booster, it will support your immune system, too. Avoid refined carbohydrates: white flour products, sugary foods such as sweets and cake, and anything that has a high glycaemic load. High GL foods are those which quickly spike your blood sugar levels. You’ll find a GL list on line. Avoid alcohol and anything that you are allergic or sensitive to. A naturopathic practitioner can help you discover your food triggers. Find ways to help you cope with stress, such as a course of Acupuncture. Foods to eat • The oil, milk and water of the coconut contains caprylic acid which fights candida. Try coconut in place of dairy yoghurt, coconut cream in dishes, oil for cooking, etc. • Garlic - eat a couple of cloves daily, raw if possible but never on an empty stomach! Add a crushed clove at the end of cooking to retain the properties; add to olive oil and lemon juice for a spicy dressing; roast an entire bulb and squeeze out the softened cloves to spread on wholegrain toast. • Probiotic and prebiotic foods - sauerkraut, kimchi, apple cider vinegar, onions and leeks can help repopulate the bowel with friendly organisms. • Spices - cloves, oregano, rosemary, nutmeg, turmeric and cayenne are anti-fungal and fantastic antioxidants and antiinflammatories, which can help mop up candida-induced damage and prime the immune system. Try them in herbal teas, and add loads of spices to your cooking. • Walnuts and Brazil nuts – they’re great mood boosters and high in compounds to support your immune system.
Other help In Traditional Chinese Medicine, mucus is due to liver, spleen or kidney weakness. These can disturb the body’s fluid balance and possibly lead to fluid retention. Left untreated, this may lead to Candida. A naturopathic acupuncturist or naturopathic nutritionist can advise on specific dietary and lifestyle changes. They may also consider appropriate supplementation to increase your intake of probiotics, boost your mucous membrane health and your immunity. Adaptogenic herbs such as Rhodiola or Withania can support stress. Your naturopathic practitioner can recommend a specialist blend which may include herbs with anti-fungal and immune boosting effects along with herbs addressing individual causes leading to candida overgrowth.
Gemma Hurditch, Naturopath and Lecturer for the College of Naturopathic Medicine
Attend a FREE Open Evening to find out about part time training with CNM Bristol for a career as a Naturopathic Geoff or Don Nutritionist (study in class or online) a Naturopathic Acupuncturist
10th April, 2019 Please book online at:
www.naturopathy-uk.com 01342 410 505 CNM is the UK’s leading training provider in a range of natural therapies. Colleges across the UK and Ireland.
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HEALTH & FITNESS
Acupuncture works on a physical and emotional level, says Laura Greenfield
Walking is a great coping mechanism to put in place and help combat mental health sues
DIY wellbeing Prevention is better than cure; and there are some pretty decent ways to subscribe to this philosophy here in Bristol. Words and pictures by Jo Lenny
T
he NHS says a new 10-year plan could save half a million lives if we all wake up to preventing illness. We had a look at what’s on offer in and around the city by way of doing just that, and talked to a few of the local people practising holistic therapies to discover why they think this approach is the best way to keep us well.
Walk for health Sitting still for too long increases the risk of cancer, heart disease, stroke and diabetes. Walking is a free and simple step available to nearly everyone to make quick positive changes to physical and mental health. “Twenty-four hours at home alone is a long time,” says Angela, aged 70, who’s joined a Walk for Health group. “I have lived in Bristol all my life but these walks have taken me to places I have never seen.” Dan Lewin, community development worker at St Monica Trust, organises four walking groups in the city to help reduce isolation among older people and improve their wellbeing. “We have people who are recovering from cancer and other serious health conditions such as diabetes,” he says. “Walking and active socialising has a huge benefit to general wellbeing.” Frankie, a fine artist, has suffered with depression over the years. “I was in such a state, but this group has brought me laughter and I
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love listening to everyone’s stories,” says Frankie. “My family used to worry but they know I have coping mechanisms in place and with this group the worries of the day just seep away.”
Managing your mind Mindfulness means managing our thoughts and paying attention to where we are and what we are doing in a non-judgemental way. Tamsin Chambers, 44, owns Presence Coaching which offers mindfulness sessions and effective wellbeing to businesses in Bristol. “I was a full-time working mum, juggling big responsibilities for a large team, as well as my own family,” says Tamsin, a former operations manager in an engineering firm. “I felt I was just keeping my head above water and not enjoying life. I got to the point where I was waiting to be found out that I wasn’t good enough. “I studied mindfulness and I realised I could manage my own anxiety. I began to notice changes in myself. I was able to cope, I felt less like a fraud and I realised this was powerful and that I could take it into the workplace. Many employers have good intentions and policies in place to support people when things go wrong, but have no idea how to keep people mentally well day-to-day.”
Herbal medicine At the top of Christmas Steps on Colston Street is Urban Fringe – a
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HEALTH & FITNESS
herbal apothecary. This Elizabethan building is worth popping into for the aesthetics alone; herbs and remedies on display in huge demijohns and brown glass bottles on rustic wooden shelves.
...Many employers have good intentions and policies in place to support people when things go wrong; but have no idea how to keep people mentally well day-to-day... On hand for over-the-counter advice and full consultations is Max Drake. “I use a lot of Chinese and Indian tonic herbs, as well as native herbs to keep people in balance,” he says. “Our best-seller is Immune Aid which helps with symptoms of being run-down. People drop in daily for this kind of remedy. Another popular tincture is Northern Lights – a winter tonic for lifting the spirits, increasing immune response and getting a good nights’ sleep.” Max discovered herbs 30 years ago: “I was running a software company and it was stressful. I was so busy I didn’t enjoy it at all. I had a friend who was a herbalist and he gave me some herbs to deal with my stress. We started making a herbal tonic which we marketed in 20ml miniature bottles to health food stores across the country. I decided to study for a degree in herbal medicine. It totally transformed my life. It was hard work and brilliant. I was 40 and every day felt like a privilege. “Herbs can transform hormonal issues from menopausal symptoms; offer life-changing relief from horrific cramps where women have been experiencing 15-day periods and losing three to four days of work a month.” Consultations and individualised treatments look at what you are born with, how you have responded to life events and your present state of health. They focus on your gut health, diet and nutritional status, your stress management, rest and exercise.
...Consultations look at what you are born with, how you have responded to life events and your present state of health... The caveman diet Paleo is a diet of lean meats, fish, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds – foods that could have been obtained by hunting and gathering. “Paleo is a science and evidence-based programme known as ‘the caveman diet’,” says Samantha Waterhouse, Bristol-based nutritionist and chef who runs paleo workshops at The Bristol Cookhouse on Gloucester Road. “It’s a therapeutic diet which takes out diary, grain and sugar but it’s not the cheapest diet as you use organic products to avoid hormones. “Most people who are experiencing illness will have a reaction to pulses and dairy as its difficult to digest. So, for my clients who are not vegetarian or vegan I would recommend they switch for at least a month to see noticeable improvements, particularly if you suffer with IBS, chronic tiredness, stress, sleep problems or bloating. “Highly processed foods are hard to digest and don’t deliver many nutrients. Paleo is easy to explain because it doesn’t take much time to grill some fish, bake a sweet potato and steam some kale, plus you can easily access it when dining out.”
A life with pins The Chinese tradition of acupuncture uses thin needles to stimulate an imbalance or blockage in the flow of qi, or meridians and restore the energy flow and good health. Childhood experiences led Laura Greenfield to become an acupuncturist 20 years ago. “My mum used alternative approaches to our health so it was normal to have acupuncture, instead of going down the more conventional route,” she recalls. “I developed an understanding of the benefits of prevention and a stronger interest in yoga, qi gong and acupuncture.” Laura treats people with back pain and sciatica, headaches, migraines, and stress-related conditions like IBS, anxiety and emotional disharmony, and gynaecological and fertility problems. One patient, Sarah, was suffering with cluster migraines. Prescription medication didn’t ease the symptoms and she had extreme pain from an upper digestive problem too. “I’ve been having acupuncture for over two years now and the improvements are incredible,” she says. “The debilitating migraines are virtually gone and so have my stomach problems. I no longer have to take any medication or time off work. As well as the physical improvements I find the experience always gives me a wonderful sense of well-being and calmness; I feel balanced on all levels.” “Acupuncture works on a physical and emotional level,” agrees Laura. “I find most people who come to my clinic have experienced some level of adversity which has affected their health. Many say they find the support of Chinese medicine extremely beneficial and complementary to today’s busy lifestyle.” ■
...Herbs can transform hormonal issues from menopausal symptoms; offer life-changing relief from horrific cramps...
For more info... • Greenfield Acupuncture Laura Greenfield LicAcMBAcCDipTn 8 The Triangle, Clevedon, BS21 6NG 07723 384570 acupunctureclevedon.com • Presence Coaching, Tamsin Chambers 07966 028980 presencegroup.co.uk • Samantha Waterhouse, The Bristol Cookhouse 405 Gloucester Road Bristol, BS7 8TS 07908 622390 thebristolcookhouse.co.uk • Urban Fringe, 58 Colston Street, Bristol, BS21 5AZ 0117 9276527 urbanfringe.co.uk • Walk for Health: Dan runs four groups as part of the Bristol City Council’s initiative (bristol.gov.uk/social-carehealth/walking-for-health). There is also a list of walking groups available.
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ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE
Four symptoms of endometriosis women should never ignore
E
ndometriosis affects 1 in 10 women in the UK, but many put up with its symptoms for years, not realising the damage they are doing to their health and fertility. Here, Mrs Caroline Overton, a consultant gynaecologist at Nuffield Health Bristol Hospital, gives you a need-to-know guide on the symptoms of endometriosis. Endometriosis explained Endometriosis is a condition where cells like those found inside the womb (uterus) grow outside the womb. Often, women won’t know they have it because the symptoms can start as a teenager, and they learn to accept them as normal. In most cases, endometriosis is treatable, but the longer it goes undiagnosed, the more damage it may be doing to your lifestyle, internal organs and future fertility. If you’re concerned about any of the following symptoms, speak to your GP. Painful periods Endometriosis often runs in families, so many women regard their painful periods as normal when they compare themselves with their mother or sisters. During the menstrual cycle, the lining of the womb (endometrium) builds up and bleeds as a period. With endometriosis, the womb lining-like cells (endometrial cells) in the pelvis build up and bleed in the same way. This is why the pain starts in the days before the period, and why the period pain is more severe and lasts longer than normal period pain. Normal healthy periods do not interfere with everyday life or work. You should be able to manage a normal period with a tampon or a pad. It might be normal to take painkillers to manage the pain, but you shouldn’t need to regularly take time off work or school. Mrs Overton says: “If you are having to change the way you dress, miss work or social activities, have a ‘bed day’, stop exercising, and are planning your life around your periods, then your periods are not normal. These could be signs of endometriosis.” Pain going to the toilet Over time, the womb lining-like cells in the pelvis can create adhesions between the pelvic organs, causing them to stick to each other, sometimes contributing to pain during bowel movements and urinating. This can happen at any time, not just during the period. 84 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE
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Pain during sex Unfortunately, women with endometriosis may have only known sex to be painful and so think this is normal. The monthly bleeding in the pelvis has no way to leave the body and so can build up and cause internal scarring and inflammation. These painful areas are agitated during sex, diminishing a woman’s ability to enjoy intercourse, and sometimes placing a strain on sexual relationships. Difficulty getting pregnant When endometriosis is left untreated, fibrosis (scarring) can occur and the adhesions between organs in the pelvis can damage the ovaries and tubes. Not only does this make getting pregnant more difficult, but can also render women infertile. Treatment for endometriosis The contraceptive pill or Mirena IUS are often effective treatments for endometriosis because they make the periods shorter and lighter. They are good treatments for women who don’t want to start a family, but are not suitable for women trying to get pregnant, as they are contraceptive. When and if women stop the pill, the symptoms of endometriosis can re-appear. When treatment hasn’t worked or when women want to start a family, there is the option of surgery. Laparoscopy is an operation carried out under general anaesthetic with a day’s stay in hospital. Laparoscopy can diagnose endometriosis and, if agreed beforehand, it is possible to treat by removing the endometriosis and releasing adhesions at the time of the operation. When endometriosis is severe, it can cause extensive inflammation, scarring and damage to the pelvic organs, including the bowels. Under these circumstances, removal of the endometriosis is more complex and may require further surgery at a later date. If you are experiencing any of the issues described, don’t simply accept them as normal. Mrs Overton says: “Although there is no known cure for endometriosis, we offer evidence-based treatments to help you live a pain-free life. If surgery is the best option, then we offer abdominal and laparoscopic techniques to ensure that you are back on your feet as quickly as possible.” Caroline Overton is a recognised national expert in endometriosis, with over 30 years’ experience of treating women with known or
suspected endometriosis. She completed two years of research at Oxford University, studying pain and endometriosis, and in 2016, she received an award as one of the top 100 researchers in the UK. She founded the University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust Endometriosis Centre, and chaired a national committee setting standards for the treatment of endometriosis in 2017. At Nuffield Health Bristol Hospital, Mrs Overton offers endometriosis clinics for women with known or suspected endometriosis, providing expert advice as well as support from physiotherapists and specialist nurses, who can offer personalised dietary and exercise advice. If you would like to book an appointment with Mrs Overton, call the Bristol Women’s Clinic at Nuffield Health Bristol Hospital, The Chesterfield, on 0117 906 4887, or visit our website: www.nuffieldhealth.com/ hospitals/bristol/womens-health.
Consultant Gynaecologist, Mrs Caroline Overton.
Nuffield Health Bristol Hospital The Chesterfield, 3 Clifton Hill, Clifton, Bristol BS8 1BN nuffieldhealth.com/hospitals/bristol
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HEALTH | WELLBEING
Body MOT Put your handbrakes on and take care of what’s important... Here are a few health-related checks to help you keep track of things, plus ideas to get you feeling good whatever your age. Words by Crystal Rose
W
ith the years come new necessary screenings, tests and checks, and it can be hard to keep on top of it all. This in mind, we’ve put together some notes on maintaining your wellbeing – from a new mental health-based subscription box to help you pause and take some much-needed time out, to news on smear tests and the current age-related debate surrounding it, challenging yourself to a daily crossword and number puzzles and a few of the healthcare services available...
Smear tests (25+) With the current debate around lowering the age for smear tests (and rightly so), it’s never been more important to keep on top of your appointments. The recent petition had more than 200,000 signatures and is hoping to lower the age of screening to 18. As it stands, women aged 25 to 49 will have a test every three years and those 50 to 64 every five years. Here’s hoping this age barrier is soon reduced and with the debate recently opening in parliament, MPs are currently urging the government to act.
Cholesterol and heart checks (40+) For those over 40 that have a family history of heart conditions – or for anyone over 18 that is concerned, Lloyds Pharmacy provides a 15minute drop-in session. Priced at £15, the service will include measurements of your cholesterol levels and blood pressure followed by a few lifestyle questions.
Breast screening (50+) Women aged 50 to 70 who are registered with a GP will receive a breast cancer screening every three years. Using an x-ray test called a mammogram, this can spot cancers when they’re too small to see or feel. But, if you notice something that you’re worried about, that feels different from what’s normal for you, don’t wait.
Bupa Health mature assessments (65+) Primarily designed for those over 65, this in-depth health check from Bupa aims to give you a detailed picture of your current physical and mental health; while also identifying your risk of developing future health problems, cardiovascular disease or diabetes. Following your assessment you’ll receive your results as part of a personalised report plus health information, videos and online coaching programmes.
You’ll also get two follow-up coaching calls with a lifestyle coach to see how you’re getting on and offer support and advice.
In the meantime... While you’re waiting for the letters to come in the post, why not incorporate some activities to benefit your health that are fit for all ages? You could complete the daily crossword or sudoku. Pick up the newspaper, switch off (technologically), pull out your pen and challenge your mind with the daily puzzles and conundrums. It’s a great way to give your brain a workout on the regular, as well as being good for bonding with those around you. (Thirty-six across, anyone?) There’s also a new subscription service available, brought to us by mental health charity Mind. This is all about helping you carve out some monthly me-time and focus on your own wellbeing. Pause (pauseformind.org.uk) delivers a box each month that is designed to encourage creativity, relaxation, picking up a new skill or two and enjoying precious moments of calm. We think it’s a brilliant idea and a great way to unwind and care for yourself on a monthly basis. Plus, by subscribing to this box you’ll be donating to support Mind’s vital work towards ensuring no one has to face a mental health problem alone. Elsewhere, we know there’s mixed information regarding caffeine intake. There are benefits and disadvantages alike, but if you suffer from any of the following: anxiety, struggling to sleep or stress, lowering your consumption could actually improve all of these – and save you a penny or two in the process. You could switch to decaf or caffeine alternatives such as rooibos, mint, camomile teas, give yourself a caffeine curfew or simply try switching to water whenever you can to up your hydration. We’ve also been intrigued by the idea of the yoni steam recently. Also know as vaginal steaming, this practice – coming to the UK from Africa, Asia and Central America and not intended for those who are pregnant or who have IUDs fitted – focuses on releasing the pain of any past traumas and looks to heal the body. Benefits reported include improved menstruation cycles, bloating reduction and deep relaxation. Two-hour sessions are available at Healing In The Harbour (healingintheharbour.co.uk) – the steaming part of the treatment is only 30-minutes long and the rest includes a settling down session afterwards that involves relaxing with a warm blanket and discussing the experience. ■ THEBRISTOLMAG.CO.UK
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GARDENING THE GREAT OUTDOORS
Let the centuries fall away at lovely Lacock Abbey – there are few places where the sense of times long past can be so keenly felt
A peculiar magic Many of those who traverse Lacock’s streets come to walk in the footsteps of characters dreamt up by Jane Austen or JK Rowling. Its real history, however, is even more fascinating, if distinctly less cosy, says Andrew Swift
I
t is not surprising that the village of Lacock is one of the West Country’s most popular tourist destinations. This miraculously preserved slice of old England has formed the backdrop to more costume dramas than almost anywhere else in the country – from Wolf Hall to Downton Abbey and from Pride and Prejudice to Harry Potter. That said, it hardly fits the received notion of a typical English village. It has no village green, no pond, no thatched cottages. It is better to think of it as a small town, with four streets of tightly packed houses, built of stone, brick and timber and displaying an astonishing range of building styles right through from the 13th to the early 18th century. Given its fame, many of those who traverse Lacock’s streets come to walk in the footsteps of characters dreamt up by Jane Austen or JK Rowling. Lacock’s real history, however, is even more fascinating, if distinctly less cosy. Like many West Country towns, Lacock grew rich from weaving. It also stood on the old road from London to Bath, and in the early 18th century, as stagecoach traffic boomed, a large inn was built to cash in on the trade. Its prosperity did not last. By the mid-18th century, new and better roads had taken the coaches away. The West Country weaving trade, outstripped by competition from new textile mills in the north, entered a terminal decline. In other Wiltshire towns, new industries arrived to fill the gap, but in Lacock it was as though a spell had been cast. The lords of the manor, the Talbots, were paternalistic landlords who cared for their tenants, but were also determined to preserve the character of the village at all costs. Not only did Lacock fail to expand, it resisted change. Almost all its buildings date from no later than the first half of the 18th century. There are, however, two notable exceptions – a school built by the Talbots on the High Street in 1824, and a workhouse tucked out of sight beyond the church. The workhouse is just about the biggest building in the village, and with good cause, for in the early 19th century poverty and unemployment stalked these venerable streets. 86 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE
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Although the Talbots saw to it that railways came nowhere near the village, when the census was conducted in 1841, 136 men from Lacock workhouse were trudging daily across the fields to build Brunel’s line from Chippenham to Bath. While the policy of preservation led to considerable hardship, it eventually paid dividends. By the late 19th century, increasing numbers of people, traumatised by the juggernaut of industrialisation, were seeking reconnection with a lost vision of Merrie England. Few places fitted the bill better than Lacock, but it was not just the village those early pilgrims came to see, for the home of the Talbots was, if anything, more remarkable still. It started out, as did so many stately homes, as an abbey, founded in this case by Ela, Countess of Salisbury, for a community of Augustinian canonesses in 1232. For three centuries this small community of women enriched and beautified their abbey, managed the estates that Ela had bequeathed to them, obtained charters for fairs and markets, and established Lacock as a weaving centre. Then, in 1539, as the shadow of the Reformation fell across the land, Henry VIII grabbed the lot and slung them out. The following year he sold the abbey, along with the village and the estate, to Sir William Sharington for £783. Sharington tore down the nuns’ church and incorporated the rest of the abbey into a new manor house. In 1546, he was appointed to run the newly established Mint in Bristol and, before his misdeeds were discovered three years later, managed to embezzle around £16,000. His property was confiscated and he narrowly escaped with his life, but money talks, and before long he had bought back his lands – including Lacock – for £12,867. Sharington died childless and in 1646 the estate passed, by marriage, to the Talbots who held it for almost 300 years, before Matilda Talbot bequeathed it to the National Trust in 1944. They were a remarkable dynasty, cherishing their inheritance and doing all they could to enhance and enrich the abbey and village. Only one of them is
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remembered today, however – William Henry Fox Talbot, a brilliant scientist who achieved lasting fame as a pioneer of photography. The abbey lies at the edge of the village, and is approached through parkland. When you come to what was clearly intended as its main entrance, though, you have to carry on, skirting three sides of the building to enter through a narrow doorway at the back. As you walk round, it is difficult to see any coherence in the long, low range of buildings. They appear to be of all ages and none, and, in a nod to the vernacular eclecticism of the village, some are even half-timbered. Nothing, however, prepares you for what awaits as you step inside, for, instead of a country house, you find yourself in an abandoned cloister. The centuries fall away. The sense of loss suffered by that community of women almost five centuries ago hangs in the air like dust in a sunbeam. From this timeworn spot, stairs lead to the nuns’ refectory and dormitory – long converted to other uses – before you step blinking from a world of sunless medievalism into the cold light of Sharington’s ‘new build’. Sunlight streams through high windows in long rooms lined with ancestral portraits and, as you walk on, you pass an oriel window snapped by Fox Talbot one day in 1835 – possibly the oldest surviving camera negative ever produced. Then, as a grand finale, comes the strangest room of all – a baronial Gothic hall, built in the 1750s; mock medievalism run riot, with terracotta figures ranged around its walls. Naturally, a statue of Ela takes pride of place, although others are more disquieting – death for example, with a hideous grin, or a goat with a sugar lump balanced on its nose. Despite the tourist coaches, the gift shops and the crowds, there are few places where the sense of times long past can be so keenly felt. Time your visit right and, while you won’t have the place to yourself, there should be enough space to let Lacock’s peculiar magic work its spell. Over a century ago, the travel writer Edward Hutton wrote that “Lacock is the most precious and wonderful village in Wiltshire”. His words remain no less true today. ■
High Street, circa 1900
Abbey cloisters, 1887
• nationaltrust.org.uk/lacock-abbey-fox-talbot-museum-and-village
We just wanted to say how pleased we are with our new kitchen. The process from start to finish was superbly smooth and the attention to detail has provided us with a beautiful kitchen. Thank you very much. - Mr & Mrs Godbeer
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THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE 87
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WILD BRISTOL
The best time to view bluebells is on an overcast day, especially after an April shower. Each has between five and 15 ‘bells’ – the weight of which causes the flower’s distinctive droop
Bristol blues This month: bluebell woods to make you go “Wow!” Words by Pete Dommett
F
lowers? That’s a bit boring, isn’t it?” This was a friend’s response after I told him what I was writing about this month. And while I agreed that wildflowers might not have the obvious wow factor of some of the other wildlife (like kingfishers, otters and peregrine falcons) that has featured in this column, I challenged him to visit a bluebell wood in full flower at the end of April and not be immediately moved by its beauty. Walking through a woodland carpeted with countless numbers of these famous blue blooms is one of the simplest joys of spring. And it’s a very British thing – thanks to our moist and mild climate, the UK is home to around half the world’s bluebells and the most spectacular displays. The best time to view them is on an overcast day, especially after an April shower. Close your eyes halfway and the flowers fuse together in a sea of the purest blue. On sunny days, the haze of colour takes on a purplish hue. Get down on your hands and knees and have a close-up look at an individual flower. You’ll count somewhere between five and 15 ‘bells’ at the top of each stalk, the weight of which causes the bluebell’s distinctive droop. These open in a strict sequence, with the lower flowers first to unfurl and the bells at the very tip of the stem being the last to flourish. Then there’s their scent: a delicate, sweet perfume that pervades the air around you. Bluebells grow across the country but, as spring spreads slowly northwards, we in the West Country get to enjoy them before most people. Mass blooming usually begins by the middle of the month, but this depends on our increasingly unpredictable weather. In 2018, the Beast from the East smothered new shoots with a blanket of snow and delayed displays. Conversely, an exceptionally warm end to the winter this year could mean an early show. Bristol is surrounded by some brilliant places for bluebells. These include Prior’s Wood and Weston Big Wood (near Portishead), Dowlings Wood at Folly Farm (near Pensford) and Lower Woods (near Wickwar), which are all managed by Avon Wildlife Trust. The 88 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE
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National Trust’s Leigh Woods and Tyntesfield estate are also good spots to see them. If you visit any of these areas, then stick to the paths to avoid trampling on the plants. Damaged leaves can affect the ability of the bulbs, hidden underground, to reproduce and generate flowers for next year.
...Thanks to our moist and mild climate, the UK is home to around half the world’s bluebells and the most spectacular displays... Bluebells can be found in good numbers nearer the city – in Arnos Vale cemetery and at Ashton Court, for example. But in urban areas, they face a more insidious threat. The Spanish bluebell is a cultivated and vigorous variety – bigger, straighter, more variable in colour, but with little scent – that has escaped over the garden wall and now crossbreeds with our native plant, producing hybrid flowers with ‘watered down’ features. The charity Plantlife claims that one in six British woods have been invaded by the Spanish species. Avon Wildlife Trust’s Willsbridge Valley reserve, near Longwell Green, is just one local example of where the plant is now present. If this hybridisation continues, our beloved British bluebell could, one day, be lost completely. So get out there this month and find some ‘proper’ bluebells while you still can. Squint at them, sniff them and say “wow!” to these wonderful wildflowers. ■ • Keep up-to-date with bloomings at naturescalendar.woodlandtrust.org.uk
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DESIGN | INTERIORS
Designs on a bathroom Georgian buildings wouldn’t have had any internal bathrooms, so installing a new bathroom in period houses usually involves dealing with small spaces that have been carved out over the years. Working in tight spaces means that design, layout and lighting are key. Sarah Latham, founder and creative director of Etons of Bath, offers a few tips
WALLPAPER Add a distinct wall covering to create a point of interest and add wow factor. Ensure the room is well ventilated and that the wall covering won’t be in direct contact with water. There are also decorators’ glazes that can be used to give it that extra protection.
LIGHTING
Ensuite bathroom at Queensberry Hotel in Bath, designed by Etons of Bath
Using decorative lighting in a bathroom can help to make the room more homely. Just having recessed ceiling spot lights can be stark and unflattering. Bathrooms require lights that have a specific IP rating, so check this before you buy.
DESIGN LAYOUT Due to the drainage location which is expensive to change, the toilet is the most difficult thing to move in the bathroom so it’s best to try to work around it. So start with that and then add in the other elements you require.
TILES FUNCTIONALITY
This wood effect floor tile was used to give a traditional feel. It was combined with a more costeffective blue metro tile to add colour. Always make sure the tiles for the floor are porcelain or listed as suitable for floor use, otherwise they will be too soft and may crack.
Ensuring your bathroom is functional as well as sumptuous is an important factor – this heated towel radiator is a small detail but makes all the difference. Making sure there’s somewhere for a hand towel near the basin, or specifying a mirror with de-misters so that they don’t steam up are all important details to consider as well as what AV or heating you might want to incorporate. Etons of Bath, 108 Walcot Street, Bath; etonsofbath.com
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Simon Corbett
Architect
Small local practice with 5 Star Google and Houzz reviews
• Plain and Ornamental plastering • • Wide selection of new cornices, ceiling roses etc • • Cornice made to match existing and repair work • • Lime plastering and rendering • • 29 years experience •
Call Simon to discuss your project on 07969 607913
simoncorbettarchitect.co.uk BA (Hons), Dip Arch (Hons), ARB
Tel: 07970 278028 Email: info@john-boyce.co.uk www.john-boyce.co.uk
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GARDENING
Follower of fashion The spring shows start this month and Elly West is thinking beauty, practicality and time-honoured, as well as trendy
S
pringtime in the gardening calendar: I love it. Colour is everywhere as bulbs burst open and herbaceous perennials reveal themselves again after a winter rest, with fresh new foliage and the promise of more to come. All is green and vibrant, and any sunny days encourage us to get outside and get going on our gardens. Easter is traditionally the busiest time for garden retailers, and with it falling so late this year, it’s set to be a very different story from last year – which was three weeks behind and hot (or cold!) on the heels of the Beast from the East. I also love spring for the shows, which start this month with RHS Cardiff in Bute Park. It’s less than an hour from Bristol, and with the bridge now dispensing with its toll, it’s even easier to enjoy a great day out. If you want to discover new trends and gain inspiration for your own garden, as well as finding some bargains, the shows are a good place to start. See the opposite page for details on what is coming up in the next few months. In my work as a garden designer I see all different types of gardens and no two jobs (or clients) are the same, which is one of the reasons that I love what I do. And while it’s important to keep up with what is deemed ‘fashionable’ and what new products are on the market, there are certain themes that recur time and time again, not because they are on-trend but because they are beautiful and practical. After all, gardens are for relaxing in and enjoying, and that doesn’t change. Traditional cottage gardens will perhaps never be out of fashion, but there are also easy ways to update a scheme and keep it contemporary, so this month I will look at predicted trends for this year, certain to be in evidence at the various gardening shows. Wellbeing and mindfulness are buzzwords that have filtered into our gardens, and the Royal Horticultural Society has recently announced a three-year partnership with the NHS to highlight the benefits of gardens, gardening and green spaces on our health. RHS Chatsworth has introduced a new category of ‘mindfulness gardens’ at this year’s show. “Academic research has converged with years of anecdotal evidence to demonstrate the positive effect of gardens on 92 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE
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mental and physical health,” says RHS horticultural projects manager Ben Brace, “and this is now being widely reflected in garden design.” At RHS Cardiff, the National Botanic Garden of Wales’ Gardd Lles (‘wellbeing garden’ in Welsh) provides secluded seating areas for contemplation. A place to sit in quietness and harmony with the surroundings is high on many of my clients’ wish lists, perhaps with the sound of running water nearby. Calming palettes of whites, blues and pinks are perennially popular, as are plants that provide fragrance, texture and movement.
...Certain themes recur time and again. After all, gardens are for relaxing in and enjoying, and that doesn’t change... Lots of designers have increasingly been using wildflowers, native flowers and meadow planting in their plans, and this trend is set to continue. I love to include areas of meadow in the gardens I design, even if it’s just strip edging a more formal lawn. Rolling out readymade, pre-planted turf seems to have good, reliable results. It will flower through the summer and just requires an annual chop in autumn, so provides a low-maintenance option for covering an area with beautiful flowers that will attract pollinators and wildlife. This looser style of planting is also achievable in borders, by mixing perennials and grasses, some providing a permanent structure and others dying back in winter. In terms of colours, those restful pastel shades will always be ontrend in my view, and at RHS Chelsea Flower Show this year, greens, whites and pale yellows are set to dominate, along with splashes of
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GARDENING
Opposite page: Wellbeing and mindfulness are buzzwords that have filtered into our gardens. These, in the floral marquee at the RHS Cardiff Flower Show 2018, make us smile (image courtesy of RHS and Jason Ingram)
Right: Allium Cristophii – commonly called Persian onion or Star of Persia – grows best in full sun and on free-draining soils
orange and purple. There also seems to be a move back to the sculptural and architectural foliage that dominated in the 1990s and early Noughties, perhaps driven in part by the resurgence in popularity of lush, leafy houseplants. Foliage plants in greens as well as purples, silvers and bronze are always useful in borders, providing long-lasting texture and interest and acting as a foil for the more flamboyant flowering plants. I love some of the new heuchera varieties, in shades of dark purple-almost-black through to unusual coppers, limes and yellows. Heuchera ‘Obsidian’ has glossy aubergine-black leaves topped with sprays of pale flowers, while Heuchera ‘Marmalade’ produces clumps of unusual coppery amber leaves. The need for sustainability is another theme that will be running through the RHS shows this year, with trees chosen for their biodiversity, green walls and roofs, recycled materials and drought-resistant planting that will cope with climate change. Look out for the ‘regeneration gardens’ category at RHS Cardiff, where Brent Purtell’s garden – The Urban Gallery – combines recycled industrial materials with bold artworks to create an enclosed escape, while Diego Carrillo’s Nature’s Take Over is an ecofriendly garden designed to attract wildlife. ■
Plant of the month: Allium ‘Purple Sensation’ Anyone who knows their onions will recognise the beautiful globes of ornamental alliums. Garden designers have long recognised their qualities and they are a common sight at shows and in show gardens. Planted en masse throughout a border they provide rhythm and punctuation, holding their starry heads high above lowergrowing perennials. They combine particularly well with mound-forming plants such as Alchemilla mollis or hardy geraniums, which hide the comparably tatty leaves of the alliums – these tend to yellow as the flowers do their thing. The allium flowers then provide sculptural interest as they die back. Pick a few seed heads and let them dry out, then spray them silver or gold for indoor displays. Alliums grow best in full sun and on free-draining soils; plant them deep as bulbs in autumn and you may have to wait until May/June for the flowers, but they are often available to buy in garden centres as containerised plants this month. • ellyswellies.co.uk
Upcoming shows RHS Flower Show Cardiff, 12 – 14 April RHS Malvern Spring Festival, 9 – 12 May RHS Chelsea Flower Show, 21 – 25 May RHS Chatsworth Flower Show, 5 – 9 June Gardeners’ World Live, NEC, Birmingham 13 – 16 June RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival, 1 – 7 July RHS Flower Show Tatton Park, 17 – 21 July
Elly’s Wellies
Garden Designs
Turning your ideas into beautiful spaces Elly’s Wellies Garden Designs will help you maximise the potential of your outdoor space and tailor it to your individual needs. Whether you are looking for a complete garden redesign, or just need advice on what to plant in a border, Elly’s Wellies will be happy to help.
For a free initial consultation, contact Elly West
www.ellyswellies.co.uk ellyswellies@gmail.com 07788 640934 THEBRISTOLMAG.CO.UK
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BRISTOL PROPERTY | IN FOCUS
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ating from 1928, this beautifully presented four bedroom family home – generously proportioned with lots of natural light – enjoys an elevated position and is favourably located in Stoke Bishop. The area is known for its excellent standard of schools, including the popular Elmlea Infant and Junior School situated nearby, as well as many top secondary schools within the wider area. Accommodation is spacious with over 3,712 sq ft and arranged across two floors. At ground floor level you’re welcomed by a generous entrance hall which provides access to all ground floor rooms including; 3 reception rooms, two of which are located to the front and have ample natural light and wonderful views. To the rear there’s a large and open plan kitchen/dining room and utility room, which provides internal access to the garage and a shower room with W.C. and wash hand basin. Upstairs, 4/5 bedrooms are serviced by a family bathroom. Furthermore, the unconverted loft with Velux windows provides additional possibilities and, subject to the necessary planning consents, could easily offer additional bedroom space. Outside there are pretty, level gardens, a garage and ample parking. This lovely home offers plenty of space for the family to grow and is sure to impress any potential purchaser. For full details contact Knight Frank Clifton.
ELMLEA AVENUE, STOKE BISHOP, BRISTOL • Beautifully presented detatched family home situated near many excellent schools • 4 Bedrooms • 2 bathrooms • Gardens, garage and ample off-street parking
Guide price £1,200,000 Knight Frank, Regent House, 27A Regent Street, Clifton, Bristol. Tel: 0117 295 0425
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THEBRISTOLMAG.CO.UK
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THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE 95
Bristol & Clifton’s premier Commercial Property Agents Keep up-to-date with our latest news, deals, testimonials and market comment at our website: www.burstoncook.co.uk
(0117) 934 9977
UNION STREET, BROADMEAD
BLENHEIM COURT, ALMONDSBURY
• C 1,000 sq ft retail space
• High quality office building
• Suit offices and other commercial uses
• 1,491 sq ft • New lease
• New flexible lease • Economical rent
• Rent o/a
GOLDEN BOTTLE, LOCKLEAZE
16 PORTLAND SQ, BS2
• A4 (Public House)
• Superb period office
• Suit other commercial uses
• From 500 sq ft to 3,360 sq ft
• Great opportunity
• 8 car spaces
• New lease
• Rent o/a
CITY CENTRE OFFICES
103 WHITELADIES ROAD
• Open plan
• Contemporary offices
• 815 sq ft
• Light and airy
• Light & bright studio space
• 700 sq ft to 1,700 sq ft
• Low rent
• New lease – ren o / a
38 QUEEN SQUARE BS1
OFFICE TO LET (MAY SELL)
• A stunning s/c office building • 2,750 sq ft • 4 car spaces • Double width frontage onto Queen Square • New lease – Rent o / a
• Purchase your own 5 – 10 person office unit • QC30 – BS1 • £17.50 psf to rent
57 QUEENS ROAD, CLIFTON
STUDIO OFFICES CLOSE TO BBC – BS8
• Prime shop to let
• Coming soon
• Fully fitted café
• Suite 1 - 1,500 sq ft
• 1,200 sq ft
• Suite 2- 2,000 sq ft Open plan studio
• New lease
Julian Cook FRICS
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PROPERTY NEWS
BITE-SIZED UPDATES FROM ACROSS THE CITY’S BOOMING SECTOR The spotlight is on build-to-rent in Bristol with funders, developers and consultants all exploring opportunities, says Rachael Sherratt at JLL
GROWING SECTOR Over 2,000 new build-to-rent apartments will be created in Bristol by 2021, according to leading property experts. This new model of housing designed specifically for the rental market is set to play a key part in delivering Bristol’s much-needed housing supply and attracting investment to the city, says JLL. Build-to-rent is a growing sector within the UK property market, attracting over £2billion of investment last year alone. Unlike the wider private rental sector, build-to-rent schemes are designed specifically for a community of people renting their homes, managed by a single professional landlord and investor and offering services from a 24-hour concierge to guest and event spaces to hire. The model also provides a valuable long-term asset for investors, while for developers, improved cashflow means properties can be delivered quicker than traditional homes. “The spotlight is on build-to-rent in Bristol with funders, developers and consultants all exploring opportunities,” says Rachael Sherratt, Women in Property South West vice-chair and associate at JLL in Bristol. “Regional developments of build-to-rent homes are, for the first time, now on a par with numbers being delivered in London, which illustrates that this is definitely a sector that is here to stay. We are becoming used to having access to services 24/7 and through our mobile devices. So living somewhere where you can request a tap is fixed, get a parcel delivered or book a guest bedroom all through an app or email is highly desirable.” • jll.co.uk 98 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE
IMPERIAL SPIRIT Brand new, duplex penthouses hit the market in South Bristol last month, from joint venture partners Urban Splash and Places for People. The two-bedroom homes at the Copper Building at Lakeshore are dual aspect, with balconies offering far-reaching vistas over the site’s lake and 10 acres of private green space. Situated on the site of the former offices of Imperial Tobacco, the homes will complete in the summer. “These are the final available homes in the Copper Building – the last piece of the jigsaw at Lakeshore,” said sales director Guy Ackernley. “We’ve saved the best until last here with some fantastic, spacious homes, with excellent design features and the area’s best views. And by investing in augmented reality technology, we can show buyers now just what they’re buying into – helping them visualise their future home.” The penthouses have been designed by Bristol-based architects Ferguson Mann, the practice responsible for designing the entire Lakeshore scheme. Designer Nick Brown added: “We’ve evolved this site – once a workplace for local people – remaking it in its original spirit. We can’t wait to show the finished Copper Building to Bristol.”
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Following on from the inaugural exhibition in October 2018, Bristol Housing Festival’s first projects are underway, demonstrating innovation in technology, community building and land use. The ZEDpods development in St George proposes 11 affordable, lowcarbon homes over Chalks Road car park. A ZEDpod is a new concept in high quality, rapid build, modular lowenergy homes that can use air rights above existing land within city centres. The apartments can be raised above existing car parking spaces, which continue to be available for public parking, and the homes have been optimised for energy efficiency and low running costs. This environmental and socially focused development will deliver much-needed affordable housing in the area for young professionals and others at risk of housing crisis. The mixture of tenures means a new community model to ensure tenant support networks are in place. The scheme will offer something truly innovative, a first for the city and of its kind in the UK. The LaunchPad development is an innovative modular accommodation solution for young independent adults and will be located on the car park at the bottom of Alexandra Park, Fishponds. It is for young people moving on from supported housing as well as University of Bristol students. Together, they will be making use of their shared skills to self-manage the scheme. The 31 homes will support the journey to independent living and bring students together with other young people passionate about connecting and proactively building a community. “By investing, United Communities and our partners are saying, ‘there is a different way to provide homes’, quickly, on land that otherwise wouldn’t be used,” says Oona Goldsworthy of United Communities. “These modular homes will create a brand new mixed community, which after 10 years can be moved to another location”
• bristolhousingfestival.org.uk • urbansplash.co.uk
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BRISTOL PROPERTY | IN FOCUS
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his is an impressive and very attractive five double bedroom, Victorian family home offering ample accommodation and benefitting from a great location – just a short stroll to Cotham Gardens Park, Redland train station and the highly-rated restaurants of Cotham Hill. Whiteladies Road is also nearby, with further shops and amenities. There are also a full range of excellent schools: Colston’s Primary, St. Peter & Paul Primary School and Cotham Secondary School which are all within a few hundred metres’ walk. Full of character, this handsome, family home is beautifully presented and has retained many original features. The accommodation is spacious and arranged over three floors; on the ground floor there is a welcoming reception hallway, a beautiful bay-fronted sitting room with log-burning stove and an impressive kitchen/dining room, there’s also separate utility room and WC. On the first floor, there’s a principal bedroom with dressing area and en suite shower room and WC, there’s also two further double bedrooms and a family bathroom. The lower ground floor features a large landing, two further double bedrooms, a bathroom and a second reception/garden room. The lower ground floor also benefits from its own independent entrance. Outside, to the rear, is a lovely, south-west facing walled garden, mainly laid to lawn but with decked patio area. A residents parking scheme is well-operated. To view the property or to find out more, please contact Richard Harding Estate Agents.
Richard Harding, 124 Whiteladies Road, Clifton, Bristol BS8 2RP. Tel: 0117 946 6690
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20 MONTROSE AVENUE, REDLAND, BRISTOL • Well proportioned, Victorian family home arranged over three floors • Five double bedrooms • Master bedroom with dressing room and en suite shower room • Pretty south-west facing, walled rear garden • Residents parking scheme • Located close to many good schools
Guide price: £975,000
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CITY | BUSINESS
WHAT BUYERS ARE LOOKING FOR IN BRISTOL TODAY RICHARD BROOKS
head of residential, Savills Clifton. Specialising in the marketing and sale of the city's prime property.
I
f the last month or so is anything to go by, those in the business of buying, selling and letting property in Bristol should brace themselves for a busy year ahead. In a surprise to many, 2019 has brought a good deal of activity into the market, driven by a steady stream of motivated buyers.
equivalent county average across England and Wales. The Mendip Hills, a ruggedly beautiful landscape, only 40 minutes’ drive from the city, is designated as such and homes across the area sell well.
While the political uncertainty has resulted in caution among buyers and sellers across the country for some time now, Bristol is a desirable place to live and continues to attract. The clients we are welcoming into our Clifton office are a relatively even mix of those looking to move into and around Bristol. We are privileged to market some of the best property in the area and our experience shows that best-in-class, across all price brackets, is generating high levels of interest. Indeed, more than half of our sales this year have been as a result of multiple bids. Buyers, ever more selective, are looking for quality and Savills research shows a notable price gap between certain types of property and the rest. Properties that are selling particularly well – and in some cases at a premium – at the moment include:
Education, education, education With the city boasting two universities and a number of top performing schools, education plays an enormous role in the local property market. Our research highlights an average UK premium of 16.3% on homes close to Ofsted rated outstanding primary schools – this very much rings true in Bristol. The primary and secondary school offering in Redland, for example, is a huge draw and has a marked influence on values. Similarly, Clifton, Henleaze, Sneyd Park and Westbury on Trym are hotspots for families who are looking to be in walking distance to the likes of Clifton College, QEH, Redmaids and Badminton schools.
• A piece of history Our latest figures also show that heritage buildings can attract a substantial premium. There is no doubt that the world-famous architectural landscapes of Clifton and Redland, for example, are part and parcel of what makes these Bristol hotspots so desirable. From the grand terraces of Royal York Crescent to the converted industrial warehouses of the floating harbour, those who buy in these areas are buying into a lifestyle and so it follows that the finer examples tend to carry an advantage.
27 Elmlea Avenue, a detached family house in Westbury on Trym, was sold by Savills in March on a guide price of £950,000
But we don’t have to leave the city to enjoy some incredible green spaces, as Bristol is home to several fantastic swathes. From the 400 acres of parkland at Clifton Downs to the 850 acres of woods and grasslands of Ashton Court and the further 490 acres of woodland at Leigh Woods, proximity to open space is something that sets the city apart and so it stands to reason that homes with views out to or in walking distance of such spaces are desirable. Urban or rural, traditional or contemporary, small or large, well-built, immaculately presented homes which represent the top of their class, will always sell well. Homes that also fall into any of the above hotspot areas, are attracting considerable competition – for example the recent sale of a fine family house on the doorstep of one of Bristol’s top performing schools attracted more than 20 viewings over one weekend, leading to competitive bidding and an above asking price offer.
• Outstanding natural beauty
Savills Clifton offers its clients a full appreciation of the market, based on in-depth specialist research and sound local knowledge. If you are thinking of buying or selling in the area, contact our team of experts on +44 (0) 117 933 5800. n
Proximity to an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty or national park is another attribute that our national research has shown to command an impressive premium – in this case up to 48.3 per cent more than the
Richard Brooks, Savills Estate Agents. 20 The Mall, Clifton Village, Bristol, BS8 4DR Web: savills.co.uk
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he apartment features tinted floor to ceiling windows, each benefitting from state of the art double glazed thermal and sound insulating technology. Arranged over the upper two floors of the Iron Foundry, the Penthouse is flooded with light from 16’ 11” double height dual-aspect. Open plan kitchen, family and dining room – certainly one of the most exceptional reception rooms in the city. With an engineered white-oiled oak floor and underfloor heating this room provides a stunning space in which to relax, enjoy the views and entertain. The are several access doors to the wrap-around balcony, with circa 58’ of south facing balcony space and 34’ facing west with views over Bathurst basin and beyond. Overlooking the reception space and accessed via an oak staircase is the fabulous “floating” sitting room, with a glazed balcony edge giving infinity views across the city and harbourside and a sliding door with Juliet balcony. The elegant master bedroom is adjacent to the sitting room – creating a private top floor suite if desired. The bedroom spans some 24’ with a full bank of built-in wardrobes and full height windows and Juliet balconies from which to take in the southerly views. The fully tiled luxury en-suite is accessed via a recessed dressing area and comprises an oversize walk-in shower and separate bath. Accessed from the spacious entrance hall with engineered oak flooring are two further double bedrooms, both facing south and each with balcony access. Both enjoy fitted wardrobes, with bedroom two having access to a fully tiled en-suite shower room complete with walk-in shower, wall mounted wash basin, wall mounted w.c. and heated towel ladder. . For full details contact agents Rupert Oliver. Rupert Oliver, Somerset House, 18 Canynge Road, Clifton, Bristol. Tel: 0117 428 6464
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THE IRON FOUNDRY • Stunning 2264 sq ft duplex apartment • Exceptional 270 degree South and West facing views • “Floating” mezzanine sitting room • Exquisite master bedroom suite plus two further bedrooms • High quality open plan kitchen • Striking 16’11” double height reception room • On the doorstep of two Michelin starred restaurants • Two under croft parking spaces
Guide price: £1,295,000
HOWARD ROAD, WESTBURY PARK This light and spacious natural four bed 1920’s family home is positioned within the Westbury Park and Redland borders. The property boasts a south facing rear garden with access to a converted studio / office space offering flexible use and a double garage to rear providing secure off-street parking. EPC - E 3
ÂŁ925,000
2
4
Howard Davis t: 0117 923 8238 (sales) t: 0117 946 6588 (lettings)
It has been a trying two years since the Brexit referendum. No market likes uncertainty, and the property market is no exception. As we (hopefully) reach the Brexit endgame, we can see some welcome signs of regeneration from opposite ends of the market. Across the UK many first time buyers, benefiting from low interest rates, help-to-buy schemes and, frequently, the bank of mum and dad, have filled the vacuum created by those leaving the rental investment market. Tax changes have also affected the top end of the market. The tax on foreign buyers, especially in London, has had an adverse effect. The capital has seen a dramatic drop in property values over the past three or four years with the knock-on effect that
fewer central London sellers have been moving out of the capital for lifestyle reasons. So London sellers are once again planning their escapes, and they are filtering through to the middle market property sector in areas outside the capital. It would be foolhardy to try and forecast how the market will react in the months ahead. We are estate agents, not clairvoyants. However, two things are very certain in the post Brexit epoch, there will be excellent opportunities for both buyers and sellers, and we will be there to steer clients through this period - whatever happens to the market. Howard Davis MD Clifton
REDLAND
REDLAND
GUIDE PRICE £1,200,000
SSTC £1,200,000
An exceptional seven bedroom family house set over four floors; offers an extensive interior retaining a great deal of its original charm and character throughout, consisting of a reception room, dining room, kitchen/breakfast room, utility room, a family bathroom, a home office and a garage. EPC E
A four storey semi-detached house currently set up as a seven bedroom property. Until recently it has been used as a treatment centre and as such, it currently has a residential in care usage. Planning permission to change it into a residential family home would have to be granted. EPC D
KINGSDOWN
HARBOURSIDE
GUIDE PRICE £975,000
A rare opportunity to acquire an outstanding architect designed family home with breathtaking views over the city. Set over three floors with an open plan living/ kitchen area, three bedrooms, three bathrooms, a south facing rear garden, a roof terrace and allocated parking. EPC C
GUIDE PRICE £795,000
A charming four double bedroom Georgian home, well presented throughout and offers a light and versatile interior with views towards the harbour and surrounding area. Externally there is an attractive courtyard garden to the rear with a garage situated in a nearby block. EPC D
REDLAND
GUIDE PRICE £650,000
SNEYD PARK
GUIDE PRICE £475,000
A beautifully presented period home offering three bedrooms plus a loft conversion which is used as a home office, fabulous views, an impressive sitting room plus dining room and a rear kitchen with French doors to rear garden. Located closely to Redland Green School, offered with no onward chain. EPC E
A delightful two bedroom Victorian property consists of: a lounge, kitchen plus a dining room area which leads to a sizeable conservatory, an under stairs W/C, a family bathroom and a separate W/C. The rear garden is laid with patio slabs and stone walled on three sides. EPC C
SNEYD PARK
CLIFTON
SSTC £465,000
GUIDE PRICE £450,000
A delightful two bedroom Victorian property consists of: a lounge, kitchen plus a dining room area which leads to a sizeable conservatory, an under stairs W/C, a family bathroom and a separate W/C. The rear garden is laid with patio slabs and stone walled on three sides. EPC C
An attractive two bedroom garden apartment offers a sitting room, private South East facing front garden plus a discrete rear courtyard area, kitchen/dining room, master bedroom with access to an en-suite and a second bedroom plus a fabulous shower/wet room. EPC E
REDLAND
CITY CENTRE
GUIDE PRICE £375,000
A superior two double bedroom period flat offers a spacious living room, a separate kitchen which leads off the living room, a large master bedroom, a second double bedroom and the bathroom leading off the hallway featuring a stained glass window. EPC D
GUIDE PRICE £272,500
A superior two double bedroom period flat offers a spacious living room, a separate kitchen which leads off the living room, a large master bedroom, a second double bedroom and the bathroom leading off the hallway featuring a stained glass window. EPC C
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St Andrews, Bristol | Guide Price £625,000 A superb four-bedroom family house in a sought-after location; close to Sefton Park Primary School, the Gloucester Road and St. Andrews Park. Fabulous period family house extensively refurbished and modernised several years ago | Sefton Park Primary School catchment area | Delightful sitting room with bi-folding doors opening out into the garden | Versatile open plan kitchen / family room with a bespoke kitchen and rear access to the garden | Three double bedrooms and fourth bedroom / study or nursery | Family bathroom | Enclosed paved rear garden with lane access | No onward chain | EPC: TBC | Please Note: Photos dated 2015 during the current owner’s occupation. The house is currently let on an AST. |
In all circa 1590 sq. ft (149 sq. m)
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Clifton, Bristol | Guide Price £835,000 A charming period townhouse arranged over four floors with beautifully appointed and versatile accommodation, with a fully enclosed southerly facing garden. Elegant four double-bedroom family home approaching 2000 sq. ft arranged over four floors | Wonderful location between Clifton village and the Harbourside | Hotwells Primary School and Christ Church Primary School Catchment Area | Modern fitted kitchen with direct access from the front courtyard | Two elegant reception rooms | Three upper floor double bedrooms & a study / bedroom 4 on the hall floor | Luxury first floor bathroom suite and separate top floor shower room | A true “sun-trap” fully enclosed southerly facing rear garden | Friendly community with shared communal garden to the front | Residents parking scheme (Clifton Wood and Hotwells) | EPC: D
In all circa 1980 sq. ft (183 sq. m)
hamptons.co.uk
Berkeley Square Guide Price £2,000,000
Forming part of this stunning Grade II* listed terrace, the property takes pride of place in this renowned garden square. This exquisite 5 bedroom Georgian town house, with classic Bath stone façade, has been luxuriously and sympathetically finished throughout and includes gated parking. EPC: Exempt
Druid Road
Guide Price £1,300,000
A substantial period house which sits on one of Stoke Bishop’s most sought after roads, and is located towards the end of this cul-de-sac. The current owners have enhanced and modernised the house, as well as extending it during their occupation. EPC: E
Hamptons Bristol
Sales. 0117 369 1004 | bristol@hamptons-int.com
Park Street
Guide Price £350,000
Occupying the top floor of this exquisite newly renovated building in the heart of Park Street is this luxurious two bedroom penthouse apartment. Lovingly refurbished, period charm resonates throughout the building. EPC: TBC
City Centre ÂŁ350,000
Clifton Office 0117 946 6007
Two bed maisonette
A truly individual hall floor and basement maisonette with bags of period features and charm. At 1249 sq ft/116m sq the property is particularly spacious with a very good sized kitchen/diner and large separate living room, a rarity for City Centre properties. EPC - F
oceanhome.co.uk
Westbury-on-Trym Office 0117 962 1973
Westbury-on-Trym ÂŁ635,000 Five bedroom house
A well-presented modern and characterful three storey, five bedroom family home located within the heart of Westbury-on-Trym village. Living room to front with bay window and wood burner, family room with a bay window, downstairs modern kitchen breakfast room with dual aspect, double doors overlooking and leading to garden. EPC - D
Redcliffe ÂŁ365,000 Two bedroom flat
Located in a stunning waterfront development is this contemporary designed, beautifully finished apartment. The spacious living area leads on to your own private balcony allowing you to admire the picture-postcard river views and soak up the atmosphere of the city. Being sold with no onward chain. EPC - C
Westbury-on-Trym ÂŁ495,000 Three bedroom house
Detached home on a quiet cul-de-sac in Westbury-on-Trym. Comprising of: entrance hallway, fitted kitchen, dining room, downstairs WC and an impressive sitting room. Upstairs there are three double bedrooms, master bedroom with an en-suite shower and a modern family bathroom. Detached garage and off road parking. EPC - D
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