Bristol Life - Issue 346

IS S UE 3 4 6 / MIDWIN T E R 2 024 / £ 3

SILENTS ARE GOLDEN

JUST ASK SLAPSTICK GALA HOST HUGH BONNEVILLE

ISSUE 346 MIDWINTER 2024 / LIGHT UP THE NIGHT

STAYCATION WITH ME, BABY FROM GRAND HOTELS TO BOUTIQUEY BOLTHOLES

AND LIGHT UP, LIGHT UP: OUR FAVOURITE WINTER FESTIVAL’S BACK

RISE LIFE’S A PEACH PANTONE’S COLOUR OF THE YEAR

THE HOUSE THAT MAT BUILT

A ‘TROPICAL-INSPIRED’ (YOU HEARD) NEW-BUILD IN MONTPELIER

SHINE

EDITOR’S LETTER

H

Hugh if true

26

Why have commoners like us been hanging out with Lord Grantham? Well, it’s funny you should say that . . .

ugh Bonneville: not quite as posh as BBC period dramas led us to expect.

His everyday accent is more RP; less Downton Abbey’s Lord Grantham than W1A’s Ian Fletcher.

But don’t expect many insights into either of those shows in our interview with Hugh on page 26, or indeed, very much about his career in general; if you were hoping to learn what it’s like to act opposite a CGI marmalade-loving bear, for example, you’ll be cruelly disappointed. If, on the other hand, you’re dying to hear about Hugh’s role as host of the Slapstick Festival Gala this year, then we have the perfect feature for you. on’t be in too much of a hurry to flick through the first 2 pages, though. There’s some good stuff in there. Linger lovingly over pages 18-23, in which we bring you images from this year’s Bristol Light Festival, along with an interview with Studio McGuire, whose ethereal creations bring a magical, theatrical touch to the fest. Sure, the musical swings and the lit-up arches are lovely to interact with, but I can’t wait to look up at Davy and Kristin’s newest installation Ascendance, which like last year’s Ophelia and Sirens promises to be darkly beautiful and melancholic, transporting us into another world. As an extra bonus it will almost definitely be indoors, so you can gaze on it for ages without risk of frostbite.

And I tell you what else is good at transporting you to another world: a luxury staycation, that’s what.

Thought our hotel round-up in the last issue was our final word on the matter ar from it turn to page .

There’s plenty more delightful infotainment in this issue too, but that’s what the contents page overleaf is for. Best just get stuck in, to be honest.

Back at you in mid-February, which is practically March, which is definitely spring, so I’m looking forward to seeing all your lovely snow pics.

DERI ROBINS Bristol Life editor @BristolLifeMag

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Issue 346 / January 2024 ON THE COVER Ascendance by Studio McGuire; coming to a Light Festival near you soon; page 18

ARTS

11 ART PAGE The new Tiger is out of its cage 12 WHAT’S ON The cultural scene warms up for the coldest

time of year

18 BRISTOL LIGHT FESTIVAL Spotlight on the wonderful

18

Studio McGuire, and other attractions

26 SLAPSTICK Hugh Bonneville’s silent night, and the best of

the rest of the fest

32 BRISTOL HEROES Not feeling 2024 yet? This is the feature

you need

FOOD & DRINK

38 RESTAURANT achel flees the city in search of rural

boutiquery

44 FOOD AND DRINK News, openings, rumours, pizza 49 CAFÉ SOCIETY No swimming trunks required

LIFESTYLE

50 ED’S CHOICE Well, the colour’s Pantone’s choice, not ours,

but we’ve good-naturedly run with it Hopefully the first of many insights from designer Kirsty Lake

52 INTERIORS N

GREAT ESCAPE

56 STAYCATIONS Posh hotels, cosy cabins and coastal retreats.

LATER LIVING

64 RETIREMENT The options are sexier than you think

BUSINESS

73 NETWORK Local food hero Josh, changes at the top for the

Beacon, and all you need to know about our events this year

PROPERTY

86 SHOWCASE A self-build inspired by the tropics in Montpelier

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REGULARS

6 SPOTLIGHT 9 BRIZZOGRAM 90 BRISTOL LIVES Katherine Jewkes

Editor Deri Robins deri.robins@mediaclash.co.uk Senior art editor Andrew Richmond Cover design Trevor Gilham Contributors Colin Moody, Stan Cullimore Commercial manager Neil Snow neil.snow@mediaclash.co.uk Business development manager Craig Wallberg craig.wallberg@mediaclash.co.uk Production/distribution manager Kirstie Howe kirstie.howe@mediaclash.co.uk Chief executive Jane Ingham jane.ingham@mediaclash.co.uk Chief executive Greg Ingham greg.ingham@mediaclash.co.uk Bristol Life MediaClash, Carriage Court, 22 Circus Mews, Bath, BA1 2PW 01225 475800; www.mediaclash.co.uk @The MediaClash © All rights reserved. May not be reproduced without written permission of MediaClash.

We’re a West Country-based publisher, creative agency and event organiser Magazines Our portfolio of regional magazines celebrates the best of local living: Bath and Bristol. Agency From the design and build of websites to digital marketing and creating company magazines, we can help. Events We create, market, promote and operate a wide variety of events both for MediaClash and our clients Contact: info@mediaclash.co.uk

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 5

SPOTLIGHT Fancy seeing (CLOCKWISE): Craig David, NE-YO and Spoony? If not, never mind; there are still seven more acts to be announced

Yes, we’re still milking this pic of Marvin with his chosen reading matter; (BELOW) That’s Phil

Honours list

THEIR CITY

Music

SOUNDS GOOD . . .

Over the past few years, as Bristol waits patiently for the completion of its Arena, Ashton Gate has being doing sterling work in hosting big-name bands and performers, from Elton John to Take That (they’re back again this year, on 8-9 June), the Arctic Monkeys,The Killers, Muse and The Spice Girls.

Now they’ve kicked off the new year by announcing that on 22 June they’re launching Ashton Court Presents BS3 – a full-day, multi-artist concert featuring “the biggest and most popular artists in the world” across two stages.

The first acts we’ve been told about are NE-YO, Craig David’s TS5 and DJ Spoony’s Garage Classical, with seven more still to come; the compère will be US rapper Fatman Scoop.

“Ne-Yo is one of the biggest R&B artists of all time, and will perform at Ashton Gate following his sell-out US tour last year,” said Ashton Gate’s venue director Jenny Hutchinson, “while Craig David and Spoony are two of the most influential names in the UK music industry from the last two decades.” Pre-register for tickets now, at www.bs3live.com

Marvin Rees’s autobiography, My City, will be out on 30 June, shortly after his term as mayor comes to an end. Will there be any kiss and tells? Will Marvin be able to call the proofs back in time to shoehorn in a mention for his new OBE, awarded for services to local government e can’t wait to find out.

Also honoured in the New Year Honours List is a former columnist of ours, Better Food founder Phil Haughton, who received an MBE for services to sustainable food initiatives and the Bristol community.

The award recognises hil’s lifelong efforts to create a better food system, from becoming a Soil Association member at age 14 to establishing shops which champion organic, local, ethical food and products.

“When I think about what has always got me out of bed, it’s really simple. Justice,” said Phil. “I hold a huge passion to see justice done, for our soil, our farmers, our children and all communities.

I’ve been inspired by many people along the way, and it’s an honour to be recognised for work that I’m so passionate about.”

A few other Bristolians were honoured too you can find the full list of honorees in the link below, though our personal favourite has to be Timothy Hewer of Little Stoke, awarded a BEM for his services to beekeeping.

For more: www.gov.uk

Festival

CRANES AND BOATS AND PLANS Many Bristol Harbour Fest fans would say they like the event exactly as it is; however, a new team brought in to manage the event this year has plans to make it even better.

In 2024, the Festival will be curated and delivered by international events production agency Proud Events, in partnership with immersive theatre and events company Swans Events.

An on-the-ground steering group has been brought together to help curate a festival designed to represent both local ethos and talent, as well as international best practice in event

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operations and production.

Local organisations on board include Bristol Old Vic, Watershed, Bristol Pride, ACH Refugee Integration Services Provider and Bristol Community Ferry Boats; two of the city’s Business Improvement Districts, Bristol City Centre BID and edcliffe Temple BI will become key stakeholders, bringing the biz community to the heart of the festival.

And if you’ve ever fancied showcasing your skills at the festival, now’s your chance; applications are open at www.bristolharbourfestival.co.uk

SPOTLIGHT

WET WET WET Follow us and tag us with your pics! instagram @bristollifemag

Rain! Huh, yeah. What is is good for?

Well, this kind of thing, for starters. No apologies for featuring @matthewpricerartist three times, because he is Bristol’s acknowledged puddlegram KING

@brynherbert

@timmah666

@matthewpriceartist

@tammytrashbags

@matthewpriceartist

@faygate

@taulpaulbristol

@rogerturner6

@tammytrashbags

@rogerturner6

@bristol_image_factory

@matthewpriceartist

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THE ARTS S N A P S H O T S O F B R I S T O L’ S C U LT U R A L L I F E

W

OUTTA SIGHT

ell, after a lot of hype, and many months of tight-lipped secrecy, Wake the Tiger has finally revealed its major new expansion.

The Outerverse provides even more of the mind-bending immersive shizzle we’ve come to expect – or in WTT speak, a “metamorphic journey into the mind as you travel to a dimension beyond imagination . Specifically, there’s an extra 15 spaces of labyrinthine walk-though fantasy that include the Astral Tour Lounge, a futuristic airport lounge promising “a cosmic retrofuture”; The Void, an interactive particle environment and Aetheria, which

promotes personal discovery with the help of a giant head aglow with projection mapping.

After a lot of celestial, cosmic and spiritual exploration, brace yourself for an exhilarating descent back to arth 2. with a seven-metre high twisty slide, which may or may not have come from last year’s SeaMonster installation.

As ever, the work showcases the skills of Bristol’s makers and creators, who have incorporated salvaged and recycled materials into the spaces wherever possible. repare to have your tiny 2 2 minds blown.

Open Wednesdays to Sundays; Wake the Tiger, 127 Albert Road; www.wakethetiger.com www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 11

At home with the Macbeths at BOV. Don’t expect kilts

HAT’S a uar ON e ruar EXHIBITIONS Until 18 February

ELIAS SIME: EREGATA The first major solo uropean museum exhibition for lias, one of thiopia’s leading contemporary artists, at Arnolfini ar o fi i org u

Until 31 March

ONE YEAR! PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE MINERS’ STRIKE 1984 / 85 To coincide with the th anniversary of the miners’ strike, taking a look at the vital role photography played during the year-long struggle against pit closures. At Martin arr, arti parrfou datio org

Until 21 April

WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR The very best nature photography in the world this year at Bristol Museum. risto useu s org u

3 February-5 May

OLU OGUNNAIKE: FIX YOUR FACE A site-specific commission by Olu, centred on a monumental, curved

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wall, combining handmade OSB, charcoal screenprints and silt from the Avon with charred objects recovered from the fire at nderfall ard. Typically intriguing Spike Island fare, then spi eis a d org u

3 February-12 May

THESE MAD HYBRIDS: JOHN HOYLAND AND CONTEMPORARY SCULPTURE eramic sculptures by abstract painter ohn Hoyland A in dialogue with a spectacular international assembly of contemporary sculpture by other artists at A, r a org u

SHOWS

Until 20 January

THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE COYOTE UGLY It can only be The ardrobe’s festive mash-up,. Laugh ou’ll even buy your own beer in the Old Market Assembly saloon afterwards the ardro etheatre co KID CARPET The traditional hristmas story gets a radical remix for the young

’uns, with big-beat songs, wonky carols, live special effects, puppetry and animation, at ardrobe the ardro etheatre co

ann Martel’s novel comes to Hippodrome complete with its lifesized tiger puppet atgtic ets co

METAMORPHOSIS ombining the fluidity and lyricism of Lemn Sissay’s adaptation with rantic’s uncompromising physicality, in afka’s allegory about the guy who wakes up as a giant bug, at BO risto o d ic org u

WICKED It’s not easy being green the icked itch of the est’s origin story explained once again, with tunes, at Hippodrome. atgtic ets co

JUST LIKE THAT! As readers of a certain age will have twigged, this one-man show at the Tavern is a celebration of beloved, fez-wearing, bumbling comic Tommy ooper. un fact he came from aerphilly and there’s a statue of the great man right in front of the castle. a ata er a dtheatre co u

Until 21 January

OLIVER TWIST The ickensian classic, reimagined for T T by its new A , Heidi aughan to accofactor theatres co LIFE OF PI The first tour for the Olivier-winning adaptation of

23 January-25 February

24 January

LANDSCAPE (1989) mergency horus explore the secret life of mushrooms, and what they might say to us in an age of climate emergency. e’ve seen he ast of s should we be worried ind out at the ardrobe the ardro etheatre co

25 January-10 February

MACBETH In a struggling and divided nation, the Macbeths see their chance at the crown why shouldn’t they take it Spoiler alert things don’t go according to plan... nglish Touring Theatre’s visceral and contemporary new production. on’t expect kilts. At Bristol Old ic, risto o d ic org u

WHAT’S ON

26-27 January

IF IT’S TO BREAK Christmas is over; you’ve had your fun. It’s time to get dark. Devised

by Bitterroot, this is an atmospheric exploration into the self-reflective nature of art and the challenges of finding contentment beneath the pressures of self-improvement, as the piece twists further into the insanity of the human mind. At the Tavern, almatavernandtheatre.co.uk

30-31 January

WAITING FOR SAMUEL Elizabeth Pepys is fully aware of her diary-keeping husband’s dissolute doings in the fleshpots, theatres and coffee houses of estoration London. Her sense of humour and own secrets keep her sanguine, until she fears Samuel has fallen deeply in love with a girl young enough to be their daughter... at Alma Tavern, almatavernandtheatre.co.uk

31 January-4 February

THE PAPER CINEMA Short tales of other worlds; ghosts, dreams and the supernatural, performed by two puppeteers and a multi-instrumentalist. “Sinister and enchanting”; “Ingenious and beautiful” say past reviews.

Wardrobe; thewardrobetheatre.com

31 January-10 February

NANNY Lea and Amy are below-average nannies with bigger than average ambitions for their real careers as a comedy double act. A new comedy play with songs, at Bristol Old Vic, bristololdvic.org.uk

6-7 February

DEAR ELIZA Barbara Diesel’s solo show is a brutal and exposing analysis of a friendship under the strain of mental ill health and the fear of being a burden; Alma Tavern, almatavernandtheatre.co.uk

6-10 February

FROM TOP: This is Daniel Sloss, those are The Clockworks, and This is the Kit

BIG BOYS DON’T CRY Dik and Adam set out to make a show about being men. When they dig beneath the surface, they realise things can get a bit messy; as they dig deeper, into their relationships with their fathers and sons, things get very messy indeed.

Now they’re at Wardrobe to tell us all about it through the medium of dance, clowning and puppetry; thewardrobetheatre.com

7-8 February

A FAMILY BUSINESS A show about how not to blow up the planet. If nuclear weapons could wipe out all our tomorrows, then why aren’t we all talking about them today? TFT; tobaccofactorytheatres.com

COMEDY Ongoing

CLOSER EACH DAY All the drama of Succession. The grit of EastEnders. The rumpy-pumpy of Sex Education. Nothing remotely like Game of Thrones; the world’s longest-running improvised comedy soap continues to bubble away amusingly at the Wardrobe; thewardrobetheatre.com

24 January

JON PEARSON: HAPPYISH Isn’t that all any of us could reasonably hope for? Award-winning and double-divorced comedian Jon brings his schtick to the Tavern; almatavernandtheatre.co.uk

25 January

PETE FIRMAN: TRIKTOK You’ve (probably) seen him on the telly, but how does Pete’s comedic magic translate to the stage? You’ll find out if you head to edgrave redgravetheatre.com STEPHANIE LAING: RUDDER Stephanie has a history of falling over, knocking her head, kneeing herself in the face, swearing in important meetings and falling in love with total knobheads. She’s at the Tavern exploring these concepts with a mixture of stand-up and comedy dance, as you do. almatavernandtheatre.co.uk

25-27 January

JULIA MASLI: HA HA HA HA HA HA HA That’s a lot of ‘has’ to live up to, but surreal clown Julia comes to Wardrobe trailing plenty of Edinburgh accolades; thewardrobetheatre.com

1 February

ALEXANDRA HADDOW: NOT MY FINEST HOUR Alex has done a lot of things the way she wasn’t supposed to; relationships, sex, feminism, kids, saying sorry. The only thing she’s got right was writing a show about it, and it’s at Alma Tavern; almatavernandtheatre.co.uk

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WHAT’S ON

ST GEORGE’S BRISTOL Classical, world, folk, talks and more, at St George’s stgeorgesbristol.co.uk

26 January

MILES KANE Touring his latest album at his guitar hero best; O2; academymusicgroup.com

26-27 January

TEACHINGS IN DUB The o cial Bristol launch party for the International Dub Gathering which takes place this year in Spain.

You know what to expect. Trinity; trinitybristol.org.uk

29 January TOP: Mad hybrids at RWA; MIDDLE: Unacceptable in the ‘80s: The Miner’s Strike 1984/5; BOTTOM: Life’s a balancing act for Stephanie Laing

2 February

PAUL F. TAYLOR: HEAD IN THE CLOUDS Absurd stand-up from a fool’s thinking man, at Alma Tavern; almatavernandtheatre.co.uk

3 February

JARRED CHRISTMAS It’s Christmas time again at the Hen, as NZ stand-up Jarred mixes gags with storytelling in his trademark rants against the small things in our lives. henandchicken.com INSTANT WIT The OG improv guys get their comedy guns out again at Alma Tavern; almatavernandtheatre.co.uk

4 February

DANIEL SLOSS: CAN’T The endearingly unabashed Scot brings his blend of arrogance, awkwardness and self-effacing storytelling to Bristol Beacon; bristolbeacon.org

9-10 February

TOM ALLEN: COMPLETELY Tom’s finally moved out of his parents’ house: good news for him, great news for department stores and even better news for his latest stand-up tour, which arrives at Beacon; bristolbeacon.org

MUSIC Ongoing

BRISTOL BEACON With daily gigs, encompassing classical, folk, world, indie and jazz, along with less classifiable genres, see bristolbeacon.org

KAMAL Raised on his mum’s eclectic MP3 shu e and his dad’s jazz and neo-soul collection, Kamal’s own style is future inspired by artists ranging from Radiohead to Sade.

He sings, he writes and plays loads of instruments, and he’s at Trinity; trinitybristol.org.uk

3 February

THIS IS THE KIT aka Kate Stables, and a rising star of contemporary folk; catch her at the Beacon, bristolbeacon.org

5 February

THE BOMBAY BICYCLE CLUB The titans of the math rock-infused indie heyday of the mid-2000s bring their headline tour to Beacon; bristolbeacon.org

8 February

THE CLOCKWORKS Rapidly-rising band praised by, well, everybody, at Dareshack; catch them before they become even huger. dareshack.com BLACK HONEY The Brighton indie kids bring a taste of their glitter-specked, sepiatinged magic kingdom to Trinity; trinitybristol.org.uk

OTHER Ongoing

BRISTOL FILM FESTIVAL The year-round fest with the something-for-everyone remit trundles along. risto fi festi a co

2-11 February

BRISTOL LIGHT FESTIVAL An absolute beacon of joy in the Bristol winter calendar; more much more on page 18; risto ightfesti a org n

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RISE AND SHINE Ascendance : “A fateful narrative cocooned in a wistful, serene mood”

FESTIVAL

The 2024 Bristol Light Festival promises to be as brilliant as ever – but there’s one piece we’re especially excited about . . .

D

Words by Deri Robins

avy and Kristin are Studio McGuire – the formerly Bristolbased couple who, for our money, brought two of the most mesmeric, haunting installations to the 2023 Light Festival: Ophelia’s Ghost, languishing in her watery grave at St Mary edcliffe, and Sirens, filling the harbour with mythical underwater creatures.

Such is the drama and beauty of their work that it’s unsurprising to learn that Davy has a background in theatre and Kristin as a former dancer, for Cirque du Soleil among other international companies. As Studio McGuire, they’ve built up an eclectic portfolio which crosses the genres of theatre, film, live performance and installations they’ve been commissioned by such august arts bodies as The Royal Shakespeare Company, while prestigious commercial clients have included Dior and Harrods. Their large scale immersive projection installation, A Night at the Mansion, was named as the Innovation of the Year by the Museum & Heritage Awards in 2020.

So, first uestion what first attracted avy and ristin, moth-like, to the light?

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FESTIVAL “When we met as students, we had both just created degree pieces using light,” says Davy. “Kristin choreographed a solo piece with an overhead projector, and I devised a theatre piece with TVs and projections, so apart from the romantic bonding there was a shared interest in getting creative with light and projections.

“But the most important work to start our career was a projectionmapped pop-up book called The Icebook, in which the pages come to life with projected animations. As far as we know it was the first of its kind, and when we uploaded a trailer of the piece it got so much traction that we received invitations from all over the world to tour it. The Icebook is often described as an idiosyncratic blend of digital and physical and narrative, and that combination has remained a signature of our art work ever since.”

Davy and Kristin say they love bringing environments to life with projections or screens. “We love immersing our audiences emotionally, and are always looking for how materials, objects and physical contexts can be animated to tell stories and touch people. Our creative process is very iterative and experimental, and varies a lot depending on the nature of the project.”

Digital technology, obviously, plays a massive role. “Without it, our work would not exist. We always welcome the advancements in technology, because they often allow us to realise an idea that wasn’t possible previously, or would have taken too long, or been too expensive to create. However, the idea always comes first, and if a certain technology lends itself to realising the idea then we’ll explore it.”

Bristol’s main exposure to the work of Studio McGuire has been through two installations at last year’s Light Festival, including Sirens, in

ABOVE AND LEFT: 2023 Light Festival favourites Ophelia’s Ghost and Sirens; OPPOSITE: Davy and Kristin; Dior Riviera

which magical creatures such as mermaids and sea monsters could be glimpsed beneath the water of the harbour near Cascade Steps.

“Sirens definitely feels special to us in terms of recent projects, and so does the Riviera water projection we created for Dior this year. It’s hard to figure out why we love them they’re ethereal and unusual, maybe “Just before Bristol Light Festival we’ll be heading to Florida to install Sirens as an indoor exhibition in an immersive museum, and we’re also taking Ophelia and another piece called The Hunter. Those last two are much older pieces, we made them ten years ago, but we love them because they are somewhat dark but beautiful, melancholic, and under the right circumstances they can transport you into another world.”

In fact, it was through Sirens that Studio Mc uire first came to be part of the Bristol Light Fest.

“When we completed Sirens, we approached festival director Katherine Jewkes to see if she was interested in it. She was, yay! But she was also curious about Ophelia, because she saw it as being a great fit for St Mary edcliffe, which suited the piece incredibly well.

“Spending time in St Mary during the installation led us to imagine an astronaut suspended in a somewhat surreal spiritual cosmos inside the nave. The new piece, for the Light Festival this year, is called Ascendance and will be a large projection onto gauze with a fatal narrative cocooned in a wistful, serene mood.”

Davy and Kristin used to live in Bristol and say they’re “somewhat longing” to come back to its unique creative feel. “Strangely enough

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“We love immersing our audiences emotionally”

though, the new piece is inspired by the architecture of St Mary edcliffe, which seems uite opposite to what Bristol is known for.

Let’s end on a what’s next note. hat would be the ultimate commission for Studio Mc uire Oh, what a great uestion e’d love for people to enter a large gossamer world intricately crafted from fragile, white materials like paper or gauze, brought to life with ethereal projections and sounds.

Something which explores narratives and themes of fragility, beauty and the fleeting nature of existence. A giant but really delicate immersive experience. ou heard, Bristol anyone have a suggested venue Ascendance by Studio McGuire is part of this year’s Bristol Light Festival; www.bristollightfestival.org www.studiomcguire.com

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FESTIVAL

BRISTOL LIGHT FESTIVAL 2024 Some new-to-Bristol artists, a familiar name, and the return of a festival favourite; see website for locations

Elysian by Atelier Sisu

One of two pieces by Atelier Sisu (see also below), Elysian is inspired by the ever-changing nature of the world, immersing guests within illuminated arches to walk through and under at Cabot Circus. Inflatable in nature, the work is described as being “at the precipice of change” by the artist.

Ascendance by Studio McGuire

Premièring for the first time anywhere in the world, Ascendance is the creation of powerhouse duo Studio McGuire. The pair wowed at Bristol Light Festival 2023 with two beautifully pensive works, Ophelia and Sirens, and have worked with luxury brands including Dior, Barneys and most recently, SAKS on 5th Avenue in New York City, for its renowned Christmas window installation for 2023.

Unveiling their latest, and arguably most emotive, work to date, this interstellar installation has been inspired by the idea of loneliness, and features an isolated astronaut floating alone in the grandness of the cosmos. The astronaut creates an angelic figure as it drifts through space, with the beautiful nature of the piece amplified further as it will be projected in an iconic Bristol location.

“The astronaut creates a beautiful figure as it drifts through space” 22 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

Evanescent by Atelier Sisu

Evanescent explores the idea of transience through the visualisation of bubbles. The immersive light-and-sound creation is the masterpiece of award-winning Sydney-based art practice Atelier Sisu, lead by Peruvian sculptor and industrial designer Renzo B Larriviere alongside architect and artist Zara Pasfield. Their direction of work sits between the fields of art and architecture (they call it art-chitecture), with a particular focus in the realm of public art.

Emergence by This is Loop

An award-winning audio-visual art installation created as a place of contemplation among the chaos of the outside world.

The huge, mirrored structure is completely reflective and designed to provide audiences with a new perspective of a once-familiar space. Each section is carefully constructed to create an optical illusion inside the unit creating a complete sphere of light when viewed from close by, which morphs into a giant grid of light when viewed from a short distance.

The Nectary by Alison Smith & Dr Chris Hassall

A multi-sensory and immersive light artwork, The Nectary invites guests to step inside a giant flower to gain a unique perspective on nature. Created as a collaborative project between artist Alison Smith and Dr Chris Hassall, lecturer in animal biology at the University of Leeds, the installation is an art/science crossover highlighting the importance of pollinating insects.

PULSE by This is Loop

An immersive audio-visual installation which explores visual and auditory perception, welcoming visitors to step inside enormous rings of light made up of more that 14,000 individual LEDs as they travel through the sequence. The main show is a five-minute, high-intensity, tightly choreographed audio-visual journey, and is best viewed from start to finish.

Accompanying this is a 20-minute long piece with a slower, more ambient feel, which can be joined at any point.

Swing Song by Bristol Light Festival and Tired Industries

A standout returning installation at the festival in which six swings play music as they swing back and forth. One swing controls the bassline, another controls the melody, and a third controls drums and percussion. Small movements produce simple tunes, but as the users swing higher and higher, the tracks evolve into more complex melodies, giving users control over the song they produce as they swing the night away.

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SLAPSTICK

LAUGH OUT LOUD Bristol’s Slapstick Festival has a long tradition of attracting big names to its Gala event. Trying not to slip on the banana skin this year is our genial host, Hugh Bonneville

T

Words by Mal Rogers

his year’s Slapstick estival kicks off on ebruary, so if you’re looking for a distinctive alentine’s date night out you’ve come to the right place. Actually kicks off’ might not be the best description. It’s more likely to trip over the ball, then stumble towards the exit heading for the stage door but instead find itself in the broom cupboard. A mop bucket somehow lands on its head, spilling whitewash all over it.

But of course there’s a lot more to slapstick than bumping into things. It’s not just telling your partner to be careful not to trip on the stairs, then falling down the stairs yourself. Slapstick has a long and illustrious history, although our filmic knowledge of the genre only began in the early 2 th century and Slapstick is the festival which brings together all the strands that make up this venerable genre of humour.

Over comedy events will be staged between - 8 ebruary, in the company of guests including Samira Ahmed, Marcus Brigstocke, Terry illiam, Harry Hill, obert Lindsay, Sylvester Mc oy, Lucy orter, Tim ine, Michael alin actually, Sir Mike’s appearance is currently pending, check the programme nearer the time and Hugh Bonneville. This august crew will introduce films from comedy greats such as Buster eaton, harlie haplin, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, as well as sometimes overlooked genius Beatrice Lillie, billed as the funniest woman in the world during her career, which started in the 2 s and ran right up to the late s.

The ala event is the sparkliest jewel in the Slapstick crown, and this year Hugh Bonneville is our host. Hugh will be introducing and talking about three films, including haplin’s The Gold Rush 2 , featuring harlie in his trademark Little Tramp persona.

I didn’t know The Gold Rush before preparing for the festival, says Hugh. I wasn’t familiar with it at all. So I was intrigued to read that it was the film haplin was most proud of the one for which he would most like to be remembered.

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Charlie Chaplin in The Gold Rush: “He said it was the film he was most proud of”

“Downton Abbey was a sort of stately galleon; WIA was more like a jet ski whizzing about. But I’m enormously proud of both of them”

SLAPSTICK

ABOVE: Buster Keaton in The Cops: a harsher, more cynical comedy than

The Gold Rush (BOTTOM). Even if the latter was inspired by cannibals.

haplin had drawn inspiration for the film from the londike old Rush, and also the story of the Donner Party, a wagon-train group of pioneers who, when snowbound in the Sierra Nevada in California, turned to cannibalism. A dark but arresting basis for the movie, then.

I was also very struck by the technical achievements of the film, considering the era, says Hugh. The use of interior and exterior shots, and alternating between the two, between the cabin and the outside, must have been something of a technical challenge back then.

This is Hugh’s first Slapstick, but he’s already enthralled. It’s going to be really interesting watching the three great exponents of slapstick and great pillars of comedy of their time, side by side harlie haplin, Buster eaton and Laurel and Hardy. They all have distinctive tones to their acts all e ually smart, but uite, uite different. haplin is especially interesting. He really is our everyman the lost soul we all identify with. There’s a sweetness about the character, whereas with Buster eaton in The Cops another film we’re showing that night there’s almost a cynical harshness about it.

he o d ush as the fi for which Chaplin said he would ost i e to e re e ered” The hero, eaton, ends up joining up or being dragged into the police force. But his girlfriend says, I’ll only marry you if you’re a successful businessman.’ So eaton goes about conning big people’, albeit some of it unwittingly. ou get the sense of the eystone ops being formed here with policemen chasing him all over the place.

Again, I just marvelled at the technical brilliance. And of course, there’s one shot which is just phenomenal as Buster’s walking along the street he grabs onto the back of a car and is whisked off. I mean, for real. That’s incredible.

Some of the films being shown at the Slapstick estival which still make us laugh go back years. ill we still be laughing at Mrs Brown’s Boys in 2 2 If we ever did . Or To the Manor Born, or Are You Being Served It seems unlikely. So there has to be something special about

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these great masters that has stood the sternest test of all for comedy time. Hugh wonders if it’s because they are silent movies. That makes them universal. They are almost like watching a ballet. atching stories unfold through your connection with their physicality. They may have story cards, caption cards, but you’re really following a story through the skill of the physical comedian.

And of course slapstick goes back to the th century and commedia dell’arte in Italy. rom there it was eventually on to the circus clowns, and then a uick jump into slapstick on film.

The Slapstick estival is about watching, even honouring, the great actors of the past, but it is also about collective enjoyment. That’s very important, says Hugh. ou’re experiencing something together with a group of people, and so every laugh is bigger. I mean, on a sofa at home, you might smile at a joke or so but at the Bristol Beacon you’re going to be part of a collective experience. It reminds you of your shared humanity, if I’m not being too grand. I think that’s so important.

And there’s going to be live music as well. On the night of the gala we’ve got a -piece Bristol musical ensemble. So that adds a whole texture. e’re going to be transported back to the era in which these films were first screened, and the way in which they were first screened, the orchestra giving it this wonderful texture. So I can’t wait. hile Hugh is, rather laudably, far keener to chat to me about Slapstick than his own life and career, I manage to sideline him briefly. ho were his own cultural heroes, growing up I didn’t come from a highfalutin family, not at all but my parents were totally into all cultural activities that’s culture with a small c’.

Music, theatre, comedy. My first exposure to comedy would have been the L s of my dad and my brother, so it was things like landers and

hap i rea is our e er a the ost sou e a ide tif ith”

TOP: Stan and Ollie in Big Business, still hopefully flogging them Christmas trees,

at the Gala; BOTTOM: the Little Tramp takes on Big Jim in The Gold Rush

SOME OF THE BEST OF THE REST OF THE FEST LUCY PORTER At Watershed, Lucy introduces two silent romcoms with female leads: Up in Mabel’s Room (15 February), with Marie Prevost and Harrison Ford (no, not that Harrison Ford, he’s not a time-traveller), and Kiki (16 February) starring Norma Talmadge, better known for melodrama but a fine comedy actor, too. Both made in 1926, and shown with live musical accompaniment.

LAST DANCE OF THE CUCKOOS On 15 February at Bristol Beacon, Marcus Brigstocke introduces the South West première of a feelgood documentary about a trip to Ireland made by Laurel & Hardy, who a later described the reception they received in Cobh as the happiest day of their lives.

THE THINKING WOMAN’S GUIDE TO THE GOODIES Also on 15 February at the Lantern, Samira Ahmed and former Goodie Graham Garden present a reappraisal of the surreal 1970s/80s comedy series, suggesting it was a trigger for widespread changes in social attitudes.

PAINFULLY FUNNY – WHEN STUNTS GO WRONG! When Hollywood was young, there was no CGI, and no health and safety regulations; actors and doubles had to perform those stunts for real. On 17 February at Watershed, film critic Christina Newland shares stories about some of the standout misadventures.

ROBERT LINDSAY One of the UK’s most versatile performers – he’s done Shakespeare, musicals, period drama, crime thrillers; he’s won a BAFTA, a Tony and two Oliviers – is at Bristol Old Vic on 18 February for a clips-rich celebration of the comedic side of his career, ending with Robert receiving the Aardman Slapstick Award – a Morph statuette customised to reflect Wolfie, the character he played in Citizen Smith (shown right). … and if none of the above tickle your funny bone, how about Terry Gilliam (you know, ‘the American Python’) introducing cult dystopian classic Brazil on 18 February? Or the Who’s Funny event with Sylvester McCoy on 17 February at the Lantern? Not sure Tennant fans would agree that the 7th Doctor was funnier than the 10th, mind….

Swann, The Goon Show, Round the Horne. Then it the 1960s it would have been Peter Cooke and Dudley Moore, Monty Python.

“But I remember going on a Saturday morning to the cinema in Lewisham. The double bills on a Saturday morning would include the likes of Laurel and Hardy, as well as ild est films of course, a staple of Saturday morning cinema back then.”

And then there’s Hugh’s own contribution to comedy. While it’s fair to describe him as an all-rounder, Hugh is skilled at bringing a humorous touch to even ‘straight’ acting roles such as Lord Grantham in Downton Abbey, while his role as Ian Fletcher in W1A was a comedic tour de force. “Yes I got a lot of satisfaction out of W1A. I mean, it was completely different from Downton Abbey. I describe one as a sort of stately galleon, or an ocean-going oil tanker which takes a long time to turn around, and the other as a jet ski whizzing about. But I’m enormously proud of both of them. n Hugh Bonneville hosts Slapstick’s Silent omedy ala on at Bristol Beacon; more at www.slapstick.org.uk

ebruary

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 29

SPONSORED CONTENT

GARDINER HASKINS INTERIORS

GARDINER HASKINS introduces a revitalised kitchen and utility area case study...

Designer: Alec Yull. Words by Annabelle Grundy. Photography by Colin Poole.

W

hen Roz and Neil returned to Bristol after some years away, they chose a home with an attractive open-plan kitchen-dining area. At first glance, the oak kitchen was dated, but in reasonable condition. However, the couple soon realised they needed a complete replacement as a priority.

Alongside a total refit, which would take in the adjacent utility and boiler rooms, they decided to add a glazed door where the range cooker had originally stood. This would give access to the sitting room next door, improving flow around the living spaces, boosting natural light and highlighting the beautiful views.

Roz and Neil remembered visiting Gardiner Haskins previously, so armed with style and colour ideas gleaned from magazines and online, the couple visited their showroom. They soon got chatting with designer Alec Yull.

“We felt comfortable straight away,” recalls Neil, “Alec quickly understood exactly what we wanted. We liked the fact that Gardiner Haskins could take care of every aspect from supply to fitting, too. That single point of contact made the whole process much less stressful.”

Roz picked out Stoneham Kitchen’s Latitude furniture, which ticked the boxes for looks, flexibility and fuss-free maintenance. A bold blue island and seamless glass splashback were

30 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

brought together with subtle pale grey wallunits, and white and grey marble-look quartz work surfaces.

After their initial conversation, Alec visited their home to measure up and understand the space. During their discussions, Roz requested a place to wash their dog Lola after muddy walks.

Alec came up with the idea of a large, low-level sink and flexible handspray in the boiler room, a practical solution that works perfectly. He proposed refitting both utility and boiler room with more affordable cabinetry but the same worktops as in the kitchen, “That was a sensible and cost-effective recommendation,” says Roz, “The lovely quartz tops enhance the cupboards, and link nicely to the kitchen.”

Neil’s ‘must-have’ was a wine-fridge, as they had found the small one in their previous home extremely useful. Alec designed a glass-fronted drinks cabinet combining tableware storage with a built-in fridge that holds dozens of bottles in separate temperature zones for reds and whites.

Finished in the same deep blue as the island, it acts as a connecting piece between the cooking and dining spaces.

The kitchen’s existing layout had functioned well. The couple’s fridge-freezer was to be incorporated, and the ovens and sink are in similar positions to the original ones. The main oven features a nifty, space-maximising, slide-

away door, and sits between a microwave-combi oven above and a warming drawer below.

The couple have nothing but praise for the professionalism and high-quality work of the Gardiner Haskins fitting team. Now they have had time to enjoy their new kitchen, they are delighted with the difference it has made to everyday life, “We love being in here now, as it’s such a sociable space, and everything just works,” says Roz, “We hadn’t had a new kitchen for a long time, and there are so many new products around now, but Alec was so well informed,” adds Neil, “He could see what we were trying to achieve and knew exactly how to get us there. n

If a kitchen renovation is on your new year resolutions list this year, visit the Gardiner Haskins Interiors showroom at 1 Straight Street, Bristol, BS2 0FQ; www.gardinerhaskins.co.uk

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IT’S FRESH; EXCITING… That could be your 2024. There again, it’s up to you what you make of it Words and pics by Colin Moody 32 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

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L

BRISTOL HEROES

et’s have a fresh start. I’m not talking about those New Year’s resolutions which disintegrate faster than a half-dunked own-brand biscuit. I’m looking at a few faces I’ve met over the last few months that make you realise this is not about a promise to put the recycling in the right bins from now on; this is about opening your arms out wide, and telling the universe that if it thinks it can mess with you this new year, it can do one…

1 2

In 2024, be inspired by Doreen Doreen here, at the big-bash opening weekend of the newly reopened Beacon.

Peace. Goodwill to all genders and creeds.

If there was ever a time for a fresh start, now would be it, would it not? Thanks to the algorithmic blender that is social media, every step you take online is nudged ever further down a corridor of your own creation to a dead end of hope. Or so they say; so I’m bigging up and digging up an old idea for 2024, like this little family at a recent event calling for a ceasefire in the Middle ast.

Peace. Nothing more. It’s all they’re asking for. No terms and conditions. No agenda. No shouting the odds. Peace.

That would be a fresh start, wouldn’t it?

3

I had the pleasure of bumping into this artist at a party, and they asked me if I had a snap of them. I did, and have sent it winging its way via email as we speak. Whooosh!

From the last shows at the Invisible Circus base camp before they moved, there was something about the quiet contemplative nature of Paul here that I enjoyed.

So if you feel the mood, and fancy a proper fresh start, grab the look you always wanted, and a fresh can of cider, and find a bar corner and just… be.

3 4

4

Hope in January can be as fragile as a soap bubble, especially when that mid-month credit card statement arrives, and with it that instant memory of all those “Ah, never mind, whack it on the card, it’s Christmas” dubious purchases of consumer self-medication.

But remember that for every bubble of hope that pops in your face, leaving a burning soapy sensation in your eye, there are a hundred million more bubbles left, amigo. Don’t put all your faith in one when they are literally falling out of the sky at this time of year. Fresh start, new opportunity. In fact, relish the bursting like a kid at a bubble show.

5

Be more Clive. From the Balloon Fiesta team.

And you too could be going up in the world this year.

“For every bubble of hope that pops in your face, leaving a burning soapy sensation in your eye, there are a hundred million more bubbles left, amigo”

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 33

BRISTOL HEROES 5

6 7

“You can crush us, you can muss up our hair, you can water down our lattes, but you can never defeat us” 6

How you gonna greet each new day in this new year? With a frown and a cheap cup of instant coffee in your hand Or your finger on the trigger of the mic in a onesie spandex dream?

You can crush us, you can muss up our hair, you can water down our lattes, but you can never defeat us.

7

Now I don’t know about you, but memory of sunshine, or even a day without rain, is becoming harder to picture in my brainbox, so here’s a little reminder of two DJs at a gig from last year, with so much sunshine that it bleached out the thousands in the audience completely.

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It’s a new year; get ready to take it by the horns and revel in your time.

Think of just some of the amazing things you saw last year.

Sit down like Rutger Hauer near the end of Bladerunner, and just think on it. You’ve seen students falling out of cardboard boats in Bristol harbour. ou’ve seen burners on fire rising above the plains of Ashton Court. You’ve even seen a hundred Santas ride out on bicycles past Nando’s on ark Street. And all these memories may fade like spilt cider at a festival, but you can make new ones…

Colin Moody: content creation, online images Twitter @moodycolin; Instagram @colinmoodyphotography colinmoodyphotography.wordpress.com

34 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

8

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Bristol Life team 01225 475800

THE BRADLEY HARE Looking for a restorative winter staycation?

Rachel Ifans has just the spot . . .

38 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

I

STAYCATION

t was a wild and windy night in late December, and I was exhausted. Christmas had somehow been organised in between work deadlines, but I’d tweaked my back hoiking the Christmas tree in, and a cough was now my constant companion four weeks later.

The post-festive frazzlometer was set to high, nerves were jingling, and I needed to recharge. A short burst of power from the mains to keep me twinkling through to January and beyond.

So, we were heading to The Bradley Hare in Maiden Bradley, formerly a pub called The Somerset Arms, and now a hotel and restaurant which sits on part of the Duke of Somerset’s Estate. It’s only an hour from Bristol, but I hoped it would feel an even longer way from Real Life.

I mused on the definition of the perfect staycation during the car journey as we buffeted our way along the A .

• It needs to be far enough away to feel like you’re escaping, but no further than an hour's drive.

• It needs to be hassle-free. You want to be shown where the Teasmade is, given a tour of the remote control, pointed in the direction of the bar/the local, but nothing more complicated than that.

It needs to look and feel different to eal Life. Lanes, not tra ccongested city-centre roads; parkland, not Park Street.

• It needs to be luxurious. It’s how you’d decorate if you didn’t have to take your partner’s terrible taste into account; it’s all high-thread counts, silk, wool and feathers, and there are no pants drying on the radiator.

• It has everything you need. Hot water, warm rooms, peace and quiet, a big bath, a bigger bed, beautiful surroundings and excellent food and drink options.

Basically we weren’t asking much.

We parked up and blew in through the front door, an embarrassing maelstrom of weather and stress whirling into the warmth and quiet of the bar area. The ceilings were very high, but there was a welcoming cosiness about the double-fronted manor house despite its impressive size and heritage.

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 39

SUSTAINABLE

SOLAR SOLUTIONS t: 0117 279 0980 | m: 07956 846307

e: simon@solarcitypanels.co.uk

STAYCATION The bar is spacious, with a properly grand dining room behind, a My husband’s set menu kicked off with a hearty spiced cauliflower snug area and a sweeping staircase up to the bedrooms –12 in total, soup that came with a hunk of tasty but light Landrace sourdough seven in the main house and five in the adjacent coach house. bread. Then he tucked into a delicious lamb shoulder in a rich jus, We loved our room, the appropriately named The Nest; a soothing which was perfectly cooked and went very well with the parsnip velouté, cocoon of dark walls and rich fabrics with a very roasted Brussels sprouts and skin-on new potatoes. big freestanding bath. The gorgeous interiors I had a torched mackerel fillet for my starter, HOTEL AND DINING DETAILS which was served on top of a creamy pickled at The Bradley Hare come courtesy of James Thurstan Waterworth, formerly the European fennel sauce. It was a dreamy combination of The Bradley Hare, Church Street, Maiden Bradley, design director for Soho House; think deep-hued BA12 7HW; tel: 01985 801018; smoky and sweet, mild and crunchy, and I had www.thebradleyhare.co.uk hessian and cushions, wooden carver chairs by to bat my eyelashes hard at my husband to claim Opening hours Monday and Tuesday 3pm – roaring fires, dried flower swags and armchairs. half of his sourdough to mop up.

11pm, Wednesday – Saturday 12.30pm – 11pm, But let’s not forget the main attraction in our I went with a meaty main, although there Sunday 12.30 – 9pm bedroom: the most photogenic and comfy bed was a fresh cod on the menu that was vying for Atmosphere Traditional village pub with a I’ve ever slept in, and surely the inspo for the attention. The pork loin seemed a warmer and seductive contemporary flair room’s name, because it’s inset into the wall and richer option somehow, and I’m so glad I chose surrounded by rough-cut planks of wood – like a Room prices Midweek from £150 and weekend it as it suited the winter’s night perfectly. It came from £175 cosy nest. Now, here’s a place you can hide from with a rich anchoiade – like a posh taramasalata Restaurant prices Starters £8 - £12; mains £18 Real Life, I thought, as I curled up for a pre– which went nicely when smeared on a forkful £24; desserts £3.50 - £9 drink doze before the pre-dinner drink. of pork alongside a leaf or two of clean and Drinks Local beers, wine and ciders as well as a We dined in the bar area; a little light fresh rainbow chard. I treated myself to a cup of eavesdropping revealed that we were sharing the rotation of classic and home spun cocktails french fries – again, they were absolutely perfectly room with two women visiting Bath’s Christmas cooked and gave me a good excuse to dip away in Accessibility Some of the bedrooms provide access to disability Market, a large family group from the village, the creamy anchovy dip until I was totally stuffed. and couples from nearby Frome, also in search of We shared my husband’s chocolate delice for a bolthole and decent food. pudding; more luxury, this time in a glass and And the food is gorgeously decent. I chose topped with light cream and a sprinkling of from chef Pascale Vickery’s à-la-carte, while my fantastic homemade honeycomb. husband went for the three-course menu, a great The menu promises much in terms of fidelity value option that saw him put away a shedload to local produce, great cooking and a well-judged of beautiful food for £28. selection for people who are here for comfort.

Pascale started out as a kitchen porter in Rich gravies, tasty meats, winter veg… it was a Somerset pub before joining the team at exactly what we wanted before returning to our Babington House, where she found her true rooms and settling into The Nest, where we slept passion and drive for cooking. Over the years, soundly and deeply until morning. she’s developed her skills in modern British and I’m sure Londoners flock here for long fusion cooking and The Bradley Hare also offers weekends and tourists use this as a base to explore year-round BMF (Bring Me Food) feasting menus Stourhead, Frome, Bruton and Bath, but The for groups of diners who want to eat the best of Bradley Hare is also perfect for Bristolians to what the season and locality has to offer. escape to, for a most excellent staycation. n

“The perfect staycation needs to oo di ere t to Real Life: rural lanes, not city-centre roads; parkland, not Park Street”

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FOOD & DRINK A TA S T E O F B R I S T O L’ S F O O D S C E N E

ON THE PASS Loads seems to have happened recently. Knives and forks ready, let’s get stuck in without delay

UNDERNEATH THE ARCHES We’d peered expectantly over the balcony at new restaurant Colonnade on the Beacon’s opening night, it all looked rather snazzy beneath the building’s be-chandeliered Byzantine arches.

And now it’s opened, with a modern European all-day menu by caterer Graysons; heading up the kitchen is Joshua Bebbington, a classically trained chef who’s cooked at the likes of River Cottage and Michelin-starred L’Escargot.

There are also a pair of rather chic new bars in the venue: the Weston Stage in the atmospheric cellar (not to be confused with the Bristol Old Vic studio of the same name, though it inevitably will be) and Simons’ Bar on the mezzanine above the restaurant.

New members’ bar Goldings makes a stylish snug, while powerhouse local bakers Bristol Loaf continue to rule the roost in the café at the lower-ground level. www.colonnadebristol.com

ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL … Eight years after closing, following a few years when the building housed the Bristol branch of The Florist, Goldbrick House is reopening in February on Park Street.

But while the name’s the same, it’s an entirely different team we don’t know much more at the moment, other than it will offer a multi-roomed experience’, which will come as no surprise to anyone who has ever visited, given that the multi-storeyed Georgian town house is by necessity a warren of smallish spaces linked by steep stairs.

Like, it was never going to be openplan . . .

We liked the original GH very much, finding it atmospheric and pleasingly opulent, and look forward to seeing what the new owners create here.

On instagram @goldbrickhousebristol

SERVING TIME Alcotraz, the immersive prison-themed cocktail experience chain currently capturing the minds and hearts of Prison Break fans across the nation, is opening its latest cell block in Bristol on 26 January. Expect cocktails, not porridge; Cell Block Two-Two-Six promises a one-of-a-kind boozing experience for up to 46, with a fully engaging experience with storylines, actors and sets.

Ahead of arriving, you’ll create your own criminal record from the Department of Justice, before being secretly instructed by inmates to smuggle your liquor past The Warden and into the hands of Alcotraz’s longest-serving crooks, who’ll then transform the contraband liquor into bespoke cocktails.

Once in your cells, you’ll encounter a cast of shady characters and the jail’s notorious bootlegging gang. Guests who manage to win the favour of the guards will gain access to areas such as the Solitary onfinement Block, to do deals with inmates on the inside or the arden’s O ce to negotiate parole.

Those of a genuinely criminal nature may wish to smuggle the cool orange jumpsuits out with them when they leave, but it’s not advised, as this might lead to a genuine arrest. www.alcotraz.co.uk/locations/bristol 44 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

RAISING THE STEAKS

UP TOWN, TOP BANKING

Congratulations to Pasture, which has been awarded the top 3* rating from the Sustainable Restaurant Association. Sam Elliott’s much-loved steak house scored exceptionally highly in all three categories assessed by the SRA for its ‘Food Made Good’ rating – environment, sourcing and society, and was commended for its ethos of sourcing locally, championing seasonality and eradicating food waste.

Look out, too, for butchery, deli, cookery school and burger joint Prime by asture when it eventually opens in the edcliff uarter development. www.pasturerestaurant.com

Two Bristol Sunday roast stories this month, both of which happen to have the word ‘Bank’ in their title.

Firstly, The Bank Tavern on John Street. When it finally cleared its four-year waiting list and reopened bookings on New Year’s Day, traffic to the website rivalled Glastonbury’s on ticket-release day. It took exactly two hours to sell out. We mean, how good can those roasties be? No idea; we’ve never been quick enough to bag a ticket. Here’s the website, not that it’ll do you any good: www.banktavern.com Next up, another gong for BANK Bristol. It won the Blue Ribbon at the Good Food Awards last year, and has now been awarded seventh place in the UK’s best Sunday roast list by @RateGoodRoasts. Given that it was through winning the Observer Food Monthly Awards 2019 which turned the Bank Tavern’s six-month waiting list into a four-year one, we advise you to book for Bank Bristol while you can. We can say this with cheerful impunity, having safely secured our own ticket. www.bankbristol.com

AMUSES BOUCHES

¡Sé rápida! Clifton tapas restaurant Bar 44 is offering selected cocktails and tapas at 2002 prices until the end of January, with a changing menu of specials, signature dishes and cocktails that resemble original offerings from 2 2 the year the group first opened in ales. www.grupo44.co.uk Been wondering what would happen to the big old Bordeaux uay site vacated by Revolucion de Cuba? Wonder no longer; it’s been taken over

by Coyote Ugly Saloon, promising “unique events and energetic dance routines”, and yes, we’re afraid that does mean table-top dancing girls. Do expect: a lively atmosphere.

Don’t hold your breath for: a groundbreaking menu. Just a hunch. www.coyoteuglysaloon.com

GOTHAM (OLD) CITY This one’s been in the planning stages for so long we’d almost forgotten about it (cf also: BoxHall), but now it seems that the Hotel Gotham is due to open at the end of the year.

The self-rated five-star luxury hotel with bedrooms, spa, restaurant and rooftop bar is being created within the old Grade-II * Guildhall on Small Street, which closed in 2019; development was set back when a fire broke out in 2 2 . hat else do we know ell, site-specific new artwork is being commissioned, because of course it is, including a suspended illuminated work for the three-storey clocktower that forms the main entrance from Broad Street.

Manchester’s Hotel Gotham has been described by The Guardian as “glitzy, ambitious, unapologetically opulent, offering pizazz and pampering, which sounds an absolute cinch for Bristol’s cocktail quarter. www.bespokehotels.com/hotel-gotham-bristol

They snuck this one in just before the end of the year: Death Disco, located in Crusader House on St Stephen’s Street, is the latest cocktail bar from the Hyde & Co group, just a swizzle stick away from four of their other nine businesses: The Milk Thistle, Four Wise Monkeys, The Raven and The Ox. Death Disco, says co-owner Nathan Lee, “is born from the shadows and inspired by the pioneers of musical subculture of lates Manhattan.

We’re the pulse of the underground, a rebellion against the ordinary and a playground for all things hedonistic.”

Too young to remember Studio s too, but this could be the next best thing to a time machine. www.deathdiscobristol.com Mangosteen is set to open on the hallowed ground of the old Pasta

Loco site on Cotham Hill. The early info promises a diverse menu of Thai tapas and cocktails. “Let our stacked stereo serenade you with hand-picked cult classic albums on vinyl as you enjoy a Bristol-inspired balance of global flavours, they say, invitingly. @mangosteenbristol Well, this is intriguing. We’ve got used to Casa replacing former Michelin-star finediner Casamia at The General; but now read this on owner Pete Sanchez-Iglesias’s instagram account: “Casamia will reopen again. If you know of any development where a gastronomic restaurant could live, please DM me.”

But don’t get too excited; in the comments, Pete adds “Would consider anywhere in the world.” Ah. @petersancheziglesias www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 45

HOT PLATES BELOW: How it began; LEFT: How it’s going (on North Street, in this instance)

All the locations share the same menu, so you can get your favourite wherever you visit, but we also do a monthly special created by the team, and sometimes in collaboration with other local businesses, to help shine the spotlight on the amazing things that happen around the different communities.

PIZZAROVA Bristol’s beloved pizza group has recently opened its fourth branch, on Whiteladies Road. Let’s ask MD Jack Lander to take us back to the very beginning . . .

Our double chorizo with our own hot honey is a firm favourite, but we do a special every month featuring local ingredients which push the boundaries of flavour combinations if you’re feeling daring.

We opened our fourth shop in November on hiteladies oad, following loucester oad, ark Street and North Street, in that order. ach is slightly different we like to allow the teams to be themselves.

Once you make pizza for a living you become a creature of simple pleasures; my favourite is a margherita, with a sprinkle of parmesan and a little chilli, it’s the only way to test a good pizza as you can taste all the elements and appreciate how well the dough is cooked.

P

izzarova began when founder Alex Corbett started a little pizza street-food business from an oven in the back of a Landrover Defender. After selling his very first pizza, in Bruton in September 2 , Alex grew a strong following, and in 2 Jack joined the business.

We continued doing pop-ups, minifestivals, weddings etc while looking for our first permanent location. e picked Bristol’s loucester oad for shop number one. e wanted to create a space that wasn’t a restaurant, but served high-quality pizzas with a big splash of hospitality from a fun, e cient team of people; a kind of hybrid between a restaurant and a fast-food outlet.

We always wanted to cook with fire, so a stone wood-fired pizza oven fitted the bill nicely. e visited an off-grid sourdough farm near Taunton and pinched some of their starter, which had been fed by three generations, and has since been split to make a starter for each of our locations. Each of our locations makes its own dough onsite every day.

Nothing beats the tang of the sourdough; the crunch of the outer crust, the chewy warm inner crust, sweet and sharp seasoned tomato, creamy, stringy mozzarella, fresh basil and olive oil. It’s to die for when done right.

We believe in hospitality being focused on people, so a connection between team, customers and community is a key ingredient. e try to utilise existing features, creating as little waste as possible, whether that’s brickwork or floors the North Street shop still has the famous Bollom sign we uncovered from the s and restored the new hiteladies shop has a rich history as a hospitality hub; all of these things make the locations unique.

Pineapple on pizza isn’t for me, but we’re not pretentious enough to look down on any toppings. It’s all about using well-sourced ingredients and finding a way to make them work together with their co-toppings.

Local suppliers include Shipton Mill Brue alley Hugo’s greengrocer, Single ariety, pton heyney and many more. e brew our own Tenth Slice Session I A with Bristol Beer actory, and Iford supply us with fresh sodas and ciders.

We are very modest as a team; we don’t take business for granted, we always strive for better and look to spread positivity where we can. There’s no hiding that it’s a hard time to do business, but you just have to adapt, work hard and find a way to get through it. Having a team of great people supporting you, and trusting them to do their jobs, is the most important part of running a business, particularly when you’re looking to grow.

For more www.pizzarova.com

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 47

CAFÉ SOCIETY STAN CULLIMORE

Winter warmer Fancy a dip? Honey & Ginger offers the perfect post-bathing treat; but you don’t have to freeze your bits off before indulging

T

his issue’s coffee shop of choice, Honey & Ginger, literally IS a shop. But not just any old coffee shop.

Oh, no. This place is a community farm shop and café, and is just as way out, wild and wonderful as you could hope for.

Particularly the ‘way out’ bit.

You see, this place is so out there, so far from the madding crowd, it isn’t even in Bristol. ikes. It’s miles away, in Failand. It’s easy to find, mind, just head across

“I deducted we weren’t the only Bristol townies who’d popped out for a bit of the sweet action”

the Suspension Bridge and make for levedon, and you’ll see it by the side of the road, just before Tyntesfield. Simples.

Normally, we wouldn’t head out of town that far for a coffee spot, so this place is a bit of a change of pace for us homeboys and girls. But we just had to give it a whirl, for two very good reasons. irstly, they have some really nice stuff to sip and snack on.

Who can resist the allure of top-notch, community farm shop treats? No one I know. efinitely not me. Secondly, we whizz past this café all the time.

And we’re not the only ones to have been intrigued. Lots of townies go out there, for a whole host of rather sound reasons. hen we visited, on our motorbikes, we were just in time for a very pleasing elevenses- style coffee break. Magic Mike went for a bit of a bacon bap, while I chose a croissant. Both were most pleasing, which is hardly a surprise the whole place is filled with shelf after shelf of lovely stuff to buy and take away, or to eat right there and then.

When it comes to sitting in, chilling out over hot drinks, there’s a very friendly, relaxed feel to the place. It’s the sort of space where you find yourself

talking to other customers, exchanging chitchat and smiles, which is how I deducted we weren’t the only Bristolians who had popped out there for a piece of the sweet action.

Turns out, there are many different reasons for visiting.

Some folk like to take a walk around the place and have a coffee afterwards. Others like to take their dogs for a walk and stop for a snack. Other folks have been out and about on bikes, push or motorised, both of which give you a hearty appetite.

But for me, the main reason I pass by is that it’s on the way to and from levedon Marine Lake. Like lots of other coldwater swimmer sorts, I just can’t enough of that wet, cold stuff.

Once you’ve been in and out, you need something and somewhere to heat you up again. Which is why so many of the customers were wearing dry robes.

So, if you are ever in that neck of the woods, in search of something wonderful to lift your spirits and refresh your soul, I can thoroughly recommend this place.

No swimming trunks required. n Former Housemartins guitarist Stan is now a journalist and travel writer @stancullimore on instagram

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 49

JELLYCAT ODELL OCTOPUS, £25- £45 Now, we know the Jellycat range includes, or at least included, an actual peach, but we haven’t managed to track one down, so here’s a peachcoloured octopus instead From John Lewis, Cribbs Causeway; www.johnlewis.com

HOT FUZZ

SELECTED FEMME ANNA TEE £21 (FROM £35) A nice little striped skinny rib top in organic cotton which will see you glowing peachily all year round From Fox + Feather, 41 Gloucester Road www.foxandfeather.co.uk

Pantone has spoken, and Peach Fuzz – ‘a velvety gentle peach tone whose all-embracing spirit enriches mind, body, and soul’ – is to be its colour of the year. eel free to veer off into apricot, papaya or rose pink variations.

Or indeed to ignore it altogether

CHIE MIHARA MANERA ANKLE BOOT, £276.50 (FROM £395) Peach a bit too soft and feminine for you? How about adding a bit of edginess in the form of patent leather?

From Grace & Mabel, 32 The Mall www.graceandmabel.co.uk

DIVINE SAVAGES KYOTO BLOSSOM VELVET, £110 PER METRE Inspired, we learn, by the Japanese gardens of Holland Park, featuring delicate cherry blossom, lotus flowers, exotic birds and koi carp, in luxurious recycled velvet From Divine Savages 5 Margaret’s Buildings, Bath www.divinesavages.com TIFFANY & CO. OVERSIZED SUNGLASSES, £311 If you’re impatient for spring to arrive you may be tempted to wear these indoors. Try to resist this inclination From Harvey Nichols, 27 Philadelphia Street; www.harveynichols.com BOLZANO 3-SEATER SOFA, £1,784.15 (FROM £2,099) Soft curves and organic forms add up to an elegant, sculptural silhouette, a streamlined look and cocooning feel. Designed

by Morten Georgsen, and designed, they say – though surely this should be a given, as it’s a sofa? – for relaxation From Bo Concept 76-78 Whiteladies Road www.boconcept.com 50 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

ED’S CHOICE

STUDIO ARHOJ MIMI FIGURINE, £25 When you want to work the new peach trend, but want it to be in the form of a barnacle-encrusted, bobbly mythical ceramic creature From ustudio, 115 Gloucester Road www.ustudio.shop

BRUSHED LAMBSWOOL THROW, £78 Made from 100% organic lambswool by Swedish company Klippan, who know a thing or two about staying cosy and fuzzy during cold weather ro ig it ao err teps fig co u

BUCKET HAT, £20 The cotton hat without which no festival wardrobe is complete, made by ethical company Inka Free. Oh and it’s reversable floral on one side, plain on the other From That Thing, 45-47 Stokes Croft; www.thatthing.co FREE PEOPLE COTTON POLO TOP, £120 Peach, but make it cool and casual. Part of the We The Free collection, with a preppy polo neck and stripey, raglan sleeves From Harvey Nichols 27 Philadelphia Street www.harveynichols.com

BRISTOL BUTTER DISH, £48 William Morris would approve: here’s something that we know to be useful and believe to be beautiful. By Bristol potter Liz Vidal From Midgley Green www.midgleygreen.com

PEPPER YOU SUNSET II EARRINGS, £21 Good morning, starshine!

Handcrafted from clay; lightweight and easy, with bags of style From Mon Pote, 217a North Street; www.monpote.co.uk

BROSTE TWIST CANDLES (SET OF TWO), £12.50 hat an elegant difference a simple twist makes. Almost too pretty to burn, but you may as well From Mon Pote, 217a North Street www.monpote.co.uk

BERT & MAY TERRAZZO TILE, £21.42 A gentle, pretty way to rock the peach and terrazzo trend in one.

You’re welcome From Bert & May, 5 The Mall; www.bertandmay.com

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 51

TA S T E M A K E R

LIVING INSIDE A MUSEUM OF YOURSELF New year, new home? Yeah, right. But actually, now is a good time to decide what it is you want to do with your space this year, and work out a schedule for achieving it…

By Kirsty Lake

This look is very Kirsty and, it has to be said, very Farrow & Ball: Georgian ceiling heights and trad details – check out that fireplace – mixed with midcentury modern furniture, a statement chandelier, and hardworking colours: Jitney No.293 and Stirabout No.300 on the walls, and Red Earth No.64 on the fire surround. Okay, okay, so a bright pink focal point might not have been your first thought, but quieter alternatives are also available…

THE BIG TIP

Once you have made a decision, stand by it – and step away from the Pinterest!

INFREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Though it’s a little schizophrenic, I thought a selfinterview might help you get to know me – and my tastes Complete the sentence: I love interior design because…

I grew up in the West Country, privy to all sorts of extraordinary architecture and homes, but nowhere was as inviting as our own three-bedroom 1900s miner’s cottage. The air was scented with whatever was cooking for dinner, and in the winter a fire was always going. Buying my own property years later gave me the freedom to feather my own nest just the way I liked it – and turning that love into a career has made me evergrateful to all those who’ve allowed me the great privilege of transforming their personal places.

What’s a great interiors book on your coffee table right now?

The Alchemy of Things: Interiors Shaped by Curious Minds, by Karen McCartney.

Favourite piece you’ve put in someone’s house lately?

For me, it’s lighting every time: most recently, a classic contemporary multi-armed chandelier in brass with playful shades was perfect to create the dramatic statement that one particular room required.

Your best antique find?

My Art Deco burr walnut bedside tables. I love incorporating antiques, and not just the brown furniture we’ve all seen in charity shops, so often successfully updated by quirky bright paint. I especially like pieces which epitomise specific trends, cultural moments and forms of another time.

Despite their age, they can be very forward-thinking.

Should you avoid emotion when designing an interior?

No, embrace it. You should have an immediate reaction when you enter a space – hopefully it’ll be joyful and make you smile, or there’ll be an ease and elegance which makes you feel peaceful. My role is to understand those emotions, and know how to get clients and visitors to share those feelings with you. You’re creating and curating an experience, after all; it’s why my company is called The Curator’s House.

Anything else to say?

Yes, if you want the best seat in the house, shift the dog.

A

s an interior designer, working on Georgian country manors, cool Bristol town houses and innovative, architecturally updated period properties, I’ve had the pleasure of being welcomed into a whole host of amazing spaces. My core style? I guess I’d describe it as “classic, but with contemporary accents”, which to me means working with and enhancing the great features buildings are already gifted with, and embellishing them through imaginative furniture pieces, lighting design and a palette of textures and colours. I’ll often mix in antique pieces too, as little beats the stories a really interesting piece of old furniture can tell. But that doesn’t mean I have to work to my style only; in fact, I rarely do. One of the most important attributes of a decent interior designer is that you’re a good listener, learning about your client’s tastes and understanding that what they don’t say is often as important as what they do. Their home will be where they’ll spend much of their lives, after all, and their space needs to be practical but also personal: a museum of them.

My name’s irsty Lake, and this is the first of an ongoing series in Bristol Life looking at both the aesthetic and practical sides of all things interior design, and how they work together. Issue by issue we’ll be looking at everything: things like individual rooms, from kitchens to bathrooms; things like making the best use of colour and texture and all that is decorative; things like current trends (and why most of them are safe to ignore); and – in most issues, I expect things like the oft-ba ing practicalities of getting everything done.

DESIGN HUNTING If you’re planning to use an interior designer, it’s worth doing your research and asking them all a few key questions. Who’ll suit my taste best? Who’ll be the most fun to work with? Who can I rely on to deliver? But also, how can I be a decent client – and therefore get the most out of my designer? Not everyone needs one, of course, and certainly not every project. But as soon as things get complicated, you’re likely to want more than just good taste on

INTERIORS your side you’d also benefit from a network of reliable suppliers and trades, and often a selection of talented makers, too.

Just as crucially, you’ll need someone with the patience required to make the million-and-one dreary micro-decisions about exact proportions and plug-socket placement that larger projects inevitably demand. Decision fatigue can wear you down quickly if you’re not used to it, especially on homes of scale. Make sure that you interview more than one designer – on Teams or Zoom, but preferably in person. That way you’ll be able to assess and compare skills, specialisms and personalities, but also get a sense of how much different designers charge for their work. What seems the cheapest isn’t always the best. Or ultimately, indeed, the cheapest.

Interior designers come in all shapes and sizes, you’ll find. Some are brilliant at the frills and fabrics, while others can happily handle more hardcore interior design, creating technical drawings for wall pilasters, ornate plasterwork or what-have-you.

Small practices, such as mine, will give their heart and soul to your project yet may not – or may! – have the bandwidth to handle a large and complex refurbishment; to some extent you’ll have to go on gut instinct as to whether a designer is right for you, but never rule a practise in or out by size alone.

At their best, an interior designer will save you money and time, help you define your style, take the bulk of the pressure off you, make your budgeting and planning so much easier, bring all of their training, knowledge and experience to the project, come up with clever and unique ideas, and provide as much – or as little – of the ‘wow’ factor as you require. Add to this their extensive contacts, and the sheer joy of getting the entire room – or house – being handed to you on a silver platter, with every finishing touch present and correct, and it’s easy to see why using an interior designer can often make a great deal of sense.

Kirsty Lake is Creative Director at The Curator’s House 01225 696996 www.thecuratorshouse.co.uk

CAUGHT MY EYE

2

1

4 3

Kirsty’s interiors edit for February 1. Scandinavian shell chair by House of Mobel, £560; www.houseofmobel.com 2. Granada extendable dining table

by BoConcept, £2,959; www.boconcept.com 3. Fontaine large offset chandelier by Aerin; £1,715; www.visualcomfort.com/uk 4. Vintage 1970s Italian floral upholstered bamboo and rattan sofa by Vivai Del Sud; £1,450; www. ragandbonebristol.com 5. Santa Barbara Ikat in china blue by Schumacher, an alternative fabric to recover a sofa like the above; £246 per metre; www.fschumacher.co.uk

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 53

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GREAT ESCAPES

Bedrooms at The Newt come in many different styles, but we’d like to stay in Llamrei in the old stables, please, before heading to the bar (opposite)

56 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

Whether you’re after the kind of sybaritic luxury that only a grand hotel can provide, or craving the privacy of a selfcatering bolthole that’s so far from the city you can see the Milky Way in the night sky, the South West offers endless staycation possibilities Words by Ursula Cole

W

STAYCATIONS hat makes the ideal staycation for you? Being waited on hand and foot at a five-star hotel Or a more secluded retreat, just you and your other half – and maybe the dog in a private woodland cabin beneath the stars rom hot tubs to horseriding, surfing to spa-ing, there’s no shortage of sexy options.

THE GRAND HOTELS

These are the big ones there’s a good reason why they’ve been awarded five stars, you know . . .

THE NEWT Where?

ithin its own vast ,

-acre estate in Hadspen.

Say what? The Newt is so much more than a hotel. Its opening in 2 turned the concept of a country-house staycation on its head, offering guests access to its , -acre working estate complete with extraordinary gardens, wild woodland, rolling valleys and apple orchards, as well as a luxury spa and museum, including a full-scale remodel of an original Roman Villa.

What can we get up to during our stay?

The estate offers more than enough attractions to keep you busy, with a spa, three restaurants and the beautiful grounds for culture vultures and history buffs, its oman illa is a pioneering archaeological experience. or rest and mindfulness there are cold-water dips, breath workshops, sound-healing, barre, nature meditation, and yoga if you can bring yourself to leave, the delightful Somerset town of Bruton with its world-class Hauser orth gallery is just three miles away.

Tell us about the dining options

The estate’s three restaurants all emphasise farm-to-fork dining. In the rade-II eorgian manor, The Botanical ooms offers elegant, seasonal dining sourced from the surrounding area. The Farmyard itchen, within an old Threshing Barn, offers creative dishes for sharing seasonal elements are wood-fired and served from the open kitchen directly to your table. The arden af provides a perfect

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 57

STAYCATIONS

ABOVE AND OPPOSITE PAGE: We defy you to find a more romantic bolthole: Hinton Hideaways; RIGHT: Arriving at Lucknam Park in a vintage motor is not obligatory but obviously desirable

vantage point for admiring the kitchen gardens and orchards below, with a veggie-centred menu offering breakfast and an all-day selection of dishes, including cream teas.

What are the rooms like?

orgeous, with two styles of accommodation. The original eorgian manor, Hadspen House, and the Stable ard provide 2 guest rooms designed with traditional features, home comforts and luxurious en-suite bathrooms. The armyard, the estate’s newest residence, features rooms converted from old agricultural buildings into a contemporary style, some with their own steam pods.

Who is it for?

The Newt caters for all, making it the perfect retreat for couples seeking a rural escape as well as families, with a range of activities including the Beezantium, Story of ardening and the oman illa.

Can we bring the dog?

No, due to the fowl and deer which roam the estate.

LUCKNAM PARK

Where? In its own private

-acre estate near hippenham.

What makes it special?

The sheer grandeur of the place the e uestrian estate huge playground area for kids the award-winning spa the Michelin dining.

What can we get up to during our stay?

Take tours of the otswolds, Bath and Stonehenge, or head off on recommended walks. Onsite there’s falconry, clay pigeon shooting and archery, the spa, horses to ride, and free bikes to rent.

58 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

What dining options are available?

In the main house you’ll find Michelin-starred estaurant Hywel ones, and there’s a more informal two- osette brasserie near the spa.

Sum up the style of the rooms

ountry-house elegance.

Is it family/friendly, and can we bring the dog?

Lucknam is both family- and dog-friendly

THE BOUTIQUEY BOLTHOLES raving a more independent, secluded stay

ead on

HINTON HIDEAWAYS

Where? ords roft arm, rewkerne.

Say what? ive bouti ue self-catering properties in a peaceful, romantic setting, surrounded by nature, with forest bathing, woodland sauna and hot tubs under the stars.

What can we do while we’re there?

Take a yoga class; or make the 30 minute drive to Lyme Regis and the Jurassic Coast What are the rooms like?

All properties sleep two, with two treehouses, two roundhouses and a two-storey timber cabin. The exteriors are timberwrapped to blend into their natural surroundings, with the interiors ranging from modern farmhouse to boho and Scandi.

Can we bring the kids and the dog?

The properties are just for adults, and not pet-friendly.

MOOR AND SEA

Where? Between Exmoor and the north Devon coast.

Say what? Eight south-facing stone lodges with lovely views, within 2 acres of gardens and fields with wild meadow paths.

What attractions are nearby?

The lodges are near Lynton and Lynmouth, connected by a Victorian funicular railway. You can visit the spectacular Valley of Rocks and walk the South West coast path; kayak from Coombe Martin and Porlock; surf at Woolacombe; enjoy wild swimming in the River Lyn; visit beautiful beaches with crystal-clear water, from secluded sandy paradises to pebbly coves; and take moorland walks among Exmoor ponies.

Are there any special amenities on site?

There are two public firepits and two private ones, an art room and residential art courses between September and May; fused glass courses can be arranged at any time. Foraging experiences can also be arranged, along with Exmoor dark skies experiences during the winter months What’s the accommodation like?

Six one-bedroom stone lodges, sleeping up to four with a

“The exteriors are timberwrapped to blend into their natural surroundings”

sofa bed, and two three-bedroom lodges, sleeping up to eight.

Accommodation is light and airy with a Scandi feel, while privately screened outside dining areas make the most of the lovely views.

Is it family-friendly?

Very, from small families up to multi-generational groups.

And can we bring the dog?

Four of the lodges are dog friendly.

GITCOMBE ESTATE

Where? Cornworthy, Dartmouth Say what? A private estate set in14 acres within the South Hams

area of outstanding natural beauty. Each space has its own character, from the elegant Grade-II Gitcombe House, to the oak-framed Gitcombe Retreat, the secluded Garden House, and a row of five cottages.

What experiences are available onsite?

Heated indoor and outdoor swimming pools, hot tubs, sauna, steam room, tennis court, indoor soft play and playroom and an outdoor Jurassic adventure playground. You can walk from your door into the local countryside – for example, to Bow Creek, a tributary of the River Dart, where you’ll find the Maltsters Arms, once owned by eith loyd.

Wondering where this idyllic cove is?

Book at Moor and Sea and they’ll tell you

STAYCATIONS What else can we do?

Visit the local coastline and beaches, from Blackpool Sands, with its sauna on the beach and chic café, to Bantham Beach, ideal for surfers and walkers. South Milton Sands has expansive rock pools, a long sandy stretch of beach, and The Beach House café serving local seafood . Ten miles away, Dartmoor National Park has wild, open moorlands and deep river valleys, with a rich history and rare wildlife.

Local towns include quirky Totnes; Dartmouth with its strong foodie scene; Salcombe with its beaches, sailing schools and gin distillery, and Kingsbridge – less well-known, so ideal for escaping the hordes.

Is it family-friendly, and can we bring the dog?

Yes to the former, no to the latter.

FOREVER CORNWALL

Where? Various venues in Cornwall Say what? Beach houses, sea-view apartments and cottages across the

Cornish coast, including The Lizard, Falmouth and Fowey on the south coast, and St Ives Bay, Newquay, Port Isaac and Bude on the north.

What can we do when we’re there?

Each location is unique, with a range of activities in and out of the water – see the website for recommendations.

ABOVE: How’s this for a view from Forever Cornwall?

BELOW LEFT: The cottages at Gitcombe

“Sea views are a huge attraction; ou ca tuc up ith a co ee i bed and watch the waves” What are the rooms like?

They range from two-sleepers up to large 16-sleeper properties, all coastal. very cottage is different if you’re looking for a bouti uey romantic escape, choose a small cottage or apartment if you’re a larger group there are larger properties. The sea views are a huge attraction; you can tuck up with a coffee in bed and watch the waves. There’s also a hot tub collection, a riverside collection and many others.

Are you family-friendly, and can we bring the dog?

Almost all of the properties are family-friendly, being suitable for children and babies, and over 90% are dog-friendly. n

YOU HAVE BEEN READING The Newt www.thenewtinsomerset.com

Moor and Sea www.moorandseaholidays.co.uk

Lucknam Park www.lucknampark.co.uk

Gitcombe Estate www.gitcombe.co.uk

Hinton Hideaways www.hintonhideaways.co.uk

Forever Cornwall www.forevercornwall.co.uk

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GOLDEN YEARS The face of retirement living is changing; in 2024, our elderly population expects a high standard of life, whether it’s their own home in a carefully curated community, or a residence offering full-time care

T

By Ursula Cole he words ‘retirement home’ have slightly downbeat, dowdy connotations, which wholly fail to reflect the high, often luxurious standards to be found in many of Bristol’s best later-living establishments.

It’s easy to see the appeal; downsizing releases ample funds to enjoy your retirement, while homemaintenance costs and worries become a thing of the past. We asked those working at three of Bristol’s most successful retirement quarters to talk through the pros and cons of moving to a contemporary community aimed at the over-60s.

THE CHOCOLATE QUARTER Located in the former Cadbury’s Factory in Keynsham, offering retirement apartments and a -bed care home as well as o ce space, an award-winning caf and pizza restaurant, hairdressers, pottery studio and host of other facilities. The whole development is designed to bring the community together, integrating generations to prevent the isolation of older people.

What amenities make the Chocolate Quarter so special?

The development exemplifies the St Monica Trust’s commitment to creating communities in which older people can flourish through connection, contribution and choice. To encourage intergenerational use, the ground floor of the retirement village is open to the public, with local businesses and restaurants, including pizza restaurant B-Block, fine-dining Somer ining, a health spa, hair and nail salon and a cinema. There is also a vibrant events programme and regular community activities, which are designed to actively encourage the public to use all the facilities.

Tell us about the rooms

harterhouse offers communal kitchen and living areas with spacious private bedroom suites. They are all en-suite, and offer air conditioning, wi-fi, full height windows and the facility for in-room dining prepared by Somer ining’s team of chefs, with all modified diets and specialised dietary needs catered for.

64 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

The Chocolate Quarter; INSET: Families (and the public) are welcome to join the residents at both the Somer Dining and B-Block restaurants

RETIREMENT

xxxxxxx; INSET: xxxxx

What are you most proud of about your accommodation?

It’s the attention to detail which sets The Chocolate Quarter apart.

Residents can step into the grand and elegantly styled atrium to enjoy the style and luxury of a five-star hotel, in which modern living meets Art eco-inspired styling in the refurbished, iconic building, while still providing the high level of care and customer service for which the St Monica Trust is renowned.

THE VINCENT The incent in edland consists of one-, two- and three-bedroom independent later-living apartments, along with a wellness area comprising gym, spa and stretch studio an arboretum garden and communal lounge, all within walking distance of Bristol’s city centre.

What features make you stand out?

The gym, spa and stretch studio expansive gardens and communal

66 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

lounges for residents to enjoy and socialise in, and apartments built to the very highest specifications. However, what is truly uni ue about The incent is its design. Apartments are spread across the beautifully restored ueen ictoria House, originally built in 88 , and two new egency-style buildings, harlotte and acob, named with a nod to the history of ueen ictoria House.

What amenities are available for residents?

The incent is a vibrant community, and residents enjoy daily activities supported by our onsite life host, including water aerobics, games afternoons, uizzes, get-fit classes and much more. Amenities include the wellness space, communal lounge and arboretum garden.

What are you most proud of about your accommodation?

There is so much to be proud of at The incent. rom its uni ue architectural design, paying homage to the ictorian influence of the

RETIREMENT site, to the specification of each and every home, to the dedication of the general manager and life host, every effort has been taken to curate a uni ue and inspiring community. But it is the people who make The incent what it is the residents who live here, who have created a sense of community, make The incent feel like home from the moment you step through the doors.

ABBEYFIELD The Abbeyfield charity was established with the aim of tackling loneliness by allowing people to live together while maintaining their independence. Abbeyfield Bristol eynsham continues this work by offering private retirement flats for rent across four established houses in and around Bristol. lats are unfurnished, so residents can really make it a home from home, while the on-site team offers the reassurance of support, should the residents come to need it.

What special features make your residences stand out?

hile every resident has their own flat, each house offers a communal lounge area and dining room to encourage socialising. ach has its own uni ue characteristics and is special in its own way our house in Henleaze has beautiful ictorian features and is situated overlooking urdham owns ift Lodge in Hanham was purpose-built years ago, with large modern windows giving views from every room.

What amenities are available for residents?

esidents enjoy a vibrant community inside their house, as well as in their locality. very Abbeyfield House has a calendar of social events which includes film nights, live entertainment and trips. Houses also have strong ties with neighbours and local communities, and hold regular meetings and events with several outside groups.

What’s the dining experience like?

Abbeyfield was founded in to help alleviate loneliness among older people in communities and, to this day, residents come together to eat and socialise twice a day in our dining rooms. hile residents can eat breakfast in the dining room, or in their own flat, lunch and dinner are very much social occasions and provide a great opportunity to catch up with friends. Our experienced cooks offer a varied menu and all dietary needs can be met.

What are you most proud of about your accommodation?

A mixture of old and new at The Vincent; INSET: A home from home at Abbeyfield

“Our residents frequently tell us they’re enjoying a whole new lease of life and they wish they’d moved in years ago”

As a charity, our focus is on being able to offer people new friendships and new experiences without the old stresses and worries of maintaining their own property. Our residents fre uently tell us they’re enjoying a whole new lease of life and they wish they’d moved in years ago. e take a truly holistic approach to our residents’ well-being, which lies at the heart of everything we do our core aim is to enhance the uality of their lives in every way possible. n

YOU HAVE BEEN READING

The Chocolate Quarter, Trajectus Way, Keynsham www.stmonicatrust.org.uk The Vincent, Redland Hill www.pegasushomes.co.uk Abbeyfield, Bristol & Keynsham Society, various sites www.abbeyfield-bristol.co.uk

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 67

Most of us understand the benefits of investing tax efficiently.

Using the tax allowances, such as ISAs, provided by the government each year means we can legitimately avoid paying unnecessary tax. However, many of us are missing out on the valuable tax savings available through our pensions.

Pensions are one of the most tax efficient ways to save for your retirement. If you’re a UK taxpayer, in the 2023/24 tax year you can get tax relief on pension contributions of up to 100% of your earnings or a £60,000 annual allowance, whichever is lower. In simple terms, the tax relief you receive on pensions means some of your money that would have gone to the government as tax goes into your pension instead.

How much income do you need in retirement? This is not only dependant on your essential expenditure but also what kind of retirement you are hoping for. Whatever you want for your retirement, whether this includes travel, home improvements or spending more time doing the things you love, your adviser will be able to pull this together into a financial plan to help you arrive at a sustainable figure.

Get in touch for a free initial consultation: 01179 33 55 44 | info@digby-associates.co.uk www.digby-associates.co.uk *Tax treatment varies according to individual circumstances and is subject to change.

Approver Quilter Financial Planning Solutions Limited. 08/01/2024

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HEALTH AND SAFETY – IT’S THE LAW

THE HEALTH & SAFETY DEPT LTD (The H&S Dept) exists to help businesses stay safe.

It’s more than business to them; it’s their passion.

D

id you know that it is a legal obligation for employers with five or more employees to have a written health and safety policy, alongside other essential documentation? Regardless of company size or nature, all businesses have health and safety responsibilities.

Below, The H&S Dept’s Head of Health and Safety, Luke Perry, explains how they help SMEs keep their businesses compliant and their people safe.

Why would businesses require health and safety services?

Health and safety is a legal requirement.

Our clients are those who proactively think about the legal, and moral, position of their company. Businesses who wish to be compliant require our services.

We do, however, find some clients reaching out following an incident whereby urgent help is required. The H&S Dept is always glad to help keep businesses safe no matter what, but to avoid getting into trouble with the law, we advise working with us to help prevent incidents occurring.

Why do businesses choose to work with The H&S Dept?

At a fraction of the cost of hiring someone in-house, you can benefit from having a team of qualified health and safety professionals, with expertise in many areas. For many businesses, it’s hard to justify the cost of a permanent health and safety role. We provide an affordable long- or short-term alternative. Not to mention the benefit of improved efficiency and staff retention. A safer workplace is a more productive and enjoyable workplace.

What services do you offer?

All businesses require a unique and tailored solution. We deliver this through our expertise, practical advice, and down-to-earth approach.

We offer a range of services, including our fire risk assessment, which will identify and control hazards before they become a workplace problem. Our food safety service safeguards food goods from risk, providing protection for businesses and consumers.

If you would like to upskill employees in a cost-effective, timely manner in the comfort

of your own workspace, the eLearning we offer enables exactly that. Our health and safety services can ensure you reduce risks in your workspace, making it a safer place for everyone to work and thrive.

What type of businesses do you work with?

Any business which is required to have a written health and safety policy. Hospitality, healthcare, offices, warehouses; you name it.

How can The H&S Dept help with varying business needs?

All businesses need to be compliant and safe regardless of who they are and what they do. The support we provide, with the implementation of safe systems and policies, ensures exactly that. We will give you the assurance that you are keeping on the right side of health and safety law, so that you can continue to grow your business, without worry or burden. n

To find out more, please email luke.perry@hsdept.co.uk or call: 0117 428 7190 www.hsdept.co.uk www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 71

© ANDREW HAYNES WATKINS

NETWORK

THE CITY’S HOTTEST BUSINESS NEWS

YES CHEF! JOSH EGGLETON AT THE BRISTOL LIFE NETWORK LUNCH

© @JONCR AIG_ PHOTOS

NETWORK

KITCHEN CONFIDENTIAL

The Bristol Life Network Lunch series ended 2023 on a tasty note with speaker JOSH EGGLETON – the Bristol born-bred-and-buttered chef and indefatigable warrior against food poverty

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o. No: that’s 100% not going to happen.”

It was as emphatic and as clear as that: Josh just wasn’t in favour. Of what, we’ll get to eventually. But like any good story, we’ll begin at the beginning.

Josh grew up in the Chew Valley, and along with his sister Holly he joined the family business, the rural gastrobup The Pony and Trap, at an early age.

Although he’d opted out of cookery classes at school, Josh learned traditional cookery from his grandparents and father. Aged 15 he began working at his local fish-andchip shop, followed by jobs at a local pub and a John Lewis restaurant, which he says taught him a lot about catering en-masse a skill he’s endlessly put into practice during his extensive work feeding the vulnerable and food-insecure, and at mass charity fundraisers such as the AntiBanquet for 700 diners at Ashton Gate next month.

In a major career boost in 2003, Josh became a Gordon Ramsay Scholar, allowing him to explore the culinary cultures of Sicily, America and France, working at the likes of Il Mulinazzo, Chanterelle and The French Laundry. On returning to the UK he turned down jobs with Ramsay, Angela Hartnett and Marcus Wareing, among others, in favour of taking over the family biz, transforming the The Pony and Trap into a world-class, ultimately Michelin-starred, venue that still retained its local feel.

Menus changed daily, so that Josh and his team could make the best of

“BREAKING BREAD PROVED TO BE A BOOST FOR EVERYONE” JOSH EGGLETON

the day’s fresh, local and sustainable ingredients, using a ‘magpie culture’ cooking style inspired by British classics in the broadest sense.

Since then the Eggelton portfolio has expanded to include two branches of superior fish-and-chippie Salt and Malt co-ownership of rated edland gastropub The Kensington Arms, and along with Chew Valley neighbour, farmer Luke Hasell, two branches of Root, in which vegetables get to be the star ingredients on the menu. osh is a long-time advocate of the field-to-fork movement, co-founding the popular Eat Drink Bristol Fashion festival to promote the importance of food sustainability. His dedication was recognised in 2014 when Eat rink became the first festival to ever receive a Gold Standard catering mark from the Soil Association.

Cue the 2020 pandemic. While all the group’s restaurants were closed during the lockdowns, the Pony operated from Breaking Bread, the pop-up teepee village on the Downs Josh created with the Bianchis

group and Team Love. The bars and restaurants served the hugely important purpose of keeping staff and suppliers in business, as well as providing a beacon of cheer for Bristols fun-deprived diners it was also the hub for Team Canteen which supplied those suffering from food poverty with hot meals.

Breaking Bread was a major boost for all concerned; except the restaurant owners, who ran the site at a significant loss. ollowing the final lockdown, as the city’s restaurants began to open again, Josh and Holly launched the popular, but always designed to short-lived, The ony North Street in Bedminster. Josh made the startling announcement that the Pony & Trap would not be reopening. Voluntarily relinquishing its Michelin star, which he’s always said meant very little to him, he revealed plans to reinvent the pub as The Pony Chew Magna.

Opening just before Christmas 2022, on the back of a successful crowdfunder, the produce-led ony ac uired a new glass-fronted extension fronting the kitchen garden, which operates both as a restaurant and events space for hire;. The bar area is still a welcoming space for any local who fancies a beer and ploughman’s, while a new cookery school operates on the top floor.

Josh has also been a major force at the heavily foodie Valley Fest; has consulted on the imminent BoxHall on elshback, and has fingers in numerous other pies. It might have defeated a lesser man, but through it all he’s worked continuously to feed the city’s vulnerable and food-poor, from cooking Christmas Day lunches to working with the Mazi project, of which he’s an ambassador. Along with Yeo Valley, he’s curating Mazi’s ive-a-Box scheme this month (www.themaziproject.com).

Next month sees Josh’s most ambitious fundraiser to

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 75

NETWORK Holly and Josh: putting the chew into Chew Magna once again

date, when along with other top Bristol chefs he’ll be cooking for 700 guests at the Anti-Banquet at Ashton Gate, attempting to raise £100,000+ for the local food fund.

The Anti-Banquet came about through osh wanting to create a different kind of fundraiser, creating a more regular funding stream for food charities with inconsistent funding. The event invites Bristol businesses to buy a table to donate to either a local charity or staff members who rarely get to attend such events; the CEOs are invited to roll up their sleeves and help in the kitchen.

It’s just one of many initiatives he and his fellow chefs are involved in throughout the year. “The hospitality industry works together in Bristol now more than ever,” Josh says. “It’s a really great community.”

Oh, and that clear-cut denial at the start?

It was in response to the idea that he, like many chefs, might one day have his own name above the door; that there might be a group of Josh Eggleton restaurants.

Umm, no. Not ever. He isn’t ‘that’ kind of chef; he doesn’t have the kind of ego to parlay his success into a brand.

Anyway, it’s just not the Bristol way.

For more: www.theponychewvalley.co.uk; www.antibanquet.co.uk

© @JONCR AIG_ PHOTOS

EMISSION GRANTED Bristol airport has been named as one of the greenest in the UK by the team at DriveElectric, who analysed air quality and prevalence of lowemissions transport across the UK to reveal the most and least green areas.

The carbon-neutral airport welcomed just under four million passengers for every 1,000 runway metres last year. It was awarded the ACI Eco-Innovation prize in 2023, demonstrating its commitment to sustainable travel.

Bristol Airport also produced just 0.49 million tonnes of CO2 in passenger flight emissions, compared to the highest polluting airport, London Heathrow, responsible for 16.2 million tonnes of CO2.

For more: www.drive-electric.co.uk FROM LEFT: Simon, Louise and Jonathan

KEY CHANGE She’s done so much for Bristol Music Trust, and has overseen the multimillion transformation and rebranding of Bristol Beacon, but now chief executive Louise Mitchell is standing down in July 2024, paving the way for a new leader to take the organisation forward.

Also leaving is long-term chair of the board Simon Chapman, who has supported Louise and the team throughout the five-year transformation.

The new chair taking up the role is the renowned broadcaster, writer and historian Jonathan Dimbleby.

“As a citizen of Bristol, it is a great privilege to be asked to chair Bristol Music Trust,” said Jonathan.

“I am fortunate to inherit the role at a point where – thanks in large measure to the outstanding leadership of Simon and Louise – the Beacon can now become a great cultural hub in the heart of this great city.

“At the start of this new era, I hope that everyone in Bristol will come to regard the Beacon as their musical ‘home’, a place that is open to all and at the service of all. I want the new Beacon to shine a light across the city and far beyond. I know that it can and that it will – which is why I am honoured to play my part in helping to meet this challenge.”

For more: www.bristolbeacon.org

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 77

HEADLINE SPONSOR

Benefit from Bristol’s biggest business event: 27 March bristollifecommercial@mediaclash.co.uk

NOW!

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Nominations open:

How to benefit from the Awards:

Platinum sponsor:

Initial sponsors:

#BristolLifeAwards ︱ bristollifeawards.co.uk A

Production

NETWORK

The Property Symposium 2023

DATES FOR THE DIARY Bristol Life Awards Technology winner 2023 – Stripe OLT

Bristol Life Awards Nominations close 31 January

IN IT TO WIN IT

EntreConf Dinner 12 March Bristol Life Awards 27 March EntreConf Awards Nominations open 8 April Property Symposium 16 April EntreConf 19-20 June Bristol Property Awards Nominations open 18 July EntreConf Awards 26 September Bristol Property Awards 29 November

It’s time to get your Bristol Life Awards nomination in . . .

H

eads up, Bristol businesses: nominations for the 2024 Bristol Life Awards close on 31 January.

This is not the occasion for modesty. The Bristol Life Awards positively encourages you to shout about how amazing your business is: what makes it great, the unparalleled wonderfulness of your team, and the standout moments from the previous year.

If you get a wriggle on there’s still time to submit your entry. Anyone can win one of the hugely prestigious Awards; they’re for everyone, from the coolest indie to the largest corporate. They celebrate the whole of the city: all sectors, all types, from commercial to charity and civic; from new companies to long-established local treasures.

HOW TO ENTER It’s free, and simple just choose the category that fits your business, and fill out the A. There’s a handy page on the website offering top tips to make your nomination stand out.

SPONSOR THE AWARDS Independent chef-led contract caterer Cleverchefs is the Bristol Life Awards headline sponsor for 2024, and other sponsorship opportunities are going fast. To find out more, please contact neil.snow@mediaclash.co.uk.

GET TICKETS Tickets are now available to purchase on the website, either singly on in groups. This is invariably a sold-out event, with a long waiting list!

For more: www.bristollifeawards.co.uk

Offices in: Henleaze, Whiteladies Road Clifton Village, Shirehampton 0117 962 1205 www.amdsolicitors.com

PRIVATE CLIENT - FAMILY - PROPERTY - COMMERCIAL

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PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE Zoya Ustado of AMD SOLICITORS considers the importance of a Lasting Power of Attorney

M

any understand the importance of putting a will into place to avoid issues arising for their loved ones after their death.

But what about during their lifetime, when they are unable to deal with their affairs or make decisions for themselves?

People often overlook the significance of making a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA).

suddenly hospitalised. By having an LPA in place, you can be confident that the decisions made about your health reflect your wishes.

• Creates ease for your loved ones – during difficult times your loved ones have a lot to do, and having an LPA can take some stress away by granting them the legal authority to help you.

WHAT IS A LASTING POWER OF ATTORNEY?

WHAT HAPPENS IN THE ABSENCE OF AN LPA?

An LPA is a legal document that allows you (the donor) to appoint a person or persons (the attorneys) to make decisions on your behalf, either now or in the future should you be unable to make decisions yourself: for example, if you had lost capacity, were unconscious or would prefer not to deal with your affairs by yourself for any reason. In such cases an LPA allows the attorneys to deal with such affairs for you.

An LPA can only be made if you have the mental capacity to do so. If you don’t have an LPA and you lose capacity, your loved ones will not be able to deal with your affairs, which can create difficulties not only for you but for them as well. In this scenario, your loved ones would have to apply to the Court of Protection for a Deputyship Order.

With an LPA, the donor appoints their own attorneys, with a Deputyship Order, it is up to the Court who is appointed. This could be a professional such as a solicitor or a relative whom you would not have chosen. Either way, you have not chosen your Deputy.

There are two types of LPA: • Health & Welfare LPA, covering matters such as medical treatments, moving into a care home or even making decisions about your daily routine.

• Property & Finance LPA, covering matters such as paying your bills, managing finances or selling your property.

An LPA also: • Helps you get the treatment you want – there may be times when urgent decisions need to be made; for example, if you are

“PEOPLE OFTEN OVERLOOK THE SIGNIFICANCE OF MAKING A LASTING POWER OF ATTORNEY”

Whereas an LPA would usually take around four to six months, a Deputyship Order can take up to a year depending on the Court’s capacity as there are various forms to complete and requirements to fulfil, which could become burdensome. This is a very costly and time-consuming process and best avoided if at all possible by getting an LPA in place while you are able to. n

An LPA should be put in to place sooner rather than later to a oid any costly and di ficult situations arising for you and your loved ones in the future. For advice on LPAs, please contact our private client team on 0117 962 1205, email info@amdsolicitors.com or call into one of our our ristol o fices: 100 Henleaze Road, Henleaze, BS9 4JZ 15 The Mall, Clifton, BS8 4DS 139 Whiteladies Road, Clifton, BS8 2PL 2 Station Road, Shirehampton, BS11 9TT www.amdsolicitors.com

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 81

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 Henleaze Road, Henleaze TO LET 607 sq ft (56.93 sq m)

Worrall Road, Clifton TO LET 2,017 sq ft (187.38 sq m)

A ground floor “Class E” unit available on Henleaze Road.

Configured as multiple office rooms at present, the property could suit a variety of uses.

An attractive, double fronted “Class E” unit over ground and lower ground floors, available just off of the popular Whiteladies Road. Could suit a range of commercial uses.

Boulevard, Weston Super Mare FOR SALE – POA INVESTMENT/DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY

Canford Lane Westbury on Trym TO LET 2,508 sq ft (232.99 sq m) A fantastic ground floor “Class E” Unit, highly visible on Canford Lane. Could suit a variety of uses with its retail frontage to include gym, office, café /restaurant – all uses considered.

An excellent opportunity to acquire the freehold interest of a substantial mixeduse property comprising approximately 14,714 sq ft

Eden Office Park, Pill FOR SALE – POA 1,841 – 6,110 sq ft (171 – 567 sq m)

Clifton Plot with planning for 3/4 bed house Fantastic ‘self build’ opportunity or to suit a developer. Sought after location in the affluent suburb of Clifton. Freehold for sale — Price Upon Application,

3 office buildings currently occupied as one, but can be available separately or combined.

Excellent parking provision.

Lower Park Row, Bristol TO LET - POA 406 sq ft – 2,429 (38 - 225 sq m)

The Stables at Leigh Court TO LET – POA. 510 – 1,500 sq ft (47.38 – 139.35 sq m) A Grade II Listed business centre offering luxury workspaces in a peaceful setting outside the city.

The site benefits ample parking, cycle storage, EV charging and sustainable energy solutions.

A charming office with a large car park to the rear. Available floor by floor or as a whole. Class E.

Mariner House, Prince St TO LET – £26 psf 1,242 sq ft (115.38 sq m)

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THRINGS MEETS… CAMERON BALLOONS THRINGS partner Rob Barnes meets Don and Dave Cameron, the founder and technical director of the legendary CAMERON BALLOONS Rob Barnes: Cameron Balloons has been in Bristol for so long that almost everyone in the city will have heard about you, but how did the company get started?

Don Cameron: As with most ideas, both good and bad, it started at the pub.

I was at the Bristol Aeroplane Company and was involved in the gliding club when we found out about a new type of balloon which had been invented in the States. I formed a small syndicate with some friends after a few drinks to buy one, but after deciding it was too expensive, we opted to build our own – it was only when we finished it that we came to realise the price to order one was quite reasonable!

The final product was the Bristol Belle, our very first balloon! We would take it to shows, and eventually people started asking for us to make them a balloon. After seeing the opportunity there was in building balloons commercially, we launched the company in 1971, and since then have made thousands of balloons which are now flying all around the world.

Rob: You’ve been an integral part in making balloons an iconic part of Bristol’s image.

What is it about ballooning which makes it so popular?

Dave Cameron: Ballooning is something anyone can enjoy, whether they are getting the chance to fly one, ride as a passenger or simply see one floating overhead in the sky.

It’s always lovely to see kids run out of their houses to wave up to balloons when they hear the burners.

We have actually noticed a massive shift in our audiences in recent years, with a big growth in interest among younger people, especially on social media.

Though Bristol is a challenging place to fly, with the airport and the Bristol Channel nearby, it’s surrounded by green spaces and is beautiful to see from above.

Rob: What’s your favourite balloon you’ve ever made?

Don: The special shapes we make are always a lot of fun because you never know what the next request might be. My favourite is a Tyrannosaurus Rex balloon we made for someone in Canada, because back then it was such a novel thing to do and fun to design. When it deflated it would lean forward, and you’d see young children running up to its jaws to get their photo taken.

Dave: From a more technical angle, my favourite was a recent partnership with Red Bull, where we designed a balloon with a skatepark bowl suspended underneath. We had the famous BMX rider Kriss Kyle performed tricks on it while it was 2,000 feet in the air, which was amazing!

Rob: What have been the biggest highlights over the past 50 years?

Don: There have been so many, it’s hard to pick. Helping to create the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta is definitely one of them. It is such a special event for people in the city, bringing so many people together. Every year crowds flock to Ashton Court, the Clifton Observatory and other viewpoints across the city to see the balloons in flight – it really is a spectacle like no

other, and we are really proud to have played a part in its success.

I also attempted to be the first person to fly across the Atlantic in a balloon. I started in Newfoundland, and got to within 100 miles of France, but had to finish the journey on a fishing boat. I would have given it another go, but the Americans actually managed it only a couple of weeks later.

But while I didn’t quite manage that, we have built balloons for plenty of record breakers.

Every balloonist that has completed a journey around the world has done so in one of ours, which is very special.

We’re also becoming more conscious of the ecocredentials of ballooning, so a focus on sustainability will be a key theme for 2024.

Besides this, we still have lots of orders coming in all the time, so both Bristol and the wider ballooning world will have plenty more colourful balloons and lots of new shapes in the sky through the year for people to enjoy.

To find out more about Cameron Balloons, visit www.cameronballoons.co.uk n

Rob: What does 2024 look like for Cameron Balloons?

Dave: In the New Year we’ll be continuing to work on customers’ projects, with innovation and bringing the sport of ballooning forward being a couple of our big challenges.

The Paragon, Counterslip, Redcliffe, Bristol BS1 6BX; tel: 01225 340000; solicitors@thrings.com www.thrings.com

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 83

PROPERTY

RICHMOND ROAD A tropical-inspired selfbuild in Montpelier?

We’re intrigued . . .

Words by Grace McCloud Photography Dan Glasser

M

athew Ingham and Ami Spencer had moved from London to Bristol in search of more space. Still searching for the perfect spot to settle, their thoughts turned to self-building and the chance it would offer them to create something extraordinary. For Mathew, a trained architect who now works for a developer, it was a dream commission.

Instead of trawling the internet, the couple took a more hands-on approach, walking around different areas of the city in the hope of spotting a space they could build on. Having found a disused plot in Montpelier, negotiated on it and bought it, they broke ground in early 2020.

Smooth sailing soon turned to choppier waters. The pandemic took hold, and their builder went bust; Mathew and Ami found themselves pouring concrete and cutting insulation panels themselves during the dark evenings after work.

Ultimately, their tenacity paid off. The house they created, informed in part by tropical modernism and their travels in Sri Lanka, is indeed extraordinary – referential, materially focused and entirely individual. Having just put it on the market, Mathew and Ami tell us about their highs, lows and lasting memories involved in creating their oasis of a home. hen we first started looking for a plot, I remembered one of my former bosses, a developer, telling me that his best purchases had always been random bits of land he’d found while out and about,” said Mathew. “That really gave us the

86 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

PROPERTY impetus to start searching in the way we did. After work or at weekends, we’d head out together to parts of Bristol we didn’t know so well, to see what we could find.

Not long after we started, we came across this spot, said Ami. “It used to form one end of a garden belonging to a house on a parallel street. The owners clearly weren’t using it it was filled with rubble and rubbish so we knocked on their door and asked if they’d consider selling it. Although they said they might, we didn’t hear from them for six months.

Mathew admits to being “a bit gutted they hadn’t got back to us; hitherto, my experience of Bristol was that everybody was just unbelievably friendly and neighbourly. I’d almost given up hope that they’d respond. Then, one night when we were on holiday in Sri Lanka, we got an email saying they were keen. Bristol’s true colours had shown themselves – and my boss’s advice had worked.

For Ami, the project was a huge learning curve; working in digital marketing, she’d never done anything like this before. But it was a learning curve for Mathew too; while he’d run a practice in London and done projects for family and friends, it’s a different story creating a home for yourself; it was also a complex build, involving lots of concrete and glass and using more unusual elements, such as poured concrete.

“I had a bit of an obsession with concrete at the time, which I needed to work through, says Mathew. That’s why we leaned so heavily on it as a material. But we also sought to introduce a more tropical aesthetic to things – not the kind of thing you see every day in the South West. ou can see the influence of Sri Lanka and the work of eoffrey Bawa there in the sapele wood we used, for

88 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

“I had a bit of an obsession with concrete at the time, which I needed to work through”

instance, and in the courtyard garden at the centre of the plan, which is all Ami’s doing. The idea was to create a home in which it always feels just a little bit sunnier.

“Given we were building in the middle of a pandemic, things didn’t go too badly. Things could have gone better, but they could have been a lot worse, too. We had a couple of two-week site shutdowns due to Covid, but we got by. The main hiccup was when our contractor went bust. Luckily, he had completed the concrete and had put in the roof deck and floor joists, so we had the main structure and things were more or less manageable.

Suddenly Mat and Ami found themselves doing everything, and learning on the job. They enlisted help from local traders to help them finish the build, but laid the underfloor heating pipes and poured the concrete sinks and steps themselves.

Having to do so much ourselves had huge benefits, says Ami. “Not only did it mean we had more control, it also meant we felt much more connected to the house. e knew exactly what was happening and when.

And as project architect, Mat says he felt so in tune with the house; and he’s still pretty obsessed by that

HOUSE DETAILS Inspired by the modernist vernaculars of Sri Lanka and Mexico, this 2022 self-build in the heart of Montpelier is designed around a leafy central courtyard, with beautifully light interior spaces defined by a palette of concrete, glass, and Sapele wood.

Price: £750k Ground-floor: Large openplan area with dining room, living room, kitchen, utility and study First floor: 2 bedrooms, shower room and bathroom Outside: The ground floor rooms open to a central courtyard www.themodernhouse.com

concrete, it turns out. “There is such a nice solidity to this house, and it has a real warmth to it, helped by the underfloor heating. e installed it upstairs, but we never really turn it on – there’s no need. And the house performs really well. e tried our best in that regard there’s no gas on site and everything is powered by airsource heat pumps. e wanted to put solar panels on the roof too, but our budget got the better of us, for now.

I love how different the house looks, and yet it feels perfectly at home on the street. Strangely, there’s lots of architectural variation here it’s a real patchwork and I love that we’ve added to the tapestry.”

“The street itself is wonderful,” says Ami. “There’s a real community vibe in Montpelier, there’s always a lot going on, and this house is an oasis right in the middle of it. I love it best when the doors are open downstairs, the plants are interacting with the wood and glass, and the dining room and courtyard become one. It feels so private and peaceful.”

Mathew The thing I’m most proud of is very small.

The stairs leading to the first floor start with a beautiful concrete step, under which we’ve recessed some lighting so it glows. Ami and I cast it together one evening. e were tired, stressed, stretched, mixing concrete when we shouldn’t have been mixing concrete and we made this wonderful thing, a real symbol of how far we’d come. I think it’s one of the best elements in the house and it’s only going to get better with age. ancy trying before you buy The house can be rented between February and April this year, at www.airbnb.com/h/montpelierhouse.

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 89

BRISTOL LIVES

“All new-year resolutions are doomed to fail” I’m really proud of how we’ve held on to our core values of the festival as we’ve grown –

we want to be celebrating the creativity and talent of this city, which means making work for and with the people of Bristol.

The festival is free to attend and everyone is welcome. We hope that Bristol feels more colourful and fun because we’re in it.

KATHERINE JEWKES As creative director of the Bristol Light Festival, Katherine shines light and joy into the darkest, least joyful month of the year – which is kind of magical, when you think about it…

O

n her website, Katherine describes her job as working in technology and immersive experiences, mostly in the arts – a specialism she says she ended up with through a mixture of curiosity and luck.

“I studied music at university, and then went on to do an MA in cultural policy. I had a particular interest in how technology might impact the arts (which was less of a thing back then Netflix was still a delivery service and MySpace was the cool place to hang out online.”

I’m drawn to projects which are trying to do something differently, especially if they

can be staged somewhere unusual. The first show I produced was with Studio McGuire [see page 18] – we

made a version of Howl’s Moving Castle which was fully projectionmapped and staged in a tunnel under London Bridge.

In 2019, Vicky Lee at Bristol City Centre BID pushed

to create a new event – the Bristol Light Festival – and was gathering the resources and support to make it happen.

Vicky and her team are still a driving force behind the Light Fest, which is also supported by edcliffe Temple BI , and Broadmead BI . I’ve been there since the beginning – I’d come to realise that I was doing a lot more curatorial work with international clients, and I wanted to work on a project that was closer to home.

The main challenge of putting

on a fest of this kind is the British weather. Most of our installations are outdoors and open to the elements.

90 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

I loved Tine Bech’s Pink Enchantment on Castle Bridge

in our first edition, watching people run across the bridge and turning clouds of blue mist to pink. Tine’s work is always a great example of how technology can feel like playful magic.

I’m excited by the whole programme this year. It’s

impossible to pick favourites, but I love the scale and wonder of Atelier Sisu’s giant inflatable sculptures; This is Loop’s immersive architecture; Alison Smith’s delicate and intimate The Nectary, and Studio McGuire’s Ascendance, which is poetic and beautiful. There are also some surprises we haven’t announced yet, but which are ambitious and really celebrate Bristol’s impact around the world.

I’ve been really lucky to work with some amazing artists and for some fantastic

organisations around the globe.

I started at National Theatre Wales, who made work in many unusual places around Wales, from crucifying Michael Sheen on a beach in Port Talbot in The Passion to a durational show which involved herding sheep down the side of Mount Snowdon. It was a fantastic grounding in how to make sitespecific work.

At Louvre Abu Dhabi I

worked on some really creative technology projects, including Singing Trees in which we created a system for trees to sing as a choir when the pollution levels were low enough; if the levels got too high the trees would start to sound raspy, but touching the tree helped them to sing again. I thought it was a really poetic way to look at pollution data.

For every project, the pleasure lies in standing back and watching how people interact with the thing you’ve made, whether that’s someone on a bus in Australia watching a livestream from a mountain in Wales to kids running along an illuminated bridge in Bristol.

I live in Sea Mills. My journey into the city, with a view of the Suspension Bridge, makes me really happy.

Watershed feels like a second home to me. I’m a resident of the

Pervasive Media Studio and I love that there’s always someone doing something interesting in there.

I am a qualified hairdresser

and quad biking instructor, though I don’t suggest attempting the two things at the same time...

All New Year’s resolutions are doomed to fail. It’s the wrong time of year to try to set new intentions. Winter should be about resting, spending time with loved ones, drinking tea. Spring is a much better time to think about setting new goals. I suggest waiting for the daffodils to appear before thinking about starting anything new.

For more www.bristollightfestival.org

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