Lincolnshire Pride August 2023

Sometimes when people express curiosity about my job, I’m asked ‘don’t you ever run out of things to write about?’ and fortunately, the answer is a resounding ‘no!’ In fact, potential stories just keep on coming... already, in my head, next month’s magazine is half full, and feeling like it’ll be an especially interesting one!

This edition has yielded a few gems too though, like a chat with those keen to see the fortunes of the area around Grimsby known as Down Dock or The Kasbah transformed into a 21st century centre for renewable energy and the creative industries. We’ll pay a visit to the area, investigate its past and look to the future in this month’s magazine.

Elsewhere, we’re meeting Boston-born Chris and Megan Clawson. The former is a Beefeater, whilst his daughter Megan is an author, and lives alongside him in the Tower of London. Megan’s new book is a brilliant romantic story, which also provides an insight into life inside the historic royal palace as well.

Also this month we’ll be meeting the artisans taking part in this month’s Alford Craft Market and we’re dining out at The Green Man in Ropsley.

And finally, we’re enjoying the gardens of The National Trust’s Gunby Hall and we’ve exclusive images from this year’s (very sunny) Lincolnshire Show.

Our best wishes for a wonderful month!

Executive Editor robin@pridemagazines.co.uk

We’re always looking for scenes of Lincolnshire to feature on our covers and in the magazine. If you’re a budding photographer, email your pictures to the address above!

CONTENTS

NEWS & EVENTS

06 NEWS The best ‘good news’ stories from across the county including David Harris’s charity cycle ride to commemorate the Dambusters.

12 HIGH LIFE Enjoy our exclusive images from this year’s Lincolnshire Show.

20 WHAT’S ON Live music and theatre productions in August.

HIGHLIGHTS

16 THE BEEFEATER & THE AUTHOR

Residents of the Tower of London, Lincolnshire beefeater Chris Clawson and his daughter, author Megan Clawson talk about their unusual home.

22 ALFORD CRAFT MARKET Meet some of the talented craftspeople at this year’s Alford Craft Market.

32 ROCKING THE KASBAH Meet the people regenerating Grimsby’s Down Dock, otherwise known as the Kasbah, preserving the town’s heritage whilst reinventing it for the 21st century.

FOOD & DRINK

42 DINING OUT A fantastically pretty country pub, we’ll stop by in Ropsley this month to visit The Green Man.

46 THE DOWER HOUSE Celebrating the completion of The Dower House’s comprehensive refurbishment.

50 RECIPES & WINE Cherry clafoutis and some Prosecco alternatives.

HOMES & GARDENS

54 WELCOME HOME Space to spare in Louth with a beautifully refurbished Arts & Crafts house on Eastgate.

70 GARDENS Spilsby’s Gunby Hall.

LIFESTYLE

78 MOTORS Aston Martin’s new DB12.

80 FASHION Fresh fashions for summer and bespoke jewellery by Hugh Rice.

86 COSMETICS Wild rose shades.

94 WEDDINGS Amy & Dan celebrate their day in Tattershall and Horncastle.

THE WEALTHIEST PEOPLE IN THE AREA READ PRIDE MAGAZINE

Pride Magazine is delivered free of charge, via Royal Mail, to high value homes in the county. Our circulation is to homes in the top three council tax bands, which are predominantly worth over £300,000. This guarantees the magazine has an affluent readership commensurate with our content.

The magazine is also sold in leading newsagents and supermarkets and we also deliver the magazine to local businesses including selected hotels, restaurants, coffee shops, doctors, dentists, executive motor dealerships and golf clubs. This helps to ensure we have a continued presence, right across our catchment area.

Our titles also have more social media fans than any other local magazine. In addition we have over 45,000 online visitors viewing our magazines free of charge, online, on their tablet, computer, laptop or mobile phone via our website, our app, and via the Readly and Issuu platforms. If your business would benefit from being showcased to the wealthiest people in the area, please call our friendly sales team on 01529 469977.

THE PRIDE TEAM

Managing Director: Julian Wilkinson.

Advertising Director: Zoie Wilkinson.

General Manager: Matthew Deere.

Executive Editor: Rob Davis.

Sales Executives: Aisha Joyce, Amy Meader, Mia Garner, Gemma Mills, Yvette Curry.

Accounts Department: Steve Parrish, Margarita Pavlesevica, Chloe Watson, Beth Freeman-Burdass.

Customer Care Manager: Mandy Bray.

IT Manager: Ian Bagley. Web Developer: Joe Proctor.

Charity Commemorates Dambusters

DAVID’S 530-MILE CYCLE RIDE MARKS THE DAMBUSTERS’ 80th ANNIVERSARY

David Harris, from Lincoln, recently completed a cycle ride from RAF Scampton – the home of 617 Dambusters Squadron – to the site of the raid in Germany, in order to raise funds for SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity.

Operation Chastise who centred on the Ruhr Valley, was the attack on three German dams carried out on the night of 16th May 1943 by 617 Squadron Bomber Command, later called the Dambusters, which went onto be retold in the 1955 film.

Seven and a half days, and 530 miles after setting off from RAF Scampton, where the raid flew from in the UK, David arrived at the Möhnesee dam, just in time to commemorate the Dambuster’s 80th anniversary.

David, SSAFA Program Manager said: “Only when I

saw the route details did I realise how many miles I’d actually signed up for.”

“At the end of the ride I woke up smiling. The smile was because I knew that I did not have to place my backside on that saddle!”

Despite a little discomfort, David has so far raised over £900 for the charity during his ride which has been donated to his local SSAFA East Midlands regional office.

SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity is a trusted source of practical, emotional, and financial support for serving personnel, veterans and their families in their time of need. In 2021 its volunteers and employees helped more than 66,000 people, from Second World War veterans to those who have served in more recent conflicts, or currently serving and their families. n See www.ssafa.org.uk.

Young Environmentalists

YOUNG ENVIRONMENTALIST WINNERS...

The Grow with Nature Club at Hawthorn Tree School in Boston fought off tough competition to be crowned winner of this year’s Lincolnshire Young Environmentalist Awards.

The awards recognise and reward young people under the age of 13 who, either independently or as part of a school or organisation, have shown outstanding dedication to environmental causes.

Six finalists were shortlisted and visited by the panel of judges, then invited to share displays and presentations of their projects in May.

The judges ultimately chose Hawthorn Tree School’s Grow with Nature Club for the enthusiasm and individual initiative of its members, and their success in involving the community.

The winning project created a garden design by the youngsters, many of whom shared a very similar vision for a wildlife-friendly and sensory space, with places for planting and growing, as well as outdoor learning.

The award’s sponsors are FCC Environment; the organisers are Lindum Rotary Club and LWT. n

LINCOLN

BOSTON

Horse Trials’ Charity...

2023 DEFENDER BURGHLEY HORSE TRIALS CHOOSES HORATIO’S GARDEN AS CHARITY

Rare Black Winged Stilt bird returns to Lincolnshire

RSPB Frampton

Marsh is celebrating after four eggs of the rare Black Winged Stilt hatched on the reserve recently. There have only been four instances of the species successfully hatching eggs in the UK since 1945 and this is the first time they’ve bred in the county. n See www.rspb.org.uk.

Defender Burghley Horse Trials (31st August to 3rd September 2023) has appointed Horatio’s Garden as its official charity for this year.

Horatio’s Garden – whose Main Avenue show garden won Best in Show and a much-coveted gold medal at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show recently – nurtures the wellbeing of people after spinal injury in beautiful,

accessible, restorative sanctuaries within the heart of NHS spinal injury centres. The charity’s gardens are vital places for reflection and adjustment for people facing these life-changing injuries and long stays in hospital, and have a profoundly positive impact for patients, their loved ones and NHS staff.

n For more information about the charity, see horatiosgarden.org.uk.

Beanz Meanz Lincz!

BOFFINS PERFECT FIRST COMMERCIAL CROP OF HARICOT BEANS IN THE COUNTY TO ADDRESS SHORTAGE OF BAKED BEANS AND IMPORT WOES...

A collaboration between scientists at the University of Warwick and Lincolnshire farmers has led to the successful creation of the first commercial crop of haricot beans which can be used to make Britain’s beloved create tinned baked beans in tomato sauce.

Farmers have previously been unable to grow the crop in as they’re incompatible with the local climate, but a new variety has been developed which can be sown in early May and harvested in September.

The new trial crop has been grown near Leadenham and its success could enable farmers to grow the beans in the county instead of relying on imports. n

LINCOLN £250,000 of National Lottery Heritage Fund support will enable a three-year programme of public engagement at local parks. The project will be known as Lincoln’s Green Museum and will be delivered at seven sites from Hartsholme to Boultham and Birchwood.

£250,000 Support

In Brief LINCOLNSHIRE

£75k for NHS 75 aim for Hospitals Charity

The United Lincolnshire Hospitals

Charity is setting out a Challenge 75 anniversary campaign with the aim of raising an additional £75,000 during 2023 to mark the milestone of 75 years of the NHS. There is already a range of fundraising activities planned, that will go towards raising the money. Events such as the NHS 75 Ball, a skydive, and the Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge will support the appeal, as well as the charity hosting an NHS Big Tea to officially mark the organisation’s 75th year. To support Challenge 75, visit www.ulh charity.org.uk or email email gary.burr@ulh .nhs.uk. n

LINCOLNSHIRE

BOSTON

STAMFORD

Postcode Lottery Win for Neighbours

SCUNTHORPE NEIGHBOURS SHARE A POSTCODE LOTTERY JACKPOT OF £1,000,000...

A family who live through the wall from each other after an amazing house swap have scooped a share of £1 million. Ex-army nurse Elizabeth Brown and hubby Bevan picked up £55,555 each with People’s Postcode Lottery weekly Millionaire Street prize.

But their winning joy was doubled when daughter Caroline Wood and her hubby Darren – who live in the adjoining semi – also bagged £111,110 between them. The two couples ended up living next door to each other after playing house merry-go-round recently.

Grandparents Liz and Bevan, 79, had moved out of the family home into a tied house for work – letting Caz and Daz move in.

“It’s crackers! It really is life-changing! It means more than anything that my parents

LOCAL NEWS

In Brief WORLD RECORD HOLDER FOR NUMBER OF BAGPIPES

Bagpipe collector Daniel Fleming from Cleethorpes has broken his own world record for the number of bagpipes owned by reaching over 210 sets of the instruments.

Daniel says he has (very) wonderful neighbours who applaud him at 3am when he finishes playing... n

have won, more than me winning – to know that they’re comfortable now is a big relief. I’m so happy.”

Meanwhile Liz is now set to splash out on some shiny

new gnashers and has plans to make life easier with a new power shower: “New teeth are in order. I’ve had these teeth since 2011 and you can nearly see through them.”

3.9m steps for Foster Care

1,900 MILES OR 3,900,000 STEPS COMPLETED BY NORTH LINCOLNSHIRE COUNCIL FOR FOSTERERS

People’s Postcode Lottery costs £12 a month to play, Every Saturday, £1 million will be shared by one postcode as part of the lottery’s Millionaire Street prize. n

The community of North Lincolnshire came together during Foster Care Fortnight and completed 1,900 miles, the equivalent of more than 3.9m steps!

Foster Care Fortnight is an annual campaign set up by The Fostering Network that is a chance to celebrate the fostering community and showcase how fostering transforms lives.

The Fostering Recruitment Team, which is a team of just five people, pledged to complete 700,000 steps during the fortnight, in support of the 70,000 children who are currently in care across the UK. n See www.northlincs.gov.uk.

NORTH LINCOLNSHIRE

SCUNTHORPE

PLOT 40, THE THAMES - £840,000

5 bedroom house with additional downstairs guest suite. Over 3,000sqft of living space built to the highest of quality with underfloor heating to ground floor, vanity units to bathroom and En-suites, oak staircase, flooring through out and a choice of Kitchen and tiling from our large range of samples. The property also has a double garage with plenty of off road parking and EV charger.

• Spacious Well Modernised Cottage in Desirable Residential Location on Edge of Village

• 3 Reception Rooms, Utility, Conservatory and En Suite Master

• Suitable for Equestrian Use with Stables, Garaging and Workshops

• Set in 2.13 Acres, 0.86 Hectares

• Superb Luxury Executive 5 Bedroomed House in Desirable Residential Location

• High Specification Contemporary Detached House

• Open Plan Poggenpohl Kitchen Living Area, 4 Reception Rooms, Cinema Room

• Oak Fitted Office, Under Floor Heating, Triple Garage Incorporating Gymnasium

• Paved Parking Area with Private Rear Gardens with BBQ Area, Spa Pool, Garden Office

Million

• Superb Five Bedroomed Detached House with EnSuite Master and Family Bathroom

• Large Open Plan Kitchen Dining, Utility Room, Living Room

• Driveway, Garage, Private Rear Garden with Patio and Summerhouse

• An Energy Efficient Home with Luxury Fittings in Excellent Condition

Highlights from the 2023 Lincolnshire Show

A TREMENDOUS CELEBRATION of farming, food and rural life last month as the Lincolnshire Show returned to the county’s calendar, at Grange de Lings enjoyed by audiences in excess of 60,000.

Main ring entertainment included Jamie Squibb, three-time British Motocross Freestyle Champion, plus the usual favourites from the Shetland Pony Grand National, parades of livestock and machinery, plus the RAF Falcons parachute display team and a performance by the Lincolnshire Fire & Rescue Band.

A newly-extended Lincolnshire Kitchen features local food producers and chefs demonstrating their skills too. New for this year’s event was the Potting Shed, with local experts in everything from house plants to floral art, allotments to wildflowers and horticultural art.

The 2024 Lincolnshire Show will take place on Wednesday 19th and Thursday 20th June 2024. n

Words & Images: Rob Davis and Chris Vaughan Photography.

The Beefeater & The Author FATHER & DAUGHTER

Chris & Megan Clawson have a unique family home, to say the least. The Boston-born father and daughter reside within the 14ft thick walls of The Tower of London where they work as a Beefeater and an author respectively...

CHRIS CLAWSON gained a smart new uniform this year. Its new cypher reads CR, Charles Rex, followed by His Majesty’s regnal number. It has certainly been a moving couple of years for Chris, who is one of 35 Yeomen Warders of His Majesty’s Royal Palace and Fortress, the Tower of London… Yeoman Warders more colloquially known as Beefeaters 2022 and 2023 has seen a period in history which has instilled mixed feelings both in the British public but especially in Chris and his colleagues.

“It was the greatest honour of my life to protect Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II as she lay in state, and then to be in Westminster Abbey holding the ground and protecting the Crown Jewels during King Charles III’s Coronation,” he says. “But of course, it’s been a time during which we have all felt the loss of The Queen greatly, after such an enduring reign. 2022 was also a time of great loss and grief for us and for the rest of the country too.”

Chris, his daughter Megan and his fellow Beefeaters all reside within the walls of the Tower of London, one of the Historic Royal Palaces located on the north bank of the Thames. The site covers about 18 acres and there are 19 towers plus the central White Tower with its four floors.

Also within the walls of the Tower of London, surrounded by two fortified walls, are about 50 different residences, the majority of which are in former workshops, stores and old prison buildings. Yeoman Warders live within the walls, and every night without fail for the past 700 years, The Ceremony of the Keys has seen the main gates secured for the evening, meaning a midnight curfew for the 80 residents of the ‘village within a city.’

“I was born and raised in Boston, attending Kitwood Boys School and living on Sleaford Road,” says Chris. “I really looked up to my older brother who was in the RAF and so I joined the service too working as an engineer, often based at Coningsby and Scampton.”

“When I was based at Coningsby I would look out of my window at the Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft as they roared up the runway, so I’m used to an unusual view out of my office window.”

“Even so, The Tower of London is a unique location. A couple of hundred people work here during the day, and it’s visited by over 11,000 people daily, about 4,000,000 a year, closing only on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day. Architecturally it’s a bit like Hogwarts, and the house in which Megan and I live has arrowslits, rather than windows as well as14ft thick walls and a viewing platform above it.”

The earliest remaining parts of Tower of London were created by William the Conqueror in 1078, one of a number of fortified castles. The White Tower was built in 1098 with the outer wall and moat created in 1220 and 1280.

Still a Royal residence, the Tower of London has served many purposes over the years. A seat of power and a residence for the Norman ruling class, the Tower also served as a prison from 1100, with previous inmates including Anne Bolyn in 1536, Queen Elizabeth I in 1590, Guy Fawkes in 1605, Rudolph Hess in 1941 right up until 1952 when the prison incarcerated the Kray twins. Holinshed’s 1557 Chronicles recorded the Tower of London’s use as armouries and a house of munition in the 1500s. It was also used as the Royal Mint until 1810 whereupon production of currency moved to new premises on Tower Hill.

Of course, since the reign of Henry III and then after 1660, upon the restoration of the monarchy, it has also been known as the repository of the Crown Jewels, the collection of 100 objects – including those seen at the Coronation – plus 23,000 gemstones, all held in trust for the monarch and kept under the watchful guard of the Yeoman Warders. The Yeoman Warders were formed in 1485 just after the Battle of Bosworth, the last battle of the War of the Roses, which saw the death of Richard III, England’s last Plantagenet king. The incoming Tudor monarch King Henry VII formed the Yeomen Warders as his bodyguards on the battlefields, but as subsequent kings and queens ceased to be active in battle, the role instead evolved to become one of guardianship of the Tower of London. >>

Words: Rob Davis.

Above: Today the role of a beefeater is the protection of the Crown Jewels and the Royal residence.

>> King Henry VIII would move his official residence from the Tower of London to Hampton Court instead.

Today, Yeoman Warders take an oath that dates back to 1337 drinking a toast of port from an 18th century pewter bowl before the Chief Yeoman Warder declares ‘may you never die a Yeoman Warder.’

But in 1826, when the Duke of Wellington became Constable, the role ceased to be one accessible solely by hereditary means.

Instead, he introduced new criteria that meant the role was open to those who achieved the rank of Sergeant Major, Warrant Officer or above – whom the Duke considered incorruptible.

Today the criteria means that those who wish to apply for a position as Yeoman Warder must serve in one of the branches of the military for at least 22 years.

They must also have been awarded the long service and the good conduct medal.

The birds are fed meat from Smithfield Market plus an occasional treat of a rabbit... or a biscuit, soaked in blood!

The suggestion that their wings are clipped to prevent them leaving the Tower is a misnomer, although the trimming of one or two flight features unbalances them meaning that whilst they retain the ability to fly, they prefer not to go too far.

If the ravens are considered VIPs (VIBs is more accurate, on second thoughts), another important resident of the Tower is Megan Clawson, Chris’s daughter.

Back in 2018, Megan began a degree course in English with Film Studies at King’s College London on The Strand, with aspirations towards a career in the media, and the hope that one day time would afford her the opportunity to become a writer.

What’s in A Name?

It’s a myth that the name Beefeater was given because the guards were kept well fed (with beef) to keep their strength up. Nobody actually knows where the name originates. They do receive a bottle of the eponymous gin on their birthday, though!

The selection of process is rather like a normal job interview; it must be applied for in writing, prior to two interviews, and there follows a six-month probation before being officially sworn in by the Constable of the Tower.

One of Chris’s colleagues, Chris Skaife, is the Yeoman Warder Ravenmaster. Because folklore foretells that ‘If the ravens leave the Tower, the kingdom of Britain will fall…’ so this dedicated member of staff has the responsibility of keeping the birds sweet.

There are six birds (and occasionally a spare!) by Royal Decree and these are currently named Jubilee, Harris, Poppy, Georgie, Edgar and Branwen.

“I didn’t think I’d be taken seriously as a writer because I was only 21, and I really did think that having the opportunity to write a book would be the preserve of those with the disposable income and time to devote to it.”

Chris moved into the Tower in 2018 and Megan moved in during the Covid pandemic and lockdown, completing her university course remotely whilst living there, after which she was able to split her time between living in the Tower and with mum in Boston.

After that, Megan knew finding a job during lockdown in a London that was deserted by commuters and office workers would be tricky, and so she instead took to social media to build up her profile and let the world know what it’s like to live within the walls of the Tower of London.

“I realised that whilst we were subject to lockdown it was an ideal time to begin my

“Life as a writer and as one of the Tower of London’s Yeoman Warders would seem to have few parallels, but in fact both are all-consuming, and both inspire a great affection for the estate, its buildings and its history...!”

first book but I couldn’t settle on what to write about. When I was contacted by Molly Walker-Sharp at Harper Collins’ Avon imprint, suggesting that I could base the book on life in the tower, I suggested a combination of historical accuracy but with a romance novel intertwined.”

“The publisher really liked the idea and I began writing, completing the book, Falling Hard For the Royal Guard, and all of the edits by November 2022. The book ended up being around 110,000 words in length and I’m overjoyed that it has become so well-received!”

The story follows 26-year old Margaret ‘Maggie’ Moore who swears off men for a while after the end of a disastrous relationship. However, mirroring Covid’s plans for Megan’s career as an author, Maggie’s plan to defer love until the right man comes along sees the prospect of romance instead expedited by a chance encounter with a very dashing member of the Royal Guard, Freddie, complete with his fancy bearskin hat.

“It is a fictional story but it draws a little on my own romance with my boyfriend George, and the elements of history that concern the Tower of London are accurate. I really hope readers like learning about the place itself, but also enjoy getting swept along in a really romantic story with a relatable heroine.”

Life as a writer and as one of the Tower of London’s Yeoman Warders would seem to have few parallels, but in fact both are all-consuming, and both inspire a great affection for the estate, its buildings and its history.

“I’ve been really fortunate to witness at close quarters some really significant events in modern history,” says Chris. “The job really envelopes you, and similarly, the role of an author is to become completely immersed and to immerse others in the narrative and in the characters.”

“I think it’s testimony to the fact that we both live somewhere very special indeed, somewhere with a remarkable history. I can’t imagine ever living somewhere with as much character, somewhere as unique. I think Megan is keen that I stay put too, perhaps because it’s such an inspiring place for a writer, as well as a great place for a father and daughter to enjoy time together!” n

FALLING HARD For the Royal Guard...

Falling Hard for the Royal Guard by Megan Clawson is described as ‘a royally good romcom’ and is published under the Avon imprint of Harper Collins, available in all good bookshops, 380 pages priced at £7.49.

The Tower of London is one of the Historic Royal Palaces, open 362 days a year, £33.60/adults, £16.80/junior, five minutes from Tower Hill Underground Station, London for more information see www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london. n

What’s On...

LINCOLN

FRIDAY 11th AUGUSTSUNDAY 13th AUGUST

INTERNATIONAL BOMBER COMMAND CENTRE’S SALUTE TO THE 40s WEEKEND

1940s barbecue and dance with Johnny Victory on Friday. Blackout Ball on Saturday evening, Salute to the 1940s all weekend and afternoon tea and dance on Sunday afternoon. Live music, dancing, WWII vehicle displays, period reenactments, market stalls and much more at the annual IBCC 1940s Weekend. Booking advisable for all weekend events.

n Canwick, LN4 2HQ Call 01522 514755 or see internationalbcc.co.uk.

Queen... by Candlelight!

LINCOLN CATHEDRAL’S NAVE LIT BY CANDLELIGHT PLUS THE MUSIC OF ROCK SUPERGROUP QUEEN: A SUPERB NIGHT OUT!

LINCOLN

FRIDAY 25th - AUGUST

SATURDAY 26th AUGUST

QUEEN BY CANDLELIGHT

An incredible night of Queen anthems, performed by a live cast of West End singers, accompanied by an incredible live rock band. The concert will feature some of the most iconic songs of all time including Bohemian Rhapsody, It’s a Kind of Magic, We Are The Champions, Who Wants to Live Forever and many more... all in the beautifully illuminated nave of Lincoln Cathedral!

n See www.lincolncathedral.com.

HORNCASTLE

SUNDAY 6th AUGUST CHAPTERHOUSE PRESENTS THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST AT THE PETWOOD

Chapterhouse Theatre Company is proud to present Oscar Wilde’s finest and best-loved romantic comedy. Picnic with friends and family and enjoy this exquisite new production presented in full period costume.

n Petwood Hotel, LN10 6QG. from 5.30pm, £19.80/adults, call 01526 352411 or see www.petwood.co.uk.

STAMFORD

SATURDAY 26th AUGUSTSUNDAY 27th AUGUST

BURGHLEY SUMMER FINE FOOD MARKET

Featuring a wide range of exhibitors including handmade cheese, soft and alcoholic beverages and rare breed meats.

n See www.burghley.co.uk.

LINCOLN

TUESDAY 29th AUGUST

ROMEO & JULIET

Enjoy an unforgettable open-air theatre experience on the Croquet Lawn as The Lord Chamberlain’s Men bring Romeo & Juliet to Doddington Hall. Take a chair and a picnic (or order a Doddington afternoon tea picnic box).

n Doddington Hall, Lincoln LN6 4RU, gates from 6pm. Tickets £20/adults, £12/under 16, call 01522 694308 or see www.doddingtonhall.com.

REVESBY

SUNDAY 6th AUGUST REVESBY COUNTRY FAIR

This much-loved Lincolnshire country show will include its best-ever lineup of entertainment, activities and country pursuits, including traditional equine favourites such as show jumping and shire horses. Visitors can try their hand at archery, clay pigeon shooting, flower arranging, simulated

rock climbing and much more. There’s also more than 200 trade stands expected, all celebrating the best crafts, food and drink Lincolnshire has to offer plus dozens of judged produce, cooking and flower competitions, which anyone can enter, plus live music to entertain as you enjoy the food and trade stands.

n Tickets £15/adult, £5/over 5s, £35/family, all advance. See www.revesbycountryfair.co.uk.

Burghley Horse Trials

DEFENDER BURGHLEY HORSE TRIALS RETURNS FOR 2023 WITH MORE ACTION & EXCITEMENT...

SKEGNESS

SATURDAY 26th AUGUST

SKEGNESS MEDIEVAL TOURNAMENT

Join the Knights of Skirbeck for their annual Medieval Tournament at The Village, Church Farm, Skegness. n See knightsofskirbeck.co.uk.

SPALDING

SUNDAY 27th AUGUST

ANDRÉ RIEU’S 2023 MAASTRICHT CONCERT

All-new cinema concert

‘Love is All Around,’ from his hometown of Maastricht! Classics, popular sing-alongs, and delightful waltzes chosen by André, live-streamed to Spalding’s South Holland Centre from 2pm.

n Tickets £20/adults, call 01775 764777 or see www.southhollandcentre.co.uk.

STAMFORD

THURSDAY 31st AUGUST

- SUNDAY 3rd SEPTEMBER DEFENDER

BURGHLEY HORSE TRIALS 2023

The world’s greatest 5* equestrian event featuring dressage, cross country and showjumping rounds. Each year the Defender Burghley Horse Trials attracts over 160,000 visitors and brings £20m into the county. The event is half world-class sporting fixture and half country show, with over 340 horses taking part in one of only seven such fixtures in the world. Taking place over 520

Send your press releases and events to editor@pridemagazines.co.uk

LINCOLN

SATURDAY 19th AUGUSTSUNDAY 20th AUGUST

LINCOLNSHIRE STEAM AND VINTAGE RALLY

Go back to yesteryear and discover these magnificent machines, from Steam Engines Vintage Vehicles & Motorcycles to Tractors and Stationary Engines. This event is a fun family day out with over 1,500 exhibits raising money for local charities.

n Lincolnshire Showground, LN2 2 NA. See www.lsvr.org.

LINCOLN

SATURDAY 26th AUGUST -

SUNDAY 27th AUGUST

STEAMPUNK FESTIVAL

Asylum steampunk festival (the world’s largest such event) at Lincoln Castle.

n See www.lincolncastle.com.

acres, the event also features phenomenal shopping and hospitality, making it a great day out for visitors even if you’re not there for the equestrian action!

Whether you’re at the event or unable to attend in person, Burghley TV is a great way to keep up with the action, both live and as a ‘watch again’ stream available during and after the event. Nick Luck and Rosie Tapner present exclusive behind the scenes insight alongside their BHT radio colleagues to ensure you’re kept fully informed!

n Tickets £93/four day, see www.burghley-horse.co.uk.

CRAFTS in ALFORD

If you’ve an appreciation for beautiful items made with care, skill and creativity, there’s really only one place to enjoy this month: Alford Craft Market, featuring many of the craftspeople and volunteers from the town’s Alford Craft Market Shop on the town’s West Street...

NOT SO MUCH the cream of the crop, but the cream of the crafts this month as over 50 stallholders converge on the little town of Alford, nestling in the Wolds, to present a range of crafts and provide an enjoyable weekend for visitors.

The event was established in 1975 by Heather and Michel Ducos, founders of Alford Pottery, and the organisers of the Market have today created a non-profit organisation which, as well as the market

itself, includes a shop which is permanently open on the town’s West Street and which also hosts craft events and workshops in the centre’s three classrooms located at the rear of the shop.

Alford Craft Market has always encompassed the arts as a whole. Music, theatre and specialist makers are also a part of the event. The organisation relies entirely on the goodwill of volunteers so we’re happy to showcase a few of the event’s most talented makers! >>

Alford Craft Market takes place in and around the town’s Manor House, near the Alford Craft Market Shop on West Street, LN13 9HT over the August Bank Holiday weekend from 26th to 28th August, 10am-4pm. See www.alfordcraftmarket.co.uk for more information.

Caron King: Mayfly Mosaics...

PUTTING THE TILE INTO VERSATILE, Caron King of Mayfly Mosaics is a keen ambassador for working with anything from pottery, glass, pebbles, or china to create pieces from small votives, window hangers, mirrors, tabletops and memory mosaics, right up to one of her most recent commissions, a mosaic design on the ground of a client’s patio area.

Born in York, Caron travelled the world, visiting Cyprus, Ascension Island and of course Italy before returning to the UK in 2018 where she began offering her one-to-one tuition, classes and commissions to a local audience.

Caron hosts local workshops and hopes to offer craft retreats later in the year which will last two days and include accommodation in rural Lincolnshire, the ideal way to enjoy a break and learn a new skill.

The mosaic artist’s work will be available for sale at Alford Craft Market, along with starter kits from £15 to allow you to have a go at the craft yourself before taking your experience further with a workshop or retreat. n

Sam Payne: Ceramics from Earth to art...

CERAMICIST Sam Payne’s work is inspired by her deep love for nature and animals. She seeks to capture the essence of the natural world around her through the use of earthy colours and rural influences.

“Living in rural Lincolnshire has provided me with endless inspiration for my art. From my daily gardening on my allotment, to my time spent with my three beloved dogs, I am constantly immersed in the beauty of the natural world.”

“My work is heavily influenced by the changing seasons, and I am constantly drawn to rich and earthy colours that reflect the natural hues of the world around me.”

“Working full-time in my pottery studio at home allows me to fully immerse myself and to pour my heart and soul into each and every piece that I create. There is nothing more rewarding than seeing the joy that my art brings to others!” n

Kathryn Snookes and Alistair Wolfe: Jewellers & Silversmiths

SNOOKES-WOLFE JEWELLERS are traditional silver and goldsmiths with around 40 years experience within the industry.

Both Kathryn Snookes and Alistair Wolfe are professionally trained silver and gold artists who design and manufacture jewellery by hand using traditional silversmithing techniques, incorporating precious metals and semi-precious stones.

The two work very hard to ensure quality and customer satisfaction with every piece of jewellery they manufacture and sell.

Kathryn Snookes has a BA (Hons) degree in Silversmithing and Jewellery Design and has many years experience working freelance within the industry as both a designer and master maker and has recently begun teaching classes using traditional silversmithing techniques as she believes in passing on those traditional skills so they do not get lost in the modern high tech world. n

Find Out More: Snookes Wolfe is based in the centre of Alford, call 07597 292166 or see www.snookeswolfe.co.uk.

Amina Sly-Khan

Acrylics & Watercolours...

AMINA is a Lincolnshire artist currently living in Gainsborough, but originally from Liverpool, now painting commissions and providing workshop-based tuition for up to seven people at a time.

“I work in a range of medium including acrylic paints, watercolours, mixed media and textiles,” says Amina. “I’m influenced by life, nature, my environment… although I do love to paint nature, flowers, butterflies, animals landscapes. My colours are vibrant and I paint both realistically and abstractly. I love the work of Georgia O’Keeffe, Gustav Klimt, Monet and Michael Kaws.”

Amina will be displaying her work at Alford Craft Market and offering pieces for sale. She teaches workshops in watercolours, acrylic and mixed media techniques. n

Alford Craft Shop

Maria Dispirito

Dispirito Textiles...

MARIA DISPIRITO of Dispirito

Textiles creates colourful mixed textile art and fabric creations using a combination of both machine and hand-sewing. Her work blends some contemporary qualities with traditional skills capturing a love of colour and striking graphic shapes. Working from her studio in Alvingham near Louth in Lincolnshire, Maria’s textile art creations have a captivating tactile quality created from the layers of fabrics and sewn mark making. These are available as original artwork, as prints and also as greetings cards.

Maria is inspired by the beauty of nature, for its striking colours and sense of order in a seemingly

random placement of colours and forms; like those found on birds and butterflies.

This has particularly inspired her current project which has a working title of The Alphabet of Birds – a series of mixed-textile free-motion machine embroidery artworks each showcasing a different bird.

“I have always sewn and worked in different ways with textile,” says Maria. “I have had a life long love of making things and I really am at my happiest when immersed in a project!” n

Find Out More: Call 01427 360121 or see www.askonlineartgallery.co.uk.

The Alford Craft Market Shop is based on the town’s West Street, and featured work by many of the Craft Fair’s artisans. If you’re unable to visit the market itself, visit the shop instead!

Above: Me & My Kid, acrylic on handmade paper mounted on card. Affordable original 37.5 x 28.5cm, part of Amina’s Animal series, £75.

Rackapelt Potters: A Riotous Trio of Potters!

Rackapelt Potters is a group of women who met in pottery class at Alford Craft Market many moons ago (Rackapelt is an old Lincolnshire term meaning a noisy, riotous person!). The women’s love of ceramics has continued to grow since those first tentative and chatty lessons and they have each pursued their own unique pottery paths.

Jane Babb has always been fascinated by the magical process that changes clay – which is effectively mud – into useful and decorative artefacts. She now has her own small studio, The Mud Hut, where she’s able to play with clay 24/7!

Jude Hall has a love of the natural world and all things quirky. Her hand built ceramics reflect these loves and her pottery menagerie expands weekly! Each piece is pinch-pot or coil built and has its own unique personality and character.

Kath Hall has a long standing interest in ceramics and in particular 20th/21st century studio pottery. Her taste for studio pottery remains and the pots she makes are made from stoneware clay and thrown on an electric wheel and fired in an electric kiln.

Bee Hallam takes much of her inspiration from the natural world and her travels; the elements of the sea, the mountains and the surrounding landscape. Each ceramic piece is hand-built using coil or slab building techniques, making every piece unique. n

Find Out More: Call Jude Hall, 07947 242723.

Paul Hempsell: Recycled Wood Sculptures...

PAUL HEMPSELL’S work a great example of the exclusivity and quality of crafts you can expect at Alford Craft Market and in Alford’s Craft Market Shop. The sculptor’s hares, avocets and wader birds are available exclusively through the shop and via the craft market, and are not sold anywhere else in the world!

Paul captures the beauty of nature in 3D using recycled wood. Born and bred into a farming community in rural Lincolnshire, he and wife Yvonne – who rears goats for milk – enjoy the countryside and have a lifelong interest in natural history and farming. n

ALFORD CRAFT MARKET from 26th-28th

Patrick ‘Patch’ Wheatley: Archy Scottie Metal Art...

BORN & RAISED in Alford, Patrick Wheatley spent a number of years working in the printing industry, specialising in the mixing of colours, a profession which also fed into his hobby of painting watercolours.

10 years ago he painted an important commission of a Scottie dog, and soon became renowned as an artistic ambassador for the breed. After leaving his job six years ago, he became a full-time artist.

Two years ago though, after experimenting with metal to produce sculptural pieces, Patrick began to make metal-based work like garden sculptures, hanging decorations and wind chimes. He’s still committed to his traditional Scottish Terrier breed, but also produces work featuring Westies, Airedales, Schnauzers and other breeds too.

Being a technical sort of fellow, as well as being creative, Patrick makes use of computer aided design techniques, devising coding to create a path which his cutting machine follows. The high-definition plasma cutter itself operates by forcing compressed air through a nozzle at high speeds. An electric arc is then introduced creating plasma which is able to cut through metal.

The process might sound brutal, but the result is adorable! Patrick’s work, created using architectural steel, can be left to develop a weathered patina, or powder coated with a gloss, matte or textured finish. Patrick will be exhibiting and selling his work at Alford Craft Market, and we think you’d be barking mad not to take a look! n

Karen ‘LK’ Devereux: Watercolours, Pastels & Ink...

SELF-TAUGHT artist Karen ‘LK’ Devereux was born and raised right here in Lincolnshire and was inspired from an early age by her grandfather, a draughtsman and heraldic illustrator. Childhood stories were not simply read but drawn and the subject of her work is many folk tales, old houses and Lincolnshire stories.

“My work derives much of its drama from a love of classic pen and ink illustration,” says LK. “I also like to combine this with ink, watercolour or pastel colouring to try and evoke a timeless and ethereal quality.”

A member of the Lincolnshire Artist’s Society, LK completes commissions as well as providing Lincolnshire galleries with originals, prints and cards. Open edition prints of her work sell from £10, with originals commanding around £300. n

Opposite: Longwool, LK’s a colourful interpretation of one of the county’s heritage breeds, from an original 16x20 ink/pastel piece, still available as an open print, from £10-£40.

This Page: LK’s Lincoln Cathedral, open edition prints 15x12, £30.

All of our featured artists’ work is available at Alford Craft Market Shop on West Street, or at Alford Craft Market, 26th-28th August, see www.alfordcraftmarket.co.uk.

Below: Karen ‘LK’ Devereux.

UPCOMING EVENTS

KENWICK PARK COMEDY CLUB

Saturday 10th June

Four talented comedians from Mansfords Comedy Club will have you in stitches.

£20.00 per person

DIRTY DANCING MEETS GREASE

Saturday 29th July

With all the favourite classics from both shows with a two course meal and DJ. Get ready to have the time of your life!

£42.50 per person

GEORGE EZRA TRIBUTE NIGHT

Saturday 19th August

Listen to George Ezra’s greatest hits including ‘Shotgun’ “Green Green Grass’, Budapest’ and many more. With a two course meal and DJ.

£42.50 per person

JACKSON SOUL

Saturday 23rd September

Motown Nights with Jackson Soul performing the biggest hits from the Motown era. Jackson Soul brings both authenticity and class to every performance. With a two course meal, band and DJ.

£45.00 per person

ROCKY HORROR SHOW

Saturday 21st October

A cult classic, The Rocky Horror Picture Show is adored by us all! With a two course meal and DJ. Dammit Janet!

£45.00 per person

CHRISTMAS PARTY NIGHTS

Get your dancing spirit on and join us as Kenwick once again hosts four glamorous party nights across December! This is one celebration you don’t want to miss!

Book online or call our reception team on 01507 608806 or email reservations@kenwick-park.co.uk

KENWICK PARK, LOUTH, LINCS LN11 8NR 01507 608806

ROCKING the KASBAH

Exciting things are happening in the area of Grimsby known as Down Dock, more colloquially referred to as ‘The Kasbah.’ This month we’re exploring the regeneration of a region which will have a transformative effect for the whole town, headed up by landowner Associated British Ports alongside North East Lincolnshire Council and The Great Grimsby Ice Factory Trust...

Words: Rob Davis.

EXACTLY 100 YEARS AGO, 1923, a Tuesday morning and Henderson Street is very busy indeed. Alf Clayton is a fish and oyster merchant and his shop is surrounded by Fred Lutkin’s accountancy firm, Mr Cutting the boxmaker, plus a number of other professions, all supporting Grimsby’s principal industry of fishing.

Grocers, smokehouses, ropemakers, tar houses, sailmakers, braiders, coopers, an ice factory, and warehouses all contribute to the industry, creating a town within a town where everybody knows one other and everyone is proud of Grimsby’s role as the one of the busiest fishing ports in Britain.

It’s located in what was colloquially known as Down Dock by townspeople and as The Kasbah by business owners thanks to its resemblance to Arabic market communities with their bazaars and back streets.

The area is located on a peninsular of the south banks of the Humber, enclosed by Fish Dock Road, Wharncliffe Road, Hutton Road and Auckland Road, intersected by Cross Street, Brown Street, Sidebottom Street, Smith Street, Surtees Street, Lingard Monk Street and Maclure Street.

Working Life on the Kasbah

industries, working alongside ABP’s other Humber sites like Immingham, Hull and Goole.

Within the area was a number of buildings of which 90 remain in 2023, albeit some in slightly ruinous state. The land and its buildings have had the same owners since the 1840s, with the original railway company that owned it amalgamating and evolving to become Associated British Ports (ABP).

The near-demise of the fishing industry in Britain by the 1970s decimated the fortunes of the town’s trawlermen, although Grimsby still thrives today in the respect of its food processing industries, and as a port.

ABP’s Port of Grimsby is one of 21 sites that the company operates in the UK and it remains one of the country’s leading logistical sites for the automotive and offshore wind

Together, the area’s ports support nearly 35,000 jobs across the UK and handle over 1.1m tonnes of cargo worth £75bn each year. Grimsby alone still produces over 70% of the UK’s seafood, a legacy of the fishing industry of which The Kasbah was once the heart.

But despite their scale and commercial importance, ABP is also really mindful that the Down Dock area, The Kasbah, is also a tremendously important historical site reflecting our fishing industry and the social history of the town of Grimsby itself.

Formed in 2010, The Great Grimsby Ice Factory Trust (GGIFT) also recognised the value of regenerating the area’s Ice Factory and The Kasbah more generally. >>

DISCOVER THE PORT OF GRIMSBY’S KASBAH AT SEPTEMBER’S HERITAGE OPEN DAY 2023...

A celebration of the Port of Grimsby, operated by Associated British Ports will be the highlight when it participates in the national Heritage Open Day (HOD) 2023 on Saturday 16th September.

The open day within the historic area referred to as The Kasbah – whose name was first used in reference to The Square by those who worked there – will focus on family friendly activities, talks, and tours of this conservation area.

Guided tours and activities will include a demonstration of net braiding, an opportunity to explore the area’s smokehouses and a chance to find out about the area’s ongoing regeneration. n

The open day will take place on Saturday 16th September 2022 from 10am to 4pm on the Port of Grimsby. Admission is free, see www.eventbrite.co.uk to pre-book.

GRIMSBY’S KASBAH: THE FUTURE of ‘DOWN DOCK’

Above/Top Right: Sack making and barrow boys working on The Kasbah. Images Jean Gell collection, Courtesy of Associated British Port Heritage Archive.

A number of traditional skills and professions ensured Grimsby’s fishing industry could continue to thrive... we’ll look at a few of these jobs – preserved in landowner Associated British Ports’ archives – later in this feature!

>> Since then they have been joined by landowner ABP which has strong a vision for the area’s regeneration and is working with partners like Heritage England, and North East Lincolnshire Council, now collectively spearheading the area’s regeneration via The Kasbah Steering Group.

ABP is also curating an archive and is keen to see the area utilised as an area for film and television productions. The epic WWII film Atonement was filmed on the site in 2007.

An original goal of GGIFT was the preservation of the Grade II* listed Ice Factory but last year the businessman Tom Shutes purchased the former Ice Factory and is intending to regenerate the building as part of a £40m investment which will see it become a world-leading research and development hub for the green energy sector, specifically the offshore wind industry with which Grimsby has now become synonymous.

Tom’s aspirations for the Ice Factory leaves ABP, NELC and GGIFT free to concentrate on the rest of the Kasbah, all cooperating towards a common aim of making the most of the area commercially whilst also reinstating its architecture and preserving its heritage.

As a registered charity, GGIFT is able to attract funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Architectural Heritage Fund, whose support has allowed the trust to take on ever-more challenging

buildings. GGIFT is now undertaking two restoration projects on the docks which will enable a new operator to run the Grade II listed Peterson’s Smokehouse, and other businesses to move into offices in the former home of ‘Fred’s Fish.’

Health and Safety

The area known as Down Dock or The Kasbah sits on private land. Visitors may encounter security when entering to buy fish or visit the café... there’s lots of construction going on and they want to make sure everyone remains safe!

Meanwhile North East Lincolnshire Council and Historic England have allocated up to £1m of funding to facilitate structural repairs and reinstate lost features to the fabric of several buildings in the area.

The Alfred Enderby Ltd Smokehouse building has already had its exterior rendering replaced and ABP’s Artist in Residence Dale Mackie, alongside other artists, are reinstating the Victorian-style signwriting on the side of the building.

The green shoots of a successful regeneration are already visible as The Kasbah has now become home to several new tenants. >>

The Dock Tower: Grimsby’s Iconic Landmark...

Completed on 27th March 1852, Grimsby Dock Tower is a hydraulic accumulator, previously used to provide hydraulic power for the Docks. The tanks, 200ft up, hold 140,000 litres and provided the 300 tonnes of grunt needed to operate the cranes, lock gates and sluices of Grimsby docks. The structure is 309ft (94m) tall, between 26ft (7.9m) and 28 ft (8.3m) wide. It was designed by

James William Wild based on the Torre del Mangia in Siena and was built under the supervision of J. M. Rendel, who was the civil engineer in charge of construction of the Royal Dock. The building was lined in pink, blue and white drapes when Queen Victoria and Prince Albert visited in October 1854 to open the docks, and it operated until 1892, achieving a Grade I listing in 1972. n

REGENERATING GRIMSBY’S DOWN DOCK also known as THE KASBAH

The Timeline... GRIMSBY’S HERITAGE

C7th: Grim the fisherman arrived in peace to the shores of what we now know as Grimsby, bringing with him the Danish Prince Havelock, whom he had saved from being murdered by his father’s regent. The suffix of ‘by’ refers to a village, hence ‘Grim’s by.’ Norse invaders would also arrive in the town 200 years later.

1086: Grimsby is mentioned in the Domesday Book (with a population of 200). The town gains a charter from King John in 1201 and has its first Mayor in 1218. It is already known as a fishing and trading port.

C15th: The silting up of the Haven lead to decline until...

C18th: A major dredging project clears The Haven, facilitating Grimsby’s new era of prosperity. The town grew rapidly in the early C19th.

May 1796: The Great Grimsby Haven Company was formed by Act of Parliament, for the purpose of ‘widening, deepening, enlarging, altering and improving the Haven of the Town and Port of Great Grimsby.’ The town trades in iron, timber, wheat, and of course fish!

1798-1800: Grimsby’s first dock, known as The Haven, was constructed from a natural inlet, engineered by John Rennie.

1837: Grimsby gains a police force, then a year later, gas lighting for the streets. In 1854 a water company would provide piped water for (wealthier) residents, and in 1850s sewers were dug under the town.

July 1845: Grimsby Docks Act passed, allowing new docks to be constructed. Around 100 years later in 1946 The Grimsby Haven Company was re-incorporated as the Grimsby Dock Company.

February 1848: The arrival of the railway in Grimsby plus the opening of Grimsby Town Railway Station improves transport links, and is especially useful for the export of coal from Yorkshire.

1851: The Dock Tower was completed. Around this time Grimsby’s population is about 9,000 and extensive building works expand the number of houses in the town and its amenities.

1852: The Royal Dock was completed.

1854: Queen Victoria arrives in Grimsby, visiting the town by train to see the docks.

1855-1857: No1 Fish Dock was completed.

1871: Grimsby gains its first newspaper and its first hospital, Grimsby & District Hospital, in 1877. >>

Grimsby in the mid-20th century was the world’s busiest fishing port, but to keep all that fresh fish from spoiling, a terrific amount of ice was needed. In 1900 the solution arrived in the form of The Grimsby Ice Factory, created within three years when the Great Grimsby Ice Company and the Grimsby Co-operative Ice Company merged to become the Grimsby Ice Company.

Initially, steam power was used to power the ammonia compressors, with two further tank rooms added in 1907 and 1910, and electric generators installed from 1930 powering new compressors by J&E Hall, creating a total production capacity of 1,200 tonnes each day. The new compressors were the largest ever manufactured and they remain in situ today. The process worked by using condensers 16ft high which would remove heat from the ammonia, cooling brine in one of seven tank rooms located beneath wooden floors. Fresh water was drawn from an aquifer via bore wells in the building which was poured into moulds. These were lowered into the brine tanks, cooled to -13°c. A thawing tank would then release the 300 weight blocks of ice which were then mechanically crushed and put into buckets ready for waiting trailers. The operation spanned over an acre and ceased in 1990 when the factory closed and

ownership of it reverted back to Associated British Ports which had acquired Grimsby & Immingham Docks in the 1980s.

ABP’s efforts to sell the building did not come to fruition and were it not for the efforts of local activists keen to preserve the area’s heritage, the buildings would have been demolished. Architect Rex Critchlow fought to have the ice factory designated as a Grade II listed building. It was later redesignated as a Grade II* building and earned a place on the Heritage at Risk register. Today the factory has ‘Priority A’ status making its repair a top priority.

2010 saw a structural appraisal jointly funded by NELC and ABP, and in June 2010 The Great Grimsby Ice Factory Trust was formed in with a view to finding a sustainable use for the factory, securing its future, and that of 90 other buildings in the area too.

In May 2021 philanthropist and businessman Tom Shutes acquired the site with ambitions to invest £40m turning it into a renewable energy research and development hub, with a hotel and conference centre.

GGIFT is still active and is currently engaged in the £1.3 million Peterson’s Project (funded by NLHF, AHF, NELC and HE), which will bring back into use a traditional smokehouse on Henderson Street, with another office/retail building on Wharncliffe Road. n

Frozen in Time: Grimsby’s Ice Factory...

Artist in Residence

>> These include artists like Dale plus, Annabel McCourt, Simon Card Jewellery plus the Turntable Gallery and creative sector support organisations such as Creative Start and Grimbarians.

The Fishermen’s Mission has also returned to the port and now sits alongside many fish processing forms and smokehouses.

Creative community workspace The Great Escape, events and project agency The Culture House have also set up in The Kasbah. In total there are eight listed buildings within The Kasbah, including some smokehouses producing Grimsby Smoked Fish which has Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status. There’s also great opportunities for making ABP’s archive on The Kasbah, with its information about the adjacent Ice Factory, Grimsby Dock Tower and the area’s fishing heritage to be made more accessible.

The site’s potential has already been identified by ABP, which is keen to work alongside GGIFT, NELC and other stakeholders such as Tom Shute and Steve Ridlington; the latter is the owner of heritage building specialists WE1 Heritage.

Together, there’s great hope that The Kasbah, the Ice Factory and perhaps the Dock Tower could collectively form an area of Grimsby that everyone can be proud of… an area where heritage is protected, enshrined in architecture, where the future of green energy can be pioneered, and where businesses – old and new – can thrive. That’ll be when the area’s potential will truly form the next chapter in The Kasbah’s history.

n For information on ABP see www.abports.co.uk. For GGIFT and The Kasbah, see www.ggift.co.uk and www.thekasbah.co.uk.

1877: No2 Fish Dock was completed.

1879: Completion/expansion of Alexander Dock and Union Dock, filled with water in 1879 and completed in July 1880.

1883: People’s Park opens, with the Duke of York Gardens completed in 1894.

1885: Dock Offices constructed, originally featuring a statue of Albert, Prince Consort, created in 1879; this was later relocated.

1900: The population of Grimsby is now around 75,000. Grimsby gains its first public library, and electric street lighting. Horse drawn trams are replaced by electric ones, and then buses in 1938.

1900-1910: The Great Grimsby Ice Company and Grimsby Co-Operative Ice Company amalgamates and begin construction of The Grimsby Ice Factory, which at its peak produces 1,200 tonnes of ice daily to support what became in the 1950s the busiest fishing port in the world.

1904: Creation of the Fisherman’s Chapel.

1928: Corporation Bridge opened.

1930: Modernisation of the Ice Factory.

1934: No3 Fish Dock was completed.

1948: Nationalisation creates the British Transport Commission, from which the British Transport Docks Board splits in 1962.

1950s: New Metropolitan Vickers refrigeration equipment installed in the Ice Factory. Seventh tank room created.

1958-1961: First Cod Wars. Further tension would ensue in 1972/3, and 1975/6.

Fishing activity is limited to just 24 trawlers and 30,000 tonnes/annum.

1981: Privatisation sees Ports of Grimsby, Immingham and Goole become Associated British Ports (ABP).

1990: Ice factory closes. ABP markets the building as being for sale, and in September 1990 architect Rex Critchlow gets the building listed with a Grade II status, later upgraded to Grade II*. It’s declared ‘at risk’ in 1992.

2010: NELC and ABP jointly commission a structural appraisal. In July 2010 the Great Grimsby Ice Factory Trust (GGIFT) was formed with the purpose of finding a sustainable new use for the Ice Factory.

2017: An area of the historic fish docks is designated as the Kasbah Conservation Area, and the Kasbah Steering Group is formed by ABP, GGIFT, NELC and HE. A joint vision is agreed, as well as funding bids and pilot projects. 2018 sees Heritage Action Zone Status awarded to Grimsby, with the Kasbah Conservation Area highlighted as a key priority.

2019: Launch of repair grant scheme, jointly funded by NELC and HE, with support from ABP, to help current and future tenants to repair and conserve their buildings.

May 2021: Local businessman Tom Shutes acquires the Ice Factory, keen to see a £40m redevelopment of the site. n

ABP welcomed its first artist in residence to the Port of Grimsby in August 2022. Dale Mackie was born in Cleethorpes and is famed for painting local scenes. An exhibition will held at the end of the residency.

So many different professions, trades and skills supported Grimsby’s role as a fishing town. Here, we’ll dive into a few of those businesses which Associated British Ports is preserving in its archives, each of which helped to keep the region’s fishing trade afloat...

Mast & Block Makers...

George Smith, William Braithwaite and Cross & Arrow were just some of the names of people and firms who worked on and around The Kasbah as Mast & Block Makers. Their job was to make blocks for the commercial sailing ships. These were the sets of pulleys and/or sheaves mounted on a single frame, used for the ropes to run through to help hoist the sails. Every ship needed hundreds of blocks of different sizes and shapes. The types of ships that used blocks were the large commercial ships. The masts were tall spars, made from one single piece of wood though some vessels had many masts. They worked alongside other crafts including blacksmiths, carvers, coopers, joiners, riggers, ropemakers, sailmakers, shipwrights, glaziers, etc. n

Net Braiders...

Nets were used extensively in the fishing industry and so net braiding was an established profession conducted by both men and women. Women were able to do this piecemeal at home while raising the family. Early nets were made from natural materials like hemp, linen or cotton (these were lighter) though later nets were made from nylon. After a boat, nets were the next most expensive item for fishermen to purchase. Their maintenance took extreme skill and so much routine repair work and maintenance was completed, with most of the mending on land carried out by teams of women. Nets came in different sizes and were put on a wooden frame, with braiding needles of different sizes used and young girls typically filling the needles with twine. n

Shipwrights & Boat Builders...

The history of boat building is recorded on the website Humber Packet Boats (www.humberpacketboats.co.uk) which has a list of 31 boat builders/shipwrights plus a huge number of vessels with builders unknown. Making sailing smacks, ketches (two-masted boats) and barques (with three masts), production began in timber but then

moved to iron more engineering firms being founded as a result. Thomas Charlton & Son produced 17 vessels from 1964 - 1916; Smith, Stephenson & Vere produced 25 vessels from 1864 - 1893; Hagerup, Doughty & Schofield produced 42 vessels from 1899 - 1902. Other names included Bell & Grange, John Bell, Hadfield & Bell, and Thomas Campbell. n

Sailmaking...

As its name suggests this is the art of making sails for the smacks and sailing ships. Places like CoSalt had large sail lofts, as did some of

the smaller buildings. Lofting was a technique where strings and battens were laid out to create broadseams and edge curves. n

Tarhouses

Tar was once vital to the fishing industry and so tarmakers were prevalent on the port, servicing their ship-building peers. Planks of wood were covered in resin and tar to make the vessels and their sails resistant to the salty water. To create it, pitch pine was put into kilns which produced tar and charcoal. Boiling the tar produced the pitch which was spread on to the hulls of the ships and boats to seal them. The increasing use of iron to make vessels, rather than timber, soon caused the profession to become redundant. n

REGENERATING GRIMSBY’S DOWN DOCK also known as THE KASBAH

Image: Net braiders working to repair fishing nets. Courtesy of Associated British Port Heritage Archive.

Twinemakers

There were many rope and twine makers in the town and on the port. Joseph Smethurst was one example. His father William was a twine-spinner and in 1861 employed six men and eight boys. Joseph later took on the business and the twine was used to make fishing nets for the net braiding process. Twine is a strong thread composed of two or more thinner strands twisted over and over. Natural fibres were used for making twine; hemp, sisal, jute, etc. Developed by hand and then with spindles, looms and spinning wheels soon emerged and the same techniques were used to make rope. n

The Kasbah on Screen: TV & Film locations...

Because The Kasbah has retained an authentic look with its mix of Victorian and post-war architecture – with few modern cars, satellite dishes and other 21st century giveaways – it has become popular with location scouts seeking places to produce their film and TV productions.

With just under 100 historic buildings dating from the 1880s to post Second World War, it makes it an ideal period location spanning over 100 years. Already it has featured in a number of TV dramas, adverts and films. Filming and photography are also an important part of helping conserve The Kasbah location and supporting the future survival of these buildings. All monies raised from film work are put back in to the area to assist in conservation, and renovation.

The Kasbah has already featured in the 1981 James Bond film For Your Eyes

Only where an establishing shot of the St George’s spy ship vessel was filmed on the docks adjacent to the site. This is England was also filmed on the site by Channel Four, where director Shane Meadows reveals the story of a gang of rebellious young boys seeking to curate friendships in the 1980s. Its lead actor was Thomas Turgoose, who was born in Grimsby and was just 13 years of age at the time of filming. More recently, Working Title/Studio Canal’s Atonement was filmed on the site. The 2007 romantic war drama starring James McAvoy, Keira Knightley and Vanessa Redgrave had a production budget over £23m but took over £100m at the box office, using The Kasbah as a location to depict the streets of Dunkirk. n

Preserving The Kasbah: History & Heritage...

“The Kasbah is a unique place with so much history and heritage,” says Simon Bird, Regional Director of the Humber Ports.

“Our ambition is to breathe new life into the Kasbah, preserving the historic fabric and character of the buildings whilst embracing opportunities for new business and bringing new jobs to the port area. We are working with local stakeholders, such as North East

Lincolnshire Council and Historic England, on developing a coherent modern strategy for heritage-based regeneration which incorporates the town and the Kasbah area of the port.”

“We want to retain some of the unique characteristics and professions which uniquely characterise the docks, such as fish smoking, but also introduce a completely new commercial vibe to the area.” n

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Seafood mixed grill with loin of cod, jumbo prawns and sea bream served with warm focaccia and hand-cut chips £23.95.

DINING OUT IN A GORGEOUS COUNTRY PUB at

The Green Man, Ropsley

A really pretty village pub restaurant serving great food, with a really friendly team!

There are many reasons to recommend Ropsley’s Green Man, home to Phil & Leanne Docherty, Head Chef Emma Vickers and the rest of the team...

Words & Images: Rob Davis.

IT’S THE VERY NATURE of first impressions that they matter a lot, even if they can occasionally deceive. Pull up outside The Green Man at Ropsley and you could be forgiven for thinking the place is small –perfectly formed definitely, but small nonetheless – or that it’s predominantly a pub, not a place for dining. Neither of those preconceptions could be further from the truth: it’s much larger than you expect, and it’s an absolutely fabulous place to dine, certainly worth travelling to if you live in one of the village’s surrounding market towns. The place is definitely as pretty as first impressions and kerb appeal would lead you to believe. Dating back to 1684, half of the building has been a pub for as long as anyone can remember, but the other bits of the building were a coal merchant and an antiques dealer’s premises in their past lives, before the whole lot was consolidated. Even into the 21st century The Green Man was regarded as a drinker’s pub, with another village pub (which has since closed), serving locals with food. However, the arrival of Phil & Leanne Docherty eight years ago has had a transformative effect on the place. They brought with them an ambition to continue to host locals and to provide a warm welcome but juxtaposed with the desire to create a really good restaurant that customers will travel to, from Grantham, Sleaford, Bourne, Stamford and Newark.

Their ambition in this respect was already satisfied but then, with the arrival of Head Chef Emma Vickers four or five years ago, The Green Man’s reputation for destination dining has gone from strength to strength. Step inside and you’re immediately greeted by a little bar area with just two or three tables, a log burner and a specials board surrounded by twinkly lights.

Up a small flight of stairs though, there’s a second dining room. And just off that, down another set of stairs, there’s a third dining room with another log burner, another bar with pine tables, and rustic chairs cheerfully alternately painted in shades of powder blue, bright pink and lilac.

With its fairy lights over the beams and the low ceilings, the place looks so sweet during the day; but even more so in the evening. >>

MEET THE CHEF

EMMA VICKERS, HEAD CHEF

Born and raised in Ropsley, Emma travelled around with her father who was in the armed forces and also served in the service, catering for offi returning to the village back in 2018. Her food hell is mayonnaise, which we profoundly disagree with, but her food heaven is Stilton and her favourite band is Erasure, so it’s not all bad! n

Burger with beef patty, battered chicken breast and pulled pork £15.95.

on the MENU

Whilst Your Wait

Baked Camembert dipping board with crostini, carrot, cucumber sticks, apple wedges and red onion chutney, £13.95.

Olives and sundried tomatoes served with focaccia bread, balsamic vinegar and olive oil, £10.95.

Starters

Chicken liver pâté with homemade crostini and salad, £7.95.

Main Courses

Stone-baked pizzas 12” from £13.95.

The Ropsley burger, with a homemade 6oz patty, £15.95.

Threesome burger with beef patty, battered chicken breast and pulled pork £17.50.

Genuine Lincolnshire sausages and mash served within a giant Yorkshire Pudding, £14.95.

Cod and chips battered in Golden Wainright Ale, £15.95.

Specials

Seafood mixed grill with loin of cod, jumbo prawns and sea bream served with warm focaccia and hand-cut chips £23.95.

Desserts

Chocolate orange tart with chocolate ice cream £7.95.

Chocolate brownie with homemade ice cream, £7.95.

NB: This is a sample menu, and featured dishes are subject to availability and change.

“Ropsley’s Green Man is a really smashing place, definitely worthy of recommendation and a first class pub restaurant in which to enjoy high summer dining, either indoors or al fresco...!”

>> It’s really romantic, with small intimate dining spaces, very cosy and relaxed, with dessert menus wrapped around wine bottles! I’d also like to make special mention of the real flowers on the table; chrysanthemums and gyp in old gin bottles. Really lovely and so much nicer than horrid artificial flowers in some dining rooms: either do it properly, like The Green Man, or don’t bother!

There’s a total of 50 covers indoors, but venture outside and you’ll also discover The Bottle Room, which is ostensibly an outdoor deck but with sides and a clear roof providing a little shelter from blazing sun, summer breezes, the odd shower or falling temperatures when the sun goes down. The place is nicely styled, sufficiently divided up to feel cosy and intimate, and it’s just quirky enough to raise a smile.

Joining Emma in the kitchen is her daughter Faith who has taken on the role of pastry chef, baking speciality bread in house, making her own ice creams and sorbets and creating all of the restaurant’s desserts. Sous chef Emily and Faith are cousins, and Emma’s son Fin also works behind the bar. It’s no wonder then, that the team seems more like an extended family than colleagues!

There’s a single menu, served during both lunch and evening service, six days a week. It comprises a trio of sharing dishes, three starters, eight pub-inspired classic dishes, four burger options plus six grill options and seven variations of The Green Man’s stone-baked pizza. It’s a very well thoughtout menu; comprehensive, but able to be produced efficiently by a busy team.

10oz Ribeye steak, £24.95.

Pâté, £6.95.

Chocolate brownie, £7.95.

Ingredients are local too with Lincolnshire’s Mel Ward, Boston Sausage and Peterborough Game providing meat and Moorcroft providing daily deliveries of fresh fish.

Local community interest company Ropsley Market Garden provides regenerativelyfarmed and sustainable fruit, veg and salad from just a mile or so down the road.

In the Green Man’s garden is Cluckingham Palace, whose residents provide fresh eggs each day. And finally, Emma and the team also grow their own herbs and the pansies which are used as a garnish on desserts.

There’s a decent wine menu plus pages of spirits each with gloriously naff titles (Very whisky business; Time flies when you’re having Rum; Important GIN-formation) plus really good real ales including three

local guest ales on draught, and local spirits or soft drinks from Grantham Gins, Louth’s Pin Gin and Belvoir Fruit Farms.

One final note too, about the newly completed two-bedroom Cottage Upstairs above the pub. It’s available as an AirBNB, and has been beautifully furnished by Leanne. Definitely worth a look.

Honestly, The Green Man is a proper feelgood pub restaurant that looks lovely, has a friendly and welcoming feel but importantly, provides absolutely brilliant food too.

There’s a real sense that when Phil, Leanne, Emma and the team put their mind to something, only the best will do. The Green Man is a really smashing place, definitely worthy of recommendation and a first class pub restaurant in which to enjoy high summer dining, either indoors or al fresco. n

DINING OUT AT... The Green Man Ropsley, Grantham

The Pitch: “The Green Man was awarded Pub of the Year by CAMRA in 2017, 2019, 2020 and 2023. It dates back to 1684 and prides itself on a great range of home-cooked country dishes, superior steaks and fresh seafood.”

Opening Times: Open Tuesday to Sunday, from 11am-9pm.

The Green Man, High Street, Ropsley, Grantham NG33 4BE. Call 01476 585897 or see www.the-green-man-ropsley.com

Chocolate orange tart with chocolate ice cream £7.95.

EDWARDIAN ELEGANCE at

THE DOWER HOUSE HOTEL

Raise a glass with us and celebrate the completion of a comprehensive refurbishment at one of Lincolnshire’s most beautiful country house hotels, open for dining, accommodation, afternoon teas, weddings and events...

Words: Rob Davis.

IT’S VERY WARM, with beautiful blue skies and the leafiest, most mature surroundings as Carlo Petrucci, Carolyn Hutchison and Max Priestner take a quick break to pose for our photo.

There’s definitely a good reason to smile and pop the Champagne corks with plenty going on right now at The Dower House, Woodhall Spa’s Edwardian country house hotel, former family home to the Hotchkin family, namesake of the village’s world-class golf course.

Over the past year the team has been working hard on a comprehensive refurbishment of the country house hotel which has seen the communal areas, most of the bedrooms, bathrooms and the hotel’s function suite beautifully updated.

And the changes are not limited to the Dower House Hotel’s appearance, either. New to the post for 2023, General Manager Carlo aims to take the hotel’s provision of dining to the next level alongside his new Head Chef, Callum Hawkins. >>

THE DOWER HOUSE HOTEL at WOODHALL SPA

Left: General Manager Carlo Petrucci, Wedding & Events Planner & Sales & Marketing Manager Carolyn Hutchison and Duty Manager Max Priestner.

The Dower House Hotel has also completed the refurbishment of its bedrooms this year, of which there are six in the main house and a further 15 in the adjacent Lodge, built 2011...

Top: Each of The Dower House Hotel’s rooms are spacious and newly decorated with new bathrooms and top of the range mattresses. Deluxe rooms gain Nespresso machines and Penhaligon’s toiletries.

Right: Brides benefit from a dedicated ‘wedding dress room’ with stations for hair and makeup artists to work. Receptions and events take place in the Orchard Suite.

Wedding breakfast image by Chloe Gels www.chloegelsphotovideo.co.uk, 07578 037221.

Exterior image by PM Photography, 01522 529546, www.pmphotography.uk.

>> Dining at the Dower House

“Callum is currently the Head Chef of our sister establishment, The Griffin, based in Plumtree, Nottinghamshire. The gastropub enjoys a really formidable reputation,” says Carlo.

“His arrival here will introduce modern British cuisine that makes the most of local ingredients and takes advantage of Lincolnshire’s best local producers. We anticipate our dishes adopting a more upmarket appearance, grounded in good flavours and technically exceptional chefcraft that we hope will soon earn us a rosette.”

“Dining is hosted in Harry’s Bar and on the sunny terrace, with afternoon tea also available and lunchtime light bites as well as premium drinks offerings including classic cocktails and premium spirits, such as whiskies from around the world.”

Beautifully Refurbished Accommodation

The Dower House Hotel has also completed the refurbishment of most bedrooms this year, of which there are six in the main house and a further 15 in the adjacent Lodge, built in 2011.

A new deluxe grade of room builds on brand new bathrooms, light spacious rooms and fresh new decoration plus top of the range mattresses, guaranteeing a good night’s sleep. Deluxe rooms provide more spacious accommodation plus Nespresso coffee machines, Penhaligon’s toiletries and the finest robes and slippers.

Weddings & Events

The Dower House Hotel is popular with couples who want to marry in beautiful surroundings. The civil-licensed garden with its folly situated under a century-old Weeping Willow looks stunning, whilst a dedicated wedding dress room provides plenty of space for brides, makeup artists, hair stylists and attendants.

The hotel’s Orchard Suite provides a space for couples to host their wedding breakfast for up to 120 guests, with base ‘packages’ that can be tailored to create a perfect bespoke wedding day for couples.

Outside, rhododendrons, magnolias and mature trees create a backdrop that’s unique and beautiful for weddings as well as others enjoying the hospitality of one of Lincolnshire’s most unique and well-presented country house hotels. n

Find Out More: The Dower House Hotel is open to both residents and nonresidents for dining and afternoon tea. It’s also available for accommodation, weddings and functions, based on Manor Estate, Woodhall Spa, LN10 6PY. Call 01526 352588 or see www.dowerhousehotel.co.uk.

Wedding dress room image by PM Photography, 01522 529546, www.pmphotography.uk.

Folly image by PM Photography, 01522 529546, www.pmphotography.uk.

In the KITCHEN

A pudding of classical French origin, and very simple as it’s simply stone fruit baked in custard. Worth learning as it’s also a truly versatile base recipe, allowing you to tweak it to incorporate sliced almonds for a Bakewell-style taste, or substitute cherries for peaches, plums or apricots, or a combination of fruit!

CHERRY CLAFOUTIS

Preparation Time: 30 minutes. Cooking Time: 25 minutes. Serves: Eight people. 500g fresh cherries, pitted • 4 large fresh free-range eggs • 100g granulated sugar • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 120g plain flour • 250ml whole milk • Pinch of salt • Icing sugar, for dusting (optional) Clotted cream or really good custard/crème Anglaise to serve (optional)

Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F) and grease a 9-inch round baking dish or pie dish. Spread the pitted cherries evenly on the bottom of the baking dish. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract until well combined. Gradually add the flour, milk, and a pinch of salt to the egg mixture, whisking continuously until the batter is smooth and free of lumps. Pour the batter over the cherries in the baking dish, ensuring they are evenly covered. Place the baking dish in the preheated oven and bake for about 35-40 minutes, or until the clafoutis is puffed up and golden brown on top.

Remove the clafoutis from the oven and let it cool for a few minutes. It will deflate slightly as it cools. Dust the clafoutis with powdered sugar just before serving (optional). Serve the cherry clafoutis warm or at room temperature. It can be enjoyed on its own or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream, if desired. n

Delicious with a Capital ‘Tea’

Non-alcoholic sparkling teas full of flavour and complexity, says the Real Drinks Co...

Made by naturally fermenting exquisite loose-leaf teas over many weeks, Real Drinks has created a range of refined, elegant sparkling teas balanced perfectly with astringency and delicate acidity. Royal Flush is a fine sparkling tea, made using first flush Darjeeling, the Queen of Tea, fermented to produce a non-alcoholic sparkling ‘wine’ full of flavour and complexity. Fragrant and fresh on the nose with notes of juicy blackcurrants. Flavours of rhubarb and peach. n £13 / 75cl / 0% ABV, www.realdrinks.co.

The Wine Cellar

VERAISON IS THE TERM GIVEN BY WINEMAKERS TO THIS TIME OF YEAR, WHEN GRAPES CHANGE COLOUR FROM GREEN TO PURPLE OR GOLDEN GREEN... ENJOY OUR AUGUST RECOMMENDATIONS!

SAY NO-SECCO: Three ‘better than Prosecco’ wines made using the Charmat method...

Made in Kent using the Charmat method (used to make Prosecco). Refreshing flavours of an English kitchen garden: gooseberry, apple and hints of rose. £25 / 75cl, 11.5% ABV, from www.kingscoteestate.com

Produced using the Charmat method, but made from French and Germanic grape varieties (Chardonnay, Auxerrois, Seyval Blanc and Reichensteiner) with notes of green apple and stone fruit. £23 / 75cl / 12%, available from www.shotleyvineyard.co.uk.

Made with Chardonnay, Seyval Blanc, Reichensteiner and Madeleine Angevine grapes. Light, dry, fresh and crisp sparkling Charmat wine £20.69 / 75cl / 12% ABV, from www.theenglishvine.co.uk.

Wine of the Month

Tesco Finest Viñas Del Rey Albarino

£9.50 / 75cl / 13% ABV

Dry, aromatic and perfect for summer! Cultivating Albariño Grapes in Spain’s rainy Rias Baixas requires dedication and patience. It’s worth it, though, when the hand-harvested grapes result in this very elegant wine, with its aromas of apricot, honeysuckle and notes of fresh grapefruit and mandarin. Perfect with shellfish and paella throughout the summer, also ideal with Mediterranean dishes like pasta or with summer salads served al fresco. n Purchase from www.tesco.com or your nearest store.

The Sweet Taste of Summertime

Sweet, unctuous and perfect for summer, we love English Spirit’s Caramel Rum Liqueur. Proper English rum blended with old fashioned caramelised sugars, its flavour is reminiscent of sticky toffee pudding and this versatile spirit is not only ideal for sipping in the garden this summer, but it can also be added to coffee in the cooler months or drizzled over a pudding. If you’re planning a barbecue, cook barbecued banana with a drizzle of this! n £25 / 50cl / 25% ABV, www.englishspirit.uk

n Our featured wines are available from the best local independent wine merchants, supermarkets and online, prices are RRP and may vary from those stated.

STYLE to SPARE

This month’s property in the heart of Louth has style to spare thanks to its owner’s flair for creating beautiful interiors, plus an impressive living kitchen extension and hints of the arts and crafts movement in its architecture... welcome to Byford House!

Words: Rob Davis.

THE DETAILS

Byford House, Eastgate, Louth

Location: Eastgate, Louth, within five minutes walk of town centre.

Provenance: 1950s property with 20th century design influences. Fully refurbished by current owners from 2004 including new living kitchen. Annexe, Byford Lodge created in 2010.

Rooms: Three receptions currently arranged as living kitchen, sitting room, study/snug. Three bedrooms with two en suites, separate selfcontained two-bedroom annex.

Guide Price: £795,500.

Find Out More: Savills, Lincoln, 01522 508908, www.savills.com.

NOW THAT IS A KITCHEN FOR COOKS. Specifically, for Josie Hamilton-Cook and her family, who have transformed their 1950s property in Louth with a spectacular living kitchen designed to look great but also serve as a really good kitchen for a proficient cook!

“I’m a rule-breaker, not a rule-follower so when I cook I like to freestyle rather than following recipes, but I’m not averse to creating a paella, which is a really good sociable dish for lots of people to enjoy. It’s a dish whose ethos reflects the house itself!”

“I’m from Bradford originally and came to Louth in 2004 when I was working in product development for Youngs in Grimsby. I fell in love with the town because it’s friendly, really leafy and pretty, with good schools. But it also has plenty of independent businesses... especially delis and other food retailers!”

Josie and husband Iain moved into the property and embarked on the creation of the living kitchen extension about two years ago. The ambition was to create somewhere to which her daughter could back bring her friends, a party home where everyone’s welcome.

Top/Main: The property’s stunning living kitchen opens out onto a large terrace.

She’s fulfilled that brief a little too well, and now the house is a constant hive of teenage activity, especially in the summer months when the living kitchen’s bifold doors open up onto a terrace with porcelain tiles and seating area, with a well-established and lush garden beyond, as well as a lake in the grounds of The Priory Hotel next door.

The house was built in the 1950s by Louth’s Ivy Jones Lacey, then owner of the hotel. Her legacy is not only the property itself with its arts & crafts and art deco influences, but a large – very large – Milner safe in the cupboard under the stair.

It was, at one time, the place that Ivy would secure the takings for the hotel, but now it’s contents include the rather fascinating original plans for the property and Josie’s own top secret recipe for a world-class paella.

The living kitchen extension was created by local builder Andy Griggs and Kevin Cowdroy, whose craftsmanship Josie praises, having previously use them to convert three holiday cottages nearby.

Glazing, including the bi-fold doors, was supplied by Arrow Windows, whilst the kitchen was supplied by Dan Smith of Grand Designs Kitchens & Bedrooms based in Grimsby. Cabinetry is bespoke timber, painted in Little Green’s Jack Black and Farrow & Ball’s Purbeck Stone.

Josie opted for white engineered quartz and brushed brass brightware and taps, plus appliances by Neff including hide and slide ovens, an induction hob with separate gas burner, dishwasher and wine coolers. There’s a pantry too, plus a separate utility room to keep family clutter nicely hidden away. >>

>> Elsewhere downstairs, the sitting room also gives a tasteful nod to 20th century design trends with an art deco fireplace with open fire. A separate reception room is currently used as study for Josie’s business as a style consultant and there’s Crittall-style glazing, heritage radiators and wood panelling in the hallway.

Upstairs there are three bedrooms, two of which feature en suite bathrooms. And in the unlikely event of finding that you lack accommodation for guests, adjacent to the property is Byford Lodge, a self-contained holiday let which has two bedrooms with two en suites. Byford Lodge is marketed with AirBNB and VBRO but also via Josie’s own website (www.heavenlyhideaways.co.uk), although it would also suit those seeking inter-generational living, too.

“We wanted the whole house to capitalise on natural light, on the available space and to be a home where we can entertain and welcome in my daughter’s friends,” says Josie.

Her design insight has also led to her founding a career helping to provide colour and style advice for those (mostly women) seeking to make the most of their wardrobe and boost self-confidence. However, if there’s one clear example of Josie’s flair for style it’s Byford House, which we doubt will be on the market for very long!

n Call 07713 068405 for Josie the Style Coach, facebook.com/josiethestylecoach.

n Aswardby Hall, Spilsby Offers Over: £2,250,000

Aswardby Hall is nestled in the Lincolnshire Wolds, an AONB set in equally beautiful grounds landscaped by Bunny Guinness. 7-10 bedrooms, five receptions currently drawing room, sitting room, dining room, orangery and billiards room.

www.knightfrank.co.uk.

n Aisby, Grantham Guide Price: £1,850,000

Set in twelve acres of exceptionally landscaped gardens and wildflower meadows is this five-bedroom house, built by the German house builder Huf Haus in 2004. 3,600 sq ft, of space, meticulously organised across three floors. www.themodernhouse.com

n Cedar House, Frampton Guide Price: £2,250,000

Superb family residence offering eight bedrooms. Excellent entertaining facilities including 50ft living kitchen, plus heated indoor swimming pool with gymnasium. Private garden barbecue area and extensive gardens with lake. www.poyntons.com

Devereux Way, Horncastle LN9 6AU

Tel: 01507 527113

W: www.peterjacksoncabinets.co.uk

E: info@peterjacksoncabinets.co.uk

Peter Jackson Cabinet Makers Ltd

Top: Tardona by Jane Churchill in Slate colourway, densely embroidered in satin stitch, £105/metre.

Top/Right: Wallpaper by Zoffany, Arcadian Thames, crafted by artisan muralist Melissa White and handdrawn in chalk paints, Wedgwood Blue colourway, £399/roll.

Right: Toile Chinoise wallpaper by Colefax & Fowler, finely drawn Toile de Jouy style design in Aqua colourway, £82/roll.

To make the best of these fabrics, seek out one of the county’s leading interior design specialists to create bespoke soft furnishings and decoration for your interiors...

Colombe by Manuel Canovas, detailed 18th century Indienne design on a light textured linen, Bleu de Chine colourway, £135/metre.

Lincolnshire Interiors: Delcor: 01780 762579, www.delcor.co.uk. H-Works: 01780 754605, www.hworksdesign.co.uk. Richard Sutton Interiors: 01472 268377, www.richardsuttondesigninteriors.com. Stevensons: 01472 233111, www.stevensonsgroup.co.uk. n

William Yeoward’s Heronsford chairs in Alverdia fabric, indigo colourway. Hellick rug £1,095 (160cm - 260cm) to £3,450 (300cm x 425cm.

GUNBY HALL ENJOYING SUMMER at

With over 80 varieties of roses, wonderful heritage apple varieties, plus the added attraction of live theatre and art exhibitions, there’s plenty to enjoy at Spilsby’s Gunby Hall this month...

Words: Rob Davis.

IT MAY SOUND like somewhat of a contradiction, but Gunby Hall is a lovely little country estate. Little in this case is relative since Gunby Hall sits on 1,500 acres of land, which is still quite substantial by anyone’s definition.

But Stamford-based Burghley House’s farmed estates extend to about 10,000 acres, Belton House’s parkland covers about 13,000 acres and Belvoir Castle near Grantham comprises 16,000 acres with more than 300 residential properties.

Spilsby’s Gunby Hall, then, is more modest in scale. It is however, a spectacularly beautiful property not least in terms of its eight acres of gardens, comprising two walled gardens, a formal garden to the front of the property, plus extensive lawns.

The grounds have been well curated and can boast over 80 different varieties of roses, many of which are in beautiful bloom as July turns into August.

NGS Day at Gunby Hall

5th

Natasha Johnson and her three fellow gardeners work full time to keep the estate’s formal gardens looking at their very best, whilst 10 dedicated volunteers and garden hosts enjoy showing visitors around.

On 5th August, Gunby Hall will also welcome visitors to the gardens as it prepares to open for the NGS with plant stalls, trade and crafts stalls, and the opportunity to enjoy a picnic in the grounds or a cream tea in the estate’s coffee shop.

If you’ve little ones, too, there’s a Gunby Playday event a few days prior with activities for youngsters and the opportunity to take along a picnic to enjoy in the parkland.

Later on in the season, Gunby Hall will also host its Apple Day celebrating (among it 50 varieties) heritage apples, some of which have origins dating back to 1629.

Visitors this month can enjoy the neat sundial lawn, which it’s believed was laid out by Margaret Massingberd at the beginning of the previous century. Her favourite spot to admire the garden was a small covered seat painted in a cheerful powder blue colour which the gardeners have since christened ‘the blue temple.’

Honeysuckles provide a heavenly summer fragrance whilst a mixed herbaceous border and cut flower area surrounds the area and keeps the bees and butterflies busy too.

Adjacent is the yellow border with its Achillea, Ligularia and at one end a stone with the inscription from Rudyard Kipling’s verse The Glory of the Garden which reads ‘Our England is a garden, and such gardens are not made by singing, “O! How beautiful!” and sitting in the shade.’ >>

TENNYSON’S HAUNT OF ANCIENT PEACE:

A SHORT HISTORY of GUNBY HALL...

Located

The Massingberd Baronetcy of Bratoft Hall was established in 1660, lasting until 1723. In 1700, Sir William Massingberd, 2nd Baronet built Gunby Hall. The building, Grade I listed since 1985, was extended in 1735 with the addition of a stableblock, in 1873 and again in 1898 with the addition of its north wing and clock tower.

The hall passed to Lady Montgomery Massingberd in who married Field Marshal Sir Archibald Montgomery Massingberd. The latter gifted the hall to the National Trust in 1944. n

eight miles from Skegness and just five miles from Spilsby, the current Gunby Hall, which has 42 rooms in total, was built on the site of an old Manor House once owned by the family of the same name.

Opposite Page: Apples growing at Gunby Hall and Senior Gardener Natasha Johnson. Top: Dahlias adjacent to the walled gardens.

On Saturday

August from 10am-4pm, Gunby Hall will open in aid of the National Gardens Scheme from 10am. Take along a picnic or enjoy a cream tea in the estate’s café!

LINCOLNSHIRE GARDENS: GUNBY HALL

>> The kitchen garden itself is divided into four quadrants, according to Peregrine Massingberd’s plan of 1806, and in addition to Gunby Hall’s strong provision of apples, visitors can enjoy the spectacle of pears, figs, apricots and gages.

The gardens are also home to musk roses including Penelope, Cornelia and Prosperity, each famous for a heavy scent, and each at their most potent on a warm summer evening.

Adjacent to the walled garden is the Ghost Walk, leading to an area of cherry trees planted in 1939, with a later variety, Tai haku planted in 1987 to celebrate Gunby Hall’s 60th anniversary of participation in the National Garden Scheme; Gunby Hall was an original supporter of the scheme when it was first proposed in 1926/1927.

Five years later the NGS had no fewer than 900 gardens on its list and the first book was published... it had a green cover incidentally, with the familiar yellow scheme first adopted in 1949.

To the East Lawn is an uninterrupted view of the house with mature cedars, a wildflower walk that in spring features many snowdrops, aconites and crocus, plus wood anemones a little later on and hybrid tea roses in early summer.

Whilst our principal recommendation here is a visit to Gunby Hall to enjoy its gardens, we’d be remiss not to mention the house itself. >>

“The kitchen garden itself is divided into four quadrants, according to Peregrine Massingberd’s plan of 1806...”

APPLE DAY: Keeping the Doctor Away at Gunby Hall...

On 8th October Gunby Hall will welcome fans of different apple varieties to its annual Apple Day. The walled gardens of the stately home includes no fewer than 50 varieties of apples with the oldest, Catshead, dating back to the Jacobean era.

By contrast the newest variety of apple at Gunby Hall is Winter Gem, which was developed in the early 1990s by Hugh Erman.

Gunby Hall’s Apple Day will feature experts on hand to identify your own garden varieties, as well as hosting

craft stalls and much more entertainment besides.

Gunby Hall offers the produce from its orchards by donation to ensure where possible nothing goes to waste, and windfall fruit is left on the ground for wildlife to consume.

The estate’s gardeners are keen to ensure the continuation of its fruit trees, but also ensure the orchard’s apple blossoms continue to be a source of nectar for bees and the trees’ bark a habitat for lichens, moss and wildflowers.

>> Until 2012 the property was tenanted, but now the National Trust is taking the opportunity to carry out extensive renovation mostly in the study, and on the first floor of the house.

The place is home to original wallpapers designed by William Morris, plus a library of over 2,985 works and an autographed fragment of Tennyson’s Palace of Art, as well as furniture by Thomas Sheraton and early editions of literary works by Dr Samuel Johnson.

A Haunted Gunby Hall?

When William Massingberd found out his daughter (or wife?) was planning to run away with a postillion, the latter was (very very allegedly!) shot dead and thrown into the pond, he apparently still haunts the nearby path today!

Living near Gunby at The Rectory in Somersby, Tennyson described Gunby Hall as his ‘haunt of ancient peace.’ To retrace his steps on the estate, there are a few walking routes from the walk past the adjacent St Peter’s Church to the Ice House Pond to the four-mile route that take visitors to the remains of Bratoft Manor.

Gunby Hall, then, is one of Lincolnshire’s greatest country house properties, and offers a grand day out with beautiful gardens, a sense of tranquillity, plus plenty of activities and events, not least among which is the estate’s monthly-changing art exhibition and live theatre. For a haunt of ancient peace, there’s certainly a lot going on this month and beyond! n

Find Out More: National Trust property Gunby Hall is located at Gunby, Lincolnshire, PE23 5SS. Call 01754 890102 or see www.nationaltrust.org.uk, open from 10am-4pm, admission from £9/adults, £4.50/child, free general admission to National Trust Members.

Art & Theatre at Gunby Hall

ART EXHIBITION

14th JULY - 10th AUGUST

IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE - EXHIBITION BY JULIAN

CHAPMAN

Influenced by the impressionist painters, Julian’s exhibition, located in the Orchard Gallery, features medieval style pictures of farm scenes, musicians and pilgrims.

n From 10am - 4pm, free with entry.

THEATRE

SATURDAY 22nd JULY

THE SECRET GARDEN

Chapterhouse Theatre presents Mary Lennox trying to find her uncle’s secret garden and the story of her friendship with Dickon and Colin.

n Gates from 6pm, £18/adult, £11/child.

FAMILY ACTIVITY

WEDNESDAY 2nd AUGUST

GUNBY PLAYDAY

Event celebrating this year’s National Day of Play. There will be fun activities for all the family to participate in. Take along a picnic and make create a memory to treasure.

n From 10am - 4pm, free with entry.

ART EXHIBITION

11th AUGUST - 7th SEPTEMBER

THE BEAUTY OF LIFE

BY NICOLA BENNETT

Nicola is a wildlife and pet portrait artist based in Horncastle. She makes original artwork for exhibitions as well as many commissions in the UK and internationally. She will be exhibiting a variety of wildlife portraits as well as creating some special pieces which will depict areas around the grounds of Gunby Hall and its native wildlife.

n From 10am - 4pm, free with entry.

THEATRE

SATURDAY 12th AUGUST

THE COMEDY OF ERRORS

Antiphonus searches for his long lost identical twin brother, Antiphonus, while his servant, Dromio, searches for his long lost identical twin brother. Shakespearean shenanigans ensue, etc.

n From 7pm, £16/adult, £11/child.

For more information on any of the above events see www.nationaltrust.org.uk.

The World’s First Super Tourer, it’s the Aston Martin DB12

We may not know who will replace Daniel Craig as 007, but we know what car they’ll drive as Aston Martin unveils its new DB12, delivering what the firm says is a ‘quantum shift in sporting character...’

DARWIN WAS RIGHT, evolution is definitely an observable phenomenon, but unlike some species of animal, the evolution of a car takes place over a much shorter period of time. 59 years ago, the third film in the James Bond franchise, Goldfinger, saw Sean Connery swapping author Ian Fleming’s originally mooted Bentley Blower car for an Aston Martin DB5 instead.

Since then 007 has been synonymous with the marque, and specifically with the DB model, which sits above the smaller Vantage and below the brand’s V-badged hypercars (the Valhalla, Valkyrie and Vanquish).

DB stands for David Brown, the businessman who purchased Aston Martin in 1947 and this is the 12th iteration of the DB since the brand’s cars were so designated in 1950.

Visually the new DB12 is an evolution over the beautiful DB11, nothing too outrageous. Nor is the engine particular different; it’s sourced from Mercedes-AMG, a 4.0V8 with 680ps power and 800Nm torque thanks to twin-turbochargers. Perhaps this consistency is a good example of the philosophy ‘if it isn’t broke, why fix it?’

Where the DB did need updating, though, is in the cabin. The older reskinned Mercedes infotainment system has been replaced. Apple Carplay and Android Auto connectivity is now wireless with provision for wireless charging too, and there’s a well-judged balance between physical and touchscreen controls.

The central instrument panel is now a hi-res screen and there’s a much more generous and modern list of standard equipment for what is likely to be a £200,000 asking price.

As usual, Aston offers an almost ridiculously comprehensive number of ways to configure your car. We rather like the Iridescent Emerald colour of the press cars, but with 55 colours available (a choice of 10 silver shades alone) you’ll find something the satisfy your individuality. We rather like the Satin Bronze wheels and Oxford Tan Bridge of Weir leather too... have a play with Aston Martin’s online configurator and see what you can create.

Evolution – not revolution – has definitely been the theme of the DB12’s creation, but the result is the best ever DB yet. 007 will doubtless be left shaken and stirred. n

THE DETAILS Aston Martin DB12

Price: £200,000 (estimated). Order books open from Autumn. Powertrain: 4.0 litre V8 with twin turbos and eight-speed ZF auto.

Performance: 0-60mph: 3.6secs, top speed 202mph.

Equipment: Adaptive cruise control, 360° surround-view camera, wireless Apple Carplay and Android Auto, wireless phone charging, electrically adjustable heated and cooled seats, ambient lighting, electric steering wheel adjustment. n

FRESH FASHIONS

This month we’re enjoying fresh fashions with a verdant colour theme of green and white from one of our favourite high summer brands, Mint Velvet...

Fashion Edit by Mandy Bray.

1. Ruffled Midi Shift Dress, £179.

2. Casey Print Lace-Up Top, £79.

3. Sabrina Print Longline Kimono, £89 & Wide Trousers, £89.

4. Payton Print Tiered Maxi Dress, £119.

5. Macie Print Green Maxi Dress, £189.>>

1. One Shoulder Maxi Dress, £99.

2. Top and Trouser Set, £99.

3. Tiered Maxi Dress, £109.

4. Textured Stripe Shirt, £79.

5. Khaki Utility Jumpsuit, £129.

6. Eva Print Bandeau Midi Dress, £189.

BESPOKE JEWELLERY by HUGH RICE

DESIGNED for YOU

CREATED BY HUGH RICE

BACK IN 1971 Hugh Rice made a decision that would prove really important, not just for his career, but for thousands of people. People who would, over the next 52 years and beyond (and with a little help from Hugh), celebrate love and mark the most important moments and milestones in their life with beautiful jewellery.

Hugh left behind his watchmaking apprenticeship and established his own store in a small basement of Hull’s George Street. He was soon joined by his brother, Mike, who then took on the jewellery repair and manufacturing side of the business. Today Hugh’s son, Paul, leads the family firm as MD after Hugh retired in 2010 with Mike taking on the role of Chairman.

Today the company serves as a hub for luxury brands such as Rolex, Omega, Breitling, Tag Heuer, Tudor and Gucci. They also have two fashion stores called Luxe by Hugh Rice stocking designer brands such as Pandora, Vivienne Westwood, plus Nomination, Thomas Sabo and Hugo Boss. However, Hugh Rice Jewellers also provides a bespoke service for those seeking the creation of totally bespoke one-off jewellery commissions.

“We understand that true beauty lies in the unique and personal,” says Mike. “That’s why our Service and Design teams have dedicated themselves to crafting one-ofa-kind pieces for over five decades.”

“Whether it’s an exclusive design, a cherished family heirloom, or a sentimental piece waiting to be reimagined, we’re here to turn your vision into reality.”

“Our journey together begins with a complimentary consultation. Sit down with our talented designers and let them capture your thoughts on paper. This is where your dreams take shape.”

“Next, our teams employ cutting-edge computer design software to bring your vision to life. Every detail is meticulously tweaked to perfection, ensuring that the final piece reflects your personal style.”

“We want you to be a part of the creative process every step of the way. Witness the magic first-hand as your design is transformed into a tangible wax model. Hold it, examine it, and give us your approval to proceed.”

“Once you’re satisfied, we cast your design in the precious metal of your choice. Our craftsmen pour their expertise into every piece, infusing it with passion and precision. The result? A masterpiece that is uniquely yours!”

“In our on-site workshop, our skilled jewellers meticulously set stones and polish the metal to perfection. Each piece undergoes a thorough quality check, ensuring that it meets the highest standards of craftsmanship.”

“And at Hugh Rice, we believe that your jewellery should be as extraordinary as your recipient. That’s why we also offer you the opportunity to use existing pieces of jewellery, infusing them with new life and meaning. Let us unlock the hidden potential of your treasures, transforming them into something truly remarkable, or create something new, beautiful and truly unique.” n

Creating beautiful bespoke jewellery which tells your unique story. This month we speak with family jewellers Hugh Rice to find out a little more about the family firm’s bespoke design service...

FAMILY JEWELLERS SINCE 1971

Hugh Rice

Hugh Rice Hull: St. Stephens Shopping Centre, Hull, East Yorkshire, HU2 8LN. Telephone: 01482 329449.

Hugh Rice Beverley: Toll Gavel, Beverley, East Yorkshire, HU17 9AA. Telephone: 01482 868654.

Hugh Rice Harrogate: James Street, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, HG1 1QS. Telephone: 01423 568932.

Alternatively you can shop online at www.hughrice.co.uk. n

Hugh Rice Hull.

Hugh Rice Beverley.

Wild Roses

LUXURIOUS COSMETICS IN A ROSE BLUSH SCHEME FOR HIGH SUMMER

1. A Scent of Provence

L’Occitane en Provence introduces its new scent, Fleur de Cerisier, which aims to celebrate the poetic beauty of the Provençal landscape and the cherry trees that are synonymous with it. Opening with top notes of cherry, and freesia with lily of the valley and a base of amber, musk and rosewood. One spritz and you could be in the South of France!

£56 / 75ml / EDT uk.loccitane.com

2. Rose Face Tint

Chantecaille’s luminous gel-crème instantly blurs and perfects the complexion for a healthy-looking glow. It’s boosted with powerful botanicals that visibly moisturise and smooth the skin for a radiant look, £70/30g, www.chantecaille.co.uk.

3. Provençal Neroli

Laura Mercier’s modern take on the néroli flower mixed with Provençal aromatics to enliven the senses. This luxurious oil smooths and revives your skin for hydration for up to 48 hours, £60/100ml, lauramercier.co.uk.

4. Natural Beauty

Gucci’s buildable face powder creates a unified complexion. Skin looks naturally perfected and mattified with a brilliantly smooth base for makeup, delicate fragrance, 14 shades available, £47/10g, www.johnlewis.com.

5. Nars’ brand new palette for electrifying eyes

Nars presents its electrifying limited-edition eye palette of nine sultry shades for endless expression. Pure eyeshadow pigments suspended in a unique liquid binding system creating rich, high-impact colour in just one stroke.

6. Hydrating lip gloss from Dior

presents Addict Lip Maximiser, for genuine hydrating and plumping lip care with a maximum volume effect. Infused with cherry oil and hyaluronic acid, its formula is composed of 90% natural-origin ingredients. Available in 12 shades including Shimmer Macadamia, shown here. £32/6g available at www.dior.com

All our beauty products are available from local independent stockists unless otherwise stated, please note that prices stated are RRP and may vary.

INSPIRING CONFIDENCE

Helping their patients to develop a better relationship with their dentist and to create the smile they’ve always wanted, The Dental Health Centre in Grantham specialises in inspiring confidence...

A SENSE OF HAPPINESS & CONFIDENCE is a right, not a privilege, and a healthy-looking smile is one of the best ways to improve your wellbeing.

For many years a visit to the dentist wasn’t always something to look forward to, even if the outcome of your visit was desirable. Fortunately, the profession recognised that fact some time ago and has since modernised itself to create professional practices which can offer life-changing, confidence-boosting treatments in a caring and compassionate environment… and one of the best examples in the area is Grantham’s Dental Health and Implant Centre.

The practice is home to Dr Colin Sutton and his team, who established the practice in 2010 and has remained at the forefront of modern dentistry whilst never failing to put the patient at the centre of the whole experience.

“Good patient care should be holistic,” says Colin. “There have been some really effective and accessible advances – especially in cosmetic dentistry – in recent years. But it’s no good to simply have a menu of different treatments then have a patient choose from that list.”

“For a start, good dentistry relies on health and wellbeing, so that’s our first priority when we see a new patient. We want them to feel relaxed when they’re in the chair, confident in our professionalism and compassion.”

“A new patient consultation is as much about building a foundation of trust as it is discussing a patient’s aims for their treatment. We discuss overall health and conduct screenings which can assess the health of teeth and gums, as well as looking out for conditions like oral cancers.”

“Dental charting, digital X-Rays and 3D imaging can all help us to track changes over time and ensure that whatever treatments we can offer, we put oral health first and foremost. In conjunction with this, advice on oral hygiene and regular appointments with a hygienist can help to provide a good basis for any further treatments.”

“And of course, at the same time we’re also helping to build a relationship with our patients to ensure that even those who are nervous when they first sit in the chair soon come to know that a visit to the dentist is nothing to fear!”

“The technology and different treatment options available to us – especially in the field of cosmetic dentistry – are more exciting than ever. That’s why, instead of simply advocating a particular treatment, a patient treatment coordinator will start with your overall aims, then suggest a bespoke treatment plan based around your individual needs.”

“Invisalign teeth-straightening aligners are virtually invisible, providing gentle movement for crowding or gaps over six months or so.”

“Veneers provide a corrective treatment for stained, chipped or misaligned teeth, whilst our Cerac machine can make permanent crowns, veneers and onlays with 3D modelling and a computer-controlled ceramic milling machine creating a perfect restoration.”

“We’re especially renowned for our dental implant procedures, which have revolutionised the field of restorative dentistry, offering a reliable and long-lasting solution for people with missing teeth. Whether you’ve lost a single tooth or several, dental implants provide a secure foundation for custom-made replacement teeth that are designed to look, feel, and function like your natural teeth.”

“With dental implants, there’s no need to sacrifice the health of your remaining teeth, and there’s no need to worry about the slippage and discomfort that can come with traditional dentures. Our team of experienced implant dentists will work with you to develop a personalised treatment plan that meets your specific needs and goals.”

“Above all we recognise that good dentistry is about teeth and gums… but great dentistry is about people. Treating people like individuals, enfranchising our patients with confidence and ensuring they have that sense of control means they not only gain the smile they want, is also means that, together, we can redefine their relationship with their dentist forever.” n

Find Out More: For a free, no obligation introduction to the centre’s treatments, visit The Dental Health & Implant Centre which is based on Avenue Road, Grantham, NG31 6TA, call 01476 594480 or see dentalhealthcentre.co.uk.

SANDLANDTAYLOR AESTHETICS

@sandlandtayloraesthetics

Call for an appointment on 07720 345236 or find us on Facebook

Peterborough hospital celebrates 40 years of serving its community

40 Years of Healthcare

Congratulations to Peterborough’s Ramsay Fitzwilliam Hospital on reaching its 40th anniversary, providing high quality healthcare service and treatments...

FITZWILLIAM HOSPITAL, part of the Ramsay Health Care Group, is celebrating and reflecting on four decades of serving its community in Peterborough and the surrounding area with safe, effective, and well-led healthcare.

Opened in 1983, as an independent hospital, staff and doctors at the 41-bed facility have cared for thousands of patients since its doors opened.

To celebrate this 40-year milestone and to thank our staff and consultants, Fitzwilliam is throwing a Summer Ball where they can enjoy an evening at The Haycock Hotel in July. Also, there will be a commemorative lead-up week in the hospital with cakes, retro sweets, and balloons.

Carl Cottam, Hospital Director, Fitzwilliam Hospital says: “It’s a real honour to be leading the team and the hospital in its 40th year. Fitzwilliam Hospital has been committed to delivering exceptional care to patients in the local area since its opening in 1983.

“My responsibility is to make sure that our patients always come first as we continue our commitment to providing first-class independent healthcare for the next 40 years.”

“Since joining the Fitzwilliam Hospital in 2012, I have been very impressed by the attitude of the staff and the consultants and their desire to develop the hospital. Staff are proud of their hospital and they deliver compassionate, dignified, and respectful care for patients. I am delighted to thank them for their dedication with our planned celebratory festivities.”

Long-serving staff arrived at the hospital in its early years and have seen a lot of changes. Angela Haynes, Theatre Operative, is the longest-serving member of staff at 35 years.

Administrators Sandra Lilley and Julie Green and Housekeeper Diane Smith, have all worked at Fitzwilliam for 31 years.

Angela Haynes, Theatre Operative says: “I have so many good memories over my years working at Fitzwilliam. From nurses wearing caps, the day case unit opening and the equipping of our ultra clean air theatre suite. Fitz has a uniquely warm and friendly culture and I’ve always felt like part of the Fitzwilliam family.”

Over the forty years, Fitzwilliam has become one of Cambridgeshire's leading independent hospitals with a reputation for delivering high-quality healthcare treatments and services. The hospital is situated in the quiet landscaped grounds of the Milton Estate in Peterborough and provides services to insured, self-funding and NHS patients.

Facilities and services have been enhanced over the years to keep pace with the needs of the people it cares for.

The hospital is an Orthopaedic Centre of Excellence and offers a full range of orthopaedic procedures including spinal assessment.

Other procedures include general surgery, cataract surgery, gastroscopy, colonoscopy, gynaecology, cosmetics, weight loss, varicose vein treatment, gynaecology, colonoscopy, ear, nose and throat and urological procedures. The hospital also provides a Private GP Service and One Stop Breast Service.

The original hospital was opened with three theatres in 1983. Today they have 5 theatres plus various capital schemes to upgrade the facilities as part of a continual investment programme.

The hospital expanded in 2009 with the opening of The Braithwaite Suite, a new daycase unit for minor operations and endoscopies.

It was aptly named after Sir Franklyn Braithwaite, Chairman of local Baker Perkins Holdings Ltd and a treasured patient at the hospital. The Braithwaite Suite was opened by Barry Fry who was the Director of the Peterborough United Football Team and Darren Ferguson along with the Peterborough United players.

Using the latest hardware and software, including BioMatrix technology, the brand new MRI scanner provides consistent, high-quality personalised exams and delivers robust and reliable results for every patient to support their diagnosis.

Throughout the hospital’s history, Fitzwilliam Hospital has played an important role in supporting the local community. Year on year the hospital supports the Sue Ryder Hospice by staff taking part in the annual Dragon Boat race event.

In response to the Ukraine crisis, Fitzwilliam sent donations of items including non-

perishable food goods, sanitary products, baby formula, medical supplies, PPE and used crutches to assist with Ukraine’s healthcare provision.

During Covid, Fitzwilliam worked with North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust so that the Trust’s surgeons could continue to undertake urgent breast, gynaecological, urological and other cancer surgery and their patients could recover at Fitzwilliam Hospital.

This relieved the pressure on beds and freed up some capacity for the local NHS Trust to perform more complex urgent surgery for non-Covid-19 patients.

Patients have recognised Fitzwilliam Hospital as one of the best private hospitals in the UK as it won the prestigious Patients’ Choice Award 2022 from Private Healthcare UK for the fourth time. The Patients’ Choice Award recognises hospitals and clinics that deliver excellent customer care and a great patient experience.

Selection criteria include achieving an overall patient rating of 4.5 or higher out of 5 based on the reviews given by patients on the website on independent online guide to private healthcare www.privatehealthcare.co.uk.

The hospital was shortlisted for The Peterborough Business Awards and awarded Highly Commended in their category for Staff Engagement.

“Fitzwilliam Hospital takes great pride in the services it provides to patients in the local communities. It’s about ‘people caring for people’ and we look forward to the next 40 years!”

n Fitzwilliam Hospital is part of the Ramsay Health Care Group, based on Milton Way, Bretton, Peterborough PE3 9AQ. Call 01733 261717 or see www.fitzwilliamhospital.co.uk.

Carl Cottam, Hospital Manager with a celebratory cake marking 40 years of healthcare.

Carl Cottam, Hospital Manager with a celebratory cake marking 40 years of healthcare.

Four Weddings and a Jubilee

Lots of family and friends, great fun, and a wonderful warm bank holiday weekend weddin... all in the green and pleasant surroundings of a Lincolnshire country estate.

Amy & Dan Fraser’s special day proves that the best things come to those who wait!

Wedding Photographer: Christian Thompson Photographer, 07989 796875, www.christianthompson.co.uk.

SPEAKING AS A MAN I have to confess, we can be a little hopeless, sometimes. And if not hopeless, then at least... well, a bit laid back about stuff. Bless her, Amy Clarke tried to help nudge Dan towards a proposal, helpfully catching the bouquet at several of the weddings they went to, for example, but to no avail. Dan wasn’t going to be rushed. But when he did finally propose, Amy says, it was both perfect, and perfectly Dan.

“We met online and there was a should I or shouldn’t I moment when we arranged our first face-to-face date. I lived near Brigg and Dan is from Cleethorpes, but my housemate gave me some gentle encouragement and though I arrived about half an hour late, I’m glad I went.”

The time did give a nervous Dan a little time to imbibe a bit of Dutch courage, though, which Amy reckons was necessary as she says he’s normally ‘terrible at talking to women.’ Fortunately it’s a skill he no longer needs to hone since it was love at first sight and the rest is history.

“Dan doesn’t arrange things, so when he booked a romantic weekend away in lovely stately home in Derbyshire I was impressed, surprised and if I’m honest, I was certain that a proposal was forthcoming. When he proposed that weekend it was perfect, right down to the nervous fumbling with an upside-down ring box and of course I said yes immediately!”

A few discussions in, Dan concluded that he didn’t care where they married, as long as they were together. Which Amy thought was sweet. He reckoned that he’d ‘marry her in a McDonalds car park as long as they were together.’ Which was really sweet… but also concerning, and Amy realised that she perhaps ought to take the lead on the wedding planning. Dan’s only stipulation was family, friends and a really warm, happy celebration of their love.

WEDDING SUPPLIERS

Dan’s proposal took place in 2017 and the wedding planning was frustrated by Covid. The couple began planning an outdoor festival-style event, but had to rearrange because of the pandemic. Their third wedding planning attempt was also frustrated by a lack of available dates, but the best things come to those who wait and finally, on their fourth attempt to set a date and venue, the couple were successful.

“We’d always wanted to marry at Tattershall Castle, with its history and architecture,” says Amy. “We were seeking a new reception venue and came across Stourton Estates. It was love at first sight, with space to accommodate a festival-style event with lots of greenery and the option to put bell tents on the site for a glamping feel.”

Wedding Ceremony: Tattershall Castle, www.nationaltrust.org.uk.

Wedding Reception: Stourton Estates, Horncastle,www.stourtonestates.co.uk.

Bell Tents: Stars Under Canvas, 07432 886919,www.starsundercanvas.co.uk,

Wedding Dress: Essence by Australia.

Gents’ Tailoring: Moss Bros, Lincoln, 01522 542651, www.moss.co.uk.

Wedding Transport: Classic and Vintage Vehicle Hire t/a Blackmore Commercials, 0115 958 6696,londonbushireuk.co.uk.

Floristry: Julie Gray, Julip Freelance Floristry, 07761 485728.

Wedding Cake: Wendy’s Homemade Food at Wollaston, via Facebook.

Wedding Hair: Blossoms Hair Studio, Horncastle 01507 523223.

Makeup Artist: Sophisticated Makeup Artistry, Horncastle, 07972 029522.

Wedding Planner: Julie Pounds, 07879 660945, www.weddingsbyjulie.co.uk.

Disco: Brown Sugar via Alive Network.

Catering: Greek Shack 07495 345297.

Bar/Cocktails: Ferry Ales Brewery, 0800 999 3226, www.ferryalesbrewery.co.uk.

Garden Games: Emma Lane Designs, www.emmalanedesigns.co.uk. n

“Julie Pounds is a freelance coordinator but was familiar with Stourton. Anyone that thinks they can manage without help from someone like Julie needs to reconsider because she was absolutely amazing!”

There were a couple of happy but unexpected occurrences along the couple’s wedding planning journey, hardly surprising given that Amy and Dan were onto the fourth iteration of their day. Amy fell pregnant with their first child Fred at the start of their wedding planning, which meant he was able to serve as ring-bearer on the day, carrying the all-important rings in a dinosaur box, which is perfectly acceptable when you’re four years old, we reckon.

The couple’s eventual wedding date in June 2022 also coincided with the late Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee, which meant a busy weekend at Tattershall Castle, but also a real sense of celebration over a long, happy and warm bank holiday weekend.

Amy sourced her Essence of Australia wedding dress from a Lincoln-based retailer and had it adjusted by Ina’s Sewing Studio on

Monk’s Road. The bridal party’s hair was styled by Blossom Hair Studio of Horncastle and the gents’ tailoring was from Moss Bros of Lincoln.

“We were really lucky with our suppliers, they were amazing,” says Amy. “Julip Freelance Floristry created some beautiful arrangements which included hydrangeas and a particular colour of rose to reference both of our grandmothers.”

“My mum-in-law runs Wendy’s Homemade Food at Wollaston and created the most amazing cake with a Biscoff tier, a Dime Bar tier and her famous lemon drizzle cake on the third tier, it really was incredible!”

The couple transported their guests to the wedding by means of a traditional double-decker London bus, and enjoyed an al fresco celebration with overnight accommodation in bell tents from supplier Stars Under Canvas, who stepped in when another supplier let the couple down at the last minute, despite the weekend of Amy and Dan’s wedding also being the weekend of their own honeymoon.

There were garden games from Emma Lane Designs (too much giant Space Hopper action than one should expect from a bunch of grownups, apparently) plus Mediterranean cuisine courtesy of Grimsby’s Greek Shack

and both real ale and cocktails courtesy of Ferry Ales Brewery.

Quite in addition to their party band, Brown Sugar, sourced from Alive Network, the couple chose the song Fifteen by The Ha’pennies as their first dance track. The lead singer is an old friend of Dans from their university days and he also sang and recorded a separate song for just Amy which was played as past of the speeches! You’ll find the group on Spotify!

“We were so lucky with our photographer too,” says Amy. “We clicked with Christian immediately, and had great fun, many of the guests said they didn’t realise he was a photographer, and thought he was a good friend, but his photos are so amazing they speak for themselves!”

“It was a really amazing day, great fun with a lovely atmosphere, and we’re so glad that everyone was there to celebrate with us!” n

Wedding Photographer: Christian Thompson Photographer, 07989 796875, www.christianthompson.co.uk.

“The couple enjoyed their own exclusive song, written for Amy and performed by Dan’s university friend during the speeches...”

To advertise here call our friendly team on 01529 469977.