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BEAUTIFUL DECORATING GARDEN ANTIQUES RENOVATION & OLD HOMES & SHOPPING INSPIRATION & VINTAGE MAINTENANCE BRITAIN’S BEST-SELLING PERIOD HOMES MAGAZINE

del hts Beautiful living and dining inspiration for a summer of entertaining outdoors

DISCOVER FRONT DOOR DESIGNS FROM EVERY ERA

Simply vintage

Homes full of original features and period charm, decorated with unique style

JULY 2021

Romantic

potted displays Create a country cottage garden in containers

FROM PLOT TO PLATE

Grow the most productive and pretty crops

CLASSIC UPDATES FOR YOUR GARDEN

Editor’s Letter

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magine if your home was decorated and furnished in the style that it was originally built. Not new and pristine, but truly authentic, revealing the patina of years gone by. While we might cherish the character of period properties, there are few of us that want to live in a museum of the past. However, that’s exactly the environment two of our featured homeowners, Damon Wilkinson and Todd Law, have lovingly cultivated (from page 86). Their Art Deco home in Fife is a fascinating tribute to the 1930s – not necessarily to the iconic, glamorous designs for which the era is best remembered, but to everyday domestic life. Over the last few years, the couple have restored, decorated and furnished the property as authentically as possible, with even their appliances and household wares true to the era. While this level of devotion to ‘period living’ isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, you can’t help but be in awe of their dedication.

For most of us, the challenge when updating a period home lies more in finding the perfect balance of old and new; respecting and preserving the building’s unique history, while making our own mark and reflecting the way we live today. Of course, everyone has their own version of what that means – from decorating with new heritage-inspired fabrics and wallpapers complemented with vintage and antique pieces, through to a minimalist extension with floor-to-ceiling glazing, showing the contrast between the different eras. I do believe, however, that while there is more than one way to honour a period home’s individuality, we must always safeguard it for the benefit of future owners – which means restoring rather than replacing original features; highlighting the marks of time rather than stripping them back; working with quirks rather than eradicating them. And that’s what this magazine is all about – a joyous celebration of period homes and all their intricacies. How to decorate, furnish, restore, live in, and love them.

Whether you are a long-term PL supporter or first-time reader, I hope you enjoy the issue. If you don’t want to miss out in future, then subscribe and you’ll receive a free Emma Bridgewater mug set worth £39.95 (page 40) – what better way to round off a good read?

Melanie Griffiths Editor, Period Living

Period Living 3

Decorating & shopping

Homes

Features

13 Journal 29 the countryEscape to 70 Made in Britain We round up the latest interiors We visit the workshop of pole offerings, news and exhibitions On leaving London, Hayley and lathe turner Mike Ashton, where Alex Cobbett found a sanctuary he carefully crafts wooden 20 Make the mostAlfresco dining in their village home utensils and furniture of sunny days by 77 Antiques journal hosting a fabulous outdoor feast 42 Finding a treasure This gem of a historic house has Discover the latest antiques 27 Garden lounging buys been lovingly restored and filled trends and hear collectors’ stories Prepare for an afternoon relaxing with personality 80 Treasured chests in the sunshine with these pretty 52 Island life garden accessories Marc Allum looks at the history Ebbe von Rosen’s romantic, and appeal of chests of drawers decorative home – built by her parents – holds a special place 143 Seaside towns to visit in her heart Pack your suitcase and set off to explore these beach holiday 62 European tour destinations of the past Charlotte and Stéphane Salas’ 149 Recipes London townhouse has been reimagined as a family home Celebrate the abundance of the sea with Cornish chef Emily 86 Living the life Scott’s coastal-inspired dishes Authenticity is the key to this restored Art Deco house in Fife 13 42 ON THE COVER

ON THE COVER

Cover

Photograph Kasia Fiszer Styling Pippa Blenkinsop and Karen Darlow

128 119 Advice & inspiration

Gardens

Regulars

95 House 111 Create a sanctuary journal Garden updates 11 Your journal New products and expert advice for relaxing We share our readers’ letters for improving a period home and entertaining with these and photographs beautiful garden additions 101 Health check Subscription offer 119 Garden journal Expert Roger Hunt advises on Receive a free set of floral Emma 40 maintaining metalwork The latest garden products Bridgewater mugs, worth £39.95, and horticultural advice when you subscribe to PL 104 ConservationDesign details Container expert Lee Bilson 122 cottage garden ideas explores the evolution of doors Isabelle Palmer reveals how 108 Project journal to create a container display Be inspired by this stunning with old-fashioned favourites home renovation 128 Hidden joy Nyla Abraham and Paul Sadler ON THE COVER

ON THE COVER

ON THE COVER

have created a relaxing oasis near the heart of Bath

137 Grow what youA cook’ s garden love in a kitchen ON THE COVER

garden and enjoy the freshest tastes in a most rewarding way

101 8 Period Living

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Readers’ letters, projects and views on the magazine

RE

STAR ET T

SEW HOMELY

Your lockdown house portrait challenge last summer motivated me to finish a project that I started in the 1990s. Back then, I decided to embroider pictures of the two houses we had owned by that time, and while I finished the first, the second spent twenty years unfinished. Your challenge inspired me and I fished them out of the drawer and completed the second house. I decided to mount them on maps and to mark the location of each house. They are now hanging in our hallway and my husband is asking when our current gorgeous Edwardian house will be done. Thank you for inspiring me! Jan Tregidgo

FROM THE PAST

I wanted to write to endorse Mary Vincent’s letter in the April issue. I would love to see more of the stories of the ‘ordinary’ people who used to live in readers’ homes and learn about their normal lives. My most exciting auction find was a photograph of my house showing a little girl in a white pinafore dress standing right outside my door, with ‘31.12.14. to live’ written on the reverse. I’m sure I’m not the only person who wonders about those who lived out their lives in the same rooms as we are living out ours, all of us living through momentous moments in history, just different ones at different times. I love the magazine – it’s a real treat every month. Kate Atkinson

MASTER OF DISGUISE

I wanted to share what I’ve been up to during lockdown. I have been busy painting a trompe l’oeil shelf on a board fitted over my electric meter, so that they match all the other shelves in my cottage. I am 86 and a regular reader of Period Living – I love it!

Lorna Quick Get in touch: periodliving@futurenet.com

PAPER CRAFT

This month’s winner receives a pair of Woodland Walks limestone coasters and matching teatowel, worth £33 from AM Pellegrini

I just had to write and tell you how excited I am by your beautiful Period Living magazine. The pages are so lovely and colourful and it’s full of inspiration, from the front cover onwards. Not only have I read the latest issue front to back, but I am so excited to be able to use some of your pages in my vintage scrapbook and junk journal. I especially love the Victorian writing. I’ve been busy journaling at the weekends, and this weekend just got a whole lot better, so a massive big thank you. I can’t wait for the next one now. Kim Pearson @periodlivingmagazine

@PeriodLivingMag

@period_living Period Living 11

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Discover new paints and papers from heritage British brands and exciting design collaborations

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With the aim to make choosing paint a more pleasurable experience, Little Greene has refreshed its Colours of England and Colour Scales paint cards, adding 14 new shades. Showcasing 196 colours, the cards span over 300 years of interior design, including many authentic colours from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, alongside a palette of contemporary shades. Perfect for bringing summer warmth, this Indian Yellow, £48.50 for 2.5ltrs of Absolute Matt emulsion, is named after the traditional oil pigment used by fine artists.

SOUK STYLE Introducing Moroccan Bazaar, purveyor of exquisite furniture, lighting and accessories handcrafted in Morocco using traditional techniques. Discover a dazzling array of pieces, from intricately carved wooden tables to Kasbah pierced brass pendant lights, and mirror frames inlaid with mother of pearl. Established in 2006, the brand has recently revamped its entire offering, introducing numerous new designs.

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gingham fanatic and cushion obsessive, Lisa Mehydene, founder of online homeware brand Edit58, has collaborated with renowned design studio Salvesen Graham on a new range of checked cushions. Showcasing the new Salvesen Graham Great Check fabric, the cushions, from £75 for a mini, are available in Moss, Mustard, Midnight and Raspberry colourways, and are edged with an on-trend ruffle trim in a contrasting shade. Try pairing them with the Selves Graham Great Check chair, from £2,778.

BRANCHING OUT

Fusing inspiration from the natural world and across design history, surface pattern designer Neisha Crosland has teamed up with design house Schumacher to launch Espalier, a diverse and imaginative new collection of fabrics, wallcoverings and trimmings. Elegant yet edgy, many of the designs stem from the sculptural forms of espaliered trees, including Tumble Weed Epingle (on chair, left, in Buttercup) and Arcure Epingle (right, in Zebra Black), both £250 per m. Other key designs reference an array of elements from design history, including Queen Fruit, which draws on 16th-century needlework, and Kyoto Trellis, which takes its lead from luxurious kimonos.

ONE TO VISIT This July, Tate Britain will open the largest and most comprehensive retrospective of the work of Paula Rego.

A Portugese-born artist (b.1935) particularly known for her imaginative paintings, Rego is celebrated for redefining figurative art and the way in which women are represented.

Featuring over 100 works from paintings to etchings, the exhibition will tell the story of Rego’s life, highlighting the personal nature of much of her work and the socio-political context in which it is rooted.

7 July – 24 October, entry £18.

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PARTNERS IN PRINT

Founded on a shared passion for colour and pattern, Humphries & Begg is a joyful fabric, home, and fashion brand set up by husband-and-wife duo Robbie Humphries and Alice Begg. Having met in London, it was after travelling to India together in 2010, discovering bags full of fabrics, that they were inspired to launch their business. A happy fusion of bold hues and playful, abstract pattern, the couple’s designs are screen printed onto natural fabrics by a small team in Jaipur, India before being made up into cushions, clothing and table linen.

‘The method means there are minor imperfections, giving the fabrics a unique, handcrafted feel,’ says Alice.

The vibrant designs are also available across handwoven cotton dhurrie rugs and painted onto lampshades.

Shop online or head to Stroud to visit the vibrant store. (humphriesandbegg.co.uk)

From top: Handpainted Top & Tail lampshade made in collaboration with Claire Cartwright Studio, from £185; armchair in Colour Dreamer linen, £35 per m, with small piped aquamarine Cabaret Stripe linen cushion, from £50; large Wild Stripe and Yellow Honeycomb cotton cushion, from £58

TIME FOR TEA Heritage pottery brand Spode has launched a new collection perfectly timed for those afternoon tea parties in the garden.

Featuring an exuberant design of florals, exotic insects, snakes, butterflies and animal prints, Creatures of Curiosity will bring luxury and whimsy to the summer table. An elegant teapot takes centre stage, alongside teacups, tea plates, a sugar bowl and milk jug, from £27.50.

If you love the prints, then don’t miss the matching range of candles, cushions, coasters and glassware.

Large Eva sofa in Harry Flax Blue linen, £3,350, with walls in Burnt Sienna, 38 for 2.5ltrs of emulsion TREND WATCH In need of colour inspiration? Neptune has unveiled Burnt Sienna and Flax Blue as its colours of the season for summer.

Talking about the hot/cool pairing, George Miller, home designer at Neptune, explains: ‘The beauty of Flax Blue is that it can be used everywhere in the home, from kitchen cabinets or a fresh lick on the bedroom walls, to upholstery and accessories – it’s a light and easy addition. Burnt Sienna, on the other hand, offers earthy hues of orange; a statement shade evocative of hot, sunblushed terracotta tiles that can be paired nicely with Ink or Salt, and is the perfect contrast to cool Flax Blue.’

Period Living 15

EYE ON DESIGN

Rebecca Craig, head of design at Sanderson, discusses the enduring appeal of the brand’s floral designs as it launches its One Sixty collection Tell us about the Sanderson One Sixty collection

Above: Stapleton Park wallpaper in Sage/Honey, £89 per roll; (on sofa) Very Rose & Peony velvet in Wild Plum, £129 per m Below: Very Rose & Peony wallpaper in Kingfisher/Rowan Berry, £109 per roll Right, from top: Hollyhocks wallpaper in Gold Metallic/Tan and Hollyhocks wallpaper in Copper/Rhodera, both £109 per roll

It’s 160 years since Arthur Sanderson began selling a unique style of wallpaper from his showroom in London’s Soho Square. In the decades that followed, Sanderson rose to become one of the most influential names in interior design. Our latest collection, Sanderson One Sixty, is a celebration of iconic design; a compilation of favourite wallpapers and fabrics. Famous florals and countryside-inspired motifs have been reimagined into a distinctive colour palette that sees statement brights alongside a range of classic colourways. Premium surfaceprinted wallpapers, plush velvets, smart cottons and unbleached linens retain Sanderson’s craftsmanship, with many iconic designs, such as Rose & Peony, Hollyhocks and Amanpuri, translated into wallpaper for the first time.

What’s the enduring appeal of Sanderson florals?

Florals are a signature look for Sanderson. Many of our designs have a nostalgic air, remembered from childhood days and family homes. Capturing the wonder of nature, they continue to bring beauty into people’s lives, with new versions of classic designs combining modern country living with a timeless and undeniably British feel. One of our most recognisable designs is Rose & Peony, which was launched as a wallpaper in 1914, before being released as a printed fabric in 1930. By the 1960s it had been produced in 28 colourways and it remains one of our most loved designs. Hollyhocks is another classic Sanderson design; taken from a 1937 archive document, it has been beautifully refreshed in an array of new wallpaper and fabric colourways.

What inspired the new colourways?

A number of things came together that led to the new colourations. Recently we’ve seen a real shift from greys and minimal uses of colour to the desire for dark grounds and multicoloured pattern – the perfect tonic for lifting the spirits and creating a more individual style. The One Sixty launch is all about celebrating our most-loved patterns and colourways, but we also wanted to appeal to a wider audience by showcasing how the designs could be transformed to work in contemporary settings. Sanderson designer Jessica Clayworth and I worked closely on the collection, with Jess’ free and brave approach to colouring helping to create incredible combinations.

16 Period Living

Savour SUMMER

Make the most of long sunny days by hosting a fabulous outdoor feast. A magically styled table in a quiet corner of the garden will wow friends and family – from folksy and floral to Scandi cool, there are endless looks to create Feature Pippa Blenkinsop

DRESS TO IMPRESS Above: Dazzle dinner guests with an alfresco supper styled with a classic English country garden theme. Set the tone with pretty candy stripe table linen, such as Susie Watson Designs’ Rose Ivory stripe tablecloth, £46, and matching napkins, £22 for four, layered up with her classic handpainted dinner service, from £24 for a side plate, and glassware, from £9.50. Adding in pretty handpainted candles, £3.75 each, will create a magical atmosphere after dark; you could even hang a metal candelabra, £78, for extra romance.

LAZY LUNCHES Right: Create an idyllic spot for a summer lunch by pitching a table and chairs alongside the potager, laid with faded pink linen. With their simple, relaxed silhouette, Rowen & Wren’s metal Sudbury garden armchairs, £390 each, will look the part year after year and can be fitted with its Sudbury cushions, £60 each. Its linen mattresses, from £98, available in a range of soft shades, are perfect for garden lounging or rolling up and taking on picnics. Don’t forget the Lidney Sussex trug, £88, for collecting those summer salad ingredients.

20 Period Living

Alfresco Dining

Alfresco Dining

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SIMPLY SUMMER Left: Channel a timeless and simple scheme with a Scandi feel by teaming crisp white linen and tableware with accessories in natural materials, not forgetting plenty of tealights and string lights to create that relaxed atmosphere. Try The White Company’s Portobello dinnerware, from £12 for a side plate, jute woven placemats, £12 for a pair, and tealight holders, from £6.

INTO THE WILD Above: With many of us enjoying staycations this year, why not bring a holiday feeling to your garden by opting for a safaristyle dining scheme? Team wooden directors’ chairs – for similar try Habitat – and the Palm rattan chair, £235 from Design Vintage, with tribal, geometric textiles, animal prints and rustic ceramics. Give the table an exotic centrepiece with jars of dried native grasses from Atlas Flowers.

Period Living 23

24 Period Living

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THE GOOD LIFE Above: Take inspiration from the bountiful kitchen garden and create a colour-filled lunch setting by layering textiles with harvest time-inspired prints in earthy reds and ochres, all set against rustic surfaces. For similar tablecloths, try a kantha sari quilt from Rebecca’s Aix Home and block-printed designs from Scarabee Prints. To create a similar bench cushion (right of shot), use Nasturtiums linen, £65 per m from Winter’s Moon, and to make similar cushions, try using floral fabrics from Liberty.

HAPPY CAMPING Right: Create a folksy outdoor dining area with a vintage village fête feel by moving the kitchen table into a secret corner, mixing up seating styles, and adding in bright linens in a joyful mix of florals and stripes. For a similar yellow chair, try Loaf and for a similar metal chair, try a vintage design from Raj Tent Club and then finish with an awning in The Stripes Company’s Shot Put yellow stripe canvas.

Alfresco Dining

25 warm white Falmouth solar festoon lights, £49.99, Lights4fun Helena round bamboo parasol, £399, East London Parasol Company

Cherries Dorothy basket, £40, Cath Kidston

Shopping Pretty Pink metal garden bench, £195, Rockett St George

Row of Soldiers napkins, £10 each, Humphries & Begg

Darjeeling cushion made from recycled plastic, £45, Weaver Green

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Round BBQ bucket in Steel, £45, Garden Trading Honey striped cotton mattress, from £42 for a small, Heavenly Homes & Gardens

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After you’ve enjoyed lunching alfresco, prepare for a long afternoon lounging in the garden with these pretty and practical pieces, from relaxing seating to stylish parasols

Fleur de Lys pitcher in Amber, £39, The Grey Works

Peach hammock, £79, Cielshop Interiors

Echinacea Purpurea deckchair, £150, We Love Cushions

Chai tea glass set, £39.95, Mint & May Flores raffia pouffe, £230, Bazar Bizar

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Abby iron lantern in antique gold, £44.99, Dobbies

Pikiniki picnic blanket, £65, Oliver Bonas

Poppies & Cosmos bamboo melamine beaker, £6, and bowl, £10, Emma Bridgewater

Period Living 27

ESCAPE TO THE COUNTRY

Moving away from central London suddenly became a lot easier for Hayley and Alex Cobbett when they found a village so quiet that they can always hear the birds sing

Words and assistant styling Karen Darlow | Styling Pippa Blenkinsop | Photographs Kasia Fiszer

Previous page and below: Hayley and Alex’s lockdown project was to upcycle a secondhand summerhouse, making garden furniture from wooden pallets with upholstered seat cushions Left: Hayley, Alex and Buddy in the front garden Bottom: The Dorset thatched cottage won the coveted title of Home of the Year 2020 in Period Livings awards. The right-hand gable was a 1980s addition, while the single-storey extension put Hayley and Alex’s mark on the house

Thatched Cottage Renovation

illage life suits Hayley and Alex perfectly. It’s not surprising, though, as their pretty thatched cottage is in an idyllic Dorset hamlet, surrounded by fields and woodland and not far from the sea. They haven’t always been country converts, however. Hayley and Alex moved here from central London, and before that Alex had lived in Glasgow. Taking the decision to move to the country became much easier when the couple found their ideal country home.

Hayley was happy to let Alex take the lead in their house search. ‘He grew up in Dorset, and his family are all nearby, so he knows the area well,’ she says. However, it was Hayley who first spotted the thatched cottage as she trawled estate agents’ websites looking for a project. ‘I can’t say I fell in love with it, but I could see its potential, and I trusted Alex on the location,’ she recalls.

With forest walks from the doorstep and beaches a short drive away, the location is perfect. The cottage is set back from a country road where rush hour means two tractors instead of one. It’s so quiet that you can hear the birds singing in the copse at the back of the house. Yet the couple’s first viewing did little to change Hayley’s feelings about the cottage’s interior. ‘It was dark and gloomy, with heavy furniture and thick carpets,’ she says. ‘It needed lightening up.’ Luckily, Hayley has an artistic eye and a good imagination and knew just what was needed to bring the house back to life.

‘In the first few years, I wanted everything changed,’ says Hayley. ‘I’d always had high ceilings and my main goal was to bring light in.’ Another issue that Hayley and Alex were keen to tackle was the cottage’s disjointed layout. Although the central section of the cottage dates from the 17th century, it has been added to in almost every century since, with the living room gable added in the 1980s. The result was a patchwork of rooms, with no overall sense of harmony. First, however, there was some serious maintenance work to do outside.

The back garden is higher than the cottage and a retaining wall had been built too close to the house, spoiling garden views and blocking its light. To alleviate damp problems and bring in more light, the couple had mountains of soil excavated at the back of the cottage and rebuilt the wall further from the house in local Purbeck stone. At the same time,

the garden was landscaped and terraced with steps down to the back door. Next, all the front windows were replaced. ‘They were leaky, old, and not doing their job,’ says Hayley. The wooden replacements have made the home much more energy efficient.

With the muddy outside jobs finished, Hayley began to update the interiors. Carpets were ripped up, and heavy fitted cupboards were removed from the main living room. Dark faux beams had been added to the room in the 1980s in an attempt to match the rest of the house. ‘But they only made the room even darker,’ says Hayley, who painted every beam, including the mantel. She also limewashed the original beams in the cosy sitting room, in the oldest part of the house.

The cottage was starting to look brighter and cared for, but there was still something that didn’t quite work, as Hayley explains. ‘The kitchen was one of the Victorian additions to the house and although it was quite cosy it was too small,’ she says. ‘I wanted something that would do justice to the rest of the house.’ The result was an oakframe, part-glazed extension to the kitchen, creating a bright and contemporary kitchen-diner with the high ceilings and clean lines that Hayley craved. The couple also altered the little room at the front of the house, opening it up to the kitchen and turning it from an unused dining room into a cosy sitting room. ‘The extension has made a huge difference and the whole house feels far more liveable, open and light,’ says Hayley.

It’s not just the extension that has given the old cottage a new lease of life. Hayley has worked through the house, decorating and transforming each room with her own take on classic country style and her beautiful handmade curtains and cushions. The finished look is inspiring - elegant, characterful and homely all at the same time.

When Hayley entered Period Living’s awards last year, she never expected that the once gloomy cottage would be the judges’ unanimous choice for overall winner and Home of the Year. It goes to show that with imagination, determination and a lot of hard work, houses can become something very special indeed.

THE STORY

Owners Hayley and Alex Cobbett live here with their cocker spaniel Buddy. Hayley runs her own upholstery and furnishing business (whitewellupholstery.co.uk). Alex is a pilot and has two grown-up children, Cameron and Abigail Property A 17th-century thatched cottage in a Conservation Area near Wareham, Dorset. There are five bedrooms, and three reception rooms What they did Hayley and Alex recently reconfigured the downstairs space, building a conservatory-style extension at the back to enlarge the kitchen and include a dining space.

Hayley has decorated the whole house, making all the curtains and soft furnishings herself Period Living 31

Above: Hayley says she wanted a kitchen more in keeping with the size of the house, and the new oak-frame extension was the perfect solution. The Charnwood wood-burner was specially powder painted in sage green to tie in with the kitchen-diner. The table was made by a local carpenter and the bench storage seat was made by Mark Davis Kitchens in Bournemouth. A gallery wall of country scenes creates a talking point round the table. Hayley says paintings bring a room to life Above right: Tucked into an alcove in the working part of the kitchen, is a range cooker by Leisure Right: The kitchen cabinets are solid oak, so rather than ripping them out, Hayley brightened them up with Sanderson’s Beige Shadow paint. The sink and worktops were also reused, but a new dresser unit was added to provide additional storage space for glasses and crockery 32 Period Living

Thatched Cottage Renovation

Period Living 33

Above: The main living room is in the 1980s extension to the cottage.

Hayley painted the ceiling beams to brighten the room. The sofa was from Sofa Workshop; Hayley changed the feet and reupholstered it in an Abraham Moon fabric. It’s topped with cushions from Susie Watson Designs. The green chest of drawers in the corner of the room came from Dorchester Curiousity Centre. Hayley updated an old dark oak coffee table with a coat of paint Left: The beams in the sitting room are originals, limewashed by Hayley.

She also reupholstered the pretty chair by the fireplace and made curtains for every room. The round table belonged to Alex’s mother and originally came from Sri Lanka Opposite: Behind the sofa in the main living room is a section of the cottage’s original cob wall.

This was the outside wall of the cottage before it was extended in the 1980s. The unusual lamp was crafted from a moulded piece of wood that Hayley found in an antiques shop and decided to turn into a lamp base

Period Living 35

Above: The front door opens straight into this cosy sitting room, which has now been opened up to the kitchen. Hayley reupholstered the drop-arm sofa, which is an old family piece. The throw and cushions are from Susie Watson Designs Right: The cabin bed was fitted by the cottages previous owners and was dark wood. Hayley freshened it up with a coat of paint and some new curtains Opposite: Theres ample space in the attic to store Hayley’s upholstery fabrics, spare clothes, and for a guest room under the eaves. Thanks to the good head height and tall, arched window there is plenty of light up here, too. The cushions are from Susie Watson Designs

36 Period Living

Above: Soft shades of green and off-white set a restful tone in the main bedroom. The bed is from Loaf, with a floral bedspread and cushions from Susie Watson Designs. The armoire is an old Laura Ashley piece. Next to the bed is one of Hayley’s favourite antiques shop finds, a small green filing chest that inspired the colour scheme for the room. The flooring is sisal Above right: In the window is another of Hayley’s completed upholstery projects – the low button-back chair is the perfect piece for a bedroom Right: Hayley and Alex’s en suite continues the soft green colour scheme.

The tiles are from Topps Tiles, and Little Greene’s Rolling Fog Dark is a similar shade to that used for the vanity cabinet 38 Period Living

Thatched Cottage Renovation

Subscribefor£48 andgetan

Emma Bridgewater mugset

ABOUT YOUR GIFT This delightful Emma Bridgewater Flowers mug set features two half-pint mugs decorated with painterly dahlias and tulips in a rich, vibrant palette.

The mugs are presented in a beautifully illustrated gift box.

40 Period Living

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Terms and conditions: Offer closes 30 June 2021. Offer open to new subscribers only. Direct Debit offer is available to UK subscribers only. *£48 payable by annual Direct Debit. Please allow up to six weeks for delivery of your first subscription issue (up to eight weeks overseas). Payment is non-refundable after the 14-day cancellation period unless exceptional circumstances apply. Your gift will be delivered separately within 60 days after your first payment has cleared and is only available to subscribers on the UK mainland. We have gifts available for the first 900 subscribers. In the unlikely event that we run out of this gift, we promise to offer you an alternative gift of the same or greater value. Please note that we reserve the right to withdraw a promotion at any time. For full terms and conditions, visit www.magazinesdirect.com/terms.

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FINDING A TREASURE Vintage fabrics expert Angela Wardale discovered a gem of a historic home and set about restoring it just as carefully as she repairs her antique textiles Words Heather Dixon | Photographs Dave Burton

Georgian Manor House

Previous page, above and left: Norton Manor is set in a half-acre walled garden within walking distance of town. ‘It’s set back behind the wall so very few people know that it’s here,’ says Angela, pictured below

44 Period Living

Georgian Manor House

ngela Wardale loves decorative antiques, beautiful old textiles, classic style and original features, so when she saw her elegant Grade II-listed Georgian manor house, set in a private walled garden, it was love at first sight.

Seeing beyond the painted yellow walls and sparse kitchen, Angela visualised the property’s true potential as a beautiful five-bedroom family home, its lovely old features intact and furnished in uncomplicated period style.

‘We were living in a townhouse in the middle of York when my late husband became ill and couldn’t climb the stairs, so in 2005 we decided to move,’ says Angela. ‘This house was just what we were looking for. It was beautifully presented.

The previous owners had repaired or replaced the roof so the biggest job was already done.’

Soon after moving in, Angela had the ‘leaky, smoky’ chimneys realigned and a new bathroom fitted. What was left of the original kitchen was taken out – apart from a kitchen sink unit – and replaced with a combination of fitted and freestanding country-style furniture. An old aluminium lean-to was taken down and replaced with an oak-frame sunroom, and they also had a number of garages knocked down at the back of the house to create better access.

‘You wouldn’t believe the amount of stuff that was taken away,’ says Angela. ‘It made a huge difference to the back – really opened it up. Then we landscaped the garden by repositioning a pond and levelling it all. We even found an old well!’

Inside, the house had a wealth of original features, including tiles in the spacious entrance hall, original windows, wooden floors and stunning oak beams in the attic space.

It was the perfect backdrop for Angela’s ever evolving collection of elegant furniture and textiles, which have spilled into her home from her former shop in Malton and from her new stand at Station Mill Antiques in Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire.

‘It’s not unusual for things to find their way from the stand into the house,’ says Angela. ‘Some of the antique furniture in the house was inherited, some came from shops and fairs discovered on my

travels around the country. If I find something I really like I tend to buy it there and then, because I know there is rarely a second chance. You can guarantee that if you hesitate and go back later, it will have gone. I go all over the place looking for things. I’m drawn to anything that is different.’

Angela’s fascination for antiques developed in her childhood when her parents furnished their own home with beautiful old furniture.

‘It was cheaper than buying new and always came with its own history and story,’ says Angela.

‘My mother had a massive influence on me – she particularly loved beautiful quilts and textiles and that’s something that’s rubbed off on me. I love anything tactile and colourful. At school we did needlework and I was always making my own clothes, or turning damaged quilts into cushions.’

Angela’s passion for sewing developed into a business when, 30 years ago, she started selling her cushions and quilts at country fairs. Before long she was hooked.

‘It was quite scary at first. I was buying without really knowing what I was looking for, but now I can spot things from a mile away. One of her most successful purchases – and subsequent sales – was a pair of quilts she found under a dust sheet and bought for just £10.

‘They were a bit marked and clearly very old,’ she says. ‘When I got them home I discovered a date on them. They were made in 1798. I eventually took them to an antiques fair and they were a magnet for collectors. I ended up selling them for hundreds of pounds.’

Angela always has piles of fabrics around the house, most of which she can’t bear to part with.

‘I think it’s an addiction,’ she says. ‘It doesn’t have to be anything very expensive – I just love the look and textures.’ Her shop is an extension of her home, full of chairs and headboards she upholsters, antique garden furniture, mirrors, lights, chandeliers, linens, quilts and vintage fabrics.

But Angela is now planning to gather everything up and transfer the beautiful furniture and soft furnishings to another property.

‘This is a beautiful house but it’s time for me to move to somewhere smaller and closer to my family,’ says Angela. ‘I’m really sad to go. It’s been a wonderful home, but things change and I really hope I can sell the house to a family who will love it just as much as I have done.’

THE STORY

Owner Angela Wardale has a furniture and textiles stand at Station Mill Antiques in Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, which she runs from Yorkshire Property Grade II-listed, five-bedroom Georgian manor house near Malton, North Yorkshire, standing in a half-acre walled garden What she did Fitted a new kitchen and bathrooms, added an oak-frame sunroom, had chimneys repaired and improved the access to the property.

Angela has redecorated the whole house Period Living 45

Georgian Manor House Opposite: The spacious hall, with its original floor tiles, creates a grand entrance to the Georgian house and takes the eye to the sweeping staircase. The mahogany table was inherited and the wing-back chair was a bargain find from Newark Antiques Fair Left: The fireplace with its carved surround is listed and sets the scene for the rest of the house.

With its original panelled cupboards and floor tiles, the elegant entrance hall is one of the real triumphs of this Georgian home Below: Angela likes the classic proportions of the sitting room, with its original fireplace and arched alcoves. The smaller sofa was inherited, and the other one bought from a dealer; they are covered with cushions Angela made herself.

She had the footstool made using antique legs, and covered it with antique fabric. The French cane-work chairs came from Newark Antiques Fair and the mirror is one of a pair made to accommodate the decorative carving on the top

Above: Angela employed a man who could ‘turn his hand to anything’ to fit the kitchen units, sourced online, which she painted in Railings,

by Farrow & Ball. The Aga was secondhand from a listed house in York, and the lovely old light fitting belonged to Angela’s great-grandmother Right: Angela’s crockery is displayed on shelves made specifically to match the base of the dresser Above right: Angela’s dining room furniture is a combination of family pieces, and items bought from antiques fairs and shops found on her travels around the UK. ‘The table is a Georgian oak drop-leaf table that belonged to my parents,’ says Angela. The chairs are country chairs, bought many years ago from a shop in Chipping Norton 48 Period Living

Georgian Manor House

Above left: The freestanding bath makes best use of the space in the family bathroom. The bath is from Watermark Plumbing Supplies and Angela added a cupboard which was a car-boot find Above right: The attic was once a self-contained flat but is now a guest bedroom and workroom. The bed had to be taken apart to get it into place between the rafters.

Angela’s workroom is where all her beautiful textiles are stored, many of which are made into soft furnishings for her home or sold through her stand at Station Mill Antiques Left: This bed, from Beevers in Whitby, features a magnificent tapestry bedhead, while the wardrobe came from David Duggelby Auctioneers. ‘I try not to overcrowd the rooms with furniture,’ says Angela. ‘I like the character of the house to speak for itself’

50 Period Living

Ebba’s waterfront home was built by her parents in 1897, on an island in the Stockholm archipelago. The house is still painted in its traditional colours; Coloured Earth Pigments sells similar natural colours 52 Period Living

Swedish Summer Home

ISLANDLIFE

Life on the island of Sandhamn has changed little over the years. Ebba von Rosen’s home looks just as it did when her parents built it, over a hundred years ago Words Sue Gutsell | Photographs Anne Nyblaeus / A Design Features

Period Living 53

ranquil, unspoilt, and as close to the natural coastal world as you can get, Sandhamn is one of the furthest islands in the Stockholm archipelago and is a famous Swedish sailing port. Continue across the sea from Sandhamn and you leave the archipelago, with Finland the next main port of call.

The clue is in the name: ‘sandhamn’ means harbour of sand. The small village on this understated, picturesque island has a grocery store, restaurant and a popular hotel, and there are just 150 residents. Many of them choose to enjoy the island’s tranquillity all year round. They are hardy, seafaring people who fend for themselves on this island that has practically no facilities in winter.

Until recently, Ebba von Rosen spent the whole year here. She was born here and is now in her seventies, and loves these stunning surroundings.

She is a natural sailor, coming and going by boat like all the island’s inhabitants. These days, however, when winter approaches, she returns to the mainland. Life is becoming too difficult for her during the colder, darker months, with no cars allowed here to help her get around.

Come summer, Ebba is back on the island to enjoy a ringside seat for the Gotland Yacht Race in July. The views from her home are second to none.

Setting off from Stockholm, the yachts race through the archipelago’s narrow straits and countless skerries, before reaching the Baltic Sea, and a spectacular finish in Sandhamn. The island’s population swells to around two thousand, all eagerly watching the yachts cross the finish line.

It’s no wonder Ebba’s connection with the island is so strong. ‘It’s in my blood. My parents built this house in 1897,’ she says. ‘And it’s looked this way all my life.’ Indeed, looking around the house is a real history lesson; it’s as though time has stood still. The outside of the house and the paint colours are the same as they were when it was built, and the furnishings and décor inside are from a bygone era. ‘The furniture, accessories and textiles are all original,’ says Ebba. ‘Most belonged to my parents, and some things even belonged to my grandparents and great-grandparents.’

This romantic, Jugend-style home – the German equivalent of art nouveau – is typical of its time, and is the only remaining house on the island with 54 Period Living

its original paintwork. This is why Ebba is determined the outside should never be changed.

‘The veranda faces north towards the sea and is the only part of the house that has ever needed any repairs,’ says Ebba. ‘My father replaced some of the timbers in 1945. He didn’t really do a professional job, it’s a bit rustic, but it has lasted well.’

Step inside, and you’re instantly transported back in time. On the ground floor there’s a hallway, kitchen, elegant dining room and the main salon – a family sitting room with dramatic sea views.

In the hallway, limewashed light wood, and stained and painted furniture in pale grey, are complemented with handmade cushions collected over the years. There’s a cottage feel throughout, and the stained and painted floors suit the relaxed island lifestyle. There are also some amazing artworks - charcoal drawings, paintings and sculptures - of a quality more often found in a grand mansion on the mainland.

On the ground floor the ceilings are decorated panels of carved wood and walls are adorned with a handpainted frieze. Dark colours complement the antique furniture and dainty hand-embroidered lace curtains, with blackout blinds behind to shade the sunlight. A quiet corner houses a beautiful rococo writing bureau from the mid-1700s. Cool yellow and blue stripes create a bright, elegant dining room, the blues echoed in the Chinese rug, beneath an antique Gustavian chandelier.

A curved staircase sweeps up to a landing large enough for a space to read or write, with breathtaking views from the windows. In fact, all around this house there’s the temptation to stop at every twist and turn to admire the view from yet another angle. There are three bedrooms and a generous-sized hallway on the first floor; two of the bedrooms are attics with sloping ceilings, prettily decorated still with their original wallpapers. Continuing the delicate bird and flower themed wallpapers across the sloping ceilings creates a wonderful combined and cosy effect.

Here, matching textiles are used in the cushions piped with a highlight colour, blending walls and bedding to create a harmonious look.

Collecting Chinese memorabilia is very popular in Sweden. ‘My parents were no exception,’ says Ebba. ‘They were ardent travellers; the third bedroom houses their Chinese collection of furniture and objets d’art, with specially selected wallpaper to enhance the Chinese theme,’ she says.

‘My favourite memories here are of my childhood,’ adds Ebba. ‘The times we enjoyed together when the whole family was here. I have spent time here since I was two years old, and my memories of this home are very special – memories that will never fade.’ That’s understandable with a home as special as this one. Ebba fears that in the not too distant future she may be unable to get to the island, and that thought breaks her heart.

However, though she may have to give up visiting the house in person, the memories and joy it has brought will live with her forever.

Swedish Summer Home THE STORY

Owner Ebba von Rosen lives here with her dog Cookie, a poodle-cross. Ebba is retired Property A three-bedroom Jugend-style summer home, built in 1897 on the Swedish island of Sandhamn What she did The property is in good condition, thanks to regular ongoing maintenance to protect the house from weather damage

Above left: Classic Gustavian elegance in the dining room, with a comfortable antique sofa made in around 1800 and antique dining chairs bought in Gothenburg. The mirror, sconces and chandelier all date from around 1900 Above: A pair of cane chairs are positioned in a quiet corner, with views out to sea Left: Ebba and Cookie take in the breathtaking views from the windows on the staircase Far left: Her garden is the perfect spot to enjoy the annual yacht race

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Swedish Summer Home

Left: There’s a real sense of the home’s history in the main salon, where all the furniture was inherited from Ebba’s parents. Pretty handembroidered curtains are backed with blinds to shade the sun and preserve the antique furniture Below: All of the artwork dates from when Ebba’s parents lived in the house. The stripped, painted wooden floors create a more relaxed style in contrast with elegant antiques

Right: Ebba thinks the antique desk in the corner of the room is a 1900 reproduction of an 18th-century rococo-style writing bureau. She treasures it regardless of its age, as it once belonged to her mother Below right: A simple bench topped with a cheery gingham cushion lends a country look to this doorway, and makes a pleasant spot to sit down and appreciate the views

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Left and below: Taking the floral wallpaper design up and over the sloping ceilings creates a harmonious look in this pretty attic bedroom, accessorised with piped and hand-embroidered cushions, and inherited textiles Above: Accent colours of yellow and pink highlight the wallpaper

in this pretty guest room. The bright bedside lamps are one of very few modern twists in this period home Right and below: The large window on the landing transforms the hallway into a bright airy space, perfect for writing and reading. The panelling is decorated with charcoal portraits and paintings befitting a mansion

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This page: Collections of Chinese furniture and objets d’art were very popular in Swedish homes.

Ebba’s family completed the look with a pretty wallpaper in an inky shade. Handtryckta Tapeter (handtrycktatapeter.se) produces similar traditional wallpaper designs

60 Period Living

EUROPEAN TOUR

When Charlotte and Stéphane Salas moved from Paris to London, it took them a while to find the perfect family home, but this townhouse turned out to be ideal Words Ifeoluwa Adedeji | Photographs Adelina Iliev

62 Period Living

Extended Edwardian Home

Although this room is north-facing, Charlotte wasn’t afraid to paint it in Farrow & Ball’s dark Hague Blue.

‘We use the room in the evenings as an adult space and so it’s more formal.’ The armchairs and sofas were bought from Flamant in Belgium and the blue bookshelves were built by local builders. The wooden shelves are from Flamant, and a Kartell Bloom pendant light adds further interest to the space. The artwork above the fireplace was created

by Charlotte’s friend, Ele Nash

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THE STORY

Owners Charlotte Teeple-Salas, a writer, and her husband Stéphane live here with their son Kyrian, 14, and daughter Alexandra, 10 The property A five-bedroom double-fronted Edwardian house built in 1905, and located in north London What they did The previous owners had added a conservatory extension. Working with Trevor Brown Architects, Charlotte and Stéphane removed the existing extension and extended out by one metre. The ground-floor layout was restructured and the rear garden reconfigured

Above: ‘We found a different way to deal with the level change, so rather than having a big patio at the back of the house, we now have four different spaces to enjoy,’ says Charlotte. The bespoke windows have been created to mirror the bay style at the front of the house (pictured right) and are painted in Farrow & Ball’s Elephant’s Breath

64 Period Living

Below: There’s even space in the new garden for a studio office, where Charlotte does her writing with a view back to the house over the terraced flower beds.

This tranquil oasis of a garden is Charlotte’s favourite part of the whole renovation project

Extended Edwardian Home

eaving Southern California, the land of perpetual sunshine, to take a masters course in museum studies in London – where the sun pays fewer visits – didn’t faze Charlotte. She had always wanted to live in the British capital. She loved the culture, the music, and the idea of experiencing different seasons. It wasn’t long, however, before she fell in love, married and relocated with her French husband to Paris, where she found work at the Louvre. Eventually, the couple moved back to London and lived in a flat with their two young children before they outgrew the space.

Charlotte and Stéphane had been keeping their eye on the property market for several years and when they found this house, Charlotte already knew what it would look like inside. ‘The previous owner’s son went to school with our son and we’d been to a party here years before,’ says Charlotte.

The Edwardian terrace had high ceilings and period cornicing and fireplaces – everything Charlotte didn’t have when she was growing up. There was a manageable garden, and it was close to the Tube station, schools and local shops. ‘We also wanted a home where the family can stay when they come to visit from America and France,’ says Charlotte.

‘So the space needed to do everything for us.’

The family lived in the house for a year and a half before they altered anything. ‘This was essential because I changed my mind about how the space was going to be used so many times,’ says Charlotte.

‘We chose to have the children’s study where originally there was a breakfast room. It was very bright and I knew it would be a lovely space to be in, but it was too narrow to have a dining table.’

No stranger to house renovations, Charlotte was keen to manage the interior design herself; however, the job of reconfiguring the layout was given to Trevor Brown Architects. ‘It was a generous property, but all the rooms on the ground floor were in the wrong place,’ says Charlotte.

‘There was a small conservatory where the dining room is now, and where there is the new kitchen was a rear reception room, cut off from everything.’

By replacing the conservatory with a small onemetre extension and opening up elements of the ground floor, the architects have been able to create

a better flow. They closed off a doorway, which connected various ground-floor rooms, and moved the stairs to fit in a downstairs cloakroom. The biggest challenge was ensuring the central part of the ground floor was used efficiently. ‘We put the kitchen in the middle so you see out to all the spaces and it really is the heart of the home,’ says Charlotte. Seating has been added at the rear and sides so the family can enjoy the garden views.

The family stayed in the house during the works, so Charlotte was able to see the daily progress.

‘From the day they knocked down the first wall it took seven months to complete the build. It was very well managed,’ says Charlotte. Work started on the ground floor, then on the garden, followed by the loft and the first floor. ‘When they took down the ceiling in the breakfast room, they found two unsupported chimney breasts, so we needed more steels,’ says Charlotte. ‘It was quite impressive to see the spaces being held up by thin poles, which we avoided at all costs until the steels were in place.’ The lantern roof was delayed but they still had to lay the flooring in order to fit the kitchen. ‘We boarded up the opening and waited for the glazing and in the meantime had a few leaks,’ says Charlotte. ‘In the end we had to change our supplier and chose Westbury Garden Rooms.’

One of Charlotte’s favourite spaces is the back garden, which has been completely transformed.

Originally, you’d walk out onto a small 3-metrewide patio with a high retaining wall, which blocked light and views. ‘You needed to walk up steps to get to the main garden,’ says Charlotte.

‘We’d be staring straight out at a wall.’ Removing the wall helped to create a series of four terraces at different levels. Charlotte now has a studio in the garden from where she writes, a formal garden and a terrace space. ‘Now when you sit in the snug, because the bay window sill is at ground height, it feels like you are sitting in the garden, with the flowers right beside you,’ says Charlotte.

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66 Period Living

Extended Edwardian home

Left: Natural light fills the dining room thanks to the Westbury roof lantern. In the evenings the Garrick chandelier from Neptune and Jim Lawrence wall lamps light the space.

The chairs, china cabinet and black games table in the corner are all from Belgian store Flamant Above: ‘We chose our kitchen from Higham Furniture, as we had used them in our previous flat and we like the quality,’ says Charlotte.

This room in the middle of the house doesn’t get as much light as the other areas, so the cabinets and walls have been painted in Little Greene’s China Clay Dark, a soft pink shade that makes the space feel warm. The island is painted in Little Greene’s Basalt Below: The sofa in the snug window is from Neptune. ‘We fight for that space so we can enjoy views out into the garden,’ says Charlotte

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Above: Bought from And so to Bed 13 years ago while the couple were living in France, this regal bed reminds Charlotte of Venice, and the twisted timber posts give a sense of grandeur to the master bedroom with its original fireplace Below: Wallpaper in William Morris’ Wandle design makes a stunning feature wall behind the bed. The other walls are painted in Farrow & Ball’s striking Inchyra Blue shade

68 Period Living

Right: ‘I have a lot of china and I didn’t want to hang art in the kitchen, and I remembered my grandparents doing a similar thing,’ says Charlotte. The stripy red plates are antique French china and the blue ones are from Holland Below right: The shower doors are custom built and Charlotte opted for Perrin & Rowe fixtures. The tiles are all from Mandarin Stone and the wall lights are from Jim Lawrence

Turning back time

Inspired by traditional techniques for making wooden utensils and furniture, Mike Ashton is slowly carving his place among a handful of professional pole lathe turners Words Heather Dixon | Photographs Dave Burton

Above left: Spoons are among the many household products Mike makes and that showcase the rich grain of the wood Above right: Turned wooden cups, bowls and plates have been made this way since 70 Period Living

the Iron Age, and were the primary utensils used for eating until wood’s decline in demand due to the introduction of pewter in the 16th century Opposite: A former washhouse is now Mike’s

workshop, which houses his pole lathe, workbench, tools and wood. Splitting the logs reveals their secrets – including any imperfections – which Mike works around to create smaller items

Made in Britain

M Right: Mike hand-built his pole lathe, also known as a spring pole lathe, which uses the elasticity within a long pole as a return spring for a treadle.

Pressing the treadle pulls on a cord that is usually wrapped around the piece of wood or billet that is being turned Below: The tools of his trade, a large percentage of which he has bought for a few pounds at car-boot sales and antiques fairs, before repairing them

ike Ashton sometimes wonders whether he was born in the wrong era. Not because he harbours Luddite tendencies – far from it – but because his lifelong passion is based on skills and traditions that date back centuries. From an old stone-built workshop at the bottom of his garden in Lincolnshire, Mike has turned back the clock to create household utensils and furniture using the most fundamental methods.

It has been a long and winding road to get this far, but Mike is in his element. His cluttered workshop is a treasure trove of antique hand tools, which he has bought for a few pounds and restored; piles of wood in all shapes and sizes are propped against the stone walls; an old work bench fits into one end of the low-slung building and at the opposite end stands his pride and joy – an elegant and ancient-looking pole lathe, which Mike built himself.

‘I’ve always loved anything to do with wood: the texture, the smell, the beautiful grain,’ says Mike. ‘However, I’d always viewed green woodworking as a hobby, but the interest has grown to the point where I can now do it full-time.’

On rainy days he can spend hours in this compact little building, completely absorbed in the processes of transforming a humble log of wood into beautiful kitchen utensils, small items of furniture and, his personal favourite, Windsor chairs. On sunny days, he spills out into the garden where he chops, saws and planes, filling the air with the scent of green wood and carpeting the grass with curls of wood shavings, oblivious to the noise of traffic and 21st-century living.

Made in Britain

‘What one person sees as a piece of firewood, I see as a detail in a piece of furniture,’ he says.

‘I never know what I am going to find when I split a log. So often what I had planned for it becomes something else. It depends on the grain: if it’s straight it could become a strong spindle for the back of a chair or be steam bent for a chair bow.’

Using a pressure cooker and wallpaper steamer as ‘prototypes’, he has even created his own steam box and former, for softening and then bending longer pieces of wood into elegantly shaped chair backs.

‘If there are knots and bends in the grain it can weaken the wood, so those curves and contours could be turned into bowls, cups, or the curved arm of a chair instead. You have to work with the integrity of the wood to get the best out of it.’

Mike has enjoyed making things since childhood, when he would go looking for flints and fallen tree branches to make spears, bows and arrows. ‘My mates and I used to play at being cavemen,’ he chuckles. ‘We made everything just as they would have done, tapping into those basic human instincts and using the nature around us to create practical, necessary things.’ Woodwork was naturally his favourite subject at school and it was almost inevitable that he would take up a career in joinery.

‘I loved working with hand tools and timber, but as time went on, and modern technology took the place of many of the skills I enjoyed, I became quite disenchanted by it all,’ says Mike.

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Clockwise from left: Mike made the shave horse, which is a combination of vice and workbench, himself using traditional methods; the unseasoned green wood is easier to work with because it is softer; one of his beautifully crafted bespoke Windsor chairs

His passion was rekindled, however, when he went along to a heritage day at Lincoln Castle and met pole lathe turner Tim Wade. Tim was a founder member of The Association of Pole Lathe Turners, an organisation committed to keeping the craft alive, and was running chair-making courses in Wales. Mike and his wife Gill, a civil engineer, signed up for the five-day course. It was a real eye-opener, not only in terms of learning more about the history of pole lathe turning, but also learning the intricacies of age-old skills that Mike could completely relate to. ‘The last people to use pole lathes commercially were chair “bodgers” – itinerant woodworkers, who worked in woodlands and only made legs, stretchers and spindles to supply to the chair-making workshops,’ says Mike.

‘At one time you would have a “bottomer” making the seats and a “framer” putting it all together.

Today there are only a handful of full-time professional pole lathe turners in the country.’

Inspired by the course and determined to follow his instincts, Mike built his own foot-powered pole lathe and shave horse, then started collecting an impressive range of antique hand tools in various states of repair and condition from fairs 74 Period Living

and car-boot sales. ‘I repair them and make them usable again, even when I might be just buying a single tool part and rebuilding it,’ says Mike. ‘It’s hugely satisfying that everything is made using traditional materials and methods.’

With a rustic old workbench, traditional tools and a supply of green wood, Mike is realising his dream of becoming a full-time professional pole lathe turner and chair maker – making him one of just a handful of professionals doing this in the country. His range of artisan products now includes a whole host of household items, such as chopping boards, bowls, spoons, goblets, pestle and mortars, candle sticks and rolling pins, alongside small items of furniture and bespoke Windsor chairs.

‘I would love to develop my own skills and products but also reach a wider audience through demonstrations and teaching,’ says Mike.

‘Traditional artisan crafts are gathering momentum and one of the best things we can do is keep them alive and thriving by passing on these age-old skills to the next generation.’

To see more of Mike’s work, visit facebook.com/ michaelashtonpolelatheturner

News from the antiques and vintage world, from fairs to collectors’ stories

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Introducing Vintage & Bespoke, a mother-and-daughter team who have taken the 5,000-year-old art of home fragrance, married it with vintage and antique cut-glass bottles, and added a delightful handmade flower diffuser to bring old and new together in scented harmony. Designed to complement the vintage home, the diffusers’ pretty look is matched by summery fragrances such as Fig and Vetiver, English Rhubarb, Oriental Jasmine and Tea Rose, from £19.95. (vintageand bespoke.co.uk)

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TALKING SHOP In the beautiful Welsh town of Aberystwyth, set just 100 yards from the sea, is a Georgian former coaching inn – home to Coastal Antiques. Arranged over two floors, with a sunny courtyard garden, the store hosts seven different antiques dealers offering furniture to gardenalia and decorative items. Owners John and Lynda specialise in sourcing pieces with original painted surfaces, and clean-lined Victorian and Georgian furniture suited to both period and modern interiors. (coastalantiques.co.uk)

IN FOCUS

FRENCH COPPER COOKWARE Copper has a fascinating history

and has been used in cooking for at least 3,000 years. However, you won’t find much usable copper cookware dating back further than the 19th century.

To make copper safe to cook with, pots and pans were lined with tin for hundreds of years, but this has largely been replaced with durable stainless steel. Note that copper jam and conserve pans are typically not lined, as acidic foods can react with the lining and become toxic.

Villedieu-les-Poêles in northwestern France is considered the home of French copper and loosely translates as ‘God’s city of pans’. Here, the most famous maker, Mauviel, has been making copperware since 1830 alongside other brands, such as Gaillard of Paris, which closed in the 1980s.

Dating pans isn’t easy, but makers’ marks, the initials of the family they belonged to, or where they were fabricated, can often be found stamped close to where the handle meets the pan.

As well as its decorative value, the appeal of copper is its ability to heat up quickly. Frequently appearing in the stately kitchens of period dramas, gleaming copper pans have gone on the wish-list of many collectors.

A set of antique pans could cost just £100, yet a new set of Mauviel copper pans will set you back over £600. Oakland Collectibles sells excellent affordable pieces.

Above: Cooking pot with home repairs, c.1870s, unknown maker Below: Range of copper cookware, c.1870s to 1920s, including three pan sets by Villedieu-les-Poêles, and a roasting tin and three jam pans by unknown makers Bottom: Large daubière with lid and cage insert, tin lined with brass handles, c.1900s, unknown maker.

All oaklandcollectibles.com

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CURATOR’S PICK

MARITIME FLAGS

Sue Prichard, senior curator of arts at the National Maritime Museum and author of Flag Waves: House Flags from the National Maritime Museum, shares her favourite pieces from the collection Flags are a key part of our maritime heritage, and the National Maritime Museum collection is an evocative reminder of Britain’s seafaring past. It holds around 1,000 pieces, including a range of colourful and diverse heraldic banners, royal standards, yacht flags and sledge flags from polar expeditions, as well as house flags of shipping companies and government departments.

I’m drawn to textiles that have a strong emotional resonance. So, I’m fascinated by a fragment of wool bunting from the ensign of HMS Victory, Vice-Admiral Nelson’s flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar. Sailors from Victory carried their ship’s flags in his funeral procession from Greenwich

Hospital to St Paul’s Cathedral, and at the culmination of the ceremony a wave of collective grief and emotion took hold of the ordinary seamen, who tore the flag into remnants.

I also have great affection for the striking use of imagery in West African Fante Asafo flags, and never cease to be amazed by the variety of designs used in house flags of shipping companies. (rmg.co.uk/national-maritime-museum)

Fun of the fa i A vibrant event

running through the streets of the cathedral city of St Albans, the Antiques and Vintage Market offers up a monthly fix of all things old and interesting from an eclectic roster of 80 traders. Piled up on trestle tables and spilling out onto roads and pavements, the regular Sunday offering of cool, quirky and classic wares is a treasure hunter’s paradise.

Summer dates: 27 June, 18 July and 15 August.

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Watercolour of Doncaster Cathedral

Clockwise from top: Early 20th-century Ghanaian Fante Asafo flag depicting armed figures and a European ship; fragment of a wool bunting flag from HMS Victory, carried at Nelson’s funeral; 17th-century command flag, used by the Generals at Sea during the Commonwealth period, showing shields charged with the cross of St George and the harp of Ireland

‘Memories of Mine’, a book with a lovely poem and three different discipline works at the back by Oli’s great-greatgrandfather Alfred Seear

THROUGH THE GENERATIONS Decorative antiques and folk-art dealer, and owner of Boula, Oli Barling tells us about his most treasured heirloom ‘I found this wonderful little book in 2017 while sorting through my late grandmother’s Cotswold cottage. It seemed unused and it wasn’t until a year ago that I discovered a lovely poem and three different discipline works at the back. The artworks are signed A. Seear – my great-great-grandfather Alfred, who painted and etched them during the late 1800s. The etching has been glued inside, but the watercolours of Doncaster Cathedral and Ostend harbour in Belgium have been painted directly onto the pages. I will treasure this and will ensure it stays in my family always.

Watercolour of Ostend harbour in Belgium

Antiques

MEET THE COLLECTOR

Lily of the valley earrings in gold with pearls, diamonds and nephrite leaves, Vienna, c.1950-60

CORNELIA PERQUIN Floral jewellery What I collect: ‘Precious

Flora’, meaning vintage or antique brooches, rings, earrings and other jewellery that fit within a restricted floral theme, depicting a flower, leaf, fruit or nut. There is a whole language in the giving of flowers, from expressing feelings of love to sorrow, and individual artists, goldsmiths and jewellers like Cartier and Tiffany have created everlasting florally inspired jewellery with a range of sentiments in mind. I love that with skill and dedication, stunning botanical details – an exotic orchid to the perfect English rose – are captured using colourful gemstones and precious metals.

Lapidary violet brooch with amethyst flowers, nephrite leaves, diamonds and gold, Vienna, c.1950-1960

Why I collect: I love treasure hunting; it’s not second but first nature to me. When I go for a walk I’m always looking for pebbles and flowers along the way, and collecting floral jewellery is just the next step.

Wearing jewellery brightens up both my look and mood. nodnoL ,muesuM emitiraM lanoitaN )sgalf( segamI

Cattleya orchid brooch in enamel, pearl and gold, Henry Blank & Co, Newark, USA, c.1920

How I collect: My love for flowers and

professional jewellery background come together in the treasure hunt; when I spot a great piece I feel it in my heart. I have a passion for travel and loved ones living scattered around the world, so my collection has an international flavour. The fashion for floral-inspired jewellery was rather specific in certain countries – for example, in Italy I can still find the bright flowers that vividly reflect the 1950s Dolce Vita period.

Prices vary widely – sometimes I pick up a piece for £150, but I have some in my collection worth a lot more. Most pieces are valued between £500 and £2,500.

My collection highlight: Simply discovering new pieces is a highlight for me. Through my business Precious Flora (preciousflora.com), which I have put on pause due to the pandemic and Brexit, I’ve bought and sold many beauties. I have sometimes regretted selling an extraordinary piece, however there is comfort in knowing that the proceeds from parting with a piece will allow me to buy something new.

Art Nouveau gold lotus chain clip, Belgium, c.1900

Forget-me-not earrings in gold with enamel, Harry Emanuel, London, c.1855-1873

Lilac clip brooch in gold with blue Montana and pink sapphires, Cartier, Paris, c.1945

Lapidary cosmos in gold with calcedony flowers and nephrite leaves, Ferdinand Godina Söhne, Vienna, c.1950-60

Lapidary gentian brooch with lapis lazuli flower, nephrite leaves, diamonds and gold, AustriaHungary, 1910-1922

Pansy and rose pendant in gold with verre églomisé painting, France, c.1820

Rosa Mundi brooch in gold and silver with diamonds, Netherlands, c.1850 Petunias brooch, reverse intaglio, miniature painting with mother of pearl, pearl and gold, Netherlands, c.1910

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Treasured

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Antiques Roadshow specialist Marc Allum considers the draw of chests of drawers over the centuries, and how the designs have evolved

hests of drawers are perhaps among the most useful pieces of furniture you are ever likely to own. Coming in many different configurations, they are, I find, both highly decorative and aesthetically pleasing to look at. As with any type of furniture, quality and style varies enormously, but whether it is a naive country piece or an example by one

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of the finest cabinetmakers, such as Thomas Chippendale, there is something to suit every pocket and taste.

Household staple

The origin of the chest of drawers is relatively straightforward. The coffer or trunk was, for many centuries, a traditional way of storing clothes and

Antiques

chests property and was the staple of many households.

A 17th-century derivation of this is the mule chest – a panelled or plain coffer with a lift-up lid over one or more drawers. They are in essence the perfect half-way house between the coffer and the chest of drawers, with some Georgian versions having as many as four or five drawers of varying sizes and, in some cases, the entire front having several faux drawers as well. I endlessly encounter these at auction and mule chests are often cheap to buy – the main reason for this is that they are not particularly practical. A plain oak example

Clockwise from top far left: An English 18th-century oak mule chest, 1stDibs; French Empire fruitwood commode with ormolu mounts and marble top, Lorfords; late 19th-century Louis XV style commode, 1stDibs; 18th-century Italian commode with mainly original decoration, Lorfords; scumble glazed chest and washstand, c.1850; vintage French oak commode in Louis XV style with Rococo carving, both Hand of Glory Antiques; George III caddy top chest of drawers with the

most common arrangement of two short and three long drawers, Georgian Antiques; late Georgian gentleman’s dressing chest – the top lifts to reveal a mirror and compartments, Westland London; mahogany chest of drawers, c.1740, Antique Ethos; Scottish D-shaped chest, c.1820, Garners Antiques; Victorian Arts and Crafts chest with ebonised finish and bands of ‘poker work’ decoration, c.1890, Graham Smith Antiques; Wellington chest, Thakeham Furniture

from around 1760 upon bracket feet might cost you £200-300, while a faux-front chest example with decorative crossbanding and good original brass handles will cost quite a bit more.

A la ‘mode

The ‘commode’ is very much a French invention.

In English we tend to associate the word with a portable toilet, although the French meaning is ‘convenient’ or ‘practical’ and this translated well into the term used for a chest of drawers.

In French the commode is, however, historically Period Living 81

Antiques

Above, left to right: Mahogany Edwardian bowfronted chest, Antiques World; vintage G-Plan chest of drawers with an oak veneer, c.1950, Design Market; Art Deco design chest with Macassar ebony crossbanding, c.1930, The Old Cinema London

a piece of furniture with some stature and made by a cabinetmaker. Its shape is traditionally quite low but wide and, in the case of Louis XV examples, is made of exotic veneers with ormolu mounts and a marble top. There is nothing simple about its shape, with few straight lines and often of bombé form; it is the quintessentially French rococo chest and was used to great effect as statement furniture, sometimes paired either side of a chimney breast or between windows and complemented with a pier mirror. Louis XVI commodes tend to be more rectilinear.

These styles endure and although original period examples might cost in the many thousands, you can buy 19th-century revival pieces more reasonably.

Again, they come in many configurations, but I’m a fan of using the ostentatious style of Louis XV as a tongue-in-cheek foil to more stark styles.

However, French Empire – in my mind – trumps most other styles altogether, and I’m a big fan of Empire marble-topped commodes with their ormolu machine-decorated columns and elegantly figured veneers. Add some Egyptian-style mounts, which echo Napoleon’s campaigns in North Africa, and you have the perfect chest. Plain examples in reasonable condition can be purchased at auction for around £500-£1,000, but be prepared to pay £2,000-£3,000 for more ornate examples.

Continental style

The British adopted French styles and by the mid-18th century the word commode was also in common usage for a chest of drawers. Thomas Chippendale embraced such styles and used the term ‘French commode table’ to describe a chest, yet ‘commode’ could also define a side cabinet.

English examples are distinctive from the French, but the vernacular is important, too, as country craftsmen copied such styles using woods including chestnut and oak, but with no metal mounts.

I’m a big fan of French and Italian country furniture and have several such chests in the house, none of which has cost more than a thousand pounds. They are, however, very popular with interior designers and although some may have original painted finishes, they are often limed or washed to suit modern tastes. They can also be large and unsuited to more modern buildings, but it is interesting to see how much, in latter years, we have come to value original painted furniture.

These days, early 19th-century or Victorian country chests with an original scumble-glazed finish will carry a premium. Painted to disguise the use of cheap woods, such as deal – a traditional word for pine or fir – these old-fashioned painted and combed effects can look stunning on a very plain Regency pine chest of drawers. Different configurations of ‘chests’, with shaped washstand splashbacks, are typical for the period and even well-worn examples are making several hundred pounds each at auction.

Definable designs

The 19th century saw an explosion of furniture production, in part caused by the huge countryside migration to urban settings and the burgeoning demands of the middle classes. The Victorians satisfied this demand with plenty of good quality furniture. Many aren’t fashionable, however, and are considered too commonplace or often too large for modern living.

Regional differences can be interesting and I always remember buying my first bow-fronted Welsh chest with its characteristic fancy bottom apron, or a Scottish chest with its roll-front top drawer and central deep hat drawer. Such are the idiosyncrasies that make these pieces of furniture interesting and regionally definable, but in reality this also defines why some things are often more desirable than others. Take campaign furniture: Period Living 83

Antiques

Buying chests of drawers: what to look for

Above left: Walnut chest by design pioneer Gordon Russell, c.1950, Arc Furniture. Russell was schooled in the Arts and Crafts tradition, but during WWII led the design panel set up to manufacture utility furniture CC41, which he ensured was well designed and well made

the notion that the British Empire was built on the back of the officer class sitting in their fully furnished campaign tents has a great deal of truth.

If you look at a late 19th-century catalogue for the Army and Navy Store, it is full of essential kit for the colonial traveller, and two-part campaign chests, with their flush brass handles and bound corners, sometimes even with their pine transit cases, are now highly sought after. Don’t expect any change from £1,500-£2,500. The Wellington Chest, naturally named after the Duke of Wellington, is a perennial favourite. Its narrow, tall form, usually of seven drawers and a locking sidebar, fits well in a modern, smaller environment.

As with all epochs, the constant reinterpretation of past styles and innovative groundbreaking design, maintains a constant reappraisal of furniture forms. The use of new materials and manufacturing techniques might diverge from the general perception of ‘craftsmanship’, but have allowed elements of decoration and construction to be pushed to new extremes.

Design movements such as Art Nouveau and Art Deco led to a reassessment of form and function and the chest of drawers has often been used as a vehicle to exemplify this. The exquisite creations of Jacques-Emile Ruhlmann spring to mind, but so, too, do the more mass-produced items made in the post-war period, designed by people such as Gordon Russell. Myriad Scandinavian designers, Ercol and G-Plan have 84 Period Living

Top right: A Victorian burr and figured walnut two-part campaign or military chest, with the typical flush brass handles and bound corners, from Georgian Antiques Above right: English Art Deco oak chest of drawers with aluminium and Bakelite handles, from Arc Furniture

PAINTED – If you like painted furniture, be aware that current fashions have made painted vernacular chests more valuable and as a result many old chests are being repainted. Make sure that you obtain good advice on the originality of the finish, especially if you are spending a large amount.

Alternatively, the ‘look’ is sometimes all that matters and a nicely aged new finish can work well.

RESTORATION – I often see chests of drawers selling very cheaply at auction. Be careful not to buy blindly or on impulse because, although they might seem cheap, they often have more deep-seated problems. Victorian drawers are often finished with a small moulding called a cock bead. These are frequently damaged and even missing and when you start looking closely, these costs can mount up if it has to go to a restorer.

DISPARITIES – There are often obvious disparities between auction prices and retail prices and this can often come down to restoration costs.

Be prepared to shop around, especially when there are plenty to choose from. George III chests are not rare; it is often down to the degree of quality and the condition.

IDIOSYNCRASIES – Chests of drawers can suffer extreme usage and this can cause all sorts of annoying niggles. Drawer runners wear down and the drawers often don’t work that well – this is often the case with provincial pieces – backstop blocks in the chest fall off, and the drawers don’t stop flush to the front. These are things that can usually be remedied quite easily but when you view a piece make sure it is sturdy and that the legs and feet are strong.

THEATRE – Don’t be worried about being a bit theatrical. Period pieces can be expensive but there are plenty of beautifully ostentatious 19th- and early 20th-century reproductions of Louis VX and XVI. However, if there are pieces of ormolu missing, having parts remade can be prohibitive.

all found their place in the relatively recent boom in mid-century modern interiors and design. Some can be purchased relatively cheaply at auction, but named items always carry a premium.

So my advice is to buy a good antique chest of drawers, as you’ll have the pleasure of using it and a good residual value.

LIVING THE LIFE

Art Deco Home

Period style doesn’t quite go far enough to describe Damon Wilkinson and Todd Law’s Art Deco home. The couple have chosen to truly live with history, embracing every aspect of the era, and their furnishings and even their appliances are authentic to the age Words Caroline Ednie | Photographs David Barbour

Above left: The 1930 New World Radiation cooker was bought online and sent up from Birmingham. ‘I had to find an older gas fitter who was happy to put a hose on it to connect to the gas,’ says Damon. ‘When we had a new meter fitted, last year, the engineer was in his 20s and said he had never seen anything like it!’

Above right: The double fridge was made by Sterne & Co in the 1930s, with a wooden frame, wipe-clean boarding inside and plywood outside Left: Damon in the kitchen, which features many items from the 1930s and ’40s, alongside newer pieces, such as the Belfast sinks. A local joiner made the draining board

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THE STORY

Owners Damon Wilkinson is a financial systems accountant and Todd Law is a finance and office manager for an environmental consultancy.

Both Damon and Todd work in Edinburgh Property Carlowan, a two-storey Art Deco period house, built in 1936 in Cupar, Fife What they did They restored the house, adding authentic period details, appliances and furniture. Damon added floor and loft insulation

Left: Damon (left) and Todd in their 1930s-style living room Above: Damon began collecting at the tender age of 14, starting with the old K6 telephone box on the left, transported to his parents’ house on the coal man’s lorry for £40 Right: ‘Many people assume that Art Deco houses are white but brown pebble-dash is also very typical of the period,’ says Damon Below: Even the vegetable plot has a touch of 1930s authenticity

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Art Deco Home

or Damon Wilkinson and Todd Law, the experience of living in an Art Deco house, embracing every aspect of the period - right down to everyday appliances and household wares - is a lot more gratifying than grating, they say, despite the odd 21st-century lifestyle sacrifice here and there…

‘The main thing I like about living in this house is the fact that our level of consumerism is a fraction of anybody else’s, because there are no trends to follow. We don’t think, “we did this room 10 years ago, it’s time to update”. It’s a case of doing it once and later on down the line it gets a lick of paint in the same colour. And that’s it,’ explains Damon.

‘All the stuff we have – the iron and vacuum cleaner etc – is not going to need replacing. We’ve been using our cooker for 13 years. It’s 85 years old and is still going strong. It’ll probably see us out!’

Damon began collecting when he was 14, with a red telephone kiosk that arrived on a coal lorry from Oban to Damon’s family home near Fort William. ‘I spent hours chipping out all the old putty and reglazing it,’ says Damon. Bakelite telephones came next and when Damon was a student in Edinburgh in the 1990s, picking up Art Deco bits from car-boot sales became a favourite pastime. ‘When I got my first flat it was all furnished with secondhand stuff,’ he says.

In 2012, when Damon and Todd’s 1940s house in an Edinburgh suburb began to feel a bit cramped, the couple looked further afield for a suitable home.

Hidden from view behind a tree-lined wall, up a winding track, they found a brown pebble-dashed two-storey house in the village of Cupar in Fife. ‘It was built in 1936, and the location - near a train station - is great. It also has many of its original features, such as the untouched timber panelled staircase and landing. Many people assume that Art Deco houses are white but brown pebble-dash is also very typical of the period,’ says Damon.

The couple moved in right away. ‘We didn’t have the luxury of being able to have things all fixed up before we moved in,’ says Damon. ‘By and large I’ve done everything myself as I enjoy it.’

Some aspects were more enjoyable than others, he admits. ‘Upgrading the insulation under the floors was a bit of a horror job! There is only a foot between the joists and the ground in places. So I had to scramble on my back in all the dust. To get

into some areas I had to turn my head so that my nose wasn’t sticking up! It was really that tight.’

The loft has also been insulated, the modern windows were damp-proofed, and the central heating pipes lagged. ‘I replaced all the flat-panel radiators with 1930s ones. The original central heating system was installed in the 1950s - I found the date on the tank in the loft. I love discovering the archaeologies of buildings,’ says Damon.

The kitchen and bathroom had been updated in the 1970s with lots of honey pine tongue-and-groove finishes, which Damon stripped back. ‘The basin, bath and woodwork in the bathroom are original,’ he says. ‘I saw from the marks on the wall that there had been a towel rail. So I reinstated that and added new tiles round the bath. I also put lino on the floor as that was probably there originally.’

Linoleum tiles, still produced in the Forbo Nairn factory in nearby Kirkcaldy, also feature in the kitchen. ‘I replaced the 1970s pine kitchen with freestanding cabinets and fitted a gas cooker I’ve had since 2001. It has an oven with a thermostat, which was very modern in 1931.’

The whole project to upgrade and restore Carlowan into a 1930s home has taken the best part of five years. The house is furnished with pieces picked up from auctions, car-boot sales, classified ads, and more recently Ebay and vintage websites.

‘We do have some technology such as digital radios, a modern TV and computers, but things like the lamps, iron, kettle and fridge are all from the 1930s,’ says Damon. ‘What I love about this era is that they were manufactured before they started thinking about built-in obsolescence, so everything was designed to last. So for anyone who thinks we’re a bit mad, our argument is that we’re not paying for a new fridge to be made every 10 years.’

Damon admits that there may be one or two downsides to being a period purist. ‘There’s the guilt when we break or damage things that are no longer produced. We don’t have highly valuable pieces, but it’s tricky to source items on demand,’ he says. ‘Also everything is far heavier than its modern equivalent, whether that’s the fridge, iron, Hoover, telephone or pieces of furniture. However, that’s because they’re more robustly built and is why they still work after 80 years. Unfortunately, the kettle and iron – both 1930s Hotpoint – don’t have thermostats, so just don’t forget about them!’

After five years of hard graft, is it now feet up time for Damon and Todd? ‘We reached saturation point some time ago!’ says Damon. ‘But if we see something nice we’ll get it, and push something off the other side. The old pieces go up for sale or to charity. We don’t scrap anything.’

‘A recent acquisition that pleased me greatly was getting back Carlowan’s original telephone number as shown in my 1940 telephone directory,’ says Damon. ‘And I’ve just bought a George V wall box that I have installed in the side of the shed – I intend to make it into a wee post office in due course. Oh, and we’ve got an Anderson shelter, waiting to be rebuilt. The list just keeps on getting longer!’

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Above: The 1933 portrait of John Mackay was left outside a solicitor’s office in Edinburgh; they were happy for Damon to ‘rescue’ him. The telephone switchboard was in use in Exeter until 1990. It still works and the headset can be used to have hands-free conversations Right: This is the couple’s day-to-day living room on the ground floor Far right: Damon found the 1947 Philips wireless set in a physics lab cupboard at school. ‘I offered to buy it but the teacher said I could just take it and, when I was a rich scientist, make a donation to the school,’ says Damon Top left: The 1930s sofa and chairs still have their original covers Left: The couple bought the Woods Beryl crockery in the early 2000s when production had just ceased.

They bought everything the shop had left in stock and top up with charity shop finds

Left: On the guest room bed is a mid-century electric hot water bottle made of Bakelite instead of rubber. The furniture in all the bedrooms came from auctions and house clearances Below and bottom right: ‘The bedrooms would originally have had back-to-back fireplaces,’ says Damon, ‘but I’m quite glad someone took them out as there are so many windows and doors that there would have been little space left’ Bottom left: The bathroom’s period details had to be reinstated after a 1970s renovation

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g it up n i Add instant period lk charm to your walls with

Rust-Oleum’s new Chalkwash paint, £44 per 2.5ltrs from B&Q. Available in eight shades – from Charcoal and Peacock Blue to Warm Taupe and Terracotta – the water-based paint evokes the rustic character of authentic limewash but is much simpler to apply. Easily create a variegated texture by applying a base coat of Chalkwash with a roller, then, once dry, apply a second coat with a brush using criss-cross strokes. You can even layer different shades for an ombré effect.

DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER In a modern update on the iconic Victorian encaustic tile, Bert & May’s new diamond shape takes inspiration from mid-century modern design. The hand-poured tiles are made using traditional manufacturing processes, giving them their signature chalky finish, and coloured with natural pigments. The new design has been launched in three colours – Black, Marigold and Sweet Yellow – but can also be created bespoke in any shade. £8.40 each.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF…

HOPPER HEADS

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FROM THE EARTH Inspired by the serenity of the natural world, Rangemaster has launched a new Mineral Green colourway across eight of its iconic range cookers.

The deep sage shade will add a sophisticated touch of colour to the kitchen, without overwhelming the design. This Elise 90cm dual-fuel cooker in Mineral Green costs £2,999.

An overlooked part of a home’s exterior, often seen as simply for ornamental effect, hopper heads actually play a vital role. Fitted just below a gutter, they are designed to collect rainfall, then syphon it into the drain pipes, enabling them to carry up to two-thirds more water by completely filling them. Initially the preserve of the wealthy, hopper heads rose to popularity during the Tudor period after the dissolution of the monasteries, which meant there were large quantities of lead available that could be used to create rainwater goods.

Lead designs were used through the following centuries, until the Industrial Revolution transitioned to cast iron due to its affordability and performance. In all eras, hopper heads provided the opportunity to add decoration to the exterior of a home and often featured coats of arms, emblems, dates or initials, revealing fascinating historical insight.

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WORDS OF WISDOM Helen Parker, creative director

at Devol, shares her top tips for designing a Shaker-style kitchen l The epitome of simple function, traditional Shaker kitchen design had an emphasis on craftsmanship and reflected a frugal lifestyle. The space between each cupboard was as important as the actual cupboard. l Sunlight and space both play a vital role in a Shaker kitchen’s design. lThe use of a limited colour palette and lack of bold pattern is also a good way to achieve a Shaker look. lCreate a convincing and calming room by including some of the Shakers’ trademark looks: a family table is a must, as are peg rails on the walls and lack of adornment. lTry to hide away appliances and show off only prized possessions, keeping work surfaces clear of clutter, and serene and easy on the eye.

ASK THE EXPERT

Douglas Kent, technical and research director at the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB), answers your queries

The lead on the front windows QI replaced of my 1920s cottage (which eight years ago) has badly discoloured. The original 100-year-old windows at the back are still fine. What is causing this and should I try to fix it?

The building conservation world has been intrigued by an increase in brownish surface discolouration on leadwork over the past 20 years. This has been noticed on lead roofs and vertical lead cladding - but this is the first case I know of affecting window leadwork. Analysis shows that the discolouration is linked to the formation of lead tetraoxide through a conversion of the natural grey surface patina.

However, it is superficial, so does not appear to shorten the life of leadwork. While it is not fully understood, the cause may involve petrochemical additives or airborne fertiliser dust. You can remove the discolouration with a mildly abrasive scouring pad and cleaning with water.

tracks down into our QandWater fireplace via the chimney pot metal lining. What’s the best

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space for entertaining and relaxing with a stylish new patio.

Indigenous’ new Urban tiles are indistinguishable from traditional stone but are actually crafted from porcelain, which is much more compatible with outdoor climes.

With a traditional look, the tiles offer ultimate versatility, being suitable for walls and floors both inside and out - this makes them a great choice for kitchens or garden rooms that lead out to the patio. Available in four neutral shades and in honed or textured finishes, the tiles cost £55 per m2.

96 Period Living

If you have a renovation question for Douglas, email periodliving@futurenet.com*

esnopser a eetnaraug tonnac tub ,seireuq lla rewsna ot tseb ruo od eW*

e finish l i t Transform your sa garden into a flexible

way to combat this?

With old flues that have no lining, moisture is absorbed by the permeable lime parging in the upper part of the chimney, which evaporates with the warmth of the gases. Modern metal liners, however, can act as downpipes, conveying water down to hearths.

Thankfully, fitting a metal rain cap with bird guard into the top of a pot is an easy fix and can be powder-coated to match. Some lining manufacturers’ warranties are only valid with a rain cap as it prevents corrosion. Rain caps must be avoided in thatched homes, though, as the ejected embers increase the fire risk.

Renovation

Exterior metalwork HOME MAINTENANCE

Old metal railings and other exterior metalwork need regular care and attention to prevent decay, so find out how to spot and remedy the signs of wear and tear

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Feature Roger Hunt, author of Old House Handbook

ates, railings and other items made from wrought iron, cast iron or steel are as much a part of our architectural heritage as the stone and brick of the buildings with which they are associated. Although seemingly robust, these metal adornments can suffer corrosion and ultimately failure through lack of maintenance.

Repairs will require the skill of a good craftsperson.

Maintenance checklist

lCheck metalwork for rust, corrosion, fractures and other damage lNote areas of flaky, chipped or discoloured paint lIdentify the cause of rust staining to surrounding masonry and render lInvestigate cracking to masonry where ironwork is embedded lClean off dirt, moss or plant growth covering metalwork lOil or grease moving parts, such as gate hinges and latches.

Questions and answers

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Alex Coode, managing partner, and Kate Jennings, partner of specialist metal conservators, Gloucestershirebased Coode Conservation Partnership, answer common questions about the best methods of repairing and renovating metalwork.

Q

What are the main considerations when undertaking work?

Try to retain as much of the original as practical. Ideally, repairs should be in

the same materials as the original or, where this is not possible, the closest available alternative. Another crucial factor will be the skill of the person doing the work; a poor repair can cause more problems in the long run than no repair at all.

Q

How often should maintenance be carried out to metalwork?

Most problems are visually obvious, but maintaining coatings is a common blind spot. Once they have started to fail, it becomes much more of an issue to rectify. It makes sense to follow a

schedule of recoating metalwork every five to seven years. Any build-up of soiling or organic growth on the coating will reduce its life, as will a build-up of vegetation or detritus around the lower areas.

Q

What are the major differences between wrought iron, cast iron and steel, and their uses?

Wrought iron and steel share most properties, and they can both be used to make traditionally forged work, although they behave differently when forging. A few per cent more carbon Period Living 101

stop it from rusting and deforming further. With gates, check that they are square and not buckled.

Q

Should old paint be removed?

Above: Regularly oil moving metalwork parts, such as gate hinges and latches, to keep them in good working order

content makes cast iron quite a different metal. It is brittle and will tend to break rather than bend.

Consequently, it works well under compression but not under tension.

Q

The railings of my Georgian house are badly rusting; what should be done?

Loose rust and poorly adhering paint should be removed. If structurally sound, the railings can be recoated.

Most are heavily over-engineered, so some material can be lost without fear of failure. If the fixings to the ground and top rail are failing and blowing the stone apart, then they will need to be addressed.

If it is well adhered and sound, then no. If the layers have built up to such an extent that details are being obscured, stripping and starting again can be considered. If stripping is done, a paint sample should be taken by chipping some off, with the lowest layer used to inform the new paint colour for historical accuracy. Black ironwork is a modern fashion; a great variety of colours can often be found in samples from old ironwork.

Q

How should paint be stripped?

If metalwork can be removed, there are three main options. Blasting is relatively cheap and leaves a good key for coatings. Dipping is effective but can leave corrosive residues in crevices that undermine new coatings.

Flame cleaning is slower and more labour intensive but more effective; it is particularly good with delicate areas that might be damaged by blasting.

If the metalwork is to remain in place, blasting or flame cleaning could still be considered, although their use will depend on a range of factors.

Removal of paint using hand tools is

At the junction with a wall, the metal of the railings has corroded, fracturing the stonework; how can this be repaired?

If the fracturing is bad, the stone may need to be replaced, with an indent cut to receive the rail. The fixing, lead or resin can sometimes be drilled out after cutting off the end of the rail. Once the hole is cleared, the end of the rail can be reattached – once treated for rust – or replaced, depending on condition, and then refixed into the hole.

What paint should be used and how many coats should be applied?

There are many opinions. A good, traditional oil paint, brush applied, will be compatible with old layers.

It should give five to seven years of effective life, is easy to maintain in situ while also being relatively straight forward to reverse. Two coats should be sufficient, on top of a zinc-rich primer, if coating bare metal. Time and money spent on good surface preparation, a high-quality primer and topcoat paints, while making sure no areas are missed when painting, will pay dividends.

Useful contacts

BRITISH ARTIST BLACKSMITHS ASSOCIATION – directory of blacksmith

members. baba.org.uk

BRITISH SPIRALS & CASTINGS – made-to-

NATIONAL HERITAGE IRONWORK GROUP

– guidance and craftspeople.

Tel: 07503 764712; nhig.org.uk NEWTON FORGE – metalwork restoration and bespoke ironwork.

Tel: 01258 472407; newtonforge.co.uk THE TRADITIONAL COMPANY – railings and estate fencing. Tel: 01664 431759; thetraditionalco.co.uk WROUGHT IRON SUSSEX – metalwork design, build and restoration.

Tel: 01243 771752; wroughtironsussex.co.uk

Q

What should be considered when buying ironwork from architectural salvage yards?

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Q

measure gates and railings. Tel: 01663 750716; britishsc.co.uk COODE CONSERVATION PARTNERSHIP – metal conservation and restoration services. Tel: 07546 408460; coodeconservation.co.uk DOROTHEA RESTORATIONS – architectural metalwork. Tel: 0845 478 0773; dorothearestorations.com

Q

Ask about provenance as this could give an idea of age and the materials used in construction, helping inform any repairs. Look for corrosion as this may not be straightforward to rectify; painting over the compacted rust will not

effective, but more labour intensive.

Before the 1960s, metalwork would probably have been painted with paints containing lead, so relevant safety procedures must be followed when stripping.

Above: Follow a schedule of recoating metalwork every five to seven years and also keep a check on build-up of vegetation

DOORS

DESIGN DETAILS In his series exploring the evolution of key architectural features, conservation expert Lee Bison looks at our homes’ entrances

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hroughout history doors have captured our imaginations, setting the scene for what lies beyond and giving clues to a property’s history. This seemingly simple, functional feature has evolved over the centuries, its design determined by monarchs, influenced by the technologies of the day, and defined by the use of a space within.

Early openings

In the earliest of Britain’s surviving homes – of the late medieval and Tudor periods – doors can be seen in a variety of shapes and sizes. Arches were popular – either two-centred (with a high, pointed apex), three-centred (rounded), or four-centred (low and wide, with a pointed apex). Though all types were used, the four-centred ‘Tudor’ arch (seen above) was prominent from the late 14th to the 16th century.

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The main door of a home of this period would have been the most elaborate, with elements in the high end – the most important area of a hall house – being similarly treated. Generally, the more basic the door and arch above, the lower the room’s status. Doors were typically formed of planks and battens, strengthened with long iron hinges and studded with nails – a method that continued under the Elizabethans – though stone doorways and moulded detailing were rare in these earlier forms.

In the Elizabethan and Jacobean eras, doors grew larger, and more elaborate detailing emerged – particularly in the grander houses of the gentry.

Unlike in the medieval and Tudor periods, where several types of arch were common, the Elizabethans and Jacobeans tended to use only shallow fourcentred arches. These were increasingly coupled with classical-inspired details, such as columns

Design Details

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Opposite left: Mirror Tudor arches at the entrance of Cotehele in Cornwall, a medieval manor house with Tudor additions Opposite right: Heavy oak studded door to a 17thcentury Welsh longhouse Above left: Original oak ledged interior door in a late-17th-century cottage Above right: The bold and beautiful entrance to Mr Straw’s House in Worksop, an Edwardian house with interiors largely unchanged since the 1920s. The property is in the care of the National Trust Left: An elegant entrance with wrought-iron porch to a Regency townhouse in Warwickshire

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flanking the doorway, or ornamental strapwork.

These details helped to demonstrate the status of a home, as well as the owner’s knowledge and education. While few had visited the classical sites, the earlier advent of printing meant prolific etchings were available for craftsmen to copy from, even if these early attempts were somewhat crude.

Queen Anne abundance

It was the construction of doors that saw the biggest change in the Jacobean period, with the introduction of richly ornamented panelled designs, and this trend was firmly exploited in Queen Anne homes during the early 18th century.

The doorways of these dolls’ house-like properties had a dominant presence – inside and out.

The main doorcase often had a hood, perhaps on large console brackets that could be plain or decoratively carved in a classical leaf motif; the arched hood was a particular favourite. In contrast to earlier crude attempts at classical detail, as the baroque style developed there was a departure from accurate classical proportions and design elements.

Aspects such as the exuberant use of rustication, large keystones and bold pediments were used widely into the 18th century, known as the Gibbs surround, after Scottish architect James Gibbs.

Georgian grandeur

In the Georgian era, the six-panelled design was the dominant form of door. The Gibbs surround was used in the earlier part of the period, but from the second half of the 18th century pedimented styles with engaged columns, and decorative lead semicircular fanlights grew in popularity.

These doors were either plain or carved and continued to become more inventive over time, using carved mouldings and geometric panelling, or incorporating inspiration from ancient Greece.

Regency trickery

The use of graining or marbling to decorate woodwork, from doors and windows to shutters and wainscoting, became very popular in the Regency period. Cheaper woods or surfaces were turned into fine examples of oak and exotic timbers, or classical-inspired marbles. These kinds of treatments weren’t just reserved for the interiors – external doors and doorways received similar decorative touches. Whereas today we see windows and doors painted in flat colours, in the Regency period these would have regularly had grained finishes applied to imitate expensive oak.

Victorian changes

In the terraces of the early Victorian period, front doors were placed on the same side of each house, but by the late 19th century, they were often paired together in deep recesses. This placement created neighbourly environments and gave the idea of a more grandiose doorway. The preference for four-panelled doors grew, with plain overlights rather than the decorative fanlights of the Georgian era – though fanlights were still sometimes used.

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Perfect porches

Under the Aesthetic and Arts and Crafts movements, porches became idyllic in almost any style. The search for purer forms drew Arts and Crafts designers to historical sources once more – a theme typical of all Victorian styles, with their designs looking back to details of the medieval, Elizabethan and Queen Anne periods. On the whole designs aimed to be simple, with materials used in a way that made them the focus. As the entrance epitomised the sense of welcome to a home, porches became a key feature.

These could be somewhat imposing, particularly in later examples. The designs of C.F.A. Voysey are models of using simple forms, with porches featuring stone detailing and integrated seating.

Edwardian decoration

By the Edwardian era, the internal spaces of our homes were now so far removed from those of the Tudors, that the solid wood door was no longer the prerequisite. Internal spaces became larger and offered rooms with dual aspects wherever possible, adapting the traditional pile systems employed in previous periods, and embracing the gardens and greenery with window seats and French doors.

As with Arts and Crafts designs, porches were a mainstay in Edwardian homes, typically being highly decorative, with bold white woodwork featuring fretwork patterns and often daring stained or coloured glass. This use of glass was prolific. Front doors incorporated bold coloured and textured glass in floral motifs, referencing ideas of designers such as Charles Rennie Mackintosh.

Similarly, internal doors sought to allow borrowed light into dark spaces, with glass being incorporated into the top panels of a four-panelled door.

Modern simplicity

The biggest change in the 20th century was to internal doors – the Victorian four-panelled design that had been a mainstay since the mid-19th century was replaced with one consisting of a single panel, sometimes glazed, to the upper section and multiple vertical panels beneath. Crittall-style doors and windows were also extremely popular, with fully glazed internal doors very common alongside the brand’s famed French doors, expanding on earlier eras’ ideas of borrowing light.

Maintenance issues

Original doors add so much to the appearance of a period property and should be retained and restored wherever possible. Keeping on top of maintenance is key. Modern finishes should be used only with great care – instead consider linseed or natural paints (try Bulmer Paints). The same goes for fillers, and wherever possible natural products or timber repairs should be used instead of epoxy or resin-based repairs.

If the work is beyond your DIY level, search for a professional at the Building Conservation Directory (buildingconservation.com). The website also lists courses, which will enable you to learn a craft to bring that extra bit of pride to your home.

Design Details

Left: Grand front entrance to a Georgian townhouse in London, featuring a Gibbsinspired surround Above: Elegant double front door with an ornate leaded fanlight, featured on a Georgian townhouse in Kent

Above right: In the late Victorian era, many terraces were built with front doors paired together in deep recesses. This added a sense of community and grandeur Below right: Decorative porch to a Victorian

home in East Sussex, featuring Arts and Crafts-inspired details Below left: Verandastyle porch to an Edwardian villa with a vertical panelled front door, which became a popular style during the Interwar years

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j Be inspired by this stunning DIY home renovation project

Twist on tradition First-time buyers Natasha Mupambo and Kangwa Mutale weren’t afraid of a project. Natasha tells us how they transformed a neglected kitchen and dining room to create their dream social space

Tell us about the property Our home is a 1918 semidetached three-bed townhouse in a really closeknit neighbourhood in Nottingham. We wanted to find somewhere that had the community feel while still being close to the city centre. This house fitted the bill perfectly. It has had two owners before us, and the last lady, who sold it to us, left us lots of pictures of the house from ‘back in the day’.

Thankfully, the house has still got many original features but as it had not been decorated in the last forty years, was in desperate need of some TLC. What was your approach? We didn’t really have a plan, we just jumped straight in and learnt on the job.

We knew we wanted to keep the house’s original features while also putting our stamp on it, but we didn’t know how we were going to achieve this.

BEFORE

What inspired your kitchen? A bit of a mix, mostly

Pinterest, Instagram and magazines. We wanted it to be sleek and modern but still have the light, airy feel that was inherent to the house. We spent many nights pondering whether we should knock through the wall between the dining room and the kitchen to make an open-plan space, but in the end we chose not to as the kitchen was large enough to incorporate a breakfast bar and stools, to give us a social kitchen-diner, while still keeping the additional formal dining space.

Any surprises? The kitchen was the room that gave

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DURING

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us the most surprises. We knew when we moved in that it needed the most work as the floor was sloping towards the back door, which is never a good sign. We took up the floorboards and found that the sloping section wasn’t the only problem.

The joists throughout the whole floor were rotting and structurally unsound. So, we had to remove it and install a new floor. We also found out that when the previous owner had unfortunately replaced the

Above: The original kitchen had not been updated in nearly 40 years Left: When attempting to fix the sloping floor, Natasha and Kangwa discovered that the joists were rotten, meaning the whole floor needed to be replaced. The lintels on the kitchen windows had not been reinforced when the windows were replaced, too, causing the back wall to start collapsing

Renovation original windows with double-glazing, the company who changed it for her hadn’t changed the lintels so they were sagging under the weight. This was making the back wall unstable, so the lintel had to be replaced to save it from collapse.

AFTER

Priorities for the kitchen? Firstly, we knew we wanted

a double-door fridge as we like to have lots of family come over on the weekends, so we needed to be able to cater for everybody. We also needed a lot of seating so that the kitchen could be a social space when cooking. We loved the two huge windows that the room already had, but we also wanted to add doors so that the kitchen could be an extension of the garden in the summer.

BEFORE

AFTER

Above: The couple decided to keep the dining room as a separate room, turning it into a sophisticated space for entertaining Left: New wood flooring, navy cabinets and a breakfast bar have transformed the kitchen into a social heart of the home Bottom left: Swapping wall cabinets for open shelving makes the room feel more spacious Bottom right: Natasha and Kangwa’s 1918 home

Did you do a lot of the project yourselves? I think across the whole house it was about half-and-half, but we needed more professional help with the kitchen as it was quite complex. We got the builders to do the structural work to the space, and we also got them to replace the roof. We removed the plaster ourselves as it was just falling off the walls, and took the kitchen back to the brick, then got a professional to replaster it before we painted.

Even though Kangwa had laid the wooden flooring in the rest of the house, the issues with the foundations in the kitchen made it more difficult.

Everything we felt we could do ourselves, we did.

What would you say to someone who is considering a similar project? Do it! It’s really fulfilling. I’m a

strong believer in not buying new, especially when it comes to homes - keeping the heritage of an area is really important. However, it’s not easy – there will be times when you wonder if it will ever be done and to that I say: ‘It is coming and when it’s done, you’ll absolutely love it’.

One thing you would do differently? Don’t compromise on anything that’s not easy to change. We learnt that the hard way. We compromised on a wooden floor because the one we wanted wasn’t available.

We thought it would help the project be completed more quickly but when the flooring arrived, we had the hassle of sending it all back as it was rubbish.

Always wait for the perfect thing, as you don’t want to look at a mistake every day.

How long did the kitchen renovation take? We completed

the sale in January 2020, and then had to contend with lockdown, which made everything difficult.

Thankfully the roof was started in February so that was done, but we had lots of issues with getting materials. Our plan to have it finished by summer 2020 didn’t happen. So far it’s taken about a year.

What’s next? We’ve just started working on the garden, creating a patio and making the space pretty. I think Kangwa would like to try another renovation in the not-too-distant future, too.

Be inspired by Natasha and Kangwa’s renovation on Instagram @peonyandprose Period Living 109

Design your dreamgarden

Garden Updates

Create a sanctuary for relaxing and entertaining with these beautiful ideas Feature Holly Reaney

Coming up roses

A favourite of the English garden, roses not only fill the space with colour and scent but, when trained up an arch, also add architectural interest. Place an arch over a path to create a botanical link between two areas, or position over a bench for a floral oasis. Climb a fragranced variety, like the myrrh-scented Wollerton Old Hall, from £19.50 at David Austin, for a feature that will delight the senses.

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Step outside A path is an excellent way to give your garden structure, guiding visitors through the space, while also protecting grass and flowers from traipsing feet. When laying, be sure to follow the most-walked route and avoid creating sharp corners, as these will usually be cut off on foot. Create a less regimented look by adding in additional meanders and curves.

Take shelter

A storage space is vital for keeping the garden tidy, but a tired shed or outbuilding doesn’t have to be an eye-sore. Just giving it a lick of paint - Little Greene’s Goblin, £73.50 for 2.5 ltrs of Intelligent exterior eggshell, is an excellent garden shade – can give the whole area a facelift. Pair with a vignette of terracotta pots and vintage gardenalia for added cottage charm.

Surface style

Create a versatile, low-maintenance space that is perfect for entertaining with a patio. Opt for natural materials, such as Ca’Pietra’s Farley seasoned limestone flags, from £59.94 per m2, which will blend seamlessly into the garden, then pair with a wooden table and chairs for the perfect alfresco dining experience.

Natural beauty

We all need to do more to encourage wildlife into our gardens and one of the most efficient ways to achieve this is to create a wildflower meadow.

You don’t need a huge amount of space – a small corner of lawn or even a pot can make a difference.

Plus, with seed mixes available for all soil types, it will be the easiest garden job of the year.

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Garden Updates

Room with a view

A flexible addition to the garden, a shepherd’s hut can be whatever you need it to be. Originally designed to be a home-fromhome for shepherds during the lambing season, today they are more popularly used in the garden to provide additional space without the hassle of extending. Whether you work from home and need a peaceful office or want to create an extra bedroom for guests, a shepherd’s hut is a beautiful and practical choice for a garden room. This Turnkey hut costs from £38,000 at Blackdown Shepherd’s Huts.

On reflection

Although a relatively small and inexpensive addition to the garden, a mirror can transform the space by flooding shady corners with sunlight. Pick a design shaped like a window, such as the outdoor chapel mirror, £169 from Primrose & Plum, to create the illusion of hidden rooms, giving your garden a magical air.

The swing of it

Designing a garden full of character is undeniably hard work, so make sure you take the time to enjoy it. This Kyokusen FSC-certified oak swing-seat, from £4,379 at Sitting Spiritually, is the perfect place to kick back and relax, gently swinging while you enjoy your botanical oasis.

Garden Updates

Raise the stakes

Whether you are growing beautiful flowers or prizewinning vegetables, raised beds let you curate all elements of the growing conditions, from soil quality and spacing to watering and feeding, thus increasing your yields and productivity.

Prices for pre-made wooden raised bed frames start at £25 from Harrod Horticultural.

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Turn up the heat

Historic style

Once the preserve of aristocrats, follies are the epitome of architectural intrigue. Adding a majestic focal point to the garden, a heritageinspired design, such as Redwood Stone’s Secret Tracery, £3,425, features gothic windows and faux door, giving the garden the illusion of history and a touch of whimsy.

Even the warmest days can bring with them cool evenings, especially in the UK. So as the sun sets, light up the fire to keep the party going into the night. Designed to mimic the look of a traditional wood-burner, Gardenesque’s Wakehurst fireplace, £399, is a great addition to a period garden. Constructed from durable steel with an aged patina, it provides a cosy atmosphere all year round.

Tread the boards

Regardless of your garden’s size, decking is a low-maintenance way to reinvent your space. Weathered boards offer timeless charm and imbue the space with warmth. Pair with potted plants and bistro furniture for a cosy alfresco dining space.

Say it with flowers

Give your blooms the space to shine with a plant theatre.

Adding height to your garden, it creates a striking yet compact focal point that draws the eye and adds interest. For a similar wooden ladder stand, try Garden Trading, or for a more ornate metal design try Sarah Raven.

Mindful space

Consider wildlife when choosing your garden boundaries. Hedges are an eco-friendly choice that suit a cottage-style garden. Opt for plants like hawthorn and box and you’ll see them buzzing with wildlife come spring. However, hedges can be expensive to plant and will require maintenance.

Wooden fences offer another natural choice. These woven softwood panels cost £112.32 for H152xW183cm at Jacksons Fencing, and are designed to look good on both sides. Jacksons also offers the option of adding a hedgehog-friendly baseboard, £16.75, with a small hole to let the creatures pass through easily.

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Practical additions can also be beautiful.

Handcrafted from brass, this elegant Granary wall light, £320 from Jim Lawrence, features a traditional swan-neck arm to add period charm as well as light to your home’s exterior.

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Mending fences

There is something inherently relaxing about the sound of water, quietly bubbling, creating a soothing backdrop against the birdsong. A water feature like this Portland stone Romanesque fountain, £499 from Haddonstone, provides auditory and visual interest as well as a spot for visiting birds to bathe and drink.

Leading light

Keep on top of watering in the warmest months, and take gardening inspiration from the stories of others

STIR IT UP The secret to an interesting potted plant display is variety in flowers and foliage as well as containers. If you don’t have time to hunt the salvage yards for items to upcycle, this galvanised zinc milk churn, £34.50 from Nordic House, has all the rustic charm of a bygone age. Group with terracotta pots for a cottage garden container scheme.

CROP COMPANIONS WHAT: Onions and summer savory WHY: As you start to lift the

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first onions from this month, you might be disappointed to find that some bulbs are a little smaller that hoped for. Planting summer savory alongside is reputed to help stimulate the growth of onions, as well as encourage a sweeter flavour.

PLANTING: An attractive herb with slender pinnate leaves and small white and lilac flowers, summer savory has a hot, peppery flavour, ideal for use as seasoning. Direct sow in spring or transplant seedlings in April or May once the risk of frost has passed, in a sunny spot in well-drained soil. Leaves can be harvested as soon as the plant is about 12cm tall.

GARDEN TREASURES SISSINGHURST, KENT One of the most famous and romantic gardens in the world, Sissinghurst Castle was home to the poet and writer Vita Sackville-West and her husband Harold Nicolson. Combining their skills, they created this garden of ‘rooms’ with effervescent planting that became a cornerstone of English garden design.

Highlights include the Rose Garden, ‘a tumble of roses, honeysuckle, figs and vine’, and the summer colour in the South Cottage Garden contrasting with the White Garden, filled with irises, gladioli and dahlias. Open daily. Entry adult £10, child £5.

(Tel: 01580 710700; nationaltrust.org.uk) WATER FEATURE As the garden requires more watering during the height of summer, avoid the eyesore and trip hazard of a hosepipe snaking across the garden or patio by storing it when out of use on this elegant cast-iron holder. Beautiful as well as functional, this ornate piece can be wall-mounted next to an outdoor tap for convenience, and will perfectly complement a traditional garden setting. £32 from Rockett St George.

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BEDDING PLANT MAINTENANCE

CAN YOU DIG IT? This mini spade may well prove to be a favourite in the gardener’s tool shed. The sharp edge of the hardwearing and rust-resistant – as well as slug and snail deterrent – copper blade will cut through sun-baked soil, while its compact design makes it ideal for carrying around as you survey the garden for any weeding, tidying or digging that requires your attention. £72 from The Future Kept.

ON THE BOOKSHELF Part family autobiography,

SOFT TOUCH Add colour and pattern to outdoor seating with scatter cushions in season-proof, wipeable fabric. Pictured are the Green Shell, Green Lattice and Blue Lattice designs, £23 each from Bramblecrest.

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part garden and home styling inspiration, celebration of the seasons, slow living and sustainability, plus recipe book, Petersham Nurseries (£65) tells the story of how 20 years ago, Gael and Francesco Boglione took over the nursery behind their beautiful Queen Anne home near Richmond, and how it, in turn, took over their lives and those of their four children.

Through the evocative writing, and stunning photography by Andrew Montgomery, it weaves a wonderful and inspiring tale behind this garden nursery and shop that is like no other.

Bedding plants are undeniably high maintenance, especially summer schemes planted in late spring just as droughts tend to arrive. Bedding in the ground will need regular watering for six weeks until it is well established, while plants in containers will need care through the summer.

Check each pot by pushing your finger into the compost.

It is fine for the surface to be dry, but if there is no moisture below your first knuckle, it needs to be watered. This might be every day or even twice a day in hot, dry weather. Even when it has rained, watering may be needed, as the dense canopy of foliage covering pots and baskets often prevents water from reaching the compost.

Modern breeding has done much to produce plants that keep flowering regardless of whether their spent flowers have been removed. Nonetheless, you will find that many plants – such as dahlias, pelargoniums, osteospermums and traditional petunias – are more floriferous and look tidier if you deadhead them at least once a week.

Pinching with fingers is usually sufficient, but some gardeners like to use scissors or specially designed snips. You can also take this opportunity to trim back overly vigorous plants.

To get the maximum flowering display, it is a good idea to feed summer bedding plants at least twice between early July and the end of August, using a liquid feed that is diluted with water.

This is an edited extract from The National Trust School of Gardening (£20), NT Shop

Container

cottage garden With a little planning, you can create a wonderful floral container display with old-fashioned favourites that evokes the feel of a country cottage garden

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Isabelle Palmer is a city garden designer and founder of The Balcony Gardener, experts in small space gardening. She is also a garden writer and author of Modern Container Gardening (Hardie Grant)

Gardens

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ummer is a time to enjoy life outdoors and in the garden. Even if you live in a busy town or city, with only a small courtyard at your disposal, you can create a container cottage garden that conjures up images of summer days, and enjoying an abundance of wildflowers, meadows and hedgerows.

Cottage garden pots

Cottage gardens may take their inspiration from the countryside, but with a few choice containers can easily be created in any urban space, too.

Most cottage gardens are informal affairs, often a happy blend of ornamental and edible plants that would have supplied the cottage dwellers of the past with fruit, herbs and flowers.

Very often, the containers would have been anything going spare – whether this was an old trough, metal bucket, Belfast sink or a wooden half-barrel. You can recreate that look at home using containers made from classic materials,

such as aged zinc, beaten metal, terracotta and wicker. I like to use galvanised metal dolly tubs and zinc planters, which are large and can be filled with an abundance of flowers. A reclaimed onion box or wine crate also makes a perfect container, the warm tones of the wood providing a perfect foil for the plants. If you crave a little colour, then just paint an upcycled container.

Opposite: A palette of soft pastels, such as mauve, lilacs and pinks, combined with whites and creams can always be relied on to provide a cottage garden feel, like here with English lavender, white snapdragon, and bellflowers Left: The pretty planting choice in this container is based on a combination of shades of pink, enhanced by the apricot foxgloves that add height, while achillea flowers attract bees and other beneficial insect visitors

Soft tones and muted colours

Gentle, soothing tones and soft colours are the order of the day in a cottage garden, so look out for flowers in shades of purple, mauve, lilac and pink, and add whites and creams to lift the scheme.

One of my favourite schemes uses large zinc planters filled with mauve, purple and white flowers. For thriller plants I use Campanula persicifolia, with its lovely mauve flowers on tall stems, Hydrangea macrophylla and the feather reed grass, Calamagrostis x acutiflora, whose beige plumes wave softly in the summer breeze.

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Gardens

I underplant these thriller plants with white snapdragons, white dahlias, English lavender and purple Salvia nemorosa ‘Caradonna’.

If you’d prefer a warmer colour scheme, then fill a planter with flowers in shades of pink, soft apricot and cream. I like to combine the statuesque foxglove Digitalis purpurea ‘Dalmatian Peach’ with Achillea ‘Summer Berries’, Echinacea ‘Sunseekers Salmon’ and Salvia ‘Kisses and Wishes’. I also include some English lavender, with its divine fragrance that evokes a cottage garden.

Summer brights

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Some cottage gardens, however, are a veritable riot of colour, so don’t hold back from using hot and fiery colours and fill your containers with summer brights – the jewel box of colours can look amazing in the bright, sunny days of summer.

For these colour combinations I tend to favour more natural-looking containers. A particular favourite is a reclaimed onion box packed with scarlet, orange, dark pink, purple and black flowers above a backdrop of lush green leaves. A winning combination includes the Lupinus ‘Gallery Red’ crimson Salvia ‘Ember’s Wish’, soft pink Astrantia ‘Roma’, deep purple Aquilegia vulgaris var. stellata ‘Black Barlow’, Anemone Saint Brigid ‘Governor’, Osteospermum Serenity Red, nearblack Viola ‘Molly Sanderson’ and Verbena ‘Lanai

Above: The simple flowers of petunias, anemones and poppies create an informal combination that is perfect for a curved zinc dolly tub Top right: A cottage garden on a miniature scale, here pinkish red lupins, African daisies and salvias create a harmonious scheme in a rustic-looking old onion box repurposed as a planter Above right: The aim with the flowers here is to create a kaleidoscope of colour

Early Deep Red’. This selection highlights the importance of foliage – the fan-like lupin leaves adding an extra layer of interest and drama to the scheme.

If you want to go all out with colour, then a large metal dolly tub filled with rainbow hues is the answer. There is no attempt at harmonising the shades here, so just choose a range of bright colours, sit back and enjoy the show. We are spoilt for choice at garden centres at this time of year in terms of colour, but the following selection is sure to make an impact: pale blue Campanula persicifolia ‘Cornish Mist’; red snapdragons; Anemone coronaria ‘De Caen Group’ and Saint Brigid Group ‘Lord Lieutenant’; Dahlia ‘Sweet Nathalie’ and pale orange ‘Rachel’s Place’; Papaver nudicaule Gartenzwerg Group and Spring Fever Series; and Petunia ‘Tumbelina Susanna’ with its ruffled pale yellow flowers.

Don’t feel you have to follow a specific colour theme. The plants traditionally grown in cottage gardens tend to be self-seeders, which can lead to many unplanned but still wonderful results; a jumble of different colours and textures is absolutely fine. Just make sure you include plants of various sizes, from low-growing thymes to stately delphiniums, as well as those with different habits and textures. You are trying to recreate a feeling of abundance and informality.

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Isabelle’s favourite cottage garden container plants •Anthemis •Campanula •Catmint (nepeta) •Cosmos •Culinary herbs (such as bay, rosemary and thyme) •Dahlia •Delphinium •Echinacea •English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) •Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea)

Ubiquitous cottage garden blooms

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Above left: Try various mixed combinations of plants in a cottage garden container, such as large, daisylike cosmos with roses and trailing ivy, but try to achieve a soft look, with the flowers all tumbling together gently Above right: Herbs were a mainstay of traditional cottage gardens so include some in your container garden display

Aftercare

WATERING Water more frequently in spring and

summer, ideally early in the morning or in the evening when it is cooler. Bedding plants grown in containers require watering daily in summer, but succulents, drought-tolerant plants and mature plants need less water. Use a hose or watering can with a fine rose attachment until water drains out of the container.

FEEDING Compost contains enough nutrients for container-grown plants for around six weeks.

After that you will need to replace the nutrients with a general-purpose fertiliser with sufficient amounts of NPK (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium). Some plants, like roses, have specific feeding requirements.

DEADHEADING Removing dead or fading flowers encourages plants to produce more blooms. Just pinch off the flowers or snip them off with a pair of scissors. Bedding plants and perennials, such as dahlias, heucheras and fuchsias, will all produce a further flush of flowers after deadheading.

STAKING Some plants, like delphiniums, foxgloves and dahlias, grow quite tall, so stake them by tying the stems with raffia or string to garden canes pushed into the compost.

PRUNING Most of the plants grown in containers won’t require pruning, but if you have evergreen shrubs, such as box, holly or bay, then a light prune in spring and summer will help to keep them looking neat and tidy.

PESTS AND DISEASES Watch out for pests such as aphids, slugs and snails, and diseases like botrytis (grey mould) and powdery mildew. Treat with an appropriate organic insecticide or fungicide.

Remove slugs and snails by hand. ppalC hgieL segamI

There are so many lovely cottage garden plants to choose from to try and replicate the soft, romantic look, with lots of flowers tumbling together, but in containers. I opt for traditional, old-fashioned flowers that take you back to yesteryear, like majestic delphiniums, structural lupins and tall foxgloves. Add a selection of plants with daisy-like flowers, such as echinacea, anthemis and cosmos, and include scented flowers, such as roses, lilies and nicotiana – Nicotiana x sanderae ‘Perfume Deep Purple’ is a real favourite for its gorgeous colour as well as the scent. These are all mainstays of the cottage garden. Climbers, too, with favourites including wisteria, climbing roses and sweet peas. It is easy to grow container climbers by training them up garden canes or a framework of twiggy branches for a more natural look. The flowers of sweet peas are delightful and can be cut regularly to enjoy their fragrance indoors.

No self-respecting cottage garden would be without a collection of herbs, as these were the mainstays of the cottage cooking pot and medicine chest. Fragrant English lavender is ubiquitous, but so are other herbs such as sage, marjoram, rosemary and thyme. Not only can these be used in the kitchen, but their various scents are so evocative, and nothing could be better than sitting in your garden enjoying the colours and scents of your container cottage garden.

Many of these beautiful cottage garden plants will also attract bees, butterflies and other beneficial insects into your outdoor space, so you will be doing your bit for the environment, too, by including them in your container scheme.

The beauty of the chosen flowers in your container speak for themselves, but there are a few things you can do to finish the look. Adding a decorative trim, such as pebbles, chippings or moss to the top of the container not only provides a final flourish, but also slows down evaporation.

•Fuchsia •Hydrangea •Lily (lilium) •Lupin (lupinus) •Marigold (Calendula officinalis) •Nicotiana •Roses •Snapdragon (antirrhinum) •Sweet pea (Lathyrus odoratus) •Wisteria

HIDDEN JOY

Having uncovered features concealed behind overgrown shrubs in their once neglected garden, Nyla Abraham and Paul Sadler have gone on to create a relaxing, productive and characterful oasis near the heart of Bath Words Sue Bradley | Photographs Peter Chatterton

Gardens

A shaded seating area creates an intimate space in a corner of this garden in Bath. Close by is a border filled with a classic cottage garden planting combination of roses, nepeta and foxgloves. Roses form the backbone of splashes of colour throughout the garden

Gardens KEY FACTS

Character This garden of three parts combines fruit and vegetable beds, colourful flower borders and a wildlife-friendly area, with various objets trouvés dotted throughout Size 20m by 14m Aspect North-east-facing back garden Soil Light friable loam, slightly alkaline Owners Nyla Abraham, a dentist, and her husband Paul Sadler have lived here for eight years, joined by baby Skye in 2020 House A Victorian terrace built before 1850 Open The garden normally opens in aid of the National Gardens Scheme (ngs.org.uk)

F Clockwise from left: A pair of turreted outbuildings have been renovated to provide a potting shed and storage space by the kitchen garden, which combines stone-edged raised beds with galvanised metal containers used for a variety of vegetables; an archway marks the point at which the richly planted middle section of the garden flows into the lawned area; bunting brings an extra layer of cheerfulness to a comfortable garden shelter, which is draped in spring-blooming wisteria; the modern rose ‘For Your Eyes Only’ provides a vibrant splash of pink

or centuries, Entry Hill served as the main route between the heart of Bath and the South West, familiar to both the Roman and Georgian visitors seeking to benefit from the city’s famous mineral waters. While its prominence may have diminished over the subsequent eras, the houses that line it serve as a reminder of its past importance – not least Stone Lea Cottage with its proud castellated parapet.

Built from Bath stone provided by the Combe Down quarries close by, this Grade II-listed, endof-terrace property dates back to the early 19th century. It is believed to have started out as a coach house, which was then converted into a pair of miners’ cottages, before it was combined back into one property. The hand of the owner responsible for the castellated parapet can also be seen in the turret-like outhouses in the corners of the garden.

When Nyla Abraham and her husband Paul Sadler moved in during 2013, however, these intriguing little buildings were hidden from view.

It was only once they had sensitively renovated their home that the couple began to explore the long, untended outdoor space extending behind it.

‘It was clear from the structure of the garden that it had been much loved once, although it had become pretty overgrown by the time we moved in,’ explains Nyla. ‘The little turrets came to light as we cut back shrubs, but the buildings weren’t in the best state of repair and Paul had to do quite a lot of work on them before they could be used.

They are now an essential part of the garden, with one used for storage and the other fitted with a reclaimed sash window and used as a potting shed.’

The couple’s efforts to prune back shrubs, such as spirea and laurel, also revealed four apple trees, all of which had stood for many decades. These created breathing space around a mature magnolia that had effectively sealed the deal when the Period Living 131

Gardens

Clockwise from far left: By the house, a collection of pots for plants and climbers, such as Clematis ‘Niobe’ growing up an ornate frame, enables Nyla to extend her garden right up to her doorstep, while an old wooden barrel creates an attractive water butt and a stand for a display of rockery plants; this sheltered, shady area along the side of the house is perfect for ferns and hostas, which are arranged around a bird table; ceramic cane toppers are an attractive way to avoid poking eyes when admiring campanula; an old cold frame is used for displaying succulents in terracotta pots; repurposed metal containers provide extra growing space in the kitchen garden and their height makes harvesting easier; poppy heads provide an ornamental addition to a border and continue the theme of metal objects around the garden

couple were house-hunting. ‘The magnolia was one of the reasons why we bought this place,’ laughs Nyla. ‘It’s so lovely in spring.’

While both Nyla and Paul enjoyed being within beautiful spaces, neither of them had the opportunity to do much gardening before moving to Entry Hill, but they have been making up for lost time since then.

Today their plot is the perfect place to eat and relax, grow fruit and vegetables, keep a small flock of Pekin bantams and – following the birth of baby Skye – act as a playground, too. ‘This was our first garden, and we didn’t have a plan for it, but found ourselves getting excited about plants,’ says Nyla. ‘After a couple of years, we started to consider its design and think about ways we could introduce a bit of privacy, and eventually we split the garden into three parts.’

The section furthest from the house is also the sunniest, making it the perfect spot for growing fruit and vegetables, including figs. Once an old shed that obscured one of the turrets had been removed, Paul set about building a series of easy-to-maintain raised beds, edged with old pieces of stone found around the garden. At the same time, attractive, galvanised metal items, such as water tanks, dustbins and even a hip bath, have been repurposed as deep containers for plants.

Personalised wine boxes from Paul and Nyla’s wedding have also been pressed into service as growing spaces. ‘I love my quirky containers and having the satisfaction of taking something that is no longer fit for its original purpose and using it for something else,’ says Nyla.

The old apple trees at the top of the garden have an orchard-like quality, with the grass around them allowed to grow long, and spring bulbs and wildflowers, such as red campion – a great source of food for bees, butterflies and moths – and cow parsley planted beneath.

Paul’s carpentry skills have been put to good use in the creation of a garden shelter with a shingle roof, from which Nyla loves to hang bunting. He also built a curved moon gate that divides the lawn from a ‘secret garden’ at the back, along with a potting bench incorporating an old kitchen sink and row of compost heaps.

The middle section of the garden has retained many of the shrubs that were in place back in 2013, albeit pruned to a much more manageable condition. These are combined with a relaxed, wildlife-rich area beneath a variety of trees, including Victoria plum, quince, crab apple, a weeping birch and hawthorn. Planted around these are perennials such as nepeta, knautia, penstemon and salvia. A sheltered section is inspired by holidays to Cornwall, with crocosmia, kniphofia and a Chilean myrtle tree, Amomyrtus luma, providing rich colour in September.

The lawned area near the house is surrounded by roses, with Michaelmas daisies providing interest later in the year. Here, there is plenty of room for the bantams to forage and enjoy dust baths, with one section of the grass left a little longer to Period Living 133

Right: Vibrantly coloured Knautia macedonica, alstroemeria, salvias and Allium sphaerocephalon are tempered by a calming borage Below: Clovers and other wild flowers are encouraged within a section of the lawn to provide food for foraging Pekin bantams Bottom: An unobtrusive wooden fence acts as a visual aid to the creation of various ‘rooms’ within the garden

encourage clover and other wild flowers. Along the side of the house is a shady spot that is home to ferns and a small gunnera, planted within an old metal bath and regularly watered, and there’s even room for a ‘theatre’ for displaying succulents, created from a cold frame fitted with shelves.

Collecting interesting objects has long been a passion for Nyla and Paul, whose garden provides a home for an assortment of finds, ranging from tea pots filled with plants, to decorative metal objects suspended from brackets, many of which are displayed within the gravel area close to the house.

Seating areas have been created at every opportunity so that they can enjoy the simple pleasure of being outside in the fresh air, watching wildlife and feeling miles away from the busy city centre close-by.

The couple’s move to Bath has given an unexpected outlet for their creative energies and an endless source of joy. ‘The more we’ve got into gardening, the more we’ve wanted to learn about it,’ says Nyla. ‘When we first moved here we were thrilled to have a garden to make our own, but we never dreamed just how important a part it would go on to play in our lives.’

Nyla’s advice for combining chickens and a beautiful garden

lOpt for smaller breeds, such as Pekin bantams, which are less destructive. lAllow areas of grass to grow longer and encourage wild flowers to attract insects, all of which will increase foraging opportunities for the chickens. lProtect young plants with cloches to give them a chance to become established. lInvest in a mobile chicken run so that the birds can enjoy fresh grass regularly. lKeep chicken feed in a sturdy container and weigh down the lid to deter rodents, and always clean up any spills.

In the area

SPECIAL PLANTS, Hill Barn Farm, Greenways Lane,

Cold Ashton, Chippenham, Wiltshire SN14 8LA. Derry Watkins’ nursery grows unusual plants from all over the world, including a range of hardy herbaceous and rockery plants and many tender perennials for terrace and conservatory.

Tel: 01225 891686; specialplants.net IFORD MANOR, Iford Hill Road, Bradford-on-Avon BA15 2BA. Grade I-listed garden famous for its romantic design and architecture created by Harold Peto, with rural views across an unspoilt valley.

Open Wednesday-Sunday. Entry adult £7.50, child (over 10 only) £6.50. Tel: 01225 863146; iford manor.co.uk PRIOR PARK LANDSCAPE GARDEN, Ralph Allen Drive, Bath BA2 5AH. This 18th-century garden, cared for by the National Trust, has a Palladian bridge, lakes and beautiful views. It belonged to Ralph Allen, owner of the stone quarries that provided the materials used to build Georgian Bath. Open daily.

Entry adult £5, child £2.50. Tel: 01225 833977; nationaltrust.org.uk 134 Period Living

Gardens

A raised bed formal potager at garden designer Adam Vetere’s home, features an abundance of produce focusing on his passion for Mediterranean cooking, including a range of onions, leeks, herbs, courgettes, tomatoes and espaliered fruit, as well as aubergines and peppers in the glasshouse

The cook’ s garden

Grow what you love to eat in a kitchen garden, and enjoy seasonal produce with the freshest taste, in the most rewarding way Words and photographs Leigh Clapp

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T

here is something infinitely satisfying about providing some of your own, homegrown vegetables, fruit and herbs for the kitchen table. Whether grown in containers, raised beds, or a fully functioning decorative potager, a kitchen garden can supply all those special plants you love to use, may be difficult to buy, or are expensive in the shops, and they will be fresher and tastier straight from the ground.

Growing fruit and vegetables does require a level of dedication, but is immensely gratifying. Many crops are also quite beautiful to look at, so can be a decorative addition to your planting – such as the vibrant stems of chard against the deep green crinkle of the leaves; bright, shiny jewels of red currants glistening with raindrops; the purple sketched veins on cabbages, or the architectural heads of artichokes silhouetted against the sky.

Planning for production

If this is your first time growing edibles, it is best to start small and with the easiest crops. Take some time to consider what would suit your needs and where you may have space for beds or containers in your garden. Draw up a plan of the beds needed to accommodate what you’d like to grow. Symmetry 138 Period Living

Above: Set near the kitchen for ease of harvesting, complete with a pretty seat to rest and survey the growing crops, this is a lovely plot to emulate with its neatly planted rows interwoven with calendula flowers

Right: Adding tulip bulbs is a decorative touch during the ‘hungry gap’ in spring while waiting for vegetable plants to grow, as here, where they add a welcome splash of colour against the rhubarb and chard plants

and balance are key elements for a formal layout, but they also work to add drama and focus to an informal look. For the highest yield, though, stagger the plants in triangles.

Raised beds are an easy way to manage a productive garden, and can be filled with organically rich, deep soil ready to use. Four beds would work well with crop rotation.

Pick your spot

The ideal location for a kitchen garden is a convenient, protected spot enjoying around six hours of sun a day, as most of your crops will be quick-growing annuals.

Positioning close to the kitchen allows you to pop out quickly and grab a handful of herbs or a larger harvest as needed. Hedging, fencing or

Gardens hurdles can be used to shelter plants from the wind, especially on the west side, but also maximise every space by making good use of the vertical surfaces for growing – from walls and lattices, to pergolas and arbours. Options include living edible walls with pocket systems or pots; climbing and espaliered vegetables and fruit; or containers on low brick walls could be both decorative and practical for choices such as salad leaves, herbs and strawberries.

If you don’t have the room or time for a separate area you can integrate a small selection of edibles among herbs and flowers, moving crops and flowers in rotation. A wigwam of beans in a container or rising out of a garden bed takes up little room and looks pretty in flower, and a wide variety of herbs, such as rosemary, chives and sage, are an attractive addition in any garden.

Taste selection

Aim for a mix of crops you love to eat, herbs you use regularly and fruit you enjoy, adding in perennial flowering plants, annuals and some shrubs for year-round structure.

Sow successionally in the growing season, interplant compatible edibles, and rotate crops to avoid disease building up in the soil. Pop in some bulbs, such as tulips and alliums, for spring colour during the ‘hungry gap’.

Starting in summer with your kitchen garden gives you a varied smörgåsbord to sow for harvesting through the autumn and winter, including beans, beetroot, spring cabbage, sprouting broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, chard, cut-and-come-again leafy salads, peas, pumpkin

and pak choi. There are many crops that can be sown directly into the warm soil. You can also buy small vegetable plants from nurseries to add directly into beds or containers.

Organic principles

The ideal soil is rich in nutrients, has an open texture to allow water and roots to penetrate, while holding moisture well. The less you do to the soil the better; single digging is sufficient and many gardeners advocate a no-dig method.

Aim to be as organic as possible for the most nutritious produce, so be prepared to tackle pests with physical defences and use companion planting – such as edging with chives or marigolds – to attract beneficial insects and deter pests.

Henrietta Courtauld and Bridget Elworthy established The Land Gardeners to research plant and soil health, and encourage biodiversity (thelandgardeners.com). They advise to: Right: A kitchen garden can be both decorative and productive, mixing architectural crops with bright blooms.

Nasturtiums add a bright pop of colour beside neat rows of compact and tightly packed forms of spring cabbage

lUse a lot of green manures, such as phacelia, buckwheat or mustard, which look beautiful. lAttract beneficial insects by growing plenty of herbs and annuals alongside your crops, such as nasturtium and calendula. lRotate crops; brassicas follow the legumes. lMove the flowers around the beds each year, looking for beautiful combinations and always experimenting with new companions. lPlant your perennial vegetables and fruit together, such as horseradish, rhubarb, asparagus and blackcurrants. lPlant mixed native hedging, such as hawthorn intermingling with dog roses, around the plot if needing shelter and protection.

Laws of attraction

Having produce interwoven with companion plants and cut flowers can create an attractive feature that is too lovely to have languishing at the bottom of the garden. Decorative patterns, gravel or stone paths, espaliered structures, and a focal point of a water feature can create the scene more of a potager, than a utilitarian vegetable plot.

At RHS Rosemoor, ornamentals and edibles blend in an effervescent profusion in the potager.

‘One of my favourite combinations from last year’s potager display happened slightly by accident,’ explains Peter Adams, the Edibles Team Leader.

‘We always grow kale ‘Black Magic’ and kale Below, left to right: Easy to grow, ornamental, and tasty raw or cooked, especially when harvested young, ruby, white or rainbow chard also offers you a long season, so is well worth growing; cook up wonderful Italian recipes with more unusual varieties of homegrown tomatoes, aubergines and peppers than you can find in the shops, and don’t

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forget the herbs, such as purple and green basil; regularly harvesting courgettes several times a week from when they are about 10cm long keeps the plant producing for a long cropping period through to October; grow tomatoes outside in a full sun position, or in the greenhouse – the better flavour is incomparable to shop bought

‘Redbor’ next to each other as the dark green and red foliage of the two varieties contrast so well with one another, but the potager beds are also full of seeds from things from previous years that have set seed. Dill grew up naturally between the kales and their delicate yellow flowers contrasted even better among the already dazzling display of kale leaves.’

Another attractive combination used at Rosemoor is the bold colours of Swiss chard varieties including ‘Fantasy’, ‘Bright Yellow’ and ‘White Silver’, with surrounding plantings of borage, Californian poppies, and the delicate flowers of coriander ‘Confetti’, helping to set the chard off.

Peter offers the following advice for creating a decorative potager: lWhen choosing varieties of vegetables or fruit to grow, look for ones with particularly attractive features, such as colourful leaves and stems, like beetroot ‘Bull’s Blood’, or unusual leaves like curly kales that come in a fantastic array of colours, such as kale ‘Candy Floss’. lMake use of vegetables with unusual flower colours, such as broad bean ‘Crimson Flowered’ and runner bean ‘Celebration’ or ‘Painted Lady’ lBuild layers up in your potager to add depth, and height is important, too. lDon’t always grow lots of one thing: dotting the odd unusual vegetable or fruit among the mix helps to capture the eye. lLet plants such as dill and poppies go to seed - their seed heads are beautiful and as they self seed it will help to naturalise your potager in years to come, as they germinate and fill gaps naturally.

Henrietta Courtauld and Bridget Elworthy are known for their pretty planting combinations, such as cosmos or nasturtiums with the glaucous grey of cavolo nero, or dahlias with leeks going to seed.

‘Try fennel with parsnips, and pick the umbellifer heads of both for the vase – parsnip is so beautiful when it goes to seed. Big pot of tulips look lovely planted with mint, and we also incorporate peonies in a kitchen garden and

Gardens Left: Space-saving and self-fertile, gooseberry bushes can be popped between rows of vegetables. They can be trained as standards, and then prune them annually to maintain their shape Below: Harvest your crops, such as ruby chard, as you need them. Although they keep in the fridge, they are best when picked fresh

interplant with Verbena bonariensis and cosmos for when the peonies die back,’ they advise.

Even in a small space you can adapt this ornamental concept, possibly with characterful containers or one large trough planted with some favourite edibles, mingling happily with a selection of flowers.

Gardens to visit

RHS GARDEN ROSEMOOR, Torrington, Devon EX38 8PH. In the potager,

a wide range of produce is grown in a symmetrical circular pattern demonstrating the decorative use of colour, form and texture from foliage, fruit and flowers. Open daily. Entry adult £12.15, child £6.10.

Tel: 01805 624067; rhs.org.uk WEST DEAN GARDENS, Sussex PO18 0RX. Walled potager with Victorian glasshouses, laid out in a classic Victorian design. Open daily. Entry adult £11, child free. Tel: 01243 818318; westdean.org.uk/gardens AUDLEY END, Saffron Walden, Essex CB11 4JF. Walled organic kitchen garden stocked to match the 1800s plants. Open daily. Entry adult £15.68, child £9.45. english-heritage.org.uk CHARTWELL, Kent TN16 1PS. Former home of Sir Winston Churchill with an ornamental potager that today supplies the café with fresh produce for its daily menu. Open daily. Entry adult £13, child £6.50.

Tel: 01732 868381; nationaltrust.org.uk

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Beside the

Out & About

SEASIDE Be inspired by the coastal destinations of old and visit these retro holiday spots Feature Holly Reaney

segamI ytteG lla segamI

St Ives, Cornwall

It is the sunshine that defines St Ives. The light bounces down the uneven, narrow streets of the old town – surrounded by white sands and a glass-like sea – transforming every corner, street and scene into a living work of art. With such beauty, it is no surprise that St Ives is a favourite of artists and creatives, inspiring endless artworks - some of which are displayed in the world-famous Tate St Ives as well as in the independent stores throughout the town. An art lover’s paradise.

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Scarborough, North Yorkshire

Flanked by limestone cliffs and red-brick buildings, the medieval town and harbour of Scarborough has been a favourite holiday resort since the Victorian period. However, it has much more to offer than just its coastline. The ruins of an 11th-century castle sit above the town, defining its horizon, and the mid-17th-century church, St Martin-on-the-Hill, features stunning decoration and stained glass by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William Morris, Edward Burne-Jones and Ford Madox Brown.

Plymouth, Devon

Proud of its rich maritime heritage, the sea underpins every element of Plymouth’s identity, from the buildings still emblazoned with their original purposes – designed to help sailors navigate the port – to the mouthwatering seafood dishes served in its restaurants. Explore the area with a ferry tour of the coastline; take in the 72ft Smeaton’s Tower – the painstakingly restored lighthouse that is a jewel in the city’s skyline – and the awe-inspiring naval ships awaiting repair in the dock.

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Out & About

Aberystwyth, Wales

Crowned the ‘Biarritz of Wales’ in Victorian times, Aberystwyth was a popular destination during the era’s tourism boom, and many of the icons of this period are still enjoyed today. Stroll along the mile-long Victorian promenade to the oldest pier in Wales, built in 1864, then take a trip on the Grade II-listed funicular Cliff Railway, 778ft to the summit of Constitution Hill, where a restored Victorian camera obscura offers a stunning panorama of the serene coastline.

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Barmouth, Wales

‘With a fine sea view in front, the mountains behind, and Cadair Idris within compass of a day’s walk, Barmouth can always hold its own against any rival,’ wrote William Wordsworth, after a visit in the 19th century, and the words are as true today as they were then. Travelling by train to Barmouth brings its own touch of magic, as it reaches the coast not by land but by sea, traversing over the Grade II*-listed timber viaduct and offering both hillside and coastline in one spectacular glance.

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Out & About

Dunoon, Scotland

There is an element of bravery involved in swimming in the North Scottish sea, although the Victorians appeared to have no such concerns, building a ‘Gentleman’s bathing station’ on the coast. This was replaced by an Art Deco lido (above) in the 1930s, which sadly fell into decline in the 1970s. While the lido may not be there today, the beautiful Victorian pier with its mock-Tudor entrance still remains, overlooked by a statue of Robert Burns’ love, Highland Mary, standing on Castle Hill.

The Yorkshire Coast

From picturesque villages to rambling countryside, all set against the backdrop of the sea, there is a reason why Yorkshire’s coastline is world-famous. Over its 26 miles, The Yorkshire Coast features a landscape for every type of holidaymaker to fall in love with, from the rolling hills and rambling footpaths of Ravenscar and historic Whitby, to Redcar beach, which is a treasure trove of fossils and Jurassic finds, concealing a 7,000-year-old petrified forest among the rocks and sand.

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Recipes

Coastal flavours Enjoy the essence of carefree days by the seaside in these simple, seasonal dishes inspired by the coastline, from Cornish chef Emily Scott Photographs Kim Lightbody

CORNISH SPLITS WITH RASPBERRY JAM AND CLOTTED CREAM; SEE NEXT PAGE FOR RECIPE

CORNISH SPLITS WITH RASPBERRY JAM AND CORNISH CLOTTED CREAM High days and holidays, and early morning walks to the bakery with my dad for the best teatime treats. Nothing evokes more Cornish childhood memories for me than the quintessential cream tea. I love baking, and splits and scones are so worth making yourself.

I think a revival of the split is required - which are more of a bread roll-style bake. Of course, it almost goes without saying… jam first before the clotted cream. These are delicious with raspberry, but also strawberry or damson jam.

MAKES 12 l28g fresh yeast l2 tsp caster sugar l275ml milk, warmed l450g strong bread flour, plus extra for dusting l115g plain flour l85g salted butter TO SERVE lRaspberry jam lCornish clotted cream

Preheat the oven to 180°C/ 160°C fan/350°F/Gas 4 1. First, mix the yeast and sugar together with the warm milk until blended (if the milk is too hot it will kill the yeast, so just warm it to hand-hot).

2. In a large bowl, sift together the flours, then rub in the butter until it resembles breadcrumbs.

Make a well in the middle, pour in the milky mixture and work into a dough with your hands. Knead for about 10 minutes, then set aside, covered with a damp dish towel, and allow to rise in a warm place for about 1 hour until doubled in size.

3. Knock back and knead again for about 10 minutes, then form your dough into 12 buns using a plain round scone cutter. Place on a floured baking sheet, cover with a damp dish towel and leave to prove for an hour until doubled in size.

4. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and cover with a damp dish towel for about 15 minutes so that they do not develop a crust. You can keep these little buns for up to four days in an airtight container.

5. Serve warm, with homemade, good-quality raspberry jam and Cornish clotted cream. Add the jam first. If you do not get cream on your nose when you eat them, you do not have enough cream on the split!

SAFFRONFISH STEW

Burnished with yellow saffron aïoli, my tomatobased fish stew with monkfish, gurnard, red mullet, tiger prawns and mussels is so pretty and delicious. Fish cookery is something I love and this recipe brings so many of my favourites together.

Of course, you can choose to use whatever fish is available and sustainable at different times of the year, so you can really make this dish your own. Buy your fish from sustainable sources, as provenance is so important.

SERVES 4 lSplash of olive oil l1 garlic clove, sliced lSmall glass of white wine l1 x 400g tin good-quality plum tomatoes lBunch of fresh basil, leaves picked and stalks chopped lHandful of fennel fronds l2 small monkfish fillets, cut in half l2 small gurnard fillets, cut in half l2 small red mullet fillets (or other firm white fish) l8 tiger prawns, shell on l12 fresh live mussels, cleaned (check they are alive) lCornish sea salt and freshly ground black pepper l4 small slices of crusty bread, to serve

lExtra-virgin olive oil,

for drizzling FOR THE SAFFRON AÏOLI l3 egg yolks l1 garlic clove, peeled l2 pinches of saffron lSqueeze of lemon juice lSmall pinch of Cornish sea salt l200ml sunflower oil

1. First make the saffron aïoli. Put the egg yolks, garlic, saffron, a tiny squeeze of lemon juice and a small pinch of salt in a small food processor. With the motor running, slowly pour in a stream of sunflower oil through the funnel, until the mixture begins to thicken to a mayonnaise consistency. Set aside.

2. Heat a splash of olive oil in a large, wide saucepan or pot with a lid over a medium heat. Add the sliced garlic and fry until lightly golden. Add the wine, tomatoes, basil and fennel fronds (reserve a few leaves and fronds for garnish) and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer gently for 10–15 minutes, until the liquid has reduced a little.

3. Add all the fish and shellfish in a single layer and season with salt and pepper.

Push the fish down into the liquid and put the lid on the pan. Cook gently for about 10 minutes until the fish and prawns are cooked through.

4. To serve, toast the bread and warm four deep plates.

Evenly ladle the fish stew onto the plates. Top each with the reserved basil leaves and fennel fronds, a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and a big dollop of saffron aïoli on top of the toast. Sometimes, I spoon the aïoli straight into the warm fish stew.

NOTE: If you like, add some halved, cooked new potatoes to bulk it out

BUFFALO MOZZARELLA, BROAD BEAN, OLIVE, LEMON AND ROCKET SALAD

Time. Enjoying our days in a whole new way. I love each season as it unfolds – breathe it in. It is in the simplicity of this dish that I find much of the pleasure.

Mozzarella is the cheese that sings summertime to me.

This makes a wonderful summer lunch to eat with sourdough, unsalted butter and some Cornish sea salt.

SERVES 4 l400g broad beans, podded, or peas lHandful of black olives, pitted and halved

l250g rocket, washed l2 balls of buffalo mozzarella lZest of ½ lemon lCornish sea salt and freshly

ground black pepper FOR THE DRESSING l1 tbsp Dijon mustard l1 tbsp sherry vinegar l200ml extra-virgin olive oil lJuice of ½ lemon lCornish sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Blanch the broad beans or peas in boiling water until tender. Drain and season, then place in a bowl with the olives and the rocket and toss to combine.

Recipes

2. Make the dressing.

Put the mustard and sherry vinegar into a bowl and add a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Gradually add the olive oil, whisking to emulsify. Squeeze in the lemon juice and whisk to combine. Check the seasoning to taste.

3. Tumble the salad onto a serving plate. Tear the mozzarella balls into four pieces and place these on top. Drizzle with the dressing and scatter over the lemon zest.

PAVLOVA WITH WHIPPED CREAM, POACHED RHUBARB AND PISTACHIOS Pavlova. Pure magic.

There is something quintessentially English about this pudding. It evokes memories of warm, happy days, and is a pudding I have always loved making with my children.

A show-stopping pavlova is a beautiful thing and is wonderful to share.

SERVES 6 l6 large egg whites l1 tbsp white wine vinegar l1 tbsp cornflour l340g caster sugar

FOR THE RHUBARB COMPOTE l1kg rhubarb lZest and juice of 2 oranges l1 vanilla pod, split lengthways l125g caster sugar TO SERVE l300ml double cream, whipped l150g shelled pistachios, skins on, roasted and chopped

Preheat the oven to 120°C/ 100°C fan/225°F/Gas ¼.

1. First make the rhubarb compote. Wash the rhubarb and cut into uniformly sized pieces and arrange in

a baking dish. Sprinkle the orange zest and juice over the rhubarb and add the vanilla pod. Sprinkle over the sugar.

2. Gently cook in the oven for 1 hour until the rhubarb is tender but still holding its shape. Allow to cool.

3. Increase the oven to 130°C/110°C fan/250°F/ Gas ¼. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks. Add the white wine vinegar and cornflour, and

whisk in. Gradually add the sugar very slowly while continuing to whisk, until the meringue is very stiff and shiny. To test if it is ready, carefully turn the bowl over on top of your head – it should stay firmly in the bowl.

4. On your parchmentlined baking sheet, draw a circle around a 20cm cake tin, then turn the parchment over. Put a dab of meringue in each corner of the baking sheet to secure the parchment to the sheet.

Spoon the meringue into the middle of the circle and spread it out to fill the drawn shape, leaving about a 1cm gap inside to allow the meringue to spread when cooking. Build up the sides of the meringue, leaving a dip in the middle for filling later. Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes until the edges feel firm. Remove from the oven and leave to cool on the baking sheet.

5. Carefully transfer your meringue to a serving plate and fill with whipped cream, top with rhubarb compote, sprinkle with the pistachios, and eat.

This is an edited extract from Sea & Shore: Recipes and Stories From a Kitchen in Cornwall, by Emily Scott (Hardie Grant, £26) with photography by Kim Lightbody

CORNISH CRAB LINGUINE WITH CHILLI, LEMON AND PARSLEY

Cornish crab – from crab cakes to crab sandwiches, nothings says Cornwall more to me. This recipe would perhaps be a lastmeal request for me – it contains all the ingredients that I simply love. Crab, pasta, lemon, parsley, chilli, Parmesan and olive oil… the textures and flavours of pure happiness. Crab is available in most good supermarkets or, even better, head to your local

fishmonger. If on holiday in Cornwall, find a local fisherman to point you in the right direction.

SERVES 4 l300g dried linguine pasta l250g fresh white Cornish crab meat, picked over for pieces of shell l2 fresh red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped l1 bunch of flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped lZest and juice of 1 lemon (zest is optional)

l100g Parmesan, grated l150ml olive oil, for drizzling lCornish sea salt and freshly

ground black pepper

1. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil, add the pasta and cook according to the packet instructions.

2. Meanwhile, combine the crab meat in a large bowl with the chilli, parsley, lemon juice and zest, if using. Stir together.

3. Drain the pasta (reserve some of the cooking water)

and add to the crab sauce along with a couple of tablespoons of the pasta cooking water. Use tongs to thoroughly mix the pasta with the crab so that all the pasta gets a good coating of sauce.

4. Serve in warmed bowls and sprinkle over a generous amount of Parmesan, a drizzle of olive oil and a grinding of black pepper. It goes deliciously with a cold glass of Sauvignon blanc.

Period Living 153

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In the Picture

Thehistory of homes Reopening after a huge refurbishment, with new displays, room sets and fascinating artefacts to discover – there’s no place like the Museum of the Home

162 Period Living

contemporary and friend of Samuel Pepys. Evelyn was also a prolific writer on gardens and would have been captivated by the outdoor spaces at the Museum of the Home. Here, visitors can admire the bang-up-to-date living green roof on part of the building and can stroll round Gardens Through Time. Indoors you can also discover Rooms Through Time, which includes a Victorian parlour set up for a séance, and a 1976 front room, that looks at the African-Caribbean experience of setting up home in the UK. There are also themed exhibitions relating to homes and homelessness.

It’s hoped that these glimpses will help us understand what home means across society and through history. Entry is free, but booking is essential visit museumofthehome.org.uk

emoH eht fo muesuM egamI wolraD neraK sdroW

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here can be few places in the world where you’d find Ikea’s Billy bookcase rubbing shoulders with a finely crafted 17th-century Parisian cabinet, or 18thcentury custard pots given gallery space alongside Soft and Hard Brexit egg cups from 2016. One such place is the recently refurbished Museum of the Home in London.

Formerly the Geffrye Museum, and renamed to reflect its very broad focus on all things home related through the ages, the revamped and enlarged exhibition spaces reopen to the public on 12 June 2021. The intricate cabinet, pictured above, is just one of many items on display. The ebony, fruitwood and ivory cabinet was made in Paris and bought by Mary in 1652 for her husband John Evelyn, the writer, diarist, and