9000
9001
BEAUTIFUL OLD HOMES
DECOR ATING & SHOPPING
GARDEN ANTIQUES INSPIRATION & VINTAGE
RENOVATION & MAINTENANCE
PERIODLIVING BRITAIN’S BEST-SELLING PERIOD HOMES MAGAZINE
The colours of Spring Decorate with nature’s prettiest seasonal palette – pink and green
MAY 2021
Let in the light with an elegant orangery or conservatory
WIN £2,000
in the Home & Garden of the Year Awards
Vintage homes From a classic Victorian villa to a charming Tudor thatched cottage
CLEVER COMPANION PLANTS FOR A BOUNTIFUL HARVEST
PLUS DECORATIVE TILES ANTIQUE WARDROBES STAIRCASE CARE MOULDINGS DESIGN
Illustration Sarah Overs Photograph David Lloyd
Editor’s Letter
ate is often declared to be the mysterious benefactor behind dream house purchases – when someone secures the property they had their eye on for years; the one that ticked every box but was seemingly out of reach, until a chance encounter changed everything. I found my own house through endless hours of trawling property websites, dozens of viewings, and several failed bidding wars. I love living here, but there were plenty of compromises and I don’t see it as my ‘forever home’. However, after reading the stories behind our featured readers’ homes this month, I have a renewed sense of hope that one day fate will intervene on my behalf, too. Laura Yates had admired her pretty Yorkshire stone cottage (page 65) for years, and only dreamed of one day owning it, until she bumped into an old neighbour who told her it was on the market – but sadly out of her price range. Yet she managed to persuade the owner to sell to her by penning a heart-felt letter. Meanwhile, Lisanne and André Hedger convinced the owners of their gorgeous thatched home (page 42) to swap houses, after it miraculously came back onto the market two years after they first viewed it, but weren’t in a position to buy. I wonder if I haven’t had my fairytale homebuyer moment yet because I haven’t found The One. What these readers have in common, is that they weren’t prepared to let their dream just pass them by without a fight. So perhaps it was their passion, rather than fate that won the day. Of course, dream homes aren’t just bought – they are made through hard work and vision. That’s why, this issue we are launching our Home & Garden of the Year Awards 2021 (page 38) to celebrate your own projects. We’re not after perfect show houses – we’re looking for properties that are truly cherished, lived in, and have been creatively improved. There are several categories to enter and some fantastic prizes on offer, with the overall winner receiving £2,000, so don’t be modest – we’d love to see the home or garden you have put so much into. I hope you enjoy the issue, and if you want to make sure you don’t miss out in future, then subscribe to receive a free Annie Sloan Chalk Paint set worth £24.95 (page 52) – it’s perfect for a creative upcycling project to put the finishing touches to your home. Melanie Griffiths Editor, Period Living
Period Living 3
Decorating & shopping
13
Homes
38
Journal We round up the latest interiors offerings, news and exhibitions
21
Get ready for spring cleaning with vintage-inspired products
24
ON THE COVER
Spring shades
99
ON THE COVER
Golden days
A kind of magic Penny Kennedy transformed her Perthshire cottage into a charming, light-filled home
Tile inspiration
Give your home the entrance it deserves with floor patterns inspired by the Victorian era
ON THE COVER
A twist of fate led Lisanne and André Hedger to own their dream chocolate-box thatched cottage
54
Add accents of the calming, nature-inspired palette of pink and green to your home
Enter our awards
18
We launch our search for Home and Garden of the Year 2021
42
Laundry shopping
ON THE COVER
Features
65
With neutral paints, upcycled furniture and floral prints, Laura Yates put her stamp on her home
74 99
Period Living teamed up with The Wrought Iron & Brass Bed Company to launch a new range
32
Stepping back in time
85
24
Antiques journal Discover the latest antiques trends and read collectors’ stories
Antique wardrobes Marc Allum opens the door on the evolution of the wardrobe
145
Fabulous follies Take a tour of some of the most iconic and unique structures from around the country
ON THE COVER
Not ones to back away from a challenge, the Lackey family completely transformed their neglected Victorian villa
Made in Britain We visit Nicola Cliffe of Madder Cutch & Co as she screenprints textiles using her handmade dyes
91
Box of delights
Collaboration news
151
Recipes Treat yourself and loved ones to a delicious brunch with these delectable recipes
18
Cover Photograph adamcarterphoto.com /Susie Watson Designs. Products all from the Susie Watson Designs Handmade Home Collection (susiewatsondesigns.co.uk) Period Living 7
117
101 Advice & inspiration
95
House journal
Gardens
125
New products and expert advice for improving a period home
101
ON THE COVER
Glazed additions
Children’s bedrooms Spark the imagination of little ones by transforming their room into a whimsical wonderland
114
128
A creative collaboration Jennifer and Tom Williams’ hard work has resulted in The Laundry’s stunning gardens
139
ON THE COVER
Your journal We share our readers’ letters and photographs
52
Subscription offer This month, get a free Annie Sloan paint set, worth £24.95
Garden advice
Discover how to get the most from your garden with clever companion planting
52
Project journal Be inspired by this stunning home renovation
117
11
The latest products and horticultural advice
Add space and value to your home with an elegant orangery, conservatory or sunroom
108
Garden journal
Regulars
ON THE COVER
Health check
108
Expert Roger Hunt advises on caring for your staircase
120
ON THE COVER
Design details
Conservation expert Lee Bilson explores the design evolution of decorative mouldings
120
139 8 Period Living
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Readers’ letters, projects and views on the magazine
T BRIGHT IDEA
PLAY ON I just wanted to say what a wonderful read the Hope & glory feature was in the March edition. I’m now listening to Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance March No 1; it really does lift the spirits and ignites a feeling of hope. Carol Lambert
Feature Holly Reaney Image (kitchen) Kasia Fiszer
RAISING AWARENESS Having been a subscriber to Period Living for the last year, I love reading all the renovation features and seeing the hard work people put into making their lovely homes. However, I wanted to write in to raise awareness of the risks of asbestos that come with these projects. Asbestos is in so many things, from old kitchen tiles and walls to lagging pipes, Artex ceilings and roofs – the list is endless. Unfortunately, I have first-hand experience of the damage this can do as my husband has been diagnosed with a cancer called mesothelioma, which was caused by contact he had with asbestos when he was 19 and in the merchant navy. He is now 64 and was diagnosed three years ago. It is a horrible disease that can take 40 years to raise its ugly head and only takes one tiny dust partial. So, I just want to remind readers of the dangers of asbestos and the importance of protecting yourself while you are renovating your home. Jessica Callow
I was reading the traditional cottage kitchens feature online and was inspired by this photo to add an extra light into our kitchen. There is no switch by the back door for our main light, so if we come in that way it is very dark. We have a hidden socket for the washing machine and dishwasher, so we used that to plug in a light and now have a lovely copper lantern hanging from a big hook in one of the ceiling beams. It looks great! Gill Brooks
This month’s star letter writer wins this beautiful Champagne floral silk modal scarf, worth £75 from Helen Loveday
Get in touch: periodliving@futurenet.com
SMALL BUT BEAUTIFUL I have been a subscriber of Period Living for many years, and Period Living and Traditional Homes before that. I have always found it to be informative and inspirational. A few years ago, I downsized into a tiny terraced cottage and while I love to read about grand country properties or lovely townhouses, it would be great to see how others in tiny properties manage to make a beautiful home. Barbara Ropek Explore Penny Kennedy’s quaint cottage (p.54) and Laura Travers’ beautiful house (p.65) for smaller home inspiration @periodlivingmagazine
@PeriodLivingMag
@period_living Period Living 11
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The latest from the interiors world, from nature-inspired prints to emerging design talent
Petal powe r Capturing the delights of her Sussex cottage garden, Elizabeth Ockford has launched a new collection of nine beautiful wallpapers. From pansy heads and exotic orchids, to beetles and butterflies, the varied designs in The Garden collection were inspired by time spent immersed in nature last spring, and each takes its name from an influential woman in history. Eleanor, named after Eleanor Roosevelt, is a soft floral stripe based on one of Elizabeth’s watercolours. Pictured in Emerald, a spring-like colourway, it also comes in deep summer and muted autumnal hues, £145 per roll.
Period Living 13
BOOKSHELF Get a rare glimpse inside some of England’s most exceptional historic houses in Romantics & Classics: Style in the English Country House (£45, Rizzoli). Compiled by architectural historian Jeremy Musson, with photography by Hugo Rittson Thomas, the richly illustrated book showcases 20 splendid rural properties each imaginatively decorated by their owners and designers. Divided into three chapters – English Romantics, English Classics and The Artistic Eye – the book presents over 300 pages of home inspiration, inside and out. Ranging from traditional and classic to contemporary and bohemian, the properties redefine the notion of English country style by showcasing a blend of contemporary living alongside the architectural framework of manor houses and country seats.
Blustery Oak in (from top clockwise) French Grey, Pale Blue, Sage and Damson, £90 per m
FOR THE LOVE OF LINEN Founded on designer Sarah Castle’s love for linen and nature, The Linen Ladder offers beautiful sustainable fabrics for upholstery, curtains, lampshades and soft furnishings. From oak leaves to dainty daisies, all the fabric designs capture simple pleasures from the natural world. ‘I aim to bring nature into the home adding freshness and colour to everyday life,’ says Sarah, and working from a converted barn near to Sissinghurst Castle, she is never short of inspiration. In fact, it is this beautiful setting, with its hay meadows, orchards and woodland, that spurred the debut Sissinghurst collection. Designs start as sketches or impressions, which Sarah works into linocuts or block prints and then into repeating patterns to create final designs presented in a rich yet relaxed nature-inspired palette.
Vintage chair in Hay Birch Leaf linen, £90 per m
SCULPTURE GARDEN This May, don’t miss On Form Unlocked at Asthall Manor, Oxfordshire, which will showcase 230 of the finest stone sculptures from sculptors working across the UK. Thoughtfully displayed throughout idyllic landscaped gardens in the Cotswolds’ Windrush Valley, the show brings a new dimension to sculpture and the chance to take in exceptional scenery. Don’t forget to stop for refreshment at The Potting Shed café. 2–31 May, tickets £10, must be pre-booked at onformsculpture.co.uk. 14 Period Living
Journal FLUTTERLY FABULOUS Ceramicist Hannah Turner celebrates the under-appreciated moth and its striking designs in her brand new tableware collection. Fluttering across each piece, the exquisitely patterned creatures are brought to life in a pretty palette of pastel pink, blue and yellow, bringing instant cheer to the breakfast table. The collection includes a teapot, butter dish, fruit bowl, mugs, a storage jar and jugs of all sizes, from £13.99 for a sugar bowl.
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Looking to treat someone? Flower grower Love Delivered offers beautiful British-grown blooms to the doorstep. Choose from an array of seasonal bouquets, from £25, or try a weekly, fortnightly or monthly subscription at £25 per delivery for a regular dose of happy.
Lola & Mawu Adeyinka handmade lampshade, £69, The Cornrow
Black and white terracotta vase, £158, The Cornrow
SHOPPING DESTINATION For stylish, craft-led homewares, visit online store The Cornrow, which celebrates a modern Black British aesthetic. Founded by two sisters, Kemi and Lara, as ‘a love letter to our dual African and Caribbean heritage’, the store offers a curated selection of affordable home and lifestyle products that represent them and their families in a joyful way. Passionate about connecting with their ancestors, they search the globe for pieces everyone can enjoy. (thecornrow.com)
Seagrass and lace basket, £68, The Cornrow
LITTLE PLEASURES Perfect for bringing floral fragrance to your drawers or popping under your pillow to aid sweet slumber, these pretty scented sachets, filled with organic lavender, are just our cup of tea. Find a selection of designs for £9.95 each at Indigo & Rose.
LIGHT RELIEF Inject spring cheer into your living space with a pretty lampshade from Penny Morrison. Covered in a floral design and available in four pastel shades, these Flowerberry Pembroke designs, from £120 each, will brighten a gloomy corner.
Period Living 15
Handpainted wooden flower stems, £22 each
TALENT SPOT AMY SWANN
Pink floral wooden garland, £60
Bespoke floral wedding cake decoration
Forget me not decoration, £20
Bespoke floral wedding cake decoration
Nicholas Bunny and Jemima Bunny, £20 each
Handmade floral wedding headdress
Peach peony, blue lupin and pink hydrangea wooden flowers, £22 each Images (painted flower stems and wreath) Pippa Blenkinsop; (portrait and wedding cakes) Jo Bradbury
Introducing Amy Swann, floral fanatic and all-round creative soul, whose beautiful handpainted decorations and flower stems couldn’t help but catch our eye. Bringing the cheer of the garden into the home, the decorative pieces start life as drawings which are turned into silhouettes and laser cut from wood, before being carefully painted in signature pastel-neon palettes. Peonies, daisies, bluebells, lupins and anemones are just a few of the blooms brought to life with Amy’s paintbrush. ‘They stem from a nostalgia for how beautifully made things used to be,’ says Amy. ‘My husband and I honeymooned in Austria and came across a little shop full of handmade wooden decorations and little icons. This is where I had the light bulb moment; you just don’t seem to get anything like that over here anymore.’ Born and bred in rural north Wales, Amy has always loved nature and takes inspiration from the local countryside, often visiting a friend’s cutting garden to pick flowers to draw from. She’s also a huge vintage fan and looks to old fabrics, folk art, Victorian prints and ceramics. ‘Painting is my pure therapy,’ she admits. ‘With three children, it can be quite hard to escape into my own world sometimes.’ Yet the eternal blooms are just one facet of Amy’s creative life. ‘My interest is in flowers and how I can explore them in different mediums,’ she explains. It was studying printed textiles at university that Amy’s love for decorative florals took hold. Following a career as an art and design and textiles teacher, and becoming a mother, she began drawing flowers before playing with capturing them in three dimensions. ‘A friend asked me to do a wedding cake and it evolved from there,’ says Amy. ‘I took inspiration from the hedgerows to create a mix of sugar-crafted blooms combined with foraged finds.’Amy has since expanded her creative floral flair to wedding headdresses and stationary as well as event styling for The Good Life Festival. (amyswann.bigcartel.com)
Perfect partners B
uying a new bed is a big decision, especially for period homeowners looking for a design that is well-made, comfortable and complements their interior style. So, Period Living has partnered with The Wrought Iron & Brass Bed Company to present a timeless collection of superior quality beds that work for homes of every era. The six designs have been hand-picked by the PL team, and are made in Britain using time-honoured methods of craftsmanship enhanced by the latest technology. A family business based in Norfolk, The Wrought Iron & Brass Bed Company is the only iron bed maker recognised by the Guild of Master Craftsmen, and the first to be certified as carbon neutral. It powers its workshop with renewable energy, minimises single plastic use, sources only FSC-certified wood for its bed slats, and offsets its carbon emissions. ‘I’m thrilled to be partnering with such a quality, conscientious British brand,’ says PL Editor Melanie Griffiths. ‘I can think of no other bed maker that has achieved so much in terms of craftsmanship, provenance and sustainability, while the designs are simply stunning. The team are a real pleasure to deal with, too – they are true artisans who stand behind their craft. The designs are guaranteed to 18 Period Living
Right, from top: A simple heritage design with a dash of indulgence, Albert combines a classic iron bed frame with brass finials and top bar, from £895; Arthur is a luxurious brass and nickel bed that celebrates Victorian design with decorated bedposts and hand-spun finials, from £1,830; named after the iconic monarch, Victoria features an elegant sweeping curve, grand bed posts and handspun finials, from £895
SAVE £250 on your first order when you spend over £1,000 on the Period Living range*. Simply use code ‘period living’
*Offer code may be used only once per customer; valid until 31 May 2021
In a new collaboration launching this month, Period Living has put its name to a range of beautiful beds by British brand The Wrought Iron & Brass Bed Company
Collaboration News Left, from top: Featuring a high tailboard, Charlotte is ideal for larger bedrooms, and is full of heritage appeal, from £695; Henry is based on the retro dormitory style with chunky, thick slats, from £695; made from iron and brass, George is a slightly more masculine design with opulent details, from £2,765 Below: Each bed is made to order in Britain, expertly crafted by the team of skilled artisans
last a lifetime, and are destined to become heirloom pieces.’ From its workshop on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, The Wrought Iron & Brass Bed Company makes every bed to order using only the finest raw materials, sourced as locally as possible. Wrought iron is a low-carbon material favoured for ornamental ironwork since ancient times, so is an authentic choice for period homes. The Period Living collection has a bed design to work with every room scheme, from the regal elegance of Victoria and Albert to the retro feel of Henry, all in a choice of colours and in five sizes, up to super-king, with some models available as a day bed. Comfort is also top priority, with a wide choice of mattresses on offer from iconic British brands Vispring and Hypnos. To browse the collection, visit wroughtironandbrassbed.co.uk/ period-living, or call 01485 542516 to talk to a member of the team.
Period Living 19
Shopping Bee & Flower peg bag, £15.95, Mosney Mill Tri 3-lath pulley kitchen maid, from £60.50, Cast in Style Stripe linen teatowel in Mint, £18, The Conran Shop
Red cedar moth balls, £5, National Trust Shop
Bamboo laundry pegs, £4.95, Wild & Stone
Block-printed padded coathanger, £14, The Mews Furnishings
Refresh your utility room in time for spring cleaning with this selection of practical yet pretty household essentials
The Small Side locker cabinet in Neo Mint, £259, Smug House Valet ostrich feather duster with beech handle, £11.95, Harts of Stur
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Vertical folding wooden clothes horse, £89.99, Zara
Morris & Co Compton scented drawer liners, £10 for 6, John Lewis & Partners Cactus scourer, £4.60, Eco Vibe
Feature Pippa Blenkinsop
Wooden ironing board, £95, and cotton cover in Ink, £20, Garden Trading
Enamel soap dish, £22, Straw London
Linen apron in Antique Rose, £69, The Future Kept
The Organic Company kitchen and wash cloths, £8.50 each, Trouva
Laundry Days scented candle, £40, Loaf Period Living 21
Pink &GREEN Conjuring scenes of romantic flower-filled country gardens, this natural colour pairing can be used to create myriad interior looks, from classic English country style to Far-Eastern glamour Feature Pippa Blenkinsop
FEATURE FLORALS Above: Evocative of summer gardens, with joyful scenes of roses and peonies peppered against verdant foliage, floral prints are inextricably linked with a pink and green palette and are guaranteed to bring a romantic feel to any space. Perfect for curtains, upholstery or cushions, Sarah Hardaker’s Chinoiserie Peapod linen, £74 per m, features cerise peonies and roses, which sing out when set against a vibrant verdigris backdrop. CLASSIC COMBINATION Right: Oozing quintessential English country charm, traditional floral prints in pink and green are the perfect choice for decorating cottages. Celebrated for its timeless, elegant designs, Colefax & Fowler has a huge selection to choose from. For a vintage feel, try pairing its beautiful rhododendron-inspired Mereworth wallpaper, £125 per roll, and Mereworth linen, £84 per m, both in the soft Pink/Forest colourway. 24 Period Living
Decorating
Image (dining room left) Styling Sara Bird Photograph Nick Pope
Decorating
IN THE DETAIL Above, clockwise from top left: Inject classic elegance with Boråstapeter’s Rose Garden wallpaper, £46.80 per roll at Jane Clayton; for an uplifting tablescape, pair table linens in pretty pastel shades of mint and blush. Try contrasting Sarah K’s Green oilcloth, £18.25 for 50cm, with its Pink Wave napkins, £58 for 4; featuring a leafy jungle design against a soft pink backdrop, this beautiful bespoke wall mural by De Gournay combines with green-painted cane furniture to create a luxurious, exotic feel; put a playful twist on the colour combination by laying a table with cabbage ceramics in Rose, from £14 for a side plate at Birdie Fortescue. They pair beautifully with fresh green foliage and the brand’s Anatolia tablecloth, from £150, in a dining setting. SPRING TO LIFE Left: Bring pretty, seasonal style to your dining room by furnishing in natural materials and layering linens in mix-and-match pink and green prints. Natterbox dining chairs, £270 for 2, Loaf; Pia natural rattan armchair, £139, Tikamoon; for similar wooden chandelier try Homary. (On table) Washed linen tablecloth in Blush, £82, Also Home. For a similar printed tablecloth try Susie Watson Designs’ Indian Red Maja linen, £65 per m, and for similar napkins try Scarabee’s Tile design in Pistachio. Period Living 27
RESTFUL RETREAT Right: Imbued with the timeless beauty of the natural world, myriad greens make a soothing bedroom scheme when tempered with accents of soft pink. Set the tone with walls in Ulla Absolute matt emulsion, £48.50 for 2.5ltrs at Little Greene, and create a beautiful focal point by making a botanical wall hanging using Lewis & Wood’s Coromandel linen in Malachite, £126.20 per m. Furnish with luxurious statement pieces including a king-size Chrome bed in Good Green Clever deep velvet, £1,235 at Loaf, and Barker side table, £1,850 at Sebastian Cox. Finally, soften the scheme with sumptuous Athena bedlinen, from £80 for a standard pillowcase at Yves Delorme, and layer with textural woven fabrics. Try cushions in Trees in Sea Forest linen, £97.90 per m at Parker & Jules, and for a similar blush pink bedspread try the V&A Peony Blossom knitted throw in Blush, £75 from Seymour’s House. 28 Period Living
Image (bedroom) Styling Sally Denning Photograph Polly Wreford
TWO-TONE SPLENDOUR Above: Taking inspiration from historic chinoiserie murals, this stunning Décor Chinois wallpaper, priced on application, would transform a bathroom into an exotic escape. Created by historic French wallpaper manufacturer Zuber, it is beautifully contrasted by panelling painted in plaster pink -– for a similar shade, try Sulking Room Pink from Farrow & Ball. Drummonds’ double Lowther vanity with Verde Guatemala marble top, from £7,140, and an Art Deco-inspired velvet seat complete the luxurious look.
Decorating
Decorating Coral Fern silk cushion, £79.50, Gingerlily
Rose Olive Harlequin Shetland wool throw, £94, Susie Watson Designs
Green metal storage trunk, £35, Next Home
Brooke House wallpaper in Linen, £104 per roll, Little Greene
Ludlow green jug, £35, and soup bowl, £15, Daylesford
Small Flagon table lamp with Thyme Green Vintage linen shade, £135, Loaf
Floral velvet loveseat sofa, £595, Oliver Bonas
Linen bedding in Soft Pink, from £40, Scooms
Madeleines, from £27 for 1ltr of Eco emulsion, Francesca’s Paints Green glazed 12-piece dinner set, £44, Habitat
Perfect armchair in Moss Green velvet, £950, Rockett St George
Make a Mint, Get Plastered and Sage Advice, £49.99 for 2.5ltrs of Supreme matt emulsion, Dowsing & Reynolds
Leinikki velvet frill cushion in Olive, £70, Projektityyny Green Olive, from £27 for 1ltr of Eco emulsion, Francesca’s Paints Period Living 31
Natural selection Drawing on her chemistry background to develop handmade dyes, Nicola Cliffe screen prints her beautiful, flora-inspired sustainable textiles from her peaceful garden studio Words by Heather Dixon | Photographs by Jeremy Phillips
Made in Britain
This image: Nicola and Ernie, her Parson Russell terrier, outside the larch-clad garden studio. The roll of fabric she holds is K-blossom stripe, priced £74 per metre for two colours Opposite: A detail of the screen for her Creeping Ivy design. ‘I print all of the fabric to order. What I love most about what I am doing is having complete control over the entire process,’ Nicola says
S
ix years ago Nicola Cliffe was teaching chemistry at senior school, never imagining for one minute that life was about to take an exciting – and completely unexpected – change of direction. Within a few months she had left her 25-year career in the sciences to follow a dramatically new lifestyle embedded firmly in the arts, more specifically, sustainable textiles. ‘Sketching, painting and sewing had always been a great antidote to teaching,’ says Nicola. ‘From as young as seven or eight, I’ve been drawing and making things, so it has always been a part of my life as a way of unwinding, but I had never considered it as a career before.’ The chance came about when she resigned from a long-standing teaching post to re-evaluate her future and explore new avenues. ‘It just made so much sense,’ she says. ‘I was passionate about textiles and it seemed like as good a time as any to give it a go.’ Before long she had secured a coveted place on an MA course at the Chelsea College of Arts and Design – fulfilling a long-held dream – and was learning all about circular economy, the organic cotton trade and the role of natural dyes beyond a niche market. Nicola sells blockprint kits online, including a small pot of her natural dye printing ink
It turned out to be the ‘best year’ of her life. As well as understanding the broader concept of sustainable textiles, she also learned the practical elements of screen printing and repeating patterns; skills which gave her the confidence to set up her own business from her home in Stamford, Lincolnshire, as a textile designer and printer. Madder Cutch & Co was launched on a secondhand table in the garage, later moving into a timber and steel-framed garden studio, which doubles as a home gym. The unusual name evolved from Madder (Rubia tinctoria) – a Eurasian plant whose roots are used to create a natural red dye or pigment - and cutch (otherwise known as catechu), a water-soluble resin obtained from certain tropical plants for tanning or dyeing. It wasn’t long before Nicola’s beautiful creations caught the attention of Helen Cormack, founder of London fabric boutique Tissus d’Hélène, who loved Nicola’s concept of using natural plant dyes to create beautifully designed linens. ‘Helen was coming to Stamford and asked if she could drop by and see me,’ says Nicola. ‘It was quite an extraordinary feeling to have Helen in my house, looking at my designs, but she liked what she saw and asked me to go back to her with some new designs. It was her positive response and enthusiasm that encouraged me to build the studio and create a website,’ explains Nicola. By 2018, she was taking regular orders and starting to expand her products - with the help of youngest son, Bertie - offering pots of handmade dyes, hand-sewn pencil cases, plant holders, cushions, block-printing kits, zip bags, notebooks,
Made in Britain
memo boards and other creative gift ideas alongside her growing collection of beautiful textiles. ‘I love gardens and drawing flowers in their natural form,’ says Nicola. ‘It’s not just about drawing plants for me, though. Sometimes I find an old sketch or drawing I have done and instantly see how it could work in a pattern. My favourite design is ‘Achillea Ground Small’, which came out of my college days. It was the first print I did that actually gave me hope that I was doing the right thing. It was printed in indigo on a natural linen background. I shall keep that sample piece forever.’ Although Nicola followed a science-based career from leaving school, she never once lost sight of her creative skills and was constantly inspired by the countryside around the village where she grew up on the outskirts of Stamford. She skipped O level art and went straight to A level, maintaining an active interest in drawing and sewing alongside her studies for a joint science degree at Nottingham University, a PGCE teacher training course, and raising a family of three boys – George, now 28, Ted, 25 and Bertie, 18, with husband Jonathan, a dentist. ‘I have always been a do-er as well as a thinker,’ she says. ‘My father taught me practical things like wallpapering and basic carpentry, and we even changed a car engine together. This was back in
Clockwise from far left: Nicola sketches ideas for designs in her notebooks; she holds a full-sized screen ready for screen printing; she mixes her own natural dye printing paste, which she also sells on her website; the printed Creeping Ivy design; Nicola needs
the help of her friend and assistant, Helen Taylor, to manoeuvre the six-footlong screen, over the top of which the ink or dye is passed using a long squeegee that then presses the ink through the open areas of the stencil, imprinting the design on the linen
35
the days when cars were just an assembly of mechanical parts. I learnt to sew at primary school and really got into using a machine when we had our first home. Working with my hands was a way to give my brain some down time during my teaching career,’ she adds. Nicola’s professional switch from chemistry to art was not, however, quite as radical as it first appeared. The use of unregulated chemicals in the textiles industries overseas, and Nicola’s knowledge of Azo dyes, combined with a fascination for the work of William Morris and the chemist Henry Perkins, created a sound and varied basis for developing her range of natural plant dyes and sustainable textiles. Ever the teacher, Nicola is also hoping to develop work experience opportunities and continue running workshops over the coming year, so that she can encourage others who want to pursue a career in art and textiles. ‘When I was at school we had to choose between sciences and art, and it was generally accepted that I would have greater success following a sciencebased career. Art-based careers were never really encouraged,’ says Nicola. ‘Now the tide is turning, and I think we are seeing a resurgence of artisan makers and small, home-based businesses, especially where there is an eco element involved. ‘It’s a very exciting time to be involved as I think everything is gradually turning full circle. The demand for eco-friendly products is huge and natural dyes on linen are definitely the way forward in textile design.’ To find out more about Nicola’s work and textile designs, visit maddercutchandco.com Clockwise from above: Rolls of Nicola’s handprinted linens in various designs, including Achillea Foliage, Olive’s Room and Blossom, are laid out on her seven-foot printing table – a new collection, inspired by Chateau Dumas in the south of France, where Nicola has
36 Period Living
attended workshops, is due for release this spring; Ernie is her regular companion in the garden studio, which Nicola describes as ‘a big box built on a stainless-steel frame and clad with vertical larch timbers’; her fabrics are made into a range of products
Could you be a winner? If you feel proud of your period home or garden, enter our Home & Garden of the Year awards and you could win a cash prize worth up to £2,000
W
e’re inviting readers to enter completed home improvement, garden, or interior decoration projects into our awards. We can’t wait to see the schemes you’ve come up with for all kinds of period properties, large and small, and to hear their unique stories. As we launch the 2021 Home & Garden of the Year awards, we look forward to hearing all about your inspirations, and the hard work you’ve put in to achieve your dream.
Friends, family and craftspeople If you’re not quite ready to enter your own home, then maybe a friend or family member has a stylish house or garden that’s worth shouting about. Why not encourage them to enter our awards? Or maybe you’d like to say thank you to a craftsperson or
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tradesperson who helped you with your renovation or garden? Mention them in your entry and we’ll make sure they get the plaudits they deserve if your home is selected as one of our winners.
We want to see… O Elegant townhouses and semis O Cosy cottages and terraces O Fabulous farmhouses O Characterful conversions – barns,
schools, chapels, pubs, windmills O Intriguing listed buildings O Extended homes O First-time and DIY projects O And gorgeous gardens, large and small
For how to enter, see right
Enter the Awards The prizes Our prizewinning entries will be announced in Period Living’s November 2021 issue. The winner of Home of the Year will scoop a fabulous £2,000 cash prize, our Garden of the Year will win £1,000 in cash, and four category winners – Best Project, Best Listed Home, Best Vintage Style and Best Small Garden – will each receive a £500 cash prize. Winners will also receive a year’s free subscription to Period Living magazine, worth over £50. For more details of the categories, see overleaf.
How to enter
Images Brent Darby, Jody Stewart, Kasia Fiszer
Enter online at homesandgardens.com/news/ period-living-awards and follow the instructions on the website. You will need to have the following information ready to complete your application: O Tell us in up to 500 words why you think your home should win, giving us details of how it looked before you renovated, what you’ve achieved and how you’ve gone about it. Please also tell us what period or original features you’ve managed to restore or reinstate. Include the names of any stand-out craftspeople or tradespeople who you feel deserve a mention for their work on your project. O Make sure you include photos of all the main rooms in the house, or main areas of the garden for a garden entry – quick snaps will do. O Don’t forget to include a photo of the exterior of the property, too, and any features of the house or garden that you are particularly proud of. O The full terms and conditions can be found at futureplc.com/competition-rules. The closing date for all entries is 5pm on Monday 7 June 2021.
Above: Hayley and Alex Cobbett’s stunning Dorset cottage won them the top prize in our 2020 awards Left and far left: Winning homes come in all shapes and sizes; a modest two-bedroom cottage and a five-bedroom manor house were equally worthy winners in previous years Right: The Hedger family’s idyllic cottage won Best Listed Home last year – turn to page 42 for the full story
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Last year’s winners In 2020 we received some stunning entries of homes full of inspiring ideas. The standard was exceptional and showed just how much care and creativity our readers put into their projects. Hayley and Alex Cobbett’s thatched cottage scooped the top prize last year. The couple’s Dorset home is a lovely mix of rustic style with more contemporary and grander English home elements. You’ll be able to see the results of their hard work in our July issue. Janet Bashworth won last year’s garden category. Her garden is full of colour, with densely planted borders and different areas to discover. You can enjoy it in full in our June issue. Our previous award-winning period homes come in all shapes and sizes: thatched country cottages and farmhouses, neat Victorian terraces, large manor houses, smart apartments, seaside boltholes, and townhouses – tall and small. Our winning gardens have been just as varied, from cottage garden classics to landscaped vistas and walled kitchen gardens. If you’re proud of your home or garden, we’re sure to love it too.
Right and below: When Janet Bashforth moved to her Edwardian home in rural Cheshire in 2014 there was no garden to speak of, just a concrete paved area with some silver birch trees and a handful of shrubs. Janet set about transforming it into a plot packed with colour and fragrance, framed against a structure of rhythmically planted box balls and yew hedging. Janet’s garden is featured in full in next month’s issue
Enter the Awards CATEGORIES AND SPONSORS Home of the Year – prize £2,000 One overall winner will scoop a fabulous £2,000 cash prize. All winning entries will also receive a free Period Living subscription. Sponsored by THERMAFLEECE Thermafleece is the leading brand of British sheep’s wool and recycled insulation. Using the wool from British hill sheep, the insulation is manufactured in the UK to meet the highest quality and performance standards. For more details visit thermafleece.com.
Garden of the Year – prize £1,000 Enter if you’ve worked hard on your garden design and planting. We’re looking for harmonious schemes with year-round interest.
Best Small Garden – prize £500 Enter this category if yours is a smaller outdoor space, perhaps a smart courtyard garden or even a front garden with kerb appeal.
Best Project – prize £500 Recently completed an extension to a period home, added a new kitchen or reconfigured the inside space? This is the category for you. Sponsored by SHUTTERCRAFT Shuttercraft is one of the UK’s largest shutter and blind companies, expertly installing premium, made-to-measure products that transform people’s homes across the country. With a huge range of materials, styles and colours, there’s something for everyone. Visit shuttercraft.co.uk for more details.
Best Listed Home – prize £500 If you’ve restored and preserved a listed home to an exceptional standard, enter this category. Sponsored by THE SASH WINDOW WORKSHOP The Sash Window Workshop specialises in manufacturing and installing high-quality, traditional timber windows and doors, which are designed to improve energy efficiency, while preserving the character of your home. For more details visit sashwindow.com.
Images Brent Darby, Joe Wainwright
Best Vintage Style – prize £500 In this category we want to see period homes furnished and decorated with a well-curated vintage style. Perhaps you have upcycled pieces you are proud of, or an eclectic collection. Sponsored by VICTORIAN DREAMS Victorian Dreams is a vintage bed specialist offering sales, restoration and widening of period metal, upholstered and wooden beds, plus bespoke mattresses, soft furnishings and interior design from its Hampshire showroom. Visit victorian-dreams.co.uk.
Right: Turn the page to see more of this beautiful Grade IIlisted home, which was one of our 2020 winners Below: This stylish family kitchen-diner was created by extending a Victorian semi. First-time renovators Paul and Laura Clark entered our Best Project category and went on to win the overall prize that year
GOLDEN DAYS A twist of fate led André and Lisanne Hedger to realise their dream of owning a chocolate-box thatched cottage in the heart of the countryside – the perfect place to create happy memories with their young family Words and styling Pippa Blenkinsop | Photographs Brent Darby
Thatched Cottage
Winners of Best Listed Home in our 2020 awards, Lisanne and André fell in love with the cottage’s characterful façade and idyllic location. Set in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and encircled by garden, the property is ideal for the family’s outdoor lifestyle
THE STORY Owners Lisanne Hedger (@thepeacefulcottage) and her husband André, a company director, live here with their daughter Ophelia, three, son André, three months, and toy poodle, Autumn Property Set in East Sussex, the two-bedroom cottage is Grade II listed and thought to date back to 1570. The property was extended in the 1980s and a new thatched roof was added What they did The couple have updated the heating, refreshed the décor and made improvements to the garden
estled in the idyllic countryside of the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, with its picturesque yellow façade that gleams in the sunshine, Holly Tree cottage was, for André and Lisanne, like finding a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. While driving around the countryside they would often stop to admire the thatched cottages with their wraparound gardens, and dream about happy summer days there with their family. Never did they expect it to become a reality, until one day luck intervened. ‘We passed a yellow chocolate-box property in Maidstone many years ago and fell in love with it,’ says Lisanne. ‘There were terraced yellow cottages with exposed beams opposite our old house, which we always admired, and there was a pretty cottage with yellow doors that we used to pass in Kent – there must have been something about the yellow colour!’ Until 2016 the couple had been living in London, but with André starting a new company in Kent, they decided that the time was right to move to a more rural location. ‘We agreed that we would move to be closer to André’s business and start a family in the country eventually,’ says Lisanne. They moved from the capital to a two-bed terraced cottage, but the home with a country garden remained a dream. ‘We knew we needed a bigger place when our daughter Ophelia was born. We had always wanted to give our children a beautiful childhood in the countryside, where there is plenty of space to run around.’ Meanwhile, when browsing online, they spotted the perfect cottage. ‘We viewed it in 2016 but weren’t in a position to purchase it,’ says Lisanne. ‘We often used to go online just to look at it as we knew it was the one for us.’ As luck would have it, when they came to put their terrace on the market in 2018, they found the cottage still for sale. Knowing that it was out of their price range, they decided to take a leap of faith and get in touch with the owners, who agreed on a house swap. ‘It is even better than our dreams,’ says Lisanne. ‘We never thought we would live in a detached cottage with a thatched roof surrounded by nature. The garden is so wonderful with its mature willow and birch trees, as well as several fruit trees. There’s a stream, too, which adds to the magic.’ 44 Period Living
The pair were passionate about the prospect of caring for a period property and since the move have enjoyed researching its history, making a fascinating discovery about its roof. ‘We have an image of the cottage in the 1920s with roof tiles rather than a thatch,’ says Lisanne. ‘We also have a copy of a planning application from the 1980s that shows the design for replacing the tiles with the thatch, as well as other alterations, like moving the front door and stairs from the living room to the current kitchen, along with other extensions like the annexe, and the porch. We plan to frame it.’ Lisanne and André have exciting plans for updating the cottage to suit their young family, but don’t want to rush into it. ‘We know it is our forever home so we are taking our time to make the improvements and are saving money to update the conservatory, kitchen and bathrooms.’ Luckily the property had been well cared for by the previous owners. ‘They raised the floor in the living room and replaced a part of wall with stone due to damp problems. They also renewed the thatch a few years ago,’ says André. ‘Outside they added a pond as that area of the garden was waterlogged.’ In the meantime the pair have created a warm and welcoming space by making essential updates, including replacing the range cooker, boiler and adding a wood-burner to the living room. They have also redecorated, filling the house with cherished pieces from their travels and reclaimed finds. Whether it’s swimming in a hidden lake in the nearby ancient woodlands, or gathering foliage to make wreaths with Ophelia, the Hedger family love being immersed in nature, so tackling the garden was first on the agenda. ‘The garden was a mess when we first moved in and André has done a vast amount of work including removing an old shed, redigging the stream as it was blocked, as well as constructing new chestnut fences, a pergola and deck,’ says Lisanne. ‘He’s also created a chicken run and removed 10 skips worth of waste left from old building works. Now we’re all enjoying his hard work and are doing fun things like planting bulbs with little Ophelia.’ This year the couple are looking forward to creating a vegetable patch and getting their new hens. No doubt they can’t wait for those summer days to return.
Thatched Cottage
Clockwise from top left: André and Lisanne with their daughter Ophelia and toy poodle, Autumn; he eyes up the apples in the patio area; the wraparound cottage garden features a large pond added by previous owners with a small orchard beyond; the thatch was reinstated in the 1980s and has been repaired in recent years
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Above: The kitchen is brimming with classic country charm and boasts beautiful ceiling beams as well as lovely views onto the garden. Flowers from Pippa’s Plot bring summer cheer to the space Right: Lisanne and André replaced an old stove with a new Esse range cooker; hanging above it is a framed portrait of
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an isolated tribe taken during André’s travels in Africa and copper pans sourced on Ebay Below: A collection of old keys hang above the front doorway Opposite: An old range set in an inglenook makes a characterful focal point. The butcher’s block and stools were both from online marketplaces
Thatched Cottage
Above: A sofa from Sofa Workshop is layered with a mix of Kilim cushions and Projektityyny’s Wes Gingham and Summer Stripe designs. The curtains in Liberty William Morris fabric were left by the previous owners Left: A framed poster documenting the sale of the cottage in 1981. ‘An archivist was about
to throw it away but it was rescued by someone at the archive who knew our neighbour,’ says André Top right: The living room showcases artefacts the couple have collected on their travels. The cabinet and chair are Homesense Bottom right: An antique Indian coffee table is laid with a runner Lisanne got from an isolated tribe
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Thatched Cottage
Left: The exposed timber rafters make the master bedroom and adjoining bathroom feel truly magical. An antique bed is made up with bedding from La Redoute and Projektityyny’s gingham Wes quilt to complement
the cottage feel Above: A wood-burner keeps the bedroom cosy Right: Ophelia’s room is furnished with a cane bed and chest of drawers from La Redoute Below: A slipper bath brings a touch of luxury
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SUBSCRIBE NOW Go to www.magazinesdirect.com/PLMAY21 or call 0330 333 1113 and quote 93AV Terms and conditions: Offer closes 30 April 2021. Offer open to new subscribers only. Gift only available for new UK print subscribers. Direct Debit offer is available to UK subscribers only. £43 payable by annual Direct Debit. This price is guaranteed for the first 12 months and we will notify you in advance of any price changes. Please allow up to six weeks for delivery of your first subscription issue (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. Gifts only available to subscribers on the UK mainland. We have gifts available for the first 250 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. For full terms and conditions, visit magazinesdirect.com/terms. For enquiries please call: +44 (0) 330 333 1113. Lines are open Mon–Fri 9am–5pm UK time, or email: help@magazinesdirect.com. Calls to 0330 numbers will be charged at no more than a national landline call, and may be included in your phone provider’s call bundle. Period Living 53
A KIND OF MAGIC Penny Kennedy has breathed new life and bright colours into her rural Scottish cottage, turning it into a charming, light-filled home Words Mairi MacDonald | Styling Alison Gibb | Photographs Douglas Gibb
Scottish Highlands Home Penny found two tiny mice carved around a knot in the wood of a beam when she was painting the kitchen, inspiring the change of name to Mouse Cottage. A simple grey kitchen by Magnet, with Corian worktop from UK Worktops Direct, and open wall shelves all help to bring the kitchen up to date. Orange is Penny’s favourite colour and it appears in most rooms. Here, two chairs from Garden Trading get the cheery treatment. The wooden floors throughout the cottage are from Russwood Flooring
THE STORY Owner Artist Penny Kennedy lives here with Alfie, a Norwich terrier. She runs B&B and self-catering accommodation (for more information, visit mymousecottage.co.uk) Property A three-bedroom cottage built in 1850 on a village golf course in Perthshire, Scotland What she did Penny completely renovated and updated her cottage. By replacing the boiler and tank with an outside combi boiler, she created space for an upstairs bathroom, and extra room in her kitchen. She also built an art studio overlooking the garden and converted the garage into a third bedroom with kitchen and en-suite bathroom for self-catering guests
Above: The pretty Victorian cottage is set on a hill overlooking the Perthshire countryside Below: Penny’s art studio was the first thing to be built so she could retreat here to work while the cottage was being renovated. ‘It’s wonderful having a workspace so connected to the garden,’ says Penny. The glass desk is from Habitat, the wooden armchair, just seen, is from Loaf. The floorboards are painted in Dulux floor paint. A large
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overhang shelters the furniture and accessories on the decking; Weaver Green sells similar waterproof rugs. The candle holders are by Normann Copenhagen from Hoos, and a French grape harvest basket is used to store logs. Outside, the studio walls are painted in Farrow & Ball’s Downpipe Gray Right: The outdoor table and benches are from Garden Trading, and the Jøtul chiminea is from The Burning Question
Scottish Highlands Home
enny Kennedy has a happy knack of summoning up magic when she needs it, in a way that rarely happens to others. When she was at a crossroads in her life and faced many difficult decisions, a friend called to say she had found the perfect cottage for her to buy. ‘I was reluctant to go and see it for many reasons,’ says Penny. ‘I was just about to put my business and home on the market, which I knew would take time to sell. The cottage already had a closing date and I had no money to buy anything until I had sold.’ After much persuasion Penny went to look at the cottage. ‘The instant I drove up the lane onto the golf course and saw the cottage high on the hillside ahead of me, I felt so strongly that this was home,’ says Penny. ‘It was the perfect size, in the perfect location, facing south with a lovely garden. Inside it was sweet, well cared for, full of character and had immense charm.’ Penny was aware that she couldn’t raise the money through any of the usual channels so decided to put in the best offer she could in the hope that her business would be sold in time. It was a long shot but worth a try. At the very last moment, the day the offers were due in, a friend emailed her to say that he felt that the cottage had to be hers, that he would lend her the money and she could pay him back when her business was sold. ‘It was a gesture of supreme kindness, generosity and trust,’ says Penny. ‘And it changed my life completely as I was able to make an offer on the cottage and it was accepted.’ Five weeks later Penny got the keys and started to move in her favourite pieces bit by bit. Although delighted to be there, she wasn’t in a rush to start any renovations. ‘I did, however, need somewhere to design and paint,’ she says. Despite having cut down 14 trees and a huge hedge around the house, Penny didn’t have enough garden in which to put a studio. ‘I approached the local golf club and asked if I could buy a small strip of land beside the cottage,’ she says. The golf club agreed and Penny commissioned architect Colin Smith, from CASA, to draw up the plans for a studio. ‘We also drew up plans to remove the water tank from the attic in the cottage to create a sitting room and an upstairs bathroom,’ she adds. ‘The only bathroom up to that point was downstairs at the back of the house.
And I needed some extra storage space in the attic.’ Another important feature on the plans was a new west-facing window in the living room. ‘This was to take advantage of the view down the glen and bring light into a rather dark sitting room,’ explains Penny. ‘Finally we drew up plans to turn the garage into a self-catering studio-cum-spare bedroom with an en-suite bathroom for family, friends and paying guests, which in time I could use if needed.’ After nearly a year of living in the cottage, Penny started the renovations. The first job was to convert the garage so that she had somewhere to live while the rest of the house was being renovated. The second was to connect the house to the mains water. ‘I was tired of the appalling water supply that was fed off the hill behind the house –it took a day to run a bath,’ explains Penny. Next all the radiators were replaced, and the water tank, cylinder and boiler were removed. A new combi boiler was installed outside to free up space. ‘I employed a local builder, Jo Penfold. She was absolutely brilliant. She made sure everything ran more or less to schedule and was done to the highest standard. Jo brought in all the other trades for the heating, plumbing, electrics and painting. They were a great team and I was sorry to see them all go at the end,’ says Penny. The renovations took about 18 months to complete, during which time Penny was able to escape to her studio to work or into the garden to plant. ‘Halfway through the work I decided I wanted a finished house and didn’t want to do this again,’ she says. ‘So I pushed the boat out and had everything completed at once.’ The windows were replaced, floors were ripped up and replaced where needed, a wood-burning stove was installed, a new kitchen, bathrooms and a utility room were all fitted, and every ceiling, wall and door was painted. ‘Buying this house was the best emotional and practical decision I have ever made,’ says Penny. ‘At this period of my life it is so important to be in a place I love. And in this lovely village surrounded by marvellous neighbours, I am home.’
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The renovated front porch offers a comfortable place to sit and enjoy the view in all weathers. Penny inherited the Lloyd Loom sofa, and the bright cushions are from Bluebell Grey and Ikea. The rug from Weaver Green is made from recycled plastic bottles and is machine washable, so is perfect for an entrance hall
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Scottish Highlands Home
Penny transformed the living room with a new west-facing window. The walls are painted in subtle Manor House Gray by Farrow & Ball, to allow Penny’s colourful furniture and accessories to stand out. The Sofa.com chair and stool are covered in fabric from Bluebell Grey and the original Ercol Pebble tables are from Retro Vintage. The rug is from Skandium
Penny’s favourite painting by fellow Scottish artist Mary Gallagher makes a striking focal point in the living room and inspired many of the furnishing choices here. Installing the Morsø wood-burning stove was an afterthought, but Penny has never regretted it. The log baskets are from Nkuku, the original Ercol coffee table was bought at Retro Vintage, and the painting above the mantelpiece is by Glasgow artist Christine McArthur. Penny painted the French dresser base white to suit its new home
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Scottish Highlands Home
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Above: ‘The sense of well-being in this room is profound,’ says Penny. The Victorian fireplace has been painted white; above is a painting by Archie Forrest. Tongue-and-groove panelling, painted in Farrow & Ball’s Pavilion Gray, makes a good base for the blue and white bedding and accessories from Lexington, and Bluebell Grey curtain fabric. The chair is from Loaf, and the carpet is from Cunningham Carpets
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Below: The star of the guest room is a prized vintage American quilt. Similar gingham cushions can be found at Marilyn & Melrose and the curtains are made from Indigo Charlie fabric. The rug is from Linum, and the painting above the bed is by Scottish artist Malize McBride Right: This cosy sitting room under the eaves is for B&B guests, with Ektorp chairs from Ikea, and cushions and a rug from H&M
Stone Cottage Renovation
BOX OF DELIGHTS Neutral paints, upcycled vintage furniture and a mix of floral prints have transformed Laura Yates’ pretty country cottage into an inviting family home Words Natalie Flaum | Photographs Jeremy Phillips
Cavapoo Willow waits patiently to greet visitors to Laura and Andy’s Grade II-listed home, which dates from around 1660. Laura has filled the courtyard with cottage garden plants and painted the door in Peignoir by Farrow & Ball
ond childhood memories of visiting homeware events and interiors shops with her mother, nurtured Laura’s creative flair. ‘My interiors journey began as a child watching and helping my mum,’ she says. ‘I grew up in a similar cottage in Cheshire, where mum was always redecorating or changing the décor.’ Laura first noticed this Yorkshire stone cottage four years ago when she was new to the area, having moved into a rented house with her partner Andy. ‘I didn’t want to leave my job working for a large hotel chain, which is where I met Andy, who had to be a commutable distance from Leeds for rugby training. So we agreed to rent a little house in Saddleworth to see if we could live here longterm,’ explains Laura. ‘On our second day here, I walked down the little cobbled lane at the top of the road, saw this cottage and fell in love with it in a heartbeat. I took a photo and put it on my Instagram account with the words: dream house at the bottom of my road, maybe one day!’ Laura continued to admire the cottage from afar, showing it to her friends when they visited, and always catching a glimpse of it on her way home. Two years later, a chance meeting at her work led to a miraculous turn of events. ‘The cottage had come up for sale but it was out of our price range,’ says Laura. ‘Then the strangest thing happened. I got chatting to a lady at work who told me she happened to live next door to THE cottage. I work about 25 miles away from where we live, so this was a real twist of fate.’ Laura wrote to the owner expressing her passion for the cottage and received a phone call a few weeks later. ‘I could hardly contain my excitement,’ Laura continues. ‘The owner explained she bought the property as an investment that she no longer wanted. I was the first to view the cottage, early one morning just before Christmas. The moment I stepped inside, I loved it even more. Brimming with character and so much potential, I knew it would make a lovely home.’ After months of negotiations the couple secured a private sale. ‘We finally moved into the house of my dreams on 6 May 2016,’ says Laura. ‘Everyone said it was meant to be and I felt extremely lucky as this house means everything to me.’ ‘Saddleworth was historically part of Yorkshire and a lot of people still class this area as Yorkshire 66 Period Living
although it’s Greater Manchester now,’ says Laura. ‘A lot of houses in the area are built with the same Yorkshire stone. The 1770 plaque on the cottage was put up by the previous owner, who told us it was taken from a nearby barn before it was demolished and that the house is much older, built circa 1660. He left us some history on the house so we have little nuggets of information including a poster for when it was sold for 50p, way back in time.’ Living in a listed building comes with restrictive challenges. ‘We had to attach our satellite dish to a pole in the garden disguised behind a tree,’ says Laura. She and Andy managed all the decorating work themselves during their spare time. ‘As the cottage was a holiday home it was rarely used and the pipes were blocked, so our first job was to fix all the plumbing,’ says Laura. ‘Next we cleaned it all up, gave it a fresh coat of paint throughout and did our best to make it look homely and cosy. My dad had to take all the doors off their hinges to fit the sofa inside.’ The main focus of the project was the kitchen, located below ground level next to a cobbled country lane; ‘I imagine the lane was used for a horse and cart years ago,’ explains Laura, who tragically lost her father suddenly, two months after moving in. ‘Dad loved the cottage as much as we did and focusing on the renovation kept me going during my lowest time.’ In 2018, Laura and Andy were married and found out they were expecting soon after, which gave them an extra sense of urgency to finish the renovations. ‘The kitchen was the worst room in the house with dark wooden units, tiled worktops and a terracotta floor,’ says Laura. ‘We removed all the plaster, and took it back to a shell to install a damp-proof membrane.’ To introduce more light, Laura opted for white cabinets and open shelves. ‘My brother took over dad’s building company and fitted our kitchen,’ says Laura. ‘When I was 39 weeks pregnant, mum painted the kitchen ceiling and my lovely neighbour helped with the cleaning. Arthur was born three days later. Before, I hated going into the kitchen and now we love it. Dad would have really loved it too. He couldn’t wait to spend Christmas at the cottage and sadly it wasn’t to be, but mum loves spending time here with Arthur.’ Laura’s love for decorating and gardening has inspired her to set up her own home and garden décor business. When she’s not working, there’s plenty to keep her and Arthur busy nearby. ‘I love walking Willow across the fields and meeting friends with Arthur in our local village for coffee,’ says Laura. ‘We spend weekends visiting artisan markets and enjoy buying fresh flowers for the cottage, and doing what we can to enrich and respect the heritage of this beautiful building.’
Stone Cottage Renovation THE STORY Owners Laura and Andy Yates live here with eight-month-old son Arthur, and pets Willow the Cavapoo and Audrey the cat. Andy is an ex-professional rugby player who now runs his own personal training business, and Laura has her own business selling home and garden décor (cottagebyme.com) Property A Grade II-listed three-bedroom Yorkshire stone cottage believed to have been built in 1660, in a picturesque village in Saddleworth, Greater Manchester What they did The couple have redecorated throughout, updated the electrics, heating and plumbing as well as tackling damp in the kitchen. They have renewed the plasterwork and fitted a new kitchen. Laura also created a pretty courtyard garden
Left and above left: Laura has transformed the garden at the front of the cottage, which was untidy and smothered by bamboo when she and Andy moved in. Now Laura has it brimming with delphiniums, hollyhocks and lavender, which she grew from seed, and has trained David Austin roses up the rose arch. The metal garden furniture is from Marks & Spencer
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Above: Laura’s L-shaped living room has a cosy nook for the dining area. The dresser was inherited and the extendable round table came from BHS. The Gustavian-style mirror is from Coach House and the antique mahogany bureau was an Ebay find Right: The gas fireplace with stone surround was inherited with the cottage, the vintage mirror was an antique buy and the pink Lille armchair is from Swoon. Laura painted the walls in Skimming Stone from Farrow & Ball Far right: The pale pink and white colour scheme in the living room creates a smart contrast with the dark original ceiling beams. The sofa is from Oak Furnitureland with a mixture of scatter cushions from Susie Watson Designs and Biggie Best. ‘We spend most of our family time in here,’ says Laura, cuddling Arthur, with Willow the Cavapoo never far away. The curtains are from Dunelm and the round side table is from Ikea
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Stone Cottage Renovation
Above and right: The front door opens straight into the kitchen, fitted by Laura’s brother with country-style cabinets from Wren Kitchens. Laura chose her own appliances, including a Smeg larder fridge and an Elise range cooker from Rangemaster. The splashback tiles above the cooker are Alhambra white ceramic tiles from Crown Tiles and the parquet flooring is from Ever After Flooring. The walls are painted in Skimming Stone by Farrow & Ball, while the open shelves are painted in Camel Grain by Wren Kitchens. ‘At first I wasn’t happy with the colour but now I love the contrast with the cabinets,’ says Laura. The pantry cupboard is another inherited piece; Laura painted it in Farrow & Ball’s Pointing and uses the bottom cupboards for groceries. The ceiling pendant is from Laura Ashley and the Newberry stool is from Dunelm
Left: With its small cottage proportions and original timber frame, the master bedroom is feminine and cosy. An Ikea bed is dressed with a pink throw from John Lewis & Partners and pom-pom linen from Dunelm. The cushions and lamp are from Matalan, the plain cream cushion is from Marks & Spencer, and the bedside drawers are from Housing Units. The alarm clock is from Laura Ashley Below left: Laura designed Arthur’s nursery with a contemporary twist and as a fan of rose gold jewellery, she selected an Incy Interiors rose gold cot from Cottage Toys. A green leaf roller blind by Voyager, from Dunelm, gives a modern edge to the original stone frame windows. The walls are painted in Skimming Stone by Farrow & Ball, to match the rest of the cottage. The Cloud throw is from Zara Home, the basket with ears is from Next and the chest of drawers is from Mamas & Papas. ‘I recently bought a lovely ‘Arthy’ neon light for his room – I love introducing quirky elements,’ says Laura Below: The cast-iron roll-top bath was Andy’s favourite feature of the cottage. The bathroom was in great condition when the couple moved in. Laura simply gave the walls a new coat of paint – Farrow & Ball’s Peignoir
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Maureen and Rod were delighted to find the original window shutters still intact in their Lake District home and commissioned a joiner to make radiator covers and shelves to match. The Tetrad sofa is from Stollers, the armchair is from Marks & Spencer, and the sideboard was an Ebay find. A Laura Ashley chest in the window is topped with cushions and used as an extra seat. The side table is from Stollers while the silver stool is from La Maison in nearby Kendal
Victorian Villa
STEPPING BACK IN TIME Moving from their warm, symmetrical new build to a draughty and neglected Victorian villa, Maureen and Rod Lackey couldn’t wait to bring it back to life again and turn it into a cosy, welcoming home Words and styling Anna Tobin | Photography Rachael Smith
aureen and Rod Lackey were ready to be out with the new and in with the old when they started looking for their next home in the Lake District town where they have spent most of their lives. ‘We’d been living in a new build a few miles away, but we found the rooms too small and we craved the tall ceilings and feeling of space that you only get in an older property,’ explains Maureen. The couple viewed a few period properties, but they kept missing out on those they were interested in. It was a sad inside tip that matched them up with this Victorian property and all the period features and space they yearned for. ‘Rod was working with someone who mentioned he was putting his house on the market because he was getting divorced,’ explains Maureen. ‘Rod told him we might be interested in having a look round and soon after I went to view it.’ Maureen was taken at the first glance, but it was only on the second viewing that she realised exactly what they would be taking on. ‘I came on my own that first time, because Rod was ill. It was a dark winter’s evening and the house was dimly lit by lamplight and it all looked lovely. ‘Only when I returned with Rod in the light of day did I see what a state it was in. You couldn’t see the garden for brambles, the drawing room ceiling was painted green, the cornices were picked out in gold, the radiators were shocking pink and wallpaper was peeling off the walls,’ she recalls. Excited at the thought of being able to restore the house to its former glory, however, the couple put in an offer and soon had the keys. But their first night there was a shock to the system. ‘We moved in in March, when the weather was unseasonably cold,’ remembers Maureen. ‘We called a plumber to show us how to work the boiler and it was condemned. We had no hot water or heating. It was absolutely freezing – we actually went to bed in our ski gear!’ Unable to stand the icy cold, Maureen and Rod did what any sane people would do in this situation: they went on holiday for a fortnight and challenged the plumber to install a new central heating system while they were away. ‘He managed it,’ says Rod. ‘We arrived back to 24 working radiators.’ 76 Period Living
To further warm up the home, the draughty metal and uPVC windows were replaced with traditional sash designs. Then the decorators arrived. Maureen chose a bright pastel palette of paints and subtly patterned wallpapers. ‘I’m a big fan of Farrow & Ball colours,’ she says. ‘They look so lovely in different lights and I like a bit of wallpaper too – I’m not one for neutrals.’ A new en-suite bathroom was added along with new fittings for the family bathroom. Budget constraints meant that they had to wait a few years before tackling the old pine kitchen, however. ‘Initially we thought that we could paint the existing doors, but we soon found that they were all falling off and the units smelt of damp inside,’ says Maureen. She knew exactly how she wanted the new kitchen to look and work though, and when the time came, she chose a mix of John Lewis of Hungerford fitted units and Fired Earth freestanding pieces, to give the room real character. ‘We put in the Aga, because it’s great to cook on and it adds a really homely touch, and I opted for slate worktops, because they help link the house to the local area. In fact, we got the worktops from a quarry up the road. The warehouse had two pieces the exact size that we needed,’ says Maureen. As they were moving from a smaller new build, much of their old furniture didn’t work with the proportions and period features of this house. Maureen likes a mix-and-match look and has picked up a selection of pieces from big brand names and one-off shops over the years. The garden has also slowly evolved. First they landscaped it and then created a patio in front of the kitchen so that the indoor and outdoor spaces could flow into each other, creating the perfect place for summer entertaining. ‘It was another challenging job,’ recalls Rod. ‘We found ladders buried underneath the brambles and unearthed trees in pots that we didn’t know were there.’ Rod and Maureen are proud to have returned the house and its surroundings back to their original splendour. ‘It’s been a slow process, and a bit of a money pit, but it’s all fixed and sorted now,’ says Maureen. ‘And it’s exactly how we wanted it. We love nothing more than having it filled with our children and grandchildren and now our first great-grandchild, Charlie.’
Victorian Villa Left: Maureen in the living room, where a tall overmantel mirror accentuates the high ceilings. The original fire surround has been cleaned up, and a granite hearth and Parkray Aspect 5 wood-burning stove fitted. Walls are painted in Purbeck Stone, the woodwork in Pigeon, and the wallpaper is Hornbeam, all from Farrow & Ball. The sofa is from Marks & Spencer Below: The striking wallpaper in the entrance hall is Mulberry Home’s Flying Ducks design from GP & J Baker. Karndean’s parquet flooring is a hardwearing choice for a hallway. The Edinburgh console table is from Neptune Bottom: The couple replaced uPVC windows with wooden sash designs as they are more in keeping with the style of the house, which was built in the 1860s
THE STORY Owners Maureen Lackey, a retired health service manager, and her husband Rod, a retired pharmaceutical company director, live here. Their children, grandchildren and the newest arrival Charlie, their first great-grandchild, are regular visitors Property A detached, four-bedroom villa in the Lake District, built in the 1860s. The property was constructed using the then innovative cut-and-fill method to enable it to sit on the side of the hill and enjoy the views over the town and Morecambe Bay What they did They replaced the metal and uPVC windows with traditional wooden sash windows, removed the slate cladding on the front of the house to expose the external stonework, redecorated throughout and added a two-storey annexe to the side. They replaced bathrooms, refitted the kitchen and created a utility room
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Victorian Villa Tucked into the chimney breast and framed with a shelf and vibrant tiles from Fired Earth, the new Aga is the focal point of the redesigned kitchen. The kitchen cabinetry is from John Lewis of Hungerford, with base units painted in Oval Room Blue and wall units in Purbeck Stone, both Farrow & Ball. The slate worktops are from Burlington Stone. Open plan to the work area is a more formal dining space
Victorian Villa
Left: The island unit from Fired Earth’s Bastide collection isn’t fixed, so it can be moved out of the way when the couple are entertaining. It also provides a mix of open and hidden storage. The sideboard, plate racks and slate floor tiles are also from Fired Earth. The colourful rug is from Nevison’s Carpets in Ulverston and the wallpaper is Farrow & Ball’s Gable design Above: The mix of open shelving and closed wall units with mug hooks beneath and ornaments on top are the details that give this kitchen its homely, country look. The Kohler sink was supplied by John Lewis of Hungerford Above right: The new four-oven gas-fired Aga is Maureen’s pride and joy – this is her first Aga and she says she’d never be without one now. A tiled shelf at the back of the chimney breast was a slight afterthought that has proved a useful and attractive design detail Right: Both areas of this open-plan cooking and eating space are linked together with the same Farrow & Ball Gable wallpaper. The dining table and wooden chairs are from Fired Earth’s Bastide range, the painted chairs are from a second-hand store and have been painted in Fired Earth’s Chalk White. The armoire is from Laura Ashley
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Above: Maureen wanted to make a real show-stopping feature of the unusual corner fireplace in the master bedroom, choosing Farrow & Ball’s Green Blue to highlight it against walls painted in the company’s Clunch shade. The couple removed the carpets to reveal the original floorboards, and floor-to-ceiling floral Laura Ashley Gosforth Cranberry curtains keep out the draughts and add an extra splash of colour Left: Contrasting and complementary floral fabrics from Laura Ashley dress the bed and window in the guest bedroom, with a smart stripe wallcovering, also from Laura Ashley Below: A roll-top bath tub, its sides painted in Stiffkey Blue, is set against tongue-and-groove panelling painted in Parma Grey, both Farrow & Ball shades. The fish ornament is from Maisons du Monde
News from the antiques and vintage world, from fairs to collectors’ stories
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Floral artist, stylist and visual storyteller Lucy Hunter (@lucytheflowerhunter) creates romantic interior vignettes set to the textured backdrop of old plaster walls alongside perfectly focused exterior snapshots, which merge the floral boundaries of inside and out. While her exquisite imagery shows off both her refined floristry skills and love of antiques, her captions are a warm and honest snippet of her daily life, from work and family to thoughts and reflections.
MEET THE COLLECTOR
BOUDOIR BOXES Clare Powell
What I collect Antique
fabric-covered boxes, or ‘boudoir boxes’ as they are sometimes known, with a focus on French pieces from 1890 to 1930. These beautiful boxes were originally used to store wardrobe staples such as gloves and stockings, or were given as gifts containing stationery sets or chocolates. My collection stems from a love of fabrics; I currently have about 65 boxes of various shapes and sizes.
as The Virtual Vintage Bazaar (@thevintage bazaarevents), as well as from dealer friends. I occasionally part with one when I can bear to. Prices range from a lucky find at £20 to £150. They’re becoming harder to find, especially in good condition. My collection highlight I’m
currently smitten with a 1920s French box (below, third from top); the beautiful fabric is very of the era. I love finding ones with the contents stamped on them or an old price label.
Feature Alice Roberton Images (top) lucyhunter.co.uk; (boudoir boxes) Clare Powell
Why I collect I use them for
Armchair with original mohair velvet and brass studs by Otto Schulz for Boet, Gothenburg, c.1930, from Bear Petworth FAIR UPDATE If you’re hoping to attend an antiques and vintage fair this spring, then the good news is that there are a few currently scheduled to run. Highlights this month include Ripley Decorative Home & Salvage Show, 7-9 May, The Grand Brocante at Glemham Hall in Suffolk on 16 May, and The Annual Buxton Antiques & Fine Art Fair, 20-23 May. However, a number of events in the spring antiques calender have been delayed until later in the year, so keep an eye on listings at antiques-atlas.com and check before you travel.
storage and love their decorative value, but also use them as inspiration for my own fabric designs, which I print onto velvet, silk and cotton to make cushions and scarves. I find it exciting to think about who previously owned each piece and the stories behind them. Was the box a gift from someone special? Was it once used to store letters and mementos? Each comes with its own imbued history. How I collect I usually buy from antiques fairs – the Giant Shepton Mallet Flea Market is favourite – and brocantes like Vanves in Paris. Since the pandemic I’ve been buying from Instagram fairs such
A selection of boudoir boxes ranging from 1910-1935
TINY TREASURES 18th-century passementerie button
Sarah Aylen, owner of the Vintage Button Emporium, introduces us to the wonderful world of buttons ‘The charm of old buttons is in their varied aesthetic, sense of social history and the way they provide a snapshot of changes in fashion, be it a Victorian brass picture button, one made of shimmering mother of pearl, painted wood or china, glass, horn, or enamel, or a sensuous Art Nouveau or big bold Art Deco design. If you are looking to buy vintage buttons, try scouring antiques fairs, vintage markets and auctions, or visit a specialist seller like myself (vintagebuttonemporium.com). Prices vary from £1 to well over £250 for a rare piece. Keep an eye out for button tins filled with old buttons – these act as a wonderful family history time capsule. Joining The British Button Society (britishbuttonsociety.com) is a great way to discover more.’
Victorian black glass button
Victorian picture button
Gardenalia
We share three of the best places to source garden antiques, from statues to tools
ENGLISH SALVAGE sells all manner of reclaimed materials and architectural salvage alongside a beautiful array of garden benches and furniture. Browsing online is made easy by categorised goods, clear descriptions and a handy sales enquiry button for each item. (englishsalvage.co.uk) LICHEN GARDEN ANTIQUES is a great destination for statement pieces to add period drama to your outside space, be it a terracotta statue, a pair of handsome
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cast-iron urns or a Portland stone sundial. Browse online at lichengardenantiques.com or visit one of its two UK showrooms by appointment. THE YORKSHIRE DALES GARDEN COMPANY is an excellent online store which encourages buying vintage and antique garden essentials above buying new. Shop here for perfectly weathered and worn trowels, trugs, watering cans, terracotta pots and other small items. (theyorkshire dalesgardenaliacompany.co.uk)
A display of green glass and gilt buttons from 1850s-1930s
THROUGH THE GENERATIONS Natasha Francis, owner of The Urban Vintage Affair and dealer on BBC’s The Bidding Room, shares her favourite family heirloom ‘I don’t recall “heirloom” being a used term during my African-Caribbean upbringing, although there was definitely an element of “acquiring” items such as photos or jewellery from parents and grandparents. It was common for AfricanCaribbean UK homes in the 1970s and ’80s to have royal memorabilia (mainly porcelain) displayed in the “front room” – a formal space for receiving guests packed with furniture, ornaments and a gallery of pictures and family photographs. Originally belonging to my maternal great-grandmother – who had a love of royal memorabilia – this pair of 1953 Queen Elizabeth II Coronation souvenir spoons in their original box are one of the only things passed down to me by my late mother.’
Antiques
IN FOCUS Dating back to the late 19th century and reaching their height of popularity between the 1950s and the 1970s, educational wall charts were broadly used as visual aids in the teaching of anatomy, botany, geography, science, technology, architecture and zoology, alongside a variety of miscellaneous subjects. Used throughout Europe, although more widely in Scandinavia, Continental and Eastern Europe than in the UK, they were designed to be factual yet visually stimulating, as well as large enough to be seen from the back of a classroom, and were often accompanied by a teaching guide. They were designed by small teams comprising artists and educators – names like Deyrolle, Jung, Koch & Quentell and Dr Auzoux became quite notable – and many were produced with a black background to allow chalk annotation to be seen more clearly. While overhead projectors largely replaced these veritable works of art in the educational sphere, their decorative value has made them desirable additions to the home, with buyers’ choices often reflecting their own areas of work or passions. As with any antique, they ignite the imagination and come with signs of wear and tear, attributes which add to their story and character. The purely aesthetic buyer can pick up a good example between £50–£200 while the serious collector should seek out pre-war pieces for a better investment – prices can reach into the thousands. Vintage Wall Charts (vintagewallcharts.com) is a specialist with an excellent affordable range. (garden tools) theyorkshiredalesgardenaliacompany.co.uk (spoons) Natasha Francis
Images (wall charts) vintagewallcharts.com; (buttons, opposite) vintagebuttonemporium.com;
EDUCATIONAL WALL CHARTS
Charts clockwise from top left: Marsh marigold, Te Neues, Germany, 1960s; European freshwater fish, Hein & Winter, Germany, 1940s; anemone, Jung, Koch & Quentell, Germany, 1960s; animal skulls Emile Deyrolle, France, late 19th-century; Protozoa, Rudolf Leuckart, Germany, late 19th century; biological inheritance, Dr Smailian, Germany, 1920s; useful plants, Karlsson & Richter, Sweden, 1960s; white nettle, Walter Heubach, Germany, early 1900s; cherry blossom, Jung, Koch & Quentell, Germany, 1960s
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Still hanging Antiques Roadshow specialist Marc Allum unfolds the origins of storing clothes, and opens the door on the evolution of the wardrobe here is something infinitely satisfying about a word that, once dissected, denotes exactly what it is. The word wardrobe is one such example. We use it ubiquitously, but how often do we analyse archaic expressions? It is thought the word entered the English language in its original form in the 14th century and was derived from
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the French ‘warderobe’, with ‘warder’ translating to ‘guard’ and ‘robe’ as in clothing or garments. The tall cupboard for hanging clothes that we are accustomed to, however, is not the original form of furniture traditionally used to store garments. Clothes were not traditionally hung but were folded and kept in ‘chests’ or ‘coffers’, often at the foot of a bed. Naturally, the nature of storage changed with time and fashions and the idea of the wardrobe being a moveable cupboard for hanging items began in the 17th century.
Cabinets of curiosity Wardrobes could be multifunctional spaces, incorporating cupboards and drawers, but were
Antiques
around often of huge and impressive stature. The French and the Dutch, in particular, are historically renowned for making large cupboards. Known as ‘armoires’ in French or a ‘kas’ or ‘kast’ in Dutch, there is never any doubt as to which country these items herald from, although some will display obvious regional differences. Armoires were very suited to the larger scale of rural French houses and, like the Dutch kas, they were also made as dowry furniture and often feature symbolic carvings or even inscriptions and dates. The word armoire derives from ‘armarie’, meaning a place of storage for tools and weapons; its evolution to a storage cupboard for linens and clothing was a natural progression. The kas fell
Clockwise from top far left: 18th-century painted Dutch kas, 1stDibs; 1798 painted pine Bonnetiere armoire with original folk art paint finish; mid1700s armoire from Bordeaux, France, both Lorfords; 19th-century Dutch, painted pine kas, 1stDibs; late-1800s satinwood Sheraton compactum, Pamono; French chestnut linen
press, circa 1850, Vinterior; breakfront armoire in neo-classical style, circa 1920; French oak and fruitwood armoire, both Hand of Glory Antiques; 1800s oak wardrobe in Arts & Crafts style, Vinterior; early Victorian linen press; 19th-century Maple & Co wardrobe, both Pamono; provincial French armoire, Hand of Glory Antiques
from grace in the Netherlands in the 18th to 19th centuries but was perpetuated by the Dutch/American colonists in a more ‘federal’ style. Such colonial examples are highly prized and can easily cost in the region of £10,000. Yet, a unity of purpose is still not clearly defined in the use of such cabinets and it would be common to find armoires and kas in different rooms being used for different things. Plus, as situations changed and social status altered, even over several generations, people would naturally repurpose an item. So it is not uncommon to see a large cabinet being used as a wardrobe with the interior space adapted with hooks or hanging bars, or armoires converted into kitchen cabinets. Period Living 89
Antiques
Clockwise from top left: Heal’s attributed limed oak two-door compactum, c.1930, 1stDibs; Arts and Crafts three-door wardrobe; Shapland and Petter late-19thcentury design, both Pamono; Liberty Art Deco linen cupboard with vanity mirror, c.1920, London Fine Antiques; burr walnut Art Deco wardrobe, with Bakelite handles and fitted glazed compartments, Vinterior; Art Deco walnut compactum in an original design, Pamono
Into the fold Historically, people generally had far fewer items of clothing than we do today – depending on their social standing – so did not require as much hanging space. Clothing was a more precious commodity and was stored differently. Rather like the early chests, linen presses were a popular form of storage in the 18th and 19th centuries. Comprised of two-door cabinets over a chest of drawers, the interior was fitted with several large pull-out wooden trays for folded clothes and linens. Such pieces can be remarkably cheap at auction and examples from the early 19th century, which are often very plain, can be purchased for just a few hundred pounds. Part of their problem is that they are impractical for modern use; many had the trays removed and were converted into wardrobes in the 19th and 20th centuries, but they are very short and only suitable for hanging smaller items.
Neat and compact It was during the early 19th century and the Victorian period that the wardrobe, as we know it, came into its own as a singularly identifiable
entity. The form that it took is often referred to as a ‘compactum’ wardrobe: with a variety of compartments for accommodating various different aspects of one’s clothing. Regency compactums are my favourite because they often have an architectural quality that is simply stated but elegant. Typically, they will have a central set of drawers, topped with a cabinet or press, flanked by two hanging cupboards. These can be broken down for ease of transport into several sections and are often veneered in richly figured mahogany. They can be useful and imposing but the hanging space is often narrow and restricted and therefore not as accommodating as you might imagine. Expect to pay around £800 to £1,200 at auction for a reasonable example. As the 19th century progressed, the burgeoning middle classes with their new, bigger commuter homes needed furniture to fill their houses in the leafy suburbs, and the bedroom suite became a staple purchase. Such demand was catered for by companies such as Maple & Co and James Shoolbred & Co, who sold them from grand London showrooms. The compactum wardrobe Period Living 91
therefore became an integral part of larger matching sets and would be available in double, triple and quadruple sections with the interiors divided into hanging, drawers, glass-fronted sections, deep shoe drawers, collar boxes and press drawers. In fact, the configurations were endless and such furniture would often reflect prevailing fashions of the time, such as French style, Gothic, Art Nouveau and Arts and Crafts. It is common to find the separate components of such large 19th century bedroom suites for sale. The compactum wardrobe remained a staple in this respect through the Victorian and Edwardian eras and into the pre-war period in the 1920s and ’30s, as an often smaller but stylish rendition of the prevailing Art Deco movement, usually in burr woods, such as maple, bleached walnut or birch. Large pieces are less fashionable these days and it is not unusual to see these late Victorian and Edwardian furniture leviathans selling at auction for just a couple of hundred pounds.
Fashion rails Department stores, such as Liberty and Co and Heal’s, along with makers such as Shapland & Petter, also catered for very style-driven areas of the market. The hall wardrobe or ‘hallrobe’ was a trademark Liberty item and was often produced in oak, in wonderful tapering Arts and Crafts architectural form, with features such as painted panels, leaded glass, copper appliques and broad overhanging cornices. Liberty used a number of suppliers and quality can vary, but prices will always be much higher for their branded items. Do not expect any change from £1,500 for a single door ‘robe’. As in all disciplines, many famous designers also made their mark on the humble wardrobe, often supplying such retailers. These include luminaries such as Augustus Welby Pugin, Charles Eastlake, William Burges, Charles Rennie Mackintosh, William Edward Godwin and Robert ‘Mouseman’ Thompson. Of course, these influences were quickly adopted by other manufacturers who sought to cash in on fashionable styles and quickly produced inferior look-a-like versions at more affordable price points. Take, too, the popular revival styles of the Edwardian period such as ‘Tudorbethan’, Hepplewhite and Chippendale, and wardrobes were made to suit literally every situation. Once highly popular with the American and Australian shipping markets, the ‘cheap’ end of this Edwardian output now sees mass-produced items selling at auction for very small amounts. The post-war period saw a ‘Brave New World’ of fitted wardrobes and closets in smaller, contemporary properties. Yet there is still a market for the traditional wardrobe. Of course, flat pack is king, but it is not a million miles away from a 19th century armoire designed to be taken apart for easy transport, or a Regency compactum with its various components. Even with that perennial problem of awkward hanging space, I know which I prefer... 92 Period Living
Wardrobe buying: what to look for MEASUREMENTS CHECK: View an auction or visit
a shop with a tape measure to hand. 19th- and early 20th-century wardrobes can be lacking in depth. Clothes were often hung flat inside, against the back of the wardrobe, on brass hooks or small pull-out rails. They were not designed to hang clothing side-on. This keeps the value of many low as they are impractical for hanging a lot of items, but they can still be useful for a guest room. CONDITION REPORTS: If you are unable to attend an
auction in person, ensure you have the correct measurements. Most large wardrobes break down into several pieces but be certain you can get it up the stairs. Also, verify the condition: compactums can look very good assembled in a photograph, but if not dismantled properly can result in pulled screws, splintered wood and wobbly cornices. Restoring them can be very expensive. PAINT EFFECTS: The fashion for acid dipping and
removing the original ‘vernacular’ and often naive paint finishes on pine and deal furniture, saw many a good wardrobe ruined in the process. However, the fashion for original painted finishes is now strong and you can expect to pay a premium for a painted wardrobe. Look out for faux bois, combed effects and ‘coach lined’ examples at auction. WOODWORM: Take care when buying large French
armoires. Unlike most Victorian and Edwardian wardrobes, which tend to have robust plinth bases, they can have quite delicate scrolled feet. These have to support a lot of weight and due to the nature of many old French houses, they often have historic woodworm damage. Many also only break down with the wooden fixing dowels removed, which is quite a specialist endeavour. WAR-TIME WARDROBES: During the war there was
a huge shortage of wood and the production of quality furniture ceased. The Utility Furniture Advisory Committee was set up in 1942 and utilised the expertise and skill of designers such as Gordon Russell to produce furniture for certain sectors of the market. Although characteristically plain and functional in design, the CC41 mark on each piece has become a nostalgic symbol for collectors.
B ri
dea i t h g Based in the East
Pendants from left: Millais, £134; Ophelia, £140; Heathcliff, £168
of England, new lighting brand Lam Lighting combines style and sustainability in its first collection of pendants. The lights are handcrafted from organic porcelain, which is low-waste, and are unglazed to let the beauty of the raw material shine through and minimise environmental impact. Offering timeless style and a long lifespan, these elegantly understated designs are perfect for period homes. (lam-lighting.co.uk)
ON THE RANGE
Following the launch of its R3 100 electric range cooker last year, Aga has expanded the collection to include four new cookers in a variety of sizes to suit almost any kitchen. Like the traditional Aga, the electric models are designed to be on all the time, so are ideal for keeping your kitchen toasty on colder days. However, they have lower running costs and don’t need a flue, so are much easier to install than solid fuel or wood-fired designs. The R3 150 in black, above, costs £12,995.
TWIST ON TRADITION Brimming with rustic charm, the new Tavole collection by British kitchen company Lochanna brings farmhouse style to modern design. Its plank textured doors have a European oak veneer that is stained in one of seven shades, giving you the flexibility to mix and match to put your own personality on the space. Pictured here in Deep Cherry on the wall cabinets and Snow Cloud and Fresh Ginger (left) on the base cabinets. Kitchens start at £11,200.
SUGARY SHADES Bring a touch of spring to your upcycling projects with the three latest additions to Old Fashioned Milk Paint’s Sweet Pickins range: Bleu Bohemia, Corabella and Purple Posies. Supplied as a powder rather than in a tin, the paint is faithfully based on a historic formula of milk protein – casein – lime and natural earth or mineral pigments, and is mixed with warm water to activate. It is completely natural so there are no worries about toxins or safety. Plus, as you simply make the quantity you need, there is no wastage. Prices start at £5.95 for a sample bag.
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ASK THE EXPERT Douglas Kent, technical and research director at the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB), answers your queries
want to rethatch our old Q We cottage, but we recently heard
OUTDOOR UPDATE
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Create drama with toImperial Bathroom’s new
Ba ck
Transform your garden ahead of summer with Havwood’s new Forte decking. Created with a high-density mineral WPC core and modified polymer exterior, it has the look and feel of real wood graining without any of the maintenance. Perfect for outdoor patio areas, it is UV and scratch-resistant as well as having a high tolerance to the inevitable stains and spills - so no worries when alfresco dining. Prices start at £69.95 per m2.
Black Sapphire range. Its inky glaze gives a moody twist to the period silhouettes of the brand’s timeless sanitaryware. Clockwise from left: Drift basin with pedestal, £980; Etoile basin with pedestal, £1,150; Radcliffe vanity basin on Radcliffe Troon stand in chrome, £2,340.
there’s a shortage of straw. Should we consider another material? I would aim to rethatch like for like, so as not to harm the heritage of the property. If your house is listed, your local authority may not allow a change of material. The 2020 thatching straw harvest was poor in many parts of England, although there were variations between regions. Lots of last year’s straw is also shorter than usual, so is more laborious and expensive to lay. Some thatchers will have straw left from 2019, while others have good relationships with their dealers from whom they may be able to source small quantities, so it is worth asking around. Consider whether you can delay your rethatching until this year’s harvest is available. Alternatively, you could have it patch repaired to extend its life. Should either of these options not be feasible, you might have your roof repaired temporarily with a ‘rick coat’, which can last up to 10 years. I replace the cement Q Should render on my 1750s stone house with lime? Not necessarily, especially if you have no dampness problems. While remedial action would ideally involve removal of the ‘non-breathable’ cement, this may damage the fabric further. A small area should, therefore, be removed as a trial. Where the render adheres well, it is normally best to leave it to age naturally. A compromise that may be possible, however, would be stripping just the render at the bottoms of walls or hollowsounding patches where localised deterioration exists. If you have a renovation question for Douglas, email periodliving@futurenet.com*
Feature Holly Reaney *We do our best to answer all queries, but cannot guarantee a response
SPRING STYLE Inspired by the vibrant ribbons twisting around the Maypole, Claybrooks’ new Festive Ribbon wall tiles add a colourful touch of spring. Decorated by hand and available in four sweet shades, the glazed wall tiles have a slightly undulating finish which creates a tactile and rustic surface, ideal for a farmhouse scheme. Tiles cost £8.94 each.
Shopping
Fancy
footwork
Feature Tallulah Rushaya
Adorn your hallway with patterns inspired by the Victorian era to give your home the grand entrance it deserves
Cuba grey pink encaustic cement tile, £117 per m2, Terrazzo-tiles.co.uk
Scintilla Night ceramic tile, £18.95 per m2, Tiles Direct
Maison Belle porcelain tile, £40.50 per m2, Porcelain Superstore
Westminster porcelain tile, £19.93 per m2, Total Tiles
Calabria Aqua porcelain tile, £25 per m2, Stone Tile Company
Majolica Bellflower ceramic tiles, £25.95 per m2, Walls & Floors
Galway Black on Dover White ceramic tile, £10.53 per m2, Original Style
Devonstyle porcelain tile in grey, £13.99 per m2, Tile Mountain
Monteith 70 individual mosaic tiles in Cognac, £206 per m2, Original Features
Ajuda warm porcelain tiles, £42.90 per m2, London Tile Co
Johannesburg encaustic tile, £120 per m2, Ca’Pietra
Hittite Aubergine encaustic tile, £157.20 per m2 with a minimum of 125, Otto Tiles
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Glazed Extensions Bespoke idigbo hardwood lean-to conservatory with period-inspired leadwork and self-cleaning glass, from £35,000, Atrium
Seeing clearly A glazed room can be a beautiful and sympathetic way to extend a period home. We guide you through the best options for orangeries, conservatories and sunrooms Words Sarah Warwick
W
hile adding a glazed room to your home may seem like a modern concept, they actually have a long history. The first orangeries date back to the 17th century, built as horticultural structures in which to grow exotic fruits. Then evolutions in glass-making led to conservatories, complete with seating areas, becoming the must-have addition of the Victorian era. More recently, impractical uPVC conservatories built in the 1970s and 1980s, have given them a bad name with many homeowners today opting for a solid extension rather than
glazed. However, if you take advantage of modern technological advances in glazing, and seek expert advice on positioning, it is possible to create a beautiful and flexible space that is welcoming all year round. Of course, the exterior appearance is as important as the functionality of the space. Opting for natural materials, such as wood or iron, will help the structure to blend into its surroundings. Be sure to choose a design based on historic examples from a similar era to your house, to ensure that your new building will add to your home’s period charm. Period Living 101
Above: Seasoned oak orangery with glazed gable, £54,000, Prime Oak Right: Seasoned oak orangery with roof lantern and six-pane bi-fold doors, £84,000, Julius Bahn
Choosing the right glazed room The greatest difference between a conservatory and an orangery is defined by the amount of glazing it incorporates. A conservatory usually has a roof that is more than 75 per cent glazed, while an orangery roof is less. An orangery roof generally has inset glazing with a shallow pitch, but can equally have a solid roof with no glass. With pillared sides, rather than predominantly glazed, an orangery will appear as a more substantial room-like addition to a home than a conservatory. Conversely, the glazed exterior will give a conservatory a finer appearance, and result in a room that feels more open to the garden and flooded with light. The term sunroom, meanwhile, has variable applications, by both individuals and providers. Some consider a sunroom to be a glass-enclosed room, while 102 Period Living
others may consider it a space that has brick elevations. Furthermore, it is sometimes used interchangeably with conservatory or orangery, or to incorporate both terms. ‘Glazed additions can be built to suit any period of architecture, if they are guided by the trends and styles of the era,’ says Lisa Morton, director of Vale Garden Houses. ‘Mixing architectural periods would be frowned upon, unless the period of the property is less clearly defined, with additions or alterations made over the years. Here, the house can take a more relaxed approach.’ While you may have a specific size in mind for your addition, the proportions of the original property should determine what you choose. ‘A modest house would not befit an oversized conservatory, and similarly a larger property will require a more substantial structure to maintain a correct balance,’ Lisa advises.
Glazed Extensions
Left: A minimalist glass-box sunroom can be a sensitive addition. Here, the weathered wood gives the glazed design a rustic look Below: Red cedar orangery, painted in white, with solid roof featuring rooflight, £60,000, Montpelier Joinery
Image (top right) Kasia Fiszer
Consider materials Orangeries are typically built from brick or stone, and so can be finished in a way that makes it sympathetic to the original house, such as with render. For conservatories, wood and metal are the main choices. In terms of timber, oak is the most appealing option, due to its durability and natural beauty, but it is expensive. Other hardwoods, such as sapele, are a great choice, especially if you want to paint your extension. Another more recent favourite is Accoya. A treated softwood, it is rot resistant and extremely stable, putting it in the highest possible class for durability. For Victorian-style conservatories, metal is an authentic choice. Historically wrought iron was the go-to, but today aluminium is used to create structures with historic credentials and elaborate designs. It is strong but slim and so maximises glazed areas of the addition while also being
thermally efficient. It is also worth considering frames made with aluminium on the outside with a warm wood interior. uPVC is ubiquitous as a framing material but its bulky appearance won’t complement a period home, and may not even be a permissible option for some properties.
Designing for comfort If your addition is to be a liveable space year round, there are a number of factors to take into consideration. For a southfacing garden, an orangery is preferable, as the expanse of glazing in a conservatory results in extremes of temperature. Even so, south-facing rooms need additional measures, too. ‘Look for glazing that has a solar glare coating, as this helps to reflect the heat back off the roof lantern and in turn prevents the room from overheating,’ says James Upton, managing director at Westbury Garden Rooms. Period Living 103
Glazed Extensions Right: Siberian larch orangery in Pennant Stone, from £40,000, David Salisbury Below right: Green oak-frame conservatory, from £45,000, Welsh Oak Frame Below: Restoration grade FSC-certified green oak garden room, from £9,000 for a self-build kit, Border Oak
Adequate ventilation is also important for a glazed addition of any type. ‘Roof vents are highly effective at naturally circulating air around your glazed extension,’ says James Upton. ‘It is recommended that you choose vents which can be remotely operated with thermostatic and rain controls. These prompt the vents to close in the event of an unexpected shower.’ Roof vents should be combined with opening windows and doors to create a through draught. Specially designed roof blinds and side blinds can provide shading for the space. An affordable choice, they can also offer privacy if the room is overlooked, and create a feeling of cosiness once the sun sets. A room with predominantly glazed walls doesn’t provide space for radiators, but underfloor heating – either electric or connected to an existing warm-water system – is popular. ‘Many people also include a woodburning stove, which not
only heats the room but makes a lovely feature,’ says Paul Edmunds, director at Welsh Oak Frame.
Follow the rules For the most part, a glazed addition would be classed as ‘permitted development’, meaning that you don’t necessarily need to apply for planning permission, unless your home is listed. However, you will need to abide by the criteria, so the addition cannot exceed four metres in height and can only be up to half the width of the original house. Conservation areas will have additional restrictions, so you should always check the rules that apply to your home with the local planning department. Listed building consent is a separate and additional permission and will be needed if your home is listed. You can find more detailed information on planningportal.co.uk. Period Living 105
Above left: uPVC Edwardian-style conservatory in Anthracite Grey, from £24,425, Anglian Above: Classically inspired orangery added to open-plan kitchen, from £50,000, Vale Garden Houses Left: Accoya timber garden room finished in Westbury black with chrome ironmongery, about £54,000, Westbury Garden Rooms
Where planning permission is required, the design of the addition is crucial. ‘Is it in character with the host building and neighbouring area? Is it proportional? Does it adhere to regulations?’ asks Karen Bell, creative director at David Salisbury. ‘In my experience, if a design looks right then it will usually be viewed favourably by planners. As neighbours will be consulted as part of the consultation process, make sure yours are aware of your plans in advance of submitting an application – this will help to avoid objections which could prolong or frustrate the planning process.’ In most cases, adding a glazed room will require building regulations approval. There is an exception for conservatories built at ground level and with a floor area of less than 30 m2. To be exempt, it must also be separated from your house by external quality walls, doors or windows, and have an 106 Period Living
independent heat system with separate temperature and on/off controls. Bear in mind that in all cases, the glazing and fixed electrical installations need to comply with the applicable building regulations.
Balancing costs and value While you might expect to pay from £15,000 for a standard design, whichever type of glazed room you opt for, a bespoke version is highly preferable for an older home, and for a good quality design, your spend is likely to be upwards of £35,000. A well-designed addition could add value to your home. Ultimately, however, the local property market will limit the effect it has on the sale price of your home. If you think you might sell in the future, it is worth talking to a local estate agent about how it might add value where you live.
play Child’s Spark the imagination of little ones by transforming their bedroom into a whimsical wonderland that reflects their personality, with tasteful design solutions Feature Holly Reaney PLAYFUL PIECES Right: Make tidying up less of a chore with fun yet practical storage solutions. This Bloomingville penguin shaped basket, £110 at Beaumonde, is ideal for clearing away toys or laundry, and makes an adorable feature in its own right. Pair with the brand’s large cloud shelf, £56 from John Lewis & Partners, to store special toys.
UNDER THE SEA Below: Creating a theme is a fantastic way to embrace your child’s interests while also ensuring that the room works together coherently. A feature wallpaper, like Harlequin’s Above and Below design, £195 per roll, sets the scene. Tie the look together with complementary bedlinen, from £50 at John Lewis & Partners, and curtains.
JUNGLE ADVENTURE Above: Embrace the explorer within and transform their room into a tropical paradise. This Christopher treehouse bed, £549 from Nöa & Nani, has an elevated design to make the most of floor space, which is often at a premium in children’s rooms. Decorate with house plants and exotic toy animals to fully embrace the jungle look.
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BRIGHT IDEA Below: Accessories are an easy way to subtly introduce pattern to the room. A collaboration between illustrator Maude Smith and light-maker Pooky, sees Smith’s cute Flappity Birds print realised as a whimsical shade, £40, which makes a charming feature on a bedside table.
Image (Annie Sloan) Mural painted by Lucy Tiffney
WRITING ON THE WALLS Above: If you are creative, why not paint a characterful wall mural? This design by Lucy Tiffney, using Annie Sloan’s Chalk Paint, from £5.95 for 120ml, takes inspiration from chalkboard doodles, adding bright patterns to a black backdrop. Alternatively, let your little one take the helm by painting a feature wall in a blackboard paint, like Johnstone’s blackboard paint, £20 for 2.5ltrs from Screwfix. Provide them with a box of chalks and let them draw on their own walls with a different design every day.
AND RELAX... Right: Take inspiration from the serenity of Scandinavian design with a scenic wallpaper like Sandberg’s Emilie print in Garden Green, £101 per roll. Creating a relaxing space, light pastel shades promote restful sleep, while the floralinspired motif will encourage a love of the natural world. Period Living 109
NEAT AND TIDY Right: Clever storage solutions make a world of difference in children’s rooms, like this vintage String storage unit. Available as new units, it is fully customisable, from drawers and cupboards to open shelving – ideal for creating displays of books and toys. Prices for a new String storage wall panel start at £47. For a similar metal bed try The Wrought Iron & Brass Bed Company’s Henry design, £695.
OFF TO SCHOOL Below: Children’s bedrooms are versatile spaces, used to play, work and sleep, so zone the room with colourful rugs, such as this sustainable Käpphäst cotton design, £29 from Ikea. Flexible pieces are also key – this adjustable Flisat desk, £60, easily transitions from creative colouring station to homework area. Shown with the Vimund desk chair, £60.
SWEET DREAMS Above: Drawing on traditional prints and archive designs creates a space that is at one with the rest of a period home’s interior. This beautiful canopy, made from Morris & Co’s woodland-inspired Newill fabric in a restful grey/blue colourway, £62 per m2, adds an elegant focal point in this nursery. Paired with soft pink walls and timeless wooden furniture, it creates the basis for a scheme that will grow with your child.
Images (Room to change) Brent Darby; (Neat and tidy) Kasia Fiszer
FUN OF THE FAIR Above: The ceiling is often an overlooked part of a room’s décor. Here, a simple technique using masking tape and paint brings the magic of the circus to life. Create triangle shapes with the tape then paint each alternately in Farrow & Ball’s Blazer and Wevet, £49.50 for 2.5 ltrs of Estate emulsion, to make your own big top design.
Children’s Rooms
WELCOME HOME Above: Transitioning your child from a cot to bed sees the room changing from nursery to bedroom. It can also be a daunting prospect for parents. However, this whitewashed bed, £329 from Nubie, is low to the ground, so there are no fears of falling out, and children will love the simple house-shaped frame, which is perfect for playing in. MAGIC WITH MAGNETS Below: Far from just a pretty print, this whimsically illustrated Woodland wallpaper, £265 per roll from Sian Zeng, is also magnetic, giving your little ones even more space to play. From flying pigs to friendly dinosaurs, the magnets are illustrated in the same playful style and can be stuck to the walls to create storybook scenes.
ROOM TO CHANGE Above: As children get older, their rooms need to grow with them, so choose a versatile scheme to avoid having to regularly redecorate. White walls and wood flooring provide a blank canvas for furnishings and décor. Here, a feature chimneybreast in Scion Mr Fox wallpaper, £45 per roll from Jane Clayton, and a playful blue-painted picture rail and skirting board, can easily be updated.
Ferm Living tufted polar bear head rug, off white, £71, The Modern Nursery
Cotton dinosaur cushion, £28, Sophie Allport
Vilac vintage ride-on metal car in red, £112, Liberty Janod small magnetic rocket, £14.99, JoJo Maman Bébé Maileg superhero mouse in suitcase, £19.95 Scandibørn
Little Bird Told Me Biscuit & Skip rocking horse with mouse toy, £139.95, Cuckooland
Mademoiselle Rose doll, £18, Bobby Rabbit
Bay Tree dolls’ house, £119.95, Le Toy Van
Jellycat Barney Owl chick soft toy, £16, Selfridges Velvet moon cushion, £29, Meri Meri Nobodinoz garland in Savanna, £14, Smallable
Funkis Family embroidered organic cotton dolls, £31, Ferm Living
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j Be inspired by this stunning DIY home renovation project
Sweet dreams
Opposite, clockwise from top right: The bowed floorboards meant there was a lot of hand-sanding; the wardrobes were hard to fit but a big improvement on before; full of period charm, the finished bedroom looks stunning; Bryony used a special brush to wax the floor
Bryony Wilson talks us through how she and her partner Tom Bown renovated their bedroom to return the period charm to their Edwardian home Was finding your home love at first sight? Without a
doubt! It was absolutely beautiful and filled with fantastic period features, but it also needed a lot of work as the previous owners had lived there since 1993 and hadn’t given it a lot of love since then. Were you looking for a project? We definitely wanted
a project. We’re at a good point in our lives where we don’t have any other major responsibilities. After working on our first house, we had the know-how and also the energy to take on this project and make the house our own. Tom’s dad works in construction and was really helpful, too.
was quite outdated; the carpet looked like it had been there for about 20 years and the bedroom had an absolutely huge wooden wardrobe that covered up the whole of one wall, and part of the window. After removing the wardrobe, however, we found it had provided a lot of soundproofing from next door, which we then needed to address. How did you soundproof the room? The house next door
has been converted into flats and our bedroom adjoins a living room, so it can be a bit noisy. We decided to install Soundstop,which is a panel of dense recycled rubber, and then fitted two sheets of Soundbloc plasterboard over that. In order to install them, we had to remove the picture rail and skirting board from the wall. These came off easily with a crowbar, but then when we came to remove the coving it just crumbled – we were devastated. After we installed the soundproofing, we hired a professional to plaster the walls – it’s the only job that we’ve employed a professional to do as if you get it wrong, it can be a disaster.
Top and above: Bryony and Tom instantly fell in love with their Edwardian home Right: The huge wooden wardrobe covered most of the wall and blocked part of the window, but did provide good soundproofing from next door Below right: After they removed the carpet, they saw that the floor was covered in black bitumen. It took two months to restore it to its original glory
BEFORE
Feature Holly Reaney
How did the bedroom look when you first moved in? It
Did you restore the coving? Yes, we brought a tracing
of the coving to a moulding company so that they could create a bespoke piece that exactly matched 114 Period Living
DURING
Renovation the one we already have. It was perfect but fitting it was a challenge. You have got to get the angle in the corners just right, and I think it took us about ten attempts with the microsaw. Thankfully we’d bought more than we needed. Was fitting the ceiling roses something you intended from the start? We are hoping to fit them in every room
BEFORE
DURING
AFTER
that doesn’t have one, to create a sense of consistency throughout the house. Luckily there are already two in the dining room and living room. In the bedroom, we’ve got two lights, which is really unusual. We knew we wanted to have chandeliers in there and the roses were the perfect finishing touch. They are a really nice, affordable way to elevate your space. We decided to buy handmade solid polycarbonate ceiling roses rather than plaster ones, as they are lighter and much easier to fit – we just used No More Nails – and definitely look the part. How did you prepare the floorboards? I’ve seen lots of
people restoring their own floors on Instagram and watched several tutorials, so we decided that we could do it too. We took up the carpet and hired a floor sander for a couple of weekends. The floor was covered in bitumen so it was a big task taking it back to the original wood. You are supposed to sand in diagonal sweeping motions, but due to the bowed shape of our floorboards, this meant we couldn’t catch the sides of the boards as they were lower than the central section. We did the initial sanding with the sander we had hired and then spent every weekend – and some evenings – for the next two months on our hands and knees sanding with small electric hand-sanders just to get into all those grooves that the floor sander missed. How did you finish the floor? We protected the boards
with Fiddes tinted hard wax oil, which was recommended by our friends. We wanted a deep colour that wasn’t too glossy, and chose Light Oak, although our finished floorboards are quite dark. Why did you decide to go with fitted wardrobes? Because
we’d seen how the massive wardrobe dwarfed the room, we decided to fit the wardrobes in the alcoves either side of the fireplace. Fitted wardrobes can be very expensive – I’ve spoken to people who have been quoted around £8,000 – so we decided to do it ourselves. We found a company called Fittingly, who supplied the materials, and then we created the fitted wardrobes ourselves. There was a lot of sawing, dust, and trial and error, but they look great now. What is your next project? We’re going to take on the
main bathroom, which will involve knocking down the wall that separates the bathroom and toilet, and also removing the ceiling to open the space up into the small loft above. Follow the next steps of Bryony & Tom’s renovation on Instagram @Welford.House Period Living 115
Renovation
HOME MAINTENANCE
Staircases Following years of heavy footfall, old staircases can suffer wear and tear, so learn how to recognise issues and carry out repairs and maintenance Feature Roger Hunt, author of Old House Handbook
S
taircases range from the relatively simple to the intricate and are constructed of timber, stone or metal, sometimes in combination. Over time, all staircases will require maintenance, whether to spruce up polished handrails, rectify squeaking treads and damaged balusters, or overcome serious problems resulting from decay or structural issues.
that have appeared, or structural movement in stone staircases
Questions and answers Richard Castle, director of Leamington Spa-based builders Castle Brothers, answers some common questions about the best methods of repairing and renovating staircases.
Q
O Identify areas of rot or beetle
Are there special considerations to keep in mind when undertaking work to a staircase?
infestation in timber elements O Deal with any damp problems that may affect the staircase O Note creaking, loose or split treads O Repair any damaged or loose spindles or balusters
Beware when opening up an old staircase, as you may find poor workmanship, even in the most elegant of flights. With this in mind, understand the construction and use traditional methods and materials
Maintenance checklist Illustrations Sarah Overs
O Explore the cause of any cracks
to carry out repairs. Don’t remove any more than is necessary to view or rectify a problem – it will add to the repair cost and result in the unnecessary loss of historic fabric. Salvage as much as possible, only discarding what is beyond use. Rotten and worm-infested timber may be useful, if only as a template.
Q
What telltale signs indicate that a staircase needs repair?
Unventilated voids beneath staircases can be ideal places for woodworm and rot to take hold – yellow dust in under stairs areas indicates worm. Any noise when on a staircase equals movement - a sound flight should feel solid; central heating can cause shrinkage of timber, leading to loose joints. Period Living 117
then clean, glue and tap it back into place, securing it with nails or screws. The same goes for the angle fillets between the treads and risers. If the tread has pulled out of the string, fixing timber blocks to the string, tread and riser is a quick repair. Where a flight has deteriorated to this extent, a more major repair may be necessary.
Q
The underside of the staircase is plastered, so how can any problems be fixed due to lack of access?
Above: Repairs can be made to nosings on the stair treads that have become worn and damaged from footfall over the years
Q
One of the balusters or spindles is broken -– can it be repaired?
These are there for safety so any repair must be sound. If in doubt, replace with new. Some wooden and iron balusters are available off the shelf or from a salvage yard. Turning wooden spindles or reproducing ironwork exactly to match can be expensive.
Q
What is the best way of repairing nosings on the stair treads that are worn and damaged?
Generally, the wear on a nosing – the rounded front edge of a tread – is in the central section. Cut off the nosing in line with the riser face and make a 45-degree cut at each end. Angling it in this way provides support for the new timber section which should be tapped in carefully. Glue and nail this to the front of the existing tread. Make sure the joint is a tight fit.
The only way to get to the underside of treads and risers is to remove whatever is covering them. Timber boards can be reinstated if carefully removed; plasterboard will be lost but is cheap; lath and plaster is expensive. Laths will be fixed side to side. Cut horizontally above and below the area to be inspected and peel away the lime plaster. Take no more than necessary. If the laths are of the riven variety, it may be possible to prize them away and reuse them later. After repairing the flight, refix the laths and then apply haired lime plaster in three coats.
These should be removed carefully. Paint sometimes hides problems, but it may also highlight them. Paint removal chemicals and heat can damage glues, and over-wetting of the timber may occur if water-based paint removers are used. Removing paint also exposes the timber to atmospheric changes, which can affect the stability of the staircase, particularly in softwoods.
Q
What is the best finish to use for hardwood handrails?
Clean the handrail with wire wool, and then apply wax or Danish oil. Do not use polyurethane or synthetics. It is also fine to leave hardwood untreated; it self-polishes with use.
Q
Advice from specialists should be sought, particularly with cantilevered treads where structural issues are suspected. Employ a surveyor with
Useful contacts BRITANNIA ARCHITECTURAL METALWORK
– restore metal staircases and parts. Tel: 01242 820582; britannia.uk.com BRITISH ARTIST BLACKSMITHS ASSOCIATION – directory of members
for metal stair parts. baba.org.uk BRITISH SPIRALS & CASTINGS – cast-iron staircases and balusters. Tel: 01663 750716; britishsc.co.uk CASTLE BROTHERS - specialists in building restoration. Tel: 01926 316378; castlebrothers.co.uk DEACON & SANDYS - bespoke oak joinery and design. Tel: 01580 243331; deaconandsandys.co.uk PEAR STAIRS - wooden stairs and parts. Tel: 01938 553311; pearstairs.co.uk REGISTER OF PROFESSIONAL TURNERS for turned spindles. Tel: 020 7236 3605; registerofprofessionalturners.co.uk RICHARD BURBIDGE - timber staircase manufacture and parts. Tel: 01691 678300; richardburbidge.com WOODSIDE JOINERY - timber staircases. Tel: 01633 875232; woodsidejoinery.com
Q
Rot results from moisture, certain temperature levels and a lack of ventilation. First, locate the cause of the problem and rectify it to prevent further damage. Cut out the rotten sections to sound timber and joint in new. If woodworm is present, look for fresh flight holes and dust, which is an indication that it may be live, and treat with a boron solution.
Q
Some of the treads are loose and creaking – what can be done?
118 Period Living
Q
How should paint and other finishes be removed from a staircase?
With stone staircases, how should repairs be made?
There are signs of rot and woodworm. How should these be dealt with?
Creaking is due to movement between the treads and risers and the strings supporting them that form the sides of the staircase. Loose treads may develop because the wedges holding them tight within the string have worked loose. Try carefully to remove the wedge,
appropriate experience and use a specialist approved by the surveyor to carry out repairs. For conventional stone treads and risers, consult a qualified stonemason.
Above: Balusters or spindles are present for safety reasons, so any broken ones should be repaired or replaced with care
D E S I G N
D E T A I L S
MOULDINGS In his series looking at how key details have evolved over the centuries, conservation expert Lee Bilson investigates perhaps the most decorative interior design element
he mouldings we see in our period homes are one of the most obvious features that add charm and elegance – providing opportunities to exploit and break up blocks of colour or bring a more intimate feel to an otherwise clinical, or perhaps imposing, space. Whether these are details on structural timbers, simple picture rails, or highly ornamental plaster ceiling roses and cornices, understanding the development of mouldings and the styles from different eras will help any renovation or conservation project, even where you might be exploring a more contemporary feel.
T 120 Period Living
Artistic flair Mouldings in British domestic architecture developed hugely over time. Where a ceiling might have been overwhelmed with practical floor joists supported by larger beams, craftspeople recognised a perfect opportunity for a little artistry. The simplest, and most widespread detail, consists of chamfers (cut-away, sloping edges) with end details known as ‘stops’. These can be found in homes from the medieval period through to revivalist styles of the Victorians, Edwardians and beyond – carved into beams, or even around doorways, and known to many simply as gothic chamfers.
Images (clockwiseopposite) Kasia Fiszer; Huntley Hedworth; ©National Trust Images/Rob Matheson; Brent Darby; ©National Trust Images/Cristian Barnett
Design Details
Clockwise from far left: Original ceiling mouldings in Jacobean manor house; ceiling plasterwork and cornicing featuring a dentil design in a Georgian house; detail from the Carved Room at Petworth House in West Sussex, which is the crowning achievement of 17th-century
wood carver Grinling Gibbons. The property is in the care of the National Trust; archway featuring plaster corbels in Victorian hallway; pediment and mouldings above a door in the Palladian Dining Room at Avebury Manor, Wiltshire, in the care of the National Trust
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Popular details in the more elaborate and wealthier of these earlier homes incorporated ornate series of mouldings, like the ovolo (convex moulding comprising a quarter-circle) and ogee (S-shaped) designs favoured by the Elizabethans and predominantly made of wood. Even classical moulding details were used, crudely interpreted but recognisable, nonetheless. Formed using a central square section with a small drip projecting from the base, they harked back to the days where cornices were used purely on external façades to ensure rainwater dripped clear of the walls. Although many of these styles and shapes combined different profiles, the majority still resembled this notion of past practicality right through to the Victorian period. By the early years of the 18th century, bolection moulding – formed by a double curve in profile – was commonly used around chimneypieces. Although this remained popular into the Georgian period, it was quickly replaced by classical-inspired designs such as the refined Adam style.
Status symbols It was in the Georgian period, with the rise of the aspiring middle classes, that homeowners could more easily emulate their social superiors than any period before – provincial architects, builders and decorators could now give their clients the latest in gentrified fashions through the assistance of pattern books. Initially the styles retained some of the baroque opulence of the Jacobean and Queen Anne stylings, with Rococo styles in demand. It was in the 17th and 18th centuries that elaborate cornices started being enriched with details such as leaves, the famed egg and dart motif, or dentils – purportedly being so called because of the resemblance of teeth, but don’t let that put you off!
Striking designs Over time, mouldings and plasterwork became ever crisper, almost icing-like. Moggerhanger Park in Bedfordshire, a tour de force by the 18th-century classical architect Sir John Soane, stands to this day as a testament of the varied and favoured crispness of styling achievable. Stylistic predilections were now leading to refined, shallower patterns that incorporated subtle detailing and muted colours – with decorative effect reserved for the cornice. One of the most elaborate uses of mouldings and decorative features can be seen at the Royal Pavilion in Brighton, which can currently be viewed via its virtual tour. Even the kitchen, with its relatively modest cornice more akin to typical period homes, features columns fashioned to resemble palm trees. Regency opulence at its most ludicrous.
Changing trends As with all styles, fashion eventually shifted, and throughout the 19th century a swathe of revivalist styles became commonplace. Mouldings were no longer focused on classical refinery, with elaborate tastes being spurred on by a fascination in exotic designs and developments in technologies. Details 122 Period Living
were more attainable than ever before – with mouldings and friezes readily available by the length. Homeowners and builders could now look in catalogues or visit master plasterers’ showrooms – or even their homes – to choose their designs of choice.
Things to look out for… O One of my favourite tricks for spotting changes in
a timber-framed house is to look at the chamfered ceiling beams and associated stops – these can often tell you if a room was originally larger. If a beam’s chamfer runs through a partition and the end stop is in another room, then a wall has been added. O A useful dating tool for older properties, is to remember that under the Elizabethans the ovolo moulding became very popular and remained the standard type throughout the 17th century. O Similarly, in the early 18th century bolection moulding was the design of choice for many chimneypieces and is a useful indicator of date. O When removing wallpaper in a period home, keep an eye out for the tell-tale signs that would have indicated the location and even size of any previous mouldings, such as dado rails.
Maintenance issues O Most plasterwork from the 19th century, and
earlier, is supported by a structure of narrow strips of wood, known as laths, nailed to the ceiling joists in close-knit strips. The main area of failure is either the deterioration of the laths, through beetle infestation or water damage, or the plaster failing causing sagging and cracking. Even where cracking has occurred, the moulding or plasterwork may be salvageable; but where beyond repair, careful consideration should be given to the original materials and craftsmanship as part of any decisions on replacement. O Decorative mouldings are often covered with layer upon layer of paint which can obscure the fine details, resulting in the loss of many of the crisp features present. Where modern paints were used it can even cause damage, so to bring the details back to life, explore getting a specialist to remove the layers of paint. Do perform a historic paint analysis and obtain listed building consent if needed. O Plasterwork that has already been lost or damaged can still be restored – there are many companies and craftspeople out there able to help. Hayles & Howe is one such practice, which also offers a vast range of off-the-shelf profiles including wonderful details fit for any Sir John Soane fan. O Typically plaster mouldings will have lost parts of their enrichments – from a petal to a dentil – but in these instances it is relatively easy to use a piece of the remaining detail to make a mould, from which a new matching piece can be cast in plaster and carefully nailed or glued into position. It’s always worth restoring or conserving mouldings rather than replacing wherever possible, but where replacement is necessary, hire a specialist firm, such as Stevensons of Norwich, which specialises in bespoke period-sensitive mouldings.
Design Details
at 17th-century Ham House in Surrey, and ceiling plasterwork. The property is in the care of the National Trust; the Music Room Gallery at the Royal Pavilion in Brighton, featuring extravagant cornice detail and palm tree columns
Images (clockwise from top left) ©National Trust Images/John Hammond; Douglas Gibb; ©National Trust Images/James O Davies; ©National Trust Images/John Hammond; ©Royal Pavilion
Clockwise from top left: Detail of the Great Stair wall at the National Trust’s Osterley Park and House in London, showing Vitruvian scroll mouldings; elaborate cornicing in baronial-style home; oval moulding in the woodwork on the Great Staircase
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Enjoy spending more time in the garden as the weather warms, and learn how to garden in pots on a grand scale ALFRESCO ELEGANCE With the days getting longer and brighter, create an outdoor dining area to rival that of a maharaja’s with a beautifully ornate and colourful handmade parasol. The new Augusta design, with its handpainted twill and lotus pattern, plus decorative fringing and tassels, will provide Regencystyle glamour. Priced from £399 at East London Parasol Company.
CROP COMPANIONS
Feature Rachel Crow Illustration Sarah Overs Cartoon Bill Jones
WHAT: PEPPERS AND PETUNIAS WHY: Peppers are relatively easy to grow in the
home vegetable patch and perfect companions for these are pretty petunias. Alongside adding a welcoming splash of colour to the productive areas of the garden, petunias repel pests such as aphids, while at the same time attracting the precious pollinators, such as bees and hover flies. PLANTING: Most pepper plants will need to be grown in a greenhouse to mimic as closely as possible the temperatures they would enjoy in the hot countries from which they originate. Luckily petunias like plenty of sun and are hot and dry hardy. Sow the seeds thinly in a warm environment in spring – the temperature should be between 18-24°C – in a peat-based seed sowing compost and do not cover the seeds. The seedlings should start to emerge within about 10 days and once they have true leaves can be transplanted to pots near to the pepper plants. Water the petunias regularly but do not leave to sit in soggy soil.
GARDEN TREASURES MAPPERTON, DORSET
The country home of the Earl and Countess of Sandwich, Mapperton won the Historic Houses Garden of the Year award in 2020. Tucked into a romantic valley setting, the Grade II-listed grounds descend in terraces down from a formal Italianate topiary garden to an arboretum, wild garden and then woodland teaming with spring flowers. Stumble across the secret garden, or lovely 17th-century summerhouse above the pools, and admire the grottoes and statuary dotted around. Open Sun–Thurs. Entry adult £11, child £3. (Tel: 01308 862645; mapperton.com) PRESSED FOR TIME Decorate a garden room or summerhouse with this pretty pressed wild flora canvas triptych, £30 at Cox & Cox, for a year-round, colourful floral display.
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EXPERT TIPS... SAVE THE BIRDS
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Extend sustainable gardening practices to the tools that you use. These new scissors are made from recycled and 100 per cent recyclable materials, with ergonomic handles for comfort of use. £17.99 from Fiskars.
ON THE BOOKSHELF
Proving that you don’t need a lot of space to grow a flower-filled jungle, Arthur Parkinson, who trained at Kew Gardens, worked for Sarah Raven and was gardener to Emma Bridgewater, has created a floral oasis in his own 5-metrelong front garden. In The Flower Yard (£22, Kyle Books) he provides inspiration for gardening entirely in pots, but on a grand scale, planting creatively through the seasons for stunning and colourful flowerpot displays.
May is the time when plants really start to grow in earnest and hedges, or other closely clipped shrubs, soon develop a rather shaggy, unruly appearance; this is especially true with specimens grown as formal shapes. While it is quite tempting to get clipping, doing so could easily put you on the wrong side of the law. Hedge headlines mostly involve neighbourly disputes over high hedges, but there are also legal considerations that are intended to protect our feathered neighbours. Wild birds in the UK generally nest between March and early August, with many nesting in garden hedges, so in May they are especially vulnerable if hedges are cut. It is an offence under the Wildlife & Countryside Act (1981) to damage or destroy the nest of any wild bird while it is in use or being built. In addition, the birds themselves, and their eggs, are also protected. If you are lucky enough to have nesting species with special protection – such as a firecrest or yellowhammer – it is also an offence even to disturb them while nesting, building a nest, or to disturb their chicks. Before cutting a hedge, check that no birds are nesting; if there are, wait until late August or September. You should also inform neighbours if the hedge is on a shared boundary. Cleaning out nest boxes is also illegal between February 1 and July 31, and any unhatched eggs can only be removed between September and January (AugustJanuary in Scotland). These must then be disposed of; wild bird egg collecting is also illegal. Wild birds do need our consideration and protection, so just a few tweaks to your garden regime will increase their chances of survival immensely.
* Writtle University College runs a variety of short, weekend and evening horticultural courses. To find out more visit writtle.ac.uk
Mick Lavelle is senior lecturer in horticulture at Writtle University College*
In the house garden, an attractive Victorian-style gazebo draws the eye along the informal herbaceous border that is billowing with fragrant lavender, Hesperis matronalis var. albiflora, Iris sibirica and Pyrus salicifolia ‘Pendula’. The pink of Rosa ‘Gertrude Jekyll’ stands out among a sea of white, while buttery-yellow R. ‘Pilgrim’ adorns the wall behind the seating spot
Gardens
A creative collaboration From a blank canvas, the gardens at The Laundry in Llanrhaeadr, Denbigh, have evolved into a romantic delight through the dedication of owners Tom and Jennifer Williams, working in happy harmony Words Leigh Clapp | Photographs Joe Wainwright
KEY FACTS Character Enjoying stunning views of the Clwydian Range AONB, the garden mixes romantic, cottage-style planting against formal punctuation and structure, with a separate, peaceful woodland area Size The whole garden is around three acres, with a one-acre walled garden, an acre around the house, plus woodland Aspect Most faces south and south-east, with Snowdonia taking a lot of the rainfall that would otherwise hit the garden Soil Neutral to alkaline, free-draining loam, with some river shingle Owners Tom and Jennifer Williams, who have lived here since 2011, but work on the garden began in 2008 House Dating back to 1770, it was the former laundry and dairy for Llanrhaeadr Hall, once Tom’s ancestral home Open Opens for groups (Tel: 01745 890515; thelaundryretreat.co.uk)
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lthough set within centuries old bones, the gardens at The Laundry in Llanrhaeadr, Denbigh are fairly young, created from a blank canvas by owners Jennifer and Tom Williams since they took it on in 2008. Regular readers of Period Living may recognise the couple’s sensitive renovation of the Grade II-listed former laundry and dairy, which won our Home of the Year Award 2019, so it will come as no surprise to see the same attention to detail applied to the garden. Both avid gardeners, Tom and Jennifer created gardens at their previous homes, but the design of The Laundry is their first horticultural collaboration. ‘I have a background in hairdressing, 130 Period Living
and Tom’s is in design and pottery, so we are creative people,’ Jennifer explains. While Tom plays with the shapes and structure of hard landscaping, hedging and lawns, Jennifer takes a painterly approach with the smaller perennials and harmonious infill. The garden spreads across just over three acres, with distinct areas by the house, a walled garden and then woodland, which in spring is carpeted by snowdrops, followed by bluebells and the froth of naturalised cow parsley. The division in areas was dictated by the site and the boundaries, especially the existing walls, which date back to around 1770. Undaunted by what was an overgrown field when they arrived, Tom and Jennifer started the work on the garden at the same time as applying for the planning permission for the renovation of the house. ‘Our influences include Monty Don’s garden, designers Arne Maynard and Tom Stuart Smith, and the gardens of Wollerton Old Hall and Holker Hall,’ explains Jennifer. Beginning with the space surrounding the house, they planted a pleached lime avenue using 11-foot whips, which Tom trained over six or seven years. This is underplanted with Narcissus ‘Thalia’, forget-me-nots, Anemone x hybrida ‘Honorine Jobert’, white Paeonia lactiflora ‘Kelway’s Glorious’, and catmint ‘Walker’s Low’ along the length. Nearby, Rosa ‘Mme. Alfred Carrière’ and pots of Hydrangea arborescens ‘Annabelle’ lighten the area with their white blooms. ‘I’ve used a
Gardens
Opposite: The area at the front of the house includes a terraced seating spot and box parterre, with roses scrambling up the walls Clockwise from left: A fig and a kiwi vine, along with potted Lavandula angustifolia ‘Hidcote’
frame the doorway into the walled garden; the circle of pleached crab apple ‘Evereste’ are underplanted with white Allium ‘Cowanii’; Clematis ‘Broughton Star’ shuttlecock ferns, and Persicaria bistorta in the Regent Street border
colour scheme here of white, blue and green for a calming atmosphere,’ Jennifer explains. A low wall divides the lime avenue from the house garden, which includes a terrace with a small box parterre, as well as two mainly oval lawns bisected by a path and beech hedges. A bench at one end of the path and a birdbath at the other provide focal points to draw the eye. Informal herbaceous borders with an ornamental pear and a purple-leafed flowering plum frame the path, while a small white gazebo placed in one corner is an attractive feature. Lending a sense of whimsy are self-seeded spires of digitalis, happily popping up in the borders and providing visual punctuation. Also by the house is an area nicknamed Regent Street, due to its curvaceously shaped borders along a drive, while around the back is a cobbled circle surrounded by pleached flowering crab apples underplanted with Erigeron karvinskianus, known as the Hall Garden. ‘This part of the garden is Tom’s favourite, as it is on a more personal scale; it is one of the few places he likes to sit in. We don’t sit in the garden much, preferring to take working walks through it, usually spotting jobs to do along the way,’ smiles Jennifer, echoing a sentiment that is common to most gardeners. Outside the walled garden, a touch of romance is provided by three rose beds. Each has a central obelisk, one adorned with Rosa ‘Gertrude Jekyll’ surrounded by R. ‘Darcey Bussell’, while the other two feature ‘Wollerton Old Hall’ and ‘Lady Emma Hamilton’. In May these are accompanied by spheres of Allium hollandicum ‘Purple Sensation’. ‘I think May has to be one of my favourite months. As if by magic, Mother Nature picks up the pace and brings everything into the green. I look 132 Period Living
forward to waking up every day; seeing new plants emerging from the warming earth; watching trees change from brown to different hazes of greens, purples and limes, and listening to the joyful birdsong that fills the air,’ Jennifer enthuses. With the tone set, on entering the protected walled garden, the view is down the west wall with a long border planted in an effervescent cottage style. Small trees, shrubs, perennials and bulbs mingle together harmoniously, including gleditsia, Sorbus cashmiriana, nepeta, geraniums, irises and salvias. ‘We call this west border “Maggie’s border”, after a local lady who offered us her blue border in its prime. Over the space of a weekend, we took out all of the flowers and transplanted them to ours, and so Maggie’s border was born. We love walking in to the walled garden and seeing that directly in front of us,’ explains Jennifer. They are slowly working their way around the walled garden, adding borders and features. Some pillars that were once part of Llanrhaeadr Hall have been installed, paths criss-cross it, and formal yew and hornbeam hedges now divide the one-acre space, giving a sense of intimacy. With much of the area still under development, there are plans yet to be fully envisioned, from nursery beds and a greenhouse, to further herbaceous borders, specimen trees, an orchard, and a wildflower area. One of the latest projects is a cutting garden along the south wall, bisected by a seating area complete with a tabletop canopy of Platanus x hispanica. Here the choices for the vase include alliums, Euphorbia oblongata, gladioli, echinops, eryngium, irises and lilies, along with dahlias later in the season. ‘New plans and projects present themselves all the time,’ Jennifer concludes.
Gardens
Clockwise from opposite: The border by the potting shed in the walled garden is densely planted with a palette that includes clumps of golden Carex elata ‘Aurea’, foxgloves and richly toned columbine ‘Ruby Port’;
Maggie’s border is bonny in blue among the cottage garden planting of the west side of the walled garden; poppies sing in a meadow mix in the walled garden; complementary pink roses with Hesperis matronalis var. albiflora
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Above: This striking pair of pillars, originally from the neighbouring Llanrhaeadr Hall, add an elegant statement, while purple-leaved Heuchera ‘Obsidian’ and silvery artemisia add detail to the front of the border with its drifts of irises
Below: Iris pallida features in Maggie’s border through early summer Opposite: The mainly white border with Rosa ‘Winchester Cathedral’, aquilegia and Spiraea nipponica ‘Snowmound’ works well with silver foliaged stachys
Jennifer and Tom’s tips TAKE LOTS OF PICTURES, and dating them also helps you to remember what went in and when MAKE NOTES OF WHAT YOU HAVE PLANTED, particularly trees and shrubs, in their first year WATER PLANTS THE FIRST FEW YEARS UNTIL ESTABLISHED – we have lost plants by just forgetting
they were recently planted MULCH IN EARLY SPRING – this is so vital as it suppresses weeds and makes emerging weeds easier to spot and pull up PLANT SUCCESSIONALLY, and keep the season going with dahlias and grasses
In the area BODNANT GARDEN, TAL-Y-CAFN, COLWYN BAY LL28 5RE
– a National Trust property famous for fine trees, terraces and herbaceous borders. The May highlight is the 55-metre-long laburnum arch tunnel edged with azaleas. Open daily. Entry adult £8, child £4. (Tel: 01492 650460; nationaltrust.org.uk) NANTCLWYD Y DRE HISTORIC HOUSE AND GARDENS, RUTHIN LL15 1DP – 15th-century timber hall house
with restored walled garden. Entry adult £7, child £6. (Tel: 01824 706868; denbighshire.gov.uk) POTTLES PREMIER PLANTS, ORSEDD FARM, GORSEDD, HOLYWELL CH8 8QZ – good source for hedging
plants in particular. (Tel: 01352 712101; pottlespremierplants.co.uk) DIBLEYS NURSERIES, LLANELIDAN, RUTHIN LL15 2LG
- specialising in streptocarpus and bedding plants (Tel: 01978 790677; dibleys-shop.com)
Gardens
Don’t miss the next issue of
PERIODLIVING OUT 29 APRIL
garden furniture O Floral decorating O Outdoor buildings O Windows through the eras O How to buy vintage
Images Clive Nichols, Colin Poole, Jeremy Phillips, Jody Stewart, Leigh Clapp, Green Retreats, Oak Designs Co
O Beautiful homes and gardens O Classic
Period Living 137
Gardens
Include an array of flowers and herbs in your vegetable plot, either in containers or planted in the ground, such as lavender, sunflowers, sweet peas, cosmos and calendula, to attract insects, including bees and other pollinators
Partners with
benefits Make the most of your garden by planting beneficial companions that can help improve home-grown produce by managing pests, promoting pollination, influencing soil nutrients and maintaining diversity Words and photographs Leigh Clapp
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ompanion planting, although with ancient roots from across the world, became popular in our gardens from the 1970s with the resurgence of organic and permaculture practices. In nature, certain plants grow together while others are never seen in each other’s company. Companion planting simply refers to growing two or more different plants together for a beneficial effect, which is mainly used in the vegetable garden. Some plants actually help each other to grow and thrive, giving support, shelter and root space, enhancing the production, improving the taste, or creating better biodiversity. Others taste bitter or are toxic to pests, so act as natural pest deterrents, such as Artemisia absinthium, tansy and pyrethrum daisies. Certain choices emit masking chemicals that deter insects, including rosemary, lavender and mint. Many attract bees and other pollinating insects, which improves yield and is helpful for a balanced garden and eco system.
The benefits of companion planting ‘There is an array of benefits to companion planting in an organic garden. They help to protect the soil, suppress weeds, fill in any gaps and encourage 140 Period Living
Above: Even where space is limited, add in crops among your flowers, growing only what you need, and selecting beneficial partners, such as fringes of chives, to
attract garden helpers to the vegetables Right: Neatly planted raised beds of crops will benefit from drifts of calendula and entwining sweet peas on supports
biodiversity,’ says Emma O’Neill, head gardener at the charity Garden Organic. The more diverse planting the better. A careful selection of plants and companions allows more variety in a small space, while helping you, the gardener, at the same time. Single crop garden beds can become plagued by insects, while mixing plants together confuses pests. Charlotte Harris and Hugo Bugg have designed the kitchen garden at the new RHS Garden Bridgewater near Manchester. Set within the historic walls of the original kitchen garden, the design references both heritage and innovation, including showcasing companion planting, which is woven throughout. ‘We all do better with others in our lives and plants are no different, helping one another out, whether by acting as a lure, attracting beneficial insects or improving the soil. Importantly, they
Gardens are just as wonderful, beautiful and often edible – adding to the experience of your garden whatever the size of it,’ says Charlotte.
Floral friends ‘Some of the best and easiest companion plants for home gardeners are marigolds, nasturtiums and calendula,’ says Emma O’Neill. ‘These are all attractive flowers, but in addition: nasturtiums help to deter aphids and are often used as a sacrificial plant so aphids and black fly attack them but stay away from your precious vegetables; calendulas are loved by bees and hoverflies; while marigolds’ strong scent confuses pests.’ Charlotte and Hugo single out for attention the companion planting properties of hard-working and good-looking calendula. ‘It not only glows with joyous orange from early summer to autumn – I love ‘Indian Prince’ – but is a wonderful edible and medicinal plant that also repels whitefly from tomatoes, distracts aphids from crops and encourages beneficial insects,’ explains Hugo. Calendula is in the Asteraceae family, a group that has a vital protein in its pollen that allows beneficial insects, such as hoverflies and lacewings, to lay viable eggs. ‘Erigeron karvinskianus is a wonderful, long-lasting and enthusiastic filler of gaps and part of that family, as are Dyer’s chamomile, and sunflowers,’ adds Charlotte.
Herb helpers Organic grower, designer and author, Jekka McVicar VMH, of Jekka’s Herb Farm, has a holistic approach to using herbs in the garden. ‘I have more success when herbs are planted to attract a wide range of pollinators, which improves the yield, rather than as specific companion plants,’ explains Jekka, who intermingles vegetables and an array
of self-seeding herbs in her private garden. ‘The most exciting thing is the amount of pollinators that are attracted by the Lamiaceae family, which includes agastache. Calamintha nepeta is also particularly effective in increasing the yield as it attracts so many pollinators,’ she adds. Mix herbs, including lavender, thyme, oregano, rosemary and mint, through your plot to help repel insects with their aromatic foliage and to attract pollinators. ‘It is better to grow plants to increase diversity and create a good balance, attracting as much wildlife as you can into the space, to reap the rewards of a healthy garden. ‘We are now more aware of the right plant in the right place, the importance of soil health, and how plants grow. It is all about balance, and no one part is more important,’ Jekka explains. ‘As herbs heal us they can also heal other plants; for example, chamomile next to an ailing shrub is a natural anti-fungal,’ she adds.
Rotating neighbours Potagers, which began in France, are by their very nature brimming with companion planting, for both decorative and practical purposes. At author and designer Marylyn Abbott’s elegant West Green House garden, the potager is an outstanding example of this sense of combination, with fruit, vegetables and flowers all thoughtfully orchestrated, working in happy harmony. ‘My first mission when I came here was to improve the soils and here companion and rotating planting assisted enormously. By planting a group of plants with different depth of root systems, this helped break up and improve the structure of the soils. A good example of this is planting carrots alongside tomatoes, plants whose roots go more
deeply into the soil. The tomato is also a super decoy for keeping the rust fly from the carrots,’ Marylyn explains. Inspiration for Marylyn also came while researching one of her books, Gardens of Plenty: The Art of the Potager Garden. ‘The origination of this type of planting is lost in time, but we know that medieval gardeners had this knowledge.’ Marylyn likes to mix the flowers, vegetables and herbs together in long lines. ‘Do choose plants that have good manners and do not encroach on each other’s space. By rotating crops and annuals the soil is not depleted of nutrients, and it is very enjoyable planting beautiful pictures in different vegetables and annuals each season,’ Marylyn enthuses. At RHS Garden Bridgewater, they do not follow a strict crop rotation. ‘Most rotations aren’t long enough to break the cycle of some soil-borne pests and disease. I tend to do a loose rotation, while including mixed plantings and focus on soil health,’ explains Dr Sylvia Travers, team leader of the Inner Walled Garden. So aiming to create beneficial plant communities in your vegetable garden or on your allotment, not only makes good gardening sense, it will also reward you in many more ways. Below, left to right: Containers of sweet peppers and chillies are protected by scrambling nasturtium used as a trap crop – a tip is to snip off the first few pepper flowers to improve root growth; tagetes, or French marigolds, are good companions with peppers as the substance they release from their roots wards off nematodes and eel worms, which target peppers; nasturtiums lure away pests, such as aphids and cabbage white butterflies, which may lay
142 Period Living
eggs on the flowers rather than on your brassicas – yellow nasturtium flowers are particularly attractive to aphids; open, singleflowered cosmos are ideal to attract pollinators, such as bees and butterflies, making them useful near tomatoes to aid in fruiting Opposite: A block of mixed annual calendula and colourful Salvia viridis is highly attractive to bees, butterflies and other helpful insects, while also being excellent as neighbours for rows of chard
Perfect partnerships BEANS Good with corn, squash, carrots, summer
savoury, sweet peas, cabbage, beetroot Avoid onion family, fennel, sunflowers BROCCOLI Good with chard, radishes, onions, mint, spinach, beetroot, celery, sage, oregano, rosemary Avoid tomatoes, squash, strawberries, corn, pumpkins, asparagus, peppers CARROTS Good with onions, leeks, beans, brassicas, lettuce, peas, beans, sage, rosemary, tomatoes, melons, alliums Avoid potatoes, dill, parsnips, celery, radish CUCUMBERS Good with peas, beans, corn, radishes, onions, carrots, beets, cabbages, peppers, dill, oregano, nasturtiums, marigolds Avoid potatoes, sage, melons LEEKS Good with carrots, onions, garlic, beets, celery, tomatoes, fruit trees, parsley Avoid beans, legumes, swiss chard ONIONS Good with cabbage family, tomatoes, lettuce, peppers, chard, strawberries, dill, parsley, mint, chamomile, summer savoury Avoid beans, peas, sage, asparagus PEPPERS Good with carrots, cucumbers, endive, aubergine, allium family, asparagus, squash, basil, parsley, oregano Avoid beans, brassicas, fennel, strawberries POTATOES Good with horseradish, beans, basil, cabbages, corn, chamomile, alyssum, thyme, petunias, lamium, sage, nasturtium, coriander, tansy, nepeta, marigolds Avoid squash, asparagus, nightshade family, fennel, sunflowers, raspberries, strawberries STRAWBERRIES Good with asparagus, beans, chives, mint, borage, spinach, lettuce, garlic, onion, peas, thyme, horseradish, rhubarb, marigolds, chives Avoid cauliflower, cabbages, broccoli, fennel, tomatoes, potatoes, melons, peppers, mint TOMATOES Good with basil, mint, beans, lettuce, garlic, squash, thyme, French marigolds, calendula, chives, asparagus, nasturtiums, cosmos, amaranth Avoid potatoes, brassicas, aubergine, peppers, fennel, kohlrabi, corn, dill
Top companion planting tips O Interplant strawberries with vegetables and
herbs to conceal them from birds and pests O Some combinations offer a physical advantage – for example the ‘Three Sisters’ method with beans, corn and squash: beans use corn as a support while fixing nitrogen at their roots; squash sprawls and helps cover weeds O Legumes help other crops by releasing nitrogen into the soil O Pairings to improve flavour include basil with tomatoes, borage to sweeten strawberries, and dill near corn O Marigolds suppress plant-parasitic nematodes O Plant fruit bushes and trees with peas, beans and sweet peas – the nitrogen from pea family roots benefits fruit O Plant insect and bird-friendly plants to attract pollinators and natural predators O Growing members of the same family increases competition for soil nutrients, so it is best to scatter them across your plot
Gardens to visit GARDEN ORGANIC, Ryton Gardens, Warwickshire
CV8 3LG. New Demonstration garden, opening spring 2021, will be open on certain days throughout the year. See website for details (Tel: 024 7630 3517; gardenorganic.org.uk) RHS GARDEN BRIDGEWATER, Worsley, Greater Manchester M28 2LJ. This new garden that is being developed, includes a kitchen garden, which is opening in May (rhs.org.uk) JEKKA’S HERB FARM, Avon, Bristol BS35 3SY. For open days, charity days and classes see website (Tel: 01454 418878; jekkas.com) WEST GREEN HOUSE GARDEN, West Green, Hook, Hants, RG27 8JB. Open daily through garden season (Tel: 01252 844611; westgreenhouse.co.uk)
Helpful websites FIRSTTUNNELS.CO.UK – offers a complete guide to
companion planting THOMPSON-MORGAN.COM – companion planting guide Period Living 143
Out & About
GRAND illusions
Flights of fancy, follies were designed to showcase wealth and architectural ability, often imitating castle ruins or ancient monuments. There are many to discover around the country, so keep a look out for these curious buildings
Image National Trust Images/Chris Lacey
Feature Holly Reaney
The Temple of Apollo at Stourhead, Wiltshire A captivating blend of vibrant planting and ornate structures elevate the magnificent gardens of Stourhead, in Wiltshire, into a living gallery. Designed by Henry Hoare II in the mid 18th century, their inspiration spans eras, from Ancient Roman temples to ornate Italianate monuments. Be sure to pause at the Temple of Apollo, built in 1765 by architect Henry Flitcroft as an attempt to outdo the Temple of the Sun at Kew, taking in the stunning views over the vast lake. (nationaltrust.org.uk) Period Living 145
Stainborough Castle at Wentworth Castle Gardens, South Yorkshire Thomas Wentworth was no stranger to a folly – there are 26 scattered across the castle gardens he had created – but Stainborough was the first. A family feud led to the creation of this supposedly ancient castle, placed at the parkland’s highest point to be an ‘endorsement from the past’. Despite being built in 1726, the ruined castle – designed as such, although the following 300 years have also left their mark – was inscribed with the message ‘rebuilt in 1730’, to reinforce the ruse. (nationaltrust.org.uk)
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The Music Temple at West Wycombe Park, High Wycombe The rich orange tones of Sir Francis Dashwood’s Music Temple, found floating on an island in the lake, stand stark against the luscious parkland of West Wycombe. This pillared Doric temple was inspired by the Temple of Vesta in Rome and was designed to host Dashwood’s fêtes champêtres (elaborate tea parties), and still today it plays host to several musical performances in the summer. Throughout the park, a total of ten follies create a tour filled with grandeur and intrigue. (nationaltrust.org.uk) 146 Period Living
Images (Stainborough) National Trust Images/Chris Lacey, (Rushdon) Getty Images, (Wycombe) National Trust Images/Hugh Mothersole
Out & About
Triangular Lodge, Rushton, Northamptonshire During the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, Catholicism was illegal, a fact that makes Sir Thomas Tresham’s 27ft monument celebrating his religious fervour all the more impressive. Built from 1593, after his release from a 15-year prison sentence for refusing to convert, the folly is imbued with Catholic messaging. Designed around the number three, every element evokes the Holy Trinity; above the lintel is the number 5555, the date of the building as calculated from Creation. (english-heritage.org.uk)
The Dunmore Pineapple, Airth, Scotland
Garrick’s Temple to Shakespeare, Richmond-upon-Thames ‘Shakespear, all I owe to you’ reads the final line of the dedication on this folly. Summarising actor-manager David Garrick’s rejoicing of the bard, the 18th-century temple saw his love immortalised in bricks and mortar. The grand Italian-style folly, overlooking the Thames, was designed to house Garrick’s Shakespearean relics, although today it hosts an exhibition about Garrick himself – a story entwined with the bard. Open March to October. (visitrichmond.co.uk) 148 Period Living
Image (Dunmore and Garrick’s Temple) Getty
While the humble pineapple is now a common sight in most supermarkets, it was once a status symbol. Commissioned by Lord Dunmore, this folly was built in two stages: the single-storey pavilion in 1761, with its exotic counterpart added in 1777. This followed Dunmore’s forced return from serving as Governor of Virginia, where it was customary for sailors to stick a pineapple on the gatepost to announce their arrival home. His 45ft incarnation stood as a witty take on the custom. (nts. org.uk)
Out & About
Portmeirion, North Wales
Images (Portmeirion) Getty, (Claife) Steven Barber
Follies don’t get more impressive than Portmeirion, an entire village built on a whim as a vanity project. Architect Sir Clough Williams-Ellis bought the site for around £5,000 in 1925, and transformed it into his dream, Italian-themed holiday village over the course of the next 50 years. With its miniature mansions, quirky cottages, and ornate towers, this eclectic haven of colourful architecture is unlike anything else. (portmeirion.wales)
Claife Viewing Station, Lake District Blending in with its bucolic surroundings, Claife Viewing Station has the appearance of a derelict castle. Unlike other follies, however, it is the landscape, not the building, that was intended to be the spectacle here. The glazed window is a newer addition, but takes inspiration from the four original tinted windows, which were designed to replicate the changes of the seasons on the landscape, letting you get a sense of 12 months of lakeland scenes in one visit. (nationaltrust.org.uk) Period Living 149
Recipes
e a t s i y e k a T Enjoy a slower pace of life and a relaxed start to your day by lingering over a long, lazy brunch with family or friends, inspired by these delicious ideas
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Photographs © Ryland Peters & Small
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BANANA BREAD FRENCH TOAST French toast in itself is a decadent brunch, but using banana bread really jazzes up this morning treat. Feel free to use caramel sauce or clear honey instead of maple syrup. SERVES 4 BANANA BREAD O 280g plain flour O 1 tsp baking powder O ¼ tsp salt O 115g butter O 150g brown sugar O 2 eggs, beaten O 5 ripe, mashed bananas FRENCH TOAST O 3 eggs O 3 tbsp sweetened condensed milk O 1 tsp vanilla extract or paste O 2 tbsp butter O Icing sugar, for dusting O Maple syrup, to serve
You will need a 23 x 13cm loaf pan, lightly greased. Preheat an oven to 180°C/160°C fan/ 350°F/Gas 4 1. Make the banana bread by combining the flour, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl. In a separate medium bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar. Stir in the eggs one at a time and add the mashed bananas until combined. 2. Add the banana mixture to the flour mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until mixed together. Pour into the prepared loaf pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour, or until a cocktail stick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Let cool for 5–10 minutes then turn it out on a wire rack. 3. For the French toast, beat the eggs, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla with a fork in a small-medium bowl. Set aside. 4. Melt the butter in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Slice the banana bread into four thick slices. Dip each slice into the egg mixture and place into the hot frying pan. 5. Cook on each side for 1–2 minutes until golden brown. Plate and dust with icing sugar. Serve the toast with a side of maple syrup. 152 Period Living
MUSHROOM, BACON & ONION PANCAKES Starting your weekend with a proper breakfast or a late brunch always feels like a treat. These small, fluffy pancakes – flavoured with mushrooms, bacon and onion – make a great savoury all-in-one brunch dish to enjoy. Make a tall stack of them and share with friends. SERVES 4–6 O ½
tbsp sunflower oil slices of bacon, cut into short strips O ½ onion, finely chopped O 100g button mushrooms, chopped in half O 225g plain flour O 1 tbsp baking powder O ½ tsp salt O 2 eggs O 3
O 200ml
milk tbsp freshly chopped parsley O 1 tbsp freshly snipped chives O 25g butter, melted maple syrup, to serve (optional) O 1
1. Heat the sunflower oil in a frying pan. Fry the bacon and onion for two minutes, stirring. Add the mushrooms and fry over a high heat until lightly browned. Set aside to cool. 2. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a mixing bowl. Break the eggs into the centre of the flour and pour in the milk, folding the ingredients together quickly, without
over-mixing, to form a thick batter. Gently fold in the mushroom mixture, parsley and chives. Stir in the melted butter. 3. Thoroughly heat a large, heavy-based frying pan. Dry fry the mixture in batches, using a tablespoon of the batter to form each small pancake. Fry for 2–3 minutes over a low to medium heat, until the pancakes have set and begun to dry out around the edges. Using a spatula, gently turn them over and fry for a further 2 minutes until golden brown on both sides. Serve at once with maple syrup, if you like.
Recipes
BAKED OAT MILK PORRIDGE WITH PEARS, ALMONDS & DATE SYRUP You might wonder why anyone would oven bake porridge, when it takes so little time to cook the conventional way? Well, it does mean that you can swap standing at the stove and stirring constantly for simply mixing everything together and leaving it to morph into breakfast heaven under its own steam, while you soak in
the bath or even go back to bed with your book! SERVES 4–6 jumbo oats ltrs oat milk O 75g mixed seeds O 2 tsp vanilla bean paste O 1 tsp ground cinnamon O 3 medium ripe, but firm pears, cored and diced O 80g mixed dried berries (such as sultanas/golden raisins, goji berries, inca/ golden berries, cranberries)
TO SERVE O 2 tbsp toasted and flaked almonds O 4–5 tbsp date syrup O Extra oat milk
O 160g O 1.2
Preheat the oven to 170°C/150°C fan/325°F/ Gas 3 1. Mix the oats and oat milk together. Stir in the seeds, vanilla bean paste, ground cinnamon, diced pears and the dried berries.
2. Pour everything into a roasting pan, cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. 3. Remove the porridge from the oven and spoon it into bowls. Scatter each serving with the toasted almonds and drizzle with date syrup and extra oat milk as desired. Serve at once.
SWEET POTATO, SPINACH & RED ONION FRITTATA This delicious frittata is packed with goodness. As well as being a healthy brunch dish, it can also be served cold, making it great for picnics, too. Serves 4–6 O 1
sweet potato, peeled and sliced into 1cm rounds O 150g baby spinach leaves O 1–2 tbsp olive oil, for frying O 1 red onion, sliced O 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped O ½ tsp ground turmeric O 6 eggs O Salt and freshly ground black pepper O A mixed leaf salad, to serve (optional)
1. Put the sweet potato slices in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to the boil over a medium heat, then reduce the heat and leave to simmer for 7–8
TOMATO & BACON GRATIN Juicy, naturally sweet tomatoes and salty bacon are one of those great flavour combinations. Serve this simple-to-make dish for breakfast or brunch with thick slices of fresh bread on the side. Serves 4 O 1
tbsp olive oil slices of bacon, finely chopped O 1 shallot, peeled and finely chopped O 25g fresh breadcrumbs O A pinch of dried oregano O 4 tomatoes O 10g grated Parmesan cheese O Salt and freshly ground black pepper O 2
You will need a shallow, ovenproof casserole dish, greased. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/ 400°F/Gas 6 154 Period Living
1. Heat the oil in a small frying pan set over a medium heat. Add the bacon and shallot and fry for 2–3 minutes, stirring often, until the shallot has softened and the bacon is cooked. Remove from the heat and stir in the breadcrumbs and oregano. 2. Slice the tomatoes into 1cm-thick slices. Arrange in the prepared casserole dish, overlapping slightly. Season with a little salt and pepper, bearing in mind the saltiness of the bacon. 3. Spread the bacon mixture evenly over the tomato slices, then sprinkle over the Parmesan. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes and serve hot from the oven.
minutes, or until soft all the way through. Drain and put in a bowl. 2. Put the spinach in a saucepan of boiling water and cook for about 30 seconds, until wilted. Drain and rinse with cold water to suspend the cooking. Squeeze out any excess water when cool enough to handle, then add to the sweet potatoes. 3. Heat a little olive oil in an ovenproof frying pan over a low heat, add the onion, garlic and turmeric, and fry gently for 3–4 minutes, until the onion is soft. Add the onion to the sweet potato slices and gently fold everything together. 4. Add a little more olive oil to the same pan, whisk together the eggs with a pinch of salt and pepper,
Recipes and pour one-third of it into the pan to create a layer of egg on the bottom. Wait for it to settle and cook slightly, then spoon the sweet potato mixture on top, followed by the rest of the eggs. Push the vegetables down so they are just about covered by the eggs and leave to cook for 2 minutes, still on a low heat. 5. Preheat a grill to medium–hot. Put the pan under the grill to finish cooking the frittata for about 5 minutes. You will know it is cooked all the way through when it doesn’t wobble in the middle. Or push the top with a knife – if the egg is runny, it needs more time. 6. Once cooked all the way through, leave the frittata to sit in the pan for 5 minutes. Slice and serve up warm with a side salad if you like.
Quick and easy, this is a bread that can be made in advance and successfully frozen. It is perfect served with both sweet and savoury accompaniments Makes 1 loaf O 150g
plain flour tsp baking powder O 1 tsp salt O 170g polenta O 1 tsp caster sugar O 1 tsp smoked paprika O 4 sprigs of fresh oregano, leaves removed and chopped, plus extra to sprinkle over the top before cooking O 160g canned sweetcorn, reserving a tablespoon to sprinkle over the top before cooking O 60ml olive oil O 1 egg, lightly whisked O Honey, to drizzle O 3
You will need a 13 x 24cm loaf pan, greased with olive oil and lightly dusted with flour. Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/ 425°F/Gas 7 1. In a large bowl, mix together all the ingredients and pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Sprinkle over the reserved oregano leaves and sweetcorn. 2. Bake in the preheated oven for 30–35 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack. 3. Serve warm or at room temperature, drizzled with honey.
READER OFFER This is an edited extract from Lazy Day Brunches (Ryland Peters & Small, £9.99). PL readers can buy a copy for the special price of £6. To order go to rylandpeters.com and use code LAZYDAYPL at the checkout.* Period Living 155
*Offer valid until 31 May 2021
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In the Picture
Medical history ritish doctor Edward Jenner changed the course of
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medical history – and world history, too – when, on 14 May 1796, he scratched cowpox into the arm of a young boy. The Gloucestershire medic had heard that farmworkers who caught cowpox seemed resistant to the similar, but much deadlier, smallpox virus. Jenner persuaded a local farmer to allow his son to take part in an experiment ‘…to observe the progress of the infection, I selected a healthy boy, about eight years old, for the purpose of inoculation for the Cow Pox.’ The boy, James Phipps, became mildly ill with cowpox for a few days and when he recovered Jenner carried out further injections; this time with matter from a smallpox blister. James did not develop smallpox, nor did any of the other children or servants Jenner used to further his research. His risky, unethical
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experiments, hardly stringent clinical trials, would have had him struck off the Medical Register nowadays, but his theory was proven. Jenner’s vaccination - the word derived from ‘vaccinia’, Latin for cowpox - became the main weapon in the global fight against smallpox. The cartoon above, by satirist James Gillray, dates from 1802 and appeared against a backdrop of suspicion about the new vaccines. Gillray mocks widespread claims that recipients of the smallpox vaccines would develop bovine characteristics. It was the early-19thcentury equivalent of fake news. The vaccines went on to save millions of lives around the world, but it wasn’t until 1980 that the World Health Organisation declared smallpox eradicated. Our current vaccination programme couldn’t be further removed from Jenner’s farmyard experiments, but it owes its very existence to the father of vaccinology.
Words Karen Darlow Image Universal History Archive/Getty Images
The smallpox vaccine was a world game changer. Now, 225 years on, what have we learned?